Erosion Zone (3)
“It's been a while... shadows too.”
Back in my magical girl days, I busted my ass chasing down shadows.
These days, if an awakener gets eaten, the Management Bureau jumps in right away.
That's exactly what Kim Doa's Execution Department handles.
“So, where the hell have you been hiding?”
The shadows were mimicking the forms of transformed magical girls.
These were ones who'd been devoured ages ago.
I thought we'd cleaned them all up during the Great Subjugation.
Looks like some doll was still lurking. No idea why it's surfacing now.
“Let's wrap this up quick.”
I used a massive tentacle bursting from the ground as a springboard, leaping up and slamming my fist into a shadow's chest.
The shadow let out an ugly screech that made it hard to believe it was once a magical girl protecting the world. Then it crumbled to ash and vanished.
Losing a comrade seemed to rile them up—they charged at me in a horde.
Not like they'd feel sad or anything. Zombie-like things don't have emotions.
I heated up my gauntlets, poured in some focus, and fired off dual shockwaves straight ahead.
A deafening boom echoed as the shockwaves blasted outward.
The shadows lunging at me lost their balance and went flying.
Home run.
“Miss, behind you.”
“Huh?”
Four enormous tentacles erupted from the ground, lunging toward the downed Kim Dohee.
I'd gotten so hyped up pounding shadows that I'd totally forgotten she was lying there.
Accelerate. Faster.
Before the tentacles could touch her, I boosted my legs and smashed my overheating gauntlets down on each one.
Crack—
The tentacles burst, oozing fluids as they collapsed in a heap.
A nauseating stench exploded into the air.
“Keter, can you protect the kid too?”
I deflected attacks from incoming shadows as I asked.
“I'm sorry. Unless it's breaking the barrier I already cast, this is beyond me.”
Keter groaned in pain, focusing hard on her barrier spell.
“This just got annoying.”
A standard 1st-grade doll? I could handle it while guarding someone.
But one with multiple shadows? Fighting defensively won't be easy.
Not impossible, but it'd be a tough slog after so long.
The doll's gaze in the distance was locked entirely on Kim Dohee.
“When's the kid gonna wake up...”
Screams, horns, roars.
The girl's last memory of her family was a burning hellscape.
They'd gone out for her favorite meal, on the way home.
The ordinary street plunged into crimson fog.
Monsters resembling dolls poured from the torn sky.
Her family fled desperately.
But it ended in despair. A mermaid—one of those beautiful ones from fairy tales.
It blocked their path.
First, her father was dragged away by a tentacle.
It slowly wrapped around his body, then burst into foam.
Blood sprayed everywhere.
“Daddy...?”
Next was her mother.
The girl heard it clearly. What her mom said.
Run away.
In an instant, the girl was drenched in blood.
Her body reacted before her mind could.
She ran for her life.
Deep down, she wanted to die there with them.
But she couldn't forgive it.
The thing that turned her life into hell.
She dragged her trembling legs onward.
Ran for what felt like forever.
She glanced back.
She thought she'd gotten far, but there it was, staring at her from afar.
Like a child eyeing a toy. It laughed, grotesquely wide.
You're next.
The words seemed to whisper in her ear.
The tentacle that took her parents slithered slowly toward her.
“I...”
She grabbed a stone from the ground.
“I don't want to die!”
As she screamed and hurled it at the tentacle—
Bang—
A thunderous explosion punched a hole through the massive tentacle.
It went limp and collapsed.
“You okay?”
Filling her vision wasn't the tentacle, but someone's back.
The person wore a deep purple frilly dress like a magical girl, a massive sniper rifle slung across their back.
“Sorry I'm late.”
A gentle voice that didn't match the sharp eyes.
“What's your name?”
“Dohee... Kim Dohee.”
“Sounds like mine.” The person turned with a smile. “Hang on a sec. I'll take that thing out quick.”
The girl's strength faded, her eyes slowly closing.
“Tha...nks.”
That was the last thing she said before blacking out.
People later called them that.
Heroes.
The girl thought so too.
Heroes who brought light to her shattered world.
That's why she remembered.
The miracles they wrought, dazzling and bright.
“Starting to tire out.”
Shadows all cleared.
The problem was that insane tentacle mermaid.
Normally, tentacles stop regenerating after a few slices.
But how many magical girls did this thing devour to mutate like that?
Cut 'em down, and more kept sprouting from the ground.
“Miss, how about dropping the grand barrier now?”
“Then it'd bust out. No way.”
We end this here. No more victims.
That's one thing I've stuck to since becoming a magical girl.
Once I catch prey, I never let it go.
“I'm worried you're pushing too hard like this.”
“I'm fine.”
I've done battles like this a hundred times.
“......”
A groan came from behind.
Perfect timing.
Kim Dohee was staggering to her feet, clutching her aching head.
She saw me and swallowed hard.
“...You're a magical girl?”
She muttered to herself.
“No wonder Doa unnie pushed you so hard.”
From her reaction, she knows our generation of magical girls.
The Great Subjugation is ancient history now, a faded glory.
That level of shock? She's probably a survivor from it.
Regular folks think magical girls are just early awakeners.
But those who lived through it know.
Today's awakeners are child's play compared to magical girls back then.
“I'm getting overwhelmed here. If you're good to go, grab your weapon and help out?”
I said, ripping apart a tentacle lunging at Kim Dohee.
“Can I... even help?”
Kim Dohee hesitated, gripping her spear loosely.
“What kinda guild master wimps out like that?”
Her arms trembled at my words.
“Scared?”
“No.”
“Then why hesitate?”
She barely blocked an incoming tentacle, then looked at me.
“I wanna rip that thing apart too. But what can a B-rank like me do?”
“Why not?”
I flashed her a smile.
Smiles are great.
Such a simple thing, but it ignites courage.
A secret taught to me by the most precious person in my life.
“Grab your weapon.”
The gem in my gauntlet glowed redder, then burst into flames.
It's been ages since I fought like this.
“Pour everything you've got into freezing that crazy mermaid. I'll block all attacks—just focus on that.”
“Can I freeze that?”
Kim Dohee stared at the doll in disbelief.
“It's worn out too. It's been fighting me all day—can't be fine. And it can't move.”
She glanced between the doll and me, face screaming what?
“Mermaid types are stationary unless fleeing. They just cheat with tentacles.”
Kim Dohee nodded and tightened her grip on her spear.
“I'll try.”
She focused. Frost leaked from her spear, freezing the air around it.
No way that's B-rank.
The doll sensed something wrong and hurled tentacles at her.
I kicked one aside and blasted a flame-laced shockwave.
“Picking on the kid, huh? Sneaky.”
I kicked off the ground, closing the gap to the mermaid doll.
And drove my fist in.
It summoned shadows from the ground to block.
“Seriously, how many did you eat?”
The shadows shredded, bursting into ash.
“Miss, above!”
Keter shouted.
A massive blood droplet plummeted toward Kim Dohee.
I leaped and shattered it—it evaporated in flames.
“Almost ready.”
I closed my eyes and exhaled deeply.
Overclock.
Accelerate nonstop.
Max output long surpassed.
The world slowed.
Kim Dohee hurled her fully frozen spear at the doll.
It summoned tentacles to block.
Pop—
My feet barely touched before my body shot forward.
One, two, three, four.
I tore through the tentacles obscuring my path.
Fist into the last one.
The spear was nearly there.
The doll thrashed, summoning squirming shadows that charged the spear.
Thud—
I slammed my fist into the ground near the doll, sending a shockwave.
The shadows burned to ash.
Crunch—
Kim Dohee's ice spear pierced the doll's chest.
“Got it.”
Not yet. No way a 1st-grade dies that easy.
I gathered all the flames in my gauntlet and unleashed them at the doll.
Kaboom—
It exploded without a trace in the blast.
Blood rain fell from the sky.
“See? You could do it.”
I said to Kim Dohee, who stared blankly at the empty spot where the doll had been.
Keter dropped the barrier and approached. “1st-grade doll, Mermaid. No vital signs.”
“Ugh, that was rough.”
I flopped down right there. Using full power after so long left me drained. Come to think of it, that trendy Dubai whatever looked tasty.
“Keter, dubu jeongol when we get back? Can you make that?”
“Dubu jeongol, Miss.” Keter smiled. “As much as you want. Good work.”
Yes! Gallery time while I eat.