Otherworldly Divine General, Mahoraga!

"What is this?" A bead of cold sweat slid down Misaka Mikoto's temple as she stared at the bizarre sight before her.

"Ahhhhhh!" The grotesque fetus glanced at Misaka Mikoto, and several blasts of air shot toward her.

"Eek!" She swiftly manipulated magnetism to form an iron-wall shield before herself, blocking the attack before firing a lightning spear that struck the grotesque fetus head-on.

A chunk of flesh was blasted from the grotesque fetus's back. Yet in less than a moment, the wounded area began to regenerate, and a pair of hands grew from its back as its body gradually expanded.

"What is going on? It can actually repair itself?" Misaka Mikoto said in astonishment.

"Hahaha, how impressive. I never thought something like that monster would be born. I might even earn recognition if I published this in an academic journal." Kiyama Harumi laughed self-mockingly.

Yet her face was full of disappointment.

"What exactly is that thing?" Misaka Mikoto hurriedly asked.

"Hmm? Ah, it's presumably an aggregate formed from AIM Fields. Let's call it AIM Burst for now. Through the Level Upper network, the AIM Diffusion Fields of ten thousand people have gathered together, creating a subconscious monster through that medium. In other words, that monster is the combined consciousness of ten thousand children."

AIM Burst continued to grow, only gradually stopping once it had reached a height of one hundred meters.

"What kind of monster is that?!"

"All personnel are authorized to use live ammunition!" Yomikawa Aiho ordered, and gunfire immediately poured down upon AIM Burst.

Bullet after bullet sank into its surface, but with little effect. The minor damage it sustained rapidly healed in the blink of an eye.

Sensing danger, AIM Burst condensed massive crystals of ice in front of itself and hurled them down at the Anti-Skill officers.

"Boom!" A massive emerald-green beam instantly pierced through AIM Burst's body, halting its movements.

"Just as expected of Mugino!" Kinuhata Saiai praised.

"Tch, this thing is seriously ugly. It's polluting my eyes." Mugino Shizuri brushed aside the hair at the back of her neck, her face full of disdain.

"That attack didn't finish it, Mugino. The AIM Diffusion Field on this monster is far too chaotic. It's as though an endless supply of power is constantly being fed into its body." Cold sweat covered Takitsubo Rikou's forehead. As someone skilled at detecting AIM Diffusion Fields—

—the monster before her seemed like a collection of countless people's consciousnesses. Unless they could sever those connections, Mugino Shizuri alone might be exhausted to death just trying to wear it down.

"What a nuisance. I'm going in!" Though Kinuhata Saiai called it troublesome, Nitrogen Armor had already formed around her body as she prepared to charge at AIM Burst.

"Wait." Rod grabbed Kinuhata Saiai by the hood and lifted her back like a kitten.

"What are you doing, Uncle Rod? I was just getting fired up!?" Kinuhata Saiai puffed out her cheeks in displeasure, looking like an aggrieved pufferfish.

"I told you your job was to stop the others. That thing is my experimental material. Don't let anyone disturb me," Rod said casually.

Shirai Kuroko's beautiful eyes widened at those words, and she cried out.

"You bastard, what do you mean by that? Was all of this your plan? Are you working with Kiyama Harumi?!"

Kuroko's shout naturally drew Yomikawa Aiho and the others' attention. They all turned hostile looks toward Rod.

Rod had no intention of explaining and simply jumped beneath the bridge.

Just as Shirai Kuroko was about to pursue him, Kinuhata Saiai stopped her.

"Oho, we can't let you interfere with our Boss."

"You're from the dark side, aren't you? Are these orders from above?" Yomikawa Aiho looked at Mugino Shizuri and asked gravely.

"No comment. I advise you to retreat. From here on, this place will be taken over by our dark-side organization, ITEM." Mugino Shizuri spoke arrogantly, showing no regard for the Anti-Skill officers.

What in the world is going on, Onee-sama?! A bead of cold sweat rolled down Shirai Kuroko's temple, and she could not help but worry.

"This is the program that can undo Level Upper. Playing this audio throughout the city will sever the network connection." Kiyama Harumi had been persuaded by Misaka Mikoto's verbal barrage and was about to hand over the removal program—

—but a hand took the removal program before Misaka Mikoto could.

"Crack!" With the sound of something breaking, Kiyama Harumi and Misaka Mikoto stood frozen, their eyes staring in disbelief at the removal program that had been crushed to fragments in Rod's hand.

"Uncle!? What are you doing!?" Misaka Mikoto clutched her head, looking utterly devastated—like the famous painting The Scream.

"Hahaha, it's over. Everything is over. No one can stop this farce now." Kiyama Harumi looked as though she had broken down, despair filling her eyes.

"It isn't time to use the removal program yet. Ten thousand minds, ten thousand souls—this is a rare experimental opportunity," Rod said calmly.

Yet the meaning behind his words sent chills through both women.

"W-What do you mean? You're joking, right, Uncle? Ten thousand people! Those are ten thousand lives! This isn't the time for jokes!" Misaka Mikoto forced out a laugh at first, but when Rod's expression remained indifferent, she began to break down.

She stared at Rod in disbelief. The Rod before her felt somewhat unfamiliar.

Ignoring Misaka Mikoto's reaction, Rod stepped forward, clenched both fists before him, and chanted.

"With this first appearance in another world—Buru Buru, Yura Yura."

The space around them seemed to sink into boundless darkness, and a wolf's howl suddenly rang out.

The howl echoed through the space as phantom images of animals emerged one after another.

The scene instantly changed. A pale phantom resembling an insect cocoon appeared, connected to countless threads too fine for the naked eye to see.

Kiyama Harumi and Misaka Mikoto, standing within that space, were stunned by the sight. Rod's deep, magnetic voice continued its chant.

"Eight-Handled Sword, Otherworldly Divine General, Mahoraga!"

A huge mouth emerged atop the pale phantom. Thread after thread fell away in succession, and the terrifying aura made everyone in that space feel fear as their bodies began to tremble involuntarily.

The cocoon scattered apart, and Mahoraga, within it, fully stepped out.

It had no eyes on its head, with four wing-like protrusions on either side, a tail attached to the back of its head, an exorcising blade on its right arm, and a rudder-like wheel upon its head and back.

Mahoraga had made its first appearance in this world.