My Magical Girl Syst Chapter 68: Little Mouse

Chapter 68: Little Mouse

Gea lunged forward, her dagger gleaming with dark energy, aid directly at Andrey’s chest.

Andrey’s hand flew to his belt, but before he could draw his katana, a flash of steel intercepted the blow. Sparks erupted as Allen’s sword t Gea’s dagger, the impact sending shockwaves through the air.

Allen’s face was set in grim determination. "Everyone, prepare yourselves! We’re under attack!"

The command snapped the stunned heroes into action. Hands reached for weapons, mana flickered to life, and the grand hall transford from a celebration into a battlefield.

Near the staircase, Simmon Flanks pushed his black glasses up his nose, his twin swords already drawn. His white hair caught the dim light as he fixed his gaze on Ernando. "What is the aning of this, Ernando?"

Ernando smiled—a cold, empty expression that didn’t reach his eyes. "This is an offering ceremony for the resurrection ritual. You heroes, with your highest status, will beco perfect nourishnt for our great master."

"You’ve lost your mind!" shouted a hero from the crowd, a B-rank in a gold-trimd suit.

Another voice joined in. "Do you realize who you’re dealing with? The combined forces of every major guild are here tonight!"

A third hero, an A-rank with a scarred face, stepped forward. "You won’t survive this, Bainz. Challenging every guild at once is suicide."

"He’s clearly gone mad," soone muttered.

Ernando’s smile never wavered. His silver-streaked hair seed darker now, shadows pooling around his feet.

Gea, still locked in a blade-lock with Allen, let out a soft, amused laugh. "Huhu... it seems it won’t be that easy after all."

Her crimson eyes flicked toward Andrey, then back to Allen. With a flick of her fingers, she snapped.

Allen’s eyes widened. He swung his sword hard, trying to push her back. Beside him, Jane raised her hands, frost coalescing into jagged ice spears aid at Gea’s heart.

"Now, Jane!" Allen shouted.

The ice spears flew.

But they passed through empty air.

Gea had already moved. Her fingers completed their gesture, and a dark pulse erupted from her palm. A field. Circular, shimring with purple-black light, expanding outward in a do that sealed her and Andrey inside.

Allen’s sword struck the barrier and rebounded, the impact throwing him backward. Jane caught him, her ice magic fizzling against the field’s surface.

Gea’s crimson eyes glead with satisfaction as the barrier sealed around them. Outside, the chaos of the hall faded into muffled silence. Inside, only the two of them remained.

"Finally," Gea purred, twirling her dagger lazily, "the little mouse has been trapped."

Andrey stood his ground, his hand resting on the hilt of his katana. His expression remained calm, though his mind was racing. "I guessed it. You’re here for the artifacts we took, aren’t you?"

Gea’s smile widened, her small black horns catching the dim light. "Huhu. There’s a smart one here. Yes, that’s right. I’m here to reclaim what you stole."

Andrey adjusted his glasses, his Ki senses probing the barrier’s edges. "Taking them like this... with everyone in the hall as witnesses? Do you have enough nerve to make enemies of every hero here?"

Gea tilted her head, as if considering his words. Then she laughed—a soft, lodic sound that held no warmth. "It seems you’re underestimating , little mouse. I could kill every last one of you humans if I wanted to. Easily."

She flicked her fingers.

Outside the barrier, shadows rippled across the grand hall. From the walls, from the floor, from the very air itself—monsters began to materialize.

Their forms were twisted mockeries of living things—horned skulls with molten eyes, bodies woven from shadow and sinew, claws that scraped the marble floor with a sound like breaking bones. So moved on four legs, jerking and twitching like dying spiders, others stood upright, wreathed in smoke, their mouths stretched into grins. They surged into the crowd, and screams erupted. Heroes fought back, but their powers were suppressed by the dark field that now covered the entire building.

Andrey’s eyes flicked toward the chaos, but he couldn’t hear anything. Sarah’s mouth moved, shouting sothing and Lisa’s face was pale with fear. He saw Sein push through the crowd, her gauntlets blazing, but their voices were nothing but silence.

He forced himself to look back at Gea. "Soundproof," he muttered. "This field blocks sound. It will be difficult to escape."

Gea’s smirk deepened. "Even now, you’re thinking about running away?" She stepped closer, her tail swaying behind her, the heart-shaped tip twitching. "How pathetic."

Andrey’s mind raced as he stood inside the shimring dark barrier, the muffled chaos of the hall beyond like a distant nightmare. He t Gea’s crimson gaze, forcing calm into his voice.

"This is too risky for you," he said, keeping his tone asured. "Even with Ernando under your control, and even with this suppression field weakening everyone’s powers, you’re still inside a building full of S-ranks and A-ranks. If any of them break free your whole plan falls apart."

Gea tilted her head, her pink hair swaying. "Huhu... go on."

Andrey adjusted his glasses, buying ti. "You’re not stupid. You wouldn’t gamble everything on a single move unless you were confident it would work. So either you have a backup plan... or you don’t actually need to kill everyone here."

Gea’s smile widened, her small black horns gleaming. "Half right."

"The ritual Ernando ntioned," Andrey pressed. "Resurrecting your ’great master.’ That requires sacrifices, doesn’t it? Powerful ones. All these high-rank heroes in one place, it’s a perfect hunting ground. But without the artifact it would be useless, that’s why you need

here."

Gea clapped her hands slowly, mock applause. "Clever little mouse. But you’re missing the main point." She stepped closer, her tail curling behind her. "I already knew this plan would succeed. From the very beginning."

Andrey’s eyes narrowed. "Because of Markus."

Gea’s crimson eyes glittered with amusent. "Oh? You figured that out?"

"He invited us personally. Insisted we co." Andrey’s voice grew colder. "He never showed up. And you were waiting for

specifically the mont we arrived. You lured us here."

Gea laughed—a soft, lodic sound that sent chills down his spine. "Huhuhu... I wanted to see that face. The mont you realize you’ve been played." She placed a hand on her chest, feigning delight. "Yes, it was . I manipulated Markus. His body was so easy to control, his mind already weak. I whispered your na into his ear, made him believe inviting you was his own idea. And you ca running." Her smile turned cruel. "So obedient."

Andrey was silent for a long mont. His jaw tightened. His hands, hidden at his sides, curled into fists.

"...I see," he said quietly. "Then all that remains is to settle this."

A crack echoed through the barrier.

Gea’s head snapped toward the source. Spiderweb fractures spread across the dark do, glowing with golden light from the outside. Allen’s voice, muffled but furious, reached through the growing gaps.

"Jane! Hit it again!"

Another crack. The barrier shuddered.

Gea’s expression flickered just for an instant before smoothing back into amusent. "Not bad. Even with their powers suppressed, S-ranks are still troubleso." She glanced back at Andrey. "But we’re done here."

She raised her hand, and a portal tore open behind her, swirling darkness edged with violet light.

Andrey lunged forward, hand reaching for his katana. "Not yet—"

The portal expanded. A wave of invisible force slamd into Andrey’s chest, yanking him off his feet. His body was pulled toward the swirling darkness, his fingers scraping against the marble floor, finding no purchase.

"ANDREY!" Sarah’s voice, finally breaking through the failing barrier with panic.

The last thing he saw before the darkness swallowed him was Gea’s smiling face and behind her, Sein’s fiery gauntlet punching through the collapsing barrier, reaching for him.

Too late.

The portal snapped shut.

Then the grand hall erupted into chaos again, but Andrey was no longer there.

He fell through cold, endless dark, Gea’s laughter echoing in his ears.

"Now, little mouse... let’s go sowhere more private."

Andrey’s eyes snapped open.

The first thing he saw was the ceiling—a vast do of dark glass, revealing a sky littered with unfamiliar stars. They shone cold and distant, arranged in constellations he didn’t recognize. The air was still, heavy, and slled of old stone and sothing tallic.

He sat up slowly, his body aching but intact. His glasses were still on his face, cracked but functional. Around him, the space resembled a grand observatory curved walls lined with strange runes, a polished floor that reflected the starlight, and in the center, a circular platform etched with symbols that pulsed faintly with dark energy.

Gea stood a few ters away, her arms crossed, her smile as sharp as her dagger.

"Welco," she said, her voice echoing softly in the vast chamber. "To your burial ground."

Andrey pushed himself to his feet, his hand instinctively moving to his katana. It was still there, still at his hip.

She uncrossed her arms and took a step closer, her tail swaying behind her. "You know why I brought you here."

Andrey t her gaze. "I don’t."

"Hand it over." Gea’s voice dropped, losing its playful edge. "The chalice of eternal ember. Give it to , and I’ll grant you a quick death. A gentle one. You won’t even feel it."

Andrey’s hand tightened on his katana’s hilt. "No."

Gea sighed, shaking her head as if disappointed by a child. "Such a waste."

She closed her eyes. When she opened them again, they blazed with crimson fire.

Dark energy erupted from her body in waves. Her pink hair lifted, floating as if underwater. Her small black horns elongated, curving backward like a ram’s. Her tail thickened, the heart-shaped tip pulsing with malevolent light. Her already elegant dress darkened, shifting into sothing between armor and shadow, clinging to her form as her muscles visibly swelled.

The air grew thick, oppressive.

Andrey’s Ki senses scread.

System: Ergency! Demon-class entity detected. Rank: S. Threat level: critical. Recomnd imdiate evacuation. This enemy exceeds current party capabilities.