A short while later, the Magical Girl stared blankly at the Kraken. Her eyes shook as if she couldn’t comprehend what was happening.
“What…what are you saying?”
She couldn’t make sense of his words.
“Did you…make a slip of the tongue?”
Her hands began to sweat profusely. The beads of sweat trickling down her back were undoubtedly from the intense exercise she had just endured.
Her heart started racing uncontrollably, and the words echoed in her mind. Her legs began trembling.
“…Stop shaking, prepare for battle.”
Shin Hyun, who cherished Noah dearly, let out a cruel remark.
Her eyes took on the look of a puppy abandoned by its owner, almost softening his resolve. But instead, he hardened his heart and pushed her even harder.
“Kill me.”
“I…can’t.”
“Then fight with the intention to kill! Do you want to die by my hands!?”
“No…”
As Iris slowly backed away, she suddenly turned and fled.
“…Fool.”
The Kraken didn’t let her go. To be precise, he couldn’t let her go.
“Tch…”
He moved into her shadow and used it as a portal to appear right next to her. From close range, he swung his tentacles.
With a dull thud, Iris rolled across the ground.
“Guh…Ugh…”
“Get up, face me. Do you really want to die?”
“No…”
“If not, then get up and fight!”
“I don’t want to fight Uncle…”
At those words, the Kraken fell silent.
He had hoped to ignite her fighting spirit, but this was not what he wanted to see. If one of them had to die, he wished it would be him.
“In that case, you’ll be the one to die.”
Thus, he had no choice but to push her further.
Hearing the Kraken’s words, Iris slowly rose to her feet and spoke with a sorrowful voice.
“I don’t want to die…”
“Then fight.”
“I don’t even want to fight…”
“Make your choice! Do you think this world will indulge your tantrums forever? You know well enough! This world is ultimately about choices—moving forward or standing still, being a winner or a loser, living or dying!”
“…”
“Therefore…”
The Kraken bowed his head deeply. Soon, his voice trembled as he spoke.
“Can’t you live, Noah?”
It was a torment like no other. Although the future remained uncertain, one thing was clear.
If things continued as they were, the Demon King wouldn’t be satisfied. Satisfying him was part of their deal.
Of course, Shin Hyun wasn’t a particularly moral man. He broke laws when necessary and had even become a Villain.
‘Damn, so this is what it means to be a Demon King.’
However…
‘I’ve been cursed.’
The curse had shackled him. The thought of worms eating his heart made his skin crawl.
Even worse…
‘If I break the contract, these worms will transfer to Noah.’
Simply put…
‘If I don’t follow through, these worms will move to Noah.’
In the end, it would only lead to both him and Noah dying.
“…Damn.”
He knew he’d have to pay a hefty price…
“…Tch, here goes.”
A chilling aura spread around him.
“Attack.”
His tentacles writhed, hungry for blood like starved prisoners. They began moving slowly, then…
Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang!
They mercilessly struck Iris.
“Ugh…! Ahh…Cough…!”
“Face me, Iris! Otherwise, I’ll have no choice but to kill you!”
Venom filled his eyes.
“Get up, Iris!”
“Crrk…!”
Iris’s legs trembled. It wasn’t about physical damage.
It was simply unbearable.
To clash directly with someone dear, someone loved…
Ah, yes. Rather…
‘I should die.’
She finally realized.
Whether the man had always been a villain or had approached her with some hidden agenda, whether his current attacks were genuine or not…
‘I can’t live without Uncle anymore.’
Without him, her life would be filled with suffering.
For the past year, there hadn’t been a moment without him. Even when she fought as Iris, he was always by her side.
As the Villain Kraken.
Thinking about it now, it seemed strange, but it all made sense.
‘Why did he hold back and feed me intentionally?’
Because he never intended to kill her. Instead, their battles spurred her growth and became the driving force that kept her alive.
“…Uncle…”
“…”
“By any chance, did you choose the role of the antagonist from the beginning…for me?”
“…”
“What is that supposed to mean…you idiot.”
Iris looked up and smiled faintly.
“Uncle, you can kill me if you want.”
“What?”
“After all, if you hadn’t helped me, I would’ve died countless times already. Yeah, that’s how I feel.”
“Noah…”
The Kraken slowly raised his hand but paused mid-motion, sensing something.
Iris couldn’t understand what he was thinking. He seemed hesitant, perhaps waiting for something.
Time passed.
“In that case, I’ll end it. We can’t both die here.”
“…Uncle, I’m sorry.”
“Sorry, Noah.”
“Hehe, don’t be. After all, the life you saved, you’re just taking back, right?”
“…”
“Uncle, I’ll see you again soon. Definitely! Please take revenge for me!”
“…”
Noah slowly closed her eyes. The last thing she saw was the Kraken reinforcing his black tentacle into a claw-like shape.
Is he going to pierce my chest with that?
‘Please try to make it less painful, Uncle.’
Thud. Thud. Thud.
“Noah.”
“…Yes?”
“Sorry, die now.”
Pooof—
A tentacle pierced through the center of Noah’s chest, staining her clothes with blood.
At that very moment,
“Take this!”
A black snake surged through the hole.
Kraken threw Iris aside and dodged, allowing the snake to hit its mark—the red Essence of Rust.
Soon, the Essence shattered into powder.
“I came because Iris was taking too long…”
“How could you!? How dare you do this!?”
“You bastard! You played us from the start!”
Kraken stood up and looked at them.
Noah’s fellow Magical Girls, once his friends, were now merely enemies.
“…Sorry.”
“What do you have to be sorry for?! Look what you’ve done to our sister!”
“…”
There was nothing left to say.
Kraken slowly approached the Essence and absorbed it.
“She’s going to fall soon. I suggest you escape quickly. That’s all.”
After tearing the neck of a small Rabbit doll, he warped away.
+++++
The place I arrived at was deep within a mountain.
“You’ve worked hard.”
“…Are you satisfied?”
“It was decent. We didn’t sync well, but yes…her despair was truly a masterpiece.”
“…”
“Your gaze is terrifying, Teacher.”
“It’s nothing. Though…yeah…I need a rest.”
“Understood. Please rest well. Oh! But remember, the show must go on.”
“I know.”
“And that you cannot contact Iris or any other Magical Girls?”
“Yes. I know everything.”
“Then I’m relieved. Well, rest well.”
As soon as the Rabbit finished speaking, I slumped against the wall.
My whole body felt drained…yes. A wave of depression washed over me, as if I could die at any moment.
That’s when Kkomkmu spoke to me.
“Mr. Shin Hyun.”
“Kkomkmu…”
“It went well. It was a success.”
Kkomkmu continued in a reassuring tone.
“I’ve left many fragments of myself inside Noah. They’ll immediately assimilate and begin healing the wounds.”
“Will she survive?”
“Don’t worry. I’m an octopus, after all. Regrowing severed limbs is easy compared to temporarily sealing wounds. Besides, we narrowly avoided her heart. Still, she should go to the hospital for surgery.”
“…Thank goodness…really…thank goodness…”
I covered my face with my palm and reproached myself for a long time. I had inflicted irreparable scars on Noah.
It was truly agonizing.
“…Phew…I need to pull myself together.”
But wallowing in agony wouldn’t change anything. I took a deep breath and assessed the situation.
First, according to Kkomkmu, Noah would survive. She might bear significant scars, though.
Second, the Magical Girls had grown stronger. Their attack earlier confirmed it. They had surpassed the original characters, likely due to my interference.
And third…
“Kkomkmu, did you deliver the message properly?”
“Yes. When I pierced her, I secretly slipped it into her clothes.”
“Good job. Stay hidden and avoid detection.”
“Understood.”
The letter was delivered.
An apology to Noah, an explanation of my circumstances, and a way to resolve the current situation.
This was a workaround.
The contract was clear: ‘Sa Shin Hyun’ or ‘Kraken’ could not approach her.
It seemed she didn’t know the secret of Kraken’s transformation.
“The letter wasn’t given by me or Kraken.”
It was given by the genetically modified organism, Kkomkmu.
When I pierced Iris, Kkomkmu used its own small tentacle—not Kraken’s—to slip the letter into Noah’s clothes.
It was a loophole possible only because they were unaware of Kkomkmu’s existence.
This act was performed by the creature Kkomkmu, not the man Sa Shin Hyun.
Of course, it was done cautiously to avoid detection.
“Should I secretly meet everyone?”
“What for? First, we need to break the curse. What else can meeting accomplish besides explaining the situation?”
“That’s true…”
“I’ve already written it all in the letter. Noah will handle it.”
Ultimately, it was passing the responsibility, but there was no other option.
The situation boiled down to one conclusion:
Either one dies and sacrifices themselves, or they both live or die together.
“Please, Noah.”
Now it all depended on Noah.
All I could do was hope she handles it well.
