Unstoppable (2)

Unstoppable (2)

Multi-layered Illusion Resonance, the magic Rene usually uses first to gauge the opponent’s level.

True power isn’t just about physical strength.

No matter how strong one is, without the mental fortitude to wield that power, 100% efficiency is impossible.

In fact, according to her experience, only a few were able to break free from this multi-layered illusion.

“How cute. But you know what? Even if you keep showing me those damn memories! I’ve already! Killed and destroyed everything!”

“Ugh…”

However, mental attacks through illusions didn’t work on Karin, who had awakened the madness from her active duty days.

With blazing eyes, Karin shattered all those numerous illusions in one blow and emerged, rather in a state of intense anger, swinging the chain in her hand to freely fire that massive iron flail.

“Everyone, scatter!”

Rene, who barely blocked the iron flail with dozens of layers of localized defense barriers, gritted her teeth and commanded the magical girls moving with her.

The plan to face the opponent alone and whatever justification for it was all scrapped.

‘This opponent right in front of me now, I can say with certainty, is strong. Excluding Takilas, stronger than any opponent I’ve met here.’

Cold sweat ran down her spine.

In less than 10 seconds after the battle began, Karin showed why her alias during her active duty was called the White Demon.

“Cover the rear! Quickly blo… Ugh.”

“How could this… Kyaaah!”

Even if they weren’t the S-class said to be the strongest among active duty, the experienced and skilled magical girls were sent rolling on the ground with their weapons or falling off the building.

With each of Karin’s magic-exploding punches, light burst forth, tearing through sound and air, and with each swing of her iron flail, the thick reinforced concrete rooftop split in half, spewing water.

“Is this all? With just this much… you’re trying to play games against the world?”

“…There’s still a lot left.”

Rene, pointing her staff, sighed at the sight of Karin effortlessly tearing and breaking the magical chains she had summoned to wrap around that small body as if they were mere pieces of paper.

“I’ve been through it all. It sounds like nonsense!”

A white-glowing iron mace flashed through the air, flying towards her.

Rene barely escaped the strike with a short-distance teleportation.

However, the indiscriminate attacks continued, and the building’s rooftop was already devastated. Eventually, Rene took to the sky.

“Ugh…”

“Don’t act with half-hearted feelings. This world is more rotten than you can imagine. And it’s cold. People and fairies alike. They won’t protect you. They might not even spare you, and instead, they might be full of thoughts to harm you.”

Karin, who had crashed onto the rooftop with a thunderous noise, reached Rene in an instant and grabbed her neck. Right in front of her face, fierce energy blazed in those golden eyes.

“In the end, you’ll end up hurting yourself. The same goes for those around you.”

“You…”

Rene flinched as she read that emotion in Karin’s eyes.

Karin was sincere. The weight that the first generation of magical girls had to bear when there was no institutional system, no people’s awareness, nothing to rely on, that experience.

“Why did traitors emerge among the first generation of magical girls?”

As Karin muttered dejectedly, memories of the past flashed through her mind.

The terrible memories of that day, which resurfaced due to Rene’s illusions.

Even now, more than a decade later, Karin, who had directly experienced that barbaric and violent era that society still hushed up and was reluctant to mention, was sincerely trying to stop Rene.

“Do you think it’s easy to change the world as a mere high school girl? Don’t turn the world, the rulers of this land, into your enemies. You… will get hurt.”

The strength in her gripping hand gradually weakened and then dropped.

Rene knew it too. After all, she hadn’t felt any overt killing intent in Karin’s attacks that had knocked everyone down.

‘What should I do?’

For the first time, Rene’s eyes wavered.

Karin is trying to dissuade her by even sharing her own experiences of failure. This is because she doesn’t know what kind of being Rene is and simply thinks she’s an ordinary Earth girl.

However, she couldn’t break the contract terms and reveal her true identity honestly.

“I cannot bend my will. Because this is the only thing that makes my heart beat again. Having been reborn, I cannot miss this one and only opportunity.”

“…It’s good to be passionate.”

In the end, Rene made her decision and rejected Karin’s advice.

It was impossible to reveal her identity or give up her goal, even if the sky were to split in two. Of course, she would have to pay the price for that.

“Then prove it.”

Karin smirked. However, even though she was smiling, it was a smile that exuded a completely different aura from before.

“There’s no Magical Girl without a backstory. You can call me an old fart if you want. You can say I’m a coward. You can get annoyed at me for crawling out like this after ignoring even Mamut while people were dying with retirement as an excuse, and for avoiding clashing with crazies like Takilas but acting this way only towards you.”

Rene bit her lip and once again stirred up her magical power.

“But what can you do? This is how the world is. Do you think I’ll be the only one standing in your way from now on?”

“My answer to all those obstacles is the same.”

This time, Rene launched the first attack.

She agreed with Karin’s logic after all. In the end, she was a newcomer who came into the world without any credentials.

So there was only one way to prove her vision while ignoring the existing strict evaluation criteria.

That was power.

She just needed to prove the power that could trample over everything. Just like Takilas.

“…Well, you’ll need to try harder then.”

Karin bared her teeth as she split apart with her bare hands the massive stream of flames that Renée had shot—a top-tier magic that could blow away even decent-sized buildings.

“Everyone get away!”

“What’s going on… Aaargh!”

Police and broadcasting station personnel who had urgently gathered in the downtown area at dawn screamed and took cover.

Something fell to the ground at tremendous speed with a massive shockwave, creating a thunderous sound as it shattered and buried itself in the asphalt.

Inside that crater that created tremors in the surroundings, Renée lay fallen miserably, twitching.

“Does it hurt?”

Karin muttered while stepping on the neck of the fallen, suffering girl. This was different from before. She had no intention of going easy at all.

“Just how many real techniques do you have?”

However, Renée managed to extract herself by transforming into smoke the moment she twitched. Then from her brandished staff, several top-tier spells were cast simultaneously.

Though her face was a mess with blood stains and dirt, her blue eyes showed not the slightest hint of backing down. After all, she knew well that this was a qualifying test to prove herself.

“Annihilate.”

100 magic circles of various types spread out around her simultaneously.

It was a kind of dark art that forcibly condensed 100 different spells she could use and amplified their explosive power into pure physical quantity. Destruction beams powerful enough to pulverize an entire large building rushed towards Karin as they overlapped and mixed from the magic circles.

“Ha.”

Karin swung her iron mace with all her might towards those destruction beams full of intent to kill her.

The subsequent shockwave shattered every window within a radius of several hundred meters and devastated an entire empty intersection. Police cars of the urgently evacuated officers were smashed and flew around like sheets of paper, and cracks spread across the outer walls of buildings.

Battles between high-ranking magical girls were comparable to disasters in history.

“You lost. Too bad the game is over.”

“…”

Karin, spitting out blood, walked step by step towards Renée who was embedded in the outer wall of the building across. Dropping her staff that was broken in half, she slumped down on her knees and looked up at Karin with eyes that could barely open due to the flowing blood.

Even if I try to move, my torn and broken muscles and bones only give me a sharp pain.

“Stay still and receive treatment, live as an ordinary magical girl. Think of excuses for your parents or friends. For a while, live your daily life…”

“I have no daily life. No parents, no friends.”

“What?”

“…Didn’t I tell you? This is my new life. This desire was all I had.”

“I don’t understand what you’re saying. I have to admit, your willpower is impressive.”

Karin tilted her head, not understanding Renee’s words. Still, she clicked her tongue as she watched her trying to move repeatedly.

“Do I have to put you to sleep too?”

Karin raised her hand with the intention of knocking Renee out. She planned to strike her neck to make her faint.

“…Run away.”

But at that moment, Renee muttered with a blank face, seeing something behind Karin.

“Huh?”

Simultaneously, Karin’s outstretched hand was caught by something. Suddenly feeling goosebumps, Karin flinched greatly when she saw the black shadow that had grabbed her wrist.

“I’ve heard the rumors, SS-class magical girl, Karin.”

“You…”

“You see, I’m the type of being that must reach the top. Now that I’ve finished putting the arrogant newcomer in her place, shall I accept another challenger? Champion.”

In an instant, it felt as if the air in the area had frozen. Even the loud siren sounds that had been so noisy disappeared in a breath. This coldness dominating the area now was a fear close to violence.

It’s cold. And it’s scary.

It’s an intense presence that any being with instincts would inevitably feel.

Slowly turning her head, Karin gritted her teeth as she saw a black-haired girl standing with a massive, writhing shadow.

The red pupils, eerily curved, were gleaming in the darkness.