Chapter 150 – The Endless Evolution of the Lord (10)
“Is this really going to turn into a war?”
“…Yeah.”
At the moment of departure, Oh Yoon-seo couldn’t bring herself to tell Aria everything. She couldn’t even stop her. After all, Aria had become a fully-fledged Magical Girl, ready to fight to uphold her beliefs.
“Are you afraid of war?”
“Of course. Countless people will die.”
“That’s a very heroic thought, but I’ve learned that there’s always a price in this world. The sacrifices made to realize justice are inevitable. Only by accepting that can we defeat evil.”
Before departing, Shia casually shared her beliefs with Aria, who bit her lip at the words.
“Needing a price means needing sacrifice. I know all that. But… I have to try somehow.”
Having gone through many experiences, Aria had changed a little from her past self. She realized reality but chose not to settle for it; instead, she pursued ideals and hoped for a better future. The power of the Magical Girl she possessed was the driving force that made that possible.
Most importantly, she had seen overwhelming power shatter everything and had even been subjected to it herself.
The ability to turn the impossible into the possible—now, that was the true realm Aria ultimately desired.
“…I knew it; I have a great eye for people. You truly have the qualifications of a hero.”
“Why, why are you saying this?!”
The problem was that Shia’s conviction resonated with her. Aria was taken aback by Shia’s sudden act of grabbing her hand and rubbing her cheek against her soft face.
“The only place I can feel the hero right now is your face.”
“Stop saying weird things.”
It was common sense that a hero was the partner of a saint. Deep down, Shia believed this wholeheartedly and was simply fulfilling a faith she had never achieved until now.
But to Aria, who had no clue about this situation, Shia was just a burdensome girl who was excessively bold and eccentric in her attempts at physical affection.
“Are you sure there’s no problem? Especially with that silver-armored Magical Girl, Shia…”
“It will be fine. Especially once we get there.”
When the transport plane opened its back door, U.S. Ambassador Christopher, who had secretly arrived, cast a side-eye at Shia, who was forcefully pulling Aria’s hand to draw a Sacred Sword out from her chest. In a panic, Aria flailed and ultimately ended the situation by giving Shia a light smack on the head.
Frontier’s Director Lee Min-hyung sighed at the misbehavior of the elite Magical Girls he was dispatching, but he couldn’t complain; both were the only S-rank or higher who volunteered, and their skills were legitimate.
‘I wish Rene had gone, but she refused. Karin got angry, saying she might actually get demoted because of us… In the end, only these two minors are left.’
In fact, the first choice in his initial lineup was Rene. She was a talent with power, composure, and brilliance, but Rene turned it down.
“We’re about to depart! Everyone get on board!”
They then hurriedly prepared for departure. All the Magical Girls boarded the transport, which secretly left the base and ascended into the sky.
“I sincerely hope nothing happens.”
“I’m hoping the same. It should just be simple greed or a plain mistake.”
Including Lee Min-hyung, the others watched blankly as the transport grew farther away. After all, they were the ones who had drawn their swords first, but they had no intentions of wielding those swords all the way to the end.
It should start as a trivial struggle and end there, avoiding any aftereffects. They genuinely feared war—deeply and earnestly.
“But is what they desire just simple power? Weapons that nobody can ignore, regional dominance… Is that all?”
“What do you mean?”
“I’m not sure. Based on my experience, there seems to be no end to greed.”
He muttered nervously. What weighed on his mind most was the enemy’s goal. He feared they might be hoping for something more dramatic and distant than merely increasing military strength.
“We’re going to descend from the sky and fly right into that place. Just follow along.”
“Their hearts and strength were nothing more than weak against evil. You’re worrying too much.”
Inside the transport plane soaring through the quiet dark night sky, Shia, who was tightly sticking next to Aria, shared her experiences while confirming details about the opponent.
Yet, having overwhelmingly subdued those ranked S and above, Shia reassured the tense Aria, saying it was no big deal.
Even the American Magical Girls aboard could feel something was off.
“Still, they survived, right? Can they really take us down so easily again?”
“Those who possess the essence of pure evil cannot defeat the purest of justice.”
Shia, always steadfast against evil, overflowed with confidence. Even if her reasoning was flimsy, it didn’t matter. She pushed herself, believing that as a being born solely for that purpose, she had no right to be afraid.
“So, we will merely show the enduring justice… this!”
“Ah. It’s dangerous!”
But at that moment, sensing something, Shia was the first to shout, pulling Aria into her embrace. Almost simultaneously, Aria realized it too and screamed in panic.
Yet her body was already shielded by Shia’s silver armor.
“Aaaah!”
“An ambush…”
Immediately after, a massive explosion engulfed them. A powerful beam cannon struck down the enormous transport, tearing it in half in an instant.
Caught in Shia’s embrace, Aria was horrified to see a soldier engulfed by the purple beam vanish, leaving only one leg behind.
*
“Hit.”
“Ugh, ugh…”
Upon a warship that was still quite far from the airplane, she, standing on the deck, ignored the other cowering people and slammed down the large beam cannon she held with a thud.
Made of dark metal or something resembling exoskeletal armor, the cannon was not an ordinary weapon. It was an advanced weapon that concentrated the user’s magic power into destructive force and fired it.
But it was also a weapon that had never before appeared in this world. It could easily take down the enemy’s transport crossing the open sea without anyone noticing.
“Are they all dead?”
“No. Not yet.”
However, she didn’t take her eyes off the wreckage of the half-destroyed transport until the moment it fell. One of her eyes turned red and shone, distorting her pupil to maximize her vision.
The result showed her the Magical Girls still alive and well. She gritted her teeth.
“Our… enemy! Seirin!”
She, Seirin, clenched her jaw and drew her weapon. The flash and echo of the explosion revealed the shimmering silver armor and the white wings unfolding spectacularly.
For Seirin, who had become a completely different being from before, it was a sort of trigger.
“Yes. Go. Go forth and slay the enemies of the fatherland, Seirin. No, Chaser Alpha!”
At the same time, a command came down from above. The order to deploy and kill made Seirin smile eerily, and she shot upward toward the sky with immense speed, alongside other Magical Girls.
“The enemy is coming, Hero. That one in the middle is her. I will finish this fight.”
“That woman… Could it be Seirin?!”
Shia scoffed, but Aria recognized the high-ranking Magical Girl from a neighboring country, Seirin. However, her appearance had changed slightly.
Wearing an unknown black suit over her Magical Girl attire, she had lost the deep brown hair for pale white hair, and one eye gleamed red.
“Evil has grown stronger than before. How dare she.”
Seeing Seirin, who was not as remembered, Shia bit her lip. Then, she brandished her Sacred Sword Radiance, glowing from her chest.
“Behold. This is the true justice you must wield.”
“H-Her sword is really…”
Leaving a stunned Aria behind, Shia aimed her Sacred Sword at the enemy. At the very least, she intended to purify Seirin with her own hands.
[Let there be judgment upon evil!]
Determined not to spare a single mercy to the Magical Girl who had fully succumbed to darkness by her own choice, Shia soon unleashed an overwhelming Holy Power through her Sacred Sword.
“…!”
Yet, despite the torrential pillar of light illuminating the dark night sea, Seirin staggered but continued to advance.
“Holy Power… does not work… No, it’s being resisted. That can’t be!”
Shia’s voice trembled in surprise at the unprecedented situation. Just as the enemies were astonished by her Holy Power, she too could hardly imagine that the essence of the otherworldly monster Razak would counter her Holy Power.
“What are you just standing there for?!”
In an instant of panic, Aria stepped forward instead of Shia. Unleashing all her powers, Aria ignited with flames and brandished her glowing claw, charging head-on into the rushing Seirin with a sickle.
‘What… power is this?!’
But in the blink of an eye, at the moment the sickle and claws collided, Aria was sent flying backward, the shockwave causing her to bleed from her mouth.
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