Chapter 113 – The Unbending Flower (3)
The sky is clear and the breeze is cool. Regardless of what has happened, people just continue on with their lives.
The world doesn’t change that easily. It doesn’t stop so easily either.
No matter who fights or dies where and how, it was hard to say that death had any intrinsic meaning from the very beginning.
What makes it possible, in the end, is power. Only strong power. Such were her thoughts.
And that’s why she dragged her battered body here.
” Eun-seo…!”
Oh Yoon-seo gasped in horror at the sight of Ha Eun-seo and tried to rush over. But Jeon So-hyun grabbed her.
There was no other reason. It was merely her own intuition.
“Why, why is this happening?!”
“Calm down for a moment. Something feels off.”
Panicking, Oh Yoon-seo struggled, but Jeon So-hyun wouldn’t let go of her arm.
In the meantime, the security cameras showed security personnel rushing towards Ha Eun-seo.
“…!”
“Oh my.”
Everyone was shocked as the next scene unfolded. In an instant, Ha Eun-seo—no, Magical Girl Aria—defeated the security agents with a swift blow, sending them into unconsciousness.
And she began to walk forward, just as she was.
Passing the security cameras and startling the employees, she continued on.
They began to realize where Aria was headed.
“W-Why is she coming this way…?”
“It’s clear she’s aiming for that. More importantly, you didn’t tell Aria about that, did you?!”
Without the luxury of being shocked by the revelation that Ha Eun-seo was Aria, Jeon So-hyun pointed to the inner sanctum of the Smalillian.
Above all, it was a mystery how Aria—who had been out of contact for so long—knew about such classified information.
“The mascot…!”
Oh Yoon-seo successfully made a deduction. If she heard information from another magical girl’s mascot through a fairy world company, it wasn’t impossible.
“W-What do we do now…?”
“Stay calm. For reasons we don’t know, we have to stop her!”
Oh Yoon-seo couldn’t easily shake off her shock. She couldn’t accept that Aria, whom she had always trusted and followed, was now charging in here with a near-manic intensity.
‘It’s my fault. If I had given her clearer answers, maybe Eun-seo wouldn’t have been so shaken…’
Guilt stabbed at her heart.
After Aria developed a strong personal belief—one heavily influenced by herself—Oh Yoon-seo treated Aria like a full-grown adult.
In reality, Aria had become a strong force based on her exceptional mental fortitude and had been a great help to the Management Bureau.
But that strength and conviction, as sturdy as they were, could also easily break.
The hurricane of Takilas and the storm of Rene came one after another, stirring her up and shaking her. And during that process, Oh Yoon-seo, her guardian and adult figure, couldn’t offer much help to Aria, who was struggling.
In that situation, the thing that shattered Aria’s already precarious heart was none other than the cruel reality.
“I don’t think we can stop her! She seems to be seriously injured, but she’s an S-rank magical girl. We absolutely cannot match her with our current power…”
“I’ll try to stop her. I wish I could just talk, but I’m not sure that’ll work.”
The facility staff gathered in front of the elevator—the only entrance—to stop Aria, who was heading here without any resistance.
However, the people here were just researchers and managers. There were no weapons or fighters, and eventually, Jeon So-hyun stepped up.
“I’ll try to talk to her.”
At that moment, Oh Yoon-seo, barely recovering from her shock, grabbed Jeon So-hyun’s arm. Seeing her desperate face, Jeon So-hyun swallowed her words and bit her lip.
“If anything goes wrong, we need to stop her by any means necessary. That’s definitely not a weak power.”
Jeon So-hyun glanced back. That inner sanctum clearly housed powerful energy. But she didn’t think an ordinary magical girl could handle the legacy left behind by the lord of despair and hatred who had dealt significant blows to countless people.
Even if she were an S-rank magical girl.
“The elevator is coming down. What should we do? If we can stop it mid-way, help will arrive.”
“…Then try to cut it off.”
One of the managers came up with a plan. After all, all they needed to do was buy time. Eventually, at Oh Yoon-seo’s decision, the power to the elevator was cut, and it froze in mid-air.
“This is…”
But Aria didn’t give up. The sounds of explosions and crashes echoed through the corridor. Something fell heavily to the ground, creating chaos.
Soon, a cloud of dust began seeping through the tight gap of the elevator doors. No one relaxed.
“Aria!”
At that moment, a loud bang resonated as the thick metal door crumpled like a fist. Following that, Aria inserted her fingers into the twisted gap and forcibly pried the door open.
Jeon So-hyun shouted, but it was as if Aria didn’t hear her, as she successfully smashed and tore the doors apart.
And there she was—blood-soaked, battered magical girl, her scarlet eyes gleaming through the smoke and darkness.
“The Smalillian’s inner sanctum. The one that holds strong power. I have to consume it.”
“No! No, Eun… Aria, this isn’t right. More than anything, you’re in danger.”
Stumbling forward, murmuring absentmindedly, Aria stood before Oh Yoon-seo, who stepped up as planned. With all her might, Oh Yoon-seo tried to persuade Aria, but her voice didn’t reach the empty-looking Aria.
“I can only become stronger if I consume that.”
“Why have you changed like this?”
Ultimately, unable to keep still, Jeon So-hyun interjected. From her perspective, she couldn’t comprehend what was happening.
The Ha Eun-seo she remembered would have been the kind of model student who would speak her mind, even if a knife was thrust into her neck.
“Changed?”
Upon hearing those words, Aria faintly smiled.
“It’s not a change. It’s an awakening. The true definition of justice.”
“True justice…?”
“Strength is the truth.”
Aria spoke as if chewing on those words. Everyone was taken aback by her response. The thoughts she displayed were entirely different from her usual emphasis on order.
Moreover, the idea that strength is everything was a philosophy that stood in stark contrast to what she had always opposed.
“You…what on earth…”
“I’m not wrong. This world flows like that. Or perhaps, this world has always been like this. It’s not that justice and order are trampled by power; it’s that strength is justice and order.”
Shaking her head, Aria wiped the blood flowing down her face and clenched her bloodied fist.
“So get out of my way. I won’t hesitate anymore.”
“Aria. If you just tell me what happened…”
“Just be quiet, Supervisor. If it weren’t for you, things wouldn’t have been this hard.”
With her intentions transcending beyond mere will, Aria displayed a murderous aura. Oh Yoon-seo tried to speak again, but this time, Aria snarled, baring her teeth at her.
Startled, Oh Yoon-seo trembled as she stepped back.
Seeing this, Jeon So-hyun seethed with anger.
“I thought you were somewhat well-mannered towards adults, but now you’re just being rude, huh?”
“If you want to stop me, I’ll break through.”
Neither party would budge. Jeon So-hyun was determined to stop her friend, while Aria was set on breaking through, ready to genuinely punch each other.
‘Can I win?’
Despite glaring at her opponent with fiery eyes, Jeon So-hyun calculated several scenarios in her mind.
Honestly, the match-up wasn’t favorable. The power of the flame she possessed was effective against darkness and demons, but it was difficult to see results against an ordinary person.
In the midst of it all, Aria had overwhelming personal training and combat experience. No matter how injured she was, Jeon So-hyun was caught off guard by Aria in an instant.
“You’re seriously…”
With a breath away, Jeon So-hyun barely dodged Aria’s knuckle. It was a light jab, but if it had connected, her bones would’ve shattered.
“Hrrrk!”
With her mouth tightly shut, Aria shone only her eyes as she unleashed a flurry of punches. Jeon So-hyun released a large amount of flame, using the recoil to barely avoid the blows.
“Tsk, the opponent really isn’t favorable. I’m still unstable, but it can’t be helped. Make a bead. I’ll help you.”
Looking down at Jeon So-hyun sprawled on the ground, Gabi clicked her tongue and infused her foxfire into Jeon So-hyun’s body.
‘It’s coming.’
Receiving that power, Jeon So-hyun gritted her teeth and summoned her strength. It wasn’t just a simple manipulation of fire magic; it was a unique art practiced by Gabi’s clan, the Fox Brigade.
With Gabi’s power augmenting her still-incomplete strength, it blazed fiercely.
‘…I’ll finish this quickly.’
Seeing that, Aria decided to wrap things up swiftly and stomped the ground. She intended to kick Jeon So-hyun, who was still down, into unconsciousness.
“!”
But that kick was blocked. With an eruption of blue flames, a single bushy black tail intercepted Aria’s attack.
“Fox.”
For the first time, Aria’s eyes wavered. Nine tails undulated chaotically, clearly sprouting from Jeon So-hyun’s rear.
“This time will be different?!”
Jeon So-hyun exploded with her powers, stomping the ground. Not only her tails manifested, but sharp canines, claws, and fox ears twitched on her head.
Temporarily, Jeon So-hyun had created a fox bead and transformed into a Yokai.
“Haah!”
Both the main body and the nine tails swung out in an assault. The opponent had to fend off ten different strikes at once.
And Aria couldn’t block them all.
She allowed several hits, causing her to bleed and tumble to the ground. The crunching sounds were undoubtedly from her already-weakened bones snapping further.
‘Kugh, please get a grip.’
Jeon So-hyun grimaced as she looked at her bloodied hands. She didn’t want to fight anymore. She wished only for Aria to regain her senses.
“I…will never…”
But the tragic reality was that Aria, at that moment, was clearer in her mind than anyone else.
“Ha. How can that girl keep moving? Her bones are breaking, her muscles tearing, how does she endure the pain?”
Gabi, who had always grumbled about Jeon So-hyun’s lack of tenacity, was genuinely amazed as Aria managed to rise again and take her stance. She looked battered, as if a gentle push would send her toppling, yet Jeon So-hyun gritted her teeth.
“That incredible mental strength. Please, use it for something else!”
Finally, with a near-screaming voice full of desperation, the two collided once more. Jeon So-hyun unleashed a series of strikes for simultaneous damage.
“Ugh…”
However, this time, Aria successfully dodged every single blow by a hair’s breadth. Still inexperienced, her attack patterns were fixed, and Aria had embossed them into her body from just one observation.
As Aria’s kick embedded into Jeon So-hyun’s body, Gabi clenched her eyes shut.
“Don’t! Stop!”
“It’s no use.”
As Jeon So-hyun coughed up blood and clutched her stomach, seeing this, other staff members rushed over with whatever they could grab.
But Aria unleashed a gust of wind mixed with her blood and sent them tumbling.
The dual and triple security measures that were supposed to be safe from bombs and collapses ultimately shattered under the concentrated power of Aria’s fist.
Just like the logic she had come to embody about strength, every defensive measure was rendered powerless by raw power.
“Let go of that.”
“No! I absolutely won’t let you go down this path!”
Just before Aria seized the Smalillian’s inner sanctum, she quietly addressed Oh Yoon-seo who was dangling from her arm. But Oh Yoon-seo refused to let go.
“…It doesn’t matter. You can’t stop me anyway.”
Aria, with one arm dangling Oh Yoon-seo, reached for the inner sanctum. Ignoring Oh Yoon-seo’s horrified shouts to stop, she placed it in her mouth and chewed.
“Aah…”
Oh Yoon-seo sighed as she watched the injuries on Aria’s arm heal instantly in real-time.
“Ha, haha.”
In that moment, Aria unintentionally laughed. The overwhelming power she had never experienced before surged from within her. The despair and hatred that Aria had held now turned into power that erupted forth.
Aria laughed while crying. Blood tears flowed from her twisted eyes that were both smiling and weeping.
“Aria…Aah!”
Both Oh Yoon-seo and the mascot Lulu were hurled back, rolling on the ground from the released power.
A magical girl who absorbed the power of a monster at least at a certain magnitude. One of the few fallen magical girls in the history of the fairies awakened with an explosive power.
“…Well. Are you satisfied now? You’ve grown stronger, and you want to exercise that right?”
It was then that she appeared.
From the ruins of the elevator, Takilas approached slowly with a genuinely sorrowful frown.
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