Chapter 18
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 18
Chapter Title: Magical Initiation Ceremony (3)
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A familiar sound lingered in my ears.
The sound of flesh tearing, blood and brains splattering, and skulls shattering.
Sounds I had to hear every single moment during my ten years in the otherworld, whether I wanted to or not.
The sound of life extinguishing.
"Holy shit, you bastard."
Of course, it wasn't a sound coming from me.
It echoed from the monster.
More precisely, from the monster's pulverized skull.
Meanwhile, the two people who had urgently warned me just moments ago showed split reactions.
"Blackie, you okay? All good?"
"Yeah, I'm fine."
"Phew, that's a relief."
Whitey showed surprisingly genuine concern.
"Senior, are you actually insane?"
"Nah, I'm perfectly normal."
"No Magical conscience at all? For real?"
While Sora nagged with doubt laced in her voice.
Then, it suddenly hit me—there was something urgent I needed to do—so I quickly called out to Sora.
"Oh, right. Sora, come here for a sec."
"I wasn't done talking yet?"
"This is more important. Please?"
"Fine. What is it?"
Sora let out a small sigh like she couldn't win against me and trudged over.
Thank goodness.
"Lemme borrow some clothes."
"You crazy senior bastard!!!"
Now I could finally wipe off the monster guts.
Sora's Magical Girl outfit barely covered any area, but even that was mostly splattered with the monster's blood and chunks of flesh.
Thanks to that, Sora glared at me like she wanted to kill me.
"What kind of 'important talk' was this!!!"
But I had no choice either.
It was way too gross to stay like this.
Magical Girl outfits reset to normal if you untransform and transform again anyway.
"If it's gross, just untransform and transform again."
"You know transforming back takes Magical time, right? That's why we can't untransform until all Magical duties are done!"
News to me.
Truly tragic.
"Oh yeah? Didn't know. Hang in there."
Not my problem, though.
My real issue was having only two sets of clothes right now.
Now down to just one clean one.
Fuck, I'm screwed.
"Anyway, don't come closer. I'm kinda gross."
"No, you fucking—! Argh! Seriously! Ugh!"
"Aka."
"Blackie, I know this one. Murasaki."
"Please, both of you, shut the hell up!!!"
After bellowing at the top of her lungs, Sora seemed a bit calmer and spoke in a steadier voice.
Her eyes were a little dead, but anyway.
"So, senior."
Maybe my earlier response wasn't satisfactory. Unlike Whitey, who just let it slide, Sora started grilling me.
"Are you really insane? Who stands their ground against a Magical instead of running—and even tries to counterattack?"
"Me."
"That's not what I'm asking!"
Sora was half-freaking out now.
Magical Girls really do need a certain level of psychosis. Otherwise, no way she'd react like that to a single remark.
"Eh, whatever."
That aside, I got it to some extent.
Honestly, it was pretty far from normal behavior.
Who here would've ever imagined it?
Shoving a magic wand down a monster's throat.
"Live and let live, right?"
But I had no choice.
My body moved before my brain could think.
Another habit from the otherworld.
What I just did was one of the most effective ways to fatally wound beasts trying to bite me—especially ones you couldn't damage from the outside.
Basically the only option in those cases.
No one can train their internals that well.
At least not anyone I'd met and killed.
So, yeah, instinct kicked in without me realizing.
"Honestly, you got lucky the monster pierced itself thanks to its own strength and speed. Otherwise, what would've you done?"
"My arm probably would've gotten ripped off? Or I'd die?"
I replied flatly.
Sora sighed in disbelief.
"Ha, why say it so casually?"
"Yeah."
I gave a bitter smile at Sora's scolding.
Could I really treat it like a big deal now?
After having parts of me ripped off and reattached hundreds of times.
"Whoa, Blackie! Amazing!"
Whitey, oblivious to the mood, just expressed pure admiration.
Perfectly fitting her Gold Retriever Magical Girl name. Or maybe she just lacked the brains.
Still, this was way better.
At least she wasn't scheming anything.
Bonus: no pointless hassle.
Dogs really are man's best friend. This Whitey could be one too, if things went well.
Not that they would, but anyway.
Meanwhile, Sora kept glaring at me with eyes full of dissatisfaction.
"No, seriously, what were you thinking?"
"Figured the magic wand was sturdy. Like you said, even standard-issue ones are tough as hell."
"Oh, magic wand! Amazing!"
Whitey praised the wand at my words.
Sora pressed harder.
"Sure, magic wands are sturdy, but is that all? No better reason?"
"Then blame my otherworld experience, I guess."
"Oh, otherworld! Bullshit."
But Whitey, who had been admiring nonstop, suddenly got serious.
Her abrupt change made me bristle for a second, so I turned to her.
"What? Why isn't it amazing now?"
"No way some Magical play like that exists."
I held back from snapping more. No point explaining to someone who'd never believe it—or couldn't comprehend it.
Whatever.
The unscathed one has to suck it up.
I'm the Hero, after all.
"Didn't know that? You're more of an idiot than me?"
"You nuts? Bring it, fucker."
Nah, not holding back this time.
Getting called dumb by this trash-tier bitch?
"Forget that crap and focus already! Monsters are coming!"
Sora was right.
No time for chit-chat—the situation sucked.
Monsters were swarming us before we knew it. A decent number too.
"Sora, why so many? Didn't the Magical Girls clear them out earlier?"
"The Magical front line must've broken! We'll figure it out later—worry about now first!"
Right then, Whitey drew her magic wand.
More precisely, a double-barrel shotgun-shaped one.
"Blackie, just watch from the back."
"I'll show you the power of American Magical Girl style."
Then Whitey pulled the trigger twice.
"Twin Star!"
- Bang!
- Bang!
Two shots.
But more than two monsters fell.
Two chunks of the approaching monster group got swept away entirely.
Not stopping there, Whitey drew the revolver from her waist and aimed at the closest monster.
"Fanning Star!"
Two to the gut.
One to the head.
It sounded like one shot, but three holes appeared in the monster.
Literal rapid fire.
Truly impressive.
She had skills beyond racism.
"Whew, easy."
That revolver was probably a magic wand too. Normal guns wouldn't work on monsters.
"Blackie, see that?"
Whitey ejected the spent shells from her gun-wand, loaded new ones, and glanced at me.
"This is my Magical Superconductor."
I met her gaze.
"Magical my ass—it's tactical."
"Kills monsters, so Magical."
A den of psychos.
Not right in the head.
But.
Regardless, Whitey had reason to strut like that.
Simple but insane power. Just two spells for that result.
Pure firepower-wise, way better than that green bitch who shot magic at me during counseling.
But not perfect.
That style probably infused mana into bullets and detonated them. I'd done similar in the otherworld plenty.
Meaning she needed separate ammo objects.
Fine as a sidearm, but main weapon like that? Huge gaps between attacks.
Prep was mandatory before each one.
In other words, wide open for counters.
"More importantly, watch the front."
"What?"
Like right now.
While Whitey loaded her last round, a slender-bodied monster closed in.
Its razor-sharp claws slashed toward Whitey's eyes.
"Huh?!"
But it didn't end in disaster.
"Sis! That's why I said focus!"
Sora quickly covered for Whitey just before the hit.
"Fire Wishes Ashes!"
Sora conjured blue flames from her wand and incinerated the approaching monster.
"Why won't you listen!"
Scolding Whitey mid-fight, of course.
"S-sorry."
"Then do better!"
As Whitey deflated under Sora's scolding, the flame-wrapped monster turned to ash without a death cry.
"Cover me next. That one burned a ton of Magical power since it was sudden."
"Okay! Leave it to me!"
While Sora caught her breath, reloaded Whitey mowed down the rest.
Covering each other's weaknesses.
This was Magical Girl teamwork?
Looked pretty solid. Kinda envy-inducing.
I always handled everything solo.
"Senior."
Then Sora smiled at me with her eyes.
"How was that?"
Perfectly fit her Blue Fox name.
Her wand matched the blue shrine maiden outfit. Gohei, right? Ritual tool for shrine maidens.
And that spell—blue flames, probably foxfire magic.
Ideal for a fox shrine maiden Magical Girl. Her slightly sly eye corners amplified it.
Honestly, compared to Whitey, Sora was a real Magical Girl. That one was pure tactical.
But I didn't say it.
"Oh, black."
Pointed out something else instead.
"Huh?! W-wait! Don't look!"
Sora freaked, face flushing red, frantically patting her skirt.
No effect, though.
"Just guessed. Black it is."
"You damn senior, seriously from earlier—! Argh!"
As Sora raged beside me, Whitey—who'd been watching—grinned savagely at me.
"Blackie, bet you can't do this."
Annoying, but true.
I reluctantly nodded.
"Yeah."
"Senior, don't be too bummed! Guys can't do this stuff anyway! That was the weird part!"
Sora's belated consolation didn't help much.
'Guys can't anyway'?
If it was 'normal' me, I could've easy.
"Ha, fuck."
Once again, I felt my current powerless state compared to before.
Sighed bitterly.
"If only I had my Moonlight Sword..."
Moonlight Sword.
The Hero of the Moon's sole weapon.
A blade forged from moonlight.
An all-purpose weapon that could become anything.
And...
"Moonlight Sword? What's that?"
"Senior, what're you mumbling? Otherworld again?"
"...Nah, nothing. Ignore it."
No.
No need to dwell.
Pining wouldn't bring back the Moonlight Sword that vanished because of me.
I just had to accept it.
Meanwhile, Sora and Whitey reacted differently to the unfamiliar term "Moonlight Sword."
"Senior, got Magical psychosis? Big problem. Magical hospitals fix lost limbs fine, but mental stuff's tough."
"Hey, you bitch."
Sora pretending to worry while teasing.
"Blackie, you sick? Korea's got Magical health insurance, so you're good."
"Oh, you don't?"
"We had Magical care, but it got scrapped."
Whitey seriously concerned, in her way.
"Anyway, let's move—now!"
At Sora's signal, our brief rest ended. Time to move again.
Toward the monsters approaching from afar.