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“Huh, huhuh…”

But even after hearing my declaration that I would smash you no matter what, the chairman quickly regained his composure.

“Yeah, I’ve been waiting for you. Seeing that wand, it seems like you’ve accomplished something.”

“…”

I stared intently at the chairman’s face.

He was the chairman I had longed to meet, but seeing him in person, I didn’t feel any particular joy. Isn’t it said that meeting your sworn enemy again can feel almost pleasant? Because I could break him with my own hands.

However, strangely enough, my heart felt uneasy now. I didn’t even feel the burden of anger. I just… wanted to wrap this up quickly.

I didn’t want any more of this.

“Unfortunately, the moment you arrived here, you’re already dead.”

As the chairman spoke, he pulled something out of his pocket.

It looked like some kind of remote control.

Ah, I had a rough idea. The part of the ship that could be called the engine was already destroyed by me, but he seemed to think that since ‘I’ existed, I could somehow activate the ship.

Moreover, my energy had become much stronger than before.

What should I do?

I didn’t even know if I could kill that chairman right now. I could just tear this ship apart.

“…”

When I showed no reaction, the chairman’s face grew a bit anxious.

I didn’t move, and neither did the other magical girls. It seemed like they were watching me, but for the most part, everyone maintained calm expressions.

Did they think that with this combination, anyone could overcome it?

“Why? Go on, do what you were doing.”

I replied.

Right. I had made up my mind.

No matter what plans I had, I would thoroughly destroy everything down to the deepest parts of those plans. That should alleviate my frustration a bit.

Hadn’t the chairman already come up with some ridiculous plans a few times that had annoyed me?

So at least once, I wanted to bring the chairman into complete despair.

…I had acted carelessly until now and had let the situation escalate. Perhaps this situation was still careless, too. But somehow, I felt that the chairman must have something prepared in case I attacked.

When I didn’t move according to his expectations, the chairman’s face contorted dangerously.

He pressed a button.

Bam.

The ship shook violently.

“Warp point.”

Ha-yoon muttered.

“Yeah, that’s right.”

The chairman replied, desperately trying not to lose his composure.

“This ship is set to navigate to some warp point. All it needed was energy—and thanks to you, it succeeded.”

Was Pang-pang bait?

Well, I guess I’d have to listen to that long-winded talk to find out.

However, the chairman didn’t say anything more.

Bam.

The ship trembled again, and we could feel it come to a stop. Had we landed somewhere?

“…Kuh.”

The chairman smiled.

“How stupid. You should have hit me before.”

“Even if I did now, it wouldn’t change much.”

“Would it really?”

When I didn’t say a word, the chairman’s expression sharpened again.

“…Alright. I’ve decided. You will be used as the core of this facility. You’ll become energy itself—”

Bang!

But before he could finish that sentence, two lights shot out towards the chairman.

Pink light and blue light.

Ha-yoon and Pang-pang were there.

Ha-yoon’s sword stopped just before piercing the chairman’s shoulder. Pang-pang’s fist halted just shy of smashing into the chairman’s face.

“…Huh.”

Despite having an openly terrified expression, the chairman said.

“I told you, didn’t I? You should have ended things there.”

Blocking the chairman’s path were the aliens. Earthling aliens.

I stared at the chairman’s face.

“Since I’ve come here—you all…”

But those words didn’t last long.

Pshh.

A deflating sound came from the circuits of the aliens who had blocked Ha-yoon and Pang-pang’s attack. Soon, black smoke began to rise—

Boom.

With a small explosion, the two aliens were sent tumbling backward.

And they lost consciousness just like that.

“…”

“Sorry.”

I said in a soft voice towards the completely stiff chairman.

Ha-yoon and Pang-pang looked back at me. Both were wearing slightly creepy expressions that they didn’t usually show me.

That stung a bit.

But, I didn’t care.

If this was the end, I felt refreshingly cool about it.

*

The chairman struggled and dashed out.

Countless aliens stood in our way, but none held out for long before their circuits failed.

This was definitely not a resonance circuit. It was a despair circuit like mine.

But, I had already transformed into a magical girl, a being that was not an earthling.

With the wand in my hand, as I moved forward, the black hole floating at the end of my wand rapidly absorbed their energy.

That didn’t mean that the other magical girls had no chance to shine either.

How many aliens were in this facility, I wondered?

How many lives had been ravaged?

All for a silly idea. For a mere profit. For their greedy thoughts.

The place where the spaceship arrived was a gigantic space station that looked like something out of a space opera movie. In the depths of that colossal space station, in a vast hall, we looked up at the void.

Screams echoed around us.

The cries of the despairing. It was as if their voices formed a chorus.

“…No matter what, I won’t be able to solve this by myself.”

There are indeed limits to what one can do.

“What are you so worried about?”

At that moment, Pang-pang patted my shoulder.

Pang-pang smiled at me and stepped forward.

Then, she slammed whatever she had been carrying onto the floor.

What Pang-pang created with magic was a blue hammer that looked exactly like the one I had wielded.

…For some reason, I started to understand why Pang-pang left such a strong impression on the magical girl. I felt a little embarrassed.

“Why, why isn’t it going as planned!?”

The chairman screamed.

His body was sinking into a black liquid.

He was pouring it onto himself. Perhaps he thought, since I was fighting with intense energy, he could also fight as an energy?

How ridiculous. After all this time.

“I’m sure, I’m sure I’ve placed a chip in that girl’s head—”

“Did you put a chip in her? Were you trying to take over her body?”

I asked incredulously.

“If you think I didn’t destroy such things while healing her, that’s really a foolish thought.”

The chairman howled.

His body was completely consumed by black magic. With a thud, the aliens that had been swarming around him fell to the ground.

They wouldn’t all die. However, they certainly wouldn’t like crashing to the floor like that.

I swung my wand and cast magic on the ground.

“Then, I’ll go ahead.”

Pang-pang hopped over to me, and without any concern, she lightly kissed my cheek.

“…!”

Ha-yoon widened her eyes and looked at me.

Then she quickly approached and lightly kissed my other cheek, turning red before swiftly retreating and drawing her pink sword, flying into the sky.

For a brief moment, the black hole almost stopped.

Feeling the gazes around me, I hurriedly flew away to escape.

At least, thanks to the fact that I might wake up from this situation and throw my blankets off in bed, I was barely able to maintain my despair.

*

The wave of magic was something I couldn’t easily handle either.

The more I absorbed that black magical power, the deeper my abyss seemed to grow.

This was not simply the despair of the author.

It was the wailing of those who were born without hope, who grew up without knowing joy. The most rotten part pulled up from deep within those emotions.

“…Kuh.”

After dropping a few more aliens, the black hole grew larger. But there were still plenty of aliens left—

And within them, something black.

The remnants of a being that could not become a magical girl.

A mass of despair charging at me, caring nothing for anything around it, only focused on me.

“…Huh.”

I found myself laughing strangely.

Yeah. This suited me, I thought.

Fighting not for justice but simply to kill that one being charging at me.

If I could win just once, then fighting and winning against such an existence—wouldn’t that be the best thing to do?

Cough.

Something black flowed from my mouth. The hope deep within my chest still burned, but it was somewhat painful for me, who had even pulled out the circuits from my wrist.

However, the other girls were all fighting against different aliens.

To protect me, centered around me.

That fact became the hope that I could endure.

The proof that my existence so far hadn’t been entirely meaningless.

I extended my wand forward.

“…Let’s end this.”

The black hole pulsed vigorously.

All the light I had gathered until now slowly surged out.

“————!”

The black monster screamed.

Was that someone’s voice? Just a little, I felt like I could understand it. After all, I had lived in despair until now.

“So, I understand the best.”

As I said that, something black flowed from my mouth.

A bit of red, too—

“Ji-eun!”

Ha-yoon shouted that and rushed towards me.

Ha-yoon, in utter confusion, aimed her sword towards the end of my wand.

“Ha-yoon?”

Before I could express my confusion, Ha-yoon sent her magic into that wand.

And seeing the magic connected to the wand—

Ha-yoon shed a single tear.

“…Ah.”

I felt like I understood what that sorrowful voice meant.

 

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