Transformation or Death

A Little Money and a Place to Live Tomorrow is Enough (16)

White Davi seemed to have the upper hand at first, but gradually began to get pushed back.

“Come on!”

Though she tried to break through the situation by shouting her favorite manga battle cry, reality didn’t change.

Unlike earlier, the Argo villain’s durability had become harder than steel, and their strength had also grown more powerful.

They could crush concrete walls like tofu and throw heavy furniture with one hand.

Their punch force must be around 1 ton. Kick force could be double that.

Each person filling the room like ants had strength equivalent to B-grade to A-grade villains.

It was an advance of villains that could rival a real army of villains.

However, most of the villains she controls are C-grade, with the strongest ones barely reaching early B-grade level power.

Even reviving dead villains results in physical abilities inferior to when they were alive. Moreover, some were killed and revived before fully awakening their starlight, resulting in relatively weak physical abilities.

Furthermore, even if she immediately revives and controls the villains killed here, the numbers are still lacking compared to the other side.

Though she’s regenerating them as they’re destroyed, it can’t keep up with the speed they’re being broken.

Bang! When the Argo villains swung their arm, a corpse soldier flew far and crashed into the wall. A crater-like mark was engraved in the wall and the body became a bloody mess. It was as horrific as if pressed by a hydraulic press.

The difference in both quality and quantity is severe. The battle between the two zombie armies was increasingly tilting towards Argo’s victory.

“Aagh! This sh-!”

She can’t control villains like usual. Though White Davi swings her horn flute hard, it only makes them hesitate for a moment and can’t cleanly burst their heads like before.

“Ugh, this is so frustrating!”

“…Ms. Davi.”

“Whoa sir, you startled me! You were here?”

“What, did you think I was already dead?”

“Honestly, a little bit!”

Han Jae-jung smiled slightly. White Davi smiled along with him.

“Since I’m fortunately not dead, I’ll make you one proposal.”

“W-what is it? Is it that thing you asked to keep secret earlier?”

“Well… There’s that, and there’s one other thing. Please choose one of the two.”

Han Jae-jung had his broken arm fixed with a splint, though it’s unclear when he made it. He raised that broken arm as if showing it off.

“One is, as I said earlier, my secret. Please keep what you saw here confidential. Then I’ll help with this fight.”

“That seems totally useless! Big bro should just go sleep!”

“If I’m ‘big bro’ then show proper respect, tsk. Then the second option.”

He raised his other unbroken arm. Questions bloomed in a corner of White Davi’s urgent face.

“Add one more thing for me to keep confidential.”

“What… Does that mean?”

“Bring out that subordinate you’re hiding.”

The last words were informal. As if showing off the authority of the ‘big brother’ he was playfully called.

“….”

White Davi kept her mouth shut for a moment. Her face, which was always innocent whether annoyed, happy, or sad, became clouded with confusion.

“How… Did you know that?”

“Is that important right now? First we need to survive, right? What will you do?”

Conversely, Han Jae-jung asked back leisurely. Despite being presumably the weakest person in a life-threatening situation, he was the most generous among those present.

“Do you want to share one secret each, or trust me and reveal one more of your secrets? What will you do?”

White Davi kept her mouth shut and silently swung her arm. The horn flute swept through the air and burst the head of a person in its path. She continued swinging her arm about ten more times after that.

By the time blood drew circles and stickily stained both her face and Han Jae-jung’s face, she stopped swinging her arm and brought the horn flute to her mouth to blow forcefully.

For some reason, a sorrowful flute sound spread far away, and the corpses she just created stood up and began moving again. They charged toward other Argo members, not White Davi.

Strikes that would have been enough with just one hit before now needed dozens to barely kill. It’s fortunate that they lack consciousness and reason and their actions are simple, otherwise they would have died already.

In fact, she probably knows too. That now is not the time to show mercy.

“Hah….”

White Davi removed the flute from her lips, caught her breath, and slightly lowered her head to look at Han Jae-jung. Her gaze was chilling.

They say madmen have clear eyes, don’t they? Eyes that seem unreadable, instilling fear of the unknown in those who look at them. A face full of conviction based solely on subjectivity, devoid of common sensibility and empathy.

Han Jae-jung didn’t particularly avoid her gaze. There was no reason to. He too was quite full of conviction.

He deliberately took a strong stance. Almost to the point where it could be interpreted as a threat.

But it had to be done.

Looking at White Davi now, he was certain.

The way she kills without hesitation even if they look human when they pose a threat to her, how she bathes in blood feeling the thrill of battle while leaving civilians to protect, and various other issues she has.

She is a dangerous element.

She’s the type who will act according to her own judgment until she crosses the line and becomes ostracized by other magical girls, then later dies fighting lonely battles alone. Someone who will spend their entire life surrounded by corpses until becoming one herself.

‘This can’t go according to the original ending….’

Even in the golden age of magical girls, such things happen. Scenes where she kills human-looking villains without hesitation and then gets misunderstood by others.

A normal person would have explained themselves, but she didn’t. They came at her, so she took them down. She stubbornly pushed forward with just this logic.

Unfortunately, at that time, Red Vega was also mentally confused and couldn’t properly defend her, and that’s how White Davi became an outsider.

White Davi’s standards are too firm. She has different sensibilities from others.

Therefore, she needs control. She needs someone who can change those standards.

Right now, the other magical girls are relatively mentally healthy, and there are no casualties. So there’s still a chance to set standards….

When she becomes alone, she might cause misunderstandings again. I can’t expect all spectators to keep secrets like I do. As a magical girl, she can be easily misinterpreted by the slightest action.

Originally, I wouldn’t have thought this far, but watching her now, I’m certain. If we don’t correct this now, it will only go according to the original work.

Just like that future drawn in the manga.

White Davi needs someone to remind her that she’s not alone. The role that Red Vega should have played in the original work but couldn’t.

In the desolate silence where only the sounds of weary slaughter repeated, Han Jae-jung and Haru exchanged glances.

“Will you… Keep the secret?”

She seemed to be thinking of following the second option. The strategy of placing another secret on Han Jae-jung.

“Of course.”

“You won’t drive me away? Even knowing this?”

There was no hesitation in White Davi’s question. There was no hurt in it. It was simply a question. A response built from experience.

Won’t you curse at me? Such an innocent question.

“Haru, I already know what your secret is. If I was going to run away, I would have done so long ago.”

White Davi didn’t ask how he knew this. She didn’t seem particularly curious.

“Why?”

She was only curious about why he would keep this secret even after seeing this. White Davi asked in stiff Korean.

“Because I know you have no ill intent. Actually, it’s the opposite. Because I trust you, I want you to trust me too. How about it, isn’t that selfish?”

White Davi nodded.

“…I understand. Then I will trust you.”

Though she didn’t know why she shouldn’t do it, she had refrained because she had been told not to do it. But now he says it’s okay to do it. He says he’ll keep quiet about it. From her experience so far, it wouldn’t have been strange if he had already spat out every possible curse and begged for his life.

It was a strange thing. An incomprehensible thing.

But that’s why it was good. Since she often heard that she herself was incomprehensible, it was reassuring to have another incomprehensible person beside her.

Peculiar words and actions that wouldn’t have convinced others at all. But because it was White Davi, because she wasn’t an ordinary person, she was convinced.

“Korega (Is this)… nakama (comrade)…?”

A sincere relationship where secrets are shared. She had read about it in manga.

White Davi smiled decisively. Her clear eyes were filled with determination.

“Very well. Please keep quiet. Then, whatever it may be, I will also keep brother’s secrets from now on.”

With this, Han Jae-jung gained one thread of control over White Davi.

“Please watch, my secret.”

She gripped the horn flute with both hands. Then raised it high like raising a flagpole.

“…my transformation.”

Crash! The horn flute shattered and revealed a smaller flute inside. It was hardly what you’d call a flute in appearance. At first glance, it looked like a magical girl’s wand.

From the moment White Davi put it to her lips and played a note, it was considered a flute.

Unlike the majestic sound of the horn flute, a clear cry spread out delicately.

And White Davi’s body was enveloped in silver starlight different from before. On her back was something ghostly and translucent.

This was White Davi’s hidden ability.

Using the starlight of resurrected magical girls herself.

Listen.

Accept and Approve.

It wasn’t coincidental that this word had a similar resonance to ascension.

White Davi’s strongest weapon.

And her biggest reason for exile.

The flickering image of the girl behind White Davi now was supposedly a quite famous magical girl in Japan.

And White Davi’s ability is that she can only resurrect and command those she has killed.

In other words, this was a kind of original sin that was no different from announcing that White Davi had committed murder.

The sorrowful flute sound echoed widely, and the silver ghost completely settled on White Davi’s shoulders.

Her current appearance was closer to a shaman than a necromancer. When she stopped playing the flute and moved her body, her movements were like dancing.

“I’m going.”

***

Ippotranslation 

***

Jason sought out Han Jae-jung as his next opponent. Fortunately, he could reach him after walking just a few steps.

“H-hey comrade! My request… Aaah?!!”

And as soon as he reached his side, he was startled. It was because Han Jae-jung’s surroundings were completely covered in blood. As if a war had broken out here.

There was something even stranger than this. The fact that there wasn’t a single corpse around. There should have been at least some injured people, but there weren’t even those.

It’s hard to believe all this blood originated from Han Jae-jung and the woman next to him. If that were the case, they would already be corpses.

“W-what happened here…?”

“Huh. Nothing happened…..”

The answer came not from Han Jae-jung but from the woman sitting in a strangely cool pose. Jason couldn’t imagine in his wildest dreams that this woman had caused the carnage here.

White Davi had turned all the attackers into corpses and made them her subordinates. The reason all the corpses had disappeared was because she had moved those corpses to the other world.n/ô/vel/b//in dot c//om

The woman moved her arm to point at Jason.

“Ah, is it that guy? Is that brother’s secret? You were planning to summon him for extermination! Ieol~ You’re popular even among villains!”

“That’s not it….”

“Huhu, there’s no need to hide anything anymore. We’re true nakama after all!”

“Huh? Naka… What?”

“Ah, would you prefer sworn brothers instead of nakama? That’s right! Let’s go with sworn brothers!”

Leaving White Davi who was saying incomprehensible things,

“By the way, Jason. What’s going on here? All this blood belongs to your Family members. Didn’t we already reach an agreement with your boss before? Why are they attacking me?”

At the mention of Family, Jason immediately lowered his head.

“I’m sorry… This is all my oversight…!”

“No, why are you apologizing? Only apologize for what’s your fault. Why are you being such a pushover….”

“It is my fault!”

“…What?”

Jason explained the whole situation to the bewildered Han Jae-jung.

“…Libra spread drugs in your Family and that’s what caused this mess?”

“Y-yes, and because I misused my ability… And because I dragged you into that kidnapping incident last time….”

“You’re blaming yourself for everything. In the end, it’s all Libra’s fault.”

Han Jae-jung shook his head.

“…Thank you for saying that. So what do you think? Would you help me stop my brother?”

Jason extended his hand. For Han Jae-jung, there was no need to refuse that hand. What they’re thinking now must be the same.

“Of course.”

As Han Jae-jung reached out to shake hands, Boom! A strong vibration occurred.

“…?!”

“What’s this?”

“Ughh… Muscle pain… Why is it so noisy! Urusai (Noisy)!”

Everyone there reacted to the vibration. White Davi, exhausted from overexerting herself just moments ago, grumbled.

“Ah… Communication?”

The jewel attached to the center of her ribbon sparkled. It had been sparkling even during the fight, but she hadn’t been able to pay attention to it. It couldn’t be helped since she was too busy to answer calls.

“Wait, shh! This is an important contact!”

“…Who is this lady?”

“Uh, she’s like a sister I know.”

White Davi rationalized to herself as she answered the communication.

[The operation has failed.]

Boom! The vibration occurred once again.

[I announce again. The operation has failed. We have been defeated.]

Finally, cracks appeared in the wall. The walls, already heavily damaged from battle traces, cracked like broken glass and continued to crack.

The lines drawn on the wall reached the ceiling.

[Everyone, evacuate.]

Water leaked through the cracks. Did the sewage system break? Well, after fighting like that.

[Live.]

White Davi ended the communication and grabbed Han Jae-jung’s shoulders with a grinning expression, shaking him.

“Bro.”

“Yeah?”

“We’re screwed, aren’t we?”

“Where did you learn that way of speaking… What?”

Crash! Finally, the walls and ceiling collapsed. To fill that void. Water came in.

Water that would sweep away everything.

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