Chapter 121 : Incomplete Combustion (3)

“Be careful!! Small demons are coming out from inside the giant demon’s throat!!”

“So what you told us during training was true…”

Swish

Swish

The dark mouth of the giant sea serpent was like a damp cave. And hundreds of black vipers stretching out like countless tentacles from the darkness. The vipers, born from the poison gas condensed on the damp walls, flicked their tongues and rushed in to eliminate the intruders.

Swish―!!

Yuki and Lihua had prepared for this situation for days, so they weren’t very flustered even when hundreds of vipers rushed at them.

The two quietly drew up starlight.

“We need to get to the heart quickly before the sea serpent, the main body, comes to its senses!”

“Got it, Yuki.”

Whoosh―!!

Rumble―!!

Red flames and dazzlingly bright lightning exploded, burning away hundreds of vipers.

The vipers crumbled away pitifully while burning with a foul smell.

Whoosh!

Magic shot forth, purifying the acrid poison gas and creepy vipers in the dark cave.

Hiss―!!

Two magical girls advanced while burning away the poison gas pooled thickly on the slimy floor. The path they advanced on stretched out as two distinct colors in the darkness due to starlight.

Swish!!

Resistance intensified as they approached the giant demon’s heart.

The frequency of reckless attacks gradually increased, and the vipers’ attacks approached like a wall.

Guooo!!

Hundreds of vipers gathered in one place, moving as one body, and combined into a giant leech-like form. They rushed at Yuki and Lihua with a heavy sound.

A form like vipers clumped together in oil sludge scooped from a sewer.

A disgusting monster that could only appear in a nightmare.

Black. Dirty. Damp. Writhing.

Sour with the scent of poison.

Guooo!!

Even Chen Lihua, who had a strong stomach and bold personality, almost felt nauseous for a moment, but despite the disgusting viper mass rushing in spewing stench, Yuki just maintained an expressionless face and swung her flame sword.

Instinctive movement derived from memory.

‘I’ve seen plenty of sights more horrific than this.’

Whoosh!!

A wave of flames illuminating the darkness.

A dazzling radiance like several flame horses charging forth.

The flame army advanced towards the disgusting viper mass, pouring down a baptism of purification.

Boo.!!

The monster with its disgusting form melted in the baptism of flames and scattered away.

‘If we get held up by small demons like this, it’ll get tough.’

Even amidst the horrific sight, Yuki’s mind was somehow hazy.

‘Let’s move in an efficient way.’

The inside of the giant trial demon’s body was like a small rift in itself. Although an anomaly of [Plague] magical girls being born was occurring in rifts generated outside, the phenomena originating from the sea serpent, the subject of the trial, were not much different from Yuki’s memories.

Guooo!!

Guooo!!

Hundreds of viper demons were gathering again here and there in the dark cave leading to the demon’s heart, appearing as colonies with a disgusting smell.

Poison gas grew stronger as they gathered.

Guooo!!

Guooo!!

Colonies began to fill the dark cave like walls.

A disgusting wall of demons tried to block the two girls’ path.

Lihua almost stopped in her tracks for a moment seeing that sight.

“Whoa?! They’ve appeared again!! What should we do?!”

“Don’t panic. We just need to keep burning them away as we advance before they pile up! We can’t get surrounded!!”

“Understood…! You’re so calm even in this situation. I’ll trust only you, Yuki!”

Words sent with a trusting gaze from Lihua.

Trust.

Yuki’s chest ached for a moment at those words uttered by Lihua.

-I’ll trust only you, Yuki!

“…”

The inside of the sea serpent advancing according to Yuki’s strategy was no different from other trial demons she had entered sometime before.

She was just taking the lead because she had experienced it.

She was just calm because she had experienced it.

According to the goddess of [Beginning]’s arrangement.

‘It’s not trust I earned…’

When the scarred girl who had only shed tears in the previous world stepped forward for the first time, the first battle she fought of her own will was clumsy and amateurish. But after that, the way people looked at her changed and the trust they sent changed.

Trust she had earned.

Even if the result was failure.

Even if it was incomparably smaller than now.

At least the things she achieved on her own in the previous world were entirely her own. Compared to those, the trust Lihua was sending somehow made her chest hurt.

If she had done better then, could she have received such trust from the Lihua of that time?

‘…Let’s focus.’

Even while thinking other thoughts in her head, the flame sword Yuki was holding advanced tracing a familiar path.

Whoosh

Advancing flames. Advancing magical girls.

In the dark passage that seemed endless. Finally, the source of power possessed by the trial demon was revealed.

“That’s the heart!”

“Yes. If we destroy that, the trial demon will fall.”

“Simpler than I thought… n-no.”

Lihua held back her words to shake off the carelessness that had suddenly raised its head. Yuki, as if understanding Lihua’s reaction, pretended not to notice.

A solution so easy once you know the answer.

Unity of magical girls, attacks using starlight.

The previous world was destroyed because they couldn’t do that.

“…”

A giant heart gurgled while dripping sticky liquid between black tentacles. Yuki and Lihua drew up all their starlight to attack towards that place.

Whoooosh―!!

Blazing flames.

Dazzling lightning.

Two colors of starlight shining brilliantly, and the unique skills of the two people with the purest destructive power among all magical girls were fired.

Flames and lightning shooting forth, merging like a giant beam.

“Haaaah!!”

“Disappear!!”

Boooooooom―!!!

A pillar of flames blazing fiercely, stretching out to greedily burn everything away, and lightning split into hundreds of branches produced a chilling sound that made listeners think of death.

A storm of fire and lightning.

An attack destroying everything, burning away even the poison gas and air inside the previously dark cave.

Hiss―!!

But even after the dazzling flash of destruction passed, the demon’s giant heart was still intact.

Hiss!!

With only the outer layer slightly burned, the heart gradually recovered its shape with poison gas from the black tentacles. Unlike other parts of the sea serpent, only the heart where black starlight was raging was withstanding Yuki and Lihua’s attacks with overwhelming regenerative power compared to other trial demons.

‘Is it affected by [Plague]’s magic power…!’

The curse of the three goddesses always appeared in the worst form at the most crucial moment by throwing small pebbles like this.

“Wh-why?!”

“…Our firepower was insufficient.”

Originally, the cover team and Hikari were supposed to deal with the sea serpent, and Nayeon was to join in to strike the heart.

‘…[Plague] magical girls.’

Because they were held up by the sudden appearance of [Plague] magical girls, the roles of the cover team having their starlight absorbed and Hikari who rushed out to intercept were dispersed.

If the three response team members could have quickly entered the sea serpent’s body as originally planned, there might have been a way. But because Nayeon was guiding the sea serpent, which was originally supposed to be handled by Hikari and the cover team.

Yuki and Lihua alone couldn’t cope with this unexpected situation.

“…”

Self-destruction.

One method that could be implemented right now came to Yuki’s mind.

The way to deal with trial demons in the original world.

Causing a huge starlight explosion by sacrificing one magical girl.

An attack unleashed by a bloomed born 2-star magical girl exploding all her starlight without protecting herself. Each time they passed through a trial like that, one magical girl was inevitably sacrificed.

‘If I… had bloomed [Resurrection] earlier then.’

When Yuki bloomed [Resurrection] that could endlessly self-destruct while fighting the dragon of destruction, the final trial.

All trials had already ended by then.

“…”

In any case.

Self-destruction was the best option in the current situation where firepower was lacking due to the unexpected situation.

‘This time, I should be the one to do it.’

Strangely, she didn’t feel particularly afraid of choosing self-destruction.

Because as long as Hikari was alive, this world would gradually change to Yuki’s ideal anyway.

Because as long as Hikari was alive, magical girls could be revived from death anyway.

Yuki’s head was persuaded by plausible reasons, and her heart was numbed by dream-like haziness. So Yuki told Lihua in a really nonchalant tone.

“What… did you say?”

Lihua just stared blankly at Yuki after hearing that.

“…”

“…Then. I’ll self-destruct now. Escape through the Threads of Fate…”

“Yuki.”

“Yes?”

“Clench your teeth.”

Slap

Lihua slapped Yuki’s cheek.