NOVEL NEXT Chapter 205 – Change or Corruption (5)
She’s going to die.
Kim Soo-jung instinctively sensed it. The monster charging at her with a horrific scream emitted a pure, unrelenting bloodlust.
But it was impossible for a young girl to either run away or confront it head-on. All she could do was shove Hong Soo-young, who was beside her, out of the way to keep her from getting caught up in it — and that alone was a quicker decision than most kids her age would make.
“Ah…”
In the blink of an eye, the monster closed the distance, swinging its muscular arms and sharp claws. Kim Soo-jung squeezed her eyes shut as she watched.
“No!”
“Uaaah!”
The sound of rapid footsteps erupted in unison with the screams and shouts.
“Thud.”
With a strong impact and a loud bang, Kim Soo-jung fell on her backside, eyes wide with surprise as she saw Jeon So-hyun charging in with all her might.
However, Jeon So-hyun looked slightly different than she usually did—black fox ears atop her head and nine fluffy tails swirling amid her dolphin pants.
“Hey! You, bastard!”
Ignoring the glances of others, Jeon So-hyun charged at the staggering monster, fueled by rage.
The experience points she’d gained over time weren’t going anywhere. She had once brawled with the rampaging Aria, after all.
Using that experience, Jeon So-hyun swung her arms and legs while freely maneuvering her nine tails to unleash a full-force attack on the enemy.
‘Everything is for this moment.’
The pure power of her pama crackled and shone. The fallen power of the fallen angel had transformed into a twisted monstrosity, a vile mass of magic.
The strength Jeon So-hyun had honed over the years was magnified several times when faced with such an opponent.
“Graahh…”
As the monster’s arms became entangled with her tails and were batted away, its body was left undefended.
Gritting her teeth, Jeon So-hyun launched herself toward its chest, gathering all her strength for a decisive strike.
As the condensed power exploded from her punch, the monster’s bones shattered, emitting horrific sounds as it was launched through the wall, crashing inside.
“Uh, unni.”
“What are you all just standing there for? Hurry and get to the shelter!”
The children and even the adult teachers and staff were momentarily speechless, but after catching her breath, Jeon So-hyun bared her teeth and pointed toward the shelter.
“You go too.”
“But…”
“Don’t worry about Jin-ah. I’ll find her and bring her back.”
Jeon So-hyun urged Kim Soo-jung to hurry, understanding that her hesitation stemmed from her concern for Lee Jin-ah. Since she couldn’t reveal Jin-ah’s true identity, she tried to persuade her indirectly.
‘That’s not quite it, though.’
Of course, Kim Soo-jung understood Jin-ah’s identity to some extent. She only knew that she was a magical girl; she didn’t know that Takilas was Jin-ah.
‘Should I say it?’
Thus, Kim Soo-jung was conflicted. She felt that if she told Jeon So-hyun that Jin-ah was a magical girl, it might feel pointless.
“Ugh!”
“W-what…?”
It was at that moment she heard a deafening roar from outside.
The monsters were rampaging even more violently, and the clash of transcendent beings happening in the skies above was also intensifying.
“There’s no need to worry about Jin-ah. Let’s go first!”
“What? Are you serious?!”
Unable to hold back any longer, Kim Soo-jung urgently grabbed Jeon So-hyun’s hand. Upon hearing those words, Jeon So-hyun suddenly realized that Kim Soo-jung already knew about Lee Jin-ah.
—
[Look. Do you think all of this happened solely by my power?]
When the earth had turned into a terrible hell filled with mutated beings, two figures twisted through the black storm clouds above the Korean Peninsula, colliding repeatedly.
[This means there are so many who desire me.]
“I’m tired of that logic, can we stop? The monster’s words are always the same.”
[Actually, I think the same way.]
Michael grinned wickedly, waving his hand. A flaming whip shot out toward Takilas, and the already-transformed Takilas gritted her teeth, raising her arms to block it.
However, the rift of a transcendent’s strike easily broke through Takilas’s formidable strength, which had crushed countless opponents, leaving her white and slender arms scarred and bleeding.
[Why do you hide your true power? Do you think you can defeat me while hiding in the shell of that pathetic magical girl?]
Michael clicked his tongue at Takilas’s insistence on maintaining her girl form.
Taking a deep breath, Takilas summoned her power and blasted forth a gigantic tentacle that matched the size of a building. But Michael unleashed a massive firestorm to counter and push it back.
[You should be able to draw out even more power. But the reason you don’t is that you want to protect that miserable human body, isn’t it? Can you still call yourself the Demon King!]
Michael mocked Takilas for not revealing her full strength, even now.
If she transformed into her complete form, the magical girl’s body she currently possessed would be lost. She would revert back to being a grotesque tentacle monster.
Michael saw through Takilas’s intense fear of that reality and naturally laughed at it.
“You’re the foolish one. Isn’t that exactly the same for you?”
However, with a sly grin, Takilas pointed a finger at Michael, who suddenly faltered at that remark, his crimson eyes trembling.
“Mine’s worse, right? Once you taste it, you won’t be able to think straight. There are countless things you can’t do in your transcendent form.”
[Don’t spout nonsense!]
“Honestly, it’s pretty obvious. If you didn’t like it, you wouldn’t have fallen like this.”
Michael, feeling confident, kept hold of the magical girl’s body he had received from Yggdrasil.
After all, Michael’s fall was thanks to being able to directly interact with the world through this body.
Without it, there would be no reason for Michael, an otherworldly entity with countless eyes and a bizarre physical form, to be in this situation.
“So let’s cut out the silly act and fight properly. Like magical girls!”
[You dare!!]
Once again, the two beings clashed. Just like Takilas had said, their battle was a far cry from ordinary transcendent fights.
The small girls’ bodies collided violently, tearing the sky apart.
Takilas swung her fist at Michael’s face while Michael swiped his blade-like claws, slicing through Takilas’s body.
The two beings plummeted from the sky like a shooting star, crashing into a building below, creating a massive explosion.
Yet even in the midst of this, neither of them let go of each other.
“You and I are both just foolishly stubborn girls who can’t relinquish our bodies. There’s nothing noble or grand about the battle between fallen angels and demon kings. This is all there is.”
“Takilas…!!”
Pinned to the asphalt, the two magical girls glared at each other, baring their teeth and starting a test of strength.
From an outsider’s perspective, it looked like Takilas was choking Michael with thorny whips, while Michael’s burning wings slowly scorched Takilas’s body in a desperate struggle.
Yet behind the scenes, their mutual, transcendent powers were clashing and suppressing one another, causing the asphalt to bubble and the ground and sky to tremble.
“Uck… Guh…”
In the hellfire’s searing heat and the demon king’s magic, no living being could withstand the inferno. Michael clutched at his bleeding throat and struggled. Takilas too, shook her blackened arms, teetering unsteadily.
‘If we release our bodies, we will win.’
Both beings understood that if they removed their bodily forms and unveiled their true transcendent selves, they could absolutely overwhelm the other.
Knowing this, neither of them wanted to be the first to release their transformation.
[Graahhh!!!]
But eventually, reaching their limits, Michael, who didn’t want to die, was the first to shed the body of a mere magical girl, fully releasing his power.
“No, no…!”
The shockwave that erupted at that moment blasted Takilas away in an instant.
As the massive form of the fallen angel, made entirely of intense magic, ascended to the sky, Takilas’s broken arms were scattered like ash, soaring away.
The mascot, Ren, who had been watching from the sidelines, looked on in horror as Takilas’s burnt limbs disintegrated and flew away.