A Few Minutes Earlier
"Kiyama... Sensei." Standing before Kiyama Harumi, whom Shirai Kuroko had just laid down, Uiharu Kazari called softly, her expression complex.
"Where is this..." As if responding to Uiharu's call, Kiyama Harumi weakly opened her eyes, struggling to sit up but failing. "My body has reached its limit..."
Resigned, Kiyama let her eyes wander toward the massive figure causing destruction nearby. Her expression was one of profound exhaustion, and a faint sadness filled her dull eyes. "It's lost control... In the end, I failed, didn't I?"
"This mindless beast really fits the name 'Imaginary Beast'." Leaning against a still-standing guardrail, Kiyama muttered quietly, "Everyone has something sorrowful within them, and when it reaches its peak, it becomes a rampaging beast..."
Lowering her head once more, she sighed deeply, "It's all over..."
"Please, don't lose hope!" Uiharu Kazari suddenly shouted, breaking her silence. "If you give up now, how will your students be saved?"
"Even a sorrowful beast can be tamed by the softness within its heart!"
Hearing Uiharu's plea, Kiyama Harumi raised her head slightly, the light returning to her once-dull eyes. A hint of inspiration flickered within them, "Can you really believe the words of a criminal like me?"
Uiharu Kazari looked earnestly into Kiyama Harumi's eyes. "I don't fully understand why you did what you did, but... you were the one who unlocked my handcuffs, right? And you gave me the treatment program. That's why I believe you are a good person forced into this situation."
After speaking, Uiharu Kazari paused, her expression becoming slightly stern as she faced Kiyama Harumi. "And I believe that a teacher who strives to save her students wouldn't lie. I trust you!"
At that moment, Kiyama Harumi seemed to see her own students in Uiharu's innocent face, and a glimmer of spirit appeared in her previously vacant expression.
"The 'Imaginary Beast' is a monster born from the uncontrolled 'Imaginary Network.' If we can disrupt the network, perhaps we can stop it, but..."
She glanced at Misaka Mikoto, who was barely holding her own against the "Imaginary Beast." Kiyama couldn't help but sigh. "...It seems you don't have the power to destroy it. After all, it was created from the fusion of AIM fields of tens of thousands of people."
Suddenly, something dawned on Shirai Kuroko. Right, she needed to contact Selene for support. She interrupted Kiyama Harumi, knowing her only as a criminal without understanding the context.
"You don't need to worry about that... Oh no, where's my phone... Ah! I left it in the duty room when I left." As Shirai Kuroko realized she had left her phone behind, she turned to Uiharu Kazari. "Uiharu, do you have your phone?"
"My phone?"
...
Meanwhile, at the Judgment 177 Branch
"Why are all the surveillance cameras malfunctioning?" Konori Mii sat at the computer desk, her anxiety mounting. Such widespread surveillance failure suggested Kiyama Harumi wasn't easy to handle, sparking concern.
Selene, however, seemed unperturbed. Watching Konori Mii's frantic behavior, she sipped her tea leisurely. "What's the rush? Isn't Misaka already on the scene? Can't a Level 5 handle this?"
Selene showed little worry, having marked their coordinates and receiving no signals of distress, indicating things weren't too dire.
"That's true, but..."
Ring Ring Ring!
Just as Selene was about to pour a cup of calming tea for Konori Mii, a sudden phone call interrupted her.
Selene retrieved her phone, "Hello, Moshi Moshi?"
Boom!
A loud explosion echoed through the phone, followed by silence. Then, Uiharu Kazari's anxious voice crackled through. "Selene-senpai! Is that you?!"
"What happened, Uiharu?" On speakerphone, the explosion made Konori Mii nearly drop her teacup.
"Senpai! Thank goodness, I finally reached you!" Uiharu Kazari was on the verge of tears, having searched desperately for a phone, eventually using Kiyama Harumi's. Meanwhile, Misaka-senpai had been struggling against the creature.
"Calm down, Uiharu. Take your time to explain. Where's Misaka? Didn't she already get there?" Selene knew something must have gone wrong if Uiharu was calling, as Misaka's pride wouldn't allow for asking for help unless necessary.
"Senpai, we're under attack by a massive monster. Misaka-senpai is fighting it!"
Monster? Could it be the Imaginary Beast? Did the medicine I secretly supplied to Kiyama Harumi really have such potent effects? Or did it react with the 'Level Upper' somehow?
"Senpai?... Zzz... Zzz... Selene-senpai?" Uiharu's voice crackled with interference, realizing there was no time for detailed explanations. She sent her coordinates to Selene.
This location... Hmm? It's the gift from the Kihara family... A nuclear power reactor facility.
"Alright, I understand. I'll be right there." Selene nodded to Konori Mii and vanished.
...
"Tsk, tsk, tsk... Misaka, you look so pathetic, don't you?"
Selene's teasing made Misaka Mikoto blush. "These were accidents..." She faltered under Selene's mischievous gaze.
Ignoring the banter, Selene turned her attention to the enormous Templar-Class Honkai Beast before her, her brow twitching. How did this thing transform from the "Imaginary Beast" she knew into this "Imaginary Honkai Beast"?
Selene understood its origin, a fusion of AIM fields from thousands of 'Level Upper' users, an amalgamation of subconscious thoughts and emotions.
But seeing it morph into this "Imaginary Honkai Beast," Selene wondered if things had spiraled out of control.
Within its core, Selene could clearly sense the presence of Honkai energy's silicon-based reactions. Her eyes narrowed with intent. This wouldn't do; she couldn't allow the manifestation of Honkai energy in this world, not even in its lowest form!
Although she felt a semblance of control over it, Selene decided to eradicate it completely. It was a product of extraordinary circumstances, and with thousands of AIM fields linked to it, its existence posed too great a risk.
With a single hand, Selene gripped the Templar-Class Honkai Beast's towering spear, channeling energy through her core.
Gasps echoed around her as if witnessing a human-shaped dinosaur unleashing its fury—a sight that defied belief.
A mere two-meter-tall figure overpowering a massive sixty-meter-tall giant?
To the shock of all, Selene flung the "Imaginary Honkai Beast" into the distance!
As the monstrous shadow descended, the accompanying shockwave caused the overpass to tremble as if it were a drunken giant.
Even the ground trembled, concrete debris clattering noisily, and the still-standing bridge supports swayed.
Boom!!!
Suddenly, sand and stone erupted, dust soaring, and the earth quaked violently!