Turbulence at the Flip-Top Paradise (6)

As the sacred token binding a magical girl’s spirit to her human form, the soul gem shared a connection with its wielder—one that transcended ordinary senses.

Even without thinking, just reaching out instinctively—You Xi caught her own soul gem perfectly in hand.

She opened her palm.

Inside the crimson, faceted crystal, flames roared like the fierce beat of her heart.

“…I’m sorry.”

Feeling the familiar warmth in her hand, You Xi slowly closed her eyes.

“I’ll never abandon you again. So—”

The moment she placed the soul gem against her chest, a clear, blazing light erupted—engulfing her entire body.

Red twin-tails. A massive two-handed sword. A dress burning with fiery passion.

In a realm beyond space and time, the form she once dreamed of—the magical girl Raging Flame—smiled and reached out to her.

“You did great,” Raging Flame said.

Across dimensions, two hands met and clasped tightly—bound by the soul gem’s recognition.

Courage, once lost, reignited.
Vows, once forgotten, reclaimed.

With confidence and pride restored, the girl raised her soul stone high and cried out the incantation of miracle:

Magical Girl Raging Flame—
Trans——form!

“…Wait, is this really something we can handle?”

Mieni raised her bow, aiming at the creature below.

The Ferris wheel, crushed and twisted by monstrous tentacles, had collapsed completely. Now, a hundred-meter-tall reddish-brown octopus lay atop the wreckage like it had just built a nest.

Before it, armored vehicles and tanks formed a frontline.
Above, attack helicopters circled cautiously, their black machine cannons adjusting with every shift in position.

At the commander’s order, enough firepower to wage a small war would be unleashed. If the creature had a physical body, it would be reduced to dust.

Yet the octopus seemed utterly indifferent. It lazily stretched its eight slick, writhing tentacles, wrapping them around the steel beams beneath—as if playing. Its mountainous body remained unmoved.

“No idea what to do,” Mieni admitted, lowering her weapon after a long pause.

“Captain, it looks kinda dumb! Let’s rush it before it notices!”

Violet Lightning raised her spear, ready to charge.

“Idiot, wait!”

Frosttail yanked her back by the collar.

“What was that for?!”

But before Violet Lightning could protest—

BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!

Multiple explosions ripped through the park.

The SOB forces opened fire.

Machine guns. Tank shells. Aircraft cannons. Then—several air-to-ground missiles launched from the helicopters.

White trails zigzagged across the sky, all converging on the octopus.

—KABOOM!

Fire and smoke swallowed everything.

For a moment, no one could see through the inferno.

When the barrage ended, silence returned.

“Wow, that’s how you do it,” Violet Lightning breathed.

“If I hadn’t stopped you, you’d be dead right now, dummy,” Frosttail snapped.

“Guess even giant aberrations need army support. We’d have no clue how to fight something this big,” Mieni agreed.

She’d tried to act first—but couldn’t figure out how. The sheer size difference made her feel like even a thousand magic arrows would just tickle it.

Just as they thought the monster was finished—

A massive tentacle burst from the smoke.

Whipping like a lash, it slammed into the nearest helicopter.

The aircraft exploded mid-air—plummeting as a flaming wreck.

The suddenness left everyone stunned.

It took seconds for the military to realize the creature wasn’t dead.

Helicopters pulled back, firing cannons. Ground units resumed bombardment.

This time, the octopus didn’t take it passively.

More tentacles emerged from the smoke, swinging wildly—smashing buildings, flipping tanks, scattering SOB agents in panic.

The battle turned into a massacre.

The three floating magical girls stared in horror at the one-sided carnage.

As the smoke cleared, the octopus revealed itself.

On scorched earth, the beast groaned—a grotesque sound.

Three of its eight tentacles were severed. Its body was riddled with craters and gaping wounds, oozing blue blood.

It looked like a dying beast—barely clinging to life.

Maybe… maybe we still have a chance.

Relief flickered—then vanished.

Because then—

“Regeneration? Fast regeneration?”

They watched in shock as the blue blood flowed back into its body. Wounds sealed shut at an impossible speed.

Worse—the severed tentacles began sprouting tiny buds. They swelled rapidly upon contact with air—growing halfway to full size within minutes.

This wasn’t just durability.

It had hyper-regeneration.

Unless they could erase it from existence in one blow, any amount of firepower would only delay the inevitable.

“Wait… we’re supposed to fight this? Seriously?”

Frosttail unconsciously stepped back, eyes locked on the monster.

“Hey… do you have Senior Tidal’s number?” she asked Violet Lightning.

Violet Lightning shook her head blankly.

Even her usual boldness had shattered. Fear gripped her heart—no more thoughts of charging in.

“I told you. Human armies are useless.”

Behind them, two voices cut through the tension.

“Tsukishake, I’m telling you—two slashes, and this big squid will be begging for mercy.”