Light and Darkness (4)

Light and Darkness (4)

“This is…”

Aria staggered without realizing it. Because she had the memory of being ‘done to’, she could recognize that this wasn’t reality right now.

“Aria, over there!”

Lulu shouted, discovering something in the space full of bizarrely undulating strange objects.

Turning around, Aria gritted her teeth and widened her eyes. It was a truly terrible illusion technique originally developed for combat, with Ren’s own taste and creativity added to it.

“Dad…”

She spat out the word as if chewing it. What was staggering towards her from afar in this illusory space was her father, covered in blood. He groaned like a zombie and then pulled out the knife stuck in his stomach.

“You… dare… to your father…”

“Don’t listen, Aria. This is a trap!”

As he began to mutter while walking towards her, gripping the blood-stained knife, Lulu shouted desperately. As she said, this was meant to dig up and dredge out the subject’s traumas to launch a mental attack.

But the human heart is always fluid. Even the strongest person can’t be without cracks in their inner self. To control even one such emotion or trauma, you’d need to be at least a 100-year-old most vicious demon lord who has seen it all and transcended.

Aria trembled with a pale face.

Lulu’s desperate cries went unheard. Aria, or rather Han Eun-seo, whose transformation had somehow been undone, had gone back to that time three years ago.

To a 15-year-old girl, mature only in appearance. To the immature and fragile victim who couldn’t do anything.

“Aagh!”

Her father, who had walked right up to her, struck her cheek violently. Just like that day. Unable to resist, she fell to the ground from the strong impact.

He pinned down her fallen body, straddling her, and began to choke her.

“It doesn’t bother you at all, does it? You murderer who stabbed someone to death. Even though you became an S-class magical girl, you end up like this. You’re still weak.”

“Kuhk…”

This monster in the form of her father hurled insults at her. As she struggled against the gradually tightening grip on her neck, she realized that what he was saying now were the words she used to say to herself in the past.

‘The right way to use power.’

With her vision blurring from tears, she groped for the blood-stained knife that had fallen nearby. If she stabbed with this like before, she would surely be able to break through this crisis.

“No…”

However, she soon discarded the knife.

‘I must change.’

Just as she was about to lose consciousness, she gritted her teeth. She had certainly made a decision after listening to Rene. That she would realize her justice in a different way than now.

The biggest prerequisite for that was to change herself. To become stronger both externally and internally.

If she hadn’t met Rene, she wouldn’t have been able to escape this self-deprecating trap.

“Who are you?”

The father choking her asked with a sneer. Her wide-open eyes and hair gradually turned crimson.

“Aria.”

Aria gave her name. At the same time, as an intense power burst forth, she once again transformed into Magical Girl Aria.

Becoming a burning flame like her changed mindset.

“Aria!”

“The current me doesn’t have time to be caught up in past ghosts!”

With Lulu’s excited shout, she swung the knuckles on her hand with all her might.

The huge and powerful wind fist that was fired shattered this void space like breaking a mirror, along with the illusion of her father.

But this illusion technique is multi-layered. It’s not made of just one. She grabbed Lulu and exploded forward with her leg strength, rushing ahead like mad.

She shook off even the memory of killing her father, which was her most gloomy trauma. Now unstoppable, she started not to break through dozens of illusion techniques, but to simply smash through them with her body.

“Eek! That guy!”

“Ah, my fragile senior. You’re late again. Thanks to you, everyone’s already dead.”

Now, only the final illusion remains.

The moment Lulu saw it, she was terrified and her brow twitched.

In a city drenched in blood, a scene of horrific massacre where no one survived, a black-haired, red-eyed beautiful girl stood with a sly smile, trampling on the miserable corpses.

The most recent being to cause the biggest crack in her beliefs. The murderous magical girl Tequilas, who provided the opportunity for her to be tempted by Ren’s words.

“…It doesn’t matter. Even if it’s you.”

However, Aria didn’t slow down.

With a smirk, Tequilas threw away someone’s head she was holding and spread her giant shadow wings, soaring into the sky. Aria kicked off the ground and charged towards her like a blazing meteor.

“Haaah!”

Just before collision, Aria threw her fist with all her might, unhesitatingly planting it in the still-smiling Tequilas’ face. The illusory Tequilas’ head exploded, and immediately the space cracked, bursting with intense sunlight as it shattered.

“…Impressive.”

With the sound of breaking glass, Aria broke through the space and leapt back onto the school rooftop. Seeing her, Ren genuinely marveled.

Not only had Aria escaped in 1/10 of the time he expected, but the momentum she was showing now was clearly different from before.

“Still, thanks to the time you spent there, I’ve finished what I needed to do. Now… only the execution of these ones remains.”

Ren shook the chains in his hand. However, Aria’s eyes glaring at Ren no longer wavered even slightly.

“You’ve now shed your childish tendency to be swayed by your surroundings and gained a truly unwavering belief and strength of your own. So, will you now use that strength to fight me and stop me? Do you resent me for showing you those terrible memories you wanted to forget?”

Ren noticed her growth and smiled bitterly. After all, it was because of his magic that Aria had grown a level.

“No. I don’t particularly think that way. Rather, I’m really grateful. Although it was an illusion, the last moment was truly thrilling.”

“The last?”

However, Aria shook her head with a smile. The memory of punching Taquilas’ smug face was still vivid. Rene, not knowing this fact, was slightly taken aback.

“And I’m not going to fight you. I’m just asking.”

“Ah, Aria…”

“Give me, no, give us one last chance.”

Her subsequent action was even more surprising. Even Lulu was shocked into silence, and Rene’s usually calm eyes wavered.

“Is that your changed true intention? I’m surprised. Does a warrior who knows honor need to go that far to save these vermin?”

“As you said, I’ll now use any means necessary. I will definitely realize my beliefs.”

Rene looked down at Aria kneeling on the ground and chuckled, but Aria, who had knelt down of her own accord, was dignified.

In fact, she had no intention of backing down. She was willing to offer her knees, and even bow her head if necessary, as the price for postponing a fight with Rene until the very last resort.

“This can’t be happening…”

“Aria is kneeling. Could it be that she’s begging for those people’s lives?”

Of course, all of this was being captured by the relay cameras and helicams, broadcasting directly to people’s eyes and televisions.

At the same time, Rene’s eyes narrowed slightly.

‘I’ve been outmaneuvered.’

The situation had become awkward with Aria suddenly kneeling. Rene, who had declared to gather magical girls to establish a new order and planned to ‘rule’ people, also had to consider public opinion.

In other words, excessive suppression at this point would instill fear and antipathy in people rather than giving them a sense of catharsis.

“Go ahead and try that. You stupid pigs, know that this noble warrior has made a great sacrifice for you.”

Finally, Rene pulled up the chains, lifting the people who had been hanging upside down and throwing them in front of Aria. Those who had been screaming, crying, and now groaning in exhaustion, widened their eyes at the sight of Aria kneeling on the ground.

“…I’ve achieved everything I wanted anyway.”

Rene, now completely indifferent to whether they lived or died, muttered while looking up at the sky.

One by one, magical girls were gathering here. Those who agreed with Renée’s intentions, overcoming their fears to realize true justice – the suppressed magical girls.

“As you said, this is your last chance, so do your best. Otherwise, we will step in and execute summary judgment.”

“…That won’t happen.”

Renée, having removed her barrier, floated up into the sky to join the gathered magical girls.

As the chains disappeared, Aria knocked out Principal Kim Chan-seok, who was thrashing about wildly, with a blow to the solar plexus. She bit her lip as she watched them drift away.

“Is it… is it over?”

“Are you crazy, Lulu?”

As Lulu sighed in relief seeing people gathering below, Aria mocked her.

“You guys will probably have to work really hard. I mean the mascots and fairies. Is this situation even legal?”

“Eeeek!”

Lulu screamed as Aria reminded her of the fact she had forgotten.