This might be the first time we’re actually having a proper conversation with the police since our escape.
Until now, it’s only been one-sided demands—surrender your weapons, bring us food, and the like.
It was more akin to an occupied protest group…
No, honestly, it was much worse.
The kind of things you’d expect from terrorists taking hostages.
Though, in our case, there weren’t any hostages, and so negotiations ultimately broke down.
“We… have something we need to do,” Hayoon continued.
“We have to clear our names. People deserve to know the truth. Don’t you think last time’s broadcast wasn’t enough?”
The two officers standing in front of the rooftop exit exchanged glances.
“There’s no need to worry,” Hayoon added. “No one will know.”
“…”
But the police didn’t step aside so easily.
It wasn’t that they wanted to fight us, but perhaps they still had to do their job.
“Sorry, but we have our own circumstances…”
The officer’s gaze briefly flicked toward the body camera attached to their uniform.
Ah, I see.
Since everything was being recorded, even talking with Hayoon might be burdensome for the police.
Looks like it’s my turn.
As I walked forward, the officers flinched slightly, noticeably more nervous than they were with Hayoon.
“Move.”
“We can’t—”
Before the officer could finish, I slammed my hammer against the ground.
Crack.
The concrete cracked.
It wasn’t enough to bring the building down, but it was more than enough to suggest I could easily crush human bones.
Hayoon smirked slightly at my move.
Fine.
I wasn’t planning to hold back here anyway.
Fighting the police wouldn’t benefit us either.
It’d waste time, and above all, getting shot hurts.
As I charged toward the police, they quickly stepped back.
A door stood before me.
I struck it with all my might, sending it flying inward.
The two officers, as well as the rest on the rooftop, stared at me with their mouths agape.
“Happy now?”
One of the officers quickly nodded.
I stepped inside and began descending the stairs with heavy footsteps.
“You’re quite considerate,” Hayoon remarked with a smile, following me down.
“Considerate? Hardly.”
“You didn’t want to cause them trouble if they moved aside for us willingly.”
“Yeah, right,” I replied with a slightly exasperated expression.
We couldn’t waste time arguing up there.
Besides, since they didn’t shoot at us, any trouble they might face was inevitable either way.
Or maybe it was because they were scared of me?
Though I haven’t heard of police facing major repercussions just for not shooting at a monster.
Being thought of as a “monster” isn’t exactly a pleasant feeling, but…
If there’s truly a favorable opinion of me forming, the police wouldn’t have to worry.
So, what about this research lab we’ve targeted—
“Ugh!”
Rose let out a grunt and leapt back as if repelled.
Rose’s arm, which had blocked the monster’s punch, trembled.
As expected, they were here.
This time, it was someone who looked like a walking elephant.
Or perhaps calling it a “person” wasn’t quite accurate, but in this world, all aliens were collectively considered “people.”
An elephant and a rhinoceros.
If they were real animals, the rhinoceros would be much smaller than the elephant.
But as monsters, size didn’t seem to matter in the same way.
“As expected.”
I muttered.
“What should we do? Fight them off a bit and retreat? Or hand the monsters over to the police?”
Rose asked this so naturally, but there was no time to discuss it.
There were only two of them, but their armor was tougher.
The monsters we encountered in front of the broadcasting room that day came in various sizes, and the difficulty of taking them down varied accordingly.
Generally, the smaller ones were easier to defeat.
And I think I’m starting to understand why.
The smaller ones are usually quicker but have weaker physical strength.
In other words, their armor is thinner, and the resonance devices embedded in them are smaller, making them relatively easier to deal with.
On the other hand, if they resemble elephants, rhinos, or bears, their armor is absurdly thick.
They can endure more.
And their circuits are massive.
Clang!
I smashed my hammer against the rhino’s head, but all it did was make a loud noise.
The monster roared and glared at me, seemingly angrier, and honestly, it startled me a little.
Even though my circuits were stabilizing as I fought, it still wasn’t enough.
The enemy was too strong.
“Let’s fight just enough and then retreat.”
In the end, that was the only answer I could give.
“Got it. Then…!”
Rose, who had her back to mine, charged forward and struck the elephant monster with all her strength.
“Oh.”
She sounded slightly impressed.
“Have their technology deteriorated a bit? The circuits this time don’t seem as advanced. Could losing one technician really make that much of a difference?”
No.
It’s probably because my energy reserves have decreased.
Even while we were fighting the two monsters, James confidently scanned the surroundings.
He must have assumed there was nothing to find but still hoped to discover something useful.
Boom!
“GROOOAR!”
The elephant monster roared as its right arm exploded.
The explosion wasn’t as big as the ones we dealt with last time.
At least, it didn’t blow the armor off completely.
This time, thanks to Iris and Dahlia repeatedly targeting its shoulder, the defense shields were thinner due to lower energy reserves.
Seeing this steadied my circuits again.
And in response, the resonance circuits in the monsters’ suits also seemed affected.
The thought that we could win continued to influence me.
As the monsters lost power, their movements became sluggish, like when they were stored away.
Unable to avoid incoming attacks, they started taking all the hits directly.
Slice.
As Hayoon’s blade severed all the circuits, the monster collapsed forward with a thud.
It twitched, trying to get back up, but it didn’t seem to have the strength.
“Do you think the police will come to check on this?”
“We can move them to a visible spot before we leave. We’ve still got the strength for that,” Hayoon said.
Watching the confident magical girls, I felt a wave of unease.
Is this enough?
My circuits were still running, but the enemy was now in a state easy to defeat. Is it okay to leave it like this?
I understood that the situation was in our favor, but at the same time, it was the first time I’d experienced something like this.
It had been so long since I’d felt anything resembling leisure.
Is this really all right?
If so, did I even need to exist in the first place—
“Jieun.”
Hayoon tapped my shoulder, calling my name.
“You did well.”
Did I?
I still wasn’t sure.
“We’ve got more breathing room than expected,” Iris said cautiously, though her voice wasn’t as sharp a it was during the fight.
“Shall we take a look around? Even if most things have been cleared out, this was still Noir Corporation’s main research lab.”
With that, the group dispersed.
I was the only one standing there, unsure of what to do.
“Jieun, let’s go.”
Hearing Hayoon call to me a few steps ahead, I quickly followed her.