NOVEL NEXT Chapter 56
City G, among the 26 city-states, boasts the highest crime rate due to the excessive number of villains lurking about.
These villains seem to operate without any moral or ethical consciousness, frequently resorting to kidnapping, torturing, and even killing the families of heroes.
With public safety hitting rock bottom, citizens have no choice but to live in trembling fear—in a city so full of anxiety and unhappiness, we could call it City G.
Such a City G entices the World’s Enemies greatly. It’s a wonder they’ve never appeared before, and suddenly, they started appearing in droves.
─#$%^DtvbF!
“What the heck is this mutant…? Die, you bastard!”
Of course, the villains of City G aren’t to be taken lightly. Aren’t they the cancer that numerous heroes have failed to eradicate? They wield more influence than the World’s Enemies in City G.
Initially, the villains had the upper hand. Their superpowers were specialized in killing, honed to gleaming sharpness through countless battles. Even the monsters dubbed as World’s Enemies couldn’t evade their blades.
However, as time went on, their momentum began to falter.
─Growwwl-!
“When the hell will these damn monster freaks stop showing up?!”
They’re grotesque beings that erode your sanity just by looking at them. Every encounter feels like a slice is being taken from your soul, and yet, these monsters show no sign of disappearing.
They’re fueled by negative emotions like unhappiness, misfortune, and stress. As long as villains exist, those emotions persist.
Thanks to this, after a certain period, there were more World’s Enemies than villains, and some areas even accomplished what no hero had—exterminating villains.
“These things aren’t necessarily… completely evil?”
“If only they last until all the villains are gone….”
Just as such opinions began to circulate among heroes, City G’s companies and associations grasped the traits of the World’s Enemies. They realized the World’s Enemies devour the wickedness of the villains and the stress of the citizens.
“Mr. Chairman, take a look at this.”
“Hmm– is this real?”
“Yes. Since the World’s Enemies appeared, the villain growth rate and crime rate have plummeted…”
The Hero Association head, the Corporate CEO, and the Mayor of City G gathered to brainstorm ways to utilize the ability of the World’s Enemies.
It was too useful a power to ignore. If executed well, they might be able to sweep away the villains entrenched in City G altogether.
That’s exactly why they rejected the help of the Magical Girl who showed up late and H Group’s offer to aid.
“What? There’s no need to capture the World’s Enemies?”
“We’ll handle the issues of our city ourselves. You focus on protecting your own cities.”
“But capturing them is our duty, and I doubt there are experts better than us at it?”
“Are you dismissing the heroes of our city? Should I give your home address to the villains?”
“…Why are you saying it like that?”
In the end, H Group’s interference was in vain. With everyone in City G fiercely rejecting it, even H Group couldn’t get a foothold.
As Karl Heinz was clicking his tongue in his office, having realized the severity of the situation, spirits from another city were causing a scene.
─Lulu! Make a contract and become a Magical Girl!
“…Me? I’m a guy in his 30s.”
─That’s okay!
For some reason, spirits that had become visible even to ordinary people broke the existing rules and offered contracts to anyone. Gender and age didn’t matter, nor did purity or innocence.
Of course, the Magical Girl born from such contracts couldn’t display the same vigorous might as before, which was somewhat fortunate. However, as Magical Girls became more accessible to the public, their secrets were bound to unfold sooner or later.
Around this time, Karl Heinz received a summons from the Queen.
In the secret meeting room of H Group’s underground facility, Karl Heinz arrived to find a stunning beauty with leaf-colored hair already there, sighing.
A goddess of unparalleled beauty stood there, unreal to human standards.
“…Your Majesty, the Fairy Queen.”
─Representative of humans. What is going on here?
“That’s what I want to ask you.”
Karl Heinz counter-asked. The contract he had made with the Queen was to have the World’s Enemies appear only in City H. The Queen was pleased with his words, deeming him someone with a strong sense of self-sacrifice among the inhabitants of this world.
The contract was agreed upon mutually, meant to be upheld unless something extraordinary happened. However, reality played out differently.
“Why are World’s Enemies appearing in other cities besides City H? This could jeopardize the entire planet!”
─I was actually going to ask you that. Why are they appearing outside City H?
“What?”
What on earth did she mean by that? Karl Heinz inquired. The Queen replied in a more composed voice than ever.
─Based on my authority, I regulated the World’s Enemies to only appear in the city where you reside. It was done trusting in your spirit.
“Then the ones appearing in City H are…?”
─They have nothing to do with us. They are, in fact, World’s Enemies created by humans like yourselves.
World’s Enemies created by us humans?
I didn’t understand at first what on earth she meant by that.
However, Karl Heinz, who once racked his brain over using Magical Girls for military purposes, soon comprehended her message.
“Someone… created the World’s Enemies?”
─Yes. And you might be the only one capable of that, Karl Heinz.
“That, that’s not true, Your Majesty! Why would I do such a pointless thing…!”
─Then are you saying that someone other than yourself has analyzed and replicated the World’s Enemies appearing only in your land?
“That’s….”
It’s incredibly unrealistic. The Queen had a valid point. Even Karl found it difficult to refute. It seemed more plausible to assume that someone within his company was secretly researching World’s Enemies and selling them to other cities without his knowledge.
Understanding the situation, Karl Heinz groaned. Realizing that addressing the issue more likely lay with him rather than the Queen, he winced.
─I refrained from exerting my power fully on this world, trusting in you and in humanity. Holding back allows me to save more worlds.
Listening to the Queen’s words, Karl Heinz vaguely foresaw what was coming. Contract termination. Given the circumstances pointing to a breach of agreement on their part, she intended to break the contract.
That cannot happen. Karl Heinz, suddenly alarmed, shouted to prevent it.
“Your Majesty! Please reconsider just once more…!”
─I can’t trust the people of this world. Thank you for your hard work. I shall now cut off the World’s Enemies from this world with my power…
Zzzzzt-!
The image of the Fairy Queen distorted on the spot.
Seeing this, Karl Heinz tilted his head in confusion.
─I, I, cut, off, with my power, power…
“…Your Majesty?”
─Cut, cut, off, of! $gd#œ$#$ff
The once-beautiful visage of the Fairy Queen began to warp, revealing something vile beneath. Witnessing just a glimpse of it made Karl Heinz feel his strength sap away as he collapsed.
The mere sight took away the strength to stand, a sinister monster. Its form bore too much resemblance to the World’s Enemies.
“Wh-what, wh-what the…?”
─!@!fs$%^cmy… this is unexpected.
The entity that was once the Fairy Queen ran a hand across its face and groaned, as if it couldn’t comprehend why things turned out this way.
Perhaps, deciding that it had nothing left to conceal now that its identity was exposed, its grotesque hand reached towards Karl Heinz. The wriggling hand approached him ominously.
Even as his consciousness verged on fainting, the peculiar energy of the monster held it intact. His soul, rather than his mind, seemed to be toyed with. The image of the monster vividly replayed in his mind even with eyes shut.
─Not sure what happened… but nothing can be done, having been discovered.
The Queen’s hand gently encompassed Karl Heinz. Even its touch was nothing less than hideous, driving Karl Heinz to desperately seek and call upon God with a prayer in his heart.
Even someone who didn’t hold faith would fervently seek God when trapped in such a dire circumstance. Karl Heinz did precisely that.
As the unnameable horror started to furtively stroke him, characters made of 0s and 1s began flickering erratically.
: : : there you are : : :
─What the… Kh, Kaaaaah!
The floating text in the void crushed the Queen’s body forthwith. When the unexpected scream reached Karl Heinz’s ears, what he saw were flickering masses of light and the agonized cries of a monstrous creature.
The apparition bore the semblance of divine intervention responding to his prayer. Captivated by the sight, Karl Heinz could do nothing but gaze with riveted reverence.
“O, oh God…”
While staring blankly at the beams of light, the Fairy Queen seemed banished as if expelled. The beams, after completing their duty, briefly regarded Karl Heinz, and then they, too, vanished.
In the audience chamber, now bereft of everything.
Karl Heinz realized he had witnessed God.
* * *
Beep!
Hearing the alarm from the laptop, I stretched.
“You’ve got to be kidding me.”
Karl Heinz’s bewildered expression appeared on the screen as he watched the monster disappear beyond the dimension. Was he so proud to believe in such a pathetic monster?
I wonder if he can still hold his head high now that it’s been ousted from this world.
‘How must it feel to be bested by a nerd who knows nothing but penmanship?’
A chuckle escaped me.
It must be utterly humiliating.
After losing everything, to realize the one who caused it all was the very geek he so scornfully dismissed.