The operation had been spun into a massive propaganda campaign. As I watched the news through my AR device, reporters enthusiastically described a "decisive counterattack against Anathema." They highlighted Agneya, now serving as a mobile base, and the dozens of Guardians preparing for an expedition into the darklands. General Armstrong was notably absent from the mission, having delegated leadership to his subordinate, Lieutenant Gwen.

  I sighed at the hypocrisy of it all. This wasn't a counterattack—it was a harvest. The goal wasn't to strike at Anathema's strongholds but to turn them into raw materials for our burgeoning technology. Yet, when I checked the forums, public reception was overwhelmingly positive. People were eager to see progress, even if it was dressed up as something more noble.

  More than a hundred Magical Girls and over a thousand soldiers had signed up for the expedition. Agneya, which had been heavily damaged in the gate assault, looked brand new. The repairs must have been extensive. MG participation was intentionally limited for this mission. The focus was on showcasing the strength of regular soldiers, with Magical Girls present mainly to extract Anathema's essence.

  "We didn't particularly mind how humans named the ship," Felicia commented as I prepared for the journey. "But to be clear, in our dictionary, Agneya refers to the arcoplasma cannon installed on the ship. We typically name vessels after their primary weapon. However, this ship no longer has the cannon."

  "We already returned it?" I asked.

  "Yes. The other side needed it more now that the Anathema gate had been destroyed," she replied.

  I sighed again. Returning the cannon felt like a loss. I had seen the news footage and video clips of Agneya's cannon in action—it was devastatingly effective. Humanity would have benefited greatly from keeping it. But if the Zenith deemed it necessary, we had no choice but to comply. After the disastrous losses at Newlake and Newhill, our standing with the Zenith was likely at an all-time low.

  "Lily!" a voice called out, interrupting my thoughts.

  I turned to see a girl in a pink dress approaching me. Unlike the frilly designs typical of pink Magical Girls, her dress emphasized elegance. It was beautifully tailored to showcase her tall and slender frame, and she wore a tiara that sparkled under the sunlight. This was Magical Girl Freya.

  Honestly, she looked more like someone heading to a beauty pageant than a battlefield. If it weren't for the long staff she held, I wouldn't have guessed she was here to fight Anathema.

  "Greetings, Freya."

  "Black Lily! How are you?" Freya smiled sweetly, her demeanor as polished as her elegant appearance. Watching her, I asked Felicia to provide more information.

  "Due to privacy protocols, not much is publicly known," Felicia replied. "The only confirmed fact is that she's an A-rank Magical Girl. However, according to the Magical Sunset Rebellion smartphone game, Freya specializes in magic-based long-range combat."

  "I'm fine," I responded simply. My PMC, along with Alicia, had already boarded Agneya. Thankfully, no one questioned why I had switched my registration to Freya at the last minute.

  Freya, accompanied by four other Guardians and over 200 soldiers, boarded Agneya. I followed at a measured pace, observing the troops as they lined up. These 200 soldiers outnumbered my PMC by more than two to one. While the soldiers seemed energized, their body language revealed something unusual—they didn't appear particularly fond of their Magical Girl. This struck me as odd, considering that MGs were typically adored as heroes and symbols of hope.

  Even though Newstar and Enra had contributed significantly to this expedition—providing more than half of the participating MGs and soldiers—it wasn't under their leadership. Instead, Lieutenant Gwen, a commander from Guardian Command, had been assigned to lead us. As Agneya left Eden, the city erupted in a flurry of cheers. Unlike the muted, almost apathetic send-off from the previous mission, this time, vibrant banners waved, and the streets were alive with well-wishers.

  "Even though this expedition is less critical than the previous one, why are they cheering so much?" I murmured to Felicia.

  "I suspect it's because they've found renewed hope," Felicia answered. "The destruction of the Anathema gate provided a glimmer of possibility for humanity. And now, with the ability to replicate Zenith's weapons to some degree, people are beginning to see a future for themselves. Additionally, many of the banners you see are likely from families of the soldiers aboard this ship. They want us to succeed because their loved ones are part of this expedition."

  "I see," I said softly, turning my gaze back toward the bustling city fading into the horizon.

  "Lily, come to the command room. Lieutenant Gwen wants to brief us," Shining Arrow messaged me. She hadn't asked any questions about why I was with Freya when we boarded. When I brought it up to Felicia, she explained that many teams had been shuffled for this mission. Only a maximum of three Magical Girls were allowed per team. They likely assumed I'd just drawn the short straw during assignments. After all, the primary purpose of MGs in this mission was to collect Anathema's essence and ensure the soldiers' survival—we weren't meant to spearhead the assault.

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  "So, we'll be deploying here: former India," Lieutenant Gwen Svarchosky had already begun the briefing when I entered the command room. She gestured toward a map highlighting the designated point in the darklands. Most of us were born after the usurpation that turned Old Earth into its current state, so the names of old countries—Japan, India, and the like—held little meaning for us. However, Guardian Command and older generations seemed to speak of these lands with a certain reverence and passion.

  "Our objective is to eliminate Anathema and collect their essence. We've acquired 2,000 bottles, which can hold approximately 100,000 units of essence in total. While Guardian Command doesn't require us to fill them all, the goal for this expedition is to fill at least half. Collecting essence will be the primary responsibility of the MGs."

  "Yes, sir," we replied in unison.

  "How many of you have acquired the ability to extract Anathema essence? Have you switched to the Enchanter class?" Gwen asked.

  A large number of MGs, including Freya, raised their hands. Changing classes came with a minor penalty to attack power provided by their main class—typically just a 5% increase or decrease—so it surprised me to see that almost all of them had made the switch.

  "Good. Essence extraction will be critical. Even if you don't plan to pursue an enchanter specialization, it's worth switching classes temporarily to acquire the Harvesting skill. You can always switch back later."

  "Zenith should've just made the skill available for all classes…" I heard one MG mutter. She glanced at her familiar, and after a brief exchange, she nodded. Watching her, I turned to Felicia.

  "We're taking a wait-and-see approach. We couldn't make all skills buyable from the start. If this skill proves to be essential in the future, it's possible to make it available for all classes," Felicia explained. "For now, the skill and class are still too new, and changes take time."

  I nodded in understanding. The briefing ended with team assignments. I was placed with Freya and fifty soldiers from Newstar. We were assigned three trucks for transport, with a mission to fill at least five tubes of Anathema essence every day. I tilted my head at the seemingly impossible task. Even during the usurpation two weeks ago, when Sapphire condensed the essence from all slain Anathema, we barely managed to fill one tube. Five tubes a day would mean harvesting essence from at least ten usurpations.

  "Five tubes?" I turned to Freya in disbelief.

  "I'll handle it. If we kill around ten Rank C Anathema, we should be able to fill them. Besides, we've got four MGs and over two hundred soldiers."

  "Alright. If you say so." I shrugged, though I still found it ambitious. They seemed more desperate than I expected.

  After the briefing, I made my way to Shining's area, where her team greeted me warmly.

  "Yo! How's Freya's team?" Red Flame asked.

  "Hm… we have to fill five tubes every day," I said with a sigh, slumping into a chair. Shining gave me a wry smile.

  "Well, they have an A-rank MG, so… maybe it's possible?" Shining offered hesitantly.

  "Depends on the enemy. The real question is, can we even find that many Anathema? The darklands are more scarce than you'd think," Serene added as she came over to say hello. "Hello, by the way. It's such a shame we didn't end up on the same team, even though our soldiers are Shirayukis."

  "Yeah, it's odd… and Black Lily got separated too," Shining complained.

  "Well, I just got the plan," Shining said, frowning as she looked at her tablet. "It says that on the first day, we're setting up a killbox. Our job is to lure Anathema into the trap, and then the soldiers will bombard them with their new weapons. MGs will step in if there are any enemies the soldiers can't handle."

  I glanced at Felicia, who shook her head. That meant I didn't receive the same plan as Shining. My frown deepened.

  "Should I abandon Freya's group and help you guys? Can you handle being the bait?" I asked.

  "I think we'll manage," Shining replied, shaking her head. Then she gave me a pointed look. "You stay safe too, Lily. Working with Guardians ranked far above you is risky—especially since they're from Newstar and Enra."

  "Eh? But they're still MGs, right?" Sapphire and Red Flame, who seemed less familiar with the politics involved, chimed in.

  "Well, yes, they are," Shining admitted. "But they're desperate to save their families, who happen to be the CEOs. I was invited by one of Enra's MGs to join this excursion as well."

  "How selfish," Red Flame muttered under his breath.

  "I agree," Serene added. "While exiling the CEOs to the darklands seems harsh, they should at least accept being fired."

  "Alright, enough about that," Shining interjected. "Let's focus on the plan. Lily has guns, so if she's positioned with the soldiers, she should be fine. Hm… I think I'll use guns for this mission, too." She nodded, seeming more confident in the strategy now.

  I tilted my head in surprise. I thought Shining used bows; when did she make the switch? "Oh, yeah. Will you return Lily's gun?" Red Flame suddenly asked.

  "Oh yeah! I almost forgot… Lily, here's your gun. It was left behind by one of your clones," Shining said, materializing a familiar black sniper rifle.

  "I already bought new ones…" I murmured, finally remembering that I had left one of my sniper rifles during the evacuation from New Soil. "You can have it. It might clash with your outfit and image, or you could give it to Guardian Command."

  "Well, that's what she said," Red Flame said casually as he lounged on the sofa. "But for your information, she's been learning to use it, you know."

  "Thank you! I'll use it!" Shining exclaimed. "I even unlocked its vault!"

  "Eh?" I raised an eyebrow at her. Shining was too wasteful in her point spending. Why would she need to unlock the rare gun vault? Though I can't complain with how many vaults I opened.

  "She needed the special bullets to use the sniper rifle effectively," Red Flame explained.

  "I see. I'm sorry for the trouble," I replied.

  "No need to apologize!" Shining smiled. "I used to think guns were inferior to magic arrows, but I was wrong. They have their own tricks."

  After reviewing the plan once more, I couldn't shake the uneasy feeling gnawing at me. Nevertheless, we departed. There was nothing more to do but wait inside Agneya, anticipation tightening our breaths.

  On the way, however, Shining Arrow approached me.