Chapter 26: Reckless driving.

“Hold on tight to something! We’re going full speed!”

The middle-aged taxi driver floored the accelerator.

The car rattled.
It sped through the city, ignoring traffic lights like it was being chased by armed thugs.

A chase scene straight out of a movie.

“Is it okay to drive this fast…?” Frozen Princess asked hesitantly.

“Haha! No worries, ma’am. We’ve got special clearance to ignore traffic rules when monsters show up. Think of it like an ambulance!”

Frozen Princess started to say more but stopped.

She knew this was a special taxi.
Her concern was a crash from reckless driving, but she held back.

“Ugh… I’m gonna hurl,” Aurora Lora groaned, her face pale.

A rowboat in a stormy sea would’ve been calmer.

She stared at the distant sky, fighting nausea.

“Did the organization mass-produce Dark Magical Gems?” Frozen Princess asked.

“No idea. Frequency suggests it, though,” Aurora Lora replied.

Either they’re using them freely, made more than expected, or cracked mass production.

Regardless, getting to the destination fast was priority.

Screech!

The taxi drifted wildly around a corner, making Aurora Lora yelp.

“Argh! Sir, you’ll flip the car!”

“This is me going slow to spare you motion sickness.”

“You’ll kill someone at full speed!”

The only passengers were Frozen Princess and Aurora Lora.

Another wave of gates had opened simultaneously.

Likely caused by Dark Magical Gems.

“Should’ve flown…” Aurora Lora muttered.

Magical girls have assigned zones, so long trips are rare.

This meant the situation was dire.

“Too far—you’d burn out midway,” Frozen Princess said.

“Still, draining stamina like this sucks.”

“…Gotta endure.”

Even if flying was possible, arriving with no magic left would be pointless.

They had no choice but to rely on the taxi.

“What about Lily?”

“Support team asked her to stay. Said she’d fly in if needed.”

“Well, Lily could show up anytime.”

Aurora Lora opened her app.

The scale was smaller than last time, but the incident was in a rural area, not the capital.

A place with few magical girls.

“Who’s pulling this crap…?”

It was practically terrorism.

Not just scaring the local area but spreading fear nationwide.
The mastermind had to be caught, fast.

Most magical girls are in the capital.

No third-gen or earlier members are from outside, and only a few fourth- and fifth-gens are rural.

Just three or four years ago, monsters only appeared in the capital.

Cherry Fiore and Metaphorte are magical girls handling security in a rural city and nearby villages.

Their nearest allies are at least 100km away.

Calling for backup takes hours, but they’ve managed so far.

“Binding Waltz!”

Cherry Fiore swung a slender wand, and the attached ribbon stretched long.

It slithered like a snake, tightly binding the monsters.

“Grrr!”

“Roar!”

The creatures thrashed, but raw strength couldn’t break free.

The magic ribbon was tougher than most synthetic fibers.

Pop!

A crisp sound, like opening a soda can.
Metaphorte fired her gun at the defenseless monsters.

“Damn pests! Stop crawling out!”

She pulled the trigger repeatedly, venting.

Her unique pistol, flared like a trumpet, was her transformed wand.

Boom!

Note-shaped bullets exploded on impact.

“Calm down. This won’t solve anything,” Cherry Fiore, a fourth-gen, chided her junior.

“I know. Just frustrated,” Metaphorte replied.

She finished off the monsters, immobilized by the ribbons.

The gate wasn’t the only one.
They used levitation magic to head to the next village.

“Thank goodness, you saved us!”

“Keep it up, magical girls!”

As they flew over rice paddies, elderly villagers waved and cheered.

“It’s dangerous here! Head to the shelter!” Metaphorte shouted.

“What?”

“To the shelter! Shel-ter!”

“Oh, shelter! We’re going!”

The girls, floating midair, exchanged glances.

These folks were heading the wrong way.

“Should we escort them?” Metaphorte asked.

She used honorifics since this wasn’t the capital.

There, magical girls speak casually, but Metaphorte stuck to tradition.

Out of respect for seniors.

“I’ll go ahead. You guide them,” Cherry Fiore said.

“Got it.”

They split tasks.

“Follow me, elders!”

Metaphorte landed, walking with the villagers to the right path.

Rural areas have shelters, but they’re rarely used.
Even with prior notice, it’s easy to get confused.

Metaphorte wanted to escort them to the shelter’s entrance, but duty called.

After checking for nearby monsters, she parted with them.

Flying toward her senior, she spotted a taxi racing down the road.

“…What’s that?”

Cursed to die if it slowed down?

It sped past speed limits like a maniac.

“Huh.”

The taxi, about to pass, swerved toward Metaphorte.

Screech!

It stopped with a sharp brake.
The back door opened, and two girls stepped out.

“Ugh… I’m dying,” one groaned, retching into the bushes.

Her face was familiar.
So was the blue-haired girl behind her.

“Aurora Lora-sunbae, Frozen Princess-sunbae?” Metaphorte asked, descending.

Aurora Lora looked up, half-dead.

“That’s us… What’s your name again?”

“Fifth-gen magical girl Metaphorte. Nice to meet you!”

She shouted brightly, bowing.

“Don’t magical girls drop honorifics? Different here?” Aurora Lora asked.

“I know, but it’s a habit.”

“If it’s your thing, no need to force casual. Be comfy.”

Aurora Lora, somewhat recovered, grinned.

“Thought you’d be with Cherry Fiore. What’s up?” Frozen Princess asked.

“Saw some elders evacuating the wrong way.”

Metaphorte explained guiding them to the shelter.

“Good call. You’ve got sense,” Frozen Princess said.

“I just followed my senior’s orders.”

“Both of you did great. Let’s move.”

“Yes!”

They thanked the driver and followed Metaphorte.

After a short flight, they saw Cherry Fiore fighting.

Six gates nearby.
Over 50 monsters pouring out.

“No one else here yet?” Aurora Lora asked.

“Support took the others. Is it okay to join you?” Metaphorte replied.

“We’re assigned to you. Two’s not enough for this.”

“Phew… Let’s help Cherry-sunbae!”

They landed.

Levitation allows fighting, but it weakens magic output.

Especially with melee weapons, striking’s tough.

For max firepower, fighting on the ground was best.

“Sunbae, backup’s here!”

Swish!

Red ribbons sealed the monsters’ movements.

Binding legs, climbing torsos, choking necks.

Strangled, the creatures collapsed, suffocating.

“Thanks for coming so far,” Cherry Fiore said, red hair swaying, smiling brightly.

“Wow, cool! First time seeing that style!” Aurora Lora exclaimed.

“Compared to you, I’m plain. I’m amazed watching your Aurora Crush on the news.”

“Folks here talk so sweet. Right?” Aurora Lora teased, glancing at Frozen Princess.

She raised her hammer playfully.

“Let’s make this flashy!”

*

In Seoul, only a few fifth-gens remained.

On standby at home per support’s request, a gate opened here too.

[Breaking news! A massive gate appeared in central Seoul!]

TV showed footage from a news chopper.

The gate dwarfed nearby buildings.
A true mega-gate, appearing without warning.

This was the real deal.
The rural gates Frozen Princess and Aurora Lora went to were decoys.

Likely a trap to lure capital-region magical girls away.

“Ugh… They’re playing dirty.”