Chapter 21: Malice (6)

The timing is weird!

Why did a monster appear at this very moment, and that monster is a Delta-class monster?

I suppressed the doubts rising from the depths of my heart and started flying at full speed.

[Emerald, despair energy detected ahead! Delta-class!]

“…I got it!”

It was easy to find where the monster was.

Of course, it was bound to know since it was indiscriminately catching and killing people who were running away.

Its face was still missing its eyes and nose, but unlike regular monsters that walked on all fours, this monster walked on two legs, which was a peculiarity.

“S, save me! Euaaaahh…!”

The terrified scream of a victim echoed through the air, fueling my urgency.

I could feel the despair radiating from the scene, thick and palpable.

This was what I had been waiting for—a chance to absorb that despair and turn it into power.

I pushed myself harder, my heart racing as I closed the distance.

The monster loomed larger as I approached, its grotesque form swaying slightly as it hunted.

I could see the fear in the eyes of those it had cornered, and it only made me more determined.

“Stay back!” I shouted, trying to draw the monster’s attention away from its prey.

It turned its head, a twisted grin forming where its mouth should be.

The sight sent a shiver down my spine, but I couldn’t let fear take hold.

I had to act quickly before it could claim another victim.

With a surge of energy, I launched myself forward, ready to confront the Delta-class monster head-on.

This was my moment to shine, to prove that I could handle whatever darkness lay ahead.

“Get away from them!” I yelled, channeling all my strength into a single, powerful strike.

The air crackled with energy as I prepared to engage the monster in battle.

I wouldn’t let despair win today.

Picking people up, putting them in his mouth like snacks, and starting to chew them up.

He didn’t even try to be clean, and seeing him wipe the blood stains off his own body made me feel disgusted.

“Why on earth do monsters… act so cruelly?

It was behavior that I couldn’t understand, and I didn’t want to understand.

In particular, whenever I saw that kind of behavior, I was reminded of my past nightmare—the Apocalypse—and felt even more disgusted.

“Emerald Splash—Hmph…?!”

“S-Save me, save me…!”

Kkekekekekekekekekeke

I was about to shoot my magic gun straight at the monster.

As if it felt the energy of hope, the monster jerked the long mass behind its head and lifted a person towards me.

It looked like it was taking a person hostage.

It looked like it was threatening to kill the person it was holding if I attacked it.

[Emerald, that’s…

“I think I’ve met an unusual monster.”

That type of monster was a type I had never seen before.

It took people hostage, preventing them from attacking itself.

It was a display of pure malice, targeting the fact that a magical girl had to save others.

Kikk, kikk, kikkik—

[Run away! Emerald!]

“I’ll chase after you!”

I hurriedly chased after the monster that was running away with a cry full of laughter.

What, what should I do?

What if a person was taken hostage?

I can’t save everyone, Emerald.

‘But…’

‘Your kindness is truly precious, but in this situation, we must think only about defeating Apocalypse.’

It was the same as back then.

Cold words shot at me.

I can’t save everyone.

The best we can do right now is to stop Apocalypse from mercilessly slaughtering people.

“…Drive, set.”

[Emerald, no way…!]

I can’t save everyone.

That’s why I just watched Apocalypse kill people—my comrades.

The me of the past and the me of the present are different.

I can never go back to the Emerald that was ignorant of the ways of the world and foolish, and who was said to be kind to those around her.

“But…”

“I won’t give up!”

I returned to the past.

Then, wouldn’t it be okay to have the same feelings as back then?

In fact, the me of the present is much better than the me of the past.

There’s no way the me of the present can’t do what the me of the past couldn’t do.

I just have to save the person in the monster’s hand before he harms them.

Woohoooong

I amplify my hope energy.

I don’t show it on the outside, but only on the inside.

I continued to rotate the hope circuit, spreading it out so tightly that every single nerve in my body stood on end due to the compressed hope energy.

‘This is my first time using it, but I can do it.

A body strengthening using hope energy that Ruby, my comrade who participated in the past battle against Apocalypse, often showed.

I didn’t have a chance to use it since I wasn’t mainly in close combat, but I knew how to use it by guessing.

I believe you, Emerald.

That you can do it.’

You’re not alone.

Because I always have comrades.

Thinking of that face that patted my shoulder and spoke, I released my hope energy as if letting go of a taut bowstring.

Pfft!!!

Squeak?!?!!

It was so fast that it wouldn’t be an exaggeration to call it teleportation.

In an instant, the hope energy that tore the monster’s arm off resonated with a huge roar and spread its momentum in all directions.

The monster whose arm had been cut off screamed in pain, but that wasn’t important right now.

“Ugh, euaaaahhhhh!!!!”

[Emerald!]

“I know!”

The person who had been held captive by the monster was falling to the ground.

I have to save him.

For an ordinary person, this height was dangerous, too dangerous.

But “Ugh”

“My body won’t move properly….”

My body froze up due to the recoil of the technique I was using for the first time.

No.

I won’t be able to save you at this rate.

Move, move, move!

What kind of magical girl is this if I can’t move even with this much recoil?!

I forcefully moved my creaking hope circuits to recover my hope energy.

Whoosh.

“K, Whaaaat!!!!

[Hope Circuits Restart! I’ll be able to move now!]

I turned all my hope circuits into propulsion and shot towards the person falling towards the ground.

I can do it, I can do it, I can do it!

As I watched the civilians slowly getting closer, I thought that I could save them.

Squeak, squeak, squeak.

“…!!”

I saw the monster laughing with its mouth wide open, and the car that the monster had thrown at me.

And what was inside that car was definitely ‘one of us, I have to give up.’

I bit my lips as I looked at the child who had passed out inside the car.

Who the hell am I supposed to save?

The person falling?

A child in a car?

If I kept worrying about it, I wouldn’t be able to save either of them.

Clang.

“This is…”

[Measuring despair energy! Gamma-level! But, something’s strange!]

The moment I flinched at the swarm of tentacles that had grabbed the civilian on the verge of falling, my gaze met with glowing red eyes.

A person—no, a monster?

The upper body was human, but the lower body was that of a monster, making it a strange appearance.

However, the humanity in those eyes proved that the other person was human.

“I got them..!!”

It was quite difficult to catch a flying car, but I felt relieved that I had somehow saved them.

However, this wasn’t the end.

As long as the monster was alive, I could never be at ease.

Squeak, squeak, squeak.

“You can’t run away! Emerald Splash-!!”

I fired my magic cannon at the monster that was starting to run away, but the magic cannon with its reduced output could not reach the monster that was moving quickly.

At this rate, others will be in danger.

Move, move!

If you can’t knock her down, hold on until another magical girl arrives!

Move now, Emerald!

Whoa—

“You can’t go!!!”

Squeak?!?!

She overloaded her hope circuit again, pouring all her power into propulsion.

And then she charged straight ahead.

Since she couldn’t stop her with a magic gun, she had no choice but to use this ignorant method to catch her.

[Emerald, are you okay?!]

“Are you okay, ah!”

She flew at full speed and collided with the monster, rolling around, but all that remained on the magical girl’s body were bruises.

If she hadn’t been wrapped in hope energy, it would have definitely broken somewhere.

She forced herself upright, her body creaking from the impact, and stared at where the monster was.

Squeak, squeak, squeak.

“Do you think I’ll let you go?”

Hope energy was the antithesis of a monster.

Even if it was an ignorant body slam, once it made contact, she could somehow deal damage.

Close combat wasn’t my specialty, but okay.

“Let’s see who will win, monster.”

Whether I die or you die.

Kicking, kicking, kicking…!!

The monster started to laugh as if it found my declaration amusing.

It was laughing with its shark-like mouth open, as if it found it funny that a magical girl chose close combat.

It was like a cat looking at a cornered mouse.

“Whew…”

[Emerald, are you okay? Close combat isn’t Emerald’s fighting style!]

“It’s okay, May.

I had a good teacher.

I never taught you directly, but—”

Woof—

A blade made of hope energy rose from the tip of the staff.

It was a faint blade that looked like it would crumble at any moment, but that alone was enough to damage the monster.

I never thought I would use this method.

‘Emerald, you chose the wrong fighting style, didn’t you?’

“Chosen wrong?”

She imitated the stance her former comrade had taken and slowly took a deep breath.

There was nothing to be gained from just watching, but there were things to be gained from just watching.

For example, fighting styles.

Kik, kik-!!

“Kuhat…?!”

[Emerald!!]

However, close combat, especially close combat with monsters, wasn’t something you could learn by sight.

Even if you blocked the monster’s lightly swinging arm, it would lightly fly away and crash into a nearby wall.

That was what close combat was.

A fighting style where even the slightest mistake could result in a fatal wound.

That must be why most magical girls chose long-range attacks.

Your vital signs are decreasing.

Your left arm is fractured, and your right leg has a torn muscle.

We should retreat now.]

“It’s okay, Mei.

You can do it.”

[But, Emerald!]

Even though I heard May’s desperate cry, I didn’t run away.

No, there was no reason to run away.

“… Hope threshold.”

A magical girl who can heal herself?

She’s practically invincible in close combat, right?

Magical girl Emerald.

The hope she held in her hand was “the will to rise again even if broken.”