[TS] The End of Magical Girls Has Come

“Ugh…?!”

Overwhelming.

The thought of countering the opponent’s attack had long been erased.

An attack faster and stronger than any monster.

If I hadn’t reached the hope threshold, I would’ve been reduced to a pile of blood.

‘But, I’m starting to see openings…!’

Akari’s defense was only temporary.

In the midst of attacks I thought were unavoidable, I found subtle gaps.

If I strike those gaps, I feel like I can turn things around.

The blade in my hand had caused the monster great pain, so if I could just land a hit, it would deal significant damage.

“Ugh…”

“That makes eight lives you owe me.”

“…You were keeping count?”

With a voice tinged with laughter, the Monster Girl’s attack was deflected.

I thought I could reach her, but as soon as I did, the gap widened.

It felt like sinking into a swamp.

I shook my head roughly, trying to shake off the despair slowly swallowing my legs.

“Why, should I stop?”

“No, thank you!”

I hurriedly expressed my gratitude, afraid she might actually stop if I said so.

I’m only alive now because of Akari. Thank you, Akari!

As I sent a grateful glance to Akari, the death count increased.

That makes nine lives.

‘Well, it’s true that she’s saved my life multiple times…’

I had no choice but to push harder.

For some reason, Akari seemed to be rooting for me.

No one would blame a monster for cheering on another monster.

But it didn’t seem like she wanted to get close to the Magical Girl either.

“Congratulations. You’ve earned the title of Magical Girl who’s had her life saved ten times by a monster.”

“…Tch.”

“Let’s aim for a hundred by the end of the day. You’re a great Magical Girl, Garnet, so it’s totally possible.”

…She really has a bad personality.

But thinking otherwise in front of her might be disrespectful to Akari.

Just because my life was guaranteed didn’t mean I could let my guard down during battle.

‘Focus, Garnet. Right now, you only need to worry about the enemy in front of you.’

I didn’t know what Akari expected from me, but I didn’t want to let her down.

It wasn’t about repaying a debt or anything.

It was purely pride. A competitive spirit that didn’t want to show a pathetic side to someone who underestimated me.

Being in debt for ten lives, I couldn’t just give up.

“Haaaaahp!!!!”

I see it, the trajectory of the attack.

I feel it, the flow of despair.

I narrow my senses to a razor’s edge.

My evasive movements were too large.

Make it seem like I’m about to be hit, but don’t let it happen.

Dodge with minimal movement, and use the time gained to counterattack.

‘Stabbing is much faster than slashing. I was always better at it anyway.’

I kick off the wall, changing my trajectory mid-air.

A momentary gap.

I quickly thrust my arm toward the exposed opening.

Reach, reach, reach!

The energy blade, which had no clear form, grew longer, thinner, and sharper.

And then—

“Gotcha!”

“…?!”

—I finally managed to plunge the blade into the opponent’s shoulder.

***

“Wow.”

Cockroach-like movements—no, acrobatic movements.

I let out a short exclamation of admiration as Garnet managed to dodge the attacks and land a hit.

You’re more talented than I thought, Garnet.

At this rate, you might be worth about 0.3 Rubies.

While making these calculations in my head, I kept my eyes on the two.

“Ah…”

“Huh?”

“Ah, ah, ah, ah…!!!!”

Are you seriously screaming from just one stab?

It seemed Garnet’s hope had grown stronger, increasing her ability to inflict pain on monsters.

Either that, or Aya was just being overly dramatic.

Well, she’s just a kid, so it’s understandable that she’s sensitive to pain.

“Uwah?!”

“That makes twelve lives now.”

“…Why did it increase by two all of a sudden?”

“If you had been hit by that attack, you would’ve died twice.”

I subtly extended a shadow to the despair that was bursting out.

Even though Garnet had grown stronger in an instant, that last attack was a bit too dangerous.

If she had been hit, Garnet would’ve turned into Ga/Net in an instant.

Though the person in question didn’t seem to realize how dangerous that attack was.

“It hurts, it hurts, ahhhhh!!!!”

“…Did you just say it hurts?”

“Yes, she did. You should’ve stabbed more gently.”

“Stabbing gently doesn’t mean it won’t hurt.”

Well, that’s true.

I nodded at Garnet’s words and turned my gaze.

She really seems to be in pain, judging by how she’s thrashing around.

Being a fellow monster, I couldn’t help but feel a bit sorry for her.

‘Still, throwing her into a fight with a Magical Girl right after creating her is just cruel.’

I let out a deep sigh at the questioning look in her eyes.

What can I do?

Telling Garnet to fight to the end would only make her rampage more.

If she keeps fighting like this, it’ll definitely end in a double death.

‘By the way…’

“You look comfortable?”

“Huh…?!”

The way I was holding Garnet was the so-called princess carry.

I was holding her like this to tease her, but I didn’t expect her to stay silent the whole time.

Does this girl have no sense of shame?

Well, seeing her face turn red at my words, maybe she does.

“This, this is because you’re holding me too comfortably!”

“Wow, what a great excuse.”

“…Tch.”

I let go of her, and she landed like a cat falling from a high place.

Oh, impressive.

If Aya wasn’t rampaging, I would’ve clapped.

“I’ll be back.”

“Be careful, Akari.”

“You be careful too.”

I clicked my tongue as I watched Garnet take a step back.

Yeah, just stay back. Don’t get any limbs cut off by sticking your nose where it doesn’t belong.

“Ah, ah, ahhh…”

“Hmph, hmph, hmph~♪”

The despair emanating from Aya was quite delicious.

A perfect blend of a monster’s despair and the scent of a human child’s despair.

At this rate, I could eat it anytime.

‘If I had to rate it, it’d be about 0.8 Tamako.’

If all monster despair tasted like this, how wonderful would that be?

I licked my lips in regret.

“Aya, can you hear my voice?”

“…Ugh, ugh.”

The closer I got to Aya, the richer the scent of despair became.

It felt like the scent of multiple people mixed together, not just one child.

It seemed like they had stuffed various despairs into Aya’s body.

If that’s the case, which mind is in control now?

Aya? Or one of the countless despairs?

“Y-you’re a weird lady…”

“I’m wearing normal clothes right now.”

It’s Aya.

As our eyes met, I slightly raised the corner of my mouth at the temporary lull in the storm of despair.

I didn’t dislike her before, but now that she’s become a monster, I feel a strange sense of camaraderie.

I even wondered if the Doctor had planned this, turning Aya into a Monster Girl.

“Ugh, ugh… It hurts…”

“Shh… Calm down, calm down.”

“…Ugh, okay.”

Aya seemed worried that her despair might harm me, but her despair didn’t affect me at all.

In fact, the moment it touched me, it was instantly absorbed, as if I was stealing Aya’s despair.

“There, there, that mean Magical Girl scared you, didn’t she?”

“…Yeah.”

“Hey, who are you calling mean? If anyone’s mean, it’s—”

“Quiet, villain.”

After all, it’s the one who made the child cry who’s in the wrong.

And from a monster’s perspective, the Magical Girl is the villain, obviously.

Especially since this was a freshly born monster she stabbed, making it even worse.

“Ugh…”

“Shh, I’ll make it not hurt. There, there, sister’s hands are gentle~”

“Y-yes, sister’s hands are gentle…”

I gently stroked Aya’s head, slowly extracting the hope embedded in her body.

Of course, since I’m not a Magical Girl, I couldn’t manipulate hope directly, so I wrapped it in despair and pulled it out.

‘By the way, how much hope did they stuff into her with just one attack?’

I watched the chunks of hope being pulled out and tossed them aside.

She’s just a kid, so I should be gentle.

It’s a bit ironic that I helped someone who wasn’t gentle with a child.

But hey, a one-sided fight isn’t any fun, right?

“She’s calmed down.”

“Don’t come any closer, Garnet. You’re scaring her.”

The closer Garnet got, the more Aya trembled.

It seemed like she had developed trauma from the pain of the hope energy blade.

“Ha, I’m scarier than her, you know?”

But if you listen to a monster, you’re not a Magical Girl.

Ignoring my words, Garnet approached and looked at Aya in her arms.

Her expression was similar to how Tamako looked at Garnet.

A complex mix of emotions was hidden in that subtle expression.

“Sorry for being late.”

“…”

A deep sense of guilt emanated from Garnet.

It seemed like she was thinking about the human children sacrificed in the experiments.