I Became a New Magical Girl Priest

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Whenever I look down while floating in the sky, I always feel a strange sensation.

Without any tools, just my body suspended up there. Even birds need to flap their wings to rise to the sky, yet I have none of that.

If the situation were different, I might have felt great.

If only I had this ability when I was just an ordinary combatant.

“……”

No, that’s not right. The fact that I gained such abilities while being an ordinary combatant is why things turned out this way.

I should have never decided to be a combatant from the start.

I thought to myself as my circuits trembled.

It’s absurd that to fight, I must dwell in gloomy thoughts. If I relax, intoxicated by victory, the despair circuit fails to function properly.

The more relaxed I get, the weaker I become; it truly doesn’t sit well with me. I can now understand why combatants were often weak. Very few people can dig so deeply into despair.

As I briefly looked down, contemplating how to handle the situation, I leaped downwards with my hammer in hand.

Right, I just need to act as usual. Simply smash whatever is in front of me and retreat at the right time.

I’ll look for a place where the chairman might be. Although the current chairman is probably not here, it would be best to destroy any shelters or such. That way, it will serve as a ‘warning.’

A warning that the current chairman should be cautious of me.

At first, I wondered if there would be a fire. If this house used a lot of wood, my hammer’s booster flames could easily catch fire, and if that happened, the neighbor’s house would also be at risk—it would be troublesome.

Fortunately, the mansion built right in the heart of modern Seoul had little in that regard.

The furniture was wooden, but the wall behind it was sturdy marble.

It seemed they wanted to flaunt how expensive their house was; the floor wasn’t wooden either, but rather some high-end stone, and there was not a single piece of furniture from Earth. To be honest, it looked incredibly dysfunctional and avant-garde, but that must be the taste of rich people.

Or maybe it’s just because they’re not Earthlings.

I broke in through a window from the garden. The reinforced glass window certainly couldn’t withstand a massive metal projectile propelled with great speed.

I hadn’t bothered with the alarms, so at that moment, the house was instantly filled with a loud buzzing noise. The first thing I destroyed was the speaker because it was simply too annoying.

Inside the house… most of the interior appeared to be made of natural marble, and aside from the avant-garde furniture, it looked like a pretty normal house.

Beyond the entrance was a spacious living room, with stairs leading up next to the kitchen.

Although no one sprang out from inside—

BANG.

The front door burst open, and four combatants entered. Probably two in front of the main gate and two at the building entrance.

No, they looked more like experts than mere combatants. They held submachine guns in their hands and wore wristwatches. At first glance, they looked like sturdy military-grade electronic watches, but the subtle vibration confirmed they were circuits.

Could they be real circuits? Or resonance devices?

All the combatants were somewhat scared of magical girls; by the time they entered combat, the circuits were functioning well. Among them, it was rare to maintain calm till the end.

The end of despair often meant giving up.

While aliens with confidence tried to endure till the end, among Earthlings, the ones who wouldn’t run away, even when morale dipped, were probably just me and the leader in our group.

The combatants guarding the building where the tracking device was located, and those at the headquarters looked somewhat professional, but in the end, they ran when I threatened to kill them.

I’m not sure if despair circuits truly affect human emotions. The company at least covered it as courage when handing them out.

But if the opponent thinks it’s just normal and isn’t scared, then it’s more appropriate to call it a ‘resonance device’ rather than a ‘despair circuit.’

They must have some idea that I’d be coming. Even if they’re not sure where I’d show up.

“Why doesn’t everyone just step aside?”

That’s what I said first.

I thought my tone was relatively calm. But it didn’t really matter. Even if someone sounded calm, there’s no way to consider them ‘calm’ once they break into someone’s house.

Just by looking at the special combatants aiming their large-caliber submachine guns at me, I felt quite uneasy.

It was a job to make money after all, but could I really like anyone aiming guns at me?

Having held negative thoughts about magical girls throughout my time as a combatant, my words might not mean much now.

“Aren’t you planning to back off?”

If they had families, they probably couldn’t back off. If they were genuinely from the military, the company must have paid a hefty sum to bring them on board.

They might think it doesn’t matter if they were fired if they were on their own.

“Fine, then—”

As I gripped the hammer tightly with both hands, the combatants seemed to tense up as they held their weapons tightly—

BANG!

That sound echoed.

It originated from the broken window.

When I turned around, I saw two magical girls looking at me.

Ha-yoon was running towards me, and Iris was—

Huh?

I hastily dodged. A beam had grazed the spot I had just been in. It hit my feet, but I could have still slipped if it had connected.

It was just for a moment, but my anger surged to the top of my head before soon calming down.

So right now, the combatants were looking at me.

It made sense to show a somewhat divided appearance when facing off with the magical girls. In reality, Iris’s attack was less fierce compared to when they were actually fighting.

They aimed and shot at me. But the beam reached its target only after I’d dodged. They hadn’t actually hit me or even grazed me.

To others, it might not seem like that. My body’s reflexes were far superior to the average person when surrounded by magical power. Naturally, the gear was inferior to the combatants of the unit.

“Run away quickly!”

Ha-yoon shouted with a tense expression.

“That girl is here for revenge!”

As I swung my hammer towards Ha-yoon.

Well, not really swinging it with full intent.

Ha-yoon easily blocked my hammer with her wand. We engaged for a moment before I leaped back, hoping to make it look like I was retreating.

As I moved, shots flew toward me in rapid succession.

Crack, crack.

None of the shots hit me; instead, they shattered the furniture around me.

Did one of them mistakenly hit the fridge door? That part flew off, revealing its almost empty contents. Was that proof that no one actually lived here?

The lights shattered, causing the flames to extinguish. Since it was already dusky outside, my vision dimmed in an instant. Not that I could see nothing at all, though.

I swung my hammer at Ha-yoon again.

Ha-yoon narrowly dodged my swing, and my off-target blows smashed the floor, shattered the dining table, and sent some furniture flying.

“Please run away… quickly…!”

Only after Ha-yoon yelled that did the combatants flinch and begin to pull back.

“Ji-eun, calm down!”

The words almost made me laugh spontaneously, so I pressed my lips together. I took a moment to catch my breath and forced out some words.

“Calm down, you say?”

Ha-yoon’s expression froze slightly at my words. She was a good actress.

“Are you telling me to calm down after coming all this way? Who was it that pushed me into this situation?”

If it hadn’t been for the chairman, I might have been leading a somewhat reasonable life. James would still be bullying me, and En-tropy or whatever might have been using me for some nonsensical plan, but the orphanage and Ji-hye would probably have been just fine.

Perhaps the magical girls would have driven the Noir Corporation away before we graduated… Though I can’t say I’m certain.

In the end, I would have just become an ordinary adult, struggling to get by, but maybe I could have passed the time well while harboring jealousy silently towards Ha-yoon.

But that dream was utterly shattered now. I’d become a terrorist, and until I cleared that accusation, I had to remain on the run.

“What’s so wrong with seeking revenge on those who made me this way? The scum who lied and are now living well, unaffected by their actions?”

“…….”

Ha-yoon’s mouth slightly opened.

“I have no intention of forgiving them.”

I said that with some sincerity, quietly.

“I won’t forgive them. Absolutely not. The ones who drove me here, lying through their teeth—I’ll hunt each of them down and kill them. I won’t forgive anyone trying to intervene. I won’t forgive those who knew yet left me alone. They’re all nothing but trash.”

The company trying to get rid of me. The federation that secretly cooperated with such a company. The government that neglected all of it.

All trash.

I know I’m not in the right. After all, all of this stems from my own faults. If I hadn’t complied with the Noir Corporation’s demands, perhaps none of this would have happened in the first place.

But still.

If they wanted me gone, they should have just cut me off from the start. They could have at least asked for my help. They could have intervened while committing illegal acts of business without leaving me behind.

They just chased after me as if a lab rat had escaped and watched from above.

If a villain is made so flatly, they’re bound to catch public ire. I can’t understand what the company, the federation, or the government are even thinking.

“Ji-eun—”

I lunged at Ha-yoon.

She barely managed to block my hammer this time.

Maybe I put too much strength into my hands.

Feeling myself bounce back, I was pushed almost right in front of the combatants. A perfect distance management.

“……!”

It was only then that Ha-yoon, who seemed like she had a realization, turned around and shouted.

“I told you! Just run away!”

When ‘Blossom’ shouted loudly, only then did the combatants look like they finally understood the situation and hurriedly began to flee.

Their glances back at me while escaping suggested that they were genuinely frightened.

Well, I guess life is more precious.

As I dashed towards the retreating combatants, Ha-yoon hurriedly blocked my path.

“Stop there!”

“Ji-eun, calm down…!”

BANG.

The door burst open, and the combatants rolled out of the house. Could they trip over themselves as they made it to the front door?

I felt a little bad about it, but this was still far better than when I had personally beaten up people before.

I struck the ground with my hammer several times.

It was for the combatants to hear. I wanted them to truly believe I’d lost my sanity.

From this point on, I should keep making similar noises while searching this place. Not just sounds, it would be best to turn the house upside down as much as possible.

Should I try creating a black hole? Nah, I’ll put that idea aside for now.

To create a black hole that would devastate the surroundings, my emotions had to plummet that much lower. Just like when I sought Ji-hye and got shot by the police, I needed to be ‘pushed’ into the abyss of despair.

You can build resistance to melancholy. Well, many eventually can’t endure and die, but if they’re alive, that’s how it goes.

For someone like me, who has recently been mentally stable, that task was a bit challenging.

“Ji-eun…”

“Yeah?”

I only stopped when I heard Ha-yoon calling for me.

When I came to my senses, I realized the floor in front of me had become unrecognizable. It was crushed beyond shape.

“……”

I blinked a couple of times, looking at it, before glancing back to see Iris staring at me, slightly lowering her gun.

I felt a bit embarrassed.

I raised my head. What’s there to see around?

Something like a CCTV came into view, and I hurled my hammer at it.

The large hammer spun in midair, propelled by the boosters, before slamming into the ceiling. The supposed CCTV came crashing down along with it.

Should I sever all the connections entirely?

I won’t be able to relax and have a proper conversation until I smash those. Who knows if the former chairman set them up to monitor the current one?

Right now, the last chairman was missing, but they might come sneaking in to check around.

How long will it take for the police to charge in? It probably won’t even take five minutes.

Maybe breaking the CCTV served as a signal, as both Iris and Ha-yoon seemed to snap back to reality.

“J-Ji-eun, calm down—”

Ha-yoon’s voice might have had a slightly theatrical tone this time, but it was still decent. After all, the significance of acting lies in the other person knowing or not knowing it’s an act.

While a poor act in a drama or movie is ridiculous, a lackluster act in reality just seems odd. Of course, there are those who genuinely can’t tell a convincing lie.

I pretended not to hear Ha-yoon and trudged over to pick up the hammer that had fallen to the floor.

Once it dropped from my hands, the previously closed hammer reopened.

Hot flames erupted.

I completely gripped the hammer upside down.

Good.

Regardless of whether it has a mechanism or not, let’s crank it up until they can’t speak.

But even if conversation flows from that, I’m still unsure how to handle that.

*

Ha-yoon stared blankly at Ji-eun, who was smashing everything around her.

Just a moment ago, when she had spoken those words.

The expression on Ji-eun’s face while saying that.

Thoughts crossed her mind that it wouldn’t be just acting, so she couldn’t bring herself to stop Ji-eun.

She hadn’t come here to intervene, but now it was hard for her to even speak those words.

Those bastards.

This was the first time Ji-eun had actually said that word.

Of course, Ha-yoon had seen Ji-eun get angry. It was understandable to hate those who shot at her. She wanted to vent her frustrations on the federation, the company, and the government.

It was natural to resent Ha-yoon if she had actively protected Ji-eun from the start; this situation might have been avoided.

Could that word of resentment not include Ha-yoon?

Could Ha-yoon be excluded from the ‘trash’ Ji-eun had spoken of?

Ji-eun had acted somewhat awkwardly whenever Ha-yoon approached her. Ever since they had met again after their separation, she especially acted that way.

She felt like she had caught a glimpse of the cause of that reluctance.

Before coming here, Ji-eun had interacted freely with James.

Of course, to an Earthling’s eyes, James looked almost like a hamster— but what could be the reason for addressing a being with the voice of an adult male so openly?

Perhaps that James had really been an ally to Ji-eun until now.

Though it wasn’t about affection, maybe they had established a relationship where they didn’t hold back from one another.

“……”

Dust and small fragments swirled around. A large wall-mounted TV split in half and fell to the floor. The avant-garde ceramic that looked like it came from another planet shattered along with the table beneath it.

The lights hanging from the ceiling shattered, plunging the surroundings into darkness. All that could be seen was the moonlight shining from outside and the propulsion light of the weapon Ji-eun was holding.

As if wishing to burn everything inside, Ji-eun moved with fervor.

The once white walls darkened with soot, now turning black. In-between, some parts seemed to pop, as if something was hidden within the seams, while others were merely melting away or turning red-hot.

“……Haah.”

With a slightly relieved expression, Ji-eun turned around and locked eyes with Ha-yoon.

In the dimness, illuminated by the moonlight, Ji-eun, despite being covered in dust, somehow looked refreshing.

But as her gaze met Ha-yoon’s, those eyes darkened once more.

…What was she thinking?

She let herself feel victorious just because Ji-eun had made way for her.

Perhaps it was simply because she had given up and thus hadn’t needed to drive her away.

Moving her eyes slightly, Ji-eun exhaled deeply and spoke.

“It’s enough now.”

 

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