Chapter 102

Chapter 102

Picking Stars from the Sky (2)

Lightning connects the ends in an instant. A massive amount of cold current flowed through the lion’s eyes.

The lion’s body stiffened, and its huge head fell down.

Bang!

Ice flowers bloomed luxuriantly from the spot where the lion fell. The ashes froze, the dust froze. Even the moment seemed to freeze.

“Madman...”

Heh, laughing, Virgo engraved the sight of the giant lion falling with his own eyes.

The lion really fell. No matter what new power it had awakened, there was an astronomical difference from the starlight. Even if there was a weakness, it was almost impossible to reach that weakness. Still, he did it.

Of course, it could have just been luck. For a moment, the lion stopped moving as if entranced, and in that gap, a single blow landed.

But even if this was an achievement born of luck, the result does not change.

He had proven it.

Picking a star from the sky.......

“Not yet.”

Towards Virgo, who was blankly staring at the fallen lion, he gave a small warning.

“It’s not dead yet.”

As he spoke those ominous words, the lion’s legs convulsed. A lively movement very different from post-mortem rigidity.

“A villain of that magnitude wouldn’t die without an explosion. Unnecessarily sturdy.”

“What, what?! Why isn’t it dying! That’s cheating!”

“Even with a pierced heart and severed neck, a villain like that wouldn’t die from that.”

Watcher calmly stretched out his hand. The axe lodged in the lion’s left eye then flew back to him and stuck to his hand like a magnet.

Whooosh – He swung the axe, shaking off the blood that had accumulated on it.

“Before starting another round, can I get those two to run away? Hmm, no. It’s fine.”

Looking at the terrified Virgo, Watcher turned to face forward again. He boldly gripped the axe and held it out as if confronting the lion.

From where the axe had been lodged, hot blood spurted like a volcanic eruption. The lion’s mane was dyed by that blood. A crimson light shone in its remaining right eye.

“You don’t need to do anything. There’s no need to run away. Just wait here. That alone is enough.”

Kugugugung – With just a slight stir, the ground shook. Its legs stopped convulsing and dug into the ground to balance its massive body.

The crimson mane gradually ignited like flames. The profound-colored flames spread threateningly, showing off their majesty, and swirled around its neck mysteriously like a revolving galaxy.

“I’ll try to handle it somehow.”

Virgo looked up at the lion with a pale, terrified face. Just a moment ago, it was merely suppressing its power.

That wasn’t just a star, it was closer to a galaxy. Not a fence made by gathering countable stars, but inside that fence. A space where innumerable stars existed that couldn’t be counted.

If the concept of power were made into a living being, would it look like that?

Kwaaaaaah! The lion firmly planted its feet on the ground and roared. A blinding light surged like waves, too brilliant to fully open one’s eyes.

Inside the roaring beast’s mouth, those masses of light gathered. The light sublimated into a massive energy mass, undulating as if it would incinerate everything in front of it at any moment.

Fear. That was the only emotion dominating Virgo’s heart now. She recalled the lion’s ferocious appearance from years ago when it burned down roads, and the souls of the dead in the red earth she had seen just before going mad seemed to wail.

Virgo remembered from her oblivion.

The first reason she went insane.

No matter how much the magical girls flew and crawled, the world would end up like this. Destruction is the foretold future, and no one can escape it.

So it’s meaningless. The gratitude of protecting the ignorant masses who don’t know the grace they were shown, she would never gain that in the future.

Efforts for protection will ultimately converge into meaninglessness.

In the end, since it will be destroyed, what’s the point?

Virgo gave up her sanity. Even if she clearly remembered everything, it would only be painful. It’s much easier to act as she pleases according to her mood.

That’s why she chose oblivion and insanity.

Now, she had even forgotten what she had hoped for from this starlight.

Virgo moved forward as if entranced. To die before witnessing that sight.

All the flames froze stark white and scattered like lightning, shooting upwards in streaks.

It was the victory of lightning.

“Give me that you were once magic and a girl to someone.”

By the time the traces of the frozen flames reached the sky, the clear sky was visible.

The clouds had parted.

Virgo blankly looked up at the sky. In the peaceful, serene blue sky, not a single cloud blurred her vision.

All she could see was his figure with his back to the sun.

There is no such thing as annihilation here. No such thing as anxiety.

Where the flames disappeared, there were no villains.

Only pure light remained.

“It ran away. Leaves a bad aftertaste.”

Clicking his tongue, Wachter turned to look at Virgo.

“My apologies. I made a big fuss but ended up losing it. I didn’t think this would happen... Hm?”

The one who had never been surprised before was now surprised.

“Why are you crying?”

None other than Virgo was shedding tears.

“Noisy... Not crying....”

“But you are crying right now, aren’t you? Is it because I couldn’t keep my promise? I’m sorry. How was I supposed to know that building-sized bastard would run away? This is troublesome. If this is the case, I won’t be able to get starlight.....”

Glancing around, Wachter gave a small laugh.

“...No. I suppose I can still keep my promise.”

A crimson speck rose from the ice flower. A faint glow like a firefly. An insignificantly small reward compared to what had transpired.

Wachter caught that tiny starlight and passed it to Virgo. The star streamed through the air.

“This is the star I promised.”

That star flowed and reached Virgo.

“I succeeded in protecting you, Virgo.”

Holding that tiny starlight, Virgo cried quietly like the day everything had burned. Tears not of loss, but of proof.

A world destined for annihilation someday.

A meaningless world.

A world where sanity and memory were suffering, and delusion and oblivion were far happier.

A world not worth protecting.

Here, there was meaning.

He was the meaning of her protection.

Not the annihilation of the world, but the reason the world needed to be protected was explained.

It was proven that her protection was not useless.

Virgo’s starlight was proven here. Her answer was here.

After holding the starlight and crying for a long time, Virgo got up and spoke to him.

“...You said I could not be forgiven for my sins?”

Guessing her next words, Han Jae-jung solemnly nodded.

“Then, I can at least choose the person to punish me for my sins, right?”

From the hollow in her pierced heart, crimson starlight scattered.

Her body, having lost its purpose for existence, dissolved and scattered into starlight. For the one who found her answer, life was no longer required. The long, long conclusion of life—its end had begun.

“Kill me,” Virgo whispered.

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