Episode 37: The Beauty of a Beautiful Girl Destroys Everything
—I just wanted a friend.
It was in my final moments that I realized this was my true wish.
In the instant my life was about to end, I confronted my own desire.
“This is… how it should be.”
The slash unleashed by Gata Toraku approached me.
There was no need to resist.
This was the salvation that would free me from this hideous monster’s form.
That’s why I wasn’t afraid of anything.
“Ah, next time I want to be an ordinary girl.”
My daydreams were filled with nothing extraordinary—just everyday life.
Doing homework together with Tourak.
Giving Mihaya advice on her love troubles.
Making lunch for Lutra.
Such a normal life now feels so distant to me.
A white slash drew near.
The pure white, untainted by anything, effortlessly pierced through the cluster of tentacles created by Ouroboros’ defense instinct and continued forward.
I closed my eyes quietly.
I exhaled, preparing myself to accept death.
And then, just as everything was about to come to an end…
A star appeared.
“…How ridiculous.”
A voice echoed as if rejecting my resolution and prayers.
Above the amusement park, a massive magic circle had been deployed.
At its center, rotating like a clock, was a figure with silver hair that caught the eye.
“…Is that…”
She was Solciera, an S-Rank Explorer marked as high-risk by Silver Twilight.
Everything about her—the conditions of her appearance, her purpose, and the organization she belonged to—was unknown. And yet, she suddenly appeared at this moment.
However, I clearly recognized her.
More accurately, it was the refined magical power she exuded that I recognized.
“Could it be… you were the one in that costume?”
My eyes, granted an abnormal ability to observe by Silver Twilight, immediately understood.
Because of those eyes, I quickly realized that the woman looking down on me and the one who had pushed me were the same person.
Then why…
Did she appear now?
I was simply doing what I wanted to do.
I just wanted to die for my friends.
“Stop interfering. This is what I want to do.”
I extended my tentacles toward Solciera.
Over a thousand tentacles spread out, swallowing the light of the stars as they approached Solciera.
But all of them were restrained by chains that emerged from a new magic circle she activated.
I tried to shake them off, but even with this massive body, I couldn’t move properly.
The chains, made of a substance not found on this planet and originating from magic, were something I could do nothing against.
Ignoring me, Solciera fired a concentrated artillery attack at Tourak and the others.
Apparently, it was to stop their attack on me. It was unnecessary.
“Are you trying to prevent my death?”
From here, I couldn’t hear what Solciera and Tourak were saying.
For a while, I merely watched their exchange of words.
Eventually, I noticed the expressions on Tourak and the others’ faces change when they saw Solciera’s magic circle.
Instead of hostility, their eyes carried determination and sorrow.
I immediately understood what that meant—they had realized that the monster was me.
“I get it now. You figured it out. So, you know what needs to be done, right?”
Perhaps due to the degradation over time, Solciera’s chains weakened and eventually shattered.
Simultaneously, Ouroboros’ defensive instincts let out a fierce roar towards Solciera.
Perfect timing.
Without revealing even a hint of who I am, let them kill me.
After all, I’m a monster.
That’s my wish.
So why…
Is there hope in Tourak’s eyes?
“What are you trying to do?”
Tourak and the others kept getting closer, dodging my tentacles.
This was the least suitable action for this situation.
The method to defeat Ouroboros is through long-range ultra-powerful attacks.
Concentrated artillery fire would have been appropriate under normal circumstances.
Even Lutra’s slashes could have fulfilled the role adequately.
Therefore, there was no need for them to approach me.
“Don’t come any closer!”
If they got closer, the risk of death would increase.
My tentacles, moving freely, were straightforward weapons capable of causing fatal injuries with their sheer mass upon contact.
Tourak and the others must have known that.
Yet, they deflected the tentacles, narrowly avoided them, and steadily moved forward.
I quickly understood the cause of their actions.
“Solciera!”
She must have whispered something to them.
As a result, Tourak and the others were now exposed to life-threatening dangers.
It might be misplaced anger.
Still, I had no intention of suppressing this emotion.
Heroes killing monsters and that’s the end.
That was supposed to be the script.
I thought that’s what I wanted.
“This is the best I can do with my weakness! Understand that!”
As if mocking my scream, Solciera evaded the attacks, gracefully slicing through the tentacles.
Not only that, she seemed to be carefully avoiding endangering Mihaya and Tourak simultaneously.
It seems she wouldn’t even allow me the worry.
Everything was under Solciera’s control.
The destination of bullets, the timing of avoidance, the running routes, and above all, even my attacks were entirely within her grasp.
Without losing even a second of her brilliance, Solciera approached me.
It felt like my resolve was being trampled, and before I knew it, I was growling.
A heartfelt roar echoed throughout the amusement park.
As a monster, I swung my tentacles wildly according to my emotions.
I didn’t have the time to consider whether Tourak and the others might die from it.
I just wanted to act unpredictably to Solciera’s forecasts.
I didn’t want to lose to the shine of the stars.
However, my rampage barely managed to disturb a strand of Solciera’s bangs.
When I realized it, a path leading to me had formed.
My rampage was all within her expectations.
“Since I finally figured out what I want to do… don’t interfere.”
I desire death.
Solciera must understand that.
Precisely because she understands, she’s reaching out to me.
At that moment, our eyes surely met.
The blue eyes that were supposed to have lost sight of my human form were intently capturing me.
Her eyes, dark and clear like the depths of the sea.
As she faintly smiled, I heard a voice.
“Rinka!”
It was Tourak calling my name.
Looking in the direction of the voice, there stood Tourak, sword in hand, heading towards me. Tentacles sprouted to stop him, but Mihaya stationed behind him wouldn’t allow it.
“Let’s be friends again. Let’s start over from the beginning. We’ll wait for you forever! So..!”
Tourak dodged the tentacles and leaped high.
Using the tentacles as stepping stones, he ascended higher into the air.
Seeing him, feelings I had carefully tucked away inside began to overflow.
Once spoken, I knew I would regret it, so I had sealed it away within myself.
“…Tourak, Tourak!”
I called his name.
Just wanting him to notice me.
I’m here.
Look at me, please.
“—Help me, Tourak. Please help me!”
“I’m here to help you now.”
It was probably a coincidence.
But Tourak certainly answered me that way.
With a powerful kick, Tourak propelled himself further upward.
Facing the center of Ouroboros mid-air, he kicked forcefully once more.
Simultaneously, a violet-blue magic circle appeared behind him, pushing his body forward.
Kicking off the magic circle and augmented by the release of magical power, Tourak descended towards me like a white meteor.
“Lu_tra, one swing will suffice.”
Saying that, Tourak readied his sword.
I welcomed him with open tentacles upon seeing this.
And so, the falling star came towards me—.
“Can you be friends with me again?”
“…Yeah. Nice to meet you, Tourak.”
I’ve gained a friend.
■
Ouroboros split apart dramatically.
Due to losing half of its core, Ouroboros began to collapse—a safety mechanism installed by Silver Twilight.
The tentacles unraveled like an untied rope, leaving only the boy and the girl at the center.
Tourak scooped up Rinka and jumped out from the center of Ouroboros.
“…Hey, Rinka, are you alright?”
“Yeah.”
“Good.”
Seeing Tourak’s relieved smile, Rinka truly realized she was alive again.
Soon, Mihaya joined them.
Upon seeing Rinka, Mihaya snatched her from Tourak’s arms and hugged her tightly.
“You idiot.”
“…Sorry.”
“I’ll forgive you this one time. If you ever do something like this again, I won’t forgive you.”
Mihaya said this with a trembling voice, and Rinka nodded quietly.
“So, shall we start over? Can you be friends with me… with me, Agiri Rinka?”
To these words, both of them looked at each other and smiled.
“Of course.”
And thus, Rinka gained friends.
Just having friends now feels overwhelmingly joyful.
(I’m allowed to live.)
Tears welled up in Rinka’s eyes as Mihaya gently stroked her head.
Watching the two of them, Tourak suddenly noticed that Lutra hadn’t returned to human form yet.
“Lutra, what’s wrong?”
“Clack, clack,” her sword trembled in his hands.
Soon, Tourak felt Lutra’s fear and determination to fight flow into him.
“It’s Solciera, isn’t it?”
“That’s the successful prototype No. Zero of Demons Gear. The Demons Gear designed to kill us.”
Hearing Lutra’s words, Tourak realized.
Solciera was gone.
Until just now, she had been dominating the battlefield with her presence, but now she had vanished without a trace.
“Where did she go… What is that?”
Surveying the surroundings, Tourak looked up at the sky, suddenly feeling its brightness.
There she was.
The magic circle that covered the sky when she first appeared was glowing, pulsating as if it were alive.
“What is she planning to do?”
“The matter around us is being converted into magical power.”
Thanks to Lutra’s words, Tourak finally noticed the anomaly.
Blue-white particles rising from the surroundings.
Debris, flames, and tentacles were dissolving into particles as if melting into the world itself.
And all of these were heading towards the magic circle Solciera had deployed.
“Convergence of magical power?”
Tourak suddenly realized.
What was she good at?
What had she done in the footage he’d seen before?
“Could she be preparing… a convergence cannon shot!?”
“Tourak, five swings. That’s enough to stop her.”
Noticing the surrounding changes, Mihaya called out.
“Tourak, what is this?”
“It’s Solciera. She’s converting all the matter around here into magical power to launch a convergence cannon shot!”
“Tourak, let’s go. We can’t let Sister take the initiative.”
“Yeah.”
“Wait, you’re actually going to attack Solciera!? That’s impossible!”
“Mihaya, hurry up.”
Mihaya tried to stop Tourak while Lutra urged him on.
Thus, the hesitation born between them gave Tourak enough time to be restrained.
Suddenly, silver chains emerged from beneath Tourak’s feet, binding him and the sword he held.
“Ugh! What is this!?”
“It’s too late. Now, signal the other Demon’s Gear—”
While hearing Lutra, who seemed somewhat resigned, say something, Tourak looked up at the sky in defiance.
Solciera was still there.
She glanced at Tourak and said,
“Don’t interfere. I have no more use for you.”
Solciera turned her back as if further interaction would be a waste of time.
Ahead of her was Ouroboros, which had just begun to collapse after Rinka’s departure.
Ouroboros, while collapsing, seemed to be gathering its tentacles to attempt something.
“…It’s absorbing itself.”
Rinka was the first to realize the meaning of this action.
It was a forced survival method utilizing its regenerative abilities.
Ouroboros, having lost Rinka as its core, was attempting to return to its complete form by continuously absorbing itself.
“If it loses human control, it will truly become a monster!”
Until now, Rinka had maintained some level of control.
And even with that control, it had reached such a terrible state.
It’s easy to imagine what would happen without reason.
“Could Solciera have known this…?”
The magic circle had been present since her arrival.
The spell structure centered on convergence was now fully manifesting its effects.
The light ascending into the sky faded.
Simultaneously, the magic circle shone brighter than ever.
“Poor soul. Let me end this for you.”
Turning towards Ouroboros with pity, Solciera switched her large scythe and aimed the gun-like end of the handle.
At that moment, several violet-blue tubes stretched out from the magic circle and connected to the scythe.
With each pulse, the magical power absorbed by the magic circle flowed into the scythe.
The sight of all the vast magical power from the surrounding area converging into one point resembled the birth of a star.
Several magic circles unfolded in front of the gun’s mouth.
They looked like a long barrel extending towards Ouroboros and started rotating rapidly.
Wielding something far too monstrous for a single girl, Solciera declared poetically,
“Know the brilliance of the stars.”
The trigger was pulled.
That was the last motion Tourak recognized.
Anything beyond that was impossible to observe.
The entire area was enveloped in dazzling silver light.
“Hey! Both of you, behind me!”
Tourak called out hastily, stepped in front of the two, and raised Lutra.
He used all the magical power he had to create a magical shield.
Everywhere except their location was engulfed in silver light.
“Is this a convergence cannon?! There’s no way the council would call this just a convergence cannon!”
Mihaya shouted while holding Rinka protectively.
(I was told this differs from existing convergence cannons. But fundamentally, this isn’t even a convergence cannon. This is what Silver Twilight meant.)
Faced with this light, Rinka finally understood the meaning of the organization’s words.
It wasn’t just a matter of exceeding standards.
Fundamentally, it transcended the dimension of biological existence.
“Are you okay, Lutra?”
“I can endure the aftermath. But if targeted, it’s impossible. Only Eina or Trim could withstand a direct confrontation.”
Lutra stated calmly.
“…This is her true strength.”
About ten seconds later, the silver light subsided.
Nothing remained in the vicinity.
The place where Ouroboros once existed had been completely erased, including the ground.
Tourak dissolved the magical shield.
A cold wind blew through the empty space.
The scene of destruction brought by the silver light.
The queen of stars quietly overlooked it all.
“Tooth Tower Tourak”
Solciera called his name.
He was unable to even ready his weapon.
“Come here. Otherwise… you will lose everything.”
Leaving those words, Solciera slipped through the magic circle beside her and disappeared somewhere.
Stunned, Tourak’s grip loosened, and Lutra returned to her human form, beads of sweat visible on her forehead.
“She let us go. No, I wasn’t the target from the start. …Did another Demon’s Gear do something?”
Muttering to herself, Lutra seemed somewhat flustered but otherwise unchanged.
“…Now’s not the time to be dazed.”
Mihaya, who had previously known Solciera, was the first to regain her senses among the three.
She lightly tapped Tourak’s head and said,
“You did well. You saved Rinka, and Ouroboros is gone as a result. Isn’t that great?”
“…Yeah.”
Still stunned, Tourak watched as Mihaya sighed.
She then grabbed his cheeks with both hands and forced him to make eye contact.
“Snap out of it. Solciera is gone. What should we do now?”
At Mihaya’s words, Tourak finally regained his senses.
“…Confirm survivors.”
“That’s right. You know what to do. Come on, Rinka, let’s go together.”
Patting Rinka’s shoulder, her body shivered slightly before nodding, “Y-yeah.”
“Let’s check around the Ferris wheel at the back of the amusement park.”
Both nodded at his suggestion, and Tourak set off to act.
The stars were beautifully visible tonight.
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