"I'm back."
A girl in a pink tracksuit appeared behind the group, her shoulder-length black hair and lazy eyes giving her a somewhat listless appearance.
"Incredible work, Takitsubo."
"Welcome back. You did great."
"I never would've guessed the Level Upper rumors were actually effective against this kind of monster," remarked the girl called Mugino, sounding genuinely surprised.
"Maybe it enhanced the creature's abilities, allowing it to break free. These cloned half-finished monsters are truly unpredictable."
"Mugino, do you think using the Level Upper could make someone reach Level 5?" asked the blonde girl distractedly, suddenly curious.
"Do you want your brain picked apart, Frenda?" Mugino shot the blonde girl an unamused glare, her tone sharp.
"Don't underestimate this thing," the girl called Takitsubo said languidly. "Even the high-intensity explosives the Board secretly planted underground couldn't kill it directly. It's as troublesome as dealing with an entire army."
"How amusing, planting bombs beneath a busy district. They'll probably cover it up with another 'gas explosion,' I bet." — Mugino's sarcastic comment.
Meanwhile, things were getting pretty messy for Natsume Sonoko.
"Open fire! Full suppression!"
Facing the bizarre humanoid creature, Anti-Skill instructor Yomikawa didn't hesitate to order live ammunition. Powerful fire spat from gun muzzles, a curtain of bullets soon enveloping the monster.
The firepower unleashed by a full Anti-Skill squad could easily suppress most espers in Academy City. These mass-produced technological weapons were the real force keeping dissent in line.
Even a Level 4 esper would struggle against a fully armed Anti-Skill team.
But this humanoid monster proved unexpectedly resilient. Bullets riddled its body to little apparent effect.
They weren't bounced off, but even as its muscles tore under the impact, the monster's movements never slowed.
Flesh was shredded and sent flying, yet it regenerated at an astonishing, even dizzying speed.
"What is this thing? That regeneration is beyond human. And it looks so bizarre—clearly the product of some unethical experiment."
Natsume Sonoko pulled Saten-san and Uiharu-san back a few steps, her mind in turmoil. They'd originally planned to get some shaved ice, but now hardly seemed the time.
Dealing with monsters wasn't students' job; getting evacuated ASAP was the better option.
Uiharu-san had already taken out her computer, seemingly searching for something. Only when Sonoko tugged at her did she dazedly follow, retreating backward.
"Honestly, what mad scientist cooked this up?" Misaka-senpai surveyed the surrounding wreckage with clear irritation.
"Onee-sama, this might be a clone," Shirai-san said, frowning.
"Those wires and pipes are fused with its flesh, and its head is severely deformed—facial features indistinguishable. It can't be a modified human."
"Found something! The exposed stone on its chest... the surface pattern is very similar to one sent to Academy City for research years ago. But the size doesn't match—it's only about a third of the original," Uiharu-san suddenly announced, having finally dug up some information.
The ground shook again as a wrecked armored vehicle came flying straight toward them from a distance.
Misaka-senpai reacted swiftly, raising a hand. A powerful electric discharge bloomed in the air like a giant electromagnetic hand, seizing the vehicle and altering its trajectory, sending it crashing elsewhere.
"So amazing, as expected of Misaka-senpai!" Saten-san's eyes were wide, her voice shaky with adrenaline.
The Anti-Skill team was already under attack. Tsuzuri-sensei's shoulder-fired rocket launcher spat flame, a high-intensity missile slamming into the monster. The explosion sent another massive shockwave and cloud of dust through the area.
When the dust settled, the humanoid monster emerged unscathed, stepping slowly from the debris.
"We have to stop it. If it keeps going, there's a school not far from here," Shirai-san said, checking a map on her device, her brow furrowed.
"The monster... it's regenerating again," Natsume Sonoko pointed at the creature.
The stone on its chest was gradually being covered by new flesh. So the monster they'd first encountered was already severely injured.
"No choice. Kuroko, get everyone out of here now!" Misaka-senpai didn't waste more words, dashing straight toward the Anti-Skill position.
With successive explosive shockwaves, the surrounding roads were severely damaged, rubble blocking the way. A normal retreat was now nearly impossible.
"Onee-sama!" Shirai-san moved to stop her, but a chunk of concrete crashed down beside her, forcing her to teleport away hastily.
As she landed and steadied herself, she looked back to see several jets of steam erupt around Natsume, blasting aside debris flying toward them.
"So dangerous! No littering from up high, don't you know?" Natsume Sonoko shot an annoyed glare at the humanoid monster casually tossing things around, venting her displeasure.
The steam jets vanished quickly, but water began trickling from the ground—seems someone had busted the underground pipes.
"I'll get everyone out now," Shirai-san immediately appeared beside Natsume and the others.
Though worried about Misaka-senpai, evacuating the others came first. But due to her ability's limits, she could only take one person at a time.
"Take Saten and Natsume-san first. I'm a Judgment member too," Uiharu-san said earnestly, determination on her face.
"I'll stay and protect Uiharu-san. I am a Level 4, after all," Natsume Sonoko declared with brave spirit.
However you looked at it, she had some self-defense capability—she'd spent plenty of time figuring out how to defend.
Shirai-san showed little reaction, simply nodded, put an arm around the anxious Saten-san, and the two vanished instantly.
The Anti-Skill team had begun retreating. Their armored vehicles lay smashed like toys. Not only had they failed to halt the monster, its injuries were nearly fully healed.
A coin was lightly tossed. Electricity sparked along Misaka-senpai's arm, forming a powerful acceleration magnetic field around her hand, instantly reaching an initial velocity triple the speed of sound.
The coin accelerated continuously within the magnetic field, far exceeding Mach 3. But due to air resistance and friction, its effective range was only about fifty meters.
An orange beam dominated everyone's vision, the air tinged with a scorched smell as it struck the humanoid monster thirty meters away.
Accuracy: OK. Destructive power: OK. The scent of burnt metal lingered; most of the coin had melted, but the remainder had squarely hit the spot where the stone was exposed.
There it was—the legendary Railgun.
Seeing Misaka-senpai's move, Natsume Sonoko hurriedly crouched, covering her ears tightly.
"Natsume-san, what are you doing?" Shirai-san, having just returned after delivering Saten-san, looked puzzled at the crouching, covering figure.
"It's the Railgun!"
"You're way overdoing it," Shirai-san gave Natsume an exasperated look, ignored the girl on the ground, grabbed Uiharu-san, and vanished.
"Hey? Where'd everyone go?" Natsume Sonoko looked around, confused. It seemed only poor Sonoko remained on site.
Suddenly feeling very unsafe, Natsume Sonoko quickly vaporized a large amount of groundwater, filling the air with mist. She stared intently at the distant monster. With such a powerful Railgun, surely the monster was dealt with.
She certainly had no confidence in blocking that attack herself.
"So that's the Railgun? Looks seriously impressive," a brown bob-haired girl remarked in awe.
"Hah. Just some middle school brat, a clueless young mistress living in a greenhouse. That monster isn't something so easily dealt with," Mugino said with a vicious expression, her focus entirely on the battle not far away.
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T/N: While I am an inexperienced Translator, I have a Patreon! While it may seem empty as of now, webnovel will get 3 Chapters Every Day, and advanced chapters will be uploaded on Patreon.
It may not seem worth it now, but maybe in the future. Who knows!
[email protected]/AspenTL
If you guys wanna check it out.