Episode 179 – New Phase (9)
“Sometimes there are things you can’t help. A wall that’s impossible to overcome, a reality that doesn’t change no matter how much you struggle. But ironically, there are those who transcend such impossibilities and break their limits.”
“Ugh… I don’t understand a word. Am I the weird one?”
“In the end, make what’s impossible possible. That’s it.”
She answered with a smile, seeing Kim Soo-jung frowning in confusion. The one who first spoke, Jeon So-hyun, bit her lip while watching that exchange.
Though they were both dancing around the subject, the meaning was clear.
“Can we really overcome this?”
“…Absolutely.”
Seeing Jeon So-hyun open her trembling voice, Lee Jin-ah, or rather Takilas, nodded with a smile. Upon hearing that response, Jeon So-hyun felt her heart calm a bit. Even if it was just empty words, the acknowledgment from the strongest eased her burden just that much.
“And what you said isn’t necessarily accurate. Even if Takilas is temporarily away, they might return someday.”
“Really?”
Moreover, she left room for possibilities. Hearing that, Jeon So-hyun concluded that it wasn’t so bad after all.
‘As long as it’s not the end.’
Having sorted her troubled mind, Jeon So-hyun bitterly smiled and treated the two to dessert, hoping they would recognize it as her small gesture of thanks.
Only Kim Soo-jung, oblivious to everything, was stuffing her face with difficult-to-eat food.
“How could they have figured it out? Considering I’m acting with Plesea, they’d hardly suspect anything unless they saw me transform directly.”
“Isn’t their reaction a bit lukewarm for being found out?”
“It doesn’t really matter. They’re not the type to gossip around.”
On the rooftop of the facility where the moon was rising, she chatted with the mascot Ren, who was perched atop her head. Because of Jeon So-hyun’s overt actions, she had realized that Jeon So-hyun was already aware of her identity.
“And anyway, I won’t be able to come here for a while.”
“…Is it certain that I can return?”
Ren, hesitating at her bittersweet words, asked in a soft voice. Noticing Ren’s feelings, she scoffed.
“Despite everything that’s happened, I want to enjoy and experience as much as I can. Of course, I will come back. If it’s possible.”
Her eyes momentarily lit up as she surveyed her surroundings. This city’s scenery, now so familiar. In truth, she didn’t want to go back. It wasn’t that she was bored; there was still so much to do, see, and experience here. More than anything, just being a small part of this world was a comfort for someone like her, worn down by the turbulent century.
‘Whether we win or lose in the war, it’s a problem…’
However, she also knew that returning here was nearly impossible. The worst war, with the Demon Realm and Celestial Realm all involved.
It was a gigantic cycle of order and destiny. The outcome of all previous great wars was always a reset that left both winners and losers dissatisfied. Especially since the position of the Demon King was cyclical, it was essentially a war whose end was predetermined from the start.
“Anyway, I will definitely win and come back. Keep my seat warm.”
“That’s not something you need to worry about, and since this is how it is, there’s no other way. All we can do is hope for your victory in that war.”
“You’re finally starting to act like a mascot.”
She smiled with satisfaction, seeing Ren’s supportive demeanor. From the time Ren mistook her for an ordinary magical girl to now, he had always treated her the same way.
“It won’t take long, I bet?”
As she looked up at the sky, she turned to head back inside.
[How is the preparation going?]
[We’ve detected that the Celestials are moving in a hurry, they will soon swarm in. We cannot trust the treaty with humans either.]
While returning to her room, she received reports connected to the Demon Realm. Everything was going as expected. The Celestials were mobilizing their supplies to gather those who would become their pawns under the name of the church and were indeed plotting to start a war.
[I will raise our defenses even higher.]
While everyone was preparing for battle, they still felt that the situation was tense. The Celestials would not allow any violation of the peace treaty and were certain to start a war against the Demon Realm.
*
[Do you truly desire war?]
[It is not that we don’t understand. We could have stayed idle, but taking this step required great resolve.]
At the time when Takilas openly moved the Demon King’s army to prepare for war in response to the Celestials’ actions, Archangel Asmael was still working to calm the excitement of his divided comrades.
[What does such resolve entail?]
[Without a war with the Demon Realm, we have nothing we can do.]
Amidst this, a strongly pro-war angel stepped forward.
“Ironically, while the Demon King has been silent, what have we done? We need to act first to set the stage for our advantage.”
[So you chose this path, to prove your own worth. Worthy of existence. Ultimately, you want to broadly declare our intentions.]
Asmael listened to their concerns and came to a conclusion. In fact, it was a decision made from the moment they started arriving, or rather, from the moment this situation arose.
[I have one significant proposal for you who desire war and competition with the Demon King.]
[A proposal? But we are merely prideful warriors…]
[Is it necessary to hold that pride here? According to my proposal, you can directly participate in the holy war without needing to create a saint.]
Suddenly, Asmael shifted the atmosphere, remaining calm while the angels were left confused and startled. Those who didn’t know the circumstances had no idea what Asmael was talking about.
‘Takilas, you were not wrong. This peace must be protected. Moving forward… that is the answer I believe in.’
Before those factions seeking war came to him, Asmael had already mapped out all of his plans. However, with his status as an administrative officer and observer, he had no authority to command other archangels of equal rank.
Ultimately, his remaining tools were persuasion and logic. He had to alter the paths of his comrades with them.
‘It’s a beautiful world. What did you see here?’
Leaning back in his chair, Asmael’s eyes opened up to a completely different landscape. Everything that the saint Elysia, his counterpart, saw and heard was visible and audible to him as well.
What he was watching came directly from Earth, where Shia was active as Magical Girl Shia.
‘I had to make a choice. And because I live in the sky of this world, I cannot bear to sacrifice it.’
He weighed Earth against his homeland and came to a conclusion as if it were obvious.
He had to protect this place. He was the sky of this realm. Thus, the sacrifice had to be made by Earth, a land he would not watch.
[What is this Magical Girl phenomenon you speak of?]
[If we become that, we can descend to the ground with our bodies. Is that truly a fact?]
[I will give you a piece of information you desire.]
Asmael revealed the truth about Takilas to the war-hungry angels startled by his suggestion to become Magical Girls.
He was certain that the Demon King Takilas was currently active on Earth as a Magical Girl through Shia’s eyes.
[The specifics will be explained by my close friend, who will transform you into Magical Girls. You can trust my words, can’t you? This is your chance to go toe-to-toe with the Demon King.]
[That… is…]
Asmael’s logic sharply captured the points the angels had been discussing. If they could directly confront the Demon King within his domain, there would be no reason to wage war here.
[Follow me. I’ll introduce you to the one who will make you Magical Girls.]
Thus, having captured the angels’ attention, Asmael snapped his fingers to open a rift in space.
From within that rift, the massive Cosmic Tree Yggdrasil, which had been watching the angels, smiled and welcomed them.
“Welcome, illustrious angels of the Celestial Realm. With me, Yggdrasil, even you, who cannot descend to Earth due to your enormity, can safely land upon the ground.”
[It cannot be… A Transcendent…!]
Unlike Yggdrasil, who had already heard the story, the angels reacted dramatically. This was their first encounter with a transcendent being from another world.
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