AIM Beast

"I never imagined a monster like this would be created…" Kiyama Harumi pushed herself up against the wall, her voice filled with regret and self-reproach.

"Ms. Kiyama, are you okay?!" Misaka Mikoto hurriedly helped the young woman up. Her tragic circumstances had struck a chord with Mikoto.

"I’m fine. It’s this monster… I never thought things would turn out like this."

"Regretting it now won’t help. We need to find a way to fix this. Ms. Kiyama, do you have any ideas? Or do we just need to defeat it?" With ten thousand innocent people involved, Misaka Mikoto did not dare act recklessly.

"The network has already slipped beyond my control. It looks like the plan to save the children has failed completely!" Kiyama Harumi gave a bitter smile, shook her head, took a chip from her pocket, and placed it in Misaka Mikoto’s hand.

"What’s this?" Misaka Mikoto was baffled. Was she supposed to fire this chip with her Railgun?

Kiyama Harumi explained, "That monster was born from the AIM Burst network. If we destroy the network, perhaps we can stop it."

"Could this chip be…"

"The AIM Burst treatment program! If we wake the comatose people and sever their connection to the Thought Aggregate, that monster might disappear on its own."

"That’s great! Uiharu, I’ll have to leave the security office to you… Huh? Uiharu?" Misaka Mikoto turned around and discovered that the chief hacker was not behind her.

"If you mean the little girl with grass growing out of her head, she’s still in my car," the young woman kindly reminded her.

"Oh no, I forgot!" Misaka Mikoto clutched her head.

The two exchanged a glance and ran up the stairs toward the overpass.

On the overpass, the security officers who had been surrounding Duke all turned their guns around the instant the AIM Beast appeared.

"What is that? A biological weapon?" A flicker of panic spread through the security force. Human instinct made them fear unknown creatures, especially a massive AIM Beast that violated normal aesthetic standards.

"An Angel…" Duke muttered, then quickly shook his head. In his perception, the monster before him was merely an amalgamation of countless grudges and hatred, the complete opposite of a holy Angel. Its actions had no purpose at all, but if left alone, it would soon develop an independent will. Given enough time, it might even become an entirely new fallen Angel.

"How disgusting! Misaka says she doesn’t like such an ugly creature."

"Onee-sama, your skin is so tender today too!"

Kuroko wriggled closer like a maggot, hugged Misaka 9800’s calf, and rubbed her face against the other girl’s smooth leg. As for the AIM Beast… Kuroko said her world was neither too big nor too small, just large enough to hold Onee-sama. She could not see anything else.

Crackle—

"Waaah—waaaah—"

A charred black mosaic twitched soundlessly. The world was peaceful again without a pervert in it.

"Hiss—roooar—"

The AIM Beast let out a piercing roar, deeply agitating the already frazzled security officers. At Yomikawa Aiho’s command, countless bullets merged into a torrent of metal and poured down upon the enormous monster.

"Rat-tat-tat-tat—"

The AIM Beast’s massive body was an ideal target. Even a handgun with a range of only fifty meters could not possibly miss it. Although most of the security officers came from Academy City’s teaching staff rather than professional combat units, the AIM Beast was simply too huge. Even firing with their eyes closed, they could blanket it with fire.

The overpass became a battlefield in the blink of an eye. Using patrol cars as cover, the security officers split into squads of three to five and formed overlapping fields of fire. Fortunately, when they had come to arrest Kiyama Harumi, they had locked down the area and imposed traffic control. Otherwise, they would have had to spare manpower to evacuate civilians, and the consequences would have been unimaginable.

Of course, the situation was not much better now!

Under the concentrated barrage, flesh and blood burst from the AIM Beast’s body as dense sparks flew. Before the security officers could celebrate, a despairing sight greeted them. Every part of the AIM Beast that had been pierced, no matter how severely, rapidly healed in the blink of an eye. Moreover, its body continued growing at a visibly alarming rate.

"Monster…" Yomikawa Aiho kept pulling the trigger. She knew blindly wasting ammunition was not rational, but she could not think of any other solution. The AIM Beast seemed extremely interested in the nearby Atomic Test Reactor. If they did not draw its aggro, then, judging by a brat’s usual behavior, its next move would be to lift it high into the air and smash it down.

To prevent that smash, Yomikawa Aiho could only order increased firepower while sending another request for reinforcements.

"This kind of monster is practically cheating…" Misaka Mikoto and Kiyama Harumi ran onto the overpass. Staring blankly at the ever-growing AIM Beast, they were stunned. But soon, Misaka Mikoto saw something even more unfair.

Wearing the same Tokiwadai Middle School uniform, with the same hair color and face—even her proportions looked like they had been cast from the same mold—Misaka 9800 stood half a step behind Duke with goggles on her head.

"You… you are…" Misaka Mikoto shakily raised a hand, her words tumbling out incoherently as her mind went blank.

"Nice to meet you, Onee-sama. Misaka never expected to meet you here! Misaka says in surprise."

"You… you…" Misaka Mikoto stumbled back, nearly falling. She seized Misaka 9800 by the shoulders and shook her as she demanded, "Why are you here? Are you one of my sisters? Is the Absolute Ability User Project real? Where are the other sisters?"

"Onee-sama asked so many questions at once that Misaka doesn’t know where to begin. However, according to protocol, related information cannot be disclosed to non-test personnel, so please confirm the password first. Please answer ZXC741AS…"

Nearly seven-tenths cooked, Kuroko dazedly lifted her head and saw blue-and-white stripes in the upper left and safety shorts in the upper right. Her blood immediately surged with excitement. The power of love erupted again as she sprang up like a carp and pounced through the air at the two Onee-samas.

"There really are two of them! Why is Heaven so kind to Kuroko? Why?"

Crackle—

Crackle—

"Waaah—"

Two flashes lit up almost simultaneously, and a black lump of charcoal fell from the air.

"Double Onee-sama love… Kuroko is all filled up…"

The Kuroko had been destroyed and could no longer sail.

"Tell me quickly, what happened?" Misaka Mikoto had no idea what password she was supposed to know. Her mind was a complete mess, and she only wanted to know what her sisters had gone through.

"Parsing error. Misaka cannot tell Onee-sama. Misaka adds."

"You little brat, do you really think I wouldn’t use force?" Misaka Mikoto snapped.

While the two sisters were busy being affectionate off to the side, Kiyama Harumi was stunned when she saw Duke. She had never expected him to appear here.

"Why did you come back here? That was too impulsive. Being associated with me right now is no good thing!" Kiyama Harumi smiled bitterly. Beneath the guilt and worry in her voice was a trace of joy that even she had not noticed. Women were emotional creatures. Compared to money and sweet talk, sincerity in the face of hardship could tear down the walls they had built around their hearts much faster.

"Because you were here, so I came!" Duke delivered words easily misunderstood—a critical hit with outstanding results! The young woman’s HP was depleted, and she was instantly defeated.

"For a sinner like me, is it really worth it?" The young woman hugged her shoulders, lowered her head, and said in a trembling voice, "Besides, it’s too late. There’s no time left."

The AIM Burst had implicated over ten thousand people, covering too wide an area and causing too much harm. It was enough to make the public demand her death. On top of that, she had indirectly created an evil thing like the AIM Beast. With crimes this grave, even if she somehow escaped death, she would likely spend the rest of her life behind bars.

Duke took off his lab coat and draped it over the young woman’s shoulders. "Don’t worry. I’m here!"

"Roar—"

Perhaps the AIM Beast shared the Hulk’s trait: the fiercer the security officers’ firepower became, the larger and tougher it grew. Its bloated body, like a mountain of flesh, blocked out the blazing sun and cast a terrifying shadow across the bridge.

The storm of bullets could no longer effectively hold it back, and its counterattack followed. A massive ball of light suddenly appeared above its head. Then the light split into countless particles that shot down toward the bridge like rain.

"Move!" The security officers were horrified.

"Damn it… I can’t get away!" Yomikawa Aiho shut her eyes tight and waited for death to come. Yet the anticipated attack never arrived. Instead, a bone-piercing chill spread through the air.

Yomikawa Aiho opened her eyes and stared in shock at the Ice Wall above her. No, it was not an Ice Wall. A massive fan-shaped chunk of ice covered in thorn-like spikes looked more like a gigantic ice wing.

Following it back to its source, she saw a dragon head slowly rise behind Duke. Ice-blue dragon eyes lit up atop the ferocious head, and an invisible pressure swept across the area alongside a deep dragon’s roar…

Thanks to readers ‘Gathic,’ ‘Collecting 16 to 25 Year Old Beautiful Girls,’ and ‘Ice’s Dark Mystery’ for the donations!