Transformation or Death

Chapter 60

Memory Recovery (6)

Hong Ik-oh is excellent at detection and movement, but not very good magic for attacking.

Being able to quickly arrive at the scene with the ability to fold the sky and run, and detect the power of stars is certainly an advantage. Not to mention it can be used for instant movement and communication between magical girls, so it’s quite high-ranking in terms of support magic.

But when it comes to combat, the story changes.

While the seven star step  is a fast movement technique, that movement is specialized for long distances, making it unsuitable for use against nearby enemies. Even a slight misjudgment could cause it to overshoot the enemy.

Moreover, since each Hong Ik-oh is connected to Pink Deneb’s consciousness, they must be manipulated individually. In other words, simultaneous manipulation requires considerable concentration.

Even with the enhanced concentration of a magical girl, the limit for moving her own body along with multiple Hong Ik-ohs is about 10 minutes at most.

Furthermore, the attack power of each individual Hong Ik-oh is not particularly high.

The concentration and magical power used at once is not very efficient.

Most defeats.

A dismal win rate compared to Red Vega and Orange Altair, who she often teams up with.

Commonly referred to as the weakest.

Such remarks have always followed Pink Deneb.

The origin of Deneb’s name, Dhanab, means tail.

Like that origin, countless mockeries have become the fur adorning her tail.

A tail made up of pitiful labels.

Pink Deneb herself knows this. That’s why she came here.

There’s no one better than herself to deal with Virgo.

“We need to evacuate the citizens, so take that bastard down quickly!”

“You should evacuate too! That woman is…”

“Kko-kko-daak! Kko-kko-kko-kko! Junior, is this a chicken?”

Mimicking the sound of a chicken while chuckling, Virgo threw the bird perched on her hand.

Following the bird falling downwards, countless other birds on her back began flapping their wings towards the ground.

One by one, they sliced through the air with a momentum like blades.

Pink Deneb and Watcher scattered to avoid the swarm of Hong Ik-ohs.

[DUBHE.]

She immediately turned the buckle. Amidst the loud flapping of wings, the name of the star resounded.

Dubhe.

The greatest power, and the closest to the Great Bear among the powers she currently possesses.

White claws materialized in her two hands.

“Crows, you bird-brained bastards! How does this look like a chicken?!”  

“Oh my, that’s too much. It’s better not to use bad words!”

As if confronting Virgo, Pink Deneb unleashed her birds. And she immediately realized this was a mistake.

“Your violent pets are also deserting you here!”

All of the Hong Ik-ohs that had been rushing towards Virgo were reduced to mere decorations on her back. All of them, taken away.

“I told you to run away!”  

“Shit, I’m sorry!”

“You really should fix that cursing habit!”  

“What do you know, you bitch!”

Watcher immediately leaped into the air using the Hong Ik-ohs as footholds.

The two bear claw-like claws began glowing brilliantly with starlight. The green stardust gradually mixed with white starlight. 

“For now, let’s cooperate! You hurry and evacuate the civilians!”

As reluctant as she is to play the hero with a villain’s face, as it won’t do any favors for a magical girl’s image.

But now she has no choice.

The white starlight flashed brilliantly in the claws. Sharp rays of light scattered like snowflakes.

[SET. Baekwoong twin lightning play.]

Dawn broke through the completely darkened sky. Swiftly sweeping across the sky and spreading light, cold.

Lightning streaked like rivers, passing through the Hong Ik-ohs. Where the flashing light passed, flames followed. The birds gradually turned into clumps of feathers, into ash.

After the lightning, thunder roared.

Kwaguang!

A booming sound like splitting wood erupted continuously.  

Hundreds of birds turned to ash in an instant. An unrealistic sight.

[Baekwoong twin lightning play manifestation successful. Replication rate 100%.]

Below the lightning-dancing sky, Pink Deneb flew. Although not a residential area, this was still part of the city. It wasn’t an uninhabited city. Due to the beams Virgo had scattered before she arrived, quite a few buildings had melted.

Between the melted concrete, the faces of terrified people could be seen. Pink Deneb reached out her hand. Along with that motion, the Hong Ik-ohs moved.

The minimum necessary amount. They broke through the concrete, widening the gap. Then they entered and enveloped the people. Through the widened gap, the Hong Ik-ohs flew while carrying people.

It looked like a carpet made of birds soaring through the sky. The Hong Ik-ohs willingly spread out like a mat beneath the people, transporting the terrified ones one by one to another location.

But as they transported the people, some of the bird swarms began to fall away.

“Ah, ah, aahh! Help meee!!”

“Hahah, it’s like playing Jenga.”

With a casual flick of her finger, the same number of birds as the flicks moved to her side.

“This fucking shit is for real…”

As many birds as had fallen away, Pink Deneb replenished them, but each time, Virgo simply took them away again. It was close to a one-sided humiliation. The person sitting atop the birds’ backs trembled uncontrollably.

“You should focus on me! If you ignore your seniors like that…”

“You’re the one.”

A shadow with shining bear claws approached from behind Virgo.

“Who should be focused on me, don’t you think?”

Kwang!

With a casual swing of her right arm like swinging a bat, Virgo was nearly sent plummeting down but used the stolen crows to make a cushion to prevent the fall.

She stood atop the crows again.

“The second round, as you said?”

On the undulating platform, she gathered lightning in her claws again. Amidst the resounding radiance, she asked, “Have you ever seen the stars?”

Virgo laughed and answered, “How would I know?”

Gathering a reddish-purple stardust in her fingertips to match the pale white starlight.

“I probably forgot even if I did see them!”

The two lights collided in the center. Kkugung! Thunder rumbled, and a hazy glow like a sunset flowed through the sky like fog.

Pink Deneb stared blankly at it, then shifted her gaze to the civilians.

“Evacuate the injured, elderly, and children first! Those with both legs intact, just run! You, you! Run! Hurry!”  

“But, I want to be transported by those birds too…”

“What? You with perfectly fine legs are spouting nonsense! Just run! Run for your life! Or you’ll really die!”

Piyung. A stray beam flew towards them. Pink Deneb quickly interposed the Hong Ik-ohs into its path. With a flash, something turned to ash in an instant. The heat was tremendous, even without direct contact.

“Hieek!”

“Run!”

The person who had been pleading ran away in a panic. The situation was dire.

There was no time for detailed explanations or polite commands spoken softly and respectfully. People are so cunning that when spoken to too politely, they often fail to understand properly.

In an emergency, commanding strongly and forcefully, with that kind of tone, even those unable to grasp the situation will earnestly take to their feet.

Action first, understanding can come later.

As long as they can save their lives, there will be an after. But if they lose here, there is no ‘after’. Life is the most important value.

There’s no need to care about momentary rudeness or unpleasantness.

“Hahaha!! Junior, these friends you gave me are really great!”

“I told you to focus on me!”

Kwaarreung! Even though there wasn’t a single cloud in the sky, a storm raged on. Lightning ran wild in the dry darkness, and in between those lightning bolts were the stolen Hong-Ik-oh and Virgo. 

Unlike just before, they kept flying, moving around, and endlessly spreading destruction.

The damage gradually grew larger.

Pink Deneb decided to leave dealing with Virgo to that villain of the Big Dipper for now.

That villain had unleashed violence on her beloved junior and had a deep connection to someone she cared for.

The fact that entrusting the fight against the villain to the villain herself couldn’t avoid being evaluated as incompetent. 

Adding to that, she had treated the citizens with curses and orders again today, so controversy over her violence and attitude would surely arise again.

She ignored all those facts.

Just give what needs to be given.

The humiliation of having to rely on the villain, the anxiety from the sharp gaze of others, the guilt over the restraint and suffering her fans would face from other fans, and so on. She discarded it all.

Today’s self-respect wouldn’t save these people tomorrow. 

She would use everything she could use, abandon everything she could abandon.

She could think about the crisis that would come tomorrow when it actually came.

At this moment, only she could save them.

In fact, Pink Deneb was quite distraught right now. The fact that Birgoh had appeared not too far from her own home, and that villain of the Big Dipper was facing her.

The timing was just right.

It was precisely when someone was leaving her house and leisurely walking home.

While checking on the injured Hong-Ik-oh, there wasn’t anyone among them who had been talking at her house until just before.

The anxiety that they might already be dead, the relief that they might have just taken another route.

Finally, the suspicion that they might already be here.

This mindset bloomed into three flowers. Next to those flowers, another flower blossomed. Today’s many events. Suicide counseling, a reunion, memory loss, regret, and more.  

Flowers of agony.

That bouquet of flowers swayed in the midst of battle, swept by the wind. With each flap of wings, a petal fell.

The speed of dropping petals gradually increased. Discarding, discarded. Not a single one was kept. In the frenzy of the battlefield, not a single distraction like that could remain. The withered branches soon became her sharp weapon.

Give what needs to be given.

Momentary self-respect or image, as well as delusions and anxiety, just discard them all. 

Think only of surviving and letting others survive.

“Okay! You’re the last one! Now hurry and flee…”

As Deneb evacuated a young woman who looked to be around college age, she let out a sigh of relief. But only for a moment.

“Our junior~”

Taang! Virgo flew over and shoved her with her shoulder.  

“What are you doing? Didn’t you miss me? But it’s not me!”

Taking advantage of Pink Deneb being knocked down, she straightened her index finger and pointed it at the fleeing woman.

As Deneb tumbled pitifully on the ground, she moved her hand.

Pink feathers like petals danced, and flew straight like an elegant raven connecting the Milky Way.

“Tang!”

Jjarahrarahrak! The flapping sound rang through the sky like fireworks. Dozens of Hong-Ik-oh enveloped the woman and took to the air. Virgo’s beam passed through the now empty space.

“Giving another gift?”  

Virgo immediately removed most of those Hong-Ik-oh. While doing so, she started gathering light at her fingertip again. As many Hong-Ik-oh went to Virgo, Pink Deneb replenished them, but it was insufficient.

With just a bit more, the woman would fall to the ground.

As Virgo watched that with interest, she suddenly felt like she was floating in midair. Her shoulder was grabbed and she was swung down.

“You crazy bitch, you call stealing a gift?”

Kwaaaang! She hit the ground before her intended target. The beam she had gathered strangely grazed past. It was empty space. Taking this opportunity, the woman was successfully evacuated to safety.

Pink Deneb knows her abilities are not suited for combat. So while training magic, she also trained something else. Martial arts. 

Originally devised for the weak to overcome the strong, techniques transcending power.

She was about to go into a hardening stance, but Virgo took to the air first. Despite her joints being bent, she stood up perfectly fine and levitated in the air again. Deneb clicked her tongue at that abnormality.  

“Hahaha.”

Birgoh blankly laughed while looking at her.

“You really are strange too.”

She raised her finger to point at Deneb.

“You, you don’t want to do this job? It’s written all over your face. Hide it a little! Most magical girls at least find fulfillment in saving people… But not you. You’re sick of it.”

It was a mockery.

“I guess our junior really does take after me. You’re doing this job reluctantly, huh? This job.”  

“Did provoking the villain with your flapping mouth become your thing? Your rambling really leaves an impression. What nonsense.”

“Hehehe, pretending you don’t know?”

Virgo slowly gathered a purple starlight at her fingertips. The sunset was recreated in the post-evening hours.  

“You really are something! You managed to evacuate them all in the end! That woman just now was the last one! But…”

An attack prepared excruciatingly slowly. An obvious mockery.

“What about you? You’ve used up all your magic power, haven’t you? You won’t be able to fly anymore. Ah, you won’t be able to move either, will you?”

She was right. Pink Deneb couldn’t even budge a finger. The Hong-Ik-oh spell consumes magic power intensely to begin with. And with Virgo’s plundering on top of that, her magic power was drained rapidly. 

Magic power consumption is proportional to physical stamina depletion. With that last movement, her magic power and stamina simultaneously hit rock bottom in an instant.

“Poor junior of ours. You got all covered in wounds and dirt protecting people, but there’s no one to protect you.”

Virgo’s mocking laughter gradually became more vivid. It also seemed like a satisfied laugh.  

“Will you become the answer to my question?”

The purple light gathered brilliantly at her fingertips. She was ready to fire. Pink Deneb forced her body to move, aiming for her gem.

Kwaaang! As the beam fired, everything in its path melted away.

Smoke rose in the street filled with the darkness of night. 

As the smoke cleared, Virgo flinched.

There was nothing at all where the beam had passed. Truly nothing at all.

Virgo quickly turned her gaze.

Pink Deneb, who had blankly been catching her breath, was staring at something. Behind Virgo.

“As I thought, chasing after you lot is tricky for me. You vanish from my sight in an instant.”

Virgo was proudly wearing the Hong-Ik-oh she had stolen from Deneb on her back. Using those Hong-Ik-oh as a foothold, someone leapt up.

“Thanks to that, I cleared over seven steps in one go.”

Those legs were filled with a green as vivid as moonlight itself. Like pillars of light.

“Damn it!”

Kwaaaaaaaaaang!!!

[Manifestation of the Seven Star Step Bogak successful. Replication rate 101%.]

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