The concept of time became blurry here, and Misaka Mikoto didn't know how long it had been since she was here.

Listening to what my future self said, this place is - that is, in the sea of ​​consciousness, which has properties similar to those of a dream.

No matter how much time has passed subjectively, objectively it is just a night of waking up from a dream.

[The essence of the superpowers we obtained in Academy City is actually "borrowed power".]

[From level one to level five, it is not that the power we possess is getting stronger and stronger, but that our knowledge, computing power, and control power are gradually increasing, and the power we can control is getting stronger and stronger. 】

[As a result, we gained the qualification to borrow stronger abilities and were promoted to superpowers (lv.5).]

[However, because everyone has different natures and qualifications, no matter how hard they study, they cannot borrow power from the rules of the world, so the peak of power that each person can achieve is actually determined from the beginning. 】

[This is another hidden secret priest in Academy City—Quality Judgment]

This kind of knowledge, or the inheritance of truth and inside information, is what Misaka Mikoto has been learning here.

Its purpose, according to that future self, is——

[When thousands of us join together to share intelligence, of course, its power will skyrocket to a level that is not the same as before.]

[If there is no complete preparation, the first thing that excessive power will destroy is yourself.]

However, this kind of spiritual communication, which was like a class, was fine at first——

There is no fatigue, no barriers, all knowledge is absorbed by Misaka Mikoto without any sense of stickiness.

Everything seems to be back to the first-grade elementary school classroom, that era when real learning makes people happy.

Knowing the unknown truths and secrets hidden in the shadows of the world is indeed heart-pounding...

However, after a long time, no matter how happy things are, they will become a bit boring——

【In this world, the origin of all power is "knowledge".】

[It is possible to become a person with abilities by learning "scientific" knowledge. People who learn "magic" knowledge, perform specific rituals, and gain power by reciting specific spells are called magicians. ]

[The devil is the best among them. He has acquired all the knowledge in a field and performed specific rituals to become the god of magic. 】

[But at the same time, for people who are not qualified enough and whose status is too low, taboo knowledge is equal to harmful knowledge. 】

[Therefore, espers in Academy City cannot use magic. This is all because the "scientific" system created by Aleister conflicts with other magic systems, which was equivalent to apostasy in ancient times...]

"Um...can you interrupt?"

Hearing this, Misaka Mikoto raised her hand to interrupt her long-haired self's lecture.

【Well, please tell me, Misaka Mikoto-san.】

"How long are we going to have classes here?"

[Don’t worry, no matter how much time passes, it will be the right time when you wake up.]

"But don't you think it's been a long time since we've been here?"

[That’s it, subjective time has probably passed about two hundred years.]

"What?!~ Real or fake?"

[False. There is no concept of time here, everything is an exchange of information between you and me.]

"It scared me to death. I thought I had turned into an old woman without knowing it."

[This is all to allow you to slowly adapt to the substantial increase in computing power and strength.]

[Maybe you don’t know much about the inner world of sisters.]

[Actually, they look dumb when talking to other people. In fact, that is because they are exchanging information and discussing countermeasures with a lot of sisters with other numbers in their heads. 】

"Ah, that's it, a brain meeting!~"

【Yeah, very cute, right?】

The long-haired Misaka seemed to have seen several Q-version Misaka sisters gathered together for a meeting, and said with a warm smile.

"No, we will be the same in the future..."

[That’s it, as long as the synchronization is completed, Misaka in other worlds will also join in the chat. You can even convene people in your mind to discuss countermeasures when facing a powerful enemy. 】

"Isn't that super invincible?! Bullet time?"

[So, having countless people thinking in parallel is our advantage.]

As if she had thought of something, and felt that it was almost done, the long-haired Misaka sighed slightly, looked at her younger self, and murmured:

【Counting the time, that guy is almost here.】

"Who's coming soon?" Misaka Mikoto asked strangely.

【...Save your "hero".】

"Ah, what is that? It's a hero or something, it's not a manga." Misaka Mikoto retorted with a blush.

The long-haired Misaka did not hesitate and directly opened the large skylight in this empty space.

When Misaka Mikoto came back to her senses, she was already in a ghost state, floating behind her head amid thunder and lightning.

From a third-person perspective, he saw how his powerful self destroyed the high-rise buildings of the Talent Workshop to pieces.

What is very eye-catching is that a spiky-headed boy is struggling to support the rampaging Misaka Mikoto, relying only on instinct to expel the lightning from surrounding obstacles.

[This guy suddenly comes to us every time when we are at our most vulnerable and in need of help.]

[He encouraged us for no reason, used his hopeless good-guy character to intervene in our affairs, and helped us and saved us without asking for anything in return.]

[Can’t we call him our “hero”? 】

"You, you, you...this is too..."

Hearing what long-haired Misaka said, Misaka Mikoto was really embarrassed.

The long-haired Misaka couldn't bear to look at Misaka Mikoto's performance and averted her eyes.

Then he said calmly:

[I used to feel the same way, but now I’m gradually getting used to it. 】

The long-haired Misaka looked at the hedgehog-headed boy who was obviously too busy to take care of himself, but still looked like he was full of enthusiasm and wanted to save the person in front of him, and said slowly:

[Moreover, later I realized that in addition to being grateful to that guy, in my heart there were also some feelings that were definitely not pure love.]

"Other feelings...?"

[Longing and yearning—I want to be as free from confusion and as strong as that good old guy.]

【Protect the people you want to protect, and help the people in need right in front of you.】

[The kind of will that doesn’t waver under anyone’s instructions, only follows the feelings that arise in one’s heart, and moves forward courageously—this is what I have always longed for and longed for.]

【I want to be like him, or even surpass him, instead of becoming a burden behind him.】

"..."

Misaka Mikoto stared blankly at the long-haired Misaka's declaration, and she suddenly realized a lot.
Chapter completed!