Congratulations on Your Magical Girl Duties

99 – Magical Ixa Battle (3)

Seiki felt like he was going insane.

‘Shit!’

That Kim Shi-yul, a mere man, an ordinary person, could use magic?

No.

Of course, Kim Shi-yul using magic was astonishing.

Especially since it wasn’t just simple magic.

Stacked magic, wide-range magic, multi-element magic, concentrated mana magic, and even Magical phase-shifting.

Even seasoned magical girls didn’t possess that many different types of magic. They usually had, at most, three, and focused on maximizing their use.

But.

That wasn’t enough to drive Seiki insane. It was just… quite surprising.

Then, was it because he was getting beaten down almost unilaterally by Kim Shi-yul that he felt like he was going insane?

No.

It was annoying, but not to the point of madness. One of the victory conditions was destroying the opponent’s weapon, after all.

It didn’t matter how many hits he took. If he could amass a vast fortune, he would endure far more humiliation than this.

So, why did Seiki feel like he was going insane?

Because of Kim Shi-yul’s words.

The ones related to Magical Vocaloid.

Of course, Seiki didn’t react to just any remark related to Magical Vocaloid.

Too strange because of the synthesized voice?

“A magical Vtuber’s cover is better?”

“Aren’t magical Vtubers just the same thing?”

“Did a magical Vocaloid dare to cover a magical Vtuber’s song again?”

Such pronouncements could be brushed aside easily enough. Seiki could even manage a wry smile at them.

A magical virtue gained from being a longtime fan of magical Vocaloids.

But.

“You son of a b*tch, fuck.”

*The Root* was something he absolutely couldn’t let slide.

Not Seiki, nor any reasonably devoted magical Vocaloid fan, would utter the words “The Root” so lightly.

It was a sacred domain, untouchable.

Mentioning “The Root” was akin to breaking a taboo.

And yet.

How dare someone who knew nothing of magical Vocaloids even deign to speak of *The Root*?

Perhaps that was why. For a fleeting moment, he forgot his plans to smash a magical steel pipe, and instead, he cast a spell.

“Die!!!”

Only, something felt off.

He felt strangely light, and the magic’s output had increased exponentially.

The wordless spell he’d just cast was stronger than his usual spells, even those cast with full incantations. How could it not be?

At the same time, he felt his thoughts veering toward extremes. He couldn’t quite control himself.

It was a sudden transformation.

As if he had become a magical runaway train.

But Seiki didn’t care.

Nothing was more important than punishing Kim Si-yul for defiling the *Root* of magical Vocaloids.

He deserved to be subjected to the magical Negitoro treatment.

“Got you!!!!!!”

A magical shield, manifested at its maximum size, came crashing down from above.

Following it was Kim Si-yul’s mumble.

“Eunwol (Hidden Moon).”

And.

– KWA-THoooM!!!

The shield slammed against the ground, the boom reverberating.

Kim Si-yul spoke, but Seiki deemed it meaningless.

A moment ago, the impact area of the magic was enormous. And it was cast faster than usual, to boot.

Not even the average magical girl could have dodged it.

There was no recourse but to get hit.

This wasn’t Seiki’s thought alone, as Taishi and Muyong began to seethe.

“No! It didn’t have to come to this!”

“Hey! Are you insane? Even when fighting, you don’t just kill someone!”

Of course, Seiki paid them no mind, regardless of their babble. He simply wore a sardonic smile as he dissipated the Magical Shield.

“Alright, time for confirmation~!”

Kim Si-yul wasn’t a magical girl.

So, it would have been difficult for him to survive that last bit of magic. Even if, by some chance, he had, he certainly wouldn’t be unscathed.

He should have been, quite literally, Magical Negitoro—

“Huh…?”

—but he wasn’t.

“…What.”

He was gone.

Far from Magical Negitoro, not even a shred of flesh remained. Only fragments of the shattered floor marked the spot where Kim Si-yul had been.

The surrounding magical girls, anticipating a horrific scene, all voiced their bewilderment.

“What? Where did he go?”

“And how did he avoid that just now?”

“Judging by how he moved earlier, that b*stard isn’t even as fast as we are, so how?”

However, instead of expressing bewilderment like the other magical girls, Seiki rapidly set his mind to work.

Based on what happened earlier, Kim Si-yul was capable of Magical Phase Shifting.

‘He definitely appeared from mid-air before.’

Then, the same should apply this time.

Seiki immediately raised his head.

Preparing a spell for interception.

But.

“He’s not here either…?”

Contrary to expectation, Kim Si-yul was absent.

An unanticipated, almost magical, anomaly.

It caused a throbbing behind his eyes.

Where in the world had he gone? Perhaps, at this late hour, he’d grown afraid of the clash and fled.

‘He didn’t strike me as that sort…’

But, entertaining the thought that he’d actually attack seemed incredibly improbable.

Kim Si-yul was empty-handed. The magical iron pipe he’d been using remained behind Seiki.

An enigma that defied all thought.

Seiki tilted his head, muttering under his breath.

“Seriously, though, where the hell did this b*stard just─”

“Yeongwol(影月).”

In that instant, Kim Si-yul’s voice.

“Huh?!”

From behind her.

Surpassing Seiki’s perception, Kim Si-yul had materialized suddenly.

Like a risen moon, only once she realized.

‘How in the world…’

had he moved behind her? Seiki turned.

“Ah.”

And understood.

How Kim Si-yul had gotten behind him.

Kim Si-yul was currently extracting himself by way of the shadows.

Meaning, he’d moved through the shadows as a conduit.

‘Is he insane?’

However, Seiki couldn’t help but be astonished.

Not that moving through the shadows was inherently shocking. He’d witnessed similar types of magic directly, three or four times previously.

Magical Transference.

A magic akin to Magical Phase Shift. Relatively common, if one were to nitpick, compared to Magical Phase Shift.

However, the reason for her astonishment was different.

Magical Transference requires a magical prerequisite; the setting of a destination.

And so, most magical girls solve the magical prerequisite of setting a destination by simply throwing their magic wands.

There is no surer beacon than a magic wand brimming with magical power. Of course, at that point, their practical magical prowess plummets, but regardless.

But what of Kim Shiyul?

It wasn’t that strange sword we saw earlier, nor was it that magical iron pipe.

It was Kim Shiyul’s finger, the one Seiki had thrown just a moment ago.

That finger, imbued with magical energy, was what he used as a destination, attempting magical teleportation.

‘That crazy b*stard…!’

An insane thing to do.

No different than gambling with his life.

The less magical energy contained within the object used as a destination, the greater the magical risk. At worst, he could become magically crippled.

Magic as dangerous as a magical phase shift if one doesn’t follow magical safety procedures.

It’s not for nothing that magical girls use their wands when setting a destination. There’s simply no other object that can hold as much magical power as a wand.

“Using Yeongwol like this is only the second time in my life, I really can’t do it a third time.”

Behold.

Kim Shiyul spat out his complaint along with a mouthful of blood.

Even Kim Shiyul, who can use magical phase shift with ease, had been harmed this time.

But Seiki didn’t have the luxury of being lost in thought.

Seiki had only paused for a moment upon seeing Kim Shiyul’s arrival, but that brief instant was enough time for him to grab Kim Shiyul’s magical iron pipe and cast magic.

“Hyowol (Dawn Moon).”

Horizontally, once.

“Sangwol (Frost Moon).”

In quick succession, vertically, once.

A faint dawn moon and a frigid frost moon intersected, each engraving scars upon Seiki’s back.

Well, it didn’t hurt all that much.

At most, there was blood staining his clothes and a slight unpleasantness.

Seiki readjusted his stance, facing Kim Shiyul, a bitter smile playing on his lips.

‘Not bad, this much.’

He could consider himself halfway victorious at this point.

Among the spells Kim Shiyul could cast, the only ones that would be magically effective against Seiki were Banwol and Manwol.

Of course, Pokwol was an exception. He’d only been harmed by that because of Seiki’s own magical blunder.

Right then, a veritable Magical Monkey Dive.

Regardless.

Now, whatever Kim Siyul tries, she can’t possibly defeat Seiki.

According to her analysis, Kim Siyul’s magic is stack-based. Without using magic in the early stages, it’s impossible to cast anything powerful.

In other words, she can’t use that potent Crescent Moon or Full Moon.

Even if she tries to cast magic now, she’ll be blown away by Seiki’s magic before she even finishes.

Evade with Magical Phase Shift?

In her current state, it’ll be difficult to use. He’ll be accounting for that this time when he casts his magic.

‘For some reason, I feel like I can do anything right now.’

Or perhaps Magical Teleportation through the shadows?

There’s nothing suitable to use as a Magical Destination. And even if there were, he’d be ready to seize it.

‘Idiot.’

Why did he cast those bizarre elemental magic spells, two in a row, when he could have cast New Moon and Dark Moon consecutively while Seiki hesitated?

‘Didn’t even hurt.’

Truly a foolish act.

‘Well then.’

He’ll have to pay the price for his foolishness. Seiki’s smirk deepened.

Squeezing the maximum amount of mana from his heart, Seiki swung his wand with all his might.

Suddenly, countless shields materialized.

Easily surpassing Seiki’s previous Magical High Score.

‘Good.’

The attack method itself is similar to before, but not completely identical.

This time, he intends to strike the entire ‘surface.’

“Arrange.”

Lined up in one direction.

“Set.”

Target locked.

Taking a deep breath, putting more strength into the hand holding the wand, a large step forward.

And then, swinging the wand.

“Multi-Shell Ba─!”

– Thud.

At that moment, Kim Shiyul’s footsteps echoed.

To the side? No.

Behind? Not that either.

It was ahead.

In other words, he had taken a step further, closing the distance with Seiki.

Isn’t it a ridiculous thing? If he was going to do something, he should have done it sooner; what could he possibly hope to achieve now?

A feeble step, nothing more than a desperate struggle.

That was all it was.

However.

“Huh…?”

Seiki felt differently.

Even though she had prepared an arsenal of magic, even though her body was in far better condition than usual, even though just uttering the final syllable of the incantation would end everything…

She felt strangely terrified.

The instinct she had honed while living as a magical girl was screaming for survival with a frenzied urgency.

Reason and instinct.

Unable to coexist, she had to choose one.

Seiki’s decision was swift.

“A-Absolute Protection!!!”

She recalled all the shields that had been menacingly arrayed, forming a complete barrier on all sides. Not stopping there, she even covered her entire body with tiny shields.

She still couldn’t understand it logically.

With just one attack, just one word, she could seize everything, so why?

But.

She had a gut feeling that if she attacked just like that, she would be the one to suffer.

Not just suffer, but a feeling that she would have to give up her life.

So, Seiki trusted her instinct.

Only.

If there was one thing she missed because she clung to her instincts and intuition…

– Crunch!

“Huh?”

That a standard-issue magic wand would break.

The magic just performed was a strain even for a personally crafted wand. Especially the last spell.

Add to that the fact that the magic’s output was considerably stronger than usual.

And yet.

Could a mere standard-issue wand truly withstand that output? Especially one that was already damaged?

The answer was, no.

“Ah, no! Wait!”

Only then did Seiki realize, a desperate cry escaping her lips, but it was already far too late.

– Czzzzt!

The cracks that Kim Si-yul had initially caused rapidly spread across the entire standard-issue wand.

– Krak!

Finally, pushed past its limit, the wand shattered into pieces, slowly crumbling away.

Taking with it the many shields she had manifested.

“Ah…”

“You little b*tch, just admit it.”

At that moment, Kim Si-yul smirked.

“Rabbit Hole is the ‘foundation’ of Vocaloid.”

Seiki crumpled, falling to her knees, much like the standard-issue wand just moments before.

“If it sells a lot from the start, isn’t that what ‘foundation’ is?”

Carrying Kim Si-yul’s mocking words.