God Simulator: The Goddesses In The Simulation Are All Real

Clearing his thoughts, Linsley shifted his tone, becoming more serious. "But on a serious note, have you thought about stopping? I mean, being a magical girl… it's dangerous, and with everything that's happening, you need to ensure your safety."

Seraphina shook her head resolutely, her expression hardening. "No. I can't stop now. I've already come too far into this, Linsley. There are other magical girls protecting this city, but they've sacrificed so much—some of them have even given their lives to protect me and help me escape."

"Others… well, they weren't so lucky. Some were defiled by the Outer God lackeys before they died."

Linsley's gaze softened as he listened to her.

Seraphina continued, her voice unwavering. "I'm one of the few magical girls left in this city. If I don't stand with the resistance, then this place will completely fall into the hands of the Outer God Association."

She sighed heavily before adding, "It might seem like the resistance isn't making much of a difference since the Outer God Association still bullies the Outer God slaves on the surface."

"But the truth is, without the resistance, things would be so much worse. The Outer God lackeys would run rampant without any opposition. It would be hell on earth."

Seraphina paused, collecting her thoughts before adding, "Even in the resistance, there's a hierarchy. I'm not at the top—I'm only at the second most bottom in terms of power and status."

Seraphina continued her explanation, her voice a little steadier now as she delved into the details of the magical girl hierarchy.

"There are five phases of being a Magical Girl," she began. "The first phase is the initial awakening of magical powers. This is when we can first transform, but we don't have a magical girl mascot to guide us. We're kind of fumbling around, learning things on our own."

She paused for a moment, collecting her thoughts. "The second phase comes when a magical girl further develops her power and finally awakens a magical girl mascot. The mascot helps guide us, and it can fuse with our magical wands to enhance our abilities."

Linsley listened intently, nodding as she continued.

"The third phase is where things get more serious. That's when a magical girl's wand evolves into a magical scepter. The scepter is much stronger than a normal wand and can produce more powerful effects while also reducing the cost of our attacks. It's a big step up."

She glanced at Linsley briefly before continuing. "The fourth phase is when a magical girl fully taps into her potential and connects with the power of the world's laws. At this phase, she materializes a crown—an actual crown made of her attainments in the world's laws. These girls earn the title of 'Princess' and become magical princesses."

"Their attire also evolves into a magical princess dress, significantly enhancing their power, defense, and abilities. The transformation into a princess dress isn't just aesthetic; it symbolizes their heightened connection to magic and provides them with abilities far beyond those of third-phase magical girls. The gap in strength is immense."

Linsley raised an eyebrow. "And what's the fifth phase?"

Seraphina shook her head, her expression thoughtful. "Even the magical princesses don't seem to know how to reach the fifth phase, or if they do, they've kept it a secret. Flora told me about it, and the Outer God Association publicizes it whenever they manage to defeat one of the magical girls, but beyond that… it's a mystery."

Linsley leaned back slightly, processing the information. "So… if I'm not mistaken, you are in the second phase?"

Seraphina sighed, glancing down for a moment, before nodding. "Yes, I'm in the second phase, the second most bottom in the hierarchy. But I'm close to the third. I can feel it. I just need the right opportunity. It could take as fast as a week, or as long as a year.

Every battle against the Outer God lackeys helps hone my magic, so even if I wasn't fighting for the world, I need to fight to get stronger."

She looked at Linsley with determination in her eyes. "If I can reach the third phase and eventually become a Princess, I'll have enough power to protect myself. But to really change things in this world… I need to reach the fifth phase."

Linsley nodded, impressed by her resolve.

"The Outer God Association makes this information public," Seraphina added. "You've probably heard of the Crimson Princess, right? She's one of the magical girls who made it to the fourth phase. She bears the Crown of Crimson, which gives her control over fire."

Linsley remembered hearing about the Crimson Princess. "Yeah, I've heard of her."

Seraphina's expression soured as she thought of the Crimson Princess. "That bitch… She's not righteous, doesn't care about justice. She's just a woman who got lucky enough to awaken with strong magical power. She doesn't care about casualties, burns her enemies and allies alike. The world praises her, but they don't see the damage she causes."

Linsley could sense Seraphina's disdain. It was clear she had a personal grudge against the Crimson Princess.

"She's just reckless," Seraphina continued, her voice dripping with frustration. "She doesn't care who gets caught in the crossfire, and people like her make things worse for the rest of us."

Seraphina's frustration simmered as she spoke about the magical girl hierarchy in their city.

"This city only has one third-phase magical girl," she explained, her voice tinged with both pride and concern.

"But even she just recently reached that phase. There's no magical princess here, and because of that, the outer god lackeys in this city aren't as strong as the ones in the major cities."

She paused, then added, "We're in a smaller, less important city compared to the major ones. The real powerhouses—on both sides—are in the bigger cities and countries. So we don't have to worry too much about stronger outer god lackeys showing up here."

Linsley's eyes narrowed slightly as he listened. 'That doesn't seem right,' he thought, recalling the outer god lackey leader he had fought earlier.

'That guy had to be at least on the level of a third-phase magical girl, maybe even close to the fourth phase considering how many tentacles he summoned.'