Chapter 50: Support forces.

“Passion’s great, but she’s overdoing it.”

I saw Kisaragi Nemuri’s interview where she said she wanted to spar with me.
Accepting or winning wouldn’t be hard, but I didn’t see the need, so I declined.
If I did fight, I’d go all out—holding back would be rude.
Fans might love it, but it wouldn’t be pleasant, so I opted to avoid it.
Instead, I came to watch as a spectator, blending in.

“Pretending to be pushed back to bait my attack, huh?”

Kisaragi Nemuri, disarmed, panics briefly but clenches her fists, taking a stance.
To retrieve her sword, she’d need to make it vanish and resummon it—a process that takes time.
In a split-second fight, that’s not an option.
She seems ready to continue with her martial arts training.

“I don’t want to cut an unarmed opponent. Surrender.”

Frozen Princess discards her cracked ice sword and conjures a new one.
Made by freezing water at extreme temperatures, it’s less durable than a real blade but quick to replace.

“Thinking I’m weak without a weapon is a mistake.”

Undaunted, Nemuri takes the offensive.
Dodging the ice sword, she lands a roundhouse kick.
Even with a guard, Frozen Princess staggers.

“Frozen Spike!”

Icicles erupt from the ground.
A smart move to wear Nemuri down from a distance.
Allowing her to close in negates the advantage of disarming her.

“You can’t escape!”

Nemuri weaves through the massive icicles, closing the gap.
As she aims a punch at Frozen Princess, white mist bursts out.

Whoosh!

A magic spell like a dragon’s breath.
Nemuri shields her head, but half her body freezes, one leg stuck to the ground.

“Still want to keep going?”

Frozen Princess points her sword downward, as if the fight’s decided.

“This is nothing!”

Nemuri isn’t one to give up easily.

Crack!

She breaks the ice on her limbs with sheer force.
As she prepares to charge again—

“Both of you, stop. The spar’s over.”

Aurora Lora steps between them.

“Why stop? I can keep going!”
“It’s not that. A gate opened.”

Lora shows Nemuri her phone screen, likely displaying the dedicated app.
No monster presence yet, judging by the lack of signs.

“Nearby?” Frozen Princess steps closer.

“Yeah. We sent the juniors, but we should head over too.”
“Estimated grade?”
“A or higher.”

Her face hardens at the answer.

“No time to waste. Let’s go.”
“You used a lot of mana. You okay?”
“Not too drained to fight.”

Despite conjuring a massive ice pillar and using a breath attack, Frozen Princess has stamina left.
Nemuri can’t ignore that.

“You must be tired. Don’t push it.”
“I’m not that tired…”

Frozen Princess’s calm assurance stings Nemuri’s pride, though it’s just the truth.

“I’m coming too. Since I’m in Korea, I want to take on a high-grade monster.”

She speaks with defiance, unwilling to back down.

“Hmm… We’ll decide after seeing what’s there, but okay!”

Aurora Lora points somewhere, says a few words, and flies off.
The other two follow, while support staff explain the situation to the crowd.

“What the heck?”

It ended so abruptly.
In the now-empty sparring area, only the melting ice pillar glimmers in the sunlight.

Parfait Alpha, Macaron Beta, Tart Gamma, Aqua, and Reaper Mors.
The members not at the park gather in front of a gate.

“Ugh, missing the spar is bad enough, now we’ve got to fight monsters?”

Magical girls often spread out to respond quickly to incidents.
It’s not a strict rule, but the park where Frozen Princess is was far from their assigned area.
The five here were resting or out but rushed over when the app alerted them.

“Hey, don’t get distracted. That’s how you get taken out,” Mors snaps, glaring at the dark rift.

“Mors, never seen an A-grade monster?”
“What do you take me for? I fought one last year!”

She acts tough, but it’s been nearly a year since facing a high-grade monster.
As the most senior here, she’s also tasked with leading the juniors—a first for her, making tension unavoidable.

“We’ve fought an S-grade,” Parfait Alpha smirks.

“You just stalled and ran.”
“Still held out for a few minutes.”

The fifth-gens nod proudly.
Facing the S-grade “Monkey” was a rare experience their peers haven’t had, something to brag about.

“Enough. Grab your weapons.”

It’s strange.
A monster should’ve appeared by now, but there’s no sign.
Could it be a glitch, like they’ve heard about?

As they wait, puzzled, a shout comes from afar.

“Monster’s out!”

A support staff waves frantically.
A monster? When? Nothing’s visible.

Mors looks around, confused, but sees nothing.

“Must be a mix-up—”

Thud!

Before she finishes, Parfait Alpha is sent flying, rolling across the pavement and collapsing.

“Alpha!”
“What just happened!?”

Beta rushes to her, while Gamma and Aqua take defensive stances.

“Stay calm! Watch each other’s backs!”

It’s invisible.
Mors couldn’t catch what hit Alpha.

“When are the others arriving?”
“Five to ten minutes.”

Mors clicks her tongue.
Hold out or retreat? She has to decide.

“You fought an S-grade, so stalling’s no problem, right?”

She looks into Gamma and Aqua’s eyes.
Scared but not fleeing—determined.

“I’ll try!”
“Can’t run without fighting.”

Overcoming trials makes a great magical girl.
Mors steels herself.

“Let’s hold out and climb the popularity ranks!”

Flying over buildings, Kisaragi Nemuri reflects on the spar.
She didn’t go all-out but didn’t hold back either.
In Tokyo, her teammates would’ve folded already.
Frozen Princess endured her onslaught and counterattacked.

It ended in a draw, but what bugs her is how calm Frozen Princess seemed.
Close combat is Nemuri’s domain, yet her opponent conserved mana.
Struggling against a near-peer like Frozen Princess, not even Scarlet Lily, feels wrong.

“I’ll make up for it.”

She mutters softly, out of earshot from others.

After ten minutes of flight, they reach the destination.

“What are they doing?”

Aurora Lora looks down, bewildered.
In the chaotic, evacuating city, their teammates fight on a six-lane road.
But something’s off.
They’re blasting magic randomly at empty space.

“We’ll know when we get down. Lora, come on.”
“Wait.”

Nemuri grabs Frozen Princess’s shoulder.

“Leave the monster to me.”

She’s defeated an A-grade monster solo before, in one hit.
Even if it’s stronger, she’s grown and can handle it.
She doesn’t want to miss a chance to redeem herself.

“Call us if it gets dangerous,” Frozen Princess agrees, surprisingly cooperative.

“Got it.”

Perfect.
Nemuri brims with confidence.
She’ll handle the monster; the others will assist with evacuation.

“Don’t let up! Use all your mana!”

At Mors’s command, Beta, Gamma, and Aqua unleash magic in different directions.
Glass shatters, pavement cracks, but they don’t stop.
They move constantly, firing as if possessed.

“What are you doing?”
“Can’t you tell? We’re fighting an invisible monster!”

Mors snaps at Nemuri’s question.
An unseen enemy, hence the wild magic barrage.

“You can rest now.”

Summoning her greatsword, Nemuri steps in front of Mors.

“What’s with the attitude? Fight together!”
“Your juniors are hurt. I’m just suggesting a switch.”

As she speaks, Nemuri swiftly raises her sword.

Clang!

Something slams into the blade.

“You blocked an invisible attack…?”
“Martial arts sharpen your senses.”

Mors hesitates for a moment, then reluctantly agrees.

“Don’t die!”

She supports the exhausted juniors and leaves.

Nemuri stands alone on the wide road.
Deep breath.
She heightens her senses, tracking the enemy.

“Haa!”

She swings, toppling a streetlight with a thud.
Blood stains the blade’s tip.
She wounded it, but not enough to track by blood.

“Good start.”

It moves quietly and dodges swiftly.
A tough foe, but Nemuri can sense subtle cues.

Rustle.

Faint but clear, like sand shifting.
The monster circles her.

“Creepy thing.”

Even if invisible, it’s not a ghost.
She can feel its position through air currents.
These types are often weak in direct combat, relying on stealth.
Pinpoint its location, and victory’s hers.

“No use hiding!”

Whoosh.

Her blade cuts air—a complete miss, not even a shallow wound this time.

“It learned?”

She left an opening to lure it, but it saw through the trap.

Clang!

Another surprise attack.
She blocks, pushed back but not falling, quickly regaining her stance.
The world goes silent, unnervingly so.

Her specialty isn’t working.
Sweat drips down her cheek.

“Ugh!”

A hit to her side sends her tumbling.
She tries to raise her sword but is too slow.
Pain surges.
She presses the wound, standing, only to be struck in the back and fall again.
The cycle repeats—stand, fall, stand, fall.

“Haa… haa… I almost had it…!”

Just 0.1 seconds too slow.
Long transformation and the spar dulled her reflexes.
That fraction of a second could mean life or death in a fight like this.

“Shred Cutter!”

Desperate, she swings wide, her blade’s energy carving gashes in the pavement.
A move that once felled an A-grade in one hit.
But it misses.
Her focus wavers, losing the monster’s position.

“Damn!”

Another hit to her back.
Too late to escape.
Mana’s low, legs trembling.
Her last resort: scream for her teammates.
But she can’t bear to show weakness.
Pride costs her the chance to call for help.

“How did it come to this…?”

Her body shakes.
Fear—a long-forgotten feeling resurfaces.
This invisible monster’s terror lies in denying her even a moment to think of loved ones.
A dominating beast would’ve been easier.
Facing an unseen enemy, unaware of when or where it’ll strike, Nemuri faces death in a foreign land.

Swish!

A potentially fatal blow comes.
She instinctively shuts her eyes, thinking it’s over.
But then, a miracle.

Boom!*

A sound like a meteor crashing.

“Kiiiii!”

The monster screeches.
Opening her eyes cautiously, she sees a long, arm-thick tongue severed on the ground.

At its end stands a magical girl with pink hair.

“Korean monsters can be crafty too, huh?”

Scarlet Lily rises from her landing pose, smiling reassuringly.