NOVEL NEXT 206 – Corruption or Change (6)
‘Did I lose? No, I won.’
No matter how strong the power or how long the life, once one harbors desires, one must inevitably be ruled by them.
The reason the Demon King was always rated one level below angels was precisely because of this. The Demon King is, after all, an entity made of desire.
In that regard, I thought I would be different from the Demon Kings of the past who tried to conquer the continent, but it seems that’s not the case.
“What, what’s going on! Why?!”
After being slammed into the ground and bouncing off, I lay there, a motionless mess of a body staring vacantly at the sky, when Ren hurried over.
“Why the panic? It’s just as you wanted.”
“You said nothing would happen. Just look at you now!”
“No matter how much I try, I can’t seize a transcendent being that I’ve completely liberated with this body.”
I smirked and mocked him. It was the preordained outcome. Michael would ultimately sacrifice his body when cornered, but I could not do that.
Now, there was no way for the fleeing Michael to escape human flesh. I just had to take him down.
“Who could possibly kill that horrific creature if not you?”
“Only one person can catch true evil.”
Ren seemed flustered in confusion, but I shook my head.
At that moment, I saw a meteor soaring through the air towards the suspended Michael.
“A-Aria?!”
Ren also recognized the presence and gasped in shock. In some sense, everyone could instinctively anticipate that their lives were at stake, and all their senses were focused at this moment.
Without hesitation, Aria charged at the revealed Tainted Angel.
The Demon King acknowledged her and the Celestial being resurrected her, and now the seed of a Hero she brought here awakens as a true Hero.
Originally, she was something I raised hoping she would fight me, but that couldn’t be helped. There was a real enemy now.
[How dare! A mere human!!]
Angry, Michael roared, releasing a powerful shockwave that shook apart the city, which was already shattered like it had been hit by a nuclear bomb.
‘The Sacred Sword of Radiance.’
I recognized the sword Aria held. A divine miracle granted to Heroes. The true power that turns that great saint into just a mere scabbard.
The miraculous weapon that temporarily boosts the Hero’s status to that of a transcendent being would finally unleash its power in the Hero’s hands, shielding Aria from Michael’s shockwave that could instantly turn her into exploded flesh.
[The Sacred Sword…is…against me!]
Although it shouldn’t have been a surprise, it seemed Michael was quite taken aback that the Sacred Sword was turning against him.
Thanks to that, Aria was able to block Michael’s attack and charged forward once more.
That passionate will of the young fighter would be hard to stop. In fact, Michael desperately let out hellfire, yet allowed the range of the Sacred Sword.
[Guwaaaah!]
“….!!”
Michael screamed in agony as he was struck down by the transcendent blow radiating from the Sacred Sword, as if the shockwave were doubled.
The problem was that Aria, who attempted the attack, was also trembling in excruciating pain with her charred arms and body, letting out silent screams.
“W-what’s happening? Aria is suffering even more!”
“Both Michael’s hellfire and the power emitted by the Sacred Sword must be a burden too great for an inexperienced Hero to handle.”
I bit my lip, sighing. This was something I had expected.
Indeed, the miraculous power that surpasses status wouldn’t just flow freely without consequence.
If things kept going this way, Aria would be able to injure Michael severely, but she herself would be entirely burned and obliterated, body and soul.
The unimaginable horrific pain that follows would be an added bonus.
As for the Hero Star or whatever, tragically, it was clear that suffering and pain were inseparable from her fate, which had been twisted since childhood.
“To fight knowing that…”
“That’s what being a Hero is, isn’t it? The spirit of the Magical Girls you all pursued?”
Ren sat down, slack of body and looking empty, resembling a deflated balloon.
Aria understood this fact but chose to endure it. To protect this world and its people, that belief she had since the moment we first met.
“Takilas!”
At that moment, I heard their voices. Voices I thought I wouldn’t hear at this moment.
“You all…”
I couldn’t hide the shock as I felt the legs and arms I had burned away twitch.
Jeon So-hyun and Kim Soo-jung. Looking at the pale face of Jeon So-hyun, I realized she had disclosed my identity to Kim Soo-jung.
“I-I didn’t mean to say that! I thought Soo-jung only knew that I was a Magical Girl, I thought Jin-ah knew you were Takilas!”
Seeing my menacing gaze, Jeon So-hyun quickly shook her head, her fox ears perking up anxiously.
“Jin-ah, your arms!”
In the meantime, Kim Soo-jung was stunned to see my tragic state and covered her mouth in shock.
I clicked my tongue at the sight, closing my eyes. Although a variable had arisen, I was somewhat prepared for it.
“I’m fine. I’ll be up and about soon, so there’s no need to—”
“Could that be Ha-eun… Aria?!”
Although mentioning my identity was one thing, I was bewildered as to why Kim Soo-jung brought that up while trying to comfort me. Meanwhile, Jeon So-hyun’s face went pale as she panicked at the sight of Aria fighting with all her might.
Anyone unaware of the circumstances could tell Aria was literally burning herself.
“She chose a noble sacrifice.”
Avoiding her gaze, I explained that Aria was currently confronting Michael in my stead. What pain she was enduring.
It was impossible to say it confidently.
I had essentially gotten Aria to fight for me.
“N-no, don’t…!”
But unable to accept it, Jeon So-hyun’s eyes widened as she trembled, denying reality.
“You’ll die just from being weakened! Can’t you see the land boiling and burning, the buildings melting? No creature can survive before us.”
If I hadn’t urged her urgently, she would have likely jumped in and met her end.
“N-no…”
Instead, she knelt down, tears streaming down her face. I hadn’t realized the depth of her relationship with Aria until now.
“Don’t look at me with those eyes.”
As she trembled, despaired, she turned to look at me, and I gritted my teeth, unable to meet her tear-filled gaze.
If I just ignored it, that would have been enough. Yet, seeing those eyes made my heart waver.
“O Demon King!”
However, those seeking me, no, those girls were not few.
Faster than Jeon So-hyun, who seemed more interested in the issue at hand, another figure flew across the sky towards me.
“Please, save the Hero! I beg you!”
Shia immediately knelt down, slamming her knees down hard enough to break the ground, and without hesitation, she begged me with her head bowed.
She was as sincere as Jeon So-hyun. Even Jeon So-hyun, who had been observing, kneeled beside me, leaving me at a loss and sighing in disbelief.
It seemed like Aria had a deadly charm in getting girls to flock around her.
“Demon King. I, too, implore you. Please aid the Hero, Aria.”
“Rene, you too… Why do you expect that from me? I’m no Hero. Sacrificing everything for the world is a Hero’s duty, after all!”
The injustice bubbled up within me, and I shouted. I had no obligation to discard this body, my desires.
Everything I had done up to now was to protect and enjoy this body and life. To ask me to throw that away was something I couldn’t accept.
“But you’re a Magical Girl.”
Then, a voice crashed through my defiance from behind.
Kim Soo-jung, who had been silently crying, lifted my head and placed it on her lap, looking down at me.
“Takilas doesn’t lose. She’s the Magical Girl everyone fears. She wouldn’t run away from the villains.”
“You… you don’t know what you’re talking about. You’re just a kid.”
The denial spilled from my lips, but my eyes wavered.
Doesn’t lose. Doesn’t run away. Those words shook my heart.
“Go show them. Just like you have until now, remind them you are the strongest, that you are justice.”
Kim Soo-jung stroked my face.
At the same time, the instincts I had forgotten in my intense longing began to twitch once more.
‘I am a Magical Girl.’
An existence that fights evil.
‘I am the Demon King.’
An existence that must never lose.
“If they see my true form, they will surely come to hate me; are you sure about that?”
“That’s impossible. No matter what form you take.”
The eyes of an ordinary girl, devoid of power, were more resolute than anyone else present.
“Everyone step back.”
Having made my decision, I pushed everyone back.
This wasn’t to save Aria. It was simply to fulfill my duty like Aria would.
[Really, I’m so pissed off?]
The seal of Yggdrasil, which had been maintained for quite a while, was about to break. Once broken, it’s hard to restore.
I may never return to being a Magical Girl, but I wouldn’t let this insolent Tainted Angel stomp around with reckless abandon.
[Takilas!]
[It’s time for some real education, you foolish pigeon!]
With my body having grown enormous, covering the sky, I launched massive tentacles towards the countless rolling eyeballs.