Chapter 49

There are 17 minions.

Dusik and Sohee, two.

Keru.

And me and Kabe.

21 people and 1 animal.

A simple composition.

In the rattling minibus, I entrusted Kabe to Dusik and Sohee, closed my eyes, and fiddled with the ring on my left ring finger.

The Vesprede rifle, the final piece of this set, had a summoning medium in the form of a ring.

A ring that had to be worn on the left ring finger.

In Korea, a country with strict gun control, carrying a Vesprede rifle was impossible, and even carrying a rifle was quite burdensome. Just like my Vesprede Armory uniform, which was summoned through an earring, this Vesprede rifle also had a ring as its summoning medium.

Press the earring firmly to transform, and press the raised part of the ring to summon the rifle.

A truly simple form.

But the ring had to be worn on the left ring finger.

When I asked why it had to be the left ring finger, they said something about it being directly connected to the heart, but honestly, I didn’t really understand.

They just said it was the best position for emotional connection with the master.

Anyway, that’s not important.

The organization is already set.

Me and Kabe are in Unit 1, with three minions.

Dusik is in Unit 2, with seven minions.

Sohee is in Unit 3, with seven minions.

We plan to use Pangyo Station as the starting point, with the department store and the buildings above as the battlefield.

How many magical girls will be deployed today?

If they deploy seven like before, how should we respond?

Who will come as the captain?

I don’t think Prilly will come out again.

Priqu? I heard Priqu isn’t at that level yet.

Then Eve herself? Probably not.

There are still many magical girls I don’t know, so it’s likely one of them will come.

*

“-ni, -chak–yo.”

Someone was shaking me, and I groggily opened my eyes to find the bus had stopped.

“Oh, Sohee. Are we here?”

I must have fallen asleep while thinking about the operation. As I got up, Sohee wiped the corner of my mouth with the back of her hand.

“You were sleeping soundly. Even drooling.”

“You didn’t have to wipe it yourself. You could’ve just told me, and I would’ve done it.”

“It’s not dirty at all. It’s yours, after all.”

Feeling a bit embarrassed by Sohee’s smile, I deliberately avoided her gaze and looked around the bus.

No one’s here.

As I looked around, Sohee kept smiling at me.

“Everyone’s already gotten off and is waiting for you. Dusik is organizing the minions, so you should show some authority too.”

What authority?

Yawning, I got off the bus. A cold wind swept through the parking lot, and dry leaves rolled around in the wind.

The parking fee is 2,500 won per hour…

“Hey, why is the parking fee so expensive here…”

I stopped myself from complaining. There are too many eyes around.

Even on a Saturday in Pangyo, men in jeans and striped shirts were walking around in groups, glancing at us as they passed.

Come to think of it, there are still people around, and neon signs are still flashing brightly.

“Has the Reverse Barrier not been set up yet?”

“No, the magical girls haven’t arrived yet.”

“Good. Dusik, take that out.”

While Dusik rummaged through the bag, I pressed my earring to transform.

In an instant, the sound of people shouting could be heard from all around.

“It’s the Mother-Body!”

“Oh, it’s the Mother-Body!”

“Noona, you’re so cool!”

A man who clearly looks like he’s in his 30s calling me “noona”? What nonsense is this?

But I can’t show that on my face.

Fan service is important, after all.

“Noona, show us your daughter!”

“Your daughter is so pretty!”

The most dangerous person is over there.

Well, whatever. Since there are so many people around, I picked up Kabe, who was hiding behind me, probably scared.

“Kabe, they say you’re pretty.”

“Me?”

“Yes. Should we wave to them?”

But Kabe, feeling shy, buried her face in my neck and only extended her hand, waving it gently.

With her tiny hand waving like a little jelly, people kept saying “So cute!” and the sound of camera shutters clicking could be heard everywhere.

Hmm, I don’t know, but isn’t Kabe’s photo a bit dangerous? I put Kabe down and hid her behind me again.

Pedophiles are everywhere, after all.

“Noona, here.”

Dusik was holding a small camcorder.

My plan was this:

Since the broadcast will follow once the battle starts, why not show a live feed from a camcorder attached to my uniform?

And what if I write a small donation account at the bottom of the camcorder screen?

Today’s battle will also be an experiment for that.

My uniform has a sash that crosses the center of my chest, and I attached the camcorder to that sash.

It dangles a bit, but as long as I don’t move too violently, it should be fine. I stuck a piece of paper with the donation account at the bottom of the screen.

“Noona, do we really have to do this?”

“If this works, it’ll be a huge hit. Dusik, I’ll treat you to Hanwoo beef for three meals a day, so just trust me.”

“Three meals a day of Hanwoo…!”

Dusik’s eyes seemed to sparkle, but it must have been my imagination.

By the way, why aren’t they coming?

At this rate, we’re just a spectacle.

This is why setting a specific time beforehand is pointless.

I don’t know who’s coming, but I’ll have to give them a piece of my mind later.

Just as I was thinking that, I felt a massive surge of magical power near the large building in the distance.

“Noona. They’ve arrived. The Reverse Barrier is being deployed.”

Come to think of it, this is the first time I’ve seen the Reverse Barrier being deployed.

As the magical power surged, it silently rose high into the sky and spread out in all directions, like water spraying from a fountain, forming a large dome.

Soon, it became a massive hemisphere, completely covering Pangyo, which would now be our battlefield.

The people around us disappeared in an instant, and the buildings covered by the hemisphere gradually lost their bright lights and neon signs—

“Wow. It’s like a flood covering flames.”

Wherever the magical power touched, the lights went out, the neon signs turned off, and the people disappeared one by one.

“Good.”

I covered my face with my hand. Slowly, I wiped my face.

I opened my eyes wide and stared straight ahead.

Now, it’s time to fight.

*

“The cam is working well.”

Dusik, who had glanced at his phone, gave me a thumbs-up.

Good, it better be working. If this works, we’ll have to do this every battle.

I even made a channel on a streaming site under my name for this.

My broadcast is probably already live on that channel.

I want to see the reactions, but there’s no time for that.

Huu, huu— I took a deep breath and slowly walked toward the podium.

It’s quiet.

A heavy silence had fallen around us.

The minions, now all dressed in black combat suits, looked up at me, their creator and mother.

Standing on the podium, I looked down at the minions.

They had performed quite well in the last battle, and the thrill of being under my command made them respect and follow me more than during the first battle.

Below the podium, Dusik and Sohee stood side by side.

A sense of pride burned like wildfire in my chest.

Just before the battle begins, a strange excitement and competitive spirit stirs within me.

With a tingling sensation in my lower abdomen, I looked around at everyone.

“My children.”

“Yes!”

“How was it? How was the experience of being under my command?”

“It was great!”

“Is that so? However, there is one thing I couldn’t give you in the last battle.”

I paused and looked around at the minions. They looked curious about what I hadn’t given them.

Yes, they must be curious.

“That is—the thrill of victory! I couldn’t give you that.”

To my children, who hadn’t felt the thrill of victory since the disappearance of Cyclone, the first boss.

“Today, I will definitely make you feel that thrill.”

What it feels like to win, the excitement of victory—today, I will make you understand.

“Now, from this very spot! I declare the start of the battle!”

I raised my arm, which had been hidden under my coat.

“Count! Open!”

A white flash shot out from my fist and split the sky. The flash rose high, piercing through the sky, and soon, a golden flash rose in the distance.

The battle has begun.

*

“Three?”

For a moment, I thought I was seeing things, so I zoomed in and out of the map, but the blue markers indicating the magical girls were only three.

A triangular formation.

One is Priqu, whom I know well. Unexpected. I didn’t think Priqu would come.

One is a name I’ve never seen before, Evangelin.

And one is…

“Aquamarine…”

I know the name. The money-loving magical girl, Aquamarine.

She appeared briefly in the last battle, but it seems she’s here as the captain this time.

“Dusik.”

“Yes, boss.”

“Do you know Aquamarine?”

“Yes. She’s the vice-chairman. A water-attribute magical girl… Hmm. This is bad.”

Dusik scratched his head and clicked his tongue. His face was scrunched up, so I could tell there was a problem.

“Why?”

“The location is very unfavorable for us. She’s strong in area attacks, especially with her water attribute, and this place has wide spaces between buildings with steep slopes… We’re positioned below, and the magical girls are above, so we’re at a disadvantage.”

“Hmm.”

Thinking of a waterfall, I can roughly understand.

Using water like a flood to control a wide area simultaneously, and using the properties of liquids flowing from high to low for attacks… That’s how I interpret it.

“Then we need to move faster. Children, are you listening?”

-Yes!

-We hear you!

“The organization is as I told you before. All directions from now on are based on facing away from Pangyo Station. Understood?”

-Understood!

“Good. Good children. Then, first, Unit 2 will move with Dusik to the 9 o’clock direction. Unit 3, Sohee, move to the 4 o’clock direction. Flank and take on Priqu. Dusik, you take on Evangelin. Keep the vision linked with me. What’s Evangelin’s characteristic?”

-Electric attribute.

Damn.

Water attribute and electric attribute.

We’re screwed.

But we can’t just sit back and take it. So, we decided to use the same strategy.

“Sohee.”

-Yes, noona! You called me!

“Yes. The Priqu on your side is a close-combat magical girl… Can you handle it?”

-Close-combat? Where’s the neck that won’t be cut? Don’t worry.

“Good, I’ll leave it to you. Buy as much time as possible. Retreating would be even better. Oh, and don’t kill her. Got it? If she’s about to die, tell her to retreat, and she’ll do it.”

-Understood.

Good. Then from now on, it’s an all-out assault.