Kkomkmu observed the six-sided objects while lost in thought.
“Truly, this is unpleasant.”
It was unpleasant. Suddenly attacking like this, where is such a rule?
“‘That kid is as reckless as ever.'”
A drama of friendship created by a man named Shin Hyun. After just seeing that, I wanted to turn back. But work is work; there’s nothing to be done about it.
He determined the destination of the falling six-sided objects from the sky. The destination was right above their heads.
Magical girls, battered as if they could collapse at any moment, were visible. Their eyes carried confusion and fatigue.
Such fierce battles were natural given the situation.
In the midst of this, Iris stepped forward.
“…First, issue an evacuation order. Let’s try to hold on for a bit.”
It was an attitude befitting the team leader. If she weren’t in such a state, one might have felt intimidated.
It’s truly regrettable. To lose such interesting beings here.
Or, perhaps not necessarily so.
The sound of sirens rang out, and the collision of the six-sided objects could be heard. Those things, resembling chunks of finely chopped meat clumped together, began to sprout tentacles and started walking.
It’s a truly grotesque sight.
“…Ugh…!”
Iris suppressed the urge to vomit and swung her fist.
POW!
The chunk of meat shattered with a bursting sound.
Unexpectedly, they were putting up quite a fight. Despite having exhausted their strength, they held on for a long time and made every effort to minimize casualties.
However,
“The monsters are still coming!”
Stella’s voice, who had been firing arrows, trembled greatly.
“Ugh…”
She fell to her knees on the ground, reverting to her original form as Lee Tae-hwa. The starlight faded.
“d*mn…why now…!”
“I can’t continue either…”
The other magical girls were the same. Blackheart reverted to Yoo Yul, and Natalia to Seo Jin-a.
Only Iris, with the help of QQQ, could endure a little longer.
But even that was only a matter of time.
Iris was certain.
“Not enough power…”
They had just finished a fierce battle. It would be strange if her body were fine.
She turned her gaze to her teammates whose transformations had worn off. And most importantly, Uncle was also there.
“Can I fight while protecting them?”
The answer was impossible.
It was impossible to protect everyone while fighting. With waves of enemies coming in, there were four ordinary people to protect.
Screams erupted from all around.
Iris gritted her teeth.
Meanwhile, the demons kept coming.
“…Take cover over there for now!”
A brilliant light enveloped the surroundings with a large burst of starlight.
+++++
“Why…”
Why is that kid already here? It didn’t make sense. By timing, he should have come next week.
Was something interfering?
No, upon reflection, my very presence here is a kind of interference, so it shouldn’t be surprising.
Just, because of that, we’ve fallen into a major crisis.
“We should go out and help too!”
“…If only we’d saved some strength…”
“For now, let’s wait for headquarters’ contact. Here—”
A loud metallic sound accompanied by ominous foreboding filled the air.
Our location was a small building with a shopping mall. There was only the first floor, second floor, and underground parking—a very small building.
From the start, it was difficult to hide here for long. Clearly, those guys were tracking down the magical girls.
“d*mn Rust.”
They must really be fond of these girls. They’re persistently chasing after them like this.
“Should I transform?”
As I was about to call Kkomkmu, I hesitated for a moment, swallowing saliva. I tried to secretly transform somewhere, but—
“Th-that…!”
Apparently, demons were already lurking everywhere. The sound earlier was likely them breaking through the door.
I’m worried about leaving the exhausted girls behind and something unfortunate happening. That means, ultimately, if I’m going to transform, I’ll have to do it here.
And that means
“My identity will be revealed.”
I looked at the demons closing in. They’re following the trail of magical energy.
If I stay here, I’ll be exposed.
“Everyone, please follow quietly.”
We bent our bodies and silently headed toward the underground parking lot. Movement was slow because everyone was utterly exhausted, their steps faltering.
Because of that, perhaps,
“…Stop.”
It seems the underground parking lot is also too late.
Gulp gulp.
Crunch crunch.
The sounds of tearing and chewing meat, along with bones breaking and being crushed, could be heard.
“That’s…what on earth…”
“Wah…”
“Yul, hang on a little longer…”
One of the demons was having its mealtime. The victim was a middle-aged man. Judging by his attire, he was probably the manager of this small shopping mall.
“He tried to escape by car and got caught.”
A car with the keys inside stood silent in front of him. He was likely attacked by one of the demons that entered from upstairs when trying to open the door.
At the horrific scene, Yoo Yul sniffled. The other two maintained silence, but their expressions were frozen stiff.
To get everyone out safely, we need that car—but with this situation…
“…Ah…there’s no choice.”
The survival of the girls comes first.
Hiding behind the wall, I extended my hand and aimed at the demon. Fortunately, the lighting was creating shadows.
As I clenched my fist tightly,
PUSHOOOK!
Tentacles erupting from the demon’s shadow pierced through it. Like skewers, the shadow tentacles shredded the demon to pieces.
I’ve done it now.
“…Sigh…”
I moved toward the car and opened the door. It was definitely the right one. The gas tank was full, and it was a big, good car.
Its size indicates it’s incredibly powerful.
“…Uncle, I’ll borrow this for a bit.”
The girls looked at me with wary eyes as I returned with the key.
They’ve fought Kraken pretty well. They couldn’t have missed recognizing the technique from earlier.
“…You.”
“I understand what you want to say.”
“Who exactly are you?”
Seo Jin-a spoke.
I simply smirked in response.
“Jin-a.”
“…”
“I’ll give this to you. Just take the car.”
I tossed the key to Seo Jin-a.
“Where did you get this?”
“It belonged to that gentleman. It’s not very necessary for someone who’s already passed away.”
My words caused Seo Jin-a to frown darkly.
“…Why are you helping us? No, why are you even here…”
I raised a finger to signal silence. There’s no time for idle chatter now.
“If we get the chance, I’d love to talk later. For now, isn’t escaping from here the priority?”
“…”
“Is learning my identity more important, or the safety of the kids?”
“…I’m not confident in driving…”
Despite her reluctant expression, Seo Jin-a took the key.
“Just a moment. Noah hasn’t come yet.”
“That’s right. Let’s wait and bring Noah—”
BOOM!
“—he’s here.”
At perfect timing, Iris came in. More accurately, rolled in.
Bursting through the ceiling of the underground parking lot.
As soon as she arrived, she urgently shouted.
“Hurry and escape! They’ll be here soon!”
“Noah, undo your transformation and get in the car.”
“Are you planning to escape by car? Alright, I’ll stay behind.”
“Noah. Get in quickly. Don’t make me say it twice. I’ll stay behind.”
Noticing the change in my demeanor, Iris flinched. She hesitated before speaking.
“But…”
“Noah.”
“What will Uncle do if he stays behind…if Uncle stays—”
“Noah. Are you going to bother Uncle repeatedly?”
“Ugh…”
Iris hung her head deeply. Seeing that, my heart ached, but it was unavoidable.
If I don’t do this, Noah won’t get in the car.
More importantly,
“…What a mess.”
I don’t know how Noah will react upon learning my true identity.
The other magical girls watched us with confused expressions.
I understand.
If a close acquaintance suddenly turns out to be the villain threatening them, or if this person suddenly claims they’ll sacrifice themselves, honestly, anyone would think “What nonsense is this?”
If only we had more time, I would have explained everything individually.
“Noah, get in the car.”
“…No. I won’t leave Uncle.”
“Noah!!”
“How can you stay alone?! Do you intend to d*e?! I…don’t want to! I won’t leave Uncle!”
“…Noah.”
“Let’s go together. Okay? I won’t stay behind alone. Let’s go together…please…”
After pondering for a while, I hugged her. Her tears soaked my chest, and I gently stroked her head until—
POW!
“Ugh…uh…?”
“Get in the car, I said.”
I forcefully disabled her transformation by striking the back of her neck. Wobbling, she fell to the ground, reverting to her normal form as Noah.
Noah looked bewildered.
“How…could you have such strength?”
“…Something like that happened.”
“I don’t want…Uncle…don’t go…”
“I’m sorry. If I survive and return, I’ll explain everything.”
As I placed Noah in the car, I slowly distanced myself from them.
“Escape then. I’ll try to buy you as much time as possible.”
“…”
“Why are you hesitating? Are you still feeling guilty about stealing? Don’t worry. If anyone asks where this car came from, tell them clearly.”
“…”
“Kraken stole it.”
Kraken.
At that word, Noah flinched.
“Kraken…? Is that guy here too?”
“…”
“That d*mn b*stard…is he in cahoots with them—”
“It’s not like that. I’m sure of it. Definitely.”
“How do you know that, Uncle?”
That Kraken is currently extremely confused and hesitating. Should I tell them? Should I keep quiet?
Ah, I wish I could have kept this secret forever.
BOOM!
“They’re coming down from upstairs! We have to go now!”
As the car engine roared, ready to speed off, I gave Noah a quiet smile and said,
“It’s because I am Kraken.”
