Chapter 79 – The Unstoppable (9)
“Isn’t this a big decision?”
“Of course! It’s weird to come out on vacation and still work, and even more bizarre to volunteer for extra work! Does this seem normal to you?”
“But as a magical girl, you’re a child of this world, and you should regard your duty as an honor…”
“When you called us, did you think complaining like a child would work? Shut up. This is an important matter.”
With the incident wrapped up, I had a brief moment of downtime while my requests were being processed.
While waiting there, I ignored the brave citizens discreetly taking my pictures, as well as Ren’s utter disregard for labor laws, and shook my head.
“If I just let it be, it’ll only grow into more annoying problems later. It’s better to deal with it upfront, don’t you think?”
If it were before, I wouldn’t have cared how things turned out. However, since I was enjoying my stay here to a certain degree, I couldn’t stand interference.
I could have indirectly informed them through Rene, but since things had escalated this much, I was keen on making good use of the infamy I had built up until now.
“Um, just out of curiosity, with this happening, do you think your…”
“The demon realm isn’t going to budge. There probably won’t be any official contact between Earth and the demon realm either.”
Ren seemed to pick up on my reluctance, but I firmly stated he had nothing to worry about.
It was practically impossible for the demon realm to move, realistically and emotionally. The legion of the demon realm wouldn’t just sit by while angels let them move unexpectedly, and bringing my job into this was even more out of the question.
“Hmm, I’m not sure how this will turn out. But since I’ve heard some shocking news, there might be fewer clashes among magical girls for a while.”
Ren muttered with uncertainty. I felt the same way. I had finally decided to voice my opinion in this society, but whether things would unfold according to my intentions would depend on others taking the lead.
“I have a few questions.”
“Uh, um…”
“Of course, you can answer or not—that’s your choice.”
When I revealed my identity and suppressed the Corrupted Bug Collective that was wearing Park Ji-tae’s skin, I firmly pinned their terrified tongue to the ground with my foot.
“Just a moment… Gah!”
I then yanked out the grotesque parasitic body from the host and sliced off a portion of it.
In that moment, the annoying connection to the outside world that had been bothering me vanished. It seemed they had some scheme buried inside them.
“I was late getting through the Dimension Gate, so I missed everything. That’s why I have so many questions for guys like you.”
“Cough… ugh…”
“Don’t like the pain? Why? If you enjoy fighting, you should also enjoy suffering. Anyway, first question: how many of you came through?”
Seeing them become a little more compliant, I began to ask my premeditated questions. Thankfully, they started to answer decently.
“There are at least hundreds of us. This was the one opportunity to escape from a world of solitude and despair that no longer had anything. If given the chance, anyone would have fled.”
“That’s a hell of a lot.”
I had expected plenty, but it was even worse than I thought. And would that really be the end of it? Monsters possess intelligence.
Those that had seeped into human society would spread like wildfire compared to the trickle before, and like the Corrupted Bug Collective below my feet, they would expand their influence in their own ways.
“Just out of curiosity—was the Dimension Gate definitely not opened naturally?”
“It, it probably was not.”
But there was something even more important. It was one thing for monsters to infiltrate the world on a large scale, but I was dying to know who the mastermind behind the opened Dimension Gate was.
“Of course, I don’t have that kind of ability! Aaaah! But I’ve heard something! It’s reliable information!”
Pain is the easiest weapon to extract truth.
By twisting their body and inflicting agony, they desperately squeezed out what they knew.
“We, we’re nothing special, but there were some among us who were unimaginable. What they said, I heard it clearly. That Dimension Gate was definitely opened intentionally.”
“Aha, just as I thought.”
After hearing the response, I let out a smirk and lifted my foot off the creature I had been crushing.
Just as I feared, but hoped it was only a doubt, it turned out to be true.
This was the justification I had wanted. Now, the only thing left was to uncover the mastermind. While I was filled with suspicion, I lacked proof, yet creating that wasn’t impossible.
“What are you going to do if you find out who the mastermind is?”
“That’s a seriously silly question, Ren.”
A little startled by the twist in my smile, Ren cautiously spoke up, but I honestly didn’t care.
“I will make them pay the price for this cowardly declaration of war. If necessary, the rulers of the demon realm will participate.”
“You’ve let your guard down, you foolish girl!”
Just as I looked down at Ren and spoke, the Corrupted Bug Collective, which had been crawling along the ground, shot out its tentacles and attempted a counterattack.
“Yah!”
Of course, the filthy tentacle didn’t come close to my body.
At the moment the blades of shadow I released tore apart its body, other monsters, unaware of the situation, crashed through the basement door. I detonated the shadows I had summoned.
I had no more attention to give to such pathetic parasites anymore.
*
“Rene! Just as you said, everyone has stopped their activities for the time being.”
“Well done. It seems a major crisis has befallen this world, and we, sworn to protect it and uphold true justice, cannot ignore that.”
Rene, having ascended to the rooftop of her favorite building, nodded at the report from magical girl Lina.
The reason she had briefly halted Casilena’s activities was not without cause. A large emergency news bulletin was currently playing on the enormous screen of the building ahead.
“Here, take a look at this.”
“…?”
“Just put the earphones in your ears.”
As she stared blankly at the screen, Lina handed her a wireless earphone. Upon seeing Rene confusedly holding the earphone, Lina hurriedly inserted it into Rene’s ear.
‘What in the world is going on?’
Lina chuckled awkwardly at Rene’s puzzled expression. Although she became a devoted follower after being moved by Rene’s ideology, the closer she got, the more unique Rene seemed.
She was knowledgeable and yet simultaneously ignorant.
“…Why on earth did Takilas request a live press conference?”
“I don’t know. But what’s certain is that it’s definitely not a light issue.”
The cellphone screen both women stared at was currently broadcasting live coverage. The content was obviously Takilas requesting the conference, capturing the world’s attention, including foreign news agencies, in an unexpected situation.
Thus, Rene was convinced that this was incredibly significant. She knew that Takilas wouldn’t take such action unless it was genuinely serious.
“Um… I think she’ll appear soon. She chose a location where people could gather quickly, just as Takilas requested.”
The podium, where microphones were to be set up, was still empty, while the anchor continued with a slight nervous expression.
The venue was filled with reporters who had hurriedly gathered, along with military and government personnel, the Management Bureau, and even some magical girls standing outside the conference hall, attentively watching the area.
“And here she comes.”
Before long, the moment the camera shook, a black dot appeared, transforming into a huge silhouette with dark wings that fluttered as it quickly approached and landed.
Everyone who had been murmuring suddenly fell silent, focusing on that moment.
‘Rain.’
Watching the scene on her cellphone, Rene quickly wiped a large raindrop off her screen and lifted her gaze.
Soon, from the ominous sky, heavy raindrops began pouring down towards the ground.
“Not good weather, huh? The reason I gathered you all here today is simple. If you don’t shape up, it’ll just keep raining gloomy days like this.”
As if unfazed by the pouring rain, Takilas effortlessly climbed up to the podium, opening her mouth to get straight to the point.
“I’m not lying, am I? You can think that if you want. It doesn’t matter. Eventually, you’ll find out when hundreds of thousands start dying. The last Dimension Gate, you thought passed safely, but Nebaros’s monsters were originally a ruling species that dominated a world. They are fundamentally different from the lab-born monstrosities. Just like Mamute.”
Takilas’s words lacked any form of abbreviation or filtering. People began to murmur excitedly, but she merely smiled faintly and kept going.
“Who do you think I’m talking to right now? I’m talking to all of you. Every single one of you watching this scene.”
She glared at the camera, her eyes glittering.
“The age of living comfortably while babbling about vain rhetoric is over. The past 20 years since the emergence of magical girls may devolve into hell so treacherous that it could look like paradise. I still don’t know who designed it all intentionally behind the scenes. But if I find out—”
The corners of Takilas’s mouth twisted. The moment intense hostility erupted from her, it was enough to freeze everyone nearby, even without any magical power.
“Consider it an assault for trifling with me, and I will ensure you all die. That’s it. No rebuttals or questions accepted.”
This brief 5-minute speech served as both a declaration of war and a significant warning, as well as a bait.
If the opponent reacted to this provocation, I could gather hints and justification, and even if they did not respond, I could confirm my upper hand.
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