Chapter 25

“Monster alert! Monster alert! A monster has appeared! All residents in the vicinity, please evacuate immediately. I repeat: a monster has appeared. All residents in the vicinity, please evacuate without delay.”

“Aaaaaaaah!”

“Uwaaaaaah!”

“Runnnnn!”

“It’s a monster!”

The monster alert blared as people scattered, screaming and fleeing in confusion.

Having arrived near the scene of the monster outbreak, I scanned my surroundings.

I still couldn’t see the monster.

Where is it…?

I ran against the current of fleeing people.

“Hahahahaha!! Run, you pathetic humans!!”

“We monsters will take over this city!!”

“What a pathetic sight, humans!! Before us monsters, you are no more than insects!! Run, scatter in fear!! Guhahaha!!”

There…!

After several minutes of running against the flow of evacuees, I finally managed to spot the monsters.

The monsters were in the middle of a crowded street, unleashing destruction as they pleased.

I could confirm a total of three monsters.

They were unilaterally attacking the fleeing people.

Fires had started in several places, and explosions erupted one after another.

The people were in a state of panic, running frantically with no sense of direction.

The monsters relentlessly chased them down, pressing their attack.

The panic spread rapidly, and the area descended into chaos.

This isn’t the time to stay hidden.

Normally, I would fight as stealthily as possible to avoid drawing attention, but this was no time for that.

The monsters were clearly moving with the intent to slaughter humans.

If I didn’t deal with them quickly, the number of victims would only grow.

“Die, humans!!”

A monster fired a wicked beam of light at the fleeing people.

“I don’t think so!”

I instantly used my magic to deflect the wicked beam.

“What!?”

“Who are you!?”

“Have the magical girls already arrived!?”

The monsters looked around in surprise.

I deliberately revealed myself so that the monsters would target only me.

I flew through the air with magic, boldly approaching them.

“Come on, you monsters! I’m your opponent!”

“A man!?”

“So you’ve come!!”

“Is this the man Hades-sama was talking about!?”

The monsters were saying something intriguing.

But this was no time for a leisurely chat.

To minimize the damage as much as possible, I moved to eliminate the monsters swiftly.

With my first magic attack, one of the monsters exploded and died.

“So he is strong…!”

“Are you the Toujou who defeated Orochi-sama…!”

“How do you know my name—? Looks like there’s no time to ask. Sorry, but you’re going to die.”

With my second magic spell, the second monster collapsed to the ground with a gaping hole in its body.

The last remaining monster panicked.

“Kuh… you freak… You seem to be just as strong as I heard.”

“Even if you say something cryptic, I’m not going to wait to take you down. Sorry, but die.”

I fired my third magic spell.

The monster’s upper and lower body separated as it fell.

“Kukuku… so strong, Toujou… just as I’d heard.”

“Thanks, I guess.”

“But… there is no meaning in defeating us… You are already dancing in the palm of Hades-sama’s hand.”

“Shut up. Be quiet now.”

“It’s a shame I won’t get to see you grovel…”

With my fourth spell, the third monster was completely annihilated.

I scanned the area, searching for any sign of other monsters lurking nearby.

Nothing… Was it just them…?

Feeling a strange sense of unease, I tilted my head.

The three I had just defeated were all small fry.

They were incomparably weak compared to monsters like Venom, Gotees, or Orochi.

What on earth was their objective, rampaging here?

Don’t tell me… it was to lure me out…

That last monster had said something.

That I was already dancing in the palm of someone’s hand.

What if this was all someone’s stratagem, and I had fallen right into it, foolishly lured out here?

No way… their target is…

I turned toward the direction of the Magical Girl Training Academy.

The next moment…

“Monster alert! Monster alert! A new monster has appeared!”

…!

The moment I heard it, I hurriedly took to the sky and flew toward the scene of the new monster appearance.

This time, the monster alert was coming from the direction I’d just come from… in other words, from the direction of the Magical Girl Training Academy.

“Toujou Reiya’s presence confirmed… Kukuku… he’s leaving the Magical Girl Training Academy as planned… What a fool. He fell right into Hades-sama’s trap…”

Someone was monitoring Toujou from above as he flew from the Magical Girl Training Academy, rushing across the land toward the scene of the monster attack.

After confirming that Toujou was leaving the academy, a single, low-ranking monster reported into the nearby empty space.

“Hades-sama. I have confirmed that Toujou Reiya has left the Magical Girl Training Academy. As planned, it appears he has taken the bait we laid.”

“I see. So Toujou fell for the trap…”

A low, gravelly voice echoed.

At the same time, a rift tore open in the void, and a colossal monster emerged from the pitch-black subspace.

The low-ranking monster stared at the overwhelmingly powerful, one-eyed monster with a look of sheer awe.

“You have done well. You may withdraw.”

“Ah, Hades-sama. Your words are too kind…”

The low-ranking monster bowed reverently and vanished into the void.

“All of you… come forth. The stage for battle has been set.”

The one-eyed monster spoke toward the pitch-black rift.

The next instant, countless rifts tore open all around, and numerous monsters, each radiating a powerful presence, appeared.

The one-eyed monster’s cheeks twisted into a grin as it looked upon the countless powerful monsters.

“Ah… my children… The time for battle has come.”

“Understood.”

“As you wish.”

“We have eagerly awaited this moment.”

The innumerable monsters knelt before the one-eyed monster.

The one-eyed monster pointed at the facility visible below… the Magical Girl Training Academy.

“Just now, the nuisance fell for the trap I laid and has left this place. In this opening, we will thoroughly trample the magical girls’ schoolhouse. Advance.”

“Yes, sir!”

At the command of the monster of the throne… the monster who births monsters, Hades, the countless monsters flew forward in a great host.

Their destination was the magical girls’ place of learning… the Magical Girl Training Academy.

“Monster alert! Monster alert! A large number of monsters have been confirmed! Please be advised! A large number of monsters have been confirmed!! Please evacuate promptly!!”

The monster alert blared.

Simultaneously, countless flashes of light glittered from the direction of the Magical Girl Training Academy below.

A volley of innumerable magic spells flew toward the monsters.

“Hah, is this all?”

“What is this? Are they underestimating us?”

“Kukuku… pathetic…”

“This tells you all you need to know about the magical girls’ power.”

But the monsters advanced, completely unfazed by the magical girls’ attacks.

Hades, the monster at their head, pointed at the dozens of magical girls who had appeared before them and spoke.

“Trample the magical girls. Now is the time to show them the true power of us monsters. Let them know the power of I, Hades!! Go, my children, whom I have created!!”

“Yes, sir!”

At Hades’s command, the countless monsters surged forward to attack the magical girls.