Academy City Level 6 Experiments

Both in Toaru Majutsu no Index and Toaru Kagaku no Railgun, there are mentions of scientists in Academy City who work in the development of the first Level 6 Power User, one whose abilities are supposedly able to be "Absolute Power". This article focuses on the two noted research projects which aim in creating the first ever Level 6: the SYSTEM project of Toaru Kagaku no Railgun and the Level 6 Shift Project of Toaru Majutsu no Index.

The "Level 6 Shift" Project
The Level 6 Shift is the development project initiated by scientists in Academy City, whose purpose is to create a Level 6 from a Level 5 Power User, namely Accelerator. Its approach is similar to acquiring experience in a role-playing game, though Tree Diagram has calculated it will take 250 years of normal development for Accelerator to reach Level 6. Tree Diagram has also calculated by killing the Railgun (as opposed to another level 5, since the Railgun has the prospect of being cloned) 128 times Accelerator can reach Level 6. However, because Academy City cannot create 128 Railguns due to constraints on the original 'Level 5 Mass Producing Project', 20,000 lesser clones of Misaka Mikoto, only at Level 2-3, are created as a substitute. This cloning project specifically made for the purposes of the 'Level 6 Shift' project was called the 'Radio Noise' project, and the clones that were produced are called SISTERS.

The 'Level 6 Shift' project is the focus of volume 3 of the novels. Later novels (specifically in 6 and 13) reveal Aleister planned for the 'Level 6 Shift' project to fail from the start, though Kamijou Touma wasn't planned to be the one that stopped the project. The 'Level 6 Shift' plan was created to give a excuse to mass produce a large number of SISTERS and allocate them to areas around the world, thus creating a antenna network for a basis of a AIM field umbrella that covers the globe. The resulting network of extended AIM field can then be upgraded into a 'Artificial Heaven' that encompasses the world, creating another plane of existence that would upset the balance of current planes that all Magic is reliant on. Once the balance is broken the rules of Magic would no longer apply and any magicians using magic when the Artificial Heaven is activated would die from a backlash, and all buildings that have magical protection like the Vatican would collapse.

In volume 6, Tsuchimikado noted that if the Artificial Heaven was completed it would mean the destruction of the entire Magic Side - "it won't even be a war, just the victor blowing off the head of the prostrating loser". Also, he noted though this plan of Aleister's is certainly ambitious, it could still be nothing more than only a step towards whatever Aleister's trying to achieve.

SYSTEM Project
In Toaru Kagaku no Railgun, this project was introduced as part of the plan by lead researcher Kihara Gensei's granddaughter Telestina Lifeline to create a Level 6. They took on a different approach: by using chemicals and 'immoral' medical procedures, they produce "crystallized esper essence" which raw materials are taken from test subjects. The essence extracted will then be consumed by certain espers, which would produce Level 6 espers if successful.

In the novels, the SYSTEM Project have advanced to the point where a esper is developed relying on the "crystallized esper essence" to use her power, actively testing if a Level 6 can be created this way. The esper in question is Takitsubo Rikou, whose power 'AIM Stalker' can only be used if she consumes the essence but at the same time this deteriorates her health causing her to collapse. And therefore, makes her unable to continue using the substance.

Actually, Aleister wants to make Accelerator into a Level 6 merging the Imaginary Number Distric with Accelerator and making him to evolve. According to him, the process is proceeding satisfactorily.