Chapter 151 – Evolving Justice (1)
“The law of the heavens is absolute and eternal.”
“Nothing can defy the heavens.”
“Even if it’s the Demon King, in the end, they are just beings under the heavens.”
In an instant, Shia recalled the words of her mentor and the priests who taught her. Their teachings all converged into one point.
That nothing can go against the laws of heaven. Therefore, it was only natural that evil could not dare to confront the holy flames of divine power, which would purify it.
But at this moment, she was stunned, as if her common sense—or rather, the world itself—was crumbling.
“Snap out of it!”
It was then that Tigger slapped her sharply on the cheek. Startled, she was finally able to return to reality.
“You usually fight like you own the place, but why in this critical moment are you zoning out?”
“B-but the divine power…”
“What of it? Surely the enemies have some hidden trump card. Remember, this isn’t ‘the world you lived in.’ There are countless things you don’t know!”
Tigger repeatedly slapped her cheek. Only after hearing the words ‘another world’ did she finally regain her composure.
“Right. This is another world. Perhaps… a place where even the powers of Heaven may not reach.”
As her clenched teeth loosened, Shia’s eyes regained their clarity.
“That’s why this place needs the laws of heaven to be widely known!”
With her resolve gathered, a more radiant light burst forth from her body, creating a beacon against the dark night sky.
Seirin and Aria, who were locked in fierce battle, flinched at the sudden brightness.
“You…”
“I am the embodiment of evil and strong foes. I also have personal grudges, so I’ll take care of this.”
Aria jolted when Shia grasped her shoulder and pulled her back. Shia infused Aria with warm divine power, healing her wounds.
“Are you really okay?”
“Of course.”
Moreover, she smiled in response to Aria’s concern. But feeling the intense aura emanating from her smile, Aria swallowed hard and nodded.
“Then I’ll fight alongside the others.”
“Please do so.”
Aria glanced at the magical girls from the United States engaged in battle around them. In worry that Aria might get entangled, Shia quickly distanced her.
“Have we said all that needs to be said? If so, you better brace yourselves. Your tricks won’t work anymore.”
“It’s not tricks—it was a sacred judgment. The fact that divine power reacts is evidence that you are evil.”
Seirin, waiting for Aria to leave, pointed a scythe toward Shia. However, Shia only laughed derisively at Seirin.
“Keep pretending to be relaxed. That power won’t work on me anymore!”
“That doesn’t matter. Even if you manage to dodge the sacred judgment by some tricks, the important thing is that evil must be judged.”
With unwavering resolve, Shia aimed Sacred Sword Radiance at Seirin, looking completely regained in her conviction. Seirin flinched involuntarily at that sight.
“I will fight. That’s all there is to it. Are you afraid?”
“Not at all! Today, I will definitely kill you, you crazy angel!”
Showing her teeth, Seirin erupted in anger and dashed forward. Hundreds of meters above the West Sea, SS-tier magical girls collided head-on.
“Ha! Look! You’re not so special either!”
Seirin swung her scythe widely. The sacred sword wrapped in divine power was momentarily pushed back by the scythe’s force.
As the significant advantage of divine power began to dissipate, Seirin’s wildly rampaging strength slightly exceeded Shia’s.
“Die!”
Seirin’s scythe grazed Shia’s shoulder, creating a shockwave with an earth-shattering sound that shattered her scapula.
However, at that moment, Shia crossed her wings, infused with divine power, and slashed them like swords, hitting both sides of Seirin simultaneously.
If things continued like this, Seirin’s body would be bisected by the crossing wings.
“Ugh, aaaargh!”
“!”
But Seirin did not fall. Shia’s eyes widened in disbelief as she noticed that even when inflicted with injury, Seirin remained unyielding.
“You… have you given up on being human too?”
“I’ve decided to risk everything to kill you. Shut up.”
The strike that Shia unleashed sliced through the air and created rough waves on the surface, but her eyes shook violently. In contrast, Seirin gazed at Shia with unflinching, fiery eyes.
Shia’s wings were held back by two scythes. Clearly, Seirin had struck Shia’s shoulder using both hands to grip the scythe; thus, she needed a third hand to hold it.
Indeed, thin, black arms resembling spider legs protruded from Seirin’s back, each clutching a scythe.
“Now, you really die.”
Three scythes swung, producing three slashing strikes. Startled by the shocking scene she never anticipated, Shia was exposed to the assault.
“Ah, no!”
Tigger screamed, but it was already too late. The armor enveloping her shattered into pieces, splattering blood everywhere as her body convulsed. Raising her hands in a futile defense, she lost one arm to the onslaught instead of being torn apart.
Shia fell into the dark sea, having lost an arm and the Sacred Sword.
‘Is this what true evil looks like?’
As she sank into the cold depths, Shia stared blankly at the surface. Flashbacks flickered through her mind—days spent nurturing steadfast faith as a saint.
Yet, ultimately, she realized she had been a frog in a well, as there were things in this world that surpassed her imagination.
She began to understand why Asmael had sent her here. Only now did she grasp how shallow her faith truly was.
‘I hope the next great saint… realizes that fact quickly.’
As the light from the surface became barely visible, her eyes slowly closed.
‘Hero…!’
But at that moment, she widened her eyes in surprise. Someone was diving in, swimming towards her at breakneck speed.
The figure was Aria. Bleeding from various scrapes, Aria grabbed Shia by the scruff and propelled them both up towards the surface.
“Gulp! Ugh…”
Afterwards, both of their heads broke the surface. Shia and Aria coughed, spitting out salty water.
“You said you were okay…”
“Get out of here quickly! That monster is beyond imagination!”
“I can’t run away like this!”
Aria shouted at Shia, who was urging her to flee. Shia, water dripping from her wet face, was taken aback and fell silent.
“…I’ve already learned how to confront great foes. The mountain I must overcome is nothing compared to that. If I can’t even conquer this, how could I surpass it?”
Aria frowned and hung her head. The path she chose was nearly impossible. To walk that path, she had to move forward.
‘Hero!’
And that determination strongly shook Shia’s heart. A true hero, battling against the impossible. Just as Takilas had already recognized Shia’s qualifications as a hero, she now genuinely realized it too.
“Take this… the Sacred Sword. Even if the enemy is immune to divine power, this sword is solely meant to slay the Demon King. It can deliver the final blow.”
Shia offered the Sacred Sword back to her. However, Aria shook her head.
“You swing it yourself. You can use it with your left arm too, right?”
“B-but the Sacred Sword belongs to the hero!”
“Then you be the hero.”
Shia was taken aback, but Aria was resolute.
“There are no roles when you decide to fight. Am I a hero? You’re a hero too. I’ve seen you risk your life to fight.”
She grabbed Shia’s shoulders and shook her. Shia could only mumble, unable to say anything. All rules and common sense were collapsing around them. This was no different.
“Let’s go. Together.”
‘Huh…’
Seeing Aria’s unwavering resolve, Shia blankly nodded. Simultaneously, she felt it clearly.
‘This is the person.’
This is the person she, a saint, would stand by for the rest of her life.
*
“Did we capture them all?”
“No, the most troublesome one seems dead.”
On their warship, Seirin shook her head. Attached to the pair of arms protruding from her back were two magical girls who were beaten to the point their faces were unrecognizable.
Seirin casually tossed them onto the deck. The other magical girls subdued by everyone else were also unconscious, having been pumped with sleep gas before they had any chance to transform.
“Anyway, we handled things as planned, so let’s head back.”
They soon turned the bow of the ship towards their homeland. With their success, they planned to return and swap with the others.
“Wait.”
However, just as Seirin was about to withdraw her arms and take a rest, something caught her attention.
“Enemies! The hull…”
“Came flying out of the water!”
At that moment, something emerged from the surface, smashing into their ship and soaring into the sky. Regardless of the commotion around them, Seirin’s eyes gleamed as she watched.
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