Too Dark a Blue
Two hours later.
Kim Mina’s face stayed locked in a blissful smile, the kind that refused to fade even when she accepted the limited-edition toy from the concession stand. She looked happier than anyone had any right to be after a movie.
I grinned back at her, unable to stop myself.
She didn’t realize her own happiness was catching. Neither did I, until she suddenly asked, “So… how was the movie? Did you like it?”
“Yeah. It had this vibe you could just enjoy without needing the plot. The action was solid.”
Honestly? I had only caught about eighty percent of the story. It felt like the studio cut and the theatrical release were mashed together in places—mid-to-late movie stuff dropped all at once. But the fights, the cool lines the characters threw down… those were worth the ticket price.
And then I remembered watching Mina fight herself last time.
“Still, your fighting style is the coolest.”
Her cheeks flushed instantly. She scratched the back of her head like a scolded puppy, looking almost embarrassed to show even a sliver of that softness.
“Th-thanks… it means a lot that you said that.”
We kept walking down the street, trading easy, familiar talk. No recent disasters, any fun games lately, the usual friend stuff. It felt normal. It felt good.
Until it didn’t.
“…Wait.”
Mina’s left arm snapped out, blocking me mid-step. “Something’s wrong.”
I scanned the area fast. The shopping complex loomed ahead, mannequins in the windows, a tteokbokki stand nearby, an old game console spinning in the konbini. Everything looked normal. No black-hole portals. No shadow soldiers. But the silence was unnatural.
Too quiet.
No people. Not a single soul on the sidewalks.
Like the whole world had blinked out except us.
The wind rushed through the alleys and streets with a hollow, ominous sound—no footsteps, no chatter, nothing. My skin prickled.
“…Siwoo. Stay right beside me,” Mina whispered, voice low and steady as she locked her wrist around mine. “Got it?”
I nodded, eyes sweeping the empty streets while I followed her slow, cautious steps.
We moved for what felt like forever. Still no one.
The emptiness pressed in harder than any monster.
Mina suddenly froze, hand already diving into her pocket for her phone. “It looks like I’m gonna have to call for backup… I’ve never heard of magic that does this…”
Her fingers brushed the screen.
A voice cut through the silence—cold, emotionless, like frost over steel.
**Target acquired.**
Mina yanked me behind her and spun, shield already half-raised.
Then she saw it.
A girl with hair the exact same shade of purple, standing perfectly still on the opposite sidewalk.
Except…
She was a little sharper. The right bangs tucked behind one ear, giving her a colder edge.
Her lips moved without a trace of movement in her eyes.
“My name is Dark Blue.”
Kim Mina and this stranger were identical in every detail—same face, same ponytail, same posture—except for that one tiny, deliberate difference.
“These magical girls… will be the end of this world.”
Kim Mina’s eyes widened. “What the—?!”
“Transformation.”
**Kwakwaaaang!**
A wave of pure, freezing mana exploded outward. The girl’s body convulsed as clothes shredded and reformed—more revealing than anything I’d seen Mina wear, purple wind swirling like living shadows that tore fabric apart and swallowed the street. A visor snapped over her eyes, faint red light gathering at the edges until it formed a glowing line across her vision.
**Target confirmed.**
**Chijijijik!**
A translucent crimson lance materialized in her right hand. The same sharp weapon instantly appeared in her left, aimed straight at Mina.
“Execution begins.”
Kim Mina’s face twisted in fury. She threw both arms forward, palms slamming together. “Purifier Blue! Transformation!”
Blue mana flared, and in the space of a heartbeat she was in full combat form, wand already in hand.
“Siwoo, get behind me!”
**Whirr!**
Mina raised her wand, stance locked, eyes blazing. “I’ll warn you right now—I’m way stronger than you!”
“Pathetic.”
**Kwaaaaang!**
The two lances met with a screech of metal that echoed through the empty street like a death knell.
“I am superior to you. I am stronger than you. I am stronger than you because I carry the power of the Demon King and Nightmare-sama.”
“Shut up!”
Mina swung.
The blue lance whipped through the air, trailing mana, but Dark Blue simply leaned back and sidestepped with eerie grace. The red line in her visor never moved, but the cold contempt in it felt even worse than any glare.
**Bang! Kwakwaaang!**
Mina’s attack slammed into the pavement. Cracks spider-webbed outward. Glass shattered. Debris exploded in every direction.
She kept coming—never slowing—pushing Dark Blue back with raw, desperate force.
But something was wrong. Her expression flickered. Her breathing hitched.
I could see it now: the fight was uneven. She wasn’t just tired—she was struggling.
Dark Blue finally let the two lances cross in front of her, then twisted her arms in perfect synchronization and fired her leg straight into Mina’s stomach.
**Ker-chak! Kuttang-tang!**
Mina flew backward, tumbling across the ground. Her lance clattered beside her, ringing with a sharp metallic scream.
“See? Exactly as Nightmare-sama predicted.”
Mina pushed herself up on trembling arms, face twisted in pain. “Kuh…!”
Dark Blue walked toward her slowly, visor hiding every expression. “How convenient. I can finally test my own strength against you.”
She adjusted the tips of both lances until they formed one fused point, then pulled them apart again. The weapons reshaped—left hand gripping a massive triangular greatsword, its blade flashing with cold, blood-like light.
“Finally… I think I understand how to wield mana.”
Mina’s voice cracked. “You bastard…!”
**Whick! Kaang!**
She rolled sideways, snatched her lance, and unleashed it in a horizontal slash.
The blue tip carved through the air trailing power… and shattered against Dark Blue’s shield like it was glass.
Mina’s eyes widened in horror. “Kuh…!”
“Pathetic. Absolutely pathetic. A magical girl who can’t even beat her own clone. How utterly worthless.”
“Shut…!”
**Kagagagagagaaaang!**
Purple shields clashed with lance tips again and again, sparks flying in every direction.
“Heroes never lose to evil…!”
“No.”
The shield dropped instantly. Dark Blue’s blade came down like a guillotine, slamming the ground so hard the shockwave knocked Mina off her feet.
She reached down, pulled a dark-purple crystal from her palm, and slammed it into the side of the sword. Then she drew the blade all the way back over her shoulder.
“If it were you… you would say exactly this.”
**Pazizizit!**
Black lightning crackled along the blade.
**Purifier Strike.**
**Kwaaang!**
The sword plunged straight into Mina’s chest.
The impact sent her body flying like a ragdoll. She crashed through the side of a building, a colossal crack spider-webbing across the wall as glass exploded outward in a shower of razor shards.
**Ker-hak!**
“Min-ah!”
**Tuck… tooduduk.**
Mina crawled out from under the rubble, body shaking. Her clothes were torn in a dozen places, skin bleeding in streaks where the fabric had given way. Her blue hair and jacket were buried under dust, hiding her original colors.
She panted, chest heaving. With one hand she still clutched her wand, then switched to both hands and gripped it tight.
“I… can’t lose… I won’t lose here…”
She was lying to herself. We both knew it.
Dark Blue’s voice floated across the street, flat and emotionless. “Admire me. You have already lost. I am superior to you.”
She summoned the same dark-purple crystal again, fed it into the blade, and raised the sword high with both hands toward the sky.
“Goodbye, original.”
Still no feeling in that voice. No triumph. No glee.
Just finality.
She brought the sword down.
**Kwaaaang!**
The explosion ripped outward.
When the dust finally settled, two figures stood where the girl had been.
“…You.”
Dark Blue’s voice continued, cold as ever.
“…Mina. I’ve kept you waiting long enough.”
A second figure stepped forward—mature, gentle, wearing the exact same white-and-blue uniform as the first. Her face was calm, almost peaceful.
She raised her wand, forming a perfect barrier in front of Mina.
Then she poured mana into the tip, voice steady and kind.
“Innocent Heart… Knight Form!”