Give children a little self-destruction shock to their worldview.

Gentleman of the Abyss: ...How could this be?

Main Text: Chapter Forty-Seven: The Special Invitation from Magical Girl Crimson

When Mayumi Haga returned home, there was no one else there.

The guardian had her own things to do, and she could guess that the other party was probably running around about the calamity and the spiritual vein. As a considerate ward, Mayumi Haga did not ask any further questions.

After all, Sugiyama Rika is always like this. Although she looks like an unemployed bum, she seems to be a big shot in the magic world, so she is always very busy.

As the only mage in the city currently capable of entering the spiritual veins, it's normal for him to be busy.

Magical girls cannot obtain a "ticket" to enter the spirit vein until they have developed their magic to a certain level and learned to elementalize their magical power.

Mayumi Haga obtained the information about entering the spiritual vein from a conversation between Rika Sugiyama and the doctor a couple of days ago.

After all, her guardian had a really loud voice during telepathic conversations and liked to have them all the time. Sometimes she would be woken up, and even during class, she could hear her guardian discussing things with the doctor.

Thanks to Sugiyama Rika's help, Haga Mayumi can receive important information from the magical girl 24/7. Unintentionally, the other party has become Haga Mayumi's biggest source of information... She now even knows fragmented information such as that the blue-haired idol girl from the neighboring city is also a magical girl cultivated by Sugiyama Rika and is good at freezing magic.

I must thank my guardian properly when I have the chance.

As Mayumi Haga was thinking this, she was about to close the window and the light to pretend that she had gone to bed early when she heard a knocking sound coming from behind her window as she turned around.

She turned around, and because the curtains had just been washed and hadn't been replaced yet, she could see the view outside the window without any obstruction.

A figure in deep red leaned close to the window, mouthing exaggeratedly and gesturing with his hands.

Even without that bizarre and nonsensical sign language, the magical girl Crimson's lip movements were enough to convey what she wanted to say very clearly.

She said: Open the window—Mayumi—

Haga Mayumi:?

What's wrong with Xiaotong now? Hasn't she always been careful to hide her identity from me?

The black-haired girl stared blankly for a moment, puzzled, at the magical girl Crimson floating outside her window.

The magical girl Crimson looked at her with a silly smile, her invisible tail wagging wildly behind her.

In the end, considering the howling wind outside, Mayumi Haga had no choice but to open the window, as Hitomi Tono seemed determined not to leave unless Mayumi opened the window for her.

"So, Miss Crimson, what brings you here so late at night?" Mayumi Haga opened the window, her bangs fluttering in the cold wind as she asked.

She stared at the magical girl's deep red face, watching as the girl gave a slightly embarrassed smile, and then, scratching the back of her head, whispered, "I came to see if you were asleep."

Actually, after returning home without incident, I really wanted to see Mayumi, so I flew over to find her.

It's okay if she gets exposed. In fact, Hitomi Tono really wants Mayumi Haga to know her identity, so that it will feel like exchanging secrets.

Upon hearing this, Mayumi Haga's forehead was filled with a huge question mark: "...?"

Wasn't I just about to pretend to be asleep?

Even if I really need to rest, I'm sure you'll wake me up if you knock on the window twice, right?

After being glared at by Mayumi Haga with an expression as if she were an idiot, the magical girl Crimson knew that coming to see Mayumi in the middle of the night was a bit inappropriate, but she just laughed awkwardly twice and then cleared her throat: "Ahem... well, today is my sixth anniversary of becoming a magical girl."

Although this was just a temporary excuse to explain why she came to see Mayumi Haga at this time, Hitomi Tono herself felt that it was a very memorable day.

That day, she became a magical girl and met Mayumi Haga.

Six years later, Tono Hitomi wants to invite Mayumi Haga to spend the night with her, and then, at the right time, tell Mayumi Haga in person that "Tono Hitomi is the magical girl Crimson".

If she wants to know more about Mayumi, she must first open her heart.

Entrust your secrets to us.

After all, he is a trustworthy friend.

With that in mind, Tono Hitomi decided to invite Haga Mayumi to join her on a night patrol that evening.

She would fly over Mayumi from the top of the Ferris wheel, set off magical fireworks for her, and let Mayumi and herself enjoy the city at night. After everything was over, she would undo her transformation on the lawn of the park where they first met and tell Mayumi that she was Crimson.

She wanted to share all the happy things with Mayumi.

"Want to go out and play with me?" Magical girl Crimson extended her right hand, clad in a white fingerless glove, to Mayumi Haga, her eyes shining with an irresistible light as she offered the invitation. "This is a special invitation from magical girl Crimson!"

Mayumi Haga never refused a request, and even though she didn't know what was wrong with Hitomi Tono, she still nodded.

The next second, she was entangled by the other party's suddenly enlarged cloak, and when she opened her eyes again, she was already in the clouds.

Mayumi Haga overheard Magical Girl Iris sending a surprised telepathic message to Magical Girl Crimson: "[Eh!? Hitomi, is it alright for you to bring Mayumi out like this?]"

[It's alright!] Hitomi Tohno wasn't worried about her identity being exposed at all. That's why she came out today. [I think I should confess to Mayumi!]

[I wasn't talking about her identity being exposed... Have you forgotten that Mayumi has a heart condition? Won't this scare her?]

[…Huh?] Magical girl Crimson's brain froze for a moment, then she cried out in almost panic, "Mayumi?! Are you alright? Did you scare me?! I'm so sorry, so sorry, so sorry—"

The red-haired idiot frantically tried to lift the small cloak covering Mayumi Haga to check her complexion, only to find that the black-haired girl's face was terribly pale.

But it wasn't a heart attack triggered by fright, but rather...

Following Mayumi Haga's gaze, the magical girl Crimson saw a figure faintly appearing in the distant clouds.

"...Really...?" After visually assessing the creature's size, the magical girl Crimson murmured, "What is that...?"

The moonlight is exceptionally bright tonight.

So they could see the dull scales on the huge fantasy creature—or rather, the dragon—and the way countless insects crawled rustlingly on its body, covered in large patches of blackish-red slime.

Its enormous form splits the sky in two, and its shadow on the ground can swallow up all the light.

It was like a wooden ship sailing on the sea that had caught fire that could not be extinguished. The dragon let out an ear-piercing wail and charged toward this side.

Chapter 48 No Need to Worry

A strong tremor came from beneath the spiritual vein.

The probability of earthquakes in this city is far lower than that of battles between magical ability users. Generally speaking, if it were on the ground, people's first reaction would be "Are there monsters and magical girls fighting again?" rather than "An earthquake has occurred."

But this is within the spiritual veins, a tranquil cradle where the gods slumber.

The fact that such a large-scale disturbance could occur is enough to demonstrate the severity of the situation.

Just then, Sugiyama Rika prepared everything needed for the barrier. Her expression was serious as she put down the shovel in her hand. In her field of vision, the ends of the spiritual veins, which had been perfectly fine just moments before, began to show spots of charring, as if they had been burned or as if they had been eaten by insects.

The ominous signs of insect damage on the spiritual vein indicate that something has stolen its power... Even though it's just a minor issue, it's enough to give the magical girls a headache.

I must get back to the real world as soon as possible... Just as I was thinking this, I heard the solemn voice of the Abyss Gentleman: "The train has stopped running."

Sugiyama Rika turned her head and saw that the return train that should have been waiting at the platform was nowhere to be seen. When she checked the station sign, she found that the route was marked with a big red cross.

This means that the route is temporarily closed, and neither Sugiyama Rika nor the Abyss Gentleman can take the train back to the real world for the time being.

It says "temporarily," but it doesn't specify a repair time. Theoretically, even if they were kept here indefinitely, it's possible for them to be assimilated by the spiritual veins.

strangeness……?

When Sugiyama Rika arrived, she had already checked everything. Such an accident shouldn't have happened, right?

Moreover, the only one who came with him was the Gentleman of the Abyss.

"Did you see any return trains on your way here?" Sugiyama Rika asked the increasingly flustered Gentleman of the Abyss.

The latter replied blankly, "I saw it... ah, but..."

He remembered the dragon.

Could it be that dragon...?

The Gentleman of the Abyss only had time to glance at the dragon, so he was unable to observe it closely and discover the problem with it.

From his perspective, he could only see the dragon's head and half of the body; the other half of the body and the tail were not visible.

If he had time to observe carefully, he would have noticed that the dragon's tail was stained with a little bit of black filth.

That dragon doesn't belong to any page of this world's magic encyclopedia, but this world has always been warm and hospitable. Just like the crossover stories or theatrical versions that sometimes appear in magical girl worlds, characters or creatures from other worlds can always come to this world very easily.

The silver-white dragon, representing wisdom, is also on the tourist whitelist.

If Mayumi Haga were here, she would definitely recognize that this giant dragon, which was accepted by the spiritual veins, had actually been corrupted by calamity long before the world was destroyed, turning into a huge skeleton that roamed the far north.

Calamity merely cloaks it in a glittering coat, driving it rampage through the world.

By piecing together the condition of the spiritual vein and the appearance of the strange dragon, the two people present were able to reconstruct what had just happened in the spiritual vein.

The Abyss Gentleman said anxiously, "If we can't get out, won't we have to leave the outside to those two brats, Crimson and Iris?"

Sugiyama Rika was also a little worried, but at this point, she could only trust them.

“If it’s those two children, it should be fine.” Sugiyama Rika said, then realized something, “Wait a minute, why are you more worried than I am?”

She is supposed to be the mentor of the magical girls, so why is this weirdo acting more anxious than her, as if he wants to rush out and fight for her right now?

"My family is waiting for me to come home," the Abyss Gentleman said dejectedly. "I promised to take Little Sadness to buy a new schoolbag tomorrow, and Angry's birthday is coming up soon too..."

The male mother was already regretting her meddling.

How wonderful it would be to go straight home after get off work!

That way, I won't get involved in this mess and end up not knowing when I'll be able to go home.

"You've really changed a lot," Sugiyama Rika teased. "Isn't it because you're completely tied down by your family?"

“How could someone who’s always traveling and never home understand how I feel?” The Abyss Gentleman squatted down and rummaged through his belongings. “My younger siblings are all too weak. I have to protect them all. What if I get hurt by anger running into an enemy? What if Little Sadness cries because I didn’t come home…”

Sugiyama Rika paused for a moment, then commented sharply: "...It feels a bit disgusting."

The previous Abyss Gentleman was a member of the Chaos Faction who attempted to sever the spiritual veins and unleash a spectacular fireworks display... What is this guy in front of me? Why is his maternal aura so dazzling it's blinding?

However, Sugiyama Rika is not entirely unable to understand the other person's feelings.

Over the years, I have also experienced feelings that are completely different from those of the past when I was raising children and mentoring students for the first time.

Watching the seedlings grow little by little under my careful cultivation and protection fills me with a sense of accomplishment.

This eccentric person has finally tasted the sweetness of "protecting others" and found his place in the world.

"Don't worry, there won't be any problems," Sugiyama Rika reassured her. "The barrier has been set up, and there will be people outside helping."

"...Outside?" The Abyss Gentleman's white eyes widened, as if he had just realized something. "Could it be that purple one..."

In his memory, during the magical girl period of the mage in front of him, the other party had a partner who was also a magical girl.

The magical girl whose representative color is purple, although she does not possess powerful offensive magic, is quite skilled in field forging, healing and buffing, and often torments the monsters to the point of wishing they were dead.

Compared to Sugiyama Rika's pure brute force output, the Abyss Gentleman fears more the purple nightmare who can control the battlefield.

"No way... that guy's here too." He said sheepishly, "Why did you bring her back as well..."

That was the Abyss Gentleman's childhood nightmare.

However, from the perspective of an ally, the Abyss Gentleman can finally breathe a sigh of relief.

Knowing that the doctor hadn't left the city all these years and was just working peacefully at the hospital, Sugiyama Rika casually looked away.

.................................................. .................................................. .

A woman in a white coat stood in front of the floor-to-ceiling window, her glasses reflecting the enormous, churning figure in the clouds.

She took off her glasses, her light gray eyes gazing at the empty space in mid-air.

The time has come, and Senior Li Hua has completed the preliminary preparations.

She raised her hand, her five fingers spread, and grasped the spider web, a magical web that flowed and intertwined in the air, invisible to the naked eye.

Then, using up all his magic power, he activated the barrier.

Main text: Chapter 49 The Magical Girl's Astonishment

Upon discovering the existence of such a calamity, the doctor discussed with Sugiyama Rika how to reduce casualties.

Although bleeding, injury, and death are rare in the world of magical girls, and any despair can be reversed by the miraculous power of magic, a certain degree of cruelty still exists outside the magical world.

Although the cruelty of this world may seem like child's play to other worlds, it still exists.

Humans are born, grow old, get sick, and die. For the doctor who became a doctor after retiring from the military, this is a perfectly natural thing.

She was, after all, a doctor; she had seen more and considered more than the magical girls.

She realized that the calamity would definitely cause enormous casualties and losses.

In the past, magical battles rarely resulted in casualties. This was because neither the magical girls nor the monsters intended to kill, and also because when the magical girls fought the monsters, they actually used a special rule-based magical field set up by the Jewel Beasts to allow people to avoid harm and repair damaged items afterward.

This is why damaged areas and objects in magical battles can be restored, and people are rarely injured by magic.

When magical girls fight monsters, they are essentially using Jewel Beasts to create a backup contract for the surrounding area. As long as the magical girls win, they can repair the damaged objects under the world's rules.