Chapter 147 – The Lord of Endless Evolution (7)
“Weakness leads to elimination. That is the law of nature. However, to overcome that, all life evolves.”
Inside a grim and creepy nest, Razak chuckled, making a grunting sound.
“And competition spurs evolution.”
“Are you really not going to succumb to her power now?”
“That’s right. It was a very good experience.”
Razak nodded in satisfaction, recalling all the measures he had taken to overcome Holy Power.
Holy Power was undeniably a very tricky force. It was the authority of transcendent beings ruling over a world. However, Razak was a being of a different world.
He saw Holy Power as just a complicated force, not a law in itself.
“Then… very well.”
Seirin clenched her fists. Having been reformed once again by Razak, strong anger and desire burned within her heart.
It was a quest for revenge for her fallen comrades and her own ugly defeat.
‘How long will I endure?’
Razak blinked as he watched Seirin leave.
After all, the Magical Girls were merely a temporary bridge to buy time. The true legion that Razak aimed to create had already been established from the start and had grown significantly.
“Is it really almost over?”
“Among the legion soldiers differentiated by characteristics and the resources used, the higher-tier ones are now being created. It’s sufficient.”
However, even Razak grumbled at the committee executives who kept pressuring him at every turn.
“But Chairman, we are short on numbers. If this continues, the one million legions ordered from above…”
“To create one million legion soldiers, you need one million people. You can’t seriously be considering that, can you?”
“Sorry, sorry.”
Chairman Zhao Zhirin frowned upon receiving the report. While Razak’s experiment itself was going smoothly, those providing resources to him had always been a headache.
Especially for the training of legion soldiers, who would follow the strict orders of the ‘Hive’ and throw away their own lives, resources needed were akin to strengthening Magical Girls using Magical Girls as sacrifices.
It meant using living people, as Razak’s training of legion soldiers involved injecting people with his essence to transform them into various types of legion soldiers.
They urged Razak for alternative methods, but he firmly denied it.
“It is said that different types require various essences. If they’re small, you need small children; if they’re large, you combine several into one. Creating one million might be impossible, but at the very least, we need to secure a majority. However… we can’t cause any more uproar domestically.”
Due to Shia’s previous ruckus, the international gaze was now focused on the inside.
In such a situation, large-scale human trafficking domestically was nearly impossible.
“…Use any means necessary to acquire essences inside and outside the country. Pay attention to the ratios. If we get caught domestically, we won’t be able to move so freely anymore.”
“Understood.”
Thus, they intended to shift the gaze outward. They planned to mobilize domestic and international crime organizations connected to them to kidnap people for experimentation.
Utilizing The One Road they had established to eliminate various Magical Girl-related crime organizations spread around the world had been preparation for this situation.
Of course, this could result in a backlash too immense to handle, even if they operated secretly.
Yet, they believed that if this project succeeded, they could win even if it meant waging war against the entire world.
“Bro, no matter what, there are eyes watching…”
“Hey, you think this is just about money? Our lives are on the line too.”
And the fallout soon manifested from every neighboring country.
As the transmission process exaggerated and distorted orders, small-time crime organizations panicked and scrambled to hurry up and kidnap people, fearing for their lives.
*
“Anyone? They offer more?”
“I reported as I heard it. Why, don’t you like it?”
“No, that’s not it.”
In a bustling restaurant at a lively resort, a couple of big men sat down, casually enjoying their meal.
A peculiar point was that the two leading the conversation had distinctly different appearances. One was evidently a local, while the other appeared somewhat exotic for the area.
“Honestly, I just can’t understand. That they don’t distinguish between men and women, young and old.”
“That’s not our concern.”
“That’s true.”
“So, are we doing it?”
“Of course.”
He smiled at the local, extending his hand for a handshake. It was akin to a kind of employer, promising a considerable amount of money for every person kidnapped.
“With that armored crazy girl barging in and disregarding everything, the Magical Girls probably lit up with anger. So be careful about that.”
“Of course.”
The local member offered a word of advice before walking off. He chuckled as he downed the remaining alcohol in his glass.
“What shall we do?”
“Paying the same price for everyone is a huge advantage. A 100kg muscled beast and that little kid will cost the same.”
His eyes twinkled. In his mind, he could clearly see himself sitting on a pile of money. Kidnapping people was something they had already done multiple times.
“Focus on the kids. Hit and run within 2-3 days.”
He instructed his ‘brothers’ accompanying him. Although this place was a famous tourist area, it was not free from crime.
“Look at that. There are a lot of police…”
“I heard it’s a bit chaotic, so they seem to be strict about tourist areas.”
A group of Koreans walked together in front of the bustling beach. Comprised of several children and adults, a middle-aged man with a protruding belly wore a hat and glanced around at the local police.
“They say the security outside tourist areas isn’t good. Especially now. What are the Magical Girls doing?”
Park Tae-jun quietly mumbled, having found more encounters with Magical Girls than with police by now.
“…The Magical Girls here seem to enjoy being under control. It has its pros and cons. The moment they’re controlled, they’re no longer Magical Girls. They’re just magical police.”
A girl with a bob cut walking beside Park Tae-jun scoffed as she replied, fully aware of how futile it was to control Magical Girls.
“What if the country told you to obey?”
“I’d quit. But that won’t happen.”
She answered without a hint of hesitation, causing the mascot, Ren, perched on her head, to flinch.
“Look over there!”
“It’s a Magical Girl!”
And at that moment, local Magical Girls soared through the air. Concealed and observing, they swiftly apprehended a pickpocket attempting to steal from a tourist’s bag.
Everyone around cheered and clapped. It seemed that the government’s planned display of improved security for tourists was proving effective.
“What about Soo-jung?”
“Looks like she’s sleeping in her room with the director.”
That evening, Lee Jin-ah and Park Tae-jun stayed at the accommodation with those who had gone to sleep early.
However, Kim Soo-jung’s friends, Park Ha-young and Oh Min-jung, had gone out with their parents. The adults were enjoying drinks while the children savored food.
In fact, Park Tae-jun was about to go too, but he rushed back in when Lee Jin-ah said she would stay.
“Care for a drink?”
“…Weren’t you done with that?”
Pulling a beer from the fridge, she giggled as Park Tae-jun clicked his tongue, shaking his head. Since that ‘day,’ he hadn’t touched alcohol at all.
Whether it was a joke or not, Lee Jin-ah put the drink back and instead took out some soda, and the two spent time together in the accommodation. Until late at night.
“Hey, guys. This feels wrong. No one is answering their phones.”
“You all stay here. I’ll go look for them. Jin-ah, keep an eye on things…”
What seemed like a peaceful trip gradually began to unravel with the silence of the people who had gone out.
Jang Woo-seok, with a face clouded with worry, had no choice but to leave the kids behind and go outside.
“Ah, it should be fine, right?”
“I don’t know. It could be just drunkenness, but there are kids involved, so it doesn’t add up. Sigh.”
In the moment that was left with just three, Kim Soo-jung and Park Tae-jun turned their gaze toward Lee Jin-ah, who was visibly sighing. They were the only ones who knew she was a Magical Girl in this world.
“What’s your plan? Are you going to step up? Honestly, you could probably intimidate the humans here.”
“Crazy. I’m not trying to stir the pot more.”
She shook her head at Ren’s comment. She genuinely didn’t want to transform.
However, ultimately, by the next morning, when Jang Woo-seok returned with a grim face declaring they should file a missing persons report, the situation began to spiral uncontrollably.
The shocked children, along with Lee Jin-ah, had grim expressions. For some reason, she felt as if incidents and accidents only followed her.
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