Chapter 16: Chase.

The magic flowing from the gates was easy to sense, but the aura emanating from the girl was faint.

The support team’s tech likely wouldn’t have picked it up.
I left the fighting to the juniors and focused on finding the culprit.

That’s when I spotted her.

Wearing weird clothes and radiating a monster-like magic.

Highly suspicious.

If she’s uninvolved, I’ll let her go.
First, I’d capture her and question her about this mess.

I landed on the rooftop.

I got right behind her, but she didn’t notice.

“Hey, you the culprit?”

“Eek!”

She yelped at my voice.

She nearly slipped and fell but flew up with magic to face me.

“Angelic Luna, right?”

“Huh? Don’t act all chummy. I’m Reaper Mors.”

“Never heard of you.”

I’ve skimmed the magical girl roster on the wiki.

No Reaper Mors listed.

As expected, she’s got a rebellious streak.

“Scarlet Lily, what’re you doing instead of your duties, slacking off?”

Magical girl duties, huh?

If we’re being picky, I’ve done mine for over a decade.

Does she even have the right to say that?

“Surrender quietly, and I won’t be rough.”

“You think I’m that easy?”

“You didn’t notice me until I spoke.”

“Ugh…!”

She gritted her teeth, clearly stung.

“Last warning. Give up.”

“Hmph! Catch me if you can!”

She zoomed off with a whoosh.

Ugh, what a pain.

Reaper Mors was gifted at flying.

No one could match her stamina, speed, or finesse.

Not third-gen, not anyone.

It’s raw talent.
The sky was her domain, she’d swear.

Or so she thought.

“No way… How’s she keeping up!?”

Glancing back, Reaper Mors was stunned.

Scarlet Lily was hot on her tail.
Weaving through buildings to shake her, but the gap wouldn’t widen.

Speeds were matched.
It’d come down to technique.

Reaper Mors veered sharply at an intersection.

Using tricky evasive maneuvers.

One mistake could crash her into a sign, but Scarlet Lily dodged obstacles like it was nothing, staying close.

“What is she?! Why doesn’t she tire!?”

Panic set in.
Pride aside, she saw no way out.

Flying burns magic fast.

That’s why magical girls usually fight on the ground, and why Reaper Mors, as Angelic Luna, handled aerial combat.

Her magic would run dry soon.

She needed a plan.

“If only I could teleport…”

Teleportation, a recall spell, has strict conditions.

You must stay still, and casting takes time—ten seconds, even if fast.

“You look tired. Ready to admit you can’t escape?”

Scarlet Lily called out, relaxed.

“Don’t mock me!”

Stubbornly, she sped up.

Her attitude was infuriating.

For some reason, she wasn’t attacking.

Worried about hitting civilians if she missed?
Or confident she could catch her without it?

Either way, it felt like being underestimated.
Time to show her.

Reaper Mors spun 180 degrees, keeping her flight path.

“Flare Spark!”

Pop pop pop!

Camera-like flashes burst in sequence.

A blinding technique to seal an enemy’s vision.

Meant to create an opening, but Reaper Mors used it to dive to the ground.

“Serves you right!”

She sprinted through a narrow alley, gaining distance.

Stopping, she wiped sweat and began teleporting.
White light enveloped her.

Five seconds to go.
She’d outsmart the great Scarlet Lily!

But…

“Got you.”

A hand tapped her shoulder.

A chilling sensation.
As she turned, stiff-faced, Reaper Mors blacked out.

The flashbang-like move caught me off guard.

But I tracked her by magic—blinding me wouldn’t work.

I followed and knocked her out.

Hanging with fifth-gen kids made me careless, but Reaper Mors was skilled enough to rival third-gen.

Her magic proficiency and environmental awareness were flawless.

A capable magical girl.

Yet she’s wearing weird clothes and dabbling in evil.
What a waste of talent.

*

“Ugh…”

Reaper Mors, tied to a chair, groaned as she woke.

Her eyes widened in shock.

“Where am I?! Where’d you take me?!”

She thrashed, but chains held her tight.

Clanging metal echoed.

“Inside a container, as you can see.”

Frozen Princess, Aurora Lora, and I stared down at the cocky junior.

“W-What are you gonna do…?”

Her voice shrank, scared.

“Angelic Luna, what were you doing on that building?”

“I ditched that name! I’m Reaper Mors!”

“Why pick a villainous name? Angelic Luna’s cute and catchy.”

It doesn’t match her Hongdae-vibe gyaru outfit.

More fallen angel than angel.

“It’s cooler. I’m done with names for kiddie cartoons.”

She said it dryly, but it’s all the same to me.

Aurora Lora cracked her knuckles.

“She’s annoying. Should we just torture her?”

“Eek!”

Reaper Mors paled.

“That’s not very magical girl-like. Don’t forget aesthetics,” Frozen Princess said.

“No choice then~ Lily’s too old-school,” Lora teased.

She’s not serious… right?

“You’re third-gen, so why follow Scarlet Lily?” Reaper Mors asked sharply.

“In this field, the strongest are seniors. Didn’t you know?” Lora shot back.

“Still, pandering to a junior…”

“If you’ve got a problem, get as strong as Lily.”

Lora’s quick wit, honed by streaming and socializing, was unstoppable.

She’s a rock-solid ally.

“We found this on you,” Frozen Princess said, holding a blackened Magical Gem.

The crystallized magic from mascot contracts.
The source of the uneasy aura I sensed.

“…So what?”

“Blackened means you’re corrupted, doesn’t it?”

“It’s not mine. Just a tool.”

“What’s it do?”

“Don’t know.”

Blatant lie.

“I’ll grab some torture tools. Where’s the wrench?” Lora said.

“Okay, okay! I’ll talk! Don’t bring it…!”

“Should’ve done that sooner.”

She’s more timid than she looks.

Great chemistry with Lora.

“It’s a Dark Magical Gem. Used near a gate, it duplicates it.”

Never heard of it.

Lora and Frozen Princess shook their heads, clueless.

“Where’d you get it?”

“Came by delivery. With a letter saying I’d be accepted into an organization if I followed instructions.”

“What organization?”

“No idea. The letter didn’t say.”

“And you went along?”

Monsters harm people.

Multiplying gates is something a magical girl should never do.

“I didn’t do it…!”

Under my glare, she rushed to explain.

“You expect us to believe that after this chaos?”

“Someone else did it! I wasn’t the only one invited to the ‘banquet’!”

“Banquet?”

“It was in the letter. Like an initiation test.”

Calling a monster rampage a banquet?

They must’ve sent the gem, planning to recruit those who used it.

“Watching from the rooftop?”

“To see how the others handled it.”

“You weren’t using a Dark Gem and spectating?”

“Why would I trust some rando? It’s consumable. I didn’t use it, so it’s still there!”

Banquets, Dark Magical Gems.

She claimed she was just verifying, insisting on her innocence.

“Testing the waters to pick a side?” Lora asked.

“N-No, I was going to step in if it got bad!”

She looked away.

Caught red-handed.

“The mastermind won’t be easy to track,” I said.

Not something to take lightly.

Just when I thought I could step back, things got complicated.

“How about we pull a few nails to make her talk?” Lora suggested.

“That’s too much… I told you everything!”

Trust her or not?

Either way, torture’s off the table.

“Stop the cruel jokes. I’ve got another idea.”

“What?” Lora asked.

The mastermind chose Reaper Mors for a reason.

They’ll approach her again, and we’ll strike then.

“Take out your Magical Gem.”

I pulled a chair to face her.

“It’s a magical girl’s lifeline. No way I’d show it!”

“Keep resisting, and I’ll leave you to Lora.”

“…Fine, I’ll show it.”

She doesn’t want pain.

I untied her ropes, and light particles gathered in her hand.

A clear crystal sphere appeared—a normal Magical Gem, unlike the earlier one.

I took it, focusing my senses.

A sensation beyond sight, scent, or taste.
I memorized Reaper Mors’s unique magic signature.

“Done.”

I returned it, and she made it vanish.

More like absorbed into her body.

“Now I can find you anywhere.”

“That’s possible?” Lora marveled.

“Just a parlor trick, useless in combat.”

No more escape worries.

Before unchaining her, I made an offer.

“Be a double agent.”