Chapter 48: The Weight of Responsibility and the Observer’s Dilemma

Tiger Mask appeared to be a heroic figure, but Ink Crystal harbored her doubts.

As a dedicated otaku who devoured novels, anime, and games, her capacity for empathy was considerable. She often immersed herself in various situations, savoring the feelings they evoked.

She knew such immersion wasn’t truly real. Yet, it wasn’t her life, so she didn’t need to fully commit to it.

This Tiger Mask fearlessly embraced sacrifice. Did magical girls, then, fear sacrifice?

If Dragon Mask’s ideals were so lofty and grand, why did they not dare to reveal themselves to the world, instead choosing to don these masks?

Could it be that wearing a mask simply made one appear cooler?

A truly great cause had nothing to hide from the light.

Such secrecy, then, must shroud an ambition best kept hidden from sight.

She struggled to her feet amidst the shattered debris of the wall.

This was her first time being properly struck by a masked figure.

A foolish tactic had allowed her weakness to be exploited and her defenses to be shattered after just one conceived move.

Yet, perhaps, this wouldn’t matter in the grand scheme.

She profoundly felt the searing pain. Earlier that morning, she had questioned Amethyst on whether she could still bear the responsibility of a magical girl. Now, she absorbed this blow, feeling the true weight of a magical girl’s duty.

Physical agony coursed through her, yet it was then that she vividly realized her identity. She had indeed become a magical girl; she was truly fighting against monsters.

And she could bear this immense burden.

She would shoulder the responsibility of a magical girl.

As the girl fought her way up from the rubble.

She witnessed Amethyst, continuously shattering.

It had to be said, Tiger Mask was significantly more powerful than the Snake Mask she had faced.

Even when struck by the massive hexagonal prism, he could shatter it with his fists.

However, Amethyst did not lack patience. In this confined area, she refrained from unleashing her Amethyst Storm.

Perhaps it was due to the old factory setting, where unknown safety hazards might lurk, or perhaps it was because of Teacher Lin.

When Liu Xingyue and Teacher Lin were captured together, Ink Crystal instantly knew it was likely a deliberate act.

Thus, when Amethyst frantically contacted her, she immediately reverted to Ink Crystal, found Amethyst, and joined her in coming here.

The person who contacted them was also suspected to be one of the masked figures, but Amethyst mentioned that Ethereal Gem had already traced their movements.

‘I haven’t really met Magical Girl Ethereal Gem yet.’

‘I wonder what kind of magical girl she is.’

‘But it probably doesn’t matter.’

‘Her appearance doesn’t truly affect the void.’

Since becoming a magical girl, she had only focused on one ability, but she had constantly pondered how to make herself stronger.

Simply manifesting Ink Crystal Swords and launching them, as she had done, didn’t pose a significant threat.

She was a close-combat magical girl.

She was far more resilient than she had imagined.

‘If that’s the case…’

The Ink Crystal Swords shattered into countless fragments, then transformed into Ink Crystal armor. It coiled around her body, covering the exposed areas of her Ink Crystal attire, making her appear valorous and formidable.

“I thought I was a pure warrior, but now it seems I’m more of a battle-tank. Why has my brilliant mind turned me into such a reckless magical girl?”

She couldn’t be bothered to dwell on it.

“Ink Crystal! Piercing Thorn!”

She rejoined the fray!

“Teacher Lin, what should we do now? Should I transform and go back to help?”

Liu Xingyue had already led Lin Han outside the factory.

With Amethyst and Ink Crystal, Tiger Mask might not necessarily win. However, to guarantee victory, if she transformed into Emerald and controlled Tiger Mask, combined with Lin Han’s immense strength, they should be able to easily subdue him.

There were four masked figures at large. If Tiger Mask were defeated, the remaining masked figures would seem less daunting.

“Do you think Tiger Mask has a point?” Lin Han suddenly asked.

Liu Xingyue paused, then looked at her current teacher. There was no trace of the confusion she had expected in his eyes.

She mused, “He might have his own justice he upholds, but I have the mission of a magical girl.”

“Teacher Lin, whatever he has to say, he can say it to a judge, or to those in higher authority. My mission as a magical girl is to apprehend him.”

“If the authorities and the court deem him innocent, then he is innocent. It is not a magical girl’s responsibility to debate who is right.”

“That answer is surprisingly mature. Students your age usually care more about right and wrong.”

“But right and wrong are inherently difficult to distinguish.”

Liu Xingyue stated with complete candor, “And more often than not, right and wrong aren’t even that important. But in this world, only responsibility is inescapable.”

As a collection of the world’s positive energy, no one truly knew the criteria for selecting a magical girl.

What the elusive mascot, the embodiment of positive energy that all magical girls had seen, truly thought was beyond human comprehension.

Even with the aid of AI to construct a personality model of that entity, an accurate analysis remained impossible.

Yet magical girls were always like this. They were always so resolute, so reassuring.

“What about me, then?”

“Since you, Teacher, can be a teacher, openly instruct, and even serve as a psychological counselor, the higher-ups must know your identity, right?”

Lin Han scratched his head, his smile a little awkward. “I really underestimated you all.”

“Students might have seen less, but that doesn’t mean their brains don’t work well. I just can’t outscore He Yao and Ye Liuyun; I’m not an idiot.”

“So, Teacher, are you going to fight?”

Lin Han nodded. “Yes, but not against Tiger Mask.”

He gazed into the distance.

Liu Xingyue looked thoughtful. “Then I’ll help them. I’ll leave this side to you, Teacher.”

“Alright.”

She instantly transformed into Magical Girl Emerald, then flew back into the factory.

****

“Three magical girls? Excellent! This is enough for me to use you to get them out.” Tiger Mask let out a booming laugh, sounding rather uninhibited.

Lin Han, meanwhile, stood rooted to his spot, his gaze fixed ahead.

Not long after, an equally robust man, wearing an Ox Mask, appeared opposite Lin Han.

“I thought that Ox Mask, who took the Saintess and the holy relic, would never appear before anyone. At least not until the Saintess and the holy relic had fully matured.”

A muffled voice emanated from beneath the mask: “You carry a very familiar scent. You are a product of Morning Star.”

Lin Han was taken aback, his tone as if conversing with an old friend: “You have some connection to Morning Star?”

“I worked at Morning Star for a while, but later our philosophies diverged, so I left.”

“No wonder Dragon Mask gave you the so-called Saintess and holy relic. So you were the one leading this research. He might not have trusted you, but he knew you were the only one who could make the Saintess more perfect. What was your research project?”

Ox Mask countered, “There’s no need to tell you that. However, it is truly astonishing. I once thought that madman from Morning Star’s research could never succeed, yet I never imagined someone like you would truly be born into this world—someone capable of perfect energy growth without being controlled by negative energy.”

“It’s incredible. Even I feel a profound respect for that madman. What was his final expression?”

“Although I’d rather not answer that question, just as you’ve described, I imagine you can guess it was an expression of utter contentment, of a life lived without regret, one that caused me immense pain.”

“He had achieved his lifelong pursuit, even if that pursuit was built upon your suffering. Yet, even if you killed him, brutally tortured him, you would only feel anger, unable to unravel the hatred in your heart.”

“As long as you live, it’s as if that man is watching you, smiling… But you don’t even dare to die.”

“Once you die, no one can know what this ‘chunk of flesh’ will become. This was indeed his method.”

Ox Mask gazed at Lin Han for a long time. “So, I won’t be able to take Tiger Mask?”

“You can’t take him. Since you’re acquainted with that man, though I’d rather not admit it, you should know that I, as his creation, won’t allow you to take Tiger Mask.”

Ox Mask sighed. “You intend to keep me here?”

“The one who came here isn’t the real you.”

“If that’s the case, why waste your time on me?”

“I need to determine what exactly you are.”

“And have you found your answer?”

Lin Han smiled. “I won’t tell you.”

Ox Mask lowered his head slightly, only to see a colorful spear pierce his body.

Where it pierced, a metallic body was revealed.

“Having quite the lively chat with a robot, Observer.”

Lin Han looked at the magical girl named Rainbow Jade. “Shouldn’t you be using this opportunity to pinpoint the signal?”

“If it were that simple to locate him, the higher-ups wouldn’t have gone a week without a single piece of information.”

“The conclusion is that the guy himself is a super genius, a super scientist. I’m not interested in that, though.”

“Are you going to kill Tiger Mask?”

“If I kill him, won’t we lose the trail to the others?”

Rainbow Jade walked past Lin Han. “And you, Observer, you’re only alive because you can absorb and control negative energy. You’d best pray you don’t lose control one day. In my eyes, you’re nothing more than a vessel for negative energy.”

“If you lose control…”

The rainbow-colored spear grazed Lin Han’s clothes, tearing them slightly.

“I guarantee you’ll die a miserable death.”

Leaving this warning, she entered the factory.

Then, a dazzling array of colorful lights shone forth.

Tiger Mask was impaled to the ground, his fate unknown.