My Magical Girl System-Chapter 29: Maniac

Sein lunged forward, her cracked gauntlets flaring with unstable orange light. "Volcanic Strike!" She drove her fist into the nearest hound’s side, and for a moment, the impact cratered the creature’s molten hide but the damage was shallow, superficial. The hound shook off the blow and snapped at her arm. She stumbled back, eyes wide.

"Eh...? Why isn’t my attack working?!"

A second hound slammed into her from behind. Sein’s guard broke. She flew across the plaza, skidding to a halt against the base of the shattered fountain, her gauntlets sparking uselessly.

Andrey’s mind raced even as he dodged another claw swipe. ’What does this mean...? Sein is here... But she’s not with the Guild anymore, is she? Or did she just happen to be nearby and came to help?’

A hound lunged. He sidestepped, barely, the creature’s jaws snapping shut inches from his face. Another came from his blind spot—he twisted, took the hit on his shoulder, absorbed the energy. His chest blazed red, dangerously close to overload.

Lisa’s voice cut through the chaos, high and strained. "Andrey! Is that our reinforcement?! She just got thrown!"

Andrey gritted his teeth, dodging again. "Probably! Lisa—do you have enough mana left for healing?"

Lisa’s wand flickered in her grip, the mint-green light dim and unsteady. She was pale, her transformation starting to shimmer at the edges. "But if I use healing, I won’t have enough for—"

"Do it. Heal Sein. She’s got more experience than both of us combined. If she’s fighting at full strength, we might have a chance to clear these hounds."

Lisa hesitated for only a second. Then she nodded, her jaw tightening. Her wand came up, green light pooling at its tip despite the strain written across her face. "Refreshing Breeze—focus!"

A stream of mint-green energy arced across the plaza, wrapping around Sein’s battered form. The S-rank hero gasped as the healing light sank into her wounds, the cuts on her arms closing, the bruise on her face fading. She pushed herself up, staring at her hands as the last of the healing energy dissipated.

Andrey was already moving. He sprinted toward the cluster of hounds that had gathered near the rift, his bloodied fists raised, his chest blazing with stored energy. He ducked under a claw, let another graze his arm—absorbed, stored. A third slammed into his back, and he stumbled but didn’t fall, the red light inside him now almost blinding.

’They’re multiplying. But if I can group them again, give Lisa a clear shot...’

He led them in a wide circle, drawing the hounds away from Sein, away from Lisa, away from the café where civilians were still huddled. Three. Five. Seven of them, their burning eyes fixed on the wounded man who kept running, kept dodging, kept absorbing hits that should have dropped him.

He was almost at his limit. His vision was tunneling. His legs were starting to shake. But they were clustered now—all seven, jaws snapping, claws raking, all of them focused on the easy prey that wouldn’t stop moving.

And then a hound lunged at his back, and he wasn’t going to dodge in time, and his absorption was full, and he thought, ’I need more time—’

The hound never reached him.

A fist caught it mid-air, orange light flaring, and the creature’s head snapped sideways with a crack that echoed across the plaza. It dissolved before it hit the ground.

Sein stood where the hound had been, her arm still extended, her gauntlets humming with renewed energy. Her face was set in a scowl, but there was something else in her eyes now—something sharp and focused.

"You damn mongrels," she spat, cracking her neck. "Think you can throw me around that easily? I’ll show you—"

Andrey grabbed her arm. "Wait!"

She whirled on him, eyes blazing. "Who the hell are you?! Some D-rank playing hero? Get out of my way before you get yourself killed!"

Andrey didn’t let go. His grip was iron despite the blood running down his arm. "If you rush in alone, you’ll just get thrown again. We need to group them. One spot. Then our support can finish them."

Sein yanked her arm free, her eyes blazing with indignation. "I don’t take orders from some D-rank!" She spun, gauntlets flaring, and launched herself at the nearest hound.

"Volcanic Strike!" Her fist connected with the creature’s side, orange light crackling. The hound staggered, its molten hide cracking, but it didn’t fall. It shook off the blow and lunged back at her with renewed fury.

Lisa’s voice cracked with frustration from behind her barrier. "What is wrong with her?! I wasted my healing on that arrogant—she’s just rushing in like a maniac!"

Andrey’s jaw tightened. His hands clenched at his sides, the stored energy in his chest still burning. "Lisa, stay calm. I’ll create an opening for you. Just be ready."

He didn’t wait for a response. He sprinted.

Sein was trading blows with two hounds at once, her gauntlets sparking erratically with each impact. She was holding her ground, barely, but her movements were sloppy—uncoordinated. She was fighting like someone who had always relied on overwhelming power, never needing technique.

A third hound circled behind her, its burning eyes fixed on her exposed back. It crouched, muscles coiling, ready to spring.

Andrey reached it first.

His foot connected with the creature’s side in a brutal kick, the impact jarring up his leg. The hound yelped, thrown off course, its claws raking empty air where Sein’s back had been.

She whirled, fist raised, ready to strike. Andrey stepped in front of her, blocking her swing.

"You owe me one," he said flatly. Then he turned and kicked the hound again, driving it back toward the cluster.

Sein’s face contorted. "Shut up, low-rank! I don’t owe anyone anything!" She shoved past him, gauntlet cocked back. "Volcanic—"

Andrey grabbed her shoulder. "No! We group them first!"

"I don’t need your—"

The hound she’d been fighting slammed into her midsection. Sein gasped, her attack fizzling, and this time Andrey caught her arm before she could fall. He yanked her upright, shoved her behind him, and took the next claw swipe on his shoulder—absorbed, stored. His vision flashed white for a moment, but he didn’t fall.

"Idiot!" Lisa’s voice rang across the plaza. "Stop being stupid! Let Andrey do his job!" 𝙧𝙚𝙚𝔀𝒆𝓫𝓷𝙤𝓿𝒆𝙡.𝒄𝙤𝓶

The S-rank hero’s face went through a rapid series of expressions—fury, indignation, disbelief—before settling on something that looked almost like embarrassment. She pulled back, her gauntlets still sparking, but she didn’t charge again.

Andrey didn’t wait to see if she’d stay put. He was already moving, weaving between the hounds, letting them chase him, leading them in a wide circle around the plaza’s center. His legs were shaking now. His vision was starting to blur at the edges. But he kept moving.

Three hounds followed. Then five. Then all seven, their burning eyes locked on the easy prey that kept running, kept dodging, kept just out of reach.

He led them past the fountain, past the overturned benches, past Sein’s scowling face. He herded them into a tight cluster in the plaza’s center, their bodies pressing together, their jaws snapping at each other in their eagerness to reach him.

Andrey skidded to a stop and raised his fist.

"Lisa—NOW!"

Lisa’s wand came up. Her face was pale, her lips bloodless, but her eyes were sharp. The last of her mana gathered at the wand’s tip, pooling into a single point of brilliant green light.

"Starlight BURST—ALL IN!"

The beam that erupted from her wand was thinner than before, less stable, but it was precise. It cut through the cluster of hounds like a blade, finding each creature’s core, chaining from one to the next in a cascade of emerald destruction.

The hounds didn’t have time to howl. One by one, they dissolved, their molten bodies collapsing into ash and mana particles that drifted away on the breeze.

When the light faded, the plaza was silent.

Lisa’s transformation flickered once, twice, then dissolved completely. She swayed on her feet, her wand clattering to the ground, her knees buckling.

Andrey caught her before she hit the pavement.

"Easy. I’ve got you."

Lisa’s head lolled against his chest, her breath coming in shallow gasps. Her face was gray with exhaustion, but she managed a weak smile. "Did I... get them all?"

Andrey looked at the empty plaza. The rift had sealed. The hounds were gone. The only sounds were the distant wail of sirens and the soft murmur of the fountain, still running despite everything.

"You got them all."

Sein stood at the edge of the plaza, her gauntlets hanging at her sides, her expression unreadable. She stared at the spot where the hounds had fallen, then at Andrey, then at Lisa in his arms.

Her jaw worked for a moment, like she was trying to say something and couldn’t quite get the words out.

System: Anomalous gate neutralized! Emergency quest complete.

Rewards:

Lisa: +400 EXP | Level 10 → Level 11! Skill upgrade: Starlight Burst → Nova Cascade (chain attacks now ricochet between more targets)

Host Andrey: +400 EXP | Level 11 → Level 12! Passive upgrade: Adrenaline Surge duration extended by 10 seconds