Brrring, brrring, brrring — little Itadori's call came through.
"Mom! Teacher! Tokyo's sky — have you seen Tokyo's sky?!" the little girl's voice was full of shock and tension. "So many Cursed Spirits are falling from the sky! What do we do? Should Megumi Fushiguro and I go over? But the two of us can't handle that many Cursed Spirits!"
Kenjaku and Mahiru exchanged a glance.
Mahiru held out her hand; Kenjaku understood at once and passed her the phone.
"Don't panic, I'm coming to find you..." Mahiru said to little Itadori, then glanced at Kenjaku. "You stay here and mind the house."
The woman made an OK sign. "Got it, understood."
Someone had to stay behind to hold the fort.
It was entirely predictable — Tokyo's poor citizens were in for another disaster. Mahiru didn't have deep ties to the people of this world, but she had no intention of standing by and doing nothing either.
It took her about ten minutes to meet up with little Itadori and little Fushiguro and reach Tokyo together.
By then, Tokyo had once again descended into complete chaos.
"Help! Somebody help me!"
"Where did these monsters come from?!"
"Weren't they supposed to be gone for good? Why are they falling from the sky?!..."
Cursed Spirits kept pouring down from the sky in an endless stream. People fled in every direction, wailing and terrified. As far as the eye could see, several bystanders had already been attacked and injured by Cursed Spirits.
"Teacher!" The young pink-haired girl watched everything unfolding before her, fists clenched and jaw tight. "Can I go?"
"Go," Mahiru nodded. "Go save people, but watch out for your own safety."
Mahiru gauged the rough strength of the falling Cursed Spirits, and once she was sure the two children wouldn't be in serious danger, she turned her attention to the dark clouds overhead.
The clouds were dispersing...
Had it noticed she'd arrived?
The girl felt a flicker of disappointment. If the phantom Kenjaku kept dropping Cursed Spirits, she might have been able to go up and study how he opened those massive space-time tunnels.
But that plan came to nothing. Mahiru decided to head down and help save people too. The moment her gaze dropped, though, she froze.
She'd spotted someone she recognized. "Riko Amanai?"
In the crowd, the familiar-looking girl was helping other Assistant Supervisors evacuate ordinary citizens and maintain a Barrier. Mahiru recalled that Riko Amanai had no real talent for Cursed Technique combat... Had she resolved to become an Assistant Supervisor after being killed?
Mahiru was a little taken aback.
The dark clouds were dispersing, and the number of Cursed Spirits falling noticeably began to taper off. But the ones that had already come down were already numerous.
Mahiru saw one Cursed Spirit land and charge straight toward Riko Amanai.
"Watch out!!" Riko Amanai heard an Assistant Supervisor beside her shout, turned, and her eyes narrowed at the sight of the Cursed Spirit charging toward her.
She threw herself aside just in time, barely dodging the attack.
The Cursed Spirit slammed into a car parked at the roadside with a thunderous crash — the car flipped, crumpled instantly, glass scattering across the ground.
Gritting her teeth, Riko Amanai pushed herself up off the ground.
Her arm burned with pain. She stood up, and the moment she looked up, her pupils shrank.
Not far away, the car that had just been sent tumbling and flipping had pinned the leg of the Assistant Supervisor who'd been maintaining the Barrier with her. Aside from being able to cast a Barrier, that Assistant Supervisor was an ordinary person — with her leg trapped, she couldn't move at all.
The Cursed Spirit had already reached the Assistant Supervisor's side, baring its fangs in a savage snarl.
Riko Amanai stood rooted to the spot. It felt like her breath had stopped.
Should she run?
She had no fighting strength to speak of — a moment ago, maintaining the Barrier, all she'd been doing was assisting that Assistant Supervisor.
Should she run... Shouldn't she do something?
Ever since Miwa Ran had died, she'd kept thinking about doing something — that was why she'd asked Yaga to let her intern in the Assistant Supervisor department. But now, staring death in the face, she discovered she wasn't nearly as brave as she'd imagined.
Her hands and feet had gone stiff.
Her breath had frozen in her chest.
At her waist hung a cursed-tool dagger capable of hurting Cursed Spirits. But she couldn't move a muscle.
Just three weeks ago, she hadn't cared much whether she lived or died. Now, facing death for real, she was terrified beyond control.
The Cursed Spirit kept advancing step by step, grinning viciously, drooling.
The pinned Assistant Supervisor saw Riko Amanai frozen in place as if scared witless, and screamed at her to run.
"Go find Satoru Gojo and Suguru Geto!!"
Hearing those two names, the first thing that came to the girl's mind was Miwa Ran.
She remembered that when Miwa Ran had sacrificed herself, she too had told her to run and go wait for Satoru Gojo and Suguru Geto.
Something inside the girl snapped with an audible crack.
"AAAAAH!!"
Riko Amanai broke into a run.
She ran and screamed at the same time, yanking the dagger from her waist and gripping it with both hands, putting every ounce of strength into it.
"Die!!!——"
The thin girl threw her entire body at the Cursed Spirit.
A wet squelch — the dagger sank in!
Foul-smelling blood sprayed out, splattering her hands, her face, her clothes — she was covered in it!
Riko Amanai's eyes lit up for an instant.
It landed! The attack worked!
The Cursed Spirit let out an agonized shriek.
It thrashed, its body whipping violently, and one arm swept toward her.
Riko Amanai flinched — then the blow caught her, sending her flying. She slammed onto the ground hard, dazed and battered.
"Roooar!!"
The Cursed Spirit seemed enraged now, its face even more twisted than before.
She gritted her teeth and forced her eyes open.
The Cursed Spirit was already right in front of her, its eyes brimming with malice and fury. "ROOAAR!!"
It raised its claw.
A chill of dread washed through Riko Amanai.
Was she going to die right here?
Satoru Gojo and Suguru Geto hadn't arrived yet. Satoru Gojo — she remembered he was away on business somewhere outside Tokyo today. And even if Suguru Geto made it in time, it wouldn't help; Tokyo's disaster zone was simply too vast, and now, with Tengen kidnapped and missing, she was no longer someone precious enough to be protected.
She realized she really was about to die.
The girl let out a soft, quiet laugh.
But just then, a beam of blue light dropped down from the sky.
BOOM!! — A pillar of light made of overwhelming Cursed Energy slammed into the Cursed Spirit, pulverizing it into dust almost instantly.
Deep blue light filled Riko Amanai's entire field of vision.
Disbelief filled the girl's eyes as she slowly lifted her head, looking toward where the beam had come from.
She saw a blue Magical Girl descending slowly from the sky.
"...Who are you?" Riko Amanai's eyes went wide.
Mahiru, forced to reveal herself and step in, couldn't help a wry grin. "Uh... my name... how about you just call me Jogo. Magical Girl Jogo."
Sorry about this, Jogo — borrowing your name for a bit.
Mahiru felt her collection of fake identities growing by one more.
____
⚡ BONUS CHAPTER MILESTONES
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🔥 New history: DanMachi: Inheriting the Legacy of Alternate Versions — posted on The_Mikudayo