The monster, having gathered an immense AIM Diffusion Field, began to grow at a visible, frenzied rate, swiftly soaring to a height of thirty or forty meters.
"Are you human, or are you a monster?"
Mugino Shizuri wore a look of utter confusion, seemingly unable to comprehend how a person could suddenly transform into such a creature.
She had just dodged attacks from dozens of tentacles when the space around her became densely packed with white cylindrical spheres of light.
Countless beams of light sliced towards the monster from all directions, shredding most of its body to pieces in an instant.
The attack even broke through the barrier of flesh, nearly shattering the core the monster used to stabilize its AIM Field.
Yet, thanks to the monster's powerful regenerative abilities, the wounds inflicted by Meltdowner began to heal rapidly.
But the assault of Meltdowner continued unabated, as if it would never cease, creating a bizarre stalemate and balance with the constantly regenerating flesh-and-blood monster.
The MAR units had already been completely routed. However, relying on the high mobility of their powered suits, some members managed to escape the monster's attack range.
The Hound Dogs facing the monster head-on weren't so lucky.
After a barrage of attacks from its tentacles, not a single person could be seen left standing.
Frenda pulled a large number of dolls from under her skirt, unleashing a massive explosion at the monster's feet. But compared to Meltdowner's attacks, it wasn't even enough to slow the creature down.
"Mugino? Are you okay?"
Sustaining the Meltdowner was placing a tremendous strain on Mugino Shizuri. After maintaining the 'Meltdowner' for just tens of seconds, her body, already weakened from the high-intensity battle, began to falter.
Several sharp icicles fell from the sky. Like Kiyama Harumi, this monster possessed multiple abilities due to the Level Upper, but these attacks were all shattered upon contact with the spheres of light surrounding Mugino.
Then the earth suddenly began to shake violently.
Hundreds of large, earthen hands erupted from the ground, lifting the monster up and away from the relentless frontal assault of the Meltdowner.
Countless tentacles still densely connected it to the ground below.
"This monster's regenerative ability is already on par with a Level 5," Mugino said, withdrawing her attack with clear reluctance. Even though the monster could barely fight back against her, when it came to endurance and stamina, she clearly couldn't compare.
"It seems to be heading towards the AIM Analysis Research Institute. It's as if something there is attracting it?" Takitsubo Rikou pointed at the monster.
Despite being attacked by Mugino for so long, it remained single-minded, continuing its advance towards its predetermined destination.
"This has to be that Kiyama Harumi's doing!" Mugino Shizuri spat out hatefully.
In the distance, Natsume Sonoko, clutching the media player and chip, had already run quite far away.
Now, Natsume Sonoko too could feel the tremors in the earth. A colossal monster, borne aloft by rock and soil, its body still growing at a high speed, looked from a distance like a moving mountain.
Shaken by the vibrations, Natsume walked unsteadily, casting a fearful glance back at the distant monster before immediately hurrying towards the Anti-Skill armored vehicles.
The only ones nearby with the authority to broadcast an audio file across the entire Academy City were probably the Anti-Skill teams.
More Anti-Skill members were arriving on the scene in a continuous stream. Various armored vehicles and heavy weapons were deployed to block the monster's path. She could vaguely make out two familiar figures: Yomikawa-sensei and Tsuzuri-sensei.
However, the Anti-Skill armored vehicles were positioned directly facing the approaching monster, placing them between Natsume Sonoko and the creature.
"Ah!"
The sudden attack caught Natsume completely off guard. A large hand formed of earth shot out from the ground, trying to grab her.
Natsume's mind began calculating rapidly. The moisture within the soil immediately began to freeze, significantly slowing the hand's attack.
She tried to execute a cool, cinematic roll to escape, but in the end, she only managed to stumble clumsily out of the hand's reach, getting covered in dust and grime.
The ground began to deform, sprouting numerous small cavities from which dense clusters of thin tentacles emerged, forcing Natsume to quickly change direction.
Even though the monster hadn't gotten close yet, its tentacles had already extended this far underground. It was terrifying to imagine what the situation beneath the surface looked like.
Miniature sinkholes were forming all around her, severely hindering her progress.
The monster's speed far exceeded Natsume's expectations.
Before she could reach the Anti-Skill armored vehicles, it had already breached several of their defensive lines, drawing closer and closer to her location.
"You again? What is a student doing here?" Yomikawa-sensei yelled, hefting a Vulcan cannon. The roaring gunfire was like the wrath of a god, pouring onto the approaching monster.
Each round was capable of piercing concrete walls, but they had no effect on the monster, which had now grown to sixty meters tall.
The sight of it from a distance was enough to send a chill down one's spine.
"Please broadcast these files across all of Academy City! They can help with the current situation!" Natsume Sonoko managed to get the words out, though she was panting heavily.
"What are these files? We can't just broadcast files from an unknown source," Tsuzuri-sensei said hesitantly, a nervous look on her face as she watched the approaching monster.
"Broadcast them," Yomikawa-sensei ordered without a moment's hesitation.
Transferring the files would take a bit of time, but the monster's threat was imminent. Abandoning the Vulcan cannon, Yomikawa-sensei started the armored vehicle to evacuate. Inside, Tsuzuri-sensei was frantically transferring the audio files, sweat pouring down her face.
Without time to think, a massive tentacle descended from the sky, striking towards the armored vehicle.
In the blink of an eye, it froze solid, shattering into countless pieces upon hitting the ground.
The tentacle began to reform almost immediately, but the armored vehicle had already managed to put some distance between them.
More tentacles emerged from the ground, making it difficult for the vehicle to move. The front-mounted machine gun spat bullets, but it was useless; the tentacles remained densely packed, blocking the road ahead.
"We've come this far. I won't let you ruin it now," Natsume Sonoko said, a rare look of determination flashing in her eyes.
Attaching two semi-transparent wings to her back, and despite Tsuzuri-sensei's frantic attempts to stop her, Natsume carefully jumped from the still-moving armored vehicle.
Though she landed safely, her violently pounding chest betrayed her inner turmoil.
Jumping from a moving vehicle—it was probably the most dangerous thing Natsume Sonoko had ever done.
Natsume stomped hard on the ground. Her mind instantly sensed the presence of vast amounts of groundwater, and right beneath her feet, a dense network of underground water pipes.
These pipes and the monster's tentacles were intertwined, forming a bizarre underground ecosystem.
The wings carried Natsume into the air. The calculation formula was still rough, making it troublesome to use; maintaining balance in flight was nearly impossible, placing a significant strain on her and making her flight look anything but graceful.
"Yomikawa-sensei, follow me!" Natsume shouted towards the armored vehicle.
Her body now hovered in mid-air, and she surged forward towards the tentacles ahead.
"Steam Funeral," she murmured, naming the upcoming move, utterly disregarding the potential city-wide water crisis she might cause in District 7 tomorrow.
Natsume dangled in the air, arms and legs flailing slightly as the two wings pulled her forward.
As she passed, the underground water pipes within a hundred-meter radius began to suffer. Only a few specific areas were deliberately spared, leaving behind a single, navigable path.
The air pressure inside the pipes skyrocketed, violently rupturing their confines. The ground became pockmarked with massive geysers of steam erupting skyward.
Under this immense pressure, the tangled tentacles underground were all torn apart. Even the tentacles already on the surface were thrust high into the air by the powerful steam jets. Finally, a clear path for the vehicle to continue had been forced open.
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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.