Chapter 165 – The Meaning of Strength (5)
“It ended up like this. I didn’t expect it to go this far, honestly.”
“Does it look serious? The news makes it seem like everything is still okay.”
In a small studio apartment in Seoul, Magical Girl Lina, whose real identity is the barista Kim Ji-hyun in her twenties, was tidying up her bedding on the floor. She sat on her bed in pajamas, hearing the mumblings of a girl watching TV.
The TV was continuously broadcasting breaking news. The neighboring country was on the brink of collapse overnight.
“The news made public is always a step behind. In reality, things are much worse. I can assure you this is a significant event that will affect the entire world.”
Lina watched footage of people engaging in fierce battles against horrifying monsters that looked like they crawled out of a horror movie, and despite her efforts to smile, the girl, Rene, remained visibly tense.
“W-well, can’t we be okay? There’s a sea in between, and North Korea is above us.”
“…The Earth society I’ve learned about isn’t that simple.”
Rene shook her head at Lina’s optimism. After living on Earth for a few months, she constantly reminded herself that her homeland, the Empire, and Earth were fundamentally different.
Earth was a far larger world compared to the Empire. It was delicate. Despite being fragmented into countless countries and ideologies, the influence these entities had on each other was tremendous.
“Earth is a developed world, and modern people are accustomed to it. Of course, there are many in poorer nations who don’t have that luxury, but they have no voice or power.”
“That much is true?”
“But those who possess power have a lower threshold than those who don’t. In such a world, chaos becomes your enemy…”
One of the most shocking realizations for Rene since arriving here was how high the standards for ‘prosperity’ or ‘happiness’ were among the people. Unlike the Empire’s citizens who felt happy as long as they weren’t starving, here, they invested a lot of emotion and effort into accumulating wealth and social status.
As a result, they were weak against external stimuli. Even a slight drop in stocks or a minor crisis would send the entire society into a frenzy.
‘Am I even qualified to say this?’
As Rene explained and mentioned chaos, she bitterly smiled inside. Her spouse and benefactor was the very embodiment of chaos.
“I don’t think of it as a bad thing. That’s how they progress and circulate.”
Rene unconsciously compared the two worlds of the Empire and Earth. Although it was impossible, she believed that if she were to rule the Empire, it would be better to break away from the existing norms.
“So what you’re saying is, the situation in China right now will have a significant impact on us?”
“The repercussions might be even more severe than the aftermath of a war.”
Rene nodded. The tighter the connections, the more damage all would sustain if one part was harmed.
“I will go to the Frontier.”
In that moment, Rene transformed, biting her lip as she watched the TV, which was broadcasting live footage of the imminent apocalypse.
Standing proudly with her flowing black hair, she was the Magical Girl Takilas, protecting the people.
“Then should we step up?”
“…It’s an individual choice.”
Rene shook her head at Lina’s question. She had no intention of forcing the actions of Casilena, who was bound by personal convictions.
As a princess, she thought it was only natural to conscript people during emergencies, but as a magical girl, she would never forcibly push those who followed her into the pit of death.
“We’ve gathered to protect the world and maintain order. If those monsters truly aim to destroy the world, then naturally, we’ll fight.”
Just then, as Rene prepared to leave, Lina smiled faintly and spoke. Upon hearing those words, Rene instinctively chuckled, sensing what was to come.
“A highly confidential report delivered to the president today stated there’s almost no chance of suppression in this situation. To stop the massacres and deal with the multiplying monsters, external intervention is absolutely necessary.”
“I heard all the representatives there are dead.”
“According to intelligence, they were betrayed. By the very monsters they attempted to control.”
Inside the Frontier, Lee Min-hyung met with Rene privately. The reason was obviously due to the appearance of Razak’s army in the world.
“As it stands, we’ve been managing with forces spread across various regions. But as you know, with that catastrophic internal collapse, we can’t hold on much longer with all those refugees. At this rate, China will completely collapse, the land will be devastated, and it will become a horrifying world ruled by monsters.”
“If that’s the case, the crux is…”
“…We reported that the influence of the repercussions could impact the entire world, and currently, we’ve unanimously decided to deploy UN forces and simultaneously gather the magical girls.”
He sighed as he reached the main point.
“Naturally, we won’t forcibly send the magical girls. We will welcome those who volunteer.”
“We need to explain the gravity of the crisis clearly.”
Rene let out a slight chuckle at the expected answer. She didn’t outright reject the thought of gathering magical girls; she was just worried.
“You called me separately, which means you want me to mobilize those who follow me.”
“There’s no other choice.”
He bowed his head deeply. Although he wouldn’t force, persuasion was still necessary.
‘Given her personality, there’s a chance she might refuse. I shouldn’t expect too much, should I?’
Lee Min-hyung thought that Rene wouldn’t listen to him. It was war—a war against monsters. He was aware of her tendency to keep her distance from the government, wanting nothing to do with it.
“I’ll have a talk.”
“Is that really so?”
“Skipping through it will only lead to more pain.”
But contrary to his expectations, she accepted the offer. His eyes widened at the mention of greater suffering.
“If that’s the case, what will you do?”
“I’ll participate as well.”
Surprisingly, she mentioned that she would take action herself. He was taken aback and fell silent, but in truth, Rene had her own purpose.
‘Takilas.’
Takilas was still in that location. It had been a while since she had seen her, and she intended to find her there.
*
“Over here! There are more people!”
“We need help! We’re trapped under rubble!”
While the world’s nations sensed the crisis and hurried to act,
“This is why I keep asking when we’ll find that bastard Razak.”
Takilas grumbled, furrowing her brow.
As she pointed one hand that emerged from her skirt pocket, swirling shadows began to move chaotically, seeping into the wreckage of collapsed buildings.
“Run for your lives!”
“Impossible.”
Moments later, the debris of the collapsed building began to shake and shift, and one by one, people began to emerge from the shadowy tentacles that pulled them to safety.
The number of people she had directly rescued in this manner had already surpassed hundreds.
“It’s dangerous. They’re ahead!”
At that moment, the monsters revealed themselves. Their humanoid shapes evolved over generations, discarding any semblance of humanity and transforming into true monsters wielding tentacles and armored shells.
“Where do you think you’re going?”
She sent shadows to eliminate the monsters and effortlessly killed one that managed to dodge her attack with a whip strike, smashing it against a nearby building.
The sheer number of monsters Takilas had killed was already in the hundreds, indirectly saving even more people in the process.
“Just hang in there a little longer. Support will surely arrive, so you need to endure until then.”
“My body is only one! It’s like pouring water into a bottomless pit.”
As the rescue team moved to evacuate the people, Takilas, arms crossed, shook her head at Ren’s statement. She was convinced that just saving people and eliminating monsters here and there wouldn’t solve the root problem.
“O-over there!”
“…What is it?”
Suddenly, a child of her age rushed towards her while fleeing under the direction of soldiers. It was so sudden that those who were quietly observing froze in shock.
“Thank you for saving me.”
“You’ve got a good attitude. But if everyone insists on saying thank you one by one, that’ll be a hassle, so let’s skip the pleasantries from now on.”
With a light smile, she waved her hand, dismissing the child. Whenever this happened, Takilas felt a strange sensation stirring within her, and she absentmindedly shuffled her feet on the ground.
“Many people have judged you to be a bad and ruthless dictator. But you’re definitely different.”
“Is everything done?”
Just then, the armored magical girl Shia approached, looking somewhat weary and pale.
“I mean it.”
“Is that right? I’m someone who doesn’t fit the order you seek at all.”
“…You could say my heart has changed that much.”
Shia’s eyes held a depth that wasn’t there before. It was a stark contrast to the wild days when she had first come to Earth, advocating justice according to the laws of the Celestial Realm.
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