episode_0052

That’s how it’s going to be, you know.

I pondered deeply as I approached this.

The surface of the robot seemed to be made of some kind of alloy. It was evident from the slightly dented area where I had struck with the hammer. If it had been ceramic, it would probably have shattered rather than deformed.

I couldn’t tell how heat-resistant it was or understand much about elasticity and such.

Anyway, if I hit it hard enough, it should work out somehow.

I gripped the hammer tightly.

The flames spewing out from the front disappeared.

If I eased up even a bit, the hammer would move forward on its own.

But that alone wasn’t enough.

I stomped my foot down. With a loud sound, the spot where my foot landed cracked. It sank deeply, and I could feel the steel bars densely packed inside touching the tip of my foot.

I increased the output of the hammer and leaped up.

After changing the trajectory of propulsion, I paused the output for a moment before thrusting vigorously again.

All the propulsion force from the front and back was expelled backward.

Thud!

The fist of the security robot collided. It was the sound of metal hitting metal, but still, the hammer was tougher.

Apart from the intricate components inside, it was essentially a weapon made of a ‘blunt instrument.’ Except for the part designed for propulsion, it was just a heavy metal lump.

With rockets attached at the back for instant propulsion increase, it was practically a missile without explosives.

It wouldn’t be strange to call it a TOW missile if not for the fact that it was supported by a long rod instead of steel wire.

On the other hand, the robot’s ‘hand’ had parts resembling joints. Although there were only three thick fingers, if they were ‘joints,’ the limits of their durability were clear.

Enhanced with magic, I could see that the joint part had reached its durability limit, showing signs of bending and cracking.

What sprayed out from the inside was lubricant—

—Lubricant, right?

The color was somewhat—

Plop.

“…!”

My thoughts were abruptly cut off by the impact on my side. Just before being thrown away, I forced myself to turn my head and saw another robot punching me in the waist.

And before I could be thrown away, it grabbed my ankle and pulled me down.

An overwhelmingly faster speed than my reflexes.

How…?

I lowered the hammer to increase propulsion downwards. Thanks to that, my leg joint almost bent in the opposite direction, but at least I could avoid crashing into the ground and getting knocked out.

The opponent intended to kill me.

I had to completely destroy it—

Wait, but…

I was bothered by the color of that lubricant earlier. It wasn’t black or transparent.

Strangely, it was a reddish lubricant—

Bang!

Initially distracted, allowing the attack, I could still see something coming towards me while lying in mid-air.

As I turned the hammer sideways, my body grazed slightly to the side. Thud. The robot’s two feet landed where I had been.

The robot was relentless.

All I had done so far was smash one of its powerful fists.

I started to feel a bit impatient.

Forcing my foot out, my shoe came off, and one foot slipped out. Kicking the robot’s finger with my bare foot several times, but it seemed much sturdier than concrete on the building’s exterior.

The robot failed to step on me and turned inward—

Hitting something sharp, probably the main camera, it turned its head.

“James!”

“Let’s start by getting up. Seems like we can only attract attention with the drone laser.”

Not even a hint of concern.

Well, we didn’t have the luxury of worrying about each other. Thinking that to myself, I bent my knees.

My foot rose again. As the robot lifted my foot, my back and waist touched the ground completely.

My hands were still raised. The hammer looked like it was raised, or rather, since I was lying on the ground, maybe “held up” isn’t quite the right term. Well, it doesn’t really matter.

Since flames were still erupting from the hammer, just holding it against the ground required a lot of arm strength.

I minimized the thrust from the back of the hammer, and with all my might, I expelled flames from the propulsion unit in front.

The robot seemed to be trying to crush me by lifting my body off the ground, continuing to raise its legs. My waist touched the ground, and only my back and neck were off the ground.

“Where are you…!”

Shouting like that, I maximized the thrust of the hammer, simultaneously extinguishing the flames from the front propulsion unit.

As I held onto the handle

Between the cracks, a “crimson” lubricant oozed out.

The ‘robot’ set down its foot.

Then it brought both hands up to its face.

As if feeling embarrassed.

“…Huh?”

Reacting like that to the sight, it suddenly heard the sound of wind splitting and jerked aside in fright.

Thud!

Feeling the ground beneath its body.

I quickly got up from my spot and searched for the hammer.

The broken robot’s right hand reached out towards the hammer still moving forward with force. It would have been fine if it had bounced around randomly, but unfortunately, the hammer with a ‘generator’ inside was firmly stuck to the wall, continuing to advance with its head pressed against it.

Although its head was quite broad, so it was stuck to the wall—

The problem was that the robot was much closer than the hammer.

“Are you insane!? How could you just throw away something so important!?”

A new voice came from the drone. James, who was firing lasers while dodging the robot swinging its arm towards him, seemed utterly unfazed.

“If I hadn’t done that, the attack wouldn’t have missed!”

That guy’s arms were incredibly long. Like a gorilla’s.

“What if the generator falls over there!?”

Even if you scream, it’s already too late.

“Laser! Fire the laser!”

In fact, even before I could say that, James was already firing a thick laser at the robot reaching out towards the hammer.

I’m not sure if it hit or not. It was an intensely hot laser, but if what’s inside doesn’t feel the heat, then it would only melt the outer armor a bit and nothing more.

I ran with all my might.

The robot, which had been holding its head moments ago, tried to rush towards me, but due to some residual effects from the earlier blow, it staggered a bit, creating an opening.

I leaped below its arm, tumbled forward again, but the robot’s hand was already reaching towards the handle of the hammer nearby.

Through the broken joint, something white was visible—

With a sharp sound, something passed by my ear. The object that swiftly cut through the air, hitting the robot’s shoulder accurately.

No, it wasn’t an object but a beam? It was a strange sight. While physics would apply to the beam as well, the idea of light ‘hitting’ something seemed rather peculiar.

…Though I’ve experienced this several times before.

“—————!”

The robot let out a roar.

It sounded similar to when soldiers shout in combat gear.

A low-pitched, distorted voice.

With crimson lubricant flowing, the robot thrashed about as if in unbearable agony from being attacked.

Is it really in pain? It seemed that way when it was struck by my hammer earlier.

But without time to dwell on such thoughts, I quickly rushed forward and grabbed the hammer.

Then I swiped sideways at the robot’s ankle as it leaped.

Again, a scream was heard as the ankle twisted to the side.

Thud!

The ‘robot’ toppled sideways.

I rushed towards the fallen robot and slipped my hand into a gap near its head.

Something hot… was felt. It wasn’t as smooth as human skin, rough and… unlike something ‘mechanical.’

Thunk.

When I exerted force outward, something inside was revealed.

Inside was—a monkey.

No, not a real monkey. There are no monkeys twice the average height of a woman on Earth. Even if there were, they would have been extinct for a long time.

That meant…

“An alien?”

Muttering to myself, the fallen figure rolled backward, avoiding the hand swung at it.

Bang! Bang!

Sounds came from behind, and liquid poured over my head. Turning around at the sound of a scream, I saw another figure—some kind of robot or creature—thrashing about.

“They’re monsters.”

Click.

Iris, removing the fuse from her gun, spoke.

“Could they be people from Gatlin’s side?”

“It seems likely.”

“….”

The window shattered. Probably from the gunfire earlier. Already, five magical girls had entered the building.

“Did they weaponize the monsters? Is that possible?”

“No matter how wild they are, if there’s some ‘framework,’ you can control them to some extent by stiffening them only when necessary. Even if their destructive nature remains, having some ‘structure’ might allow for control. ‘Detailed commands’ would be absolutely impossible, though.”

Iris evaluated the ‘robots’ with a cool gaze as she spoke.

One of the robots lunged towards the magical girls.

The five dispersed, evading the attack.

When Ha Yoon wielded her sword at the monster’s hand coming towards her, she couldn’t cleanly cut it off as usual.

“Oh.”

Delphinium murmured.

“It seems these monsters also utilize circuits.”

“It would be inconvenient to use. It will simply be an auxiliary task. Without ‘energy,’ it is impossible to move like this. Moreover, it is impossible for the monster’s head to have detailed thoughts.”

Truly leisurely.

Capable of conversation as well.

However, that doesn’t mean I was truly relaxed in dealing with others. Just like during the incident with the sea creature monster before, this monster doesn’t seem easy either, judging by the lack of effective attacks.

Perhaps Hayoon’s energy hasn’t fully recovered.

No, more importantly.

I thought to myself as I swung the hammer.

They finally appeared.

Are they here to capture me again this time?

As Iris surveyed the situation as if assessing it, my gaze deliberately avoided hers. There was no chance to make eye contact with the other magical girls from the beginning.

Hayoon, who had been staring at the ground earlier, now had her back turned completely, making it impossible to see her expression.

Thud!

I blocked the hand falling towards me—

“Let’s go into the broadcasting room while we have this opening.”

James quickly said.

“To be honest, it was a question from the start. If there were troops inside the broadcasting room, we should have ordered them to destroy the interior from the beginning.”

“…So you didn’t do it because you couldn’t?”

“We didn’t even know we would come today, and we didn’t even know that the target was the broadcasting room.”

“So, if there were only troops inside the broadcasting room from the beginning—”

There was no need to finish the sentence with “Why did you do that?”

Thud! Thud! Thud!

The door of the corridor broke open, and ‘robots’ poured out.

Each one had different shapes and sizes. None were larger than the ones I had fought, but none were smaller than me either.

They must be aliens from different planets.

They weren’t just inside the broadcasting room.

Most likely, in almost every room on this floor, such troops were waiting in small numbers.

We may not have known ‘when’ we would come, but perhaps the Chairman thought that since he was on this floor, we would eventually arrive.

“…”

Among the combatants fighting alongside me, there were also aliens.

The problem of unemployment isn’t limited to Earth. Many people from different countries on other planets were struggling for various reasons.

And those people came here and took on challenging tasks.

“…Did you know?”

“I had no idea. If I did, would I have come here knowing I would die?”

“No, not that.”

“I really didn’t know. Even without this, being a company that cooperates closely with the Federation, it would be very troublesome to engage in such actions.”

That means…

Is it the ‘Chairman’?

There hasn’t been any sound from the speaker since earlier.

Where could the Chairman be? In the broadcasting room? Or in the Chairman’s office?

Or was he even in this building to begin with? While everyone else was trying to escape, was the Chairman alone on the top floor?

Thud!

I ducked to avoid the attack and swung the hammer to knock down the creature in front of me.

There is no reasoning. But that doesn’t mean I can kill them. I never intended to become a murderer.

Again, the sound of air being cut through was heard, and Hyeon passed by my side. The relatively small beings in front of me fell over after being hit by the bullets.

“It seems like they are ‘synchronized.’”

Iris remarked.

I turned around, but her gaze wasn’t directed towards me.

But it seemed certain that her words were directed at me.

“If they are not Earthlings, they cannot control the circuit, and since the beings in the combat suits are not aliens, the circuit must be returning to the emotion that powers your circuit.”

I see.

The combat suits with circuits are meaningful only when worn by Earthlings. They can be used by aliens too, but they don’t have circuits. They only have basic power assist from batteries, some bulletproofing, and swordsmanship capabilities.

… Magical girls move not only with their own circuits but also with Hayoon’s energy.

It’s synchronization.

The reason we haven’t developed despair circuits that synchronize until now is quite simple. There simply hasn’t been a human capable of running the despair circuit with enough energy left.

But now there is.

Me.

So, these monsters here—

“Well…”

Before I could delve deeper into my thoughts, James spoke.

While dodging enemy attacks left and right, James never stopped talking.

“It’s not a coincidence. However, the technology wasn’t developed because of you. It was prepared in case of Earthlings like you. As long as the design is there, producing them is sufficient. It’s been over a month since the Chairman took office.”

It might not be possible to distribute millions to the market, but producing

“By the way, this is a big problem. If we weren’t here, the magical girls would fight better.”

“……”

In a voice filled with sarcasm towards the magical girls, I was momentarily at a loss for words.

Instead of replying, I swung the hammer.

Thud!

The fist coming towards me was met by the hammer and pushed back.

“So, let’s run straight to the broadcasting room. It’s best for both of us to take care of our business and leave quickly, right?”

I turned around.

Ha-yoon was standing there, showing her back.

“You have a reason to be here, don’t you?”

“……”

I hesitated for a moment.

It had been a very long time since I had a conversation with Ha-yoon. The last time we met was terrible.

I had no idea what expression Ha-yoon was wearing now.

Bang! Bang!

Gunshots rang out beside me.

“Iris!” she shouted.

I gritted my teeth and turned around.

I couldn’t understand why the magical girls suddenly appeared in such a hostile manner. While it was still difficult to read the minds of the other three, at least Ha-yoon and Iris seemed to be on my side.

Why?

…I don’t know.

For now, let’s finish what we started.

Finish it, whether it’s a conversation or anything else.

With that thought in mind, I ran ahead.

Shots were fired from behind. Were they taking care of other monsters and providing support? I wasn’t sure.

Would it really be okay if I disappeared?

I didn’t know that either.

I didn’t know anything. When I looked at Ha-yoon, my mind seemed to be in a complete mess.

So, for now, I ran.

When you’re doing something, you don’t need to think about anything else.

That was how it was when I was smashing something with all my might or fighting.

As I knocked down a few monsters with my hammer, I leaped into the broken broadcasting room.

“There are still monsters left. Is it okay?”

“The girls will sacrifice themselves, so it should be fine.”

I looked at the drone.

“Why would they do that?”

“……”

Thud!

Something flew towards the door. It might have been Rose, judging by the red streak it left.

Were they aiming for something? If I were to broadcast… what would happen?

“You don’t need to worry too much—”

James began to speak but stopped abruptly.

The head of the drone was pointing somewhere else.

“Wait, Jeong Eun, stop!”

As I tried to turn my gaze, James shouted.

But I was already looking back.

There was a screen there.

A tablet? It looked like it had been deliberately placed there. Or maybe someone inside was using it.

There would probably be one of these in each room. It was an important facility in this important building.

And, connected to the intranet or something similar.

For some reason, on that screen—there was Wisdom.

[Could you not have thought of something like this?]

Sound came from the tablet.

[Always, no matter what you do, you should have insurance.]

The surroundings of Wisdom were familiar.

The room where Wisdom and I had spent time.

[You have no family, but there is a similar presence. It’s funny how you recklessly run around without thinking. You should have gone far away.]

Stop.

Stop it.

Someone went over to Wisdom, who had collapsed on the floor.

[If you want to do something, go ahead. As time passes… well, you understand, right?]

And the screen went dark.

“Jeong Eun! No!”

I heard James shouting.

No.

Neither option was acceptable; I knew that well.

I couldn’t go there.

Perhaps the opponent realized something when they saw me entering the broadcasting room. So next, they might try something different.

Destroy the broadcasting room? Cut off the internet connection somehow?

If there was an opportunity, it was now. There might not be a second chance. How long could the magical girls hold on, or rather, how long would they think they could hold on?

Maybe the magical girls had come here with a plan from the beginning.

James shouting ‘no’ was probably for that reason.

Yes. No.

I couldn’t. I couldn’t abandon Wisdom.

Because she was family. In my life where there was nothing else, she was the only one I could consider family.

“Ji-eun.”

At that voice, I turned my head.

Ha-yoon was looking at me.

Her clothes were torn everywhere, blood dripping. Were there so many monsters that even the magical girls couldn’t handle them?

Her face was pale.

“You must… stay here.”

“……”

I stood there dumbfounded.

“No!”

James shouted, but my perspective had already shifted.

I kicked open my door

The color of deceit was pale. After the true space age began, the unemployment rate skyrocketed. There were far more aliens than humans, and there were aliens who were much better at dirty and difficult tasks.

“….”

Is that so? So that’s how it is.

Humans who seemed capable of doing anything if given money.

Those were the kind of people.

People like me.

“It’s not too late.”

I didn’t put on my combat suit.

That makes sense.

Maybe I’ll dispose of things like gas after the job is done.

Even if I get caught, they won’t cut me off with a tail.

I’ll make good money though.

But my wisdom was still intact.

I lay on the ground as if asleep, my usual clothes still on, no injuries anywhere.

There was a smell inside. Perhaps it was a gas that made you sleep well, obedient to humans.

It doesn’t work on me.

I saw those people.

Understanding the situation, the closest human to me jumped.

He seemed to be trying to fly past me, or maybe even knock me down and run away.

Bang!

But his gas mask broke, and he fell to the ground.

Realizing a bit late that his gas mask had broken, he desperately covered his face with his hands, but it seemed futile as the man remained collapsed.

“So that’s how it is.”

I can’t use the hammer.

Still, since I haven’t touched him yet, I don’t plan on killing him.

*

The black hole sucked in the creator in an instant.

As the creator disappeared before their eyes, papers and such piled on the desk fluttered about.

“Darn it, darn it…!”

The remaining drone shouted like that.

“You should get ready.”

The drone turned towards Hayoon. Despite being a machine, it strangely exuded a vacant atmosphere, as if unaware that it would say such a thing.

“When the creator returns, weren’t you planning something?”

Hayoon said only that and walked away.

“It’s the broadcasting room.”

Thud!

Rose threw a regime at one of the monsters.

His forehead was sweaty.

Even though the creator had disappeared, the monsters were still moving. Even if the power supply was cut off, circuits would continue for a while. Perhaps unless they directly ended the fight, the monsters would keep flying.

“Weren’t you planning to broadcast something? Can’t we do it instead? That was the original plan, right?”

Hayoon brandished her sword.

The light was brighter than before.

“No.”

Hayoon said.

“But in the current situation, we can’t do that.”

Yeah. Since the creator came here to do it herself.

She must want to vent her frustration.

What she was fighting so hard for was probably because she was desperate.

How much would revealing the truth change if the creator spoke now?

The company will definitely deny it. The Federation won’t help. The government will turn a blind eye.

If the citizens boil over, things might change, or maybe the government will reluctantly investigate—

The creator won’t escape unscathed. They will find and eliminate her before the investigation ends.

“….”

She was foolish.

She thought she would testify in court. Even if the Federation tried to take her away, Hayoon intended to stop them.

That’s why she flew with Cherry.

But did it really go as Hayoon had thought?

The creator must have felt terribly wronged. It shouldn’t have happened in the first place. It was wrong to be punished for a crime she didn’t commit.

Even if people deny it, bury the truth, distort it, the creator just wouldn’t give up.

That’s why she came here.

Even if everything goes wrong, even if she loses her life.

Just to say she was unfairly treated. Just with that thought.

Because there was no other way.

Hayoon gritted her teeth.

She was foolish.

She had only thought about herself in everything.

She just thought that helping would be enough.

The creator didn’t want help.

She just wanted to do what she could, not give up, even in the worst situations.

Struggling in despair.

She didn’t know—

No, it’s probably more accurate to say she didn’t even consider it.

“We have to do what the creator intended to do.”

Hayoon closed her eyes and took a deep breath.

The circuit restarted.

“Why?”

Delphinium asked.

In front of him, a massive energy mass was rising. Beside him, Dahlia was sending out small masses repeatedly. Her face was covered in sweat.

Iris was shooting almost indiscriminately at the monkey-like aliens that had risen behind her.

Why?

It was hard for Hayoon to answer.

Because it was an emotional reason.

Just because it seemed necessary.

At least that much, Hayoon felt she couldn’t take away.

After all the struggles to get here, she felt she couldn’t take away even her efforts.

When the town was destroyed, the creator saved people. I clearly saw that figure.

However, only magical girls received praise. They were also criticized for not preventing the terror, but ultimately praised for stepping up, willingly facing danger in dangerous places, and doing what needed to be done.

After the creator disappeared, the magical girls faced condemnation.

But at the same time, they were also supported.

Whether they succeeded or failed, just going there. Running to fight in dangerous places always made them magical girls.

Encountering a monster was truly the worst.

The magical girls had become heroes who defeated monsters. They had become beings who rescued hostages, drove away the “Black Magical Girl” causing havoc.

There must have been photos and videos.

The voices pointing fingers at the magical girls were always in the minority.

Because their friends turned into villains. Because they were betrayed. It might be emotionally tough. Yeah. But it’s okay. Because in the end, they will rise again and fight justly.

Because they are magical girls.

Justly.

Always justly—

Because they would hurt people.

It was because of that justice. Everything led Eun to this point.

But taking away Eun’s efforts, struggling in despair.

Simply because it seemed more just and rational, it should not be taken away.

“….”

Rose looked down at her gauntlet.

The gauntlet was shining.

Hope.

Ironically, Hayoon was feeling hope in this situation.

When everything is over.

If she can somehow protect the sanctuary here, hold on until Eun arrives.

Can’t she at least have a conversation?

Yes. At least—

Eun listened to Hayoon’s words. Leaving that person behind too.

Then, isn’t there a possibility?

Doesn’t it mean she believes in Hayoon’s words?

“…Okay.”

Whether Rose understood those emotions or not is unclear.

But.

Looking at Hayoon, she nodded.

“I’ve borrowed a lot from you until now to fight.”

And then, after a small smile, she poised herself towards the monsters.

“….”

The other girls were the same. No, they were already fighting.

Hayoon clenched her teeth, simply nodded, took up her shining sword, and rushed towards the monsters.