episode_0030

It’s an extraordinary power.

Shouldn’t you be happy if you have enough strength to push a car without any special equipment?

It’s the power I gained by coming to this world.

If you can jump over a police bus by running with your legs, and if your running speed is almost as fast as a car, and if bullets veer away from you when they come at you…

Even if you only have one of those powers, it should be refreshing.

If there’s a villain in front of you, you might just destroy them and head straight for a happy ending.

But all I felt was despair.

Did something in my head break? Even as I ran away, tears kept flowing.

There were choices in front of me, but I just messed up everything that was wrong.

Every time I made a choice, I thought it was necessary in its own way, but now it seems it wasn’t.

I should have just let the world go on as it is.

I shouldn’t have pursued unnecessary desires.

I should have just thought, “It’s just not meant to be,” and lived like that, but I meddled for no reason. Even if the author creates chaos in the story, the protagonist isn’t supposed to thrive. But I couldn’t do that at all.

I don’t even know where to go. Although I think I should leave Seoul, I can’t decide which direction to go.

It was originally a cold day in early spring.

I might as well head towards the Han River. I need to cross a bridge to escape anywhere…

Yet, I found myself running towards home.

Strictly speaking, it’s not really a home. It’s a place I’ll eventually have to leave.

But that’s the only thing I truly have in this world.

Right now, I don’t even have a phone or a wallet. I’m just wearing tattered patient clothes. I couldn’t even put on underwear properly.

Bang!

Gunshots rang out in front of me again.

Are they sending people to analyze the direction I’m going? I become anxious. If this continues, no matter where I run, I’ll just keep getting caught.

Something flashed—

“…!”

I couldn’t even scream from the pain in my shoulder.

My running speed slowed down. I stumbled because I didn’t step properly.

Then several gunshots followed.

Pain spread throughout my body. Each one felt like a huge hammer striking me.

Some sparkling things fell to the ground. They were bullets that hadn’t penetrated my body.

Bullets. Perhaps they were blunt because they hit me. Maybe it’s because rubber bullets don’t penetrate.

Maybe the reason the bullets didn’t hit me and veered off was because I lacked kinetic energy. Perhaps they used less ammunition for riot control, or the caliber was different.

Or maybe those were rounds with more gunpowder in them.

The important thing is to hit my body, ignoring even the magic around me.

A spotlight gathered inside me. The light that had barely escaped blinded my eyes. The dazzlingly bright light was so painful that it made my head ache. Is it okay if I go blind?

“…It hurts.”

I murmured with a sob.

Slowly, black substance covered my body from my left arm.

Ting, ting.

The sound of metal bouncing off was heard. It seemed like they couldn’t hear it over there, but rather, people were coming towards me as if it were a golden opportunity.

Those who came forward were holding something like a shield in front of them. Their clothes were much thicker, and their silhouette, barely visible, seemed larger than an ordinary person.

A duller gunshot sound than the others was heard, and multiple bullets hit my body at once. I almost fell backward, but I could barely stop just that.

Shrapnel hit my head and rang loudly.

It felt like the circuit was reading my mind. It created a barrier wherever I felt pain. Even though it couldn’t completely offset the impact, just that alone made it much more bearable.

Something like a net flew at me from the direction I was facing.

The net that fell on my body was much heavier than it looked. It wasn’t just a net used for catching fish; each part was thick metal and wire.

Several layers of it piled up over my head.

My strength drained from one knee. The shooting stopped, but it was difficult to move due to the sheer weight pressing down on my body.

Above all, my body was exhausted.

I didn’t feel the pain anymore, but my eyelids were so heavy that not even my reinforced strength could hold them open.

I hunched over. The constricting wires pressed against my body from all sides, as if not allowing any space for me to exist, and it seemed that only by doing so could my body be somewhat intact.

“Now, I hate it….”

Just hate it.

Just want to quit.

“Someone… please….”

Muttering like that, my field of vision was slowly enveloped in darkness.

It was just like back then.

When I revealed my identity to Hae-yoon.

Before my sight was completely obscured, it seemed like someone called my name.

*

“No!”

It was harder to catch Eun-hee, who ran much faster than Hae-yoon flying in the sky.

It seems like their strengths are completely inversely proportional rather than simply being outperformed by each other.

The person who could be Hae-yoon’s hope was now being chased by numerous people. The sirens coming from below made my head throb.

Is that gunfire I hear from far away?

Hearing that, my heart became even more anxious.

I might lose a friend.

I might lose the friend I’ve known and trusted since childhood.

The more I thought about it, the weaker Hae-yoon’s strength became.

“Hae-yoon!”

Cherry’s shout barely brought me back to my senses.

I don’t know exactly what power the Noir Corporation’s circuit uses, but at least the minimum requirement to operate the circuit would be much higher than the power needed by magical girls to operate their circuits.

The reason magical girls can be magical girls is that they can generate energy by operating their circuits.

However, even in this weakened state, there was enough energy to fight.

So, they had to go.

No matter what happens, Ha-yoon didn’t want to lose Ji-eun.

…How?

Should they persuade with words? Should they overpower with force?

And then?

Ha-yoon’s parents hold an important position between the Galactic Federation and the Korean government. Naturally, they had to consider both sides and there was no way for Ha-yoon to secretly hide Ji-eun.

Iris’ warp technology might be able to transport Ji-eun to a distant place… but would Iris really help?

Moreover, once warp technology starts to be abused, it can be easily exploited. Iris’ warp technology is already under surveillance by the Galactic Federation. If Iris helps Ji-eun, her own location will become very dangerous.

There doesn’t seem to be any way to help Ji-eun.

They didn’t even consider handing her over to those people. After all, it wasn’t just about being arrested.

Even if they were just arrested—why Ji-eun?

Magical girls are people who fight for justice. Even if the galaxy cannot be perfectly just, magical girls should be as just as possible.

They had to show that there are corners of the world that still function justly, no matter how broken it may be.

Magical girls were supposed to embody such hope.

Where did it go wrong?

Ha-yoon bit her lip and tried to hold back her tears.

Is this what it means to walk the path of justice?

Is this the first time something like this has happened? Was it just unfortunate that Ha-yoon found out about Ji-eun being targeted?

Ji-eun appeared.

No, she was barely visible.

Ji-eun was in the midst of a bright light, so she should have been clearly visible.

The forces surrounding her were visible. The road was blocked. Large trucks and buses came and blocked the main road from all directions. It was late at night, but several cars were at the blocked end. The people inside would probably be curious about what was happening right now.

A helicopter was hovering in the sky.

[Blowsam!]

From a certain distance, a loud voice came from the direction of the helicopter.

[Please evacuate! Another magical girl will take charge of the scene!]

But the ‘other magical girl’ was not visible.

[The monster has almost been subdued! There is no need for additional assistance!]

Monster.

The person who boarded the helicopter referred to Ji-eun over there as a monster.

Did Ha-yoon think she wouldn’t recognize Ji-eun?

I recognized it as soon as I came to the hospital.

[Blosum—]

Hayoon, for the first time, ignored the command.

“Cease fire! Cease fire!”

People shouted. The sporadic sound of gunfire ceased.

Sparkling things were visible on the ground. Bluntly crushed pieces of metal.

“…….”

Bullets, perhaps?

I’ve seen them before. They are weapons that police use when non-lethal methods fail to work. They are usually used to hold out until magical girls arrive.

“…… Jieun.”

Jieun’s condition was even more serious.

Blood stained the ground. It didn’t seem like she had been killed by a bullet, but at this moment, it wouldn’t be strange if her breath stopped.

“Why?”

Jieun was barely visible.

Several layers of nets made of iron and wire were piled over her body, torn patient clothes. The trembling body visible through the gaps in the wire was proof that Jieun was still alive.

Hayoon raised her staff.

A pink-colored blade emerged.

And she swung it to cut the wires.

“Blosum!”

Someone shouted.

Hayoon didn’t respond.

Fortunately, no one approached Hayoon. Perhaps they felt that the atmosphere was not right.

“Hayoon….”

Cherry clung to Hayoon’s shoulder and sobbed.

The wire didn’t cut easily. Did they think it would be cut by magic? It wasn’t just an ordinary iron wire. It was a thick wire that seemed to be used in construction. Just throwing a single line could cause instant death if it hit the head.

“Blosum!”

A person among the medical staff, who looked a bit sturdy, came forward towards Blosum and shouted.

“It’s a subdued monster! Releasing it could be dangerous!”

“It’s not a monster!”

Blosum shouted.

“Jieun is a human being!”

A being from outer space that emits an unknown energy unique to Earth, especially when near Earth, is considered a monster.

If it’s originally from Earth, it can’t be a monster.

But still, people, who are also humans—

“Blosum.”

Hayoon, holding her staff tightly, did not back down and spoke again as he cautiously approached.

“He’s a suspect in the explosion. Someone died.”

“No, he’s not.”

Hayoon glared at the man. His face was not clearly visible due to the intense light, but his attitude showed considerable confusion.

“It wasn’t Jieun. Others know too.”

“But we received a report. Once identified as a suspect—”

“Where were you trying to take Jieun?”

Hayoon said in a low voice.

The man couldn’t answer.

It wasn’t because he was blocked by logic, but rather, it was probably because of Hayoon’s expression.

“Tell me.”

Cherry felt the small hand gripping her shoulder tightly and said, “Did you really plan to take her to the police station? You weren’t trying to move her to a hospital, were you?”

“We just couldn’t help but—”

“How could you help?”

I saw her escape. I saw her using a force that an ordinary person couldn’t possibly stop, all the way up to this point.

But that didn’t mean I could accept it.

I couldn’t believe Ji-eun had done something wrong. She wasn’t that kind of person.

She worked hard at everything, didn’t care much about what others thought, and even tried to cheer me up whenever I was feeling down.

She might have seemed a little aloof on the surface, but in reality, she was warmer and more delicate than anyone else.

If someone like her was in this situation…

Wouldn’t she naturally want to escape? There was no other choice, was there?

Hae-yoon looked around at the people with a face that seemed like tears could come at any moment.

“What? Tell me! How can someone who was in a coma for a week and barely woke up try to escape!”

“….”

The words “didn’t you see with your own eyes” didn’t come out.

The blade of the cane was trembling.

Hope hadn’t disappeared yet. Because she was right here. Her words were getting through. The other party didn’t seem to understand at all, but still, Blosum was a magical girl.

If Eunha Yeonbang or Nuar Corporation really intended to take Ji-eun away, they couldn’t just ignore Hae-yoon’s position as a magical girl.

“Ji-eun… I’ll take her. All she has to do is not run away. If the magical girl herself is guarding her, there shouldn’t be any complaints, right?”

“…Blosum.”

But before those words could finish, a voice calling Hae-yoon sounded terrifying.

It was a familiar voice.

“Stop it. It’s not good to keep doing this.”

The one who came in between the people was Rose.

After her, there was also Iris. Iris looked at the fallen Ji-eun with a complicated expression.

They knew each other from many fights, but seeing her go to such lengths couldn’t make them feel good. In fact, Rose also looked uncomfortable as she looked at Ji-eun’s fallen figure and glanced around.

“And you too. This should be enough. Who uses bullets against a captive?”

A slightly different, eerie light was visible from the lighting, and their gaze turned in that direction.

Delphinium was holding a magic book in one hand and waving a wand while reciting a spell.

Beside her, Dalia stood somewhat awkwardly holding a repaired wand, looking alert.

“We’ll take charge here… Escort the injured and put down your weapons. I don’t know why you wanted to transport her secretly, but now that it’s come to this, there’s probably nothing to hide.”

Rose’s words made the surrounding soldiers lower their guns and look at each other.

Hayoon took a small breath.

But when Rose moved her foot closer to Ji-eun, she shifted her body to block her path.

“I’m just trying to make sure you’re okay.”

Hayoon lowered her head.

“What, what are you planning? Are you going to take her directly to the Milky Way Alliance?”

“That’s the only way. Is there any other option?”

“No!”

“Blosum—no, Hayoon.”

Rose took a small breath.

“We need to think rationally.”

“Even if we think rationally, Ji-eun didn’t do anything like that!”

Hayoon shouted. Iris’s eyes widened. It was the first time Hayoon had made such an expression.

The rest of the magical girls were all different to some extent, but they had similar expressions.

“They just fought as combatants! Why are they acting like this now, when they used to let it go? They never thought it was such a big sin!”

That was true.

They fought thinking it was a just cause. But they didn’t think their actions deserved death. In the end, they were just following orders.

They had arrested them, but ultimately released them, and did not protest against their actions, because they knew that tormenting those people would not yield anything.

But even so, Hayoon couldn’t help but think that someone she knew might be mixed in with them.

Especially someone as kind as Ji-eun, she didn’t think such a thing could happen.

Then, who was in the wrong? Perhaps the other side was just an ordinary company employee?

The words “they didn’t break the law” came up several times. Every time, she felt something was wrong.

But now…

Could belief in justice crumble so easily?

“Hayoon, calm down. We’re just—”

As Rose reached out a hand to calm Hayoon down, her eyes widened.

And she rushed towards Hayoon.

Normally, Hayoon wouldn’t have been flustered by this.

She would have calmly assessed the situation and first thought about why Rose acted that way.

But now, the situation was a little different from usual.

“…Ah!”

She moved her hand in surprise.

Hayoon’s blade entered Rose’s arm.

Without changing her expression, Rose pushed Hayoon to the ground.

“Suhui unni—”

But before Hayoon could speak, Rose immediately got up and grabbed Hayoon.

“Delpinium!”

Rose shouted, and Hayoon’s body turned around.

Because Rose was pulling Hayoon’s back, Hayoon finally understood why Rose had rushed towards her.

It was the same spherical sword she had seen last time.

The one that had surrounded Ji-eun.

“Jieun!”

Hwayoon shouted, but Rose was already pulling Hwayoon tightly from behind. Hwayoon’s feet were dragged.

The cane was lying on the ground.

“Jieun!”

No matter what Hwayoon shouted, the black sphere exploded, breaking the thick wires and bursting upwards.

“No!”

Rose screamed, and Delphinium swung the cane.

A large white mass flew towards the much larger black mass.

However, the white mass couldn’t reach the black mass.

Before the two masses collided, a hand emerged from the black mass.

It was a white hand. The hand was full of wounds.

But Hwayoon could recognize that it was Jieun’s hand.

A hand that had lifted her up every time she felt like giving up.

A loud noise was heard. The white mass exploded in the sky.

“Everyone, retreat!”

Rose shouted, and the soldiers below turned around in a hurry. People fled in all directions.

“Delphinium!”

“…I’m getting ready!”

“Dahlia!”

“Yeah!”

Dahlia cast a spell, but it couldn’t destroy the mass.

Iris also fired support shots.

The attacks of the magical girls were all aimed at Jieun.

“Stop… Please stop…”

Blows hit their target.

The black mass was gradually shrinking.

As it shrank, its speed increased, and eventually, the mass became human.

And as if shedding a cocoon, the black thing was peeled away.

A squelching sound was heard from here.

Peeling off the shell with his hands, a person’s body came out.

As if forcibly coming out from a place that fit perfectly, he twisted his body several times. His expression was pained.

The light of hope did not touch the black thing.

When that being first emerged, his whole body was covered in black liquid.

Like a butterfly emerging from a cocoon, the being slowly regained its color, spreading its wings like a bow.

“…Jieun.”

Hwayoon murmured.

The one there was Jieun.

And, as if—

As if dressed like a magical girl.

A simple dress with a black base tone.

It wasn’t as flashy as the other magical girls, but everyone knew it didn’t mean weakness.

“What on earth…?”

Even Rose muttered like that.

Slowly, Jieun opened his eyes.

Even after all the black liquid dripped away and his clothes dried, Jieun was still covered in wounds.

His cold eyes looked down at Hwayoon and the magical girls.

No.

She wanted to say it right now.

I didn’t attack. I just wanted to save him.

But no voice came out.

‘Come here?’

Someone in my head muttered like that.

“How many times have you broken, torn apart, shredded, and now come back?”

Hayoon couldn’t refute those words.

Jieun had been floating in the air for a while, looking at the magical girls.

Suddenly, some object appeared behind her.

It looked like a black hole I had seen in a movie.

Rose shouted something. Delpinium opposed, and Iris shot.

But Jieun didn’t unleash an attack against them.

The space around the black hole became distorted.

When she came to her senses, Jieun was already gone.

As if there was nothing in the sky, as if nothing had happened, everything around was silent.

“……”

Only then did the strength release from Rose’s arms.

Hayoon knelt on the ground.

And then, she collapsed weakly and burst into tears.