(A firm reminder: Regarding ABER's weapon skills, attire, and any other element that might seem inconsistent with the original work, I can assure you, it is not a bug! As for the reason, some readers might already see it... For those who don't, please seek enlightenment elsewhere; I will not explain them one by one. The answers will naturally come in Volume Three. Furthermore, for a character this popular, how could I possibly get her basic information wrong!)

The narrow alley, formed by the straight corridor between the two student dormitories, separated by concrete walls, was pitch-black and shadowed. This was… Accelerator!

A slender, androgynous-looking boy in white stood there, surrounded by seven or eight young men armed with weapons, their faces fierce and contorted with malice. Yet, he paid them no mind, instead tilting his head up to gaze at the bright night sky above, a thoughtful look in his eyes. Something had changed? After losing to that guy, something had shifted, but… what exactly?

“Hyaah!” A vicious shout erupted as the armed youths launched their attack—daggers, iron bars, folding knives, and esper abilities, all directed at the white-clad boy in the center of the space.

Accelerator cracked his lips into a smile, a vacant, emotionless grin. He understood what had changed.

It was the strongest! He hadn't advanced from the strongest to the invincible; instead, he had fallen from the pinnacle of strength, reduced to the level of an "ordinary person." That was why these fools dared to provoke and attack him without restraint. But… didn’t they realize that the one who beat him was also an abnormal Level 5?

To attack a Level 5 when one is merely a low-level esper… Accelerator suddenly felt utterly disinterested. He lifted his foot. It wasn't to attack them; he simply wanted to leave this place and go home to get some proper sleep. That was all.

And then…

Gasps, screams, lamentations… soul-rending cries.

All the attackers collapsed onto the ground in the next instant, utterly incapacitated. Yet, Accelerator had done nothing; never mind fighting, he hadn't even spared them a glance.

Moving past them, Accelerator walked casually forward, recalling the words of that frog-faced doctor. “Finding the meaning of life? How ridiculous. Is it possible for someone like myself to find such a thing? Whatever I do brings misfortune to this world, and even if I do nothing, my power can still harm anyone… The meaning of life is probably just slaughter…”

Tch, what a pure-blooded villain!

Accelerator chuckled at himself, stepping out of the alley onto the main road. His expression was somewhat vacant, completely oblivious to his surroundings. Of course, with the ability to reflect all vectors, he didn't actually need to pay attention.

Suddenly, Accelerator noticed a figure dart out rapidly from a corner not far ahead. Perhaps due to the sheer speed, the figure stumbled after only a few steps with a little cry of pain.

The voice was young, a girl’s voice, and it sounded genuinely hurt… Accelerator shook his head, seemingly unconcerned, and continued walking. But as he reached the girl, he abruptly stopped. It wasn't a sudden surge of goodwill to help her up; rather, the head the girl lifted allowed him to clearly see her face.

It was a face he knew intimately, one he had seen countless times in his memory—the face worn by the Misaka Sisters, the Railgun Clones. The difference was that, judging by the girl’s figure and features before him, she was significantly scaled down compared to the Sisters, looking to be around ten years old.

Moreover, upon seeing him, the girl’s eyes flew wide open as if greatly startled, displaying a highly humanized expression. This appearance was starkly different from the Sisters.

Accelerator frowned. This was the first time he had encountered anything related to the Sisters since the experiment ended. For some reason, he felt an urge to leave her as quickly as possible, the further the better… Perhaps it was subconscious repulsion, Accelerator thought.

But just as he turned and took a step, the girl suddenly rushed in front of him, appearing quite delighted. “Oh my, what a surprisingly dramatic turn of events to run into Accelerator here!” Misaka Misaka declared happily.

“Huh?” Accelerator froze, utterly unable to grasp the meaning of her words. Since she claimed to be a Misaka and wore that face, she was undoubtedly one of the Sisters. Could she be happy to see him, the one who had killed her over ten thousand times? Was he hearing things, or was there something wrong with her brain?

“Tch!” Accelerator spat to the side and moved to circle around the girl, but she seemed determined to cling to him, quickly following and speaking to herself, “Misaka’s number is 20001, the last Sister created, codenamed the easily understood Last Order… To ensure the dramatic turn of events proceeds smoothly, Misaka Misaka feels it is necessary to introduce herself to Accelerator.”

What dramatic turn of events?! Accelerator frowned, his impatience palpable.

“Misaka is currently being pursued and hopes to receive help from Accelerator,” Misaka Misaka said, tilting her head with an expression meant to be cute as she stated her request.

Aside from the speech pattern, which hadn't changed, the expression and tone were distinctly different from the previous Sisters. Such a girl could not possibly be a mere puppet. For some reason Accelerator entertained this thought, but his irritation grew; he just wanted to get far away from her. “Go find someone else.”

“Yay, that was a quick refusal. Misaka Misaka shouted in feigned despair. But Misaka has no one left to rely on. Misaka has a virus planted in her body, rendering her unable to use her abilities or access the Misaka Network; she can’t reach Lin Luo or Mei Ling, so Misaka Misaka will not give up.”

What in the hell was this person’s deal? He had killed over ten thousand Misaka Sisters; surely she knew that. Yet, she was seeking help from her own executioner. Was she genuinely insane? Accelerator found himself unable to comprehend the situation again.

“How about this, Misaka will tell you her name, and in exchange, you help Misaka, okay? Misaka’s name is Misaka Saiko.” Misaka Misaka proposed, announcing a name she clearly prided herself on, explaining that the name meant the greatest among the Sisters.

Misaka Saiko? What kind of ridiculous name! How was it the greatest? And this trade was completely unfair; who wanted to know her name?!

Accelerator grumbled internally, finally unable to hold back. “Listen, I’ve wanted to ask since you started talking, are you missing a few screws in the head? Don’t you remember what I did to you people? Don’t you harbor any resentment toward me at all?”

...

Seeing the golden longsword, Rin Tohsaka, Stiyl, and Kanzashi all froze instantly. Unlike Rin’s surprise tinged with joy, Stiyl and Kanzashi wore expressions of profound shock and incomprehension.

Completely forgetting that the person before them was the enemy who had nearly run him through moments ago, Stiyl practically sprinted toward ABER, his eyes fixed on the longsword, murmuring in a daze, “The Sword in the Stone? The Sword in the Stone. It really is the Sword in the Stone!”

“Stiyl, is this truly the legendary Sword of Promise of Victory?” Seeing Stiyl in such a state, Kanzashi seemed to forget the blade currently resting against her throat and asked reflexively.

“No.” Stiyl shook his head. “Kanzashi, the Sword of Promise of Victory and the Sword in the Stone are different. It’s understandable that you confuse them, as many people do now. The Sword of Promise of Victory is the divine sword given to King Arthur by the Lady of the Lake, also known as Excalibur or the Sword That Breaks Steel, possessing unmatched human power. However, the Sword in the Stone was the sword symbolizing Arthur’s sovereignty when he became king, the Sword of the Chosen King. They are entirely different. Furthermore, the Sword in the Stone was broken during one of Arthur’s duels and has been stored in the Royal House ever since. I was fortunate enough to see it once, so I recognize its appearance, but…”

Pausing there, without minding Kanzashi’s look of astonishment, Stiyl fixed his gaze on ABER, his expression incredibly complex. “Why is this sword in your hands? Who… exactly are you?”

“It is my personal sword, so naturally, it should be in my hands!” Despite being enemies, ABER, as a sovereign, disdained slaying someone who was already defeated and disarmed. She tilted her head back, speaking with haughty pride, “As for my identity, didn't I already state my name?”

“Arthur #Artoria?!” Kanzashi suddenly remembered, speaking the name the other party had just given her instinctively.

“King… King Arthur?!” Stiyl almost bit his tongue off. From ancient times to the present, no one had ever dared to use the name Arthur as their personal name. Of course, no one had ever dared to title themselves with those two letters, as it would equate to a direct challenge to the entire sovereignty of Britain.

“Indeed!” Seemingly relishing the feeling of being looked up to, ABER held her head even higher, her kingly aura fully displayed. “This King changes neither name when walking nor surname when sitting. Arthur #Artoria #Pendragon, that is my full name!”

In truth, her original full name was Artoria #Pendragon, and Arthur was her title as king. After ascending the throne, her full name began with Arthur, but most of the time, she wouldn't use the surname Pendragon, saying in her own words that the surname Pendragon sounded too harsh, like an old man.

Stiyl and Kanzashi exchanged glances.

King Arthur standing before them? How could this be! King Arthur was a legendary hero who passed away over a thousand years ago! How could she appear in a place like this? And as a fifteen or sixteen-year-old girl? This was sheer fantasy!

Stiyl absolutely could not believe it. If not for the girl’s formidable strength, he likely would have rushed forward and burned her to ash already. King Arthur was the hero of all of Britain; how could she be profaned like this!

Kanzashi looked at ABER, her expression composed of five parts shock, four parts doubt, and one part belief. The shock and doubt were self-evident, but the belief stemmed from ABER’s strength; after all, the Saint that she was had been defeated in a single move.

Although the two had exchanged more than one move, Kanzashi knew that was because the opponent hadn't used her full power. If she had gone all out, Kanzashi believed she could have been defeated and slain in a single blow… Such strength perhaps even an angel might not possess.

But if she truly was the legendary hero King Arthur, that was another matter entirely. However…

Both of them now shared a single, profound wish: to travel back over a thousand years to King Arthur’s era and clearly see the true face of King Arthur!