LIGHTNOVELONLINE Chapter 74
GwooOOoo!
The beast, comparable in height to a multi-story building and over hundreds of meters long, was overwhelming even in its moment of collapse.
The colossal roar and violent mass felt like the world was flipping upside down.
The beast, an embodiment of destruction in its very existence, finally fell silent.
[The beast has fallen completely silent!]
[Uwaaaa! I thought we were really going to die!]
The entry team jumped into the beast’s mouth, which was unleashing its most deadly attacks. They had to dig deeper, over 300 meters inside, while the high-output energy attack was being prepared.
“The most powerful attack point is likely directly linked to the beast’s core!”
A risky idea that could turn anyone who rushed in into dust within mere seconds. Everyone aboard the Sirius was filled with dread. However, the martial arts magical girls supported the plan after witnessing the incredible battlefield analysis ability showcased by the Magical Girl of [Flame] during the friendly match.
“After all, we have no other option. It seems like the most plausible plan.”
“Just watch the timing, dodge well, blow it up, and come out. Simple, right?”
[Pierce] and [Shooting] calmly affirmed [Flame]’s plan.
“This is truly a fiery operation filled with passion!”
The shout of [Martial] was excitement, really a ludicrously dangerous plan.
Thus formed the entry team of martial arts magical girls. They calculated the timing of the beast’s high-output attack and boldly entered its mouth.
“What do we do about the puppets chasing us from behind?”
“They’re the ones who slipped through Sirius’s firepower⋯!”
“Try the [Love-infused Machine Gun]! Taste it!”
“Leopards! Go in and tear them apart!”
The entry team advanced while repelling hundreds of puppets that had rushed in through Sirius’s firepower.
[Uwaaa?! They say a nuke has been launched from Moscow! What do we do?!]
“If we turn back now, the Sirius will be in danger! We have to break through to the core quickly!”
“Uaaah! Run! Hurry and attack!!”
Flustered by the emergency communication, [Armor] was reminded of their original objective by [Flame].
Without the cover of the Sirius, they wouldn’t have been able to break through the millions of puppets.
“Here’s the power plant!”
With all their might, they reached the power plant and were awestruck by its immense size.
The power plant of the beast shone with a fluorescent green light like the sun.
“There! Everyone, unleash your maximum firepower!”
[Armor!]
“Nanami! Ride me and take me right in front of the power plant!”
“Okay, got it! Lena-chan!”
With a sound that could burst eardrums, the attacks from everyone’s unique skills and equipment began to gnaw away at the fluorescent green power plant. Sparks flew in all directions as the colorful attacks collided with the power plant. Small puppets continued to flood in from outside.
Crunch!
With the next high-output attack closing in, time was running out.
A cracking sound echoed as the power plant developed a fissure.
“Haah!!”
A girl dressed in a flaming red dress thrust her Flame Sword into the wound.
It was as if she was inserting a key into a massive lock, thrusting with all her might, the sword left a huge scar in the power plant accompanied by a great flame.
Fwooooosh!!
The energy that had been gathering for the high-output energy discharge began to leak through the wound created by the sword.
“The energy is backflowing!! Get out of the beast’s mouth!!”
A breathless moment.
The urgent radio communication announced that the nuclear launch had started.
From hundreds of meters ahead, the great roar of millions of puppets echoed out from the beast’s mouth.
It felt like every minute, every second stretched into eternity.
Finally, as they jumped out of the beast’s mouth.
BOOOOOOM!!
With the massive shockwave, the beast staggered and collapsed into silence.
The millions of puppets were scattered by Sirius’s firepower.
“We did it⋯!”
Yuki beamed with a joyful smile.
She had successfully fulfilled her friend’s request.
She had stopped the beast that was about to unleash a massive slaughter in Eastern Europe.
The beast crumbled with a great noise in a vast plain devoid of habitation.
‘Hikari⋯! I succeeded⋯! I truly saved everyone from dying!’
[Notification from the Communication Magical Girl! The nuclear attacks have all been thwarted!]
[Notification from the Magical Girl of Myungwol, responsible for China’s defense! The Sword Magical Girl has been defeated successfully!]
News of victory continued pouring into Yuki’s ears as she slowly descended, engulfed in flames.
Hope.
For the first time, the hope that they had protected soared within Yuki’s heart, overshadowing the despair of loss.
None of the magical girls who participated in the operation she led had died.
They had prevented the chaos that could plunge the world into enormous turmoil before the trial came.
“Hikari! It’s a success here too! Are you okay?”
Yuki desperately sent a personal transmission to Hikari through her trembling hands.
Above all, she wanted to hear her voice.
“⋯⋯.”
“Hikari?”
“⋯⋯.”
[Notification from the Cyber Brain Magical Girl… The Magical Girl of Start has neutralized the nuclear attack, and current communication is cut, presumed missing⋯.]
“⋯Eh?”
What?
Hikari?!
No way.
“W-What does that mean⋯”
No.
[According to command protocols, I shall lead the return operation… I will definitely search for the Magical Girl of Start… For now, let’s return.]
No way.
“Hikari⋯!”
It can’t be.
*
January 24, 2012
[UN Security Council unanimously voted to expel Russia.]
[The ugly truth hidden behind the expulsion and detention of foreign companies that had continued since last year.]
[Incompetent puppet government, a crisis of destruction brought on by greed.]
[The ‘Eagle’ that seeks to drag the entire world into its grave.]
[Intense criticism towards the US President and ruling party; some speculate impeachment proceedings could be announced.]
[160 countries out of the UN member states issued strong diplomatic protests against the USA and Russia.]
[2012 human extinction myths: Was it a prophecy towards the ‘Moscow Incident’?]
[Thousands of nuclear weapons vanish. Is it a conspiracy by the US government?]
[The silent US Department of Defense, missing nuclear weapons.]
[A surge of separatist factions claiming independence from great powers.]
The crisis of destruction passed through the world too suddenly and absurdly.
Some say that even if thousands of nukes exploded simultaneously, the impact of climate change and radiation damage would be manageable for modern society, excluding the parties involved, Russia and the USA.
[We must not equate the affairs of the USA and Russia with the ‘entire world’!]
However, contrary to such views, the aftermath of the Moscow Incident struck the world with undeniable certainty.
Some hardline factions that had sought to break free from the order led by great powers rushed into action right after the nuclear launch. Logistics and production were shattered due to the war crisis. Even an incident that had ended without significant damage still dealt a heavy blow to the international society.
As people returned to their daily lives after New Year’s greetings, the shock of being hit with a hammer met them in the fourth week of January.
All stock markets and economic indicators plunged into a free fall. It was as if someone had tossed a metal skewer into the wheels of a racing bicycle, creating a massive aftershock.
In just one day.
News spread that nuclear weapons were flying through the sky, leading to thousands of suicides from those who couldn’t overcome the fear worldwide.
Had their reaction not been so caught off guard by the crisis of impending destruction, this would have ended much sooner.
“⋯⋯.”
“⋯⋯.”
What ruled people after the fear had passed was powerlessness.
The immense sorrow that came after the fear of daily life vanishing in just one day.
Broadcast stations around the world temporarily suspended all sports, entertainment, and variety programs, except for news and some live broadcasts.
At a time when all public interest converged into one point,
Everyone was focused on that single person who had saved them from the overwhelming threat of destruction.
Even individuals not part of the magical girl community wondered about the whereabouts of that one person, reverberating throughout the news all day long.
[Where is the Magical Girl of Start?]
[The Magical Girl of Start who vanished after the Miracle of Moscow.]
[What is the identity of the white light that traipses through half of the earth?]
[Is this power something humans should possess?]
[Angels and demons with faces too familiar and lovable.]
The girl who awakened the magical girls, solved numerous crises, and ultimately stopped nuclear war.
And the three Thousand Bloom 3-Star girls who had dragged Korea, Russia, and China into a potential destruction crisis.
Despite being the same supernatural ability users, many magical girls stepped forward to save countless people.
The treatment of magical girls has now risen to a level where they are seen not just as peculiar children in regions with state-sponsored organizations but as beings that evoke both fear and reverence.
Magical girls who shone brighter than anyone in ordinary life and rushed into the darkness.
If they wielded their power with malicious intent, they could be the most vicious and colossal force, yet they chose justice nonetheless.
[To equate the evil supernatural ability users with the magical girls who dedicated themselves to saving us is a grave sin.]
[I will remember the six magical girls who sacrificed their lives for the countless citizens of Beijing and for those who perished in Shanghai.]
The safe return of all magical girls who voluntarily participated in the Moscow operation.
Parents who learned of their daughters’ involvement in the operation nearly collapsed, while families they knew sighed in relief.
Most people respected the girls who had flown aboard the colossal silver ship, believing it was simply the right thing to do, without any political gains.
[What will be the next steps of the Grand Council?]
The world continued issuing high-intensity criticism toward the USA and Russia, yet anxiously awaited only the words from the Grand Council at the center of the magical girl community.