"Is that the shadow clone technique?" The yellow-clad ninja's cringe-worthy comment reached Serena as my clone took a position in the corner. I adjusted my clone's posture to sit and close her eyes, ensuring its immobility didn't attract undue attention.

"Indeed. It seems you're up for some serious competition, Shadow of Light," Serena teased. "She possesses the very spell you coveted most."

The ninja expressed his frustration with a dramatic exclamation, lamenting the color associated with his origin. "Why do we have to be yellow?!"

"Yellow origins come with their unique signatures, crucial for your stealth abilities," Serena explained.

"It's not the origins I'm bemoaning; it's our color scheme," he clarified, still discontented.

"Guess I'm luckier in that regard. My signature's lightning-based, which naturally aligns with yellow. But yellow ninjas, really?" she continued, unable to hide her giggles.

Refugees streamed out from the airport lobby, guided towards the docks by other Magical Girls and guardians. Shadow of Light briefly revealed a hidden staircase leading to the ferry, where several Eden Magical Soldiers were waiting.

"Can't you just wear regular clothes over your astral shift, Shadow of Light senpai?" Red Flame naively suggested.

"Technically, yes. He was doing that. But clothing costs points, and it gets torn whenever he's hit. The astral shift doesn't protect over-worn clothes," Serena explained.

"Lily, why are you tucked away in that corner? Tired?" Alice called out.

"She's likely focusing on controlling her clones," Serene guessed.

"But she doesn't need to do that in battle, right?"

"True, but she sent her clones quite a distance this time. There might be some sort of penalty for that. She never fully disclosed her abilities to me, even after I vowed on my soul gem not to tell."

"Serene, you know it's poor etiquette to pry into another's abilities," was the gentle chiding from the group.

"Yeah, I regret asking," I murmured, shifting my focus from the video displaying Alice and Serene's conversation to the beast now fixating on my location. It had shifted its attention from the western district directly to my car, imposingly peering down at me. The gargantuan creature regarded me as a cat might observe a cockroach, yet neither of us made a move. Paralyzed by fear, my hands shook as I gazed up at it.

"Yuri, you don't have to engage in combat. Your mission is to divert its focus. It's time to retreat," Felicia gently reminded me. "Your life holds immense value. If necessary, you can activate your vainglory augment right now."

"Am I truly so prideful? When you advised a retreat, somehow that makes me angry." I whispered to myself, the shaking ceasing as I took aim with my spear. The beast observed with what seemed like amusement, likely pondering how a being as seemingly insignificant as myself dared to confront it.

With all my might, I hurled the spear towards it. The weapon, akin to a meteor against the night's canvas, blazed forth, its trajectory marked by thunder and lightning. Striking the beast directly in the eye, the spear detonated with a resounding blast, taking its eye with it.

The creature's anguished roar sent chills through me, reminding me of the peril I faced. Although confident in my augment's protective capabilities, my body was a tumult of shaking and labored breaths, despite my physical stillness.

Commanding my clones, I hit the accelerator, swerving away from the creature towards the southern district. The speedometer swiftly climbed to 60 km/h, yet the gap between us narrowed alarmingly. In a desperate maneuver, I dispatched another clone to leap from the vehicle towards an adjacent mall. The beast's pursuit led to its collision with the structure, demolishing it in a single charge and providing me the sliver of opportunity needed to escape.

Feeling a surge of relief momentarily, I was soon overcome by a chilling sensation as a tide of dark mana surged from behind. The creature's tusks gleamed ominously, charging with a sinister purple glow that shifted to a fiery orange before launching directly at me.

"Horcrux," I uttered the keyword, and in an instant, reality seemed to fracture. A searing pain enveloped me, as if my essence were being torn asunder, my form obliterated by an unseen force. Yet, abruptly, I found myself safe back at the airport, the tumultuous transition leaving me disoriented and grappling with the aftermath.

Alice's embrace brought a semblance of comfort amidst my confusion. "Oh god! You're safe!" Her relief was palpable, her concern for my well-being evident despite her chastisement for what she perceived as reckless bravery.

The landscape was soon overshadowed by the spectacle of a mushroom cloud in the distance, the result of the colossal confrontation. Despite our distance, the shockwave's effects were unmistakable, a reminder of the unprecedented chaos unleashed.

Serene's voice cut through the aftermath, directing the operations with urgency. "The distraction is over! Shadow of Light, we need to move out now! That explosion has surely drawn their attention. How many more refugees? We need to act swiftly!"

As the operations proceeded to evacuate the last of the refugees, questions about my abrupt disappearance and return were met with my habitual smile, a facade to mask the turmoil within.

"It's just a little disorientation," I reassured them, deflecting inquiries about my abilities with a reminder of the etiquette among MGs. My experience, though harrowing, underscored the unpredictable nature of our mission and the boundless possibilities that lay in the latent powers we possessed.

The story has been illicitly taken; should you find it on Amazon, report the infringement.

STATUS

Name: Yuri Shirayuki

Alias: Black Lily

Level: 17

Points: 1056

Shield Aura: 40%

Mana: 100/300 (15/Min)

The cost of using my Sin: Vainglory augment turned out to be steeper than anticipated, consuming over half of my shield strength and graying out the augment, indicating a temporary unavailability.

"Fel, can we update the augment's description to reflect its limitations?"

"Certainly, updating now:"

Sin: Vainglory

- Designate a mana construct as a secondary life. When your main body suffers a fatal hit or upon command, this augment teleports you to your designated mana construct, potentially saving your life. This process consumes half of your shield strength and incurs a penalty on mana regeneration. There's no mana cost for activation.

- Cooldown: 3 hours. Users may experience residual nausea and disorientation post-teleportation.

- Note: If a fatal situation arises without activation, survival is still ensured by automatic teleportation, prioritizing the safe transfer of your soul gem and attached organics, reconstructing them at the target location. However, detached limbs at the time of teleportation will not be transported.

Felicia elaborated on the teleportation mechanism, a sophisticated process involving the translocation of the soul gem and integrated organics, reconstructing them at the destination. This accounts for the subsequent physical discomfort experienced but guarantees the integrity of vital organs and limbs, provided they remain attached.

Grateful for Felicia's thorough explanation and reassurance, I acknowledged the strategic value of this augment despite its constraints.

With the evacuation successfully completed, it was time to regroup and prepare for the next phase. Serene's command to assemble signaled the operation's conclusion for now, with promises of further coordination and a reminder for punctuality in the face of impending challenges. "Let's proceed, everyone. Shadow, ensure the next ferry's timely arrival; we count on your efficiency!"

The beast, now blinded in one eye, resumed its patrol near Guardian Command, its rage rendering it oblivious to our presence. The other creatures, with seemingly poorer detection abilities, didn't notice us at all. Safely returning to Guardian Command, we secured the blast door behind us, ensuring I placed mana eyes on it before departing.

"Cheers to a successful mission!" Serene raised a glass of water in the cafeteria, toasting to our collective effort. "Tomorrow, we depart from this tumultuous place, bound for the comfort of Eden's soft beds."

A chorus of cheers followed, though a question lingered in the air. "Where's Mayor John?" Alice and Serene scanned the cafeteria, now noticeably emptier, yet still sheltering over 1700 people.

"He left with Osamu Shirayuki and other VIPs," Ocean revealed, causing a stir among us.

"What? He left his daughter here?" Alice's outburst prompted facepalms from Red Flame and Sapphire.

Serene considered this. "Well, Yuri Shirayuki is too significant to be left behind. He must've taken her with him." However, Ocean's headshake dismissed that possibility. "I didn't see a high school girl with Osamu Shirayuki when they boarded."

"That's appalling," Red Hound commented.

"Perhaps they boarded at different times. Yuri Shirayuki, being their prized princess, surely took priority," Wallbreaker speculated, unknowingly addressing the very person they discussed.

The revelation that Osamu had abandoned Yuri despite explicit orders to protect her sparked disbelief. "So much for familial bonds," Sapphire remarked, reflecting on the often selfish nature of humanity contrasted with her own parents' exception.

"Yuri really wasn't with them?" Serene pressed for confirmation.

"Nope, she wasn't," came the unanimous response, the irony lost on them that I, the subject of their concern, stood among them, their efforts unknowingly safeguarding the very princess they believed to be absent.

"Are you certain about Yuri's whereabouts? Alice, you're saying she's neither at the airport nor the dock? Perhaps we should confirm with other MGs." Serene got up, ready to approach the other Magical Girls seated some distance away, each group immersed in their own discussions.

"I'm Yuri's friend, but I can confirm she didn't board the ferry with the others."

Concerned, Serene proposed, "Let's check her room to make sure she catches the next one. It's puzzling how we missed her; I assumed she'd be the first to evacuate. Where is her room, Shining?"

At that moment, the trio of Magical Girls turned their gaze towards me. Acknowledging their looks, I affirmed, "I am Yuri Shirayuki, Miss Serene Night. While I'm comfortable disclosing this to you, I'd prefer if it wasn't made public just yet."

Serene, taken aback, eventually nodded in understanding. "Ah, that explains the room arrangement between Black Lily and Shining Arrow." She then bowed respectfully. "I swear on my soul gem to keep your secret. My apologies for making you share your private information, and thank you for trusting me with your private information."

Changing the subject, she expressed, "Let's focus on our meal for now. But honestly, Black Lily, I'd love to have you on my team. Alice, you're so fortunate!"

"Serene, it's not right to poach our new member," Alice protested.

"Consider it healthy competition! We have space for one more in our team. Your skill and finesse are comparable to a Rank E. Once you reach level 25, you'll gain additional benefits from your augment, and at fifty, an upgrade to your grimoire or signature. You'll become much stronger. I'd be remiss as a leader not to extend an invitation."

I responded with a gentle refusal, "I'm not looking to join any team at the moment."

This declaration surprised both Alice and Sapphire. "But you promised to teach me staff combat techniques!" Sapphire exclaimed, highlighting a promise I had made. A roar reverberated from the outside, and a soldier reported the happenings to us.

As we ventured outside, prompted by the urgent call, we were met with a sight that temporarily silenced our banter. The anathemas, previously just mindless threats, seemed to be orchestrating something far beyond their typical behavior, a formation or a pattern that seemed strategic and deliberate. Serene, typically unflappable, paused to observe the unusual activity.

"Never seen them act like this before," she murmured, her casual demeanor shifting to one of alert curiosity. The magical creatures, once scattered, now moved with a purpose, aligning themselves in a manner that suggested a looming, larger threat or perhaps a signal of a formidable leader's presence.

"Is this... coordination? An organized rebellion?" Alice whispered, tension underlying her usual cheerfulness. The shift in the anathemas' behavior hinted at an evolution or a new command structure we hadn't anticipated.

Serene contemplated the scene, her strategic mind analyzing the potential implications. "This could indicate a higher level of intelligence or influence among them... or a new type of anathema we've yet to encounter. Either way, we'll need to adjust our approach."

The mood among us became one of wariness, the night's earlier camaraderies replaced by the weight of the unknown challenge ahead. As we stood together, watching the anathemas' movements, the sense of unity among us—despite our differences and the brief moments of light-heartedness—was a silent vow to face whatever was coming, together.