Chapter 162 – The Meaning of Strength (2)
“You’re planning to arm the untouchable saints to use them as weapons against magical girls… Do you think this statement makes any sense?”
I spoke to those beyond Lin, who were definitely watching the situation. Ultimately, the crux of the matter was them.
“Don’t be arrogant. You can’t dominate good, evil, or anything else.”
“Ahhhhhh!”
I activated a rather bothersome and labor-intensive spell. It was a sealing spell, adapted from the illusionary barrier that Rene often used.
Literally speaking, it separates a small space from reality. The moment the magic was realized, Lin vanished right before my eyes.
“What… what just happened?”
“I didn’t touch her, so it doesn’t matter. She’s just trapped in a separate space and can come out soon.”
Ren, flustered, darted his gaze around, but I only gave him a vague explanation. Honestly, there were plenty of ways to deal with this. If I kept engaging with Lin, who was slowly succumbing to corruption, she would eventually be subdued by my hand, and since she was still just a kid, it would have been easy to scare her with words and threats.
“I didn’t want to go that far.”
“Why not? You’ve killed for just following someone else’s orders.”
“She isn’t an adult. She didn’t have a choice in this.”
I had always judged my enemies based on their beliefs and choices. Those who followed orders out of necessity knew deep down that those orders were iffy, yet they made excuses and followed them as their own choice.
Similarly, even if they were a little younger, I had mercilessly killed some magical girls who fought alongside the enemies out of their own will.
“Maybe others will believe it, but I’m not a massacre fiend.”
“…Considering what will happen next, it might be harder for you to think that way.”
Passing through the horrific scene, I walked towards their secret bunker. Ren’s words were not wrong.
I will kill all the humans who led this incident. My mood had soured considerably.
“But maybe I won’t even need to do anything.”
Their main base was already being ravaged. It seemed they no longer had any power to stop Aria and Shia, whom I had sent ahead.
*
“Is it really necessary to kill? Shia!”
“Hero! Judgment against evil must always be merciless and relentless. Human desire is like weeds; unless you remove the root, which is the heart, it keeps growing. Therefore, at the very least, we must instill fear.”
Inside the headquarters of the Revolutionary Committee that had teamed up with Razak to gain dominance in the world. They had mobilized almost all their resources to stop Takilas, but now they had no resources left.
In that situation, Shia rampaged, unleashing judgmental light on everyone visible. It was an indiscriminate assault that even surprised Aria.
“Stop it… at least until reinforcements arrive!”
Desperately resisting, they were only waiting for the armies summoned from various places and support from other branches.
However, coming this far before even a night had passed since Takilas’s first appearance left them with far too little time.
“That’s a legion soldier.”
As they seamlessly breached the facility’s interior, an entity appeared before them that could at least be called an enemy.
A mysterious creature resembling a person in a black suit, wielding weapons like swords with four arms. It was one of the results born from modifying a living human with Razak’s essence, among those who had rushed Takilas only to be wiped out in one sweep.
“Korean magical girl Aria… Even if Takilas is one thing, you’re already working with the Korean government. I understand that the Korean government desires war!”
“…That shouldn’t be the case. The place where Takilas resides is exactly there. Are you confident?”
“Wha… what?!”
The researcher standing behind Razak’s legionnaire warned them with a trembling voice, but Aria only smiled bitterly.
“I understand now. The true ‘strategic weapon’ that you so desperately wanted is, after all, Takilas. And you plan to attack the very place where Takilas resides? While you may bear the responsibility for that, it will ultimately lead to the annihilation of the rulers of this land as well.”
“T-That…”
The mention of the land’s rulers, referring to the upper class, made the researcher’s eyes shake violently.
From the moment she began to move alongside Takilas, Aria gained strong conviction in her actions.
If Takilas found out, it was smart enough to make one’s tongue wag in disbelief.
“Since we’re in such a complicated and uncomfortable situation, let’s stop thinking that way. Instead, let’s end this the simpler way and take responsibility.”
With claws gleaming on her hands, Aria passed by Shia, who stood in front of her with a sacred sword. Her intention was simple. To settle the matter here and end it cleanly.
The opponent had no choices left.
“Damn it! Go, Chaser Beta! Kill the enemy!”
In the end, he commanded the legion soldiers to attack Aria. She did not retreat and charged forward.
“As expected.”
And Shia watched from behind with a small smile. She was certain that Aria, who had awakened and led her, was the true hero who could maintain order.
…
“The practical support will take more time to arrive, comrade.”
“Is that so?”
“Yes. The ‘last essence’ left by Razak.”
In the command center, where Zhao Zhirin remained alone, observing numerous screens displaying the crumbling reality, she looked at O Insun, who approached her.
O Insun held an unidentified black sphere in her hands.
“If I had a bit more time… No, if I had carried out the plan a bit more thoroughly.”
He shook his head with a sigh. The most significant mistake was acting hastily under multi-faceted pressure. And the origin of all this was Takilas, and it would also be Takilas that would end it.
“Is this even reasonable? Where exactly does that devil’s end lie? Is there truly a limit to that power?”
“Our assumption was wrong. Until now, she has never fought with her full strength.”
In response to his hollow mumbling, O Insun replied with a flat expression. In fact, their true downfall stemmed from just one thing. The depth of the power of their opponent resembled an endless abyss—boundless and unfathomable.
No matter how they attacked, Takilas easily countered with even greater strength.
An unstoppable natural disaster against humanity’s power. Takilas was already evaluated at that level.
“You need to leave too. Evolution must continue. Make Razak move and see the project through to the end.”
He exhaled, taking the black sphere from her hands. This was Razak’s essence used to create legion soldiers.
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Having become a legion soldier myself, I intended to launch the final resistance.
Shia, Aria, and even Takilas were coming inside the facility, which had already been destroyed.
“…Understood.”
O Insun turned around. The top-secret information about Razak was still secure.
Then, she thought, there was still an opportunity. They should move more thoroughly and secretly, learning from this experience.
“It seems the authorities have just launched a nuclear missile towards the headquarters.”
As she left the headquarters, driving down the road, O Insun looked at a missile soaring across the sky.
“Fast. As if it had already known.”
She sighed quietly as she watched the light.
“Ahhh… Argh!”
“Subjugation complete. Is this really Chairman Zhao Zhirin? The mastermind behind this incident, the final boss?”
“Seems rather weak for that.”
Shia and Aria finally arrived in the situation room to face Zhao Zhirin, who had transformed into a horrific monster and was rampaging.
A fierce battle ensued, but it ended swiftly. Aria looked down at him with a slightly bewildered expression as he writhed on the floor.
“Is this it?”
Honestly, it was hard to believe. Compared to the declaration of war, this ending was way too simple. Aria glanced around cautiously.
Behind them stood Takilas, arms crossed, silently watching, having instructed them to take care of the mastermind behind this incident.
“That can’t be. This person is merely a bureaucrat. There must be a king who commanded him. That king must be punished too.”
“But if that happens, things will escalate too much. I doubt they would want that.”
Shia tilted her head, baffled, but Aria shook her head.
“…True. No matter what problems arise in the empire, the emperor just makes excuses and cuts off only the tail without paying attention. I understand what you mean.”
Shia also roughly grasped it. Unless it was something serious, they typically ended matters by executing the responsible party, as it was customary for mutual destruction.
“No. This isn’t the end. There’s a true mastermind behind it all.”
“T-The real mastermind?”
“A monster that lends them power. That guy is the real puppeteer. While we can leave others be, we must catch him too.”
That was when Takilas spoke up. At that moment, everyone flinched. The fact about the being supporting them from behind amidst the Committee’s chaos crossed their minds.
“And there’s more to worry about. Right now, a missile with at least the destructive power of a nuclear weapon is approaching this place.”
Simultaneously, Takilas smirked and looked up.
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