First Face-to-Face
The sun dipped low, casting a soft glow of sunset over a peaceful afternoon. The park basked in its usual languid haze—people strolling dogs, couples sharing ice cream on benches, children shrieking with laughter around the jungle gym. It was just another ordinary day, until a grotesque vibration shattered the calm.
Boom! The ground in the middle of the park cracked open, and from the fissure surged a massive green blob, viscous and repulsive. A house-sized slime monster, its translucent body writhing unnervingly.
"M-monster!"
"It's a monster! A monster appeared!"
The park erupted into pandemonium. Screams filled the air as people fled in a stampede, leaving abandoned strollers and bikes tumbling in the chaos. Amid the frenzy, one child hadn't escaped—a little girl whose leg was caught in her bike.
"Waaah! Mommy!"
The slime monster slithered slowly toward the fragile life, its gelatinous mass inching closer. Just as it formed a massive mucous membrane to engulf her—
Slash! A blast of intense flame sliced through the air, scorching heat repelling the slime's advance.
"...Good thing I wasn't late. You okay, kiddo?"
Flames flickered as a figure landed lightly before the child. In her wake, passionate red hair whipped like fire, gripped in her hand a staff infused with crimson mana. She stood between the monster and the people—a beacon of salvation and hope.
"A m-magical girl!"
"That red hair... it's Tier Red!"
The veteran magical girl boasting the highest monster extermination rate in the area: Tier Red.
"Don't worry, big sis is here now."
She swiftly freed the girl's leg and shielded her, adjusting her grip on the staff with a limp in the child's step behind her.
"A slime, huh."
As a pro, she instantly clocked the monster's weakness. Slimes shrugged off physical blows but crumbled under mana-based attacks—a hard lesson from countless hunts.
"What rotten luck~."
Of all the times for it to show up while she, the heaviest hitter around, was on patrol. Tier Red kicked off the ground with a light leap. Mana surged through her flowing red locks, coiling into a massive vortex of flame at her staff's tip.
"Burning Strike!"
She swung, unleashing a house-sized fireball straight into the slime's core. Sizzle! A sickening sound rose as the body bubbled and steamed. Onlookers halted their escape, cheering at the spectacle.
A flawless, no-frills veteran performance.
"Alright, show's over!"
Tier Red spun her staff with a cocky grin.
"Wonder how spectacularly this slime's gonna pop? Hope it doesn't splatter too much goo."
That direct hit would've vaporized most without a trace. She sat back casually, waiting for it to melt away.
But...
As the steam cleared, the sight was nothing like she'd expected.
"...?"
The slime's core should have been obliterated, yet it regenerated in seconds with a grotesque squelch. Shoving its charred surface inward, it swelled grotesquely, coated in ominous purple viscosity.
"Huh, not dead?"
Tier Red's brow arched. The regen speed was unnatural.
"A variant slime, huh."
Unlike regulars, it shrugged off magic. So, top-tier magic resistance, then—the polar opposite weakness.
"Hmmm."
Her main arsenal neutralized, yet she didn't flinch. Instead, a thrill-seeking grin spread, eyes alight with battle lust.
"Been a while since I fought a slime variant. Perfect timing."
She cracked her neck side to side with a pop, tensing her grip.
"That's what makes it fun to smash!"
Strength enhancement. A low murmur, and red mana cloaked her body. Magic-resistant? Fine—coat raw blows in mana and pulverize the core.
She launched herself wildly at the variant slime. Whoosh! Swinging her staff like a club, she hammered its body relentlessly.
Bam! Bam! Shockwaves rippled through the slime with each strike. It retaliated with mucous tentacles, unfazed.
"Whoa!"
She twisted midair to dodge, but the tip grazed her shoulder. Slimy goo smeared her red combat suit—and it melted away instantly.
"...!"
The fabric dissolved, exposing pale skin beneath.
"Damn, it's a total perv slime!"
Tier Red scowled at her bare shoulder but charged right back in on landing.
Gotta end this quick.
Melee without her fire support felt rusty after so long. The sticky trails the slime left slowed her too. At least the goo only clung without corroding skin or clothes further.
Bam! Bam! Short swings bashed the core while batting away tentacles. Her eyes tracked the purple nucleus darting randomly in the jiggling mass.
"There!"
She locked on. Dodging globs, she poured every ounce of mana into the staff's tip and plunged it into the center.
"It's over!"
BOOM! Crimson mana detonated inside. No variant could tank direct infusion that close to the core. The purple heart shattered; the slime vanished in a massive steam burst.
"Whew..."
Tier Red leaned on her staff, exhaling deeply. Minor damage—just a shoulder melt from the variant. Perfect victory.
Yet her eyes still burned.
"..."
She scanned slowly. Civilians gone, including the kid— all safe. Satisfied, her gaze fixed ahead, voice low.
"...Coming out yet?"
The quiet pierced the park's hush. From behind a distant tree, a small figure emerged.
It was a girl, far tinier than expected.
"A kid...?"
Knee-length glossy white hair, face even younger than Tier Red's. She tensed, instincts screaming the girl was no ordinary child. Those eyes held interest.
A fan...? Nah, no way. She wasn't that naive. More like a predator sizing up prey, biding its moment.
And something else—no mana signature. A civilian. But this creeping chill down her spine...?
Gulp. Tier Red swallowed involuntarily.
"..."
The girl approached slowly, stopping at a distance. She stared blankly, then tilted her head.
A flat, emotionless voice.
"...Got something to say?"
"What...?"
Tier Red nearly laughed in disbelief. She was asking?
"That's my line, kid. You were hiding back there watching my fight the whole time, right?"
The girl showed no surprise. Like she'd just remembered why she was there, she let out a soft "Ah~" and tapped her tiny finger on her lips.
"Yeah."
Utter calm, total nonchalance. Impossible in this post-battle hellscape, facing a fully geared magical girl. A bead of cold sweat trickled down Tier Red's back.
"Then... got a question."
The girl's murmur threw her further.
"No plans to quit being a magical girl?"