Magical Girl Ai (3): The Black Scarecrows and Vanishing Allies
A massive sword came rushing at me, poised to cleave me in two right before my eyes.
"Hup!"
I summoned my magic power and forcibly launched my body away, barely dodging it. But the spot where I'd been standing was already crawling with black vines, their maws gaping wide as they waited.
I can't dodge this one..!
At that moment, another magical girl hurled magic power at me. Thwack! I took the hit and was flung farther away from the black vines, managing to evade them just in time. Without even a word of thanks, that magical girl and I charged straight at the black monster human looming before us.
The fight with the black monster human hadn't dragged on long, but already seven magical girls lay defeated. Its brute strength was far beyond what we'd expected. Worse, my ability wasn't working at all. No matter how hard I tried to read its memories or thoughts, something blocked me like an invisible wall.
For now, we were reading the other magical girls' minds to coordinate our attacks and press it hard, but the black monster human showed no signs of tiring—as if its stamina were infinite.
The instant I closed in on it, my vision filled with blackness. Goosebumps erupted across my skin.
Any more fighting will just mean bigger losses...!
I halted my advance and leaped back far, putting distance between us. The surviving magical girls caught on to my intent and quickly pulled away too.
Where the hell did this monster even come from?
Overwhelmed by its unbearable power, the magical girls began scooping up their fallen comrades. I had to buy time until the others could escape. The black monster human before me—five minutes. Just hold out for five minutes, and they'd all be safe. That should be enough.
But for some reason, the black monster human wasn't closing the gap we'd opened.
Does it stop attacking once we're at a certain distance...? Still, gotta stay cautious.
Knowing full well how powerful it was, I kept my eyes locked on it until the signal came.
What the hell is that thing after, anyway?
Thankfully, all the magical girls escaped unscathed. Back at the Magical Girl Association headquarters, we got treated together. Then we officially registered the black monster human as a wanted target.
After reporting the battle to the Association and regrouping, we decided to head back there tomorrow. This time, we'd form a strike team of top-tier magical girls.
We shared the footage we'd recorded during the fight to analyze the black monster human. Once the briefing wrapped up, we headed home for some rest ahead of tomorrow.
When I got home, the first thing I saw was my sister's room, door hanging open and desolate.
The last words I'd said to her wouldn't leave my mind. Tears streamed down my cheeks.
Not knowing if my sister was dead or alive... and our final conversation had been me telling her to drop dead.
Why did I say that? What the hell did I yell at her...?
Ding-dong~
The doorbell rang out of nowhere.
Who could that be?
No knocking or calling out after the bell—just a delivery, then. I wiped my tears, stood up, and opened the front door. There sat a massive box.
"Wh-what the...?"
A black rose perched atop it. A chill raced through me, making my whole body tremble.
With shaking hands, I tore off the tape sealing the box. As it peeled away, the box sprang open on its own, revealing the contents inside.
Thud.
My legs gave out, and I collapsed right there in front of it.
Inside were a pair of pristine, smooth arms and legs, adorned with a pretty ribbon. My sister's arms and legs, neatly packaged in the delivery box.
"No, no, no. I have to read them. For my sister."
It terrified me. Using my ability on them might show me her dying moments—I was utterly scared. But... if she was still alive, I could get info on the black monster human. Steeling myself, I placed my hand on her arm.
For my sister.
♥♥~ I'm going, ooooh! My ova are getting eaten again, cummiiing♥♥♥ So happy♥ If I'd known it was like this, I'd have come sooner!♥
In the pitch-black void all around, tentacles plunged into every hole on my sister's body, the scene replaying in my mind.
♥♥ It needs me hereee~♥♥ Mi-kyung-ah, sis worked so haaard♥ Making ova like crazy♥ They praise me here, say I'm essential♥
A vulgar moan from my sister—something I'd never heard before—echoed through my head.
Mi-kyung-ah, just like you said, sis is deaaad now♥ Not as a person anymore—I'll live on as a meat toilet~♥♥ Wooooooh!!♥
The tentacles spewed fluid all at once. Her mouth and belly swelled huge, then her pussy gushed love juices as she barked in ecstasy with a blissful face.
"S-sis..."
What the hell was that vulgarity? Limbless, accepting tentacles with a happy expression, moaning in pleasure—it looked so utterly depraved.
No, that must all be the tentacles' fault. This is good news. Proof she's alive.
I pulled myself together amid the despair. Shocking as her change was, it meant she was still out there, alive.
Composing myself, I focused on recovery for now. Tomorrow, I'd go back to the black monster human and get her back.
"Just you wait, black monster human. I'll come for you and kill you with my own hands."
Top-tier magical girls entered the place again to subjugate the black monster human.
Same as before, it stood motionless in the center of the room. The magical girls dove straight into battle.
No matter that it was an S-rank threat in danger level—it couldn't withstand the coordinated assault from elite magical girls. The black monster human was steadily pushed back.
"This is the end for you, you piece of trash!"
Magical Girl Ai swung her sword with a shout, slicing off the black monster human's head. Thud. The head flew and rolled across the floor.
Ai stood frozen in her decapitating pose.
"Something's off."
The sensation of severing its neck had been too light. Squishy, like it was weaker than an ordinary person.
The headless body remained upright. Turning to look at the severed head, there was no cross-section at the neck.
Approaching and picking it up, realization dawned.
"A scarecrow...?"
The "severed" neck before me wasn't something that could have been cut. Like a hollow shell, there was nothing inside the head.
"What the hell is this?!"
I approached the still-motionless headless torso. Slashing it again split it neatly into upper and lower halves. But inside the cuts—nothing. Like a ghost wearing clothes.
Even these scarecrows are that strong?
As worst-case scenarios flooded my mind, a frantic voice called from behind.
"Ai!"
The voice of a veteran magical girl I'd worked with before filled the now-silent room.
"...What is it?"
"Aile... Aile's gone!"
"What're you talking about?"
"She vanished out of nowhere!"
I quickly scanned the surroundings, counting heads. One short. One missing. No—vanished. When? How, when we were all together and no one noticed?
"Let's push deeper. She'll be at the end. That's all we can believe right now."
We regrouped and moved into the passage connected to the room.
At the end of the passage, another room. And predictably, a black monster human in the center.
The battle began. Even missing one, we didn't falter. We defeated it with effort, then paused to regroup.
"Ai... another magical girl's gone."
"How the hell...? What ability is it using...!"
Every time we took down a black monster human in these rooms, one of our magical girls vanished without a trace from this ominous space.
Endless battles. Magical girls disappearing one by one. Unfathomable kidnappings.
"Hoo... hoo... Injuries aren't too bad..."
Judging by the walls, we were nearing the end. We'd fought countless black monster human scarecrows to get here.
Wiping sweat from my brow, I glanced back.
No one. Not a single magical girl.
"Huh?"
The space felt devoid of any presence. Only dead silence filled it.
"Where'd everyone go? Guys?!"
Step. Step.
Footsteps echoed from what I'd thought was the final room. Slow, approaching steps. From the darkness, a man's figure emerged.
A familiar face.
"You... you're Kwon Yong-jin the hunter?"
"Oh, you know me?"
"Why the hell are you coming from there?"
"Got something to show you?"
"What the hell does that mean?!"
"Here, catch."
Kwon Yong-jin tossed something at me. Catching it, I saw it was a dildo—an adult toy—in my hand.
"Don't fuck around! You... you're the black monster human, aren't you?!"
I hurled the trashy dildo he'd thrown onto the floor and yelled.
"Huh? You should treat that precious thing better."
"Shut your bullshit! Where are the missing magical girls? And where's my sister?!"
"Huh? I just handed your sister over, and you tossed her."
"Wh-what?"
Looking closely at the dildo on the floor, it suddenly seemed off. It wriggled like a living creature. My hands began to shake.
"... Psychometry"
Activating my ability on the dildo on the floor, a powerful memory slammed into my mind.