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Chapter 6: Situation
🕑 Added 2024-03-02 19:05:53 +0000 UTC"Okay, let's move. Ah! An Anathema just passed our house. Let's take it down. What a convenient ability we have. I do not need to peek outside."
"Alright," I nodded. It's now my duty to eliminate Anathema. "Um... How should we go about it?"
"I'll lure it inside the house. Or, you could simply head down to the ground floor and make some noise. They'll be drawn in this direction. Lower-level Anathema are straightforward in their behavior. This should be easy."
"Alright." I suppressed my fear as Felicia outlined the strategy. Activating my spy magic on her, another window appeared in the corner of my vision, showing me her perspective. Focusing on her camera made me feel as if I had become a cat, sensing my paws stepping outside.
"I see. You can even guide my movements. How remarkable." Felicia said as her paws moved by my will.
"Sorry. I'll leave your autonomy intact."
"When the Anathema enters, please eliminate it with your spear," Felicia instructed before phasing through the door, glowing faintly. The Anathema, drawn to her, charged into the house in a frenzy, breaking down the door with a single strike. I launched a javelin at it before preparing my Seraph Spear, but the spear effortlessly pierced its body, pinning it to the floor. The hound was defeated with one blow, and the notification for my flawless kill appeared.
[Defeated (Fomorian Hound Level 3)]
[Reward: 10 Points]
"That was simple," I muttered.
"Behold the power of enchanted weapons. Congratulations, Yuri. Let's continue. I'll scout ahead. Just a few blocks more, and we'll reach your house."
"I hope they haven't activated the barrier," I muttered.
"Hmm? We're talking about a Zenith-made emergency shelter, right? Or was the shelter only equipped with an emergency barrier like other shelters here?"
I chose to remain silent in response to her questioning. I didn't want her to know my thoughts, although it was a futile effort since she was supposed to be aware of everything. The shelter in my house was built just a bit better than other shelters. However, it was cramped. They might simply turn on the barrier just to get rid of me to save space and rations. As I passed another house, I placed one of my magical eyes at an intersection and dismissed the magical eye on the previous house.
"Well, that's your mansion, right?" We stood before a slightly larger house, a three-story mansion that towered above the neighboring homes. We are the Shirayukis. Despite effectively owning this city, our home was only marginally larger than the others, a concession to spatial constraints. With only three Magical Girls in residence, constructing a sprawling mansion would pose a risk should an Anathema open a rift on our property. Magical Girls prioritize saving lives over protecting the wealthier individuals, in stark contrast to the Magical Soldiers, who swear allegiance to their contractors.
"Don't go inside. Let me scout the area, Nyaa. Anathema tend to hide in houses for the ambush advantage."
"Alright." I remained stationary, observing through the video feed. The camera's low angle made my house appear even more imposing. My gilded cage, the golden cage I loathed. The size of the house couldn't alter my feelings toward it.
"Umm… where is the shelter?" Felicia asked.
"It's in the basement. Go right, then left. Under the stairs, there's a door leading to the basement," I directed. My house was teeming with various Anathema, including that large spider and its offspring I first encountered at school.
While Felicia investigated my home, I veered off the street and entered the nearest house. Inside, I found another hound, unaware of my presence. It met the same fate as the previous one, taken down by a javelin throw.
[Defeated: Fomorian Hound Level 3]
[Reward: 10 Points]
However, the hound was not alone. A buzzing sound grew closer, signaling the approach of another wasp. I drew my remaining javelin and threw it, but the insect easily dodged. Its abdomen then began to pulse as it aimed its stinger in my direction.
"Eek!" I drew my Seraph Spear, using its blade as a shield. The fired stinger ricocheted off my spear with a thunk. I charged at the wasp, attempting to stab it, but it dodged effortlessly once more. However, I had anticipated its movement. The blade of my Seraph Spear followed the wasp, eventually finding its mark and bisecting the insect in two.
[Defeated: Fomorian Wasp Level 3]
[Reward: 10 Points]
"Found it," Felicia pinged me with the location of my house's bunker. My heart sank as I saw a yellowish barrier before the steel door.
"The barrier's activated..." I muttered.
"Well, yeah. We should have expected this, given the infrastructure around here. The Reconquer project was overly ambitious. It would have been wiser to start with one or two cities at a time. Instead, the UNH decided it was okay to open 20 simultaneously. The resources were spread too thin."
"Yeah, you're right. Are Nana and Miss Agathe okay? Can you tell from there?" I sought refuge in one of the bedrooms. Despair loomed over me, but I reminded myself that I had to remain strong. As a Magical Girl, it wasn't my place to seek shelter during Anathema attacks. We are meant to be outside, protecting civilians and assisting Magical Soldiers in driving Anathema out of sanctuary cities.
"Yuri? Are you okay? I'll return in a moment, okay! Relax. I think they're okay. There wasn't any significant damage to the steel door, only some scratches, so Anathema shouldn't have breached it."
"Okay. Let's go. I'm hungry. I think there's a convenience store nearby." I endeavored to maintain my composure, a skill I've practiced so often that it's become second nature. It's about suppressing those dark feelings and smiling as usual. These experiences aren't inherently evil. Life is like a spinning wheel—sometimes you're at the top, sometimes at the bottom. I've been at the top for long enough. Now, it seems it's my turn to face challenges.
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Guardian Command of New Mesa
"South District Shelter 1 has activated their barrier."
"What? How many Anathema were there?"
"Um... the last report counted three!"
"Useless soldiers! They can't even ward off three Anathema?"
"The Anathema might be high-level, President Shirayuki," an advisor interjected, attempting to placate him.
"My daughter is there!"
"And so is everyone else's. The South District is the only residential area in New Mesa," the Mayor replied calmly.
"Then send a Magical Girl there!" Yuri's father, Osamu Shirayuki, demanded as if he owned the city. However, no one heeded his command. Although the Shirayukis funded much of the city, they didn't own the lives of its inhabitants. Even if the three Magical Guardians were contracted to them, they wouldn't forsake hundreds of lives for one girl.
"We will, after those girls have evacuated the workers and employees in the Northern and Western Districts here," he said, his face betraying his concern. "Where is the helicopter? And the airplane? The Eastern District hasn't been attacked, right?"
"Not yet, sir. They are fully operational and ready to deploy."
"Should we move there?" the Mayor inquired.
"We will not leave without my Yuri. She is engaged to Jonathan, the son of a board director from the Newstar Group Company, the fifth-largest company in Eden. Without her, our Shirayuki group is finished."
"But this is a full-scale Anathema attack, unlike anything we've experienced before. There aren't just one or two rifts but dozens, attacking multiple districts. This goes beyond the city planners' predictions. Anathema are supposed to target densely populated areas. Why attack this new city of only 10,000 people?" The Mayor descended into panic. His concern was for the money and prestige, not loyalty to the people. Thus, whenever Anathema attacked, he was the first to seek refuge in the Mega Shelter.
Most viewed him positively, as he hadn't made any missteps until now. Being the first in the mega shelter during previous alerts had once been seen as diligent. However, any prestige and respect he had built crumbled as the operators and employees of New Mesa now viewed him with disdain. They were appalled by his readiness to abandon his family and everyone else just to save himself.
"Operator, this is Shining Arrow. A hundred people have been evacuated to the main shelter."
"Roger. Head to the South District next."
"Roger. Twenty were injured there. Let Sapphire-chan assist them, okay?"
"Understood. You heard her, Sapphire Priest."
"Hah... alright. My mana is low, but I'll do what I can. Are there any life-threatening injuries?"
"I've applied emergency anti-clot spray. They're stable now, but they need your attention."
"Ugh. You know those sprays interfere with healing magic..."
"What else could I do? They had holes in their stomach when I found them."
"Yes, yes. I'm just venting. Go save others, Archer Leader."
"I am Shining Arrow!"
"Hey, Bowgirl! Head to the North District now; we've got a situation here. There are two Arachnomantis. Two officers are down. I repeat, two MS are down. We're retreating! Damn it!"
"Eh? But I need to head to the South District!"
"These Arachnomantis are at least level 25. I can't handle them alone; my mana is depleted from just taking down two Level 17 Fomorian Hulks!"
"How many civilians are still in the North District?" The Shirayuki advisor queried the operator.
"We're unsure, but there haven't been many calls from the North District."
"Red Flame Darkness, either retreat from there or stall for time until Shining Arrow completes the evacuation from the South District. I'm sorry, but there are children and teachers there."
"Damn. Alright, I'll do it. Hey, Miss Operator, you owe me a dinner! I need to save up for the gacha in Sunset Rebellion. They're releasing a new banner in two days."
"I'm relying on you, you little brat." The female advisor struggled to contain her anger at the impudent Red Magical Guardian.
"An unknown shelter has activated its shield, located within the residential area."
"Ah, that's from my house. I see. Good, then. My Yuri has made it to our personal bunker." Osamu Shirayuki, Yuri's father, exhaled a sigh of relief and began to relax, searching for a place to sit. The tension in the room dissipated once they realized that the branch director, often referred to as the president, was reassured. While the Shirayuki family may not own their lives, the aftermath of this disaster could be dire for everyone involved. Displeasing Osamu could mean losing their lucrative positions and facing homelessness in New Mesa or Eden.
