Chapter 168 – The Meaning of Strength (8)
“…”
No matter how many numbers and plans one calculates, it’s only natural for the mind to freeze when witnessing an overwhelmingly destructive sight that can annihilate everything in an instant.
This was also true for Razak, who operated the Giant Hive Mind.
As he directly saw the transcendent realm he sought to achieve through ultimate evolution, Razak froze in place.
[Tentacles descending from the sky. Where on earth are those enormous tentacles coming from…?]
“That’s not the problem!”
Razak yelled, interrupting O Insun’s mumbling. His intensely throbbing emotions impacted the entire legion.
“W-what kind of being is this? Who has been watching over this place? According to my investigations, this Earth is a place where transcendents cannot exist!”
Trembling in genuine fear, Razak shook his body.
Earth was originally a world without magical power. Before the fairies arrived, it was so completely closed off that it was referred to as a ‘closed world.’
Thus, both the fairies and the monster Razak were completely excluded. He knew that no matter how much the Earthlings called upon their gods, there were no actual transcendental beings existing on this planet.
However, now a being appeared in the sky that shattered all those assumptions from the very foundation.
[Is that really such a big deal?]
“You all have no idea how great a transcendental being can be. A transcendental being is a fundamental condition for overseeing the world. After all the chatter, the ‘god’ of your world that has yet to appear until this moment is now showing itself!”
[That grotesque tentacle is a god?]
Without a proper understanding of transcendents, O Insun could not comprehend Razak’s statement. After all, in Earth mythology, divine beings were commonly omniscient and omnipotent entities that looked over people.
But Razak emphasized that these transcendental beings were not perfect or good entities.
“Truly sinister and evil. It might even be an indigenous transcendental being of this land, but in any case, it’s been hiding thoroughly and merely observing you before finally appearing now. How absurd, did it really choose to act just because of me?”
Muttering to himself, Razak speculated about this unidentified transcendental being. Of course, most of it was a misunderstanding, but at least he clearly recognized that the transcendental being was watching him.
[So what do you plan to do? Will you execute the plans as they are?]
“…It will take a bit longer.”
Razak, quieting himself, began to revise his plan. He realized that the actions of the transcendental being were a warning.
If it had meant to oppose him, it could have wiped out his army with the power to snatch away the nuclear warheads, but since it didn’t do so, he inferred that the transcendental being was not mindlessly opposing him.
“I’ll need a deeper nest…”
And his eyes flashed. Although he felt intimidated, he had no intention of backing down. After all, what he sought was the ultimate evolution. Through that, he aimed to become a transcendental being himself.
To achieve that goal, avoiding conflict with other transcendental beings was not an option.
“This, this is…”
“It seems this is not what’s important right now.”
Just as Razak began to curl up and retract his tail, Korea across the sea, and indeed the whole world, was in a frenzy.
“D-do you know anything about them?”
The nuclear missiles aimed at the world had completely erased themselves from people’s minds.
Those who were confronted with the nuclear warheads flying towards Seoul, now frozen solid by Rene’s magic, were no exception.
People, including Rene herself, turned pale as they trembled, talking about the tentacles that had briefly appeared.
“No, I don’t know. Unless they’re angels descended from reality…”
In a similar state of mental collapse, Lee Min-hyung shook his head. Rene had never seen or heard of Takilas’ real form, which had only revealed itself once since its appearance, and she certainly couldn’t imagine that it was Takilas.
“W-well, they’re still not our enemy, right? They stopped the nuclear missiles.”
“That may be so, but the problem is we can’t know their intentions.”
Oh Yoon-seo tried to say it brightly, but Rene shook her head coolly. She also knew what kind of beings these transcendental entities could be, and she made sure people understood that they couldn’t carelessly view them as allies.
“So what do we do now? If we move hastily and the tentacles appear again…”
“We need to read their intentions. Discard common sense and perceptions.”
Like Razak, Rene also tried to understand the intentions of the tentacles descending from the sky. She was convinced that it had not acted meaninglessly.
*
“Shouldn’t I not worry about it?”
“Right. It just disappeared. So don’t overthink it and don’t scare yourself.”
‘Did I just unnecessarily act up?’
As Takilas watched Aria rush towards him, he clicked his tongue. Moreover, it wasn’t just Aria reacting like that. Everyone around, no, the whole world was responding the same way.
“How can you not be concerned? Something like that descending from the sky… could it be you?”
“Nonsense. I don’t know anything about that. I’ve never experienced it.”
Aria struggled to calm down. Unlike ordinary people, she had somewhat become accustomed to manipulating magical power as a magical girl, which made it even harder.
So much so that when Takilas shook his head, she didn’t even dare to doubt him. It was only natural; the sight that just occurred was not something that even the strongest magical girl could achieve.
In the end, Takilas quickly gave up trying to calm her down.
‘Was I too thoughtless and now being doubted? Seems not as much as I feared.’
Takilas glanced at Shia over Aria’s shoulder.
Unlike frantic Aria, Shia seemed deep in thought. Since she had knowledge regarding transcendental beings, if anyone were to doubt, the chances of it being Shia were significantly higher.
“Do you know something?”
“Nothing certain. When dealing with such beings, even if they are embodiments of evil, one must remain cautious.”
Takilas first asked Shia about the tentacles in the sky. As a saint closely connected to the divine beings, Shia was being very careful.
“Takilas is right, Hero. There’s no need to overthink it. Just because they are transcendental beings doesn’t mean they are omniscient. If we constantly second-guess ourselves, we’ll accomplish nothing.”
“R-really?”
“The nuclear bombs have all been dealt with, and it will be better to continue with what we were doing.”
Shia remained calm. Her composure was based on firm faith. The people around her were influenced by her calmness, gradually shaking off their fear and regaining their composure.
“Let’s move urgently. Since they have no intention of cooperating with us, we’ll just carry on as planned.”
“W-wait a moment!”
With Shia leading, the three magical girls prepared to move. They needed to get to where their powers were required. But at that moment, the commander of the military, who had been watching the scene blankly, urgently called out to them.
“I’ll do whatever it takes to persuade others to cooperate fully with you. So please help us. Until the allied forces land, until help arrives… we are too weak. If you leave and the monsters strike again, everyone here will die.”
“How audacious. You should have done better from the start. Are you only asking for help now because the situation looks grim?”
He begged them to help. While Takilas scoffed at the absurdity of it, Aria and Shia flinched slightly.
‘Isn’t a chance needed?’
Especially Shia’s heart wavered significantly. Clearly, they doubted and were wary of their sincerity. If it were in the past, Shia would have been the one to decapitate them first. How dare they suspect and obstruct her movements as she acted with the will of the heavens.
But now, her thoughts were a little different. Here she was, even having been given a second chance to come back from the brink of death.
Vision could be narrow. Thinking could be stifled. Mistaken choices could be made. But Shia now believed that everyone should at least have an opportunity to overcome that.
“Is that truly your heart?”
“Yes. Some will forgive, others will acknowledge their mistakes, and rise anew. If possible, I believe it’s right to give opportunities.”
Takilas noticed the change in the saint and asked with interest.
‘Is she shedding her naivety? I’m not sure whether to consider this a good thing.’
Shia replied with unwavering eyes. Although they’re allies now, she was essentially a blade that could stab him at any moment.
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