Miluno's Debut Battle

"Hey, little sister, it's time to take refuge."

The store manager was greeting customers outside.

Be alert, but not panicked.

Over the years, we have long since become accustomed to living with alarms.

"Oh well!"

I quickly put on my clothes and ran out of the changing room.

The Wormhole Alarm Evacuation Guidelines stipulate that upon hearing the alarm, one must immediately evacuate and follow the evacuation directions indicated by the hologram in an orderly manner. Any losses caused by External Invader will be compensated by a corresponding fund.

As a result, I ended up wearing a black sailor uniform and went to take refuge with the shop manager because the skirt was ridiculously long, and I had to carry it while running.

Leaving the mall building, I jogged with the store manager onto the main avenue of C4 Area. There were some problems with vehicle evacuation, and many people left their cars behind and chose to proceed on foot. Because of the evacuation signs projected in holographic projections, very few people ran in the wrong direction. The entire evacuation team moved away from the location with the blue halo in the sky in an orderly manner.

The shop manager squinted, seemingly quite pleased with my attire.

"Oh? You change clothes really fast."

"Because sailor uniforms are very comfortable to wear."

"But it suits you perfectly; you were born to be a delinquent."

Why do I feel like you're insulting me?

"Haha, then you can have this sailor uniform as an apology."

She stopped at a small intersection without even holographic signs.

"I'm retreating in this direction, you go ahead!"

"... Wait, isn't it illegal to not follow the designated route?"

"Don't worry about me, hurry up and get to safety!"

As she spoke, she disappeared into the path.

I didn't say anything more.

After all, I was also looking for an opportunity to break up with her.

Having finally become a magical girl, fighting Monster is an essential part of the experience. I also want to test my magic in real combat to see just how powerful it can be.

My magic is manipulating the flow of time.

However, as the acceleration rate increases, I will also experience the pressure brought by the acceleration. The air will become heavy for me, and it will not only be difficult to breathe, but every move will feel like being in the deep sea. Taking a step will require all my strength, and it may even lead to muscle strain.

However, the acceleration multiplier is just a concept I came up with myself. Magic itself doesn't have such convenient speed settings; the control over the flow of time is entirely up to me.

Therefore, I need to be highly focused during acceleration to avoid accidentally letting time overwhelm me.

"Oh, police..."

The wormhole that was opened this time was located at a crossroads, and armed police had cordoned off all four directions.

Theoretically, I could get in, but I'm not known to anyone yet.

Then using magic to prove one's identity should suffice, right?

I walked towards the armed police who formed the blockade line from the front.

The expected evacuation call didn't come. Did they already realize I'm a magical girl?

It seems my innate aura makes me clearly not an ordinary person...

"May I go in?"

I asked directly.

The armed police officer wearing the leader's armband nodded.

"Wearing such strange clothes... you must be a new magical girl, right?"

Oh, so that's why!

My Battle Dress is pretty normal, but this sailor uniform is definitely a bit...

"Um."

Retrieve the dark gold twin blades from the Star Crystal to prove your identity.

"This is my weapon."

The squad leader replied, "Of course... but since you're newbies, it's best to wait for the magical girls in the C4 Area to arrive so we can handle it together. After all, your job is very dangerous, and it'll be safer to have someone look after you."

Yes, a while ago a magical girl was beaten so badly that she was paralyzed on one side, which made the news. The calls for improved treatment of injured magical girls have never stopped.

But...

"I can wait for her, but the Monster won't."

"I'm sorry, you're right... In that case, I can only wish you good luck in your military campaign."

The armed police still put me directly below the wormhole.

I can only wait until the wormhole opens; I can't just stand by and watch those Monster cause chaos, can I?

As we stepped into the crossroads that would soon become a battlefield, several of the Association's drones flew overhead; were they going to broadcast the news later?

The Association is using magical girl battles as a money-making tool, but it won't be broadcast until the wormhole opens, so I don't need to worry too much for now.

But what's with the magical girl in C4 Area?

It's her territory, after all, how come she arrived even slower than me?

The magical girl did not appear.

Buzz--

But the wormhole opened as scheduled.

Phase-Detection Airship can pinpoint their activation time to the second. Human research into wormhole technology is already quite advanced; perhaps in a few years we'll be able to travel the world freely using this technology?

This kind of groundbreaking technological revolution is arguably the only gain humanity received from the devastating war twelve years ago.

A speck of light fell through the wormhole.

"Aww!"

The massive External Invader landed heavily.

It lay prone on the ground with twisted, humanoid limbs...

Calling it "crawling" is not quite accurate.

The Monster's posture resembled a human body flipped over, belly up, but its head was shaped like a crocodile, making it look exceptionally ugly and ferocious. Its physique also befitted its seven-minute activation time.

They encountered a heavyweight in their very first battle.

But I didn't feel much fear inside. The rationality I gained after transforming suppressed these negative emotions, making me like a fearless warrior.

There was no one else around. The Monster looked around and finally fixed his gaze on me.

What should I do?

Let's first see what we can achieve with a full-force attack...

Time-Freeze!

This is the name I gave to my magic.

By accelerating oneself, one can freeze the entire world!

The flow of time was stretched to its limit, increasing the speed by about ten times. The Monster who had been crawling over was now moving as slowly as a snail.

I rushed in front of it, but its pupils couldn't even keep up with me.

I'm not just fast anymore.

Instead of using the dual short swords I wasn't used to, I chose to kick them.

The rough, rock-like crocodile head looks very sturdy, perhaps providing a visual indication of the power of my kick.

Bang--

Even at high speed, a dull thud could be heard as the crocodile's head, like a watermelon struck by a baseball bat, shattered into large red fragments.

A complete annihilation; it even owes me several vials of health.

The scene was so bloody that I couldn't help but frown.

I thought I'd kick it away, body and all, but instead it just shattered. Its body remained relatively stable, barely shifting despite the headshot.

Was it because my kick was too fast?

It was as if I had been hit by a blunt bullet.

"It's over?"

I dispelled the spell, relieved myself of all the pressure, and I was still somewhat incredulous.

The Association's drone reacted just as quickly, turning its camera to my face and snapping away.

It seems...

I'm about to become famous.