Chapter 120 : Incomplete Combustion (2)

In the time heading towards the hope I so desperately wanted.

In this place where I thought I had abandoned everything and come.

By your side, who alone recognizes the past I abandoned, I might have been so happy to exist as a complete self with all pieces filled.

I might have pretended not to know.

That I hadn’t changed even in the changed time.

* * *

“Haaaah!”

“Uwaaaa!”

As soon as Yuki and Lihua broke through all attacks and approached the black sea serpent’s body, they wrapped their entire bodies in starlight and approached the demon while blocking the poison with flames and lightning.

Hiss!!

Poison gas spewing from the sea serpent’s entire body.

It was as if fog had set in, with smoke that stung the eyes filling their vision.

Poison mist that seemed to not allow even stepping on it for those alive.

Hiss!!

Yuki and Lihua advanced forward, burning away the poison mist while raising even larger flames and lightning that were protecting their entire bodies. As if walking through a forest filled with darkness holding torches.

“If we burn all of these!!”

“Haah!!”

Whoosh

Crackle

The poison gas flew away from the flames and lightning energy wrapped around Yuki and Lihua’s bodies, spewing acrid smoke, and soon there was no more poison mist to be found on the path ahead.

“Whew! At this rate we should be able to advance!”

Yuki nodded silently in response to Lihua’s words. Seeing this, Lihua narrowed her delicate eyebrows and called out casually.

“…Yuki?”

“Yes?”

“Are you okay? You’ve been a bit strange since earlier. It feels like you’re not concentrating and just fighting haphazardly…”

“I’m sorry. I’ll focus.”

“…”

Yuki and Lihua advanced forward again.

After Nayeon’s desperate efforts to break through the waves and whirlpools, Yuki and Lihua finally climbed onto the sea serpent’s body they had caught up to. Feeling their footsteps, the sea serpent resisted by twisting its huge body this way and that.

Guuuuung―

Sea and sky flipped instantly.

Strong winds were blowing enough to make hair stand on end.

The more the sea serpent incessantly flipped its huge body, Yuki and Lihua who had clung to its body and climbed up felt the sky and ground flipping countless times with strong winds. Violent resistance where they could do nothing but endure while gripping the ground.

Whoosh―

Sound of huge waves

Whirlpools filling their vision

Through the raging scenery, Nayeon could be seen wrapped in blue starlight, frantically moving around calming the sea waves. She had now begun to freely use the evasive maneuvers Lihua and Yuki had taught her earlier on her own.

Vibrations felt at the fingertips of Yuki and Lihua gripping the ground.

“Kyaa?!”

“Ugh…!!”

“Th-the demon is trying to go into the sea!!”

“Kugh…!!”

The sea serpent tried to plunge its head into the sea with a huge roar. Seeing this, Nayeon tried to create a whirlpool hundreds of meters in size by magically controlling where the sea serpent’s head was heading.

“Huaaaah!! Split apaaaart!!!”

Blue starlight shining clearly even amidst thousands of waves raised by the sea serpent. By the magic shot by the sea fairy driving away the ominous rapids, the sea moved and created a new flow.

Boooom―

The space emptied by a whirlpool rotating as large as the one raised by the sea serpent.

The sea serpent, which had tried to plunge its head below the surface, belatedly realized there was no water, but collided into the emptied waves causing huge vibrations.

Guuuuuung―!!!

Even in the impact that felt like heaven and earth were flipping, Yuki and Lihua who had climbed onto the body sparkled with starlight and absolutely did not fall off.

Hiss!!

The poison gas flowing through the sea serpent’s entire body scattered with the impact. And attacks shooting towards the sea serpent that received a shock for the first time due to the unexpected collision.

[Commencing simultaneous firing!!]

[Fire!!]

Hundreds of flames

Hundreds of trajectories

Bang!

Bang!

Bang!

Bang!

■■■■■―!!!

A scream of shock from the sea serpent rather than the angry roar it had been making until now.

For the first time, the sea serpent suffered as it took the cover team’s simultaneous fire through the scattered poison gas.

As soon as they saw this, Yuki and Lihua began running along the sea serpent’s body.

“Now’s our chance!!”

“Yes!”

[The cover team informs the response team!!! Like now!! If we give a big shock like now, our attacks seem to be effective!!]

-This is the magical girl of [Sea]! Wh-when the sea serpent rises again… I’ll try to create an opportunity!!

Running frantically along the writhing black path.

Yuki looked at the sky.

Small rifts were forming in the sky.

[Plague] rushed in from there.

Hikari intercepted [Plague] with dazzling white light.

‘Hikari…’

Why do you trust me?

Why do you keep me by your side?

-Because Yuki is the best magical girl!

If you believe in me, I can always be the best magical girl.

But I don’t know why you believe in me.

‘Tell me.’

So I can exist in this dream-like reality.

So the spark with barely any embers left doesn’t go out.

“We’ve arrived!!”

Yuki and Lihua saw the sea serpent’s huge head with its mouth open, unable to escape the shock, in front of their eyes.

In the erased history, they always entered through the most vulnerable mouth to attack when facing huge demons.

In the history where magical girls originally had no means of escape, it ended with self-destruction.

But now magical girls had means of escape.

“Now if we just enter through the mouth there…!”

Gugugugung―!!

Lihua and Yuki, who had been running at full speed from the sea serpent’s body to its neck, hesitated at the vibrations felt under their feet.

The sea serpent started to come to its senses and tried to rise.

It was swinging its tail this way and that, racing across the sea, trying to go back into the water.

“Kyaa!”

Though flustered on the shaking body, Yuki unconsciously recalled the experience of climbing onto a demon’s back sometime. The memory of drawing attention on the frantically shaking huge body.

Whoosh!

What she created was a scythe made of flames.

The [Flame] prepared by the goddess of [Beginning] to hide [Resurrection] was weak, but could use the powers of all apostles.

“…”

Yuki’s shabby weapon existed as remnants left by the goddess of [Beginning].

Swoosh―!

Yuki swung it down with all her might.

Though it didn’t have the transcendent cutting power used by the magical girl of [Death], it should be enough to draw the demon’s attention.

Thwack!!

Though the blade longer than the upper half of a human body stabbed in, because the body was so huge, the sea serpent was still racing towards the water without minding the wound.

Whoosh!

Flames blazing dazzlingly in Yuki’s hand. Seeing that, Lihua also generated powerful lightning bolts descending from her shoulders.

“Lihua!!”

“Yes!!”

Attacks being fired.

Rumble!!

Whoosh!!

When two powerful destructive forces exploded over the wound cut by the scythe, the sea serpent writhed in pain and momentarily raised its body upright with the foul smell of burning flesh.

The sea serpent’s neck straightened up as if in its original form.

“Once more!!”

“Uwaaaa!!”

Flames and lightning exploding again

The sea serpent’s scream echoed again.

■■■■■―!!!

[Magical girl of the Sea!! Now’s the time!!]

“Split apaaaart!!”

Booooom―!!!

As much as she had prepared for a longer time than before.

As much as she had clearly confirmed her role in the huge battle.

Nayeon’s magic unleashed with a shout contained more confidence and starlight than before. Nayeon’s senses, sharpened as much as her gradually growing confidence, whispered.

That now was the best chance to defeat the enemy.

Guuuu―!!

Below the sea serpent’s jaw, which was lowering its body raised unconsciously due to pain, from the pain that had returned. That place was no longer the sea but a huge whirlpool.

■■■■―!!!

The sea serpent that had been toying with the magical girls while controlling the sea until now was no longer controlling the sea, but had become something that would just be swept away.

Guuuuuung―!!!

Huge vibrations spread over the shallow water surface.

The sea serpent spread out due to unexpected pain.

The magical girls who had been watching everything from the aerial fortresses rained down attacks all at once.

[All areas!! Commence simultaneous firing!!]

[Fire!!]

Bang

Bang

Bang

Bang

Flashes, flames and explosions.

To not miss this golden opportunity that seemed like it would never come again, maximum firepower was projected from dozens of makeshift fortresses positioned in the air, and explosions and aftermath incomparable to anything so far swept in.

“Huaaaaaaaa!!!”

“Uuuugh!!”

Yuki and Lihua endured the aftermath from the cover team’s firing that had become stronger and closer than before, as they had gotten closer to the sea serpent’s head. Then they got up and ran frantically, preparing to jump off the tip of the sea serpent’s head.

Twang!

“Now’s the time!!”

They felt a floating sensation, and soon their gaze turned downward.

What they saw at their feet was the sea serpent’s huge jaw.

Yuki and Lihua landed towards that spot and entered the sea serpent’s mouth.