Chapter 155 – Evolving Justice (5)
“Y-you were kidnapped too?”
“Yeah.”
“…So, what are you doing right now?”
He couldn’t comprehend the situation at all. His daughter’s classmate, who had traveled with them, claimed she was trapped in this wicked place.
That part was horrifying yet realistic, but the fact that she was running around with a gun, shooting up these terrifying local gangs, was just absurd. No matter how extraordinary she seemed.
“Of course I’m fighting to survive. Am I just going to sit back and take it?”
But she replied with such boldness that he was at a loss for words. It wasn’t entirely wrong, after all.
“…You’re right. We have to fight to live. Stay here! Uncle’s going now!”
Nodding, he picked up a rifle from the fallen gang members.
“No way.”
“I have to save my wife, and our Ha-young too. Don’t worry. Despite how I look, I’m from the search brigade…”
“You guys will die if you get shot.”
While trying to reassure her while fiddling with the rifle, he suddenly widened his eyes and staggered. The others watching were no better.
With her voice sounding amused, their pupils quickly dilated, and one by one, they began to collapse. They weren’t fainting. Some instantly started snoring.
“W-what just happened?”
“It’s just a wide-area sleep spell. You’ll wake up and find the situation resolved.”
“Then why not use that from the start to avoid fighting…”
“What are you talking about?”
She kicked Ren’s rear end, her pistol discarded as she hoisted a rifle, nearly as long as her upper body, onto her shoulder with a smirk.
“Because it’s fun.”
The reason was simple. Fun.
For that fun, she stepped back outside to look for the remaining enemies and hostages inside the facility.
Rescuing or sneaking in was pointless now. It was merely a hunting act with a predetermined outcome happening in the sealed space.
“Ugh…”
“Ahhh!”
Gunshots rang out in succession, and corpses sprayed blood as they tumbled on the floor. They were shooting at each other without mercy, but the ones getting shredded remained constant.
A gang member fell, shot in the neck, with an incredibly resentful expression as blood gushed out. He had precisely fired at the temple of a girl indiscriminately shooting her comrades but got the bullet ricocheted and exploded inside the chamber.
Both sides were armed, but it was an inherently unfair fight from the start.
“Cleared this area too.”
Entering the room, she first made the remaining people sleep with her spell before removing their blindfolds and bindings. Park Ha-young’s parents had now been freed.
“Next is this way.”
Thanks to Ren’s prior intel and her obsession with tracking down and shooting the hidden enemies, the number of foes left in the facility gradually dwindled.
After freeing Oh Min-jung’s parents from the last remaining storeroom, she discarded the rifle that melted from overuse.
“But I can’t find Oh Min-jung or Park Ha-young. I just recalled those guys I had set aside separately.”
“I searched every nook and cranny.”
“That’s fine. Just ask if you don’t know.”
Biting her lip, she looked up at the ceiling. A weak presence was felt up there.
“Kauugh!”
“If you answer honestly, I’ll let you live.”
She had found a gang executive hiding in the secret space, tucked between the floor of the upper level and the ceiling of the lower. Her image tearing through the panic room’s thick metal door, capable of withstanding explosives, was straight out of a horror movie.
Panicked and wetting his pants from sheer terror, he suddenly burst into tears as she slammed his head against the wall hard enough to produce a loud thud.
“Where are the girls? The Korean girls.”
“Kuuh…huh…”
Gone was the innocent grin she had while enjoying the unfair survival, replaced by a genuine murderous intent, filling him with dread as he bled from the broken teeth.
“The white, young girls are worth more, so I kept them for… Kiaaah!!”
“I can guess that, you pervert. So what place is that?”
That was that. She kicked him right in the groin, bursting it. Still, he didn’t faint or die from shock because the fear she instilled dominated his nervous system.
“Right in the building right in front of us…”
“Good.”
With a squeezed-out answer, she instantly twisted his neck, killing him more easily than flipping a palm.
“Ren. I’m releasing the sealing array now. I still need to save the other kids before the local police I called arrive.”
“Wait a minute. If you fight like this, they’ll find out you’re a magical girl!”
“I don’t care. It’s a hassle, so I’m going to transform.”
“?!”
Ren was taken aback by her response. But she had already made her decision. She hadn’t transformed to avoid making excuses to Park Tae-jun, but excuses could always be made.
*
“The sealing circle is disappearing!”
“Get ready! We shall kill this audacious magical girl who dared to attack us…”
As if they had gathered everyone, numerous gang members armed to the teeth waited. The one who seemed to be their leader ground his teeth, watching the seal fade away.
“Die…die…”
“Why can’t you finish your sentence? You said you’d kill.”
I appeared transformed, staring wide-eyed at the stiffened gang leader, chuckling softly. It wasn’t just him; a stir spread among the gathered crowd, and they began watching each other nervously.
“What are you looking around for? None of you will survive today.”
“AAAAH! Shoot her! Kill her!”
Whether my mocking had spurred them on, the gang’s leader finally commanded something in a temporary brain freeze. At the same time, grenades launched around me, releasing foul gas.
[These pathetic bastards]
Snickering at the gas that wouldn’t affect someone of my higher rank, I moved the shadows.
A massive shadow rolled over the ground, blacking out the area. As they shot and panicked, I flicked my hand, and a glass-breaking sound erupted as stakes shot up from the floor.
These hundreds of stakes pierced and detonated every single one of them without missing. As cheers and shouts all faded away, a chilling silence fell over the area.
“Y-yeah. It’s better to wipe them out thoroughly. Better than leaving seeds for a barely tolerable incident.”
Ren, who had been hastily following behind, nodded. The time spent with me had changed Ren’s values quite a bit.
“There they are.”
Based on testimonies, I confirmed a few survivors who weren’t killed by my powers. Searching through the buildings and vehicles scattered about, I ultimately found Kim Soo-jung’s friends, Oh Min-jung and Park Ha-young.
“What… what have they done to you?”
“T-t-take…”
“You seem to be okay.”
They were tied up in their underwear, but luckily they didn’t seem to have been harmed. In fact, they appeared more shocked that I had shown up than that they were rescued.
“My mom and dad are here!”
“I killed all the guys inside. Your parents are safe.”
“Did you really come to save us?!”
“…”
And I was surprisingly full of energy. Seeing their sparkling eyes directed toward me with bound hands and feet made me click my tongue without thinking.
“I’ll pretend that’s true.”
“Whoa!”
I used my magic to untie their limbs. However, that seemed to be a wrong choice. The two girls rushed at me without fear, wrapping me in a hug.
“You’re just like us.”
“Seeing you in person is even better.”
They then started spinning around, observing me with fascination. This reaction was fresh and a first for me.
But I stayed still. Right now, their anxiety and fear were muted by their curiosity toward me. If that behavior brought them comfort, there was no need to push them away.
“Are you sure I won’t hurt you?”
“Yes.”
“I’ve lived honestly.”
There was a hint of belief as well. But the girls, sincerely trusting in themselves, were subtly tainted by evil, having unwittingly participated in malice, just like many kids today.
“Stick to the internet. Keep your comments moderate. If you don’t want to get contaminated.”
“…Gasp.”
“Look, the police are coming. Wait patiently for rescue with your parents.”
And just then, I sensed a siren approaching swiftly from afar and the magic in the air, prompting me to leave.
“Anyway, one job’s done.”
Returning among the people still snoring under the sleep spell, I released my transformation. The job was done.
“Are you really thinking about ending it here and going back?”
“Then what else is there to do here? I saved everyone, and all the fools are dead.”
Lying among others for the sake of the act, I shook my head at Ren’s words.
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