Chapter 199: George’s Threat

“Boss... actually lost.”

Seeing their leader, ranked fourth among Academy City’s powerhouses, defeated by a Level 4 clone, 9981, Frenda and the others—while tending to each other’s wounds—wore expressions of disbelief.

They simply couldn’t comprehend how a mere Level 4, and a clone at that, could possess such overwhelming strength.

“So powerful!”

It wasn’t just Frenda and her team; even Misaka Mikoto, who had regained some strength, felt equally shaken.

After all, she admitted that even at her peak, she might not be able to defeat the fourth-ranked Meltdowner in a head-on fight.

George turned his gaze to the sky and shouted, “Leaders of the laboratory, I know you’re watching. Accelerator has been defeated, and now this Level 5 Meltdowner has also fallen to me, a Level 4 clone.

“So here’s my proposition: terminate the experiment. Let us clones live normal lives like anyone else.”

His voice carried a sharp edge as he continued, “You wouldn’t want two Level 5-capable espers wreaking havoc across Academy City, would you?

“Moreover, I hold a wealth of information about your experiments in my mind. If I were to make this public and expose your atrocities against the clones to the entire city and the world, just imagine the fallout.

“How many parents would still be willing to send their children to a place as dark as Academy City? And how do you think the world would view this city then?”

During the battle between Misaka Mikoto and Accelerator, George had noticed advanced miniature surveillance drones. This time, however, he chose not to destroy them, allowing the higher-ups to witness Accelerator’s defeat and his own strength firsthand.

Level 5 espers were defined as individuals with enough power to single-handedly take on an army. Academy City officially had seven such individuals—at least on paper. There could be more hidden in the shadows, but publicly, the rankings were as follows:

• Accelerator

• Kakine Teitoku

• Misaka Mikoto

• Mugino Shizuri

Now, George had bested the fourth-ranked Mugino Shizuri in a one-on-one fight. In terms of combat capability, he could arguably be ranked in the top three. With Misaka Mikoto by his side, the two had already defeated Accelerator together, showcasing their combined destructive potential.

More importantly, Level 5 espers like Misaka Mikoto were still students with their own independent wills. They weren’t tools that the higher-ups could easily control.

George was betting that, to avoid chaos within Academy City, the higher-ups would have no choice but to concede to his demands. However, if they chose not to and instead relied on hidden cards to continue pursuing him, he would meet them head-on—even revealing his ultimate ace: magic.

If it came to that, they couldn’t blame him for unleashing fiery destruction and turning Academy City into ruins.

“Interesting... let’s keep him alive. He might prove useful later,” murmured Aleister Crowley, suspended in his life-support apparatus in District 7’s main tower.

After a moment’s thought, Aleister transmitted his orders. Forcing a capture would be too costly, potentially derailing his future plans. While this unexpected development was an inconvenience, it hadn’t strayed too far from the overall scheme.

For now, Aleister decided to halt the pursuit of this particular clone and proceed with the next phases of his agenda. Adding another Level 5-combat-capable esper to Academy City wasn’t necessarily a bad thing—it might even serve as an asset in advancing other initiatives.

“It’s unfortunate that the Imagine Breaker didn’t get his opportunity for growth. No matter, I’ll arrange other trials for him.”

According to the original plan, the Misaka Network clones were to draw in Kamijou Touma, the bearer of the Imagine Breaker, to engage Accelerator. That confrontation would serve as a critical trial for Kamijou’s development.

However, with Accelerator defeated by Misaka Mikoto and the clone George, Kamijou Touma’s intervention was rendered unnecessary.

Soon after George issued his ultimatum, the sense of being monitored vanished. Not long after, Rikou Takitsubo’s phone rang.

After a brief conversation, she turned to George and Misaka Mikoto. “The client has deposited the mission payment into our account and asked me to inform you that the Level 6 Shift Project is officially terminated as of today.

“All clones will be granted their freedom and recognized as legal individuals.”

“Good.”

Misaka Mikoto exhaled in relief, a smile finally gracing her face.

George’s expression also softened. This indicated that Academy City’s higher-ups had chosen to yield, at least for now. Soon, he would have a legitimate, official identity within Academy City.

Everything seemed to conclude smoothly. Ambulances arrived to transport the injured Accelerator and others to the hospital.

At that moment, Misaka Clone No. 9982 shivered slightly and turned to George and Misaka Mikoto. “Sister, the lab has transferred the remaining 10,018 of us to a hospital in District 7. They’ve lifted their control over us and declared they will no longer restrict our freedom.”

“Looks like they’ve genuinely abandoned the experiment,” George remarked as he reconnected to the Misaka Network. The other clones began uploading their shared memories of the events.

With the situation resolved, George no longer needed to isolate himself from the network. While he could benefit from its memory-sharing and computational support, he kept his connection partially limited. This ensured he could sever ties if any problems arose within the network.

“Let’s head to the hospital,” Misaka Mikoto said, pulling George and 9982 into a waiting ambulance bound for District 7.

Though the clones were now freed, the question of their future remained a pressing concern.

Noticing Mikoto’s troubled expression, George smiled and reassured her. “Don’t worry about the logistics. The city’s higher-ups aren’t stupid.

“They now have over 10,000 Level 2 espers with combat experience who can form a network for collective action. They wouldn’t simply abandon such an asset.”

In Academy City, 80% of espers were classified as Level 0, with negligible abilities. Among the remaining 20%, the majority were Level 1. Levels 2, 3, and 4 were progressively rarer, with only seven publicly known Level 5s.

The Misaka clones, with their unique networked capabilities, represented an extraordinary resource. Even if the experiment was abandoned, the city wouldn’t simply discard them.

What mattered most was that the clones would no longer be sacrificed for experiments. If they could live normal lives and use their abilities to earn a living, that was an acceptable outcome.