Chapter 70 : Deus Ex Machina

“Yuki, why did you try so hard to protect everyone?”

“Huh?”

The day Yuki told me about the unique weapon transformation. After finishing training, when Yuki was talking about the days she fought in the training ground.

I suddenly became curious.

The reason she wanted to save everyone like that, which wasn’t described in detail in the original work.

Her only family, her father, had already died at the starting point of the work.

Those who ruled the society she belonged to, including Fujimoto, self-destructed due to greed.

The magical girls fighting alongside her mocked Yuki’s noble vows. [Lightning], [Dream], and [Navigation], whom she considered close comrades, died during the battle.

Even if death for magical girls after [Death]’s advent meant being bound to her domain, parting was still parting.

Yuki’s fight just continued, leaving only wounds.

Yet what was the reason she didn’t lose her kindness and faith?

Because she’s the protagonist?

Friendship episodes?

The occasional human treatment she received?

Yuki looked at me and smiled brightly.

“Well, I think Hikari would already know. Maybe much more than me.”

Yuki looked back with her hands behind her back. While admiring the thousands of roses blooming magnificently outside the training ground, she tapped the floor with her red shoes. In that sound, it seemed like countless memories that couldn’t be put into words were leaking out.

“For me, who ran away unsightly from people because of burns… the days I fought to save people were miraculously wonderful days.”

“…”

“Hehe, to be honest, self-satisfaction might have been the strongest. Like, ‘I’ve only experienced bad things, but I’m still kind~’, you know?”

“…”

“Lack of food, threats from demons… yes. It was scary and hard. Everyone was sad.”

Yuki turned to look at me with her hands behind her back and smiled. That smile seemed sad, and also seemed happy. Maybe it even looked like she was crying.

“But I thought that at least I, who was the most miserable among them, should say that everyone will be happy. So every bit of happiness I accidentally found felt precious.”

“…”

“In the end, I failed everything and ran away.”

“No.”

“Huh?”

“Yuki, you didn’t run away, you stood up to start again.”

“…”

I grasped Yuki’s hand and spoke with conviction.

In this world, at least I had to affirm that.

“Yuki, you’re the best magical girl I know.”

You who showed me how to live righteously are the best magical girl.

You who don’t lose that faith are the best magical girl.

Yuki, who was silent for a moment at my words, nodded. The smile on her face became a little more comfortable.

“Yeah. Thank you, Hikari.”

* * *

[This is an emergency broadcast! It has been confirmed that Russia has forcibly launched over 1000 nuclear weapons attacks towards the United States!]

[It has been confirmed that the United States has also chosen a mutual assured destruction strategy, retaliating with all nuclear weapons towards Russia, assuming the worst-case scenario!]

[Air raid warning! Air raid warning! All citizens are requested to evacuate quickly to designated shelters, prioritizing the elderly, children, and pregnant women!]

“We’re done for… we’re all going to die!”

“No, no!! We can’t die like this!”

“Why do we have to get involved when Russia and America are fighting?!”

“It’s war… nuclear war!!”

People who had been holed up in their homes with the news on in terror poured out onto the streets, crying out in despair.

Men screamed, women wept, and young children froze stiff.

Destruction is approaching.

The news that America and Russia had fired thousands of nuclear missiles at each other spread around the world. Anyone who had gone to school even a little on Earth had been painfully educated on how terrifying nuclear weapons are and how they should never be fired. If thousands of nuclear missiles explode, only air pickled in radiation and an eternal winter will remain.

‘Destruction is approaching.’

All intellectuals, prophets, and seers warned with one voice that World War III must not happen. Even if it was a one-sided fight between superpowers, if they thought even a little about the ripple effects their final choice would bring, they had to stop it.

“Destruction is approaching.”

Everyone dies. Just that threat was the key to preventing war, so it was the worst option left empty assuming the worst case. The final option to make humans not attack and fight each other. The miserable end where everyone dies.

[Destruction is approaching!]

[Destruction is approaching!]

[Destruction is approaching!]

All internet and news was paralyzed. News announcers who had maintained composure collapsed in their seats and sobbed. Those gathered in situation rooms to discuss future events covered their mouths and trembled. Those hiding in bunkers listening to all the news on radio covered themselves with blankets, holding their breath at the destruction that had finally come.

Everyone’s gaze went up to the sky.

Some to see the nuclear missiles being launched and flying.

Some to beg God to please save them.

Some because they felt they would collapse and die if they just looked at the ground.

There, only one girl was ascending into the sky.

* * *

It was always like this.

I despaired as I desperately ascended towards the sky where thousands of lights were twinkling, wrapped in colorless starlight.

This world was too weak to overcome its fate, staggering as if it would collapse helplessly if not touched even a little.

Foolish people were blinded by the small greed before their eyes.

They hated each other while passing by the darkness that really blocked them.

“Ugh…!”

Rumble

Thousands of lights flying far away, spewing huge flames.

The worst malice humans could spit out towards each other.

Malice so helplessly thwarted by the trials given by gods.

Malice that only humans could spit out towards humans.

I chased after the numerous lights flying over Russian airspace with all my might.

“Please… please…!!”

Did Dorim carry such despair when she went up with the bomb?

I aimed the silver bow at the numerous lights and fired.

‘If I could at least shoot down the launchers and make them fall…!’

[Deception] Magical Girl’s Unique Skill

Cause and Effect Reversal

The world’s possibilities were silent.

Too weak to hit thousands of lights that had already passed through the clouds and reached the edge of dark space.

Still, I aimed the bow again and fired.

The world’s possibilities were silent again.

This world was too vast to protect with my hands, and my hands were too small.

Still, I aimed the bow again and fired.

‘Because the happiness I found felt so precious.’

Do I have to miss the fragments of happiness Yuki talked about again?

Like when I had to helplessly watch the girls who died due to the Scavengers’ rampage.

-Because the days I fought to save people were miraculously wonderful days.

A new world.

A result satisfied with just our small paradise, leaving behind the happiness of countless people.

The moment these missiles spew out the light of destruction.

The era familiar to me, that we knew, comes to an end.

All that remains is my surroundings.

‘Isn’t this enough? I’ve already become strong enough to protect my surroundings and many people have gathered.’

I shook off that temptation and aimed the bow again to fire.

[Deception] Magical Girl’s Unique Skill

Cause and Effect Reversal

Even to my despairing gestures, the world’s possibilities were silent.

Why?

At this rate, the ordinary people living now will disappear.

‘Weren’t magical girls supposed to protect others with dreams? Why can’t I reach?’

Please answer me.

The only goddess who affirmed humans.

The goddess who believed in this unreasonable world of humans.

Please…

I aimed the bow at the numerous lights ahead, despairing at the unreasonable fate that I would miss no matter how much I ran.

Dozens of despairs.

Hundreds of temptations.

I shook off everything and simply aimed the bow for countless nameless people.

[Hang in there.]

“…What?!”

A gentle touch.

White light.

[Don’t give up.]

Overlapping hands.

Warmth.

[You weren’t wrong.]

Silver hair.

Red eyes.

[Please think about the meaning of deception for everyone.]

A girl supporting me from behind.

A girl giving me words of encouragement.

Her voice was familiar.

A colorless star.

Because it was a voice coming from there.

“The meaning of… deception.”

■■■■

“■■■■.”

Some incomprehensible realization originally now.

I was just repeating what she said.

[□□] Magical Girl’s Unique Skill

□□□□

[Thank you. For thinking of this world. For coming this far.]

[So please don’t give up.]

My bow no longer had colorless light.

A dazzlingly shining white arrow was created.

I aimed and fired it.

A huge white trajectory advancing.

An enormous light gently embracing everything.

Light.

I fired that arrow and.

For the first time since awakening in this world, I consumed all my starlight.

[Unnie! All the nuclear missiles disappeared in the sky! How did you do it?!]

I wanted to answer Dorim’s urgent radio call that I didn’t know either.

‘What about China… is Ichika okay?’

But I couldn’t open my mouth because of my fading consciousness.

[Unnie? Unnie!! Answer me! Are you okay?!]

And so I fainted for the first time in this world.

Feeling someone gently embrace me as I fell.