Transformation or Death

Chapter 78

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Severed Trace (11)

Lightning crackled densely like someone’s veins. The sky changed its expression without hesitation as if enraged, and the flickering beams of light signaled that a calamity was upon them. 

“What the fuck, really! What the fuck…fuck…!!”

Muttering curses, Joo Ah-yoon looked up. A gigantic bird-like figure obscured her view.

The figure mounted on its back remained silent. 

“Hey! Hey! You piece of shit!”

She shouted at the iron balls floating around her.

“What are you doing, asshole! You said you had a transformation ability! When are you going to let me transform, huh?!”

“Let me transform too, you bastard!!”

An ambush came upon her while she was being kidnapped in the air. It’s rare for someone to remain calm in such a situation. Joo Ah-yoon was no exception.

She was just looking at real estate to open a quiet store, but suddenly a huge eagle snatched her from the sky, and then lightning struck the eagle.

Her head was spinning. The unique dizziness and haziness from high altitude. Her swaying vision is like being in the waves, her thoughts naturally swaying along with it. 

In the face of a life-threatening situation, her aversion to fighting faded.

“Hey, let me transform too, you crazy bastard!!”

“…Be quiet.”

A voice pierced through the thunderous roar.

“Calm your mind. It’s too early to give up.” 

The unfamiliar stern tone, yet somehow reassuring. Joo Ah-yoon looked up, entranced. The kidnapper’s body still obscured her view, but she felt more secure than before.

“…Brother?”

“Yes. I’m here, so rest assured.”

The lightning shaking the sky subsided, and his voice became clearer.

“Brother! Is it really you?” 

Joo Ah-yoon exclaimed joyfully. Her excited words gradually grew teary.

“Oh, Brother… I… I was so scared…”

“I know. Just wait a little longer.”

His voice was full of noise and electronic static, as if heard through a poor-quality walkie-talkie. Joo Ah-yoon assumed it was a side effect of the transformation. 

And indeed, it wasn’t far from the truth. 

Han Jae-jung was experiencing the side effects of the transformation moment by moment. His consciousness was gradually fading, and the urgency to save her was disappearing. What dominated his mind now was the trajectory of immediately striking the eagle’s neck and dropping it down.

Originally, he had no intention of using the Big Dipper. However, immediately after transforming, the Big Dipper automatically activated.

[The current number of stars for the Guardian is 11. It is no longer possible to maintain the form of the Big Dipper.]

It was because he possessed stars that could not be contained in the form of the Big Dipper. While it was possible to emit a weaker force, that was only when he could consciously control all his power.

Han Jae-jung could not yet freely wield the power of the Big Dipper. Whether it was due to his state of mind or his inability to activate all the stars, or perhaps a side effect of forcibly invoking the Big Dipper’s power, the Big Dipper had a much more monstrous aspect than before—a ruthless, savage force.  

‘I should consider it fortunate that I can still maintain consciousness and emotion.’

Without hesitation, the Watcher raised his axe.

He had never gone berserk in a situation where people still existed. 

What if he degenerated into a machine wielding monstrous power, disregarding civilian casualties while slaughtering villains? The mere thought sent chills down his spine.

‘Finish it all within 3 minutes.’

Cut off this eagle’s head, protect Joo Ah-yoon, and then kidnap the villain to a remote location.

The eagle that had kidnapped Joo Ah-yoon was one of Aquila’s mounts. It could be dealt with effortlessly.

“It might feel a bit dizzy.”

After warning Joo Ah-yoon, he swung down the axe he had raised. The eagle’s head fell smoothly, as if its neck had been sliced off.

“Huh? Aaaahhhh!”

The eagle’s body also began to plummet down. Joo Ah-yoon looked puzzled for a moment, but the sensation of falling made her scream loudly.

Perhaps due to rigor mortis, the talons gripping Joo Ah-yoon’s waist dug even more painfully into her body. In that moment of agony and terror, the axe flashed again.  

The Watcher severed the leg that held Joo Ah-yoon. He cradled her, freed from the talons, and lay on his back as they continued falling.

Joo Ah-yoon clutched his arms tightly and cried out.

“Brother, I’m not going to die, right? Really not, right? Fuck, I haven’t even kissed anyone yet, and I’m going to die like this? I believe you. I really believe you?!”

“Trust me,” the Watcher declared firmly.

“Even if I lose my life, I’ll save you.”

“Don’t risk your life, just save me safely! Why would this madman think about dying! Oh my god! So scared! Aaahhhh!”  

“Of course, it’s just a hypothetical!”

An arrow came flying from afar, aimed precisely at the Watcher. The accuracy to hit a falling target was remarkable.

It was Orange Altair.

The Watcher moved his axe again. Before the arrow could reach him, lightning split it and turned it to ash. The sniper must have clicked their tongue by now.

Cradled in Han Jae-jung’s embrace, Joo Ah-yoon quietly pondered. Despite being held by a body filled with lightning, she wasn’t getting electrocuted. Even as fierce bolts scattered like sparks, Joo Ah-yoon remained unscathed.

In the midst of her terrified screaming from the fall, she could still sense that oddity. 

It didn’t hurt or feel hot.

‘…Warm.’

It wasn’t simply because he was shielding her from the wind. The lightning had provided warmth to Joo Ah-yoon, who had been exposed to the cold air for so long. It was the same temperature as blood.

The arrows kept coming, but the lightning tore through each one. However, the lightning was not as gentle with them as it was with Joo Ah-yoon. It was cold and razor-sharp, pushing them back with a savage roar.

Crackle-boom. The flashes were followed by thunderous rumbles.

As they fell, memories from the past oddly flashed before her like a slideshow.

Han Jae-jung came to rescue her when she was locked up and crying in a secluded warehouse. Despite being covered in blood and bruises, he had smiled at her when their eyes met. He was holding the shattered remains of a guitar and steel rods. ‘Ah-yoon, I think my life is ruined. There are so many ambulances outside, it’s no joke. If I become a murderer, don’t visit me, just live your own life, okay?’ he had said, laughing foolishly.

Joo Ah-yoon could never forget that moment.

‘I must be crazy to be thinking about that now.’

Now was not the time to reminisce about romantic memories. A magical girl mistaking—or perhaps not mistaking—Han Jae-jung as a villain and sniping at him, and their plummeting bodies. It wouldn’t be strange to die at any moment.

“We’ll be hitting the ground soon. Bite your tongue so you don’t bite it off.”

Joo Ah-yoon clenched her teeth, bracing for the impending impact.

He came rushing back and raised his arms. This time, it wasn’t to swing his axe. It was with his bare hands. His five fingers that looked ferocious clenched into a fist, tearing through the air. Along with that, lightning gathered, and a ring made of lightning formed around his arm. It was a shield. 

He adjusted the angle to let the shield drop first.  

Kwang–!!! A massive shockwave rushed in from behind him. The ground wasn’t just cracked, it was caved in, and hazy smoke scattered as if an explosion had gone off.

“Awook!”

Joo Ah-yoon let out a groan of pain. Her back really hurt, and she momentarily couldn’t breathe. Joo Ah-yoon couldn’t even scream.

“Are you okay?”  

“Ugh…yeah, I’m okay.”

“That’s a relief.”  

However, soon her breathing returned to normal, and she could move her body normally. Contrary to her readiness for one or two of her ribs to be shattered, Joo Ah-yoon was unharmed. If there were any injuries, it would be around her waist where she was grabbed by the bird earlier.

“Calm down, then run away immediately. It’s okay. There are many people here who will protect you.”

Joo Ah-yoon relaxed her furrowed expression and stabilized her shaky vision. As the smoke gradually cleared, Han Jae-jung’s figure became clear.  

“…Brother?”

“Got it? Calm down, then run away immediately.”

There was an arrow stuck in one of his shoulders. It was probably because he couldn’t protect himself while shielding Joo Ah-yoon from the impact of the fall.  

“Oh, Brother’s shoulder!”

“This isn’t the time to worry about me.”

His red lenses were gradually turning black. Just a moment ago, most of his body was enveloped in lightning, but now it was even more so. His entire body was lightning.  

“Run away. Ah-yoon.”

No sooner had he finished speaking than a sword strike came through the smoke. A skeleton soldier began slashing at him. Of course, it couldn’t harm his body.  

His axe swing was faster than the sword hitting his body. Kwajijik. The sharp lightning cut through the skeleton soldier and spread out wide like a tree trunk.  

With just one sword strike, he cleared all the smoke, and managed to destroy the skeletons chasing behind as well.

“Senior!”

An urgent voice came from beyond the skeletons’ graves. 

“Hey, you electric shock guy! Give the Senior back to us!!!”

“Wait a minute!”

Before Joo Ah-yoon could stop them, the two clashed. Or rather, it was more like one-sided violence. A villain with an indistinguishable mix of various forms charged at his body. 

Unlike before, he didn’t defend himself at all, and was sent flying far away, trailing a path of lightning.

“Get on Senior!”

It was too fast. While Joo Ah-yoon helplessly watched, White Davi pulled her arm and made her sit on the beast.

“Senior is really unlucky! To be kidnapped by a villain like that! If Jae-jung didn’t tell us, something serious could have happened.”

“Jae-jung…? No, that’s not it! Hey you! What did you just do…”

“Huh? What…the villain Koroshi?”  

White Davi asked back, genuinely confused. Joo Ah-yoon raised her voice, feeling choked up.

“Not that! Right now you…”

“Ah-yoon!”

A worried voice cut off her outburst.  

“Are you okay? Are you hurt?”  

“…Senior.”

It was Blue Sirius, the one Joo Ah-yoon respected. She took Joo Ah-yoon’s hand and muttered. Probably because she had been handling ice, her hand was really cold.

“I’m sorry, I should have paid more attention… I’m really sorry, sister… I’m sorry…”

“No, that’s not it. Right now, that guy…”  

“Are you okay, Sister Deneb?” 

Following her, Red Vega flew over.

“No injuries…? Whew, looks like it! That’s a relief! Sister Altair was really worried!”

[Who said I was worried, annoyingly!]  

“She’s still really worried right now, even if you can’t hear it.”

[No, that’s a lie. I’ve never worried about you.]

Surrounded by the magical girls, Joo Ah-yoon realized again. The fact that she was a magical girl, just like these light-emitting beings. 

And if there was one more realization, it was this:

“Oh, that lightning villain is moving again!”

“Sorry Ah-yoon. Davi, you protect Ah-yoon properly. You have enough with just the kids you’re operating now.”

“Got it! Leave it to me!”  

That taking on the appearance of a villain meant being hostile to all of them.

That she had to endure one-sided hostility from these kind girls.

As White Davi took a loyal stance, Red Vega and Blue Sirius rushed toward the place where the lightning villain had scattered bolts earlier.

“Vega!”  

“Yeah, I know!”

Red Vega jumped without considering at all that it could be another form of Watcher, enveloping her feet in fire for a flaming kick.

Again, he didn’t defend himself. Taking the flames, he scattered lightning. Following him, Blue Sirius unleashed dozens of ice spears.  

The lightning rippled and ransacked his body.  

Again, he didn’t defend himself.  

“This guy is quite sturdy!”

“Yeah… wait, he’s moving again!”  

The lightning’s movements were too fast for a human’s reaction speed to follow. Kwang! The sound came after again.

“Block it!”  

“Yeah!”

Thinking it was coming towards Joo Ah-yoon, the magical girls swung flames and ice again. From afar, dozens of arrows came flying, and hundreds of skeleton soldiers swung their swords at him.

He only defended against attacks blocking his path, taking most of the attacks. His lightning remained unwavering.

“Huh? That’s a strange villain.”  

White Davi muttered while watching it. His actions were consistent.

“Seniors! That guy!!!”

Roaring loudly, she seemed to have decided what to do.

“He’s not attacking the magical girls!!! Push forward!!! He’s not making any attacks that could harm us!! Yoshi!! The law of victory has appeared!”

“…What?”

At the place where he had rushed like lightning, there was Paradox.  

“Aha. So it was you.”

He gripped the neck of the contradiction with an ugly grip and kept charging. Wherever he went, a trail like blood vessels was left behind.

Even with his emotions severed, even at the end of his consciousness being cut off, he did not forget his mission. In the trail of his humanity being severed, the strongest will paradoxically remained.  

To protect the guardian.  

That was the only mission he had left to fulfill now.

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