After a few hours of waiting, Tsugumi suddenly felt the sky shaking.
āThe sky was shaking, and an A-class Demonic Beast was manifesting itself.
At the same time, under the instruction of the staff, the Magical Girl ā Shiraki ā rushed out into the blackened and distorted sky. In the blink of an eye, she had set up a barrier and disappeared into the mirrored world.
After confirming this, Tsugumi and Kazaguruma moved to the mirror where they could see the battle with the Demonic Beast. Looking into the large mirror, Kazaguruma narrowed her eyes and muttered to herself.
āIs that an ebony-colored snake?ā
āNo, itās not a snake. āIt is about 500 meters long, and swims leisurely in the sky. It has large horns and claws that sprout from a foot-like object. This Demonic Beast bears a striking resemblance to the ādragonā often seen in Asian folklore.ā
The staff member observing the mirror replied to Kazagurumaās words while tapping on the computer.
āIs it a dragon? Does that mean it manipulates storms or causes lightning to strike?ā
When Tsugumi asked this question, the staff member opened his mouth with a difficult look.
āIf itās according to the folklore, itās probably true, but we wonāt know for sure until we fight it. ā¦If it has a weakness like the lore says, it would be easy, but the opponent is an A-class Demonic Beast. There may be a lot of different aspects.ā
At these words, Tsugumi nodded his head in understanding. It was true that many A-class Demonic Beasts were based on folklore and mythology, but even their characteristics didnāt always take after the folklore.
A good example would be the Minotaurās Labyrinth, which Tsugumi once fought in a simulation. In mythology, that labyrinth was a vaulted structure with no ceiling, so it wasnāt a dark labyrinth at all.
In addition, although not many cases had been confirmed, there had been cases of Demonic Beasts combining creatures from completely different folklore. They needed to be vigilant.
āShirakiās abilities are [Spear] and [Earth]. Theyāre not compatible with flying beasts. āWell, there might be some countermeasures.ā
āYes, she has improved her weaknesses in that area. Otherwise, she wouldnāt have gotten an A-class battle permit.ā
Lured by the staff memberās voice, he looked into the mirror. There, the image of Shiraki running up to the sky using manipulated soil as a springboard was reflected.
With nimble steps, Shiraki reached the air where the Dragon was circling, swinging a large spear much taller than she was. In response, the Dragon seemed to be counterattacking with wind and lightning created by its slow movements. It seemed that the ability of the Dragon was exactly as Tsugumi predicted.
āThe Dragonās attacks were less powerful than expected. At first, he assumed it would be a storm-like wind, but apparently, the beast wasnāt powerful enough to change the weather. Well, heād heard that there were variations in power even among A-class Demonic Beasts, so maybe this Demonic Beast was not that strong.
For the next few minutes, Tsugumi silently stared at the scene, but so far the battle seemed to be in Shirakiās favor. At this rate, it might not be long before she pierced the Dragonās reverse scale ā or the demon core itself.
āHmm. At this rate, thereās no room for me and Hagakure Sakura. Okay, letās get ready to move out.ā
āItās still early,Ā Kazaguruma-san. But Iām glad. It looks like it will end without incident.ā
Tsugumi replied with a smile. When he first received the order, he had a slight desire to fight an A-class Demonic Beast, but it would be better if no one had to die. Besides, once this battle was over, there would be one more A-class Magical Girl. Considering her strength, it was a pleasant prospect.
āSpeaking of which, is there any type of Demonic Beast that you donāt like, Kazaguruma-san?ā
Looking in the mirror, Tsugumi distractedly asked Kazaguruma a question. Regardless of the current state of the battle, he thought at least small talk would be tolerated.
Kazaguruma looked dumbfounded at the sudden question, then shrugged and began to speak.
āIām not good with multiplying type and Demonic Beasts that require strange conditions to be defeated. My abilities ā [Smoke] and [Light] ā are good for disruption and single-point breakthroughs. Oh, and I donāt like insects.ā
āI see. Iām not good with the multiplying type either. Iāve had so much trouble with Radon.Ā Fufu, even so, itās surprising. You donāt like insects?ā
When Tsugumi made fun of her, Kazaguruma pouted her mouth as if he had betrayed her and said in a low voice.
āā¦Iām still fine with the giant Demonic Beasts. I canāt accept a swarm of dung beetles under a stone, or a large number of oil beetles clinging to the grass, or newly hatched praying mantis eggs, or any other swarm. I canāt accept it physiologically. It gives me goosebumps.ā
āAh, it certainly feels a bit disgusting. When I was a kid, I used to touch them without any worries, but now I donāt think I want to touch them that much.ā
When Tsugumi responded with a sigh, Kazaguruma stepped back with a drawn look and hugged herself, shaking her head.
āRight now, the distance between us has definitely increased. Hagakure Sakura is more mischievous than everyone imagined. I feel like crying because of the misinterpretation.ā
āWhat an exaggeration. ā¦Ah, Shiraki-san cut off the Dragonās hind legs.ā
As he looked in the mirror while interacting with Kazagurma like a child, he saw the scene where Shiraki cut off the Dragonās hind legs. The legs separated from the dragonās body and fell to the ground. Looking at that scene, Tsugumi felt a slight sense of discomfort.
āThe Dragon was not bleeding. And it didnāt even flinch when it lost its leg. Did it have no sense of pain?
Many of the Demonic Beasts that Tsugumi had fought had bled when they had been cut, and it seemed they felt a certain amount of pain when a part of their body was cut off. But the Dragon had none of that.
It was possible that the Dragonās body structure was just designed that way, but it really bothered Tsugumi.
While he was pondering, Shirakiās onslaught continued, and finally, the tip of her spear sliced through the Dragonās neck, the part of the body where the power of the Demonic Beast was felt most strongly. With half of its neck cut off, the Dragon slowly fell to the ground as if it had run out of power.
As it did so, Tsugumi felt the power concentrated in the Dragonās head disperse. Apparently, when the Dragonās head was decapitated, its demon core was shattered. āA Demonic Beast with its demon core shattered couldnāt fight anymore. In other words, Shiraki had won this battle.
The staff members who were watching the scene murmured in relief.
āIām glad. ā¦It looks like the promotion examination will end without incident this time.ā
āI guess so. There hasnāt been a lot of good news lately, so Iām sure everyone will be happy about this. I must send my congratulations to Shiraki-san as well.ā
But while the staff member was smiling cheerfully, Tsugumi was staring intently at the mirror screen. There, he saw Shirakiās happy gut-punch as she landed on the ground and the image of the Dragon as it fell down.
The Dragon had completely stopped moving, not even twitching. āBut what was this feeling of turmoils?
As Tsugumi stared at the mirror with a serious face, Kazaguruma called out to him with a curious look.
āDid you see anything odd?ā
āNoā¦ Itās just strange that the magic nucleus shattered even though the tip of the blade didnāt hit it directly.ā
āItās true that it was a bit fragile for an A-class. But as long as the magic nucleus is shattered, a win is a win.Ā Itās no use worrying about it.ā
āWell, thatās true.ā
After being persuaded by Kazaguruma, Tsugumi tried to take his eyes off the mirror in order to prepare to go home.
Then, he saw a small insect-like object moving at the edge of the mirror. Tsugumi stopped moving and stared intently into the mirror.
It was a small insect, so small that it was buried in the weeds. A winged creature with black and ebony colors mixing in, much like the Dragon lying on its side. Yes, it was just like a locust grasshopper.
When Thrush arrived at that thought, he felt the blood in his body run cold. The remains of the Dragon had fallen to surround Shiraki, and she was right in the center of it. If his prediction was correctāShiraki could never escape.
āā¦No, run away.ā
āHmm? What are you talking about?ā
Kazaguruma called out to him, but he didnāt hear it.
Tsugumiās face turned pale, and although he understood that his voice wouldnāt reach Shiraki, he shouted at the mirror.
āItās not a dragon! That thing is going to eat you alive if you donāt get out of there!ā
ā ā ā
Shiraki Ren laughed happily as she was surrounded by the carcass of an A-class Demonic Beastāthe Dragon she had slain.
No wonder. After five years of hard work, she was finally one step closer to her dream.
āIf she became an A-class, she would receive various kinds of support from the government, and she would also become much better known to the public. Like this, surely she would be able to reach Jukka.
āIāve always dreamed of thisā¦!Ā I wonder if Iāve gotten a little closer to Sakura-san with thisā
Saying that, Shiraki looked up at the sky with blushing cheeks.
Shiraki wanted to become a Magical Girl because she looked up to āSakura Akaneā.
When Shiraki was young, her mother had once been attacked by a Demonic Beast and Sakura Akane had saved her from danger. Her mother told the young Shiraki about it at every chance she got. It was inevitable that Shiraki became a Magical Girl, just like an imprint.
Shiraki was in high spirits. āThatās why she didnāt notice it.
The body of the dragon, ebony-colored with black spots, was falling apart. And the body of the dragon that had spread out on the ground ā or rather, the flying locust grasshoppers that made up the dragonās body ā flew up all at once with a rustle of their wings.
āāEh?ā
Shiraki looked up dumbfounded, but her vision was instantly filled with darkness. Before she had the time to scream, something hard jumped into her mouth. While feeling the pain of her flesh being gouged out from outside and inside her body, Shiraki thought.
āWhy? I should have won.
Her consciousness was swallowed up along with the pain. Oddly enough, it was similar to the feeling she had before falling asleep.
ā ā ā
āāKuh, Iāll get ready for the next barrier! All personnel, take your positions! The battle is not over yet!ā
Tsugumi hissed, staring sternly at Shiraki, who had instantly turned into an ebony-colored mass.
āW-whatās that? A swarm of grasshoppers? I thought there was only one Demonic Beast, or is it an Irregular?ā
To the staff member who raised his voice in a daze, Tsugumi replied with a calm voice.
āI donāt know. The thing is, itās only meaningful as a colony. It may be natural for it to appear in this way.ā
āIndividuals in a group. A group as an individual. A living disaster that ate up all kinds of food and spread despair and fear. A loathsome enemy, a messenger of the devil, imputing sinful deeds to an innocent God.
āLocusts. āA fearless demon created by nature.ā
Tsugumi said, scoffing.
The reason it took on the form of a dragon was probably because it didnāt have A-class status in its original existence. The dragonās characteristics were added to compensate for this. Grasshoppers were not supposed to eat meat, but they were Demonic Beasts in the form of grasshoppers. Even if they ate excessively, there was no sense of incongruity.
And the fact that the nucleus seemed to have been shattered by Shirakiās attack was probably a fake. They faked the shattering of the nucleus by preferentially distributing the nucleus to several individuals and then moving those individuals at the moment of the attack. It seemed they were very devious.
āNo, such considerations are not important. The important thing is how to kill these pests.
Thinking that, Tsugumi turned his head toward Kazaguruma who was staring at the mirror with a very pale face and her mouth shut.
ā¦It might be harsh to ask Kazaguruma who really hated insects to fight this swarm of grasshoppers. He didnāt think that Kazaguruma of Jukka would be slowed down by such personal feelings, but it would be safer for Tsugumi to leave here.
āKazaguruma-san. Iāll be out this time.ā
āā¦Sorry for bothering you.ā
When Kazaguruma bowed her head apologetically after he said that, Tsugumi deliberately spoke brightly.
āIn exchange, when I return safely, please take me out to eat delicious food. āItās a promise.ā
When Tsugumi said so, Kazaguruma smiled, embarrassed, and nodded slightly.
āI understand. Iāll reserve a very expensive place. Good luckā¦ā
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Tsugumi nodded firmly at her cheer and called out to the staff, then dashed outside. The barrier was already distorted and in a state that would come undone at any moment.
Tsugumi lowered his eyes slightly to mourn and thrust his right hand into the sky. At that moment, Tsugumiās figure shakily vanished.
āBarrier is redeployed. āIām not going to let some imitation of [Gluttony] win.ā