REAPER SCANS
Mr. Magical Girl
[Translator – goguma]
[Proofreader – ilafy]
Chapter 16: O-Rank Combat Records - The Crazed Magical Girl 『Happiness Drop』
How fucked.
The heavy rain pouring down was terrible, as if the downpour weren't bad enough, the knowledge that it was laced with drugs made everything even more unbearable.
Despite what the rain was making them do, they looked happy. Did it really feel that good?
Curious, I stuck out my tongue for a second, wondering if I could feel that happiness as well.
A torrent of rain, thick enough to blur my vision in a curtain of water, landed on my tongue, flowing down my throat and into my stomach.
My expectations were obviously betrayed—all I tasted was a slight bitterness mixed with something strange. Mentally, I felt nothing.
“Yo, Cherry Mallet. You didn’t even join the meeting, so what the hell are you drinking?”
Cherry Mallet? There was only one person who called me that. “What does it matter to you what I do, Thunder God?”
She was a cheeky-looking kid with yellow hair. Though she insisted on calling herself a woman, a girl who hadn’t even hit puberty yet was just a little kid.
“We’re already short on people. Who the hell’s gonna stop you if you go insane from drinking that water with the rest of them?”
She was meddling for no reason.
“A bunch of people can stop me. There’s the Infinite Castellan from your country, and there’s the Heavenly Demon Sword God from my country.”
“If either of them gets stuck dealing with you, who the hell’s going to stop that crazy bitch up close? In fact, two people already died yesterday.”
‘I see, so the issue is the physical types dropping like flies. More importantly, two people died yesterday?’
“Two people died? Who?” I asked.
“You’re as uninterested as ever, huh?”
“How am I supposed to know who died in that mess?” I already had my hands more than full with just trying to stay alive.
“To be honest, I didn’t know either until today’s morning meeting.”
“Since you’re already talking about it, could you tell me too?”
“Sure, why not?” Thunder God kneeled down next to me before slowly opening her mouth. “Boomer and Meteor.”
"Boomer fights up close, so we can chalk that up to bad luck, but how did Meteor die?" I asked. Why did he die out of the blue when he was a sniper type?
“Apparently, he went mad after seeing the Crazed Magical Girl’s face through his scope and died instantly.”
“Died instantly, my ass. It’s obvious someone next to him shot him.”
It was a common occurrence on the front lines. They often shot people who went insane in the head to keep them from getting in the way of others.
Not only was it extremely common for those in contact with the Otherworld to have their minds broken, it also just had to be especially dangerous as well. As such, the real problem wasn’t ordinary soldiers being affected but A-Rank Awakeners.
It was too dangerous.
“Her mental manipulation power is stronger than we thought. Do the UN Forces plan to retreat?”
At that rate, everyone was going to be manipulated by her. I mentally prepared for the worst-case scenario, where all my allies turned into enemies.
“The Soviet Union and the US were strongly opposed to it. They argued that they couldn’t withdraw their soldiers when their country’s Awakeners had died.”
“I can’t believe they’re still worried about their pride when everyone’s going to die.”
‘Those fucking bastards. Is this really the time to worry about appearances?’
I felt my blood boil, but I kept the conversation going. I needed more information if I wanted to survive. “How did Boomer die?”
“We don’t know.”
‘What the hell does that mean?’ “What are you saying? We don’t know how Boomer died?”
“There weren’t any injuries. Boomer just died.”
Was it another power that we didn’t know anything about? Every day, more people died for unknown reasons, by unknown powers. It was to the point that I was getting sick of it.
“Mental manipulation?” I asked.
"Boomer’s expression was apparently too strange for it to be just that. His face was frozen in the furious look he made while jumping in."
“Were there any witnesses?”
“Allegedly, there was a red flash of light right before he died.”
‘A red flash of light, huh…?’ It wasn’t too helpful, but I at least learned that something preceded it.
If Boomer died immediately after the flash, could it have been an instant-kill-type ability triggered by the target’s eyes looking in a certain direction? Or maybe a laser? Regardless, it was best to close my eyes and move as quickly as I could if I ever saw a red light.
“What are tomorrow’s plans?” I asked.
“If you’re going to ask me about everything, just come to the meetings.”
“I would join if they were only for Awakeners, but I get really annoyed when I see people who don’t belong there.”
“I agree.” Thunder God agreed with me with an upset tone.
I'm sure all of the Awakeners felt the same way. They looked down on us, calling us monsters. Despite how powerful we were, they discriminated against us, knowing that we couldn’t harm them.
As I remembered the disdainful looks in their eyes, my anger grew.
I pulled out a cigarette and bit the end of it. It was soggy from the humidity, but it would at least help relieve my bad mood.
“How are you going to light it when it’s raining this hard?”
“Like this.” The rear of my hammer opened up, shooting out flames from the afterburner. The long flame briefly illuminated the area before quietly dying down. The cigarette glowed brightly as the stale smoke filled my lungs.
“…Nice trick.”
“I got good at it after practicing a couple times.” Cleansing the happiness rain that had entered my mouth with cigarette smoke, I spoke again. “So, the plan?”
“A frontal assault.”
“Why? I thought those assholes said that we could just keep going until she became weak and eventually dropped dead.”
“They probably realized their plan was flawed after S-Rank Awakeners kept dying one after another.”
‘Those idiots. We should have done this from the start. They completely ignored our suggestions.’ Did it really take the deaths of their country’s Awakeners for them to see it?
I recalled the plan the others suggested—creating an organization to protect the rights of Awakeners. We’d delayed it because we knew our stories would eventually come to an end, but I thought we might need to seriously reconsider that.
“When do we start?” I asked.
“In two hours.”
Grit—
I bit harder onto the cigarette filter, tearing through it. The half-burnt cigarette tumbled onto the dirt before the flames were eventually extinguished by the rain. “Have they lost their minds? What about our rest?”
“They said we should be fine since we’re tough.”
‘Fucking bastards. No matter how tough we are, Awakeners are still people.’
I rummaged through my pockets for another cigarette, but the only thing I found was an empty pack. “Do you have any cigarettes?”
“I didn’t receive any because I was too young.”
“I thought you were 20?”
“In Japanese age. I need to be 20 in the international age to legally smoke.”
‘How seriously fucked.’
* * *
“Kyahahahahahaha! Everyone’s here! It’s finally time to end it. I’m done as well!”
Why could I hear that maniacal voice so clearly from so far away?
The soldiers retreated, and all the remaining Awakeners at the base gathered together.
“Who’s starting it?” someone asked.
“Me and Heavenly Demon Sword God,” I replied.
“How many of them can you guys get rid of?”
I looked up toward the sky to see the countless twisted angels.
The Crazed Magical Girl’s servants were made from corpses that had wings of meat attached to them. Their lips had been torn, and the glass beads embedded in their eyes made them seem like they were always smiling—a true product of madness.
“About 85%?”
“We’ll leave it to you.”
The other Awakeners left, and only myself and an old man with a full head of white hair, dressed in a durumagi—a traditional Korean overcoat—remained.
“You have enough fuel, right, Gramps?” I asked. “Please don’t ask me to hit your head with my hammer again.”
“Worry about your own damn self.”
“Don’t worry, I’ll at least live longer than you, Gramps.” Knowing that I wouldn’t have to worry about him, I looked back up at the sky.
“Kyahahaha! What’s this? Crimson★Hammer? Heavenly Demon Sword God? I can’t believe such famous people have come to see me!”
I released my limiter and channeled mana into my hammer, causing it to swell in size. Despite the ground crumbling beneath me from being unable to support the hammer’s weight, it kept growing larger and larger.
Heavenly Demon Sword God also unsheathed his hwando and took a stance, holding it high above his head. Unlike me, his ki was concentrating more intensely into his blade.
I was spreading my power all around, but the Heavenly Demon Sword God quietly honed his strength into his sword, making it far more destructive than my weapon.
I was the one to start it off, swinging my massive hammer from right to left. The golden hammer swept through the angels nearby, and the subsequent shockwaves tore through the others.
“Kyaha! It seems like even the great Crimson★Hammer can’t do anything when they’re stuck on the ground!”
She was right. There was a limit to how large my hammer could grow, so I only managed to kill a portion of them. A significant number of the angels had managed to fly backward to avoid my attack.
Some were still caught by the shockwaves, but they were only the ones slow to react. The goal of my attack wasn’t to kill them but to herd them into one place. With that achieved, my job was done.
“Hrgh!” Quietly, the Heavenly Demon Sword God swung his hwando. It was a simple downward slash. Most martial artists had flashy attacks, but his was far too simple.
“Even if it’s you, there’s no way that you can reach me up here!” The Crazed Magical Girl flew higher into the sky with her angels.
Once again, she was right. However, that was only if it was the usual Heavenly Demon Sword God.
Shhk. Shhhhk—
The sound of something being cut echoed from various directions.
“What the…?! What the hell?!”
Sputter—
Blood spurted as the bisected angels fell to the ground.
Splat— Splat—
I listened to the nauseating sound of corpses thudding into the mud. “You must’ve been really pent up.”
“There’s only so much I can tolerate when those bastards who are supposed to be adults are acting like this.”
“I see.”
‘You should have relieved your stress in advance if it was this much.’ Though he claimed that his powers revolved around turning negativity into strength, to me, it seemed more like turning stress into strength.
If negativity really were the source of his strength, there was no way he would ask me to hit him with my hammer.
“Let’s go.” Immediately after I confirmed that the Crazed Magical Girl’s subordinates had died, the Awakeners leaped in.
The soldiers we contacted also launched missiles into the sky, while Awakeners who couldn’t fly clung to them.
“I’m going ahead!” I felt a hand slap my back. Thunder God, transformed into a yellow bolt of lightning, had slapped me before jumping onto a missile.
‘I should get going as well.’ “Gramps, I’m headed out too.”
“Go ahead, my bones are aching.”
“Yeah.” Stepping onto my hammer, I gripped the handle with one hand. With my afterburner facing downward, I launched into the sky like a rocket.
* * *
Reaper Scans
Translator - goguma
Proofreader - ilafy
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* * *
We should have done this from the start.
Even if she was an Awakener corrupted by the Otherworld, her powers had limits. If we had only done a full frontal assault from the start, no one would have had to die in vain.
Each country’s desperate attempts to protect their Awakeners from harm had led to this situation.
“Don’t get in my way, you damned traitors of the Otherworld!”
Who was calling who a traitor?
With her right hand mangled, she desperately fired off magic around her to resist.
“Go away! Fuck off, you flies!”
She had lost all her subordinates, and now, even her smile. She was nothing more than a simple target.
Countless techniques and skills poured down on her. Her death was only a matter of time.
It would be so nice if it could end like this.
But then, almost as if to reject that notion…
[The Mind Is the Body]
A strange sentence entered my mind.
The Otherworld’s corrosion.
“It’s the Otherworld corrosion! The mind is the body!”
“Confirmed!”
I amplified my voice as I urgently recited the corrosion. It was to warn those who might have missed it during the heat of combat.
Though I repeated it as a warning, following the rules of engagement, what did that even mean? What did it mean for the mind to become the body?
While I had experienced multiple Otherworld’s powers of corrosion that changed the laws of physics before, what did it mean by the mind? Immediately after warning the others, I looked up at the Crazed Magical Girl.
If there was anyone who understood what it meant, it was her.
However, not much changed. Her right hand was simply healed, and she now held a massive scythe in her grip.
A blood red scythe.
It was the blood that poured from her body that formed the scythe. It looked strange, with blades on both sides.
Red.
She swung her scythe quickly.
As I saw it approaching me, I recalled the information I heard yesterday. That Boomer had died instantly after a red flash of light.
Though it appeared like a slow swing to the Awakeners, it would have looked like a flash to the soldiers.
“Don’t block that, dodge it! That’s what killed Boomer! We haven’t confirmed what her special ability is!”
I don’t know why I was shouting like that, as if I were their leader.
Even so, desperate to save at least one more person, I raised my voice even louder to share the information.
“Confirmed!”
Even though I shared the information randomly, a number of Awakeners still followed my commands. Maybe it was because I was normally a bit loud?
Regardless, even the Awakeners who believed they could kill her with their attacks gave up and ducked, while those who raised their weapons to block also gave up and rolled on the floor.
Woosh.
The scythe swung wide, striking two Awakeners who failed to react to my voice in time.
“I don’t feel any…”
“What just…”
The two struck by the scythe immediately began to fall before they could even finish their sentences.
Two dead.
Though the scythe couldn't cut through anything, it was also impossible to block. Yet, somehow, a single strike from it would kill you instantly.
Why didn’t she use this earlier?
“It kills your mind, don’t get hit by the scythe! The requirements for it are the user’s blood and the Otherworld’s corrosion!”
“Confirmed!”
Before I could even finish thinking about it, someone had already given us the answer. After responding, I quickly dodged the incoming scythe.
The mind is the body, huh…
That meant we’d have to break her mentally if we wanted to defeat her.
Her right hand healing was likely because her mind hadn't taken even a scratch.
How ironic that her mind was in perfect condition because she'd gone mad.
With our injured bodies, we charged at the Crazed Magical Girl once more. While we didn’t know of a way to break her mind, there was nothing else that we could do in this situation.
* * *
The fight continued.
Though the Crazed Magical Girl continued to swing her scythe, only one Awakener had been caught by it after the initial two.
I was relieved that she wasn’t the physical type. If she were technically skilled with it as well, there would’ve likely been many more victims.
“Stop running away!”
The Crazed Magical Girl was growing tired as well. Her scythe slowly shrank, and cracks started to form on her spotless porcelain body.
Even a perfect mind couldn’t overcome accumulating fatigue.
Despite the good news, it was clear that there would be more victims the longer the fight dragged on.
Everyone was doing a good job avoiding her scythe, but I could sense their movements becoming more sluggish. The fear that even a single hit or a moment's hesitation could lead to our death was gradually chipping away at our minds.
A decisive blow…
We needed to find a way to inflict a deep wound on her, enough to stop her from swinging that scythe.
The Crazed Magical Girl kept swinging her scythe as we dodged and countered, and just when we thought the situation would never end…
Flash—
A blinding bolt of lightning flashed, and something yellow appeared behind the Crazed Magical Girl. The yellow brat grabbed her arms from behind, restraining her. “Physical types, attack!”
“Good job, Thunder God!” I focused all my mana as I soared up toward the Crazed Magical Girl's head, determined to finally land the powerful attack I couldn’t attempt earlier because of her scythe.
Thunk. Thunk—
As it absorbed my mana, my hammer quickly transformed into the shape of a stake, with an afterburner at its rear.
Hummmmm—
Emitting a sharp hum as it inhaled oxygen, the afterburner burst into flames.
The Crazed Magical Girl desperately struggled to escape Thunder God's hold, but she refused to let go.
Wham—
I drove the stake into the Crazed Magical Girl’s head—our first solid blow in that long battle. “Die, you crazy bitchhhhhh!” Furiously swinging my hammer, I struck her head over and over again.
BOOOOOM—
The afterburner’s flames roared, as if responding to my emotions. The accelerated hammer then unleashed a powerful shockwave, blowing away the Crazed Magical Girl’s entire upper body.
The Crazed Magical Girl’s lower half weakly collapsed to the floor as I threw a question into the thick cloud of blood. “Are you alive, Thunder God?”
“Why did it have to be you who was nearby?”
“There aren’t that many pure physical types besides me.”
“Ptoo. Even though physical attacks don’t work on me that well, your stupid flames were way too hot,” Thunder God responded while spitting out a chunk of meat, likely from the Crazed Magical Girl.
“I would’ve been more careful if you’d told me ahead of time.”
“It’s fine. It’s over now. Just be more careful next time.”
We laughed as we looked at each other.
‘Well, it's all fine now that it's over.’
No matter how powerful she was, no one could survive…
“Kyahahahahahaha! Incredible! Absolutely incredible!”
‘What the fuck?’
Her laughter echoed from the ground. As everyone realized what was happening, they immediately floated down to see her horribly mangled body.
“Incredible! I never thought my body could withstand injuries like these!” A hole had pierced her head, and chunks of her flesh weakly clung to her skeleton. Even though her entire torso was blown away… her regenerating body started to disgust me.
“Look, look! My mind must be thinking that my head is dead! The hole’s not filling up!” She shook her head, causing her brain to fall out of the hole in her skull while her eyeball bounced to the ground. Could she even be considered alive like that?
“My body’s wrecked! Kyahahaha!” Her intestines spilled endlessly onto the floor as they continued to regenerate.
The chunks of her flesh somehow clung to their human shape, but there was no way a mangled body filled with holes would be normal. It was likely the result of her mind believing her body was so severely damaged from the attack.
“Let’s end it,” an Awakener said, and the others nodded in agreement. It was time to finally send off someone who had once fought by our side. None of us wanted to see her like that.
“End it? End what? End you?”
Boom. Boom boom boom—
Multiple explosions went off.
I initially thought the bombs were aimed at her, but they landed squarely where the Awakeners were gathered.
“What?!” Shocked by the sudden explosions, we entered defensive stances, but…
“Ms. Happiness Drop, are you alright?” A commander from the UN Forces arrived in a Jeep and supported her body.
“I’m fine! I’m a bit broken, but I’m still alive!”
I couldn’t make sense of the situation at all. “Are you betraying us?!”
“What are you saying? You’re the ones who betrayed us. Ms. Happiness Drop is the true savior of humanity.”
“That’s right, I will bring humanity to happiness! Kyahahahaha!”
‘God damn it.’ Something had gone wrong.
“Mental manipulation…”
“Cleanse it, quickly!”
“I’ve been trying to!”
Since when were they under her control? From the start? Were there traitors other than the commander?
“Just kill that psycho bitch! Don’t think about the aftermath!” Someone shouted.
“Confirmed!” Thunder God and I immediately leaped forward. While the commander could be caught in our attacks, it might’ve only resulted in losing an arm at the moment.
I swung my hammer at the Crazed Magical Girl while Thunder God transformed into a ball of lightning and swiped at her with her right hand.
Just when we thought there was nobody in our way, a silver flash filled my vision.
Clang. Shhhk—
“Gramps? Damn it.”
“Gramps? Be more respectful to your elders.” Heavenly Demon Sword God blocked our path. While my hammer was fine, Thunder God’s right arm had been cut off.
“Grandpa, why…?” Thunder God, unable to grasp the situation, spoke weakly when the person she followed turned against her.
“What? Thunder God, why are you here? Obviously, for happiness, I… Happiness? Happiness…? Happi… ness?” Heavenly Demon Sword God’s voice grew strange as he stared at Thunder God's face.
Sensing an opening, I swung my hammer, but he easily blocked it and resumed speaking. “What? Haram? Why are you also acting…?”
Heavenly Demon Sword God stood still. After a few seconds, the light returned to his eyes, as if he had just realized something, and after a few more seconds, he readjusted the grip on his sword.
"How dare the demon that killed my grandson try to take another life!" He let out a shout as he stabbed his own stomach. The fastest way to free yourself from mental manipulation was to harm yourself. Despite the inherent risk of injuring himself, he acted without a moment's hesitation.
"Heavenly Demon Sword God's mental manipulation confirmed! Everyone, check if you're being controlled!"
“Fucking… what?!”
"Confirmed! My mind's been tampered with! Someone, knock me out!"
"Knock you out? Just die!"
Chaos erupted. Awakeners suddenly turned, swinging their weapons at their own allies, and soldiers charged after us amidst the turmoil.
“Get a grip, everyone!”
“Open your eyes, you idiots!”
Countless shouts and screams filled the battlefield.
The person behind it all was right in front of us. We could all smile again if we just killed her.
"Hahahaha! Justice will prevail, you damned traitors of the Otherworld! See? Everyone recognizes my truth!"
“Let’s evacuate, Ms. Happiness Drop.”
“Yeah, it’s time to make humanity even more happy.”
She was running away, surrounded by the very soldiers we were supposed to protect. Leisurely, she stepped into a car.
“Where the hell is Meteor?! Someone shoot that bitch!”
“Gun, bow, anything! Please!”
I had to make a decision… The death of a few, or everyone’s survival?
Wasn’t the answer obvious? I didn't even need to think it over.
“For justice.” For the deceased; for those who would continue to live in the future… Someone had to get their hands dirty.
“Haram…?”
I focused on my powers and heard a familiar voice beside me. ‘If this ends in my death, so be it.’ I drew on every last bit of strength I had.
“Ahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh!” My teeth began to crack as the magic wand inside of me shrieked.
My mana swelled way past my limits.
My eyes turned red with blood, and my legs trembled—all for that one attack.
My hammer then reacted to my overflowing mana—its handle grew longer as its head enlarged. The golden hammer continued to grow and grow.
“Fire!”
Betrayal? It was more accurate to say that it was an order from the soldiers under her control. Bullets lodged themselves into my weary, ragged body, which failed to deflect them. Still, that wasn’t important.
What was important was finishing off my enemies.
“Are you out of your mind?! You’ll die at this rate!” A yellow bolt of lightning whizzed past my eyes, rushing from one place to another to block the bullets.
“I… will help you as well.” A swordsman, bleeding from his stomach, stepped in front of me. Someone I couldn’t hear or see also protected me; another person placed their hands on my back, helping me gather more mana. I no longer felt the bullets shaking my body.
It was all in order to do one thing…
My hammer continued to grow.
