Ch.135135. Marina Battle (2)

Hmm…?

Why are you getting flustered?

Well, I don’t mind.

When someone shows signs of being flustered like that, it makes them easier to break through.

If they want to put themselves at a mental disadvantage, I certainly welcome it.

If they’re surrounding that rookie like that, isn’t it simple? Just attack her.

She’s probably a burden to them because she’s weak. Why did they bring her out?

Hmm… they’re so devious.

These magical girls.

“Bine…?”

“Elli, why…?”

But why is Elli looking at me like that?

“D-don’t you remember…?”

“Remember what?”

“You… you…? Arin, you don’t remember her…?”

“Hmm…? Why should I remember such a weak and fragile rookie magical girl? Girls like her just collapse and disappear eventually.”

“Bine…? You really don’t remember…?”

“What is it that I supposedly don’t remember? Huh? Are you going to keep saying things I can’t understand?”

“…You don’t remember living with them…?”

“Hmm…? Me? With magical girls?”

“…”

Elli is so strange.

There’s no way I would have lived with magical girls.

I’d rather kill myself than do that. How could I share a home and bed with those evil women who trapped the Boss beneath that cold sea…?

How could I breathe the same air as those who destroyed Eden?

I saw humanity’s ugliness again in that filthy shantytown.

The doctor who saved me from there… and Eden, who took me back in after my defeat.

How glorious it was when they picked me up while I was wandering after prison, giving me purpose as Eden’s tool again.

You’re saying I met magical girls during that time?

I was hiding because I was so ashamed of that defeat.

I couldn’t face Eden’s Boss again.

I locked myself away in that mountain shantytown, filled with regret and anger at myself for failing to protect the Boss.

There’s no way I would have met magical girls.

All I encountered were homeless people and violent drunks.

Stripped of my power by the state, I was exposed to such violence.

Being labeled a demon, I was beaten so many times.

I still remember being attacked by a drunk homeless person when I was sleeping in a park after getting out of prison with nothing to my name.

He threw his bottle at me and swung at me like he wanted to kill me.

Even with my enhanced body, it hurt.

And that crazy prison guard.

Ugh… even thinking about that crazy woman now.

Human specimens not even worth converting into Eden’s energy source.

She didn’t like my presence, so she threw me in solitary confinement and sprayed cold water on me in winter.

Or dragged me to some absurd basement for torture.

Always in the dead of night when no one was around.

Thinking about it now, it’s really irritating.

Well, if it were someone superhuman like the Boss, they would place even such evil people beneath them to let them experience happiness.

And with the doctor’s technology, they could “heal” that evil.

For that to happen…

“…Well, it seems you have nothing more to say. So then.”

I deploy full power behind my back.

Haah…

Good. My physical condition is fine.

Blanc, who still thinks she’s the strongest.

And one burden tagging along.

I’ll target them.

“Operation Anastasis (ἀνάστασις), commencing. Elli.”

“…Yes.”

I soar high into the sky and attack, targeting the magical girls.

My mission is to break through and rescue the Boss.

For that, I need combat troops.

I send the combat units to harass the magical girls.

And the door is right in front of me.

The magical girls waiting in front of that door are Blanc and the rookie.

I’ll drive the rookie toward the door, forcing Blanc to try to save her.

Ha, she really is baggage, this one.

I don’t aim for the head.

The way to increase someone’s burden on others is to target…

The arms and legs.

I focus my attacks there.

BOOM!

“Arin!”

“Kyaah?!”

Well, of course.

Blanc blocked everything.

But that doesn’t mean there’s no progress.

We’re advancing gradually, and the other magical girls are…

RATATATATATA!

BANG!

“Citrus! Behind you!”

“You fucking bastards!”

WHOOSH—

“Yuri unnie!”

“…Uwah?!”

CLANG!

My elite combat units are more difficult to handle than the magical girls think.

This must be a first for magical girls who have only faced monsters or weak villains until now.

These are combat units I’ve personally trained.

Enhanced with the doctor’s body enhancement modules to give them monster-level strength, and equipped with magical weapons stronger than usual.

“We’re being pushed back! Citrus unnie!”

“Garnet!”

“I need reinforcements over here!”

“I-impossible…! Why are they so strong…! My attacks should incapacitate them, but they’re ignoring it…! That must hurt…!”

“Th-their movements are like machines…! It feels like something is controlling them…!”

“No… but their movements are too fast…? This isn’t the Eden we saw before…!”

“Ugh… use area attacks! They’re swarming! Seohyun!”

The sounds of explosions echo all around.

Well, most of those sounds are probably coming from each magical girl.

To be honest, it’s difficult to take down a magical girl with just one combat unit.

If we could subdue magical girls with a single combat unit, Eden would have already realized our ideal and turned this Earth into a paradise.

Haah. It’s regrettable.

Truly regrettable.

If only magical girls didn’t exist.

Well, I suppose that’s how it is.

But you.

Blanc.

Shouldn’t you be focusing on the battle?

If you get distracted by those explosion sounds…

“…An opening!”

CRASH!

I test the physical limits of my tail.

Something I’ve practiced many times during training.

I dodge Blanc’s sword and target the rookie beside her.

Her sluggish movements make her easy prey for my tail.

I strike her abdomen with my tail.

“Guh, huurk?!?!”

She flew far away.

“Blanc! You shouldn’t get distracted! I’m your opponent!”

While she turns around to save that slow rookie, I point my gun at Blanc’s back.

BANG!

RATATATATATA!!!

I aimed for her head.

“Kyaah?!”

But unfortunately, I hit her back instead.

Well, it seems to have had some effect though.

She transforms her wand into a gun form and returns fire.

But I already know all of Blanc’s movements.

No improvement.

No different from before.

Pfft.

Neglecting training in my absence.

That’s why magical girls are like this.

They need 20 people to ambush a single villain to win.

If it were a normal fight…

Blanc, what a shame.

Giving up the fight out of sympathy.

Are you stupidly going to shield that rookie again?

After taking an attack?

Am I an afterthought now?

I change the shape of my tail.

My gift for her is a laser.

“I said… don’t get distracted!”

VWOOM—!

The laser makes a fierce sound as it cuts into the ground.

Of course, I didn’t aim it at Blanc.

To completely incapacitate that rookie.

“A-ah…! Arin!”

Well, she already looks incapacitated.

I knew Blanc would block it.

I knew she would choose to take the hit herself.

“Elli! Now’s the time. Hella and Voltorn will enter with us!”

“Yes…!”

“The internal structure?”

“The doctor will tell us. Hurry!”

It’s my job to prevent Blanc from stopping them.

I continue attacking the rookie.

It’s about time to abandon such a disposable card.

But she can’t let go and keeps taking hits to protect her like some lingering attachment.

Pfft.

After buying a little more time, I’ll join them inside.

The inside is said to be warp-proof.

Of course, with the doctor’s devices, a few people can move easily.

Ah, is this enough?

Seems like good timing.

I fire more lasers at the building where the rookie is embedded.

And, BOOM.

CRACK.

With the sound of the collapsing building, I enter the marina.

Boss, please wait a little longer. I’ll save you.

Will I ever be able to atone for my sins against you?

Please forgive me for leaving you in this cold place.

* * *

The building…?

The d-debris…

I need to stop Bine…!

I-incantation…!

“Save us with the power of light…! Scutium Luminis!”

The building collapses from above.

Fortunately, I wasn’t too late.

No, I was too late…

Bine… has entered the marina…

“Ugh… u-unnie…”

“Arin… are you okay…?”

“Y-yes… It hurts a little, but… magical girls are tough, so I’m fine… I’m probably better off than you, unnie…”

“No. You pushed yourself too hard. Let’s fall back while there’s a lull.”

“No… Bine, unnie… I must…”

“No. Didn’t you see just now? Arin… she doesn’t remember you. They must have done something to her. Right now, she just sees you as some rookie magical girl…”

“Ah, ugh…”

Arin struggles to get up despite her injuries.

“The debris… unnie, just a moment…”

“No, I’ll clear this… Don’t move. Okay?”

“Ugh… no… healing magic… just a little.”

“Ah, yes…! May the pure-hearted be healed… Cure…!”

A white light envelops Arin.

…I clear away the debris with sword strikes.

As the dust settles, what I see is…

The battle still continuing.

If they get what they call their “Boss” down there…

They’ll have to come back through this door, right?

Down there, the mana flow is disrupted, so they can’t use warping.

“…Arin. You stay here and help the others. Okay?”

“Unnie…? What do you mean…?”

“I need to go down there. Someone is down there.”

“Unnie…? T-take me with you…!”

“No. It’s dangerous down there. Really dangerous.”

“I-I want to go too…!”

“Arin. Didn’t you just see?”

Even if Arin wants to go…

That place…

No.

She could really get seriously hurt.

“Arin. I’m asking you. Okay?”

“To Bine unnie… I also want to, at least a little, to Bine unnie again…”

She seems overcome with emotion, on the verge of tears.

“I’ll bring Bine back somehow. Okay? I promise. I’ll bring her right in front of you…”

“Unnie… I, I…”

“So, okay? The others are struggling too. They desperately need your help. Can you go help them?”

“…Yes.”

…Bine.

I’ll kill this “Boss” who turned Bine into this with my own hands.

And I’ll bring Bine back.

Because that is “salvation.”

That salvation is not yet complete.