Magical Girl Park Jeonghyeon
What the hell is that?
A massive erosion entity burst up from the floor, slicing across the stage and audience seats. It took the form of a ferocious purple four-legged beast. No, looking closer, it didn't seem like just any ordinary erosion entity.
"...That's an erosion host for sure."
An erosion host. The entity you could call the trigger for an erosion phenomenon in reality. In simple terms, cutting down that erosion host would halt the erosion phenomenon. It was like the boss monster in a game. How quickly you took out the erosion host often determined the scale of casualties and property damage.
The problem was, it had way higher specs than a regular erosion entity, and it periodically summoned underlings, making it a pain in the ass to deal with.
'...5th Grade? No, closer to 4th Grade erosion entity.'
I could tell from the erosion waves rippling across my skin. There was no way in hell I could beat that thing right now, even if I died and came back to life. Running was the smart move. No way I could take on a mid-game boss in the story like this.
"Everyone, run!"
I yelled at the top of my lungs and bolted in the opposite direction from the thing. Or at least, I tried to.
Right then—
Krunch!
A chunk of the host exploded into the air before landing on the stage. The piece writhed for a moment, then birthed another erosion entity that started hunting for prey. Its target? My fellow actor right next to me.
A purple fist rocketed toward my colleague's gut.
"Kyaaak!"
Maybe it was because of my past life as a hunter protecting people from erosion entities, but I couldn't just stand there and watch. My body moved on its own. Or rather, my will to protect synced with the actor's consciousness, turning into skilled movements.
Synced choreography. That's what I called it.
"...!"
My mana spread out in front of me. The erosion entity exposed to it shifted its fist's target from my colleague to me, like it was mesmerized.
I deflected the attack with a knife-hand strike, then aimed my other fist at its head. But it blocked like it saw it coming and swung back. I blocked again, attacked. It blocked, attacked. It was like some contrived action movie exchange.
Thud!
Thud-thud!
Thud-thud-thud!
It was literally forcing the enemy into attack-and-defense choreography. A perfect fit for the actor consciousness from a superhuman background.
"Everyone, get out of here!!"
No time to look around, so I shouted just in case someone hadn't escaped yet. No frantic footsteps of people fleeing in panic. Guess they'd all gotten out safely. Good.
I let out a silent sigh of relief while enduring the throbbing pain spreading from my fist. Starting to get tough to hold on. This thing was a mid-to-high-grade spawn from the erosion host—at least 7th Grade erosion entity. You needed at least five 7th Grade purifiers to take one down. My current body, barely scraping 9th or 8th Grade purifier level, was way outmatched.
"Buddy... how about a quick breather?"
Half-serious, but of course, no answer. The pace of our synced choreography was speeding up, and I was struggling to keep up. Meanwhile, the thing was casually batting away my punches without breaking a sweat.
This way, I'd lose. Time for a decision. Take a deliberate hit to create distance with the impact? Or pray it turns its attention elsewhere and book it?
Drawing on my past life's experience through all sorts of shitstorms, I brainstormed the most rational option.
But my efforts became pointless soon enough. The situation resolved itself before I could act.
"Step back."
A sudden chill hit me. Before I could question the clear voice that rang out, I leaped back a huge distance.
Crack-ack!
In an instant, the thing I'd been trading blows with froze solid like an ice statue.
My brain froze at the sudden turn, but I forced myself to assess. Someone who could freeze a 7th Grade erosion entity in one shot. Only one person came to mind.
"Talk about a close call. If it weren't for you, Eirin, my debut would've been my funeral."
Eirin floated in the air, a blizzard of white frost swirling around her. Whether she heard me or not, she turned her head and spoke in a cold voice.
"It's not safe yet. Don't let your guard down. You should run too."
"...You're planning to fight it alone? That monster? Looks at least 4th Grade."
Eirin was powerhouse enough to hold the flashy title of youngest 3rd Grade purifier, but soloing a 4th Grade erosion host was too much even for her. Hell, it was nearly impossible for a single 3rd Grade purifier, period. You'd need two or three to stably take it down.
"No other choice. Waiting for backup is an option, but if we do, this place could turn into an erosion zone. We have to hold it off as best we can."
If an erosion host stuck around in the real world too long, the surrounding area became an erosion zone—permanently corroded land. Even after removing the host, it wouldn't recover, constantly spawning erosion entities and spreading erosion waves. Purifying one took massive effort and resources, so best to kill the host before it happened.
But I was worried. What if she lost her life or got eroded because of this? Dark thoughts glued my feet in place.
"I appreciate the sentiment, but there's nothing more you can do here."
Her words cut through my hesitation. Grimacing, I finally accepted reality. Yeah, all I could do right now was run. I'd just get in her way.
"...Stay safe."
Grinding my teeth, I bolted for the backstage area behind the stage. I didn't look back. Ashamed of myself for fleeing without doing jack despite possessing this game world I loved. Guilty at the thought of witnessing her struggle because of my pathetic ass.
My heart ached.
About five minutes of running later, even Eirin's chill had faded. Occasional combat noises reminded me of her fierce fight.
"...She gonna be okay?"
Now that my own neck was safe, ridiculously, I started worrying about her again.
"This is killing me."
If she died or got eroded here, it'd screw up the entire Infinite End storyline big time.
I couldn't just shrug it off with 'Nah, she's a main character; she'll pull through.'
'The holographic musical got delayed and canceled because of me, and now she's fighting alone because of it.'
This whole mess was butterfly effects from my actions. Brushing it off could lead to irreversible consequences.
'Gotta do something.'
Leaning against a wall, I racked my brain. Was I missing something? Anything I could do to help her?
"No way..."
I started to scoff self-deprecatingly—then it hit me.
"...There is."
My eyes widened.
'That... what was it? 4-star consciousness random trial ticket?'
Just before, I'd cleared an achievement exposing myself to the crowd and gotten the 4-star consciousness random trial ticket. The chaos after had made me forget it entirely. Good thing I remembered now.
'Wanted to save it for a real pinch, but no choice.'
A 4-star consciousness was bound to be leagues beyond the actor one. Syncing it should let me jump into Eirin's fight.
'Please be a combat consciousness this time.'
The actor one came from a superhuman, but its main gig was acting, so combat wasn't its forte. Sure, 4-stars packed power even for non-combat types, but combat was preferable.
"Here goes."
4-Star Consciousness Random Trial Ticket
The scene before my eyes shifted again. The beautiful galaxy display from a week ago welcomed me. The stars forming it dimmed one by one until a single star remained, shining proudly as it approached.
Then it burst into brilliant green light, and an innocent girl's voice rang in my ears.
"To protect the peace of this world, I have arrived!"
Wait, why a girl's voice?
As realization dawned that something was wrong, the voice's owner appeared before me. Red frills on a top and skirt. Black hair down to her waist with star hairpins. Black stockings and a cute ribbon on her chest. And a long staff topped with a massive diamond.
Her name was—
"The magical girl protecting peace, Park Jeonghyeon."
"Huh?"