Chapter 67 : The Puppet Show on Frozen Land

January 20th

The coldest winter ever arrived.

It was a coldness that crept from fingertips chilled by fear to minds recalling the word destruction.

[Russia has been under the control of a single supernatural ability user since last November.]

[The mental and physical control of the government’s top officials, including the President, military leadership, and soldiers of each major branch, has all fallen under the dominion of supernatural ability.]

[Though resistance at the civilian level, including the military, is maintaining the defense of a few areas, it’s only at the level of conventional forces.]

[…We have also lost control over asymmetric forces including intercontinental ballistic missiles and nuclear weapons.]

[The safety and security of the entire world is in a seriously threatened situation.]

[Citizens, in this grave situation, rather than being swept up in confusion and fear and acting rashly, please follow the government’s guidelines with a prudent attitude.]

[Governments around the world are still working to resolve the current situation through emergency meetings.]

[…Please stay in safe places, including shelters.]

Destruction.

One word flashed through everyone’s minds.

A chilling silence filled the streets rather than shopping districts, and panic buying for emergency rations occurred at neighborhood marts and convenience stores.

“I’m offering 10,000 yen!! Why won’t you sell it?!”

“We’re all about to die, what good is freezing cash!! I’m only accepting precious metals or watches!!”

“If you’re not buying, get out of the way!! I’ll… I’ll bring 2 cans of gasoline, so please give me two boxes of bottled water!!”

It was anticipated chaos, but there was no option to hide the truth in the face of the massive threat of nuclear war. States of emergency were declared in all countries, and police were deployed to commercial facilities and key facilities.

People who bought emergency rations at marts as soon as they heard the news on their morning commute shut themselves in their homes, drew the curtains, and covered their heads with blankets along with their families.

Those who heard the news late panicked at frozen cash withdrawals and card payments, and tried to buy food and water through barter and haggling.

All schools declared temporary closures, and patients at hospitals with canceled surgeries could only groan while clutching their painful areas.

There were even people getting into fistfights just to get a single piece of bread, and some kneeling and begging to be sold to.

“Don’t fight!! I’ll distribute bread for free!!”

“Huh?! Wh-what?!”

The man who was about to take off his gold ring to buy bread widened his eyes at the cart full of bread the girl brought.

“I can make as much as I want with my ability!! There are 5 carts like this over there!!”

“Hand that over!!!”

As the terrified crowd rushed towards the cart all at once, a whistle sounded.

Beep!

Click click click

Dozens of yellow police lines forcibly divided the crowd and narrowed the paths, forcing people into single file lines. Anyone trying to cut in line even in the narrow spaces was forcibly shackled.

“Don’t cut in line!! You can receive unlimited food and water if you come to the government-designated shelters!!”

Huff

Tsugumi, the magical girl of [Order], took a deep breath with all her might.

“Please maintain order!!!”

“…”

“…”

Overwhelmed by the navy blue starlight Tsugumi emitted, the crowd quietly received their bread.

“Thank you for protecting us. Because of me…”

“No, it’s fine. We should move to the shelter once things calm down a bit.”

“Yes…”

Shizuku, the magical girl of [Baking] who tried to distribute bread out of pity but was surprised by the crowd’s collective action, bowed her head to Yamashita and the security team who came to protect her while holding onto the cart.

[Deputy Chief, the 12 members of the relief corps have safely arrived at the local hospital.]

“Good work, stand by there for now.”

[Understood.]

Similar scenes played out all over the world.

A world filled with chaos.

People panicking at the approaching threat and crying out about the end times.

* * *

Boom!

“Direct hit!”

The magical girls projecting attacks imbued with their starlight from atop silver gliders shot down all the enemies. Projectiles spreading out from both sides of the Sirius like angel wings hit their targets and exploded.

“Large aircraft interception complete! Left interception team, please come to the right side as is!”

[Understood!]

“Rena-san! Please deploy maximum barrage straight ahead as is!”

[Got it!]

Ratatatatat

Dozens of machine guns deployed by Rena, protected by a barrier on the Sirius’ deck, spewed fire. Even as she deployed endless barrages with gunfire loud enough to deafen, fluorescent green birds swarmed in from somewhere.

I asked the magical girl of [Communication] giving orders next to me.

“How’s the situation with the right interception team?”

“There are too many large aircraft launching small aircraft, so it’s taking time to aim and fire!”

“Please tell the right team to fire all at once straight ahead.”

“Yes! Right team! Fire all at once straight ahead as is!”

[Understood!]

Ratatatatat

Fireworks, lightning, ice, arrows, and bullets of various colors were fired, and the airspace to the right of the Sirius was filled with a brilliant barrage reminiscent of fireworks.

[Deception] Magical Girl’s Unique Skill

Cause and Effect Reversal

<All bullets fired by the interception team hit the large aircraft and successfully intercepted them.>

All shots hit the aircraft that were difficult to hit even when concentrating and aiming. The magical girls who had been shooting down aircraft rushing in from the right trembled at the sight.

“What is this?!”

“Don’t be surprised. It’s my ability.”

“…Unnie’s ability is really unbelievable.”

Beeeep

The huge birds that had been spewing out pigeons and hawks with thin, high-pitched cries all crashed to the ground at once.

“Successful interception! Please maintain alert status for each interception team!”

Since entering Russian airspace, fluorescent green puppets had been endlessly attacking the Sirius.

“Damn it, when will those things stop appearing!”

“They’re increasing the closer we get to the huge beast!”

After breaking through the airspace for a full day, we had finally entered the airspace near Moscow, but the attacks were getting fiercer.

And the sound of the ‘beast’ gradually growing louder.

Grooooowl

With each step of the fluorescent green beast slowly appearing beyond the horizon like a huge mountain range, the ground shook and a roar sounded. It had already passed through hundreds of kilometers, sweeping away everything in front of it as it slowly advanced.

A cow of enormous size reminiscent of a mountain range just by its existence.

A scene of terrible destruction as if a storm had passed through.

Thud

Thud

Everyone fell silent at the sight of birds gathered like fluorescent green clouds in the sky above the beast and puppets on the ground following like a moving forest.

An ominous sight reminiscent of the time of destruction.

“…”

“…I heard it had already been hit by small tactical nukes.”

“They say missiles from the air were hit by the enemy and couldn’t hit properly.”

Kang Dorim spoke in a gloomy voice.

‘Supernatural abilities must be met with supernatural abilities. That’s why we came.’

As soon as they grasped the situation, the UN coalition forces, hastily united with the determination to prevent nuclear war at all costs, launched attacks towards the beast advancing towards Europe even before the magical girls arrived, but to no avail.

Now the estimated time until the beast crosses Eastern Europe and traverses all of Europe is just 3 days.

Thud

Thud

“10 kilometers left to the beast! It’s on a path to cross and pass through Eastern Europe! We’ll be in full confrontation soon!”

Natalia, the magical girl of [Navigation] holding the helm, shouted in a solemn voice, and all the magical girl operators relayed the information.

“All entry teams, please get ready!”

I looked back at the magical girls from the friendly matches who voluntarily participated in this subjugation operation.

[Heavy Armor] and [Penetration] from Europe.

[Shooting] and [Gliding] from Korea.

[Martial Arts] and [Beast] from Japan.

[Machine Gun], [Armor], and [Rush] dispatched from the council.

And…

“Yuki! I’m counting on you for the beast!”

“Okay…! Let’s… let’s protect everyone for sure…!”

Yuki looked at me resolutely and steeled herself. Looking at her expression, I suddenly had a thought.

‘…It’s exactly the same face drawn on the cover of volume 5.’

But now there were no tears of anxiety flowing in her eyes.

“…Okay!”

After briefly making eye contact with Yuki like that, I brought out a clone.

“Descent dock preparation complete! Each entry team please standby at the descent docks!”

Yuki and I walked towards our designated descent docks.

Shing

Standing in front of the descent dock, I drew out a silver sword.

Yuki’s final realization that appeared in the original work.

Four weapons recreated by one who had glimpsed the world of born 3-star girls that couldn’t be known just by reading the text.

The sword of war.

The bow of revelation.

The scales of plague and greed.

The scythe of death.

As soon as I received them from Yuki, my unique weapons, the silk hat and cane, changed shape as if yielding their place. I was flustered when the hat I had been wearing habitually every time I put on my bloomed magical girl outfit disappeared.

‘An ability that other magical girls can’t use… only Yuki and I can use.’

Perhaps this too was the intention of whoever guided my meeting with Yuki.

Why are Yuki and I able to use all the unique weapons of born 3-star girls?

I don’t know.

‘At least for now, I just had to do what I needed to do.’

“Descend! Descend! Descend!”

As the dock opened, my silver hair shook violently in the fierce wind. Leaving behind one clone supporting the Sirius with cause and effect reversal.

I jumped straight into the skies over Moscow.

Colorless starlight enveloped me and shot out like a streak of meteor.

* * *

Familiar.

“3 minutes until descent preparation! Entry team please get ready!”

For Yuki, this atmosphere was actually familiar.

‘There wasn’t such a huge ship flying in the sky, but…’

Boom!

“Kyaaaah?!”

“Hold on tight!”

[That thing started attacking!]

The magical girls moving about inside the ship screamed as the Sirius’ hull shook to avoid the attack.

“The beast is firing high-powered attacks from its mouth to check us!!”

The attack confirmed by the UN coalition air force already dispatched for checking was fired.

“It’s not an easy opponent.”

“Hey, [Flame]! We just do as you said, right?”

[If anything goes wrong, I’ll never forgive you!]

[Heavy Armor], already enlarged with [Penetration] riding on her shoulder, and [Armor] holding the rest of the entry team in the arms of a giant robot, said.

‘This time… this time it’s not just me wanting to protect everyone…!’

She had survived by running away and faced her weakness of abandoning the past.

‘Hikari, I’m really a coward unworthy of such treatment… but.’

Yuki tried to believe in Hikari’s belief in her, praising her as the best magical girl.

“That’s right! I’m… I’m the best magical girl! I won’t let anyone die!”

The threat still remained and she was still weak. But even so, Yuki reignited her heart.

Whoosh

Yuki’s white dress burned red again. Even her black short hair burned red along with the flames.

Like a flame.

Awakened 2-star magical girl of [Flame]

Shikishima Yuki

“Haha, I heard there was someone who became 2-star on their own, so it was you?”

Rena whistled as she saw that appearance.

“Descend! Descend! Descend!”

Click

As the dock door opened, she made eye contact with the beast opening its mouth towards the distant Sirius.

Huge eyeballs.

Murderous starlight gathering in its wide open mouth.

[Then let’s meet on top of the beast!]

Whoooosh

The huge armored and mechanized figures advanced towards the beast under the cover of the Sirius, leaving trails of starlight.

‘I’m… the best magical girl…!’

She will definitely succeed.