The magical girl made her first mistake.
Lockwert who came out from the fissure opened his eyes.
I found myself dressed in a leotard with a cape, and felt like opening my eyes wide in surprise.
“Oh? Could you possibly be Inny Flowering?! Thank you for your help the other day!”
(I guess they’ve figured out it was me?)
‘Could they have caught a glimpse when they were running away?’
It’s not strange that Lockwert could see me if I could see him too, but to recognize me in that state… perhaps it’s because of this outfit?
It’s only me who hides their face such as this in this attire.
Can it be traced back from the official website?
“Thank you very much for your help the other day,”
“It really hurt, you know. Though today’s pain doesn’t compare.”
Lockwert ignored Mika-chan and headed towards me… Is he coming towards me?!
Mika-chan slid in front of Lockwert, blocking an attack with her sword.
“Oh, so you’re Take Mikadzuchi. I’ll kill you both.”
“Rain of ice, fall upon us like raindrops.”
Adjusting the ice storm so it wouldn’t hit Mika-chan, Lockwert raised a hand towards the sky forming a tear in space, swallowing up my magic.
“You knew I’d come, didn’t you? This cheap magic isn’t scary. Consider it payback.”
“Ugh! Circular barrier!”
A new fissure appeared over Mika-chan, from which my spell was ejected back at me.
I attempted to cancel the spell, but once it passed through the tear, control was lost, making it impossible to nullify.
(Straightforward attacks just get returned…)
If I hated space-related abilities as much as a demon does, I think I’d grow to dislike space manipulation.
Now what should I do…?
While trying to support Mika-chan, whose movements were getting sluggish from Lockwert’s constant assault, it became difficult to predict when she’d be unable to avoid being sucked into a fissure.
Lockwert’s fighting style doesn’t aim to kill quickly, giving us a chance, but… this might be a little too dangerous.
“Mika-chan! Are you holding up alright?”
“I’m okay now, but it won’t last long!”
Mika-chan must be tired from our previous battle.
I want to bring this to a quick end.
Mika-chan’s managing to hold her ground, but slowly, injuries are accruing.
“Hey hey! Are you not going to use the same magic as you did before? Sure, if you try it again, it will end quickly, but relying only on spells, a magical girl is nothing more than a lowly opponent!”
“Gwrr, Inny is not some lowly being! She is my dear friend and someone I can rely on!”
“Hmm.”
Lockwert’s eyes narrowed slightly.
Releasing a trembling slash with one hand, I plunged towards Mika-chan at nearly the same moment.
Blasting Mika-chan away with a body-slamming move.
She faced me with a pained expression.
Her hood had slipped off due to the force of impact, but it is insignificant.
I should have transformed sooner…
There shouldn’t be anything more important than life…
No, the pact is more valuable than just life itself.
“Inny? Inny!”
“Aahaha! Silly girl. Starting with the first one, I presume.”
Understanding what happened, Mika-chan started crying; meanwhile, Lockwert laughed aloud.
Below her thigh, it had dropped off and vanished as if consumed by Lockwert’s cut.
A surge of blood gushed out, yet if it weren’t an immediate kill, I would be alright.
The pain from pushing forward caused blood to spill from my mouth.
“Aahhh. If only I hadn’t called…”
The life drained from Mika-chan’s face.
Her tears, flowing non-stop, looked agonizing.
I wanted to reassure her in a hurry, but my words were hindered by the blood in my mouth.
Painful, hard to breathe, almost losing consciousness…
But this is something I’ve experienced before with MDW…
“Heal, heal. Healing power, restore my body.”
Using up roughly 30% of my magic power to heal myself.
(Crappy… Even though the pain is good, it hurts losing so much blood.)
‘I was damn close when my neck got grazed, glad I made it in time.’
Given the situation, it’s necessary to mend both myself and the robe.
Thinking ahead, magic to help produce blood seems crucial to consider now.
“Oh, Inny! Are you alright?”
I tried to signal to Mika-chan stopping her from approaching me, then turned to look towards Lockwert. She stopped her high-pitched laughter, standing silently in place.
“Yes, you’re quite the formidable presence… It seems prioritizing you over Take Mikadzuchi was the right call.”
Lockwert’s playful manner evaporated, replacing it with seriousness, leaving no room for weakness.
Well, there’s no choice… Let’s settle things seriously.
Allowing Mika-chan to pass out here wouldn’t be ideal.
I’ll threaten her later to keep this under wraps.
(That’s how it’ll go, right?)
‘The deal is to kill Lockwert for sure. Unlike last time, don’t rely on pushing them out with a stick. That’s an order.’
(…..Understood.)
I’m not against killing per se…
But I’m not used to someone dying.
But I must keep the pact.
“Inny…”
Blood choked my voice. Tighten up, not like that…
“Wha… What is it, Inny? Are you suffering? Are you alright?”
“From now on, everything I say is confidential… Transform.”
Thanks to Lockwert’s previous attack, I could feel my emotions welling up.
Alright, let’s finish off this magical girl.
Keep them alive…
A dazzling light enveloped me momentarily, changing from white to black.
I confirmed the sword manifesting in my right hand before charging at Lockwert.
“What!”
“Excuse me, I shall kill you. After all, if I’ve come to kill, being killed is justified, too? Swift Gale, Sword Dance!”
Not giving them any chance to use more magic.
Even if I were a stronger version, I wouldn’t be able to dodge their previous spell usage.
With swift swordplay, I cornered Lockwert.
Their ability is powerful, but their swordsmanship seems lacking.
Still, it’s strong enough to overwhelm Mika-chan.
“Quite impressive. Dimensional Bullet!”
I blocked every magic shot that came in hastily by using barriers.
My magic power is rapidly dissipating, but it has to be done before then.
I glimpsed Mika-chan frozen in fear on the side; they’re not a factor now.
I’m unsure what she’s thinking, for the time being, we’ll sort it out later.
“Fissure Slash, Southern Cross”
Lockwert moved their arm to block my sword, but I deployed a small barrier to interfere with their movement.
Leveraging that moment, I slashed across them in an X-pattern.
(A little too shallow!)
‘I think the spatial shift reduced its power.’
I thought it would be a clear hit, but Lockwert is stubborn as ever.
As I was about to continue striking, Lockwert fell into a fissure in the ground, becoming obscured from view.
“Not to be helped, I’ll let you escape this time… We’ll meet again.”
Lockwert’s voice echoed throughout the barrier.
If they choose to flee again, handling them will become near impossible…
After experiencing a battle firsthand, space-related abilities really are too convenient.
“If we next meet, I’ll definitely kill you. Next time, I’ll proceed with full intensity.”
If the fact about me being a “magical girl” is known, it would be annoying for demons.
If Inny’s fall to darkness links with these incidents, it’ll complicate future moves.
The release of the barrier brought the scene back to an old town while returning me to my white mage form. My dizziness was intense.
I could hardly stand, and eventually had to get down on one knee.
“Inny! Are you okay?”
Mika-chan ran over to support me. Things were tense, but glad to have protected her.
The device’s call kept sounding, but I needed to mention the second form transformation first.
“Don’t tell anyone about what happened earlier.”
“Yes, yes. But could you explain to me later what happened?”
Unfortunately, I don’t fully understand it myself.
Plus, I need to end this call soon. The noise is getting unbearable.
Mika-chan led me over to some rubble where I could rest.
She assured herself I was okay, then answered the call.
“This is Takeda Mikazuchi speaking, right. We were attacked by an unfamiliar magical girl. Yes, Inny… Flowering fought them off.”
Despite stuttering a bit, Mika-chan covered for my part in the story.
(Certainly went well, but they escaped again)
‘I almost believed that I got them, but in space-manipulation situations… well, it’s tough.’
We both thought it was a kill, so neither pursued further.
For dealing with Lockwert, it would have been better to treat them with the intention of corpse-kicking.
(Wonder if this is the first failure for an order?)
‘It surely is… Right.’
What are you getting at?
“Right, understood.”
While taking a break, speaking with MDW, the situation with Inny seems resolved.
“I need to return to the branch, would you come with me, Inny?”
This is something needing an explanation.
I’d rather avoid it, it’s exhausting, and I’m running low on blood.
I can’t think clearly, I need to eat something that turns into blood and sleep.
Honestly, I can’t promise I’ll attend school tomorrow.
“Sorry, but I can’t make it. I’ve pushed myself too far, so I’m heading back early now.”
“Alright, truly… truly thankful.”
Oh man. Mika-chan started crying again.
Is she just too young or something, with such a fragile emotional makeup?
“But I promised, I’m fine so you should head back quickly.”
“Yes… Yes. I’ll visit later. Get plenty of rest.”
After activating teleportation, Mika-chan disappeared, freeing me from prying eyes.
“Aa, tired.”
Expressing my exhaustion verbally instead of internally.
A defeatist attitude, isn’t it…? Not being able to kill Lockwert is a significant hit.
I don’t know their true standing yet…
(Inny thinks Lockwert will show up again, right?)
‘I’m not sure if it’ll be Joune or Haruna, but they’ll definitely appear again.’
Since I healed, Lockwert suddenly changed demeanor.
Killing Joune is the agenda… Does he hold a grudge against healing spells?
(The saying “with just a staff”… Yet in such chaos. M, please check with Kaede on any available days.)
‘Acknowledged. Shall I put Joune’s suggestion to the test?’
If it truly leads to obtaining a staff via Kaede’s abilities, it’s ideal.
Even failing, top-ranked Kaede may know something.
A杖 is essential if I wish to continue as a magical girl. If an alternative exists, it would be fine, but considering the unique nature, it’s challenging.
To prepare for my next rematch, I’ll plan my strategy.
