NOVEL NEXT Chapter 111
Kaboom――
One punch crosses and inevitably, a tremendous sound and pain explode.
If you give the opponent even the slightest chance, they could heal or pull some tricks.
An animus and I continued to pummel each other with the endless outburst of starlight, refusing to retreat.
Up goes a fist
Down comes a face
Blinking vision
Kaboom――
We splattered blood into the air and once again exchanged attacks.
“Ugh!!”
“Guh!!”
Our hair was completely disheveled, and our cloaks were in tatters.
Blood-stained saliva dripped from our mouths, and our fists were battered, bones rattling.
Yet, we continued our attacks on each other.
I fight for tomorrow,
She fights for today,
We fight for humanity,
In an unyielding battle we would never give up.
“Hmmph―!”
“Hoo―!”
Whooooosh――
A deepening crimson aura.
An ominous low tone, like a lion threatening.
Something foreboding slipped through the gaps of the punches thrown by the animus.
‘This time feels different!!’
I hastily tried to use inverse causality to block her punches, but failed to evade and we exchanged hits as they came.
The blows landed.
Bang――
The animus didn’t even think to dodge her own fist that struck her face.
Puff!
My punch landed squarely in her eye, completely bursting it open.
Blood gushed out,
Her vision lost,
But the animus didn’t care and kept pushing.
“Haah!!”
Her fist pierced through all the barriers and starlight, embedding itself deep into my gut.
Drip, drip
Agonizing pain like never before flowed out like a bucket spilling over with blood.
“Grah…!!”
The unspeakable pain made it hard to breathe, and my flickering vision grew darker.
Puff!
The animus withdrew her fist, covered in the blood gushing forth, and watched me.
I couldn’t control my shaking body as my vision blurred further.
Every muscle in my body turned to stone, leaving me frozen, and my hands and feet turned icy cold.
Even my lungs seemed to rebel against me, making it hard to breathe.
“Hah, huh…?!”
“Huff… huff…!”
As I hesitated, the animus seized the opportunity and activated her unique skill. The crimson starlight converged around her, and four stars glittered behind her, radiating a brilliant halo.
[Conquest] Magical Girl Unique Skill
Divine Manifestation
Descent of the Idol
“Descend upon my body!! Divine Being!! Mother Kybele of the lofty mountain!!!”
Whoosh!
With her shout, crimson flames blazed, taking the forms of two lions.
“■■■■■!!!”
Each lion possessed power on par with an idol.
Amid the cries of the lions, crimson starlight erupted.
While the hundreds of meters-long cracks didn’t open, the aura surrounding the animus radiated more power than ever.
Flap――
The animus discarded her ragged crimson cloak, and a storm of crimson energy burst forth from behind her, forming gigantic wings.
The four stars above her now shone so brilliantly they resembled a crown.
The area where Yuki and her friends were fighting became a massive sea of crimson waves.
“■■■■■!!!”
“■■■■■!!!”
The two lion figures roared.
An overwhelming aura of destruction.
Soaring divinity.
“Right now, in this moment.”
The animus burned with divine fire like a goddess descending upon the battlefield.
I felt the divine presence more clearly than ever from the fake idols I’d relied on until now.
“I stand equal to the ‘Three Goddesses.’”
As she burned all of her power,
forcibly borrowing strength from the will of the stars,
gathering everything that surpassed herself,
the [Conquest] Magical Girl radiated her divinity brilliantly.
“……”
I healed the hole in my gut while watching her.
The animus rushed towards me, two lion shapes clinging to her arms.
“I’m coming!! Successor of the Goddess!! Block me!!”
Why does she want me to win instead of defeating me?
The divine power surrounding the animus reminded me of the aura felt during the Red Broadcast and the curses that rained down; it all seemed to connect.
This was the trial the animus was giving me.
A trial of evolution.
A true trial that transcends [Magical Girl HAZARD].
Goddess
Divinity
Power of the Stars
Will of the Stars
Daughter of the World
Will of the World
“The Fourth Star… crosses the world.”
A gateway to becoming a god.
As I contemplated the insight rising in my mind, I pulled out the colorless Glass Star.
In that moment of realization,
the animus’s movements approaching from far away made time feel like it was flowing slowly.
“……”
Colorless Glass Star.
A gift from the Goddess of [Start].
An object that has supported me since the very first day I entered this world.
An object that allowed me to become who I am today.
An object that enabled me to go further than the Goddess of [Start].
From here on, it was something even the Goddess of [Start] didn’t know.
The [War] Magical Girl had burned herself and discovered the will of the stars.
The realm I was meant to realize.
Crunch
I began to channel my strength into the colorless Glass Star.
Gold emerged from the corners of the star.
With a precarious sound, white strings appeared.
Crack!
“I am the Magical Girl.”
The burgeoning gold began to crack the surface of the Glass Star, forming tiny facets. In them reflected all my dreams shining in a riot of colors.
Every moment I had walked through was mirrored between the small facets of the Glass Star.
“I am the Magical Girl protecting everyone.”
With every step forward, it began to shine brighter, forming a galaxy of indescribable radiant starlight beyond the rainbow.
In that place were those who believed in me and entrusted me with their dreams.
Those who entered my world.
Swiftness of Hana, Tale of Haruko, Freedom of Ichika, Cheerleading of Kyoko, Guardian of Sumire, Cyber Brain of Dorim, Duty of Dawn, Sea of Hong Na-yeon, Dream of Yeonseo, Flame of Yuki, Lightning of Lee Hua, Navigation of Natasha, Death of Alisa, Revelation of the Goddess, Wings of Iris…
Now there were so many starlights it was hard to recall them all in my mind.
My world had expanded that much.
“To save this world.”
The Goddess of [Start], satisfied with today, and the [War] that fiercely lived in today.
Possibility to go further than the dreams they had discovered.
“I will return to the original world.”
Crunch!
A burst of exquisite, multi-colored energy.
The colorless Glass Star shattered completely and vanished.
What emerged were four lights.
A massive world that had encompassed everyone.
Within me was a world that embraced all the Magical Girls.
A moment that felt eternal.
The animus, now the Goddess of [Conquest], charged towards me, embodying the energy from the two lions.
“Hoo.”
I watched her, discarding my tattered cloak behind me.
Flap――
Before the oncoming Goddess of [Conquest], stood only a girl in black and white.
A girl who, without any color, could accept all colors.
“Haah!!!”
“Unique Skill of the Magical Girl of Swiftness… Shooting Star Girl (流星少女)…!”
Exquisite, multicolored energy enveloped my body.
Whoosh!
I felt like I was stepping into the world of Swiftness as I entered a timeless moment where light itself seemed to halt.
“Unique Skill of the Magical Girl of Freedom… Free World (自由世界)!!”
Kaboom!
A gigantic arm of a goddess appeared above my outstretched arm, shooting towards the Goddess of [Conquest].
“Unique Skill of the Magical Girl of Flame!! Red Flame Spark (赤炎火花)!!”
Whoosh!
Gentle flames enveloping my entire body transformed into a colossal power supporting me.
As time restarted, the combined forces of the three unique skills and the crimson aura collided with a resounding roar.
Kaboom!
Amidst it all, the animus flared her crimson eyes, preparing her next attack.
I was no longer afraid of that attack.
“Ugh!!”
“Haah!!”
On my outstretched fist was encapsulated the dreams of all the Magical Girls I had met so far.
“Unique Skill of the Magical Girl of Guardian!! Heaven Piercing Thousand Blades!!”
Tsu tsu tsu tsu!
Countless swords and spears adorned with a myriad of colors descended from the sky. They ignored me completely and solely targeted the animus.
Tsu tsu tsu tsu!
A rain made entirely of starlight rained down upon her.
“Ugh!!”
The animus’s breath faltered as she saw the overwhelming amount of swords and spears and shielded herself with her wings.
“Cyber World!! Rousing Spirit!!”
The colossal avatars of goddesses, existing only in my imagination, appeared and began attacking the animus, fueled by multicolored energy.
Bang!
Bang!
Bang!
Countless goddess figures pounded against the animus’s wings.
I leapt into that midst to prepare my next attack.
“Haah!!!”
In this moment,
I became the world.