Chapter 74 : Aftermath

Grooooowl!

The beast’s enormous body, with a height similar to a several dozen-story building and a length exceeding several hundred meters, was overwhelming even in the moment of its collapse.

A massive rumble as if heaven and earth were being overturned, and the violence of its mass.

The beast, which had been an incarnation of destruction just by its existence, finally fell silent.

[The beast has completely fallen silent!]

[Woohooo! I thought we were really going to die!]

The entry team plunges into the beast’s mouth, which emits the most lethal attacks. And they had to dig more than 300 meters deep into the interior while the high-powered energy attack was being prepared.

“Th-the place where it can make the strongest attack is likely directly connected to the most vital core organs!”

An extremely dangerous idea where everyone who entered could be vaporized with just a few seconds’ difference. Everyone inside the Sirius, which was entering Russia, turned pale. But the martial arts magical girls who had witnessed the amazing battlefield analysis ability shown by the magical girl of [Flame] in the friendly match supported this strategy.

“It’s not like we have any other options anyway. Seems like the most plausible plan.”

“We just need to watch the timing carefully. Dodge well, blow it up, and get out. Simple, right?”

[Penetration] and [Shooting] affirmed [Flame]’s plan in calm voices.

“This is truly a plan burning with passion!”

The voice of [Martial Arts] shouting excitedly at the extremely dangerous plan.

The entry team thus formed, consisting of martial arts magical girls from the friendly match. They calculated the timing of the beast’s high-powered attack and boldly plunged into its mouth.

“What should we do about the puppets chasing us from behind?”

“They’re the ones that slipped through the Sirius’ firepower…”

“Taste my machine gun filled with love!”

“My leopards! Go and tear them apart!”

The entry team advanced while repelling hundreds of puppets that had broken through the Sirius’ fire net and chased them into the beast’s mouth.

[Waaah?! They say nuclear weapons have been launched from Moscow, what should we do?!]

“If we turn back now, the Sirius will be in danger! We need to hurry to the power source and destroy it!”

“Aaaargh! Run! Hurry and run to attack!!”

At [Armor]’s panicked voice in the urgent radio transmission, [Flame] hastily reminded them of their original purpose.

Without the Sirius’ cover, they couldn’t have broken through tens of millions of puppets.

“This is the power source!”

They arrived at the power source with all their might and were overwhelmed by its enormous size.

The beast’s power source shining fluorescent green like the sun.

“There! Everyone, fire your maximum firepower!”

[My armor!]

“Nanami! Carry me on your back and take me right in front of the power source!”

“Whoa, o-okay! Rena-chan!”

With a sound that seemed to burst their eardrums, attacks spewing from everyone’s unique weapons and equipment gradually eroded the fluorescent green power source. The power source sparking from the multi-colored attacks. Small puppets endlessly pouring in from outside.

Crunch

The precariously remaining time until the next high-powered attack.

With a cracking sound, the power source cracked.

“Haaah!!”

A girl in a dress as red as if burning thrust her flame sword into it.

Like inserting a key into a giant lock, the sword thrust with all her might inflicted a huge wound on the power source along with an enormous flame.

Whoosh!!

The energy that had been gathering for the high-powered energy discharge began leaking through the gap created by the sword.

“The energy is backflowing!! Get out of the beast’s mouth!!”

A breathtaking moment.

An urgent radio transmission saying nuclear launches had begun.

The roar of tens of millions of puppets coming from hundreds of meters ahead outside the beast’s mouth.

Every second felt like it was stretching into eternity.

When they finally leaped out of the beast’s mouth.

Boom!!

With a massive shockwave, the beast staggered and collapsed, falling silent.

Tens of millions of puppets were being scattered, pushed back by the Sirius’ fire net.

“We did it…”

Yuki smiled with joy.

She had been able to brilliantly fulfill her friend’s request.

She had stopped the beast that was about to cause massive slaughter just before Eastern Europe.

The beast that collapsed with a roar on a vast plain with no residential areas in sight.

‘Hikari…! I succeeded…! I really didn’t let anyone die!’

[Notification from the magical girl of Communication! All nuclear attacks have been stopped!]

[Notification from the Mingyue-affiliated magical girl in charge of China’s defense! Successfully repelled the magical girl of Sword!]

Good news continued to come through the radio attached to Yuki’s ear as she slowly descended, wrapped in flames.

Hope.

For the first time, hope that she had protected, rather than despair at what was lost, welled up in Yuki’s heart after the battle ended.

None of the magical girls who participated in the operation she led had died.

They had prevented a commotion that could have plunged the world into massive chaos before the Trial came.

“Hikari! We succeeded here too! Are you okay?”

Yuki transmitted a personal radio message to Hikari through the receiver attached to her ear with trembling hands.

More than anything, she wanted to hear her voice.

“…”

“Hikari?”

“…”

[Notification from the magical girl of Cyberbrain… The magical girl of Beginning neutralized the nuclear attack and is currently missing with communication cut off…]

“…Eh?”

What?

Hikari?

That’s impossible.

“Wh-what do you mean…”

No.

[According to the command structure, I’ll command the return operation… We’ll definitely search for the magical girl of Beginning… Let’s return for now.]

No.

“Hikari…!”

That can’t be.

* * *

January 24, 2012

[UN Security Council unanimously decides to expel Russia.]

[The ugly truth hidden behind the expulsion and imprisonment of foreign businesspeople in Russia since last year.]

[Incompetent puppet government, crisis of destruction brought on by greed.]

[The ‘Eagle’ trying to drag the whole world into its own grave.]

[Fierce criticism of the US President and ruling party, and aftermath of nuclear war. Some predict possibility of impeachment motion.]

[160 countries out of UN member states issue strong diplomatic protests against US and Russia.]

[2012 human extinction rumors, were they prophecies about the ‘Moscow Incident’?]

[Thousands of nuclear weapons evaporate. US government conspiracy?]

[Silent US Department of Defense, disappeared nuclear weapons.]

[Separatist movements claiming independence from superpowers on the rise.]

The crisis of destruction passed by the world all too suddenly and ridiculously.

Some evaluated that even if thousands of nuclear weapons had detonated simultaneously, climate change and radiation damage would have been a level of disaster that modern society could overcome, except for the parties directly involved, Russia and America.

[We shouldn’t equate the affairs of America and Russia with the ‘whole world’!]

However, contrary to such views, the aftermath left by the Moscow Incident struck the whole world all too clearly.

The rapid movements of some hardline forces that had been stirring to break away from the order led by superpowers immediately after the nuclear launch. Logistics movement and production cut off by the war crisis. Even with just the aftermath of an event that ended without any damage, the international community took a big hit.

People around the world who were returning to daily life after New Year’s greetings welcomed the fourth week of January with a shock as if hit by a hammer.

All stock markets and economic indicators plummeted at once. A huge aftershock, as if an iron rod had been thrown into the wheel of an athlete sprinting at full speed.

Just one day.

As news spread that nuclear weapons were flying through the sky, thousands of suicides occurred around the world from people unable to overcome their fear.

Even that ended to this extent only because people were too shocked to react to the crisis of destruction that came without any warning signs.

“…”

“…”

What dominated people after the fear passed was helplessness.

The great sadness that comes after the fear that daily life could disappear in a single day.

Broadcasting stations around the world temporarily suspended all sports, entertainment, and amusement programs except for news and some live broadcasts.

A point where all public interest converged on one thing.

As much as everyone had despaired in the face of the threat of destruction, they began to focus on the one person who had saved them from that destruction.

Even those not belonging to magical girl society, people around the world were curious about the whereabouts of the one person echoing in the news all day long.

[Where is the magical girl of Beginning?]

[The magical girl of Beginning who disappeared after the miracle of Moscow.]

[What was the identity of the white light that cut across half the earth?]

[Is this a power humans should possess?]

[Angels and demons with faces so lovely and familiar.]

The girl who awakened magical girls, resolved numerous incidents, and finally even prevented nuclear war.

And the three fully bloomed 3-star girls who had brought Korea, Russia, and China to the brink of national destruction.

Numerous magical girls who directly stepped forward to save countless people despite having the same supernatural abilities.

The treatment of magical girls now rose to a level where awe and fear coexisted, beyond just children with strange skills, even in places with state-recognized organizations.

Magical girls who shone brighter than anyone in ordinary life and ran into the darkness.

If they wanted to harm with malice, they could wield power more evil and enormous than anyone, but they chose justice nonetheless.

[It is a great sin to equate evil supernatural ability users with magical girls who devoted their whole bodies to save us.]

[We will remember the 6 magical girls who sacrificed their lives for the countless citizens of Beijing and the citizens who died in Shanghai.]

The safe return of all magical girls who voluntarily participated in the Moscow operation.

Parents who belatedly learned of their daughters’ participation in the operation nearly collapsed, and families who knew sighed in relief.

Most people respected the girls who flew on a huge silver ship, simply believing it was right, without any political gain.

[What is the Grand Council’s next move?]

The whole world continued to issue high-intensity criticism statements towards the US and Russia, but waited only for the words of the Grand Council, the center of magical girl society.