About Becoming a Magical Girl, Chapter 16

21, The Forgotten Danger

"Headquarters has detected an abnormal resonance signal source. It is suspected that the Whale-type Erosion Entity that escaped Beyond the Boundary last time has attacked again! Headquarters has issued orders to dispatch..."

Yukina stared at the gloom overhead, her face completely drained of color.

"That is...!"

"...That is an Erosion Entity, humanity's enemy... It seems there's no time to savor today's dessert."

Efnir glanced at Yukina and helped her to her feet, as she was too terrified to move.

"But don't be afraid. I'm here, and there are also Special Disaster Division soldiers on duty nearby. Please follow Miss Shinomiyami and evacuate from here."

As she spoke, silver light flickered around Efnir. Her clothes had already changed into a combat uniform, and the spear in her hand reflected a cold gleam.

"Nami, Yukina is in your care. Make sure you escort her safely to the shelter. Leave the Erosion here to me! I need to settle both old and new scores with that thing..."

Shinomiyami Nami stood ramrod straight and pulled Yukina into her arms.

"Rest assured! I will complete the mission!"

"Mm. Then, see you later."

Efnir took a deep breath, gave Yukina one more look, then turned and walked to the window before pushing it open.

The wind outside was scorching hot, carrying a chaotic mix of screams and explosions as it rushed inside. From here, she could clearly see countless Erosion Entities overhead.

Efnir stepped onto the windowsill.

At that moment, Yukina suddenly shuddered. She abruptly remembered her brother. That morning, she had seen him.

He might still be at the venue now.

"P-Please wait! Please wait!!"

Using all her strength, Yukina slipped out from beneath Shinomiyami Nami's arm like a loach. Shouting loudly, she ran to Efnir's side and anxiously grabbed her sleeve.

"Efnir! P-Please take me to the venue too! I... My brother is still there!! I have to find him!!"

"Y-Your brother?"

Yukina's words made both Efnir and Shinomiyami Nami freeze for a moment. Efnir's expression, in particular, suddenly became subtle.

Efnir said nothing. Seeing this, Shinomiyami Nami cautiously asked:

"Your brother... is at the venue?"

"Yes! I... I saw him with my own eyes..."

Yukina clutched Efnir's sleeve tightly, tears gathering at the corners of her eyes.

"This morning, beside the waiting area... So..."

Efnir remained silent.

That morning, he really had appeared there, together with Shinomiyami Nami.

"No. The venue is too dangerous right now. You can't go there."

Efnir immediately cut Yukina off.

"B-But... It's precisely because it's dangerous that I have to go! My brother... I have to find him..."

"If that's all, leave it to me. Your brother will definitely be fine."

Shinomiyami Nami also said:

"Besides, Miss Yukina, even if you went there now, you wouldn't be able to help. You would only add to the workload of us Orderkeepers, and that would only prevent more people from receiving effective rescue."

"But my brother..."

"If something happened to you, your brother would be heartbroken too."

Shinomiyami Nami gave Efnir a meaningful look. Efnir pressed her lips together and said nothing.

Yukina bit down hard on her lower lip and lowered her gaze.

Her hands trembled. Figures falling one after another, the terrifying shadow of the Erosion Entities—memories replayed before her eyes one by one, and fear surged into her heart. Just as Shinomiyami Nami had said, even if she went, she would only cause Efnir trouble.

If it was Efnir... she could surely save everyone, right?

Gradually, she loosened her grip, raised her head, and looked at Efnir.

"Then... You must come back safely too..."

Efnir did not answer. She merely reached out and placed a hand atop Yukina's head.

She gently rubbed it.

On the steel framework, scorching beneath the sun, Efnir stood atop the venue's dome against the black wind, her face expressionless.

In the sky, a black floating island blotted out the heavens like a massive cruise ship hovering directly above the sports venue. Besides it, there were countless flying creatures, each as large as a person. Packed densely together, they spread their wings and floated after the Whale like featherless crows. Like hawks hunting prey, they would dive down and bare their fangs at their targets.

Efnir had never encountered Erosion Entities resembling these Crows before.

"Efnir, can you hear me?"

A clear female voice came through her earpiece. Shinomiyami Nami was contacting her. She was Efnir's operator; although she was currently acting as Efnir's manager, she was also responsible for providing intelligence support and feedback from the rear.

"I can hear you. Go ahead."

"I've taken Yukina out of the danger zone. Next, I'll head with her to the nearest shelter. After getting her settled, I'll return to my post."

"Good work, Nami. I'm entrusting Yukina to you. Please make sure she stays safe."

Efnir paused before speaking.

"Also, please don't tell her about me."

"Don't worry, I understand. Even if I die, I won't let her get hurt."

"That doesn't need to be so dramatic... Well, never mind. Thank you."

"You don't need to be so polite with me. Besides, ensuring all logistical support is in place is also the duty of us Orderkeepers... Ah, right, Efnir. I received word from headquarters. Because of an investigation, the Commander is unable to direct operations right now. She has ordered you to act as the interim field commander."

"Is that so? My turn this time, huh... The Commander really does love putting people to work."

When Qinglan had still been around, she had always held the position of field commander.

With Qinglan gone, that burden had fallen onto Efnir's shoulders. Before she knew it, Efnir had become the city's most senior agent.

"Suddenly, there's one more thing to do. That's really... not funny. Fine, then, my operator, Miss Shinomiyami Nami, can you handle it?"

"Absolutely no problem!"

"That's good. After all, things on my end don't look too optimistic. I definitely can't hold this off alone."

"Huh? Even you're saying that, Efnir? Has the situation already become that severe?"

"A little..."

Efnir raised her eyes.

"In any case, keep your distance."

The black shapes kept circling overhead. The oppressive force brought by their overwhelming numbers was almost suffocating.

Efnir was not particularly skilled at aerial combat. During her last battle against the Whale in front of headquarters, the surrounding high-rises had given her opportunities to attack. But now, in an open place like this sports venue, with few footholds beneath her feet, Efnir could not make proper use of her strength at all.

Even if she used Order Force to form stairs beneath her feet, climbing to such a height in one go would be asking far too much. Unless she could use an aircraft to drop herself above the Whale, she could use the stairs to gain a brief opportunity for aerial combat.

But in the face of such absolute numbers, that method could hardly be called efficient.

If only Fifina were here.

Compared to Efnir, Fifina was one of the few agents capable of providing long-range combat support. Even if she could not completely turn the tide, she could better cover the evacuation of the crowd and allow Efnir and the other agents to fight without restraint.

That slender, adorable figure flashed through Efnir's mind, but she knew clearly that Fengling Shiyin could no longer appear here.

"Efnir?"

Shinomiyami Nami's voice sounded in her ear. Efnir took a deep breath and cleared her thoughts.

"Sorry... I got distracted just now."

"Are you... all right? Getting distracted in the middle of a battle doesn't seem like you..."

"It's nothing. I just remembered something... I'll pull myself together."

Even if something was wrong, Shinomiyami Nami could not possibly urge her to retreat from the battlefield.

This level of concern was honestly unnecessary.

"Efnir, you..."

"Anyway, enough small talk. Nami, you should be able to receive the footage from my side now, right?"

"No problem. I can see it."

"Then let me explain the current situation. I've been observing the Erosion Entities that appeared so suddenly this time. Since they showed up, they've remained concentrated directly above the venue. But strangely... after launching one wave of attacks, those things have not made another move."

The Whale and the Crows kept floating in the air, wandering aimlessly like drunkards. From time to time, they let out ear-piercing shrieks, yet they showed no intention of descending, much less attacking.

They looked as though they were waiting for something.

Although this gave the people stranded here more time to evacuate, it also gave Efnir more room to wait for reinforcements.

However, the Whale's and Crows' behavior made Efnir uneasy. They seemed poised to strike, but they also seemed to have appeared here deliberately for some purpose. What they were doing now had absolutely nothing to do with her appearance.

Erosion Entities could not possibly possess intelligence, yet none of this could be explained by instinct either.

"With their numbers and scale, this is undoubtedly a Special A-class disaster. But more than that, what concerns me is this: how did they cross the Boundary Stele's detection network and appear here without any warning at all? If the attack on headquarters last time was merely a one-in-ten-thousand coincidence, then this time..."

Efnir lowered her voice. The speculation rising in her heart made it impossible for her not to think further.

After the White Hole Incident, every city had come to rely on Boundary Steles to survive. They were products integrating relic technology, appearing to be enormous stone monuments standing at the edges of cities. Like earth veins, the Boundary Steles connected with one another to form an interwoven giant net that completely shrouded the cities.

This giant net kept out the erosion caused by White Holes. Within the Boundary Steles lay the city, the safe zone. Beyond them was an endless expanse of white—the vast, desolate region known as Beyond the Boundary, filled with innumerable Erosion Entities.

Beyond the Boundary was also known as the Fallen Zone. Almost no humans could survive there. Only a small number of Erosion Entities would slip through the Boundary Steles' giant net during a Collapse and invade the human world.

By observing the varying degrees of vibration from Boundary Steles in different locations, the Orderkeepers could accurately calculate where Erosion Entities would appear before they emerged. At that point, agents would be dispatched to banish the Erosion Entities and prevent them from threatening the city.

This was how the world had always operated, but five days ago, everything changed.

22, Missed Call

If the crisis five days ago had been an accident, it could still be explained as an occasional anomaly in White Hole fluctuations causing abnormal observation data and resulting in a miscalculation. But could this completely unannounced Erosion still be called a coincidence?

What was more, when news of the Erosion arrived, Shinomiyami Nami had brought another piece of news as well.

A Beacon had been stolen.

"If someone intercepted the data transmitted back from the Boundary Steles, they could easily learn the time and location of this Erosion's appearance. Could they then use that as cover to steal the Beacon?"

Shinomiyami Nami's voice came through the earpiece. Efnir merely gave a quiet hum.

"I won't jump to conclusions... But no matter what, I think it deserves serious attention."

The Beacon was the crystallization of relic technology. It was because of the Beacon that agents came to exist.

It was technology that nearly transcended the boundaries of matter and energy. It was not difficult to understand why someone might set their sights on such power beyond common sense. The organization had always maintained strict control over information in this regard. Other than that forgotten past, no major problems had ever occurred. But that did not mean there would be no mistakes in the future. If the previous attack on headquarters had also been part of a plan, then this matter was far more complicated than anything visible on the surface.

"Then I'll report this to the organization truthfully."

"No need. I'll speak to the Commander personally afterward. That's the only way to ensure nothing goes wrong... Well, for now, let's deal with the immediate problem first."

"That's true..."

"Nami, the enemy's numbers are far greater than expected. I'm afraid I can't clear them all out alone. To avoid provoking those things, I don't plan to act rashly yet. I'm simply waiting and observing... They don't look like they'll move immediately, so use this chance to contact the Special Disaster response teams and have them complete the crowd evacuation and sheltering work as quickly as possible."

The other end went silent for a moment.

"Understood. I've received the situation report. Also, I just received word from the Commander. The Special Disaster emergency response teams have already arrived at the scene. At the same time, emergency evacuation alerts have been issued for the areas surrounding the central sports arena. Support orders have been sent to the other agents. Reinforcements will arrive soon and rendezvous with you immediately."