I apologize for the long wait. The bloody bank customer service is taking so long. It feels as though 1 minute is, like, 10 fucking minutes. Especially when I have no mobile data...
I'm too shy to ask for the wifi password. Don't blame me.
"Are you sure, leader? Can he even fight? All he did was throw Naruha to the side, that's all."
One of the three others on her back asked. The one with the sailor uniform, a black haired girl. She looked like the most stoic of everyone here, and as it seems, is the most pragmatic one. The leader scoffed at her. "Then how about you fight him then?"
The red-haired leader challenged, turning to face the black-haired girl. The latter's face twisted into a scowl, but she didn't back down. "I'm not afraid to fight him. But I'm not sure if he's even worth the trouble. We should just leave him here and go after the DA ourselves."
The leader's face darkened, her smile vanishing as she glared at the black-haired girl. "Shut up. I'm the one who makes the decisions here." She growled, spinning back around to face the newcomer. "You want to find your girl, huh?" She asked mockingly, poking him in the chest with a saunter. "Well, the offer stands. Join us, and we'll get her back. Simple as that."
Hirano remained silent for a moment, his eyes locked on the ground. He was weighing his options. He's better off going along with them. If what that bastard from last night said was true, then he's gonna need all the help he could get. Multiple machines, especially classified as Level 5s, are gonna be challenges even for someone like him.
He hesitated for a long moment, considering his options carefully. The pain in his side flared up again as he shifted, a grim reminder of the mess he was in. Esther and Tsuzuri were in no condition to fight, and as much as it pained him to admit, he needed help. These girls, for all their bravado and reckless behavior, having the capabilities of taking this many DAs along with some of their best weapons at hand, might just be what he needed to get Last Order back. With a heavy sigh, he finally spoke.
"I'm in."
The red-haired leader's face split into a grin, her mask shifting as she bared her teeth. "Perfect! We've got ourselves a new member!" She clapped her hands together, her enthusiasm infectious. "Now, let's get moving. We've got a city to tear apart, and a little girl to find!"
"Hirano-san! Think about this for a second!" Esther pulled at the hem of his hospital gown, her face etched with concern. "These girls are dangerous! They're not to be trusted!" She wasn't even trying to hide her voice, in front of them at a distance where even a slight shout could reach the group of girls.
"Oh yeah," The leader looked at the blond kneeling on the floor. Their eyes met and Esther visibly flinched, a chill running down her back as the girl's piercing gaze bored into her. "I forgot about you and all that crying of yours, missy. She gestured lazily at the unconscious Tsuzuri. "What do you girls reckon we should do with them?"
"Kill them, of course!" Was the instantaneous and enthusiastic response from the three other girls. They were clearly ready to kill the two, without hesitation. The masked leader's smile got even wider beneath her mask. "They've seen too much, and we can't leave any loose ends." The low murmur from the girl sent even more chills down the blond's spine.
Esther felt like her bones were freezing, and she couldn't move. Her mouth opened, but no words came out as she stared at the leader's face, her mind racing to find a way out of this situation. The leader's hand gestured for something as out of thin air, Naruha's paper formed into a glinting knife.
"So what's it gonna be? Should I cut your throat? Maybe I'll just leave you here to bleed out slowly. Or, you know, I could just carve you up like a pig. Your choice, really." The leader's words were laced with malice, her smile never wavering as she twirled the paper knife in her hand.
"You brats are just batshit crazy, aren't you?" Hirano finally spoke, his words dripping with disdain as he glared at the leader. He stepped forward, positioning himself between the leader and Esther, shielding her with his body. "You don't get to make that decision. They're with me."
"I don't remember putting you in charge, bastard," the leader snarled, her hand tightening around the paper knife as she took a menacing step closer. "You just became one of us not 1 minute ago and already you think you can tell me what to do?" Her words dripped with venom, and the air crackled with tension as she glared at Hirano, her grip on the paper knife never wavering. Around them, the other girls tensed, ready to spring into action at their leader's command. The factory floor was eerily silent, save for the distant hum of machinery and the soft whirring of the paper fan behind the leader's mask.
Hirano's face hardened, his eyes narrowing as he stared down the leader. "This girl knows them better than any of you do." He gestured at Esther. "You want to exterminate those DA bastards. And frankly, I agree with you. I've got a score to settle with them as well. So let's put aside this pointless squabble and focus on what really matters - getting to the DA base and taking back Last Order. If you still want to do something about her later, fine, but for now, she's my responsibility."
The leader stared at Hirano, her face impassive as she weighed his words. After what felt like an eternity, she finally spoke, her words coming out in a low, dangerous growl. "Fine. For now." She lowered the paper knife, but her body remained tense. "But make no mistake - if you double-cross us or get in our way, you're dead." She turned away, addressing her followers. "We move out. Now. And you-" She pointed at Hirano over her shoulder. "You keep your word or I'll cut you down myself. Understood?"
The red haired kid went back to her group of 3. They appear to be discussing something. Hirano looked down onto Esther, who stared back at him with a complex expression. She was clearly shaken by the encounter, but also grateful for his intervention. "Are you alright?" He asked, his words laced with concern.
"I... I think so," she managed to say, her voice quivering slightly. She breathed in sharply, letting it all out in a single, long exhale. "So we're really going to cooperate with those... people, I suppose?" She asked, speaking in a subdued manner, as if afraid of being overheard.
Hirano grimaced, wincing as he shifted his weight. The pain in his side was intensifying, but he pushed it aside. "It seems so. We don't have many options left." He glanced at the group of girls, now engaged in an animated discussion, their voices echoing slightly in the vast factory space. "I don't even know if they're really trustworthy, or what they're capable of. But that Qiong Qing; I'm gonna want some support against it."
She nodded, solemnly. "You're right about that. Qiong Qing..." Her words were laced with a mix of dread and determination. Her deep sense of responsibility was probably one of the few things that Hirano finds very much respectable about this girl that is worth saving; aside from the knowledge of what they're really trying to face, that is. "I... should probably have my Houtou bring them two to the hospital. They're not exactly in a good state..."
"Just leave Tsuzuri outside. The other Anti-Skills should be there, gathering their wounded."
Tsuzuri, the person Esther was talking about, was still unconscious on the floor, her breathing shallow and uneven. Her body was battered and bruised, the aftermath of her battle with the DA clearly visible. Hirano looked at her for a moment, then back to Esther.
"Have her do that," He gestured towards her Houtou. "If what you did back in the morgue were the same as to what they're trying to do. I'm gonna need you to guide me into it." He could see flashes in his mind. Just several hours back, he'd witnessed magic. For real. None of that fantasy nonsense. It was the real deal, and it was something he'd never seen before in his life. The very concept of it was still mind-boggling, and he couldn't help but wonder if what he'd seen was just the tip of the iceberg.
As you both stood there, the red-haired leader's group finished their discussion and began moving towards the exit. The leader turned back to face you, her masked face still unreadable. "Well? You coming or what?" Her tone was sharp and impatient, brooking no argument. "The teachers are already where they need to be. All this talk and stuff is wasting time. So if you really want to join, come on now."
He hummed at the red head, then glanced back down to Esther. "Can you walk?" She nodded as she stood up, her legs wobbling slightly.
"I... I think so. Just give me a moment." She steadied herself against him, then turned towards her Houtou. "Could you please take her back to the hospital? Leave Tsuzuri outside with the others, that'll lessen your burden. Then try to find me right after, okay?" The necromancer talked to the reanimated corpse as if it was a person, which in a way, it was. The Houtou nodded, its hollow eyes somehow conveying understanding, and carefully lifted Tsuzuri's limp form.
"And bring me a painkiller. My side is burning." The white haired boy added, shifting uncomfortably as Esther began walking with his assistance.
Esther nodded, smiling weakly. "And get him some painkillers too." Esther instructed the Houtou. As the undead creature complied, leaving with Tsuzuri's body in tow and Misaka on her shoulder, wearing Esther's cloak to conceal her pretty much naked state, the group was just about to leave the factory.
Esther's legs were quite wobbly from the adrenaline rush that had just enveloped her, so she leaned against Hirano a bit more for support. She voiced her concern when he kept grunting, flinching away from her whenever she touched him. "You're hurt worse than you're letting on," she said accusingly. "You shouldn't even be moving."
The white haired boy merely grunted in response, shrugging his shoulders as he did so. "'tis but a scratch." Esther couldn't help but roll her eyes at his attempt at bravado, but still managed to smile weakly.
"Yeah, sure. It's just a scratch." She paused, looking at him. "A scratch that nearly cut you in half, made your insides fall out, and that you can't seem to stop clenching." She made a face at the memory, half of her wanting to throw up just from seeing the blood. "Really, I don't think you should downplay your own injuries."
The guy looked away, wincing as he shifted his weight. "I've had worse." His attempt at trying to lighten the mood clearly wasn't working; the girl huffed in exasperation, clearly not buying it.
"You liar," Her blunt response came with a soft but firm tone, with the two of them pausing for a bit to collect themselves. He felt something tugging at the side of his lips. A bubbling of amusement welled up inside him as he turned to face her. Their eyes met, seeing that they were both smiling was what broke the ice and brought some normalcy back to their world.
While she giggled freely, covering her own lips in her fingers, he was letting his own teeth show, both of them giving in to a momentary reprieve from the world around them, though he had to restrain from fully letting his smile break into a laugh due to the sharp pain shooting through his body when he chuckled.
"You've seen that movie, I assume?" Esther inquired, referring to the line he had just quoted. Her eyes twinkled with amusement as she continued supporting his weight, which was more noticeable now that they were both at ease.
Hirano's face relaxed for a moment, but then hardened again as he spotted the red-haired leader waiting impatiently by the exit. "Yeah, I have." He grunted softly, straightening up slightly despite the pain. "My... mother likes it a lot."
He shifted his weight again, grimacing slightly as he moved forward. The red-haired leader cleared her throat impatiently, gesturing for them to hurry up. "Are you two done flirting over there? We don't have all day." The little girl barked like a sergeant barking orders.
Esther wasn't entirely comfortable around the girl just yet, which wasn't exactly a surprise because the girl had nearly turned her and the others into a mushy pulp, so she felt quite nervous. Hirano didn't seem to be any more at ease, his hand tightening slightly on her shoulder as they approached the exit.
As the two closed in around the group, feeling all nice from the earlier banter they'd shared, Hirano's attention was drawn to a distant sound. He tilted his head, focusing on the subtle but distinct clanking of heavy machinery. The rest of the group also seemed to have noticed it, her posture stiffening as she scanned the surroundings with sharp intensity.
"Sounds like someone is here," Hirano murmured under his breath, his words carrying an unmistakable note of unease. "Hishigata." He added, confirmed both by Esther's nod and several seconds later, the wall crumbling down.
Qiong Qi, the marvel of mechanical perfection, revealed through the debris and dust, its massive frame and intimidating appearance casting an immediate chill over everyone present. Its armor shimmers faintly under the dim factory lights, creating an almost eerie ambiance that only amplifies the fear etched on all their faces.
Hirano stiffens instinctively as his fingers clutches his side. "What the fuck is that?!" One of the four groups of children, a girl with short brown hair and a beret, fell onto her backside as the sheer bulk of the metallic giant dominated their gaze. She hyperventilated uncontrollably, while others gasped and tried to comprehend what it was that loomed before them, ready to launch into battle, even with death hovering close at every step.
Time feels frozen; silence prevails. Every word remains unspoken for an overwhelming amount of tense seconds until the winds begin to pick up, surrounding the large machinery. It was an unnatural gust, going merry around Qiong Qi and not once getting out of loop. Hishigata, the person remotely spectating them, wasn't talking through it like last night.
And just like last night, he won't let it get away. Hirano pulled away from Esther, walking a small distance forward before suddenly zooming in towards it. He was gonna twist the entire thing like a rope, turning the colossal metal contraption into a tight knot. But for once, the very thing that he'd thought would happen...
Didn't happen.
Instead of Qiong Qi being ripped apart, twisting and contorting in a comical fashion, Hirano was violently thrown backward. The whirling air he'd made to prevent it from escaping dispersed in an orderly manner, like how science was supposed to work instead of the supernatural physics.
His landing was rough, his mind completely distracted from the unexpected turn of events to fully calculate his own vectors. The immediate collision caused the air in his lungs to be forced out, and his body slammed hard against the cold concrete floor. Pain shot through his already wounded side, intensifying tenfold as he lay there gasping for breath.
Through blurry vision, Hirano saw Qiong Qi's massive form already missing from where it had been earlier. The second that registers, another thing happened. He screamed on top of his lungs. His hospital gown is bleeding red. The threads keeping his cut from falling apart, are starting to unravel. The wound has reopened and is bleeding profusely now.
"Hirano!" Esther shouts in panic as she rushes over to him, kneeling beside his prone form. Her hands hover uncertainly above the spreading crimson stain on his side, unsure if touching it will make things worse.
"Bastard!" Leader's voice boomed as she sprung into action, giving commands after commands to the rest of her group.
There were sounds of battle that very quickly went one-sided. Esther's Houtou hadn't made it far, as he could hear the blond screaming for the undead.
As if to make things worse, there were 2 more additional whirrings.
"No way..." Esther's voice became muffled in his ears, laden with fear.
Through his now rapidly clouded vision, Hirano managed to tilt his head a slight upwards to see what was going on.
The group of children were already defeated.
They didn't last 10 seconds.
And he didn't last even a second more than they did.
Even worse, there's now 3 of the robots.
Hirano's vision was rapidly clouding over as he lay on the cold concrete floor, his body wracked with pain from the reopened wound in his side. Blood seeped steadily from the gash, staining his hospital gown and pooling beneath him.
This is impossible; the mechanical beasts shouldn't have this much strength. But reality didn't care about Hirano's disbelief. Around him, chaos reigned as Qiong Qi and its two companions methodically eliminated any resistance. The children screamed in terror and pain, their Houtou brushed aside like an ant as they took the unconscious clone.
It's impossible, the situation isn't just one-sided; It is far more of a complete decimation than one would think.
It was inevitable.
...
A static sense, feeling like a mental sensation rather than a physical one. He felt it grazing the side of his head, like an electrical signal trying to connect with something. It was faint, almost imperceptible, but it was there - a presence. The thing on the side of his head is acting like a finger of some sort, probing, searching for something. It's not painful, but it feels... invasive. Unnatural.
Hirano's consciousness flickers in and out as he struggles to maintain awareness. The blood loss is taking its toll, his vision growing dimmer by the second. Through the haze of pain and fading sight, he sees Qiong Qi looming above him, its massive form blocking out what little light remains in the factory. He felt himself being dragged away from the large thing before feeling something wrapped around him.
He felt himself being lifted like a ragdoll that had no control over his own body. The world around him spun and blurred.
His barrier is already off, he couldn't even feel his body anymore, as if it didn't exist anymore. The feeling of that static presence in his head grew stronger, more insistent. It was as if something - or someone - was trying to communicate with him on a level far beyond human understanding.
The last thing Hirano felt before the world went dark was a sudden, searing pain in his head, followed by an overwhelming feeling of being pulled into a vast, featureless void. His consciousness faded completely as he lost control over his own body and mind.
Along with the searing pain across his head, there was a stabbing pain on his back, like something massive was protruding out of it. It wiggled and squirmed, as if trying to find a way out. The static presence in his head intensified, becoming almost unbearable before finally subsiding.
His eyes snapped open as he felt himself being dropped. He caught a glimpse, Qiong Qi was pushed back by something. There was a tentacle-like tube being ripped apart seemingly out of nowhere. They were coming from him, and they seemed to be trying to break free.
Hirano's vision cleared slightly as he lay on the cold concrete floor, his body still wracked with pain from the reopened wound in his side. Blood continued to seep steadily from the gash on his side, but they weren't as painful or noticeable as the searing pain in his head and the stabbing agony on his back that now suddenly disappeared. His breathing was ragged from shock.
In those 3 seconds, that intense feeling of pain, he felt power surging like he's never felt before, like a massive dam had broken open and flooded his entire body with raw, unbridled strength. The tubes connecting him to the machines were ripped apart in a burst of energy that sent sparks flying across the factory floor.
His consciousness was rapidly clearing as he sat up, staring at the now destroyed things around him in disbelief. 'What the fuck was that?' The massive mechanical beast that had once seemed unstoppable were for once pushed back. The screeching of metal on metal filled the air as one of the mechas destroyed the ceiling as it left as quickly as it could. The clone was still there with it. The remaining two were ready to attack him.
He couldn't process exactly what just happened, not when two more of the mechanical beasts were to attack him; the other was a purple, blocky mess. The other was Qiong Qi, the very Coffin that had just beat him in his own game. And those two are moving towards him.
He was supposed to be feeling sluggish. Which, he is at the moment. His limbs are sluggish, and his vision is still blurry from the blood loss. But despite that, he felt a newfound concentration. Like he was processing things faster than he's ever processed before. His mind was a whirlwind of thoughts, trying to make sense of what just happened and what he should do next.
When the ceiling fell as one of the mechas blasted off out of it, he was already on the move for the thing. The other two Coffins, although showcasing zero emotions whatsoever, not to mention the lack of facial expressions, seem to be surprised at his action. He zoomed yet again at Qiong Qi. He was sure the exact same thing was gonna happen again; him being thrown back and everything being over.
Instead, he used the face of the Qiong Qi to launch himself into the air, his feet making contact with its massive frame. With a burst of speed that shouldn't be possible given his weakened state, he propelled himself off it, using its bulk as a springboard, launching him over the destroyed ceiling.
He'd gone over the edge of the building, with a single jump. His heart was racing, his blood pumping through his veins as adrenaline coursed through him. He looked down at the city lights below, dizzying in their brightness as he glared at the Coffin.
He would've liked to go after it first, but an ensuing explosion from his back indicates that those two other Coffins were still in pursuit. The purple one, which had been destroyed earlier, was now back up and running, its damaged parts somehow repaired mid-flight. It's as if it never stopped moving. Even then, he was glad. They aren't after Esther now.
All he needs to do now is lead it further away from the others. He had his eyes on the Coffin that has the Clone. He'll catch up to it in no time, maybe take care of it early. He'll see if these two could keep up, for something of their size and apparent power, they seemed to be moving rather slow. He wasn't sure if it was just him or them, but he could feel the ground shaking beneath his feet as the massive machines lumbered after him.
The wind whistled past his ears as he ran at a speed that should have been impossible for someone in his condition. The adrenaline rush was keeping him going, his mind racing even faster than his body. Much to his chagrin, he heard something entirely right behind him. He turned to find a missile launching on his tail.
He dodged to the side just in time, brushing on it just enough for his ability to affect it as it lost its trajectory, still moving off far ahead, missing the intended target completely. He didn't think these Coffins, made to imitate Esper abilities and behavior would be equipped with missiles, but he supposed they were programmed to use whatever means necessary to eliminate their targets. And as it had appeared, they were equipped with more than just 1.
But why does he care? He's already on the Coffin. He reached out, intending to press his palm on the brown plating of the Coffin. A mere brush on his fingers and the thing was already his to manipulate its Vectors the way he wanted. He could feel the mechanical beast's programming, its complex systems laid bare to his mind's eye. The Vectors swirled and danced, ready for him to reshape them.
But mere centimetres away from even having the tips of his fingers touch it, the Coffin turned into the very same missile that he'd dodged earlier, launching itself straight at him. The sudden change in direction and the speed of its movement caught Hirano off guard. Just before the explosion went off right before his face, he could see the same coffin with the brown plating right off ahead. The very same place where the missile was supposed to be.
'Teleportation.' It had to be, and he cursed his own mistake. He could've done more with the thing if he wasn't so caught off-guard by it.
He landed safely on top of a guard tower. The entire compound was surprisingly large, that even moving at the speed they were going, they were barely outside of the complex.
Hirano grumbled when even more of the missiles were launched from the purple Coffin. It numbered up to a dozen. From the earlier blast, just 1 was enough to wreak havoc on the surrounding area, and now it is launching this many at once. He could feel the ground shaking as the missiles zoomed past him.
It was weird. The Coffin wasn't aiming at him. Or at least, at that moment, it wasn't.
Yet again, that same phenomenon happened once more. He watched as the purple Coffin, originally placed at the ground far away from him, switched places with one of its own missiles. He's seen only a handful of teleporters in his lifetime. None of them were this adept at manipulating their ability like this. This Coffin, or whatever it was, had mastered the art of teleportation to a level that bordered on perfection.
He turned around just in time to find it in the air, slowly descending with its entire arsenal aimed at him. Multiple gatling guns shooting a barrage of bullets specifically made to pierce through metal and concrete, while the missiles fired from before finally redirects itself and locks onto him. The sheer number of projectiles flying towards him was staggering, and he had no idea how to dodge them all at once.
The very tower he stood on was shaking from the sheer force of the onslaught. The metal frame groaned under the strain, and chunks of concrete were being blasted away by the relentless barrage. The skeletal framework was beginning to crumble, any more of this and it would completely give way.
But then again, something like this, no matter how many you send at him; millions, maybe billions, wouldn't even scratch him. It was like a ball to a rubber wall, and he could feel it bend to his will as if it were an extension of his own body. The bullets that struck him ricocheted off harmlessly without losing even a single bit of its momentum. While the shockwaves and shrapnels from the missiles simply bounced off of him, similar to the things that are happening to the bullets.
Not minding that the group he stood upon is beginning to tilt forward as its own weight and the force of the onslaught are causing it to buckle. It was time for Hirano to attack.
The same bullets the Coffin had fired to destroy him now pelt the mecha mercilessly. The sheer volume and speed of projectiles, turning what should've been a fatal assault against himself into an all-out barrage aimed squarely at the Coffin. Sparks fly as hundreds of bullets hit metal plating with relentless precision, better than any human sharpshooter could ever achieve. The mecha staggers, its systems beginning to overload under the sustained onslaught.
Eventually, it stopped firing mid air. The entire thing takes less than 3 seconds. It took another second before it hit the ground, its massive frame impacting the earth with a thunderous crash. Dirt and dust explode outward in a massive plume, obscuring it from view for an instant.
Hirano doesn't dare to look down, not even to check whether or not it's still moving. He had his eyes on the Coffin flying off in the distance, locked onto its continuously shrinking form. It still had the Clone with it. He can't let it get away. Not this time again.
He launches himself off the crumbling tower, the sheer force required for him to catch up to it on his takeoff caused even more structural damage to the already unstable frame. The crumbling structure behind him collapses, the metal and concrete groaning as it falls onto the destroyed Coffin beneath it.
With the teleporter taken care of, he now had a clear path to the Coffin with the Clone. The distance between them was quickly closing, and in mere seconds, he would reach it.
But even as he closes in, he couldn't help but have this itch in the back of his mind. Something wasn't right. Qiong Qi isn't supposed to just let him go after this Coffin this easily. It should've helped that purple Coffin. It would definitely try to stop him. But where was it? Hirano glanced behind him, looking for any sign of its approach.
The distance between him and the Coffin was still shrinking. And his unease was very quickly turning into dread. The purple Coffin was nowhere to be seen, and he couldn't shake the feeling that it was up to something.
He could see people below. They've gone past the school ground where the warehouse was located nearby. They're entering the urban zone. This is bad. Now people are in danger. He had no idea what kind of weaponry the Coffin ahead of him might have, but if they're anything similar to that of the purple Coffin, then collateral damage was a very real possibility.
When they reached the inner part of the city, the assumption of another weapon was affirmed as the thing stopped moving, turning its head towards him. On its head was a narrow barrel that was longer and thinner than a normal gun barrel. It swiveled towards him, not quite aiming at him as can be seen from its trajectory.
It's starting to fire a strange beam of light. The light is so bright it's difficult to look at directly, but he can still make out the distinct pattern of the beam. It's a high-powered, energy weapon capable of obliterating nearly anything in its path. The beam moves fast, with pinpoint accuracy, cutting through the air as it closes in on Hirano. The beam's intensity is so great that even the very molecules of the atmosphere around it seem to be ionized, creating a faintly visible trail of plasma.
Such a large chunk of a building being erased in an instant, from a building maybe 20 to 30 stories tall, creates a shockwave that shakes the entire block. The sound of the beam hitting its target is deafening, like an air raid siren and thunder combined into one continuous howl. This weapon is not something you would want to be in front of, or even nearby.
It evaporates everything in its path. An entire portion of a building was completely vaporized in an instant, leaving behind a perfectly smooth surface where the beam had passed. The destruction was so complete that even the dust and debris from the impact were incinerated before they could scatter.
Hirano stopped moving and watched as the entire section of that building started leaning forward, the structural integrity of its foundation compromised by that single beam strike. It's toppling down. And it's going to fall onto people below. They won't make it out. They're gonna die.
"God damn it," He rushed towards the falling section of the building, his face grim. He can feel the sheer mass and weight of it bearing down on him as he gets closer, its size becoming apparent just how big it truly is. The dust from its collapse rises into the air like a grey fog, partially obscuring the massive slab that threatens to crush anyone unlucky enough to be beneath it.
Qiong Qi was there. It was slowly encroaching as the slowly crumbling building revealed more and more of the massive thing's silhouette. Its presence was unmistakable, its aura of power and malice filling the air around it. Even in the air, he could feel the sheer mass of the thing, its presence oppressive and unyielding. That thing, the only thing to have ever bypassed his Barrier, isn't even 100 metres away from him anymore.
The falling building continued to collapse, its mass increasing as more and more of it broke free from its foundation. The sound of concrete cracking and steel groaning filled the air, a cacophonous symphony of destruction that seemed to drown out everything else. Hirano would like nothing else but crush that fucking insect, but he couldn't let it distract him from the more pressing issue at hand.
So instead, he made it Qiong Qi's problem to handle. By using that very same crumbling building against it, Hirano could at least slow it down. He rushed forward, his body moving with inhuman speed as he reached the base of the collapsing structure. With a single tap, he struck the massive falling chunk of the building, sending shockwaves through it.
The falling building's momentum was redirected sideways onto the Coffin, multiplied even more by the sheer force of Hirano's attack. The impact was catastrophic, the massive section of building crushing into the Coffin with enough force to send tremors through the entire city block. Dust and debris exploded outward in a giant cloud as concrete and steel slammed into the metal frame of the mecha.
The sound of crunching metal and shattering glass filled the air, accompanied by a deafening boom that echoed for miles. The damage done to the city is genuinely catastrophic, with buildings nearby suffering collateral damage from the impact. Emergency sirens that had been wailing in the distance for some time now were drowned out due to the immense scale of destruction happening before their very eyes.
Hirano landed on the ground. The debris below were quite a handful, but nothing too extreme; all the large chunks were evaporated from the cannon from earlier. The falling building had successfully buried the purple Coffin, and its massive weight should keep it trapped for some time. However, as he looked at the destruction around him, Hirano could see that people were still in danger.
He heard a whimper and murmurs behind him. He turned to find an Anti-Skill, clad in his armour, shielding two people. School girls. Not surprising. The warehouse was located near a school, maybe even a part of said school. Nevertheless, they all shouldn't even be here in the first place, but they are. And Hirano would rather not have them die. At least, if he could prevent it.
"Do your job and get them out of here." He told the Anti-Skill in a curt manner. The Anti-Skill, looking thoroughly spooked but professional despite his obvious terror, nodded and helped the girls up from their crouching position.
The white haired boy looked over to the side, the direction where the brown Coffin had taken the clone. He clicked his tongue; that Hishigata bastard got away again. However...
"That thing's too massive to be inconspicuous. Even in its cloaked state, it really shouldn't be too much of a problem finding it." He murmured whilst scratching the back of his ear, his mind already formulating a plan.
And then there was another explosion ringing out not too far. Shadow loomed over him as the debris that had buried the Qiong Qi burst outward as the mecha emerged from the rubble with a series of mechanical grinding and servos whining, landing just several metres away from him.
The massive metal creature, now exposed to view after having been partially crushed by the collapsing building, revealed its true nature. It towered at nearly 10, maybe 15 meters in height, a monolithic edifice of steel and technological marvel. The turquoise color plating gleamed in the harsh sunlight, casting an eerie glow over its surface. Multiple joints and articulations were visible along its body, allowing for a wide range of movement despite its size.
Hirano looked up to face the thing, up close, it's not that scary, as the only thing that made it intimidating in the first place was its power. That thing was also negated by how it handles its own calculations, which were very sloppy; true, it has the same potential to that of a Level 5. But the way it fought was amateurish at best. It's like a child trying to fight with the strength of an adult, but not knowing how to properly use it. Even with that method it'd used to bypass his barrier, it was only a one-time cheap trick Hirano had already figured out.
It uses the very air within his own barrier, one that he actively allows passage past his quote unquote, 'impenetrable wall'. As evident on his right arm, the same one he'd used to attack, were covered in shallow but numerous cuts.
With that, he'd also figured out one weakness that solidifies this piece of technologic marvel in the eyes of men, into nothing but an oversized piece of junk, was that its telekinesis was limited to only something that it could see. Had it could do that, Hirano would already be fucking dead by now.
And now that he knows how to beat this piece of junk...
"I'm seriously gonna fucking hurt you."
It'd been... only half an hour after Misaki's visit. The blond couldn't stay for long in that dorm of theirs, only coming over cause they hadn't been hanging out as much these few weeks. What with the preparations for the up and coming Daihasei Festival that is to take place in less than 4 weeks.
That early evening- no, that whole day has been nothing but weird and tense. It started with that weirdly cold water from today's shower even though it was set on too hot; her teacher giving the wrong homework of a different class; and then there was that call from Hirano with that weird tone of his. Something is coming up and Kuroko could sense it.
As if to confirm her suspicion, there were these popping noises from outside the window. It doesn't sound like anything close-by; nothing like wood cracking or concrete breaking. There's simply too many of them, too rapid and spaced out to be from any ordinary source. They seem to come from the north.
Kuroko's face twists into a look of confusion as she tries to process what she's hearing. She moves towards the window, peering outside with curiosity and concern etched on her features. The setting sun casts long shadows across the courtyard, but it's hard to make out any specific details in the fading light.
It wasn't a shoot out, otherwise she would've been called by her Konori by now. Or at least, if it was a shootout, it must've been happening in the distance. With her room being in the lower floors on the Tokiwadai's dorms, she couldn't exactly look past the buildings ahead or above it to get a better look. All she could do was strain her ears.
After a while, the popping sound stopped as quickly as it had started. It was then replaced by what seemed like distant rumbles and vibrations - more subtle but just as unnatural. It sounds like thunder striking somewhere far away. But it isn't thunder at all, but rather something... else.
By the time Misaka had come out of the bathroom, a faint blue flash flickers briefly in the western sky, leaving behind a slight purple after-image. The air pressure seems to suddenly shift, like a massive release of energy from whatever was happening up there. For a moment, the two girls froze in their tracks, the eerie silence broken only by the distant rumble that lingered like a faint echo, making the entire dormitory shudder momentarily.
Both girls shared an uneasy look before Kuroko turned back to Misaka. "Did... did you feel that?" She spoke softly, her words almost drowned out by the silence of the room. Misaka nodded grimly, water still dripping from her chestnut hair.
Kuroko's phone blared to life on her desk, startling both girls. The screen lit up with a call from Konori Mii herself. Something is definitely wrong. Kuroko's hand trembled slightly as she reached for the phone, her heart pounding in her chest. She answered with a shaky "Hello?"
"District 14. Immediately." Konori Mii's stern voice crackles through the line, her usually composed demeanor replaced with an unmistakable tension. "Every personnel Judgement has is needed. Everyone with no exceptions." There was a pause, "There has been an attack." The line goes dead before Kuroko can respond, leaving her and Misaka in stunned silence.
Misaka dries herself off quickly, her movements hurried but precise. She grabs a spare uniform from the closet and tosses it to Kuroko without a word, urgency evident in her every action.
"Get dressed. Now." Misaka speaks firmly, though concern is audible beneath her words. Kuroko nods, her hands shaking as she quickly changes into the uniform. The fabric feels heavier than usual, as if it's trying to anchor her in place rather than protect her. Outside, a faint humming sound fills the air - not quite an alarm, but something that sets every nerve on edge.
It was still bright outside, albeit the sun was already setting. The sky was clear, with not a single cloud in sight - which made the sudden flash that appeared on the horizon even more jarring. It wasn't natural; it wasn't lightning or anything like that. It looked more like an explosion of some sort, but from so far away enough that it sounded more like thunder.
Taking the bus isn't gonna do. Running isn't an option either. It's an emergency. Emergency response requires the utmost urgency. Kuroko grabbed Misaka by the hand, the girl in turn readied herself. She knew the drill.
The world warps around them in a span of less than a quarter of a second, appearing somewhere else entirely. Starting on the Dormitory grounds, appearing on the roof of a building several blocks down. The world warps yet again, appearing on the road, closer to District 14. The scenery blurs and fades in a dizzying sequence as Kuroko teleports them through multiple locations, her power allowing them to traverse large distances in an instant.
The air grows colder as they approach District 14. Smoke rises from several buildings in the distance, and the streets are eerily empty. There's no sound except for distant sirens and the occasional crash of falling debris. There was no fire, only a large building on the horizon that seemed to be crumbling.
The whole street seems to be empty. No civilians, no bystanders, nothing at all. Even the birds in the sky are gone, as if they can sense something terrible has happened.
They needed to regroup with the others; they don't know what the objective is yet. So once again, Kuroko teleported them to a taller building, this time appearing on its roof. The wind whips around them as they survey the destruction below. A few blocks away, an enormous pile of concrete debris looms, smoke and dust still rising from it. Emergency vehicles are scattered around the area, their lights creating an eerie red and blue glow in the growing darkness.
Even further down, on a known school compound, large amounts of Anti-Skill personnels were gathered. That's where they're heading.
"Are you sure it's going to work?"
"How many times must I tell you that it will? Jeez, have a bit of faith in me will you?" Even with the laid back tone Hishigata's speaking on, all lazing around on that chair of his, his eyes remain sharp and alert, fixed on the intricate network of lines forming something akin to that of a spider web all over the screen of his monitors.
His eyes were fully fixated on a steadily rising number of percentages. Currently, it is at 93%.
"Even with Taoiti and Qiong Qi, that thing you're having them face right now is Accelerator, y'know?" The man behind Hishigata says in a quiet murmur. The only visible reaction Hishigata makes is his thumb scratching lightly against his cheek, sucking in on a candy that he seemingly never runs out of. And then there was that sister of his. He'd never seen her speak before, only murmuring words into her brother's ear.
It wasn't clear what was going on with that girl. She's not shy. Far from it, actually; she doesn't seem all that uncomfortable around him, especially in a state of complete nudity. It was hard for him to even focus. The only thing covering her body is that extremely long hair of hers. And to see her be this close to that Hishigata guy? Maybe it's because they're siblings or something; they didn't show much outward emotion.
"Should I be worried about any sort of countermeasure for the virus?" Hishigata asked him back, leaning slightly forward, his sharp eyes never leaving the screen. His sister remained silent, her attention fixed on the monitors as well. The man behind him sighed, running a hand through his hair.
"No, not at all. The virus is perfect. The SISTERs Network, no matter how adaptive it is, couldn't counteract a virus of this caliber. I've been working on it for months, and the SISTERS Network has no way to predict or prevent its effects."
Hishigata's eyes narrowed slightly as he stared at the screen, his thumb still scratching against his cheek.
"Uh-huh. Can you isolate that one from the network then?" He leaned back in his chair, a small smirk playing across his lips. "We're gonna need her for the next stages."
The man behind Hishigata nods, his fingers already moving across a nearby keyboard. "Already done. I've successfully isolated her from the network. She won't be able to access any of its functions or communicate with the other Clones."
Hishigata's smirk widens as he turns to face his sister, who remains motionless beside him. "Perfect. Now then, my dear sister... it seems you're going to have quite an interesting time ahead." The chair leaned back a little, allowing him to see that smile that graces her face. That wicked, predatory smile. The kind of smile that speaks volumes about her intentions, which are far from benevolent. Her long hair shifts slightly, revealing more of her pale skin as she leans closer to her brother.
"99%." Hishigata's eyes flicker to the screen as the number climbs higher. "Almost there." He leans back in his chair, a satisfied smirk playing across his lips. His sister remains silent beside him, her attention fixed on the monitors with an unreadable expression.
"The Board of Directors might not like the idea of losing Last Order. But we can present them the first ever Level 6." The man behind Hishigata, for the first time since their collaboration, sounded excited for once. "Oh boy, I can't wait to see how those pompous, power-hungry bastards react."
Hishigata chuckles, his fingers drumming lightly against the arm of his chair. "Indeed. It's time to change the game entirely." His sister shifts slightly, her long hair rustling softly as she moves closer to him. The man behind them types furiously on his keyboard, occasionally glancing up at the screen.
"100%." Hishigata mutters under his breath, the distance between his eyes and the screen are practically nonexistent as he watches the final digits appear. A satisfied grin spreads across his face as he leans back in his chair, fingers stealing their rapid movement. "Well then, Amai Ao! Pull up the death counter!"
Amai Ao did as he asked, bringing his own laptop over to the monitors. He quickly connects it to the main system and pulls up a complex-looking interface.
"Here we go, Hishigata! Death counter activated!" Amai Ao's fingers dance across the keyboard as he sets everything in motion. The screen flickers to life, displaying an ominous red countdown timer accompanied by a series of rapidly changing numbers and graphs.
"It starts off fast. Those clones are basically twenty thousand brains connected together. They'll start combating the virus, but they won't last long." Amai Ao's voice takes on a more serious tone as he continues. "The first one hundred deaths takes 20 seconds. The first one thousand 1 minutes. You need ten thousand, correct? That will take approximately 5 minutes, at most."
The screens before them now display the countdown in all its gory glory, a grim reminder of what is to come. Hishigata's chair leans back, his smirk never leaving his face as he observes every detail with unnerving fascination.
"You do know this makes you even more of an enemy to Accelerator and the Board than ever before?" Hishigata strikes up to Amai Ao's words, a sharp edge underlying his casual demeanor.
"Oh well. What're they gonna do? Send a Level 5 against a Level 6?" The two guys started laughing, the sound echoing through the room. Boisterous and confident, their laughter fills the air as they revel in their apparent victory. The screens before them continue to display the countdown, each second bringing them closer to what they believe is an inevitable triumph.
"There goes the first three hundred."
"Three hundred fifty! Yeah baby, yeeeaaaaaAAAAAAAAAA-"
The wall crumbling down behind them, ruptured as a massive explosion rocks the building. The room shakes violently as the sound of metal falling with the speed unnatural of its own weight echoes through. Amai Ao was thrown from where he'd stood. Hishigata would've had the worst of the impact if not for his sister, who had been standing behind him. She caught him before he could hit the ground, her long hair whipping around them as she held him close.
All of them turned to find a massive, familiar looking Mecha of theirs. Coffin Qiong Qi, all bent and pounded and dented, as if having just been buttfucked by a dragon. It was laying there, surprising as to how the floor in which they stood on hasn't yet collapsed underneath them. Of course, the answer to that question was standing just atop of the Coffin.
Accelerator, although his face couldn't be seen through the haze of dust that concealed it, his aura alone was enough to make one's heart skip a beat. His face was clean, no speck of dust could ever adhere to his pristine features. The gale that accompanied his arrival was now dissipating, leaving the room in relative calm; a clear contrast that is the anger and pain he's been feeling. He looks at Hishigata and his sister, his eyes burning with an intensity that could rival the sun itself.
Yet his gaze didn't stay on them for even 3 seconds before he scowled, rolling his eyes like they were some annoying insects. "Fucking nerds with their big shot tech." He growls, dropping down from the Coffin, the 15 metre height looked just like a mere step for him. He had his eyes set on Last Order.
The girl was strapped to a chair. There was a wire that connected her to a laptop. On its screen, a large red warning flashed. A countdown was ticking away, each second bringing the world closer to an unknown catastrophe.
Last Order's eyes were closed. She seemed to be in a trance-like state. Hardly breathing as more and more connections within the Network were forcefully ripped. Being the control tower of the entire SISTERs Network, she was feeling every single one of those connections being severed. The pain was immense, borderline unbearable.
Looking at her like this, there was a change in the demeanor the white haired had been displaying. There wasn't a noise. Barely a tap of his feet. Merely leaning on it a bit more as the calculations run through his head. The entire side of the building collapsed in its entirety, leaving nothing on his side but an open space where a massive crater had formed. His gaze remained fixated on Last Order, the boy's mind racing through thousands of possibilities within the blink of an eye.
Once that was done, he brought both his hands over towards her head. The wires were useless, whether connected or not. The virus had already been implanted into the Network. And if that piece of paper on the table just beside the laptop where to indicate anything, it was meant to spread over and overwhelm the entire Network.
There's no way to eradicate the thing since it had already become part of the Network itself. He learned that when his fingers made contact with Last Order's scalp. By taking in the information that is being transferred and received every instant from the girl, he had reached a certain level of understanding to the extent where he could grasp the idea.
And each time an information was received, he could feel the Network's hivemind narrowing down to a smaller area. They were dying. All 20,001 Clones were being systematically destroyed, their brains no longer capable of processing the influx of data as the virus consumed them whole. It was like watching a fireworks show, each spark representing a dying brain.
They were spread across the globe, on different continents and oceans. Their numbers were staggering, and their deaths were equally so. That was also where he noticed a peculiar thing.
There was a link, just behind him. 1 Clone that is actively being avoided by the Virus itself, as if exempt from the destruction it wrought.
He couldn't save them. They were gonna die one by one. He doesn't want that. He knew how to save them. He had an idea. But doing so, would more than likely eradicate everything that had been built up to this point.
He couldn't eradicate the virus. But he could overwrite every single bit of its code, replace it with a new one, and use that as the base to repair the damage that's been done. Usually, a human brain doesn't work like that of a computer; but Last Order, meaning the entirety of the SISTERs, was far from normal. They were a network, a hivemind. So, in a sense, they could be considered a single entity, albeit one made up of many parts. And as such, Accelerator could attempt to overwrite the virus's code with a clean one, using Last Order as the gateway.
He rushed over towards the other Clone, suspended in the air being held by one of the Coffin, the one he'd been trying to catch earlier. The Coffin, now curled up in this form of deactivation, he touched with his bare hands. It broke down, bolts and metal crackling and sparking as it's being forcibly disassembled.
She fell onto his arms, carrying her over towards where Last Order was held before leaning her against the chair. It wasn't until he'd knelt down that he noticed the amount of blood seeping from his side. The greenish hospital gown was all red from his side all the way down to the knees.
Adrenaline had been the only thing keeping him going until now. Now that he noticed it, he was beginning to feel a little dizzy.
With shaking hands, he took in everything that made this clone, into this clone; its experiences, personality, memories, thoughts, feelings and emotions, all of them in the form of codes that ran for trillions and trillions of iterations before they settled. The synapses in her brain, the electrical impulses that carried the information, all of them memorized perfectly by him.
All in the span of less than 1 minute.
With the easy part completed, he turned onto Last Order.
It was time for the hard part. Overwriting everything in her brain. All those memories they've spent together, exchanged for the life of over 10,000 clones. Replacing them was a clean copy of the SISTERs' data, with modifications to better fit their survivability. Each bit of information transferred from his fingertips into her brain. It felt like an eternity, as time seemed to stop around them, the world reduced to nothing more than their existence.
He felt cold, shaking, as if his body was struggling against an unseen force. His vision was blurred, and his hearing was muffled, as if everything was happening from far away.
And then he heard a bang.
What ya'll think? Could it have been better? Yes? Well that's what I thought. I think it was kinda whacky, looking at how much Information Dump that this whole thing had. And that ending was kinda anti-climactic, seeing as to how many build-up there has been these past 5 chapters. That is, if any of you even had some sort of expectations to begin with.
Anyways, there's the 45th chapter, new one next week!