[ "Do you think the surviving Sisters will thank you for doing this?" Kamijou Touma's words made Misaka Mikoto pause, as she had never truly considered the Sisters' thoughts.
Kamijou Touma seized the opportunity to continue, "You've realized it too, haven't you? This method can't save anyone."
"Crack—" Mikoto's body crackled with electricity, and the light bulbs on both sides of the bridge shattered into dust due to the terrifying high-voltage current.
"You're too noisy... even them."
Images of the Misaka Sisters flashed through Mikoto's mind.
"If I die, I can finally be a little relieved. I can only die now."
"Saving ten thousand people with one life, isn't that a good thing?"
Up to this point, Misaka Mikoto still believed that if she died, the Sisters would also find release.
"Let me do this," Mikoto's lips trembled as she pleaded with Kamijou Touma, her voice choked with tears, "So hurry up and get out of the way."
Even so, what reached Mikoto's ears was still Kamijou Touma's utterly ordinary words, yet they sounded so incredibly loud to her: "I won't~~ let you."
No matter how many insults she endured, no matter how many one-sided attacks she suffered, Kamijou Touma's resolve remained unchanged. ]
[ .....]
~Projection of All Worlds~
"Trading one person life for ten thousand... My goodness, you've really learned the essence of Archer, have you been possessed by a 'hero of justice'?"
"I feel inexplicably sorry for those electricians. The streetlights are innocent casualties, preparing for some grueling overtime."
Trading the lives of a few for the lives of many, someone who calls themselves a 'hero of justice' has already tried that approach for you, so you shouldn't get involved.
However, Kamijou Touma's personality is truly astonishingly good... Don't forget that Kamijou Touma is currently suffering from amnesia.
He's only known this girl for less than two days, yet now he's desperately trying to stop her from sacrificing herself.
~Type-Moon World, Fifth Holy Grail War Worldline~
"Trading the few for the many... Heh, that's truly a difficult choice."
Red A knew that if he had to choose, he would definitely choose to save the majority of lives; after all, he himself was such a twisted existence.
"If it were Kiritsugu, perhaps he could have done it without any psychological burden."
Emiya Shirou also sighed with emotion. Having seen many videos, he was no longer as naive as before.
At this moment, Misaka Mikoto felt like she was on the verge of going mad. She had exhausted all options for her plan to save the Misaka Sisters, and at the same time, she didn't want Kamijou Touma to get entangled in this abnormal world made of blood and mud.
"So she wants Kamijou to be completely disappointed in her, so he won't follow her and get involved in the danger of death caused by this experiment?!"
Tohsaka Rin felt inexplicably heartbroken seeing Misaka Mikoto's feigned demeanor. It reminded her of Sakura, who also wanted Emiya Shirou to give up on her.
.....
[ Looking at Kamijou Touma, who stubbornly blocked her path, Misaka Mikoto knew that putting on a brave front was useless against this boy.
If she didn't unleash a truly powerful attack with an uncertain outcome, she wouldn't be able to make this boy give up his persistence. As long as he realized she wasn't bluffing, he would likely be forced to fight back.
"Crackling!!!" The sound of sparks of electricity overflowing from Mikoto's body became heavy and sharp. Then, biting her lip tightly, she launched her attack.
A sphere of light formed by electricity enveloped the bridge in the middle, spreading outwards. The piercing sound of thunder continuously echoed.
This was not a weak electric shock, but a high-voltage discharge that was not a bluff.
The real lightning strike was fired, the dazzling light illuminated the river surface, and the air was distorted by the high-voltage current until the light disappeared.
Until the very end, the boy still hadn't clenched his right fist. He lay motionless on the ground. The heat generated by the electricity caused light smoke to rise from his body, and he suffered minor burns in various places, but he did not writhe in pain on the ground due to these burns.
"Haa..." Misaka Mikoto covered her face with her hand, gasping for breath.
The steel bridge was emitting white smoke and still flickering with electricity.
It was all over. Mikoto realized that Kamijou Touma would stand up soon.
Under the impact of this high-voltage current, his heart should have stopped beating.
"Meow~" A sudden cat's meow made Misaka Mikoto raise her head in surprise, looking at the cat in Kamijou Touma's arms.
Looking at the cat, she realized that her actions towards Kamijou Touma were no different from attacking a completely trusting kitten with lightning. ]
[ .....]
~Projection of All Worlds~
The power of Misaka Mikoto's full-power attack made those outside the video silently swallow. So it wasn't that Misaka Mikoto was weak, but that Accelerator was truly outrageously strong.
"I suddenly have a question: was this bridge not in use?! Even though it's nighttime, there shouldn't be a single car, right?"
Everyone exclaimed, "Good heavens!" This was the second time they had seen them fight on this bridge, but both times they hadn't seen any people or cars. It was as if you had booked the entire place!
"Is he really done for this time? You know, Kamijou Touma just now had no defense at all! He just took it head-on."
People from other worlds rubbed their eyes, trying to find any sign of Kamijou Touma being alive. But looking at Kamijou, who was burned but still didn't writhe or cry out in pain, a thought suddenly occurred to them.
It's over, could he have completely kicked the bucket...
~Detective Conan World~
"Wait!! This is completely unscientific. How is the cat still alive under such a terrifying high-voltage current?"
Dr. Agasa's glasses almost fell off, and he kept exclaiming that it was unscientific.
Although Kamijou Touma took the brunt of it, this was Misaka Mikoto's all-out attack. Within that range, the kitten should have also been within the attack range.
Moreover, the human body is a conductor. Even if he hugged the cat, the current should have transferred to the cat's body, so why is it so unscientific?! Isn't this Academy City, which is known for its advanced technology?
~A Certain Magical Index World, Academy City~
"Onee-sama really went all out."
Shirai Kuroko's usual teasing demeanor faltered, replaced by genuine concern. That baka-monkey—to think he'd go to such lengths for an Onee-sama he'd barely known for 48 hours. Was this reckless devotion... or something deeper?
Could it be that Onee-sama accidentally killed this Kamijou-san... After all, he was only trying to stop Onee-sama with good intentions.
Kamijou Touma has now earned Shirai Kuroko's respect, and her address for him has successfully evolved from "monkey" to "human."
But speaking of which, this bridge is really sturdy. It's still intact after enduring such a fierce lightning strike from Onee-sama.
"It's all my fault..."
While Kuroko was lost in her thoughts, Misaka Mikoto, beside her, had already started to shut down. Even though she had a strong and cheerful personality, she couldn't accept the fact that she had killed Kamijou Touma.
"He should... be alright, right?!"
Misaki Shokuhou covered her eyes with her hands at this moment, peeking at the screen through her fingers.
No matter how worried she was at this moment, it was useless. She could only silently pray for Kamijou Touma's safety.
.....
[ When Kamijou Touma opened his eyes in a daze, he found himself lying on Misaka Mikoto's lap.
Misaka Mikoto seemed to have used up all her strength, and even her voice had become weak: "You really are an idiot, aren't you? This has nothing to do with you. You could have just pretended not to know and returned to your normal daily life."
Kamijou Touma tried to struggle to get up, but due to the pain and numbness in his body, he fell back weakly onto Misaka Mikoto's lap.
"Why did you have to get yourself so badly injured? Perhaps your heart even stopped for a moment. Why can you still smile like this?"
The choked voice made Kamijou Touma look at Mikoto. At this moment, Mikoto's feigned mask was torn apart, and tears continuously flowed from her eyes, dripping onto Kamijou Touma's face.
Seeing the crying Misaka Mikoto, Kamijou Touma smiled with some relief,
"Because I'm glad I can stand on your side."
"So don't cry."
Kamijou Touma lay on Misaka Mikoto's lap, placing his hand on Mikoto's head and gently comforting her. On this dark steel bridge, Misaka Mikoto's crying could be heard.
"I know how to stop the experiment! The premise of the experiment's deduction is that Accelerator is the strongest... If it can be proven that he is actually very weak, for example, losing to Academy City's weakest LV 0."
"This premise will be overturned." Kamijou Touma silently channeled strength into his legs, moving his body, which was about to collapse, and slowly stood up.
"I'll fight him!!" ]
[ .....]
~Projection of All Worlds~
"To be able to stand up after suffering such severe injuries and declare a challenge to the strongest, damn it!! Seeing this scene makes me feel fired up!"
"Is he really going to challenge the strongest in Academy City in this state, with such low HP?! This is too much of a stretch."
Everyone looked at Kamijou Touma, who could barely stand, with admiration.
The plan to stop the experiment based on the theory that 'the experiment is based on the first-ranked strongest' was, in essence, Kamijou's wishful thinking.
Just like how 'Misaka's crushing defeat' just now made the researchers doubt the experiment, it lacked direct logic. It was just an excuse to gamble with Misaka's life, and now it had become a gamble with his own life.
It could be said that he was performing the deeds of a saint with the body of an ordinary person. Who else could do this much for a stranger they had known for less than two days?
~A Certain Magical Index World, Academy City~
"This is Onee-sama's lap pillow!"
Shirai Kuroko saw this scene, filled with envy... but more so with relief.
It made Kuroko, who was afraid of Misaka Mikoto going to extremes, breathe a sigh of relief that the Onee-sama who had been pretending to be strong finally dropped her pretense and let it all out.
Unbeknownst to her, someone else on the other side was biting their handkerchief almost to shreds. Misaki Shokuhou was on the verge of tears, mumbling something about "I was here first..." like words from a yandere.
It must be said that Kamijou Touma's seemingly unremarkable declaration directly ignited the entire Academy City, and discussions were happening everywhere.
In a certain alley, Accelerator also revealed a ferocious smile,
"You dare to challenge me? Come at me if you can, you scum!!"
.....