Ch.44Chapter 8. Weapons (5)

When I fell from the rooftop, even though I’d adjusted my weight, the impact on the kaijin must have been significant.

After all, it was a building rooftop. Even a metal ball the size of a fist could crack someone’s skull just from the force of falling.

The height I jumped wasn’t quite that high, but it wasn’t something I could achieve with just my own strength either.

The “propulsion device” was exactly that—a propulsion device.

Even James himself, who made it, was surprised, but the “propulsion function” of that device definitely worked.

I jumped so high that it would be impossible for human strength—no, for anyone to jump “unaided”—and hovered in the air for a moment.

I could see the eyes on me. The police officers standing around the scene watching the battle, and the kaijin standing in their midst.

And Jihye in its grasp.

I focused on the kaijin.

I wanted to kill it. I wanted to crush its head right then and there.

But I knew I couldn’t do that just yet. Putting Jihye in danger was out of the question. So first, I needed to move Jihye somewhere else, then think about what to do next.

The best approach would be to break its arm. The pincer was quite large, and the arm was fairly long, probably to operate that pincer. But I wasn’t just looking at the arm.

What if I aimed for the elbow but missed? The kaijin probably wouldn’t just stand still and take the hit. It would obviously move. It would try to use Jihye in its hand to its advantage.

In that case, it would be better to break and sever it at the base.

Considering its movement… around the neck area?

The time it took for these thoughts to run through my head was probably just a flash. My time in the air was equally brief.

Was my thinking also affected by magic? Either I was accelerating, or everything around me seemed to move a bit slower.

Rising into the sky, I tilted my body slightly forward and moved my hand from near the hammer head down along the long handle.

Then I pressed the edge of my hand firmly against my left hand.

I swing the hammer down.

Since the propulsion device was actively running behind me, it probably looked like I was drawing a circle in the sky.

When the flat, hard part of the hammer head was pointing downward, I released more energy. The blue flames behind the hammer blazed more fiercely.

The hammer was “fired,” leaving a long, straight blue trail.

I fell downward at high speed.

I could hear the air cutting sharply past my ears. James seemed to be shouting something from my shoulder, but I couldn’t hear him clearly. He was still hanging on somehow.

Maybe because I was moving so fast, the kaijin moving below looked strangely slow.

As I expected, the kaijin moved its arm. It pulled back Jihye, whom it had been holding out in front. Did it think I could stop if it did that?

If I could stop midway, I wouldn’t have used this method.

I gritted my teeth and concentrated. I moved the hammer’s trajectory along that arm. Was it because of my desperation? This time, the magic moved according to my thoughts.

After that split second passed…

I heard the sound of something hard hitting something else hard.

It seemed like I heard two sounds simultaneously.

A heavy, dull “thud” of something falling,

And a sharp “crack” of something thin and hard hitting something else hard.

Of course, the duller sound was from the harder impact.

Crack.

The carapace covering the shoulder area shattered.

Blue fluid flowed from the gap, and soon the center of the carapace caved inward.

BOOM!

The propulsion-powered hammer didn’t stop there; it hit the ground directly. The ground cracked again, with the center caving in. Between the cracks lay the pulverized remains of the carapace.

“AAAAARGH!”

The kaijin let out a monstrous scream.

It pulled back, staggering backward. Then it looked down at its arm.

The left pincer wasn’t the issue. The shoulder, or more precisely, the part right next to the head where it connected to the body, had its carapace completely shattered. White flesh was visible through the randomly broken cross-section. …It was the color of crustacean meat you’d see at a seafood restaurant.

As it staggered away from me, I looked toward Jihye.

Jihye had fallen to the ground.

She seemed unable to stand, her legs giving out.

No, she still appeared to be having trouble breathing. The large pincer was still attached to her waist.

I was heading toward her with the hammer pressed down in one hand when—

WHAM!

I was hit by a swinging arm.

Perhaps because I was holding the propulsion-powered hammer, I was briefly thrown into the air.

I barely regained my senses and grabbed the end of the hammer handle.

After pulling the hammer head down to make it level with the ground, my body spun around once.

After stabilizing my trajectory, I could only attack again. I didn’t know how to turn it off anyway.

I had to keep fighting until this feeling inside me calmed down even a little. I tilted the hammer and flew in that direction.

Besides, the kaijin was approaching Jihye again.

The pincer’s grip had finally loosened, and Jihye was barely crawling away from it. Several police officers ran toward her. The kaijin was following her. Its purposeful strides showed it was furious.

Maybe it wanted revenge on me by killing Jihye, since I had blown off its arm.

Bullets flew toward the kaijin. While some bullets bounced off the thick carapace, others seemed to penetrate the kaijin’s wounds, causing it to stagger.

But it didn’t fall.

Perhaps as I’d heard over the radio earlier, ordinary bullets couldn’t bring down a kaijin.

Instead, as if angered, the kaijin raised its arm with a roar.

“…Ah?!”

I exclaimed involuntarily.

Something was boiling up from between the kaijin’s broken carapace.

It looked like flesh boiling over.

Through the gaps in the kaijin’s carapace, that white, cloudy flesh grew back. It resembled the pincer I had just destroyed.

Though the white substance had a soft, almost collapsing texture…

Clearly it was doing this because it would be effective.

I immediately positioned the hammer head vertically.

I tried to strike down hard again, but—

BOOM!

This time the kaijin quickly dodged to the side. Had it anticipated my move?

…No.

There’s no way it could dodge like that. If it could dodge based on mere anticipation, it could have avoided me when I shattered its carapace earlier.

I looked at the fallen carapace on the ground.

It was thick.

Indeed, it seemed sturdy enough to withstand the weight of my strike when I jumped down from the rooftop. I couldn’t tell how its hardness compared to actual minerals, but it was enough to deflect bullets fired from the police anti-terror team’s sniper rifles.

Unless it was made of some special alloy, it must be very heavy.

I saw something white in my field of vision. It was the flesh that had grown from inside the carapace.

Much more agile and faster than before, it flew toward me like a whip.

I twisted the hammer and forcibly lifted it upward. When the white flesh touched the flames erupting from the open part at the back, the kaijin screamed, but

I couldn’t avoid it.

Fortunately, the impact was less severe than being hit by the thick carapace. Though it still hurt enough to make my brain rattle inside my skull.

I heard Jihye scream. I think she called my name. But the sound came from some distance away.

I jumped sideways to block the kaijin from approaching Jihye. More precisely, I held the hammer sideways.

Ka-ka-kak!

My feet tore through the asphalt as I stopped.

So it’s a battle of speed.

I bared my teeth as I looked at the kaijin.

If you’re not completely neutralized, Jihye won’t be safe either.

Holding the hammer that was ready to spring forward at any moment, I looked at the creature and thought:

Where should I break it first—

But before that thought could finish, metal wires flew over both me and the kaijin.

*

Too late.

Only after arriving at the scene did the magical girls realize how serious the situation had become.

The reason these girls, who had been under what amounted to house arrest for a while, were gathered was simple.

They were told to deal with a kaijin that the police couldn’t control.

Even though Hayun’s magical power had weakened dramatically, she wasn’t completely unable to fight. Her output was weaker compared to other magical girls, but not so weak that she would be killed by a monster.

Besides, the other girls could still use their powers. Hayun’s power wouldn’t be supporting them, but they could still handle one kaijin.

However, it took too long to make that decision. The Galactic Federation seemed to have deliberated until the very last moment about whether they should send the girls out, especially Hayun.

They finally received permission and took flight.

It wasn’t enough to carry another person, but Hayun could at least fly by herself.

One kaijin. And one hostage.

The police had determined they had no way to subdue the kaijin. The kaijin’s armor was a form they had seen before. If they fired bullets that ricocheted, they might hit the hostage.

They couldn’t use wires either. The hostage wouldn’t be able to withstand those wires.

Hayun gritted her teeth and flew in that direction with all her might.

As they got closer to the scene, more and more people gathered.

They exchanged greetings with nods and joined together to form a formation.

After capturing the kaijin, they would finally be able to properly exchange opinions again after a long time.

With that thought, she felt a glimmer of hope—

—until she saw the scene.

As soon as she arrived, what Hayun saw was Jieun being trapped under the wires along with the kaijin.

*

“You crazy bastards.”

I couldn’t hold back the curse anymore.

I mean, is this how you treat people, even if they’re terrorists?

How does it make sense to drop a net made of thick wires on someone who just freed an underage hostage?

Did they think I would swing at Jihye after seeing me destroy the kaijin’s arm? Are they blind?

Well, if they were blind, they wouldn’t have been able to time dropping the net on my head so perfectly.

“E-escape!”

Hearing someone shout, it seems the plan wasn’t very successful either.

Think about it. With such large pincers, could it be easily handled with just a net? It could tear through it with those pincers.

Though judging by how Jihye’s waist wasn’t cut in half, the pincers might not be that sharp.

“Are you okay?”

I asked James.

Just before being caught by the wire, I bent my left arm and covered my left shoulder with my hand. James ended up being pressed under my fingers and palm, but at least he wasn’t crushed by the wire.

Maybe he would have been fine even without my hand. Perhaps the magic surrounding my body would have prevented such a serious situation.

Still, there was a possibility of red flesh bits sticking to my shoulder, so it couldn’t be helped.

“I-I’m fine,”

James replied, seeming a bit flustered.

“Good.”

I tried to straighten my bent back, but it was impossible to completely lift this weight with that alone. I could barely avoid falling over, but I ended up in an awkward posture, standing with my waist bent at an angle.

Still, my other hand was holding the hammer.

And the circuit was still running.

The situation wasn’t good. I came to improve my image a bit, but taking the initiative probably wasn’t a good idea after all.

I don’t regret it though.

If I had waited for the magical girls to arrive, Jihye would have been in real danger. In fact, she was already in a dangerous situation when I arrived.

Keeeeeng—

Thinking about the current situation, I could feel the generator spinning again.

Even under the wire, the floating parts still maintained their shape. Some parts of the wire were even floating slightly above the hammer head.

Was there some kind of magnetic field?

No, this might also be a product of my half-baked scientific knowledge. Just as I saved someone with physically impossible actions last time, this might be something scientifically impossible that’s happening because I think it “makes sense.”

But it does make sense.

It’s alien technology mixed with various things. James would probably be dumbfounded if he heard this.

Gritting my teeth, I turned the hammer.

Cheeeeek—

The output from the back of the hammer melted the wire.

The wire touched by the blue flame immediately turned red and began to break. I heard someone shouting again, but I decided to ignore it.

Whatever I do, they’re just going to interfere anyway.

Was there something heavy attached to the end of the wire net?

After cutting through the net by spinning around once, I could remove the net covering my body with just one hand.

And as soon as I removed it, my eyes met Hayun’s, who was floating in the sky.

“…”

What should I say?

I was grateful that we didn’t have to awkwardly greet each other. Having an opponent to fight is a good thing. I can just do what needs to be done without thinking about various things.

…No, from the moment I saw Hayun, my heart started beating wildly.

Our eye contact didn’t last long.

A white arm flew toward Hayun. It seemed the kaijin wanted to catch the magical girls in the air and bring them down somehow.

That’s problematic.

Honestly, I don’t have a strong desire to help the magical girls. They’re the ones who beat me to death.

But still, I can’t just stand by and watch Hayun.

I don’t want to talk to her. But at the same time, I want to see her, meet her.

I want to win. But I don’t want to fight.

These contradictory emotions ultimately lead to despair. Because when faced with something I want but don’t want to do, I end up running away.

If I think I’ll do that today too, it can’t be helped.

“…”

Then, I’ll just redirect that anger elsewhere.

I ran.

One step, two steps, three steps.

With each step, I jumped higher and higher. I’ve gotten a bit better at this after doing it a few times.

These weren’t steps to run away, but steps to face and fight.

I jumped up with all my might and brought down the hammer with propulsion.

BOOM!

But what got hit was the ground again.

As if evolving with each dodge, the opponent easily predicted such an obvious attack.

But the very next moment, a beam that seemed to have been aiming for that spot cut off the left pincer. That was the pincer I had shattered and it had regenerated.

I turned my gaze and met Iris’s eyes.

Iris looked away. She had a somewhat uncomfortable expression.

“Hooh.”

James made an interested sound.

Well, I’m just focusing on the fight without paying attention to such things. I didn’t want to care either.

Whatever they think, they’ll eventually see me as someone they have to confront anyway.

…By the way, somehow their output seems weaker than when they fought me?

The same was true for Hayun. She could create a sword, but its light was a bit unstable.

Hayun’s sword, which used to transform from an Eastern-style treasure sword to a thick two-handed sword like a hero would use, now only had a thin beam of light.

Clang!

But that doesn’t mean their fighting sense has diminished.

Even if their output has decreased and the destructive power of their magic has reduced, experience remains. The magical girls have fought kaijin multiple times before.

There must have been kaijin specialized in speed, so they probably know some countermeasures.

Instead of just moving sideways, I jumped to the side with a spin, using the output.

Like me, weapons that crush by impact have good compatibility with hard things. Of course, I could just crush that white flesh if I could hit it, but even with the output, I’m still slower.

Is it because of air resistance? But magical girls don’t care about such things when flying through the sky. That means there’s a magical solution.

Can that be achieved just by imagination too?

While I was thinking, the kaijin turned toward me.

It seemed to have judged my hammer as the most threatening. Well, it did shatter its armor in one hit when even bullets couldn’t penetrate.

It knows it would die instantly if hit properly.

But that doesn’t mean the other magical girls would let the kaijin go.

I, who wasn’t attacking them, was second. They were first, I guess.

I didn’t like that they had the initiative, but let’s not worry about that now.

Hayun charged in. The kaijin, somewhat flustered by her rapid sword strikes, countered with its intact right pincer.

That’s natural. It’s a beam of light. If the white bare flesh touched it, it would be torn apart.

And Iris provided support by firing at the kaijin.

“Hyah!”

Rose rushed in and delivered a straight punch to the kaijin.

Bak!

The crack in the kaijin’s armor widened.

“Urgh!”

The kaijin shouted as if annoyed, then alternately struck the ground where Rose and Hayun stood. It was the right hand with armor, but it was fast enough that the two had to dodge.

The moment the two moved away, Dalia’s magic mass flew toward the kaijin.

The kaijin inserted its pincer into the magic mass and tore it apart. But at the same time, there was a smell of seafood cooking. The white arm exposed to the light couldn’t be fully protected.

The kaijin grabbed its arm with its pincer and cut it off.

In the distance, Delphinium was preparing magic. I could see the police spreading out. Jihye was being dragged by one of those officers. Rather than being forcibly dragged, she seemed to be in a daze, so I held back for now.

I slightly crouched, gathered strength in my legs, then shot forward with all my might. Due to the hammer’s output, I drew a large circle to the left.

But that was enough.

BOOM!

The hammer drove into the side of the kaijin, which was too busy regenerating its arm to watch its surroundings.

Something green… a color both disgusting and somewhat like marinated crab, spurted from the kaijin’s mouth. Hmm, honestly, I don’t want to eat it.

“…!”

At that moment, the kaijin’s pincer was aimed at Hayun.

I sent the kaijin flying by piercing its side, then rushed forward again, and for a moment, my eyes met Hayun’s.

Hayun looked dazedly at the flying kaijin with a slightly bewildered expression.

And suddenly, the pink blade of Hayun’s staff began to burn.

…Why?