Chapter 141 – The Lord of Endless Evolution (1)
“Razak!”
“With all the noise, it seems like things have gone awry.”
“Cough… that’s putting it lightly. How long until the next stage?!”
Zhao Zhirin, the Chairman of the Central Revolutionary Committee, hurriedly arrived. Unlike the relaxed demeanor he had shown in the previous committee meeting, he was now in a highly tense state.
“That crazy woman just declared war on us! She killed one of our magical girls and even some soldiers! The higher-ups are furious…”
“That’s not my concern. I am here to research and evolve.”
As he trembled in excitement, ‘it’ snickered at him.
It was no ordinary human. It was a monstrous creature that had transformed this vast underground facility into its own nest filled with sticky slime, unidentifiable eggs, and flesh walls.
Its long, thick body reminiscent of a giant centipede came equipped with several arms, including massive pincers. Countless eyes moved restlessly, and writhing tentacles swayed in the air.
Zhao Zhirin, who had lost his composure and become accustomed to the creature, could face it directly, but for most people, whether they were magical girls or modified humans, even looking at it would be a challenge.
“The experiments are progressing smoothly. Soon, a new legion will be born, and we will conquer the world.”
“Our legion, mind you. Remember who’s investing in and preserving your life.”
Zhao Zhirin bit his lip at Razak’s words and corrected himself. They didn’t join hands with the monster for nothing.
Using the One Road to modify humans or enhance magical girls was merely a part of the process.
By advancing through the stages and buying time, they would create the strongest legion capable of overcoming anything with Razak’s powers of research and evolution, thereby disrupting the current balance of the world and seizing dominance. That was their true aim.
“I don’t really care. Regardless of how much you rush, it’s impossible to yield results beyond the resources投入.”
“…Then if we invest more resources, can we accelerate the process?”
“Of course. There can be no inefficiency under my watch.”
At his words, Razak leaned his massive body forward, bringing its horrific face closer. Resources were the only means to move Razak.
“I need more samples with magical power. More humans to serve as hosts for the legion. Only then can we produce more perfect and powerful legion soldiers through upgrades and evolution.”
“Okay! I’ll do whatever it takes to gather them.”
Finally, he agreed amidst Razak’s mad words. After all, the only way to overcome this crisis was to successfully complete this project.
“Chairman. But if we push magical girls any further…”
“Enough with the chit-chat. Get them deployed. Didn’t the fairy that creates magical girls say through the mascot that they can just make more magical girls as needed when the old ones are used up?”
Having emerged from Razak’s nest, Zhao Zhirin immediately issued orders through his subordinates. He commanded them to dispatch their strongest forces to stop Shia, who was rampaging, while also directing more resources to Razak.
He knew those resources weren’t just any resources, yet his aides tried to dissuade him, but nothing registered in his eyes anymore.
“This is all we have left to survive. Do you have any other way to sort this situation?”
“N-No, that’s not it.”
The current situation was already dire. After hastily attacking Takilas, the snowball effect hadn’t stopped rolling, landing them here.
Had it not been for that incident, they could have taken Korea carefully and tapped into its resources, but now it was nothing but a pipe dream.
“The location of the silver armor is still in the south. They seem to be targeting the branch there.”
“Stop them for now.”
Tensing his jaw upon receiving the report, he clenched his teeth. Currently, Shia was heading straight to their branch, having declared war on them and digging for information.
This living disaster was proving to be uncontrollable, and they had to rely on brute force to halt it.
*
“Vice Chairman! I heard you called for us. But…”
“Everyone’s here until the end.”
As Zhao Zhirin, feeling threatened even for his livelihood and life, grinded his teeth and led the organization with total focus to stop Shia, others under his command were frantically moving elsewhere.
What was happening in this secret facility they owned was one of those actions.
‘Why is everyone from the security bureau here?’
One magical girl, summoned here, looked around in surprise. Several other magical girls in similar uniforms surrounded her.
They were a collective of magical girls who had operated under the government as part of internal security, ranging from B-class to E-class, using the power of magical girls to maintain public order.
“Looks like everyone is puzzled by the sudden assembly, but it was ordered from above, so there was no other option. Understand?”
“Of course, Vice Chairman.”
However, the reference to ‘above’ made them all tense and quiet. Above all else, the order of their superiors took precedence. It had to. Otherwise, they wouldn’t even be here.
“Then let’s move. Just to let you know, this is all for the party and the people, so… take pride in it.”
Soon, the Vice Chairman, his expression grim, led them somewhere. No one knew where they were going or what they would do there.
“Can’t we at least ask where we’re going…?”
“No. That’ll raise suspicion.”
Her mascot said uneasily, but she shook her head.
It was true that anxiety was present. Recently, some colleagues she had known had died on missions. The party had announced they were killed in enemy attacks and informed the bereaved families, but she suspected that wasn’t the case.
“Chichi. You really don’t know?”
“Th-That, I don’t know either.”
She turned the question back at her mascot. Magical girls die, but mascots do not. They simply take on new magical girls and continue working.
But the petrified mascot played dumb.
‘Are they planning something? But there are too many…’
Of course, the mascot knew the details. They just kept quiet as instructed. After all, they could simply summon new magical girls again, and training new recruits was just a hassle.
“How deep are we going?”
“Wow, I didn’t know such a place existed…”
As they descended further into an underground passage remodeled from a natural cave.
“This is it. Here, you shall fulfill your Divine Duty.”
“Vice Chairman! There’s nothing here… what is this place?”
The entrance looked horrific and disgusting at first glance. Razak’s endlessly multiplying ‘nest’ extended its gruesome slime and flesh walls, overtaking the outer walls to make the black hole resemble some kind of internal organ entrance.
The Vice Chairman was trying to send the magical girls into such a place.
“You will sacrifice yourselves here for your homeland. For the Northern Country and its people! So do not fear, and die with honor. Everyone will remember you.”
“Excuse me? What does that mean…”
“Wait. This is… AAAAAAH!”
At the bitter laugh of his declaration, the rough and fast tentacles that burst from inside the entrance immediately enveloped the startled magical girls.
“Transform!”
Some couldn’t even transform before being pierced alive by the tentacles, leaving nothing but screams as they got dragged inside.
Those who managed to transform resisted the tentacle attack, but soon a fierce poisonous gas blew from within, damaging their bodies and tangling their magical powers.
[There’s no need to be afraid, it won’t affect ordinary humans without magical power.]
To those horrified by the bright yellow poison gas and searching for gas masks, a coarse voice echoed from the depths of the cave, chuckling.
That monster’s voice sent shivers down their spines.
Upon hearing that mocking voice, the Vice Chairman let out a sigh of relief.
“Don’t resist. Accept your fate.”
And he stepped down on the hand of one magical girl who had collapsed from the poison, bleeding from her eyes and ears.
“Please, save me. I did what you said…”
“That’s right. You did what you were told. So, off you go.”
Despite desperately clawing at the ground, trying not to be dragged away, her fingers ultimately broke as she was pulled inside, leaving only a trace of blood behind.
And that was the last they saw of her. In less than 30 seconds, dozens of magical girls had been dragged into the nest.
[What excellent nourishment! The evolution of the legion will accelerate! However! However, such low-grade magical girls are insufficient. For stronger power and quicker evolution, I need more powerful and high-quality nourishment!]
“Damnit! To fill your stomach, we’re offering our own magical girls as sacrifices? We’ve already given you foreign magical girls and even your fellow monsters—what more do you want to consume!?”
[High cost, high efficiency. That is the way of the world. Let’s see… If you can’t part with your high-grade magical girls, then just bring that troublesome one who recently appeared.]
“That silver armor? You don’t need to tell me that she was already planning to do it.”
Upon mentioning Shia, the Vice Chairman chuckled.
Razak had continuously demanded higher-grade, stronger magical girls.
They, who were using them as their main force, had naturally refused, but now there was a mysterious magical girl causing chaos suddenly appearing.
They could easily cast her off to Razak as nourishment without a second thought.
[You seem unsatisfied, so I’ll lend you a hand.]
Soon, a tentacle that crawled out from within the nest handed him something. It was something covered in sticky slime with a texture reminiscent of an egg.
[I just gave you a poison that disrupts magical power and destroys the nervous system. Check the results of your investment. No matter how strong a magical girl is, a rookie without experience would never be able to resist this.]
“…Fine.”
Adjusting his hat, the Vice Chairman accepted it.
This was a life or death bargain. It had to work.
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