Chapter: 116
Oh Hye-in introduced the new Magical Girl who called herself Pure Rodeo.
“Let me introduce you. This is Kim Lulu. As she just mentioned herself, she’s a Magical Girl who has been working with me to protect the village.”
“Nice to meet you! So, um… your name was Oh Dae-su, right? I was watching when you were introduced in class. I thought your name was super weird.”
Kim Lulu’s bright smile was as if she had completely forgotten about the earlier scuffle, and she reached out to shake hands. Roderus brushed her off with the back of his hand.
“That’s not my real name. My name is Roderus.”
“I learned that in English class! So, uh… are you from America?!”
“⋯⋯⋯⋯.”
“Or maybe Texas…?”
Despite Roderus’s sulky demeanor, Lulu didn’t seem fazed or intimidated. Should this be termed confidence or just filled with self-assurance?
It unnerved Roderus a little. He scowled and glared at Kim Lulu. Regardless, the conversation kept flowing.
“Roderus is from another world. Lulu, you saw the Meteor that fell the other day, right?”
“It fell with a terrifying amount of Pure Energy! I thought it was a new mascot, but for some reason, Roderus was there!”
“A girl descended from the sky… that’s unique! I was sleeping like a baby at the time, so I had no idea! Hehe.”
Kim Lulu had a thick nerve that allowed her to sleep soundly even with such great magical energies in the area.
She started to circle around Roderus, inspecting him, and suddenly turned to Oh Hye-in with a realization.
“By the way, Hye-in, you… didn’t fight alongside Oh Dae-su, did you? Are you feeling under the weather today? Maybe it’s that time of the month?”
“Can you please choose your words carefully? That’s an embarrassing topic!”
“It’s a bit complicated. Hye-in’s Transformation Device (Dreaming Mirror) is currently in Roderus’s possession! So, it’s on a temporary loan.”
“You could transfer ownership? Well, Hye-in didn’t like fighting, so I don’t understand why she would dislike something so fun, right~?”
Kim Lulu raised her eyebrows and poked Roderus in the side with her elbow. Roderus shivered and pushed Lulu’s head down firmly.
“⋯⋯Why are you suddenly acting chummy with me?”
“Well, you were super cheerful while fighting just now!”
“⋯⋯⋯⋯.”
“Of course, I thought you were one of my kind! You like brawling, don’t you?!”
Kim Lulu jumped in place, throwing punches into the air. Her movements were clumsy, but her face was lit with the joy of it.
Seeing Lulu’s shining eyes, Roderus felt a bit confused.
Throwing oneself into battle clears the mind. The moment when he’s freed from worries is incredibly refreshing, so naturally—he thought he enjoyed fighting.
But did he really sparkle with such excitement? Did he feel thrilled to the point of bouncing on his feet? Most definitely not. It was merely the liberation from pain that felt good to him.
Like a slave being whipped, finally thankful for a moment of halted violence.
Whoosh, whoosh.
Roderus shook his head to clear those pointless thoughts. He shifted the topic in his mind. Kim Lulu seemed to genuinely enjoy fighting.
Still, there was no trace of martial skills to back that up.
Recollecting her shadowboxing from earlier and that punch she threw at him… Lulu’s movements lacked technique. They resembled country kids swinging their fists mindlessly.
“⋯⋯Your movements are way too shabby to be considered enjoying battle. It’d be embarrassing to watch with my eyes open.”
“I’m already strong, so why would I bother with those techniques? That’d be boring!”
“⋯⋯⋯⋯??”
“The strongest don’t need techniques.”
Is she out of her mind?
Kim Lulu boldly declared that she fights like someone with no training. As Roderus stood there, dumbfounded, Oh Hye-in leaned in and whispered.
“Well, Lulu is nice and all, but… she has some quirky sides. It’s a bit primitive, you could say?”
“Is this something you can just overlook as ‘quirky’?”
“What? We’ll be doing Magical Girl activities together from now on. Don’t you think it’s better to get along?”
“No, I prefer to do it alone. I’m more than capable by myself.”
He meant it.
In battle, a clumsy ally is worse than an enemy. Roderus poked Kim Lulu’s forehead repeatedly, striking a threatening pose.
Thud, thud.
“Don’t you dare interfere in my fights. I will fight alone, and I wouldn’t want help from someone like you. Absolutely NOT!!”
Despite his threats, the very next day, the two ended up facing the same target together.
===============================================================
In front of the intersection where the signal of a monster was sensed, Oh Dae-su glared at Kim Lulu fiercely and growled low.
“⋯⋯I clearly warned you not to interfere.”
“Are you an idiot? Why would I give up a chance to join the fray? I never said I would listen to your warning!”
Kim Lulu stood proudly in front of Roderus, brushing off his scowls. She pulled out her Transformation Device (Dreaming Mirror) and declared.
“Besides, Magical Girls need Pure Energy to get stronger. Fighting increases our Pure Energy! So, there’s no way I’ll yield.”
“If that’s the case, let’s settle this here….”
“And I heard from Hye-in that if two Magical Girls fight together, they can double their Pure Energy! So, there’s no need to fight over the energy.”
If that theory were true, then there was indeed no need to battle, but Roderus didn’t buy it. That pesky girl could be lying, and it just made no sense logically.
“What’s the concrete reason for that Pure Energy doubling?”
“With two of us, we’re twice as cute, and twice as strong, so the onlookers will be twice as happy!”
“⋯⋯⋯⋯.”
It would certainly be better to suppress Kim Lulu and hog all the energy for himself.
“That’s not entirely wrong,”
As Roderus started to sneak in and prepare to overpower her, the mascot Mungae, who was rolling on the outdoor unit of the alley, interrupted.
“⋯⋯What is it?”
“It’s ultimately a matter of efficiency, right? Humans rely heavily on visual appearances.”
“Are you saying they care about looks?”
“Funny enough… even if it’s a Magical Girl fighting for them. Whether they like her or not makes a significant difference.”
Humans’ instincts are usually straightforward. In extreme situations, like a collapsing building rushing toward them, one would gain maximum Pure Energy (gratitude) regardless of the appearance of the savior—
But for onlookers cheering from afar during a battle between Monsters and Magical Girls, watching their favorite Magical Girl fighting is a more immersive experience.
And Oh Dae-su and Kim Lulu’s concepts were diametrically opposed.
“So, if you can enjoy both a cool and lively Magical Girl, that would significantly help in collecting Pure Energy!”
“Don’t speak like that!”
Roderus shivered, wrapping his arms around himself. The thought of those rabble looking at him with those kinds of eyes made him dizzy.
Mungae waved its tail languidly.
“Didn’t you like efficiency? After all, that’s just a shell. Once you gather all the Pure Energy, you’ll return to being a man, meaning this is merely… a fleeting dream.”
“⋯⋯That’s…”
“Magical Girl Oh Dae-su is not Roderus. So, where’s the shame in that?”
“⋯⋯⋯⋯.”
There’s some truth in that.
What he displayed here isn’t his true self. This isn’t the real Roderus. Then, there’s no reason to feel ashamed or awkward.
It’s literally just a shell.
Roderus pulled out the Transformation Device (Dreaming Mirror). The previous incantation was merely an emergency command.
Even if it’s on a temporary lease, it was now fully linked to Roderus. With Mungae’s help, it had been formalized.
“Huff…”
Roderus looked at his reflection in the Transformation Device (Dreaming Mirror). A pretty girl wore a furrowed expression. This is just a shell. This is just a shell.
She gently placed her finger on the gems embedded in the hand mirror and tapped twice before extending her arms.
“Dreaming Mirror, reveal my true self…!!”
Shiny!
Bing bing bing bing♪
A light radiated in all directions, and a long, prolonged moment of humiliation passed.
“⋯⋯Sparkle! The shining victory move, Pure Knight!”
He finished his transformation with the automatic catchphrase that left his mouth. A glance sideways revealed Kim Lulu had also transformed into Pure Rodeo.
Her attire resembled a red-and-white matador, adorned with various feminine decorations. Her main weapon was a gauntlet.
Roderus felt discontent with the formulaic teaming up, but if he wanted to quickly gather Pure Energy and return to being a man… toleration was necessary. Roderus drew his rapier and dashed into the intersection.
===============================================================
The busy intersection was chaotic. A monster’s sudden appearance paralyzed traffic, and people fled their vehicles to escape.
Up in the sky, a seductive woman in an enchanting dress floated down, overseeing the scene from above. She had pink hair and wore glasses.
With the massive impure energy radiating from her, she, too, was one of the Four Heavenly Kings. Not the pale… Esfoir of Eternal Dark, but a different one.
“Another one of the Four Heavenly Kings has made an appearance today.”
“Whoa, I’ve never seen this Four Heavenly King before either!”
As the Magical Girls directed their gazes upward, the new Four Heavenly King revealed herself, placing a hand atop her ample chest, introducing herself.
“I am one of the Four Heavenly Kings, the one who governs the lust of men. I am Yuri Frostlover, the faithful aide of the Demon Lord. You may call me Master for short.”
Ding!
As she pushed her glasses up, they gleamed brilliantly. Behind them, her yellow eyes shone eerily. Roderus swallowed hard.
“There doesn’t seem to be a single sane person around here… Are they all part of the succubus lineage?”
There was an intoxicating allure to her female form. If he were still a man, he’d probably be too distracted with guarding his mind walls, significantly reducing his combat effectiveness. He counted himself fortunate.
How to fight, Roderus assessed cautiously.
“Watch closely! Witness my strength! I, Pure Rodeo, am on my way!!”
Kim Lulu charged straight ahead.
“⋯⋯⋯⋯.”
That Pure Rodeo could also be seen as a potential adversary. She might still be harboring resentment about their first encounter.
So, if he could assess her combat abilities now, it would help him prepare for any unexpected future circumstances.
And within just 5 seconds, Lulu was caught.
Roderus looked up at Kim Lulu, who was hanging upside down, entangled by plant vines.
“What on earth are you doing? Is this a betrayal…?”
“Betrayal?! I fought really hard!!”
Flail flail. The captured Kim Lulu thrashed around angrily. But it should’ve been Roderus who was allowed to be angry. She was, quite frankly, incredibly incompetent in battle.
He felt he could point that out all day. Roderus zeroed in on the most pressing issue.
“Really hard? You threw punches that wouldn’t knock out a child! If that’s your way of showing your seriousness, then you seriously need to start from the basics!!”
“Ah, it used to work back in the day! This normally lands!”
“To make that work, your level of magical energy needs to be at least 100 times higher! Get a grip, you uncultivated girl!”
The companion turned out to be a liability.
The Four Heavenly King Yuri lost interest in the captured Lulu and focused her gaze on Roderus.
“So, you are the new Magical Girl, Pure Knight. I shall see what you are capable of.”
“I won’t be as useless as that fool. You lowly being.”
“I will collect my apologies in tears. Please, emerge! The hatred borne from the pollution humans have caused, blooming amidst it.”
Rumble rumble rumble!
A gigantic flower bud erupted from the ground, breaking through the asphalt and rising alongside a plant stem. It stood over 5 meters tall.
“This is Vess Eater.”
“Such a grand name, yet it’s merely a plant stem, isn’t it?”
“Who’s to say….”
The Four Heavenly King Yuri smirked and lightly clapped her hands. The tip of the plant’s stem split open, revealing something tremendously bizarre and disgusting inside.
Some parts oozed sticky substances, while others had vibrating and spinning functions. It was utterly impossible to predict how or where this would be used.
“⋯⋯⋯⋯.”
Roderus felt an instinctual alarm blaring in his head. He had an uncanny sense that something truly catastrophic would unfold if he got caught in that thing.
Should he dodge?
“If a lowly being is terrified of a fluttering plant stem… I understand. Not every Magical Girl is brave and manly. I shan’t chase you away; run along, you precious little girl.”
“⋯⋯I’ll decapitate your head, you lowly being!!”
Roderus couldn’t hold back as he charged at her.
