Accelerator had cleaned up most of the Hound Dogs.
He did not know their exact numbers, so he had to watch out for an ambush, but his instincts told him the battle was already over.
He would have respected any surviving Hound Dogs if they were able to fake that atmosphere, but he knew they did not have the presence of mind left to do so. Everything Accelerator had done, from the timing of his gimmicks to the intervals of silence, had been thoroughly calculated out based on the physiology of the brain to function as a program that brought them into a state of panic.
This was not a level of fear that could be overcome with guts. He had pounded the feeling into them down to the level of the brain's signals. None of them would be able to fight properly. No human that was not completely insane could escape this attack. All they would be able to manage would be crying out and flailing their arms and legs around.
Accelerator opened the lid to the bottle of cleaning agent he had found in the facility. He poured the clear liquid over his head and tossed the empty bottle aside.
(After going this far, Kihara will definitely take action. If I'm lucky, that bastard will get scared when he hears this. He'll receive word of this in a few minutes. What do I need to do before that?)
Accelerator's goal was to rescue Last Order.
But he did not know where she was as she continued to flee (or even if she was still fleeing). He could locate her if he could contact her via cell phone, but he doubted he could rely on that. In that case, the best way of saving Last Order was to focus on interfering with Kihara and his Hound Dogs.
He would keep their focus on him.
He could never win if he did not make sure they felt the need to do something about him before taking Last Order.
And the closer he came to accomplishing that, the more danger he would be in.
(That doesn't matter.)
He headed for the facility's exit while using the shotgun as a cane.
He could have tortured the Hound Dogs for information, but Accelerator had avoided that method. He could not use his powers in this facility and he could not carry an adult outside while using his cane. He had only won so far due to following a strategy. Even if his enemies were injured, he could not let his guard down. Right now, a single bullet could kill him. If he screwed up here and let the Hound Dogs turn the situation around, no one would remain to save Last Order.
Accelerator thought about what he should do next.
(I guess I should check that Hound Dog van again. I doubt I'll be able to find their hideout, but I need to know a general location to crush the other team.)
But then his thoughts were cut off.
He had spotted blood on the floor.
Accelerator frowned slightly at that dotted trail of red stains. He had guided the enemies, filled them with fear, and crushed them one by one all according to his calculations, but he did not recall using this route.
Someone was still alive.
"…"
From what he could see of the bloody trail, the enemy's gait had been shaky and their focus had been all over the place. They had been in such a panic that anything and everything had frightened them. Accelerator's psychological manipulation had been in effect.
(Or are they just making it look that way to lure me in?)
Accelerator slowly followed the trail of blood with his cane.
It led to a small emergency exit. A green light was installed above the metal door. A box protected by tempered glass was installed next to the door. The glass had been broken and the lever inside had been pulled.
Someone had unlocked the door and left the building.
Accelerator leaned up against the wall next to the door and reached out a hand to touch the doorknob. The cane irritated him at times like this. If he could use both hands, he could have had his other hand on the switch for his choker-style electrode. He might lose control of his powers in here, but he would have to use them if it came down to it.
He slowly turned the doorknob.
He pushed the door as silently as possible.
"…"
Nothing seemed out of the ordinary.
At the very least, it did not seem a bomb had been set up. After making sure of that, Accelerator pushed the metal door open wide.
It had begun pouring rain at some point and the raindrops struck his entire body.
After hiding in that stuffy facility, it was a pleasant stimulation.
However…
"There you are…"
He was not smiling.
Accelerator stood on the second floor. If he climbed down the steel emergency staircase and ran across the asphalt for about 20 meters, he would find a chain-link fence signifying the end of the facility's grounds.
He could see someone climbing that fence.
The person was dressed all in black, so they were clearly a Hound Dog member.
And a car was parked just outside the fence. It was obvious where this man in black was headed.
He thought the car was Hound Dog reinforcements, but it was not.
It was the type of car Anti-Skill used for its official patrols.
(Why?)
It was not right for Anti-Skill to be showing up here.
This was a battle between two sides of the darkness; normal people should have no place in it.
".........................................................................................."
A thin, thin sigh escaped Accelerator's lips.
He had no words.
In his silence, he could hear the man in black shouting.
Despite the pouring rain and the distance of 20 meters, the man was shouting loud of enough for Accelerator to hear it clearly.
"Hey! Is there someone in there!? H-help me! Help me! Anti-Skill is supposed to protect the people of this city, right!? Then protect me! It's him! He did all of this! Ha ha! What now!? I'm safe now. I've escaped you grasp!!"
Accelerator felt like he was hearing static.
(I've lived in the underside of this city for so long, yet I've never heard such pathetic bullshit!!!!)
"No matter how much you struggle, it's over for you! I have Anti-Skill on my side. If you think you can do something to me, just try it!! If you attack Anti-Skill, you'll get an official wanted status!! Your days with that damn brat you wanted to protect so much are over now too! You'll be thrown back into a cold research lab and play the role of guinea pig for the rest of your life!! Gya ha ha ha ha ha ha!!"
An intense power built up in the hand holding the shotgun.
His head felt like it was going to burst.
The electrode battery, the need to preserve the remaining seven minutes, and the trouble he would have with Kihara Amata if he used it up were all blown clean out of his mind.
Accelerator's hand moved up to his neck.
It moved up to the electrode's switch.
He did not hesitate.
He had to make a bloodbath out of that piece of shit.
That was all that remained in his mind.