Ch.46Chapter 2. Goblins Don’t Do That (2)

If there’s one action that’s unparalleled in its vileness when facing a transformation-type ability user, it would definitely be attacking while the opponent is in the middle of transforming.

Like attacking a combining robot during its combination sequence, or preventing someone from transforming at all.

“Why do people leave magical girls alone when they transform, but attack transforming heroes during their transformation?”

“That’s because watching magical girls transform is the whole point. Besides, in today’s gender-equal society, even magical girls get attacked during transformation.”

“Back in my day…! Attacking during transformation was considered the lowest of the low…! Kids these days, tsk tsk! They even attack before transformation! They’ve lost their minds!”

There are countless stories about transformation, and numerous discussions about how to handle these transformations.

Some stories utilize clichés as they are, some subvert them, and some present scenes that counter these clichés.

And for this transformation, I pulled out a cliché that counters another cliché—the “villain who attacks during transformation.”

The transformation effect doesn’t just show visual effects; it releases mana before transformation, creating a protective barrier around me.

Revealing myself only after completing the perfect transformation inside the barrier.

If attacks had worked during transformation, that would be one thing, but attacking during transformation only to have the attack fail?

[D-damn it…!]

To put it crudely, it makes one look quite pathetic.

[That’s cheating…!]

[When did I ever say I would fight fair and square? I said I would discipline you.]

I rushed forward in one breath and swung my club.

Ka-ang!

I knocked away the gun he had drawn with my club.

The gun wasn’t some specially designed weapon, just a regular K5 pistol, and I accurately intercepted the bullets with my Goblin Club, deflecting them to the ground.

[Die, you fake!!]

[I wasn’t going to treat you as a villain, but your indiscriminate shooting leaves me no choice but to consider you one.]

There are people behind me, and if I dodge the gunfire, those people will get hit.

A typical villain would dodge sideways to close the distance regardless of who’s behind them, but Yoon Yi-seon is behind me.

The student who asked for my help is there.

As a faculty member, I cannot allow harm to come to a student.

As an adult.

[How dare you use a gun?]

Pa-kang!

I threw my club forward, and it flew precisely toward the trajectory of the bullet aimed at my brow.

Ka-ang!

The spiraling bullet hit the end of the club and deflected downward.

The bullet struck the ground just in front of my advancing foot, and without slowing down, I leaped forward and caught the club that had bounced into the air.

[Foolish one.]

Bwa-ak!

I swung the club I caught in midair like a sword.

[Argh!!]

The tip of the club made contact precisely with ‘only’ his suit in a diagonal slash, and his suit began to split as if cut by a blade.

“No, no! My suit!!”

As the steel chest plate part opened up, Yuk Gi-bong’s true voice emerged from inside.

[So you’re not a demon. To be so completely self-absorbed without even being a demon. What remarkable delusion.]

I thought he had become a real demon from his deranged behavior.

As it turns out, he was in a state of madness just before becoming a demon—possessed by a demon.

‘I need to knock him unconscious.’

If this continues—

“Arghhhh!!”

Crackle-zap!

Sparks flew from the cut surface of the suit.

Electrical sparks shot out from the exposed wiring at the edge, and Yuk Gi-bong began to writhe in pain, clutching his helmet with both hands.

“Argh, no…! I’m not a fake…! I, I am the real one…!”

[Hmm.]

I gripped my club again.

If I could knock him unconscious before he becomes a demon, I could subdue him without killing him.

Even I cannot simply kill someone who isn’t an adult.

Demons are the exception.

Once someone becomes a demon, they are neither a minor nor human anymore.

After a 10-year-old became a demon and killed hundreds of civilians, those who fully transform into demons are no longer treated as human.

So to prevent unnecessary bloodshed, I ran forward to return him to human form before he becomes a demon, raising my club—

“Stop, Goblin!!”

I couldn’t swing it.

“No matter who you are, I cannot allow you to kill a person!”

One of the Five Direction Special Forces, dressed entirely in red, pointed a sword toward my club.

Though it looked more like a knife used by special forces than the sword of the Special Forces, and his stance felt distinctly military, I was blocked by the Red member of the Five Direction Special Forces from preventing demonization.

[Step aside.]

“I cannot! We are only stopping you from killing that student!”

[Foolish.]

Too late.

[By blocking me, you’re allowing Yuk Gi-bong to become a demon.]

“What…?”

[If you hadn’t interfered, I might have been able to prevent him from becoming a demon.]

If there had been even a little golden time, it might have been fine, but Yuk Gi-bong’s mental strength was weaker than I thought.

[GRAAAAAAHHHHH!!]

The demon let out a roar.

Based on the Do Ji-rider design, bulging muscles emerged and large wings spread out behind his back.

[Kill, kill everyone…! I’ll kill everything that denied me!!]

At the cut edge of the suit I had slashed, something like beast-like eyes appeared, flashing diagonally, and black lightning began to flow out from Yuk Gi-bong.

[I am the real one…! No one can deny me as false…! I, I am the real one!!]

[Completely insane. Congratulations, Red. You’ve turned that boy into a demon.]

“N-no! I…”

The Red member backed away in confusion.

[Stay still!]

I swung my club toward what was directly in front of me, but Red thought it was an attack aimed at him and pointed his knife toward my club.

Swoosh!

“…Huh?”

Something like a demon’s claw pierced through Red’s chest.

The fingertip that had pierced through not only the suit but also flesh and bone belonged to “Demon Yuk Gi-bong” who had extended his hand from behind Red.

“Yeonseong!!”

Another member of the Five Direction Special Forces called out what was presumably Red’s name and flew toward him.

[Kehehehe!!]

Demon Yuk Gi-bong withdrew his hand and began to laugh maniacally, while Red clutched his punctured chest and collapsed forward.

[Tsk.]

I caught him by the chest, infused a little mana, and threw him backward.

“Kyaa!”

[Take him for treatment. He wasn’t completely impaled, just stabbed by claws, so he can survive with help from a healing ability user.]

It’s not a fist-sized hole, but like having five knives go in and out of his chest.

“Heal, HEAL!!”

Fortunately, White seemed to have healing abilities, as he began pouring mana toward Red’s chest like a healer casting healing magic in a game.

[Injuring a hero too. Now you’re a perfect villain. From the moment you became a demon, you became a target that must be eliminated.]

How regrettable.

Perhaps if someone hadn’t filled Yuk Gi-bong’s head with “you are the real rider,” he might have just been a hero aspirant who created a costume similar to Do Ji-rider, like many others.

But that possibility is now gone.

He became a demon and attacked a hero, and if left alone, he’ll become a monster that indiscriminately slaughters people.

‘In the end, I have to execute him.’

There’s no choice.

Execution is the only option.

[Villains must be executed—]

[Hahaha!!]

Before I could finish speaking, he stretched his hand toward me.

He pointed his fingertips directly at me with his hand edge raised, and there were holes in all his fingers.

Those are gun barrels.

Ratatata!!

As if his fingers were guns, magical bullets spewed from his fingertips.

The dark red energy bullets flying toward me came in bursts of five, each with different trajectories and timing, making them difficult to deflect all at once.

In that case—

“Fire!!”

Pink flames passed by my side and flew toward the magical bullets.

Since they were magical bullets rather than real ones, the collision of the two magical forces created an explosion in front of me, obscuring my vision.

“Step back…Goblin! This is under ‘hero’ jurisdiction!!”

Yoon Yi-seon rushed forward beside me.

She floated pink magical orbs in the air like a telekinetic user and made ghost-like flames emit from the orbs, circling around her.

“Confirmed estimated magical power level of demon [Doppelgänger]! A-class!! All B-class and below ability users focus on civilian evacuation! Other A-class users, help me subdue the demon!!”

People who had been watching began to move in unison at Yoon Yi-seon’s command.

Although Yoon Yi-seon didn’t officially have control authority at the scene, and the student council president title doesn’t grant power in such situations, being an ‘A-class ability user’ alone gives her command authority on site.

Because she’s A-class.

[Hahaha! Die, all of you!! President, kuhehe, noise pollution is disturbing?! Huhahaha! Seeing this magnificent form is education, and you tried to persuade me with that?! Die!!]

“Eek…!”

Demon Doppelgänger extended all ten fingers toward Yoon Yi-seon and fired, while she intercepted the magical bullets by launching flames from her two orbs.

Babababang!!

Magical explosions continued to occur between them as their magical power struggle persisted.

[I’m sorry, but.]

I gently placed my hand on Yoon Yi-seon’s shoulder, lightly patted it with my finger, then stood beside her and extended one hand forward.

[That’s not how you use flames.]

After all.

When it comes to fire-type abilities.

[This is how it’s done.]

One must unleash overwhelming firepower.

[Come, hand of Qiongqi.]

[Possession!!]

I extended my left hand forward like a tiger’s claw.

[Black Flame Demon Tiger. Release.]

[Infernal Tigris!!]

Centered on my hand, a massive tiger’s head with red glowing eyes in black mist appeared.

ROAAAAAR!!

As the black tiger opened its maw, enormous black flames that could swallow even a dump truck erupted and engulfed Demon Doppelgänger.

[Explode.]

[Searing, Blaster—!!]

BOOOOOM!!

A pillar of black flame dozens of meters high shot into the sky, centered on Doppelgänger.