Chapter 131

The Decision of Magical Girl Arongante

“It’s as I thought… Understood. Please return and standby.”

After sending off Inie and Nightmare, the remaining magical girls convened a meeting with Arongante and then moved to a ship arranged near the coast of Australia.

The magical girls who had set out to destroy the barrier were unable to break it.

One reason is that they must moderate their attacks so as not to impact the environment, but also because any reckless attack would be deflected, making half-hearted attempts impossible.

A few magical girls were injured from attacks that rebounded, so reluctantly, a stand-by order was issued to everyone.

“Truly, this is incredible.”

Looking at the monitor showing Inie, who was beside Arongante, Shirokigawa spoke.

On the monitor, Inie was tirelessly defeating monsters without rest, and once finished, immediately teleported to take on the next one.

While many magical girls are strong in one-on-one combat, few can fight against such large numbers like Inie.

True, there are magical girls who could potentially defeat them, but doing so would cause significant collateral damage to the terrain.

Inie accurately eliminates only the monsters without causing abnormal levels of destruction.

Even damages that might normally be overlooked within the barrier must now be considered, which is quite challenging for the magical girls.

“…That’s right. However, with this many monsters appearing, it seems too much for Inie alone.”

“But still, the light halo and wings don’t really suit her, do they?”

“Personally, she seems like an angel to me. Her selfless fighting style and the effectiveness of her healing magic are truly angelic.”

“…Well, I understand your feelings, but the darkness within her seems quite deep. For an 11-year-old to have such dead eyes isn’t normal.”

Shirokigawa, who worked as part of the mental care team for magical girls, judged after a brief conversation with Inie that she was no ordinary child.

If it weren’t known that Inie’s mind is that of an older adult, her responses wouldn’t be appropriate for her age.

Had she been able to act more like a regular girl, perhaps those around her wouldn’t worry so much.

Ideally, Shirokigawa wanted to diagnose her in her untransformed state, but decided it would have to wait until after this battle.

“Nightmare also seems to be trying hard, but her movements aren’t good.”

Nightmare visited the Magic Bureau in Sydney, attempting to persuade them, but things weren’t going well.

Though images could be captured, the audio remained blocked, so Arongante and the others couldn’t hear what was being said. However, the tense atmosphere indicated an argument.

“Normally, we should follow the orders of the Magic Bureau, but it seems the previous scandal is still affecting things.”

“Even though I sent documents as a precaution, do the director and the magical girl not understand their meaning?”

The contents of the documents given by Arongante to Nightmare were quite serious.

They included absolute obedience to orders and the transfer of all command structures. Moreover, they bore the signatures of some Australian rankers and certain government officials.

For them to argue over these documents suggests either extreme foolishness or something even more important at play.

If Nightmare were experienced in leadership or political judgment, it might have gone smoothly, but it was harsh to expect that from a newly-minted ranker like Nightmare.

“With how much Inie has been striving, it’s unfortunate that there aren’t enough people to help; otherwise, all her efforts will go to waste…”

Already, the number of monsters Inie had defeated exceeded five digits and was approaching six.

It was terrifying that a witch could prepare so many monsters, but equally terrifying that Inie continued to defeat them.

Despite some holes in the ground, it was evident she was considering the environment while fighting.

When Inie finished eliminating a portion of the monster army, she dissolved her magic and disappeared.

Just then, the magical girls who had gone out to destroy the barrier and those waiting in another room entered the conference room where Arongante and the others were.

The reason why everyone gathered in the conference room was simple: here, multiple monitors allowed them to see the current situation easily.

Though images could be viewed elsewhere, this room had the most monitors.

“Did you come to observe? Please feel free to use the equipment.”

Arongante turned her gaze to the magical girls entering via the monitors, missing the moment Inie disappeared.

Returning her focus to the monitors, Arongante tilted her head.

“What happened to Inie?”

“I’m not sure. She canceled her magic and teleported, but for some reason, the video feed hasn’t switched.”

As both sisters pondered, Inie appeared on the monitor showing Nightmare.

Surprised by Inie’s sudden appearance, the three exchanged a few words, and the expressions of the director and the magical girl grew grim.

Due to the hood obscuring her face, Inie’s expression was invisible, but an intimidating aura emanated from her small frame.

“Was it too early to send Nightmare?”

Strauf spoke to Arongante while looking at the monitor.

Her expression reflected concern for her daughter but also a hint of exasperation.

“While I’d like to say it’s unavoidable, the situation is what it is.”

Before leaving, Inie said something to the magical girl and teleported again.

From the monitor showing Nightmare’s side, it seemed the discussions were proceeding smoothly, easing Arongante’s worries momentarily. However, an alarming situation arose on the monitor showing Inie.

Inie had unleashed the power of Arcana.

Under the watchful eyes of everyone in the conference room, she drew an enormous magic circle in the sky visible across various monitors depicting different parts of Australia.

In other words, she had drawn a magic circle covering the entire Australian continent.

Not even rankers would attempt such folly. No, they couldn’t even accomplish it.

Indeed, while destroying cities or countries is possible, annihilating them in one strike is beyond even rankers.

It was grandiose and powerful enough to be described as divine retribution or the end of the world.

“This is…her true strength. I don’t want to fight a magical girl who can wield such magic,” Strauf commented.

No one disagreed with Strauf’s statement.

Even the magical girls who criticized Inie during the meeting were left speechless after witnessing her actual combat prowess.

Her fighting style was so extraordinary that it made one question if she was truly a magical girl, evoking fear.

The magic circle pulsed with light and released its power.

Most of the monsters shown on the monitors turned to dust, leaving the magical girls who had been fighting confused as they looked around.

Even Nightmare, who had started taking command, widened her eyes at the situation, her expression shifting from shock to fear.

Moments after Inie eradicated the monsters, several new ones appeared.

Though not as numerous as before, these monsters were appropriately despair-inducing.

Every monster displayed on the monitors was irregular.

Their numbers were catastrophic, capable of destroying not just countries but the entire world.

The current magical girls in Australia stood no chance against them.

Not even Nightmare, a ranker, could defeat even one.

As per the witch’s declaration, they manifested, and Australia’s demise was imminent.

“So this is…the power of the witch…”

“What should we do? Use the ultimate measure?”

Given the sheer number of monsters, assigning them all to Inie alone was unreasonable, Arongante thought.

Moreover, the critical issue was when the barrier would dissolve.

If these monsters spread, they would cause damage beyond Australia.

Ideally, they should be eliminated en masse, but using the ultimate measure wasn’t that simple.

“What exactly is the ultimate measure?”

Strauf inquired about the ultimate measure, which hadn’t been discussed during the previous meeting.

Of course, Arongante had no intention of using it.

She had mentioned it to reassure Inie and the others and to encourage them to escape if necessary.

Arongante solemnly began to speak.

“Kaede will eliminate everything, including the barrier and the monsters, in Australia.”

The conference room buzzed with murmurs.

Even Strauf, who hadn’t expected such drastic action, widened her eyes.

“Does this mean abandoning Australia?”

“Yes. It’s impossible to defeat this many monsters without causing harm, and we don’t know if the fairy barrier can be used after the witch’s barrier dissolves. We must handle it while they’re still concentrated.”

Arongante wished not to abandon Australia, but misjudging the situation could lead to global destruction.

In some cases, this measure would need to be taken.

“We won’t decide immediately, but it depends on Inie’s situation…”

The ultimate measure couldn’t be used while Inie was inside the barrier.

Losing Inie would make defeating the witch impossible.

As everyone focused on the monitors to see what Inie would do, static interference occurred, and eventually, the image disappeared completely.

Arongante faintly saw someone else appear on the monitor that previously showed Inie.

Fortunately, Arongante recognized the person, which made her realize how serious the situation was.

“What happened? Inie disappeared from the screen. Is there a problem with the equipment?”

“I don’t know. There shouldn’t be any issues with the equipment, but we can’t get Inny Flowering to appear on the monitor.”

Whitekigawa questioned the fairy controlling the monitoring equipment, but the reason for the disappearance remained unclear.

An unknown entity was jamming the signal, but no one was aware of it.

“—This may be beyond our control…”

While trying not to show her unease, Arongante contemplated her options.

The person she briefly saw was a member of the destructionist faction, known as one of the most dangerous magical girls in the group.

Although she didn’t think Inie would lose, even being delayed was problematic.

Should she contact Kaede immediately or use a trump card she hadn’t mentioned to anyone?

The choice Arongante made was…

“I’ll step out for a moment. If there’s any change in the visuals, please call me immediately.”

“Understood.”

Turning her back on the anxious magical girls and Strauf, who was intently watching the monitor showing Nightmare, Arongante left the conference room.

Entering an empty room, Arongante stopped in the middle.

“Zea. You’re here, right?”

Laughter echoed in the room where Arongante was supposedly alone, and Zea emerged from her shadow as a black figure.

“You figured it out quickly.”

Zea sat in an available chair and praised Arongante.

“The best way to accurately check on Inie under the current circumstances is through these monitors. While it might be known elsewhere in other magical bureaus or fairy bureaus, given the gravity of the situation, I assumed you were hiding in my shadow.”

“That’s correct. So, do you need something from me?”

“Is it possible to check on Inie?”

“It’s possible, but I can’t enter the barrier myself. The witch would surely know everything happening inside.”

Zea also wanted to check on Inie.

However, entering the barrier carelessly would reveal her existence to the witch.

If Zea knew the witch’s intentions, she might have rushed in to help Inie.

Inie’s death was the key to removing the witch’s restraint.

Ordinarily, Zea should support Inie fully without thinking about the next steps, but she lacked that understanding.

She was merely sticking to her usual role as a shadow.

“But, I can send one person. Though I can’t guarantee their return.”

“Is that so…”

Sending a magical girl into the barrier was akin to sending them to die.

Having them move through areas infested with irregulars to search for Inie, who might already be dead, was risky.

If Inie were alive, it would be fine, but if she were dead, the magical girl sent inside would have no way to survive.

There was another issue.

The magical girl sent inside must minimally be someone Inie knows.

Someone who might harm Inie cannot be sent.

Thus, none of the magical girls currently present qualified.

Ideally, sending Talagong or Blade would be best, but they were busy battling monsters elsewhere.

Perhaps Arongante herself could go, but as the commander, she couldn’t leave.

Two magical girls came to Arongante’s mind.

“Personally, I think Inie would be fine, but what do you think?”

“I’ll try asking her first. If she refuses, I’ll wait ten minutes before making a decision.”

Arongante took out her device and called a particular magical girl.

“This is Marin. What is it?”

“Do you know about the incident currently happening in Australia?”

“Yes. From the footage, I believe I understand the general situation.”

“Good. Then let me cut to the chase. I have a favor to ask of you, Marin…”

Arongante informed Marin about Inie and kindly requested that she check on her if possible.

She thoroughly explained the dangers involved and mentioned the potential risk of secondary disasters.

“How does that sound?”

“I’ll go. Please allow me to proceed.”

Without hesitation, Marin clearly agreed.

Had it been any other magical girl besides Inie, Marin might have hesitated, but for Inie, it was different.

There was a possibility she wouldn’t find Inie and could be killed by the monsters.

If Inie were already dead, there would be no way for Marin to survive.

Nevertheless, Marin told Arongante she would go.

“Understood. Since there’s no time for lengthy discussion, please come to the coordinates I’ll send to your device. After teleporting, please knock five times on the specified room.”

“Understood.”

After ending the call, Arongante took a deep breath and waited for Marin to arrive.