Ch.57Chapter 10. What Can Be Done (4)

James’s barrage of insults—mostly “squeaks”—was one thing.

Unfortunately, my attack method wasn’t a complete solution.

The kaijin moved slowly, but its entire body was so gelatinous that even when struck, my attacks didn’t penetrate easily.

Plus, everything nearby was metallic material. I considered breaking the ground to throw rock chunks, but that seemed risky. I wasn’t sure I could properly control my strength.

“Wait.”

I thought as I created my sixth metal ball.

Around me were not just these wires but also countless half-melted lead bullets scattered everywhere.

Energy-wise, bullets would naturally be stronger than the metal balls I was throwing. They could even damage my body despite the mana protecting me.

For a soft-bodied opponent, they’d be even more effective. Wouldn’t they be more vulnerable to “penetration” than “impact”?

There’s a gel-like substance used to study bullet trajectories.

It’s extremely soft, and while it’s difficult to deform or change its shape by simply hitting it, bullets typically get embedded in it or penetrate through.

That makes sense. Pushing with a fingertip versus pushing with a knife at the tip using the same force—the latter will cut flesh more easily.

“…Or maybe I’m thinking about this wrong.”

Right.

What if it’s actually the opposite?

Gel has nothing inside it. And no matter how resilient it is, once a hole is made, it can’t repair itself.

But for a creature with such a “body,” things might be different.

I looked directly at the kaijin’s head.

It looked so gelatinous it almost seemed like liquid maintaining a shape.

I could barely see anything like a mouth. There seemed to be something like internal organs, but the “saliva” appeared to be fired directly from the head itself rather than from a mouth.

If it’s launching parts of its own body, it obviously couldn’t sustain such attacks indefinitely.

Like continuously removing small pieces from a lump of clay, its head would keep getting smaller and weaker.

But this is also a living creature.

If its recovery speed increased when it transformed into a kaijin—whatever exactly maintains its head—if it can quickly fill in what’s been reduced…

It might not care much about “small pieces falling off.” Clean penetration from bullets might actually be better.

Considering the rotational force and pushing power of bullets, that doesn’t seem right either, but the creature is still standing, so…

That’s what I mean.

I hit another ball.

The kaijin took the ball with its head. The ball that touched its body instantly melted and fell back out.

But I clearly saw the head momentarily change shape when the ball hit it.

And several “saliva” droplets spraying sideways too. Of course, it probably didn’t spit those out intentionally.

Like saliva flying out of a boxer’s mouth after taking a right hook—it was involuntary.

“That’s it.”

I muttered and immediately moved.

“Just buy me a little more time!”

“Squeak!”

I’m certain again. That’s definitely cursing.

Maybe they deliberately left curse words out of the translator so he could freely squeak in front of others.

I spun away from the kaijin.

The police officers who met my eyes recoiled in terror, backing away until they were blocked by other officers behind them.

I’m not interested in you people.

Taking down a few low-ranking officers won’t make me feel better. That’s as meaningless as fighting Noir Corporation’s combatants.

If I’m going to take someone down, I should stomp on those at the very top.

“…Found it.”

I muttered, transforming my hammer.

Opening the propulsion device, I leaped up and—

Smashed my hammer down on an old cannon-like object in the middle of the police.

BOOM!

People nearby backed away in terror.

In my opinion, this isn’t gunpowder-based. The sound when it fired wasn’t like a shell being launched.

Besides, if it had fired like a real cannon, this metal chunk would have torn my body apart. No matter what, they wouldn’t put that kind of firepower in a “non-lethal” weapon.

I heard something explode, but I ignored it and kept hammering the equipment.

The equipment itself was taller than me. It was almost car-sized, with wire nets rolled up like balls beside it.

Probably all extremely expensive.

I deployed the propulsion device in all directions.

Parts of the equipment turned red from the extreme heat.

Normally, it wouldn’t be easy to melt metal, but with the generator inside, and above all, with me handling this weapon…

I’ve had enough despair already last night.

Waking me up at dawn when I was trying to sleep in the tent.

Come to think of it, I didn’t even eat breakfast properly.

Though breakfast was just leftover canned food anyway.

And not much of that left either.

“…”

So that’s why my circuit hasn’t stopped despite handling this opponent so casually.

I sighed and lifted my hammer.

It’s a mess. James would be horrified if he saw it.

Metal fragments had melted and stuck haphazardly to the hammer. I mainly used wire. The steel wire—thin enough that even the kaijin could easily melt it, but heavy enough to restrain a human body—was perfect for my purposes.

Above all, there were several coiled metal balls, and with the propulsion device activated front and back while I repeatedly smashed down, they roughly adhered to the hammer.

As I lifted the hammer head, now twice its normal size, all the police officers around backed away. Even though they knew I wouldn’t harm them, their reaction showed that image really does matter.

Too late to worry about that now.

I turned around.

The hammer was heavy. I’d turned off the propulsion device, but the surface I’d attached was still glowing red.

I couldn’t use the propulsion device, but—whatever. It doesn’t matter. That thing is slow anyway.

With all the police officers clearing to the sides, the kaijin and I faced each other.

The kaijin, which had been suffering from James flying around like a mosquito shooting lasers, turned toward me and saw the hammer in my hand.

Those protruding eyes seemed to waver for a moment.

I charged forward.

Saliva sprayed toward me like from a mister, just like before.

I blocked the saliva with the enlarged round hammer head. The saliva, with each particle reduced in size, couldn’t melt the massive metal chunk all at once.

THWACK!

Like a bulldozer, I pushed the kaijin’s body with my hammer.

The kaijin floated up slightly and then rolled on the ground.

So its body isn’t completely liquid after all?

If needle pricks don’t work, the next obvious choice is the schnitzel hammer.

Hiss.

The hammer’s surface melted a bit, but it was still far from reaching the core. There were plenty of deformed metal balls stuck all over the hammer’s surface.

The kaijin staggered to its feet and looked up at me.

If my thinking is correct—

That expression on the kaijin is “despair.”

*

“You’ve suddenly become urgent.”

When Rose spoke sarcastically, the civil servant’s face turned pale.

“Ah, yes, well, it seems the situation is developing somewhat differently…”

“You didn’t seem so urgent when we asked for them earlier.”

“That’s, this is just my job, so…”

“Then it was just your job and didn’t matter, but now?”

“…”

“What happens if someone doesn’t go out for personal reasons?”

“Then… the circuit…”

“You might permanently take it back? Is that something you can determine from your position?”

“…Seo-hee unnie.”

As Hayun gently grabbed Rose’s arm, Rose exhaled deeply.

Then she took her circuit from the box the civil servant offered and put it on her wrist.

“May I ask how the situation is developing?”

When Hayun asked with a slightly apologetic expression, the low-ranking civil servant let out a small sigh of relief.

“Well…”

“What could it be?”

Ju-a, or rather Iris, spoke indifferently as she put the circuit on her wrist.

“Probably because that person is fighting better than expected. We’re supposed to handle the kaijin, and that establishes our authority, but if that person resolves it alone, that authority crumbles.”

“…Many people already believe in her. If they start thinking she can replace magical girls…”

“…”

As Delphinium added to Iris’s explanation, Dalia’s expression darkened.

But Hayun’s face, on the contrary, was shining brightly.

Click.

She put the circuit on her wrist and confirmed it was working.

The circuit was spinning vigorously.

“Hayun…”

Cherry responded with slight bewilderment, but Hayun just smiled at her.

“…”

Iris looked at the circuit spinning on her wrist, then at Hayun with a complicated expression.

“Ju-a. Can you warp us there?”

“…Yes. This much should be fine. We can’t warp the kaijin elsewhere anyway.”

In response to the implied question about whether it would be okay if they couldn’t warp back after arriving, Hayun smiled brightly.

“Then, may I ask you?”

Iris thought for a moment, then finally nodded.

Iris closed her eyes.

Hayun and the other magical girls all closed their eyes too.

And they felt the mana moving.

The other girls’ circuits weren’t spinning as vigorously as before, but Hayun’s circuit was spinning powerfully.

The situation was completely reversed from right after Jieun disappeared.

But the energy was different from then.

The energy emanating from Hayun’s circuit was sufficient to resonate with the other girls’.

Energy flowed from Hayun’s circuit toward the children.

The girls slowly moved to form a circle. Iris was in the center.

“Let’s go.”

Iris said.

Immediately after, a storm of mana so intense that even ordinary people with low mana sensitivity could feel it swept through.

And the next moment, the air Hayun felt changed.

When she opened her eyes, the surroundings were a mess. Dust was swirling everywhere, and broken pieces littered the ground.

The police had retreated much further back than last time.

Seeing the melted equipment, the situation didn’t seem easy at all, but—

Thud.

Someone landed near Hayun.

The ground cracked, and the person’s legs sank slightly into it.

What she held in her hand was—something much larger than usual. The surface had melted metal balls stuck to it haphazardly.

Had she modified it temporarily?

After barely stopping, the girl raised her head and met Hayun’s eyes.

The slight smile that had been there until just before disappeared.

“Oh, you came.”

“…”

Hayun momentarily couldn’t think of what to say.

“Um, yes…”

She gave an ambiguous answer.

“Are you going to help? If so, standing there like that is a problem.”

Before Hayun could answer—

Phit.

That sound was heard.

The magical girls quickly scattered.

“At least you’re fast at times like this.”

“Well, we’ve been coordinating for quite a while.”

“Yet you were slow getting here.”

Rose had no rebuttal and kept her mouth shut.

“Planning to cooperate? Or did you come to steal the credit?”

“…I came to help.”

Hayun answered Jieun’s question. Her voice was small.

Because, while it wasn’t a lie—the actual mission was indeed the latter.

To intervene when the kaijin was almost defeated, subdue Jieun, and take the credit.

Then hand Jieun over to the Federation.

“…”

Of course, she had no intention of doing that.

Jieun stared at Hayun intently.

Then—

“Hey, you jerks! How long are you going to just stand there! Since you’re here, help! Help!”

They saw the drone mixing squeaking sounds into its shouts.

“That’s some nasty squeaking.”

“It’s melting…! Melting!”

“Let’s go, go.”

Jieun sighed deeply and immediately jumped toward it.

*

Nothing in this world comes easy.

When I actually hit the kaijin, it changed its form.

But it’s not all negative. The fact that it avoided my attack also means this attack method is effective.

The kaijin, which had been only human-sized until now, suddenly bulged and grew enormous.

Its clothes tore. What was visible inside was a translucent body.

There were carapaces attached here and there, but even those carapaces were splitting, with transparent flesh protruding through the cracks.

Is that blood-like substance flowing inside?

Hiss, hiss.

Every time it dripped to the floor, it made that sound and sizzled, which was grotesquely disturbing.

The hammer didn’t melt easily, but unfortunately, my body is made of material that melts easily. Even if I block with mana, there’s probably a limit.

If that enormous body swallows me whole.

I jumped back in terror.

James flew up, and I roughly grabbed the drone from below. The propulsion powered by mana is hot enough to melt iron, but it couldn’t burn my body protected by that same mana.

I heard James cursing as I let go of him, and I went down to the ground.

Then I met the eyes of the magical girls who had arrived.

…Well, their timing is good.

Honestly, with it transformed like that, I was wondering what to do next.

Its body has properties similar to liquid, and it can stretch to make itself larger.

If a highly acidic liquid coats my body thinly… just thinking about it was horrifying.

At the same time, I was a bit annoyed.

It’s good they came at a dangerous moment, but honestly, the timing is a bit suspicious. It takes time to get the circuits and come here, but somehow that timing seems to coincide with when I found a solution.

Well, if they can’t use them unless given permission, I guess it can’t be helped.

So after deliberately making a few unpleasant remarks, I jumped forward.

And beside me—

A pink trajectory quickly passed by. It was Hayun. She was tightly gripping a brightly glowing magic wand in her hand.

“The enemy’s body is highly acidic!”

I shouted in alarm.

“Okay!”

…Is it strange that her returning voice sounded bright?

Must be my imagination. We’re fighting, after all. When answering while running, her voice might sound a bit excited.

The kaijin swung its hand toward Hayun.

That thin, wide hand—it looked just like transparent candy. You know, those hand-shaped candies?

The problem was that the jelly-like substance was entirely highly acidic.

Blocking with mana would prevent fatal injury, but still.

I jumped with all my might, intending to hit it with my hammer before it could touch Hayun’s body—

—but before I could strike, Hayun moved first.

No matter how thin the hand was, it still had a jelly-like shape. I could see Hayun’s silhouette through the transparent body. It looked distorted, as if through a lens.

But that distortion disappeared in an instant.

SLASH!

A vivid pink blade sliced through the center of that palm.

The hand, liquid-like but not completely liquid, immediately became liquid and splashed when cut.

Hayun didn’t dodge.

Instead, she moved her sword even faster.

Thanks to my senses enhanced by mana, I could clearly see Hayun elegantly slicing each droplet flying toward her.

Rather than precisely cutting each one individually, it was like she was dancing, smoothly continuing a single line and drawing a picture in the air.

Whether her wand was hotter than the boiling strong acid, the liquid that met the wand in midair instantly vaporized.

White smoke rose into the air, and the sight of the sword cutting through that smoke was beautiful.

The atmosphere was completely different from when I crudely swung my hammer and threw heavy objects.

Yes, that’s right.

This is why Hayun was frightening.

She resolves everything elegantly, so smoothly. Her movements were beautiful enough to be admired even by me, who had been on the receiving end.

Ha, look who’s worrying about whom.

But since it was a bit difficult to stop my hammer mid-swing from the air, I just smashed it down with all my might.

The arm was crushed in the middle.

Some liquid splashed, but I wildly shook the hammer, half-buried in the ground, in all directions. Dust rose around, and the liquid absorbed that dry dust. Making the acid react with other objects before it could harm my body—that was the solution I’d thought of.

Jieun smiled at me.

Does she think we cooperated?

But this was coincidence. We didn’t each take one arm separately; we just inefficiently destroyed one arm together.

It would be more accurate to say I cooperated with Iris, who was providing covering fire from behind.

I deliberately turned my gaze away and ran in a circle to the side.

Hayun ran in the opposite direction.

The kaijin, confused about whether to attack me or Hayun first, moved its head vigorously from side to side.

…

This isn’t cooperation.

It’s not, anyway. It just happened to turn out this way by coincidence.

I thought to myself as I moved my hammer at the same time Hayun swung her sword.