Toaru Kagaku no Accelerator Manga Chapter 022

The twenty-second chapter of the Toaru Kagaku no Accelerator manga was released on January 27, 2016.

Synopsis
With Taotie destroyed, Accelerator continue onwards, with Qiong Qi chase. Hishigata notes that Accelerator will catch up before long. However, Hirumi interrupts him to have look at monitor where it shows Esther and Hasami breaking into their headquarters.

Hasami checks the perimeter, while Esther stabs her dagger into the ground, a magic circle surrounds it, preparing for a ritual, just in case. Hishigata finally makes contact with Esther. Hishigata says that he wants to make up with Esther and have her and Hirumi become friends agian. Hishigata relates on how Hirumi was a normal girl attending Seiin High School, and that they were researching on how esper powers reside in the human body. He reveals that Esther joined their research team as a supervisor, but Esther protests, saying she was tricked. But she aided them regardless, and in the end the research made headway, and Hishigata decided trying to increase esper powers by reinforcing the physical body. The result was the Coffins, the reinforcement only working on corpses, though Hishigata wants to create the perfect esper. That is Hirumi's dream, and through that, everything will work out for them, him, Hirumi, and Esther.

Esther refuses, because the girl beside Hishigata isn't Hirumi but the evil numbers spirit Taowu, though Hishigata doesn't understand. Hishigata says that Esther brought Hirumi back from the dead, and if she died then he says that he would've gone insane. Esther however regrets doing so, and to take responsibility, she will stop them. Esther then orders Hasami to destroy the camera, ending their talk. Hishigata tells Hirumi that Esther will come to them and that they can put her corpse in a Coffin, reuniting her with Hirumi. Hirumi, on in this case, Taowu just smiles.

As Esther continues her ritual, she thinks that the Taowu is developing techniques, like the Coffin, to toy with reincarnation, something that will surely change the world in its deepest level. And to that, they must remove Taowu from Hirumi's body, using the spell of Emperor Shun's blade. With the ritual finished, Esther takes up the dagger, though she starts crying, her tears falling upon its blade. Hasami asks if she is crying, to which Esther says she is not.

Major Events

 * Esther and Hasami infiltrate Hishigata's base.
 * It is revealed that Hirumi is Hishigata's sister and Esther's friend. She had died but was resurrected by Esther, and possesed the evil spirit Taowu.
 * It is revealed that Hirumi's goal was to create the perfect esper.

Characters

 * Accelerator
 * Hishigata
 * Hirumi
 * Esther Rosenthal
 * Hitokawa Hasami

Abilities

 * Accelerator - Level 5, Accelerator.
 * Teleport - Taotie (corpse of an esper that has the ability)
 * Necromancy - Esther Rosenthal
 * Huotou-possessed corpse (Hitokawa Hasami)
 * Taowu-possessed corpse (Hirumi)

Locations

 * Academy City
 * Seiin High School (mentioned)

Trivia

 * All the Coffins are named after the Four Fiends of Chinese mythology. Hirumi, who is possessed by Taowu, is the only one who is not being used inside a Coffin.

Referbacks
There were no referbacks to previously released media this chapter.

Cultural references

 * As another nod to Chinese mythology, the evil spirit that is possessing Hirumi's coprse, is the Taowu (fiend of ignorance and apathy), one of the four fiends of Chinese mythology, alongside Qiong Qi (deviousness), Hundun (chaos), and Taotie (gluttony). Moreover, Esther's blade is named after the legendary ruler Shun who banished the four demons to four distant regions.

Unanswered Questions

 * How was Esther tricked into helping in Hishigata's research?
 * How did Hirumi die?

Quotes

 * Esther: "T-To take responsibility and to save my friend Hirumi... I'll stop you! I swear it!"―to Hishigata and Hirumi.