Chapter 35

The sun had fully set, casting darkness over the city, but the streetlights failed to illuminate. The surrounding buildings, teeming with people, also remained dark and silent.

Because a single girl had used her ability to generate lightning. The radiance of the protagonist, a boy of a certain genre, had undergone an influence, resulting in this radiance’s protection being maximally manifested in creating the lightning.

From the fingertips of Erica, beautiful like a fairy, dozens of lightning streams were blossoming, though they were actually somewhat out of Erica’s control, jumping around unpredictably.

The output itself was an unprecedented level of power forcibly harnessed from the future for the sake of the present moment—something Erica had generated herself. Yet, the question persisted: why did stray bolts of lightning that struck the Student Council President, who was not even a user of such an ability, fail to harm her?

Certainly, Erica, who had no previous experience controlling her powers, could not possibly demonstrate such precise control to avoid harming the Student Council President or any regular person.

‘Is it you?’

Erica found her answer deep within herself.

Precisely those remnants of the old Erica, proven by favorability during her encounters with other heroines.

If those remnants were desperately trying to save the Student Council President, then the present situation made sense.

Even though Erica’s question remained unanswered by any phantom presence, witnessing the frantic lightning bolts avoiding harm brought a sensation akin to hearing phantom echoes.

‘Until the end, Seo-ra tried to protect me. If that’s the case, it’s only fitting that I respond in kind. Back then, I was clearly ready to d*e, so I neither cared about nor wondered how my body would be used after d*ath. But if you feel even the slightest sense of debt towards me, then this one time, protect her.’

Invisible to Erica, a phantom girl appeared, speaking amidst dolls where such a presence should not exist.

Erica, who couldn’t see her reflection, couldn’t recognize this figure, but any observer would immediately notice the resemblance to Erica herself. This other self, her snow-white hair extending to her waist, left behind some final words before fading away.

‘—Because that’s the bare minimum respect anyone should have for using my body.’

The phantom vanished thereafter.

But though Erica didn’t physically see her, the girl hadn’t completely disappeared. In the final moments Erica mentioned the Student Council President, Lee Seo-ra, a faint warmth could still be felt in her voice. Whether that lingering essence was a fragment of the previous Erica or merely an illusion wasn’t clear. And with that fleeting moment over, Erica faced dozens of dolls in the real world.

Before awakening her abilities, such a scene had been a source of immense dread. Endless rows of dolls that no amount of damaging or destroying could ever completely eliminate.

Erica simultaneously pointed her index fingers at both sides, and from her hands, two streams of continuous lightning were thrust outward, one heading in each direction.

The slender silver beams expanded as they traveled, swelling into a massive tidal wave that swept through the alley.

A wave so powerful that it obliterated everything in its path—fences, streetlights, and dolls alike—while leaving nearby residential buildings entirely untouched. Witnessing this, the Student Council President could fully appreciate the fineness and precision of Erica’s ability.

“Erica, this is…”

Before the Student Council President could voice her thoughts, Erica collapsed.

Merely unleashing two streams of lightning was enough to render her unconscious.

Was it due to unfamiliarity with her newfound powers? Or was it that even Erica’s resolve couldn’t handle the task of wiping out the dolls without harming any humans? Or was her spirit simply overwhelmed by the sheer magnitude of her own strength?

Before the Student Council President, wise in her own right, could discern the answer, from what they thought was a pile of ash, a doll with its upper and lower halves torn apart managed to speak.

“Ex, ce, ptionally.”

Examining its torn side revealed something telling: it was hollow inside, where bl**d should have flowed. Hollow inside, it was truly nothing more than a doll.

A doll, manipulated by some force, speaking despite injuries that would have been fatal to a human.

“To, not ki, ll anyo, ne, and stil, be this po, werfu, l…”

In a world where those born with offensive supernatural abilities were rare, Erica had used only a fraction of her power yet unleashed a tremendous lightning strike capable of sweeping through an alley.

Recognizing the strength of that lightning, the doll couldn’t help but smile, as its accompanying weakness was equally evident.

“Unfo, rtunate.”

With that, the last doll turned to ash. Instantly, the Student Council President grasped the realization that had dawned on the doll’s master.

Currently, there’s no sign of the protection that usually surrounded Erica.

While there’s no issue if she unleashes such strength with someone there to protect her, without such protection, the risk of being kidnapped in her weakened state is quite real.

Despite her immense power, Erica’s vulnerability was painfully clear.

“I suppose we should take her back to her house for now. The others can handle their side.”

Amidst the distant sounds of a boy’s ongoing battle, the Student Council President embraced the girl she loved and headed towards her home.

Having requested help through a text to the girl’s vengeful yet sisterly counterpart, what followed was a matter of trusting her to resolve the situation.

Though Erica could hardly be faulted in this matter, without the help of her sister’s powers, it could spiral out of control, regardless of Erica’s preferences.

Even as the glow of Erica’s lightning kept the alley lights from working, a red-haired woman quietly disappeared into the shadows, carrying Erica on her back.

*

A room filled with garbage. Inside, a girl with ghostly long hair repeatedly struck the monitor before her, to no avail—it buzzed incessantly and refused to cooperate, likely damaged by the “lightning” despite not taking a direct hit.

The monitor was connected to one of the dolls outside. Even if the doll had avoided direct lightning, the monitor had likely succumbed to the strike’s interference.

A girl accustomed to biting her nails in anxiety when things didn’t go her way, now gave up striking the monitor and slumped to the floor.

“I thought it would end with showing the president something embarrassingly sexy or just abandoning her. But she always exceeds expectations, huh.”

She wasn’t analyzing Erica’s weaknesses from the footage, but rather indulging in Erica’s electrifying presence out of pure admiration.

Seeing Erica obliterate dozens of dolls in one fell swoop—despite only possessing slightly above-average physical abilities—was indeed the cool and impressive Erica she admired.

“But I’m not sure if showing that kind of strength right now was the wise move…-_-.”

The raw power was undeniable, but its limits were equally apparent.

If they sent in scouts to provoke her into using her powers, then followed up with the main assault, Erica would likely be taken down easily.

Numerous strategies crossed the mind of the girl on the floor, her ghost-like black hair trailing behind her, contemplating how to exploit Erica’s powers.

Ordinarily, instead of finding weaknesses, she’d be thinking of ways to act cute towards Erica—but not this time.

What she had just witnessed—Erica revealing her carefully concealed abilities to protect the Student Council President—was unpleasant for her.

“Did she really let all the other ones live?”

She had attempted to create living dolls, imbuing them with supernatural abilities, to have them k*ll a boy, causing a nationwide manhunt for him. But the boy, realizing they were alive, spared every single one of them.

Over a hundred dolls captured, and those with the ability to fight were subdued by the boy—a devastating expenditure in a single instant.

However, despite the heavy loss, the girl’s expression remained unusually calm.

On one side, there was the boy who gathered followers through his charisma. On the other, there were women who bonded through strength.

While both sides undoubtedly possessed powers that she couldn’t compete with, in terms of building strength, none could surpass her.

As the girl mused on increasing her own forces, she recalled the warning Erica had given her through the “dolls.”

“Did she really know, or was she just worried I might lose?”

Though this girl, having lived multiple lifetimes, was much older than Erica, whenever she thought of Erica, a mix of polite and informal tones naturally emerged.

Perhaps because Erica’s self-sacrificing “past” seemed to this girl like a trustworthy older sister, regardless of their ages.

Since Erica wasn’t there to hear her, the girl lying sprawled amid the garbage decided to worry about speech patterns later.

Her tone had shifted entirely from when she failed at her task with the Student Council and was reprimanded.

This was likely due to her soul being warped by the cost of her powers.

The girl smiled faintly as she stared at the moldy ceiling, planning her next move based on today’s events.