Magical Girl Nightmare is extremely spicy.
Yesterday, Tamake went berserk and it was quite a situation… I’d rather run away as it is, but I must uphold the contract.
I wait slightly earlier than the time agreed upon with Nightmare at the designated place.
As expected, the palace is quite vast, but it should be unmistakable to find here.
“Ah, there you are.”
“This place offers a good view, and it’s easy to spot, don’t you think?”
As expected, we managed to meet.
Nightmare jumps and lands next to me. It seems all her injuries from yesterday have healed.
Upon reflection, it became clear that there are hardly any tourists around this time of year.
The season… it’s summer. With this cold weather, no one would come on such a freezing day.
Judging by the amount of snow accumulated, normal people wouldn’t even consider coming here.
Well, it was probably better that there were no people around.
It was my first time here, but I remember that about 20 years ago, this place was reduced to rubble once.
Unfortunately, an S-Rank monster defeated a magical girl, and the monster appeared outside the barrier.
Until reinforcements arrived, the monster rampaged, and the palace was completely destroyed without a trace.
The exterior was restored, but it seems the art inside couldn’t be salvaged.
“But, I’m glad you came. To think someone could defeat such a strong magical girl. That’s reassuring.”
After seeing such a battle, one might think that, but in this form, I can only defeat up to B-Rank.
Moreover, magic consumption is quite intense, so I’m not suited for consecutive battles.
Without doing anything, thanks to the Demon, magic power recovers automatically, but if I don’t transform back, the recovery rate slows down.
“Unfortunately, I specialize in magical girls, so please don’t expect me to fight monsters.”
Nightmare momentarily shows surprise but quickly resumes a cheerful smile.
“You’re always making jokes. Someone who can move so impressively shouldn’t be unable to fight monsters, right?”
“It’s the truth. Once you see today’s battle, you’ll understand. What are we going to do today?”
There’s likely a significant time difference between Japan and Russia, but thanks to the fairies’ magic—so-called mysterious technology—the time difference across the world has almost disappeared.
Regarding this, there’s no way to explain it scientifically; we just have to accept it.
Well, if you say that, one might wonder how the Fairy Realm or teleportation works, but magic is just like that, isn’t it?
“In about five minutes, an S-Rank monster will appear nearby. First, we’ll take it down, then proceed to eliminate them in order of arrival. Ayame is introduced merely as support.”
“Understood. I’ll provide backup, so please handle the main part.”
Though it’s impossible to defeat an S-Rank, losing isn’t an option either.
Even if I try to cut it with my sword, it won’t work, and sending out slashes also doesn’t make much sense.
Unless driven by heightened emotions, I’m not much different from an average magical girl under normal circumstances.
“Hmm, well, there’s nothing to be done. Let’s go… oh!”
Nightmare attempts to jump again but slips and falls.
Snow flies toward me, but I block it with a barrier.
What a clumsy person.
Jumping down is fine, but I could descend walking with a barrier.
Creating steps with the barrier, I walk down to where Nightmare fell.
“That’s cheating…”
“It’s my ability. Besides, don’t we have limited time?”
Nightmare stands up and brushes off the snow from her clothes.
There’s still snow on her head, but it’ll fall off during the battle, so no need to point it out.
“That’s true. Well, let’s move. Please hold my hand.”
She extends her hand. What does she mean by this?
“Nightmare can use dark magic to teleport within her line of sight. She can use it consecutively and can carry multiple people.”
I see.
Though I’m not particularly fond of touching others, there’s no helping it.
Reluctantly, I grip Nightmare’s hand.
It feels quite cold due to the chill and her recent fall into the snow.
“Alright, let’s go!”
The scenery flickers several times between white and black, and we arrive at a vast snowy plain.
“Hello? We’ve arrived, so please set up the barrier. Magic reaction? Oh, it’s the helper I mentioned, so don’t worry about it. See you later.”
Nightmare contacts the operator, ends the call, and the scenery changes.
From the endless snowscape, it transforms into a grassy field.
“The monster is planned to be S-Rank, dragon-type apparently.”
A dragon, huh. It reminds me of when Jeanne and I got caught in Lockwert’s barrier.
If Glint hadn’t come to save us, we would’ve been charred to a crisp.
It was fortunate that no video was recorded back then. Running and panicking would be embarrassing to witness.
“I’ll act as a skirmisher, so would you mind taking the main role, Ms. Nightmare?”
“…Alright. Don’t misfire, though.”
Though reluctantly, Nightmare nods and moves forward.
Suddenly, a massive shadow appears, and something large descends from the sky.
It’s a dragon.
Around twelve Wyverns, known as monsters, are also flying nearby.
“It’s smaller than the one Glint saved us from, but it seems to have minions.”
(Shouldn’t be a problem with the minions, but I should be mindful of magic consumption.)
I send out a slash toward the Wyvern trying to attack Nightmare.
The damage dealt doesn’t seem to match the power of the slash.
Well, I don’t need to defeat them anyway, so let’s enjoy the battle.
At this level, whether defeating or escaping, there shouldn’t be any issues.
With dual swords drawn, Nightmare approaches while dodging the dragon’s magic.
She leaps over a strike from its front claws and slices through its wing.
She jumps into the air and lands on the opposite side of the dragon, severing the other wing.
Then, using dark magic, she creates a black mist near the dragon’s eyes, blinding it.
Though the dragon thrashes wildly, my actions keep the attacking Wyverns at bay, leaving Nightmare unscathed.
(My consumption is quite substantial.)
Despite not using any major techniques or highly consuming actions, I’ve used up about 20% of my magic power.
Considering the recovery rate, it’s roughly a 10% consumption. Not bad overall.
Once landed, Nightmare gracefully avoids the rampaging dragon’s attacks and strikes whenever possible.
Finally, she leaps into the air, avoiding a powerful front claw swipe, and slices off the dragon’s head with her crossed dual swords.
With a perfect spin, she lands facing away from the dragon.
Come to think of it, this battle is being recorded on video.
Selling it might take some time, and even if Mika sees it by then, I’ll be long gone.
Still, I should avoid drawing too much attention.
“Ayame! How’s that? Impressive, right?”
Nightmare gives me a smug grin and flashes a peace sign.
Indeed, it’s impressive for a magical girl, but considering her rank, it leaves something to be desired.
If she had thrown her dual swords and severed the head, I would’ve been impressed.
“Great job. Could you also take care of the Wyverns?”
Out of the twelve Wyverns, I only managed to defeat two.
The rest are injured but still lively.
“Oh well~ Demon Waltz!”
Four black swords float in the air, and she elegantly cuts through the Wyverns in a dance-like manner.
It’s quite impressive. Watching her is entertaining, and it saves me effort.
Once all the Wyverns turn to dust, the barrier is lifted, and we return to the snowy plain.
Ah, there was something I needed to tell Nightmare.
“Ah, I forgot to mention, I don’t require any rewards, so please take everything.”
“Eh? No, it’s not right to not split the reward! What are you saying?”
Since I’m unregistered, I don’t have an account. You can verify it if you want.”
Come to think of it, Demons mentioned that Rankers are advised to avoid solo operations, so why is she alone?
After manipulating her terminal and making a phone call, she looks at me.
“Wow, you really are unregistered. But, you’ve been defeating unruly magical girls… Why?”
“It’s just part of the contract. Forget about me, let’s move on to the next task.”
For some reason, Nightmare looks sad, but I hurry her along to the next objective.
After defeating three A-Ranks and four additional S-Ranks, it becomes lunchtime.
I left the A-Ranks to Nightmare alone and assisted in defeating the S-Ranks.
Ultimately, I finished the morning battle retaining about 70% of my magic power.
“But, this is quite different from last time.”
“That’s what I said. I’m not very effective against monsters.”
Not only am I conserving magic power, but the consumption and effectiveness don’t balance well.
Besides, I lack motivation when fighting monsters.
Using the Ranker’s teleportation device, we teleport to the Fairy Realm and eat lunch at a random shop.
Since we’re Russian and Japanese respectively, our food preferences differ, so we compromise on curry.
Incidentally, I ordered mild, while Nightmare chose extra spicy.
We could’ve ordered medium or hot, but since we still have more hunting afterward, I opted for mild.
It’s definitely not because I have a sweet tooth.
“Are we continuing the hunt this afternoon?”
“Yes, I thought it would be easier, but… ”
Right now, I’m no different from an ordinary magical girl. Perhaps around 50th place in Japan’s rankings?
“If that’s the case, now that we’ve finished eating, please contact them and request the next hunt.”
“I know that already. — Hello? We’ve finished our break, so please send the next one. Eh?”
Nightmare starts communicating with the operator and makes a displeased face.
Did something go wrong?
“Hmm, understood. Tell them I’ll come later.”
“Did something happen?”
“They borrowed external help without permission, and it seems the top brass is upset. They’re demanding I show up later.”
Well, if it’s self-inflicted, it’s not worth worrying about.
I recall that the top-ranked magical girl in Russia was also magic-based.
Considering the era, it seems many top and second-ranked magical girls tend to be magic-based.
There are exceptions like Blade, but weapon-wielding magical girls often lack annihilating power.
Weapons are better for single opponents, but for someone like M·D·W I fought before, magic would be preferable.
Honestly, it’s debatable whether categorizing them all as magic-based is appropriate, but it’s just a casual term I use.
“Got it. Then, shall we proceed to the next hunt?”
“…You could at least console me a little.”
Returning to Russia, we resume hunting.
Normally, we would wait in the Fairy Realm and respond to requests, but due to the witches causing an increase in monsters, we can’t afford to be leisurely anymore.
In contrast to Japan, other countries frequently experience S-Rank and above monsters, requiring Rankers to constantly run around.
Additionally, due to the efforts of the nihilists, Rankers are being killed, forcing each individual to handle more hunts.
But, is Nightmare truly a Ranker?
This question arises.
While A-Rank monsters are instantly defeated and S-Rank ones handled without issue, there’s no overwhelming presence of a powerhouse.
Even in Enhanced Form, can she defeat SS-Rank and above?
Since this partnership is temporary, it doesn’t matter, but perhaps I should investigate a bit later.
“Huh? There’s someone here?”
After several hunts with Nightmare, when the barrier dissolves, someone—no, Orneas—is there.
Were they waiting for the barrier to dissolve?
(Response?)
‘There’s only Orneas around. No other reactions, but it’s odd.’
It’s unusual to challenge someone again the day after such a one-sided defeat.
Orneas slowly walks toward us.
Recognizing Orneas as their opponent, Nightmare raises her dual swords and narrows her eyes.
“Long time no see. Nightmare and Inny Flowering.”
“My name isn’t that. And, did you come here to kill me?”
Orneas laughs through her nose, crushes a crystalline object, and erects a barrier.
The sky covered in clouds, and the landscape stretches with ruins of desolation.
Could it be…
“This time, everything is specially made. There’s no intention to escape or let you escape.”
Behind Orneas, an ultra-large monster appears.
It’s the monster I defeated for the first time, stepping into the Irregular class, the quasi-SS-Rank monster.
No, based on this sensation, it feels like it’s ranked even higher than before.
“Mother Disaster Wall…”
Nightmare pales and mutters.
That’s right. M·D·W reappears before me once again.
