A voice, almost a whisper, cut through the pouring rain with crystal clarity.“.....Do you plan to keep fighting with your body in that state?”
When Ruru turned around, she saw a girl in a witch hat blinking at her. Ruru twirled her drenched hair and replied.
“Uh, so…… You’re one of the Four Heavenly Kings. What was your name again?”
“I am, uh, 『Being of Infinite Void Yunaris』....... You don’t need to call me by my full name. Just Yunaris is fine.”
“Aren’t you gonna fight?”
“I will... but you’re seriously injured. You might die. And if you die…. It’s all over. I know you’re from another world. This death won’t be your actual end, but it will be difficult for you to return to this dream. Is that alright?”
Yunaris spoke softly. Didn’t Ruru really cherish this world? She felt like Ruru was charging into battle without any regrets or hesitation, and was curious about that part.
Was it because she just wanted to fight, or was there another reason?
Ruru’s answer was straightforward.
“I’m just…. Doing what I want. I don’t overthink it.”“.....You don’t think?”
“Eung. I’m a bit….. Dumb. But I know one thing: the heart doesn’t lie. If you use your head too much, then you end up lying to yourself for no reason. Even if it’s pointless.”
Ruru proudly revealed how she reads the scale in her heart.
“In my heart, I know that I want to protect Oh Hye-in and Oh Dae-soo, that I want to keep dreaming this dream, that if I keep going, I might die. I know all of that. But even so, I still feel like risking my life to fight a little more.”
"⋯⋯⋯⋯."
“That means….. more than my survival instinct, I care about Hye-in and Dae-soo. So, I just follow my heart. It’s simple and easy right?”
“......I see. Eung, if that’s the case… you’re not just running around looking for a fight. I understand.”
Though Ruru’s words were simple, Yunaris recognized what she was saying—Ruru was willing to risk her life to save her friends.. Yunaris used Illusion Magic to keep her face emotionless, but internally, she found herself giggling like a schoolgirl. As she expected, Ruru and Dae-soo were the perfect pair.
If Ruru had been fighting thoughtlessly, Yunaris would have taken her down a notch as a lesson for the last time they met, using her as leverage to confront Roderus.
However, if Ruru’s motives were this pure.
Just as the Crazy Wizard wanted to give Roderus another chance, Yuna also wanted to give the Capital Knight Order Captain a second opportunity. Maybe it was a bit of fandom.
Or maybe it was the desire to see the character you like to find happiness.
Maybe, she simply wanted to create a main character herself.
“......I wonder if this is why he plays TRPG.”
“Why do you keep muttering to yourself….. Are you actually giving me time to catch my breath?”
“Oh, Sorry.”
She sensed the presence of Ruru’s prince, Roderus. He was on his way. Estimated time of arrival: five minutes. Everything was falling into place.
As the middle boss, she was going to give it her all.
Yunaris slowly raised her head, extending four semi-transparent arms from her body. Her eyes darkened, and purple Mana began to gather at the tips of her hands.
In the glare of the headlights, Yunaris’ shadow stretched out, resembling a massive spider.
"⋯⋯⋯⋯!!"
“Let’s begin.”
Kwaaaang──!!
A blazing purple laser beam shot down the street.
===============================================================
He ran.
Screams filled the air, and there were flashes of light and the sounds of explosions.. He sensed two giant energy signatures. One was directly beneath the pitch-black vortex, and the other was further out, near the marketplace.
From the Mana’s wavelength, he could also recognize the person. Oh Hye-in was near the vortex, while Kim Ruru was at the marketplace.
Roderus could not be in two places at once. He had to choose one, and he chose the marketplace. Because that side seemed less…. reliable. That’s what he told himself.
Climbing over AC units and vaulting over obstacles, he took the most direct route. And then—
"⋯⋯⋯⋯!!"
Shiver.
He dropped to the ground as a sudden chill gripped him. Where he had stood just moments before, a purple laser cut through the air. He had faced this before. It was the work of the『Being of Infinite Void』.
Sizzle.
The laser burned through the wall, leaving only blackened soot in its wake. A direct hit would result in severe injury, even with Mana. Without it, death would be instant.
That’s right—Mana.
All Roderus had was a body honed to its utmost limits.
Sure, he could easily take down a civilian or a thug, but in a world of Mana users, he was like a teacup in a hurricane.
If only he had a transformation device.
If only he could transform into a Magical Girl!
Roderus estimated the laser's origin by its angle and moved stealthily. He scaled the villa’s sewage pipes, slipped in through a window, and leaped from building to building.
Finally, he arrived at the scene where the Magical Girl and Monstrous-Human were fighting.
“......Kim Ruru.”
She was drenched in blood. The sight made Roderus clench his fists. 『Yunaris』 had her cornered, firing lasers in all directions. She was just toying with Kim Ruru.
Roderus remained in the building, pressed against the wall beside a window. He observed the situation outside, keeping himself hidden.
===============================================================
Yunaris floated about 30 centimeters above the ground, waving her hand toward Kim Ruru.
“I was made for long-range bombardments. My durability may be lower than the other Four Heavenly Kings... but my offensive power, well, it’s as you can see.”
“......I’m gonna burn to death!!”
“I’m just saying, even with your broken-down body, you could defeat me. But only if…. you can survive my attacks and get close enough. How about it, Magical Girl? Can you try a bit harder…..?”
“If you reduce the number of lasers by just one, I’ll do it somehow!!”
Swoosh──!!
Boom!!
“If you don’t wanna do it, just say so….!!”
Kim Ruru was thrown to the ground by the explosion’s aftershock. She had lost count of how many times she had been knocked down, and her body was slowly going numb to the pain.
She had heard that when you stop feeling pain in a situation where death seemed imminent, it was a sign that you were already at death’s door.
“Ah fuck…..”
Even so, she couldn’t give up. If she really had to die, she would at least go out with a bang and deal some damage on her way out. Just as Ruru braced herself, her eyes ignited with determination.
"⋯⋯⋯⋯?"
She saw something weird.
By the window of the building behind Yunaris, she spotted someone with fluttering orange hair. Her heart nearly stopped, thinking it was Oh Dae-soo, but when she took a good look, she realized it was a guy, not a girl.
He resembled Oh Dae-soo so much that for a moment, she thought they might be related. She even thought that if Oh Dae-soo became a guy, this is what she’d look like.
Their eyes met. She felt certain of it.
Roderus opened a window and prepared to jump down. He held a golf club in one hand. It looked like his plan was to drop straight down and launch an attack onYunaris.”
“.....No, wait. That’s a little dangerous…..”
At this distance, he wouldn’t hear her if she muttered a warning, and if she shouted, Yunaris would notice him. He’d be reduced to dust by Mana bombardment before he even had a chance to jump.
She had to divert Yunaris’s attention somehow. Ruru forced herself to stand, coughing up blood, and then screamed with every ounce of strength left, as if she were shredding her vocal cords.
“Hey there, you little girl with the weird makeup──!!"
“.....What’s this all of a sudden? Ah.”
Yunaris flashed a bright smile, then directed all her arms in one direction, compressing a massive amount of Mana, enough to obliterate the entire street in one shot.
“We-Well. You won’t be able to dodge this one. I-I’m gonna shoot this with everything I’ve got….! My defenses will be somewhat weakened, bu-but it’s not like you can teleport!”
“Instead of teleportation, I have telekinesis!! Do your worst──!!"
Jump.
Roderus jumped from the third floor, swinging the golf club putting all his weight on it. The blunt weapon, swung without any concern for his landing, arced through the air and smashed into Yunaris' unguarded head as she prepared a Mana Blast.
Crack.
When the golf club hit her head, Yunaris’ form became squishy before suddenly morphing into a black slime.
“.....The human appearance was just a disguise, is this the true body?!”
Screech──!!
The slime made a weird sound as it wobbled. Roderus noticed a small core where its head had been. There was a small crack on it, likely damaged by his attack just now.
Roderus swung the golf club at the slime's surface, but its gooey, squishy texture absorbed his hits, preventing any real damage. He couldn't penetrate its surface.
“This damned….!”
The slime looked like it was slowly regaining consciousness. Its swaying slowed down, and a light started to shine from a tentacle that extended from its surface.
At that moment—
“Here, catch──!!"
Something flew through the air in an arc. Roderus jumped and caught the object. When he opened his hand, he saw it was Kim Ruru’s transformation device.
Should he transform?
No. He knew the emergency command, but transforming took too long. During that time, the slime would recover fully, and Mana Bombardments would rain down on him.
He had no time. If that was the case—
Roderus channeled the power of [Metamorphosis] and infused it into the Transformation Device. Craaack-!! The device began to strain under the overload, and cracks started to appear on its surface
He’d cause it. Not a breakdown, but an overload. He’d make it explode.
“.....It’s a bomb. Eat this-!!”
Roderus hurled the overloaded transformation device at the slime and jumped back.
Boom──!!!
The Mana’s Light erupted, melting everything in its path. The slime let out distorted noises, screaming as the Mana's Light hit it.
A ray of Mana’s Light pierced the core of the slime directly, causing it to explode with a loud bang. Goo splattered everywhere, and the creature lost its form.
"⋯⋯⋯⋯."
"⋯⋯⋯⋯."
There was no movement. It was dead.
Throb.
Roderus looked down at his hand, feeling the sharp pain of something piercing his skin. There was a wound as if the surface had split. It was a result of the clash of powers from using『Metamorphosis』.
"⋯⋯⋯⋯."
Roderus made sure Yunaris was really dead, then ran towards Ruru.
===============================================================
He grabbed Kim Ruru's bloodied hand and examined her body. She was covered in wounds. It wouldn’t be surprising if she died at any moment.
“.....Are you okay? Are you conscious? Wake up, Kim Ruru!”
"⋯⋯⋯⋯."
Ruru opened her eyes slightly, and her lips parted just a bit.
“What are you saying? I can’t hear anything……”
"⋯⋯⋯⋯."
Roderus leaned closer, bringing his ear to her mouth. Her breathing was so faint that he felt like it could stop at any moment. She managed to barely speak, in a raspy whisper.
“.....Sir, who are you?”
"⋯⋯⋯⋯."
“I asked you, who the hell are you?”
“We-Well…. I’m Oh Dae-soo’s cousin.”
Even though Oh Hye-in and Oh Dae-soo didn’t resemble each other at all, these two were practically identical, Ruru thought as she turned her head.
The swirling vortex. Oh Hye-in must be still fighting.
“.....Hey, are you, by any chance, special forces or something? Cough cough…… You pulled off a pretty cool jump from the 3rd floor.”
“Something…. Like that.”
“Then, uh…. Mr.Soldier. Hye-in is fighting alone. I’m a little sorry to ask this…… but can you go help her…..?”
"⋯⋯⋯⋯."
“You don’t have to…..”
Ruru laughed as she vomited blood. Suddenly, she noticed something odd about the way he was holding her hand. Was it normal to… intertwine fingers with a girl you’d just met?
And yet, it felt strangely familiar. The size of his hand was different, but like the distribution of strength, something like that.
Ruru moved her thumb, sliding it over Roderus’s. If it was Oh Dae-soo…. she would lift her thumb in response as if saying she wouldn’t lose.
This man did the exact same thing.
“.....Aha.”
Ruru’s brain finally did something big. She instantly understood the meaning of that question at the playground. I see, Oh Dae-soo was a guy all along.
She was right. She knew it was gonna be super hard. Despite all the blood she had lost, her heart was still racing.
“He-Hey.”
“......I’m listening.”
“Since you’re Oh Dae-soo’s cousin, tell her... Tell her that I love her. Even if she was a man. You... cough, you get it, right?"
“.....I understand. I’ll make sure to deliver the message, so don’t worry….. peasant.”
What kind of roleplay is he doing? Saying such weird stuff while looking like he’s about to cry.
Ruru gasped for breaths, and realized she was going to wake from the dream soon. So, she summoned all her strength to leave her final words. She didn’t want him to worry unnecessarily.
“I-I’m also an otherworlder. So, that means I’m not dead. Understand?”
"⋯⋯⋯⋯."
“I’m normally super strong. So…..”
Thud.
Ruru’s hand went limp.
Roderus stood there for a long time in the rain, before gently closing Ruru’s eyes and rising to his feet. He had to help Oh Hye-in.
Beneath that massive black vortex, darkening the sky, where a giant hand was reaching through the portal from the other side, he would find her.