Chapter 116 : Calm Sea

July 1

“Cyberbrain World.”

Flash―!

At my gesture, white starlights rose over the English Channel, creating a huge platform.

Adding the imagination that Kang Dorim used when creating silver ships to the white platform large enough for thousands of people to stand on. Instantly, a makeshift mobile fortress is completed.

Solid white platform

Self-propelled guns that can aim in all directions

Propulsion device that can float the platform in the air

I didn’t have as good design sense as Dorim to refine it into an elegant form, so it became a somewhat crude makeshift fortress, but it would be enough to use once and discard.

‘What I’m better at than Dorim is…’

Infinite starlight.

Unlike Dorim, who takes about a week to create one silver ship, I could create them at 5-minute intervals if I gave up on the details of the work.

Flash―

Flash―

I installed similar-sized mobile fortresses all over the English Channel.

So that magical girls who can’t fly for long periods can rest or escape.

So that silver ships can make emergency landings during the second trial.

To efficiently carry out the task of installing mobile fortresses everywhere, I had to do it with the help of avatars.

“Divine Manifestation. Galatea, descend.”

Pop!

Pop!

Pop!

10 doll avatars arrived one after another on the makeshift mobile fortress using the power of [Transfer].

With 10 magical girls gathered with white halos where 4 stars are connected into one, it felt like my skin was tingling.

For now, I had to disperse them before the others arrived.

“…Please help.”

“Okay. Let’s work hard.”

“This really feels strange.”

“Then shall we talk about military life?”

“You’ll get hit if you talk about Park Sergeant. Really.”

“Pfft.”

Galatea.

The statue and lover created by Pygmalion.

It was a name I gave inspired by the horse mask calling herself ‘Pygmalion’.

Her, whom I thought was an irresponsible otaku who devoted her not insignificant life to doll making.

I grew somewhat fond of her after hearing her human inner thoughts while staying with Misaki.

-I broke up with my long-time boyfriend and fled to America to work for a model company, but the company completely went bankrupt due to the economic crisis.

-Oh no.

-So I returned to my hometown and was holed up at home for a few years, then got completely absorbed after seeing [Beginning]’s broadcast. Thinking this might be true passion…

-I see.

Before leaving Elysion after fixing 10 dolls, her life story revealed with an embarrassed expression had its own circumstances. The doll making she started to save herself caused trouble for many people, but she said her life had at least improved compared to the past.

Out of respect for Pygmalion who was saved by me, I gave the avatars the name ‘Galatea’.

“Then I’ll get going.”

“Okay.”

Natural expression.

An atmosphere of understanding my flustered feelings.

‘Talking to ‘me’ was a bit creepy at first.

Same appearance, same voice, same memories and personality.

But after blooming as a 4-star magical girl, my soul size and consciousness expanded, so it often felt like people’s prayers, memories, and emotions were coming in and being absorbed into my self to the point where even I got confused, so they weren’t bad for dispersing the amount of information.

‘Certainly, if the avatars from the [Deception] era felt like semi-automatic dolls that I had to occasionally enter and control, Galatea really feels like she moves automatically.’

If the gods summoned by Animus were subordinates with different abilities from herself, my Galateas were minor copies with the same abilities as me, just a little inferior.

However, since I, the summoning subject, was close to omnipotent with the Flow of All Things, the synergy was doubled.

At some point when the work had progressed to some extent, I contacted the observatory.

“This is the magical girl of [Hope] reporting, mobile fortress installation complete.”

-Elysion Observatory received.

“Is there anywhere I missed installing?”

-You have accurately placed them at 10-kilometer intervals.

“Yes, please continue to check.”

-Understood.

I completed the installation of mobile fortresses all over the straits passing through Britain, France, Belgium, and the Netherlands.

‘It looks quite cool.’

Dazzling pure white aerial fortresses located all over the huge strait.

A sight that might make environmental protection groups or navies of each country faint.

Of course, I asked for permission and understanding from the leaders of each country, and planned to remove them immediately after the trial ended.

Pop!

“Hikari! I’m here!”

“Yuki.”

I had become dull to the sense of time from traveling around the world so much, but it was probably after school.

Hug

Yuki jumping out of the warp gate I temporarily installed on the aerial fortress, running pitter-patter and hugging me.

‘She just hugs without even asking about the fortress.’

I’ve accepted it a few times without saying anything because of the atmosphere, but it was funny how she was starting to hug as if it was a natural greeting.

Grabbing my hand even while eating, suddenly contacting me in the middle of the night asking what I’m doing.

‘Were girls this age originally so fond of skinship?’

Even Hana, who really had no friends until recently, didn’t seem to depend on me this much.

“Oh right.”

“Hm?”

Thinking of Hana who recently bloomed, there was something that bothered me.

Though it wasn’t noticeable because her own combat ability was excellent, Yuki hadn’t been able to grasp the thread of blooming despite her steadily built reputation since the friendly matches.

Barely after the first trial passed, Dorim, Ichika, Hana, Sumire, and Himari bloomed, and magical girls who were born 2-star were gradually grasping the clues to blooming.

I couldn’t understand why Yuki, who had already bloomed once, couldn’t grasp the clue to blooming.

“Yuki, still no clue about blooming?”

“Ah… yeah. [Resurrection] still doesn’t work. Hehe…”

“Hmm. So that was indeed the goddess of [Beginning]’s intervention.”

“Yeah… sorry.”

“No! Yuki, you’re so helpful!”

Even after breaking down her mental walls and approaching Chen Lihua, Natalia, and Yeonseo, her self-esteem that was shattered in the previous world didn’t recover easily. Especially this time, my words and actions asking as if interrogating weren’t good.

‘It’s not like Yuki is only needed for combat ability.’

It was heartbreaking to see my hero looking so small like this.

“…”

While comforting Yuki, I raised the divinity that looks at the fate of the stars.

Red

Burning love

‘It’s clearly strongly connected to flame, but I can’t guess at all.’

Though it’s a hint spanning not just some emotion but a strong goal piercing through life.

Such a vague keyword.

Come to think of it, I couldn’t guess what Hana’s ‘shining friendship’ and Ichika’s ‘advancing trust’, who had already bloomed, had to do with [Swiftness] and [Freedom].

‘The gentle lie and beginning of tomorrow of [Hope] are equally vague words.’

I wouldn’t have realized it either if there hadn’t been the final battle with Animus.

The key to blooming.

This word selection that seemed like the goddess of [Beginning]’s taste made me troubled.

Since the day I first shot the white arrow, there were no more appearances of remnants of the goddess of [Beginning].

“Ah, come to think of it.”

“Hm?”

“The apostle of [Plague] still hasn’t been seen, right?”

“Yeah.”

“Maybe… she’ll appear during the trial?”

“I’ve been thinking about that.”

Black scales absorbing starlight, Greed.

White scales emitting starlight, Plague.

[Plague] who suddenly appeared in the fifth trial where new types of demons were rampant all over the world, muttering incomprehensible words while dealing with birds.

[Interfere with our world… pass without… I’m against it!… It’s none of our concern… If it’s going to be like this, rather… Argh!… This is tyranny!]

A madwoman with nothing but black bandages wrapped around her entire body. We had to keep in mind the possibility that she might appear after receiving the curse of the three goddesses.

“The problem is we have no idea what that one’s purpose is.”

“Because we couldn’t communicate at all.”

Animus sifting and testing humanity.

‘Alisa’ who was only interested in Alisa’s death.

The Divine Maiden who was only interested in the goddess of [Beginning]’s orders.

The purposes of the three apostles were completely revealed, but as for the last apostle [Plague], her purpose was unknown because she behaved inconsistently and showed madness.

“The other Alisa said it would be useless to meet that one before her descent.”

“Yeah… Who would have thought [Death] would sacrifice herself in the dream world.”

The fact that the apostle of [Death] I brought and the apostle of [Death] Yuki met were different personalities seems to have been quite shocking.

A situation completely different from the original work now, just preparing to match the time and place of the trials.

“…”

“…”

A situation that has changed so much.

An uncertain future.

Only helplessness was felt.

“…Shall we go down for now?”

“Okay.”

We were just doing our best to prepare.

* * *

[The human body is like a delicate world.]

[Even if one cell is slightly off, it gradually collapses beyond help.]

[Moreover, if countless personalities are imbued in each cell of that delicate world.]

[If billions of souls have to type one key each to write the novel called life.]

[Isn’t that the worst plague?]

[The goddess promised.]

[That she could bring ‘us’ into this world.]