READ NOVEL ONLINE Chapter 179
─I had a dream.
In a dark and gloomy space, it was a dream dominated by something.
My limbs, thoughts, and feelings were all controlled; nothing went my way, and I was tossed about in the dream. It was certainly not a pleasant dream.
I struggled to escape, but like many other dreams, no matter how much I thrashed around, I never woke up. In this nightmare that could last indefinitely, Ayle could only fight off endless fear and pain.
However—with the universe having an end, so too did this seemingly endless nightmare come to a close. It approached with a pure white light, reached out its hand to Ayle, and forcibly lifted her body. Was this the sensation of buoyancy deep in an abyss?
Moments later—Ayle, awakened from a long dream, opened her eyes cautiously. Bright lights scorched her vision. Even if she wanted to open her eyes wide, she couldn’t do so.
“─You’ve woken up.”
“Ah…!”
Slowly opening her eyes, Ayle caught sight of Eight sitting in front of her, smiling, and couldn’t help but grin back. Yes, he had saved her once again. From a crisis that was too many to count. How could she not like him? Ayle was a girl, waiting for her knight in shining armor on a white horse.
“Hehe… I overslept a bit.”
“…”
“Good morning, Scientist.”
Eight looked at Ayle and simply.
Smiled.
……
“Hic, hic— I’m sorry, I’m really sorry……”
“Right. Did you reflect?”
“Y-Yes, I reflected…”
Ayle, kneeling on the floor with her hands pressed to her ears, was crying, trying to express her sincere apologies. Her arms lost sensation, and her legs began to feel as if they were being fried by electricity, but Eight never let her go.
Ultimately, she was released only after more than 30 minutes had passed.
* * *
“Honestly……”
After removing the source of the problem from Ayle, I used every tool I had to resolve the situation. I restored people who had been paused in time, repaired the ruined city, and healed those who had sustained injuries. Altering memories to make them believe nothing had happened was a bonus.
Although manipulating memories like this was a risky business, it was unavoidable. The incident caused by Ayle—or to be exact, the black flower that had taken root in her—could have resulted in permanent damage to her psyche. Wasn’t the World Enemy summoning itself indiscriminately, causing great harm?
I looked at the black flower stored in a corner of the laboratory and smirked. It was time to find out where this thing came from and how it ended up parasitizing Ayle.
‘I can’t believe there’s a creature that parasitizes and controls people like this.’
This creature’s existence was one reason I couldn’t imagine this world was part of Earth or within Earth’s sphere of influence. If this place was under Earth’s jurisdiction, such a creature couldn’t possibly exist. Such a dangerous creature wouldn’t be given development approval.
Let alone its characteristics. It hides in a pocket dimension, remaining unseen until a gap appears in someone’s heart, revealing itself to parasitize? Clearly, it’s a weapon created to harm people. No way such a creature can arise naturally.
“Honestly… who creates something like this?”
「It’s the Evil Flower.」
“Observer. You know about this?”
「Yes. It’s a weapon made to attack humans.」
“…a weapon made to attack humans.”
And then, the Observer suddenly realized the identity of the black flower we were discussing. A shocking statement slipped from his lips. This was a weapon made for someone? Contrary to my thoughts that it was impossible, the Observer was saying this flower had been created.
On Earth, such a thing would be utterly unacceptable to humanity.
“Who on earth—?”
「Humans.」
“…What?”
「Only humans develop weapons to kill other humans.」
“No, that’s….”
At those words from the Observer, I held my tongue. While I said humanity wouldn’t build weapons to harm each other… that was actually a fallacious statement.
In the entire historical timeline of Earth, no creature, nor any beast that threatened humanity, had ever made weapons to kill humans.
Only humans.
Make weapons to kill humans.
“What— what purpose could there be in creating something like this?”
「That’s a particularly foolish question for you. Is there a reason for making weapons separate from that?」
“…To kill people.”
「Affirmative. To kill humans.」
“But, to create something so dangerous? Why?”
The Observer took a moment to respond but finally opened his mouth cautiously.
「You seem to have lived in a very peaceful era.」
“…Peaceful era? It wasn’t that peaceful.”
「Negative. Listening to what you’re saying, I can tell. You’re someone who hasn’t experienced war, someone who’s lived in a very peaceful era.」
The Observer, rarely verbose, suddenly overwhelmed me with words before falling silent again. I quietly turned my head, no longer seeing the incoming chat logs. At the very black flower I had captured.
A weapon created to kill humans. Honestly, it wasn’t that surprising. A multitude of tools I had made were meant to kill other humans, weren’t they?
However, I had never seen an object so filled with malice made solely to kill humans.
‘A weapon created solely to kill humans….’
Swords or guns could also be called weapons made to kill humans, but… this was on a whole different level. Those can be used for cooking, creating something, or hunting beasts, but—this Evil Flower had only one function, to kill humans.
Yes. Without harming nature, without affecting the beasts living above it, and without damaging machines, solely targeting and killing humans with malice.
Thus, the Evil Flower.
“Still, for now….”
I needed to investigate.
To prevent any events like this from happening again.
If I were to face this malice once more, I must always be prepared to respond.
So—.
I faced malice directed at humanity.
Really, a sticky and horrific, a product of madness.
* * *
“Huh—?”
After being scolded by Eight and returning to her room, Ayle discovered the black flower pattern growing on her body while taking a bath. Thinking it was just dust or bruises, she scrubbed at it, but it wouldn’t come off nor did it hurt.
In fact, it had a pattern that was too vivid to be mere dirt or a bruise. Even an acclaimed artist who dedicated his life could never paint something this perfect on skin.
While caressing that tattoo, Ayle felt an inexplicable power seeping from the pattern and suddenly recalled the fact that this power was too familiar to something she knew.
“This is….”
The power from when she was an Evil Magical Girl she often used resurfaced even in her bare state. Unknowingly, Ayle reached out her hand and cast magic just like in her days as a magical girl.
At that moment, a jet-black tendril resembling a rose shot out from her palm. The magical line zapped out forcefully, smacking against the bathroom wall before stretching out limp.
“Kyaaaaah!?”
Ayle let out a weak scream, never imagining that magic would pour out in her naked state, and she sat up slowly. Then, she hesitantly looked down at her palm.
“Magic… is being used?”
No, to be precise, it wasn’t magic. It was more reminiscent of the superpowers innocent kids used nonchalantly in school, unlike the magic used by magical girls.
Yes. This was closer to superpowers. Something Ayle had never had in her life but had longed for, that simple power.
The very superpower that 99% of humanity is born with as a given.
While thinking this, Ayle stepped on something rustling on the bathroom floor and realized she had just smashed the bathroom wall with magic.
Late to realize what she had done, Ayle panicked at the sight of the destroyed wall, wishing for a magic to fix broken things for a long time.