Chapter 16: O-Rank Combat Record – The Mad Magical Girl 『Happiness Drop』
Chapter 16: O-Rank Combat Record – The Mad Magical Girl 『Happiness Drop』
This sucks.
That was the only foul sentiment I could muster while standing in the pouring rain.
Getting soaked is bad enough, but when the rain is laced with drugs, it’s even worse.
The kids getting hit by it looked happy, regardless of what they were actually doing. Was it really that good?
I stuck my tongue out for a moment.
Just to see if I could be happy, too.
The rain, forming a curtain thick enough to obscure my vision, landed on my tongue. The water trickled down my throat.
As expected, my hopes were betrayed. All I tasted was a bizarre, bitter flavor. I felt absolutely nothing mentally.
“Hey. Crimson★Hammer. What are you doing wandering around drinking rain when you didn't even show up for the meeting?”
Crimson★Hammer. There was only one person who would call me that in such a tone.
“Whatever I do is none of your business, Thunder God.”
A cocky-looking blonde kid.
She claimed to be a woman, but with a body that underdeveloped, she was just a brat to me.
“We’re already short on people. If you drink that stuff and go crazy, who’s going to stop you?”
Unnecessary meddling.
“There are plenty of people to stop me. Your country has the Lord of Infinite Castles, and mine has the Heavenly Demon Sword God.”
“If they’re busy, who’s going to stop that crazy bitch in close quarters? Two people died yesterday alone.”
I see. So the problem was the front-liners dropping like flies. More importantly, two died?
“Two died? Who?”
“You really don’t pay attention, do you?”
“How am I supposed to know who died in that clusterfuck?”
I was busy enough just staying alive.
“I didn’t know either until I heard it at the meeting this morning.”
“Since you brought it up, why don’t you tell me?”
“Fine.”
Thunder God knelt beside me and opened her mouth.
“Boomer and Meteor.”
“I can see Boomer getting unlucky since he’s melee, but how did Meteor go?”
Was there any reason for a sniping specialist like him to die out of the blue?
“They say he looked at The Mad Magical Girl’s face through his scope, went insane, and died instantly.”
“Instant death, my ass. Someone probably put a bullet in his head.”
It was a common occurrence on the front lines. Shooting a comrade in the head to make sure a madman didn't get in the way of the allies.
Mental breakdown symptoms among those exposed to the Otherworld were common enough to trip over, yet their danger level was sky-high. The problem was that an A-Rank Awakened had been dominated instantly, not just some regular soldier.
It was too dangerous.
“Her Mental Domination is stronger than expected. Aren't the Allied Forces thinking of pulling the soldiers back?”
If they left them like that, they might all be mind-controlled en masse. In the worst-case scenario, I had to consider the possibility of every ally becoming an enemy.
“The Soviet Union and the US were strongly against it. They said they couldn't pull back now that their own Awakened had died.”
“Their damn pride is going to get us all killed.”
Those bastards. Was this really the time to worry about pride?
Anger simmered in my chest, but I kept the conversation going. I needed information to survive.
“How did Boomer die?”
“I don’t know.”
What kind of answer was that?
“What do you mean? You don’t even know the cause of death?”
“He just died. Without a single scratch.”
Another power we didn't understand.
Meaningless incidents happening every day. Meaningless powers.
I was getting sick of it.
“Mental manipulation?”
“They said his expression was too strange for that. He was frozen with the same angry face he had when he charged in.”
“Were there no witnesses?”
“They said a Red Flash flickered for a second, and then he was just dead.”
A Red Flash.
It didn't seem like particularly helpful information, but at least I knew there was a precursor.
If he died right after the flash, was it a gaze-based instant death ability? Or a laser? Either way, if I saw a red light, I’d have to close my eyes and move at high speed.
“What’s the plan for tomorrow?”
“If you’re going to ask everything, just come to the meetings.”
“I don’t mind meetings with just Awakened, but having those outsiders involved just puts me in a foul mood.”
“I feel the same way.”
Thunder God spoke with a voice full of discontent.
Everyone probably felt the same. The contemptuous gazes labeling us as monsters, the discrimination from people who knew they couldn't touch us despite our overwhelming power. Recalling those looks made my mood sour instantly.
I pulled a cigarette from my pocket and put it in my mouth.
It was damp because of the humidity, but at least it would soothe my nerves.
“How are you going to light that in the rain?”
“Like this.”
The back of my hammer opened, and fire spewed from the afterburner.
A long pillar of flame illuminated the surroundings for a brief moment before dying down. The tip of the cigarette glowed bright. I exhaled a cloud of acrid smoke.
“…You’ve got some tricks.”
“I got used to it after a few tries.”
After masking the taste of the 'happiness rain' with tobacco smoke, I spoke.
“So, the plan?”
“A total assault.”
“Why? They said they’d keep at it until she weakened and eventually collapsed.”
“I guess they realized the plan was flawed after S-Rank Awakened started dying one after another.”
Idiots. They should have done that from the start. They completely ignored us, only to come to their senses after their own Awakened died?
I remembered the plan the others had proposed. That we should form our own group for the rights of the Awakened. It had been pushed back because the 'Story' had an end, but now I might really have to consider it seriously.
“Execution time?”
“In two hours.”
Snap.
My teeth clenched, biting through the cigarette filter. The half-finished cigarette tumbled onto the muddy ground, its light extinguished by the rain.
“Are they insane? What about rest?”
“They said you guys are sturdy, so it shouldn't be a problem.”
Those sons of bitches. No matter how sturdy we are, Awakened are still human.
I fumbled through my pockets for another cigarette, but all I found was an empty pack.
“Got a smoke?”
“I’m not old enough to get rations.”
“You’re twenty.”
“In Japan, you can only smoke from the age of twenty.”
This really sucks.
* * *
“Kyahahahahaha! Everyone’s gathered! Let’s end this! I’m at my end, too!”
Why was that crazy voice so clear even from a distance?
The soldiers were pulled back, and every Awakened remaining at the base had gathered.
“Who’s starting?”
“Me and the Heavenly Demon Sword God.”
“How many can you take out?”
I looked up at the sky.
Countless Twisted Angels.
Minions of The Mad Magical Girl, floating in the sky on wings of meat attached to corpses. Products of madness with slit mouths and glass beads for eyes, forced to smile forever.
“Roughly 85%?”
“I’ll trust you on that.”
The others stepped back, leaving only me and the white-haired Old Man dressed in traditional robes.
“Old Man, you got enough fuel? Don’t go asking me to bash your head with my hammer later.”
“Worry about your own body.”
“I’m going to live longer than you, so don’t worry about me.”
It didn't seem like I needed to worry about the Heavenly Demon Sword God, so I looked back up at the sky.
“Kyahahak! What’s this? Crimson★Hammer? Heavenly Demon Sword God? You’re all so famous!”
I released the limiters and funneled mana into The Hammer, increasing its size. The ground, unable to withstand The Hammer’s weight, crumbled as the weapon grew without end.
The Heavenly Demon Sword God drew his hwando and held it above his head, taking a stance. Unlike me, his energy was concentrated entirely into a single blade.
While I radiated power in all directions, he was silent, but the weight behind that sword would surely surpass mine.
I went first.
The infinitely enlarged hammer swung from right to left.
The golden-hued hammer swept through the angels floating in the sky, sending out a massive shockwave.
“Kyahak! No matter how big Crimson★Hammer is, that’s the limit for something crawling on the ground!”
She was right.
There was a limit to how much my hammer could grow, so I only managed to sweep away a fraction of them. The Twisted Angels had already retreated to avoid being crushed.
Some fell, caught in the shockwave, but those were only the ones with slow reactions. However, the goal of this attack was to herd them into one place, so my mission was accomplished.
“Hmph!”
Quietly, the Heavenly Demon Sword God swung his hwando. A simple downward strike. For a Martial Artist whose techniques were usually flashy, his sword path was incredibly plain.
“Even the Heavenly Demon Sword God can’t reach this height!”
The Mad Magical Girl ascended even higher along with her angels.
Again, she was right.
If it were the usual Heavenly Demon Sword God, that is.
Crack. Snap.
The sound of something being severed echoed from everywhere.
“What?! What is this?!”
Spurt.
Blood erupted from all directions as angels, sliced in half, plummeted to the earth.
Thud. Splat.
The corpses hit the rain-soaked ground, making a nauseating sound.
“You must have had a lot of pent-up frustration, Old Man.”
“There’s a limit to how much I can tolerate adults doing such things.”
“I see.”
If you were that stressed, you should have let it out sooner.
He claimed to turn 'negation' into power, but to me, it just looked like he was turning stress into power.
If it were truly negation, he wouldn't be asking me to hit him with a hammer to 'recharge.'
“Let’s go.”
As soon as we confirmed the minions were annihilated, the Awakened leaped into the air.
The soldiers, having received the signal, poured their firepower toward the sky, and even the Awakened who couldn't fly grabbed onto missiles and soared upward.
“I’m going first!”
A hand slapped my back. Thunder God, transformed into a bolt of yellow lightning, struck my back and then stepped off a missile to leap higher into the sky.
I guess I should go, too.
“Old Man, I’m heading up.”
“Go on. My old bones are aching.”
“Yes, sir.”
I placed my feet on The Hammer and gripped the handle. The afterburners pointed toward the ground, and I shot into the sky like a rocket.
* * *
We should have done this from the start.
No matter how corrupted by the Otherworld an Awakened was, their power had clear limits. If we had launched a total assault from the beginning, people wouldn't have died in the skirmishes.
They had refused to send out their own Awakened to protect them, and it had led to this.
“Don’t get in my way! You pawns of the Otherworld!”
I didn't know who she was calling a pawn.
Her right hand was shattered, but she continued to resist, spraying magic in every direction.
“Get! Away! You flies!”
Having lost all her minions and the smile from her face, she was now just a target.
Countless techniques rained down on her. It was only a matter of time before she fell.
If only it could end like this.
And, as if to reject that thought.
【The mind is the flesh】
A sentence was etched into my brain.
Otherworld Erosion.
“Otherworld Erosion! The mind is the flesh!”
“Confirmed!”
I amplified my voice, shouting the contents of the Otherworld Erosion as fast as I could. A warning for those who might have missed the sentence in the heat of battle.
I had shouted the warning according to protocol, but what did it even mean? The mind becomes the flesh.
I had experienced Otherworld Erosions that rewrote the laws of physics many times, but one involving the mind was new. After shouting the warning, I looked at The Mad Magical Girl.
She would know what it meant.
She didn't look much different. Her wounds had simply healed completely, and she now held a large scythe in her right hand.
A blood-Red Scythe.
The blood flowing from her body had gathered to form it. It was a grotesque shape with blades on both sides.
Red.
The scythe swung rapidly.
Seeing that, the information I heard yesterday flashed through my mind. A Red Flash flickered, and Boomer died instantly.
To an Awakened’s eyes, it was slow, but to a soldier, it would look like a flash of light.
“Don’t block, dodge! This is the attack that killed Boomer! Special ability unconfirmed!”
I didn't know when I had become the commander, but I acted anyway.
Even so, I shouted the information as loud as I could to save even one more person.
“Confirmed!”
It was information I’d barked out suddenly, but perhaps because I usually went around shouting anyway, many Awakened followed my lead.
Awakened who could have landed a decisive blow gave up their attack and ducked, and those who had raised their weapons to block abandoned the idea and threw themselves through the air.
Whoosh.
The scythe swung in a wide arc, and two people who failed to react to my voice were caught in its path.
“I don’t feel anyth—”
“What was that just—”
The two stood there as if nothing had happened, but they collapsed to the ground before they could finish their sentences.
Two dead.
A scythe that cut nothing and was blocked by nothing. Yet, a single strike that killed once it touched.
Why hadn't she used this until now?
“A scythe that kills the mind! Don’t let it touch you! The conditions are her own blood and Otherworld Erosion!”
“Confirmed!”
Before I could finish my thought, someone who had already finished the analysis provided the answer. Responding to that, I dodged the incoming scythe.
The mind is the flesh.
Then, to defeat that Mad Magical Girl, we had to break her mind.
The reason her wounds healed was that her mind was without a single flaw.
It was ironic that her mind was perfect because she was insane.
We charged at The Mad Magical Girl again with our wounded bodies. We didn't know how to kill a mind, but that was the only thing we could do.
* * *
The battle raged on.
The Mad Magical Girl kept swinging her scythe, but only one more person had been caught in it since then.
I felt lucky she wasn't a physical-type Magical Girl. If her weapon skills had been superior, the casualties would have been far higher.
“Don’t! Dodge!”
The Mad Magical Girl was also clearly exhausted.
The scythe she swung was gradually shrinking, and cracks began to appear on her body, which had previously shown no wounds.
I suppose even a perfect mind couldn't escape the accumulation of fatigue.
It was good news, but if the battle continued any longer, more people would die.
Everyone was dodging the scythe well for now, but I could see their movements slowing down. The fear that a single moment of carelessness could mean death was grinding down our spirits.
We needed a decisive blow.
A wound deep enough to stop her from swinging that scythe.
The Mad Magical Girl kept swinging, and we kept attacking while dodging—a stalemate that felt like it would last forever. But then.
Flash.
In the split second when a bolt of lightning obscured our vision, a yellow figure appeared behind The Mad Magical Girl. The blonde kid spread her arms and pinned The Mad Magical Girl’s arms to her sides.
“Physical Type S! Attack!”
“Good job, Thunder God!”
Pouring in all my mana, I leaped above The Mad Magical Girl’s head.
To deliver the powerful blow I hadn't been able to land while worrying about the scythe.
Clank. Clank.
The Hammer, absorbing mana, rapidly transformed into a stake shape, and an afterburner formed at the back.
Whirrrrr.
With the sound of air being sucked in, the afterburner began to spew fire.
The Mad Magical Girl struggled desperately to break free from Thunder God’s restraint, but Thunder God wouldn't let go.
Thump.
The stake slammed into the crown of The Mad Magical Girl’s head. The attack that would mark the end of this long battle.
“Die, you crazy bitch!”
Channeling all my rage, I hammered the stake down repeatedly.
Kaaaaaaa—
As if answering my fury, the afterburner at the back of The Hammer spewed flames to increase its thrust, and the fully accelerated hammer sent out a shockwave that blew away The Mad Magical Girl’s upper body.
The lower half of The Mad Magical Girl, having lost its support, fell to the ground, and in the thick mist of blood, I quietly asked a question.
“Thunder God. You alive?”
“Why were you so close?”
“How many pure physical Type S do you think are left besides me?”
“Pah. Physical attacks might not work well, but that damn fire is hot.”
Thunder God replied, spitting out a piece of meat as if some had gotten into her mouth.
“I would have been more careful if you’d told me beforehand.”
“It’s over, so it’s fine. Just be careful next time.”
We looked at each other and laughed.
Well, it was over, so that was that.
No matter how amazing she was, there was no way anyone could survive that—
“Kyahahahahahaha! Amazing! Simply amazing!”
Crazy.
The laughter came from the ground.
Everyone seemed to realize the situation at once and descended to the ground, where we saw her in a gruesome state.
“Amazing! To think my body could be broken like this!”
With a hole in her head, she was maintaining her body’s shape with scraps of meat. Her upper body should have been gone, but her body kept regenerating in a disgusting display.
“Look! My mind must think my head is dead! The Hole won’t close!”
As she shook her head, brains oozed from The Hole in her crown, and an eyeball fell to the ground. Could you even call that being alive?
“My body is a rag! Kyahaha!”
Her intestines were constantly regenerating and falling to the ground.
The fragmented pieces of her body were somehow trying to take a human form, but there was no way a body full of holes and collapsed structures could be normal.
It was the result of her mind perceiving that her body had been blown to bits by the attack.
“Let’s end this.”
One of the Awakened said. And everyone nodded as if in agreement.
To send off the woman who had once fought alongside us. We didn't want to see her like this.
“End it? What? You guys are the ones who are finished.”
Boom. Bang. Kaboom.
Suddenly, the sound of explosions rang out.
I thought shells were falling on her, but the explosions were happening right where the Awakened were gathered.
“What the—!”
While we were caught off guard by the sudden explosions and scrambled into combat stances.
“Are you alright, Lady Happiness Drop?”
“I’m fine! I’m broken, but I’m alive!”
The commander of the Allied Forces, arriving in a jeep, supported her body. It was an incomprehensible situation.
“Is this a betrayal?!”
“What are you talking about? You are the ones who betrayed us. Lady Happiness Drop is the true savior of humanity.”
“That’s right! I’m going to lead humanity to happiness! Kyahahahakha!”
Dammit.
Something had gone wrong.
“Mental Domination…”
“Purify them! Quickly!”
“I’ve been doing it this whole time!”
Since when had they been dominated? From the start? Was there another traitor besides the commander?
“Just kill that crazy bitch! Don’t worry about the consequences!”
At those words shouted by someone.
“Confirmed!”
Thunder God and I charged in immediately. The commander might get caught in it, but at this point, I could end it with just one arm.
My hammer swung toward The Mad Magical Girl, and Thunder God’s right hand, transformed into lightning, reached out for her. Nothing was in our way.
Or so we both thought.
Clang. Slash.
A silver flash passed before our eyes.
“Old Man. Dammit.”
“Old Man? Show some more respect to your elders.”
The Heavenly Demon Sword God’s blade blocked our path. My hammer was safe, but Thunder God’s right arm had been severed.
“Grandfather, why…?”
Thunder God, who had followed the Heavenly Demon Sword God, spoke in a dazed voice, unable to understand the situation.
“What is it, Thunder God? Why are you here? Of course, it’s for happiness… Happiness? Happiness…? Hap… piness?”
The Heavenly Demon Sword God uttered bizarre words while looking at Thunder God’s face.
I took the opportunity to swing my hammer, but the Heavenly Demon Sword God blocked it with his sword and continued to speak.
“What is it, Ha-ram? You’re acting strange, too…”
Suddenly, the Heavenly Demon Sword God froze.
Then, a look of realization crossed his face.
After a brief moment, he adjusted his grip on his sword and—
“You demon who killed my grandson, who else are you trying to kill?!”
With a roar, he plunged his sword through his own stomach.
Self-harm—the fastest way to regain one's senses from Mental Domination.
It was an act that put a massive strain on the body, but the Heavenly Demon Sword God performed it without a moment's hesitation.
“Heavenly Demon Sword God, Mental Domination confirmed! Everyone, check if your own minds are sane!”
“What the fuck?!”
“Mental defect confirmed! Someone knock me out!”
“Knock you out? Just die!”
Chaos erupted. Awakened suddenly turning and swinging their weapons at allies. Soldiers charging at us.
“Everyone, get a grip!”
“Open your eyes, you idiots!”
Countless shouts filled the air.
The culprit behind this whole mess was right in front of us. If we could just get rid of her, people could smile again.
“Hahahakhakhak! Justice prevails! You damn pawns of the Otherworld. Look! Everyone has recognized my sincerity!”
“Let’s evacuate, Lady Happiness Drop.”
“Yes. Now I must make humanity even happier.”
She was escaping. Surrounded by the soldiers we had tried to protect. She got into a car comfortably and began to move further away.
“Where’s Meteor! Shoot that bitch!”
“Guns! Bows! Anyone! Please!”
A decision had to be made. The death of a few, or the survival of all?
Then, isn't it obvious?
It wasn't even worth tipping The Scales for.
“For justice.”
For those who died. For those who will live on. Someone has to crawl through the filth.
“Ha-ram…?”
I heard a familiar voice beside me. I drew upon my power once more. I didn't care if I died here. I would give everything I had.
"Aaaaaaaagh!"
I poured every ounce of my strength into it.
My teeth cracked, and the Magic Staff within my body shrieked.
Mana surged past its limits.
My vision swam in red, and my legs began to tremble. I put everything I was into this single strike.
My hammer resonated with the swelling mana. It surged upward, growing massive. The golden-shining hammer continued to expand in size.
"Fire!"
Betrayal.
No, it was an order to fire given to mind-controlled soldiers. Bullets tore into my battered body. My exhausted frame couldn't even deflect them anymore, simply absorbing the lead, but that didn't matter.
All that mattered was the end of my enemies.
"You're insane! You're going to die!"
A flash of yellow lightning streaked across my vision. Bolts of electricity darted back and forth, desperately trying to intercept the bullets.
"I will... assist."
The Martial Artist, blood seeping from his abdomen, stepped in front of me. Someone whose voice I could no longer recognize stood as my shield. Another poured mana into my back. I could no longer feel the impact of the bullets jarring my body.
Focused on a single purpose, I let The Hammer grow.
