My Magical Girl System-Chapter 18: Chaos

The first wave surged toward them—a chaotic mass of twisted creatures, their forms barely solid in the gate’s unstable light. Dozens of them, maybe more, claws extended and fangs bared as they charged.

Simmon moved first.

He simply walked forward, both swords held loosely at his sides. When the first creature lunged, he wasn’t there anymore. A blur of white hair and dark steel, and the monster dissolved into particles before it could touch the ground. Two more fell in the same heartbeat, their bodies separating cleanly at the torso.

"Show off," Levin muttered, but he was smiling as he drew his katana. The crimson-haired swordsman stepped into the swarm like he was joining a dance. His blade flashed in precise arcs—efficient, beautiful, lethal. Three creatures fell, then five, each strike perfectly placed to disable without unnecessary destruction.

Sein moved differently. Her gauntlets flared with orange light as she planted her feet, and when the first wave of monsters reached her, she simply... punched. Shockwaves rippled through the horde, sending creatures tumbling back, their bodies cracked but not destroyed. "Stay down," she muttered, following up with precise strikes to keep them from advancing.

Hope watched them for half a second, then grinned and swung her crystal sword in a wide arc. The blade hummed with golden light, and a crescent of energy sliced through a cluster of monsters, severing limbs and scattering them. "Not bad for a warm-up!"

Levin glanced at her, katana still moving. "Warm-up? This is barely exercise."

Simmon said nothing—just kept walking forward, swords a blur of death. Creatures fell around him like wheat before a scythe, their bodies dissolving before they could even scream.

Sein’s eye twitched. "Simmon! I said don’t kill them all!"

He paused mid-swing, one blade buried in a creature’s chest. "I’m not. There are plenty left." He flicked the dissolving remains off his sword and kept moving. 𝕗𝗿𝕖𝐞𝐰𝗲𝕓𝐧𝕠𝕧𝗲𝐥.𝚌𝐨𝚖

The horde pressed on, but they couldn’t break through. Every approach was met with steel, energy, or raw force. Minutes passed—or maybe longer; time moved strangely inside gates—and the flow of monsters began to thin.

Levin sheathed his katana briefly, surveying the carnage. "That’s the first wave done. Core’s still deeper."

Sein nodded, checking her gauntlets. "We push forward. The perimeter teams need time to handle the waves we send out."

Hope wiped a strand of golden hair from her face, breathing evenly. "How many waves total?"

"Three," Sein replied. "Then the core is exposed."

Simmon stared into the darkness ahead, where larger shapes were beginning to stir. "Good. I’m bored already."

Levin chuckled, drawing his blade again. "Then let’s make the next one interesting."

The four of them moved deeper into the gate, leaving the remains of the first wave dissolving behind them

They pressed deeper into the gate’s interior, the path winding between floating islands of crystalline rock. The purple light grew dimmer here, shadows pooling in corners where the mana-light didn’t reach. Something felt different—heavy, like the air itself was watching them.

Simmon paused mid-stride, his head tilting slightly. Behind his black glasses, his expression was uncertain.

Levin noticed first. "What? Sensing something?"

Simmon didn’t answer immediately. Then, quietly said, "Something’s off."

Sein frowned, orange ponytail swaying as she scanned their surroundings. Her gauntlets pulsed with a faint glow, reacting to ambient mana. "The energy patterns are shifting. More chaotic than they should be."

Hope gripped her crystal sword tighter, golden eyes narrowing. "Is it the core?"

"Maybe." Sein’s voice was clipped. "Or maybe something else. Stay alert."

Levin’s hand rested on his katana, amber eye gleaming. "You’re all so tense. It’s probably nothing."

Simmon’s lip curled slightly. "Scared?" His voice dripped with mockery. "If you’re that worried, turn back now. I’ll handle the rest myself."

Levin’s smile didn’t waver. "Cute. Keep talking like that and I might actually let you."

Sein stepped between them, glare sharp. "Enough. Focus."

The gate rumbled—a deep, guttural sound that vibrated through the floating islands. In the distance, shapes began to move. More monsters. But these were different.

The second wave emerged from the shadows, and immediately everyone felt it.

These creatures were larger than the first wave’s—more armored, their eyes burning with a sickly orange light. Their movements were deliberate, coordinated, like soldiers responding to a command. And their mana signatures... they were stronger. Significantly stronger.

Hope’s eyes widened. "These aren’t C-rank anymore. Some of them are bordering on B."

Sein’s jaw tightened. "That’s impossible. The gate was classified C-rank. It shouldn’t—"

A creature lunged at her mid-sentence. She pivoted, gauntlet flashing as she caught its claw and hurled it into another. The impact cratered the crystalline ground.

Levin drew his katana in a fluid motion, meeting the charge of three creatures simultaneously. His blade sang—but when it struck, the monster didn’t fall immediately. It staggered, wounded but still fighting. His amber eye narrowed. "Tougher too."

Simmon moved among them, both swords dancing. His strikes were as precise as ever, but these creatures required more effort. He carved through two, then three, but a fourth managed to graze his arm—a shallow cut, but a cut nonetheless.

He glanced at the wound, then at the creature that had inflicted it. The monster stared back with those burning orange eyes, unafraid.

Simmon’s expression didn’t change, but something cold entered his voice. "Interesting."

Hope swung her crystal sword in a wide arc, golden energy blasting back a cluster of attackers. "Sein, what’s happening?! This isn’t normal!"

Sein didn’t answer immediately. She was staring past the horde, toward the deeper shadows where the largest shapes stirred. Her face was pale.

"The core," she whispered. "Something’s wrong with the core."

Levin’s amber eye widened as he parried another strike, his blade singing against hardened claws. "These monsters... they’re like S-rank! And there’s so many of them!"

Hope’s face went pale, golden hair whipping as she spun to blast back two creatures simultaneously. "S-rank?! That’s insane—we need to close this portal right now!"

Sein stood frozen for a moment longer, her orange ponytail limp against her back, gauntlets humming but her expression stricken. Then she shook herself, jaw setting with stubborn determination. "We can still do this. We push forward to the core and clear the gate. That’s the only way."

A massive creature—easily twice the size of the others—lunged from the shadows. Simmon met it head-on, both swords crossing to block its descent. The impact sent shockwaves through the crystalline ground, and for the first time, Simmon was thrown backward, skidding across the rock and slamming into a floating pillar.

He pushed himself up slowly, a thin line of blood tracing down his cheek from a cut beneath his glasses. His expression didn’t change, but when he spoke, there was something new in his voice—grudging respect, perhaps. "Heh. Not bad." He rolled his shoulders, gripping his swords tighter. "For a C-rank gate, anyway."

Levin shot him a sharp look, katana held ready as more creatures closed in. "This isn’t C-rank anymore! The gate’s become S-rank! Interfering with the gate like this—expanding it, manipulating it—it was a terrible decision!"

Sein’s head whipped toward him, eyes blazing. "Shut up! I know what I’m doing. We keep moving forward!"

Hope stepped between them, crystal sword gleaming. "Do you see what’s happening?! These monsters could break through at any moment and kill every D to A-rank hero outside! We have to close this gate NOW!"

Sein’s gauntlets crackled with orange energy, her voice rising. "You can’t just close a gate whenever you want, Hope! Have you forgotten that? If we want to save the others, we push forward and destroy the core!"

Hope’s golden eyes narrowed, her voice dropping to something cold and knowing. "This is about your reputation, isn’t it? If we retreat, you’ll be humiliated. Failed S-rank can’t handle a C-rank gate. You’d never live it down." She stepped closer, sword still raised. "That’s why you won’t retreat. Not because it’s the only way—because you’re too proud to admit you made a mistake."

Sein’s face flushed, her mouth opening and closing. For a moment, she looked almost vulnerable—then her expression hardened into something defensive and angry.

Levin raised a hand, trying to intervene. "Enough, both of you! We need to discuss our next move rationally—"

A dark blur slammed into the space between them.

Simmon stood there, both swords planted in the crystalline ground, his white hair disheveled and black glasses cracked slightly. When he spoke, his voice was quiet but cut through the chaos like a blade.

"We’re not retreating."

He pulled one sword free, pointing it toward the deeper darkness where the core pulsed like a diseased heart. The largest shadows moved there, their forms barely visible but unmistakably massive.

"We push forward. We kill everything. We take the core." He glanced back at them, and even through the cracked glasses, his gaze was cold. "Running like cowards? That would be shameful."

The gate rumbled again, and in the distance, something immense began to stir.