Chapter 9

“Damn it… that thing is tearing the whole city apart…”

Saionji glared up at the monster floating above, her face a mask of fury.

The area where the monster appeared was already a horrifying scene of devastation.

Buildings and cars were on fire everywhere.

The acrid smell of burning filled the air, and the figures of fallen people were visible.

“Run! It’s a monster!”

“We’re gonna be killed!”

“Noooooo!”

People shrieked as they scattered in confusion.

Looking down upon them, the monster laughed with delight.

“What a truly delightful sight, to see you humans scurrying around so comically! Gwahahahaha!! Scream louder! Wail louder! Shriek louder!! We monsters live to hear the sound of your terror! Gwahahahaha!”

Laughing, the monster raised its arm.

It then took aim at the city’s residents as they fled.

“That thing… it’s targeting the townspeople…!”

Seeing this, Saionji immediately began to cast off her school uniform to unleash her magical girl powers.

But I called out to stop her.

“Wait, Saionji! Don’t be rash!”

“What are you doing?! Let go of me! The people are in danger!”

“I know, but that thing is strong!”

I warned her out of concern. The presence I felt from that monster—the one that called itself Gotees—was on a completely different level.

It radiated the aura of a being far more powerful than Venom, the monster that had cornered Kisaragi and Usami this morning.

As strong as Saionji was, I knew it would be dangerous to fight it without any kind of strategy.

“Like I care! Who do you think I am?! I’ll exterminate a single monster like that in a heartbeat! You stay out of this! I’m the one who’s going to defeat it!”

But Saionji shook off my warning and ran toward the monster by herself.

She threw off her uniform, revealing the outfit she wore underneath.

“Transform! Magical Girl, Koharu Saionji!”

A dazzling light enveloped Saionji.

By changing into their specialized outfits, magical girls achieve their complete forms, dramatically increasing their power.

“Look at that…! It’s a magical girl!”

“A magical girl came to save us!”

“Thank goodness! It’s a magical girl!”

“Hooray for the magical girls!”

“Magical Girl! Please, defeat that monster!”

The people rejoiced at the magical girl’s arrival.

Her transformation complete, Saionji flew up into the air to confront the floating monster.

“Hold it, monster! Your opponent is me!”

“Hoh! So you finally show yourself, Magical Girl! I’ve been waiting for you!”

The monster, Gotees, gave a fearless smile.

I had a bad feeling about this.

Normally, when a monster sees a magical girl, its natural enemy, it either flies into a rage or becomes terrified.

But Gotees was perfectly calm.

It was as if it didn’t consider a magical girl a threat at all.

“You fiendish monster, destroying the city and terrorizing its people! I will be the one to bring you to justice!”

“Gwahahahaha! I don’t know who you are, but are you sure you’re enough all by yourself?! Lord Gotees is the ultimate monster, created specifically to fight magical girls! Do you think one little magical girl stands a chance?! This will be over in an instant!”

“Created? What do you mean?! You’re saying someone created you?!”

“Precisely! This great Lord Gotees was created by the hand of He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named for the sole purpose of fighting magical girls! Don’t you dare lump me in with the small-fry monsters you’ve faced until now! You are no match for me!”

“As for the one who created you, I’ll take my time getting that information out of you later. After I’ve captured you!”

“Gwahahahaha! Such bravado! But that’s impossible! Because you are going to die right here!”

The battle between Gotees and Saionji began.

Explosions, roars, and shockwaves ravaged the surroundings.

Their fight was flashy and ferocious.

Saionji’s abilities were greater than those of Mikan Kisaragi and Chiyo Usami from this morning combined.

But Gotees was a level above even that.

Gotees surpassed Saionji in every respect—defense, offense, and speed.

“Guaaah!?”

“Gwahahahaha! Not so tough now, are you, Magical Girl?!”

Saionji withstood Gotees’s powerful assault for a time, but at last, the stalemate broke, and one of its attacks pierced her defenses.

Her body was sent flying, crashing into the wall of a building.

“Gh… ugh…”

Saionji’s face twisted in agony.

“Saionji!”

I yelled her name.

Though covered in blood, Saionji tried to right herself, but Gotees was already preparing its next attack.

“It’s over! Die, Magical Girl!”

A sinister beam of light shot from Gotees, hurtling toward Saionji.

On pure instinct, I used my magic to protect her.

VRA-KOOOOOM!

A tremendous impact sound echoed as Gotees’s dark beam was repelled.

“What?! Who…?!”

Startled, Gotees looked around.

I used my magic to float my body into the air, positioning myself between Saionji and Gotees to shield her.

Gotees stared at me with eyes full of shock.

“Who are you!”

“It doesn’t matter who I am. I’m not going to let you kill Saionji.”

“You were the one who blocked my attack?!”

“That’s right.”

“Gwahahahahaha! Not bad!”

Gotees laughed heartily.

“Unlike that last one, you seem to have some backbone! But I never knew there was a magical girl like you! This is the first time I’ve met one who cross-dresses as a boy!”

“…?! That’s not it! This isn’t a costume, I’m a guy! Don’t get the wrong idea!”

“Gwahahaha! As if! Magic belongs to magical girls, everyone knows that! You’re just a magical girl who cross-dresses as a boy! You can’t fool my eyes!”

“Don’t screw with me! I told you I’m a guy!”

“Gwahahahahaha! A stubborn magical girl, I see! I don’t know why you’d tell such a lie, but in any case, it’s a stroke of luck to meet a powerful magic user like you! Now, let us enjoy this battle to the fullest!”

“You bastard! I told you I’m a guy!”

The fight began.

Gotees was strong.

Far stronger than the monster Venom I fought this morning.

But even so, my magic overwhelmed it.

“What?! Impossible!! For the great Lord Gotees to be defeated by a mere magical giiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiirl?!”

To the very end, Gotees died screaming in disbelief over its defeat, still mistaken about who I was.

“I told you I was a guy.”

I watched as Gotees, scorched by my magic, turned to ash and disappeared.

“Ugh…”

A groan came from behind me.

“Saionji, are you okay?”

I rescued Saionji, who was still embedded in the building’s wall, lifting her into my arms.

In my arms, Saionji’s eyes fluttered open.

“The monster…? What happened…?”

“Don’t worry. I already beat it.”

“You did…? By yourself…?”

“Yeah, that’s right.”

When I nodded, Saionji froze for a second before her expression crumpled with realization, and she suddenly burst into tears.

“Saionji?”

“Waaah… ugh…”

“What’s wrong…? Are you hurt somewhere…?”

“Why… why…? I worked harder… than anyone… and I still lost to that monster…”

“…You fought hard, Saionji.”

“Don’t lie to me…! I couldn’t even lay a scratch on it…! But you beat it without a single injury…! Why are you so strong…?! I hate you! I hate you, I hate you… and I’m so jealous…. Ugh, I’m pathetic…”

I lowered the sobbing Saionji to the ground.

Sniffling, she managed to wipe her tears with her outfit.

“Phew…”

In any case, the crisis was averted.

I’d made Saionji cry again, which left a bad taste in my mouth, but the fact remained that the monster was defeated.

I let out a sigh of relief, glad I defeated the monster and protected Saionji.

“…Sorry, Saionji. For stealing your kill.”

I apologized to Saionji, who was still crying.

Wiping her tears away, she spoke through her sobs.

“Don’t try to be nice to me…! It just makes me feel more pathetic…! Just go ahead and laugh at me already…”

“I can’t do that. You stood up to that monster bravely to protect the city. I could never laugh at you for that.”

“…!”