"Black Lily? Ahaha... You're not supposed to use a color not related to your... origin... in your name..." Serene Night hesitated, as if the words caught in her throat. "Wait, really? She's one of those black MG? Those rare ones! How?!"

"The accurate term is Dark Origin Magical Girl, Magical Girl Serene Night," Felicia manifested beside me, providing clarification. "While it's prohibited to use a dominant color not associated with your origin in your costume, incorporating the color into your name is acceptable."

*poke*poke*

"I touched her!" Several other Magical Girls approached me, poking me as if I were a rare exhibit in a zoo. Bewildered, I turned to my teammates for an explanation.

"... Ali…. Shining Arrow?" I asked Alice for help.

"Ahaha. We forgot to mention it, but Dark Magical Girls are indeed rare. Moreover, most of them are antisocial and avoid meeting us. Even in the Eden Guardian Command, home to over a thousand Magical Girls, there are barely ten Dark Magical Girls, and they all shun social interactions. I've only personally met two during duels."

"That's peculiar. Dark Origin Magical Girls are supposed to constitute about 3% of all Magical Girls; there should be more than 30 Dark Origin Magical Guardians or girls." Felicia, my walking encyclopedia, shared.

"Well, according to the registry, that's accurate. But in reality, we hardly ever see them," Serene replied, though her gaze remained fixed on me. She then scrutinized me as if evaluating every detail. A surge of unease rushed through me as she moved closer with a look so intense it seemed she might devour me.

"Serene..."

"Ah, sorry. Just got a bit too curious. Your white hair and dark cape, paired with the shirt, vest, and miniskirt, really come together nicely. Maybe I should consider white hair too. It's becoming quite popular among White Magical Girls, but I must maintain my dominant yellow color. Ugh..."

"Let's go! We have usurpation zones to clear." The atmosphere became tense, and I found myself echoing Alice's usual rallying call.

"Yes, indeed! Let's proceed!"

"Alright, establishing connection. Can everyone hear me?" Serene called.

"Yes, ma'am!"

"The reinforcement consists of four teams: one F-rank, two E-ranks, and one D-rank. My team is E-rank, so that means we have a total of 3 E-rank teams. Our mission is to clear six more usurpation zones around the southern district shelter one. We haven't fully scouted all the usurpation zones, so the exact levels of those zones are still unknown." Alice briefed us all.

"What? We don't even know the levels of the usurpation zones?"

"Correct. The spy plane, Fokker A27, equipped with Zenith's radar, only managed to identify the zones' locations."

"What a predicament…" Serene muttered.

"Well, no use dwelling on it. Let's get to work. We'll need more jeeps—one group per jeep. Use your familiars to scout the zones," Serene commanded. Three additional jeeps arrived, and we split up, each group heading to their assigned zones.

Our designated zone was ranked F, and we reported back via our comm device before moving to the next zone, which was precisely suited for us—an E-rank usurpation zone guarded by four Fomorian soldiers. These soldiers resembled skeletons adorned with rusted swords and shields, wearing decayed helmets. Felicia estimated them to be level 21.

"Familiars prove to be invaluable, don't they?"

"Indeed. However, this scouting method only works if there are no anathema above level 100 or if there are no scanning specialist Anathema present," Felicia remarked.

"One might think Eden should have stationed an ace in each frontier city…"

"That's not feasible. While Eden is the largest sanctuary city. There's always a risk of high-level Anathema from the dark lands attacking the sanctuary cities or direct usurpation. If one of the aberrants were to attack, we'd need not just one, but a team of aces to counter the threat effectively."

"I understand." The term "Dark Lands" was used to describe the regions beyond the sanctuary cities where Anathema activity was most intense. Frontier cities were made to reoccupy these lands.

Sapphire charged forward, taking down a Fomorian ghoul with her staff. I watched her, slightly surprised by her assertiveness, but quickly joined in, slicing through an Anathema attempting to flank her with my naginata. As we closed in on the Fomorian soldiers, Sapphire positioned herself at the forefront.

"Hee. Our healer is really pushing forward today! Know that I, Red Flame Darkness, will back you up! Let's do this, Sapphire!"

"Charge!" Shining Arrow also went into action, dragging one soldier towards her. I summoned two clones, encircling another soldier. When one clone made a sacrificial stab with a harpoon, I yanked back on the shaft, pulling the skeletal adversary towards me. Now, it was down to one-on-one combat.

The Fomorian soldier wasn't particularly challenging. Each sweep of my naginata severed its limbs. Its sword was easily deflected with my naginata's shaft, and its shield was easily knocked aside. Surprisingly, the kill chime remained silent even after I beheaded it. Felicia cautioned me that it wasn't yet defeated. It finally fell after I aggressively targeted its head and torso.

"These soldiers require complete destruction to be defeated. Their battle rank is roughly level 13, at the high end of the F rank, but their actual level is higher due to their resilience. They won't go down until you've destroyed their torso and heads. This means Magical Girls like Alice might struggle, whereas close combat specialists like you and Red Flame may have an edge," Felicia explained. "Ah, it seems Red Flame has just finished off his opponent."

You could be reading stolen content. Head to Royal Road for the genuine story.

Red Flame refrained from assisting Sapphire because she declined the help. My attention shifted to Alice, who skillfully evaded sword strikes and returned fire with her bow. Although some arrows missed through the gaps of the rib bones, many still struck true, transforming the Fomorian soldier's head into a pincushion adorned with light arrows.

*crackle*crack

An electrical zap echoed, triggering a vague memory for me, but I couldn't pinpoint it exactly.

"Warning! Sapphire's shield has been shattered!" Felicia's telepathic message came urgently, not in panic but with a palpable intensity. My instincts kicked in, and I immediately scanned for Sapphire.

"Sapphire!" Red Flame intervened just in time, blocking a lethal blow aimed at Sapphire's head with his body, the impact emitting an electrical sound, but not the distinct crackle of a breaking shield aura. Instead, it was the sound of the shield aura absorbing the hit.

He then countered with force, severing the skeleton's arm and dislodging its shield, causing it to stumble.

"Sapphire!" Alice finished her opponent with a roundhouse kick and rushed to Sapphire's side.

"Don't assist me. I'm okay."

"She's not fine. There are multiple shallow lacerations on her body. Although she's a Blue and capable of healing them, she's currently not in good condition," Felicia telepathically informed me. However, I was too focused on Sapphire, who lunged at the soldier and furiously struck its head repeatedly, earning a kill chime.

"Sapphire…"

"I must become stronger! You all must cease coddling me!"

The group fell silent, acknowledging the truth in her words yet concerned about her rashness.

"Well… that's true, but that's reckless..." Alice responded, her tone a mix of admiration and caution.

"Red Flame, please inform Serene about the clearance. Black Lily, could you take care of the seed?" Shining Arrow requested with a hopeful look. Obliging, I approached the task at hand, feeling somewhat inadequate. Memories of a past misunderstanding resurfaced, where I unintentionally hurt someone's feelings, being labeled as insensitive and aloof.

[Defeated: Fomorian Soldier Level 21]

[Reward: 25 Points]

[You have defeated a horde of Anathema! This is the summary of points received. Consult Familiars for more info]

[Reward: 120 Points]

[Quest Completed! -Usurpation Zone S017 Cleared]

[Description: Clear an usurpation zone]

[Difficulty: Easy]

[Reward: 100 Points]

[Remaining Points: 1456 (1211+25+120+100)]

[You have leveled up to level 15]

[Quest Ongoing! Clearing a way for Southern District Shelter 1]

[Description: A shelter is running low on resources. They will soon open their emergency barrier. Prepare to assist them by clearing nearby usurpation zones (7 out of 10)]

[Difficulty: Hard]

[Reward: 400 Points]

Notifications appeared one after another, highlighting my rapid leveling and the accumulation of points. Contemplating on how to allocate my seventy bonus points and spend my accumulated gate points, Red Flame Darkness approached me cautiously.

"Um... I've already informed Serene about the clearance. But… That girl stuff..." Red Flame hinted awkwardly, glancing towards where Sapphire and Shining Arrow were, careful to keep his voice low to avoid their attention.

"I'm not particularly adept at those matters myself."

"Serene asked about when we could meet up next."

"Perhaps proffer ten minutes?"

"That's great! I'll check with them on a meeting location. Hopefully, Mr. Kwon Yung can get us there swiftly."

"Black Lily, could you come over here for a moment?" Alice called out to me.

"Yes?" I braced myself for the impending discussion, recalling past moments when I felt pressured or targeted by peers. They often bully me for some reason during these times.

"Um. You've managed to defeat an Anathema without being in astral shift, correct?"

"Yes."

"Alright. I apologize for asking this, but I was hoping you could offer Sapphire some guidance." Alice gave me a conspiratorial wink. It gave me a shudder."Sapphire, take a look at Black Lily. She managed to defeat an Anathema without her astral shift. Do you know why? It's because she had extensive practice with her spear before. I chose archery as my focus because I was in the archery club with Black Lily. You don't have to pour all your points into Dexterity, Strength, or Vitality; improving your skill is crucial. Black Lily here is a pro; she won a gold medal in our school club! She can give you tips on staff-wielding, which could really help you with your next exam!"

Alice's pitch made it clear what she was aiming for. If she only wanted me to coach Sapphire, I felt it was something I could manage.

"Black Lily," Sapphire suddenly bowed deeply in dogeza. "I'm sorry to ask, but could you share your level with me?"

"Eh? Why?" I was dumbfounded. I thought it was considered bad manners to tell others about levels.

"Oh, never mind. There is no way you could be higher than me in levels. It's just… Could we have a mock match using staff? You can use my spare one."

Looking at Alice, her eyes pleaded for cooperation. Yet, I found myself in a dilemma, uncertain if Alice expected me to let Sapphire win to boost her confidence or to demonstrate that skill outweighs stats by winning.

Before I had fully decided how to approach the mock battle, Sapphire handed me a staff. Grasping the staff she provided, I mulled over how to adapt my techniques. While I wasn't trained in staff fighting or bojutsu, I reasoned that a staff, being a type of polearm without a blade, could be handled similarly to other pole weapons like my naginata.

"Okay, we're short on time, let's begin!" Alice, stepping into the role of an impromptu referee, called out. Sapphire rushed at me, staff poised overhead, her technique raw but quick. Reactively, I intercepted her attack, a shock running through me as my shield aura marginally decreased—a mere one percent dip. However, my block was precise, indicating her hit was potent enough for my astral shift to absorb the impact, sparing my arms from damage.

Realizing my mistake in underestimating Sapphire, I counterattacked, hitting her head with a thrust. She backed off, and I pursued, applying my spear techniques. Each thrust generated a blue spark upon contact with her. Despite her speed, her balance was poor, leading to unnecessary movements. Spotting her disorientation, I executed an overhead swing aimed at her head with the staff, eliciting a crackling sound similar to that of a shield breaking.

"Sorry!! Are you alright?" I exclaimed in panic when Sapphire didn't immediately rise. Panic and repulsion swelled up within me.

"Wan-chan! Blue!" Alice rushed over, concerned. "What should we do?"

"She's concussed. Her vitality protected her somewhat," Blue assessed, clearly upset. "Given Sapphire consented to the duel, there's no grounds for me to complain. However, be warned that fatalities in such duels could lead to severe penalties. Black Lily, you must learn to control your strength better. And why are we even doing this here? The Guardian Command in Eden has facilities designed for combat training. You can engage fully without risk of serious injury there!"

"I… Lost?" Sapphire's consciousness returned, cutting through the tension.

"Sorry!!" I dropped the staff, consumed by guilt over my lack of restraint.

"No, it's my fault. I was too weak... How embarrassing to lose to someone who's been a Magical Girl for just two days..." Her laughter turned to sobs, tears flowing freely into Alice's embrace.

A shadow of regret enveloped me as I faced Alice, realizing my actions had caused another Magical Girl to weep. Guilt overwhelmed me, prompting a misguided suspicion towards Alice. Was this a setup to cast me as the villain?

"Don't worry, Sapphire! This is a starting point for you. As you yourself witnessed, real-life experience is invaluable! Now, we could... Eh? Yuri, why?" Alice's confusion mirrored my own internal turmoil, tears marking my own face.

"Ooii. Sorry to break this up, but Serene's called for backup in zone S009. It's a D rank, but they need us," Red Flame interrupted us through our familiar from the car outside, providing a timely escape.

Seizing the opportunity, I quickly left the scene, tears still tracing my cheeks.