Chapter 1: Magical Girl and Heretics
“Monsters! The monsters have appeared!”
A terrified scream exploded on the street like a thunderclap, striking without warning.
In an instant, fear enveloped the entire street, the original calm shattered and chaos ensued.
“It’s monsters! It’s… it’s goblins!”
“They’re crawling out of the sewers!”
“Run!!”
At the heart of this turmoil, several ugly, lewd-looking green monsters were continuously surging out from the narrow sewer entrance like a tidal wave.
These monsters came from a distant other world, sworn enemies of humanity, and for women, they were nothing short of a nightmare.
As one of the most common yet despicable monster groups in the otherworld, goblins excel in group combat. Their desire-filled brains often focus solely on the most primal and vile instincts.
They are naturally vicious, with an endless thirst for killing and plunder; their underdeveloped minds are filled with ideas on how to cruelly kill men, turn them into food, and how to abduct women to reproduce more offspring.
The first few goblins to crawl out of the sewer stared with their greedily glimmering eyes, the size of green beans, looking around as if searching for prey to target.
“Hehehe… Look at how many little humans there are! We’ve found a good place!”
“Kill them all! Then bring them back!”
“Bring them back!”
Accompanied by a series of strange calls, they waved their crude iron bars or rusted cleavers and scuttled forward on their short legs, nearly the same length as their arms, like a pack of mad dogs rushing towards the panicked crowd.
In an instant, the crowd erupted into sharp screams, fleeing in all directions like frightened birds and beasts.
Meanwhile, on a tall building beside the street, two pairs of eyes calmly observed all of this.
“…Zhan, aren’t we going to save those people?” A voice with a hint of youthfulness yet an odd tone quietly sounded from the silent high-rise.
“There’s no need. Right now, they’re just dispersing the crowd… Look closely, rather than capturing people, these twisted monsters prefer to gather together at this moment. And remember, call me Liora,” a second voice responded coldly and steadily, devoid of any emotion.
“Alright… Liora, are we just going to watch like this?”
“These goblins are quite cunning; let’s observe for a while longer. I think they should be arriving soon.”
As soon as the words fell, a sharp sound pierced the air. Three dazzling beams of red, yellow, and blue light fell from the sky like meteors. In the blink of an eye, three elegantly dressed girls radiating a mysterious aura suddenly descended into the chaotic battlefield, positioning themselves firmly between the goblins and the fleeing crowd.
“Monsters, listen! From now on, you shall not take another step forward!”
The girl at the forefront, dressed in red, held tightly onto a staff radiating a pinkish glow, raising it high and pointing it at the group of snarling goblins. Her youthful face was filled with determination and fearlessness, showing no sign of fear whatsoever.
“Look! It’s the magical girls! We’re saved!”
“It’s the magical girls from the Crimson League! This is wonderful!”
The appearance of the three girls was like a ray of hope breaking through the clouds of fear. The previously panicked crowd seemed to have swallowed a calming pill the moment they saw them, and their emotions gradually stabilized.
“Everyone! Quickly evacuate this place! Leave these rude scoundrels to us!” The blue magical girl turned to shout at the crowd, then unsheathed her sword, pointing it at the group of monsters.
“Well… they’re quick to respond, but it’s only the three main fighters coming? That’s enough to deal with a group of goblins.”
On the high platform, the mysterious girl observed with interest.
“However, I don’t agree with the straightforward assault strategy; if it were me, I would at least let the swift Blue Flash go for a sneak attack.”
“Hey, ambushing isn’t exactly the way of a magical girl.”
“Conservative… this kind of thinking will only increase casualties.”
“Um…”
“But… those perverse monsters seem to have come prepared. Let’s keep an eye on it.”
On the street, the goblins and the magical girls had begun to clash—though to say clash would be misleading since it was more of an overwhelming one-sided situation for the magical girls. Goblins, being one of the lowest tier monsters, could manage against unarmed civilians but had nothing but punishment awaiting them when facing magical girls.
“Take that!” The leading magical girl, Crimson Meteor, swung her staff, unleashing a dazzling burst of pink light that exploded, sending goblins tumbling.
Blue Flash and Clear Golden Echo—the other two magical girls—held swords and axes, confronting the goblins that rushed towards them.
“Red! Don’t charge too far ahead!” Clear Golden Echo yelled loud enough to warn Crimson Meteor, who was too eager to engage.
Crimson Meteor was the main force among the three; although her magic was powerful, its range was lacking.
While it seemed that Crimson Meteor’s bombardment sent goblins toppling, they were actually retreating in unison towards a common direction.
When Crimson Meteor turned around, she realized that the goblins were deliberately delaying Blue Flash and Clear Golden Echo, while the ones engaging with her intended to retreat; hmm… they were trying to separate Crimson from the other two.
“Ah… It looks like that’s what’s happening.”
“They’re targeting Crimson.”
As the saying goes, the bystander sees clearly.
“Red! Come back! It’s a trap!” Clear Golden Echo shouted, understanding the goblins’ intentions.
Crimson Meteor’s heart sank, and she turned her staff, preparing to break through.
“Hehehe! Gotcha, magical girl!”
Suddenly, the nearby sewer entrance burst open, and a sinister goblin popped out, throwing an object at Crimson Meteor—instantly, a green mist exploded, blocking her path as she attempted to escape.
Crimson Meteor quickly retreated, increasing the distance from her two companions. This attack wasn’t meant for her but to stop the trio from regrouping.
“Red! Don’t move! Wait for us!” Blue Flash gritted her teeth and swung her sword, clearing the way for two goblins as she attempted to dash towards Crimson Meteor. But soon, a swarm of goblins surrounded her, obstructing her path.
Another large group of goblins suddenly surged out from the sewer—it turned out the initial appeared group was merely a small portion.
“The twisted monsters want to control Crimson’s movements.”
“Um… but with just goblins, Crimson Meteor will break free sooner or later.”
“That’s right… so they must have an ace up their sleeve.”
On the street, countless goblins surged toward the three girls. They were tough-skinned and hard-fleshed; even Crimson Meteor’s magic couldn’t dispatch them with a single blow, at least buying some time against their approach.
Crimson Meteor fought valiantly, and the goblins were unable to get close to her. Yet she could not grasp what the monsters were truly after…
“Brothers! She’s coming! Fall back!”
One loud-mouthed goblin suddenly shouted.
Crimson Meteor was taken aback, and in an instant, the goblins surrounding her retreated like a receding tide.
Suddenly! The ground began to tremble! The asphalt cracked in countless places! Crimson Meteor felt helpless against the sudden quake, falling to the ground!
In the next moment, several slimy tentacles erupted from the ground, shooting toward Crimson Meteor with lightning speed! Caught unprepared, she was ensnared, lifted high into the air!
“Red!!” Blue Flash and Clear Golden Echo cried out urgently, rushing toward Crimson Meteor. But more tentacles shot up from below to block their path! Clear Golden Echo raised her axe to defend, barely batting them away.
“Ah! Let go of me!” Crimson Meteor struggled, but the binding tentacles only tightened their grip.
“Oh no! That’s an aberrant tentacle monster! This is bad! Crimson’s in danger!”
The small voice from the high platform rose an octave.
“I see… it seems that tentacle monster has been lying in wait for some time.”
“Liora! It’s time to act!”
“I know.”
On the street, most of the goblins had retreated back into the sewer, leaving only a small group with lewd smiles, watching the three girls’ plight.
“Red! Hold on!” Blue Flash and Clear Golden Echo swung their weapons wildly, but those tentacles were like endless chives, and they could only watch as Crimson Meteor was pulled further away.
“What do we do? Will the League’s reinforcements make it in time?” Blue Flash asked anxiously, while Clear Golden Echo’s expression grew serious, her brows furrowed, remaining silent.
“Ugh! Aahhh!!” Blue Flash, in a fit of desperation, charged forward—having lost her rationality due to panic.
Sure enough, a tentacle whipped around like a snake, brutally pulling her back. “Blue!” Clear Golden Echo could only rush to catch Blue Flash.
The tentacle monster continued to bind Crimson Meteor, starting to retreat back toward the sewer.
“No—don’t!” Blue Flash struggled to rise, still attempting to attack—
Suddenly!
A black-red beam descended from the sky, like lightning striking down from Thor himself, crashing heavily into the tentacle monster—
“Boom!!”
The vast energy transformed into a violent explosion that sent the tentacle monster’s flesh and blood flying, also blasting Crimson Meteor out from the center of the maelstrom.
“Red!” Clear Golden Echo flew up to catch Crimson Meteor mid-air, “Are you okay?!”
“Um… I’m fine…” The unexpected force had left her slightly dizzy, but her body was unharmed—after all, a magical girl’s physical resilience was impressive.
“What was… that?” Blue Flash dazedly stared at the tentacle monster—
Sticking out from the writhing mass of tentacles was a long spear, far more twisted and profane than the tentacles themselves.
It seemed to be a spear formed from flesh and bones, yet it also seemed alive, as the flesh on the spear still writhed and morphed into limbs like that of an insect, deeply embedding itself into the tentacle monster’s flesh.
The tentacle monster writhed in pain, extending its tentacles to try and pull out the bizarre object—but as soon as those slimy tentacles touched the spear, they dissolved as if they had contacted strong acid, emitting wisps of white smoke. The oozing pus was entirely absorbed by the profane object.
“What… what is that… Ugh!”
In the astonished gaze of the three magical girls, the spear seemed to have consumed enough flesh; several tumors sprouted along its length, then ruptured—transforming into multiple eyeballs!
The eyeballs whirled around, scanning the tentacle monster, then the stunned goblins not far away, and finally sweeping over the three magical girls. Goosebumps immediately covered the three girls.
A new transformation occurred—the spear that had pierced the tentacle monster’s appendages morphed into a vascular-like structure that adhered to the surface of the tentacle monster; it began to stiffen and expand outward—the spear was forcibly controlling the tentacle monster!
“Back away! Quickly back away!” Crimson Meteor, her legs weak, struggled to crawl backward. However, the tentacles did not reach for the three girls; instead, they extended toward the stunned goblins nearby—
“Ahhh!!!”
“No! No no no!!!”
Several goblins were grasped by the powerful tentacles. Yet this time, the tentacles were not gentle like when capturing Crimson Meteor; as soon as they made contact, the sound of breaking bones echoed throughout the street.
The recovering goblins panicked and ran toward the sewer entrance—but the tentacles shot forth like arrows, ensuring no goblin could escape their grasp.
Those goblins screamed as they were yanked into the air.
The tentacles began to exert their strength.
Screams gradually transformed into wails, mingled with the sounds of breaking bones and unclear groans as blood surged into their throats.
The tentacles continued to tighten their grip.
“Splurt—”
One by one, the goblins burst like water balloons, blood and brain matter splattering everywhere, even showering the trembling three magical girls!
The tentacle monster began to shrivel and wither, as if its blood had been drained. Meanwhile, the eyes on the spear closed one by one, and the spear itself gradually turned gray, as if it were transforming from flesh to stone.
As the tentacle monster transformed into a mass of lifeless remains, the spear also turned pale and then began to dissolve from the tail into ash, slowly vanishing.
Only the dry carcass of the tentacle monster remained on the street, alongside countless goblin remains and pools of red and white fluids.
The street fell silent.
The three magical girls sat dumbfounded on the ground.
…
“Ugh… Liora, no matter how many times I see it, I still feel your methods aren’t like those of a magical girl…”
A small voice peeked out from the space between the buildings.
It was a cat, a talking black cat—though that was merely its appearance; its true identity was that of an elf, a great being summoned into the world to grant girls the power to become magical girls.
“What’s effective is what matters… as long as it effectively slaughters those monsters.”
The girl beside it removed her black hood, revealing her gray-white long hair and crimson eyes that came about after her transformation.
Without a doubt, she was also a magical girl.
Unlike others who wore light, dazzling outfits, wielding swords or staves as they fought glamorous battles, the mysterious girl known as Liora—or perhaps Zhan—was undeniably an outlier.
“Magical girls’ techniques are too indecisive.”
“Um… the duty of a magical girl is to protect; we fairies are summoned by love and protection.”
“Love? Protection? That’s Liora, not me!” Liora (or Zhan?) seemed to be touched on a sore spot, her expression twisting. But soon, she composed herself, a cold expression returning, “Sorry, I lost my composure… Now, I am Liora.”
Liora donned her hood once more, “I’m sorry I lack love and protection, and I’m also sorry I won’t use this power for guardianship. Right now, I only seek vengeance… for Liora.”
“Zhan…”
“Call me Liora. The present me and the future me will live as ‘Liora.'”
“…” The black cat fairy fell into silence, a complex look in its eyes.
“You can leave me anytime and seek someone more suitable.” Liora seemed to speak out of spite, yet her expression betrayed a hint of loneliness.
“Ugh, how could I?” The black cat fairy sat at the edge of the rooftop, “I’m your guide! Until you become an outstanding magical girl who can stand on her own, I won’t leave—of course, even after you become one, I won’t abandon you!”
“…That truly is hard on you. I fear I may never become the magical girl you wish for.” Liora pulled down her hood, seemingly to hide her face.
“Um, that’s uncertain. Didn’t you save those three magical girls today?”
“I only fed some bait to the ‘Devouring Spear’; helping them was just convenient.”
“Oh, right, right, right…”
Several beams of light flew in from the horizon—seemingly reinforcements had arrived.
Though they were a bit late.
Liora glanced at the few people standing dazedly in the street and said, “Time to go.”
“What about the Devouring Spear?”
“It got thrown too far… We’ll come back to retrieve it tonight…”
She stared at the open sewer entrance, lost in thought.
“Quite a few of those goblins escaped. I believe this is not over.”
As Liora spoke, she and the fairy vanished from the high-rise.
