Chapter 77: Rescue

I pushed the jeep to its limits, speeding through the darklands. Ten minutes later, before we could arrive at the designated coordinates, five Gloams blocked our path. They were facing away from us, but I am sure they would notice if we came close.

“What should we do? Should we turn around and find another route?” I asked.

“The best option is to drive through while dodging them. Um… can you do that?” Serene asked. "They don't have much time. These giants hit hard."

“That would be risky. A single hit would break this jeep. If we lost this jeep, it would take some time to order a new one,” Felicia warned.

“How about Shining, Serene, and Sapphire kite the Gloams on foot while I push forward to rescue the Guardians?”

“That would be the safest plan, but we don’t know if there are more Gloams beyond these five,” Serene frowned.

“At least let me come with you. I can be the second kite,” Shining offered.

“Change of plans. The Guardians are only 200 meters away. Shining and Serene will kite the Gloams while Lily uses her clones to push through and reach the Guardians,” Felicia suggested.

“That’s a great idea!” Shining leaped down from the jeep, immediately firing an arrow at one of the Gloams. She then swapped her bow for a sniper rifle. A loud pop rang out as a bullet struck a Gloam, sending it staggering backward.

“How did she do that? I don’t think I could knock down a Gloam with one shot," I muttered while summoning more clones, allowing one to take over driving the jeep while I dropped down to engage these monsters. A small window appeared in my vision, showing what the clone in the jeep saw.

“Her DEX stat is higher. Guns are augmented by DEX stat, If she lands a shot in its eye, she might even be able to kill one outright, just like how you can take down a Gloam with your naginata despite being lower-leveled than Shining. Your STR stat makes up for it.” Felicia explained.

As my clones and I charged forward, the massive Gloam roared, struggling to rise while flailing its mace wildly. One of my shotgun clones fired their explosive rounds, each blast knocking the creature back, but the bullets failed to penetrate its thick skull.

"We must bleed it. Aim for the artery," my sniper clone advised from afar, and I nodded.

"Got it."

I gripped my Icerail Naginata and charged toward the Gloams. In the small window at the corner of my vision, I spotted the MGs I had come to rescue.

"Target sighted. They're running away from a huge Gloam. Whoa, it just destroyed a house with a swing" my clone reported. I could see the MG we were about to rescue maneuver through a house. The gloam plowed through the house as if it wasn't even there.

"That's an Advanced Gloam. Be careful," Felicia warned. "Not only do they hit harder, but they can also fire spikes from their hands. A single hit could kill even a C-rank MG. If it lands a clean blow on you, you won’t stand a chance."

"...The one heading for them is a clone, right?" I asked as I slashed at a Gloam’s neck. The cut wasn’t deep enough to be fatal.

"Just a warning. You're using a melee weapon. Without your Signature, surviving against an Advanced Gloam would be difficult."

"I have that Horcrux ability, right?" I recalled that I had a mana construct set up somewhere in my room back in Agneya. That should act as my safety net.

"The others may die in that case. How will they survive if they lose their only vanguard?"

I froze. My eyes widened at the mere suggestion of me surviving while Shining, Sapphire, and Serene were dead.

"When will my Signature recover?" I asked, frustration creeping into my voice as I finished off the Gloam I had wounded earlier.

"Lily! Why are you in the middle of the fight? Let your clones handle the melee!" Shining scolded through the intercom as she fired at a Gloam that my harpoon clones had immobilized. Serene followed up with repeated thunder strikes, keeping another Gloam occupied while three of my clones surrounded it.

I jogged back toward my sniper clone, murmuring an apology to Shining, who was sulking over my recklessness.

"Thank you!"

The three MGs quickly climbed into the jeep while one of my clones created two more clones to bait the massive troll away.

"I should upgrade my Spirit instead. I need more clones."

"Alright! We're in the clear! Let's move out!" Serene grabbed Sapphire and dashed forward, with Shining following close behind.

"Ugh! Three Rank D Anathema! What a waste!" Sapphire groaned, staring at the fallen Gloam corpses from her position in Serene’s arms.

"Life is more important, Sapphire. This was a rescue mission, not a harvest mission," Shining chided.

[Quest Completed! - SOS]

[Description: Three Magical Guardians are calling for your help. Rescue them, but don’t endanger yourself.]

[Difficulty: Medium]

[Reward: 400 Points]

"Well, that's 500 points in the bag! Are you guys okay? We brought Blue Guardians with us." Shining hummed as she shifted Sapphire onto her lap. With three additional MGs in the jeep, it was getting cramped.

"Thanks! We were aiming to clear out some weak Anathema, but multiple usurpation rifts suddenly opened, and those Gloams swarmed us." Magic Flare, a Red Magical Girl dressed in robes and a pointed hat like a classic fantasy mage, explained. "Silky Cloud is unconscious, and Raging Sword broke his arm. Can you do something?"

I glanced at Silky Cloud, a Green Guardian clad in paladin-like armor, and Raging Sword, a Yellow Guardian dual-wielding sword.

"Of course!" Sapphire nodded and reached out, touching Silky Cloud and Raging Sword’s arm. "Healing!"

A soft blue glow radiated from her hands, mending the bruises and resetting the broken bones before my eyes. The rescued Guardians stirred as the distant sound of helicopters filled the sky.

"Ah! My clone got killed!" A sharp pain pulsed in my stomach as my clone sent its last transmission before vanishing.

Through my clone’s last moments, I saw it had fought bravely. Knowing they had an advantage at a distance, my clones had switched to sniper rifles, unloading shot after shot, aiming for weak points. But the Advanced Gloam didn’t even flinch, even when they struck its head.

Since the Advanced Gloam couldn’t catch them, it grew spikes from its mouth and launched them at my clones. They managed to dodge the first few, but the Gloam fired like a missile launcher, unleashing a rain of black spikes from its back and mouth. Eventually, one struck a clone in the stomach, while another impaled my last clone through the head.

Thankfully, in their final moments, they managed to store my sniper rifles back into my inventory. I closed my eyes and silently prayed for them. They were just clones, yet I felt a deep sense of camaraderie with them. They fought knowing they could feel pain, knowing they were disposable. But to me, they weren’t just temporary copies—they were my comrades. I wondered if I could give them cake inside my dreams as a reward.

We drove through the darklands until Serene suddenly yelped.

"Ah, I forgot to retract the SOS signal." She winced as we saw helicopters approaching from the distance.

"We already canceled the SOS and debriefed them on our situation, but I guess they still came to check up on us." Felicia sighed.

The helicopters landed in front of our jeep, and Freya, accompanied by a Blue Magical Girl, stepped out. I thought all high-ranking Guardians had flight capabilities—maybe she just chose not to use them?

"Are you guys okay? I saw the SOS signal," Freya asked, scanning us for injuries.

"Yes, we’re fine. We successfully rescued the three MGs and were heading back to base. We apologize for disobeying orders." Shining jumped out of the jeep and bowed. Freya, however, didn't seem to mind.

"Don’t be. Guardians are free!" she said with a smile. "If everything’s okay, where are the Anathema?"

"They should be that way." I pointed in the direction we had escaped from after stepping down from the jeep. The rescued MGs also disembarked, bowing and apologizing to Freya.

"Thanks! Your car seems to be in good condition. If you don’t require any further assistance, I shall excuse myself. I’ll go after them—it’s our duty to exterminate every last Anathema! Sister Theressa, let’s go harvest some vials!" Freya grinned before taking off.

The Blue Magical Girl nodded and left with Freya on the helicopter. The remaining helicopters offered us an airlift back to base, but I refused. The base was only three kilometers away, and riding my jeep was more comfortable.

The others also refused. I understood why Shining, Sapphire, and Serene declined—they wanted to accompany me. But the rescued MGs also refused the airlift, which puzzled me.

"Want a ride? You guys just experienced a shield break. You shouldn’t be traveling the darklands on foot. You must be exhausted after running from those Gloams," Sapphire offered.

"Um… are you sure you don’t mind?" They looked at us—no, they were specifically looking at me. I tilted my head, wondering why.

"Yes, I don’t mind. We’ll go back together," I replied.

"Thanks! That’s great. Um… we’ll try not to damage or dirty your car." The Green MG stepped forward with a grateful smile. "My familiar probably already introduced us, but I’m Silky Cloud. This is Magical Flare, and my buddy here is Raging Sword."

Silky Cloud’s green buckler had disappeared along with his sword. I accepted his handshake and introduced myself.

"I am Black Lily."

They tilted their heads in confusion, but before they could ask, Shining and the others introduced themselves.

"I’m Shining Arrow."

"Serene Night."

"Sapphire Blue."

"Thank you… um… it’s been bugging me, but are you a Dark Magical Girl? You have white hair and a shirt, but your cloak and skirt are black… I am not sure whether you are skirting the boundary between white and black with your monochrome appearance."

"Yes, I am a Dark Magical Girl," I nodded. Then, I glanced at Felicia, who spoke to me through telepathy.

"Black MGs are rare. There’s only one other Black MG on Agneya, and she’s extremely introverted," Felicia informed me.

I sighed. Once again, I felt like some rare exhibit in a zoo.

"I see! Let me have your contact info! We could hunt together! Your powers are amazing!" Silky Cloud grinned.

"Sorry! But Lily is mine! You may not recruit her! She’s in our party!" Shining stepped in protectively while I was still conversing with Felicia.

"There was a Black MG who formed a permanent party? You guys didn’t just meet by chance to rescue us?" Raging Sword stared at us in wonder, as if witnessing a miracle.

"Lily is my friend! We even know each other’s real name!" Shining said smugly.

"Ah, I see. We’re sorry for intruding… Um, are you still willing to offer us a ride?"

"Yes." I nodded and hopped back into the driver’s seat.

The jeep rumbled across the barren wasteland. The base soon came into view. The trio of MGs kept chatting the whole way, but I focused on the road and didn’t join in.

"Thanks for saving us. We owe you one. Give us a call if you ever need help with a raid, okay?" The trio jumped down from the jeep, waving as they left. As they walked off, I caught snippets of their conversation.

"Ugh! We’re going to get an earful from Gwen!"

"At least we met another Black! I thought she was a White MG, for god’s sake! Now that we know her name, we can call her through GC!"

"Just because you know her name doesn’t mean she’ll join your party! How many Dark Guardians do you even know? Ten! Have you ever worked with one? Never!"

"But that’s because they’re in different ranks! We might have a chance with this one!"

I sighed and stored my jeep in my inventory.

"Want some snacks? We have soufflé this time! Let’s go to the cafeteria!" Shining offered excitedly.

"Sorry. I think I’ll pass." After saying goodbye, I wandered to the wall and stared at the sunset. The golden light was warm and soothing, lulling me into an unintended nap.

Inside my dream, ten yuris welcomed me with a strawberry cake.