Now in possession of the tool he needed, Su Mo's preparations were complete. However, across the city, Kiyama Harumi was starting to panic. Originally, her plan had been to join Shirai Kuroko's investigation team as a consultant. By subtly controlling the flow of information and delaying progress, she hoped to buy herself enough time. Through carefully unveiling parts of Level Upper's mechanism, she aimed to demonstrate her value while slowing their efforts. Her goal had been to stall Judgment long enough to distribute Level Upper widely, before gradually leading them astray. But things… weren't going according to plan.
By the time those girls finally realized who the mastermind behind everything was, Kiyama Harumi planned to have already spread Level Upper to a wide enough user base. The computational power of the Network would be more than sufficient. Once she achieved the result she sought by harnessing that shared computing power, she didn't care if her identity was exposed. As long as she could wake those children… even prison would be a price she was willing to pay. That was her plan. Precise, careful, without any apparent flaws. At least until she met Misaka Mikoto and her friends.
Standing there, watching these teenage girls, Kiyama listened in shock as they calmly and logically deduced the core principles of Level upper right in front of her. Their thinking was sharp, their reasoning clear. They broke down the system's mechanism step by step without hesitation. For a moment, Kiyama Harumi was completely stunned. Had the knowledge level of middle school students advanced this far? Could something as advanced as Level Upper's core concept really be understood at a glance? If not for the respectful tone in their voices and the innocent expressions on their faces, she might have suspected they already knew she was the culprit and were here to arrest her.
"Your reasoning… is correct," Kiyama forced herself to respond calmly, nodding with a straight face. "That's very likely how Level Upper actually works." She then asked, as casually as possible, "But I'm curious… how do you know all this? Are middle schoolers these days already studying neuroscience?" It was a subtle probe.
"That's not something we figured out ourselves," Mikoto immediately shook her head. "Our teacher analyzed it and explained it to us."
"But Su Mo-sensei said he's not very familiar with brain science. So, he told us to consult an expert like you." Hearing that, Kiyama felt a wave of relief wash over her. They hadn't specifically sought her out because they suspected her after all.
But the name Mikoto mentioned…
"Su Mo…? You mean the third-ranked Level 5?" she blurted. Any researcher within Academy City would know that name. Su Mo had been among the earliest known espers and was relatively famous in the academic circles Kiyama moved in.
"Yeah! Su Mo-sensei's not just a powerful esper; he also teaches us," Mikoto explained enthusiastically. "It was Su Mo-sensei who discovered that Level Upper might be a piece of music."
"Unfortunately, he couldn't come today… but if he'd met with you, I'm sure the two of you together would have figured out who's behind all this in no time!" Her confidence in both of them was clear. However, to Kiyama—who was hiding a guilty conscience—the very idea of meeting Su Mo sent chills down her spine. The thought of facing someone sharp enough to unravel Level Upper's secrets at a glance terrified her. If she slipped up even once, her entire plan would collapse. No… worse than that.
With Su Mo involved, her entire operation was unlikely to succeed. If she kept stalling now, it wouldn't take long for these girls to report back to him, and once he started looking closely, her delay tactics would be exposed. She'd be arrested immediately. Realizing this, as soon as their initial meeting ended, Kiyama rushed back to her home. Time was running out. She could no longer afford to act cautiously.
Abandoning subtlety entirely, she switched to an alternate online identity. Across numerous active forums, she began posting Level Upper's audio files herself, attaching explanatory notes to encourage use. Curious students clicked the links, finding only audio tracks and simple instructions. The bolder ones tried it immediately. That night, the number of Level Upper users skyrocketed. The files spread across the internet like wildfire, too quickly to be contained. By the following morning, Shirai Kuroko and Uiharu Kazari finally noticed the explosion. But by then, nearly ten thousand students were already using Level Upper. And the number kept growing.
Almost instantly, esper-related crimes spiked across the city, leaving Judgment and Anti-Skill overwhelmed. Kuroko and Uiharu were stretched to their limits, running themselves ragged. Only Misaka Mikoto, comparatively idle, had time to call Kiyama Harumi, asking about her progress with the Level Upper investigation.
"I'm working on it… working on it…" Kiyama's reply sounded tired and groggy. Hearing her exhausted voice, Mikoto assumed Kiyama had stayed up all night working. She hurriedly apologized, feeling guilty for disturbing her. In truth, Kiyama sat at home, staring guiltily at a folder of freshly created files on her desktop. She felt deeply ashamed for lying to these girls. Though ashamed… she wasn't about to change her course.
Two more days passed. By the third day, she could no longer hide it. Over half the Level Upper users fell into comas. Just as Misaka Mikoto, growing worried, prepared to call Kiyama again, Uiharu—the so-called guardian of the network—finally completed her investigation. Over the past two days, she had been tirelessly analyzing the alternate accounts that had simultaneously distributed Level Upper across forums. Her search, narrowing down IP addresses, finally pointed to a single origin. Kiyama Harumi's residence. At that moment, Mikoto and her friends realized the horrifying truth. The mastermind behind Level Upper… had been working with them all along. The one they had trusted. The one who had acted as their advisor. It was Kiyama Harumi.
They immediately reported her to higher authorities and prepared to move in to make the arrest. But Kiyama, having anticipated this, was already fleeing in her sports car. She hoped to buy just a little more time—enough to complete her calculations. However, she didn't get far. Soon after, Anti-Skill officers working in coordination blocked her escape at a clearing.
"Kiyama-sensei… why did you do this?" Mikoto stared at her in disbelief. This woman—whom she had trusted and even admired—was the one behind the entire Level Upper incident?
Why?
Kiyama's face showed guilt… but her eyes burned with determination.
"Railgun… get out of my way!" she shouted. "No matter what, I have to save those children!" Invisible blades of compressed air lashed out toward Mikoto, followed by waves of telekinesis. Now linked to the Level Upper Network, Kiyama could access the powers of every esper connected to it. She had become a multi-skill esper. She believed that even against a Level 5, she could hold her ground for a while. But that confidence…
Shattered instantly before Mikoto's power. Against a true Level 5, flashy tricks and borrowed powers weren't enough. The only reason Mikoto didn't end the fight immediately was because… she didn't want to hurt Kiyama. After just a few exchanges, it didn't take long for the battle-hardened Misaka Mikoto to spot an opening. Without hesitation, she stepped forward and grabbed hold of Kiyama Harumi, delivering a close-range electric shock directly into her body.
"Zzzap—"
Blue arcs of electricity crackled violently, and, unexpectedly, the shock triggered a memory feedback phenomenon. In that instant, Mikoto finally glimpsed the truth behind Kiyama Harumi's actions—her desperate struggle and her reasons for everything she had done. Yet even understanding her motives, Mikoto couldn't bring herself to approve of Kiyama's actions. To save her own students, Kiyama had willingly thrown over ten thousand innocent people into comas. That wasn't something Mikoto could ever accept.
The current eventually knocked Kiyama unconscious. But the incident didn't end there. As Kiyama lay unconscious, something strange began forming near her head—a translucent, infant-like shape. Atop the strange infant's head hovered a halo, making it look disturbingly angelic, yet clearly unnatural in the midst of Academy City's scientific landscape.
"What… is that?!"
As the massive embryonic creature continued expanding, growing until it reached nearly thirty to forty meters tall, the Anti-Skill officers exchanged bewildered looks. Even Mikoto had no idea what this phenomenon was. But looking into the blood-red eyes of the giant infant and hearing its sharp, piercing cries, one thing was clear—it wasn't friendly. The grotesque infant wasted no time attacking the nearby Anti-Skill officers. Their counterattacks were rendered useless as the creature's telekinetic abilities neutralized their every move.
Realizing the situation was escalating beyond control, Mikoto stopped holding back. However, no matter what attacks she threw at the monster, she couldn't deal any critical damage. Its regenerative abilities were simply too overwhelming. Just as the creature lumbered toward a dangerously sensitive area of the city, Mikoto grew increasingly desperate… until a familiar voice called out behind her.
"That thing… its AIM Burst or also called a Illusion Beast."
Turning around, Mikoto saw Su Mo standing there, having arrived at some unknown point. His gaze remained calm as he looked up at the towering creature, explaining casually.
"Su Mo-sensei!" Seeing him, Mikoto finally let out a breath of relief. She didn't know how powerful Su Mo truly was in battle but just having him there—someone reliable—made her feel everything would be alright.
"I've already tried attacking it," she reported quickly. "But nothing works. No matter what damage it takes, this monster just regenerates. Electric shocks, fire, physical force… none of it matters. It just keeps healing itself." Su Mo nodded slightly.