The Unbreakable Flower (2)

The Unbreakable Flower (2)

“Th-this is… this is insane! What in the world…”

The video turned off. However, Soo-hyun Park, who had received a great shock, couldn’t easily regain his composure. He couldn’t accept that the video he had seen was actually a fact that occurred today.

The Special Forces and the Magical Girls fought. And Magical Girls fought against Magical Girls.

He also thought that the Magical Girls should be replaced by the Special Forces, but that was only because he thought the Magical Girls’ system was unstable to cover society as a whole, not because he resented or hated the Magical Girls.

That’s why the sight of two girls splattering blood and beating each other with the determination to kill was enough to make his thoughts stop completely.

‘No. This isn’t right.’

He shook his head and pulled out the USB containing the memory. At the same time, he gritted his teeth. He had already been continuously suspicious about the sincerity of the Special Forces’ upper ranks.

It was nauseating to realize that the power they created by recruiting volunteers and modifying their bodies to become ability users in the name of justice and order was being used to antagonize innocent girls instead of enemies and criminals.

‘The police, no. There were police in the video too. At least some of the police are in on it!’

He was about to rush out of the room with the USB in hand but hesitated. He knew that the Special Forces were trying to cross the line, but he didn’t know where to go.

‘The Management Bureau. That’s it.’

Then he thought of the Management Bureau. As far as he knew, it was an agency currently at an almost suspended level of authority, but it was still the most expert agency on Magical Girls in the country.

“An…Antonio.”

“Soo-hyun. Where are you going this late at night? You look quite urgent.”

However, when Soo-hyun Park opened the dormitory door and came out, he encountered none other than his colleague Antonio.

“Nothing. Just have some business to attend to.”

“Let’s not beat around the bush. Do you think I gave that to you for no reason?”

“…!”

Antonio grinned as if he had no intention of hiding anything, in response to Soo-hyun’s attempt to naturally overcome the crisis by pretending not to know.

“I just wanted to let you know in advance. About the direction we should take.”

“Direction? Don’t make me laugh!”

Having finally learned the whole story, he was furious. It was a story he couldn’t understand at all with his common sense.

“Aria is still a child. Is it right to attack such a child mercilessly as a group? Moreover, we were all shamefully pushed back. What meaning is there in such actions?”

“Well? To be honest, I don’t really know either. I just picked up bits and pieces of what they were saying up there. But one thing is certain, we are all moving forward, sacrificing this moment.”

“You’re crazy. Anyway, don’t stop me, Antonio. This isn’t justice.”

Park Su-hyeon gritted his teeth and tried to force his way through. However, Antonio didn’t back down. Instead, with the sound of footsteps, others appeared in droves, blocking his path.

“No need to get too excited, Team Leader Park. We only intended to punish Aria for crossing the line while conducting a simple test, and we’re not trying to antagonize all magical girls.”

One of them was none other than Adele Bryant, one of the research directors of The One Road. Adele spoke in a calm voice that didn’t match the urgent situation.

“Then, what is it for?”

“We always move to become stronger. That’s the only way we can protect the world. But if I had to pick an immediate goal, I’d say it’s ‘defeating the Demon King.’ We’re creating magical girls stronger than the Demon King.”

Defeating the Demon King. At those words, Park Su-hyeon’s eyes widened.

The mysterious person who called himself the Demon King, Smalilian, was eventually killed by a stronger being.

At this point, there was only one being that fit the term Demon King. In other words, defeating the Demon King meant capturing the hero who had recently saved this city.

“Is that possible?”

Park Su-hyeon muttered without realizing it. Even trying to imagine it, he couldn’t picture Takillas being defeated.

It was even more so when considering the indiscriminate actions Takillas had taken since her appearance.

“Make the impossible possible. Fortunately, we live in an age where we can turn the impossible into the possible. Now, shall we go inside to discuss the details? For example, whether that Takillas girl is truly a hero. We have a lot to tell you, who has shown exceptional talent.”

Adele smiled slightly at his reaction. And he was already surrounded. In the end, Park Su-hyeon, biting his lip, had no choice but to follow them inside without resistance.

***

“Something, something has subtly changed.”

As the time for leaving school approached, Jeon So-hyeon prepared to go home. She muttered absentmindedly while watching the students chattering noisily.

Her identity was still unknown. The Management Bureau was in a semi-destroyed state, and people’s attention had shifted from the mysterious shrine maiden girl to elsewhere.

“What has?”

“You already know.”

As Gabi, invisible to others’ eyes, answered, she shrugged her shoulders.

The students’ conversations and the internet on their phones were still buzzing about that one person.

Since that person was the one who connected Gabi and herself and helped develop their powers, Jeon So-hyeon couldn’t help but react sensitively.

“Before, it felt like they were a mischievous brat who thought they were the center of the universe, but now it feels like they’ve become a massive pillar.”

“Your intuition is good as always.”

Gabi snorted at her apt comparison.

“Isn’t that a good thing?”

Jeon So-hyeon couldn’t laugh in response. Currently, public opinion on Takilas was surprisingly split.

In Seoul and in reality, people were more cautious, but on the internet, behind anonymous names, there were quite a few who freely cursed Takilas.

And the most common opinion was this: they wanted Takilas to show a more proper stance.

Even those who defended and praised Takilas were expecting them to show more clear actions.

“Do you know what the most useless thing in the world is?”

“I’m not sure. Worrying about celebrities? Worrying about the rich?”

“It’s worrying about that person. You should just focus on taking care of yourself and training. That person won’t even bat an eye at your petty concerns.”

“Ouch!”

Jeon So-hyeon, who had been talking with Gabi while being mindful of others, teared up as she was hit on the crown of her head.

‘Ha Eun-seo, that kid, I wonder what’s going on with them.’

After school, Jeon So-hyeon deliberately stopped by another class. It was because of Oh Yun-seo’s desperate call after learning about her identity.

But as expected, Ha Eun-seo’s seat was empty again today, marked as absent.

‘That goody-two-shoes probably wouldn’t run away like I did.’

Han Eun-seo vaguely knew that she was a magical girl. However, she was constantly worried about the fact that her whereabouts were unclear.

Anyway, from the moment she came to the facility and even during the Mammoth incident, Han Eun-seo was the first to recognize her potential, and although she was nagging, she continued to care for her so that her heart wouldn’t waver.

Now that they had become close friends, Jeon So-hyeon couldn’t ignore her friend who disappeared during a mission.

‘She’s still not answering.’

But Han Eun-seo didn’t answer Jeon So-hyeon’s calls either.

In the end, unable to find any other way, she left school for now. Today, it was impossible to focus on anything else because she had something to do.

“Today, the director and other executives have something to do. The cleanup is still not complete… and it’s the same for other magical girls.”

“I don’t really mind.”

Jeon So-hyeon, who arrived at the Management Bureau headquarters immediately after school by taxi, confidently entered the building with Oh Yun-seo’s guarantee.

The inside of the Management Bureau was somehow very empty. The number of people had decreased significantly, and moreover, they had become very busy due to the recent incident.

“As you said, we’re managing it thoroughly.”

The place they headed to was deep underground. Previously, it was used for important Frontier meetings, or for imprisoning captured minions of Smalilian, etc.

It was a place where things requiring the highest security were kept.

That’s where it was. Jeon So-hyeon swallowed dry saliva as she saw the red ore sitting quietly inside the glass protected by double and triple layers of security.

“Please unlock it. I’ll attempt today’s purification.”

Jeon So-hyeon rolled up her sleeves and stepped forward confidently, her hands glowing with crackling light. This was the reason she came here.

To purify this terrible object that contained great power but would surely contaminate its surroundings if left untreated.

“Oh, oh no! Something terrible has happened!”

It was at that moment when people suddenly exclaimed in shock and emergency lights started flashing everywhere.

Right now, Oh Yun-seo, who was the highest-ranking official of this facility, rushed over in surprise, and Jeon So-hyeon also followed behind her.

“What’s this? Why is that kid here…”

“Eun-seo!”

Both Oh Yun-seo and Jeon So-hyeon were taken aback by the footage captured on the security camera.

A girl covered in blood from head to toe was staggering, her eyes gleaming as she looked this way through broken glasses.