Chapter 189: A New Clone – Misaka 9981

“Thor, we might stay here for a while to study the astrophysical knowledge your father shared with us. We'll return to New York in about a month. Here's my address in New York—if you're free, feel free to visit me then.”

In front of the X-Jet, Jane Foster handed a slip of paper to Thor. Thor nodded eagerly, his face lighting up. “Jane, I’ll definitely come to find you!”

“Alright, hurry and get on the plane. Everyone’s waiting for you,” Dr. Erik Selvig said with a mix of affection and exasperation as he watched the growing bond between Jane and Thor.

Thor took Jane’s hand, kissed it lightly, and turned to board the X-Jet.

George, seeing that Thor was the last one to get on, turned to Isa and said,
“Alright, we can take off and head back to the school.”

Thor, unable to lift Mjolnir, remained exiled on Earth. Without his divine powers, he was just a strong but ordinary man, and staying with Jane indefinitely wasn’t an option—especially since their relationship was still in its early stages.

Moreover, with Steve being the only one able to lift Mjolnir, the hammer would remain immobile once Steve left. Thus, Thor decided to follow George’s suggestion: go to the school, learn about the concept of "peace," and strive to comprehend Odin’s teachings so he could one day reclaim Mjolnir and his powers.

Meanwhile, Wolverine was chatting with Steve while holding a jug of Asgardian mead. Across the jet, Betty and Banner sat close together, their long-awaited reunion after five years palpable. If it weren’t for the presence of others on the plane, they might have already rekindled their passion without restraint.

Tony Stark, eager to delve into the mysteries of Asgardian technology, had flown back solo as soon as they returned to Earth, leaving the others behind.

The X-Jet’s high-speed flight brought them back to the school in no time. Once George temporarily disabled the magical barrier surrounding the school, the jet descended onto the airfield and slowly sank into the underground hangar.

“Professor, still awake at this hour?” George asked as he stepped off the jet and saw Professor X waiting nearby.

Professor X smiled.

“I did sleep, but when I sensed your return, I got up.”

In truth, the professor hadn’t slept at all. George and the others had been gone for quite some time, and their prolonged absence suggested they had encountered challenges. He had been worried about their safety.

“Let me introduce you to a new friend,” George said, gesturing to Thor, who was stepping off the plane while attempting to convince Logan to share some of his mead.

“This is Thor Odinson of Asgard, the Thunder God from Norse mythology.”

Professor X’s expression turned to astonishment.

“George, you’re not joking, are you?”

A god from mythology? It was beyond his realm of experience—while he had met aliens, he had never encountered a deity.

“Let’s talk as we walk.”

George explained the details of their mission to Professor X.

“So, from now on, he’s your responsibility.”

“No problem. Who would’ve thought that the gods of mythology are actually extraterrestrials?” Professor X remarked, accepting the task with a touch of amazement.

After leaving Thor in the professor’s capable hands, George returned to the combat simulation room to cautiously craft a new wand. He worked through the night, combining a branch from the World Tree with the heart of the Frost Giant King to forge a brand-new wand.

Testing the wand with a couple of swings, George couldn't help but marvel.
“This feels more natural.”

Although alloy magic rings were more convenient to carry, they lacked the ambiance of wielding a wand. There was something inherently satisfying about it—like finding a stick that looked like a wand and instinctively waving it around, even if it wasn’t magical.

By contrast, picking up a random iron ring off the ground would evoke no such excitement.

With his outfit-switching space, George could now store the wand there and summon it instantly when needed.

“Let’s test its performance.”

With a flick of his hand: “Lumos Maxima!”

A blinding light shone from the tip of the wand, far brighter than an advanced illumination spell.

“Wow, this enhances spells by about 25 times,” George muttered in awe. If he cast a true Lumos Maxima, it might be intense enough to temporarily blind an average person.

“Perfect. Time to sleep.”

After storing the wand in his outfit-switching space, George returned to his room, took a shower, and prepared for a good night’s rest. Overall, he was quite satisfied with the results of this mission.

However, just as he was drifting off, the familiar searing pain struck him again.

He knew what this meant: he was splitting again.

Sure enough, within seconds, a flood of new memories and experiences surged into his mind.

“Academy City… Esper abilities… Misaka Mikoto… the Mass-Production Railgun Project… the Level 6 Shift Experiment… Misaka 9981.”

It was a new world—a world filled with espers. In this world, espers were ranked from Level 0 to Level 5, with Academy City serving as the hub for nearly all espers. Also known as the “City of Schools,” Academy City housed dozens of universities, hundreds of elementary, middle, and high schools, and over a thousand research institutions. Its population of 2.3 million was predominantly made up of students, most of whom lived in dormitories while undergoing training in esper development through drugs, hypnosis, electrical stimulation, and academic instruction.

Despite this, 60% of the students ended up as Level 0 espers, unable to manifest any abilities.

Academy City possessed cutting-edge technology 20 to 30 years ahead of the outside world, acting as the scientific leader of this universe. It operated independently of any government, with full autonomy.

George’s new clone, Misaka 9981, was part of the Mass-Production Railgun Project and the Level 6 Shift Experiment.

The Mass-Production Railgun Project involved cloning Academy City’s strongest Level 5 esper, Misaka Mikoto, using her genetic material without her consent. The process used Zid-02, Riz-13, and Hel-03 compounds to create a physical clone within 14 days. Mental data like language, motor skills, and ethics were forcibly implanted through learning devices.

Although the original goal was to mass-produce Level 5 espers, the experiment failed. The clones’ maximum potential was capped at Level 2, far weaker than the original. Even if all 20,000 clones were deployed, they couldn’t rival a single Level 5 Misaka Mikoto.

Thus, the Mass-Production Railgun Project was repurposed into the Level 6 Shift Experiment.