Transformation or Death

Chapter 21

Running Away is Beautiful

[ALKAID.]

Smoke rose up.

“No, that won’t do.”

At that moment, Libra raised her right hand.

“I will offer one of my stars. Stop that one’s star.”

Boom!

A cluster of shining energy moved up to one side of the Libra’s scale, causing it to tilt greatly. At the same time, the heavy aura surrounding Libra dissipated significantly. 

On the opposite side of the scale, the faint starlight like shards of glass that had been shining in the smoke was all sucked up and drawn upwards. It was Alkaid’s starlight.

The two scales were now balanced.

“Proper compensation always follows proper payment.”

Tink, tick. The belt that had been belching smoke ceased functioning with those feeble sounds.

[ALKAID manifestation failed. ALKAID manifestation failed. Unable to locate the star currently.]

What kind of ability is that?

“…So that was possible?.”

“Since I don’t have to fight villains often, I didn’t have a chance to show it. It’s something a magical girl can’t do, but in a conflict between villains, this can be used. How does it feel to have your star obscured?”

Libra clenched her fist and laughed amusedly. 

Sacrificing one’s own star to stop the function of the opponent’s star. It’s a radical utilization of abilities, like something out of an action drama. For a transaction to be established merely by sacrificing one’s own without mutual consent, what a discriminatory power is this.

At least, the fact that it cannot be used by magical girls was reassuring.

I clenched and unclenched my fist. I could really feel the significant drop in my strength compared to before. It was clear that not only my ability, but also Alkaid’s starlight had disappeared. It was as if hidden in the dark sky, or swallowed by another massive light, invisible.

It would not be permanent, but the fact that it was fatal to me now remained unchanged.

“But for a sacrifice to be equal to the gain, what a terrible transaction this is.”

Does this unjust transaction also strike him as unfair? Libra suppressed her anger.

“The greatest gain from the smallest sacrifice is the most righteous transaction. When a mouse and an elephant stand on either side, the most beautiful angle for the scales to balance is when they are level. That transaction is justice. So….”

Once again, light rose up on Libra’s scales. One, two, three… four.

Orbs emitting an intoxicatingly solemn golden light ascended to the scales, four in total.

Libra, who just sacrificed one star, now had five stars.

In other words, it became an act of sacrificing all but one of her remaining stars as offerings. A foolish act of lowering herself to the level of a singular star.

“This sacrifice is truly a just transaction, you see.”

Clang!

With a bright sound, the scales tilted. On the opposite side of the four stars that had been lifted, a new star ascended.

The balance of the scales was restored.

The transaction was completed.

“The transaction here is concluded. It was a proper sacrifice.”

There was no need to think about what kind of transaction had been made. 

It was already the method of Libra’s reinforcement seen in the original work.

A maddening act of sacrificing all the other stars in order to raise the brightness of a single star.

But the effect was remarkable.

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For a magical girl who can infinitely increase the brightness of a single star alone, there is a realm that transcends the simple brightness of a single star.

A state where the dazzling flicker does not end in a moment, but maintains continuous light.

That light can be compared to the birth of a star.

She has refined and polished the star given to her to the utmost, and ultimately reborn it as her own star.

That state is called this.

“The lone light in the darkness is the most weighty light.”

Nova (new star).

NOVA

“Behold my form! It’s as if I’ve been reborn! This is divinity, the state closest to that of the Nova!”

Libra’s golden armor flickered like flames. The golden light rose up, illuminating the world. It was a dizzying light that could even threaten the sun. It was so dazzling that one would involuntarily squint their eyes.

“It’s a realm that common villains can never reach!”

The pseudo-Nova state.

A transaction method of temporarily approaching the state of Nova by sacrificing all but one’s own star.

In the face of that, even breathing was painful. It felt like breathing in jelly. The overwhelming power was on a different scale from the oppressive feeling.

This is an S-grade villain.

Once again, memories from the past resurfaced. Fear, and even a sense of helplessness.

‘Damn it…’

I really got a trauma from this.

Sweat began to trickle down my palms. Even though Libra wasn’t actually there at that time.

I was able to rush in before, so why am I now afraid?

Well, back then I didn’t know anything, so I could recklessly go beyond my limits. An ignorant person is the greatest hero.

But I’m not ignorant now.

I know of his power and the fear of death, so I can’t recklessly charge forward. 

“I didn’t originally plan this, but… You dying here would be more beneficial for my purposes, so I’m sorry about that. Please sacrifice yourself properly.”

I had to somehow loosen the tension and oppressive feeling in my stiffened body. I took a deep breath, rolled my shoulders, and moved my body.

“Oh ho, are you attacking first?”

“Of course.”

I placed my hand on the belt. Click. The buckle that rotated like focusing a telescope stopped at one point. The stopped dial chanted the name of a star.

[MEGREZ.]

The green armor instantly transformed into black armor. Thorns like those worn by ancient biker gangs sprouted from the shoulders. The power most specialized in mobility among my stars.

“Here I go.”

I crouched down and charged straight in. Libra spread her arms wide, allowing the first move. How kind of her. Boom. The sound of my footsteps ripping through the air was as if cutting the wind. The wind rushed past my ears.

I used that speed to make a turn to the right, not even brushing past Libra.

“…As expected.”

Then I immediately summoned a motorcycle. A green light mass gathered in the air, quickly taking the form of a two-wheeled vehicle.

“I really am going.”

I jumped up, using the handlebars as a foothold to climb onto the motorcycle. With a loud engine roar, the motorcycle started to take flight. I don’t know if I’d be able to make a deal for flight capabilities, but nothing could move faster than this.

I was about to break into a joyful laugh…

“Oh, the balance is off.”

But I couldn’t.

“Manifest.”

As my motorcycle took flight, Paradox approached right in front of me. Just as I had created the motorcycle, starlight gathered in his hand, forming a shield.

A peculiar shield divided in half.

[Reveal the truth.]

As the shield shone,my body also began to glow. Illuminating in shades of blue and red, the cactus-headed man gradually took on a new form.

The appearance of the contradictory strange creature, half red and half blue.

Without any hesitation, he transformed the shield into a spear and threw it at the flying motorcycle.

Crack, the spear pierced through the motorcycle like tofu, reaching right up to the tip of my nose. I abandoned the motorcycle like a sailor abandoning a ship, tumbling to the ground. A thunderous boom came from the sky. A red flash and scattered parts and fragments, my beloved motorcycle had exploded.

The damage doesn’t matter much. We can make it again later. The problem is that it will take a considerable amount of starlight and time to reconstruct that. It’s different from summoning. Right now, it’s become impossible to reconfigure that immediately.

“…It’s one-on-one, but why isn’t the balance right?”

“Didn’t you say before? If you want to pursue true equality, look at the individual stars people possess, not just the number of people.”

I didn’t go that far, damn it.

“Isn’t the current situation exactly that? Libra’s star is only one. In contrast, you still have 6 stars remaining. According to your view, the balance is off.”

Swoosh. The spear that had been in the sky returned towards him. The contradiction effortlessly caught the spear that had been fired like an arrow with his left hand. He spun it around like a dexterous trick, then thud, stuck it into the ground.

“So this time, I’m on this side. Are you resentful?”

Of course I’m resentful. I’m also scared. In some ways, I even hate it.

I looked at Libra. The golden power enveloped the armor, and the armor was flickering like fire. Anyone could see that that side looks stronger, but what kind of twisted standard is this?

Of course, I know. Paradox’s talk of balance was just a procedure to gain legitimacy to participate in the battle. His true heart is clearly that he wants to fight me.

This is why I didn’t resort to summoning troops to lynch.

To use Paradox on my side.

‘Damn it…’

The situation is more unfavorable than I imagined.

Libra, who has entered a pseudo-nova state through a transaction, and Paradox, who is a dangerous element just by existing. To clash with these two S-grade villains at the same time.

“Phew…”

There’s no way out. The escape route is blocked, and the means of escape are also blocked. The only thing left is confrontation.

I put my hand on the belt again.

A literary life-or-death battle. Fear. An emotion I’ve mulled over countless times. An emotion I haven’t forgotten for a single moment since coming here. My eyes were trembling. My legs and hands were the same. In the face of death, humans are powerless. But that was not a reason not to struggle against death.

[MIZAR.]

I turned the buckle in fear.

[ALCOR.]

It was also a forward march in fear.

Mizar, Alcor. The duality began to shine at the same time.

It was a flight from death.

[This form is not originally recommended, but I have released the limit to survive.]

“Alright, I’ll fight.”

Light spread like wings around me. The shape was reminiscent of the aurora. Deeper and wider. Strong enough to envelop the entire site. Deep green starlight flew through the sky, converging on the buildings above, next to the enemies, and to my right.

Seven duplicates were created in this way. The maximum number of duplicates that the Mizar and Alcor forms can generate.

They were my transformed bodies with neon-sign-like outlines.

“That’s a good attitude!”

Once again, Paradox threw a spear. It was a light attitude like fishing, but the speed was not at all that of a normal throw. It was like a cannon.

[MEGREZ.]

I turned the buckle again and took the form of Megrez once more. The green armor turned black, and spikes grew on the shoulders. There’s no bike. But it has that mobility.

I tore through the wind and moved my body to the right. The spear grazed my cheek and flew away. If I had been a little slower to secure my mobility, the impact would have been on my face.

[MERAK.]

That voice did not come from my belt. It was a duplicate. The duplicate manipulated the belt to input the form. Merak. His outline was colored yellow, and a machine gun and a muzzle appeared in his hand.

Bang!

The sound of gunfire came from behind me, matching my charge.

[DUBHE.]

The outline of the duplicate that had appeared behind Paradox turned white. A huge claw appeared in his hand. The duplicate wasted no time in swinging it towards Paradox’s shoulder. A heavy thunderbolt followed the path it had passed.

The path of the spear that had flown behind me was quickly corrected and began to fly towards his direction. The shield-spear that had returned to Paradox at the speed of a bullet blocked the claw that Dubhe was swinging.

Kwaawoong!

The sound of a storm shook the ground. The spear, unable to withstand the impact, was blown far away.

“It’s really annoying that your abilities are so diverse…”

After that, the muzzle’s bullets swept over both Paradox and Libra. The bullets that traced the lines of the Big Dipper were quite wide in range, so that was simple enough. The duplicate in Merak’s form kept pouring the bullets without rest.

“Hmm!”

Libra regained its balance, which had been shaken by the bullets. The pseudo-nova has finally started to mobilize.

Thud! When he kicked the ground once, a roar like an explosion erupted. The effect was greater than an explosion. Libra jumped up and flew into the sky. The target was the duplicate holding the muzzle.

“I’ll have to get rid of that pesky bug first.”

A single swing of his hand was enough. A golden shock wave was widely scattered, shaking the buildings. The buildings that were torn like firecrackers soon began to collapse.

“Paradox, what are you doing? You should hurry up and take care of it too.”

“No, that’s…”

The duplicate I use is different from the common binary star duplicate. Unlike the binary star duplicate that can only use magic, this one can engage in more activities and physically interfere with the world.

However, it also has a drawback.

The accumulated damage to the duplicate soon comes to me as well.

But there is a way to break this.

[MIZAR.]

[ALCOR.]

Releasing and regenerating before the duplicate is hit. It’s a terribly annoying and starlight-consuming, mind-distracting, crazy thing to do in the middle of a battle, but it’s still better than not using it at all.

The duplicate that had disappeared before the building collapsed was generated in the air again. Right in front of Libra.

[MERAK.]

A muzzle was grasped in the hand of that duplicate. Strong light began to gather in the muzzle.

The other duplicates were also preparing their roles.

[DUBHE.]

[SET. White Bear Twin Lightning Formation.]

[ALIOTH.]

[SET. Stellar Flame Falling Path.]

[PHECDA.]

[SET. Leaking Celestial Pivot.]

Colorful starlight was scattered from the duplicates wielding their respective weapons. White lightning, red flames, and blue winds. They sparkled intensely, not caring at all about the damage to this area.

That’s not all.

Green starlight rose from the duplicate rushing to Libra’s falling path. The fist was ablaze like a meteor.

[SET. Reverse Star.]

A voice also flowed from my belt towards Paradox.

[SET. Seven Star steps Bogak.]

“Loading complete.”

Crunch!

The ground where I stepped sank inwards.

“By the way, I forgot this line.”

The starlight did not stop on the ground, but rose to the sky, coloring the clouds. It was as splendid as the first fireworks of the new year. To flee from the brink of death was such a beautiful thing, and I was already learning all sorts of things without having lived for very long.

“Have you ever seen the stars?”