I Became a New Magical Girl Priest

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Can the company control those aliens?

His question was soon answered.

From inside, the aliens we couldn’t handle were being released.

The explosion itself might have occurred on our entire floor, but since I had caught and thrown all the circuits from where we were fighting the aliens towards the wall, it seemed none were injured.

Wait, that’s not quite right. Saying “none were injured” is a bit off. Some individuals had shards embedded in their bodies, bleeding profusely.

But what are the characteristics of the aliens? They aren’t beings that get fazed even if one leg or one arm is blown off; they recover quickly and charge in again.

In fact, they utilize circuits and have traits that, in a sense, are even reminiscent of magical girls. In terms of danger levels, they can’t even be compared to regular aliens.

…Although in terms of appearances, they’re completely different.

Alright.

It was fine that they burst out through the wall, but what should we do next?

“Was it worth risking your life to that extent?”

“Right now? Is there really a need for that question?”

As I was trying to think, James interrupted me.

I shot him an annoyed glare, but he seemed just as irritated.

“We’ve secured footage. Of course, they’ll say it’s been fabricated, but it should at least cause some confusion—”

“Hey.”

I glared at James and said, “I’m an Earthling.”

“I know that,” he replied.

“No matter how much I dislike this world, I still have to live here. But can I really live in peace knowing there are folks who turn humans into weapons?”

It’s not a righteous reason. To be honest, I was mostly thinking about how annoying it would be to see them all wiped out.

However, at the same time, I did feel a bit sorry for those beings over there.

If by any chance, I were to be captured…

Wouldn’t I end up as one of those beings if I got squeezed in between the company and the federation?

It’s not easy to look at someone and just assume their gender based on their appearance. It’s secondary that they have circuits embedded in their chests; they have various tubes all over their bodies that make them look peculiar in many places. Sometimes they’re completely bald, other times they have long black hair that looks unruly.

But despite all those characteristics, the beings over there looked human. I couldn’t tell their gender, nor their age, but they definitely seemed to be suffering deeply like Earthlings.

I don’t know if they were artificially created or kidnapped and modified, but for some reason, I felt a sense of comradery, and combined with my resentment towards the company, I wanted to free them desperately.

If I could hear their testimony, it would seriously cause chaos for the company.

“If you’re scared, stay far away.”

I said, looking up at the aliens jumping through the hole.

The company hadn’t sent any other aliens yet. Were they pondering if sending modified aliens made from Earthling subjects was a good idea or not?

Ignoring James’s answer, I charged forward.

Bang!

The alien’s fist collided with my hammer. A crack. I heard something snap from their side, but I wasn’t incapacitated.

Then, a similar snapping sound followed, this time without hitting anything.

As if reversing time, the broken arm of the alien returned to its normal state. That fist came flying straight back at me.

We exchanged rapid blows.

The hammer grew a bit heavier. After spending enough energy to cause a circuit overload, would it still show any signs of hope?

This felt just like when I was fighting as a combatant. During my battles with Iris, I would carry hope only to end up drained completely.

Yet this time, there was a different kind of hope.

If I held on to hope, Ha-yoon becomes stronger. I don’t know how that works. Am I holding onto a hope powerful enough to affect the circuits of the magical girls?

Even in reality, one magical girl can face one or two aliens without backing down.

This wasn’t a time when we were battling combatants; I could see Ha-yoon in my mind fighting stylishly in a webtoon.

In monochrome, with rough pen lines that looked like they could be either rough drafts or completed work, with panels so messy it was hard to recognize, and published only once a month, just a comic that she enjoyed posting on her blog.

Most scenes were filled with absurd humor mixed with wit, and some were so cliché they were unfunny… but I really liked that comic I read ages ago.

Ha-yoon—Blossom—fought splendidly, as if it was perfectly fine to look good doing so.

Just like the “Happy Blossom” I see now.

Always smiling.

Bang!

I was pushed back. The alien swung its fist without making a sound. And the strength of that fist was increasing with time.

The circuits whirred vigorously.

Seeing the energy of my despair circuit dwindling, those guys’ circuits were probably not running on “my” energy.

I raised my head and looked ahead.

Were they moving on orders or just instinctively?

But either way, their expressions were twisted. Their faces resembled that of patients suffering from terrible pain, a pale visage waiting for their death.

In the midst of that rugged form was the face of someone purely filled with despair.

What did they intend to achieve by creating this being?

A combatant? Did they spread them out in war zones and let them fight until they self-destructed, planning to claim the land afterward?

Or, just like they were buried in the concrete floor, did they intend to bind them completely and utilize them as ship fuel?

Snap.

Grinding my teeth, I got to my feet.

I was out of breath. To be honest, the circuits made by the hamsters felt like trash.

Energy made from endless despair is almost criminal in its bad taste. The fact that there’s a condition that you can’t give up adds to that awful joke.

“…Yeah, but I still can’t give up.”

Isn’t that unfair?

If I give up here, it would be so unfair after holding out this long.

Since I came to this world, I’ve always endured with that thought.

Pitter, patter.

Seeing as the energy in the generator was nearly depleted, the propulsion behind the hammer was becoming weaker and flickering. Considering the weight of the hammer usually, it felt surprisingly heavy.

Bang!

But I swung it up and blocked the attack.

Magic poured down over our heads. The alien dodged the magic and fell back.

They seem to feel pain, at least.

The sun was shining again above. The black hole I created had vanished. That means it did its part. At least, it seemed no one died from the debris that fell overhead. For now, that’s just my guess.

Just as I was staggering—there was a sound, a bit smaller and more lethargic than what you’d expect from a regular gunshot.

Right after that, something flew in— a wire.

One that had flown over my head when I was on the run.

But this time, it didn’t come towards my head.

Thud!

Ah, I heard a rather vicious sound from the side.

The heavy wire quickly wrapped around the alien.

Layered upon it were several wires, making it appear as a bulging metal tomb that hid whatever was beneath unless you looked closely.

I turned around.

I locked eyes with several pale-faced police officers.

They were looking not at me but at the being behind me.

Did they just see a dangerous alien and fire accidentally?

Well, it’s hard to believe since I could already hear gunfire all around. Not aimed at the magical girls but at the aliens. When a magical girl and an alien clash, the firing slows or stops momentarily, but once they separate the focus shifts back to the aliens. Bullets don’t incapacitate immediately, but the more they hit, the more damage accumulates.

Just like I stumbled and fell after being hit by bullets.

Bang!

One of the aliens must have thought the police were a nuisance, so instead of the magical girl, it flew towards them.

But in an instant, it was intercepted by Iris, who had changed her position. Using her rifle, she blocked the alien’s fist and then leaped back a bit, while Delphinium blasted the alien away with magic. Following that, a rain of bullets showered down upon the alien.

It wasn’t intentional from either side, but it was quite the coordinated effort.

Fizzle.

“…”

I heard a strange sound from my front.

Turning my head, I noticed the lower part of the bulging metal tomb glowing a fierce red.

Soon, a black blade protruded from that spot.

It was a blade so long that it couldn’t compare to the ones I used to make when I was a combatant.

It effortlessly sliced through several layers of wires, almost as if it were cutting pudding.

I heard shouting and several more wires piled up against it, but the blade didn’t pay them any mind.

No, instead, another one emerged. From above, two blades intersected to form a large L-shape.

Crack.

As fingers jutted out from that L corner, adhering to and melting into it, I wrenched it outwards.

Thud.

From inside, a foot appeared.

For some reason, it looked bigger than before.

Could it be growing? No, I must just be imagining things. I hope so.

Bang!

What crashed out as if opening a metal door was already covered in blood. Red… and black blood was dripping from all over its body. To be honest, it was hard to tell the color of whatever liquid was coming from its form. There were just so many tubes all over it, and numerous punctured areas.

An alien approaching me was concealed by numerous beams of light. Dalia, who had been battling two aliens, rained down magical blasts in this direction. The figure flying rapidly through the sky would not have felt out of place as a bomber—

The sound of “the buzzing of a lightsaber,” that is, the electronic hum combined with a few buzzing noises was heard several times, followed by several magical projectiles being shattered into pieces. There were explosions, the ground crumbled, and asphalt debris rained into the air.

There was a smell as if something was melting, and—

Thud.

Something stepped through the haze.

“…”

I heard the sound of breath being held around me.

The being walking this way, wielding black blades in both arms… could it still be referred to as an alien (人)?

Monster, beast… those words came to mind.

It looked to be over three meters tall. It was twice my height, so it must have been difficult just to hold up its own weight.

Its arms were equipped with blades longer than its own arms, scorching the asphalt with every step.

If it made contact, I would die.

I swallowed nervously.

Right now… could I win using only the circuits rotating from my wrist?

What’s truly troublesome is that a corner of my mind believes that even if I die here, the magical girls would likely protect me just fine.

Once you’ve grabbed onto hope, it’s like a tumor clinging to a part of your heart, making it difficult to remove or tear away.

Is fear different from despair?

But I still gripped my hammer tightly.

No fallen aliens as of yet. This means the other kids are likely still struggling too. At the very least, I need to protect the police around me.

Even in this dire situation, my binding one alien to the ground would aid them.

Damn, this is also a form of hope.

Being able to hold the hammer means at least the circuits are still operational.

Or could it be that there was some other kind of power at play? Perhaps there’s a chance my body got slightly altered when I became a magical girl. Others similarly used resonance devices while fleeing, plus girls have often been depicted as possessing some special strength.

That wouldn’t be magic, but…

…It might be connected to the ‘Earthling alien’ standing before me.

As I took shaky breaths—

“Fire! Shoot everything you’ve got!”

Someone shouted that, and every conceivable thing started to rain down upon the alien.

Wires, shotguns, slugs, and regular metal bullets. Rubber bullets and bean bags might’ve also been mixed in.

It felt like… some of those strikes actually landed on the alien.

The alien moved.

The only reason I could shut it down was because of pure luck. I simply guessed where the hardly visible alien would go.

At the very least, the generator inside it—the blade did not pierce.

I forced the handle of my hammer to twist, blocking the deeply embedded blade. A voice tinged with panic came from behind me. Was my keeping my ground unexpected for them?

Well, truthfully, it’s hardly a good feeling. Just moments ago we were in a life-and-death chase.

A hand shot out beside my face.

It seemed to be the arm of the police officer I had pushed back with my back.

They had a gun drawn.

And that gun was aimed at the arm of the alien opposite my face.

Bang!

The bullet fired, striking its arm.

It wasn’t just that gun.

Multiple guns behind me shot at the alien’s arm. It didn’t pierce its arm but it felt as if hundreds of punches landed at once in a bizarre direction, and even the blade bent away.

Ha.

I stifled a hollow laugh and pushed with all my strength against the hammer. Due to the arm twisted sideways and stuck in the hammer, the alien staggered.

I jumped forward and struck the circuits embedded in its chest with my head.

Someone was cheering from behind.

Now?

What a strange thing.

Has public opinion changed in just one day? Radio had mentioned it.

Thanks to the bomb I risked my life to throw and the black hole I made above, there were people uninjured. Not just the elderly who couldn’t evacuate in time, but many police officers below remained unharmed.

Didn’t anyone die despite the treatment I received? Wouldn’t a terrorist disregard a police officer’s life?

Now bringing that up, do they think I will give them a pass?

I gritted my teeth and got to my feet.

Right now, I’m just temporarily cooperating. Damn, it sounds almost like someone is cheering me on from behind. Am I hallucinating?

They don’t even know what kind of energy I’m using, and to be honest, it feels like I’m merely using them.

If I collapse, those people will be in danger, too.

Strangely enough, it feels like no one is running away.

They seem to be continuously shooting at the aliens to help—

But I don’t know.

When it comes to human emotions, I really can’t understand them.

I stumbled up.

Having this feeling was like poison to me. The more I felt this way, the weaker I became. What nonsensical phrase was that?

I thought I had thrown away all hope long ago.

Everything’s gone to ruin.

Revenge, and so on. I’m now thinking of Ha-yoon. I can see that alien regaining its stance, preparing to charge me.

I think of Ha-yoon and Ji-hye. Will they be alright? At the very least, if only it gets known that I’m not a terrorist, that girl should be fine.

I don’t want to die. I have no intention to die.

What I can still endure while thinking this—

Bang!

As if something was tremendously angered, Ha-yoon came crashing down from the ground.

She had small wounds all over her body, and there was some blood as well. She was covered in more dust, and for some reason, was smeared in something dark and oily.

In one hand, she gripped her beautifully shining sword.

That very sword was synonymous with hope, something no one could stain.

Ha-yoon turned back.

A smile appeared on her face.

As if to say, don’t worry. As if to say I’m here, it’s alright.

It truly was strange.

Just earlier this year, I feared her appearance.

Now, I found it odd to feel hope rather than despair.

Ha-yoon turned around again.

In the meantime, I noticed the circuit.

That circuit was glowing brightly. It seemed as if it couldn’t bring forth anything else on the screen.

My body completely relaxed.

“Haha…”

This feels almost akin to being a hostage—

“Hmm?”

And at the end of that absurd laugh, my voice was heard.

This voice was filled with questions.

As if I were witnessing something invisible.

No, I truly saw it. It was a situation I had only imagined, something that existed only in dreams.

From the non-vibrating circuit, light was shining.

A light bright enough to reflect upon my face.

With trembling hands, I touched the circuit screen and switched to another mode.

Like the combatant circuit I frequently used before, it displayed a mode resembling an analog clock with only the second hand attached, like a needle pointing in one direction.

That needle was flashing madly.

As if it were trying to convey “It’s moving very fast” somehow.

As usual, just like the despair circuit I’d overflowed countless times before.

…

But this time, the direction seemed slightly off.

It was rotating in a completely different direction than usual.

 

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