Natsume Sonoko did know a bit more, though her mind was still foggy. It looked pretty similar to the AIM Burst from the original storyline, but what was with those mountains of tentacles everywhere?
Its division and regeneration abilities were just ridiculously over the top.
"What truth? What consequences! I'm only doing what I believe is right. I won't hesitate, even if it means making an enemy of this entire Academy City."
Kiyama-sensei suddenly let out a low, mocking chuckle, which quickly escalated into a bout of wild, unrestrained laughter.
The sound was loud. Natsume Sonoko dazedly turned her head to look at Kiyama-sensei, her muddled mind registering a strange, complex emotion.
"You're insane."
Yomikawa-sensei's face showed clear frustration. Watching the massive monster lumber further away sent a pang of anxiety through her, but she could only focus on securing the prisoner for now.
"Kiyama-sensei..." Natsume Sonoko murmured to herself. She tried to stand, but found her legs wouldn't cooperate properly.
"Ow, it really hurts. Feels like I banged my leg on something."
The numbness in her thigh was finally fading, only to be replaced by waves of sharp, piercing pain that made Natsume Sonoko suck in a sharp breath through her teeth. She wilted completely, collapsing back onto the ground.
"It's nothing serious. Just some bruising and swelling on your shin. Probably from broken blood vessels after a fall. We can do some minor first aid now. It should heal completely in about a week."
Yomikawa-sensei quickly examined Natsume Sonoko's injury, then hurried to the armored vehicle to retrieve the emergency medical kit. She sprayed on some antiseptic and wrapped a bandage around it.
"I've got a couple of splints here too!" Tsuzuri-sensei said, rushing over with them after hastily fetching them from the vehicle.
"You dummy, it's not a fracture," Yomikawa-sensei said, looking at Tsuzuri's innocent expression and sighing helplessly as she rubbed her forehead.
"Tsuzuri, you stay here. Look after this student and guard the prisoner. I need to go provide backup."
Without wasting another second, and before Tsuzuri-sensei could fully process the order, Yomikawa started up the armored vehicle.
With a roar of its engine, the armored vehicle sped off in pursuit of the monster.
Tsuzuri-sensei carried Natsume Sonoko to a relatively dry, shaded spot.
Having completely exhausted her computational power, Natsume Sonoko couldn't maintain her body's surface temperature regulation layer for the time being. Her face was already covered in a sheen of sweat and moisture.
Being baked by the scorching sun high overhead, combined with the heavy humidity she'd created in the area, meant she risked getting sick if she wasn't careful.
"Drink some hot water."
Tsuzuri-sensei, having procured some hot water from somewhere, carefully handed it to Natsume Sonoko in a repurposed artillery shell casing.
"Thank you, Teacher."
Natsume Sonoko looked up at Tsuzuri-sensei, curiously accepting the makeshift shell-cup.
"We don't have any proper cups in the vehicle, so you'll have to make do," Tsuzuri-sensei said, an embarrassed look on her face, her tone apologetic. Kiyama-sensei, nearby, received the same treatment—a shell-cup of water.
Looking at the hot water in her hands, which carried a faint hint of gunpowder, Natsume Sonoko took a few small sips. Suddenly, her phone rang.
"Natsume-san, just now, Heaven Canceller called. He said that after that audio was played city-wide, Saten-san and the others are already okay!"
As soon as the call connected, Misaka-senpai's delighted voice came through.
After Tsuzuri-sensei transmitted the audio to the Anti-Skill headquarters, it took only a few minutes to broadcast the treatment program throughout Academy City, completely destroying the Level Upper network.
With the network broken, Saten-san and others with milder symptoms immediately began showing signs of improvement.
"And we've already confirmed it. There's only one person whose brainwave pattern matches it perfectly: Kiyama Harumi."
Misaka-senpai's voice now held a clear thread of excitement. Without a doubt, she was feeling proud of her successful deduction.
"Although I'm very reluctant to admit it, the facts seem to be just that. Is everything alright on your end? Kiyama Harumi is a dangerous fugitive." The familiar voice of Shirai-san also came from the receiver, her tone still carrying that distinct touch of aristocratic elegance.
"Nothing major. But the situation's changed a bit now, too."
Natsume Sonoko glanced over at the handcuffed Kiyama Harumi and proceeded to explain everything that had just happened in detail to Misaka-senpai on the other end.
"You what?! Kiyama Harumi has been captured? And there's an eighty-meter monster heading towards the downtown district?!" Misaka-senpai exclaimed, shocked.
It seemed like a lot of time had passed, but it had only been an hour or two since they'd left the hospital.
"Onee-sama, I'm receiving an emergency evacuation notice here," Shirai-san chimed in.
"Understood. I'm hanging up now."
Misaka-senpai hurriedly ended the call and, under Uiharu-san's worried gaze, grabbed Shirai-san and dashed outside.
"Onee-sama, you didn't even ask where the monster is!" Shirai Kuroko said, a note of exasperation in her voice.
"Heading towards that AIM Research Institute is definitely the right direction."
--+--
After hanging up, Natsume Sonoko rubbed her sore shin, unable to suppress a grimace of pain. It wasn't very ladylike.
"Doing that will only increase the bleeding from the blood vessels. It would be more useful to apply a cold compress once you've recovered a little," Kiyama Harumi spoke up.
Her own condition was just as poor; hands cuffed, she was leaning slumped against a relatively intact section of wall.
"Eh, is that so?" Natsume Sonoko said, surprised, and hurriedly stopped massaging her leg.
"Kiyama-sensei, there's something I've been wondering. Why does that monster have a face that looks like you? And what was that about a 'computer' you mentioned earlier? I couldn't make any sense of it."
Natsume Sonoko asked the question. Honestly, she was still pretty confused. She could understand the concept of the AIM Burst, but that was about the limit of her comprehension.
Truth be told, aside from Kiyama Harumi herself, probably no one else really knew what was going on.
As for the two Kiyama Harumis that had appeared earlier, they were likely the result of using an ability to alter the monster's appearance once, using that as a diversion to draw away the pursuers.
"You're quite the curious one, aren't you? You can just consider it an unforeseen side effect of the Level Upper," Kiyama-sensei said, turning her head away.
She seemed unwilling to say more to Natsume Sonoko and simply closed her eyes, settling into rest.
Without the Level Upper network, the collective unconsciousness aggregate lost its endless supply of growth resources. Kiyama-sensei actually felt a bit more at ease.
Because the monster's own consciousness had been erased, Kiyama Harumi's brainwave frequency still existed within its brain.
Through the AIM Diffusion Field, Kiyama Harumi could still re-establish a small-scale Level Upper network and, to some extent, influence the monster's actions.
After resting on the ground for about ten minutes, Natsume Sonoko finally regained some strength.
She reconstructed the temperature regulation layer over her skin and then carefully performed minute manipulations to lower the temperature around her shin, achieving the effect of a cold compress.
After the cold compress, the swelling beneath her skin seemed to lessen just a little.
A brilliant, orange-yellow light flickered in the distance, forcing Natsume Sonoko, whose eyes were already somewhat red, to squint.
"Such a familiar light. Judging by the range and color, that's definitely the Railgun."
Natsume Sonoko squinted, watching the distant light with amazement.
The only drawback was that the ammunition for the Railgun was limited by material; a coin would wear out completely after fifty meters. But aside from the limited-range coins, Misaka-senpai could use other objects as ammunition—they were just less convenient to carry.
"Frenda, you carry Takitsubo and get going first. Damn it, another annoying person's shown up. That hothouse flower of a rich young lady would probably burst into tears at the sight of a big monster like this."
An irritated, frantic voice carried from a distance, so clear that even Natsume Sonoko, whose hearing wasn't always great, could make it out.
Annoying hothouse rich young lady… could that be Misaka-senpai?
"Mugino, can your body hold up?" Frenda glanced at Takitsubo Rikou, who she was holding—the bleeding had just been stopped, but she had fallen into brief unconsciousness again.
"Man, that was seriously over-the-top earlier. Some esper apparently smashed all the underground water pipes around this area," Kinuhata Saiai remarked, looking around with interest at the potholes littering the ground, still visible traces of water flow evident.
"You shouldn't stay here. It's very dangerous. Please evacuate immediately."
Just then, the voice of Anti-Skill Tsuzuri-sensei rang near Natsume Sonoko, kindly urging these students, or people who looked like students, to leave the area.
"Tch, don't bother with this troublesome Anti-Skill teacher. Let's get out of here, fast."
--+--
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.