Rows upon rows of civilians sought refuge within the Guardian Command, filling the corridors and creating a cramped environment. My frown deepened at the sight; without addressing the usurpation zones within the next two or three days, the situation would escalate into a crisis.

"Greetings, Miss Shining Arrow, Red Flame Darkness, and Sapphire Priest," the mayor and my father greeted us in the command room. Unlike my expectations, the command room of Guardian Command was a stark, plain white space populated by operators at their computers, arrayed in cubicles. The absence of a large screen detailing our dire circumstances was noticeable. A few sofas designated for guests were placed in a corner, where we were led to sit, and each of us was handed a glass of water from a nearby dispenser.

"I'll tend to the injuries, okay?" Sapphire suggested, seemingly looking for an excuse to avoid the meeting.

"No, you need to rest as well, Sapphire. You've gotten the least sleep among us. You can take a nap on that sofa over there," Shining Arrow insisted, gesturing to a sofa in the corner. Its previous occupant quickly gave up their seat, recognizing the needs of a Magical Girl.

"Mr. Mayor, Mr. Osamu, greetings," I said, addressing them formally.

"It's a great advantage for our city to welcome a new magical girl just when we are in dire need. My apologies, but may I know your name? And you, hurry up with the food for our Guardians; they need it immediately!" the mayor spoke with a veneer of professionalism, then sharply reprimanded his subordinate. His ability to switch from flattery to command revealed his adeptness at navigating his role, even when faced with me as Yuri.

"Greetings. I am known as Black Lily in my role as a Magical Girl. It's a pleasure to meet you," I introduced myself with a bow, hiding my real identity.

"Let's focus on clearing the usurpation zones. Mr. Osamu and I suggest starting with the southern district. What are your thoughts, Shining Arrow? Also, will Black Lily be part of your team? We need all the help we can get."

"Black Lily has just become a Magical Girl. It's been decided she shouldn't take on a role in suppressing Anathema unsupervised until she reaches level ten. So—"I will accept." Eh?" I interrupted Shining's report.

"The situation requires it. More lives will be lost if we do not act."

"What admirable courage. As expected of Magical Girls! While you're clearing the southern district, could you perhaps check on my house? My daughter is very dear to me. I've received information that she's safe in our personal bunker, located in the basement. If you could…"

"Your daughter? How did you know she was in the bunker, Mr. Osamu?" Shining then glanced at me. Stop staring, Alice!

"The bunker's emergency shield was activated. It's designed so that only my daughter, my wife, and I can operate it. Since my wife and I are here, it's clear my daughter must be inside. Miss Black Lily."

"No, the personal bunker's energy shield can last a week. Even if the shield is deactivated, the steel door can withstand Anathema to a certain extent. Considering its size, it's unlikely Anathema would even realize there are people inside. The public bunker is more crucial. There are hundreds of people there, correct? What's the latest count of individuals who sought shelter before the shield was activated? Mayor John, I'd like to know the status of bunkers one and two in each district."

"Eh, how do you…" Mr. Osamu gasped.

"Magical Girl Black Lily, there are a thousand and five hundred people in South District Shelter One. Five hundred are in Shelter Two, seven hundred in Western District Shelter One, two hundred in Shelter Two, four hundred in Northern District Shelter One, and none in Shelter Two. Additionally, we have four thousand people here at the Guardian Command," Shining Arrow reported. She is more dependable than her outward usual goofy attitude. She did her job as a Magical Girl seriously too. "The Eastern District hasn't been attacked yet. There are about a thousand people in each shelter and sixty still on the ground."

"And they all activated their emergency shield? That's bad," Felicia hopped in from nowhere and landed on the table in front of me. Shining Arrow's Corgi also sat there beside her.

"The Eastern District hasn't activated theirs, so we still have contact with them. This attack, we've lost more than a thousand people already."

"The Northern District was a mess, I tell you. A rift spawned right at Bunker Two," Red Flame Darkness added his comment.

"Will Eden help us? We certainly can't survive without food and water."

"They gave us a thousand points and told us to buy supplies from the Gate. Food and water. They didn't refuse to aid us, but they simply needed more time to organize themselves. So, using those supplies, refugees in Guardian Command could manage. But we couldn't reach the Southern District One," Shining wore a sad expression.

"That's a correct decision. If they manually deactivated their barrier from inside, they would be vulnerable for at least four hours," I commented. The Mayor and Osamu also nodded.

"So, we propose that you, as our Magical Girl, clear these ten usurpation zones between Guardian Command and these two shelters, and I will send ten buses to shuttle the refugees safely to Guardian Command."

"Jesus, you've got to be kidding me," Red Flame snorted. "We can't possibly clear ten usurpation zones in a day. We'd be lucky to clear two!"

If you encounter this tale on Amazon, note that it's taken without the author's consent. Report it.

"Yeah, if we knew the usurpation zone levels... if they were below ten or twenty, we might barely manage. But if the zone was over twenty..."

"Yeah, and if the zone was over forty, we can't take it down either," Red Flame nodded. "We are still Rank E, and even with the new girl, she's like just born yesterday. Rank F might be an overestimation. You're supposed to train at Guardian Command for at least a month before fighting your first Anathema."

"Let's just try it first." I pondered whether we could guard that shelter.

"Haha, I like your guts. You're right, we have to at least try, right? Alright, meet you all in forty minutes. We'll clear as many usurpation zones as we can."

"Reply from Eden. They are sending fifteen Magical Girls and Guardians here! They will arrive by boat tomorrow!" an operator came to us and reported.

"Why can't they arrive via airplane, huh? It would only take six hours that way, even counting preparation time."

"Landing a plane in an Anathema-infested area is dangerous. If the plane crashes, the MGs inside might not survive," Wan-Chan replied, answering Red Flame Darkness.

"But the Eastern part where the airport is hasn't even been attacked yet!" Red Flame raised his voice in frustration.

"Just because there's no usurpation zone doesn't mean there are no Anathema. There have been sightings of wandering Anathema in the Eastern District."

"Ugh! Hey, operator, what rank are the reinforcements? Not F, I hope."

"Um... four of them are F, seven of them are E, and four of them are D."

"What? No B or C rankers? We can only target zones up to level sixty then!" Red Flame complained while Shining Arrow could only offer a wry smile. It seemed Eden saw this as a perfect opportunity for leveling up. Their decision not to send us higher-level MGs was frustrating. I knew most Magical Girls tended to be somewhat antisocial, often preferring not to mentor others, but I thought Guardian Command had the authority to assign tasks to them if necessary.

"Let's move on. I need to shop for new weapons, if you'll excuse me," I concluded the meeting. I sat beside Sapphire and consulted with Fel about upgrading.

"You have 476 points. So, do you want to unlock the Sword Vault [Common]? Then, you will have access to the Glaive Vault [Common], which includes the Naginata."

"Yes, please."

"Roger. Nyaa."

[Sword Vault (Common) Unlocked!]

[-100 Points]

[Glaive Vault (Common) Unlocked!]

[Remaining Points: 356]

"Do you still prefer the sharpness enchantment and strength alignment?"

"Yes."

"Roger nyaa. It will cost fifty points."

[Purchased: Kuro No Yari Nagi!]

[-50 Points]

[Remaining Points: 306]

Upon opening the box, I found a naginata with a black sheath and pole. The naginata was adorned with gold carvings that enhanced its grip and gave it a menacing appearance. As I removed the sheath, the blade gleamed with a silver glow.

The pole was sleek, and the blade, resembling a katana, had a slight curve, making it suitable for stabbing attacks. I practiced swinging the naginata, feeling its blade sing through the air with each sweep left, right, up, and down.

"Yes, this is a fine blade," I admired.

"Of course. You should never underestimate a Zenith-made weapon. Even if it's from the common vault, it's still the best weapon on Earth!" Felicia retorted.

"I'll be using this in real combat, though. It feels strange not using the practice wooden naginata." I swung down with a bit more force, the wind seeming to part around the blade before it stopped just a few centimeters above the floor.

"Let's have lunch and introduce ourselves, Black Lily. We've only just met you," Alice said as she invited me to the cafeteria. The cheerful girl seemed to have limitless energy. Despite likely being more fatigued than me, she remained buoyant, even carrying the sleeping Sapphire on her back.

I secured everything on my back and followed her, discovering another feature of the Astral Shift along the way. It was akin to a video game; swords or spears could be attached to your back or waist as if there were a specialized holster or belt, simplifying everything. My inventory was growing: now I had the Seraph Spear, this naginata, two Zeus Javelins, and a cheap cross-shaped spear. Without the stat bonus from my Astral Shift, carrying them all would be cumbersome.

"You might need to take the dimensional storage skill next," Dark Flame commented as I awkwardly tried to sit down. The backrest of the plastic chair obstructed the spears on my back. I removed my javelin quiver, with all the spears in it, and leaned it against the table. The coffee Shining ordered arrived promptly, followed by servings of porridge for everyone.

"Porridge again?" Red Flame grumbled.

"That's all we have. Military rations or MREs make me sick. Maybe we should transfer some points to Alice so she can buy us more food? We're lacking greens and meat," Sapphire suggested, finally waking up after being nudged by Shining Arrow.

"Let me start with the introductions. I'm Shining Arrow, but you might know me as Alice. It's nice to meet you, Black Lily. My weapon of choice is a bow, and my class is an archer," Alice began, choosing to sit next to me. I suddenly felt tense. Why did she choose to sit next to me?

"I'm Red Flame Darkness. Unlike Alice, I'm not a public Magical Guardian, so I can't reveal my real name or face. I apologize for seeing yours, though. If privacy is important to you, I'm willing to sign a geas. Rest assured, I'm not one to gossip. My class is a striker, but I aim to advance to swordsman later. In our team, I serve as the vanguard, specializing in close-range combat."

"And I'm Sapphire Priest. Like Red Flame Darkness, I prefer to keep my identity private, so I won't be sharing my real name. I serve as the healer of our team. Unfortunately, I'm not cut out for fighting; I get nervous and scared easily."

"Our typical strategy revolves around Red Flame acting as the vanguard and tank, while I provide support by picking off enemies from a distance," Alice explained, outlining their usual tactics. "Sapphire also had a shield aura buff spell, so she could help if our shield aura got lowered."

"Doesn't that risk hitting your allies?"

"No worries there. I have an augment that enhances my accuracy with bows, so I'll never hit you, Black Lily-sama!"

"Please, no more 'sama'."

"Your joining the team was like a blessing from the goddess! During our hunt at the school, you seemed to excel as a vanguard. Plus, you have illusion magic, right? That's perfect! With you on board, we can implement a rotation strategy, allowing Red Flame to be healed by Sapphire and vice versa."

"Felicia?"

"The strategy sounds solid. There doesn't seem to be any issue with it. However, I'm curious about how you manage point distribution."

"We party up and set the points to be distributed equally. Also, experience points are divided based on participation. So, if you encounter any weaker Anathema, remember to share some easy kills with Sapphire, okay!"

Observing their dynamics, it struck me how cohesive they were, as if they'd been inseparable from birth, despite having been a team for only two years. Alice's warmth was palpable, making me feel slightly out of place. Yet, our collaboration was necessary for the city's survival. We had to clear as many zones as possible without solely depending on the reinforcements, who were only marginally stronger than us amidst over twenty zones needing attention.

"Let's get moving."

"Let's go!" Alice led the way out of the building and into the military compound, where our driver awaited. She introduced the burly man, who looked more like a character from a pirate or bandit movie than a soldier, yet he wore the military uniform well.

"Are you all set, girls?"

"Yes, sir!" Shining Arrow responded, full of energy, punching the air with gusto.