Chapter 125

The magical girl had triumphed.

Approaching Momotoko, who specializes in close combat, could be described as folly. Crushing the opponent from a defensive stance and blowing them away with the residual force of an attack if dodged—Momotoko’s speed was formidable enough that among fellow rankers, few dared to engage her in melee combat.

After all, getting close to Momotoko in battle mode induced such overwhelming intimidation that some would concede defeat without even trying.

Momotoko launched a pre-emptive Gouha Shou.

Though it was a simple technique of releasing a shockwave, its wide range boasted enough power to pulverize boulders into dust.

“An unavoidable Gouha Shou in mid-air, you say? Normally, this might decide the match…”

Demonstrating an ability never seen before, Inie’s potential remained entirely unknown. Would they block, outright counter, or perhaps perform something extraordinary?

As everyone watched with anticipation, Inie entered the range of Momotoko’s Gouha Shou, completely encased in armor. The blast hit the armor, which merely swayed but showed no signs of damage. From within emerged an unscathed Inie.

Without any visible surprise, Momotoko lunged at Inie as soon as they revealed themselves from the armor.

“That’s quite skillful evasion. Looks like even Momotoko is impressed.”

“Is she really surprised by that?”

Of the four in the waiting room, Jeanne knew Momotoko best, since Momotoko had been one of the most frequently injured rankers.

Because of this, Jeanne could notice subtle changes in Momotoko that others might miss.

“Just slightly—a raised eyebrow. But even so, I doubt the situation will improve just because the attack was deflected…”

After passing each other, Momotoko reversed course using footholds created by Fleur’s magic and pursued Inie.

Inie used the recoil from deflecting the previous attack to move faster, though their path was blocked by Fleur’s magic, allowing Momotoko to catch up in no time.

As Inie entered Momotoko’s striking range, a punch was unleashed. At the moment everyone thought this strike would surely land, Inie lightly jumped out of the way, spun around, and faced Momotoko again.

Their eyes met, and both swung their weapons.

“So far, it seems Inie has overcome their weakness in close combat—but what else?”

Despite the brief exchange, Inie hadn’t yet used any special abilities, revealing only that they could now handle close-range battles.

When questioned by Shirokigawa, Zea knew what kind of powers demons possessed but wasn’t sure how Inie would utilize theirs. Even with similar appearances, the use of abilities ultimately depended on the magical girl wielding them.

“I’m not sure how Inie will use their ability, but watching should give us the answer… probably.”

Thus began the fierce exchange between Momotoko and Inie.

Undoubtedly, Inie was at a disadvantage, as they were also targeted by Fleur and Thalagong while fighting Momotoko.

Nevertheless, Inie fearlessly charged toward Momotoko. Though the exchange lasted mere seconds, Inie’s precision in reading the situation allowed them to fight Momotoko on equal footing.

They avoided each other’s attacks and used feints for decisive strikes. Fleur’s spells were blown away by the aftereffects, leaving her grimacing but continuing to cast.

Thalagong wasn’t idle either, carefully observing to gauge Inie’s abilities.

Though not a significant opening, Inie lured Momotoko into lowering their guard, causing them to drop their scythe. While avoidable, blocking this particular attack offered more advantages.

When Momotoko defended with their forearm guard, something changed.

Momotoko froze, eyes wide open, immobilized on the spot.

Seizing the opportunity, Inie swung the scythe to sweep Momotoko off their feet.

Momotoko barely blocked the attack but was still sent flying far away.

“What just happened?”

Breaking their silence, Arongante voiced their confusion, feeling inadequate. When Inie deflected the earlier attack, nothing unusual occurred, yet this time, Momotoko reacted with astonishment upon blocking Inie’s scythe, freezing in place.

Ignoring the fallen Momotoko, Inie formed a blade of magic on their scythe, extending its already long blade to an almost inhuman length.

“Though it may seem like a spoiler, demons possess abilities related to mana or souls. By the way, fools deal with possibilities or changes.”

“So, does that mean Inie did something to Momotoko’s mana through their weapon?”

“Most likely.”

Jeanne quickly formulated a hypothesis based on Zea’s explanation. Still, only those directly involved in the battle truly knew what transpired.

With the loss of key attackers Arongante and Momotoko, the rankers appeared at a disadvantage, but unbeknownst to them, the sun—an emblem of Thalagong’s magic—already hung in the sky.

Inie hurled a slash from their elongated scythe toward Thalagong’s magic, expecting an explosion. Instead, the spell dispersed into fragments.

“That form seems resistant to magic in ways unrelated to foolishness…”

“Although continuous slashes might not be possible, there’s definitely a resemblance to Thalagong in what they’re doing.”

Jeanne’s words hung in the air, leaving the waiting room silent. They couldn’t help but feel that assigning Thalagong as Inie’s sister had been a mistake.

Approaching Fleur, Inie threw their scythe at her. Barely avoiding it, Fleur attempted to regain her stance, but as Inie transformed back into the Fool, the scythe turned into two orbs.

“The Bell That Announces the End”

The two orbs emitted a brilliant light before exploding, filling every monitor with white.

Where Fleur had stood, a crater-like hole now existed, marking her death.

“Switching instantly between ranged and close combat with such devastating results. Only Thalagon and Momotoko remain…”

“Fleur’s plants were sliced like paper, but I remember them being harder than some poor-quality metals.”

Fleur was a capable magical girl despite her weakness in direct combat. Her magical plants could withstand missile bombardments, and the World Tree provided magical support to allies she designated.

Extremely troublesome and undesirable as an enemy, Fleur’s compatibility with Inie’s demon powers seemed mismatched.

Shifting focus to the next target, Thalagong, Inie paused briefly. It seemed like a silent communication, but Thalagong acted first.

Even in Enhanced Form, Thalagong was troublesome as a skirmisher but excelled when operating alone. Raising the temperature around themselves to a point where it melted the ground, ordinary monsters or magical girls couldn’t approach.

Even if someone managed to get close, Thalagong’s prowess in close combat made defeating them difficult.

“A rematch, huh? Missing that tea party due to being busy is regrettable.”

“Agreed.”

Jeanne’s comment earned a nod from Arongante. Despite appearing on the scene less than half a year ago, it felt as though the world had been waiting for Inie’s arrival.

Though some members present during Inie’s debut remained, only Thalagong was currently fighting.

“Since the video from that day is private, I’ve never seen it. Is there a chance to watch it?”

“You can, but I wouldn’t recommend it. The content might be too intense for your sister who has long retired from magical girl activities.”

“Are you saying that?”

Arongante, technically a ranker, engaged in proper combat much less than others, often handling administrative duties instead. Upon being told by their sister that they belonged “to this side,” Arongante looked away, unable to argue.

Though not entirely by choice, Arongante couldn’t retort.

The door to the simulator opened again, allowing Fleur to return to the waiting room. Looking perplexed, Fleur noticed Zea and widened her eyes in surprise.

“You don’t need to mind me. I’m just here to observe.”

“Really?”

“Yes. Everyone is curious about how far Inie can go. Sit down; Inie’s rematch is starting.”

Sitting down, Fleur joined the others in watching the monitors displaying the ongoing battle.

“Let All Living Things Perish”

Inie summoned an old spell reminiscent of one easily broken by Thalagong in the past. However, the floating ice was blackened, and identical ice formations emerged from the ground, surrounding Thalagong.

Thalagong smirked confidently, but their expression soured after the ice collided.

“Gruesome…”

“Well, I didn’t expect them to take it this far.”

Instead of ending with the collision, the ice shattered into pieces that formed a tornado enveloping Thalagong at its center.

The scale of the spell far exceeded what was necessary to defeat a single magical girl, leaving a different impression from the initial sword attack.

Surprisingly, the display wasn’t over yet.

Around the tornado, numerous additional magic circles appeared, all facing Thalagong.

Though excessive, it almost seemed like stress relief from Inie’s perspective.

“Are they stressed?”

“Knowing Inie’s treatment, I can’t really blame them.”

Jeanne understood Inie—Haruna’s circumstances alongside Thalagong. Their behavior and appearance didn’t match their age.

Above all, their seemingly emotionless, clouded eyes told the whole story.

Still, Jeanne worried whether living with Thalagong contributed to accumulated stress.

Of course, Haruna’s background was entirely fabricated, and no one knew the truth.

“But considering the scale of these spells, how much mana must they require?”

“Magic depends heavily on the individual, so pondering specifics is futile.”

Whitekigawa bluntly dismissed Arongante’s question.

Most magic relied solely on the caster. Even swords varied—short, long, or great—and despite differing appearances and purposes, their mana consumption could be the same. Thus, mana amounts served only as rough estimates.

For Inie, with a constant mana supply, knowing exact figures held little value.

“Meteors Shall Shatter the Sun”

Having already turned away from Thalagong, Inie faced the approaching Momotoko.

Everyone in the waiting room presumed Thalagong’s demise, but the death notification didn’t appear immediately. Suddenly, Inie moved, resulting in an explosion that blew off one of Thalagong’s arms and promptly issued their death notification.

“Pure stubbornness. This reverses the roles from that day.”

During the last simulated battle with Thalagong, Inie successfully blew off both of Thalagong’s arms, whereas this time, Thalagong reciprocated by severing Inie’s arm.

However, for Inie, whose recovery magic healed the wound almost instantly, it wasn’t a critical injury.

Only Momotoko remained.

Descending from the air, Inie transformed into their demonic form.

Maintaining distance, Momotoko stopped, exchanging brief words. Both shared the same thoughts.

Ultimately, both were straightforward fighters.

Win or lose. Live or die.

Rather than focusing on the future, they wanted to enjoy the present.

Magic surged from both bodies, creating tension even in the waiting room.

Simultaneously charging forward, they swung their respective weapons.

Momotoko struck first, blowing away nearly half of Inie’s body and scattering blood everywhere.

Though shocked by the outcome, the waiting room members realized Inie was still alive. Their expression remained unchanged, with the same clouded eyes as always.

In that state, Inie swung their scythe at Momotoko.

Unwilling to let her guard down after delivering a fatal blow, Momotoko prepared for a follow-up attack but experienced the same sensation as when blocking Inie’s scythe, momentarily halting her movements.

Disrupted mana distorted her vision, making it unclear where she stood. Nevertheless, Momotoko defiantly raised her arm to counter Inie’s scythe.

However, the scythe passed through her, and Momotoko’s consciousness faded into darkness.

By the time Momotoko’s death notification appeared, Inie’s regenerating body had nearly healed completely.

“Blood.”

Witnessing the unnatural battle between Momotoko and Inie, Jeanne concluded.

Inie needed only one successful strike to defeat Momotoko, but landing that strike was exceedingly difficult.

A fully committed Momotoko was as troublesome as Blade, possessing an astonishing sense and intuition for combat.

Knowing not to touch Inie’s weapon, Momotoko wouldn’t make the mistake of blocking the scythe.

Avoiding while fighting was effortless for Momotoko.

Therefore, Inie deliberately took Momotoko’s attack, using blood as a means to deliver that one strike.

Dodging blood splattered before one’s eyes would create a significant opening, so Momotoko didn’t attempt to avoid it.

That was normal and expected.

Using blood and flesh as a catalyst for magic was unthinkable under conventional standards. Such opponents hadn’t existed before, so Momotoko paid no attention to it.

This oversight became the cause of defeat, leaving the waiting room members speechless at Inie’s unconventional magic.

Shortly after, Thalagong returned to the waiting room from the simulator, followed by Momotoko.

The simulation ended with Inie’s overwhelming victory.