Erosion Zone (2)
Ten minutes into the doll subjugation.
Watching the Banwol Guild fight, my takeaway was simple.
They're way worse than I imagined.
I mean, sure, they're all total newbies, but how can their teamwork be this off?
"Th-that axe just landed right in front of my foot, right?"
"Weird. Why isn't it attacking me?"
"Narin, stop whining and attack already. And Yeonha, you think standing there holding your shield like an idiot is gonna block anything?"
The enemy was a mere 7th-grade doll. Compared to Banwol Guild's level, it didn't have the firepower or durability to win in any category.
Yet they were getting pushed back because their coordination was nonexistent. Hell, they were getting in each other's way.
Just a ragtag bunch of amateurs.
"Miss, do we really not need to help?"
Keter glanced at me cautiously.
"Let 'em be. They're not dying from that."
I was only laying down the most basic speed and strength buffs. Keter was adding defensive barriers just for lethal hits.
"Kyaak! I almost died for real that time. It came right up to my face!"
"I can block it for you, so please don't worry."
"Thanks so much, Secretary! Why won't that damn shield girl block for me?"
Narin half-sobbed her words. Maybe because I'd knocked away its first attack, the doll had taken me off its target list.
Instead, it was chucking axes only at Banwol Guild—specifically, at the backliner Narin.
Thanks to that, Narin hadn't even drawn her bowstring once.
So what was frontline Yeonha doing? Not realizing attacks weren't coming her way, she was still propping up barriers in random spots.
What the hell is she doing?
"She's pretty decent, though."
"You mean Kim Dohee?"
"Yeah. She's not landing direct hits on the doll while juggling everything else, but her movement alone shows talent."
Kim Dohee was the only one with solid footwork. She kept issuing orders, deflecting attacks Yeonha missed, and probing the doll whenever an opening appeared.
"Ah, damn. Why is this thing so fast?"
Dohee jabbed her spear into another gap, but the wood doll dodged like it was child's play.
Wood-type dolls were speedy on their feet. Unless you cornered and pummeled them, direct hits were tough.
Of course, if I cranked up the buff output, Dohee could keep up—but then what was the point of me being here?
"Oh, she blocked it."
Finally, something smacked into one of Yeonha's haphazard barriers.
But that wasn't an axe?
"That was my arrow..."
"Ha."
Dohee sighed like the ground had caved in beneath her.
At this rate, we'd be here all day.
I kicked off lightly and floated over to Banwol.
"Hey, doesn't that doll have a delay between throwing an axe and pulling out the next one?"
Dohee froze, like she'd never considered it.
"Huh. Now that you mention it."
"Y-Yuri, you can spot that even in this mess?"
"Weirdly, no attacks are coming my way. Thanks to you, sis."
I tilted my head and flashed a small smile.
"Yeah. Sis has got this."
Buoyed by my smile, Narin gripped her bow with renewed resolve.
I'm no cheerleader. What is this?
"Yeonha. From now on, don't think—just track the axe trajectories and block however you can."
Dohee deflected an incoming axe with her spear and glanced our way.
"Got it."
"Narin. Keep your angle ready and shoot the moment a gap opens. No running away scared."
"Okay!"
Dohee nailed the solution right away.
Wood-types were annoying for their speed, but the real issue was their barrage of attacks from multiple weapons, leaving zero openings for counterattacks.
But this one was 7th-grade. Just one axe. Plenty of exploitable flaws.
"Here we go."
Dohee exhaled frost from her spear and charged the doll.
Kikigik—
The doll twisted its neck grotesquely a few times and hurled another axe at Narin.
"Like this."
True to Dohee's instructions, Yeonha tracked the axe to the end and deployed her barrier.
The massive curtain from her shield repelled the axe. At the same time, Dohee closed in and thrust her spear—now fully encased in ice.
Exchange one.
The doll's axe and Dohee's spear crossed paths.
Exchange two.
A clear clang as the weapons clashed.
Exchange three.
The doll's axe froze solid from the frost, barely blocking Dohee's stab before getting shoved back.
"Stay frozen."
Ice erupted from the ground where the doll stood, at Dohee's command.
"Winds, come to me."
Narin, who'd been watching intently, finally loosed her bowstring.
Once. Yeah, once was enough.
Wind swirled around the arrow, spiraling toward the doll.
The doll thrashed to escape, but the encasing ice wouldn't shatter.
Kwachik—
The arrow pierced the doll's body.
A hole gaped in its chest, and it went still.
Silence fell. A chill hung in the air.
Keter approached and peered down at it.
"7th-grade wood doll. No vital signs."
Her words unleashed a chorus of sighs.
"Did we... did we really take it down?"
Narin spoke first, charging at me like she wanted a hug.
I sidestepped effortlessly.
"Hing. Thought the mood was right."
"No."
"Cheek then?"
"No."
"You hate me."
Yeonha lowered her shield and collapsed to her knees.
"It's finally over."
Dohee stared at the doll a beat longer, then grinned as it sank in.
"You guys were awesome. And Yuri, this is all thanks to you. We'd still be flailing without you."
Watching them, even I felt good. I gave a little wave.
Then my spine went ice-cold.
Something's wrong. The doll's definitely dead.
Keter's eyes never lie.
But this unease... that gross sensation I'd felt earlier hadn't faded. If anything, it was worse.
"Hold up."
As I spoke, a dark red mist billowed from somewhere.
"Keter, protect the kids!"
The fog swallowed everything in seconds.
Visibility zero. Sound muffled, like it was cut off.
I tossed my staff.
Transformed into my magical girl form without hesitation.
Focused my senses on the haze, piercing the murk.
"There."
Far off, a writhing, amorphous shape at the mist's source.
Too grotesque for a corrupted lifeform. Not a doll type I'd seen.
"Kim Doa will figure out what that is."
Pabat—
I dashed at it and swung my fist.
A massive explosion, and the shape scattered like smoke.
As if it had never been there.
Then a fresh wave of mist crashed over me. I reflexively raised my arm and shut my eyes.
Welcome home, my little one.
A voice echoed.
I've been waiting so long.
A woman's voice.
Lonely. Hungry. I love you.
I knew the owner.
Come back to me.
The one I respected most.
The one I hated most.
"Fuck..."
I gritted my teeth.
I knew it. This voice shouldn't be here.
But I couldn't hold back.
"Where... where are you?"
I've always been right here.
Hatred.
It clawed at my chest after all these years.
Memories of that day. The traces that nearly broke me.
Swirling in my head.
"...I'll kill you."
Yes. I'm waiting.
No. This isn't real.
Just erosion hallucination.
Right. Her voice couldn't be here.
That's right. You killed her yourself, with those loving hands of yours.
Laughter filled my skull.
I punched my own cheek.
The voice vanished.
Blood in my mouth. But my head cleared.
"Primary erosion, huh."
Erosion always dredges up trauma. I'd seen plenty lose their minds to it.
But I resist almost everything.
What the hell was that?
"Not the time."
I shook my head.
First, get out. No telling what's happening outside.
Haste.
Max acceleration on myself. Artefact deployed.
A gauntlet studded with sharp gems wrapped my hand.
I clenched my fist. Tore through the surroundings.
Outside, Keter was guarding the fainted Narin and Yeonha.
"You okay?"
"I'm fine."
Keter gave a wry smile, maintaining her barriers.
"More importantly, over there—quick."
She pointed. Kim Dohee, bleeding from her head, was fighting a shadow.
A shadow made from an old magical girl's corpse. What the hell was that doing here?
Dohee traded a few blows, then took a lightning strike from the shadow and flew off.
I leaped and caught her.
Dohee went limp in my arms, passed out.
Judging by her state, this wasn't some fodder shadow from absorbed dolls.
Holding her own against something like that? Impressive enough.
"Good work."
I set Dohee down and eyed the enemy.
A zombie-like shadow creaking along. Behind it, a full mermaid-form doll spewing tentacles from the ground.
Phase two had begun.