Episode 72 – Never Stopping (2)
The Multi-Overlapping Fantasy Resonance, a spell that Rene uses first to gauge the opponent’s level.
True power is not merely about physical might.
No matter how strong the force, if one lacks the spirit to wield it, there can be no such thing as 100%.
In fact, based on her experience, only a few managed to escape from this multi-overlapping fantasy.
“You’re acting cute! But what now? Even if you keep showing me those shitty memories, I’ve already killed and wrecked everything, you know?!”
“Kuh…”
However, Karin’s madness awakened from her active years meant that mental attacks through illusions had no effect on her.
With blazing eyes, Karin shattered all those numerous illusions in a single strike, and instead, she was filled with rage, swinging the chains in her hand and indiscriminately hurling that massive iron flail.
“Scatter!”
Rene, who barely blocked the heavy flail with dozens of overlapping localized shields, grit her teeth and directed the magical girls around her.
The plan of facing her opponent single-handedly and all that justification was thrown out the window.
‘This opponent in front of me is undoubtedly strong. Excluding Takilas, stronger than anyone else I’ve met here.’
Cold sweat trickled down her back.
Less than 10 seconds had passed since the battle began, and Karin quickly demonstrated why she was called the white demon during her active years.
“Take the rear! Quickly… Guh!”
“What the hell… Aaaah!”
Even skilled magical girls with considerable experience, despite being classified as S-rank, were being tossed about like rag dolls, rolling across the ground or falling under buildings.
A single punch from Karin, bursting with mana, erupted like a flash, tearing the sound and atmosphere apart, and the flail she swung split the thick rebar-concrete rooftop, spraying water everywhere.
“Is this all you’ve got? Is this how you plan to mess with the world?”
“…There’s a lot more left.”
As she pointed her staff, Rene sighed at the sight of Karin casually tearing apart the magical chains that wrapped around her small body like pieces of paper.
“I’ve done it all. Do you think I sound like I’m talking nonsense?”
The radiant flail, shining bright white, sliced through the air toward her.
Rene barely managed to evade that blow with a short-distance teleport.
However, the indiscriminate attacks continued, and the rooftop was already devastated. Ultimately, Rene soared into the sky.
“Cough…”
“Don’t act with half-hearted intentions. This world is more rotten than you can imagine. And it’s cold. People, fairies, everyone. No one will protect you. They won’t show mercy, and rather, may be filled with thoughts of harm.”
With a loud crash, Karin landed on the rooftop and swiftly grabbed Rene by the throat. The fierce energy emanating from her golden eyes flickered dangerously close.
“In the end, you’ll end up hurting yourself. Those around you will too.”
“You…”
Rene flinched as she read that emotion in Karin’s eyes.
Karin was sincere. The load that the first magical girl, who had no institutional support and no one to rely on, had to bear—the experiences she had lived through.
“Why did betrayers arise among the first magical girls?”
Muttering in despair, memories from the past flashed in Karin’s mind.
The terrible memories of that day resurfaced, ignited once more by the illusions Rene showed.
Even now, more than a decade later, this society still shushed and avoided mentioning that brutal and violent era which everyone had experienced as novices. Karin was now genuinely trying to dissuade Rene.
“Do you think it’s easy for a mere high school girl to change the world? Don’t turn the rulers of this land into your enemies. You… will get hurt.”
Gradually, the pressure in her hands lessened, and then they fell away.
Rene also understood. In Karin’s earlier attacks, there was no blatant intent to kill at all.
‘What should I do?’
For the first time, confusion flickered in Rene’s eyes.
Karin was trying to dissuade her by sharing her own failures. This was because she thought Rene was an ordinary girl from Earth, ignorant of what she truly was.
Yet she couldn’t break her contractual obligations and reveal her true identity.
“I cannot bend my will. Because this is the only thing that makes my heart beat again. As long as I have been reborn, I cannot miss this singular opportunity.”
“…Youthful energy is nice.”
Ultimately deciding, Rene rejected Karin’s advice.
Even if the sky were to split apart, revealing her identity or abandoning her goal was out of the question. Of course, the price would have to be paid.
“Then prove it.”
Karin smirked. However, the smile she wore emanated a completely different aura.
“No magical girl exists without a backstory. Feel free to call me an old hag. Go ahead and say I’m cowardly. While people die due to my excuse of retirement, disregarding Mamute, I crawl back out here only to complain why it’s just me facing this nonsense.”
Rene bit her lip and summoned her mana once more.
“But what can you do? The world was always like this. Do you think I’ll just be the only one blocking your path?”
“My answer to all those obstacles is the same.”
This time, Rene struck first.
She resonated with Karin’s logic. After all, she too was a newcomer that entered the world with no specifications.
Therefore, the only way to prove her vision was to ignore the harsh existing evaluation standards.
With power.
She just had to prove her strength by trampling all over them. Just like Takilas.
“…Then you should push yourself even harder.”
Karin revealed her own strength by splitting apart the massive flame projectile that Rene shot, one capable of blowing away ordinary buildings, with just her bare hands.
“Everyone, get back!”
“What the hell… Uagh!”
Police and broadcasting station staff, rushed to the scene at dawn, shrieked and dodged for their lives.
With a colossal shockwave, something began descending towards the ground at an incredible speed, crashing down and shattering asphalt beneath it.
In the aftermath, a tremendous impact rippled through the surroundings, and Rene, left in a lamentable state, twitched inside the creator that had landed with force.
“Does it hurt?”
Karin muttered while stepping on her neck, showing no sign of mercy this time.
“Seriously, how many real techniques do you have?”
However, the moment Rene flinched, she managed to slip away in a cloud of smoke. Then, with her staff swung, multiple ultimate spells were cast simultaneously.
Though her face was muddied with dirt and blood, her blue eyes showed no signs of retreat. She knew all too well that this was a trial to prove her worth.
“Exterminate.”
One hundred various magic circles unfurled around her simultaneously.
It was a type of ritual that forced her to condense the one hundred spells she was able to use, detonating their explosive power as mere physical quantities. The resulting destructive rays were powerful enough to reduce a huge building to powder, pouring forth from the overlapping magic circles toward Karin.
“Hah.”
Karin swung her flail with all her might towards the deadly projectiles aimed at her.
The resulting shockwave shattered all the windows within hundreds of meters and obliterated a pedestrian square that had previously been uninhabited. The police cars that had been evacuated were smashed into pieces, and the building exteriors cracked.
The battle between the high-ranked magical girls of history was comparable to a natural disaster.
“You’ve lost. It must be disappointing, having the game end now.”
“…”
Coughing up blood, Karin trudged her way over to Rene, who was embedded in the wall of a building across from her. Dropping her broken staff, she sank to her knees, looking upward at Karin with blood flowing from her.
Even when she tried to move, her muscles and bones, torn apart and broken, only sent stabbing pain through her body.
“Stay still, get treated, and live as an ordinary magical girl. Think of excuses for your parents or friends. Spend the meantime living a normal life…”
“I have no normal life. Neither parents nor friends.”
“What?”
“…Did I not say? This is my new life. This desire is everything for me.”
“What are you talking about? I must admit your mental strength.”
Karin tilted her head, unable to comprehend Rene’s words. However, seeing her trying to move again made her click her tongue.
“Do I have to put you to sleep too?”
Karin raised her hand with the intent to knock Rene out.
“…Run away.”
But at that moment, Renee stared blankly behind Karin and murmured something.
“Huh?”
As Karin’s hand was caught by something, she felt a chill run down her spine as she noticed the black shadow grabbing her wrist.
“I’ve heard the rumors about you, SS-ranked magical girl, Karin.”
“You…”
“I’m someone who must reach the pinnacle by nature. Since I’ve finished dealing with the arrogant newcomer, would you mind accepting another challenger? Champion.”
In an instant, the air around them seemed to freeze. The once-ringing sirens suddenly ceased. The chilling presence dominating the area brought forth a sense of violent fear.
It was cold. And terrifying.
This was the intense aura that an instinctive being could not help but sense.
Slowly turning her head, Karin clenched her teeth upon seeing the dark-haired girl standing alongside a sprawling shadow.
Her eerily bright red eyes glittered in the darkness.
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