Chapter 28: Breathe
by AfuhfuihgsMary Jane didn’t feel any particular disturbance from the sudden explosion that Soda Pop set off without warning.
If her legs were trembling, it was definitely because of the cold night air.
“Let’s destroy the Magical Girl Association together!”
But it wasn’t the explosion that made Mary Jane’s body shake—it was the nonsensical rambling of that crazy girl that made her quiver with rage.
Hearing the ridiculous statement, Sanguine Obsidia paused, raised her hand to her chin, and then shot a blade of dark magic, shimmering like black crystal, at Soda Pop’s feet.
An obvious gesture of rejection.
She then fixed her gaze on both of them, as if daring them to keep talking.
What now?
Oh, right. Earlier, she mentioned being here to steal cigarettes.
That’s a good angle.
“If you come with us, we can get you enough cigarettes to fill that whole warehouse. What do you think? Accept our offer and—”
Mary Jane didn’t realize it herself, but she shared a similar talent with Soda Pop—the talent of saying the wrong thing at the worst possible time, inciting even more anger.
As always, Mary Jane’s clumsy attempt at negotiation failed spectacularly.
It was obvious to anyone with common sense that talking about giving her cigarettes after blowing up the warehouse where they’d be stored wouldn’t work.
If only there was someone reasonable in the group to point that out, they might have learned from it for next time.
Unfortunately, Soda Pop☆Ritalin, who should have been that reasonable person, was too busy fiddling with the unresponsive detonator switch to care.
“I’ll kill you.”
Shiiik—
With a sinister noise, the black crystal blade shot toward Mary Jane, who leapt to the side, narrowly avoiding it, and bit her lip.
Why the hell did she set it off now?
Sure, the original plan was to blow the place up, but that was just a step to get closer to Sanguine Obsidia.
Now that the target had shown up right in front of them, what was the point of detonating it?
Did that idiot even understand what they came here to do?
Mary Jane barely held back the string of curses that threatened to spill from her mouth.
There was no point in lecturing a brick wall.
Her bitten lip tasted of blood, but at this point, it didn’t matter.
The situation had already spiraled out of control, and it was clear Sanguine Obsidia wasn’t in the mood to listen.
Mary Jane had no choice but to switch her mindset to combat mode.
“See? I told you that chick’s crazy! She’s mumbling to herself again. If there was a mascot, I’d see it too!”
“Mascots don’t usually show themselves to others! Now shut up and focus on the fight!”
Soda Pop shrugged at Mary Jane’s desperate cry, grabbed her staff with one hand, and put the other to her eye, striking a winking pose.
“Magical Girl Soda Pop☆Ritalin, entering the fray!”
“Oh, for f*ck’s sake…”
Mary Jane had been traveling with this crazy girl long enough to become somewhat numb to her nonsense, but that ridiculous pose was still hard to stomach.
She was over twenty-five, yet she still acted like this…
“Hiya☆!”
With a cutesy shout ending in a star, a black star-shaped magic bullet shot from Soda Pop’s staff,
but Sanguine Obsidia easily deflected it, sending it flying into the distance.
“Hah.”
Sanguine Obsidia scoffed, and then dozens of black chains came flying forward in unison.
“Just as I thought…”
Mary Jane couldn’t help but notice how similar the nature of the magic and the chains were to those used by the other members of the Apostles of the Black Relic.
But the black rapier that Sanguine Obsidia held in her right hand—
It didn’t resemble a relic at all, no matter how Mary Jane looked at it.
A weapon so dark it reflected no light—a pitch-black rapier.
“What’s going on here?”
Maybe Sanguine Obsidia just happened to have the talent to wield a black relic, but contracted as a magical girl, resulting in that form.
“Dodge, you idiot!”
Snapping out of her thoughts, Mary Jane kicked Soda Pop’s shin, knocking her to the ground.
Right where Soda Pop’s head had been, a chained blade whizzed past.
“Ow! That hurt!”
For a moment, Mary Jane seriously considered letting Soda Pop get herself killed and just negotiating with Sanguine Obsidia one-on-one.
But she brushed off that rational thought and pulled out several small heart-shaped grenades from her coat, throwing them.
“Soda Pop, get ready!”
“Put a ☆ at the end!”
As usual, Soda Pop shouted her nonsense while gathering magic at the tip of her staff.
Sanguine Obsidia emerged from the smoke of the small explosions, charging straight at Soda Pop with her rapier drawn.
“Take this☆!”
Boom—
A gray mana blast fired from the black star at the end of Soda Pop’s staff.
“Wait, no!”
But Sanguine Obsidia sliced through the beam effortlessly, advancing without a hitch.
And with each of her steps, black chains burst from the shadows on the ground, aiming at Soda Pop’s limbs.
The sound of air being sliced was sharp and fast.
“Imitatio Logio Atritas.”
With the dark blade right in front of her face, Soda Pop☆Ritalin, out of reflex, chanted a spell she always used when in danger.
And then—
Dark shadows clung to the chains, eroding them and scattering them into the air like dust.
Sanguine Obsidia froze, her face marked with surprise.
What did she just say?
The words sounded familiar—like a spell that’s somehow embedded in my memory.
Could it be that she really knows something?
About the spells I use or the nature of this tumor?
[It’s dangerous. Dodge!]
“What…”
Shiiik—
Sensing something flying toward me, I instinctively bent backward.
A sharp harpoon grazed the area just above my collarbone.
My mind, caught up in questions, was abruptly interrupted by the sudden, precise attack.
“My clothes…!”
The suit woven with magic, though it may not look it, actually has considerable defensive capability.
But as the harpoon struck the upper chest area of the suit, it corroded as if melting away, exposing the inside—
Revealing the pulsing tumor embedded in my chest.
“What the hell is that?”
Mary Jane was bewildered.
Soda Pop, still crouched after casting her spell, didn’t seem to care.
The dark red mass lodged in the center of my chest looked like an oval-shaped black crystal, but it throbbed and pulsated,
and dark red vein-like tendrils extended from it, weaving across my chest, expanding and contracting with each beat.
Was Jimmy’s prediction wrong?
Or was there something he didn’t tell us?
Could something like that even exist?
The only thing that came to mind was Soda Pop☆Ritalin’s pseudo-magic organ, implanted behind her sternum.
It’s a neat black orb made from condensed spirit remains—completely smooth and round, with no external signs or pulsation.
And, most importantly, it doesn’t emit the same horrific presence as that tumor.
None of the comrades in the Apostles of the Black Relic carry something so grotesque.
The energy it emits is also different.
It doesn’t have the dark soul residue typical of black relics, nor the rotten mana scent left by a spirit’s corpse.
It’s something indescribable—something fundamentally foreign.
In the end, Mary Jane concluded that she truly had no idea what it was.
“Ah, crap.”
Clank.
Mary Jane rewound the harpoon’s line, pulling it back, and made a decision.
Retreat.
I could sense at least ten magical presences approaching from a distance.
It must have been quite some time already.
Though it was past midnight, the magical girls seemed to have finished preparations and were almost here.
Since both Sanguine Obsidia and the two terrorists who bombed the headquarters were gathered here amid flashy explosions, the Association would undoubtedly deploy their full force.
It was a pointless ending, but it couldn’t be helped.
Sanguine Obsidia seemed to be getting serious now, emitting several times more mana than before.
If she goes all out, there’s no way to win.
She hadn’t even used a proper spell yet.
If I tried clashing her true magic with Soda Pop’s, it might help resolve this strange discrepancy, but there’s also a real chance of getting killed.
Jimmy would probably tell me something later. Hopefully.
“Take this☆!”
Soda Pop swung her star staff horizontally, firing dozens of mana bullets.
Mary Jane grabbed Soda Pop by the neck and yanked her backward.
“Hey, what gives!”
“We’re retreating. If we don’t leave now, we won’t make it.”
“What? Not again?! I haven’t even said my dramatic exit line! No, wait, that’s not—”
Ignoring Soda Pop’s protests, Mary Jane drew a small black dagger from her coat, slashed the air, leaving a crackling rift, and both of them vanished.
“What the hell…?”
I had planned to capture them and interrogate them, so I held back my strength, but I didn’t expect the surprise attack to reveal the tumor.
This was the first time something like this happened.
Luckily, since I dodged just in time, it didn’t pierce my chest—only tore my clothes.
The harpoon, made of a similar substance as my own magic, seemed to corrode and disintegrate magical constructs.
Once the user fled and the effect faded, I channeled mana into the suit, and it returned to normal.
That so-called Apostles of the Black Relic group—whatever they are, they definitely have some connection to me and this tumor.
[I really don’t know anything about it.]
…Yeah, I never expected much from you anyway.
Tch.
For now, I have to run.
The glowing dots in the distance—those are magical girls rushing in at top speed.
The flashing lights are getting closer.
More questions with no answers, cigarettes all burned up,
A meaningless battle, and the worst possible night.
“Oh.”
Just as I thought that, I spotted a small, isolated storage shed that hadn’t been caught in the explosion.
I ripped off the iron door and stepped inside—
And there it was: boxes with a familiar brand logo.
At least in one aspect, this night wasn’t a total disaster.
“Sanguine Obsidia, and the terrorists! Surrender! You are surrounded!”
They should know that I can use etherealization to escape, but they can’t afford not to make a move, I suppose.
It’s complicated.
A quick count shows there are exactly ten of them.
With a casual wave and a mental note to avoid meeting them again, I etherealized and vanished.
I doubt they heard my parting words.
Even if they’re lying in wait nearby, they’d never expect me to dispel my form in the middle of the burned-out warehouse.
Feeling lighter than before, I grabbed two boxes of cigarettes and stepped into the void passage.
I may have missed out on capturing those strange duo, but whether it was because I killed two people at the start or because I finally got my cigarettes,
the echoes of screams and death rattles reverberating through the passage sounded like fragrant music today.
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