NOVEL WEB Chapter 13
Magical Girl Taragon is on the move.
“This is rare. A reaction above S Rank in Japan…”
In the special waiting room of the Fairy Realm, an alarm rang out.
In preparation for the appearance of a monster above S Rank, at least one to two individuals were always on standby here in Japan. In the event the alarm sounded, they would quickly deploy and cooperate with the local magical girl to exterminate the monster.
When it comes to S Rank and above, their destructive power is tremendous, and barriers stronger than those used against B or A Rank monsters are employed.
Though these barriers consume a lot of energy, they are used when necessary since S Rank appearances often bring along a significant number of lesser monsters, making the expenditure worthwhile for now.
If the costs outweigh the benefits, the Magic Bureau would have to cover the expenses.
Standing up from her seat, Taragon, who was on duty today, began preparations with excitement. If no monsters appeared, she’d have to spend the entire day here, so she was delighted to hear otherwise.
“This is Taragon. Please provide information.”
“The location is the southern part of Gunma Prefecture. The teleportation coordinates are already set, so you can leave anytime. Also, three members from the North Kanto Branch of the Magic Bureau will be your backup.”
Taragon thought the numbers were a bit low but recalled the current state of the North Kanto Branch.
Among the six branches of the Magic Bureau in Japan, the North Kanto Branch was known as a place for less active duties.
Just recently, two out of the three magical girls stationed there had caused trouble, and the other had suffered serious injuries.
Thanks to Inny Flowering’s healing, the injured girl was fine; otherwise, the branch might have lost one of its magical girls.
With such occurrences in mind, Taragon slightly frowned but decided that eliminating all the monsters herself would suffice.
To Taragon, barring any special ones, even S Rank monsters were no different from mere pests.
Upon arriving near the designated area via teleportation, Taragon coincidentally met the three members of the North Kanto Branch.
“Let’s work together today!”
Marin noticed Taragon first and greeted her, prompting the other two to do the same.
Taragon gave a curt reply and immediately proceeded to discuss the extermination of the S Rank monster.
“I’ll handle the S Rank and the strong ones. You three stick together and start taking down the long-range attackers first. Don’t engage anything above A Rank.”
“We can handle A Rank ourselves!”
While Taragon suggested this partly out of consideration and partly for her own enjoyment, Blue Colette, one of the troublemakers, resisted.
Since the incident, Blue Colette had been frustrated by the gazes and criticism from others. Instead of reforming, she held onto her superiority as a magical girl and resented why innocent civilians were present in the first place.
Thus, she planned to use this S Rank extermination to erase her previous bad reputation.
“If you oppose my decision, then you’re unnecessary. You three are technically backup, but this is also education.”
To Taragon and other top-tier fighters, S Ranks were no different from pests, but there wouldn’t always be someone like Taragon around.
Being backup meant guiding the next generation of magical girls, which was essentially an educational role.
“Sorry! Come on, Colette, bow your head!”
Star Nail quickly apologized and forced Blue Colette to bow. Though internally cursing, Blue Colette didn’t resist.
Meanwhile, Marin felt helpless. She had temporarily entrusted her future to these two. While Star Nail was questionable, seeing Blue Colette made her think it was fortunate she hadn’t died back then.
After sorting things out, they began moving to the designated point when an anomaly occurred.
“Huh? A barrier? Why?”
Far from the expected point, where monsters hadn’t even appeared yet, a barrier unfolded. It encompassed not only the magical girls but also civilians.
Realizing this, Taragon remembered encountering a special monster during past battles that used barriers to trap prey in its preferred field of combat.
That alone wasn’t an issue, but this time the scale of the barrier was vast. They were enclosed quite far from the anticipated monster emergence point.
This implied that civilians could also be trapped within the barrier.
Understanding this, Taragon quickly issued orders.
“Star Nail and Blue Colette, scout the surroundings together! Marin, stay with me!”
Her voice carried an unyielding intensity, and while Star Nail and Blue Colette prepared to act, another mishap occurred.
“What!? How is that possible?”
Despite being inside the barrier, Star Nail’s figure disappeared as if swallowed up.
Indeed, the barrier was structured in layers, and unfortunately, Star Nail had been caught in one of them, something even veteran magical girl Taragon had never experienced before. This prompted her to reassess the danger level of this mission.
Trapped in a strange landscape, Star Nail looked around anxiously and called out for her colleagues.
“Hey? Colette! Marin!”
Receiving no response, Star Nail felt overwhelmed with anxiety. Unlike Blue Colette, Star Nail had become mentally unstable after the incident. Even though she hadn’t directly caused harm, she felt guilty about the deaths of innocent civilians.
She wished she could apologize to those who perished, despite knowing such wishes were futile.
In this vulnerable state, the monster didn’t miss its chance. Here, within the confines of the barrier, was its lair.
With a sudden impact, Star Nail’s consciousness faded into darkness…
While worrying about Star Nail, Taragon explored the barrier with the remaining two to search for trapped civilians.
Unlike Taragon, who could adapt, the other two were shaken by witnessing their colleague vanish right before their eyes.
Although reluctant to bring along the affected pair, Taragon knew that if civilians were indeed trapped, having magical girls as guards would still be more useful than ordinary people.
“Burn!”
Taragon incinerated a suddenly appearing monster with magic. As the monster vanished, the scenery changed, giving Taragon a foreboding feeling based on her extensive experience. However, hearing an unfamiliar voice distracted her from further contemplation.
“Hurry up, both of you!”
The surroundings transformed into a jungle, impairing visibility and pathways. Despite this, they rushed toward the source of the sound. Pushing aside dense foliage, they spotted a person ensnared by monstrous vines.
“Tch! With this much vegetation, it’s a poor match. Taking hostages like this is infuriating…”
Though annoyed internally about the unfavorable conditions, Taragon left the rescue operation to the other two, who wielded swords and spears.
“I’ll distract the monster, so the rescue is on you.”
Without waiting for a reply, Taragon charged forward. Although attacking in such an ill-suited environment was challenging, defending against the monster’s attacks was manageable. Her strategy involved dodging most attacks and using minimal firepower to counteract those that came too close.
During her defensive stance, Taragon detected a faint oddity in the monster’s behavior. Despite having fought monsters wielding tentacles and vines before, this one felt strangely ineffective. Was it due to the bizarre barrier, or was there another factor?
The excited Taragon who had come to slay monsters was no longer present.
The rescue of civilians progressed smoothly, and upon completion, Taragon dived straight into the core of the monster, smashing it apart.
The rescued individual was exhausted but unharmed, allowing Taragon some relief. However, as the monster fell, the scenery shifted again, ushering them into a new battlefield.
“What’s going on? Star Nail disappeared, and every time we defeat a monster, the scenery changes…”
Though somewhat skilled, Marin was bewildered by the unprecedented situation. Despite having Taragon as a reliable ally, it offered little comfort.
Finding trapped civilians reaffirmed how precarious their situation was.
Given that the barrier belonged to the enemy, it was unclear whether their current status was being broadcast. Regardless, they had to help any civilians trapped within. The challenge lay in not knowing how many needed rescuing.
Though they successfully saved some this time, what about the next encounter? They lacked knowledge about the number of monsters or the full extent of their adversaries. Recognizing this as an emergency, they understood that reinforcements likely wouldn’t arrive.
Recalling past incidents, Marin silently sighed at their misfortune within the barrier.
Having encountered actual civilians, Taragon and the group took a brief rest before promptly resuming action.
Taragon acted as the scout and vanguard while Blue Colette and Marin guarded the civilians as rear support, exploring the new battlefield.
Wide plains, mountains, deserts, residential areas—across various barriers, they battled monsters, succeeding in rescuing ten people over fifteen encounters.
While the rescued rejoiced, Marin and Blue Colette found solace in their success, but Taragon’s expression remained grim.
Though magically capable, her physical strength had diminished from repeated battles and environmental shifts, leaving her less than fully operational. The more people she had to protect, the more disadvantageous it became.
Worse still, even familiar monsters felt weaker than usual, raising concerns for Taragon.
And those concerns manifested in the worst possible way.
Upon concluding the sixteenth battle and transitioning to a new world, Taragon comprehended everything.
“Haha, so it’s you again.”
A desolate wasteland reeked of iron. After countless battles, it seemed abandoned. Far off in the distance stood a colossal mechanical monster.
Even blurred, Taragon recognized the monster whose existence she had never forgotten: the Special S-Rank Colossal Monster, commonly known as Mother Disaster Wall.
A rare mechanical monster among its kind, M·D·W absorbed the powers of trapped monsters and magical girls within its barriers.
What made M·D·W troublesome was its stationary nature, attacking only those who approached. Resembling stacked warships, it not only launched artillery but also spawned monsters to intercept enemies who drew near.
It grew stronger over time, and even if one managed to penetrate its defenses, the summoned monsters hindered progress. Hence, it earned the names “Mother” and “Wall.”
So, what did “Disaster” signify? When defeated, M·D·W triggered a massive self-destruction explosion.
During her first encounter with M·D·W, Taragon lost many comrades to this very explosion. That incident, prior to becoming a top-tier fighter, served as the catalyst for her rise. The casualties included the ninth-ranked fighter and fifteen other magical girls.
Though Taragon survived due to magic, she sustained severe injuries.
From afar, the looming M·D·W was considered a special individual based on previous hypotheses.
Taragon believed she could probably defeat M·D·W, but it would require sacrificing everything. Attacking it would leave her unable to counter its assaults or final explosion, and no one else present could face M·D·W.
Neither Marin nor Blue Colette could approach M·D·W without being killed instantly.
(What should I do? After coming this far, am I supposed to sacrifice everything?)
Taragon’s internal conflict was immense. Paying sacrifices twice to an adversary that once humiliated her was unacceptable.
However, the longer the wait, the stronger M·D·W became. If only one top-tier or near-top-tier fighter were present…
As Taragon wished, time wouldn’t wait for her decision.
Failing to defeat M·D·W here would result in casualties far exceeding the current count. Just as Taragon was about to make her choice…
Nearby, the scenery warped, and figures emerged.
A robe presumed white was stained with blood and dirt, its hood, once used to conceal the face, torn from the base.
Behind them stood about twenty people and the supposedly trapped Star Nail.
A magical girl with flowing beautiful hair contrasting starkly with her murky sea-like blue eyes.
Inny Flowering appeared as if to rescue Taragon from her dire predicament.