I Became a New Magical Girl Priest

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What… what’s happened?

I heard there’s an explosive device.

I don’t understand why it’s inside the pillar. All I know is that they said there’s a researcher inside that pillar.

Could it be those with alien technology? Building a hidden room inside a pillar shouldn’t be much of a task for them. They could probably do that without any alien tech at all.

A pillar responsible for one side of a massive complex. Even if it has a small research facility inside, it’s a thick enough pillar to be believable.

How much explosive could you pack inside something like that?

And what would happen if that huge complex’s pillar exploded?

Just one pillar collapsing wouldn’t cause the whole complex to fall. It would have some adverse effects, sure.

But if that pillar… “exploded”?

There’s a big difference between it just collapsing and exploding. Shrapnel would fly everywhere, shockwaves would spread in all directions. That kind of explosion would significantly affect the neighboring pillars, walls, and ceiling.

And if there wasn’t just one explosive hidden in a pillar…

Beep beep beep beep—

My ears felt like they were being torn apart. The sound was dangerously whirring. Was it trying to overflow again?

I tried to stand up but fell back down once. Blinking a few times, my vision was tinted red. Blood was flowing from above one of my eyes.

10

The number showing my despair level on the screen said that. 10 percent? Did I faint or something? That might be the case. Dust filled the air everywhere. My sight was hazy with dust, making it hard to see.

I heard someone screaming.

Struggling to get up, I grabbed a hammer. This didn’t seem like the situation for combat, but still.

I staggered outside to take a look.

People were running around everywhere. The building that had been dark was now brightly lit inside. The sight of flickering lights filtering through the smoke was a bit dreamlike.

And beyond that, there was a flickering orange light.

The pain in my ears was unbearable, but reflecting on it, the only sound I heard wasn’t just from my helmet.

The entire complex was in an uproar. The lights above were sparkling and spinning around. It wasn’t decorative lighting. It was fire alarm lights.

Soon, water began pouring from the sky. With the sound like a downpour, the smoke started to disperse quickly.

What I saw was a devastating scene. That thick pillar had broken from the base, falling everywhere. Fires were lit here and there, but there weren’t that many flames.

What was really important was that the pillars beside that pillar also collapsed, and the ones adjacent did as well.

Some parts of the ceiling had caved inwards. There were holes where the sky could be seen.

Creak, an ominous sound echoed.

“Everyone, evacuate!”

I heard someone shout.

Turning my gaze, I saw Blossom evacuating people. I also spotted Iris pulling a fallen combatant from the floor. Iris was using her warp skill on each combatant one by one. Not for combat, but her personal ability.

Dalia and Delphinium were clearing away broken debris to pull out the people trapped underneath. Rose was doing something similar. She lifted debris and moved it aside, gathering the injured in one place.

Everyone looked busy.

As if forgetting about the fight, everyone was moving. Combatants, magical girls, all were rushing to save people.

“Ugh…”

I heard a groan nearby.

Looking back, a combatant with a slightly broken helmet had a leg trapped under the debris.

I ran toward that direction.

Lifting the debris, I propped it up with the head of the hammer.

As I got the one trapped out, it was Earth Buddy.

“Once again, I owe you one.”

“…Just stay still.”

I took Earth Buddy’s hand and slung it over my shoulder. Then I stood up and headed towards the magical girls.

“Uh, ah…! Wait a minute!”

Earth Buddy shouted in a panic.

“My leg is better than I thought.”

I thought Earth Buddy was saying that because his leg hurt. But honestly, it didn’t look fine at all. The section that had been trapped was bent at an odd angle.

Still, this much could be treated at the infirmary. They can fix something as broken as that completely. It would take a bit longer than other injuries, though.

Earth Buddy had been through this many times.

“No, that’s not it!”

But as I tried to drag him, Earth Buddy pulled away and shouted. He’d probably tip over again.

“Casualties—”

“That’s not the problem! Your face…!”

My face?

10

The numbers on the helmet’s screen were still just written like that.

10 percent—it wasn’t.

It was just written as 10.

The part behind it was missing.

“…Huh?”

Without thinking, I raised one hand to touch that part.

Normally, before my hand touches my face, the helmet’s solid surface would be felt. But my hand slid right in.

And touched my face. My blood-soaked face.

“Ah, ah…”

The helmet is broken.

The upper part of my right face was completely exposed.

I desperately tried to turn my body, but Earth Buddy was hanging onto me. I couldn’t just toss aside an injured person. No matter what, it would be a big deal if something really went wrong.

He couldn’t have seen it, could he?

I got a bit closer to the magical girls while pulling Earth Buddy along, but still—

“…”

But my hope shattered almost immediately.

Iris was looking at me.

Iris has good eyes. That’s obvious. It’s her specialty to hit targets at a distance with precise shooting.

Iris, who had been warping the combatants Rose brought and laid down, stopped moving and was looking at me with wide eyes.

Beep beep beep beep—

The warning sound echoed in my ears.

I see.

If the percentage was originally 10 percent, there wouldn’t have been a need for such a sound. It wasn’t dangerous enough to warrant a warning.

My left wrist was vibrating. The circuit seemed to be spinning too quickly that it couldn’t handle its own speed.

Seeing Iris stop, Blossom turned to look this way.

Our eyes met. Or did they? I hurriedly raised my hand to cover the broken part of my helmet, but I couldn’t be sure if Ha-yoon had seen it or not.

Earth Buddy pushed me aside and toppled over.

I staggered back a few steps.

My head was a chaotic mess. I felt nauseous enough to throw up at any moment.

Crackle, crackle, sparks flew from the circuits.

I covered my face with both hands, wanting to run away somehow, but for some reason, my legs wouldn’t cooperate.

10

It wasn’t 10.

It was 100.

The part indicating the last 0 and above was completely broken. Blood flowed from above my right eye, limiting my vision, and in my daze, I hadn’t noticed.

It was hard to breathe.

“Wait! What are you doing there!?”

Someone yelled, not knowing the situation. Thinking it was a woman’s voice, it must have been one of the magical girls.

Did they think I was about to engage in combat?

Black liquid dripped from my body.

“Ugh.”

I vomited the black liquid. It felt bizarre wearing the helmet.

But I couldn’t take it off. There was no way I could.

Black liquid kept oozing from the part I was covering with my hand.

It was twisting, transforming around my body. With a crunching sound, the armor wrapping my arm slowly sharpened.

No.

I’m not trying to fight.

I am,

I am—

…

What was I trying to do again?

I definitely made my way here, trying to stay hidden. I intended to finish the battle against the magical girls well and return to hiding.

I looked away.

People from another floor were looking this way. Some seemed to be holding smartphones.

But such complacency didn’t last long.

Boom!

The building began to collapse.

The ceiling, which had already caved in, dropped down. People screamed as they scattered everywhere.

Who could be doing this?

No matter how much Noir Corporation might be up to no good, they wouldn’t go this far. Demolishing the entire complex and putting minors inside at risk. They are a morally questionable company, but they would at least maintain a minimal image.

Trying to pin it on the magical girls?

I really don’t understand.

One thing I’m sure of is that no matter what I wanted to do, it’s all ended here.

I heard someone running toward me.

I felt a hand on my shoulder.

Looking up without covering my face, I saw Blossom’s face through the helmet.

Her face was pale.

Blossom spoke with a trembling voice.

“Ji-eun…?”

“Ah…”

“Why?”

Her expression conveyed confusion.

Why I was here. Why I was dressed like this. Why I fought against her.

Her face was filled with all those questions.

The little indicator that had just barely shown 10 disappeared.

With a loud noise, my circuits exploded.

And—

“Blossom! Subdue her!”

“Huh? Why?”

“Why? Just look at the person in front of you!”

“Wait, wait, no, Rose!”

Blossom tried to say something to stop it.

Snap, a sound came from beside my head, and I heard something like it was breaking.

My vision floated in midair and then plummeted down.

Thud.

I guess I got knocked aside.

“…!”

I heard Blossom’s scream. It was a scream that couldn’t form words.

The percentage still wasn’t visible.

Despair.

If I had given up, I wouldn’t have been falling into this kind of liquid.

Is this perhaps the despair stemming from the fear of the unknown?

With my fragile pride wanting to overcome someone much better than me. Was this the outcome of a twisted decision?

Thinking it didn’t matter as long as it was only used for good. Was this the result of my careless thoughts?

My vision was clouded, darkening.

My true self, beyond reason, flowed out endlessly, surrounding my body.

I felt my body rising.

It was hard to think.

I just thought, I wished everything would end, one last time.

*

“Blossom!”

Ha-yoon only snapped back to reality after hearing that shout.

When she came to her senses, she was charging toward Rose. She struggled to grab both arms and even swung her wand.

“What are you doing!?”

Rose nearly slapped her before Ha-yoon finally saw ahead.

“Do you know her?”

Rose asked.

Ha-yoon couldn’t answer. She couldn’t understand why Ji-eun was reacting like that.

No, she couldn’t understand why they had fought like this. Hadn’t she been running forward with all her might just moments ago?

Swinging a hammer, trying to smash everything.

Why?

“I’m not saying I have a say in their relationship, but just look over there.”

Ha-yoon looked where Rose pointed.

There was a black mass there.

“I don’t know what that is.”

Rose said.

“We don’t even know how dangerous what’s inside is. But at least you know we can’t just leave that be.”

That was it.

It was an instinctive aversion.

They had no idea what energy Noir Corporation used. But the magical girls could almost instinctively tell that its usage wouldn’t yield good results.

“B-but, I…”

“Fine.”

Rose said.

“If it’s unavoidable, you stay back. Just don’t get in the way. Let’s sort this out first, get everyone to safety, and then we’ll talk again.”

Rose ran toward that direction without waiting for Ha-yoon’s response.

Iris followed her and then looked at Ha-yoon.

Their eyes met. Both looked equally bewildered.

But Iris said nothing, turned her head, and dashed forward with her gun aimed ahead.

Magic from Dalia and Delphinium flew in.

Several massive explosions occurred.

The black sphere greedily swallowed all that magic.

The sphere grew larger, and within, the shape of something curled up began to emerge.

“Everyone run! Take the people with you!”

Delphinium shouted.

“I’ll do something about it…!”

Delphinium said as she lifted her wand and opened the spellbook.

And began to chant something.

“I’ll stay behind.”

Iris said.

“Someone needs to keep sending people off until the end.”

And soared into the sky.

“Blossom.”

Rose said.

Blossom looked at Rose with a stunned expression and nodded.

She had to do her part.

But Ji-eun—

Blossom clenched her teeth and ran.

For now, she had to save the people first. Delphinium and Iris would do something about the situation. For now, Blossom’s power didn’t matter.

No, it might still have some significance.

Blossom fled, making excuses for the first time.

She didn’t want to think at all right now.

*

A massive explosion resonated once more.

Delphinium’s magic created a white explosion. The slowly growing black substance instantaneously lost its shape and some flew away.

Iris didn’t miss the opportunity and aimed her shot at the person visible inside. Putting in as much power as she could.

If one could think straight at that moment, it would have been immensely painful. There would be injuries.

But for now, that was the only hope.

That hope worked.

Perhaps it was because the entity inside lost consciousness; it became possible to warp it away with Iris’s shot.

Once the main body vanished, the black sphere slowly crumbled weakly.

There was no time to discern what it was.

The building began to collapse rapidly again, possibly from another shock. Could it be affecting the entire complex?

Delphinium was on one knee, her face pale.

Iris placed a hand on Delphinium’s shoulder.

The remnants of what had existed were buried beneath the collapse of the complex.

*

“…”

After the battle ended.

The surroundings were in chaos.

The massive complex had collapsed. It wasn’t entirely destroyed, but the central area where the pillars were had come crashing down.

However, since the center collapsed, the rest couldn’t be completely intact.

Miraculously, the number of casualties was minimal.

Noir Corporation had set up excellent preparedness for emergencies. Even the students who had just arrived today had been given about an hour’s worth of safety training, allowing staff to respond quickly and evacuate everyone. Luckily, the students had all been on the outskirts, the first to evacuate.

There were numerous injuries. Still counting. They were tallying minor and serious injuries.

No matter how well evacuation manuals were provided, there were many staff members inside the complex. People had fallen or bumped into each other while running, and since a battle was ongoing inside, many also sustained injuries battling the magical girls.

The infirmary was not big enough to handle all these people at once. They were being admitted to a nearby comprehensive hospital, and once treatments were finished, they would be transferred back to the infirmary for care.

However, among them, some were not recovering quickly enough.

Ha-yoon sat blankly beside Ji-eun’s bed.

At first, other kids came by to try and comfort her. But when Ha-yoon continued to sit quietly without responding, they eventually all gave up and left.

Only Iris stayed behind, attempting to say something, but in the end, she left without saying a word.

“…”

Why they fought, why they opposed the magical girls.

Those thoughts crossed her mind.

But soon enough, she realized a far more shocking fact.

Ha-yoon had tormented Ji-eun many times.

Ha-yoon had been a magical girl for two years now. This meant that Ji-eun had likely been among the combatants she faced during that period.

In the course of subduing combatants, it was only natural that she would end up striking them.

There were times when broken bones were clearly visible. Times when blood flowed from under the helmet, down the neck. Times when battle suits torn revealed skin underneath.

Iris had once explained that being hit by her warp bullets could break ribs.

Dalia’s wand was sturdy. The magic emanating from it was powerful for that reason, too.

If you were hit by Rose’s gauntlet, it wouldn’t just end up being mere pain.

It was said that Delphinium’s magic made it feel like one was being burned.

How many years had she been living like that? How many times had Ji-eun crossed paths with Ha-yoon?

…How many times had Ha-yoon broken Ji-eun’s bones?

Breaking, tearing, shattering.

Sending away, crashing into, colliding.

There were times when she’d even sliced her with a knife.

Wasn’t she a force of evil? She never truly dies. It’s managed that way.

If you received treatment at the infirmary, you could leave looking perfectly fine.

—So Ji-eun, after being beaten by Ha-yoon last night, had received treatment at the infirmary and then, every time they met at school, she smiled at her without a care.

Her hands trembled.

A sour feeling rose from her stomach.

Covering her mouth with her hand, Ha-yoon gazed down at the floor.

Even while in front of Ji-eun, she couldn’t bring herself to look at her face directly.

Right.

Ha-yoon had thought of her as a force of evil.

Even as she thought there might be a chance for conversation, she ultimately chose to immobilize them as quickly as possible.

And Ji-eun was among them.

There could be a familiar face hidden behind the person whose expression was obscured by the helmet.

No matter how much she tried to understand that there was no other solution, no matter how much she wanted to think of Noir Corporation as a bad entity.

On this bed lay Ji-eun.

“Why?”

Ha-yoon muttered.

“Ji-eun, why…?”

But no answer returned.

 

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