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Chapter 27: Rekindled
🕑 Added 2024-04-03 07:01:41 +0000 UTC"Felicia, inform the other magical girls that I will buy them time. Head to the Guardian Command and hide in the tunnel with the rest of the refugees. The monster thinks it has destroyed the building, but the basement should still be safe."
"Roger! Magical signal broadcasted. All magical girls and guardians in the area should be notified of this... A quest has been issued by the Arcane system. This quest is classified as a Death Wish level quest upon completion. What is your last wish, Dark Magical Girl Black Lily?"
[Quest Ongoing! Evacuate and save 18 other magical girls and 1700 survivors of New Mesa.]
[Description: An Aberrant class Anathema has appeared. It threatens to kill all magical girls and survivors of New Mesa. Buy time until the ferry arrives and save them. Have courage. We will try to send help.]
[Time until Ferry Arrival: Around 5 hours]
[Magical Girls Saved: 0/18. Survivors Saved: 0/1700]
[Difficulty: Death Wish]
[Reward: 1 Wish]
"I wish…" I looked outside. The dead city mirrored my despair. It was lonely. Then, I glanced at the crumbling Guardian Command. Its structure was damaged, yet the golden cage was broken. It was free. No longer protected, fear came crashing down. However, it also presented an opportunity to act. No longer governed, no longer a slave, no responsibilities. I am now a magical girl. I can do whatever I want.
"I wish to rebuild New Mesa," I muttered. My impulsive speech got the better of me again. I should have detested this new city, fraught with danger. I should have loathed the city my father ruled, the city that neglected me, offering praise while harboring venomous hatred in its heart.
Yet… somehow, I understood why they chose to live here and not in Eden. They yearned for freedom. Just like me, they didn't want to be birds in a golden cage. Life in this city is tough, perilous, and often thankless. But they still choose to be here. The passion and anger of my uncle helped me see things differently.
"Yes, your wish has been acknowledged. Go forth now, Dark Magical Girl Black Lily. Embody the courage you have always shown. You are the beacon of hope, the vanguard of New Mesa, the silver bullet destined to liberate the Earth from the Anathema."
"...Alright. I will go." I jumped down from the wall, commandeered a jeep, and drove off. I crashed the jeep through the makeshift steel fence before the Guardian Command's gate. The beast, opening another of its eyes, glared at me with hatred. I didn't forget to hurl another javelin inside the Guardian Command, reminiscent of another day when I faced a smaller yet still formidable bipedal monster. This time, I let my clone handle the driving while I brandished my new naginata.
Yet, the beast required no effort to catch up. Its towering height allowed it to close the distance in an instant. A single leap was enough to overtake me and my jeep, landing in front of us and causing an earthquake-like impact that sent the jeep skidding uncontrollably before it came to a halt.
Black spheres infused with purple lightning, composed of mana, were fired from its body one after another as it turned towards me. I leapt from the jeep and dashed to a nearby building, while my clone continued to draw the creature's attention, driving away. Eventually, one of its dark mana spheres came close to the jeep, causing it to flip. However, the impact wasn't enough to destroy my clone. Even with only half of my abilities, it remained a magical girl, quickly righting the vehicle and escaping, only to be struck down by a blast from the creature's mouth.
"It can fire from its mouth, independent of the artillery on its back," I muttered to myself.
"Noted. It can fire from its mouth at will, even when disconnected from the artillery on its back, albeit with 10% of the original power."
"That was only 10% of its power?"
"Affirmative."
"Attack patterns and speed of the mana sphere have been noted. Data has been broadcasted."
"It's looking towards us right now!" I silently panicked, communicating my fear to Felicia through thought.
"Detection capabilities of mana noted. Initiating Radio Silence Protocol. Data broadcast halted. Strategy recommendation: Utilize a mana clone to distract the enemy."
Following Felicia's advice, I deployed a clone, which leapt out the window while I stealthily made my way to the back door to escape in opposite directions. The monster pursued the clone, crushing it underfoot.
I then concealed myself in another building. The behemoth methodically searched each building, sometimes on all fours, other times standing upright. It occasionally lowered its head to peer inside, searching for me. Fortunately, it had devoured every other Anathema, leaving New Mesa truly deserted.
The Tyrant behemoth moved from one building to the next. I climbed to the roof of the two-story mall where I was hiding. The darkness enveloped the area as the electricity had been cut off during the attack.
"This is Serene. We've secured all magical girls and refugees in the tunnel. Are you still alive?" Felicia transmitted this message directly into my mind, causing me to facepalm at her oversight.
At that moment, the monster turned, directing its gaze towards the Guardian Command and began to move away from my district, heading back towards the GC. I seized the opportunity, running with all my might, and plunged my seraph spear into its foot. However, it seemed unfazed. As I attempted to climb the behemoth, an anathema emerged from the black ichor covering the monster. I swiftly decapitated it with my naginata.
"Spawning ability detected. Confidence level: 80%. This Anathema may possess the ability to summon weaker variants of itself. Estimated types of spawn: 1. Ghoul, 2. Unknown. Radio Silence Protocol remains in effect. Broadcast halted."
"Felicia, break the radio silence immediately! This Anathema is targeting Serene Night and the 1700 survivors in the Guardian Command, right now."
"Order acknowledged. Radio Silence Protocol disabled. Broadcasting data."
"Serene Night! The monster possesses a detection skill. We must all maintain radio silence!"
Like an elephant startled by a mouse, the monster jumped in surprise as its detectors picked up something beneath it, causing earthquakes in its vicinity. The buildings shook but held steady. Then, it turned towards me, furious. Two of my clones charged from the top of a neighboring building towards the monster, each wielding a harpoon. As the harpoon pierced its colossal body, the clone plummeted alongside the harpoon shaft. Then, one clone hurled the shaft towards me, and I caught it.
Channeling my mana into the shaft, the thin line began to reel in, propelling me forward. I narrowly dodged a swift, mana sphere attack from the monster. However, my triumph was short-lived as a swipe from its tail struck me hard with the surrounding buildings, like a lawnmower against feeble grass, activating the Horcrux I had left with my javelin in the Guardian Command. A flash of white light engulfed my vision as seconds stretched into hours in a void of nothingness.
I felt my body torn apart and annihilated, only to be reconstructed and destroyed again. When the world regained its colors, I found myself under a starry sky, now dimmed by dark clouds to a dull grey. Attempting to move, I was met with a surge of pain that sent shivers through my body, triggering a vicious cycle of pain that overwhelmed my senses.
"Ugh... cough cough," I groaned, coughing uncontrollably.
"Damage report: Four broken ribs, fifteen cracks detected on the body. Misaligned organs, concussion, and internal bleeding detected. Seek immediate medical assistance."
"Then do it. Try to find a Blue Magical Girl to help me, Felicia," I communicated mentally. "And don't forget to go radio silent."
"Orders acknowledged. Initiating Radio Silence Protocol. Familiar Felicia will now depart to find a Blue Magical Girl within the escape tunnel of the Guardian Command with its physical body." Not ten minutes later, Ocean White arrived with Serene to assess my condition from the outside.
"Ouch. She's been severely injured. Was it a misfired teleportation? Ugh... We're under Radio Silence Protocol. I need to regulate my mana. Serene, help me move Black Lily inside. The rubble will help shield the mana emissions from my healing efforts."
"Okay. Wait, teleportation? So she possesses that skill as well, huh? But a misfire... that's rare," Serene commented while carefully moving me inside. Despite her efforts to be gentle, waves of pain surged through my body relentlessly.
"Alright. You're all set. Nothing too serious, just some misalignments. It must have been a panicked teleportation that caused this mishap."
"How much time has passed?" I asked dejectedly.
"About an hour," Serene replied quietly. "That's surprisingly good. None of us could withstand that creature for five minutes. So, um..."
"Where is Alice?"
"She's at the tunnel entrance, alongside Red Hound and Wallbreaker. We've secured both the tunnel and the airport. Now, we just wait for the ferry to arrive."
"I see. Could you take this javelin?"
"Why? Oh... I see. You've embedded a marker for your skill in this javelin. I understand now." Tears then filled her eyes as she knelt down and embraced me.
"Good. The odds might be slim, but you have a chance to survive. I've seen the Death Wish quest. It filled us with rage. Yet, we all knew that someone had to make a sacrifice for the greater good. And you, having only been contracted four days ago, emerged as the ideal candidate. It should have been me. I'm the leader. I'm sorry for my cowardice..."
"Who says you're the one who has to sacrifice yourself? Who else will lead everyone to safety if not you?" I forced a practiced smile, trying to uplift them, just as I was taught in the Public Relations curriculum by Miss Jeanne. I detested it—all of it. Yet, I couldn't help but say those words.
"Yuri..." Alice appeared from the basement. I got up, intent on commandeering another jeep to distract the beast. The markers I had placed inside my spears that were embedded in the creature's body indicated its location. It seemed to be scanning the area, presumably to ensure I was dead. But it wouldn't be long before it headed this way.
"Enemy detection signal skill analyzed. Only mana communication signals could be detected by the enemy designated as Tyrant Behemoth. Binary pings from mana eyes are not detected. Radio Silence Protocol enacted. Data transfer via familiar contact initiated." Felicia walked to Serene and touched her with its paw.
Alice then approached and embraced me.
"Please..."
"I didn't plan on dying."
"Good. Then, I'm sorry. Please, stay safe," Alice said, hugging me again before letting go.
"I might end up with a few scratches. Sapphire can fix those, right?"
"As long as you're alive, I can save you. I have confidence in my skills," Ocean White, a member of Serene's team, affirmed with a nod. "Sorry..."
I then stepped back outside the ruins of the Guardian Command, my heart sinking into despair once again as I checked the timer and the cooldown from my augment.
[Quest Ongoing! Evacuate and save 18 other Magical Girls and 1700 survivors of New Mesa]
[Description: An Aberrant class Anathema has appeared. It threatens to kill all magical girls and survivors of New Mesa. Buy time until the ferry arrives and save them. Have courage. We will try to send help.]
[Time until Ferry Arrival: Around 4 hours]
[Magical Girls Saved: 0/18. Survivors Saved: 0/1700]
[Difficulty: Death Wish]
Sin: Vainglory
Designate your mana construct as a second life. When your main body suffers a one-shot kill or when you say the keyword, the augment will teleport your main body to your mana construct, potentially saving your life. However, you must sacrifice half of your shield strength or suffer a penalty to mana regeneration. No mana cost. Keyword: Horcrux
Cooldown: 3 hours. Some nausea and body effects may linger after teleportation.
I have to survive for 4 more hours. Moreover, I will no longer have second lives to rely on. This mission truly seems impossible.
"Sorry. But I might not survive this. Everyone," I whispered to no one in particular as I drove off to lure the monster again.
The game of hide and seek has entered its second round.
