—————————————————————–
Translated By Arcane Translations
Translator: Vine
—————————————————————–
◇◇◇◆◇◇◇
A terrifying roar echoed through the streets.
The shockwave from Ariel’s attack completely shattered the barrier, which had never been breached before, and devastated the surrounding area.
“Cough, cough…”
It was a truly perfect blow. It almost made me think Justitia had returned.
“I-I can… handle this…”
Ariel, after her attack, knelt before me and muttered.
“…But why can I handle it?”
Well, it was understandable, considering her ability was usually completely uncontrollable.
Normally, a terrible backlash should have hit her by now.
But I had used a skill to prevent that.
[Skill: Physical Link (LV MAX) used.]
[Price for forced skill use has been paid.]
After a week of research, I found that Justitia’s ability had a total of 13 skills.
However, only two of them, my original skills ‘Insight’ and ‘Defense,’ could be used without limitations.
The remaining 11 skills, maxed out by Justitia, all came with a heavy price.
[Price: The ability of the skill itself]
However, the ‘Physical Link’ I just activated was a little different.
It was the only non-combat skill among the 11 overpowered skills, and a very peculiar one with the price being the skill’s use itself.
The nature of this ability was to share and distribute the target’s damage.
In other words, I could now share Ariel’s pain no matter where she was. And of course, being able to sense her danger at any time was a bonus.
‘Justitia was really devoted, huh.’
Justitia once said something like this.
That she was caught secretly taking on the backlash from her younger sister’s ability.
And that because of that, her younger sister gave up on her dream of becoming a great hero who would surpass her, which made her depressed for a while.
Now I could understand the details.
Perhaps, just as my desperate desire to uncover Lumia’s identity created the ‘Insight’ skill, Justitia’s desire to lessen her sister’s pain created this skill.
‘…But skills don’t just appear because you wish for them, do they?’
I was momentarily puzzled by that thought, but then shook my head. In any case, this skill was meant to be used for Ariel. So I would use it for her as well.
‘By the way, can I even get up?’
Anyway, my body wasn’t in good shape.
I managed to avoid a direct hit by summoning a small barrier right before Ariel’s attack landed, but the shockwave alone dealt considerable damage.
On top of that, I also shared Ariel’s burden.
However, it was actually a good thing for me.
Because I had discovered an invincible combination while checking all the available abilities during the past week.
[Skill: Tempering (LV MAX) activated!]
[Price: Pain amplification.]
When I received damage through ‘Physical Link,’ I would activate the ‘Tempering’ skill, one of the 11 overpowered skills, to strengthen my body.
A perpetual motion machine. With this, I could train my body rapidly without investing time and effort.
Of course, there was a terrifying price: pain amplification.
However, the concept residing within me was the ‘Concept of Hypnosis,’ considered the highest among mental abilities.
A single self-hypnosis to not feel ‘pain’ was enough to avoid the penalty.
There was just one small problem.
It strengthened my body, but it didn’t heal it, so the damage still accumulated.
– *Tremble…*
Still, perhaps because my body had gotten a little stronger, I had enough strength to get up, leaning on my cane.
“*Grit*…”
Fortunately, Ariel seemed to have used up all her energy from that blow, as she was just sitting there, gritting her teeth.
– *Creep…*
But then, someone crept up behind Ariel.
“Ugh?”
Ariel, who had been glaring at me murderously, groaned as she was lightly hit on the back of the head.
“Senior.”
It was Lumia, who had been blocked by the barrier until now.
“It’s not too late.”
She was approaching me with a look of utter despair.
It seemed Lumia knew that I was Kang Haneul.
And yet, she didn’t tell anyone. She was quite something.
“L-Lumia… don’t…”
Just as I was sneering inwardly, Ariel, who had somehow managed to stay conscious despite being hit on the back of the head, reached out and said so.
It seemed she thought Lumia was being controlled by me.
“Senior, choose me before it’s too late.”
However, this was where I felt wronged. She wasn’t under any mental manipulation.
“I’m the one who took everything from Senior, aren’t I?”
Of course, her words and actions did seem like someone whose mind had been broken, but
“Now, please attack me. You have to take revenge on the root of all evil.”
“…”
“You can treat me roughly. Trample me as much as you want, until I’m almost dead.”
Saying so, Lumia took my hand and wrapped it around her neck.
“I’ll do my best to be a good victim.”
Her eyes were shaking wildly.
“Assault, threats, confinement, kidnapping. Anything is fine.”
Then, she bit her lip and started putting strength into her hand.
“Please, leave your mark on me.”
As I stared at her, strangling herself with my hand, a smile crept onto my lips.
“You want to be attacked that badly?”
“Y-yes! This much!”
It didn’t seem like she was lying.
There was no sign of deception.
“*Sob*… ugh…”
Judging by the way her legs were trembling as she strangled herself.
So, if that’s what she really wanted,
…there was only one thing to do.
“No.”
“…Huh?”
Whispering so, I gently removed my hand from her grip.
“My archenemy is Justitia’s younger sister.”
Then, I quietly wiped my hand on my cloak.
“She is the only one who defines me.”
I slightly lifted my mask, revealing my closed left eye, and whispered in a low voice.
“Trauma…”
Then, Ariel’s voice came from behind.
“Remember…”
“S-shut up!!!”
Hearing that, Lumia shuddered and yelled, but
“Even if it costs me my life…”
…Ariel, despite being at her limit from accumulated damage, continued, her eyes burning as she glared at me.
“I… will…”
However, she lost consciousness before she could finish.
[Entered Ariel Route.]
But the message that appeared before me at that moment, and
“Ah…”
…Lumia, collapsing on the spot with a deflating sound, told me what she was about to say.
[Ending Prologue…]
[Current Relationship Status]
[Ariel Everley hates you.]
[Lumia Obse is obsessed with you.]
[Kang Maru loathes you.]
[Minamoto Himari ignores you.]
[Lee Se-ah misses you slightly.]
◇◇◇◆◇◇◇
“What’s with all these messages?”
As I was looking down at Lumia, collapsed on the ground, with a sense of satisfaction, numerous messages suddenly popped up.
At the end, there was even the name of my childhood friend, Se-ah, whom I hadn’t seen in a while.
But now wasn’t the time to worry about that.
“Why… how could…?”
Because there was something I wanted to say to Lumia.
“Why didn’t you choose me…?”
Hearing that, Lumia looked at me with a blank expression.
“Simple.”
Silence.
“You’re a guy, aren’t you?”
“You… gay bastard.”
“It’s a misunderstanding.”
Lumia’s face turned pale, and she hurriedly got up.
“It’s a misunderstanding, Senior! I… I…!”
Was she going to reveal that she was a girl now?
If she was going to act, she should have kept it up until the end.
She was truly spineless.
“…Hmm?”
As I was thinking about giving Lumia the middle finger, I suddenly felt a surge of heat from behind.
– *Bang, bang, bang!!!*
Sure enough, less than a second later, a brilliant beam of light flew towards me.
“…Ugh.”
I didn’t have time to deploy a barrier, so I gritted my teeth and twisted my body to avoid the beam, then witnessed a surprising sight.
– *Crackle…*
I clearly saw the beam, which had passed me and was heading towards Lumia, slightly distort and miss.
‘Come to think of it, what exactly is Lumia’s ability…?’
“I’m sorry! I didn’t know you were there!”
Just as I was pondering that and getting up, a clear voice echoed around me.
– *Whoosh…*
A star-shaped beam flew from behind in the blink of an eye and landed between Lumia and me, emitting a bright flash.
“But don’t worry too much! I’ll save you now!”
Then, as the flash started creating a barrier of light separating Lumia and me, a very familiar line reached my ears.
“With the power of stars and love, Miracle Magic!”
Hearing that, I immediately knew who the hero arriving at the scene was.
“With everyone’s hopes and dreams, Change Up!”
The Rank 2 hero. The record holder for most monsters slain. One of the few remaining hopes of this era, demonstrating prowess comparable to other top-ranking heroes despite her young age.
“Miracle Shine, arriving now!”
Hero name: Miracle Shine.
Commonly known as the ‘Magical Girl.’
She had arrived at the scene, enveloped in a dazzling flash.
“…Thank you.”
I was grateful that she had removed the nuisance that was Lumia from my sight, but the situation hadn’t improved.
Despite her youthful appearance, she wasn’t Rank 2 for nothing.
“A-rank villain, Trauma.”
As I broke out in a cold sweat, she raised her magical staff and declared powerfully.
“Your evil deeds have gone too far.”
It seemed she was about to fight me right now.
“Numerous hostage murders. Threatening academy students. And even the terrorist attack last time.”
“Hey.”
“I don’t even want to imagine what will happen next.”
Unfortunately, I had no intention of fighting her.
“So, right here, right now, I will…”
“Wait!”
As I shouted and reached out, she paused and stopped talking.
“I have something to say, will you listen?”
Miracle Shine, the complete hero, whom Justitia praised as being full of justice and kindness.
That assessment seemed to be accurate.
“…What is it?”
As of a week ago, there were three people, including my sister, among the 12 top-ranking heroes who weren’t Grotesqueries.
Miracle Shine, who was currently looking at me with wary eyes, was one of those three.
In this age of lies and deceit, one of the few heroes untainted by darkness stood before me.
“I don’t know if you’ll believe me, but”
There was no point in fighting her.
My ultimate goal was revenge.
And while Grotesqueries were among my targets, heroes weren’t.
“Those people over there.”
“Yes.”
“They are actually monsters.”
Then there was only one thing I had to do.
“Huh?”
“I’m saying they’re not humans, but monsters.”
…to reveal the truth.
I deceived Ariel to help her grow, but there was no reason to deceive a fully grown hero.
The more allies who knew the truth, the better.
“…Are you kidding me?”
“No, I’m serious.”
Now then,
…how should I persuade her?
◇◇◇◆◇◇◇
Miracle Shine. The hero known as the Magical Girl, adored by teenage girls and men in their 20s.
“Why would I lie in this situation?”
“To deceive me and make me lower my guard…”
“I came here to broadcast the scene of the monsters transforming.”
Upon hearing the news that ‘Trauma,’ whom she’d been particularly wary of, had appeared, she excused herself from the other heroes and came to the scene alone.
“No, it’s fine. It’s better to show you directly.”
She was quietly breaking out in a cold sweat, facing a type of villain she’d never encountered before.
“Just wait a moment.”
Trauma approached a cold, lifeless hostage lying nearby.
– *Crack…*
And started twisting the hostage’s neck, staring up at her.
“Now, look. Don’t you see this?”
He made a gesture of grabbing something from the mangled neck and shook it vigorously.
“This is really disgusting. It looks like an octopus.”
“Um…”
She stared blankly, then asked Trauma, who was waving his hand, in a low voice.
“Are you crazy?”
“…Don’t you see this?”
He looked back and forth between his hand and hers, then frowned.
“This makes me look like the crazy one…”
Although the words ‘You look like the crazy one’ were on the tip of her tongue, Miracle Shine shook her head and suppressed them, carefully raising her magical staff.
“Then I have no choice but to try a different method.”
“…!”
Just as she was about to act, she stopped at Trauma’s words as he grabbed a nearby citizen by the collar.
“Hey, tell her your true identity.”
“Grrr… grr…”
She couldn’t engage in combat recklessly if there were still living hostages.
“Hurry up. Otherwise…”
“Grrrrrr!!”
So, she was wondering how to launch a surprise attack and rescue the hostage.
– *Bang!!*
However, her thoughts were rendered moot as the hostage’s head exploded.
“Ah, this is driving me crazy. Seriously.”
Trauma, hitting his chest in frustration, suddenly picked up a sharp piece of glass.
“Well, I guess they’ll transform when their lives are in danger.”
– *Stab, stab, crack…*
Then, without a word, he started stabbing the dead hostage.
“Huh, they’re not transforming even after this.”
“…”
“Prioritizing hiding their identity over their survival instinct. I think I understand why they’ve managed to stay hidden for so long.”
His crazed appearance clearly showed why he was committing these insane acts.
‘…Is it because his condition isn’t good?’
However, there was one thing she couldn’t understand.
‘Why is my ability reacting?’
Her ability, which sensed people in need of her help, was reacting to Trauma.
“Stop. Put your hands up and surrender.”
Of course, she had no intention of helping him mutilate and explode corpses, so she slowly started walking towards Trauma.
“If you move, I will consider it an act of aggression. Please keep that in mind…”
Just then,
– *Roll…*
“…?”
Something rolled towards her.
“Oh dear.”
As Miracle Shine tilted her head and picked it up, Trauma’s voice came from the front.
“That’s mine. Thank you for picking it up.”
Then, spinning his cane, Trauma gave an order.
“Now, disarm yourself and come here.”
“…”
“Let’s go somewhere quiet and have a little chat.”
However, Miracle Shine, who remained motionless, looked at Trauma with a serious expression.
“…Is this a mental attack?”
Then, with her arms crossed, Miracle Shine began to speak.
“I guess you thought a direct confrontation wouldn’t work.”
She threw the smartphone back at Trauma and declared,
“But, I’m sorry.”
“…”
“Mental abilities don’t work on me, the Magical Girl.”
Against strong evil, even stronger justice. Against strong power, even more overwhelming power. That was her fighting style. Pretending to be affected by the opponent’s ability, then revealing that it didn’t work at all, overwhelming them. It was her unique victory routine.
“N-no way.”
Trauma, seemingly taken aback, started backing away.
‘He’s injured. He can’t fight head-on.’
Grasping the situation after seeing him limping, she quietly raised her magical staff to finish him off, but
‘This is my chance…’
“T-this… doesn’t work?”
…she hesitated and lowered her hand again, hearing Trauma’s voice, which for some reason sounded quite pitiful.
“T-that’s impossible. My hypnosis is invincible.”
“…”
“H-here, look. Look at this.”
Trauma, staggering towards her, desperately shoved the hypnosis app in her face.
‘So his ability is to brainwash people with a smartphone.’
She narrowed her eyes for a moment, then quickly started thinking.
‘His ability won’t work on me anyway. But if I pretend to be hypnotized here…’
“Damn it, damn it…”
‘…I might be able to find out his hidden objective, his base… maybe even the whereabouts of his comrades.’
With that thought, she quickly made up her mind.
“Uh… hmm…?”
She looked at the smartphone Trauma was holding out with unfocused eyes, then stumbled, as if dizzy.
“W-why am I so sleepy…”
Then, muttering so, she lowered her head.
“D-did it work?”
“…”
“Did it succeed?”
Trauma’s excited voice reached her ears.
“Raise your right hand.”
“Okay.”
“Now raise your left hand.”
“Alright.”
After giving her a few commands, Trauma clenched his fist and muttered.
“…This is a piece of cake.”
“*Snicker*.”
Miracle Shine almost burst out laughing at his pathetic appearance, but remembering the seriousness of the situation, she forced herself to stifle it.
“Alright, then…”
After remaining motionless for a while, Trauma tapped her shoulder and whispered.
“Shall we move?”
Glancing at him as he turned around, she smiled knowingly.
‘You’ve completely fallen for my acting.’
◇◇◇◆◇◇◇
Walking away from Miracle Shine, I smiled and thought to myself.
‘This is the best remedy for mental resistance.’
What I had just used was hypnosis that made the target ‘pretend to be hypnotized.’ One of my special moves, especially effective against those with strong mental resistance.
‘I’ll kidnap her first, and then hammer the truth into her head.’
And so began the magical girl kidnapping incident that would shake the world.
◇◇◇◆◇◇◇
