Chapter 186: The Coronation (1)
Chapter 186: The Coronation (1)
The summit of the Demon King’s Castle. Reaching the top floor took only a single leap.
Compared to the effort it took to get here, this was a breeze. Physical height was nothing compared to the tricky obstacles I’d faced, like the "Room Where You Must Have Sex to Leave" that the Dark Elf Ceylon had shown me, or that annoying gatekeeper, the Clone User.
Still, I felt a strange sense of accomplishment. I’d always felt like I had no equal, but this mission taught me that the core members of the Villain Association actually had a few pests worth noting. Of course, even then, I’d never encountered an enemy I felt I truly couldn't defeat.
‘If such an enemy did exist, I wouldn't be the only one in danger.’
It would be one thing if an enemy appeared that I couldn't handle due to some specific elemental mismatch, but if an enemy appeared who could suppress me through pure ability alone, that wouldn't just be my crisis. It’s a bit awkward to say it myself, but there is no hero in the Hero Association superior to me.
If such a villain appeared and began acting in earnest, it wouldn't just be my ending. It would be the ending for every hero in the Association—and perhaps, the ending of this entire world.
‘I think I have a general idea of the Villain Association’s goals.’
I doubt they have any grand convictions. Take Kang Young-hoon, for instance—wasn't he the guy who became a Villain Association executive just so he could have a tastier time raping female heroes? Even Ceylon was only cooperating because he wanted to live comfortably on an Earth where Dark Elves weren't persecuted.
I didn't think the rest of the executives, the Beast Tamer and the Hypnotist, had any great cause either. Villains in any story are usually the same. They always want to gain immense power and rule the world.
‘And I’m just here to stop them.’
If the Villain Association moved according to that script and finally succeeded in their plan, it would be a disaster for all of humanity. Just because it was a common cliché didn't mean it wasn't threatening. Furthermore, this Hypnotist bastard was different from the others. I could feel that he was preparing something substantial.
Perhaps the kidnapping of the Operator was part of those preparations. Thinking about it that way sent a chill down my spine.
Taat—!
There was no point in agonizing over it. Realizing this, I ascended the stairs with a light step and reached the top floor. When I was being bukkaked by the Clone User and his copies, I felt disgusting with thick semen splattered all over my body, but I was fine now.
‘Because I transformed.’
Transforming into a magical girl is convenient. If I’m naked, the magical girl dress manifests automatically, and my disheveled hair or messy physical condition is restored to normal. This must be one of the functions of the magical girl ability. Of course, I have no idea what the actual principle behind it is.
"Aha, found you."
Enough with the self-reflection. It was time to work.
Reaching the top floor, everything came into view. The summit of the Demon King’s Castle was wide open, offering a clear view in all directions. The majestic atmosphere felt unnecessarily burdensome, almost like a sacrificial altar.
It was an excessively vast space for only two people to occupy.
The Operator was slumped in a chair, his body limp, and in front of him was the Hypnotist, Han Yoo-seong, busily waving his arms. I looked back and forth between the two men, feeling like a spy who had just interrupted a secret tryst.
"I've come to take my comrade back. You homo bastard, kidnapping a man."
"That pathetic Clone User... I told him to make sure no one got in... Huh?"
The Hypnotist shook his head as if frustrated, cursing the gatekeeper, before slowly turning around. It goes without saying that he looked utterly shocked the moment he saw my face.
"Wh-Why are you here...?"
It was a natural reaction. No one would have expected me to make it here. Not even Kang Young-hoon, who sent me here, could have known it would turn out like this.
‘Oh, right.’
Come to think of it, where did Kang Young-hoon go? He was the one who said he’d take me to the Villain Association for "additional training." He just dropped me off at the Villain Association Gate and vanished. I’d completely forgotten about him until now.
I thought he’d follow me immediately, but he still hadn't shown up. At this point, I even wondered if he’d pretended to be a villain just to secretly let me in here—as if he were subtly telling me to go rescue the Operator.
Though I’m sure that wasn't his intention at all.
"I remember you. Magical Girl Floss... right?"
"Good memory. I remember you too, Hypnotist. This works out perfectly."
"Hmm?"
"I have a debt to settle with you. A big one. I was just going to rescue the Operator and leave, but since you’ve shown your face right in front of me, I guess I’ll have to teach you a lesson."
"Pfft! A debt? You? Where does that confidence come from? You can't even resist my hypnosis, can you?"
Aha, right. The Hypnotist didn't know. He didn't know that I was immune to hypnosis.
So far, I’d only been "caught" in the Hypnotist's power twice. Once at the Hero Academy, and once during the Common Sense Alteration Incident.
At the Hero Academy, I had intentionally pretended to be hypnotized. I wanted to play the part of a submissive, airheaded magical girl who followed every lewd command. Someone might ask why I’d bother doing that, but I couldn't help it. Being treated like that is my fetish, so what was I supposed to do?
The second time was when the Operator and the Association Chairman summoned the heroes due to the Common Sense Alteration Incident. I didn't meet the Hypnotist directly then, but he must have seen me pretending to succumb to the Common Sense Alteration Zone, being violated by police officers and criminals.
Not once, but twice, I’d shown him that I couldn't resist hypnosis. No matter how suspicious he might be, this was enough to solidify his perception of me as a "weak-pussy" who was fundamentally vulnerable to hypnosis.
"Do you understand me now? You might be the strongest hero and a magical girl who’s active everywhere, but you’re nothing against me. There is an absolute mismatch in our compatibility."
"Ugh..."
"Haha, the Beast Tamer came back crying after you beat him up last time. I couldn't understand why. Since we’re on the subject, maybe I should hypnotize you into thinking you’re a bitch and hand you over to him? He’d love the chance for revenge."
The Hypnotist was acting incredibly smug. I let him keep blustering. There was no reason to move hastily and change his perception. In fact, being underestimated was the perfect situation to find an opening and rescue the Operator.
"...Wait, you don't actually think my hypnosis is useless just because the Operator is here, do you?"
"What are you talking about...?"
Before I could finish my sentence, I realized something. Something was wrong with the Operator. I thought he was unconscious because he was slumped in the chair, but his eyes were open. However, he was clearly not in his right mind.
"Do you remember what happened during the Academy field training? I hypnotized you, and I tried to hypnotize the Operator to bring him to the Villain Association... but I failed."
"Of course I remember. Your hypnosis didn't work on the Operator."
"Heh, exactly. The Operator easily resisted my hypnosis and then snapped you out of it to counterattack. That was probably the biggest crisis I’ve ever felt."
The Hypnotist chattered away excitedly. I couldn't shake a growing sense of dread. My intuition was telling me it was already too late to turn back.
Was it because I’d been held by Ceylon for too long? Because the scuffle with the Clone User dragged on?
‘No, that’s not it.’
It was already over. Even before I found the Villain Association Gate and entered. Even before I found Kang Young-hoon.
"How do you think I was able to kidnap the Operator? Do you think I ambushed him from behind?"
"Ugh, you bastard..."
"The moment we met, I hypnotized him. I shattered all the Common Sense Alteration Zones I’d prepared, reclaimed that power, and poured every ounce of it into hypnotizing the Operator. So, rather than saying I kidnapped him, it’s more accurate to say he followed me here of his own free will."
Did he notice what I wanted to say just by looking at my expression? The Hypnotist smirked.
"Floss, this is what you’re curious about, isn't it? How that was possible. Even with your goldfish brain, you must remember. The past me, who struggled so hard to recruit the Operator to the villains' side."
No, I knew the reason now.
"...2nd Awakening."
"Haha, you knew? Yes, the 2nd Awakening. Of course, it wasn't just that my ability became stronger. A tiny desire to defect to the villains' side had formed in the Operator's heart. I believe it was thanks to a magic tool Ceylon created."
I knew what he was talking about. The Operator, who had a secret crush on me, had experienced the sensation of Magical Girl Floss—my pussy—for the first time in his life thanks to the Sensory Sync Onahole. The Hypnotist was saying that knowledge had allowed a seed to sprout within the Operator.
‘The moment he thought he could have me if he joined the Villain Association... the seed of desire germinated.’
I didn't blame the Operator. Anyone can harbor twisted thoughts once in a while. Even the kindest person can feel like throwing everything away when things don't go well. As long as they don't act on it, it isn't a problem.
But the Hypnotist had intentionally toyed with and stimulated that thought, inflating it with hypnosis. Even then, his original hypnosis wouldn't have worked on the Operator. It was only possible because the strength of his ability had taken a massive leap forward through the 2nd Awakening.
"What exactly... is the 2nd Awakening?"
"Don't overthink it. It just means my power becomes even stronger, and I gain additional functions I didn't have before. In my case, it was the enhancement of my hypnosis and the ability to deploy Common Sense Alteration Zones. The Beast Tamer didn't just get better at controlling monsters; he gained the power to evolve the monsters he controls."
Hearing it laid out like that, I started to understand. I could roughly guess what additional powers some of the people I knew would gain if they achieved a 2nd Awakening.
The Invisible Man, Shin Tae-geon, might be able to turn things he isn't touching invisible. The Association Chairman, a strength-enhancement hero, might become strong enough to cause natural disasters directly. Kang Young-hoon, the time-stopper, might be able to adjust the speed of time or even rewind it, rather than just stopping it.
...In an instant, various scenarios flashed through my mind. Except for my own.
‘What would happen to me?’
I couldn't even imagine it. What happens when the superpower of being a "Magical Girl" evolves? Do I become a "Magical Lady"? Nothing but stupid puns came to mind.
"Floss, you were probably just imagining it. What kind of power your hero acquaintances would wield if they succeeded in a 2nd Awakening."
"..."
I bit my lip slightly. I couldn't deny it.
"I went through the exact same process. However, the scope of my consideration didn't just include acquaintances. It included enemies as well."
"Enemies?"
"Yes. I thought and thought about which enemy would be the most dangerous to us if they achieved a 2nd Awakening. The 2nd Awakening is a realm open to any superpower user. We just reached it a bit faster thanks to the know-how we got from Ceylon."
I didn't bother asking for the secret to the 2nd Awakening. He wouldn't tell me anyway, and I suspected that the method was simply gaining enlightenment by viewing one's own power from more diverse perspectives and using it extensively.
"At the end of my long deliberation, I singled out one hero."
The Hypnotist chuckled.
"A hero no one considered a practical combatant. He always sat in a chair, providing support from the rear. You could call him the shadow of the hero world. But Ceylon warned me sternly that this man's ability was an Irregular. He said there was no telling how it would change if he achieved a 2nd Awakening."
"Wait, don't tell me..."
"But I felt like I knew. It was an unfamiliar ability to Ceylon, but it was familiar to me. No, it would be familiar to anyone living in the modern era."
In that moment, the Operator's superpower flashed through my mind.
‘Status Window.’
The Operator can see the status windows of others. Using this ability, he checks the stats of other heroes, objectively calculates which hero is suitable for which mission, and provides a comprehensive analysis.
No matter how prideful a hero was, they couldn't argue with a cold analysis using the status window. Because it was almost always the truth.
...If this ability gained an additional function through a 2nd Awakening, how would it change?
‘The original Operator could only see the status windows of others.’
If you added a function to that, only one thing came to mind.
I didn't even want to consider the possibility. But the answer was already set. Otherwise, there was no way the Hypnotist would be laughing like that, as if everything were already accomplished.
"That's right. The 2nd Awakening allowed the Operator to forcibly 'manipulate' the status windows of others."
"...Ah."
"And he is under my hypnosis. He acts exactly as I envision."
"No, that's..."
As the Hypnotist tilted his head, the slumped Operator began to move. Slowly, like a puppet being controlled. He even opened his mouth as if to speak.
"O-Operator!"
Think calmly, Floss. Remember that so far, countless superpowers have failed to work on me.
Kang Young-hoon's time stop, and even the Hypnotist's hypnosis, were useless against me. He’s trying to scare me, but that "Status Window Manipulation" might not work on me at all.
"Magical Girl Floss, Status Window access."
"You idiot! This isn't the time to look at my status window! Wake up and let's get out of here...!"
"Sensitivity 100x."
...Wait, what?
"Orgasm."
Fshhh! Fshaaaaaa!
A forced orgasm command at 100x sensitivity.
Without even a moment to resist, my pussy and my brain were raped simultaneously.
"Oh♡ Ooh♡ Nnggh-aaahhh♡♡?!"
It happened in a mere heartbeat.