Transformation or Death

Training (5)

The breath died down. A heavy silence drifted like a ghost through the crumbling building. A chilly wind brushed against the skin, and a sharp, low voice sank into the floor.

“Keugh…!”

Jason coughed up blood. A clean, circular hole was pierced through the middle of his upper body. Thick, oil-like blood poured endlessly from the wound.

Unable to even speak, Jason let out a pained animal-like sound along with the blood.

“Well, wait a moment.”

The Archer looked up at Botis, perplexed.

“What the hell are you doing, you crazy woman.”

Despite the intense pain and shock, he didn’t even scream. His voice contained the most anger but was excessively calm.

Botis ignored his words and shook the wooden stick she had stabbed into Jason’s body to wipe off the blood. Even so, the stick still retained a damp murderous intent.

“Sorry, Jason. After reconsidering, this seems right.”

“Ugh… Heuk….”

“It’s okay. You won’t die. I know that much.”

Botis rummaged through her belongings and pulled out a small ceramic bottle. Then she tilted the bottle and sprinkled its contents over Jason’s wound.

With a pattering sound, a white mucus-like liquid seeped into the wound, and the bleeding eventually stopped.

Literally giving a bottle and medicine. She treated the wound she had created herself. However, the hole pierced through the middle of his upper body remained. Only the bleeding had stopped, the wound hadn’t healed.

It was around this time that the two who had been dazed, unable to follow the situation, regained their focus.

Watcher ran and tried to separate Botis from Jason, and Odette wrapped herself around Jason and pulled him back.

Watcher’s original intention was not just to separate Botis, but to subdue her.

Ching! However, Botis’s response was too quick. She skillfully moved the wooden stick, let her fist flow, and then rotated the stick as an axis to strike Watcher’s abdomen. The sequence of movements was so natural that it seemed like they had planned it from the beginning.

Botis stepped back a few paces as if frolicking in a forest, and used the stick to grab the Archer’s waist, pulling him behind her.

Botis, known for protecting all villains, had numerous awkward aspects in her current actions.

Was she particularly protecting one villain, or discriminating against Jason alone?

The answer naturally revealed itself as Botis opened her mouth.

“Originally, I didn’t intend to go this far.”

Whether she was making an excuse to the Archer looking up at her, or to all the villains present, Botis muttered as if monologuing, without giving her gaze to anyone.

“Do you think peace can settle among species that can only fight each other?”

This was Botis’s question.

Peace among villains who must endlessly compete for humans, a rare resource, to achieve their dreams, become stronger, and survive.

Is there peace for a species destined to bite each other, trampling the losers and prioritizing only themselves?

Finding this answer is her dream.

“I think so. Though it will require quite a lot of sacrifice.”

There was no excitement or admiration in the voice speaking of her dream. Not the steps of an explorer, but those of a shepherd. Like a laborer monotonously repeating a task.

It was the voice of someone who has already taken on an obligation.

“If everyone compromises a little, it’ll work. Help those with achievable dreams first, postpone the more difficult dreams, protect the weak, and control those who are too strong from running wild. Gradually, gradually, if we can create regulations and rules to control them, that’s fine. If we can be satisfied with just a small happiness within that control.”

“All villains?”

“Yes, all villains.”

Han Jae-jung answered, not hiding his discomfort while representing the villains’ perspective.

“Isn’t that dictatorship?”

“…Some degree of order is necessary. Overly radical actions and ideologies are just cancer to the entire organization. If we can base our small happiness on mutual compromise as life’s satisfaction….”

“In other words, that’s dictatorship.”

Compromise and order? The words sound good. But by what standards will these compromises and order be determined? Obviously, by Botis’s personal standards.

Unilaterally imposed morality is ultimately a coercion of freedom and nothing more than violent oppression.

Botis now wants to control the villains society according to her own will.

“That’s right. It’s a dictatorship.”

Botis smiled and affirmed the consecutive statements.

“But why? Look at the current villains society. It’s an extremely animalistic, unbridled society. Countless people shed tears and blood because of them. Numerous villains have disappeared into ash while competing, and that continues now. villains are destined to only attack and be attacked. Why bring peace to such a society?”

“Of course, I’m not perfect. But in a society without any means of restraint, this can be a sufficient moral standard. I’m confident. Even if it takes years, I don’t care. I’ll take care of the weak children, teach them, and lead them to contribute to this peace.”

“Fundamentally, this is also good for you humans. If order is created among villains, won’t the number of human attacks decrease? If we find peace, you’ll naturally obtain peace as well.”

Botis continuously expressed her opinion. It was closer to explanation than persuasion. She had no intention of making anyone join her view, and she remained as steadfast as if she wouldn’t be swept away by anyone.

Certainly, her words make sense. Excluding the unpleasant feeling from the word ‘dictatorship’, her logic itself has few flaws.

After all, modern society didn’t become democratic without preparation. villains were a primitive society that hadn’t even experienced monarchical rule.

It wouldn’t be strange to have an arrogant villain wanting to control such an immoral and unethical group.

Though it probably won’t help humans much.

“These annoying beings uniting is nothing good for our side.”

Individual beings are now becoming a collective. A worst-case power group that could destroy a city in seconds and demolish a country in less than three days if they wanted.

Moreover, if they’re united and controlled with good cohesion, how many forces could even oppose them?

“Huh, don’t worry too much. Nothing that serious will happen. We’ll designate a city to attack every few months, hand over a few hundred humans monthly, and we can all achieve peace.”

“That’s insane.”

Han Jae-jung’s prediction was correct. Humans suffering from villains remains unchanged. Due to the nature of the villains species, they must achieve their dreams, and to do so, they’ll need humans.

“It’s okay. The people to be drafted will mainly be prisoners or the elderly, and in the cities we attack, magical girls will always be on standby. Won’t this be a good opportunity to purge unnecessary people from human society and grow magical girls? Even by today’s moral and ethical standards, it doesn’t matter, because when the time comes, this will become the norm.”

Especially the existence of heroic magical girls.

Their questions were often particularly intellectual, so the existence of magical girls as an extreme human archetype searching for such intellectual answers was both precious and essential.

“Of course, it will take a very long time. Maybe several decades. Or it might take well over a hundred years. But I will accomplish it. I will create peace in this world.”

Botis’s voice was full of conviction. Her self-defensive logic was clear, her plan was specific, and her sense of purpose was evident. She already believed without doubt that the day of this peace would arrive.

“Damn it! What the hell does this have to do with Jason’s death!”

The Archer shouted as if vomiting. Botis pulled out the same ceramic bottle she had dropped on Jason earlier and poured its contents toward his waist.

“Sometimes, to achieve peace, something must be sacrificed. Especially if it’s a risk factor threatening this peace.”

Her logic was simple.

“Before being stung by the Scorpion, that child was an extremely dangerous threat to all our villains. Almost on par with the beasts of the galaxy, a very dangerous threat.”

Removing risk factors.

“But now, the Scorpion has stolen his memories and powers, leaving him a blank slate. What crime could this child, who knows nothing, possibly have committed? That’s why I’ve protected him until now. But recently, after you defeated the Scorpion’s avatar and he regained his memories, I can’t help but wonder.”

Botis, who had not been looking at anyone, clearly made eye contact with Jason.

“I’ll let him live. But sit out of this hunt. You can’t handle that beast and its past.”

The Archer laughed helplessly. Stabilized somewhat by Botis’s medicine, his behavior was more controlled than before.

“So the reason you appeared here wasn’t to protect me, but to use me as bait?”

He stirred and tried to raise himself. Due to the aftermath of the impact, he could only barely sit up from the waist up.

“Damn bitch! A half-wit like you, talking like you’re so great… Acting like you’re something special when you’re no different from me….”

He screamed, driven by rage that beat against his eardrums like a drum. Botis did not furrow her brow even slightly and lowered her head to meet the Archer’s eyes.

“Yes, half-witted. Both you and me.”

Then she turned her head and looked at Jason again.

“And that child too.”

“…!”

“A child who has forgotten his own dreams and become lost in the world. How half-witted is that? Is the power given to him justified? Does he have sufficient qualification?”

Botis’s voice was cold and sharp.

“To truly achieve your dreams, you must learn to judge things more calmly. Is it okay because that child is your friend?”

“That, well….”

“Isn’t it a relationship you’ve already abandoned anyway?”

With a thump of her wooden stick on the ground, the arrows fallen on the floor bounced up. The arrows, springing like water droplets, naturally fell into the Archer’s hand.

“Consider it training. A training for how you will live in this world from now on.”

This was a choice.

“Oh, and these words are not limited to just you.”

Botis looked around at everyone present.

“All of you need training.”

With those words, a bug crawled from within her shadow, wriggling on the floor.

A peculiar arthropod with a fishing hook-like tail and pincered legs. Its purple exterior was ominous.

The Scorpion. The moment it was recognized by the people there, it grew its body massively.

The Scorpion, which was originally the size of a pebble, grew to nearly touch the ceiling.

***

Ippotranslation 

***

Strange.

This was the thought of Magenta Helios while repeating battles. Since arriving in Korea and fighting the Scorpion, this was the third time.

But it wasn’t the third time.

Because two Scorpion’s appeared in today’s dispatch.

“You there! Don’t stand out more than me!”

“Is this really the time to worry about that?!”

Fortunately, there were two divine beings here, so the battle wasn’t too disadvantageous.

Moonlight shining as if to cover the entire world and a blue light settling grimly as if turning the air into ice covered the two ominous beasts.

The divine beings’ battle always carried a majestic grandeur that stirred the heart. She hoped other magical girls who had not yet become divine would learn from this.

‘More power is always better….’

Today’s peculiarities were not limited to the two Scorpion’s. The mysterious villain alliance that always came first to strike the Scorpion was nowhere to be seen, and her senior who had become a villain was also absent.

Only Paradox appeared, standing as if protecting the two Scorpion’s.

The Scorpion has the ability to shrink its body like an actual Scorpion. When taking that form, it can hide so completely that even starlight cannot detect it, so detection is only possible when in this large form.

Yellow Castor was in charge of detection. And near the detected Scorpion, that man, Paradox, was always present.

He seemed to be protecting the Scorpion while not being particularly aggressive, and it felt like he was controlling the two Scorpion’s to prevent them from running wild unnecessarily.

This was strange.

His attitude was almost like asking them to defeat the Scorpion.

The moment she saw his subtle behavior, she realized that these Scorpion’s were just avatars.

This was the third battle, but Paradox had always maintained this attitude.

Magenta Helios knew the Scorpion’s characteristics. Having fought it, she had collected all possible information since becoming younger.

Winner takes all. The accumulated losses within the Scorpion flow into the winner.

This is the same for avatars, giving the same reward to the winner.

Putting it all together, Paradox deliberately exposes the avatar’s location, forces a fight, and then lets them defeat the Scorpion.

The reward is probably starlight. This can be seen from the villain of the Big Dipper growing larger the next day.

So Paradox’s purpose is…..

***

Ippotranslation 

***

Damn.

Han Jae-jung gritted his teeth. It was a rage that arose deep from within.

“These bastards are planning to make them defeat all the avatars.”

Defeating all Scorpion avatars to make them stronger.

“They have no intention of revealing the main body until then.”

Now the thoughts are becoming clear. This game, which seemed like they could take down the main body at any time, was playing out entirely in Paradox’s hands from the beginning.

“Damn it…..”

This rage was not simply because of lack of time.

“The main body would be dangerous if it runs wild.”

The main body after all avatars disappear holds a different level of danger.

They plan to make them face a Scorpion that has become stronger through the final battle.

The main body of the Scorpius constellation.

That truth is not just a bug’s form. It has a more massive and more heinous worst appearance.

This avatar subjugation is training to take it down.

Realizing this plan, Han Jae-jung also began to desire the divine awakening of Joo Ah-yoon and Baek Ah-hee.

If the main body becomes the final battle like this, there will be no hope for humanity.

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