Chapter 4: Magical Girl of the Crescent Moon (4)

“…”

A strange silence fell over the room as everyone turned toward the source of the voice.

Even the doctor looked dazed, caught off guard by the sudden quiet.

[What a dull reaction. We’re already on the move. Don’t send any more interlopers.]

Everyone stared at the large monitor at the front, but only the doctor’s face was being broadcast.

The voice wasn’t coming from the monitor.

It came from a small speaker installed on the wall beneath it.

“H-How did they access the backup line…?!”

“We’ve lost contact with all other magical girls! Even Ae-won is unreachable!”

The Bureau agents scrambled to restore communication.

“The magical girl of illusions… quite a mischievous prank. Did she jam the control room?”

[It’s not jamming. Everything just conveniently ‘broke.’ All of it.]

“…This won’t be easily forgiven.”

[Are you mad? You’ve been working magical girls nearly for free—just let this one slide, Director.]

The illusionary magical girl was speaking directly to me, not to Hojoon, the deputy director who peered down at the speaker with a curious expression.

“…”

[Yuck. You’re still alive looking like that, Janwol? You’ve changed so horribly over the years.]

It was as if she could see right into the control room.

Could she see me trembling, clinging to my adjutant’s sleeve?

“…I’m sorry.”

[Don’t apologize to me. I’m not the one you should be apologizing to. You killed your comrade. You know that, right? You’re complete garbage.]

“I… I didn’t force her…”

[Didn’t force her? You killed her. It was your fault. Oksana died for nothing because of you. You pushed her into a death trap. But you’re alive, so everything’s fine, right?]

“N-No… no… that’s not… it wasn’t me… I’m sorry… I’m sorry, I’m sorry… I’m sorry…”

[Whatever. The weak die. Better than sticking around like you, clinging to life with machine parts and getting your comrades killed.]

“Ugh… I’m sorry… I’m sorry…”

The illusionary magical girl.

One of the rare few “pure magical girls” who hadn’t been marked for extermination.

Quick-witted, playful, and hated dealing with anything troublesome.

She always behaved that way.

But now, she was calm.

Unusually so.

The lightness was gone.

Her voice was heavy and slow, pressing down on me.

She was channeling her rage, steering it toward something lethal.

Possibly death.

If I had been in the same place as her, I wouldn’t have made it out alive.

She was a magical girl whose actions defied prediction.

It was my handling, my attitude, the brutal death of a magical girl—those things had enraged her.

[I watched everything from start to finish through the cameras. It just looked like you were desperately trying to save yourself. The Janwol I knew is dead. You’re not her.]

“…”

I couldn’t answer.

No—I didn’t answer. Because she was right.

Even knowing Oksana’s personality, I leaked the intel.

I let her walk into a death trap.

And she wasn’t just any magical girl.

She was my friend, my comrade.

We had fought side by side for over a decade.

She had even risked her life to save mine.

And I got her killed.

I killed her.

My head throbbed.

It felt like my brain was on fire.

Something inside Ianna’s body was malfunctioning.

“Ugh… ngh…” “Director!!!”

My strength gave out, and I collapsed forward.

My adjutant rushed over to catch me, while jeers and taunts continued to spill from the speaker.

[What a pathetic sight, Janwol. You’d be better off biting your tongue and dying. How’s it feel being the Bureau’s puppet? Their plaything? Did you sell your body to survive?]

[…That’s enough, Illusion. Stop this.]

[The doctor’s precious magical girl died because of Janwol. Feeling soft, doc? Getting sentimental watching her collapse?]

[Now’s not the time for this… We should focus on subjugating the entity—]

The monitor suddenly switched views.

[We’re already here. Look.]

A cloudy sky appeared on the screen.

Lush grass nearly knee-high grew thick along a narrow river.

[First time in Russia? What do you think?] [It’s cloudy. Looks like rain.] [Not that flat reaction. Don’t you feel anything? This is the land of Tolstoy and Dostoevsky!] [It’s all swamp. Stop the nonsense and find the rift.]

The screen alternated between a blonde girl and a red-haired girl.

The girl with blonde hair, blue eyes, and pale skin was the Illusionary Magical Girl.

The red-haired girl in a typical school uniform was the protagonist of this story—the Libra Magical Girl.

Unlike other magical girls who wore high-defense grey Reliquus suits, Illusion wore a dress made using her unique Lemegaton, a mix of sky blue and purple.

Transformation—one of the core abilities granted by a Lemegaton.

It allowed magical girls to process otherworldly energy into a form tailored to their body.

Libra’s uniform had also been created through transformation.

“Alright. There’s a dimensional rift 20 meters ahead. You’ll see it clearly from the air.” “Beta ether levels at 50.2%… Highest recorded for a single rift since East Japan.”

Hojoon’s expression shifted subtly.

Perhaps realizing the gravity of the situation.

After a long quiet period, an entity of medium-class suddenly appearing must have caught him off guard.

“…Director.”

My adjutant quietly approached and injected a tranquilizer as I trembled in my chair.

“Haa… Thanks…”

Second shot already.

The syringe entered my neck, and orange fluid coursed through my body.

I began to feel more stable.

The effect was immediate. Thank god.

I just hope I don’t build up resistance.

Ianna’s body was in shambles.

While her patched-up body could still function, her “software”—her mind—was constantly malfunctioning.

Loud noises made her cower and cover her ears.

She couldn’t look at her reflection, couldn’t meet people’s eyes, couldn’t hold a normal conversation.

At least her cognitive functions were still intact.

She retained full reasoning abilities, and the control chip embedded in her brain remained inactive.

“Uh, um…”

I mustered the courage to face the monitor and shouted.

[You’re going to kill us too?]

“N-No, that’s not it… The new entity’s weak point… it’s the left shoulder…”

[How laughable. I’ll etch your advice deep into my bones. Thanks, Bureau’s wh*re.]

“…”

Illusion’s face looked down at the camcorder with contempt.

“Don’t overdo it. Libra has little combat experience. Protect her.”

[It’s fine. We’re the strongest.]

[Found it. Down there.]

[Alright! Let’s go! Hold on tight!!!]

In a flash of light, the two vanished from the screen.

And then—

[You see it, right?]

Oksana’s head.

Still intact.

A miniature camera replaced her eyes.

Behind the entity devouring Oksana’s corpse—

Two magical girls appeared.

Crack—

The entity stopped. It had sensed intruders in its domain.

And then—

Boom!!!

It rushed toward the magical girls at an incomprehensible speed, aiming for their necks like it had with Oksana, transforming its hand into a blade.

But—

Though they stood still, the attack didn’t land.

The entity flailed its arms at incredible speeds, trying to tear them apart—but it never made contact.

No, it couldn’t hit them.

The attacks missed entirely.

Fast enough to stir visible air currents, yet they remained untouched.

Illusion hadn’t even drawn her Lemegaton.

She dodged everything effortlessly, as if water flowing around a stone.

[Watch closely, Oksana. I’ll take its head.]

She stepped forward.

Crunch!

The entity’s arms vanished.

It looked around in confusion—its limbs gone—before collapsing like a stone.

“…Illusion has gotten stronger.”

“She doesn’t even use her Lemegaton anymore…”

Hojoon feared magical girls’ power.

If someone who could sever limbs in a single step ever turned against humanity—

It would be a nightmare.

[You finish it. It’s not because I’m lazy. You need the experience.]

[Okay.]

[I’ll take care of Oksana’s body.]

Libra clasped her hands to her chest and closed her eyes.

Light.

Multiple rays of light emerged from Libra’s chest.

A massive scythe appeared in her hands, wrapped in chains.

A strange, otherworldly scythe that shimmered softly with white light.

“That’s Libra’s Lemegaton…?”

“Yes. It can kill half of all organisms and entities within a 10KM radius.”

“Extreme caution is advised. Maximum threat level.”

Libra raised her scythe.

[Ready.]

Libra’s Lemegaton wasn’t meant to cut enemies—

It cleaved the air itself.

By cutting empty space, she could activate its ability.

Just as she swung the scythe—

[Gugh—]

The entity, now fully regenerated, slammed its fist into Libra’s stomach with full force.