The magical girl awaits on the throne.
The setting is a death match, and the place seems to be a grassland.
At a somewhat distant location, two figures are visible, with a large “10” displayed between them, counting down.
Once this countdown ends, it will begin.
I draw my staff and do some light stretching.
Now, how should I fight…
Considering each other’s strength, it might be normal to let the opponent make the first move, but if I, as a backliner, were to give up the initiative, there’s a possibility I could lose outright.
So, I won’t be underestimating them.
“Dance, O flames!”
As soon as the countdown finishes, I summon a great number of fiery butterflies.
Against someone of S Rank, this would likely be meaningless, but it should have an effect on Marin or Star Nail.
That is, unless Marin transforms into her Enhanced Form.
“You always use that. Why don’t you try something different for once?”
We used this spell almost every time during mock battles at the academy.
There were even times when I defeated opponents with just this.
Even with the assistance of my staff, thinking up magic spells isn’t easy.
If the image in your mind isn’t clear, the power diminishes and more mana is consumed.
However, after repeated use solidifies the image, the mana cost decreases while the power increases.
It’s what you might call proficiency?
In the past, I could only fire off spells haphazardly, but now I can control them somewhat.
While it’s convenient to use, it does have its weaknesses.
“Cluster Bullet!”
The bullets scattered by Star Nail cause the fiery butterflies to explode and vanish.
This spell explodes upon contact with anything, so it’s weak against area attacks.
The explosion of the butterflies raises clouds of dust, through which Marin runs towards me.
I could buy some time by flying, but that wouldn’t be fun.
“O ice, pierce the earth, rise high!”
I rain down icicles and push the ground skyward.
A massive cliff-like structure forms, making the two appear smaller.
Just in case, I add steps here and there to allow for climbing.
Looking down from above at the two charging towards me—it’s like a scene of a demon lord versus heroes.
Using a powerful technique would be good, but let’s enjoy this a bit more.
“O wind, become a dragon that consumes all!”
I release a directional tornado aimed at Marin.
Though it alone has low destructive capability, it becomes quite formidable when it picks up dirt and ice fragments.
Blown off course, Marin ascends the cliff, causing the tornado to grow more ferocious as it picks up ice shards and soil.
I’ve ordered it to slowly track Marin and Star Nail, so I don’t need to focus on this spell anymore.
Star Nail charges forward as Marin is blown away.
I release additional icicles to observe their reaction.
Star Nail shoots them down with both pistols and continues ascending the cliff.
I thought I could defeat her with just the icicles, but I underestimated her.
As I ponder what magic to use next, something shiny catches my eye at the edge of my vision.
It’s probably one of Marin’s arrows.
“O ice, pierce!”
I release an icicle from above, and it collides with the arrow, shattering into pieces.
I manipulate the shattered ice and rain it down on Star Nail like a storm.
Taking advantage of the situation, the Tornado Dragon heads towards Star Nail.
Realizing she can’t continue ascending, Star Nail emits a shockwave-like force from her guns and disengages.
“This feels kind of like being the villain, doesn’t it?”
(Occasionally fighting like this can be interesting.)
I repel the incoming opponents without defeating them.
Such tormenting tactics are truly those of a villain.
Throw in a meaningful smile, and combined with my appearance, I could exude an air of a mastermind behind the scenes.
Of course, since I’m wearing a hood, they can’t see my face, so it’s meaningless.
It looks like Star Nail reunited with Marin. How will they attack next?
I keep some icicles hovering in the air, waiting to see what happens.
Oh? Marin has leveled her sword horizontally.
Star Nail rides atop it… and Marin swings.
The momentum sends Star Nail hurtling towards me like a bullet.
It’s a clever tactic, but I’ll just shoot her down.
I launch the prepared spell at Star Nail.
However, her guns and Marin’s bow quickly destroy them.
This is indeed the weakness of ice-based magic.
Marin is already running, and Star Nail is fast approaching.
The Tornado Dragon is heading this way too, but it’s not particularly fast.
How shall we play next?
With Star Nail arriving in a few seconds, I’ll need to deal with her first.
“A bird in flight gets shot down.”
I release a thunderbolt strong enough to incapacitate but not kill.
Unlike ice, it can’t be destroyed, so predictably, it hits Star Nail directly, causing her to fall while emitting a strange scream.
Fortunately, Marin catches her, but at that moment, the Tornado Dragon arrives.
The two struggle to take it down, but it’s difficult to defeat with swords and guns alone.
Against magical girls, my White Mage form is weaker, but purely in terms of magic, I have the advantage.
It seems I might win solely with the Tornado Dragon, but Marin still has her Enhanced Form left.
Defeating Enhanced Form Marin without preparation is nearly impossible, and spells of that level would be easily destroyed.
Thus, I’ll prepare while I have the chance.
Weak spells would be easily countered, so I need something appropriate.
Ideally, I’d take out Marin without involving Star Nail.
I want to observe Star Nail’s abilities further.
Personally, I didn’t expect her to move this well.
Her improvement isn’t as dramatic as Marin’s, but she’s clearly much stronger.
Since this is a rare opportunity, I want to see just how far she’s come.
As expected, Marin transforms into her Enhanced Form and cuts down the Tornado Dragon with a single strike.
“Tears of the White World”
I cast the spell taking advantage of Marin’s exhaustion after defeating the Tornado Dragon.
This spell is not only suited for surprise attacks but also causes minimal collateral damage.
Spear-like icicles instantly surround Marin and form a magic circle.
The spell activates before Marin can escape.
All that remains after the flash of light are electrified icicles.
Marin is eliminated, leaving only Star Nail.
I’m not strong enough to directly challenge Enhanced Form Marin.
Striking when she’s vulnerable is the best approach.
This is the third time I’ve used this spell, and it’s proven fairly effective.
Its only downside is that it’s blinding.
Star Nail, initially stunned by the situation, quickly regains composure and charges toward me.
I could counterattack to prevent her ascent, but I’ll wait instead.
Let’s create a nice chair while we’re at it.
It consumes a bit more mana, but it’s negligible.
With advice from the Demon, I craft a suitable chair—something throne-like—and just as I sit down, Star Nail arrives.
“I’ve been waiting for you.”
“…What’s with that?”
“It’s just a mood thing. There are plenty of stories where the final boss waits on a throne.”
Star Nail gives me a peculiar look and fires her gun, but the barrier integrated into the throne deflects it.
“There’s no way I’d just sit around doing nothing.”
“What do you mean by doing such a strange thing?”
“There was something I wanted to ask while Marin is absent.”
It’s just a whim, but now’s a good time with Marin gone.
“…What is it?”
“I was wondering why you’ve improved so much in such a short time. Did something happen?”
Star Nail tilts her head in confusion.
“Hmm… I made a decision unlike before, but is it really that different?”
“At the very least, compared to the M·D·W incident, your movements have greatly improved. Keeping up with Marin is proof of that.”
Even in her normal state, Marin is among the stronger ones.
Given what I know, the Star Nail I remember would definitely have held her back, but based on our battle, it doesn’t seem to be a problem now.
Can determination alone bring about such changes?
“Well, let’s end the idle chatter here. Attack me from wherever you wish.”
“Hmph! I’ll definitely avenge Marin-chan!”
Despite her fervor, after several exchanges, I emerged victorious.
Her slight improvement wasn’t enough to break through the barrier integrated into the throne.
After toying with her a bit, I ended it with a lightning strike.
“Isn’t this victory a bit excessive?”
(To be honest, I think so too, but don’t worry about it.)
She seemed teary-eyed towards the end, but there’s no mercy in battle.
I did prepare an escape route, but she didn’t notice it.
The barrier attached to the throne could block magic but not physical attacks.
Had she avoided my spells and closed the distance to land a kick, I would have lost.
But I had no intention of letting her get close anyway.
(What did you think of Star Nail from the Demon’s perspective?)
“She’s a proper magical girl in terms of movement and magic. She has the potential to either grow significantly or stagnate here.”
I see, pretty much the same impression I have.
――Though it’s odd for me, a magical girl for only a few months, to say this, her future is certainly promising.
(And Marin?)
“She’s high-level except for experience. With a year, she might reach just below S Rank.”
Indeed, trying to apply conventional standards to Marin is futile.
I’m not particularly knowledgeable about magical girls, but I’ve never heard of one improving as rapidly as Marin.
She was already capable of defeating B-Rank foes when we first met, which was extraordinary for a newcomer.
In just a few months, she reached awakening and gained the ability to defeat even S-Rank enemies. Life is unpredictable indeed.
Experience is her only limitation, but otherwise, she’s high-level.
This time, because Marin finished off the Tornado Dragon with a powerful technique, it created an opening.
Had she worked in tandem with Star Nail, there wouldn’t have been an opening, and she could have avoided or defended against my spells.
Even if she had defended, I had more cards up my sleeve, so once Marin transformed, she was doomed.
Well, a win is a win, so let’s head back soon.
(I’ve fulfilled my promise, so let’s return.)
“Yeah. It might be a bit childish, but Haruna is a girl, so maybe it’s okay?”
Don’t go calling it childish. My feelings can get hurt too, you know?
