Magical Girl Yuuna (4): The Endless Monster Tide
A gate large enough to blot out the entire sky over Japan unleashed Behemoth's arm, from which monsters poured forth like a raging waterfall.
Upon hitting the ground, they scattered in every direction like cockroaches, charging outward.
Yuuna Shrine Maiden shouted urgently to the magical girls. "We have to stop them from breaking through!"
Snapping to attention at her voice, the magical girls and hunters moved to block the monsters.
-Rumble rumble rumble...
The approaching horde shook the earth with their overwhelming numbers, their roars echoing far and wide, sapping the fighting spirit of the magical girls and hunters.
As the monsters closed in, Yuuna Shrine Maiden slowly pressed her palms together, knelt, and assumed a prayer pose.
-Flash!
A massive pillar of light pierced the darkened battlefield—shrouded by the gate blocking the sun—illuminating Yuuna Shrine Maiden before spreading instantly across the field.
The light seeped into everyone present.
The bodies of the magical girls and hunters, who had been trembling in terror at the tidal wave of monsters, began to calm.
But though the fear faded, the sight before their eyes offered no glimpse of victory.
Human-sized monsters piled atop one another, trampling their own kind, surging forward like a colossal tidal wave.
As everyone held their breath, gripping their weapons tightly—
-Drip.
Drip.
"Rain?"
One magical girl voiced her confusion at the droplet on the back of her hand.
-Splash!
Suddenly, refreshing rain poured from the heavens.
"Get out of the way!!!!!"
As everyone panicked amid the downpour, a shout from behind made them turn.
There stood the orca suin magical girl Ritka, her massive spear aimed straight ahead.
Her long black hair streaked with white highlights fluttered as she glared at the monster tidal wave with a face full of resolve.
In an instant, every puddle on the battlefield from the sudden rain began to rise into the air.
"Whoa..."
Everyone gasped in awe at the surreal sight, as if the rain itself had frozen mid-fall.
Ritka furrowed her brow, clamping her lips shut.
An impossibly vast tidal wave of monsters loomed, threatening to swallow everything.
The rain piled higher, the water mass swelled larger. The monster wave was almost upon them.
-Boom!
She kicked off the ground, charging straight at the monster surge.
All the water across the battlefield followed her lead, rushing toward her.
Behind Ritka, the deluge formed its own tidal wave, surging forward at blinding speed.
Riding her created wave, Ritka accelerated even faster.
The grotesque monster horde was now visible up close. Their clustered, repulsive forms churned forward.
Two tidal waves collided.
-KABOOOOOM!!!!!!
Ritka's charge, bolstered by Yuuna Shrine Maiden's blessing, smashed through the seemingly impenetrable monster wave.
Midway through, her spear suddenly jammed against something.
"!?"
From within the monster surge, an arm brimming with immense mana seized her spear.
-Grip!
'At least A-rank. Damn it!'
Ritka's wave lost its momentum and burst across the ground.
==
-KABOOM!
Dragon magical girl Lin unleashed her breath attack, a searing beam lancing toward Behemoth.
Winged monsters hurled themselves into its path.
A staggering number were incinerated on contact.
Like moths to a flame, the endless swarm swamped it, snuffing the breath out before it reached Behemoth.
"Huff... huff..."
Even a single breath had drained most of her mana; Lin gasped for air.
Panting, she glared at Behemoth's arm.
Monsters kept pouring down it endlessly.
"We need to seal the gate fast...!"
They were already struggling against the sheer volume—and S-rank beasts lurked within.
"Save meee! Nooo!"
A magical girl's head was crunched between a monster's jaws.
Even with Yuuna Shrine Maiden's blessings and support, not everyone could be saved.
They'd started strong, pushing the monsters back, but fatigue mounted over time, and they were steadily forced into retreat.
Eventually, they were backed to the final defensive line, with nowhere left to fall back.
The last stand began.
Yuuna Shrine Maiden, tormented by the deaths around her, spat out her rage and poured her prayers onward.
She'd left Sakura behind and rushed to Japan, only for the gate to activate immediately.
She hadn't expected it this soon.
Not even Black Tree Guild had foreseen it.
The gate's activation registered worldwide.
Yuuna Shrine Maiden contacted Black Tree Guild right away.
The issue was the delay. She figured his teleportation could bring him instantly, but he cited preparations needed.
So they'd resolved to hold out until reinforcements arrived.
But holding was becoming impossible.
No matter how many tidal-wave monsters they felled, the gaps filled instantly as more charged.
Even as top-tier magical girls' gestures vaporized hundreds, victory felt distant.
Each was weak individually, but the endless monster surge offered no end in sight.
Even the elite grew weary—slaying monsters consumed energy relentlessly.
The battlefield rain had ceased, the radiant blessing dimmed to a faint glow.
No more breath assaults reached Behemoth.
Dragon magical girl Lin bit her lip, wiping away the sweat blurring her vision.
Her wings and tail hung limp, drained of strength.
Yet her eyes remained fixed on Behemoth.
"Lin."
Turning at the voice beside her, she saw a white-clad magical girl.
"May. You okay?"
Pure white hair, magical attire, and sheep suin horns atop her head.
May, who always prized cleanliness, was caked in blood and sweat.
"No. As if."
"Yeah? So, how do we handle that thing?"
Monsters still descended Behemoth's arm despite the prolonged battle.
"You've gotta take it out."
"In this state? I have no strength left."
Lin shook her drooping wing with her hand.
May placed her hand on Lin's shoulder as she watched.
"You don't mean...?"
"I do."
"Sigh... what a hassle."
"You have to do it."
"Fine. I'll give it a shot."
Lin nodded, bracing to accept the power surging into her shoulder.
-Ssshh...
May's mana flowed through her shoulder.
Like oil lubricating rusty joints, it smoothed through her body.
Her sagging wings and tail lifted.
Her faded dragon scales regained their crimson luster.
Flames erupted across her body, restoring her fully.
May smiled at Lin, now ablaze once more.
-Thud.
Lin gently caught May as she collapsed after transferring everything.
"Thanks."
"Now go clear that mess."
"You bet."
Lin eased May to the ground.
She then spread her wings wide, soared into the air, and bellowed.
"Akemi! Yui! Ritka!"
Rabbit magical girl Akemi, wolf magical girl Yui, and orca suin magical girl Ritka—all slaying monsters—turned to her.
Seeing Lin's grim resolve, they instantly grasped her intent and evacuated the area.
In midair, Lin channeled every ounce of power, focusing her energy.
The gathering aura was palpable to all on the field.
Even the monsters shifted their gaze to her.
So much energy condensed that the space around her seemed to warp.
The monsters ignored the surrounding magical girls and hunters, charging straight for Lin.
The mindless forward surge now converged on her alone.
"Everyone, stop them!"
Yuuna Shrine Maiden's light speared down onto Lin, supercharging the already immense energy.
"..."
Lin's eyes snapped open. Crimson irises blazed.
Mana at its limit coalesced from her wings, gathering before her.
She cupped it in both hands.
The mana orb swelled massively.
"Not enough! More! Just a little more!"
The orb expanded, devouring even more mana.
"Here I gooooooo!!!!"
She thrust her hands forward from her chest.
Crimson light flooded the battlefield.
Heaven-rending energy.
The red mana beam lanced toward Behemoth.
Monsters flung themselves to block it, but couldn't halt its momentum.
The repulsive sight of the entire "tidal wave" converging on one point.
Monsters began evaporating in the red mana.
Ultimately, Lin's crimson blast vaporized them all and struck Behemoth.
-KABOOOOOMMM!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
==
Everyone stared at the gate after Lin's assault.
As the massive shockwave's dust cleared, they stared in stunned dismay.
The tentacles around Behemoth had melted away, its entire arm charred with horrific burns.
But it didn't fall. The gate floated intact.
Soon, monsters poured forth anew.
The vanished tidal wave reformed, lunging at the surviving magical girls and hunters clustered around Lin.
-Drip.
Some magical girls and hunters dropped their weapons in despair.
No way to seal that gate.
-Flash.
Holy light bathed the sunless battlefield.
All were entranced by it.
Looking skyward, a woman materialized within the pillar of light.
Clad in a black dress, black ponytail whipping in the wind.
No ordinary human—she bore two pairs of wings: one pure white, one pitch black.
She looked just like...
"Fallen angel..."
She resembled a fallen angel.
==
Kim Chae-yeon
