Mr. Magical Girl

Chapter 63. 0-Rank Combat Record

『Thunder Emperor Colossus』

Prologue

It happened suddenly one day.

All communication networks around the world, all electronics stopped.

At first, there was some noise. Experts thought it was an error caused by the strengthening of Otherworld’s Power.

Then the communication networks halted.

Rumors spread that the laws of physics had changed, and all devices connected to the networks went down.

At that time, things didn’t seem serious.

Even if communication was down, society could still hold on.

And then the world collapsed.

Almost all electronic devices, whether on closed networks or connected to the outside, stopped working.

Only simple electric circuits were operational.

The rest barely functioned, like vacuum tubes.

And then came the Public Designation.

Only then did I realize.

This was the work of some Otherworldly being.

『Thunder Emperor Colossus』

A monster’s name that rose in the Pacific Ocean.

“Only in times like this do people cling to Awakeners. Trash.”

My friend, who was blabbing next to me with a hammer in hand.

His mouth was rough, but he was decent enough. Unlike other Awakeners who fled the fight while their tracking devices malfunctioned, he was willingly going to battle Colossus.

Our stories are different in terms of justice, as I reluctantly prepare for combat.

Of course, it wasn’t just Haram Lee with us.

The Thunder God, Thunder God, and those heroes were on the boat.

They were probably hurrying from other continents as well, because this had already turned into a global issue.

“Don’t overdo it, Haram. They’re desperate too.”

Our previous Blue. Park Hyunseok said this as he scolded Haram.

“Why? Did I say something wrong? Didn’t you see? Those ministers were begging for their lives like dogs.”

He raised his voice, starting to get angry whether the soldiers heard it or not.

“If it had been like this usually, the number of Awakeners on this boat would have been doubled. Now they come crawling like insects when they’re in trouble.”

“Society changes little by little like that. We’re caught in the midst of it and suffering.”

Must be nice. To think so positively.

Haram seemed to calm down a bit after expressing his anger as he slumped back in his chair, looking at the ceiling.

Still, nobody opposed his words.

Everyone probably thought the same.

Haram always spoke up for them.

Whenever Awakeners were attacked, whenever they were blamed, he was the first to grab a hammer and jump into the chaos.

According to him, he claimed his transformed appearance was different from usual, so he wouldn’t be recognized.

That was probably a form of consideration to lessen the burden on others.

Even though he had been exposed many times and faced countless restrictions because of it, he never ceased that behavior.

Thanks to that, his reputation was good among Awakeners and lower-ranking soldiers, but no one had appeared in the news as often as he had.

Except for a bit of chaos, the rusty metal ship rocked and continued forward.

In the middle of the night, while everyone was asleep, a loud sound startled everyone awake.

“Everyone wake up! We’re under attack!”

It wasn’t just me who heard the loud noise; everyone scrambled up, looking at the hole blasted in the ceiling.

In the middle of the gaping hole, avoiding falling metal, stood a small Awakener swinging a hammer.

With a crude golden hammer in hand, he was the one who woke everyone up.

“Don’t freeze! Abandon the ship and run! The next attack is coming! Quickly!”

What do you mean next attack?

And what’s that hole?

It was the next moment that I realized what was happening.

A massive shell fell.

A 16-inch naval gun, nearly unused in this era.

Something rusty and grotesque, heavily barnacled.

It had fallen from a ship that had been used in past wars.

“What about the ship?!”

An artifact.

Yellow screamed as he shouted at the fleeing Awakeners.

The Awakeners also seemed to remember and stopped trying to escape, looking around.

Right, there were soldiers aboard this ship.

“They’re all dead. Just run.”

Blue’s sudden words.

“…dead?”

“This ship has already fallen under Colossus’s control. I’m confirming it with Green.”

I see.

The Awakeners quickly started breaking the walls and flooding the ship.

While a lone Magical Girl swung her hammer to block the barrage of shells falling from above.

“Run…”

Engulfed by the endlessly pouring explosions.

We could no longer hear each other’s voices.

Even during our escape, one by one, they were killed by the shells.

Haram was somehow managing to block the falling shells, but it seemed the ship was reaching its limit.

After leaving countless victims behind, what awaited us outside the ship was…

“A ghost ship.”

“I can sense the negativity.”

Numerous steel warships rising from the sea.

Sunken ships adorned with barnacles and coral reefs, brownish rust.

From holes in various spots, age-old seawater gushed out, revealing relics from a bygone era once submerged deep below.

Steel warships that had been buried deep beneath the sea resurrected and formed ranks under Colossus’s guidance.

“Is that it?”

A brown doll stood among the circular formation of warships.

Despite its bizarre appearance, it was a humanoid enemy with distinct eyes, nose, and mouth.

Numerous circuits engraved into its coppery skin glowed a luminous blue as it turned its head towards us.

“48 65 672 612 615 272 29 77 615 72 612 64!”

Among the monotone metallic sounds came a rapid stream of numbers.

An incomprehensible language. Of course, it made sense since it wasn’t human.

“7774728 173147 7271275 77727772 7775744?”

“What the hell is it saying?”

Haram, who somehow found a rubber boat, drifted over next to us.

His clothes were burned in places and his skin was blackened, but he didn’t seem to be severely injured.

“The ship—

“Has sunk. Isn’t that obvious?”

He said bluntly while glaring at the enemy.

“It feels like we should fight now, right?”

“That guy keeps raising ships. It’s suspiciously powerful. If we leave it, we won’t be able to do anything.”

Hearing that, I turned my head to look, and even now, gigantic vessels were rising from the depths of the ocean.

If we let it go, we truly won’t be able to break through that steel wall.

But…

“The Awakeners haven’t all gathered yet. We still lack military support.”

We might lose. Perhaps we should assess the situation more.

“Our military commander died earlier. Other Awakeners may not arrive in time. That’s what Haram means.”

Park Hyunseok, in a blue suit, walked over to me and added to Haram’s words.

“Alternatively, other countries’ Awakeners might have all perished under the bombardment just like us. In that case, we are essentially all the forces we have.”

A heavy burden settled on my shoulders.

Looking at those who floated above the sea and gazed at Colossus’s fleet.

The number was fewer than thirty.

Is this humanity’s last hope?

“However, you might be right. Additional forces may come. The choice is yours. Red. I respect the leader’s judgment.”

Upon hearing that, the other Awakeners nodded in agreement. Haram clicked his tongue and lay back on the rubber boat, but he didn’t seem to have any thoughts of charging in alone.

Like he was saying he would follow my judgment forever.

The five members of my team. They were implying to leave the judgment regarding that guy to me.

Leader.

I had never really liked that title in my heart.

Why was a weakling like me made the Red?

The red suit hid my face.

So I wouldn’t have to show my distorted expression to anyone else.

I could hide my face and give orders.

And that act had finally brought us here.

A choice that bore the weight of all humanity.

Should we wait for the uncertain support troops while facing the growing threat of Colossus?

Or believe that there was no support coming and push the injured Awakeners into dangerous situations?

It was a monumental choice that I could hardly bear.

My face twisted.

I turned my gaze to Haram, who lay peacefully.

Haram, I had always envied you.

How you could walk out without worrying about your choices.

He proposed that we charge in with just us.

Even while standing at the edge of death, he advocated to move forward.

I felt that if I were with him, somehow we could win.

His choice would be the right one.

“Let’s go.”

We are humanity’s last guardians.

“Are you crazy? That’s not just cannon fire!”

“Don’t retaliate! Evade! My hammer is durable enough to withstand it!”

With undamaged Awakeners at the forefront, we began our charge towards Colossus.

“Kick loop down! Next one let it out!”

To ensure we reached Colossus somehow, throwing our bodies to block the shells.

Since this is our story, we will send ourselves, who can fight most efficiently against Colossus, forward in one piece.

“Thunder God down! Thunder God, come here!”

“I’m struggling here too!”

And leading the charge was Haram, who possessed the strongest physique.

Even while others replaced him, he stood firmly at the front, lifting the ships into the air and crashing into the shells as a Magical Girl.

“53 74 675 72!”

“What is that guy saying?!”

Once called an F-Rank Awakener, he now opened the path to victory before us.

The one who reached the top solely through effort. The one always standing at the forefront of humanity.

Is this really okay?

Shouldn’t we move forward to support that?

If we fail to break through to protect us, it wouldn’t matter at all.

Rather, should we preserve Haram’s strength for a stronger Thunder God like him—

“Red! Watch out!”

A moment of carelessness.

While I turned my gaze, it seemed a fighter jet was flying towards us.

A fighter jet.

We really are using everything.

A fighter jet flying in the sky even with broken wings.

Its gun barrel was aimed at me.

The barrel brightened, and time began to slow down.

I’m going to die.

Because of my mistake, everything might end. Our giant robot and finishing moves all require me, the leader.

Because I’m weak.

In that pain, a green shadow blocked my line of sight.

Thump.

Slosh.

Blood and flesh splattered onto my visor, and I survived.

“Green! Pull yourself together!”

“I’m fine, I’m not dead… but instead, I see Green’s arm blown off in front of me.”

It’s my fault.

“Don’t stop! Help him and run!”

Haram’s voice echoed again.

While I couldn’t do anything, following his words, people started running again.

Blue and I lifted Green onto our shoulders and began to run.

Countless shells fell behind us.

The shoulder supporting Green began to grow wet.

The red clothing turned dark red with blood.

If I had just kept myself steady.

“Don’t worry about me. Even if I die, just… it’s nothing… that’s all…”

Green replied with a voice fading away.

In tactical judgment, that may be true.

If I die, most of our skills will be unusable, but if Green dies, the destructive power will only weaken; it can still be used.

“Go to the robots with me…”

“Let’s go… until the end…”

I finally came to my senses.

The burden on my shoulder isn’t just mine alone.

It might be a little more on me, but we all stayed behind to carry this together.

Even if everyone else fled, even if the burden on our shoulders tormented us, we couldn’t lower what’s on our shoulders.

“Grandpa!”

“I got it!”

Thunder God and Haram charged ahead.

To break through the final wall.

A massive warship that shouldn’t even be capable of such speed blocks us, as giant cannons brush off the barnacles that cling to their hull and aim at us.

A gigantic golden hammer bursts forth from the sea.

The impact raised a large column of water, scattering all surrounding ships.

Splash.

The blade of the Thunder God descended.

Along with the rising column of water, the ship was pushed aside.

A towering column of water split in half.

A path opened.

Plop. Plop.

The halved warship fell into the sea.

At Haram’s shout, the Awakeners dispersed.

To prevent the warship from interfering with the battle between Colossus and us.

With arms blown off, the transformed hero.

Even the struggling beings on the brink of death.

Those who broke through their limits, bleeding from their eyes and noses, also scattered rapidly.

To allow us to have a one-on-one duel with Colossus.

I, Blue, Yellow, Green, and Black ran towards the battlefield they prepared.

To witness the end of the story.

To save the world.

“57 68 79?”

The face of Colossus, silently floating above the sea, turned towards us.

Still babbling meaningless words.

We drew our weapons.

A red flame sword.

A cooling device.

A shining electric barrier.

A pure breakdown shield.

A dark gravity projector.

Each of us wielding our weapons, we charged towards Colossus.

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