My Magical Girl Syst Chapter 80: Double Gate

Chapter 80: Double Gate

The morning sun hung low over the outskirts of Elysium, casting long shadows across the cracked asphalt of the abandoned industrial zone. The gate shimred ahead—a swirling vortex of purple and blue, its edges crackling with unstable energy. But unlike the previous gates, this one felt... calm. Steady. Normal.

Sarah stretched her arms above her head, her pink transformation flaring briefly as she rolled her shoulders. "Alright, let’s finish this fast. I still haven’t had enough rest. My bed’s been calling my na all morning."

Sein, already in her crimson battle dress, cracked her neck with a sharp pop. "If you keep sleeping so much, you’re going to get fat, you know."

Sarah’s eye twitched. "That’s impossible. We’ve been doing so many stupid activities lately—I’m burning more calories than I’m taking in."

Lisa giggled, twirling her mint-green wand. Her twintails bounced as she stepped toward the gate’s entrance. "Alright, alright, you two. Co on, let’s just go in. The sooner we clear it, the sooner we can go ho and rest."

Andrey adjusted his glasses, katana already at his hip, the white-and-gold pistol holstered on his other side. He looked at each of them in turn.

"Everyone ready?"

Sarah’s pink glow brightened. "Ready."

Sein’s gauntlets flared with crimson fire. "Tch. Let’s go."

Lisa raised her wand, a mint-green barrier shimring into place around the group. "Ready!"

Andrey drew his katana. "Then move out."

They stepped through the gate together.

The interior was a stark contrast to the twisted landscapes they had faced before. Rolling hills of green grass stretched under a soft blue sky. A gentle breeze carried the scent of wildflowers. Above them, a flock of winged creatures circled pterodactyl-like monsters with leathery wings and scaled bodies, their maws glowing with embers.

One of them dove, jaws open, and a stream of fire erupted toward the group.

Then Andrey said, "Prepare to attack." Sarah activated her skill, but the monster dodged and struck back at her.

Sarah dove behind a fallen log, her pink dress singed at the hem. "This is so annoying! They won’t stay still!"

Sein’s gauntlets flared with crimson flas. "Don’t whine. Just hit them when they get close." She launched herself at the nearest creature, her fist connecting with its wing. The beast screeched, spiraling, but two more imdiately dove at her from opposite directions.

"Tch—!" Sein twisted, blocking one with her gauntlet, but the other raked its claws across her shoulder. She stumbled back.

"Sein!" Lisa’s wand blazed. "Reinforced Barrier!" A mint-green do snapped into place around Sein just as a third fireball splashed against it. The barrier held, cracks spiderwebbing across its surface.

Andrey stood at the edge of the clearing, his white-and-gold pistol raised. His eyes tracked the circling monsters, calculating trajectories. "Lisa, can you use your chain skill to lock them down?"

Lisa nodded, her face pale with concentration. "Starlight Burst—chain mode!" Green stars streaked from her wand, ricocheting between three of the flying creatures. Each hit left a glowing mark on their bodies, slowing their movents, making them easier targets.

Sein burst from behind the barrier, her crimson gauntlets blazing. "Crimson Impact!" She drove her fist into the chest of the nearest marked monster. It exploded in a burst of fla and dissolved into mana particles.

But more kept coming. The flock was larger than expected at least a dozen still circling, their burning eyes fixed on the intruders.

Sarah raised her wand, panting. "There’s too many!"

Andrey sighted along his pistol and fired. The shot struck a diving creature in the eye, and it veered off, crashing into a tree. He didn’t pause, firing again and again, each shot precise, each one finding a weak point. "I’ll draw so of them away. Focus on the cluster!"

Sein grabbed his arm. "Are you crazy? Those things are fast!"

Andrey t her gaze, calm despite the chaos. "I have regeneration now. I can take a few hits. Just make sure you finish them quickly."

He sprinted toward the far side of the clearing, firing as he ran. Three of the creatures broke from the flock and dove after him, their maws glowing with fire.

Lisa’s eyes widened. "Andrey—!"

Andrey dove behind a massive tree root as a stream of fire incinerated the spot where he’d been standing. He rolled, ca up firing, and hit one of the pursuers in the wing. It crashed into the undergrowth, thrashing.

"Now, Sein!" he shouted.

Sein didn’t hesitate. She leaped onto a fallen log, then launched herself into the air, her gauntlets blazing with concentrated power. "Crimson... SUPER... NOVA!"

A wave of crimson fire erupted from her body, spreading in all directions. The shockwave caught four of the circling monsters, engulfing them in flas. Their screeches filled the air as they dissolved into ash.

Sarah seized the opening. "Heartstorm Tempest—full spread!" Pink hearts rained down on the remaining creatures, each explosion chaining to the next. The clearing lit up with pink and crimson light.

When the barrage ended, only two of the monsters remained, wounded and fleeing. Andrey shot one as it tried to escape. Lisa’s Starlight Burst caught the last, and it dissolved mid-flight.

Silence fell over the clearing.

Andrey lowered his pistol, his breathing heavy. His shirt was scorched in several places, but the regeneration skill was already knitting the minor burns. He walked back to the group.

Sein slumped against a tree, her transformation flickering. "That was... a lot more than we expected."

Lisa sat down heavily on a rock, her wand drooping. "Are gates always this unpredictable?"

Sarah deactivated her transformation, her normal clothes reappearing, torn and dusty. "Only when we’re involved."

Andrey allowed himself a small smile. "We cleared it. That’s what matters."

Sein, still leaning against the tree, pointed toward the far end of the clearing. Beyond the tangled roots and fallen branches, a faint shimr hung in the air—a second rift, smaller than the one they had entered, but unmistakably active. Its edges pulsed with a deeper, darker purple.

Sarah followed her gaze and groaned. "You have got to be kidding . Another gate?"

Lisa walked closer, squinting at the shimr. "It’s connected to this one. Look—the mana trails link them."

Sein pushed off from the tree, her gauntlets still faintly glowing. "A double gate. I’ve seen this before. Sotis two rifts form close together, sharing the sa internal space. If we go through that one, we’ll end up sowhere else inside the sa pocket dinsion."

Sarah crossed her arms, her expression hardening. "No. Absolutely not. Our mission was to clear this single C-rank gate. That thing—" she pointed at the second rift, "—is not our problem. We turn around, report the anomaly, and let higher-ranked teams handle it."

Sein raised an eyebrow. "Scared?"

Sarah’s face flushed. "It’s not about being scared! It’s about following protocol and not dying for no reason!"

Lisa bit her lip, her curiosity clearly piqued. "But double gates are rare... I’ve only read about them. If we could explore it, we might find sothing valuable. Maybe another artifact."

Sein smirked, cracking her knuckles. "The kid has a point. Usually, a double gate isn’t higher rank than the original. We cleared this one, so the second should be within our ability. Don’t be a coward, Sarah."

Sarah’s eye twitched. She looked at Andrey, desperate for support. "Andrey, you’re the logical one. Tell them this is stupid."

Andrey adjusted his glasses, studying the second rift. His Ki senses probed the edges—unstable, but not overwhelmingly dangerous. He thought for a mont, then spoke.

"Let’s vote. Fairer that way."

Sarah nodded quickly. "Fine. I vote we leave."

Sein shrugged. "I vote we go in."

Lisa raised her hand hesitantly. "I... want to see what’s inside. Sorry, Sarah."

Sarah’s face fell. She looked at Andrey. "So it’s up to you. You’re the tiebreaker."

Andrey was silent for a mont. Then he stepped toward the second rift, his hand resting on his katana.

"I’m curious too. Leaving a job half-finished doesn’t sit right with ." He glanced back at Sarah, a small, almost apologetic smile on his lips. "It’s like unfinished business. I can’t ignore it."

Sarah stared at him, then threw her hands up in exasperation. "You workaholic idiot!"

She stomped toward the rift, pushing past Andrey. "Move. Let’s get this over with."

Lisa giggled nervously and followed. Sein fell into step beside Andrey, a genuine smile on her face.

"Knew you had it in you, Glasses."

They stepped through the shimring portal together.

The world twisted—the forest vanished, replaced by a cavern of black crystal. The walls pulsed with faint purple light, and the air was cold, tallic. In the distance, a low humming echoed.

Andrey drew his katana. "Everyone, stay close. Formation—Sein on point, Sarah mid, Lisa rear. I’ll float."

Lisa’s voice echoed softly in the vast cavern, her mint-green wand trembling in her grip. "What is this place...?"

The black crystal walls pulsed with a faint, rhythmic light, like a heartbeat. The air was cold and heavy, pressing against their skin. Andrey’s Ki senses prickled with unease.

"Everyone, stay alert," he said, his voice low and steady. "This isn’t a normal gate extension."

Sein’s gauntlets flared brighter, casting crimson shadows across the crystalline floor. "I don’t like this. Too quiet. Where are the monsters?"