Unlike the previous fixed matches that were specifically arranged for her to grind experience, this time the Naitemel Intelligence Department was actually executing some kind of operation… If she interfered now, the Supreme Leader would definitely hold her accountable later!
But could she just stand by and watch Kamui get killed by this Mutant?
No, she couldn’t. She had promised Miss Nangong she would help. If she didn’t show up now, Clara’s position as a Hero would be compromised.
Should she exchange a glance with the Intelligence Department Head?
No. Though she had met the Shadow Guest Minister in the dreamscape created by the Supreme Leader, that was just an NPC crafted by the Supreme Leader’s manipulation of the dream.
In reality, Clara had never met this Minister. If she tried to signal him, he would just think she was some crazy Magical Girl with a screw loose.
After all, only a handful of people knew about the Undercover Department’s existence…
This Intelligence Department Head probably didn’t know either, right?
The Undercover Department Head (a lone commander) was in crisis!
Just then, Kamui used a magic that enhanced her body to forcibly clamp down on her bleeding wounds.
She gripped her Spiked Mace, gathering power, and swung it at the Shadow Guest with the force to shatter mountains and part seas.
The latter let out a creepy “Hehehehe” laugh, sank into the shadow underfoot, dodged the blow effortlessly, and then rushed toward Clara along the shadow cast by the wall…
No, he was trying to escape!
Shadow Movement—no wonder he had sneaked into the lab without a sound.
But just as Clara thought the Shadow Guest had a chance to get away clean, Kamui smashed her hammer through the wall between the corridor and the lab, indirectly destroying the facade that had been creating a shadow for the Shadow Guest to move through, forcing him to pop out of the darkness.
“Hehehe, you reckless brat! I was kind enough to spare your life, but you still insist on charging in to die?”
In his hands were still the shadow lantern that produced shadows and the glass jar that was his target.
Clara was still agonizing over what to do, but Nyx was focused on the jar container the Shadow Guest was carrying.
‘…That jar.’
What is that?
‘I don’t know, but Nyx wants it…’
Clara had never heard Nyx say she wanted anything, especially when she didn’t even know what it was. The request came in a somewhat dazed tone.
No, we’re here to help, not to be robbers!
Nyx was silent for a moment, then suggested:
‘…Nyx recommends you help Kamui deal with Minister Shadow Guest. As the Undercover Department Head, your mission is to maintain Magical Girl Clara’s image. When your mission conflicts with another Minister’s, you should prioritize your own.’
For Nyx, who claimed to be the Hero Drive Unit, Magical Girl Clara’s identity as a Hero was paramount. But she knew that reason alone wouldn’t be enough to convince Clara.
So she added:
‘Magical Girl Kamui is a physical-type Magical Girl with a Mana Emission value of zero, relying solely on brute force.’
‘Her attacks will have a hard time harming the Shadow Guest while he lurks in the shadows. At this rate, she will definitely lose—maybe even die.’
“Should I consult President Qiexiya first?”
Just as Clara asked that, a scythe made of solidified shadows had already formed behind Kamui…
Because of the shadow lantern in the Shadow Guest’s hand, any Hero facing him would inevitably have a long shadow trailing behind them, turning into a lethal weapon he could manipulate at any time.
“Tch!”
Looked like there was no time to make a call.
Though Clara had no particular feelings for Kamui and even disliked her a little, this time Miss Nangong had entrusted her with coming to help.
And Miss Nangong had been the one to discover her talent…
She materialized without a sound.
“Heh!?”
The Magical Girl wearing a full-face gas mask, who had silently appeared behind him, startled even the Shadow Guest.
Her massive Squid-Ink Power Gauntlets pressed against the Shadow Guest’s coat. Before he could react, a short-range burst of tremendous force sent him hurtling toward Kamui, his feet leaving the ground…
“Kamui!”
“Ha! Nice throw!”
Kamui quickly recovered from the surprise of Clara’s appearance, grabbed her Spiked Mace, and swung it at the airborne Shadow Guest, who had no way to shadow-dive. He was like a baseball…
Bam!
Kamui smashed him straight out of the hallway and into the outdoors.
This was the outdoors on the eightieth floor.
But that wasn’t a mistake on Kamui’s part—it was intentional.
In midair, the Shadow Guest had no way to shadow-dive.
It would take more than ten seconds for him to fall from this height of several hundred meters, and for Kamui, who relied on magic to enhance her body, that was plenty of time for her to do a lot.
She shot down after him in a single stride. With the ability to fly herself, Kamui dove faster than the Shadow Guest.
She passed him from above, reversed her grip on the Spiked Mace, and with a loud crack, sent him flying back up into the sky.
The Shadow Guest had lost his foothold. And because of the bright lantern in his hand, there were no shadows on the surfaces where Kamui came into contact with him. Up in the air, there was little shadow area to form an attack.
For the time being, Kamui wasn’t going to let him land.
“The Intelligence Department Head is weaker than Minister Xila, it seems…”
‘No, it’s just that the terrain isn’t suitable.’
‘If they were on the ground, his ability would be almost unbeatable.’
Still standing in the corridor, Clara watched Kamui’s ace aerial battle through the window. Nyx even projected an SSS rating on her retina.
“This guy is actually pretty strong?”
‘As a Hero, he has considerable power. He just doesn’t fit the Magical Girl archetype.’
That way, even if Kamui took down the Shadow Guest, she probably wouldn’t be held accountable by the Supreme Leader, right?
“Ah!”
Just then, the glass jar slipped from the Shadow Guest’s hand during Kamui’s harassment…
“Clara!” Kamui shouted.
Her implication was for Clara to grab that glass jar. She still had to keep beating up the Shadow Guest, so she couldn’t spare a hand…
Whatever that thing was, if it shattered from the fall, this commission would definitely be considered a failure.
Clara made a snap decision and jumped down after it. Mid-fall, she summoned her Squid Broom, accelerated, and dove toward the descending glass jar.
Because Kamui and the Shadow Guest had already dropped some distance during their aerial fight, Clara’s pursuit was somewhat rushed. She needed to accelerate in a few seconds, catch up to the jar, and seize it…
That required some finesse on Clara’s part.
‘Hold tight. Let Nyx take over.’
“!?”
Clara quickly gripped the broom handle to avoid being thrown off.
“Huh?!”
The Squid Broom blasted a black exhaust trail into the night sky, its tip whistling through the air as it burst forward at extreme speed, overtaking the jar.
Then, a Touch Tentacle emerged from her hair and precisely wrapped around the jar.
But the excessive speed was about to slam Clara into the lawn below the building.
‘Don’t worry.’
The broom’s nozzle suddenly angled downward, finally halting the descent.
At that moment, another golden-red meteor streaked across the night sky and crashed onto the stone square beside Clara…
It was Kamui, her body wreathed in mana, and under her feet was the Shadow Guest Minister, either unconscious or dead.
Several “drone crow” drones flew over like hyenas scenting blood, capturing Clara and Kamui in their footage…
Clara kept a stiff smile on her face, but inside, she was howling.