Clash at Danae's Castle (4)
“Huh? Why don’t you say something? You were strutting around so confidently just a moment ago. Where did all that go?”
Il-mun lightly slapped Blue Sapphire’s cheeks, humiliating her.
“......!”
Blue Sapphire tried to argue back, but the moment Il-mun’s hand touched her lower abdomen, her body trembled involuntarily and her mouth froze shut. As if her vocal cords had turned to stone, only the sound of air escaping came from her parted lips. The fear born from one-sided violence had locked her body in place.
This time, however, he wasn’t hitting her. Instead, he gently stroked her lower abdomen—delicately, as if stimulating the womb beneath. Blue Sapphire’s body twitched and trembled at the sudden shift from pain to a soft touch.
“Ha, you lewd thing. Your body’s dying to be used, isn’t it? Be honest. You came here to get trained by me, right?”
“......N-no....”
“Hah!”
Thud!
“Kuhk...!”
Blue Sapphire’s face twisted in agony as the fist sank into her abdomen. Spit flew from her small mouth, and jewel-like tears spilled from her eyes.
“It... it hurts... Stop...”
“Stop?”
Thud!
“Ugh...! Ah... P-please... stop... Ugh... hic...”
Il-mun removed the cigarette from his mouth and blew a thick cloud of smoke into Blue Sapphire’s face. She grimaced at the acrid stench.
“You want me to stop hitting you?”
“Y-yes...”
“Then smile.”
“S-smile...”
Blue Sapphire desperately tried to pull her lips upward, but her mouth, rigid with fear, only convulsed. No smile formed.
“Well, you failed. Penalty time!”
Wham!
“.......Kuhk... khk...”
“A~hahahahaha!! Smile! I said smile! You’re watching, right? Why?! You’re not even a bitch, so don’t look down on me. You were so confident earlier, but look at this pathetic sight! Why aren’t you laughing?! It’s hilarious! Laugh! Laugh, damn you!!!!”
Crack! Thud! Snap!
The one-sided beating continued.
“Ah, aah... Ugh...! It hurts... Stop... please stop...!”
Blue Sapphire was only slightly tougher than an ordinary person because her magic was depleted. If Il-mun struck her with the full strength of his Level-Over modified body, she would die quickly. So he controlled his power—not out of mercy, but to prolong her suffering, to drown her deeper in fear, to enjoy it longer.
‘Haa, this feels great...! A cheeky magical girl who only gets in the way...!’
『Y-you bastard!!!』
Unable to watch Il-mun’s rampage any longer, Monster Cat—who had been rampaging alongside Blue—sent the nearby monsters flying and charged straight at him. Monster Cat was already battered from fighting the overwhelming number of enemies.
“Stop getting in the way....”
“Agh...!”
Il-mun roughly tossed Blue Sapphire aside and raised his fist toward Monster Cat. A Level-Over’s specialty was “magical girl hunting,” but that didn’t mean they were weak against non-magical girls. Using the magic absorbed through the Anti-Magic Barrier as fuel, they could amplify their power and access other functions. Right now, Il-mun’s tattooed body overflowed with magic stolen from Blue Sapphire.
“You heartless Earthling... I’ll kill youuuu!!”
“Try it, you fat pig cat.”
Il-mun lightly stepped forward and drove a right straight punch packed with magic into the charging Monster Cat. Both the speed and power far exceeded Monster Cat’s expectations.
“Nya........oong....!”
Monster Cat thought Il-mun had vanished from his sight—only to realize too late that he was already right in front of him.
Wham!
The simple punch tore through his entire body. As Monster Cat stiffened with a scream, Il-mun followed up with an uppercut to the jaw. Monster Cat’s head snapped back, his brain rattled, and his body collapsed heavily.
Il-mun grabbed Monster Cat’s neck in a vice-like grip.
“There was an order to revive them if possible and try to recruit them... but this should be fine to kill, right? Huh?”
“Nya... Danae... nim....”
Crack!
Monster Cat’s neck snapped. His body instantly turned to dust and scattered. It was another temporary death for the monster who could revive as long as his data remained.
“Cat... sir...!”
Blue Sapphire, covered in bruises and crawling across the floor, and Danae—who Monster Cat had tried to protect to the very end—watched with wide eyes.
“Ugh... uuu...!!!”
Tears overflowed from Blue Sapphire’s kind eyes. They hadn’t known each other long, but during the past few days of sneaking around together, she had grown fond of his wild yet upright personality—even if he was a Mekrak monster.
“Tsk... Can’t even handle a monster like that and you’re struggling... There aren’t many of you left now.”
Il-mun brushed his hands off irritably and turned toward Blue Sapphire. Her slender shoulders trembled as she reflexively tried to crawl backward, but she was caught immediately.
“Crawling on the floor suits you, bitch.”
“Ugh... kuh...”
Il-mun’s shoe ground down on Blue Sapphire’s head. From now on, he planned to subject her to every kind of humiliation and violence. Kei, Danae, and the other magical girls were all merchandise. They couldn’t be broken or damaged—they had to be properly educated and trained as bitches before being sold to the powerful figures of Mekrak who desired them. Whatever worse fates awaited them after being sold didn’t concern Il-mun. As long as they had no flaws at the time of sale, nothing else mattered.
But this woman was different. Blue Sapphire wasn’t on the merchandise list—she was a perfect bonus. He could play with her however he wanted. He could hurt her as much as he liked.
“Honestly... I was already pissed off from training and managing those rowdy bitches... So I’m actually grateful you showed up. I’ll torment you until your crying face is exactly to my liking and reshape you completely to my tastes. Got it? Look forward to it.”
“Move... your foot... Ugh... I hate this....”
“Hah! Move it yourself! Know your place, you weakling!”
Thud! Thud!
“Aah...! Ah...!”
Il-mun stomped down hard on Blue Sapphire’s fallen body.
“Uh... Il-mun-nim... Maybe that’s enough...”
“Aang?!”
A low-ranking monster nearby hesitantly spoke up, unable to watch the pitiful magical girl suffer any longer. But—
“A weak monster like you dares talk to me?!”
Il-mun’s fist exploded the monster’s head in an instant.
『H-hiik...!』
『B-brother...!』
“......Ah, I got too excited....”
Il-mun muttered emotionlessly as he watched the body collapse and turn to dust. With so many setbacks piling up at once, he had lost control.
He clicked his tongue in self-reproach and looked down at Blue Sapphire.
“——But this is all because of you, you bitch!!”
“......Kahk... Ah...!”
As if venting his anger, he stomped on Blue Sapphire’s tear-streaked face again, then kicked her stomach like a soccer ball, sending her flying.
Thud! Thud! Boom!
Blue Sapphire’s light body flew through the air like a doll, rolled across the floor several times, and finally stopped after slamming into the ice pillar where Kei was trapped.
“....Cough... khk...!”
Stomach acid mixed with saliva stained the floor. Her body, which had tried to rise, collapsed weakly.
“Ah... ugh... hic... sob...”
“What, are you crying?”
“I’m sorry... I’m sorry... It hurts... Stop... please stop....”
“Stop crying and melt this ice already, you little bitch!!!”
“Agh...!”
Il-mun, breathing heavily, grabbed Blue Sapphire by the hair and shoved her face against the ice pillar where Kei was trapped, rubbing it against the rough surface without caring about the cuts it left.
“Melt the ice already! Time’s almost up! We don’t have much time left to deliver the merchandise, you bitch! What are you going to do if we’re late because of you?! Want me to make you dance naked in the streets? Want me to test what can fit inside your pussy, you insolent female——”
“You goddamn bastard!!!!!!”
A thunderous roar struck Il-mun’s ears as he tormented Blue Sapphire.
“......Who the hell was that?”
“It’s me, you bastard...! You put that disgusting thing in my mouth!”
Danbi, her mouth bloody, shouted angrily. Beneath her lips lay the shattered remains of a plastic ball gag. The magical girls had all been fitted with ball gags, but Danbi—her mind burning with rage—had bitten through hers. Shards were embedded in her mouth and she was covered in blood, yet the fury blazing inside her pushed all pain aside.
“If you lay another finger on her, I swear I’ll kill you slowly...!”
“......Hah, a bitch tied up so tight she can’t even move. Don’t you know your place? Can’t you see the situation? You want to get hit too?”
“Like I care, you bastard!!! You trash!!! If you’re going to hit someone, hit me, you piece of shit!!!”
“......Pathetic trash of a man. Swinging your power around just because you have some. Just like Kei said—your inferiority complex is obvious even before the modification.”
Danae, also bound beside her, spoke up in Danbi’s defense. Once one started, the other magical girls followed.
“People with inferiority complexes get angry easily. That’s the kind of person he is.”
“Getting angry makes you lose focus. A proper commander wouldn’t have ended up like this.”
“It’s shameful to be the same Earthling as him!”
“Mekrak is better than trash like that... you bastard...!”
“I knew it when you set up all those cameras and took pictures of us. You can’t even talk to a proper woman without a photo, can you?”
“Your inferiority complex is exploding, so you’re raising your voice for no reason, right? Arrogant, looking down on people... Yeah, that’s it.”
The captured magical girls whispered among themselves, glaring at Il-mun with cold or disgusted eyes. Their tones, voices, and expressions differed, but every gaze directed at him was filled with hostility they had never shown before. The swelling malice was enough to make one’s breath catch.
Thud!
“......!”
“What, you bitches.”
When Il-mun slammed Blue Sapphire’s face into the ice pillar, everyone fell silent at once.
Thud!
“Kah....”
“I was going easy on you because I can’t damage you. You should be grateful.”
Once again, Blue Sapphire’s face was smashed against the pillar.
“You goddamn——”
Thud!
“......!”
“......What, you bitch. Say more. Go on, say something else! Every word you speak means this woman’s face kisses the ice. Want to keep going until she’s completely broken?! Huh?! Huh?!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!”
Danbi, who had been about to spit curses, quickly shut her mouth when she saw Blue Sapphire’s face slammed into the pillar again.
“Haa... haa....”
With Blue Sapphire’s face still pressed against the ice, Il-mun looked around at the magical girls. No one spoke anymore. But every single one of them stared at him with eyes that would have killed him a hundred times over if looks could kill.
“Eyes down, you bitches!”
When he grabbed Blue Sapphire’s hair and shouted, everyone hurriedly lowered their gazes.
“Drag all those women over here. Once the teleport gate activates, we’re sending them off immediately. Hope you get sold to the worst scum, you arrogant bitches.”
『Let go...!』
『Trash...! Trash...!』
The magical girls were dragged over one by one. Even those who had resisted gave up once Blue Sapphire was taken hostage and came quietly. They all wore furious expressions, but whenever they met Il-mun’s eyes, they quickly looked away—fearing that any defiance might bring harm to Blue Sapphire, who had come to save them.
Il-mun smiled crookedly at the sight, satisfied that his petty pride had been stroked. No one here could defy him. This space was ruled by this tattooed tyrant.
Or so it should have been.
“.........You.......”
A faint, fading voice came from Blue Sapphire, whose body hung limply.
“......Huh? What? Begging me not to hit you? Hah, I don’t——”
“——Clara... unni....”
The voice didn’t sound like a plea. Il-mun quietly closed his mouth. Blue Sapphire’s gaze, seen from the corner of her eye, wasn’t on Il-mun who was tormenting her. Instead, she was looking at the magical girls surrounding her—and the empty space between them.
“Clara unni... are you... ready.......”
——‘Gather all the magical girls!!’
——‘Everyone, come to Kei unni! Within a 5-meter radius! Hurry!!!’
Just as Blue Sapphire had desperately shouted. Right now, every magical girl—including Kei—was gathered within 5 meters. And then—
From the empty space where nothing had been—
“——I’m sorry, I’m sorry... Blue...!”
As if pulling back a curtain, someone appeared from the empty air. A gentle face, large glasses giving an intellectual impression. Tears streamed down from beneath those glasses, and blood trickled from lips that had been bitten too hard. Clara. The magical girl who had been freed from the underground prison with Monster Cat and helped Alpha snipe by taking over the control room. In Clara’s hand—hidden until now with an Invisibility Cloak—was a murky orb the size of half a fist.
“What......”
Il-mun’s eyes widened at the sudden appearance.
“What is that....”
His gaze locked onto the orb she held so preciously.
“What the hell is thaaaaaat!!!!!”
Clara’s fearless attitude—acting as if that single orb could solve everything—bothered him deeply.
“【Release】!!!!!!”
Just before Il-mun could lunge at her like a beast, Clara’s cry rang out. A jet-black light burst from the orb, flooding the entire area and enveloping all the magical girls present.
> The light of the Magic Tool ‘Debuff Orb’ permeates you.
> All status ailments have been removed.
> ‘Magic: Magic Power Seal’ has been lifted. Frozen magic power has returned to normal.
> The temporarily dropped ‘Skill: Magic Power Operation’ Lv has returned to its original state.
> Skill: Magic Power Operation Lv.MAX
> Responding to the overflowing magic power, the costume has been restored.
> Current Costume: Witch Girl Rubii Costume
Crack......!
A series of system notifications followed. And on the ice pillar where Kei had been trapped, a large crack began to form.