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Chapter 29: Aces of Aces
🕑 Added 2024-04-11 09:45:19 +0000 UTCThe Anathema turned its gaze away from me towards the western district, across the ocean. Seizing the opportunity, I pushed through the pain and moved quickly. I cast two clones, one to carry me and the other to lie down in my place. The pain made me bite my lip, but I persevered, leaping into another sewer with a manhole to hide. Through the window in my view, I saw the monster slam its tail into the ground, "killing" me. When the dust settled, it roared, realizing I was no longer there. Countless mana balls formed and were shot in random directions nearby.
Safely underground, I used my clones to close the manhole. The sewer was about 4 meters deep and 1 meter wide, and I found myself in one of the main sewers connecting the Eastern District to the Western District and to the sea. As I lay down, trying to tend to my wounds, I saw a flash of pink shoot out of nowhere through the window before my eye, striking the Anathema in the shoulder through my mana eyes. The spears stuck on the Anathema provided real-time battle footage, which I appreciate.
"The city is flattened," announced a magical girl in a puffed-up pink skirt, similar to Alice's. Two magical guardians riding flying scooters arrived with her. I recognized them: Magical Girl Pink Heart, Magical Guardian Stonewall, and Magical Guardian Issen.
"Damn it! Wait! I've received a broadcast—the survivors are safe!" Issen exclaimed while cursing Pink Heart for leading ahead.
"That's from Serene," Felicia noted. "Should we break radio silence? It might be wise to ask for help. While your injuries aren't fatal, they must be quite painful."
"No, we're too close to the anathema," I replied.
"Hahaha! Great, the survivors are safe! Let's do this! Get me down!" Stonewall said elatedly.
Accessing my javelin, which I left with Serene, I saw all the refugees in the tunnel cheer at the arrival of the Aces coming to their rescue. Alice and others apparently told them while shouting. Watching them cheer with such joy was infectious, and I found myself laughing along.
The cheers were short-lived as the Anathema began raining down bullets on them. Magical Guardian Issen leaped from Pink Heart's Fighter Bit—an autonomous drone utilized by Magical Girl Pink Heart—and sliced through the bullets with his katana. Another blast from Pink Heart struck the Anathema's body, spraying ichor and black fleshy masses everywhere.
Issen ran in the air, closing the distance instantly, drawing his sword in an iai-like stance. The Anathema attempted to dodge, but the slash still connected, severing its arm. A swipe of its tail sent Issen flying, but he emerged unscathed, and the trio quickly regrouped.
Pink Heart fired another shot from her wand while her Fighter Bit flew around in formation and took a shot at it, then another, but this time, the Anathema was nimble, dodging a barrage of bullets while regenerating its arm. It even managed to counterattack her with its own mana bullet. Like a fighter jet, Pink Heart soared, leaving a trail of pink light, evading numerous bullets while firing back.
"Wow. It's not just about the levels and points." I stared at the window before my eyes with awe.
"Yes, witnessing how the top MGs fight is indeed a rare and momentous occasion. You see, the trio is working in sync. Pink Heart leads the Anathema towards Issen and Stonewall. Stonewall absorbs any physical damage directed at Issen, who acts as the primary damage dealer, strong enough to bisect a level 270 anathema with a single slash."
"Really?"
"The bullets Pink Heart fires cost 1,000 mana each, yet they seem to barely scratch the Anathema. That's the level of their opponent. Stonewall is making his move, look!"
A green light emanated from Magical Guardian Stonewall, and from it, a gaping void appeared. A robotic hand emerged, followed by its body, head, and legs. The cockpit opened, and Stonewall stepped inside. Then, a tower shield and a falchion rose from the ground. The giant robot gripped them, assuming a stance akin to that of a paladin. A battle between kaiju and giant mecha ensued.
Like a raptor, the Anathema pounced on the paladin, which defended itself with its towering shield. Despite the raptor's ginormous body, which is still bigger than the mecha, the mecha held it back. It was pushed back but only slightly. As the Anathema unleashed its claws, the robot countered with its sword. The massive mecha seemed eerily familiar; I was certain I had seen it on merchandise sold in Eden's mall made by Shirayuki's toys department. Looking at the real thing really brings a sense of hope and awe.
Issen leaped closer to the robot as the Anathema ceased its attack on Stonewall and leaped away, sensing the incoming danger. Despite its bulk, it moved swiftly, evading Issen and Stonewall's pursuit. Gaining distance, a clank echoed through the video as it connected its artillery and channeled mana through its mouth, firing at Magical Guardian Stonewall. However, it could not pierce his shield.
"Updating information. The artillery's charging time has been reduced by 50%," Felicia announced.
"It wasn't even serious when fighting us?"
"The power was down by 30 percent. There's a trade-off."
"30 seconds, guys! Just buy me thirty seconds!" Pink Heart exclaimed as she concentrated energy above her. A pink sphere formed, growing in size and intensity.
"Hell no! The finishing blow is mine!" Issen dashed forward, attempting to catch up with the monster. Black ichor bubbled up below the Anathema, and it began sinking into the ground.
"It's running away!"
"Damn it!" The trio of Aces hurried after it. However, the beast unleashed its mana sphere attack. Issen sliced through them all, but the ensuing explosions scattered debris and dust everywhere. As the dust settled, I saw a dark void with swirling black smog appear—a hole in the ground, seemingly leading straight to hell. Thousands of anathemas emerged from it, surrounding a ring of black metal. Black sludge rose up like slime. As the Tyrant Behemoth neared the hole, the anathemas screamed, and the feed was abruptly cut, turning my window black.
"Teleportation ability detected. Adding to the database. Engagement deemed concluded. Enemy analytic software deactivated. Good work, Magical Black Lily. A summary of new anathema data was compiled. Key engagement data retrieved. A precious intelligence was gathered. Should we deactivate the radio silence protocol, Black Lily?"
"Not yet. Make sure there are no anathemas nearby. I'm in no condition to fight. Will they come to save me here?"
"They will."
"Alright. Let's ask for help. Ocean White, Sapphire… I'm still alive. Could you come over?" I attempted to reach out to Ocean or Sapphire for assistance, breaking the radio silence. Then, through the mana eyes on my javelin, currently in Serene's possession, I saw them rushing out from the basement.
"Should we send them our location? A confirmation from you is needed."
"Yes."
"I managed to succeed, huh?"
"Yes, you did succeed in saving everyone. I must admit, I didn't think you would survive. I should have counted you among the 19 magical girls saved in the Death Wish quest. You exceeded expectations. The Zenith welcomes a new, strong member to its ranks," Felicia stated.
"The Zenith?"
"I don't have a direct connection to the Zenith right now. However, as an AI created by them, I can surmise what they might say in a situation like this. Who knows, they might even come here to commend you directly."
"I see."
"Though not immediately, they might endorse your Death Wish, Black Lily."
"Why did I make that request, I wonder. It just came out spontaneously."
"I'm afraid we can't alter the content of your wish. But if you desire an additional reward, we might be able to provide it."
"I see. I'll have to decline. Your sudden eagerness to accommodate me is suspicious."
"Is that so? Well, they're here." The sewer cover was opened. I'm certain the Aces of Aces peering down were slightly let down to find a filthy magical girl soaked in sewer water. They floated me up from the sewers, and I was laid on the ground outside. Ocean and Sapphire looked at me with concern.
"I see. She survived that ordeal for three hours? Heh. Hahaha!" Magical Guardian Issen laughed heartily. "She's like a cockroach! Hahaha."
"Let's be respectful; she's wounded. And laughing at her efforts is unfair. She did her best," Pink Heart admonished. "So, Magical Girl Ocean White and Sapphire Priest, how is she?"
"Don't look at me like that. It's the highest praise I can give, you know. Lately, the rookies have been playing it too safe. But taking on a level 270 monster is insane, no matter how you slice it. Hahaha! This gets me fired up! So, how is she, Blues?"
"She'll require extensive treatment. I might need to use her full healing capacity to mend her wounds for several days. Her hand should take about a week to regenerate."
"Is that the best you can do?" Issen frowned. "You need to push harder."
"That's enough. She is ranked D, not A, and the patient was a new MG. She didn't have enough stats. She needed to focus now. Let's head out. The ferry should be arriving any moment."
The ferry arrived, and we, along with the refugees, boarded it. The destruction of New Mesa became a major topic in newspapers for a while. Critics were divided, debating why the Anathema would attack such a small city with over 20 usurpations in a day, the emergence of an Anathema-led rebellion, and the appearance of monsters that merged into a level 270 entity—a rarity even in Eden. Discussions about evacuating other people from sanctuary cities started to surface. But as a newly minted Magical Girl, these concerns were distant to me.
Magical Girls were strongly encouraged to enlist with the Guardian Command and Guardian Academy. I'm scheduled to join the Guardian Academy in a week. However, complications arose since I was already above level 10 but lacked experience. Furthermore, Alice has already claimed me for her team. So, the Guardian Command decided to integrate me into its rank, skipping the regular curriculum, as they would any standard MG, for which I am immensely grateful. But they still gave me a choice of whether I still wanted to attend a regular school and guardian academy.
"Should I attend a normal school?" I phoned Osamu Shirayuki, my father.
"No. Kageyama said you need to focus on your duties at the Guardian Command and cultivate your image as a Shirayuki's Magical Girl. We're aiming for you to reach C rank before we start promoting you publicly. Your recruitment has been taken care of."
"C rank?"
"Yes. If you encounter any difficulties, don't hesitate to contact him," he advised.
"Okay…" I ended the call.
Eden has approximately 1,200 MGs. There are 500 at F rank and below, 300 at E rank, 200 at D rank, 100 at C rank, 70 at B rank, and 30 at A rank, plus the 3 Aces of Aces. Leveling up becomes increasingly difficult as you advance due to the challenge of finding appropriate level parity in higher usurpation zones. For example, a C-rank usurpation zone might be filled predominantly with D or E-rank monsters, with only 2 or 3 Anathemas actually at C rank. Additionally, containing C or B rank monsters is challenging, often requiring higher-level MGs for extermination. Furthermore, higher-rank usurpations frequently lead to casualties and ambushes, making solo missions impractical.
"I guess joining Alice's team is my best option," I muttered, opening the window to gaze outside from my pristine hospital bed. I returned to Eden, the largest sanctuary city on Earth, which was filled with towering skyscrapers everywhere. Unlike New Mesa, there were no roads for cars here, as all travel was facilitated by Magitec tubetrains powered by magnetic energy and mana.
The city's railway transit tubes crisscrossed everywhere, forming a complex network reminiscent of arteries in a bloodstream or electrical circuits. With mana as the primary energy source, this utopia was free of pollution. Then there was the tallest tower, the largest building at the city's center: the Guardian Command of Eden, stretching nearly a kilometer high and extensive in both length and width.
A week later, after a blue magical girl regenerated my lost arm, I made my way to the Guardian Command of Eden. But before that, Felicia briefed me on the outcome of my Death Wish quest and the achievement I had just earned.
