Chapter 131 – War of Beliefs (1)
“Stop it! Find the gap somehow… Ahhh!”
“When is the support coming?!”
The castle where the banquet was held had turned into a complete mess. The countless fairies and magical girls were helpless against the chaos, all because of one singular presence.
One magical girl was sent flying through the air by Takilas’s shadow tentacles.
“Isn’t someone supposed to intervene?!”
“…We can afford to watch a little longer.”
Rana, screaming, grabbed Rene’s arm, her face pale as she watched the magical girl zoom by.
Rene shook her head as she saw Takilas dominating the battlefield solo.
“Drunk and causing a scene. The Demon King would never do something like that.”
Rene had an inkling of Takilas’s intentions. Though she wasn’t certain, she was sure there was some manipulation at play.
“Look. Is anyone getting hurt?”
“That…”
Rana hesitated at Rene’s statement. Indeed, none of the magical girls struck down or seriously hurt by Takilas’s attack had sustained anything more than minor scratches or bruises, easily recoverable thanks to their inherent magical girl resilience.
“Then why is this happening?”
Rana questioned with wide eyes, unable to comprehend.
Honestly, no matter how you looked at it, it just seemed like drunken chaos. The only discernible thing was that Takilas was executing proper attacks, so it seemed they were still conscious.
“I think I might know.”
However, Rene, who continued to observe intently, started to catch on. Considering the Demon King’s obsession with growth through conflict and competition, she felt something was becoming clear.
In her mind’s eye, she saw Aria and Karin, grit teeth and charging forward.
“Oh, come on!”
At that moment, Karin, engaged in a life-or-death struggle, got up from the ground, grinding her teeth.
“Is this all you’ve got?!”
Her eyes shook. Though the high-ranked magical girls, including herself, charged at Takilas, they simply could not reach the black shadow enveloping the entire area.
“Just knock me down already. Are you trying to provoke me, you jerk?”
Karin’s pent-up anger exploded.
Takilas subdued them without causing injury, which Karin interpreted as an insult to her pride.
At the same time, realizing that their opponent bore no ill intentions gave her an odd sense of courage.
“Watch out, Aria. Don’t just rush in.”
“…Give me an opportunity.”
Karin helped the stuck Aria out of the pit. But Aria was ready to charge again.
“You’re telling us to keep coming at you. To challenge endlessly. And in that process, to find the answer.”
“An answer…?”
“I know. That being wants us to become stronger. To get stronger and entertain itself.”
Panting, Aria precisely understood Takilas’s intent. Originally, it had beaten her down to wake her up, and even after losing an arm, it was the being that revived her.
“Entertain you? What are you, in your phase of teenage angst?”
Karin chuckled hollowly, but it was just a reaction to something absurd. If there was power behind such ridiculous nonsense, then it was no longer delusion.
“So, do you have a plan?”
Jeanne, crawling out of her crevice, mumbled as she watched the other magical girls flying around, crashing into walls and floors.
“I will definitely reach it. I’ve done it once before.”
Aria gritted her teeth as she glared at Takilas hovering in the air. That she had done it once before prompted Karin to nod. Though unofficial, Aria was the one who had dealt the most significant blow to Takilas.
“I’ll let you go. Go on and hit it hard to calm it down… Though it seems like this will end soon.”
Karin decided to believe in that and agreed to help Aria. Joined by an unsuspecting Jeanne, the three began to intensify their charge toward Takilas’s main body.
“Is this what you wanted?”
Finally, Aria stood before Takilas once more. For this, Karin and Jeanne threw themselves in to block Takilas’s tentacle attacks.
Bathed in burning red flames, Aria faced the floating Takilas, raising her flame-covered claws.
“You wanted this? To be honest, it’s not quite it yet.”
Takilas chuckled.
With its large-horned head nodding, the slitted red pupils in its darkened eyes glimmered ominously.
“You still haven’t reached me.”
“…This time will be different.”
“Sure, let’s hope so.”
Gritting her teeth, Aria charged directly at Takilas with all her power. A striking beam of light. Takilas grasped Aria’s claw with both hands without an ounce of hesitation as it attempted to pierce its chest.
“You have no hesitation at all. You really did intend to kill me.”
“Tch, because I have to.”
“If only the others were like you. They’re all missing something. But as you know, if there’s something lacking, you can’t get what you want.”
With a faint smile, Takilas surveyed its surroundings as if truly feeling sorry. Others were still fighting desperately against its tentacles.
“What do you gain from provoking people like this? Really, is it just that you want to fight?”
Even while speaking, Aria was trembling, pushing with all her strength to sink her claws. Yet her claws remained immobile.
Instead, Takilas twisted its mouth into a wider grin.
“Exactly. Especially with you. Recall the level you once achieved. Otherwise, you won’t enjoy it.”
“I will definitely defeat you.”
Aria gritted her teeth as she exerted her strength. Just when her muscles were about to tear, Takilas’s grip finally began to shift.
Of course, Aria knew that Takilas was intentionally loosening its hold to let her feel her power.
In the past, that would have made her angry, but not now. Following the flow and merely looking for an opportunity.
“Ahhh!”
Finally, breaking free from their struggle, Aria executed a surprise kick. Twisting her body, she unleashed a full-force spinning kick.
With the shockwave exploding forth, her shin collided with Takilas’s guarded arm. Aria fell to the ground with a cracked shinbone but never took her eyes off Takilas.
“…You have potential.”
Takilas chuckled lightly as it looked at its slightly reddened arm, still blocking her attack.
*
“What on earth happened here…”
“Injuries? None?! Really?!”
After the storm passed, only the sighs and laments of the victims remained.
Fairies and magical girls arriving late were flustered by the chaos engulfing the entire castle.
“Takilas…”
“Bored and returned to Earth first.”
“What a crazy lady!”
Winston and Baroque, who rushed in for damage control, united to vent their frustration towards Takilas, forgetting about faction disputes.
Of course, no one stepped forward to confront her directly.
“Ugh…”
“Just pure monstrosity. How are we supposed to win?”
The magical girls felt the same. Regardless of their affiliation or nationality, they were treated equally. In such a situation, everyone united against a common enemy.
Particularly, many had turned their fear into anger towards Takilas.
‘Could this have been the true purpose?’
Aria regained her composure as she observed that spectacle.
Seeing even Karin, usually indifferent to magical girl affairs, huffing with anger made her consider that perhaps Takilas had a different ultimate goal in mind.
“I’m right, aren’t I? And you knew all along.”
“You’ve become quite sharp.”
Aria pointed a finger at Rene, who approached looking polished, biting her lip. Rene chuckled as she nudged Aria’s finger away with her staff.
Though they were now technically on the same side, their ill-fated history was quite long.
“What is this?”
“A healing potion for your injuries.”
Amid all this, Rene sprinkled something on Aria’s wounded leg. Aria squirmed at the warm sensation, feeling her wounds heal rapidly.
“What did you gain from this?”
“What did I gain…?”
“Is simple anger all there is?”
However, upon hearing Rene’s question, Aria decided to swallow her words.
“The outside situation remains chaotic. Enemies keep appearing, and eventually, we’re always put to the test. How will you deal with that?”
“…My path has always been the same. So you won’t like it?”
Aria honestly shared her beliefs.
After all that turmoil and being rejected, she wouldn’t compromise anymore. No matter how much it bent, it wouldn’t break.
Confirming that, when Aria returned to reality, she had already determined what her next steps would be.
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