The magical girl is the younger sister of the Explosive Flame Princess.
The scenery turned all white with snow, and the reflected sunlight made it hard on the eyes.
While the hood blocks the light from above, there’s nothing to be done about the light from below.
Glancing around lightly, I spotted a familiar palace.
“Well, Nightmare, do you remember the details about the monsters we’re expecting?”
“It’s the Oldbase fortress type, right? Since its armor is tough, the standard approach is to destroy it from the inside, correct?”
“Yes. Though some cut it in half or make it explode directly, under normal circumstances, that’s the plan.”
(Please explain, Demon.)
“Sure thing. The Oldbase has had its name changed a few times, but as the name suggests, it’s one of the monsters that appeared quite early on. It’s a floating fortress type with thick armor and multiple types of minions. The main body also has various interception functions, so it’s quite troublesome overall.”
Destroying it from the inside sounds bothersome.
Especially for someone like me; if ambushed inside, there’s a risk of being easily defeated.
It shouldn’t be a problem for rankers, but it’s an unpleasant monster.
And the one who split it in two must have been Blade, while the one who made it explode was likely Thalagong.
If it can be destroyed from the outside, that would certainly be easier.
“The size varies somewhat but is generally around one kilometer. As long as we don’t enter it, I think we’ll be fine.”
I could probably defeat it easily if I unleashed my full power, but that would be improper.
Since this is a mission accompanying these two, clearing the area seems appropriate.
“Do you know what kind of monster the Oldbase is, Inie?”
“The minimum details. It’s quite large, attacks from the outside are mostly ineffective, and defeating it involves destroying its internal power source, right?”
“Seems fine. Nightmare and I will enter it, so could you handle the perimeter clearance?”
That’s how it goes.
Personally, I’d rather not enter it, so I’ll accept this assignment straightforwardly.
“Understood.”
“I’ve already requested no recording of visuals, so feel free to do whatever you need.”
That’s convenient, but I don’t intend to do anything extreme this time. Just reducing stress by defeating monsters should suffice.
“Would you like to switch places with me?”
“Don’t say foolish things. Since this monster appeared here, we’ll take care of its elimination.”
Nightmare gets teary-eyed after getting her head tapped by Strauf.
Though I’m slightly worried, having Strauf around should be fine.
I haven’t seen her fight, but someone ranked first surely isn’t weak.
As I watched their banter, the barrier unfolded, creating a sci-fi landscape.
While critiquing the barrier’s appearance might be rude, it’s surprising that something like this exists…
Soon, with a ground-shaking rumble, shadows loomed, and a massive fortress appeared.
Its shape resembled a ship, though more like a spaceship.
For some reason, leg-like support structures pierced the ground, possibly causing the tremors.
Monsters of this size have appeared in Australia too, but if an SS-ranked monster were to appear without any magical girls present, Earth would quickly be overrun.
“This is a relatively strong individual among its kind. Its interception functions use both physical projectiles and magic, and it appears to have several types of minions. Also, since it looks mechanical rather than organic, just keep that in mind.”
Even if the minions are powerful, they shouldn’t exceed the main body’s strength.
As long as I’m cautious about the main body’s attacks, I doubt I’ll die.
“Alright, we’ll leave the exterior to you. Let’s go.”
“Are you really going through with this?”
“You’re ranked eighth, so snap out of it!”
Nightmare was dragged along by Strauf toward the Oldbase…
The first wave of monsters emerged and was instantly wiped out by Strauf, who then created a hole in the armor and entered…
…As I suspected, Strauf is likely a magical girl capable of defeating the Oldbase from the outside too.
After all, she just shattered the armor.
Typically, one would infiltrate through catapult-like areas spread across the structure, but it seems Strauf belongs to the same category as Blade and Thalagong.
Well, monsters are already appearing where Strauf has cleared them, so it’s time for me to get to work.
As usual, I sprouted white and black wings, adding auxiliary wings to my limbs.
Casting spells randomly, the monsters recognized me as an enemy and surged forward.
While continuing the battle would be fine, it wouldn’t be very interesting.
“Let the ice become swords.”
I generated four ice swords above and below each wing.
Additionally, I formed small magic circles at the tips of my hands, extending ice swords from them as well.
Swinging my arms without a sword is manageable for me, given my muscle strength.
Engaging in close combat in this state would be suicidal, but I should be fine against these monsters.
“Shall we enjoy a dance?”
I charged straight into the monsters, slicing one with the ice sword in my right hand before moving on.
Using the wings on my back primarily for defense, I freely darted around the monsters, eliminating them with the ice swords in my hands.
Occasionally, I released magic from my wings, sending monsters flying.
Despite my high speed, I can track the monsters’ movements and maintain precise control over my body.
My instantaneous speed matches when I was transported by Thalagong, and it’s surprisingly enjoyable.
It feels like riding a roller coaster.
“Enjoying yourself is fine, but the number of monsters isn’t decreasing as fast as it’s increasing.”
True, I’m dispatching them fairly quickly, but this is the quantity usually handled by multiple magical girls.
With single-hit kills, I should aim for something closer to ten kills per hit for the numbers to decrease.
Still, even if they increase, I won’t get hit anytime soon, and the main body’s interceptions aren’t catching up to my speed.
After dancing around for another ten minutes, I feel slightly refreshed.
Magic is fun, but as a man, wielding a sword is undeniably more enjoyable.
But now…no, let’s try that while we’re at it.
(Demon, I’m using the third eye.)
“Yeah, Hermes, right? There’s no issue, is there?”
No concerns noted, so it should be fine.
Hermes…lover.
In its upright position, it signifies encounters and joy—truly the meaning of lovers.
In its reversed position, it indicates weak willpower or indecision.
Unlike the Fool or Devil so far, there’s nothing particularly relatable.
I’ve been single for 26 years and didn’t even have close friends, but that doesn’t matter now.
Let’s see how this turns out.
I shattered the ice swords, launching them outward to instantly annihilate the surrounding monsters.
“Number 6. Lover’s Release.”
I activated it during a brief pause.
Because I hadn’t used a staff due to the ice swords, it materialized in front of me, transforming into a differently shaped longsword.
Recalling that I hadn’t reached the second form since contracting with Hermes, it would be wise to check later.
Lately, I’ve only dealt with monsters and haven’t had the chance to face other magical girls.
While my thoughts wandered, the staff transformed into an unusual longsword.
Predictably, my robe changed into a dress with intersecting red and blue patterns.
My hair became a ponytail, shifting from blue to a burning red hue.
Apparently, my height adjusted to suit handling the longsword, and my body grew accordingly.
I felt weight in my chest, indicating a slight growth.
It’s embarrassing, but it’s unavoidable.
This growth isn’t stolen from Sora, so the restriction time for release remains unchanged.
Upon releasing, images of what I can do flowed through my mind, but again, I wonder how this happened.
The Fool and Devil align closely with my abilities, but the Lover changes its abilities each time.
It adapts based on my emotional state.
That’s the gist of it.
Swinging the sword lightly, flames erupted, instantly turning the nearby monsters to dust.
This time, it’s specialized in overwhelming firepower.
Though the physical burden is reduced by the Lover’s ability, ultimately, the mana consumption balances out.
“Ash Beyond”
The surroundings turned scorching hot…like the field Thalagong creates.
Honestly, I’d rather not show this form to Thalagong.
My current ability resembles a combination of my second form and Thalagong’s capabilities.
The closest person to me, whether male or female, is Thalagong, and this reflects my affection for her and my love for swords.
By deploying the field, monsters attempting to approach me gradually slow down and turn to dust.
Distant magical attacks are distorted by the heat and fail to reach me.
In this state, I could bisect the Oldbase, but doing so would harm the two people inside, so I’ll refrain.
Currently, I’m hovering slightly above the Oldbase, about a few hundred meters away.
The monster minions cannot approach closer than a certain distance, but attacking horizontally avoids hitting the Oldbase.
Positioning my sword at my waist in a stance reminiscent of iaijutsu,
“Wish to Dust”
With the fiery red blade sweeping around me, every monster within sight turns to dust.
The bridge of the Oldbase seems partially melted by the heat, but it should be fine.
Having replaced all the surrounding magic with my own, no new monsters will appear for a short while.
The two people inside the Oldbase still need to deal with it, so they likely won’t bother attacking me either.
Dismissing the Lover ability, I sit on the rooftop of a building.
It’s more relaxing without the chest enhancement.
Relaxing there, part of the Oldbase exploded, followed by another explosion elsewhere after some time.
Finally, the supporting legs broke, and the Oldbase crashed into the ground, slowly turning to dust.
The shockwave from the Oldbase’s fall destroyed nearby buildings, including the one I was sitting on, so I retreated into the air.
Approaching the Oldbase, I saw the two emerge from the sandstorm.
Strauf was unscathed, but Nightmare was battered.
She’s crying but seems otherwise okay.
“Good job.”
“You too. Thanks to you, we didn’t struggle as much as expected inside.”
…There’s someone behind looking like they struggled, but shall we ignore them?
Look, they’re surprised, aren’t they?
Nightmare, glared at by Strauf, immediately became deflated.
“Shall I heal your wounds? Of course, it’s free.”
“Is that okay? You’ve been consuming magic too, haven’t you?”
“Healing minor injuries is no problem. Go ahead and heal.”
I healed Nightmare’s wounds and cleaned off the dirt as well.
Strauf looked surprised at the sight.
“Can you clean dirt too?”
“Yes. It’s quite useful, so I treasure it.”
Actually, I can restore clothes and shoes too.
Perhaps calling it restoration or regeneration magic would be more accurate than recovery magic.
Anyway, I managed to relieve some stress and test the Lover’s ability, so the outcome was good.
“Today, I owe you. Would splitting the reward be alright?”
Splitting is generous.
Normally, I’d expect around an 80% reduction, but they must feel bad about summoning me last minute.
Although saying “split” instead of “half” feels outdated, it’s not worth dwelling on.
“I don’t need the reward. If you insist, please pass it to Arongante.”
“Are you sure? …Ah, I remember, you declined the reward from Australia too. Being desireless is a loss, you know?”
Even if I wanted to, I can’t smoke, drink alcohol, or drive cars, so having money doesn’t change much…
I pocket the rewards for regular eliminations, but beyond that, I don’t need them.
“There’s no use for it anyway. As long as I can live minimally, that’s enough.”
“Inee really is a good kid… Nightmare, take notes.”
Every time Strauf and I talk, it seems Nightmare gets caught in the crossfire, but perhaps this is acceptable since they’re in a teacher-student relationship.
According to Demon, there are currently several rankers unable to achieve Enhanced Form.
Though it was necessary to hastily fill the vacant slots caused by witches, it’s quite reckless.
Naturally, those girls can’t defeat SS-class monsters.
They’re decoys.
If stronger magical girls disappear, there’s a risk of monsters overflowing without anyone to eliminate them.
To prevent that, essentially, they’re being asked to die as substitutes.
Strauf is likely putting in effort like this to ensure Nightmare doesn’t perish.
As we chatted, the barrier dissolved, and sunlight poured down.
“By the way, Strauf, what about that item?”
“Oh yes, that’s right. Here it is.”
Messing around with space, Strauf pulled out a bag.
“The promised item is inside. Try to use it discreetly.”
“Understood.”
“Eh? What’s that?”
Unaware Nightmare looked around curiously, but staying silent seems more amusing.
“Then, I’ll take my leave.”
“Thanks for the help. Give Arongante my regards.”
“Make sure to tell her about that bag later. Anyway, good work. Let’s grab dinner sometime.”
Since there’s no longer any reason for me to stay, I transferred to Thalagong’s house—my de facto home.
After soaking in the bath and letting Demon wash me, I drank coffee and relaxed.
Since I did complete the basic task, Demon said nothing.
Tomorrow will likely be busy, so days like today are nice once in a while.
