Transformation or Death

Symbol of Peace (5)

“Having a clone is really nice indeed.”

Libra smiled as he set foot in the city.

“Since I have more than one body, there’s nothing to regret, and I can use them strategically like this.”

Fortunately, he had created several bodies before Gemini became deeply entrenched in his room. Thinking about him, who hardly thought of going outside after encountering Ursa Major, Libra got a headache.

‘Getting paid and then slacking off, he must be crazy.’

This is why he hates working with freaks. Because they’re so devoted to their desires, they calmly do things that they would never do if they thought rationally. There are too many guys who act solely based on their feelings without any calculation.

“Compared to freaks, humans are easier to calculate.”

In front of him were at least a hundred soldiers he had prepared in advance. Each one was a high-quality product close to an A-class freak.

“It’s fortunate they ran away. Being a guardian hiding their identity must be troublesome.”

If anyone had realized they were bait midway, the plan would have gone awry. The bombardment from Sagittarius was reliable, but there was no guarantee that everyone there wouldn’t have joined forces to block it.

But Han Jae-jung and Joo Ah-yoon’s transformations are basically top secret. It’s not easy to transform in front of people who don’t know the situation.

Usually, before deeply considering the meaning of Libra’s appearance, they would run away, transform behind cover, and then return.

Libra aimed for this.

He would strike before Red Vega and Han Jae-jung could cooperate by keeping distance between them.

It was truly a rational plan. It was a rational plan because it succeeded.

The traces of the two arrows shot by Sagittarius that shook the city were quite impressive. The smoke rising from afar as if hit by a missile bombardment brushed past Libra’s face.

Asphalt and brick fragments that crumbled easily like cookie crumbs were crushed to powder under his feet.

“That brute. Strength is power.”

Hm, Libra sneered lowly and spread his right palm facing upward.

What is offered is capital and a bit of starlight.

What is gained is a barrier more selective and solid than anything else.

It’s a barrier that only blocks magical girls, which was also used to imprison Red Vega in the past.

While using this, Libra’s defense weakens and there’s also a 1-hour limit, but these are insignificant drawbacks.

Even if his defense weakens, who would attack him, and 1 hour is enough time to finish the job and return.

Residents looked down at him from their windows, holding their breath. They locked their doors tightly and covered them with bookcases and such. Some even held illegally modified anti-freak grenades or stun guns. But they knew too. That such measures don’t work against freaks.

“Search. Search thoroughly and find them.”

Some prayed to God, some prayed that magical girls would save them, and some left their last squeezed-out joy on the internet like bloodstains.

Now it seemed nothing could stop him.

“Show those reckless seals who know no fear a lesson!”

But Libra himself didn’t think so.

He was on high alert, watching for any threats that might come at any time. His attitude was like that of a soldier entering a minefield.

Half of his vigilance was due to the Argo Family, the purpose of his invasion here. The other half was because of the person who was at the center of the recent bombardment.

‘He probably didn’t die from just this much.’

The recent bombardment was both a process of dealing with a troublesome enemy and a trial for the self-proclaimed guardian.

Whether one can survive this bombardment or not. Only those who can properly counter a surprise attack are qualified to endure the most righteous sacrifice.

And if it’s him, he’ll probably come back alive. Libra was certain, not doubtful.

His wariness was even greater because he had survived near-death situations many times.

Moreover, he had recently gained new powers, making him even more troublesome.

However, he couldn’t ruin the job just because of caution. Libra’s bronze freaks began to search the city as if catching mice.

Leaving dark footprints on the dusty and smoky streets, they began gathering people in earnest. Of course, it was done forcibly.

They entered every building and dragged out people who were quietly hiding there onto the streets filled with acrid remnants of destruction.

The work progressed smoothly. Resistance was futile; it was impossible for ordinary people to harm freaks.

“P-please spare me!”

“Y-you bastards! Let go! I said let go, you fuckers!”

“Uhuhuhu… Mom… Mommy…”

It was a scene of pandemonium mixed with begging, cursing, and wailing. People of all ages and genders were dragged out and displayed on the streets. In less than 3 minutes, about thirty people were gathered, kneeling on the fragment-scattered road.

“I can’t overlook this.”

The Argo Family that suddenly appeared in Korea one day. He had no interest in their grand history of why they suddenly came to this land from operating in the United States, or what their purpose was.

But if they come here and cause problems, it’s a different story.

They are kidnapping people without permission under the pretext of recruiting comrades and urging them to become their allies.

It’s clearly a declaration of intent to increase their forces.

For Libra, who controls all of Asia, it was an attitude he couldn’t overlook.

The location was also a problem. D5 city was considered a safe zone. But to have continuous disappearances, not just a single incident, in such a place.

“They have no business ethics. How can they not know that creating a minimum safe zone is necessary for freaks to safely achieve their goals?”

For ecosystem maintenance, at least a human protection area should be created. Because when humans become scarce, it’s the freaks who will be in trouble.

Humans are too few and fragile compared to the number of freaks.

Rumors that the Argo Family secretly declared this city as their territory and that their comrades are hiding among the people are famous in the underworld.

If the Argo Family is left alone, countless cases similar to this city will likely occur in the future. According to them, this is just their first territory.

“So, come out. This is my last mercy. Come out now and make a treaty with me. I’ll count to ten. If you take no action during that time, this city will be destroyed today.”

Regrettably, it’s appropriate to sacrifice this city and place it on the scales.

No organization would remain idle when their territory and comrades are attacked. They will certainly take some measures.

They’ll have no choice but to show their faces from the safe hideouts where they’ve been staying.

“If you want to save your potential comrades, come out. If not, I’ll kill these humans one by one, starting from the front.”

Libra took out an elegant golden pistol from his pocket and aimed it at the young man at the very front. He looked haggard, as if he hadn’t eaten properly for days.

“One.”

And there was one person listening to all of this. She wasn’t among those Libra was wary of.

‘W-what…?!’

Orange Altair. She was the one who had left in a huff when Joo Ah-yoon told her to go out. Even after leaving the cafe, she had been wandering around the city. As soon as she heard the loud noise in the city, she transformed and moved to find a sniping position.

Just as she found a suitable building, bombardments fell on the city, and Libra’s forces invaded. The unknown barrier she had seen before was an added bonus.

‘The one he’s calling out… Must be me, right?’

And she was seriously mistaken.

“Two.”

‘The comrades he’s talking about must be Ahi, Haru… And Ah-yoon. Our cute pink one.’

“Three.”

‘A-as expected! There’s no way that girl would die so easily! He must be saying he’ll spare her because she’s still alive, right?’

She had immediately checked the location right after the bombardment fell, but there was nothing to be seen. Not even a corpse. Literally, there was no trace of people.

“Four.”

‘Then where are they now? There must be some trace of them being captured somewhere….’

Orange Altair speculated that the reason was because Libra had secured them first. She couldn’t guess how he had secured them faster than her, who had checked immediately after the bombardment, but…

Because he’s a freak.

This reason alone was enough to make sense of most impossible things.

Of course, this speculation was also wrong.

“Five.”

‘Wait, negotiation? With me? I-I’m not good at such things, I can’t even speak well… Ah, whatever.’

Joo Ah-yoon. She’s short, has a foul mouth, unnecessarily wears heavy makeup, and is a foolish girl with no achievements.

But still, she was a comrade. Because she’s human.

Apart from the annoyance, I guess I should save her. Orange Altair finished her own rationalization and rose from her hiding place.

“Six.”

“A-alright!”

There’s no possibility of defeating Libra alone. Each of the freaks there is A-class or above. She was confident she would lose even before clearing them out. Resistance worse than useless shouldn’t be attempted in the first place.

Orange Altair finished preparing herself for defeat before the fight, and decided how to face the best possible defeat.

“Orange Altair, I’m here!”

“A-a magical girl! We’re saved!”

Someone among the citizens muttered. Unfortunately, she would save them in a different direction from their expectations. Orange Altair smiled bitterly.

“As promised, let’s have a negotiation…”

“Seven.”

“Can’t you hear me?!”

Of course, Libra didn’t care. He hadn’t predicted that there would be one more magical girl hiding, but it wasn’t worth paying attention to.

Although the growth of magical girls’ starlight has been steep recently, someone like her wasn’t worth worrying about. It was obvious she would be defeated before even clearing out half of the freaks present here.

Of course. An assassin who should be sniping from behind boldly showed herself in front. It’s no different from being crazy.

“Eight.”

“Hey, hey! Why aren’t you stopping!”

Libra didn’t stop counting. Orange Altair shouted in bewilderment.

“Nine.”

“Hey. Hey…”

As Libra’s attitude remained so firm, Orange Altair realized something was going wrong.

While perplexed, her body instinctively drew the bowstring.

“Hey, hey! Why aren’t you stopping, I said?”

The tightly drawn string vibrates once greatly, and the arrow flies in a beautiful trajectory towards Libra’s gun.

“Ten.”

Libra pulled the trigger without hesitation, but the bullet that spewed from the muzzle didn’t even graze the head. Just before the bullet touched the head, the arrow struck it down.

Libra looked at her with a displeased attitude.

“Don’t interfere.”

“W-what’s the problem! Why aren’t you stopping? I came out, didn’t I! Ah, is it my attitude? This attitude and way of speaking? Th-then should I change it? Should I kneel? What should I do?”

Orange Altair was almost on the verge of tears. A butterfly flew past her tears.

Not one butterfly, but a hundred. All those butterflies landed on the foreheads of Libra’s bronze freaks.

“Don’t ask the obvious.”

Soon, a lightning bolt like divine punishment struck.

“Stand proudly.”

Hudie Zhijiao (Butterfly’s Feet).

A blade-like angle swept through the heads of all the freaks touched by butterflies.

The lightning bolt burned Libra.

“You did the right thing.”

A figure walked out from where the lightning bolt had struck. The Watcher. He was the freak recently gaining attention as the most dangerous one. On his shoulder was another freak, either unconscious or limp.

“The sound of property values dropping will be heard a thousand miles away.”

He swung an axe similar to his body, bursting with anger. The form of his anger was cold and clear lightning.

“Are you freaks going to take responsibility for our shops? You damn freaks…!”

His voice was too small to be heard, but it was the most enraged appearance seen so far.

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