Transformation or Death

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Severed Traces (10)

Two lights burst forth like explosions. A pure beam of light without any impurities and a murky, dull light pushed against each other. 

“What are you doing!”

“Wow, seriously…”

Soon, the lights converged back to their origins and took form. Fluttering clothes and sturdy armor. 

From within the flickering lights, a girl boldly leaped out.

“In the name of the stars, I’ll give you the iron flail of blood!”

She was pure white. 

A large white butterfly-shaped ribbon in the center, adorned with jewels resembling diamonds.

The skirt reaching down to her knees seemed warm, as if lined with cotton.

Her slightly curly, snow-colored hair fluttered about.

It was like seeing a white Santa Claus.

“White Davi, enter! Tada!”

From the smoke, the figure of another being also appeared. 

“Today my dress can become an akai (red) dress too… huh?”

“Indeed. I’m looking forward to it as well.”

An impressive armor mixed with red planes and blue planes, messy like a Mondrian artwork. Among magical girls, the next most infamous after Virgo…

“Uh oh, we’re in trouble.”

The villain of the constellation Shield, Scutum. Nicknamed Paradox.

White Davi broke out in a cold sweat and waved her hand. From empty space, a reed pipe appeared. She swung it like a club, striking Paradox.

Paak!

A crisp sound shook the hall.

-Kyaaaak!

Following that, chaos erupted.

“Ughh… That hurts. Quite impressive.”

“Eh?! This split chicken was that guy from before?! Oh no~! Looks like we’re in trouble!” 

Paradox laughed amusedly.

“So you just attacked without knowing who I was?”

“Well… If it’s a villain, I gotta take it down first…? Can I take it back?”

“Impossible. Since the fight has started, I have no intention of avoiding it.”

In Paradox’s hand, the same reed pipe as White Davi’s appeared.

“Don’t be too anxious. If I see a decent chance, I can spare your life.”

“That’s not reassuring at all?! Aaack!”

Paak! Paradox immediately reenacted the attack Davi had just used. White Davi, struck by the reed pipe, flew through the store and was thrown outside, shattering the window.

“Not a very good weapon, is it? It’s not being used for its original purpose, after all…”

As Paradox fiddled with the reed pipe, a sharp arrow came flying at him. He nimbly deflected it upwards and stepped back slightly.

“Don’t ignore me.”

It was Orange Altair. She had taken the opportunity when White Davi was flung away to fire the arrow through the gap in vision.

In her hands was a bow, resembling an eagle. As she drew the bowstring again, an arrow made of light appeared nocked.

“Red Vega, get the customers to evacuate. That idiot White will make her way back on her own.”

She gave instructions naturally. Baek Ah-hee also hurriedly began to transform like them.

“Ah, yes! Dress up!”

Along with her, Yoon Seol-hwa also moved.

“I can’t stand it… Jae-jung, don’t stray from my side!”

Yoon Seol-hwa immediately caught the mascot fluttering nearby. The husky doll-shaped mascot instantly transformed into a ribbon, decorating her surroundings with starlight.

“Dress up.”

[Dress up your star!]

Two more magical girls appeared. Fierce red flames and blue ice violently shook the air.

“Eh, senior?”

“Sister Sirius?! Why are you here…”

“That’s not important right now.”

Letting out a deep sigh, she then coldly scanned her surroundings. The people in panic are fleeing, and Paradox is still maintaining a casual attitude. Fortunately, Han Jae-jung was behind her.

The top priority now had to be Han Jae-jung’s life. This was obvious. 

‘While those girls lure Paradox away, I’ll evacuate Jae-jung to a safe place…’

Yoon Seol-hwa felt her gaze.

“…Ah.”

She soon recalled the past. It was years ago now, but an event she could never forget.

She had prioritized rescuing her lover. From just that reason, everything had started going wrong.

Yoon Seol-hwa looked at Han Jae-jung again. He was also looking at her. Their gazes met, but were not the same. When their eyes met, Han Jae-jung smiled gently at her.  

She bit her trembling lips and muttered softly.

“…Not today.”  

Today, it would not be the same.

A blizzard swept in.

“Red Vega! Get the citizens evacuated like Altair said! Altair, fall back and provide sniper support! Oh, and tell Davi to handle herself! As for me…”

She lightly stomped the ground. An intense chill rose from that spot.

“I’ll deal with that guy.”

Kwaaaang!

An ice pillar shot up, lifting Paradox up into the air. The ice pillar continued upwards, smashing through the store’s roof and walls.

She would not repeat her past mistakes. Back then, she had made a mistake because she was weak. Weak enough that she had to prioritize who to protect.  

If there was something to protect nearby, she just had to fling the threat far away where it couldn’t harm anyone.

If there was something seeking to harm, she would kill it before it could do so.

“Jae-jung, stay somewhere safe. I’ll come find you again. Got it?”

After waving to Han Jae-jung, Blue Sirius climbed up the ice pillar she had created.

“Wow…”

Certainly her firepower was top-tier even among magical girls. The ice tower large enough to easily soar over buildings drew an exclamation of awe from Han Jae-jung.

“Everyone, this way! Hurry!”

Following Blue Sirius’s instructions, Red Vega guided the evacuation. As Han Jae-jung naturally blended into the crowd of citizens rushing out of the store, the back of his neck was firmly gripped.

“Uurgh.”

“Hello, Jae-jung.”

“Ah, yeah.”

“…Date?”

“Something like that…”

“Hmm…”

Red Vega scrutinized Han Jae-jung as if evaluating him. 

“You’re dressed nicely… Hmm, you pass.”

“What is this about?”

“If you’re going on a date with Sirius, you need to dress properly. Come on, get going.” 

She patted his butt with her hand like shooing away a horse or cow.

“Hey, what are you doing?”

“It’s better than kicking your stomach with my foot, isn’t it?”

When Han Jae-jung looked displeased, she pulled out her killer move as always and made him shut his mouth. Seeing his disgruntled gaze, Red Vega winked with a hehe.

“Shooting through your heart like a comet! I’ll protect you, so evacuate without worry!”

“Thanks for the fan service.”

“You really need to evacuate!” 

She urged in a more composed voice.

“…I don’t want to deal with more than two villains today.”

After briefly scanning the crowd of citizens in front of her, she floated up. Amid the screams echoing and chaos enveloping the city, the light shredding the sky brought a sense of calm to their hearts.

“Everyone, please remain calm! The villain is now far away! Blue Sirius is dealing with them! Quick evacuation to the nearest underground shelter….”

Red Vega skillfully directed people and guided them to safely evacuate without anyone getting unnecessarily hurt from the chaos.

Orange Altair, who was at a store just earlier, had somehow made her way onto a building roof, glaring sharply at one spot. 

And White Davi was….

“Ugh! How gross… Copying my ability for real…! It feels disgusting! I absolutely cannot forgive this!”

She seemed to be stuck in the corner of a building, shaking off debris while muttering. Perhaps from staring too intently, Han Jae-jung was able to unexpectedly make eye contact with her.

“Oh.”

White Davi opened her eyes wide in surprise. 

“Umm… I feel like I’ve seen you somewhere before… Ah, this isn’t the time!”

White Davi slapped her cheeks a few times, turning them red. Soon after, a voice of seeming disappointment burst out.

“I just thought it was a villain in disguise… But to think something like that would show up… This is bad… Really bad… I’ll definitely get a report later….”

She brought the horn to her lips. 

Buuuuuuuh—! The sound of the horn announcing war spread far and wide. The music instrument’s sound erupted amid the screams. For a moment, it covered the world with its sole vibrating sound.

“But I have to clean up the mess I made! That villain bastard is done for! Minagoro Shi!”

After the air shook, the ground trembled next. A tremor like when a great army starts its march. That tremor originated from underground. 

Kwagwang! The ground White Davi was standing on shattered, and an enormous beast presumed to be a villain emerged from below. She naturally mounted the villain’s back and shouted.

“Come forth!!! Ikuzei!!!” 

The villain charged out. Following the beast villain, more beast villains began appearing from underground. Most were dwarf skeletal soldiers resembling children.

“It’s really no different from the original work.”

White Davi was Han Jae-jung’s most beloved character when he read the webtoon. Her unique way of speaking and lovable appearance were enough to win his heart. But this was only enjoyable when experienced as fiction.

‘Charging at villains without a plan… That’s a bit much.’  

If she had stayed quiet, this whole incident might not have happened.  

His musings were brief. Another large explosion occurred at the tip of the end of the tower. An intense battle must be unfolding there right now. Someone could easily die. It would be good if it were just a villain dying, but such luck is hard to come by.

Suddenly, he felt a huge shadow pass over his head. It wasn’t a cloud. Han Jae-jung looked up, entranced.

An enormous bird was flying. Han Jae-jung knew its identity.

The Aquila, villain of the Aquila constellation.    

“I’m sorry, Ah-hee. I’m sorry, Seol-hwa.”

Just as magical girls had a duty, Han Jae-jung had a duty as well.  

Paradoxes were formidable foes. And now, another enemy has been added.

There was no reason for him, who vowed to protect magical girls, to not step forward now.

“I’ll go right now… Huh?”

He noticed a figure caught in the talons of the currently flying villain. Han Jae-jung narrowed his eyes to take a closer look at the figure. Familiar clothes. No doubt about it. The clothes he saw this morning when leaving home.

“…Ah-yoon?”

Joo Ah-yoon was caught in its grip. 

Han Jae-jung felt the blood flowing through him turn ice cold.

***

Ippotranslation

***

“What the hell is this…”

Joo Ah-yoon did her best not to look down. She had always seen the world with a lowered gaze, but unexpectedly she was now seeing the world from a high vantage point. It would have been fine if it was just a few centimeters higher, but the problem was that she was now several hundred meters up.

“Get down! Get down! F*ck! No, don’t get down! Land somewhere safe!” 

She had clearly set out to look at real estate properties. But in the midst of that, a huge bird suddenly snatched her up and took to the skies.

It felt like being struck by a bolt of lightning from the clear blue sky. This unexpected kidnapping.

“What the hell is going on!!! Help me!!!”

She shouted loudly with her eyes tightly closed, but at this height, it was questionable whether her voice could even reach anyone properly.

She was gradually running out of oxygen too. The cold temperature and low oxygen levels typical of high altitudes were weighing down on her.

That’s when it happened.

Kwang! The bird’s wings flapped loudly, and the shock reverberated all the way to Ah-yoon’s back.

“Aak!”

Something had landed on the back of this villain. It wasn’t difficult to guess what it was.

That something was a lightning bolt.  

A white streak cut across the sky. Sharp lightning flashed through the sky over and over again. The flashing kept repeating.

A real bolt of lightning had descended from the clear blue sky.

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