My head hurts.
It seemed like I was experiencing a gestalt collapse.
For a superhuman, when the brain stopped, it was like their abilities momentarily stopped as well. I almost involuntarily reverted to my original form.
[What?]
“It’s exactly as I said. You seem to have some deep-seated prejudices. Just because someone was violated, does it always have to be a woman by a man?”
Even while talking about herself, Cheonma shrugged her shoulders, as if she found my reaction amusing.
“Sexual assault isn’t just about a strong man committing it against a delicate woman; that’s a societal prejudice. A man can assault another man, right? Likewise, a woman can assault another woman.”
[......Were you, perhaps, attacked by Rasputin?]
“It wasn’t Rasputin. But it was something similar to Rasputin. It wasn’t even a superhuman. Just an ordinary woman with a bit of power.”
Cheonma tapped the table with her fingers, revealing her disgust.
“So keep it a secret. If my parents find out, they’ll be shocked and might even collapse. Even just knowing that it happened to me at the hands of a man would be shocking enough.”
[Wasn’t there a threat made to make you have a child?]
“All that matters is the birth, right? A child doesn’t necessarily have to be born through sexual intercourse between a man and a woman.”
[So, did they perhaps use a superhuman who could make two women have a child together?]
“What? Haha, your imagination is really vivid this time. There are test tubes, you know, test tubes. They could just grab any man and perform artificial insemination.”
[......That seems more likely.]
It was far more realistic, scientific, and logical than the idea of combining two XX chromosomes.
But when all of this came together, it just filled me with confusion and fear.
[So you were attacked by a woman, and that was the trigger for you to take your family to China?]
“It wasn’t exactly a trigger. It was something I could endure, as unpleasant and disgusting as it was. It was something that could be resolved if I just endured it.”
[...Then what was it?]
“That crazy woman started targeting my family.”
Ah.
She was a devoted daughter.
Of course.
When I think about it, even in the original story, she approached the male protagonist without much hesitation as a heroine.
She never showed signs of hating men, and there was never a mention of her dating or being with a man before.
Of course.
There was one possibility.
This woman could be lying.
But my gut feeling told me that what she said wasn’t a lie.
It’s just a feeling, but my intuition told me that Cheonma wouldn’t lie about this.
She had told me the whole truth and sincerely shared her past with me.
Just as Black Taejo once told me his old story, this woman was doing the same.
[...Well, fine. I won’t ask for specific details about how that woman attacked you. Is what you want the removal of that woman?]
“She’s dead, so even if I wanted to, I couldn’t remove her. What I want to remove are the people who directly harassed my family, not that woman.”
[And you?]
“If I could, if I could find her grave, I’d dig up her corpse and twist her neck, maybe even make a campfire with it.”
If you could?
[Are you saying it’s impossible because this woman is hard to reach? No, wait. You said she’s dead, didn’t you?]
“Yes. She’s a woman whose corpse can’t even be found. Even if I wanted to find it, I couldn’t. So if I were to seek revenge, it would only be against the henchmen who tried to kidnap my family and the assassins who tried to kill them.”
[.......]
She couldn’t even take revenge on the woman who did such terrible things to her.
What kind of...
[We’ll start as soon as the time comes. ...But let’s make one thing clear.]
With the Goblin bat slung over my shoulder, I approached Cheonma and placed my hand on her shoulder.
[Goblins despise those who lie. Everything that has happened here and every word spoken is based on my trust in you. If you ever speak carelessly, I’ll be the one to execute you.]
“......That’s quite a terrifying threat.”
The fact that Hesed was the Goblin.
That the society was currently helping Taejo.
There’s plenty more that needed to be kept hidden, and more would likely come to light, but if Cheonma ever leaked information, I’d execute her immediately.
[I trust you, Cheonma. Don’t betray that trust.]
“Of course. You should know that betraying me wouldn’t be fun for you either.”
No matter what her past was, breaking the promises made with the society or violating the contract with the Goblin would be a crime unrelated to her past.
[It seems it’s about time-]
Kwaaaang!!
An explosion rang out.
The ground started to tremble along with the sound.
[It’s time.]
3:49 AM.
Though it was slightly earlier than the scheduled detonation time, it wouldn’t be wrong to assume that the blast was set off a minute early to ensure total collapse.
Paaaah!
A golden light flashed from the direction of Sinuiju Station, cutting through the darkness, and I immediately turned my gaze back to Cheonma.
[Then.]
Saaaa.
Concealing my form through astral projection, I quickly left the scene.
Soon after, Cheonma brushed her hands lightly downward and dashed into the explosion.
And then-
Whoooosh!
Leaping back as if she had sprung from the ground, Cheonma landed where I had been standing.
“...It seems the voice won’t carry to the satellite, so let me ask you this. What are the odds of ‘defeating’ me?”
Despite being fine just moments ago, Cheonma, now covered in dirt, looked toward the smoke and asked the air—asked me.
“You didn’t even tell me the most important part. Is Taejo planning to blow me away with something like gold or-”
Flutter.
A pair of golden wings emerged from the dust.
Draped in a white robe, a figure with fluttering golden wings began to slowly ascend into the sky.
“......Ah, is that it? There’s no shame in losing to someone stronger.”
Humpphh.
Cheonma pushed off the ground and leaped.
Running through the air, she stretched her fist towards the golden wings hidden in the dust.
And then.
Kwaaaaaaaaaaaa!!!
An indescribable, golden barrage of magic power swallowed Cheonma whole.
The trajectory, the bombardment, crossed the air and flew far to the north.
Along with Cheonma.
One strike.
With just one strike of magical bombardment, Cheonma became a star in the night sky.