Chapter 14: Evolution?

Dust and debris filled the air, while the sound of alarms and distant screams echoed through the streets. "Widen the restricted area! I repeat, widen the restricted area!" In the heart of School District 9, chaos reigned as the destructive robot rampaged through the once-bustling streets, leaving a trail of ruins in its wake. The district's once-vibrant lights had now been replaced by flickering fires and the ominous glow of damaged electrical systems. "Shit..." Misaka dodged another attack from the Coffins, Taotie's expanding arms. She landed on the glassy surface of the building behind her as she observed the robot a few meters in front. She watched as the menacing high muzzle velocity cannon charged, aiming directly toward her. Though she had the time to dodge the attack, instead, she launched herself directly toward the cannon. With a shocked explosion, a cloud of smoke formed in the night sky. Within the thick smoke, a body tumbled upside down, plummeting toward the solid ground. As she neared impact, an agile twist of her body flipped her upright, and she landed gracefully on her feet. She was dripping blood all over her body, her once-white hair now closer to red than its original color. Her clothes were all gone, leaving her awkwardly naked. (That's bad. He knows I can't risk dodging the attacks while the evacuation has not yet taken place. He doesn't care if innocent people get involved.) Turning around, she saw an Anti-Skill officer trying to protect two girls from the falling debris. "How much time until the evacuation is complete? Asks Misaka" "...We're about 80% complete. Right now, we've widened the restricted area to 65% of District 9. The whole process will take 15 minutes." (Tch, that's too much time. The whole District will fall before that... Why is it taking him so long to take that bastard down?) While Hishigata ran away with #10046 using Qiong Qi, he used the other two Coffins to buy himself time. Accelerator ran after him, but the Coffins tried to stop him, and Misaka had to intervene to give him a chance to catch up. However, that took too much time. She turned towards where the machine should be, and she could see it was heading after Accelerator. (Oh no, you will not!) With a crackling electricity field forming around her, the ground beneath her cracked as she jumped towards it. (Wait, that's just one, where's the other one...!!) As if to answer her question, the other machine suddenly materialized by her side, with hexagonal honeycomb patterns appearing around it. In a swift motion, one of its extending hands struck her, sending her hurtling toward a nearby building. The impact created a cloud of dust as she crashed through it. As the dust settled, Misaka found herself gripping the machine's hand inside the building. Her teeth gritted together as her legs planted firmly on the solid floor, stopping the hand from moving any further. She stole a glance at her surroundings, noticing several computers that were still on but devoid of any personnel. The place had already been evacuated. Shifting her gaze back towards the coffin, she saw it charging its cannon once again. Closing her eyes, she tensed her body as the cannon fired a high-energy blast at her. Though she stood at the heart of the blast, it seemed as though the attack did not affect her. But the truth was quite different. Her skin and flesh were being burned, her cells destroyed with every part of her body taking a toll. However, thanks to her rapid regeneration outpacing the destruction of the cannon, it only appeared as if the attack did not affect her. Despite her resistance, she couldn't ignore the pain behind it all, but she managed to endure it. Placing her foot a step back, she raised the coffin towards the sky, angling its cannon towards the base of the building, causing it to crumble and collapse entirely. With a swift twist of her body, she hurled the machine down to the ground, where it was buried under the falling debris. Moments later, an explosion echoed through the area, and she found herself landing in a sea of flames and ruins. Calming her heavy breaths, she raised her gaze to scan the area. The other coffin was nowhere to be seen, but she could see a swirl of smoke rising in the distance. She took a step forward, determined to reach the source of it, However, an electric feeling shot through her spine, causing her to come to an abrupt halt. A sudden warmth spread across her face as her heart rate increased. Reaching for her chest. (He saved her... I thought #10032 would be my only problem. It appears the same is true with #10046. They really should stop sharing their personal feelings within the network...) Taking a deep sigh, she allowed the electric field to form around her once again as she jumped through the air. (What's the situation with you there, #10046? asks Misaka#10000) (Hishigata is about to transform the formula to the Proto-Coffin, answeres Misaka#10046) (formula?) ( The memories of death that are stored within the Network. He believes he can reach Level 6 through them...) (What does this have to do with...?) Her words trailed off as she neared her destination, Seiin High School. From a distance, she could make out members of the Anti-Skill surrounding the area, their attention fixed on what seemed to be a monstrous entity. Roots and cable-like appendages extended across the school grounds, leading to a large mass near the monster's body. The cables converged in the middle of the school's courtyard, forming a giant mass that vaguely resembled a flower. Landing swiftly on the school's grounds, she darted inside, her eyes narrowing at the tendrils spreading along the walls of the corridors. She knew they were alive after a few of them attempted to attack her, but she deftly dodged their advances as she continued running toward #10046. Reaching the end of her run, she could see Accelerator, #10046, Esther, and her undead companion. They were all familiar faces, except for one. Standing in front of them was a teenage girl with long hair styled into twin tails, but she didn't appear entirely human. Her lower body seemed to be linked to the strange roots and cable-like appendages she had come across earlier. The monster was chatting with them, and with her enhanced hearing, she could pick up on their discussion. "Miss Estelle. I have a report for the Rosenthal descendant. The heretical technique you have spent 23 generations and 400 years building has been completed. Please celebrate, sing, and dance" "Y-You.." "I am the Taowu that was activated by you. miss Estelle" "Y-You're the Taowu? You're working probably?" "My self-diagnosis program says I am running without issue" "B-But you ignored my orders." "I prioritized the desire of the Rosenthal." "What do you mean?" "When I was activated for the 17th time 2,467,585 seconds ago, a being contacted the artificial soul that forms me. After 0.32 seconds of hesitation, I accepted the communication. The being that contacted me was..." At that moment, just as the monster was about to reveal the being's name, a high-pitched sound filled the air, causing everyone in the vicinity to cover their ears. Everyone except for one person in the back. Her ears were bleeding, and her eyes were wide open. She couldn't comprehend the sound she was hearing, but for some reason, she felt an overwhelming sense of nostalgia. "My apologies. I will pronounce it so Human ears can understand...A self-proclaimed Demon." Part 2: Amidst all the truths revealed, Accelerator took a set as he sighted. So much shit in one day made his back hurt. "Did it say Demon?" "Yes. A being calling itself a demon said it would teach me how to fulfill the greatest desire of the Rosenthal family" "What is that greatest desire?" Accelerator intervene in "The creation of the perfect golem," Estelle answered as she shifted her gaze back to the monster. "That demon said it would teach you how to create that god, didn't it?" "Yes. The demon said we could add a special formula to the sephiroth constructing our artificial soul. "I was right. You're toying with reincarnation." "It also said a human soul can slowly evolve and Ultimately reach Keter by experiencing 10000 Deaths. If our artificially created soul had the proof of death written into it 10000 Times. It too would reach Keter. We needed the human memories that should be erased from the physical world at death. We needed the memories of death to reach Keter" The monster raised its gaze, fixating on a certain white-haired girl in the back. Its gaze locked with hers. "And 10031 Memories of death are stored here in Academy City." Hearing the last part, Accelerator stood up from his seat, his anger rising. He was ready to kill this time. But Hasami stepped in between him and the monster, while Estelle exchanged screams with the monster, About how she was toying with death. In the end, the monster made a swift hand sign, and a glow of light appeared, swallowing everything around it. And with the next stage of the transformation, the mass sprouted and formed a giant image of the Sephiroth, with 10 Sephiroth in the sky. And with the next stage of the transformation, the mass sprouted and formed a giant image of the Sephiroth, with 10 Sephiroth in the sky. The Keter Sephirah opened up and connected to Hirumi's body, which was floating in front of it in a fetal position, via a cord. A cocoon-like structure then formed around Hirumi's body, connected to a large, bulbous mass on the ground with multiple tendrils and protrusions. Not long afterward, the cocoon cracked open and a mass began expanding from it, forming a gigantic, long, grotesque body with many protrusions wriggling from it. Several sets of wings also formed, some more ragged than others. Hirumi's original body protruded from a hole in the upper part of the body, partially engulfed by it, and a halo formed over Hirumi's head. Accelerator watched in shock as the colossal monster took shape before his eyes. He tightened his fist, knowing that as long as this creature was a living being, he could do what he was perfect at... killing. However, his attention swiftly shifted to the clone standing beside him. She was trampling badly, as her face was sinking in the sweat. "M-Misaka#10000... there something wrong with her..." she managed to utter the words. "Huh?" Part 3: A humming sound filled her head, causing her to kneel down, her hand instinctively reaching for her head. Her throat burned, dry parched, and she didn't know why until she realized it was because she had been screaming in pain non-stop. Her body trembled as she sank into her bodily sweat. She felt she was about to lose consciousness, or rather, it felt as if it were being taken from her by someone or something. Closing her eyes, she collapsed onto the cold ground. A halo appeared above her head, and her skin began to grow paler with each passing second. Her body began to emit a radiant glow as she floated, twisting her body right side up. "Code name: 546#G-10000. One of the conditions has been observed for evolution. Analyzing the terms... Loading... No term declines the incoming Mission... Loading for the perfect method to fulfill the condition... The method has been monitored." In the next instant, a sleek black sphere emerged from the back of her neck, smoothly exiting as if her neck were made of liquid, offering no resistance. The sphere hovered a few centimeters away from the back of her neck. And it started swallowing everything around like a black hole. The surrounding debris, the tendrils, and even the monstrous body that had formed earlier were drawn into its gravitational pull, disappearing into the void. ... "What do you mean there's something wrong with her?" Accelerator asked, puzzled by the sudden behavior of the clone. "T-There's something eating her from inside... we can hear her screams... It hurts..." The clone hugged herself, tears streaming from her eyes, and her body trembling uncontrollably. (What is she talking about... Shit, now I have to deal with who first... wait... the air is...) He suddenly turned in a certain direction. "... it's being swallowed into one direction... something's wrong here...!!" Accelerator's gaze sharpened as he followed the direction from which the air was being swallowed. With each passing moment, the strength behind the suction grew stronger and stronger, to the point where solid objects began to be pulled towards it. "Shit..." Grabbing the clone by her clothing neckline, he started running out of the school building. "Hey! Estelle, we have to get out of here NOW!" "Y-Yes, Hasani!" Being carried by her undead, they followed behind him. Accelerator held the injured Hishigata in his other hand as he made his escape. However, a solid wall blocked their path. As his foot was mere inches away from the wall, a shockwave surged from under his foot, destroying the wall entirely. Accelerator and Hasani jumped from the second floor, landing on the school grounds safely. Shifting his gaze back, he noticed that it wasn't just the monster being swallowed; the entire school was disappearing. However, where they stood, the air remained motionless. The structure of the Sephiroth in the sky began to crack and break as if it were made of glass... Part 4: "W-What is happening here... the formula is not working anymore... W- Why is this happening?" She reached for her face with her trembling hand, feeling a deep sense of horror. "D-Did it betray me... I can't fulfill the Rosenthal Desire..." "Oh, you already did." "Huh?" Turning her head around, she found herself in a completely dark void. In front of her stood a dark figure with a sinister, demonic face—the owner of the voice. "Y-You're that demon... What do you mean I did?" With a thump from the demon, a scene of Misaka#10000 spread in front of her. "That's what you desire—the perfect golem... What they have desired for 400 years and 13 generations, is one step away from being complete," "O-One step? What is that step?" The demon suddenly appeared behind her, its hand reaching for her face as it whispered in her ear. "Just let it slide and don't resist. With your sacrifice, the masterpiece will be born," "T-The masterpiece?" "Yes, you can fulfill the Rosenthal Desire," "Ahh... I see," tears fell from her eyes. "After all those years, I can fulfill the Rosenthal Desire." "Yeah, you can," the demon giggled as the teen closed her eyes with a satisfied smile. Part 5: The entire school, along with the monster, vanished, consumed by the darkness contained within the black sphere behind the girl's neck. Now floating in the air, her hair cascaded like a cosmic sea behind her back. Her skin glowed a pure white, resembling glistening crystal, and an angelic halo adorned her head. Her facial features vanished completely, leaving behind a blank white surface. Her entire body glowed with a holy white light, while the black ball continued to float behind her. (Ah, shit. Here we go again... another weirdo I have to kick its ass...) Accelerator sighed. The clone was still trembling beside him, her eyes closed behind her hand, refusing to see what was in front. "ERROR..." "Hmm?" Shifting his gaze back to #10000, he heard something from her. "ERROR, ERROR, ERROR, ERROR, ERROR... the first condition for evolution hasn't been fulfilled... searching for a solution... Loading... ERROR... There is no possible solution with the current stats... due to the lack of power, the only choice left is to Restart..." In the next instant, the black sphere started to retract, smoothly piercing the back of her neck as if it were mere water. With a glassy sound, the pure white crystal that encapsulated her broke into several pieces, leaving her normal skin visible. The halo above her head vanished as her facial features reappeared on her face. And she fell unconscious to the ground. "..." "..." "What is she exactly?" Estelle asked, uncertain, beside him. "Don't ask me..." "..." Glancing at the unconscious naked girl in front of him, he approached her and gently draped his jacket over her. "We'll need that frog doctor for help once more huh..."