Chapter 41: 9 PM
At 9 PM, Dain stood in front of an old apartment complex. Or rather, what used to be one.
"Haa..."
A massive fence loomed before her eyes. A large sign was posted on it as well.
REDEVELOPMENT ZONE
NO ENTRY
The apartment that had been half-destroyed three years ago in the battle between Necroa and Shining Ruby. The happy home where Min-woo oppa's close friend Yeon-ah and his parents had lived. Now, it was nothing but overgrown weeds and ruins.
Dain gazed at the crumbled concrete debris visible through the gaps in the fence. Memories surfaced. From three years ago. That horrific day.
—
"Haa... haa...!" My breath caught in my throat. Transformed into the magical girl Spica, I raced madly through the collapsed apartment complex.
"Mom!! Mommm!!"
"Someone... please, anyone... ughhh!!"
It was hell. Screams erupted from all directions. People buried under rubble, voices calling for family members covered in blood.
Kwaaaang—!
Kraaaaaahhh!!!
Far off, a pink flash erupted once more. Shining Ruby's Magical Ray. Facing it was the massive black monster roaring in defiance: Necroa.
The powerful barrier over the city center rippled like a tarp. Their battle had transcended mere combat—it was turning into a catastrophe.
But none of it registered in my eyes. Not the monster, not Ruby, not the citizens screaming for help. My gaze was fixed on one spot.
The place where Ruby's first barrage had punched through. Oppa’s house, fixed on the 5th-floor balcony.
'Please... please be okay, oppa...!'
Kwang! Squeezing out my magic, I leaped up to the 5th floor in one bound. The moment I landed on the collapsed balcony railing and stepped inside—
"Kuhhh— ah, ahhh!"
A beast-like wail echoed. In the dust-choked middle of the living room, Min-woo oppa was crouched down. Covered in dust, clutching something desperately as he flailed.
"Oppa!!"
Kwajijik—!
With my shout, a massive concrete chunk gave way to the collapse and plummeted toward his head.
"---!"
Paht! Instinctively, I hurled myself forward. I deployed my Magical Shield with my right hand, covering his head.
Kuwoong!
The round shield vibrated, absorbing the tremendous impact.
"Haa... haa..."
As I shoved the debris aside and the dust settled, oppa slowly lifted his head. Eyes devoid of focus. A face twisted in terror and despair.
He stared blankly up at my flashy magical girl outfit and glowing shield.
And then.
"Ma... gical... girl...?"
Oppa’s lips trembled. Not from gratitude for salvation. But resentment and disgust toward his family's killer—his own kind. And fear.
"Oppa! It's me! Dain! Han Dain!"
I hurriedly released my transformation. With a brilliant light, my blonde hair turned back to black. My light eyes reverted to dark ones.
Only then did the emotion in oppa’s eyes shift.
"Da... Dain-ah...?"
"Yeah, it's me. Sorry I'm late. I... I'm here now..."
I pulled him into a tight embrace. The moment he was in my arms, he collapsed.
"Da, Dain-ah... huuk... Mom... Dad... Yeon-ah...!"
"Yeah... oppa. It's okay. Everything's okay..."
"Huu... huwaaaang!"
Oppa tore at my clothes, wailing. A scream he hadn't dared utter until now.
I stroked his back and looked around. And I saw it.
The dining table, vanished without a trace. Shattered glasses scattered on the floor, and under the concrete pile... Mom's hand. And, soaked in blood seeping from the debris... the blue cardigan I'd gifted Yeon-ah.
"..."
I bit my lip until it drew blood.
...
The next morning, I'd laid oppa to rest on my studio apartment bed and stepped out onto the balcony. My purifying light had barely calmed him, but I couldn't erase the pain from his sleeping face.
"I can't forgive them..."
Biting my lip, I closed my eyes. And called forth the light within me.
Hwaaak—!
With radiant light, my casual clothes vanished, replaced by a white dress and light armor enveloping my body. In my hands, a one-handed sword and round shield.
C-rank magical girl Spica.
Destination: Magical Girl Management Bureau (AMS) headquarters.
I kicked off the balcony railing and leaped into the air. I dashed from rooftop to rooftop.
A place no mere C-rank magical girl should dare approach. But I wasn't afraid. Oppa’s cries and Yeon-ah’s bloodied cardigan still haunted my vision.
—
AMS headquarters, 15th floor, strategic situation room. The atmosphere was like a festival.
"Cheers!"
"As expected of Shining Ruby! Taking down what even the Japanese couldn't!"
Suit-clad executives clinked champagne glasses, laughing. On the TV news, a massive caption read:
My target: right in the middle of that disgusting celebration.
Jjanggrang—!
With a massive crash, I shattered the thick reinforced glass with my shield leading and landed inside. The full-pane window exploded inward.
"Wh-what!?"
"It's an attack!"
Screams rang out as people dove to the floor. Stepping over glass shards, I strode to the center of the room.
My flowing blonde hair and icy blue eyes reflected in the gleaming office furniture. I pointed my sword at the executives.
"Wh-what the hell are you doing! Guards! Guards, where are you!"
"Shut up."
My voice came out cold even to my own ears.
"You... find this funny right now?"
"What...?"
"Twenty people died yesterday! Over fifty if you count the missing!"
I unleashed the rage I'd bottled up.
"And you're toasting? Are you even human!?"
"You insolent...!"
As chaos erupted, heavily armed guards rushed in. But I unleashed my magic, blasting them back with a shockwave.
An overwhelming output even I could scarcely believe. Terrified by that threatening power, the executives stumbled back.
"Tell me! Why didn't you sound the evacuation alarm! There were signs ten minutes before the monster appeared! If you'd just rung the siren... no, even a broadcast announcement... half of them could have been saved!!"
"Enough."
Then, a deep voice cut through the crowd. The frightened higher-ups parted left and right.
At the end of that path stood the pinnacle of the Republic of Korea's Management Bureau: Director Min Chang-ho.
"It's Spica. Your emotional output is impressive. Hard to believe you're just C-rank."
Without a hint of anger, he regarded me with interest.
"You have a lot to say, it seems. Come to my office."
—
Director's office. He offered me a cup of tea, then sank deep into the sofa.
"You must have many questions. Why no alarm, and Ruby's excessive force."
"...Yes. I need to hear your excuses."
I glared at him, ignoring the tea.
"Why use civilians as shields? To catch Necroa, innocent lives were expendable?"
"Shields..."
The director gave a bitter smile and sipped his tea.
"Do you know Necroa's traits?"
"..."
"Of course not. The Japanese didn't share full details. Its real weapons are 'intelligence' and 'mimicry.' When cornered, it disguises as humans or animals and hides—the sly bastard."
He pressed a button, and a hologram map unfolded. Of oppa’s apartment complex.
"It tried breaking through our encirclement into the city center. What if we'd sounded the siren then?"
"Well... people would have evacuated."
"Exactly. And it would have noticed and fled."
His eyes turned icy.
"The moment the alarm sounded, it would sense the trap and mimic instantly. Blending into the evacuating crowd... slipping into a subway station or stadium."
"...!"
"Rush hour. Thousands at the subway. Thirty thousand at the concert stadium. If it mimicked a human in that crowd? We'd never find it."
He tapped the apartment complex on the map.
"This was the only spot. Quiet, secluded. A place it could relax."
"Even so... using residents as bait..."
"Fifty."
The director cut me off.
"Fifty sacrifices. But if it reached the subway? Five thousand dead. What would you choose?"
I was speechless. The trolley problem. Sacrificing the few for the many. I knew it logically, but my heart rejected the cruel math.
"What about Ruby then? Ruby destroyed the building! That was blatant intent!"
"When we started the op, Necroa fled to the roof."
He tossed a photo. Drone footage. A massive black wolf-like monster racing across the apartment roof.
"It tried escaping via the rooftops. Fast one. Past that building was the city heart. That was the last line."
"..."
"Ruby's call was spot-on. Miss it there... unimaginable disaster."
"Ha..."
"I know Ruby has personality issues. But without that judgment, no killing Necroa. She made her best choice."
"Best... choice?"
Emptiness gripped me; I clenched my fists. My friend, my lover's family—massacred. And that was the best choice?
"I understand your anger. But justice sometimes requires bloodied hands."
The director stood, placing a hand on my shoulder. His voice carried weight—the burden of leadership.
"Spica. You're promising. You'll reach a position like mine someday."
"Then you'll learn. Ideals and reality differ."
He pulled a document from his drawer and handed it over.
"I won't beg forgiveness. Instead, I'll give you greater power. Grow stronger... and next time, save people your way."
"..."
I took the document. My hands shook.
This was a bribe—and an opportunity. I should refuse. Tear it up and scream.
But... I couldn't argue.
Fifty versus five thousand. Before that brutal scale, my sense of justice and rage seemed childish whining, ignorant of reality.
'What... can I even do?'
Would yelling or exposing the truth bring back the dead?
If the magical girl system lost trust and collapsed, who stops future monsters? If more die because of my selfishness?
What then?
Powerlessness. Before the massive system, how insignificant an individual felt—down to my bones.