For What Do You Fight? -4

A moment later, Iris stared blankly at Kraken. Her pupils trembled with an expression of incomprehension.

“What… what are you saying?”

She couldn’t understand what he meant.

“You misspoke… right?”

Her hands became completely soaked with sweat. The beads of sweat forming on her back must be from the intense exercise she had just done.

Her heart began to race as if it would burst, and those words echoed in her head. Now her legs began to tremble too.

“…Don’t tremble, get into a fighting stance.”

Shin Hyun, who cherished Noah terribly, spat out harsh words.

With eyes like an abandoned puppy, she almost weakened his resolve. But instead, he hardened his heart and pushed her even more forcefully.

“Kill me.”

“I… I can’t.”

“Then at least fight with the intent to kill! Do you want to die by my hands!?”

“No…”

Iris, who had been hesitantly backing away, suddenly turned and fled.

“…Fool.”

Kraken didn’t let her go. Or rather, he couldn’t.

“Tsk…”

He moved into Iris’s shadow, using it as a portal to emerge, then swung his tentacles at close range.

With a thud, a dull sound reverberated, and Iris rolled across the floor.

“Ugh… uugh…”

“Get up, fight back. Do you really want to die?”

“…No…”

“Then stand up and fight!”

“I don’t want to fight you, mister…”

At those words, Kraken fell silent.

He had hoped to somehow ignite her fighting spirit, but he hadn’t wanted this. If one of them had to die, he had hoped it would be himself.

“Then, you’ll simply die.”

So he had no choice but to push harder.

Hearing Kraken’s words, Iris slowly got up and spoke in a sad voice.

“I don’t want to die…”

“Then fight.”

“I don’t want to fight either…”

“Choose! Do you think this world will cater to your childishness forever? You know well! This world is ultimately about binary choices! Advance or halt, winner or loser, live or die!”

“…”

“So…”

Kraken bowed his head deeply. Soon, his voice came out slightly trembling.

“Please live, Noah.”

It was an unbearably painful thing. Although he didn’t know how the situation would unfold, one thing was certain.

If they stayed like this, the Demon King wouldn’t be satisfied. Satisfying him was part of their deal.

Of course, the man named Shin Hyun was not particularly moral. He broke laws when necessary, and even became a villain.

‘Damn it, so this is what it means to be a Demon King.’

However.

‘I’ve been afflicted with a troublesome curse.’

The curse had put a leash on him. A heart-eating bug. The thought of it being inside his chest made his skin crawl.

What made it worse was—

‘I’d like to end myself, but…’

This wasn’t a physical injury, but rather a contract and demonic harm. If he didn’t follow the contract, this bug would kill its original host and transfer to another connected target.

In simple terms.

‘If I don’t follow the contract, this bug will transfer to Noah.’

It would only result in both Noah and himself dying.

“…Damn it.”

He thought he would pay a high price, but…

“…Tsk, here I go.”

A cold air spread around him.

“Strike.”

The pouring tentacles writhed. Like starving prisoners craving slaughter. They began to move slowly, then—

BANG! BANG! BANG! BANG!

They began to strike Iris mercilessly.

“Ugh…! Ah… Kugh…!”

“Fight back, Iris! Otherwise, I’ll have no choice but to kill you!”

His eyes were filled with ferocity.

“Stand up, Iris!”

“Kugh…!”

Iris’s legs trembled. It wasn’t a matter of physical damage.

It was simply too painful.

Having to directly clash with someone she was grateful to, someone she loved.

Ah, yes. Maybe—

‘I should die.’

She finally realized.

Whether that man was a villain from the beginning or not. Whether he approached her with ulterior motives or not. Whether his current attack was sincere or not.

‘I don’t think I can live without the mister anymore.’

If he disappeared, her life would become painful anyway.

Over the past year, there hadn’t been a single moment without him. Even when she fought as Iris, he was always by her side.

In the form of the villain Kraken.

Thinking about it, it was a strange thing, but now it made sense.

‘Why he was so gentle, and why it felt like he was spoon-feeding me victories.’

He never intended to kill her from the start. Rather, competing with him stimulated her growth and became the driving force for her survival.

“…Mister…”

“…”

“Did you perhaps… take on the role of a villain for my sake from the beginning?”

“…”

“What’s that… it’s silly.”

Iris raised her head and smiled faintly.

“It’s okay if you kill me, mister.”

“What?”

“Without your help, I would have died so many times already. Yes, somehow I feel that way.”

“Noah…”

Kraken slowly raised his hand, then sensing something, momentarily stopped his movement.

Iris found it difficult to understand what he was thinking. He seemed hesitant, or perhaps waiting for something.

Quite some time passed like that.

“Then I’ll end it. We can’t both die here.”

“…I’m sorry, mister.”

“I’m sorry, Noah.”

“Hehe, don’t be. After all, you’re only taking the life you saved.”

“…”

“Then, mister, let’s meet again later. Make sure to avenge me!”

“…”

Noah slowly closed her eyes. The last thing she saw was Kraken forming a solid black tentacle like a claw and approaching with it.

Was he planning to pierce her chest with that?

‘Please make it as painless as possible, mister.’

Step. Step. Step.

“Noah.”

“…Yes?”

“I’m sorry, please die.”

Squelch—

One tentacle pierced through the center of Noah’s chest, staining her clothes with blood.

At that moment.

“Take this!”

What rushed through the pierced hole was a black snake.

Kraken threw Iris aside and dodged, and the snake struck its target. The red essence of Lust.

Soon, with a breaking sound, the essence turned to powder.

“I came because Iris was taking too long…!”

“How could you! How could you do this!?”

“You bastard! You were playing with us from the beginning!”

Kraken stood up and looked at them.

Magical girls who were Noah’s companions and once his friends. Now they were just enemies.

“…I’m sorry.”

“What are you sorry for! After doing this to our unni!”

“…”

There was nothing he could say.

Kraken slowly approached the top of the essence and absorbed it.

“This thing will fall soon. I suggest you escape quickly. That’s all.”

He tore off the neck of the small rabbit doll, then warped away somewhere.

+++++

The place I arrived at was a mountain.

“Good work.”

“…Are you satisfied?”

“It was quite good. The harmony wasn’t perfect… but yes, her despair was truly a masterpiece.”

“…”

“Your eyes are frightening, sir.”

“It’s nothing. I just… yes… I want to rest a bit.”

“Understood. Rest well. Ah! But you know you must continue the show, right?”

“I know.”

“And that you cannot contact Iris or any other magical girl?”

“Yes. I know it all.”

“Then I’m reassured. Well, rest well.”

As soon as the rabbit creature finished speaking, I slumped against the wall.

All the strength drained from my body… yes. I felt so depressed I could die right then.

At that moment, Kkomul-i spoke to me.

‘Shin Hyun.’

‘Kkomul…’

‘It worked out well. It’s a success.’

Kkomul-i continued in a reassuring voice.

‘I dropped a lot of my flesh pieces inside Noah’s body. They’ll immediately assimilate with the injured parts and start healing.’

‘She won’t die, right?’

‘Don’t worry. I’m an octopus, remember? If I can regrow severed limbs, can’t I handle temporary wound closure? Plus, we barely missed her heart. Well, she’ll need surgery right away at the hospital though.’

“…Thank goodness… really… thank goodness…”

I covered my face with my palms and blamed myself for a long time. I had left an indelible wound on Noah.

It was truly painful.

“…Sigh… I need to pull myself together.”

But just feeling miserable won’t accomplish anything. I took a deep breath and organized the situation.

First, according to Kkomul-i, Noah won’t die. Though she’ll be left with a fairly significant scar.

Second, the magical girls have become stronger. I was convinced after seeing their recent attack. They’ve become even stronger than in the original story. Probably thanks to my intervention.

And third.

‘Kkomul, did you deliver it well?’

‘Yes. When we pierced her, I secretly placed it inside her clothes.’

‘Good job. Make sure to hide from them as much as possible.’

‘Understood.’

The letter was successfully delivered.

Words of apology to Noah, my circumstances, and even the method to overcome the current situation.

This was a kind of loophole.

‘The contract clearly stated.’

That the person named ‘Shin Hyun’ or ‘Kraken’ must not approach them.

Perhaps it didn’t know the secret of Kraken’s transformation.

‘That letter wasn’t given by me, nor by Kraken.’

It was given by Kkomul-i, a modified life form.

When piercing Iris, Kkomul-i extended its own small tentacle, not Kraken’s, and placed the letter inside Noah’s clothes.

It was a loophole I could use because those creatures didn’t know about Kkomul-i’s existence.

This was an act performed by the monster Kkomul-i, not by the man named Shin Hyun.

Of course, it was done very carefully because it would be troublesome if discovered.

‘Why don’t I just secretly go meet everyone?’

‘What would you do by meeting them? First, we need to break the curse before we can do anything. What else can you do in a meeting besides explaining the situation?’

‘Well… you’re right.’

‘I’ve already written that much in the letter. Noah will figure it out.’

It’s ultimately passing the buck… but there’s no choice.

The situation boils down to one thing.

Not one dying or sacrificing themselves.

Either we all live, or we all die.

‘I’m counting on you, Noah.’

It’s all up to Noah now.

All I can do is hope that she does well.