Academy City Level 6 Experiments

Academy City Level 6 Experiments is a collective term used to refer to the various experiments being conducted by Academy City in an effort to achieve level 6 or SYSTEM. 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 equivalent to "Absolute Power".

All known attempts of achieving Level 6 has a member of the Kihara Family involved somehow.

Overview
Several factions and organizations are after the title of being the first to create a Level 6 esper, and as such, more often than not they are rivals and results in sabotaging each others work. Though many experiments are kept in secret, due to the highly sensitive and illegal nature performed in some experiments, others are allowed by the Academy City Board of Directors, regardless of any moral implications, the illegality of the experiments, or the breaking of international treaties.

The Level 6 Shift Project
With Kihara Gensei the main proponent. The Level 6 Shift is an experiment designed for Accelerator - Academy City's strongest esper - to achieve Level 6. By killing Misaka Mikoto the Railgun 128 times in combat, then Accelerator would be able to achieve level 6. However, since 128 Railguns could not be prepared then according to Tree Diagram, 20,000 clones of Mikoto that are taken from the Sisters Project, can be used as a substitute and it would similarly lead to Accelerator becoming level 6.

The experiment was apparently allowed by Board of Directors, since Academy City is always under surveillance and the experiment were being conducted on the outside, though no security alerts were triggered during such experiments.

Crystallized Esper Essence Experiments
Created by Kihara Gensei, the crystal in question was extracted from the essences of overloaded espers; Therestina, Gensei's granddaughter was used as the 'First Sample', extracting her essences to form the crystal. The exposure of the crystal to certain espers that display greater powers than their levels imply when under certain conditions, can create a Level 6.

Through the years, Gensei tried to refine the crystal and its effects; in one notable experiment, Gensei exposed the crystal to Kiyama Harumi's students to gather data, overloading the children and forcing them in a comatose state.

Therestina Kihara Lifeline, continued her grandfather's research on the crystal, and nearly succeeded in the creation of a level 6 and the apparent destruction of the city, if it not for the efforts of Misaka Mikoto and her comrades.

Level 6 Shift attempt on Misaka Mikoto
Kihara Gensei once again attempts to create a Level 6, this time setting his eyes on the Misaka Mikoto and pouring the power of the Misaka Network into her as a vessel.