Magical Girl and 1＞4
“It’s about to start.”
Jeanne muttered as she watched the five magical girls on the monitor.
There were two spectators… no, three of them.
Minato, Arongante’s sister, and Jeanne, who didn’t participate in the battle due to being deemed surplus to requirements.
And then there was Zea, who had emerged from Jeanne’s shadow.
“Lanka against four opponents. Do you think she can win?”
Without reacting to Zea’s sudden appearance, Jeanne addressed her.
Shirokigawa hadn’t voiced anything but widened her eyes in surprise at Zea’s sudden appearance.
“As a single magical girl, I’d have to say it’s unclear, but personally, I can’t afford for her not to win.”
“And why is that?”
Almost… no, absolutely no one knows about Zea. And yet, here she was saying she couldn’t afford for Inie to lose.
Shirokigawa, curious about the reason, asked.
“If we talk about fighting witches and end up losing to just some rankers, it would be quite problematic, wouldn’t you agree?”
“…So by your logic, they can’t defeat the witch, right?”
“It’s not just them; none of the currently living magical girls could triumph. Or rather, it would be more accurate to say they haven’t been able to so far.”
Zea knows about events from other worlds and thus understands that no one can win, but to Jeanne and Shirokigawa, this statement is incomprehensible. It might even lead to suspicions of espionage.
“Don’t look at me like that. I’m merely supporting Inie.”
“I wasn’t thinking anything in particular. Anyway, it’s about to begin.”
The four rankers were already in their Enhanced Forms, and Inie had unleashed the power of the Fool.
“It seems they’re serious from the start. Considering how they were provoked, it’s only natural.”
A proposal for one-on-one combat was dismissed outright, and a suggestion for one-against-four was made instead. If they were goaded into giving their all, an appropriate response was necessary.
For magical girls, power is everything. They cannot tolerate having their strength underestimated.
Even if the opponent is a young girl, when they fight, they do so with full force.
As the countdown began, tension spread.
And then, the battle commenced.
It started with Fleur’s magic. Plants sprouted across the field, dyeing it green.
“First, creating a favorable battlefield environment, and next, Taro will restrain them to stop their movement. Momotoko will rush in to finish them off, or if that fails, Arongante will eliminate them from above—this kind of strategy, right?”
“That’s what these four would do.”
Though solo battles are typical for rankers, in Japan, under Taro’s leadership, they also practice coordinated teamwork. In other countries, many rankers consider each other rivals, and few maintain good relationships. Exceptions exist where master and disciple relationships occur within the rankers, but Japan remains unique.
Oddly enough, most rankers focus solely on battling and don’t obsess over rankings. Above all, they share the common goal of creating a peaceful world, which fosters better camaraderie among them compared to other nations.
An exception exists with Zea in the tenth position, but since she doesn’t interfere, it isn’t a problem.
“Still, this level of magic won’t suffice.”
Inie’s spell erased the surrounding plants. Fleur and Taro, visible on the monitor, looked surprised but quickly moved on to their next actions.
“Arongante predictably waits in the air. Momotoko charges in, while the other two provide support…”
Jeanne calmly analyzed the flow of the battle, while Shirokigawa silently watched Inie’s monitor.
All eyes were on Inie, anticipating her next move, when a gate-like structure appeared in the sky.
This was far too bizarre and alien to call a magic circle.
“What is that thing?”
From the very first move, something outside the known concept of magical girls had occurred, and Shirokigawa murmured as she stared at the strange formation.
“Already surprising us from the get-go. Now, will it be a ghost or a snake?”
The magic circle opened, revealing a massive sword. Momotoko, charging toward Inie, paused momentarily before adopting a stance to receive the blade. Fleur joined in to aid, attempting to destroy the sword together.
“That looks infused with a concept.”
“Concept?”
“Yes. You might also call it directionality. For example, something normally uncuttable could be severed like Blade, or something typically unfreezable could be frozen like Freilin. Though Blade is an exception, usually such incomprehensible feats require too much mana.”
Shirokigawa slightly twitched her cheek at Zea’s comment. Indeed, Blade and Freilin occupied incomprehensible extremes as magical girls.
Fundamentally, Shirokigawa believed magic was something beyond comprehension, activated solely by the mysterious energy called mana, with effects varying widely.
Adding concepts—imbuing meaning into the magic—is something even she couldn’t execute, let alone contemplate.
As Zea mentioned, it drains mana excessively.
A clear example would be barriers. Replacing the entire world with a barrier is possible only through Fairy Realm technology and magic stones; most magical girls, barring exceptions, can’t use barriers.
Attempting it recklessly would likely deplete their mana and cause death.
“Would ‘concept’ roughly mean something unavoidable?”
“Not necessarily. Still, given the scale of that magic, dodging might result in harsh backlash, so destroying it seems better.”
“How much mana does Inie have right now…”
While much has been theorized about Inie’s normal strength, her state after unleashing the Arcana’s power remains entirely unknown. The only certainty is that it surpasses S-Rank power.
“Oh, right. We know nothing about Arcanas. In this state, Inie’s mana is virtually infinite.”
“Is that really true?”
“It’s true. While output and the amount of mana usable at once still depend on Inie, in this state, she can access limitless mana.”
Unlimited mana—an ability every magical girl dreams of possessing.
Jeanne vaguely understood what the Demon had meant.
(With unlimited mana, defeating Inie in a one-on-one fight would be impossible. Truly a cheat.)
The sole weakness of magic-wielding magical girls lies in managing their mana—a point not overstated.
Deciding when to use spells of what power and how much mana to reserve.
Magic-users wielding swords or spears needn’t concern themselves with such considerations.
However, Inie in her current state lacks such burdens. She can freely cast whatever magic she desires.
Fleur joined Momotoko’s assault, temporarily halting Inie.
While defending against Taro’s bombardment, Inie prepared her next move, unaware that someone awaited her from above.
That someone was Arongante.
The railgun Arongante wielded glowed blue, eagerly awaiting its moment of firing.
Having entered Enhanced Form and further charged, a single shot from this railgun could instantly vaporize anyone it hit.
Such a powerful attack is only possible in team battles; solo fighters can’t spare time for charging.
This devastating strike was about to be unleashed upon Inie.
“Do you think it’ll hit?”
Jeanne asked Shirokigawa.
“It won’t just miss; Inie might even retaliate.”
Indeed, Arongante’s shot possessed earth-shattering lunar-crushing power. Given its scale, dodging or blocking seemed impossible.
But considering Inie’s infinite mana, one couldn’t help but think she might find a way.
“Still, even a defense capable of handling that properly can be counted on one hand.”
“True, but looking at Inie’s calm movements, she must have something up her sleeve.”
“Star Annihilation Cannon”
Just as Shirokigawa said this dismissively, Arongante fired her railgun.
It should have struck Inie in the blink of an eye…
“Divine Strike – Deviation”
The laser-like railgun beam was shattered by Inie’s magic.
Before Arongante could defend herself, she was declared dead.
“…”
“…”
“Maybe we should occasionally assign eliminations or simulations instead of just paperwork.”
Arongante had a defensive mechanism available.
Had she used it, she wouldn’t have died.
Why didn’t she? A lapse in judgment due to inactivity.
An awkward silence filled the room as Arongante returned to the waiting area. Meeting her sister’s gaze, Arongante averted her eyes and sat in an empty seat.
Inie dispelled the magic and attempted to take down Taro, who evaded.
The brief exchange between Arongante and Inie ended quickly, during which Momotoko and Fleur managed to break the sword.
Momotoko then rushed toward Inie while Fleur used the World Tree spell for support. Although Momotoko could move through the air, she preferred solid footing.
As Momotoko leaped toward Inie, Inie underwent a transformation.
“Number 15 Demon Liberation”
“Ah!”
Zea exclaimed upon hearing that voice.
“What’s with that tone, like remembering something forgotten?”
“Well, it always felt odd. Inie is supposed to be contracted with a demon, yet she kept using only the Fool’s power.”
Possessing both demonic and Foolish powers is uncommon, yet Inie refrained from using her demonic abilities in public.
Although Zea found it peculiar, she never gave it much thought.
“Is this Inie’s ultimate technique?”
“Perhaps. Or maybe she simply finds the Fool’s power disadvantageous against Momotoko.”
Inie transformed from the bright colors of the Fool into ominous black attire. The floating orbs disappeared, replaced by a long staff sprouting curved blades.
“Is that… a demon?”
Shirokigawa questioned.
Ordinarily, people associate demons with horns and wings, wielding spears or battleaxes.
Yet, the Inie on the monitor wore tattered robes and carried a large scythe, resembling more of a Death God than a demon.
Why she took this form had a backstory.
As an Arcana, the demon’s ability interfered with souls—mana—while the Death God influenced emotions. The names and abilities seemed reversed, but only the creator of the Arcana knew why.
Additionally, Inie possessed a second form reflecting her inner feelings, and similarly, her Arcana liberation reflected her emotions.
Naively, Inie thought soul-manipulating abilities suited a Death God image, and that idea manifested directly.
During idle conversations at Taro’s house, Inie and the Demon debated her liberated form, leading to a brief sulk from the Demon after discovering Inie’s thoughts.
In short, Inie’s mistaken perception shaped her current appearance, though no one else knew this.
“Her Fool form makes sense, but what is that other form?”
Of course, Shirokigawa didn’t know the inside story, and neither did Zea, who tilted her head in confusion.
Typically, unlocking an Arcana reveals common traits among users, but Inie defied this norm.
Unaware of the waiting room’s bewilderment, Inie descended toward Momotoko.
