【Breaking News Bulletin.】
【Clara, the popular hero Magical Girl from the hero company Dream Witch Personnel Dispatch, has had her company’s president, Cecilia, kidnapped tonight by an unknown organization.】
【Reports indicate that members of this organization infiltrated the well-known restaurant “World Cuisine.” After knocking out the victim, they disguised themselves and escaped through the restaurant’s dedicated freight elevator. Their whereabouts remain unknown…………】
【Latest update: Clara, the Magical Girl affiliated with the company, has launched a rescue operation. The president’s location of captivity has been pinpointed, and a fierce firefight with criminal forces is underway.】
【The Hero Association is dispatching reinforcements to assist in the rescue efforts.】
【Below is footage transmitted by our drone from the scene.】
This was the news broadcast by Nyx.
“Knowing the Association’s speed, by the time reinforcements arrive, I’ll have torn this whole building down, won’t I?”
Sitting astride her broomstick, Clara muttered this complaint, then glanced back at the crow-shaped drone following her. Its continuous “bombardment” only intensified.
Instead of lasers, the magic bullets emitted from the end of her squid broom resembled tracer rounds, guiding themselves toward the building and triggering a chain of explosions.
Though the fighters inside the building were thrown into chaos by the blasts, they didn’t simply sit back and accept defeat.
They opened fire on Clara as she flew around the building.
But the Magical Girl’s body was protected by a magical shield, far tougher than it looked. Ordinary bullets only caused her “a little pain” before she unleashed another barrage of magic bullets, sending the interior into further turmoil.
They had considered using Cecilia as a hostage, but for some unknown reason, all the men sent to capture her had lost contact. Apart from the prison area, the rest of the zone became Clara’s main focus……………….
This was one-sided domination.
Even relying only on half-power auto magic bullets, Clara achieved single-handed fire suppression.
The visual effect was impressive; the drone had likely captured plenty of useful footage.
But this hardly felt like the way a hero should fight, nor did it align well with the theme of “rescue.”
It almost resembled a villain torturing some resistance force……………….
Clara felt a bit guilty about how overwhelmingly one-sided the situation was.
The magical bullet bombardment lasted about five minutes, until the sporadic return fire inside the building ceased.
Only then did she step through a hole blasted in the wall and enter the battered building.
The structure’s integrity was on the verge of collapse; she had to be wary of floorboards giving way beneath her feet and tread carefully with every step.
“This kind of job really kills your motivation………… President, you can come out now.”
At last, Magical Girl Clara “rescued” her company’s president from the cell.
Obviously, everything happening now had been premeditated.
The entire rescue process was effortless, and the outcome a foregone conclusion. With all enemies being mere combatants, Clara barely felt any urge to fight………….
“So this company really only hires combatants?”
For ordinary people, combatants were a threat…………………
But to most heroes—or modified monsters—they were just filler.
Their role was less about defeating heroes and more about heating up the atmosphere.
At most, they annoyed heroes or drained their stamina…………………
After all, punching a punching bag still takes effort.
Several combatants lay nearby, seemingly having nightmares.
Cecilia stepped over them in her leather shoes, then opened her arms and embraced the young hero who came to “rescue” her.
Only then did she say, “After all, it’s a subsidiary. And a legitimate business subsidiary at that. Having too many combatants would just raise suspicions…………”
In the hallway outside the cell, several crow-shaped drones shone spotlights on the two, taking close-up shots through the window.
Since this was a deliberate act of retaliation, Cecilia put on a fearful, panicked, pitiful expression for the cameras.
Gone was her usual arrogant demeanor. Instead, she looked as if she’d suffered inhuman treatment in that cell, even squeezing out tears at the corner of her eyes……………….
Cecilia’s ability to cry on cue impressed even Clara.
So that’s what crocodile tears are.
This performance was clearly meant to win sympathy.
Putting aside Cecilia’s terrible personality, her appearance was undeniably cute.
A girl’s tears were always moving.
At this point, viewers watching the news broadcast were likely emotionally stirred, beginning to condemn the villainous organization’s despicable acts.
Then, just below the windowsill hidden from drone view, Cecilia’s hard leather shoe kicked Clara’s shin.
Feeling the pain, Clara paused before understanding her meaning.
Clara scowled and opened the window, which no longer had glass.
“We don’t know which organization is behind this retaliation.”
Facing the drone cameras, she declared boldly.
“But I say this: heroes will never be brought down by such tactics. We, the Dream Witches, will pursue this to the very end…………….”
In a way, this was a direct provocation against the Fourth Calamity.
Even if the Dream Witches didn’t investigate themselves, the Hero Association would step in.
Tracking down the truth wasn’t difficult.
From the uniforms of the suited combatants and their weapons, it was easy to trace back to the Fourth Calamity.
As a notorious evil organization, they likely wouldn’t bother denying it.
However, their initial target wasn’t the Dream Witch company’s president but the competitor Nitemare.
Thus, the Fourth Calamity, ranked No. 2 among evil organizations, naturally became Magical Girl Clara’s enemy……………..
Biu–BooooM!
“Whoa?!”
Just as Clara thought things had settled, the crow drone before her was suddenly shredded by a beam of light descending from above.
The blast wind whipped her hair as Clara let out the surprised, accusatory cry typical of a villain under attack.
“Who’s there?!”
But looking up, there was no person—only a shadow beyond the dome.
“………….What is that?!”
【That is the Fourth Calamity’s headquarters, the lunar cruiser Odophimos. It measures about 1,100 meters long and is currently charging its secondary cannon, the solar electron cannon. Please evacuate immediately.】
“Huh? A space cruiser as a base?”
Not all evil organizations preferred underground bases.
Some liked to fly in the sky—like this colossal giant nearly a kilometer long, clearly visible even under the night sky above them.
This was why, during the attack on Monument Plaza, Fourth Calamity’s forces descended from above.
BJ……
The dome maintaining atmosphere and neutrality wasn’t a physical barrier.
Even when bombarded, it could quickly restore itself.
Odophimos could even fly right through the dome without issue……………..
However, gravity posed a risk of the cruiser crashing.
A series of laser shots swiftly brought down media drones.
The charging cannon barrel was aimed directly at them……………….
“So since this is Fourth Calamity’s headquarters, this building here is basically their subsidiary?”
The Fourth Calamity were truly madmen—firing on their own company’s building?
Without hesitation, Clara swung onto her squid broom, scooped up Cecilia with one arm, and flew out of the building to seek cover.
The latter clung tightly around Clara’s neck, though she clicked her tongue in dissatisfaction.
“Tch, don’t you get it yet? They’re aiming at this company to destroy evidence. Once that’s gone, no one can link this company to the Fourth Calamity.”
“Heh, isn’t that like shouting ‘there’s no silver hidden here’?”
“No evidence means what? Even if everyone knows…………”
“Aren’t other heroes mobilizing? This is a direct attack on Central City!”
“Heh, that warship is Fourth Calamity’s headquarters. By analogy… do you think any hero dares to raid Nitemare’s base?”
“So nobody dares to go…………..”
Even the top-ranked heroes might not win.
Therefore, unless it turns into full-scale warfare, even the Hero Association turns a blind eye to threats of this scale……………..
The silent, scorching solar electron beam lit up the night sky, swallowing the building whole.
The building, already pockmarked from Clara’s attack, was melted through the center.
Its structural integrity shattered beyond repair, the dozen-story building collapsed with a thunderous crash.
The solar electron cannon was hundreds of times more powerful than Clara’s magic blast.
And that was just the secondary cannon.
Clara guessed that if she took a direct hit, she’d be knocked out cold.
Cecilia, however, was unfazed.
She wiggled on the broom, adjusting her posture to press closer against Clara and keep warm in the cold wind.
The closeness embarrassed Clara, but her embarrassment only encouraged Cecilia, who snuggled even closer.
“It’s not that no one dares to go; it’s that once fighting starts, the firepower has no limits.”
Still, Cecilia said, “Those top heroes definitely have ways to shoot down Odophimos.
But Fourth Calamity also has weapons that can strike all of Central City if attacked.
To avoid mutually assured destruction, both sides only threaten each other and hold back.”
Nyx chimed in.
【Odophimos usually doesn’t intervene directly in battles; it’s just used as a base and patrols around Central City to maintain its deterrence.】
But this time, they brought it out to destroy evidence?
Or to send a warning to the Dream Witches?
Since neither side can fully eliminate the other—heroes can return from the Abyss—the correct move is to avoid escalation…………….
“President, is provoking this kind of enemy really wise?”
Clara began to panic.
Cecilia laughed carefreely.
“At this point, what’s there to be afraid of? You’re going to team up with Sigma Heroes later anyway. Sooner or later, you’ll have to face them~”
“So what do we do now?”
“Well, the idiots from Fourth Calamity demolished the building themselves.
We didn’t lose anything. The provocation worked, and we even gained sympathy points…………..”
Cecilia’s small hand squeezed Clara’s waist again.
“So, now we run~”
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