You might be mistaken about something.
The diminutive Magical Girl Grey Moon evinced not a shred of fear, even when confronted by four towering monsters, each several times her height.
From the monsters’ perspective, it was akin to a fearless kitten hissing and baring its teeth at a guest; even her tiny fists seemed to possess a surprising deterrent.
The four high-level monsters on the field erupted in laughter.
“Even without using my abilities, I could easily crush all of you.”
Grey Moon offered a faint smile, utterly disregarding the enemies’ derision, assured that soon enough, their laughter would cease.
“Is that so? Then, by all means, let our great heroine of justice, Grey Moon, put that to the test.”
Observing Captain 19’s continued air of brazen confidence, Grey Moon mused about the moment he would lose these monsters, and she would seize him by the collar and pummel him. She wondered if he would still retain his arrogance then.
Yet, just as Grey Moon and the four monsters were about to clash, the monsters inexplicably suppressed their aura.
Not only did their forms shrink, but they also began to exude the presence of mere low-level monsters.
‘A disguise?’
Witnessing this, Grey Moon was understandably perplexed.
Logically, they had already revealed their true nature as A-rank monsters; wasn’t it rather late to employ a disguise now?
Nevertheless, this did not deter Grey Moon from acting!
After all, enemies occasionally performed mysterious maneuvers that ordinary people couldn’t comprehend.
Her only task was to repel these monsters!
Captain 19 watched Grey Moon engage in a chaotic melee with the four disguised A-rank monsters, a satisfied smile gracing his lips.
After the sacrifice of numerous low-level monsters across the plaza, he had deduced that Grey Moon’s ‘Annihilation’ ability had a range of approximately one hundred meters.
During the battle, he had initially attempted to appear near Grey Moon with a hostage while invisible, forcing her to hold back.
After several repetitions, Grey Moon had completely abandoned the idea of unleashing her full power.
Captain 19 escorted the mayor back to the stage, remarking on the smooth execution of his plan as he whispered into his earpiece.
“It’s almost time. You can come over now.”
****
Grey Moon found the fight arduous, quickly taking several deep breaths to steady herself.
Her crimson eyes, however, remained resolute.
‘It could only be said that…’
‘A-rank monsters were truly A-rank monsters, possessing intelligence, cooperation, and formidable abilities.’
‘Since she couldn’t use her full powers, relying solely on her base stats, while not impossible to manage, would undoubtedly consume more time.’
As the battle raged on, the four monsters grew increasingly sweaty and grave-faced, inwardly astonished by Grey Moon’s prowess.
Even with their coordinated efforts, they were barely able to contain the small loli.
Just as Magical Girl Grey Moon began to extricate herself from the entanglement, reaching a pivotal moment where she was about to gain the upper hand—
A blue news helicopter finally soared into view.
Captain 19’s heart swelled with delight, thinking, ‘It’s perfect timing!’
“To all our viewers in front of your television screens!”
From the open door of the helicopter, a familiar female news reporter diligently conducted a live broadcast from the front lines.
The camera focused on the ground, clearly showing Magical Girl Grey Moon’s arduous struggle against the four monsters.
“Here at Citizen’s Plaza, Magical Girl Grey Moon is also engaged in her own battle! We will once again use this new device to detect the rank of the monsters below.”
The reporter held a new device, seemingly capable of detecting monster combat power.
As she aimed it at the monsters, four distinct ‘C-rank’ readings flashed across its screen.
“How can they only be C-rank?”
Utter confusion was etched across the reporter’s face.
Why would the four monsters, capable of fiercely battling Magical Girl Grey Moon, register as mere low-level monsters on the device?
“Viewers, it appears this device might be malfunctioning?”
As the reporter offered an apologetic smile to the camera and prepared to retract the new device, a flash of vibrant crimson suddenly appeared in the frame.
Her profile was bathed in a striking red glow, prompting her to quickly wave the camera crew to focus.
“Ahem, how is this possible?”
Grey Moon, disheveled from her fight, her hair hanging messily and her face smudged, propelled herself into the air with a powerful kick.
As the smoke cleared, she saw Scarlet Magical Girl arriving.
Scarlet Magical Girl, wielding a halberd with one hand, constantly made small, restless gestures, like tapping her fingers on the shaft, conveying an eager readiness.
In her other hand, she clutched the severed head of one of the four monsters.
Grey Moon met her gaze, her face a mask of bewilderment.
“Hmph, is that all you’ve got?”
Scarlet Magical Girl retracted her gaze after speaking, her vibrant red twin-tails swaying.
She tossed the monster’s head aside and moved with the speed of a crimson lightning bolt, effortlessly decapitating two more monsters.
Hovering in mid-air, Grey Moon’s brows furrowed deeply.
She found the monsters’ behavior peculiar, distinctly different from how they had fought her.
‘They weren’t cooperating anymore, nor were they reacting.’
‘They weren’t even dodging or evading.’
‘It felt as if…’
‘…they were just standing there, allowing Scarlet Magical Girl to chop them down?’
Grey Moon herself struggled to believe her own assessment.
Meanwhile, below, Scarlet Magical Girl, fresh from a string of victories, had her momentum at its peak!
“Die!”
With a powerful, downward strike, Scarlet Magical Girl cleaved the last monster on the field in two.
She laughed heartily, casually swallowed her gum, and then turned her gaze towards Captain 19.
At that moment, the combat squad leader on the stage seemed utterly terrified by Scarlet Magical Girl.
All semblance of elite professionalism vanished as he frantically released the hostage, haphazardly threw his gun aside, and disgracefully plopped onto the ground.
“No, please, heroine, spare my life!”
“Hah, to cause trouble with such paltry skills.”
Scarlet Magical Girl’s eyes darkened.
She deftly twirled her halberd, hesitating for a moment, flipping it end over end, before ultimately choosing to viciously strike Captain 19’s chin with its blunt end.
“Become a shooting star for me~!”
“I’ll be back!”
Captain 19 was effortlessly transformed into a ‘shooting star’ by Scarlet Magical Girl and sent flying.
She revealed a bright, triumphant smile as she helped the fallen mayor to his feet.
“The Magical Girl of Justice has arrived to save everyone~☆”
“Ah… thank you…”
“How can this be?”
Aboard the helicopter, the reporter and cameraman were stunned as they recorded everything that had just transpired.
The monsters Magical Girl Grey Moon had struggled against were instantly annihilated by the arriving Scarlet Magical Girl!?
‘Did this signify something?’
The device still clutched in the reporter’s hand prominently displayed a large ‘C-rank monster’ on its screen, a detail noticed by everyone watching the live broadcast…
****
On the podium, the mayor was swiftly escorted to an ambulance by hastily arrived police and doctors.
“What’s wrong~”
Scarlet Magical Girl waved goodbye to the mayor, then turned back, a corner of her mouth quirked.
“So, without us clearing the way for you first, you couldn’t even handle three or four low-level monsters?”
She hoisted her halberd onto her shoulder and gazed up at Grey Moon.
Comparing their current states, Scarlet Magical Girl was clearly in much better condition; her equipment was pristine, her neat, adorable twin-tails were an added charm, and she radiated boundless energy and vitality.
In contrast, Grey Moon, after the arduous battle, appeared somewhat disheveled and dusty, her hair slightly unbound.
Moreover, a mere speck of dust on her pristine dress made it seem soiled, and any tear would only make it appear even more unsightly.
“…You know perfectly well that’s not true.”
Grey Moon’s voice was frigid.
Hearing it, Scarlet Magical Girl visibly pouted, clearly displeased.
“Not true about what? Aren’t you just a kill-stealing opportunist who always arrives late to snatch others’ achievements!?”
“Today, your true colors were exposed, yet you stubbornly refuse to admit it!”
Grey Moon felt a pang of discomfort at these words.
However, it was undeniably true that she often arrived late.
Disregarding whether Scarlet Magical Girl was merely exaggerating, Grey Moon felt she indeed bore some fault, and thus refrained from arguing the point with her.
Seeing this, Scarlet Magical Girl grew even more triumphant.
Her words became more aggressive, her tone sharper and more arrogant.
She even claimed credit for Grey Moon’s achievement of defeating the Magma Demon.
Magical Girl Grey Moon was painted as utterly worthless by her words.
Grey Moon’s face contorted into a grimace, clearly indicating her displeasure.
Yet, she knew that reprimanding Scarlet Magical Girl here and now would only push her relationship with Magical Girl Tri-color further to the extreme.
Grey Moon considered the situation carefully.
Ultimately, she decided to take a step back, embracing the philosophy that sometimes, yielding leads to broader horizons.
And so,
Under the gaze of all present, Magical Girl Grey Moon, confronted by these harsh accusations, maintained her usual mask of indifference and silence, then turned and swiftly departed.