In an empty expanse within Academy City, two identical girls stood facing each other... Misaka Meirei and the Extra! As special clones of the Railgun, Misaka Mikoto, they possessed the same abilities, and a power level comparable to the original, standing at the pinnacle of Academy City's esper hierarchy: Level 5 strength. The result of this power clashing directly was utter devastation; besides themselves, nothing within a radius of several miles remained intact. Everything had been utterly reduced to ruins by the initial collision of their first attacks...

“Must you… really not give up?” Misaka Meirei looked at the girl opposite her, who mirrored her perfectly, and spoke softly. Her posture remained elegant, but her eyes were filled with sorrow.

“Heh, Misaka doesn’t know about such things. Misaka’s purpose is to eliminate that person. Misaka was released from the (cultivation tank) for this, and only for this!” The Extra laughed, but there was no mirth in her eyes—only bloodthirsty violence.

“That person fought, risking his life multiple times to save us Misakas, nearly dying. Even now, he fights enemies many times stronger than himself for our sakes…” Misaka Meirei still hadn’t given up, attempting to move her counterpart.

But her words were quickly interrupted by the Extra. “So, is Misaka supposed to thank him?”

“You possess your own consciousness; you should understand, the emotions of us Misakas.”

“Yes, indeed. He saved all the Misakas—the ones left in Academy City, the ones scattered across the globe, and even you, this Misaka. He is the great benefactor of the Misakas. But…” The Extra murmured, extending a finger to point at herself, “…but, among those Misakas, there isn't this Misaka.”

“Misaka was manufactured for the sole purpose of killing you. I never wanted to be born; I was forcefully dragged into existence. To be able to kill you, my ability was forcibly elevated to match yours, my skin was sliced open, and mountains of chips and switches were implanted within me. If it weren't for you, none of this would have happened. If it weren't for you, I wouldn't have been born at all. Even if I were born, it wouldn’t be this futureless existence. It hurts, save me. By the time I understood these words, I was already incapable of speaking them. Therefore, Misaka has the right to condemn you, and Misaka has the reason to kill you…”

“…Why? Why were only you saved? Why must Misaka endure such torment? Aren’t we all the same Misaka?”

Misaka Meirei froze, words piling up in her throat, unable to escape. She understood now; no matter how much she said, no matter how moving her language, she could not sway the Extra. Their fundamental objectives were not aligned on the same track. In this world, no words could touch the Extra anymore!

“I understand.” Misaka Meirei reached into her inner pocket, and when her hand emerged, she held a coin.

“Then, you only have the choice to kill Misaka.” At the same moment, the Extra also withdrew a coin from her clothing. Perhaps due to their shared genetic makeup, like the original Misaka Mikoto, they both used coins as their weapons.

Clink!

Two sharp sounds rang out as two coins were flicked high into the air. The electricity surging from within them sounded like the cries of a thousand birds. As the coins descended, both girls simultaneously snapped their fingers forward, and in the next instant, two beams of orange-red light shot out.

“Kill me, and it will all be over.”

“No, it’s not to kill you, but to save you!”

As fellow Level 5 electromasters, they possessed absolute immunity to electrical shocks. Even summoning a billion volts of lightning would not inflict damage on the other, a fact clearly established in previous battles... even if the surroundings were pulverized by the storm, not a single corner of their clothing was marred. Therefore, the only thing capable of dealing true harm was the electromagnetic railgun—a non-pure electrical attack!

BOOM!

Two maximum-power railguns fired head-on against each other. They did not collide, but rather crossed paths, each trajectory aimed directly at the other’s heart... Traveling at Mach 3, less than a second would pass before both were pierced through, their bodies shattered! Both closed their eyes, a smile blooming on their faces that no one could comprehend.

…

Accelerator felt his heart stop, yet the words Last Order had just spoken echoed relentlessly in his mind: “If, hypothetically, on that day, at that moment, Misaka had said she didn’t want to fight, how would you have reacted? Misaka Misaka offered an opinion regarding a branching point long past the point of no return.” If, at the very start of the experiments, before even one sister had been sacrificed, if twenty thousand sisters had stood before him with terrified eyes, pleading with him not to proceed, what action would he have taken?

This was Accelerator’s deepest desire. But the sisters, being mere "dolls," could not comprehend or respond to his wish. Over time, his patience and rationality had dissolved, entirely transforming into a storm of pure savagery. It wasn't until the battle with that person and his subsequent defeat that the storm finally ceased.

Accelerator was beginning to understand what had changed within him since then, but it was irrevocably too late. No matter how many beautiful words he spoke, over ten thousand sisters had died by his hand. Even in experiment 10030, when that specific sister uttered her refusal to fight, he had still intended to kill her—that was an undeniable fact. Realizing this, Accelerator stood there woodenly, unsure what expression to wear when facing Last Order. Suddenly, he heard a thud, and looking down, he saw Last Order collapsed on the ground. Accelerator froze, hesitating for less than half a second before his instincts took over, reaching out to help her up…

“Well, isn't this Accelerator? Are you so idle now that the experiments have stopped?” Just as he held Last Order in his arms, a man’s voice reached his ears. He turned toward the sound, and upon seeing the newcomer, Accelerator frowned. “Kihara Amata!” “That brat is an asset I need to retrieve. Now, hand her over to me, Accelerator.” It was not a question, but a statement. Kihara Amata pointed at Last Order cradled in Accelerator’s arms. Retrieve? Accelerator disliked that word. His brow furrowed. He remembered what Last Order had said earlier—that someone was hunting her? Was it Kihara Amata? Indeed, if it were this man, disabling an esper’s ability would be an alarmingly simple task.

“I refuse.” As he spoke the words, not only did Kihara Amata freeze, but Accelerator himself was perplexed, for he hadn't even considered helping Last Order until that moment.

“Hey, hey, did I hear that right? You refuse?” Kihara Amata exclaimed with a wildly exaggerated expression. “Do you know how important that brat is? She’s far more critical than your whole Absolute Ability User project, you bastard!”

More important than the Absolute Ability User project? Accelerator looked utterly bewildered.

“Well, I suppose it won’t hurt to tell you. That brat is the switch to summon the Angel. Orders have come down; because an unexpected enemy has appeared, the summoning of the Angel is paramount. We must bring her back.”

“Summon the Angel? What is that?”

“That’s none of your concern.”

Accelerator frowned. “Then I have one more question: if the Angel descends, what happens to this brat?”

“Who knows? She’ll probably break down. And not just her—all the dolls of her model type will likely break too.”

All the Misaka Sisters will die! Accelerator drew this conclusion from Kihara Amata’s words. He finally understood why Last Order had been dragging her damaged body around while fleeing; her life was tied to the safety of every sister. Just as she had said, she would not allow a single more sister to die! For that cause, she even dared to seek aid from him, her executioner!

…Without any warning, Accelerator laughed. He had received validation. Even if it was under duress, even if he hadn’t become invincible, or even the strongest, the girl named Last Order had acknowledged him. Perhaps it was too late now to try and change anything, but wasn't this precisely what he had always longed for? Wasn't this… the meaning of being alive!

“I refuse!” As he spoke those three words again, there was no hesitation in Accelerator’s eyes.

“Huh?” Kihara Amata reacted as if he had heard the most absurd thing in the world. “Are you joking? Don't tell me you intend to protect that brat?”

Accelerator remained silent, but the resolve in his eyes was undeniable.

“What are you playing at? Someone like you trying to change things now? You think protecting that brat cures all your past sins? Scum should act like scum! Are you planning to switch careers and become a priest?” These incredibly sharp words stabbed viciously into Accelerator’s chest like knives, leaving him utterly unable to retort. But…

“Ah! Yes, I know. For someone like me, trying to save others now is a profoundly foolish endeavor. I am truly too naive; even I find it laughable.” The thought that saving others might lead to his own salvation. Though it sounded noble on the surface, it was merely an ugly justification for self-interest. A person who uses the lives of others for personal gain can never be benevolent. Such a person has no right to be saved. The people dwelling in this corrupt world, still daring to ask others for help—it was an unforgivable act. Attempting to save others was the most idiotic thing in the world. Accelerator knew this clearly. Because he was a product of this world, he understood it intimately.

“But…” his tone seemed to sever all previous arguments, “this brat is innocent. Even if we are the most wretched scum, scum with no right to even speak of saving others, that has nothing to do with her! This child has no reason to suffer the fate of being watched over as she dies! Just because we are scum, does that grant us the right to trample everything she possesses?!” Just because one lacks the right to save someone, should they not save them? Should the small hand reaching out to her be automatically slapped away? What had she done to deserve the retribution of being abandoned even when desperately reaching out?! Who did the saving was utterly irrelevant! That wasn't the point. Someone had to extend aid to her, anyone at all, otherwise she truly would die—it was that simple.

“What heroic dialogue. Disgusting. You’ve already killed over ten thousand; watching her die shouldn't matter to you. You want to be a hero? Do you think you’re worthy?” Kihara Amata spat on the ground, his face etched with contempt.

“That’s right, I did kill over ten thousand sisters, but that doesn’t mean I should abandon the remaining ten thousand to their fate. I know how hypocritical that sounds; I know I’m unqualified to say such things right now! But that’s wrong! No matter how rotten we are, no matter how many justifications we have, it does not mean this child deserves to die! The hand she extends has no business being rejected!”

“How interesting. Is this your villainous style, Accelerator?” Another unfamiliar voice cut in. Accelerator turned to see a tall, blond youth standing there. “Someone like you isn't worthy of being a villain. Let me drag you down from the number one spot!” The newcomer was the Level 5 esper ranked second: Dark Matter—Kakine Teitoku!