Her magical suit was torn in places.
There were spots stained with blood, and bruises were forming everywhere.
But she couldn’t fall yet.
Jieun hadn’t come yet.
The one who had said she would stay and protect was Hayoon.
The other girls didn’t seem much different from Hayoon either.
Still, no one had left.
Even if they did, no one would say anything.
Hayoon’s sword ignited.
She slowly walked toward the monsters in front of her.
Some of the monsters took a step back.
No, she couldn’t just let them go.
If they made it outside, they would surely harm people.
Most of the people inside the building had already escaped, but there were still police outside.
And reporters had gathered.
If the monsters got outside, those people would be in danger.
Was the magical girl really a righteous being?
No, Hayoon thought, she wasn’t sure if she was righteous.
Maybe she had been too absorbed in her own world, not paying attention to her surroundings.
But she didn’t want to give up on what she believed in.
Hayoon ran.
She wouldn’t let anyone out.
She wouldn’t allow anyone to escape.
Gunshots rang out again, and magic flew toward the monsters.
The area behind her was lit up brightly.
Delphinium was preparing her next spell.
At Hayoon’s side, Rose ran too.
“I did something wrong.”
If she had just stayed quiet, maybe they wouldn’t have needed to go through all of this.
If Rose hadn’t decided to follow Hayoon, no one would have said anything.
What would happen next?
Would they too become fugitives?
Would the federation come and demand the return of the circuits?
Hayoon had no idea.
But she imagined Jieun had been enduring much worse.
She gritted her teeth.
At least she wanted to keep her one promise.
Even if it was a promise Hayoon had made unilaterally, she wanted to keep it.
That was why she didn’t stop.
When she returned, it was chaos.
Monsters were scattered all around.
Almost none of them had their gloves intact.
Some had their skin or fur exposed, and while some tried to get up, they couldn’t because their bodies lacked strength.
And there—
Near the door, four magical girls were slumped against the wall.
Dahlia and Delphinium were leaning against the wall, breathing heavily.
They didn’t seem to have the strength to keep their eyes open.
Rose, on one knee, with her right arm resting on it, looked up at Hayoon with dull eyes.
Her gauntlet was dented and cracked.
Iris was still sitting, gripping her gun.
…And aside from those four, there was one more.
Hayoon stood.
She seemed to be guarding the door of the broadcasting room, which had been destroyed.
Inside, everything looked much cleaner than the hall, as if the inside of the room hadn’t been touched.
There were bloodstains around the doorframe.
It seemed someone had held onto it tightly with bloodied hands.
“…Why?”
Hayoon asked, dumbfounded.
Even in such a mess, why could they still stand?
Why had they suddenly come to help her?
“Jieun.”
Hayoon smiled brightly.
Even though everything was a mess, sweat was dripping all over my body, making it slick.
It stuck together with the black dust, making everything a mess.
Of course, I wasn’t much different now, but—
Hayoon slightly turned her body to the side, creating a path.
I looked at Hayoon and slowly entered the broadcasting room.
“That’s a very smart move.”
I could hear his mocking voice.
“I wonder if you think it’s logical to do something like that at the most crucial moment.”
But James, even as he said that, stepped aside.
Wires were hanging from the drone.
The wires were plugged into the broadcasting equipment, which was powered on.
“As expected, they cut the internet and turned off the electricity,” James said, still sneering. But this time, his sarcasm wasn’t directed at me.
“But what we needed was the equipment that wasn’t damaged. We withdrew all the troops who could destroy it, and focused all the monsters in here. Looks like they were only afraid of the magical girls. Foolishly so.”
As I heard that, I moved forward.
James got off the drone and climbed onto the equipment.
Standing by the microphone, he spoke.
“The preparations for the piracy are already complete.”
Then he pressed a button.
The light on the microphone turned on.
Did this… mean it was turned on?
Seeing James over-exaggerating his bow like an actor finishing a performance, I picked up the wireless microphone.
And I looked behind me.
Hayoon was leaning against the doorframe, smiling at me.
Was I supposed to do what I wanted?
Many thoughts ran through my mind.
Why? Why now?
I was a magical girl.
I had always been in that position until now.
Even when she didn’t know me, even after she did, she had always been like this.
If I do this, if I go this way—
I couldn’t hate her.
Maybe… I could win.
I gripped the microphone tightly.
I turned around and looked at James.
Yeah.
But in the end, this is all I have left.
That man, the chairman, destroyed the last connection I had with the others.
Maybe Jieun, and even the people at the orphanage, would start to fear me from now on.
So I have to do it.
James pressed a button on the broadcasting equipment.
I didn’t know what it was for, but when it turned on, my face filled every screen in the broadcasting room.
On all the screens.
Each of the corners of the screens had the broadcasting station’s logo, and on some, it looked like there were news reports, like breaking news, but they were just decorated with headlines like, [Black Magical Girl, Another Terrorist Attack?] How they loved to talk.
“I am—”
What should I say?
How should I introduce myself?
After a brief pause, I just said it.
“I am not a terrorist.”
I didn’t know how people watching this broadcast would react.
“I’m not the one who set the bomb. I was just one of the combatants from Noir Corporation, and I was just one of those who got caught up in it.”
Once I started talking, the words didn’t stop.
“I don’t expect you to believe me, just… I was so frustrated, I couldn’t stand it. When I woke up not knowing anything, the people who came to me were the police. I was just there, but I got caught up in it and lost consciousness. People tried to take me to a place I didn’t know.”
So I ran away.
I just kept running and running, but the number of people chasing me kept growing, and I became scared…
The screen changed.
The scene where I was shot.
I wasn’t even wearing proper clothes, just a hospital gown, and the bullet went through it.
The scene of me bleeding out as I collapsed.
The thick netting falling over my head in layers.
At first, my image could be seen through the net, but soon, it was covered by too many layers and became completely invisible.
I looked at James.
Where the hell did he find this footage? Did he hack it?
“Since then, I’ve been trying to survive. Running away, hiding… Yeah, because I didn’t want it. And then, that chairman…”
Still, I stole the generator.
The people who were chasing me… they abandoned me.
The responsibility… I pushed it all off onto myself.
I continued talking.
“I tried to look good to everyone. But even if I defeated the monsters, all I got in return was gunfire. Even when I rescued hostages, what did I get? I was just a terrorist.”
The screen changed again to show scenes of me fighting monsters and getting shot.
They looked like they were all captured by police body cams.
“So, today, I’m here to tell you about myself. Maybe you won’t believe me. The government, the corporation, the federation… They’ll probably just treat me like a terrorist.”
One of the screens cut out.
“But I couldn’t keep silent because it was just too unfair…”
Another screen cut out.
“…And today, those idiots who crossed the line trying to stop me…”
I glared at the screen.
Many screens went black, and finally, one screen remained in front of me.
This too, I assumed, was being controlled.
…The trash that took the orphanage hostage. I’ll never forgive you.”
I said with a scowl.
“Wait for it. I’ll tell you everything. Everything that made me this way, everything you tried to do… I’ll return it all. One by one, I’ll find each of you and make sure you pay back every bit of it.”
If I had been left to just broadcast this far, I would’ve just complained about my unfairness.
But that line had already been crossed.
Once that line was crossed, I couldn’t just end it like this.
With sincerity, I said:
“So, wait for it.”
Even the screen I was glaring at went black.
My face reflected on the black screen, glaring back at me.
Like Hayoon, I was a mess.
A mess, but at least not with a powerless face.
Up until now, I thought this was the end.
But now, a new goal had emerged.