Toaru Majutsu no Index Light Novel Volume 20/Chapter 3

Title- Chapter 3: The Stand-Off Against the Wall of Doubt. Great_Complex.

Volume 20

Previous Chapter → 2

Next Chapter → 4

Part 7 (Summary)
Misaka Worst, from the ‘3rd production plan’ is shooting railguns at Accelerator using 2mm steel nails. At Level 4 she can only send it just past the speed of sound, unlike Mikoto where it’s past 3x the speed of sound. Accelerator is so shocked and horrified by her existence he can only run/fly away, as he still have trauma about trying to kill another Misaka clone. He cursed, thinking if it was anyone else, even Kakine or Kihara Amata, he can handle them easily. One of the nails hit Accelerator on the thighs and is stuck there. Misaka Worst then took to using psychological tactics.

“Didn’t you kill us over 10,000 of us Misaka’s, over 10,000 times? (…) So you should keep running, and keep praying for forgiveness. I won’t let you die like a normal person. At the very least I have to remove your human rights over 10,000 times, or else it doesn’t add up. Also, that’s only at the very least. I don’t plan to let you go without extracting 3 times as much of suffering as interest.”

Misaka Worst’s face then distorted into a grotesque figure, filled of intense hatred – like a plastic doll being burned and the plastic melts. Accelerator is considering his options, such as denying her existence or activate reflect to avoid hearing her voice. But:

“It’s all the same. (…) Misaka was made to kill you. I didn’t want to be born, and was forced to exist. To block off Last Order’s signal, my flesh was cut open, and a mountain load of ‘parts’ and ‘switches’ was implanted into me. If it wasn’t for you, this would not have happened to me. If you didn’t make the choices you did, Misaka wouldn’t have to be born. Even if I was born, it wouldn’t be as a short-lived existence as this. ‘It hurts, save me’… By the time I know these words, I’m at a state where I can’t even utter them. So this Misaka have the right to blame you, and the reason to kill you. (…) While this Misaka exists as a separate entity from the Misaka Network, I could still link up to the network into the ‘Misaka Overmind’. This thought isn’t just from me, but from every Misaka linked up into the Overmind.”


 * bam* Accelerator was so horrified it took him a few moments to realise he got kicked in the face by Misaka Worst.

“Why do you think until now, including Last Order, none of the Misaka’s blamed you? 10,000 people, having suffered death 10,000 times, and why don’t we show the feeling of hatred? The reason is simple: Misaka’s are not saints, or forgiving princesses… it’s not because of our own will we don’t hate you. It is because, even after understanding this we cannot EXPRESS it using human emotions!”

Even though Accelerator knows this is just her tactics, he still can’t ignore Misaka Worst. He thinks about Last Order’s smiles towards him, and can’t rule out she smiles only because she didn’t have the right emotions programmed into her by the ‘Testament’ machine.

Misaka Worst then proceeded to physically beat the living daylight out of Accelerator, while saying if he ever wants peace then he’ll have to kill every last Misaka clone. Accelerator could have turned on reflect, or dodge the blows, but his will have been broken. Accelerator ended up coughing blood from every single blow.

When Misaka Worst had enough of beating up on Accelerator, she finally decided to attack Last Order and see how Accelerator will break down. Part of the ‘3rd production plan’ was to erase Last Order and create a new ‘command center’, in order to improve performances. Accelerator was forced to choose between his two ideals; ‘protect Last Order’, and ‘never kill another Misaka clone again’.

Accelerator realised no matter what something will be lost, and he snapped. He physically thrown Misaka Worst up into the air, and when Misaka Worst fired a railgun at him he manipulated the AIM field to make it hit him, then reflect it back onto Misaka Worst. After that flew to where she landed, and broke one of her arms when she tried to shoot another railgun. While Misaka Worst screamed in pain and tried to hit him with lightning, he grabbed one of her legs and slammed her into the ground. Then he proceeded to (almost) tear her apart using his bare hands.

Whatever warmth Accelerator had before is now completely gone, he’s turned into a worse monster then he was before the Experiment. He didn’t get ‘reset to zero’, he went even below that. Accelerator lost faith in everything good/pure, and thinks it’s better if he just break down right here and go mad. He laughed, and laughed, and laughed, in such a way it’ll make the Joker from Batman proud. Even when Misaka Worst choked with a small voice “This… is… all your… fault” he kept laughing.

Then Misaka Worst gone into Shock due to the metal parts embedded into her, with her skull starting to split open, and Accelerator finally realised no matter the outcome Misaka Worst was designed to die. He then decided to reprogram her just so that he can tell the B*stards who devised this plan they’ve failed, if Misaka Worst dying is part of the plan. To quote:

“You damn Bastaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaards!! You damn heartless B*stards who think I can only kill!! I’ll show you, like when I saved that brat from Amai’s virus, I definitely have the power to protect everythiiiiiiiiiiinng!!”

Part 8 (Summary)
Misaka Worst, while slowly recovering from her Shock, found Accelerator is laughing with a voice that changes pitch uncontrollably, saying there’s nothing left that can stop him except Last Order’s smile. Misaka Worst finally realised she has pulled a switch that wasn’t meant to be pulled, and trembles with horror involuntarily as she watches: Accelerator’s black wings are slowly building up, like an embodiment of all the despair in the world. The grounds are starting to crack and Accelerator is screeching out, and it is as if the end of the world is coming.

Intermission 3 (Summary)
Mikoto hacked into Academy City’s top secret files to look up current information on Touma. Mikoto knew about Touma’s ability being called ‘Imagine Breaker’, but still don’t know the details of the ability. She also found Touma is somewhere around Russia and the country Elizerina. The commanders of Academy City’s military force from the dark side considered dealing with Touma like any other espers who might leak information to ‘outside’ organisations – death. But they received orders from Aleister to capture him alive (if possible) as the main goal, since even in Academy City Imagine Breaker is an extremely rare ability.

"[However,

If it’s certain that Imagine Breaker is going to join another organisation and leave Academy City, then swiftly strike at Imagine Breaker and ‘recover’ him and put him into the same kind of container as the Number Two is currently in, in order to minimise the negative effects. This will be the secondary goal.

Currently, it has been confirmed Imagine Breaker is working together with people from ‘outside’ organisations.

If it is only a temporary alliance, then action will be put off until later. But if it is confirmed the target has deeply involved himself then the secondary goal will be triggered.

The General Superintendant has granted permission on this matter.

In the worst case situation, though we do not have clearance to see the details, this could affect the General Superintendant’s ‘Plan’ from continuing.]"

Mikoto was shocked at this, but also felt it was probably true. She also found the paratroopers are already stationed in district 23 and ready to go. Mikoto headed to district 23, thinking Touma had once stepped up against the darkness of Academy City to save her and her SISTERs, probably without knowing just what horrors wait for someone that interfered. But it was also true he managed to save the SISTERs. Mikoto feels she owes Touma a great debt, and it’s time to at least pay him back even a little bit.

Referbacks

 * Part 7: Misaka Worst is referring to the events in Volume 3 (SISTERs Arc) and the Level 6 Shift Experiment, and using it as psychological attack against Accelerator.