The magical girl who seeks conflict
Her wings were slashed and disappeared, so she used fire magic and wind magic to land on the muddy ground.
At a time like this, there’s no one else it could be but them attacking.
“Looks like Linne was right; you went down easily enough.”
With splashing sounds, Shengxi approaches through the mud.
Her weapons are the Azure Dragon Saber and a shield…
At this distance, I’m at a disadvantage…
They probably already know about my dark descent via Lockwert, so it might be wise to transform beforehand, but ideally, I’d prefer to catch them off guard.
“Shengxi…is it? You certainly have bad habits.”
“Yeah, I said it. Do you understand what it means that I’m here?”
Shengxi takes her stance with the Azure Dragon Saber and shield.
It’s obvious we’re meant to kill each other.
“Just asking: why are you targeting me?”
“It’s Linne’s judgment to recruit you. And then there’s Arcana—does that ring a bell?”
I see, so you know about demons.
Well, whatever. This is exactly the kind of disadvantageous situation I seek.
…Fighting is good…but if I get too excited, the demon will notice.
Let me calm down.
“—Is that so? Then let’s fight. You’re not planning to let me go, are you?”
“That’s right. I’m on this side because I want to fight strong opponents. There’s no way I’d let you go.”
(What about her magic?)
“The Azure Dragon Saber uses fire magic while the shield uses ice magic—it handles two attributes and is pretty powerful overall. It’s quite tricky, so be careful. The issue is whether my information is accurate or not though, isn’t it?”
The Shengxi the demon knows must be from a different world.
Let’s just use this as reference.
If the information is correct, it’s more like Blade’s style—where the user themselves are strong…this matchup really doesn’t favor me.
“O Ice! Burst forth in bloom!”
As Shengxi closes in, I unfurl freezing flowers.
Given the rain, I hope it has some effect, but Shengxi evaporates the ice along with the rain using flames from the Azure Dragon Saber.
Unfortunately, it seems this won’t even buy time.
Then, I’ll vanish for now.
“O Ice! Swallow me whole. O soaring light! Become the wings of my intent!”
I summon thick walls of ice, behind which I deploy a degraded version of the black wings I used during M·D·W.
In my normal state, I can’t win with speed.
“You’re crafty!”
The ice wall is cleaved in one stroke, but I’m not behind it.
“Tch! Above!”
“Descend, waters! Rampage like a torrent!”
Ice-laden water swirls around Shengxi.
I hope this draws at least some blood…
For a moment, Shengxi looks uneasy before striking the water with her shield.
This alone freezes the water solid and stops its flow.
Then, the Azure Dragon Saber, wreathed in flames, sends shards of ice flying toward me.
I cancel it out with flames emitted from my wings, and create distance by flapping them several times.
While I’m at it, I retaliate with magic deployed from my wings and launch it.
(We’ve done all this and taken no damage…spellcasters don’t usually fare well against melee-focused magical girls…)
“At least if I had the distance to cast longer spells, things would change…”
It’s normally a mistake for mages to engage in such close-range battles…a tough situation.
“You’re too soft…if that’s your best, I’ll end this?”
—I’m being toyed with completely.
Same with Thalagong. Why do I always end up fighting such strong opponents…heh heh.
Looking down from above, I take my stance with my staff.
So far, it’s been the same as with Thalagong.
I haven’t dealt any damage and have only been played with.
But I’ve laid my groundwork properly.
“Drifting ice! Furious thunder! Pierce and incinerate, run amok!”
I expand a dome of ice spears wrapped in lightning.
“Hmm. Interesting.”
Shengxi smirks and takes her stance.
I don’t expect this spell to defeat Shengxi.
If it deals even a little damage, that’s fine.
“Fire!”
I send ice spears flying from all directions.
Incidentally, if they’re dodged, they’ll explode, scattering icy particles wrapped in lightning.
With the rain, there should be some electrocution.
Even if she blocks with her shield or the Azure Dragon Saber, damage from the lightning should still apply.
Shengxi handles these spells deftly.
She’s smiling, but is it effective?
…Well, it doesn’t matter.
If it slows her down even for a moment, that’s enough.
(Once the attack ends, I’ll make my move.)
“Understood. Good luck.”
However, her movements aren’t slowing down at all… Observing her calmly, it’s clear she’s highly experienced in combat.
Despite the slippery footing, her upper body remains steady, deflecting debris precisely with her shield and minimizing hits.
No matter the direction they come from, she defends them all. Does she have eyes on the back of her head?
50 shots left…
My mana consumption is about 20% total. Thanks to conserving energy during the fight, I have plenty of leeway.
I carefully observe Shengxi’s movements and conduct mental training.
My sword techniques rely on abilities as a magical girl.
I want to use these skills as my own power.
I want to steal anything that can make me stronger, even just a little bit.
20 shots left.
Shengxi is undoubtedly stronger than me. She likely has hidden tricks too, but considering she didn’t yield an inch against Arongante, she must be confident.
Assuming Shengxi is as strong as a ranked magical girl would be wise.
A ranked opponent after a near-SS class… If there were a game this difficult, I’d throw it in the trash.
But this is fine. As a second-stage boss, she’s excellent.
I take deep breaths to calm my racing heart.
“Haruna, are you alright? Something feels off…”
At this point, the demon might notice.
If I transform into my second form, where my emotions directly connect to strength, how will it turn out in this state…?
(I’m fine. Just a little tense, that’s all.)
I want to fight… I want to fight Shengxi soon…
“If you say so, but it’s almost time.”
3 shots left…
I won’t let this desire be interrupted by anyone—not even the demon.
“Return to Darkness”
Rather than shining with light, darkness envelops me, dissolving and disappearing.
Though it feels like my appearance has changed somewhat, it doesn’t matter now.
As long as I have the sword in my right hand, that’s enough.
The last shot is fired directly above Shengxi.
Now, die and become my nourishment.
“First Strike: Moon Flash”
Using barriers instead of the muddy footing, I lunge forward and swing my sword.
This is a technique I copied from Marin, but it’s sufficient for a first strike.
Marin uses a katana, so the actual technique differs slightly, but I don’t care.
When blocked and deflected by her shield, I twist my body and slash upward.
Clashing with the descending Azure Dragon Saber, a high-pitched sound rings out.
I use the momentum to leap back.
Before landing, I create barriers in mid-air and lunge again.
I slash once, retreat, and probe Shengxi’s tendencies.
From above…from behind…from the side…
Does she dodge, block, or receive attacks with her shield?
No matter how strong someone is, cutting their flesh causes bleeding—that’s reason.
Repeating this process, I take a step back…if I aim, it should be from directly above.
“Nice. That gaze, that mana—it gives me chills! Fire Dragon Roar!”
Swinging the Azure Dragon Saber, Shengxi releases a dragon-shaped flame.
It vaporizes the falling rain and melts the ground without even touching it.
To be able to unleash something like this with a single sword swing…my magic pales in comparison.
Defending against something like this would be quite challenging…
—but with my current state, I feel like I can handle anything.
“Void Slash: Hawk Slash”
I send three slashing strikes infused with mana, dispersing the fiery dragon.
Shengxi briefly shows surprise but quickly smirks again.
Likewise, she seems to be enjoying the battle…though I wish it could last longer, I don’t have all the time in the world either.
Unlike her, I have no intention of playing around.
I spread barriers throughout the air, using them as footholds to approach Shengxi.
Of course, I don’t charge straight in—I zigzag to avoid ranged attacks.
The same slashing strike that tore my wings comes flying, but I deflect it with a barrier.
After feinting with a sudden straight charge followed by a jump upwards,
I return the favor from earlier when she attacked with the dragon.
“Sky Splitter: Dragon Buster”
Infusing my sword with mana until it groans, I slash down at Shengxi as I fall.
She raises her shield to defend, but I press harder.
After a brief struggle, I shatter the shield and sever one of Shengxi’s arms.
She lets out a small groan before quickly putting distance between us.
Ignoring the gushing blood from her missing arm, Shengxi takes her stance with the Azure Dragon Saber.
I intended to bisect her body, but it missed slightly.
“Tch! You’re stronger than the intel suggested…”
“On the contrary, aren’t you weaker? Lockwert was better earlier.”
Shengxi’s face darkens, and her red hair begins to grow.
So she has an Enhanced Form too…because she wanted to enjoy the fight, she lost an arm.
But I’m not gentle enough to wait for her transformation.
“Void Slash: Hawk Slash”
I send slashing strikes as before, but they disappear into a rift appearing in mid-air.
“Time’s up, Shengxi.”
Behind Shengxi, a magical girl in a leotard and cape appears.
Is it Lockwert again?
“…Linne’s orders? Even if I held back and got this far, she says I should withdraw?”
“Yeah. Even if I held back, if I got this far, she says I should withdraw.”
“Are you letting me escape?”
In this situation, killing both of them would weaken the ranks of the destructionists.
“I can keep fighting, but should I leave the other magical girls unattended?”
—Indeed, it’s taken quite a bit of time.
Even if I spend time here to kill them both, it would be meaningless if Marin and the others are defeated.
“…Disappear already.”
“I’ll definitely repay this debt… Inny Flowering.”
Leaving behind Shengxi’s resentful voice, the two enter the rift.
Had she transformed into her Enhanced Form from the start, I might not have known the outcome, but killing her here would’ve been ideal.
Switching my consciousness back to being a White Mage.
“Ugh! Guhhh!”
“Haruna? Haruna!”
Sharp pain spreads throughout my body, and blood spills from my mouth.
Who would’ve thought there’d be such a backlash…with this level of power, it’s clearly insufficient…
I’m really…weak.
(It’s fine, I just pushed myself a bit.)
“What happened? You suddenly lost consciousness, and when I thought you were back, Haruna started spitting blood…”
“Healing Light”.
I cast a healing spell on myself, but despite having my staff, it’s not very effective…should I try again?
“Healing”.
…This should hold for now.
I have about 40% of my mana left…my mana itself isn’t a problem, but my physical condition isn’t great.
(Let’s put the conversation aside and return for now.)
“We should talk later. Your reactions…are still there, but we should hurry.”
Did I take too much time…
“Wings”.
Spreading my wings and looking up at the sky, I see two green lights flying away.
Arongante will probably take some more time…did they perhaps witness the battle just now?
Well, it doesn’t matter. Let’s return after helping Arongante…
(The plan’s changed. Let’s go help Arongante, Demon.)
“Understood”.
Just in case, it wouldn’t hurt to earn Arongante’s gratitude.
