Unstoppable (3)

Unstoppable (3)

“Is it really okay to leave them like that?!”

“Shut up.”

As I looked down at the scene, I flicked Ren’s forehead as he was squawking on my shoulder. With a ‘poof’ sound, he flew off and smacked into the window of a nearby building.

“…This feels strange.”

I muttered my impression absentmindedly.

Rene was embedded in the road, which was shattered and deeply cratered from the impact.

Her hair and clothes were completely disheveled, in a miserable state I had never seen before. And stepping on her throat as she coughed up blood was a silver-haired girl who looked about the same age as my current form.

This was my first time seeing the retired first-generation Magical Girl Karin in person. True to the nature of Magical Girls, even though she should be a mature adult by now, her transformed appearance was exactly the same as in those old internet photos from back then.

Her power, as I expected, made even Aria, who was seriously coming at me, look cute in comparison.

I wondered why she didn’t appear when Mammoth was rampaging. It seems she could have easily stopped it on her own.

“But Rene is your…”

“Just a stranger. Here, at least.”

I snorted at Ren’s words as he flew over, flapping his large ears.

That golden Magical Girl being thoroughly beaten right now is not Princess Celia Rene Laose, but Magical Girl Rene.

I had no intention of intervening from the start. And she would probably prefer it that way.

She wouldn’t want to taint Casilena, the organization she came to lead, with ‘Takilas’ and mess things up. Given her personality, she’d try to accomplish things with her own hands even if it kills her. I too intended to go solo till the end, not wanting to get entangled with them and create situations that would worry me.

“What if she dies like that?!”

“Are your eyes knotholes, Ren? Karin isn’t trying to kill Renée. She’s just roughing her up a bit. Maybe she and I will get along well.”

Somehow Ren is being more fussy than me. It’s hard to believe he’s the mascot who used to see magical girls as tools.

But I had already noticed from the start that there was no killing intent in Karin’s attacks. It’s different from Renée’s blows, each of which is filled with her full strength.

“T-then why are you just standing here watching?”

“It’s interesting, isn’t it?”

Ren grumbled, but it wasn’t like we had nothing to see here. To be precise, I had something to see with Karin, not Renée.

The strongest first-generation magical girl who retired and can’t be seen anymore? Of course I want to see her level for myself.

“Besides, isn’t it better for Lana and the company if I establish my position? The event has already started, and with the date for the banquet officially announced, it’s better to clearly establish the hierarchy before going.”

“That’s true.”

Ren nodded at my mention of the banquet. The banquet is an event Lana had mentioned in the past, and the exact date was just announced yesterday.

I originally had no intention of going, but since the Fairy Council seems to be up to no good, I thought I’d take a look for myself.

“Is it coming to an end?”

As we watched, the superhuman battle that had broken out in the middle of the city in the dead of night was wrapping up.

Ignoring the feeling that I could hear the screams of building owners and civil servants, I quietly approached them from behind.

“Were you really not interes… Aargh!”

Ren’s muttering was getting on my nerves.

I kicked him away and moved the shadows with a slightly stiff face. I tried not to care, but seeing her beautiful face and body covered in blood and wounds did bother me a bit.

“Ugh, Takillas!”

“What’s wrong? Are you not feeling well right now or something? Not that it matters.”

Karin showed extreme caution as soon as she saw me. Even though I hadn’t done anything.

“Why, why did you appear?”

“That’s what I’d like to ask. Why didn’t you appear? I wanted to hear some stern lessons from my seniors.”

A smirk escaped me, and at the same time, my interest was piqued. She’s cautious of me but not afraid. Karin is clearly a born and veteran warrior.

“…I retired. So I had no reason to care about one rampaging kid. But when it comes to systematically shaking up society, I can’t ignore that.”

“Hmm. To me, that sounds like an excuse, senior.”

“If that’s how it sounds to you, I have nothing more to say.”

Unlike me, who only stared directly into her eyes, her golden eyes kept moving, looking for openings and calculating something. She’s an excellent warrior. That’s why she has no intention of fighting me right now. She’s fully prepared to run away if necessary.

“Anyway, that doesn’t matter. Now that it’s come to this, you have to accept my challenge. It’s the duty of a champion. As a proper adult, you know that, right?”

“Well, kiddo. It’s the first time I’ve heard of such arena rules in our industry.”

“What are you talking about? Survival of the fittest. Weakness is the worst sin with no right to exist, and the strong ravage and monopolize everything. So proving that strength is the duty and right of the strong. It’s such an obvious principle of this world, isn’t it?”

I believed she would understand my words, and indeed, her face, which had been forcing a smile, continued to harden and became as pale as her personal color.

“That’s quite a frightening ideology. Don’t they teach about human rights in schools these days?”

“Well. I’m talking about ‘reality’, not some fantasy land. The reality you taught Renee. You know it too. That power is everything in the end.”

“Ugh… you crazy kid. I’m not that extreme.”

Finally, at a loss for words, Karin bared her teeth first and fidgeted with the chain in her hand.

“Look at this. This transcendent power we magical girls possess. A fantastical power that can change reality. Renee tried to create a new order with this power, and you tried to maintain the existing order. So this time, I’ll show you. What I’m trying to do.”

<5th Awakening · Final Armament Chaos>

Power boiled up and burst forth from my body.

Not using the Demon King’s power directly like when facing Mammoth, but a new power emanating to fit the specifications of a magical girl.

“This, this can’t be…”

“Eek!”

Both Karin and Ren were startled and hesitated. Foolish fairies, dull magical girls. They didn’t even know the true end of magical girls designed by Yggdrasil.

After all, a being capable of reaching that end wouldn’t be doing something like being a magical girl.

A realm no magical girl had ever reached. The devious Yggdrasil had set it up so that magical girls would reach this realm, a kind of self-destruct mechanism that grinds away their very existence and soul, but it’s not a problem for me.

Six huge wings covered in membrane fluttered beside me. The large horns protruding from my head also felt heavy.

This was the power that the magical girl’s power had defined for me.

“Behold. This is the power of a being that desires indiscriminate and endless chaos and struggle. If you wish to uphold your beliefs, it is a power you must eventually stand against.”

The shadow that emanated from me and covered the entire city rippled, and a giant eye blinked within it.

[Surge forth]

At my command, which released part of that force, a shockwave burst forth in an instant, blowing away everything in front. Karin who tried to resist, the roads, the buildings, everything. Fortunately, the angle was slightly upward, so the entire downtown area wasn’t annihilated.

“You… crazy woman.”

Ren, who had been clinging to my feet, muttered as he looked at the vast emptiness where everything had disappeared without a trace.

“Don’t worry. I controlled it so Karin wouldn’t die. Given her nature, I might be able to use her someday.”

“I-Is that the issue right now?!”

Moving away from the spot, I landed again on the rooftop of a nearby building that was a bit quieter. Ren, however, was making a fuss, chattering noisily.

“Why on earth…”

“A warning. To those who keep trying to bother me.”

Renée, who had been in my arms, opened her eyes with difficulty and asked that. I put her down on the ground.

“And also for those I’ll be meeting soon.”

“You, don’t tell me you were aiming for the banquet…”

Ren finally caught on to my intention and clicked his tongue. I’ll be attending the banquet soon and meeting magical girls and fairies, so I just wanted to establish the difference in our levels, following Lana’s advice to become an unparalleled monster.

“Why is it a rule that clothes get shorter as you awaken? If it’s going to be like this, why even bother wearing anything…”

“That talk about pursuing chaos. Does it apply to me as well?”

As I dismissed my awakened form, complaining about the skirt that had become nothing more than a useless frill and underwear barely covering my privates, Rene spoke up.

There was a faint fear mixed in his eyes.

“That’s right. Here, I’m not a demon lord but a magical girl who’s out having fun and doing as she pleases. But there’s a reason for this behavior. It’s my power. Karin wasn’t wrong. Are you strong enough to declare war on the world?”

“I…”

“If the justice you pursue conflicts with my mood, you’ll have to fight me too. So either work hard to grow stronger, or find another way.”

I smirked and started to move to leave. As expected of a smart kid, Rene seemed to be thinking about something.