GUARDIAN OF THE MARVEL REALM

In Shen He's understanding, the purpose of "one certain party's" participation in the so-called Absolutely Capable Evolution Experiment was simple—he wanted to become invincible.

Although already recognized as the most powerful esper in Academy City, strongest didn't mean invincible. The title of "Level 5 #1" was a target that encouraged endless challengers. It was a paradox—his strength invited conflict, and in conflict, people were inevitably hurt.

The irony stung.

To stop hurting others, he chased an unreachable ideal—absolute power. But in doing so, he ended up slaughtering more than ten thousand clones—the Misaka Sisters—whom he originally thought of as mere tools.

After realizing they were living beings, not weapons, Accelerator (Yifang Tongxing) was consumed by guilt. He began to view himself as irredeemable, a villain beyond salvation—a convenient escape from responsibility.

Until the last Sister.

The one that changed everything.

That child taught him that his immense power could protect instead of destroy. That he could stand for something besides fear. Since then, Accelerator had dedicated himself to shielding the Sisters and their world, even if it meant standing against the entire world itself.

And if this pre-redemption Accelerator had seen what the post-redemption one became, Shen He imagined his response would be…

"That damn flat-chested brat... Always messing with my head."

But the traffic from one side came faster than Shen He had anticipated.

Accelerator had accepted the summon without hesitation—without asking a single question.

Yet, when he appeared in front of the Chaldea squad, everyone was stunned.

He looked like a walking corpse.

His body wrapped in bandages, only his eyes and nose visible, leaning on a pair of crutches, his whole frame giving off a terminally-ill patient vibe. Mummified, barely alive. Was this really the Accelerator they summoned?

"…Hey. Is this the so-called power you were talking about?" Accelerator's voice rasped with irritation, despite his condition.

He processed the incoming information from the summoning interface instantly. Then, without warning, he reached out, grabbing Shen He's collar with trembling fingers and growled:

"I don't want slow growth or grinding levels. Give me real power—immediate power!"

Shen He, entirely unfazed, caught his wrist midair, twisted it gently aside, and pushed him back with ease. He straightened his collar, brushed off the imaginary dust, and sighed as he glanced at the result of his last ten-pull summon.

Out of forty summons, Accelerator was the only high-level Servant summoned—and even that had been at a questionable time point.

I'm cursed. Completely cursed. Should've bathed in European salt.

"The summoned Servant cannot harm the Master," Shen He reminded calmly. "Even if your power wasn't suppressed, with that broken body, you wouldn't stand a chance against me."

He reached over to Violet, who looked tense, and gave her shoulder a reassuring tap.

Then Shen He fixed his gaze on Accelerator, voice sharpening.

"Since you accepted the summon, act like someone who understands the rules. You want power? Answer me this—who hurt you this badly?"

Accelerator remained silent for a beat, panting heavily as he glared at Shen He.

Then came the answer, low and seething with murderous undertone:

"Misaka Mikoto."

Shen He blinked.

"…You serious?"

Misaka Mikoto—Railgun—the Level 5 ranked #3 in Academy City.

And Accelerator… was #1.

"She beat me," Accelerator growled. "Face to face. No tricks."

His voice cracked slightly, the bandages shifting with every breath.

"Then she cloned herself. Formed an army. Led them with a bunch of Level 0s and turned the whole of Academy City into a warzone. A real war, not a simulation. And it's all because of me. This whole damn thing is because of me!"

Shen He staggered in place.

He needed a moment to digest that.

Did he just say Misaka Mikoto—THE Misaka Mikoto—beat Accelerator in a straight fight, then initiated a coup against Academy City with her clones?

That... did not sound like the real Misaka.

In fact, that sounded like something far worse.

Then his eyes darted toward Jeanne d'Arc, standing quietly at the side.

Suddenly, realization struck.

A black-clad, cold version of Jeanne filled his mind—Jeanne Alter, the twisted counterpart born from corrupted wishes and the Holy Grail.

"Wait a second…" Shen He muttered. "Don't tell me—Alter Misaka Mikoto?"

A corrupted version of Railgun?

He shuddered. The original was arrogant enough. An alter version? Probably a tyrant with lightning bolts for breakfast.

That could only mean one thing.

The Holy Grail had entered the forbidden world. And someone's twisted wish had brought about a version of Misaka that didn't care about rules or morality.

But then… what about the real one?

Shen He clenched his fists.

The Misaka Mikoto in the current limited banner—the one with boosted rates—that had to be the real one. The genuine article. Which meant…

"Damn. If I'd summoned her just now…"

He didn't finish the thought. There was no point in regrets.

"We're going in," Shen He declared, eyes fixed on the portal interface.

He turned toward Accelerator. "If the experiment was halted, that means you met Misaka Misaka early. You're not just some guilt-ridden monster anymore, right? Are you willing to put everything on the line to protect her?"

It was logical deduction.

Accelerator being defeated proved the experiment was over. The timeline had diverged. He and Last Order must've met early.

And now, under threat from the altered Misaka, that "happy" fragile peace was shattered.

Accelerator didn't respond immediately. He stared blankly, then muttered:

"I never wanted her to die. But that doesn't mean she won't. That thought—it drives me insane. You think I wanted that damn voice in my head telling me to fight for something again?"

He paused, trembling.

"That woman… didn't even use tricks. Just raw strength. Beat me flat. Do you get that? I'm not #1 anymore."

Shen He exhaled.

"Damn lo—" he stopped short. "Never mind."

He checked his inventory. Of the items pulled from the forty summons, two were healing potions. He tossed one toward Accelerator.

"Drink it."

Without hesitation, Accelerator bit off the bottle cap and downed it. A green aura flowed from his skin. The bandages began to fall as burn scars vanished.

He dropped the crutch.

"…I'm starting to believe you now." Accelerator flexed his recovered hand. "So what's your goal?"

Shen He didn't answer directly.

"Learn it over time," he said, pushing open the door.

A new prompt flashed on his interface.

Special Forbidden World Dungeon Unlocked.

Time Limit: 3 Hours per Day

Reward: 1 Summoning Stone per run

Entry Requirements: Active Team Slot

Dungeon Condition: Variable events, rare item chance.

It wasn't like regular dungeon worlds.

You only got three hours a day—maybe a fourth if you triggered hidden conditions. And with enemies like Alter Mikoto running around, it wasn't going to be easy.

He'd need to speak with Coulson and Tony before disappearing into this realm. And probably prep the squad, too.

Because this wasn't a grind.

It was a war.

And Shen He was ready to go all in.

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