Gates Emerge: The Magical Girl's Return
Let's revisit that development where gates suddenly appeared, trying to kill everyone. The Earth I returned to was peaceful. Unlike in all those stories, nothing unusual happened on the real Earth while I was in that other world. No suspiciously advanced alien tech from game companies, no towers kidnapping people or unleashing disasters, no monsters crawling out of strange doors, no zombie viruses or nuclear wars wiping out civilization. I felt relieved. Not because a life of fighting wouldn't continue, but because I'd come back to the world I actually wanted to return to.
So, if anything was going to happen, it was fortunate that it waited until now—over two years after my return—rather than right away.
"...Still, this timing is the worst."
After transforming, I slipped out the window and took to the skies, grumbling as I took in the scene before me. The mountain behind the neighborhood... well, it was a famous, massive one. Kieeeek! A black rift in the air, higher than the peak of Sobaeksan, was spewing out winged monsters. But that wasn't all. My senses as a magical girl, back in action for the first time in ages, picked up phenomena unfolding far beyond my line of sight.
Other rifts. Phenomena that might have appeared even before this one on Sobaeksan, monsters already reaching populated areas. And even 'new mana' blooming separately from the rifts, clashing with those monsters.
Monsters emerging from rifts, people awakening abilities to fight back. In cliché terms, that's it. Gates had opened.
Even as my instincts screamed warnings, I'd taken the time to appraise it properly. ...Now that I'd confirmed, it was time to get back to business. The rift's mana output suggested I had some leeway, but I couldn't afford any unexpected variables.
"Bingryuna."
I gripped my beloved sword from those 12 years in the other world, summoned with a short incantation, and my gliding body accelerated. Slash— First one down. Not that tough, huh.
* * *
"Eek!"
Bored during the wait for the idol concert to start, the girl behind the username 'NongNongGeukbingEnterNow'—Lee Jeong-ah—was messing around.
"Sigh. What're you even doing? You think that's fun, Jeong-ah?"
"Yup. Super fun."
"I get that you like magical girls, but this is too much."
Her friend who'd come to the concert together, Park Seong-yoon, looked disgusted. Normally, Jeong-ah was just your average girl who gushed endlessly about anything magical girl-related, but this stream made her go nuts... Seong-yoon didn't love magical girls as much as Jeong-ah, but she still enjoyed Precure enough to get the appeal a bit.
From that perspective, wasn't this weird concept borderline heresy for a true magical girl fanatic?
'What kinda weird radio waves come out of that stream?'
As Seong-yoon seriously recalled a creepy urban legend about Pokémon from her childhood, it happened.
"Huh. What's this?"
"Eh?"
Jeong-ah in the next seat and people all around let out groans.
"What's up?"
"Internet's down!"
Almost there! My burger! Friends wailed from all directions. Seong-yoon, who'd been eyeing them pitifully, checked her own phone.
"Jeong-ah, Jeong-ah. It's totally out of range now."
"Out of range? Oh, for real."
"Argh! Did the cell tower get hacked or something?!"
Murmurs grew louder around them, escalating to shouts from those in the middle of something important. That's when the anomaly began quietly.
"Huh? Huh? What's that?"
The first to spot it was Jeong-ah, who'd been griping about the staff.
A pitch-black hole had appeared in the center of the stage out of nowhere. Thud— A massive bulk, the size of a house, burst through the ominous darkness, smashing the stage. A grotesque lump of a head with seven embedded eyes, four arms spread wide—otherwise, gorilla-like. The surreal monster straight out of a movie instantly shattered the audience's sense of reality.
Crack!Crunch! Until it swung its massive arms, demolishing the stage facilities that were cramped for it.
"Kyaaah!"
"Monster! It's a moooonster!"
The seven blood-red eyes gleamed with savage hunger, pure predator. It crushed humans—Earth's dominant species—with terror and confusion, forcing them to abandon resistance. As if mocking, you think you're the lords of creation?
"Waaah!"
"Uwaaaah! M-move!"
In that primal sense, those who bolted immediately were the tough ones. Whether they'd overcome the extreme fear, were hardened so the threat felt less intense, it was just panic-fueled instinct, or they pushed forward to protect something dearer than themselves—like action was even possible.
But toughness isn't always right. Lee Jeong-ah, frozen stiff without fleeing or screaming, witnessed it firsthand.
Grrr...
The monster, done with the stage gear, locked onto the screaming escapees. Its predatory glare intensified. Thud—
"Ah, ah."
"Waaah!"
A mother trying to shield her daughter and a child who hadn't even stepped away were engulfed in shadow. A fist bigger than the kid's torso pulled back.
'No, no. That. That's gonna kill them.'
Jeong-ah screamed internally, her body too paralyzed for sound. No imagination needed for what that massive fist would do. Death. Or worse, pulp. Crystal clear.
She knew, but couldn't move.
'Scary. Scaryscaryscary.'
Unlike her favorite anime magical girls defying tragedy, it was impossible. Even if something boiled inside her. She couldn't even run.
"Kyaaaaah!"
As the fist swung, Jeong-ah squeezed her eyes shut. As if seeing the gruesome reality was scarier than the predator's threat.
...Something inside her felt ready to explode. Whoooosh— Until a cold wind blew from somewhere, cooling it.
"...?"
Suddenly, silence. No fleeing footsteps, no screams, ...no monster pulping people.
Like time had frozen. What happened? Bewildered, Jeong-ah opened her eyes.
No time to register the monster's arm bound in ice chains, unable to punch. A breathtakingly beautiful girl—the polar opposite of that hideous beast, utterly unreal—stole all attention.
Long, jewel-like blue twintails tied low. A familiar, adorably lovely face and petite, delicate build. Outfit like she'd jumped from a manga, flowing and voluminous. And a stunning sword in her right hand.
Jeong-ah, as a fanatic, instantly identified the girl casually turning her back on the monster to check the terrified child.
A magical girl. A magical girl had come and saved the kid.
"U, uh...."
"Phew. You're okay. Good thing. Sorry I was late."
The magical girl's oddly familiar, clear voice soothed the fear and chaos as she patted the child.
So now, Jeong-ah could shout aloud from her heart.
"Behind you! Behind!"
"Kraaaargh!"
One arm chained, the beast roared in rage and swung its other fists. The magical girl wasn't much bigger than the saved child. Those log-like fists hurtling at her tiny back evoked getting hit by a car.
"Noisy."
Everyone but Jeong-ah failed to grasp the calm voice that followed. Same for the casual backswing sword-drawing a white arc without even turning.
Swoosh—
The roar cut off. The fiercely swung fists froze like iced over. The beast's torso twisted, sliding—
"Oops. Kid's watching."
A musing like she'd just remembered forgetting groceries, and a small ice crystal appeared before the 'halved' monster.
Boom!
Next instant, the crystal shattered, a pure white chill explosion engulfing it. All that remained of the evaporating blast: a frozen statue. An anticlimactic end, hard to believe for that terrifying monster. The purest soul—the child—adapted fastest.
"S-sis is."
"Hey! Yerin!"
"Precure?!"
Shaking off her restraining mom, the sparkling-eyed kid's question shone with aspiration that erased even death's shadow. The magical girl smiled softly, like a blooming flower, honoring the hope.
"Ah, not Precure... but a genuine, bona fide magical girl, for sure."
"Waaah! Precure!"
"...Huh?"
The triumphant chest-puffing reply overlaid Jeong-ah's 'familiar' sensation with a memory. Her daily must-watch, gap-adjusted fave VTuber from Inbang HQ.
The streamer, borderline heretical post-red-pill reveal with more cam time... but Jeong-ah had been obsessed since pure virtual avatar days. It clicked instantly: minus 2D/3D diff, that magical girl perfectly matched her oshi's avatar!
"...Geukbing?"
"Oh?"
Saying the name aloud drew the magical girl's gaze from the calmed child—to Jeong-ah.
"You saw through? Ah, you're 'NongNongGeukbingEnterNow'?"
"Kyaaaaah! W-wait! Stop, goroshi!"
She closed in instantly, innocently outing the nickname—Jeong-ah screamed.
* * *
I was pretty surprised. She recognized me—makes sense, since the VTuber avatar was based on my transformed costume. But who knew a rotten viewer with that username would be this cute... and a girl, no less. Wait, she confirmed girl earlier.
"Lee Jeong-ah. Call me Lee Jeong-ah...."
Anyway, 'NongNongGeukbingEnterNow'... no, Lee Jeong-ah pleaded tearfully for her real name. If it's that embarrassing outside nets, don't pick such a nick. I blocked sound from others, at least.
Well, it relaxed her, so silver lining?
"Yeah. L... no, Miss Lee Jeong-ah. Came 'cause I was worried, glad you're safe."
Calculations said I'd make it in time. Kid was seconds from disaster on arrival—scary, but my instincts targeted viewer Jeong-ah, slight margin of error.
"Gasp. So you came for me? To save me?"
"Yup."
"No way."
Jeong-ah's eyes sparkled starry with awe. Yeah, chat showed her magical girl mania loud and clear. Her streamer was a real one, saving her from death? Faith incoming, no surprise—even from me, the girl herself.
"Ehehe."
"?"
Huh.
"Ehehehehehe."
But this seems excessive? Tension snapped into slight breakdown. Like battlefield berserkers high on meds (temp).
Peak fear-relief-awe mix causing overexcitement? As I pondered her creepy laugh—
"Ehehehehe! C-come hewe!"
"...."
Suddenly, she grabbed my side and hoisted me up. Treating me like a destined lion cub from a masterpiece.
No, her eyes were gone.
"Hehe. Heeheehee. Thank youu. So cuuute."
...Who knew she'd snap and do the nick justice now. Dodged donut reflex from otherworld habits. Annoyed, considered stopping her—but nah, let it slide. Her trembling hold, even in frenzy, said massive stress. Yeah, early otherworld me was chaos too.
Play along a bit, stabilize, then bounce. Like with the kid, I cast a calming spell on her mind while thinking.