episode_0014

An abnormal phenomenon suddenly occurred in Neodongtan’s downtown.

Several magical girls gathered to solve it, but –

[Ah, why won’t it break!]

The abnormality – the petrified Gargoyle does not disappear.

Its wings do not break, and there are no scratches on its stone body.

[Attack with everything you’ve got! Physical attacks or whatever!!]

[There’s no response from the enemy! Eik, should we stop like this!!]

The magical girls on the scene struggle desperately to eliminate the Gargoyle by any means necessary.

They shoot magic bullets, create winds, and even fire the handguns that are standard issue for magical girls.

However, none of their attacks have any effect on the Gargoyle.

Because the Gargoyle’s toughness is too much for magical girls below maturity stage to handle.

“Ugh…!!”

Seiya grits his teeth and clenches his fists.

He wants to rush to the scene immediately, but he can’t due to the extreme circumstances, which frustrates him greatly.

“Leader! If we continue like this…!”

“The opponent is not just defensive.”

Even Karin, who was silent until now, spoke up.

“That monster is accumulating all of its Clepha energy into defense… It’s not storing negative power.”

“It’s not like having Defense 999, right~”

Shiori responded to Karin’s statement as if discussing game stats.

“Defense… 999? What does that mean?”

“Having a monster with all stats focused on defense, like Defense 999 and Attack 0, seems to imply something different.”

Shiori explained in detail in response to Seiya’s question.

While it might have been better to explain without game analogies, for someone with a gamer’s mindset, there’s no analogy as sharp as that.

Of course, using such analogies doesn’t change the situation.

“Usually, you would need to solve this kind of thing through gimmicks-”

“No.”

Misaki, biting her nails, denied it.

“It’s not a gimmick, it’s just weak.”

“…What?”

“Just now, information came from the Oracle. According to the Oracle’s analysis, the intensity of mana possessed by the Gargoyle is… about 8000!”

“……!”

The expressions of the RGB team stiffen.

Not only us, but also the personnel inside the SUSA building who were monitoring the situation and directing evacuations froze.

“This is unbelievable! If it’s at that level…!”

“If there’s anyone in Neodongtan who can surpass that intensity…”

Misaki scans the RGB team.

“Only two people.”

“…….”

“Seiya. Seiya alone…”

“It’s not just two people.”

Karin stood up abruptly.

“If I join forces with Himari, we can also surpass an intensity of 8000.”

“Karin.”

“I may not be enough alone, but still-”

[Screams~~!]

A scream echoed from the TV broadcasting the scene.

Simultaneously, a scene that shouldn’t have been broadcast live appeared.

“That, that is…?!”

“Tentacles…? No, it’s not tentacles…!”

“A snake, it seems.”

Oh no.

I found myself answering after seeing the image reflected on the TV.

“…It’s like a snake that coils around its prey with its body.”

“But it’s made of stone…!”

“It could be a stone snake. Monsters don’t necessarily have fixed forms. They’re all different.”

Misaki sent me a look filled with various meanings, but I silently pointed at the TV.

“That creature is trying to capture magical girls to absorb their mana.”

“……!”

“That is…”

Based on experience, showing such ‘evolution’ style is characteristic of the most vicious lineage within Satan’s ranks-

“How does Mumei know about this?”

“…I saw it in Dra○on Ball.”

“What?”

“I saw a green monster there absorbing humans and creating superhumans. Surely, this monster is the same. Turning into a Gargoyle statue… was probably to lull people into a false sense of security.”

[Oh no! No, I don’t want to!!]

[They took it away…!!]

[Oh, no, this can’t be…! My head, ahh…!!]

Made of stone, the snakes wrapped around the magical girls, biting off their heads as if devouring prey like a boa constrictor.

‘I won’t die.’

They won’t die.

The bodies of magical girls are tougher than any metal, and unless the opponent is a ‘demon,’ the magical girls’ bodies don’t easily get pierced or broken.

But, does time keep flowing like that, coiled up like a kimbap roll?

Joooaahh!!

“Ah, ahh…!”

As if Seiya was in a panic, the stone snakes emerging from between the wings of the gargoyles began sucking the magical girls dry.

“Could it be….”

“Until the magical girls’ transformation is released, they are absorbing the mana flowing from the magical girls’ bodies…?”

Even though they gathered as a team, it wasn’t a gathering of rookies.

The veteran magical girls quickly deduced the correct answer with just a hint, and their minds were more than capable of predicting the situation after that answer.

“Team leader!!”

“If we continue like this…!”

“If their transformation is released there…!”

Crack.

“Darn it…!”

The moment Misaki, the team leader, clenched her smartphone as if she would crush it.

Beep beep.

“It’s here!!”

The message “HELP” appeared prominently on Misaki’s smartphone screen.

“RGB Team, deploy!! All three of you, rush to the scene right now!!”

“Yes!!”

The three magical girls all rushed out simultaneously.

Starting from their first meeting today, the three who had maintained their transformed state slammed the door and ran outside, leaping through the stairs leading to the rooftop, then jumping towards the scene, using magic to leap like rockets when the distance seemed a bit far.

“…….”

What should I do.

There’s nothing particularly assigned to me-

“Mumei!”

Misaki, wearing a black suit, pointed outside.

“We’re going too! Follow me!”

“……Okay.”

Hmm, well.

‘It doesn’t seem like she’s suspecting me, but this is a bit awkward.’

I tried to disappear discreetly to the restroom, but it seems like that won’t work today.

“Shall we run?”

“There’s a car! I don’t have a license…!”

“I know how to drive.”

“…Get in the passenger seat!”

I obediently followed Misaki, twisting my hair with my hand.

Thud.

Cutting off about three strands of hair, as soon as I stepped outside the building, I let the hair flow into the sky.

* * *

Battlefield.

“Ugh, reinforcements still not here!”

The head of the Monster Countermeasures Division shuddered sincerely at the magical girls being captured one by one by the tentacle monsters.

Did he not realize the true identity of the monster he was facing – a tentacle monster made of rocks?

If the magical girls were really killed, he would be permanently buried in Japan?

Was it because of the malice of the tentacle monster, which concealed its true identity like a gargoyle?

No.

That was a problem for later. For now, surviving was crucial.

Crash!

“Ahh!!”

The snake head protruding from the tentacle monster whipped like a lash, striking the road heavily.

Asphalt shattered, debris flying around, hitting the magical girls trying to rescue their comrades.

“Ahh!!”

Although the bouncing rocks did not directly hit the magical girls, they hindered their approach.

Squirm, squirm, squish!

Though it looked like a white snake resembling rock, what kind of slime tentacles could be inside devouring prey.

The sound emanating from the dozens of tentacles sucking the magical girls made the head of the Monster Countermeasures Division genuinely shudder.

“To defeat that…!”

Crash!

A red meteor fell onto the battlefield.

“That’s Seiya!!”

“Haaah!”

The meteor, radiating red magic, charged full force towards the core of the tentacle monster.

“Mikael’s Meteor Fist!!”

Running to strike with red mana in the fist.

The tentacle monster seemed to realize that immediately and restrained them from approaching by pulling out snake heads between its wings.

“Seiya!!”

“I’ll support you!”

From afar, blue magic bullets flew in, knocking down the snake heads one by one. Below, vines extended, catching the snake heads and pulling them to the ground.

“Haaap!!”

Seiya extends his fist forward.

“Crimson, shockwave!”

Kwaaaang!

All sound momentarily ceased at the crimson fist accurately hitting the surface of the tentacle monster.

Thud, thud.

The mouths of the gray snakes opened as magical girls fell one by one below.

Their heads were filled with gray mucus, but none of them melted or were absorbed.

“As expected…!!”

The head of the Monster Countermeasure Department thought.

If Seiya hadn’t gone with that strange team, they would have defeated the monster sooner.

“Haa, haa. I’ve penetrated the interior through the weak point, so the impact should be….”

[Aaah….]

Squelch.

[It’s a pity, it’s regrettable.]

With a soft sigh, the tentacle monster began spreading its wings widely.

“Ugh…?!”

[They said there were amazing magical girls like Barbados-chan here, are these the only magical girls in this city?]

Flutter.

The wings spread out.

“Uwook…!”

[Ah, after awakening my true self, only these tasteless kids…?]

The chest of Gagoil opened left and right, ribs writhing like snakes as the tongue extended towards the surroundings.

[The magical girl who will satisfy me…yes.]

At the highest building overlooking the battlefield.

[There she is, the rumored magical girl…!]

Facing the sun, something white was revealed.

[Complete beauty, Polar Bear!!]

* * *

Co-pilot seat.

“Polar Bear…has appeared?”

Misaki, the team leader, was surprised to see the Polar Bear appearing on the scene, but I remained silent.

Well.

Doppelgangers are the most basic technique for magical girls.