“Remember, you can’t become exactly like Kamui, right? There has to be some difference at least.”
Before the transformation, Clara reminded Nixts anxiously, afraid he would mess things up.
【Nixts understands. If I become exactly like the magical girl Kamui, the World Tree Technology will lock onto me—and that’s definitely not a result I want to see.】
But Nixts’s consistent unreliability made Clara suspicious, so she double-checked, “Do you really understand?”
【Trust me, Cooper.】
Who’s Cooper?!
“Then let’s transform!”
Clara said, waiting for Nixts to turn her into a magical girl, but he suddenly asked:
【Do we need to come up with a transformation catchphrase? And a call-out name?】
“Ah?”
Clara had never thought about something like that before, but Nixts was inexplicably enthusiastic.
【It’s necessary for heroes. Also, the transformation pose—and for magical girls, a transformation dance?】
Clara just urged him on.
“That’s from Magic Knights Rayearth, isn’t it?! Stop dragging this out!”
【Look, there are drones up in the sky filming you. I think this is a great opportunity for publicity…】
Ah, drones?
Clara glanced at the sky with the corner of her eye. Sure enough, several drones were focused on her.
Damn it, what if this guy realizes I’m the bathroom loli?
That would be a disaster.
“This is such a hassle! Just treat it like acting—give me the magic gem!”
Clara’s thoughts were somewhat resigned.
Miss Squid Clara was now playing the role of Magical Girl Clara!
She explained all her actions as acting to dilute her embarrassment.
【Generating magic gem… complete.】
The pixelated blocks appearing on Clara’s wrist gradually sharpened, eventually forming a bracelet.
More precisely, a magic gem—the general term for magical girl transformation tools.
Its design matched the black squid gem at the tip of the Ink-Dyed Staff. The tentacles at the gem’s end wrapped around Clara’s wrist, forming the bracelet’s shape. It was jet black and translucent, radiating a deep allure.
Clara lightly tapped the magic gem and shouted under the drones’ watchful gaze.
“Between black and white, light of the deep sea! Magical Girl Clara, here to uphold that ancient and great will… Ink-Dyed Transformation!”
Raising both hands, the magic gem shifted from bracelet form, showering a torrent of black ink over Clara’s head, transforming into a brand-new battle outfit.
To differentiate from Kamui, it was no longer a Western-style dress.
The blouse’s lantern sleeves were primarily white, with a V-shaped neckline. Multiple layers of collar adorned with elegant satin lace framed the front, while the back featured a black mesh design that hinted subtly at Clara’s back.
The skirt was mainly black, with a fluffy, layered design that looked cute and soft. Its length reached just to the knees, allowing Magical Girl Clara to fight and move freely. A skirt lining beneath prevented any wardrobe malfunctions, offering comprehensive coverage.
The skirt’s surface was coated with a black glossy membrane, giving the entire skirt a more three-dimensional and refined appearance—reminiscent of a squid’s slippery skin. This iridescent texture made the black skirt lively and vivid.
Paired with this skirt were black-and-white thigh-high socks, each cuff decorated with chibi squid patterns, perfectly matching the outfit.
With the costume complete, the magic gem morphed into the Ink-Dyed Staff, spinning a few times around Clara before settling in her hand.
“Magical Girl Clara! Making a dazzling appearance!”
Not only did the outfit feature a V-neck front, short sleeves, and a short skirt, but it was also backless—quite revealing. Clara was already starting to complain to Nixts about that.
But once she entered character, no trace of shyness showed on her face…
Or perhaps the thick makeup hid any signs of embarrassment.
Still, in terms of posture, she looked remarkably like Kamui.
There was no way around it; after all, they copied Kamui’s data. Nixts’s solution was…
A gas mask.
This style covered only the mouth and nose. Its black-and-white tones gave off a bit of a punk vibe. Wearing this mask, Clara looked less like a magical girl and more like a street graffiti artist wielding paint cans.
Perhaps she didn’t have time for embarrassment either. Two shadow soldiers closed in as her invincibility from transformation time was about to end.
“Tsk, if they’re coming in close right away… switching to gauntlets!”
【Generating Squid Ape Power Gauntlets… complete.】
Clara raised her hand to block a shadow soldier’s claw, the giant gauntlet sparking where it made contact. But her other hand was already charged, delivering a powerful punch that sent the shadow soldier flying far away, tumbling across the ground.
“Wow! I’m so strong!”
These soldiers were weaker than she expected. Or maybe her own strength was stronger than she thought?
While the heroes around her struggled, she knocked one down with a single punch…
But she was celebrating too soon.
A normal person hit by such a punch would probably have been sent straight to Shen Yuan for treatment, but the shadow soldier wobbled and got back up. Another shadow soldier lunged at her simultaneously.
The shadow soldiers had distinctly female silhouettes, which in a way fulfilled Clara’s delusion of being popular with women…
“Tsk, they’re really tough, huh?”
Nixts, who seemed experienced, patiently coached.
【There’s a trick to fighting shadow soldiers—you have to destroy the black crystals inside them.】
“Ah? Black crystals?”
【Hold on, connecting to your visual nerves.】
Soon, Clara’s vision was enhanced.
Inside those monsters’ pitch-black bodies, glowing points were clearly visible.
【Those highlighted points are their deadly weak spots. Destroying these black crystals will completely eliminate them.】 Nixts explained.
Single-point destruction was inconvenient for blunt weapons like gauntlets…
“Switching weapons, Ink-Dyed Staff: Propulsion Mode.”
Having understood the enemy’s weakness, Clara decisively changed her armament and soared into the air on the Ink-Dyed Staff, which transformed into a flying broomstick.
“Oh wow~ So these guys are ground fighters, huh?”
Flying kept her out of the shadow soldiers’ reach, but made her more visible to the media drones.
Among the many heroes present, besides Pure White Storm, she was one of the only two who could fly—and a new hero at that—so naturally, she stood out…
This sudden skirmish could be considered an early curtain-raiser.
The original plan was for Nightmel to arrange monsters to put on a show with her, but if this fight went well, it could bring even more fame than the original plan.
However, Clara wasn’t thinking about that now…
Her sister’s safety was her top priority.
【Found Lucia and Pure White Storm.】
Lucia was relatively safe, being protected alongside civilians by other heroes.
But Pure White Storm, who should have been airborne, was somehow fighting shadow soldiers on the ground with two arm blades—and had even folded up her wings.
“Let’s go help…”
But just as Clara tried to descend and get closer…
【Danger, ascending.】
Nixts took the initiative to raise the broomstick’s altitude. Clara didn’t understand what was happening when suddenly a large mass of “stuff” fell from above the wormhole.
In an instant, dust and debris flew everywhere.
“What the hell is that?”
The people on the ground were blinded by the dust, but Clara, flying overhead, saw everything clearly.
It was a huge glob of sesame paste.
Though it looked soft and smooth…
Countless black needles burst out from it, easily piercing everything around.
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