Chapter 2
Chapter 2
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 2
Chapter Title: Alice Mobilizes
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Abyss Beings lived up to their name, mostly shrouded in black auras, and generally speaking, the larger they were, the stronger they became.
There were occasional outliers—small ones with special abilities or high intelligence—but most Abyss Beings only possessed physical prowess far superior to humans and the ability to shrug off any attacks except those from Magical Girls.
Even a freshly awakened Magical Girl could dispatch low-level ones without much trouble.
After all, while they had abilities that rendered modern firearms useless, they didn't actually have the durability to withstand that kind of firepower.
"Grrr!! Keeeh!!"
'This one's... barely D-Rank.'
It stood about two meters tall in a humanoid shape, but the black energy enveloping its body and the grotesquely protruding long tongue were enough to inspire disgust in anyone.
Judging by the mana it exuded, it was D-Rank.
Not complete trash, but not particularly strong either.
If a Magical Girl didn't respond and it was left alone... it might cause around ten casualties?
Abyss Beings gathered negative energy only up to their limit before fleeing, so they wouldn't stick around forever if ignored.
Higher ranks would linger in the real world for a while, wreaking havoc... but that wasn't relevant right now.
"Moonlight Chain."
-Cha-rang!!
"Keeeh!!"
"Everyone, you're safe now! Alice has arrived with the moonlight!"
After chaining up the one that had been smashing its head into a concrete wall and wrecking the building. She continued her performance as the 'Alice' people wanted.
It had been ten years since the Abyss invasions began.
Even with shelters scattered nationwide for people to flee to when monsters appeared, busy modern folk couldn't always dash straight there the moment one showed up.
There were always some who couldn't evacuate in time.
"Ooh... It's really Alice!! A Magical Girl's here!"
"I-Is that really Alice? The one who's been active since ten years ago..."
"W-We survived..."
Relieved now that they were safe, the citizens who'd been sprinting away came to a halt.
...Personally, she'd prefer if they kept running straight to the shelter and got out of the way.
First things first, deal with this guy.
"Kieeeek!!!!!!!"
"Quiet down! Hya!"
-Kwang!
She swung her staff, and mana coalesced into a star shape before flying toward the monster.
The signature move and symbol of the Magical Girl known to the public as Alice.
Starlight Shower.
Even B-Rank monsters took solid damage if hit dead-on—how could a lowly D-Rank withstand it?
The creature let out its characteristic low-frequency screech before dispersing into mana and vanishing.
-Clap!
"Alright, everyone! The monster's been vanquished, so you're all safe now!"
"Y-You really beat it?"
"That fast?"
"The Magical Girl I saw before took like twenty minutes tussling with it..."
-Smile.
It wasn't a smile born of genuine joy.
If she was to be the 'Alice' people wanted, she'd rescue them here and flash a bright smile—so that's what she did.
Besides, you had to compare apples to apples.
She'd been doing this for years; it was unfair to compare her to rookies who'd just contracted and barely grasped their own powers.
Even a brand-new Magical Girl could take down something like this in ten minutes flat if they used their abilities right.
Most just didn't.
"Well then, Alice will be heading out now! Have a happy day, everyone!"
"W-Wait! Before you go, could you sign something?"
-Poof!
She pretended not to hear the citizens belatedly rushing up for autographs and vanished in a burst of light.
Autographs? Did they think Magical Girls were idols?
Let the ones who fancied themselves idols handle that.
She definitely wasn't.
Plenty of people didn't even cherish the ones she did give out.
A quick internet search showed Magical Girl autographs being traded like commodities.
Unless they planned to sell them and give her the money, there was no reason to bother.
-Poof!
"Tokkung. Can I head home now?"
That teleport had been a spell taking her to a spot with no people or CCTV.
A basic spell any Magical Girl could use.
Mostly employed after missions to safely detransform.
Fewer Magical Girls these days went to extremes hiding their identities like in the old days, but unfortunately, she was the type who staked her life on it, so this was how she lived.
Plus, the spell she'd used to reach the monster earlier exploited the Abyss pathway her Mascot had opened—useless for returning to her original spot.
In simple terms...
Once deployment ended, getting back was on her.
"Come on, answer me. You know I hate outside air."
[Um... Alice...?]
Tokkung started dragging out his words cautiously, like he had something to say.
That familiar tone made her frown in turn.
There was only one thing he said at times like this.
"No."
[S-Sorry! But a B-Rank Abyss Being just popped up over there! You're the only Magical Girl nearby who can handle it...]
Abyss Being was what Mascots called the monsters.
Unlike D-Ranks that just trashed walls and attacked people, B-Ranks could demolish small buildings effortlessly.
Left alone, one could level a neighborhood without surprise.
"You're not gonna keep working me like this forever. I just deployed once. And now right after, send me somewhere else?"
[W-We expected a strong one here originally... but it went there instead...]
"Gather other Magical Girls."
[R-Really, there are no others nearby! And you know it too, Alice! Half-baked Magical Girls are useless against B-Rank Abyss Beings!]
"...Sigh."
Annoying, but unavoidable.
"Two days off guaranteed."
[Ugh... O-Okay.]
"You got it? No deployments for two days, B-Rank, A-Rank, S-Rank, whatever shows up. No backtalk then."
Mascots managed Magical Girl deployments.
They assessed proximity to an Abyss Being, capability to handle it, and current status via their network, dispatching accordingly—which meant you could negotiate deployment frequency with your Mascot.
In other words, 'Block as many deployment requests my way as possible for two days.'
[O-Okay, fine...]
"Prepare to leap. I've got plenty of mana left to stay transformed."
Truth be told, if Tokkung could screen them at his level, it didn't matter much if Alice or another Magical Girl went—which enabled this. But if a situation truly required Alice, she'd deploy no questions.
Mascots didn't want their Magical Girls collapsing from overwork, but a truly powerful Abyss Being left no choice.
Whining about consecutive deployments aside, taking down a single D-Rank barely scratched her mana.
'A B-Rank... it'll be nice to fight seriously for once.'
Separate from the hassle and reluctance, having to breathe outside air and trek home because of weaklings that died to a single staff swing was stressful enough. A B-Rank made a decent stress-relief punching bag.
'Hope there aren't too many people around.'
No one who hadn't experienced it firsthand could grasp the toil of performing as the 'Alice' people demanded.
One frown, and rumors flew: 'Alice has changed. She's lost her beginner's drive.'
-Grind.
'Whew. Mind control. Mind control...'
Leap incoming—lose expression control now, and she'd regret it later.
[Leaping now! Get ready!]
With Tokkung's shout, her vision twisted in that familiar way.
When it cleared, the scene before her was
[Graaaah!! Where'd you hide, Magical Girl!! You hateful things!!!]
a city street echoing with the low-frequency roar unique to monsters.
[Bold of you!! How dare you smear that filthy mana on my leg and think you'll live!! I'll tear you apart before I retreat!!!]
'...Intelligent one. Beast type.'
If D-Ranks had animal-level smarts, B-Ranks often had conversational ability.
That intellect in a body the size of a storefront... top-tier B-Rank.
From its rant, it seemed furious from prior clashes with another Magical Girl.
[Thankfully, another Magical Girl stalled it long enough for civilians to evacuate safely. Fight freely.]
'Not useless after all.'
She'd planned to brain it with her staff if it tripped her up—nice work.
[That Magical Girl's hiding safely now... so as long as you don't go too hard, it'll be fine.]
"Okay."
No civilians around anyway, no need for that over-the-top entrance line.
-Whirrr...
The most efficient way to fight was always preemptive strike. A brutal ambush.
The crescent moon at her staff's tip glowed white, swelling into a full moon.
[Wha?! That presence! Who's there?!]
The monster finally sensed her and turned, but too late.
"Die!!! Lunar Blast!!!!!"
-Kwagwagwang!!!!!!!!!!
[Graaaaaah!!!!!!]
The thick beam from the full moon exploded forward, slamming straight into the monster's face.
If Starlight Shower was for low-defense groups, this pierced high-defense singles.
[Graaaah!!! Who the hell are you!!!! How dare you hit my face!!!!]
Indeed, its face was caved in like it'd been hammered.
"Hmm. No penetration."
A full pierce with the exploding beam would've been instant death. A shame.
[Guh... Reinforcements, huh...! At this rate...]
"What? Gonna run?"
[Don't flatter yourself, Magical Girl! This is a tactical retreat! Not running scared...]
-Shaaah.
"Who said you could run?"
Countless stars began manifesting behind her.
"Go."
Starlight Shower.
-Pew pew pew pew!!
They arced like a Milky Way of starlight toward the monster.
[Think I'll fall for the same trick twice!!!]
-Kwaaa!!
It spat fireballs in sequence, refusing to go down easy.
-Boom! Kwang!! Boom!!
Three fireballs canceled stars; one veered toward a random building.
The moment she thought it was too dumb to aim...
[Al- Alice! That building has the Magical Girl!]
"...You said she was safe and hiding!!"
-Tat!
She urgently leaped toward the fireball's path.
"That's why smart ones are such a pain!!"
Why rush to save that Magical Girl?
Not justice or duty.
If a Magical Girl died on a mission she took, Alice's reputation tanked too.
The biggest reason she despised rookies who couldn't handle themselves.
'Alice' mustn't yield to evil.
'Alice' mustn't abandon allies.
'Alice' must love all and be loved by all.
Conditions spelled out in the contract she'd signed eight years ago.
Fail them, and she couldn't quit this charade.
That was the deal.
-Paaat!
As she and the fireball neared the building where the Magical Girl hid, she spotted a faint barrier.
What was that pathetic shield?
It wouldn't survive the fireball—100% fatal.
'Seriously annoying...!'
Drawing closer to the Magical Girl, she swallowed un-Alice-like words and spat Alice-appropriate ones.
"Don't worry! Alice is here!"
Standing before the faint barrier with the fireball almost upon them, familiar stars gathered and shone.
Twinkle Defense.
-Kwagwang!!
"Krgh!"
"Eek..."
Alice was a powerhouse Magical Girl, famed for offense, not defense.
Blocking a top B-Rank's fireball with a hasty barrier left damage.
The white outfit singed black with soot from unblocked force.
She and the Magical Girl behind her were safe for now...
'...Who the hell calls me senior.'
She'd never had a junior like this.
Especially not one who couldn't even fend for herself.