What You Must Lose to Know – 4

Only the outline was visible in the dimly lit space.

In that space, a woman resembling Lee Hye-ji sat on a chair, legs crossed.

Her chin rested on her hand, and she stared into space, a subtle display of worry and annoyance.

Lilith, one of the Four Heavenly Kings. She was currently in a foul mood.

Her subordinates knew better than to linger around, lest they incur her wrath and lose their heads.

Moreover, their numbers had dwindled, and her power was waning.

“It’s a pity to see Lilith, who once seduced and defiled all, in such a state.”

A massive figure, visible even in the darkness, was approaching her.

Lilith’s face contorted as she sat on the chair.

“Tols, what brings you here?”

“Haha, is that how you treat someone who came to help?”

“Help? Or did you come to mock me?”

“I just thought we might lose another of the Four Heavenly Kings if things continue this way.”

Chuckling, he plopped down on the floor. Even so, his eye level was on par with Lilith’s.

“Lose? What do you mean… Could it be?”

Lilith’s mouth fell open as she pondered, and the man called Tols nodded once.

“That’s right. The Witch has spoken about your fate.”

“Fate?! After all I’ve done!”

Enraged, she jumped up, but Tols’ hand, as large as a pot lid, grabbed her shoulder and pressed her down.

“It’s not confirmed yet. She’s merely ‘considering’ it.”

“Damn it… Why? Even Persona wasn’t disposed of.”

Disposal meant death.

“That’s why I stepped in to help you. It’s a burden for two of the Four Heavenly Kings to move together, but… to uncover the identity of the Magical Girl and eliminate her, we have no choice.”

“If I just had a little more time…”

“Are you talking about that human girl you’ve been chasing? You haven’t gained anything from it, have you?”

“……”

Tols was right. Lilith’s plan to obtain information on Kang In-ho from Kim Sung-ah and use him to approach the Magical Girl had not yielded any results.

“If that bitch hadn’t fought with that man who is her brother.”

Lilith took her anger out on the innocent Kim Sung-ah.

“Creating traps with time and effort is your specialty, Lilith. But the Witch’s patience is not so deep. She wants immediate results.”

“So, what do you suggest?”

“Hahaha! You’re finally asking.”

“Use the girl you’re chasing as bait to lure out the Magical Girl. If her family is in danger, that man will borrow the Magical Girl’s power. It’s a simple method.”

“It’s not without its possibilities, but…”

Lilith clicked her tongue and pondered. She was evaluating the validity of his plan.

“Alright. It seems like following your plan is the only option right now. I hate to admit it, but I’ll need to borrow your strength.”

After much deliberation, Lilith sighed and spoke, and Tols laughed heartily.

“Yes, yes. Don’t worry. The Magical Girl will surely appear.”

In the end, the reason she felt unwell was gastroenteritis.

The doctor said it seemed like she had eaten something spoiled, and she recalled the particularly unappetizing meal from that day.

Natural healing, combined with the prescribed medication, made her feel better, but it would still take time for her body to fully recover from the weekend.

Time passed, and it was Thursday. A week since he had left.

In the meantime, there had been enemy attacks. It seemed they were now aiming for quantity over quality, with a large number of low-level monsters appearing.

Kim Sung-ah was even grateful to them for appearing in a way that didn’t interfere with her attendance.

“Sister, are you done with being busy?”

“What do you mean?”

On the way home from school, Lee Hye-ji suddenly said, using the setting sun as a spotlight.

“Well, you used to come to school for about two days and then not show up again. But lately, it seems like you’ve been coming to school every day.”

“Ah….”

Come to think of it, why was she going to school?

No one would say anything even if she just skipped.

[Just live and die as a high schooler forever, who cares.]

His voice echoed in her ears, and her heart sank.

Just recalling his angry voice made her feel suffocated and brought tears to her eyes.

“My brother… told me not to skip.”

She stammered.

“You and your brother really have a good relationship, sister.”

Lee Hye-ji replied, sounding envious.

“You still can’t contact him, right?”

And then, the subtle question. Every time the topic of Kang In-ho came up, Lee Hye-ji always asked that question at the end.

She nodded.

“That’s too bad.”

Lee Hye-ji looked genuinely disappointed.

In fact, she had seen Inho several times.

He was always at the scene of enemy attacks. She always missed him surrounded by people, but he was within her sight.

Kim Sung-ah was certain. He was by her side.

That made her heart heavier.

“Haa….”

A red traffic light stopped their progress.

Watching the cars whizzing by, Kim Sung-ah exhaled a breath that filled her lungs.

“Ah, I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have brought up unnecessary things.”

“Hye-ji, if I ever meet my brother again, how should I apologize?”

“Apologize? Hmm… I don’t really know, but wouldn’t it be best to just be honest and tell him everything?”

“Be honest…”

Kim Sung-ah repeated those words to herself.

The color of the traffic light for vehicles changed from green to orange, then to red.

In sync with that signal, the pedestrian signal changed from red to green.

“Let’s go.”

Just as she was about to step onto the crosswalk,

She felt goosebumps rising on her skin.

“!!!”

A cracking sound echoed in the air.

Above her head, space began to distort.

“S-Sister… what is this?”

Faced with the sudden, extraordinary situation, Lee Hye-ji stammered.

“This is…!”

The size of the rift in the air was growing larger and larger. It seemed to be about five times larger than the rifts she had seen before.

A black, muscular arm began to emerge from the crack.

The loud noise and grotesque sight caused everyone passing by to stop in their tracks.

“S-Sister…!”

Lee Hye-ji grabbed her arm and shook it.

Kim Sung-ah surveyed her surroundings. There were too many people. If this continued, there would be significant casualties.

With a tearing sound, the rift opened, and a massive man squeezed through.

Thud!!!

The air vibrated as the man’s foot landed on the asphalt.

“Hahaha!!!! It is the descent of Tols, one of the Four Heavenly Kings!!!”

His booming laughter caused cracks to appear in the glass windows of the buildings.

“F-Four Heavenly Kings?”

It was definitely one of the Four Heavenly Kings she had faced after defeating Persona.

Kim Sung-ah gritted her teeth.

“Where is the Magical Girl!!”

He swung his giant battle hammer, his beloved weapon, at the hood of a stopped car.

The hood crumpled, the car shook, and then flipped over like a tiddlywink, exposing its underbelly.

“Where is the Magical Girl!!”

This time, he swung his hammer at the first floor of a commercial building. The place, which housed a small unmanned cafe, was soon reduced to ruins.

Some of the people sitting inside were crushed to a pulp, while others were blown away by the pressure and slammed into the walls.

“Sister, run away! Hurry!”

Lee Hye-ji pulled on her arm.

Was that why? Tols’ gaze turned towards Kim Sung-ah and Lee Hye-ji.

“Interesting toys. Let’s see…”

A large hand reached out towards Lee Hye-ji.

“No…!”

Kim Sung-ah groaned softly, and

“Aaaah!!”

Lee Hye-ji, caught in his hand, struggled to escape.

“Kuhahaha!! Where is the Magical Girl!!!”

Tols burst into another fit of maniacal laughter. He raised his right hand, holding Lee Hye-ji, high into the air.

Kim Sung-ah quickly realized what that meant.

If he slammed her into the ground like that, Lee Hye-ji would be mangled beyond recognition.

Kim Sung-ah gritted her teeth.

“Sister!! Run away! Call someone for help… Aaaah!!”

At Lee Hye-ji’s scream, Kim Sung-ah’s eyes flashed.

“I didn’t want to transform right in front of the enemy, but…”

“Sister! What are you going to do!!”

Lee Hye-ji, caught in his hand, screamed as Kim Sung-ah, who she thought would run away, confronted Tols.

“You’ll forget about it tomorrow anyway, so it doesn’t matter, Hye-ji.”

Kim Sung-ah said something incomprehensible.

“Sister, what does that…”

Lee Hye-ji’s words were cut off. It was because she saw a mysterious blue light gathering around Kim Sung-ah.

“O radiant and sacred Star’s Power.”

Her clothes began to shine and transform.

“I, as the Star’s rightful contractor, wish to use this power.”

“Here, I shall illuminate the light of dreams and hope to eradicate evil.”

The hair she had tied back came loose and was tied into pigtails.

Star decorations attached to her hair.

“Star’s Magical Girl. Lyrical Star. Appears!”

“Hahahahahaha!!! What a comedy!!!”

The Four Heavenly King Tols burst into laughter at the appearance of Lyrical Star, and

Lee Hye-ji’s eyes widened in his hand.

“Let her go. Or you’ll face a terrible fate.”

Lyrical Star warned, gripping her staff tightly.

“Lyrical Star, long time no see! It’s been since Persona’s death, hasn’t it?”

“So what? Don’t act like we’re close.”

Lyrical Star’s attention was focused on Lee Hye-ji, who was caught in his right hand.

“I wanted to fight you once. Persona was the weakest of us, but he was still a tricky opponent. If you’re the one who defeated him, you’ll be a very interesting opponent.”

Tols’ muscles twitched grotesquely. Lyrical Star felt like the food she had eaten yesterday was coming back up.

“You destroyed a city just to fight me?”

“That’s how you would come out. Haha.”

As soon as he finished speaking, Lyrical Star charged forward.

With her speed enhanced by magical power, she dodged the battle hammer he swung with his left hand and circled around him.

She shot magic at the gaps that appeared from time to time, but Tols didn’t budge.

“Not even a scratch!”

The speed at which he swung his hammer began to increase.

“Wasn’t he right-handed?!”

Barely dodging the hammer, she flew into the air.

“Blessing of Sagittarius.”

A magic circle summoned with abbreviated incantation. Magic arrows began to fire from the magic circle floating in the air.

A barrage of arrows began to pierce Tols’ back.

“Kuhahaha!! Is that all you’ve got!!”

Even though he was injured to the point of bleeding, he didn’t seem to be affected much.

“Damn it, I need to fight him with all my strength.”

Lyrical Star still saw Lee Hye-ji, who was caught in his right hand.

Whether she had fainted in the midst of the battle, she was limp.

‘I need to get Hye-ji out of there first.’

She gathered her magic power and made her body lighter. She moved at a speed that left afterimages.

“You’re quite fast!”

The trajectory of the hammer aimed at her began to waver.

“Transformation, Magic Spear.”

After turning her staff into a sharp spear, Lyrical Star flew towards Tols’ right hand.

“Kyak!!”

Becoming an arrow herself, she plunged the spear into his elbow, succeeding in inflicting a meaningful blow for the first time.

The pain that swept through his entire arm caused Tols’ right hand to open, and Lee Hye-ji began to fall to the ground.

“Hye-ji!!”

Catching her free-falling body, Lyrical Star rolled on the asphalt.

Thanks to falling on her back, Lee Hye-ji was safe.

“Ugh, it stings.”

Instead, great pain came to her back.

“Ugh… Sister? What is…”

Lee Hye-ji, who had regained consciousness, asked with a bewildered expression, and Lyrical Star quietly placed her behind her.

“I’ll explain later. First…”

“Lyrical Star!!”

Tols roared and charged at her. A body tackle using his mass, having even put down his hammer.

As a giant shadow loomed over her and Lee Hye-ji, Lyrical Star said.

“Subdue this giant.”

Grabbing the outstretched left hand with both arms, she gritted her teeth.

“Hmph!”

Turning her body, she placed the log-like arm on her shoulder.

Giving strength to her magically enhanced legs, she lifted her body.

Soon, Lyrical Star and Tols were floating in the air.

“Huh?”

Perhaps because he never thought he would be lifted, an exclamation of disbelief came from Tols’ mouth.

Gritting her teeth, she strengthened her arms this time. Then, she threw him down.

“Magical Body Slam!!!”

A body slam from magically enhanced arms. The giant fell straight to the ground.

Bang!!

With a loud noise and vibration, half of Tols’ body was buried in the asphalt.

Lyrical Star didn’t stop there, and pulled out the spear that was stuck in his arm. The end of it, which had already turned into a staff, began to gather a huge amount of magic power.

“You shouldn’t have let your guard down.”

She brought the end of the staff to his face.

“Point-blank range. Fire mode: single shot! Fir…”