Chapter 5.
These days, kids only know how to scream.
“Why can’t I hit you?!” The frustrated voice of the magical girl grated on my ears.
Usually, her voice would be pleasant to hear, but thinking of her as an enemy made it sound like nails scraping a blackboard. How ironic.
I focused on the end of her magic wand, preparing my next target: her right shoulder.
The moment she swung her wand, I hurled myself to the ground: whoosh.
As the cute sound of her spell was cast, a gust of wind magic whisked over me while I rolled across the earth. I quickly looked back to assess its effect.
The wind spell zoomed past, hurtling toward someone’s home and obliterating the wall.
Crumble, crumble.
Falling bricks echoed in the dark of night, a raucous noise filled with chaos.
It was a lethal spell. She must have been quite angry. Normally, non-lethal spells are the basics when dealing with human-like opponents.
I kept low and burst forward, sprinting toward the green magical girl.
“Eh? Don’t come any closer!” She aimed her wand at me, charging it with mana.
If that spell hit me, I would definitely suffer a critical injury.
But she was too late.
Her aim was perfect, and she charged her mana at lightning speed. This was the kind of talent one would expect from a magical girl nearing the climax of her story.
If it had been a normal day, such agility would have helped her avoid the pinch she was in… had it not been for me.
With a swift motion, I adjusted my grip on my crowbar and prepared to swing.
The magically savvy girl managed to dodge, but that was precisely what I wanted—she lost her balance.
I seized the chance, lodging my crowbar against the back of her knee, thwack.
Her stance toppled like a house of cards.
“Kyah!” She began to fall backward, and as she did, her errant spell veered skyward.
Pshhhhh.
With that delightful sound of magic dissipating, the spell vanished into thin air.
I seized the moment, stepping forward and placing my foot on her abdomen before stomping down with fervor.
Her soft flesh squished under me, reverberating like a rubber ball.
“Why the hell are you doing this to me?!” she screamed.
It felt awful, but… what could I do? This was the road I had chosen.
I continued to watch her with cold, unblinking eyes.
Nothing personal. She just happened to catch my attention first. Pure coincidence made her the unfortunate target of my punishment.
I had no clue who she was, but given her mention of ‘The Four Heavenly Kings,’ it’s clear she was skilled and experienced.
That corpse I’d left behind was just one of her earlier opponents after a whack from my crowbar.
But the fact remained—she was weak.
Sure, she could cast spells quickly, but in a crisis, she crumpled under pressure.
Was she really a hero at her story’s end?
Clench.
A sudden flash of heat and blinding light snapped me from my thoughts.
“You let your guard down!” A bright light erupted from the brooch on her clothes, striking me.
Great. A hero always has a trick or two up their sleeve, but… how predictable.
“What…?” Her face twisted in fright.
The light coursed through me, yes, but all it damaged were my funeral blacks—the fabric now torn, revealing clean skin beneath.
“Here’s a piece of advice: Magical girls can’t harm one another with spells. They can only heal each other or pass on their powers.”
In a time where no one thought to rebel against their fate, that was information modern heroes wouldn’t know.
“Are you a magical girl too? Then why are you—”
“For justice.” Those words didn’t quite fit me, yet I said them anyway. It was a relief that my face still resembled that of a little girl.
“I won’t kill you, but…” I raised my crowbar.
The magical girl beneath my foot looked pale as her gaze flickered between me and the crowbar, bewildered.
‘You were just unlucky.’
I brought the crowbar down.
“Ahhhhhhhhhh!” Her scream sliced through the night.
I started with her right arm, slamming the crowbar onto it again and again until it bent in a way it clearly shouldn’t.
Next up: the left arm.
Crack.
Bones snapped, and I could feel how my blunt weapon pulverized her skin and flesh.
It should be noted, I didn’t particularly feel anything. This wasn’t my first dicing with a blunt object after all.
Yet with the crowbar, the impact felt sharper and more detailed than when I hit with a hammer; perhaps because it was forged from a solid piece of steel.
“Please don’t kill me! Please don’t kill me! Please don’t kill me!” Her mind fractured, the magical girl resorted to repeating hollow phrases.
‘If you’re pleading, then you’re asking the wrong thing. I’m not going to kill you, nor do I plan to inflict permanent damage.’
Well, it depended on whether she’d continue as a hero or not. Just as I was about to leave, another thought graced my mind.
‘Maybe I should break one more thing, just to be safe?’
That was my first incident after all. If I didn’t do enough harm, there was a chance this wouldn’t be reported.
“I’m just going to break one more,” I declared.
“Please don’t kill me…” Her voice grew feebler, as if just speaking drained her energy. I realized I had no idea when she’d quieted down; I hadn’t been listening.
Her right calf… damaging it would mean minimal injuries and little muscle damage.
Crack.
“Ahhhhhh!” Another bone snapped.
Ignoring her piercing shriek, I pulled her to a standing position. What would be the best way to deliver my message?
Initially, I had thought about making her inform others personally, but her current state indicated she wouldn’t remember a thing.
Glancing around, I spotted debris from the wall that had fallen earlier; magically cut pieces that were flat would make an excellent canvas.
This is where I’d write.
Clutching the end of my crowbar, I carefully engraved my thoughts into the rubble.
The sorrow from losing my friend…
My resentment toward the organization…
My outrage at society…
[Those who have never faced true hardship have no right to call themselves heroes. A hero must uphold their own justice.]
After etching it into a rock slab, I pressed it into the magical girl’s limp hand. She lacked the strength to hold it tightly. Her body trembled, tears streaming down her cheeks. The stone slipped from her grasp, rolling away.
Though it strayed from my original intentions, I felt confident no one would steal that rock from her.
Before I departed, I took one last look at her.
Her deadened eyes, unable to focus; her limbs twisted at unnatural angles; the remnants of tears etched on her face…
The bruises left by my crowbar.
Despite everything, her right hand still clutched tightly to her wand.
Was it fear or a desperate grasp on her identity’s last remnant?
I couldn’t know, so I simply walked away, hoping she could overcome the trial and emerge as a new hero.
*
“I’m back.”
“Welcome back~.” The lazy voice of the white pig reached my ears. I suppose I should just be grateful he even responded.
As the furry ball rolled into the room, he looked up at me. “Don’t you think you left me alone for too long? I had a tough time since I had nothing to eat, poyo.”
I could already envision the room strewn with empty snack bags, but since it was my fault, I couldn’t rightfully blame him.
“Something about you… has changed…?” He scrutinized me from head to toe before inching closer, sniffing the air like a curious hound. “A seed of evil. The smell of corruption…”
Despite his pig-like appearance, he was still a mascot who caught on quickly.
“Don’t tell me…” he murmured. “Did you do something evil with your powers?”
I answered flatly, “I did. I’m back after beating another magical girl to a pulp.”
I walked calmly to the fridge to store away my groceries. Given how empty it was, everything fit in easily, and I could organize it later.
“You’re aware you shouldn’t be doing that!” protested the little furball.
“I know.” I immediately grabbed a can of beer from the fridge and plopped down on the couch. The refreshing cold against my skin was bliss.
A dull comedy show droned on from the television, filled with uninspired jokes that faded behind Unho’s voice. “You must repent! Promise yourself you won’t ever do that again! If you don’t…”
“Nope, I’m going to keep doing it.” I planned to keep at it until society started waking up, so the title of ‘hero’ wouldn’t degrade further.
The fidgety little white beast narrowed his eyes, his tone suddenly serious. “But don’t you already know the outcome of that?”
“…”
I understood what would follow—I would turn corrupt, becoming a shared enemy for all heroes, and they’d go to any lengths to strip me of my powers.
“No one can take my powers from me now,” I countered. “Don’t you already know? My essence has already changed.”
“Where did you hear that?” the furry asked.
“From the crazed magical girl.” I got it from one who’d turned corrupt, publicly designated as a target for all the heroes.
“Yet, becoming a common enemy is a different story! You can’t excuse that!”
“In the end, whatever will be will be.”
Public designation didn’t happen overnight; I had the time to prepare.
“Did something happen?”
“Why do you ask?”
“Because the partner I’ve known for 30 years, always filled with justice, is acting like this.”
Unho walked to the fridge, pulling out a beer. Watching the chubby little critter sip from the can as froth formed around his lips was oddly comical, yet I struggled not to smile.
“Are mascots allowed to drink?” I asked.
“What do rules matter when I’ve been out here for over 30 years?”
It was obvious he had no intention of reporting my actions outright.
“Donghoon is dead,” I suddenly mentioned.
“Who’s that?”
“You’ve seen him before too. The leader of the initial five-man Morphing Rangers.”
“Ah, the one who frequently brought me snacks.” It seemed even Unho retained some memories.
“He died in such an absurd manner…”
I spoke with my partner as we opened a few more cans of beer, sharing stories over bags of chips… Eventually, we sat down for a real meal.
“I get the gist of it,” Unho finally said after I explained everything.
“What do you plan to do?”
“I didn’t hear anything, and I didn’t see anything.”
“Got it.” In essence, his neutrality wouldn’t obstruct me. So now, I had no reason to kill my partner.
“However, I will give you a gift. Bring me the crowbar.” Was he feeling generous?
I walked over to the shoe rack and grabbed the crowbar I had leaned against it.
By the time I returned, Unho was already in a room, waiting by a glowing magic circle laid out on the ground.
“Place your weapon in the center of the magic circle.” His voice sounded formal, like someone addressing royalty, but with a hint of raw energy.
Following his orders, I placed the bloodied crowbar into the circle of magic.
“Gift strength to the magical girl striving for progress. Answer the call of the hero dedicated to restoring justice.”
A vast wave of mana surged from the circle and enveloped my crowbar. The storm of energy echoed through the room, akin to the wave I’d felt during my initial transformation.
Before I knew it, Unho had vanished, leaving me trapped within a tempest of energy.
The world melted away, just like during my first transformation into a magical girl. As the crimson crowbar ascended, a girl identical to me appeared, walking toward me.
“Is this the path you have chosen?” she inquired, glancing at the crowbar.
I nodded subtly.
She approached, grasped the crowbar, and stated, “The ritual is complete!”
In a heartbeat, the girl evaporated, and I found myself back in my room.
“Who was she?” I asked.
“Who? What are you talking about?”
Had Unho missed it? The whole experience mirrored the imprinting process I had undergone initially, suggesting she was my inner self.
Slowly, I reached out for the crowbar sprawled on the floor. “Nothing’s changed.”
“I don’t know the specifics of the changes…”
I ignored the still-useless little furball and swung the crowbar lightly, testing its capabilities. Although it moved through the air easily, I sensed no special qualities.
Nothing felt particularly stronger, nor did it seem imbued with unique abilities like I sensed with my hammer.
“I was a fool for trusting you.” What sort of power could a useless mascot, who lounges at home all day, really possess?
Just as I groaned at the thought, Unho suddenly shouted, “The mirror! The mirror!”
Why was he so frantic about finding a mirror?
“Your appearance changed, poyo!”
‘What?’
I dashed to the bathroom.
Black hair, black eyes, adorned with a frilled black dress and thin gloves… my face remained unchanged, yet my reflection bore no resemblance to what I usually saw.
“Huh?” I began feeling my body in disbelief. It was clear this wasn’t a mirage or a sensory overload.
“Is this… going to be permanent?”
Was it the crowbar’s doing? Releasing my grip on it, my dark hair gradually reverted back to silver.
The shimmering black dress faded into particles, carried away on the air, returning me to my usual, simple clothing.
“Is this a new transformation form…?”
Power-ups are common in the tales of magical girls, introducing new abilities and costumes. I never thought I would experience such a shift, especially given my lack of magic.
Testing my luck, I summoned my hammer once more. As I gripped it tightly, I reverted to my original magical girl attire.
What in the world was happening?
My site has received a lot of DMCA notices, lol. From now on, I will update the MTL on https://darkmtl.com/.
The site is fast and lightweight because there are no ads yet. However, the theme is different from Cybor-TL, so take some time to familiarize yourself.
Support me by donating at least $10, and you'll have the right to request any novel from Novelpia (excluding 19+ content) using a newly developed tool.