Chapter 164 – The Meaning of Strength (4)
“Oh my. This is the ground!”
“…Things are starting to get annoyingly complicated. How frustrating.”
With Aria’s scream, I clicked my tongue, stopping mid-air without reaching my destination.
The energy I was tracking as a clue had vanished. No, it wasn’t just cut off—it was buried and scattered among countless other energies.
And now, those energies were spreading rapidly below on the ground like black ink staining a white canvas.
Focusing my senses, I grimaced at the terrible and desperate screams of people rising up from below.
“Legion Soldiers! Those Legion Soldiers are attacking people indiscriminately right now!”
“Those bastards! Have they really chosen the worst of the worst in the end!”
Both Aria and Shia were flabbergasted by the scene unfolding on the ground. Those monsters suddenly launching an attack on the city at this early hour must be the ‘Legion Soldiers’, their new experimental weapons that had fought us.
“Well… This has crossed the line by a long shot. Those whose motives were rooted in a desire for power wouldn’t so recklessly massacre the very people who are foundational to their power. I think those idiots have been double-crossed by the monster Razak.”
“In that case…”
“We have to kill him. If possible.”
I bit my lip. Razak—he clearly was a sly and treacherous individual.
Maybe seeing the end of the Smalillian is part of the reason. If he decides to stay hidden to avoid confronting me this entire time, it might take a while to find him.
“Anyway, right now it means we can’t catch that bastard.”
“That’s true, but what are we going to do then?”
“We’re going to save the people.”
Aria, holding onto my shoulder, said with a determined look. It was such a classic answer from her that I couldn’t help but smirk.
“There are too many, Hero. There must be thousands, no, tens of thousands of them. There’s no way we can kill them all.”
“Exactly. So let’s focus on saving as many as we can!”
Diving down into the chaos of the city, Aria immediately moved upon landing, using her claws to tear apart an enemy attacking fleeing people.
Shia, wielding her Sacred Sword, sent powerful divine waves to burn the enemies selectively.
But it was impossible for just a few of us to control this massive city.
“Are they originals? They seem weaker compared to the ones that transformed people.”
“Honestly, I thought you’d just bail. You said you’d find and kill that monster’s main body.”
“Searching blindly is inefficient. I just came here to see if I could find some information.”
I landed in the city alongside them. As I sliced through an approaching enemy with a shadow blade, Ren opened his mouth in surprise.
Just as he said, wanting to save people was overshadowed by wanting to capture the mastermind, Razak.
“…I have a feeling this won’t end easily.”
Despite the dark night, the city was filled with roaring flames, screams, and the cries of monsters, making me sigh uncontrollably.
The scale of the situation had far exceeded what any individual could handle. Since a collective problem had arisen, it would require a collective response.
But the issue was, the leaders managing the country had probably been swept away by their own blunders, and there was currently no focal point to mobilize a collective response.
Moreover, due to their excessive reliance on Razak’s power, the existing Magical Girls and Awakened forces had nearly vanished.
They absolutely couldn’t overcome this on their own. Foreign intervention was inevitable. Just like us, who were trying our best here.
“Ta, Takilas…”
“Don’t get in the way, just keep running.”
Drawing up flickering shadows, I blocked the enemy’s laser attacks, supporting collapsing buildings. Because of that, I encountered a shaking man inside, who recognized me and began to tremble even more, gasping like a leaf.
*
“War, no, disaster. It must be considered a disaster situation.”
“The monsters are killing people indiscriminately and causing destruction. The Chinese government has lost control! We need to take action before it gets worse!”
“It’s beyond the level of a single nation; it seems to be a matter of humanity’s fate.”
The world, which had once collectively considered the idea of a third World War, had suddenly exploded overnight without any warning or signs.
“What the hell is going on? How did it escalate to this extent overnight?”
Frontier’s Director Lee Min-hyung rubbed his bewildered head, having been unable to sleep since contact with Aria and Shia was lost after they were dispatched.
The contents of the emergency meeting, called to gather top-level officials, were shockingly incomprehensible.
“I’ve brought some documents, Director. But since it’s happening in real-time, it’s not precise.”
Oh Yoon-seo brought a few more documents. And with the top executives gathered, the briefing began immediately.
“We’ve confirmed that there are over 30 affected areas, with estimated damages in the millions, and the number of enemies is already exceeding 100,000.”
“And that number keeps increasing.”
“That’s right. Their purpose is thorough slaughter and destruction. We cannot predict how much faster their speed will become.”
Oh Yoon-seo’s voice trembled. On the satellite footage they were watching, cities were burning in wreckage, and countless monsters rampaged, hurting people.
There was no communication or negotiation possible. They seemed to know nothing of satisfaction. Everyone’s complexion paled, realizing that what those monsters aimed for was the extinction of humanity.
I wondered if those monsters would observe any borders. To them, human lives from any nation were just targets that needed extermination.
“It’s something that must be addressed at a national level, so for now, we can only hold a meeting.”
“Director, Magical Girl Aria was dispatched to China yesterday along with Shia…”
One of the executives cautiously spoke up to the sighing Lee Min-hyung. And with that, everyone started murmuring.
In shock, they had temporarily forgotten that Aria was currently there.
“Is it not dangerous, Director? We must issue a return order!”
“…No. It’s probably fine for now.”
However, Lee Min-hyung shook his head with a stern face. Although Oh Yoon-seo mentioned Aria, she didn’t show much concern.
The reason for that would soon be clear after seeing the footage.
“Aria is already fighting there. Along with Takilas. Given the current situation, there’s no urgent need to recall her.”
In the video, a girl with red hair was shown, fighting off the monsters alongside a girl in silver armor while protecting children.
At the end of the video, another girl was briefly filmed landing from the sky.
Her cold, haughty expression and fiercely glowing red eyes, along with a cynical voice, made even those watching flinch slightly.
“So I don’t worry about the lives of those children. What’s more important is how we respond. The president will surely call for action soon, but let’s discuss what we need to report. That should come first.”
He turned off the video and began discussing measures. No one dared to speak easily of a sudden, unimaginable calamity.
“Just my opinion, but… it seems we have to join the fight, right? I’ve heard the Chinese government’s upper echelons have evaporated, and if those monsters cross the borders or the seas…”
“We aren’t even defense officials, and the term ‘joining the fight’ doesn’t seem to just mean deploying our military.”
At that moment, when a hesitant official finally spoke up, Lee Min-hyung smiled bitterly and shook his head. The official flinched and fell silent.
The rampaging monsters were intended to replace Magical Girls; they were designed and created to become an army of the new era.
Simple military deployment wasn’t enough. They needed something stronger and more enduring. That was what the Magical Girls represented, so advocating for intervention meant they were asking to send in the Magical Girls.
“If sending in UN troops is nearly a given, then the desires of the Magical Girls themselves will be crucial. At least for us.”
Oh Yoon-seo, who had been silently listening, finally spoke up.
Each country had different ways of controlling their Magical Girls, but Frontier had declared cooperation instead of control and oppression. And during the One Road incident, they had fully supported the Magical Girls.
Thanks to that, there were quite a few Magical Girls cooperating now. They couldn’t be forced, but if they volunteered to go, it would be awkward to say no.
“I wish to finish this issue as quickly as possible before it grows any larger. I believe everyone shares the same sentiment in this troubled time. But we’re dealing with a massive situation, one that even Takilas can’t handle alone, and it’s spreading its rampage far and wide. Let’s think of ways to persuade the Magical Girls by all means necessary.”
Eventually, Lee Min-hyung made his best effort. He was confident that this wasn’t the time to hesitate or delay with calculations.
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