I Became a New Magical Girl Priest

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I don’t exactly know how the Hope Circuit works.

“There exists a circuit that runs on hope, and its efficiency is overwhelmingly higher than one that utilizes despair.”

That was all I knew. I read some webtoons, but the world-building wasn’t very detailed. It mostly centered around power struggles between government agencies or companies.

Even though there weren’t a lot of intricate setups, it was a type of comedic manga infused with black comedy sprinkled throughout the everyday lives of the Magical Girls.

Back when it was just casually serialized on a blog, I could laugh it off, but now that it’s a full-fledged series and has run for a longer time, after exhausting the content of the early blog chapters, it had become serious and changed genres.

…So, well, that’s that. I do know a fair amount of the lore, but I’ve learned even more since coming here.

That’s why I have no idea why Ha-yoon’s wand suddenly burst into flames.

All I can say is that it was a great help to Ha-yoon.

The Alien, seemingly determined not to give up, swung its arm toward the Magical Girls.

It looked much more violent than when it had taken hostages.

Perhaps that was because neither side had anything to lose.

With a sound that sliced through the air, its white left arm surged toward Ha-yoon.

As I stomped my feet on the floor to slow down, the attack had already reached Ha-yoon.

More precisely, it was aimed at Ha-yoon’s “Wand.”

“———!”

Until now, the Alien had made noises resembling human speech, but this time it produced a sound that didn’t even resemble a human voice.

A white mass flew up into the sky. It looked like a claw. More specifically, it looked like something that would resemble a claw if there was flesh inside.

…Seeing it in person, it’s quite terrifying.

This was not the Ha-yoon from her prime. She still didn’t look like the one who had been standing against me.

But that pink sword was truly a sword that could cut through everything.

The power I could only muster after jumping high and striking down with all my might, Ha-yoon was able to exert with just a mere swing of her wand.

Swish!

Then the end of the claw that was assailing her was severed. The hardest part of that right arm flew off before it could even touch Ha-yoon’s body.

When I was little, I watched a movie full of people wielding laser swords; this was like watching one of those fight scenes. The pink laser sword spun around, protecting Ha-yoon’s body.

At first glance, it appeared as though she was swinging it rapidly, but looking closely, she was just barely grazing the attacks just before they could touch her.

Well, they were Magical Girls, the kind of people who would break limbs just to block an enemy’s movements, but they wouldn’t kill them.

“You punks…!”

As the Alien screamed that, it flattened its body against the floor.

Then it lifted its clawed tail high.

The end of that claw was sharp.

I wondered if it hadn’t used it until now because it had two claws. But then again, it must have had to turn its body to use its tail. It didn’t look very flexible.

Crack.

But before it could even turn its body and whip its tail toward Ha-yoon’s neck, the claw shattered into pieces.

“Kyah!?”

The Alien screamed and squirmed, trying to dart away but was being pressed down by a hammer.

It was broken, but the flesh inside was still intact. It couldn’t escape or fight back unless it wanted to tear itself apart due to the hammer that was pressing down from above, as if it had a rocket booster strapped to its back.

Bang! Bang!

The Alien tried to turn around, but it was hit by bullets coming in from the side and staggered.

Even when trying to look the other way—

Wham!

It only hit its face with a magically enhanced gauntlet.

From above, Dalia’s magic fell like a hailstorm. The heavy hits made its body drop slightly.

“Ugh!”

But soon, as if to overcome all that, the Alien gathered strength throughout its body.

“Gah!?”

The hammer that had been pressing down began to wobble.

Was it squeezing out the last of its strength or going through some form of awakening? The body beneath that armor thrashed about as if it was about to shed its skin.

But—

“Wah!?”

“Get away quickly! What are you doing? Are you intending to die with me!?”

A massive chunk of magical energy was flying toward us, so much so that James, who was sitting on my shoulder, shouted out.

It was Delphinium’s magic.

Knowing all too well what kind of pain it would bring, I felt like my blood had turned to ice.

I twisted my upper body with effort and redirected the hammer.

As soon as it rolled away, my body was thrown sideways by the energy released from the generator.

I spun around like a top.

Or maybe a centrifuge? It was a huge amount of energy, so that might be more accurate.

But thanks to that, I managed to escape.

I stomped my feet on the ground again and stopped, staring at the Alien, my hammer poised downward.

“……”

Is that thing going to die?

Until now, I had somehow survived being hit by things like that. Even if just for a moment, I realized how incredible the human will to live was.

Or perhaps it might be a well-controlled magic trick, even if it looks like that.

The surroundings were burning white.

The Alien looked black within that brightness. It was dancing and flaming within the white magic.

Then, in an instant, that light vanished. As if it had never existed in this world from the start.

For a brief moment, the Alien stood still.

Its flesh wasn’t even left anymore.

The Alien took a step forward and then collapsed.

Thud! That sound was surprisingly loud. The surroundings were too quiet, so that might be why.

I quickly turned my head to look for people.

“Ji-eun!”

I heard someone calling me.

In the distance, Ji-hye was there.

It looked like she was about to jump over toward me, but the officers beside her were preventing her. Perhaps out of consideration for Ji-hye, the people holding her back were female officers.

It sounded like a hot iron had been dropped into cold water.

And then a faint burning smell wafted in.

When I turned my gaze, I saw smoke rising from the hammer.

In that instant, my heart sank. Based on the smoke and the smell, I wondered if perhaps the circuit inside had caught fire.

But before I could worry any further—

Clack.

With that sound, the back section of the hammer, which had been opened, gradually closed again. The excessively refined steel pieces meshed perfectly, leaving no trace of being opened.

Maybe it was because I saw that Ji-hye was safe, but my heart finally calmed.

I lifted my head again to look at Ji-hye.

Ji-hye and I locked eyes.

While Ji-hye had been waving her hand at me, her demeanor shrank a bit when our eyes met.

“……”

I looked down at myself.

I was covered in soot. It was only natural, swinging the hammer that had turned hot and had a thruster on the back wildly.

I was bleeding a little, and more than that, the color of my bodily fluid resembling something like soup was all over me.

It was a ridiculous sight.

Or it wasn’t just the ridiculousness that mattered.

I…

Ah, right.

Right in front of Ji-hye, I had shattered someone’s arm. Now that I looked, she had traces of that on her body as well.

And then…

What if Ji-hye thought it was my fault?

What if she thought she was taken hostage because of me?

Although the Alien was not in a state to speak properly, it would be easy to misunderstand just based on the current situation.

…Am I thinking too much?

Yeah, it’s definitely an overreaction.

If I could just talk a little now—

But just as I took a step that way.

Bang!

With that sound, my left shoulder was pushed back.

“Wah!?”

That sound escaped James’s mouth.

*

I brought it down.

I didn’t knock the Alien down solely with Ha-yoon’s power.

Rather, I was glad that it was like that. Because I had combined forces with the others, including Ji-eun.

And Ji-eun had even helped me fend off the attacks. At least that meant she didn’t carry any bad feelings about it, right?

At the last moment, hope flared up.

Perhaps thanks to that.

“……Ah.”

After everything went down, Iris was wide-eyed, looking down at her circuit.

A very faint hope arose, but even that allowed Ha-yoon’s energy to somewhat return.

And with that ‘somewhat,’ the energy of the circuit overflowed, giving power to the Magical Girls around.

“……That was dangerous.”

Delphinium said, her face slightly pale.

“It almost went beyond control.”

“……Did too much magic flow in midway?”

When Ha-yoon asked, Delphinium nodded.

All the Magical Girls were aware of Ha-yoon and Ji-eun’s situation. Naturally, they didn’t seem to want to attack Ji-eun right in front of them.

The reason Delphinium said it was dangerous was probably because Ji-eun had gotten caught in the range.

So perhaps she had thrown it a little earlier.

Ha-yoon glanced toward Ji-eun.

“……”

Ji-eun wasn’t looking at Ha-yoon.

She was only gazing at Ji-hye, who was waving her hand from afar.

That’s… right.

It might have been a coincidence, but since Ji-hye had been taken hostage, it was only natural for her to worry about that side.

…It’s okay.

That sort of thing had happened.

There must have been a lot built up until now.

If Ji-eun ever took it out on me, I should just firmly say I was sorry. Let’s repay her as far as we can.

Even if she couldn’t forgive me… well.

Still, there was hope.

Ji-eun had protected Ha-yoon even when fighting against the Magical Girls. There were no feelings of resentment about that.

That meant at least she had feelings left as a friend, right?

Even just earlier, she had come to help.

If she truly despised me, she wouldn’t have done that.

Ha-yoon looked down at her circuit.

The circuit was spinning vigorously.

With that small flicker of hope alone.

“I’m going to step out for a bit.”

As Ha-yoon said that, the Magical Girl comrades looked at each other and then back at Ha-yoon.

“Yeah, stay strong.”

Rose patted her shoulder.

“……If we go, it will probably just backfire.”

Ha-yoon nodded.

Iris looked a little uneasy, but she didn’t stop Ha-yoon.

Ji-eun looked exhausted. Although her wounds were visible, it was a relief that at least her injuries didn’t seem life-threatening at a glance.

Let’s somehow get her to the treatment center. After resting properly for a while, I’m sure we can talk and it will turn out fine.

Let’s also bring a friend along. That might help put my mind at ease. From what I realized after Ji-eun disappeared, Ji-hye seemed like a family-like existence for Ji-eun.

As Ha-yoon was thinking that and took a step towards Ji-eun, a gunshot rang out.

*

Ji-eun looked exhausted.

Her clothes were torn and soiled, and blood was flowing from her wounds.

There was even an unidentified liquid splashed over her injuries.

Isn’t it dangerous to leave her like this?

Isn’t it risky if we just let it be?

I’ve never heard of a Magical Girl dying because of such things, but still, I was worried.

I just wanted them to call an ambulance for her right now. I thought we had to take her to a treatment center.

Just as I was turning away to think about that, a loud gunshot rang.

Ji-eun’s shoulder was thrust back.

Her face as she fell displayed no realization of what was happening.

Magical Girls could supposedly deflect bullets with their magic.

Yet blood was snowing from Ji-eun’s shoulder.

Ji-hye let out a scream.

*

The first thought that came to mind after the gunshot was James, who had been on my left shoulder.

“James!?”

I shouted that and reached my right hand to my shoulder.

Blood trickled down.

My heart raced. No way?

But fortunately, I heard a weak, squeaky sound.

And then.

“I almost died, you crazy bastards!”

A voice full of bravado came from my shoulder. I quickly turned my head to the side.

Did it survive? That’s a relief.

…No, it wasn’t just a relief.

When I looked down at my shoulder, blood was smeared all over.

Did the bullet go through? No, it wasn’t that. My left arm moved without issue. At that position, if it went through, it must have shattered my shoulder bone. I wouldn’t even have been able to make a fist; my arm would be hanging limp.

Did I deflect it with magic?

But the reason I was hurt—

Ah.

I looked down at the hammer.

As I began to stare at it, I heard a faint screeching sound coming from the hammer again.

The generator had stopped, meaning I had felt that much hope. I saw that Ji-hye was okay, and I watched Ha-yoon regain her strength.

A thin, nearly invisible thread of hope.

And it didn’t last long. My thoughts shifted back to worries layered over that.

But even so.

“……Ha.”

“Ji-eun?”

“Ha, hahahaha!”

It’s absurd, really.

I clutched my stomach with my left hand and laughed.

This wasn’t laughter of joy, nor was it because I found it funny.

Why was I laughing? I didn’t even know myself. It just flowed out like that.

Perhaps ‘absurdity’ was the most accurate expression.

I lifted my head.

I heard shouts of people saying we can’t do it and other protests.

But more intense than those distant sounds was what I could see before my eyes.

I saw the net. A net that traps fish greedily, hauling up hundreds or thousands at once as it was thrown over the sea.

It seemed like just a shadow seen against backlight, but in reality, it was something far more vicious.

Thick and heavy, it would crush the one below it and keep it down, making it difficult to rise.

To think, how absurd.

After all that fighting.

I glanced to the side.

The Magical Girls were moving.

They were charging at me. Why?

It was like only Ha-yoon had been unable to accept the situation, her eyes wide open and mouth agape.

Really, really… ridiculous.

If they had just politely asked me to come along, I might have thought seriously about it then. I could have listened; James did.

Let’s think of one of them approaching me.

But this is the result.

I also worked hard.

I thought I worked hard enough not to fall behind others.

Am I different from them? Did I come here just to suffer? Is that why no matter how hard I try, I end up in this situation?

Sure, I won’t say I did nothing wrong.

But isn’t it allowed?

They said it wasn’t illegal. If anything, those too were the bad guys. They were all just scum, using Ha-yoon and exploiting the planet.

So why me?

What’s the reason for only doing this to me?

Is it just because I posted one comment? Really? I’m not the only one doing that!

Damn it.

In front of me, a black dot appeared at the location that had the net.

That dot greedily sucked into itself the net.

It wasn’t just the net.

It devoured everything in that place. The air, the light.

The light being pulled into that black dot bent like a rim. The surrounding space distorted as if reflected in a concave mirror.

Even sound seemed to be swallowed, and all fell silent.

I took one step, then two toward the hole.

And I tilted my head.

Why do I have to run when I haven’t done anything wrong?

Shouldn’t the police know? They must have investigated the scene. Then, I’m sure there’s a mountain of evidence showing I didn’t do it.

I lowered my gaze.

From inside, things were bending all over, and I saw something gleaming. Someone lay on top of a huge armored vehicle, holding a long iron rod.

It was a gun.

Even in that situation, someone was defiantly aiming it at me.

My feet, which had been on the ground, fell.

Slowly, I began to rise into the air—

I skipped the middle and stood before that person.

“Ugh.”

Before I could say anything, I grabbed the gun barrel.

The long gun bent easily.

I brought that bent end right up to the man’s face, and he broke into a cold sweat.

I heard the sound of something clicking and a man was biting his teeth. It was cold, but it wasn’t that kind of weather.

I rolled my foot.

The waist of the armored vehicle crumpled terribly. The people inside jumped out in a panic.

Pushing the man who was face down, I vented my frustrations by slamming the armored vehicle several times.

Kicking, smashing with the hammer, and punching.

The windows shattered, the sides of the vehicle tore apart, the tires deflated and fell, the vehicle crumpled, and oil began to leak out.

In that time, no one tried to stop me. Or perhaps they couldn’t stop me? Why, after shooting at me like that and throwing that net above me, were they just watching?

After not too long, the vehicle was flattened.

Having broken it down to the point where doing so no longer had meaning, I caught my breath and glanced around.

Each person whose eyes met mine hurriedly stepped back. A huge circle formed around me.

The sky’s light was barely visible now. The blue sky had turned black like the night. The light flowing through the sky had been beautiful but felt empty at the same time.

“……”

After staring at that sky for a long time, I finally looked down.

I met Ji-hye’s gaze.

Ji-hye was squatting on the ground, looking at me with a pale face.

For some reason, I felt like crying.

So I just disappeared.

 

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