Mr. Magical Girl

Chapter 42. The Light of the Earth

-23:59:59-

From far beyond the horizon, gigantic crustaceans approached. They were the main forces that had emerged together when the Great Chef first appeared from the depths of the sea. The massive creatures, tens of times larger than the enemies that had attacked the barrier, marched slowly toward it, dyeing the world in gray.

“They’re really big. I thought they were just vague when the big monster appeared with the leader, but now that I look at them from the top of the barrier, I can truly see their size. It’s like the perspective is twisted; they must be about 50 meters long. Honestly, I wonder if this barrier is even useful considering their size. How huge was the leader that made that thing look small?

Let’s see… One of its teeth was bigger than my body… I… have no idea. Anyway, if humanity wants to avoid extinction, we need to take them all out, so what does their size even matter?

Well, my break time is over. I was sitting, adjusting my clothes, and scratching my itchy body, but it looks like that time has come to an end. Unho was sent back with the rescue squad, leaving only me at the barrier.

Other comrades must be remaining in different sectors for the final operation, but it seems I’m all alone here.

“Green Green.”

Maybe that’s why I found myself muttering. It was a complaint that I could voice since no one was around to hear it. Since meeting her, a multitude of thoughts swirled in my mind. Heroes who chose justice in front of the hardships looming before them. They could have easily fled.

If they slammed the injured and focused solely on escape, no one could blame them. The injured would be buried at the site, and the four heroes would remain silent to hide their own shames.

Their disobedience, and if they retreated to the secondary assembly point, could easily be justified.

Even if their excuses didn’t hold, it would suffice to say they returned voluntarily, reducing their crime to a light level.

Yet, they chose a different path. They pushed the injured to safety, using their bodies as shields. Believing they could save the wounded, they threw their lives into the line of fire.

Why did they act that way? It would have gone unrewarded. If I hadn’t come to help, they would have simply turned into bloodstains and disappeared, and their actions would have been nothing but a senseless death.

And yet, they moved. Like the heroes who once protected humanity. They weren’t fools. They were heroes who could shine at any moment. If only a simple trigger manifested, if the choice to select their own justice was thrown in front of them, they could be the heroes they were meant to be.

So, was my behavior wrong?

I swung my hammer at the gigantic claw descending toward me. The hammer drew an elegant arc as it collided with the enormous claw, creating a tremendous bang, and the enemy’s claw bounced back, unable to withstand my strength.

Plop.

The massive crustacean fell backward and sank into the sea. Its claw didn’t shatter, so it probably survived. Maybe it just couldn’t absorb all the force and tumbled backward.

The moment that thought broke, a similarly sized claw swung toward me. The enormous beings seemed to have recognized me as a dangerous opponent after my last attack and began to focus their strikes on me. Countless claws slammed against me and the barrier, while smaller crustaceans climbed onto the bodies of the giant creatures and spat spikes at me.

The wall that had once held off thousands of crustaceans was shattered by a single claw, and the dust generated from the process enveloped the surroundings.

In that hazy battlefield, I reflexively swung my hammer. I had no intention of harming them. The current mission was to keep the enemies occupied. If all eyes were focused on me, it would work to my advantage.

Instead of concentrating on the fight, I continued my thoughts. Was my activity as a Black Marauder a mistake? Wham.

The claw bounced off my swung hammer. It was hardly a threatening attack.

Could it be that I failed to distinguish the seeds of heroes and instead slapped a clown mask onto them with my narrow metrics? Green Green was the first victim.

Beneath my feet, she lay with broken limbs. One hero. I knew nothing of her skills, experiences, or personality. What I remembered was her voice crying out for help and the expression frozen in terror.

I swung my weapon at a future hero, swept away by emotion and prejudice.

My arrogance, in delivering hardship to them, almost severed her future.

Crack. The enemy claw began to crack where it met my hammer for the first time. I must have hit it dozens of times; why is it only cracking now? This claw is quite sturdy.

As the battle intensified, my thoughts continued to flow. No, could it be that because I dealt them hardship, they found themselves as heroes?

Because I swung my weapon? Did the claw burst? For the first time, I sensed a claw shatter, but as I glanced over, it seemed I had merely shifted the damage.

The sounds in my ears were those of exploding smaller crustaceans. The giant claw only bore cracks, still swinging threateningly. As the battle deepened, my thoughts also flowed deeper and faster.

Maybe if Green Green was alone, that might be true. Because she underwent hardship. Because she had limbs broken. Because she felt a sense of kinship with them, I cannot deny the possibility that these collected experiences made her a hero.

But what about the other three heroes beside her?

The ones I attacked did not receive such a baptism of hardship from me. They had not been showered with suffering.

They watered the seeds of heroism while investing the hardships of the battlefield and the choice to be injured as fertilizer, allowing the sprouts of heroes to bloom.

Thud.

Two claws swung simultaneously.

Fools. If you’re going to pick a fight with me, at least bring your leader along.

Plop. Plop.

I heard the sound of two giant creatures falling backward and splashing into the sea.

The clear sound of water splashing.

The massive bodies submerged, causing the rising seawater to descend back into the sea, continuing the clear sounds.

Thump. Thump. Thump.

The high-rising seawater, falling back into the ocean, created large waves. From that wave, small droplets rose, creating yet another small wave. Watching that scene, I gained a realization.

Yeah. There wasn’t enough hardship.

The small creature, the Black Marauder, merely fell into society, leaving insufficient ripples.

Look at that gigantic crustacean falling into the ocean. It created countless droplets, and as those droplets fell, they formed new ripples.

What I needed was something else. Not just my own ripple.

A massive wave enough to shake the entirety of society.

A great hardship that could shake humanity.

Imposing hardship upon all heroes in the Association would create that great hardship as a new torrent.

Then, those carrying the seeds of heroes like this would sprout anew.

And, unnecessary ones would have to be selected out. Those who have learned nothing but to act like clowns, having rotted away, are not true heroes. Just like that hero who deserted the injured.

Garbage, not even worthy of the name hero.

“Yeah. That’s it. That’s what it was.”

I laughed.

I realized just how foolish and bizarre my actions had been.

Then, let’s make a plan.

Once more, a way to plunge this world into chaos. To utilize heroes while ensuring humanity doesn’t collapse and civilians aren’t harmed—striking the right balance.

To recreate this world, don’t we first need to break it?

Night returned.

Voices from the communication magic that Unho left echoed in my ears.

“Is everyone alive?”

“Would I die from this?”

“I feel the same.”

“Their attack power is too weak to pierce my defense. Ridiculous flower crab.”

“Isn’t it better if the Infinite Architect doesn’t go too wild? There’s an issue with your waist…”

“I’ve never had a problem with my waist, you scientific brat.”

Amidst the banter of over-enthusiastic fools, Commander Macbeth ignored them and relayed commands.

“Retreat to your designated positions. Bombardment begins in 2 minutes.”

“Understood.”

“Understood.”

This meant the attack I had proposed would commence.

Ending with the word “understood,” I severed the now quiet communication and gazed at the looming gray mass before me.

Let’s land one final grand blow.

I gathered my mana to create a gigantic hammer, slightly smaller than the massive entity before me.

“Get lost, trash!”

With all my strength, I swung one powerful attack. The gigantic hammer crushed what remained of the barrier, sweeping through the gray forces.

Bang. Bang. Bang. Bang.

Instead of the colossal creatures, the myriad gray crustaceans exploded.

The result of the way they survived moved the damage around.

Though the damage they received would surely be minimal compared to the effort I put in, I hardly found that concerning. After all, the purpose of this attack was to immobilize them.

The crustaceans that collided with the hammer were flung away, disappearing into the depths of the sea, and the place they vanished became a path.

I resized the hammer and dashed down the newly formed straight road.

“Goodbye, fools.”

I have no obligation to die alongside you.

Turning back to witness their end, I saw dozens of fireworks emblazoned in the dark night sky.

Some might mistake them for shooting stars, but I knew well what they were. The nuclear weapons I had requested.

Someone would likely complain about my request. Why pulled out a sealed ancient weapon?

Why resurrect the worst weapon crafted from the minerals extracted by humanity from the earth?

The ancient weapon that erased parts of Europe and brought untold suffering.

Why would I once again bring it out, evoking those memories?

Was there a reason to drop dozens of those things in this battlefield after only firing one shot each?

But we know.

It wasn’t because the weapon was dangerous that it was sealed away.

It was sealed because the users of that weapon were dangerous.

If Macbeth and Infinite Architect could read between the lines, they would understand.

This is the solution that can minimize casualties and swiftly end the war.

Some would denounce the Association’s decision, but this is our answer.

The nuclear weapon.

Hydrogen bomb.

Nuclear fusion bomb.

All names referring to the most powerful weapon ever crafted by humanity before they even understood the Otherworld.

That weapon hummed ominously above our battlefield.

Inside the hydrogen bomb dropped right in the middle of the enemy, an atomic bomb activated as the detonator, and the materials contained in the metal began to ready to unleash their power.

I quickly turned my face away.

Even with my face turned and eyes closed, a blinding radiance exploded behind me.

The scorching heat wrapped around my skin, and the powerful shockwave swept my small body off the ground.

The light of the earth created by humanity living with their feet on this planet.

In the past, at the last moment, that hammer wielded by the ancient rulers dropped upon our enemies.

A mushroom cloud soared high, and the wave generated by the shock hit me.

As the light generated by the nuclear fusion bomb faded, I concentrated my mana to observe the scene of destruction.

Within the mushroom cloud, a gigantic shadow was undulating.

The colossal entities that were still standing and slowly moving their bodies—the appearing leader entity.

Once again, I could hear their resonant clamor.

Were they calling for their comrades?

At last, they began to move with a grand motion.

“Tsk. Truly a monster.”

Even a 0-Rank giant monster became goop after a few hits; it was astonishing that it was still moving.

Even if it specialized in resisting widespread attacks, there surely had to be limits.

Except for the leader entity, the claws had either been knocked off or the shells destroyed; the fact that they were still moving was remarkable.

But the operation succeeded.

At the very least, it looked like the small entities had nearly been wiped out since I could see no movement.

With this, the many shields protecting the leader entity had been dismantled.

What remains are a few colossal entities and the leader itself. Perhaps some smaller entities survived, but that matters little now.

The light of humanity that illuminated the sea had played its part.

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