READ NOVEL ONLINE Chapter 52
Here’s the translation:
“That’s how it’s going to be, huh?”
I thought about it while grinding my teeth.
The robot’s exterior seemed to be made of some kind of alloy. It’s clear that the part I hit with the hammer was slightly deformed. If it were made of ceramic, it probably would have shattered instead of bending.
I can’t tell how heat-resistant it is, nor do I have much clue about its elasticity or anything like that.
In any case, hitting it hard would definitely yield some results.
I gripped the hammer tightly.
The flames that were spewing out from the front vanished.
If I let up even a little, the hammer would just move forward on its own.
But that alone wasn’t enough.
I stepped forward. A loud crash echoed as the part where my foot struck broke apart. I felt a reinforcing bar buried deep inside touch the tip of my foot as the ground caved in.
I increased the hammer’s output and jumped into the air.
After altering the trajectory of the propulsion, I paused the output for a moment and then accelerated forcefully again.
All the propulsion from the front and back blew backward.
Bang!
The guard robot’s fist collided with me. It was the sound of metal clashing against metal, but still—the hammer was tougher.
There were intricate internal components inside, but essentially, it was a weapon made from a ‘blunt weapon’. Aside from the part for propulsion, it was just a heavy chunk of metal.
With rockets attached in the back that could instantly increase thrust, it was basically an unarmed missile without explosives in the front.
Except for the fact that a long rod was supporting it instead of a steel wire, calling it TOW wouldn’t be strange at all.
On the other hand, the robot’s ‘hands’ actually had parts that could be called joints. Although it only had three thick fingers, that was enough to know where its durability limits were.
I could see it bend and then shatter as its joint parts broke under the enhanced body sight from magic.
What spewed out from inside was… lubricant—
—Is that lubricant?
The color was slightly—
Whack.
“…!”
The impact to my side interrupted my thoughts in an instant. Right before I was sent flying, I twisted my head to see another robot smashing its fist into my waist.
And just before I could be knocked away, it grabbed my ankle and yanked me down.
How…?
I pushed the hammer down, maxing out the thrust. My knee nearly buckled backward, but at least I was spared from crashing to the ground and ending up in a groggy state.
The opponent was clearly aiming to finish me off.
I had to completely destroy that thing—
No, but wait.
That lubricant color caught my attention. It wasn’t black, nor completely clear.
Strangely, it was a shade of red—
Boom!
At first, I was looking away and got caught off-guard, but while my body was suspended in the air, I could see something flying towards me.
As I turned the hammer sideways, my body shifted slightly to the side. Bang. The robot’s feet stamped where I had just been.
The robots had quite the intensity.
All I had done so far was smash one of its punches; that was it.
I began to feel a little nervous.
As I forced my foot out, my shoe came off and one foot slipped out. However, when I tried to kick the robot’s fingers with my bare foot, it seemed much tougher than the concrete covering the building, resulting in no joints snapping at all.
The robot, which had failed to stomp me, turned its body toward me—
I heard a hissing noise as something smacked against its head—probably the main camera—and it turned away.
“James!”
“First, let’s try to get up. It looks like the drone lasers are only good for grabbing attention.”
They really don’t seem to worry at all.
Then again, neither of us had the luxury to engage in worry. I thought that to myself while squatting down.
My foot lifted back up. Once the robot lifted my leg, my back and waist pressed firmly against the ground.
My hands were still raised. The hammer seemed to be held high above me. Or, well, it was more accurate to say it was laid out on the ground. But whatever.
Flames were still shooting from the hammer, so just keeping the back end of it on the ground took a lot of arm strength.
I minimized the thrust from the back of the hammer and poured flames out from the front propulsion to hold myself up.
The robot was continually trying to lift me to slam me down to the ground. My waist was rising off the floor, and only my back and the back of my head remained in contact with it.
“Where do you think you’re…!”
I shouted as I cranked up the hammer’s thrust to the maximum. At the same time, I cut off the flames from the front propulsion.
Gripping the handle tightly with both hands, my arms were the first to rise up.
Then came my waist.
As I used the foot I had previously retracted to step on the robot’s arm for leverage, I let go of the hammer’s handle.
Crack!
The hammer flew straight into the robot’s head. But despite that, it didn’t budge, indicating it was indeed made sturdy to an extreme degree.
At least the camera seemed to be broken.
Red lubricant squirted out through the gap.
The ‘robot’ let go of my foot.
And then it brought its hands up in front of its face.
As if it were in pain.
“…Huh?”
It was so responsive in that manner, but just then, I heard the sound of something cutting through the air and I hurriedly rolled aside.
Bang!
I felt the floor tremble beneath me as my body reacted.
I quickly got up and scanned around for the hammer.
The broken robot stretched out its hand towards the hammer that was still moving forcefully forward. If it was darting all over the place blindly, it wouldn’t matter, but unfortunately for me, that hammer, which had the ‘generator’ inside, was still advancing while firmly sticking its head against the wall.
At least it was good that its head had a decent surface area to keep it pressed against the wall without moving too much—
The problem was that it was much closer to me than the robot.
“Are you crazy!? Why would you just throw away something so important!?”
A squeaky voice emanated from the drone. James, who was desperately firing lasers toward the robot swinging its arms wildly in my direction, apparently had no room to truly help me.
“If I hadn’t, the attack wouldn’t have landed!”
Those guys had immensely long arms. Just like a long-armed monkey.
“What if that generator falls over there!”
Even if I screamed, it was already too late.
“Laser! Shoot the laser!”
In fact, even before I had said that, James had already been blasting a thick laser toward the robot reaching for the hammer.
I couldn’t tell if it was hitting or not. The immensely hot laser was certain, but if whatever was inside didn’t feel pain, then it would only slightly melt the glove on the outside.
I sprinted with all my might.
The robot that had been holding its head finally regained its senses and lunged at me, but perhaps the previous impact had left it slightly staggered, and a gap opened up.
I dove underneath its arm and charged forward, but the robot was already reaching for the hammer’s handle close by.
Something white caught my eye through the broken joints—
Whoosh, something zoomed past my ear. The object that cut through the air at an incredible speed struck the robot’s shoulder.
No, was it not an object, but a beam? It was a strange sight. It’s true that physical force would act on light, but it felt odd to see light ‘hit’ something.
…It was something I had experienced multiple times before.
“———!”
The robot let out a harrowing shriek.
It sounded almost like the combatants in their combat suits when they shouted during battles.
A deep, modulated voice.
Red lubricant flowed out in abundance, and the robot wriggled around, howling as if it were in excruciating pain.
Is there even a sense of pain? It felt like that even when it was hit by my hammer just moments ago.
But there was no time to think that deeply, so I hurriedly charged forward and grasped the hammer.
Then I swung it upward, striking the robot’s ankle sideways.
Another shriek echoed, and the ankle bent awkwardly.
Bang!
The ‘robot’ toppled over sideways.
I dashed toward the fallen robot and shoved my hand into the exposed part of its head.
It was hot…something was felt. It didn’t feel as soft as human skin, but neither was it rough and ‘machine-like’.
With a loud crunch, I delivered a forceful twist, and saw something within.
Inside was—a monkey.
No, it couldn’t be a real monkey. There wouldn’t be a monkey on Earth that stood about twice the average height of a human woman. And if such a creature existed, it would have long been extinct.
Which means—
“An alien?”
As I murmured that, I dodged a swing from the now-unconscious creature as it wildly flailed its arm back.
Bang! Bang!
I heard those sounds from behind me, and liquid splattered over my head. Turning around, I saw the same kind of thing—the robot or whatever it was behaving wildly after being struck.
“It’s a freak.”
Click.
Iris, who had pulled the fuse from her gun, remarked.
“Could they be people from Gatalin?”
“It seems that way.”
“….”
The windows shattered. It seemed the attack from earlier had broken them. Already, five magical girls had swarmed into the building.
“Are they weaponizing monsters? Is that even possible?”
“Even if they were to go wild, if there’s some kind of ‘frame’, then they could be made unable to move freely. If they harden only when necessary, then regardless of how destructive their essence may be, it might be possible to control them to some extent. Though ‘detailed instructions’ would absolutely be impossible.”
Iris made her assessment of the ‘robots’ with a cold gaze.
One of the robots charged towards the magical girls.
The five scattered immediately to evade the attack.
Ha-yoon stood at the center and swung her sword, slicing off the hand of the creature that lunged toward her.
Swoosh!
Well, she tried to slice it off, but it didn’t go as cleanly as usual. Not as smooth as when I was in combat attire.
“Aha.”
Delphinium muttered under her breath.
“It looks like those monsters are using circuits too.”
“To say they’re ‘using’ them might be a stretch. They’re likely just there for auxiliary purposes. Without ‘energy’, they can’t move like this. Moreover, with their heads, it’s probably impossible for them to think anything detailed.”
Just how relaxed can one be?
They could at least hold a conversation.
That said, that doesn’t mean they’re truly being relaxed when facing such things. Just like with that seafood monster last time, this one doesn’t seem like it’s going to be easy either. Judging by the way effective hits aren’t landing.
Ha-yoon probably hasn’t fully recovered her energy yet.
No, more than that.
I thought as I swung the hammer.
They finally showed up.
Could it be that they approached me again this time?
While Iris was assessing the situation and looking around, I deliberately averted my gaze. I had no chance to make eye contact with the other magical girls at all.
Ha-yoon was just staring at the ground earlier, and now she had her back turned, making it impossible to read her expression.
Bang!
As I blocked an incoming swing aimed at me—
“Let’s slip into the broadcasting room while we have the chance.”
James quickly spoke up.
“Actually, that’s been a question of mine since the start. If the troops in the broadcasting room knew we were coming, they should have just ordered the destruction of the broadcasting room right from the beginning.”
“…So they couldn’t?”
“They probably had no idea we would be here today, and they didn’t even know the broadcasting room was their target.”
“Then, the troops having been solely in the broadcasting room from the start—”
There was no need to finish that question.
Bang, bang, bang!
As the doors along the corridor shattered, ‘robots’ poured out.
Each one was of a different shape and size. None of them were bigger than the ones I had been fighting, but there weren’t any smaller ones either.
All of them must be aliens from different planets.
They hadn’t just been in the broadcasting room.
Almost every single room on this floor might have had similar troops waiting.
They probably didn’t know exactly when we would come, but considering the current chairman was on this floor, they likely believed we would eventually come.
“….”
Among the combatants fighting alongside me were aliens as well.
It’s not just Earth that suffers from unemployment. Many different countries from other planets have people struggling for various reasons.
And these people often chose to come to places like this to work hard.
“…Did you know?”
“I had no clue. If I had, would I have come to die here?”
“No, not that.”
“I really didn’t know. The company has already severed ties with the Federation, so doing something like this, they must know there’s trouble ahead.”
Which means…
‘The current chairman’, huh?
There had been no sound from the speakers since a while ago.
Where on Earth could the chairman be? In the broadcasting room? Or maybe in the chairman’s office?
No… was he even in this building at all? While everyone else was escaping, could it be that the chairman only remained on the top floor alone?
Bang!
I ducked to avoid an attack and swung the hammer up, sending the person in front of me flying.
There was no reason to think anymore. That said, I couldn’t just kill them either. I had no intention of becoming a murderer.
The sound of air cutting through again, and I felt bullets whistle past me. The relatively smaller creatures that had been in front of me fell over after taking a shot.
“They seem to be ‘synchronized’.”
Iris commented.
I turned to look back, but their eyes weren’t directed toward me.
However, at least one thing was clear: that statement was directed at me.
“If they’re not Earthlings, they can’t operate the circuits, and since the being inside the combat suit doesn’t seem to be an alien either, I don’t know what the source of that emotion could be, but it’s definitely a circuit moving based on emotions similar to yours operating the circuits.”
So that’s it.
The circuits in combat suits only make sense if worn by Earthlings. There are models for aliens, but they don’t have those circuits. They would only have simple power assists and basic bulletproof or stab-proof capabilities.
…Magical girls not only operate based on their own circuits but also move utilizing Ha-yoon’s energy.
It is a form of ‘synchronization’.
The reason they hadn’t developed it in a way where it syncs with the despair circuits until now is quite simple. There were never humans left with enough energy to operate despair circuits effectively.
But now, there is.
Me.
So, those monsters here—
“Well, I don’t know.”
But before I could dig deeper, James interrupted.
He was dodging the enemy’s attacks, but he wasn’t taking a break with his mouth either.
“I knew there was research on such technology, but they don’t seem to realize I’m the one who made the generator.”
“…”
What a beautifully crafted statement.
“It wouldn’t be an accident. However, the technology wasn’t developed because of you. They were just prepared in case someone like you turned up. If there’s a design, then it’s sufficient to produce them. The chairman has been in position for over a month now.”
While they couldn’t mass-produce millions for the market, producing several dozen wasn’t impossible from a technical standpoint.
“By the way, this is a huge problem. If we were out of the picture, the magical girls would fight better.”
“…”
For a moment, I was lost for words at the sarcasm directed toward the magical girls.
Instead of answering, I swung my hammer.
Bang!
The robot charging at me hit the hammer and bounced back.
“So, let’s rush straight to the broadcasting room. It’ll be better for both parties if we handle our business and get out of here quickly, don’t you think?”
I turned to look back.
There stood Ha-yoon, facing away from me.
“Go.”
As if she sensed my gaze, Ha-yoon spoke.
“There’s a reason we’re here, right?”
“….”
I hesitated for a moment.
It had been ages since I last spoke to Ha-yoon. The last time we met was the worst.
I couldn’t even imagine what expression she would have on her face now.
Bang! Bang!
Bullets zipped by me.
“Let’s go!”
Iris shouted.
I gritted my teeth and turned back.
I still couldn’t figure out why the magical girls suddenly acted that way. The other three remained hard to read, but at least Ha-yoon and Iris were on my side.
Why?
…I don’t know.
For now, let’s finish what we started.
Once it’s done, we can talk later.
Thinking that way, I dashed forward.
Something’s going on would at least keep me from overthinking.
Whenever I smashed something violently or fought was when I felt more clear-headed.
As I flung several creatures away with my hammer, I burst into the broadcasting room through the broken door.
“Is it going to be all right with the monsters left behind?”
“They will sacrifice themselves, so it should be fine.”
I glanced at the drone.
“Why would you say that?”
“….”
Bang!
Something flew toward the door. Given the red trajectory, it could possibly be Rose.
What could they be aiming for? If I went on air… would there be something?
“You don’t have to worry so much—”
James began to say, but then trailed off.
The drone was directing its head somewhere.
“Hold on, Ji-eun…!”
As I attempted to turn my gaze, James shouted.
But I was already looking back.
There, one screen was visible.
Was it a tablet? It looked as if it had been deliberately placed here. Or maybe someone had just been using it.
Each room would probably have at least one thing like this, considering this was such an important facility in the building.
And it must be connected to the intranet and all that.
For reasons I didn’t quite understand, the screen displayed—Ji-hye.
[Didn’t you think of this?]
A voice flowed out from the tablet.
[Whenever you do something, you should at least have insurance.]
The area around Ji-hye was familiar to me.
It was where Ji-hye and I spent time.
[You may not have a family, but you have something similar, so it’s kind of funny to run around without considering that.]
Enough.
Stop it.
Someone approached Ji-eun, who lay sprawled on the floor as if she had fainted.
[If there’s something you want to do, go ahead. The longer you wait… well, you get the idea.]
And with that, the screen shut off.
“Ji-eun! No!”
James’s voice rang through the air.
No.
I knew very well that neither option was viable.
I understood that I couldn’t go there.
The moment they saw me step into the broadcasting room, they might figure something out. So, they would likely try another approach next.
Would they destroy the broadcasting room? Cut any connection to the internet, no matter how they did it?
If there was a chance, it was now. Having come this far meant I might not get another opportunity. I couldn’t be sure how long the magical girls would hold out, nor could I predict if they would even try.
After all, the magical girls might have targeted this place from the beginning.
James calling out ‘don’t go’ was probably for that reason.
Yeah. I can’t go.
No, I cannot give up on Ji-eun.
Because she’s family. The only existence in my life that I could consider family in a life with nothing.
“Ji-eun.”
At that voice, I turned my head.
Ha-yoon was looking at me.
Her clothes were torn, and she was bleeding. With so many monsters around, even magical girls were helpless, I guess.
Her face was pale.
“Go.”
Ha-yoon spoke again.
“I’ll be here.”
“….”
I opened my mouth in a daze.
“No!”
James yelled, but already my focus had shifted.
I kicked the door open, sending it flying like a cannonball. No one got hit and died, thankfully.
Is that good?
“….”
Earthlings.
There were both men and women, but at the end of the day, they were all Earthlings. They looked disheveled, and they wore gas masks.
Everyone looked shabby. After the genuine space age began, the unemployment rate skyrocketed. There were far more aliens than Earthlings, and there were many aliens who could handle dirty, tough work far better.
“….”
So, that’s it.
That’s how it is.
I could see them doing anything if they were given the right amount of money.
That’s who they were.
People like me.
“…It’s not too late.”
They weren’t in combat suits.
Of course not.
Probably, as soon as they finish their job, they would be thrown away anyway.
Even if they got caught, they’d be cut off at the tail.
They’d get cash—handsomely, but…
Ji-hye was still fine.
Though she’d sprawled out as if she were asleep, she hadn’t lost any of her clothes and bore no visible wounds.
Something was smelling inside. Perhaps it was a gas that made Earthlings drowsy upon smelling it.
For me, it seemed like it had no effect.
I looked at those people.
As they assessed the situation, the Earthling closest to me jumped.
He either tried to slip past me or somehow knock me down to run away.
Bang!
But his gas mask broke, and he crashed to the ground.
I realized just a bit late that the gas mask had cracked, hurriedly covering my face with my hands, but it didn’t seem to matter; the man just slumped down.
“So that’s how it is.”
I couldn’t use the hammer.
However, since I still hadn’t laid my hands on them, I didn’t plan to kill anyone.
*
The Black Hole devoured Ji-eun in an instant.
Ji-eun vanished from sight, and all the papers stacked atop the desk scattered everywhere.
“Damn it, damn it…!”
The remaining drone exclaimed loudly.
“…You get ready.”
The drone turned toward Ha-yoon. It seemed like it had no idea those words were coming out, given how absent-minded it looked, even for a machine.
“Didn’t you plan to do something when Ji-eun came back?”
Ha-yoon said that and turned away.
“It’s the broadcasting room.”
Whack!
Rose delivered a kick to one of the monsters and spoke up.
Beads of sweat formed on her forehead.
Even though Ji-eun had disappeared, the monsters were still on the move. The circuits continue to operate for a while, even without a supply. Unless they finish this fight, the creatures may continue to rampage.
“Were you trying to broadcast something? Can’t we do it instead? That was our initial thought, after all.”
Ha-yoon swung her sword.
The light shining from it was even brighter than before.
“No.”
Ha-yoon replied.
“But in this situation, we can’t do that.”
That’s right. Ji-eun had come here specifically to do it.
She must want to vent her frustration.
The reason they fought so fiercely must have been due to their desperation.
What difference did it make if Ji-eun told the truth here?
The company would categorically deny everything. The Federation wouldn’t assist. The government would stand by and watch.
While the citizens might stir up a commotion, it might force the government to reluctantly investigate, but—
Ji-eun wouldn’t come back safe. They’d try to find and eliminate her before the investigation was over.
“…”
So foolish.
She thought she’d testify in court. Even if the Federation tried to take her away, Ha-yoon would probably step in to stop it.
That’s why she had flown away with Cherry.
But was it going to go just as Ha-yoon imagined?
Ji-eun must have felt wronged beyond belief. It was something that should never have happened in the first place. No one should be subjected to that kind of injustice.
Despite how much people deny it and how obscured the truth may be, Ji-eun had just held on without giving up.
So she had come here.
After all was said and done, even if everything went wrong, even if she lost her life in the process…
She just wanted to say that this was unfair. With that thought alone.
There was no other way.
Ha-yoon clenched her teeth.
How naive.
She had centered everything around herself in her thinking.
Just thinking that helping was all that was needed.
But Ji-eun hadn’t asked for help.
She was merely doing what she could—holding on, as best as she could. Even in the worst situation, she kept trying her hardest.
Even while struggling in despair.
She didn’t realize—
No, to say she didn’t even think about it would probably be correct.
“Ji-eun needs to do what she wanted to do.”
Ha-yoon closed her eyes and took a deep breath.
The circuits began to function.
“…Why?”
Delphinium questioned.
In front of them, a massive mass of magical energy was blazing.
Beside it, Dalia was shooting off small energy blasts repeatedly. Her face was drenched in sweat.
Iris was behind, unleashing a barrage of bullets at the monkey-like aliens.
Why?
Ha-yoon found it hard to answer.
There was an emotional basis behind it.
It just seemed like it had to be done.
That sentiment was something Ha-yoon felt she couldn’t take away.
This was something they worked so hard to achieve, so she couldn’t let Ha-yoon take that effort away from her.
Ha-yoon had taken too much already.
Just like when the facility was destroyed, Ji-eun saved people.
She witnessed that happen in front of her eyes.
But the ones praised were the magical girls. They were criticized for failing to stop the terror, but in the end, received praise for having acted at all—doing what was right despite the risks.
After Ji-eun took the generator, the magical girls received criticism.
But at the same time, they were also defended.
Whether they succeeded or failed, just going there was good enough. They had always been the ones who ran into and fought in dangerous places.
When faced with a monster, it truly was the worst.
The magical girls had somehow become the heroes who defeated the creatures. They became the ones who had to rescue hostages and chase away the ‘black magical girl.’
It was certain there were photos and videos of it too.
Voices pointing fingers at magical girls were always a minority.
Since a friend became a villain. Because she betrayed them. It must have been emotionally taxing. Yeah. But that’s fine. In the end, they would rise again and continue to fight with righteousness.
Because they’re magical girls.
With righteousness.
Always with righteousness—
To hurt people.
That was what it all came down to. The reason Ji-eun had gone so far.
But now, here stood Ji-eun, one who made any effort to strive against the despair.
That mere fact was something they couldn’t take away, all because it was deemed more righteous and reasonable.
“….”
Rose looked down at her gauntlet.
The gauntlet was shining.
Hope.
Ironically, Ha-yoon felt hope in this situation.
If everything ended well—
If they could somehow hold off until Ji-eun arrives at her destination…
At the very least, they might be able to have a conversation.
Yeah. At the very least—
Ji-eun had listened to Ha-yoon. She couldn’t leave that person behind.
Then perhaps, there was a chance, right?
To believe Ha-yoon’s words wouldn’t be too far-off.
“…Alright.”
It was unclear if Rose had read those feelings, but—
She nodded as she looked at Ha-yoon.
“We’ve borrowed a lot to fight so far.”
And with a small smile, she readied herself to face the monsters.
“….”
The other girls felt the same way. No, they were already fighting.
Ha-yoon sealed her lips tight and merely nodded.
Then, bringing her shining sword, she charged toward the monsters.