The Magical Girl Blade is sisterly.
“…That’s right. Inie was completely powerless, wasn’t she?”
“I’m sorry.”
A suggestion was made to use only staffs, so I tried to see how far I could fight using just a staff, and ended up being defeated by E-class enemies.
Well, I can deflect attacks, but due to lack of muscle strength, I couldn’t defend or attack at all.
Am I too much of a physical weakling?
“I thought it was a good restriction, but this is clearly too much.”
“…I’m sorry.”
While I have enough strength in my second form to wield a sword without issue, as a White Mage… it’s frustrating.
“Even if I use magic without a staff, it would be excessive against these new recruits… How about fighting with my eyes covered?”
Hmm, that might work.
At first glance, it might seem like an easy handicap, but if I fight with this kind of disadvantage, I might grasp something.
Moreover, fighting with my eyes covered sounds interesting.
(Would I be able to fight even if my eyes were covered, relying on the Demon’s navigation?)
“There shouldn’t be any problem. While I probably won’t be able to cast spells accurately, I think I’ll still be able to fight reasonably well.”
“With that in mind, I will give it a try.”
“Eh, really? Isn’t fighting with your eyes covered difficult enough?”
Since I believe it will be fine, please allow me to proceed.
Thalagong hesitantly took out a black belt from somewhere and used it to cover my eyes like a headband.
In this state, even if I remove my hood during the New Demon War, there should be no issues.
Ideally, I’d prefer to keep my hood on, but it would probably be disrespectful to my opponent… although it doesn’t make much difference, does it?
Using auxiliary wind magic, I can perceive my surroundings, but for now, I’ll leave it to the Demon.
“Then, let’s begin.”
“Don’t lose so easily like last time.”
The mechanical sound rang out, signaling the appearance of monsters.
“20 meters ahead in all directions are beast-type monsters. Total of four.”
(Acknowledged.)
“O flames, dance around.”
I scattered butterfly-shaped flames to intimidate them.
I can hear the sound of hooves galloping across the grasslands, but without the Demon’s help, I have no idea how far they are.
“10 meters ahead at three o’clock!”
Since it’s three o’clock, it must be about here, right?
“O ice, descend and gather.”
I unleashed several spears of ice together, attacking in a wide area.
“Direct hit! Next, 12 meters to the right and 3 meters behind that!”
“O great pulse of the earth, become the jaws that devour heaven and earth.”
I violently cracked the ground in the direction indicated by the Demon and then sealed it again.
I must have taken down two of them together.
“Last one, 3 meters ahead directly behind you!”
…This distance is tough, but there’s a way to do it. I’ve done it several times before.
“O wind, blow away!”
Before making contact with the monster, I used wind magic to propel myself into the air, avoiding the collision.
“O flames, consume everything.”
I aimed my staff at the ground and fired an explosive fireball, blowing the monster away.
That should be the end of it.
The aftereffects of the explosion licked my cheek, and I skillfully used its momentum to land properly.
“Four defeated! Good job.”
I managed to defeat them, and it was quite thrilling… but also fun.
If asked whether it had meaning, I can’t say for sure, but there’s something to be felt precisely because I couldn’t see.
Could this serve as a countermeasure against Lockwert?
If I can accurately sense his magic, I might be able to take the initiative.
As soon as I removed the blindfold, Thalagong was standing nearby with a slightly perplexed expression.
“You’re more capable than I expected. Is there some trick involved?”
There is a trick, but I can’t reveal the Demon…
“It’s a secret. But is this acceptable?”
“As long as we’re careful not to instantly defeat the others, it should be fine, right? By the way, shall we try without the staff?”
I don’t know how strong the other rookies are, but if I start without a staff and retrieve it if things go poorly, it should be fine.
“I’ll try that.”
The result was a bit tougher than before, but I managed to defeat them without issues.
Currently, I’m not aiming my spells but rather scattering them, but with practice, I should be able to aim them reasonably well.
“Hmm, ideally, I’d like you to emphasize cuteness, but this is pretty cool…”
Probably for the first time since transforming, I’ve been called cool… and it makes me a little happy.
“If we repeat training, I believe we’ll be able to fight adequately.”
“That’s right. Let’s proceed with the New Demon War like this. Then, since we’ve done what we needed to, how about a battle with me for the first time in a while?”
Of course, as expected… if it’s not a deathmatch like last time, maybe I’ll oblige.
“Fine, but I don’t want a deathmatch like last time.”
“…I understand. I’ll set it to normal conditions.”
Really?
Well, as long as I can fight, that’s fine. Even if it brings back some trauma, fighting itself is convenient.
How far can I push this time?
Thalagong operated the terminal, changing the scenery from a grassland to ruins.
“The match starts in five minutes, and the rule is three effective hits wins. Understood?”
“Understood. Then, in five minutes.”
We distanced ourselves and headed toward the ruins.
It’s good that it seems to be a regular simulation battle.
(This time, I’ll manage without navigation.)
“Understood. Do your best.”
Alright, let’s see how far I can go.
1
While Inie and Thalagong were testing various things, Marin and Mika were playing around with Blade.
Marin’s single strike with her sword didn’t graze Blade at all, and Mika’s Chakrams were deflected by Blade’s sword and katana, proving entirely ineffective.
Marin attempted an attack with a bow, but Blade cleanly deflected it, nearly causing it to stab herself.
Use your own hands and try to land a solid hit instead of relying on ranged weapons.
That’s what Blade implied indirectly, and thereafter, Marin worked hard to land a single strike with her sword.
Marin stepped into Blade’s range, swinging her sword upward, and correspondingly, Mika swung her Chakram horizontally from behind Blade.
“Too weak! Entirely too weak!”
With the sword in her left hand, Blade deflected Marin’s sword, and with the katana in her right hand, she knocked the Chakram upward.
“Lightning Circle Slash!”
Mika was sent flying along with her Chakram but used the momentum to rotate and send a lightning slash.
This single strike alone wouldn’t land a hit on Blade.
However, this battle isn’t solely Mika’s fight.
Marin spun her body using the force of the deflection and continuously swung her sword to pin Blade in place.
Blade handled Marin’s fierce assault with just the sword in her left hand and split the incoming Lightning Circle Slash with the katana in her right hand.
She effortlessly blew Mika away with sword pressure.
Among the rookies, Marin is the second strongest after Inie and can solo defeat C-class enemies.
Despite facing these two magical girls, Blade maintained a relaxed expression.
“Your coordination isn’t bad, and individually, you’re both excellent rookies. But you’re still too weak.”
Blade closed her eyes briefly, and Marin thrust her sword at her.
This strike pierced through Blade’s body, giving Marin the illusion that she had finally landed her desired hit.
“That’s why you’re still too weak.”
The supposedly pierced Blade distorted and disappeared like a mirage.
The real Blade was behind Marin, pressing her sword against her neck.
“That’s your fourth loss, rookie.”
Marin grimaced in frustration and sat down on the spot.
Mika, who had been blown away earlier, ran over and sat next to Marin.
Ranked 7th among magical girls, known as the Sword King, her name is Blade.
She is quite an unusual magical girl who wields both a sword and a katana in a dual-wielding style.
Being ranked, she can transform into Enhanced Form, but in Blade’s case, she somehow naturally transitions into Enhanced Form during battles.
Although ranked 7th, her actual power exceeds that ranking.
However, due to her personal preference, she remains at 7th place.
It’s unclear, but she’s incredibly strong.
That’s who she is.
“Your sword techniques are too beautiful. They may be good against monsters, but against humans, it’s like inviting a counterattack.”
“Yes…”
Strong.
That’s what Marin felt about Blade.
Marin had watched Blade’s videos, using her sword techniques as references for combat, but upon actually fighting her, she was captivated by Blade’s refined movements.
She thought she had surely landed the final thrust, but ultimately lost by having her back taken.
“Mika isn’t bad either, but since you can use lightning magic, you should think of more effective ways to utilize it.”
“I understand.”
Since being saved by Inie, Mika has been enthusiastically training but still hasn’t managed to land a single hit on Blade.
After being saved by Inie, Mika wished to grow stronger for the first time and is gradually blooming despite being unable to achieve anything significant with the two of them combined.
Standing before the insurmountable wall that is Blade, their fighting spirit hasn’t diminished, and they continue strategizing for the next battle.
Because Blade is simply too strong, they haven’t been able to find a breakthrough yet.
They tried varying the timing of their attacks, synchronizing them, and even flanking from front and back, but all were blocked by Blade’s dual swords.
Marin still has the option of transforming into Enhanced Form, but she wants to land a hit on Blade in her normal state.
It’s not just about Marin’s pride; if Blade transforms into Enhanced Form, the advantage of being two against one would be nullified.
As the two pondered their next move, a summons sounded.
Blade, checking her terminal, smirked.
“It seems Thalagong and Inie are going to have a mock battle. Shall we watch?”
“We’ll watch!”
“We’ll definitely watch!”
Blade operated her terminal again, projecting three monitors into the sky within the simulation.
One showed Inie, another showed Thalagong, and the last provided an overhead view.
“A three-hit system. Impressive that they didn’t choose a deathmatch.”
Recalling a past mock battle between Thalagong and Inie, Blade looked up at the monitors with slight apprehension.
The mechanical sound signaling the start of the mock battle rang out, and both moved simultaneously.
Currently, both were separated, unaware of each other’s positions.
Thalagong flew through the air, randomly exploding buildings to flush out the opponent.
“Well, that’s what Thalagong would do.”
“What do you mean?”
Hearing Blade mutter with a look of exasperation, Marin asked for clarification.
“Same goes for me, but when there are many obstacles like that, we just destroy everything. If allies are present, it’s different, but otherwise, it’s easier to fight with nothing around.”
Ordinary magical girls would use obstacles in battle, but for top-ranked ones, such obstacles are merely hindrances.
It’s easier to clear them away and fight in an open space.
However, Inie guessed the direction of the explosions and cast spells accordingly.
Normally, once a spell is cast, it immediately flies forward, but this time, she held some spells suspended in space.
Thalagong flew toward where he saw Inie’s magic, looking around.
By the time Inie wasn’t there, the spells she had delayed activated, targeting Thalagong.
Thalagong avoided the incoming spells amidst the dust cloud caused by the building explosion and countered with another explosion, dispersing the dust.
‘Not there?’
Looking around where he thought Inie would be, Thalagong found no one.
Suddenly, icicles rained down from above him, and stone spears erupted from the ground.
These were traps set by Inie’s magic.
Marin and Mika thought this counted as the first hit, but Blade believed it wasn’t enough.
True to Blade’s thoughts, Thalagong erected a heat barrier, blocking all the magic without injury, then grinned and flew off again.
“This is Explosadia…”
“To put it plainly, those two aren’t thinking about landing effective hits or single strikes; they’re trying to kill each other outright. Thalagong is an idiot, but without the intention to kill, you can’t land a hit on a top-ranked fighter.”
Among magical girls, there’s an even more special category.
That’s what top-rankers are.
The mock battle between Thalagong and Inie continued.
Inie launched spells unpredictably, evading Thalagong.
Unfortunately, the building she hid behind was completely blown up, costing her the first point.
Conversely, Inie cleverly lured Thalagong into a trap for the second point, connecting “Breath of Life End” to “Tears of the White World,” scoring a point against Thalagong.
“This is Inie’s seriousness…”
Manipulating various types of magic, Inie pressed close to the top-ranked Thalagong in a manner uncharacteristic of a rookie.
Indeed, Inie was putting forth her full effort, but not her utmost sincerity.
Unlike the previous mock battle, there was no danger to life this time around.
Had she experienced pain or sensations akin to death as she did in the previous battle, Inie would have used extraordinary magic without hesitation—magic like Celestial Strike or M·D·W that she employed then.
However, this was merely a mock battle governed by the rule of three hits, so Inie kept that in mind while fighting.
Ultimately, Inie lost, but Marin and Mika of the same generation were deeply impressed by this battle.
“This is the gap between rookies and Inie. Magical girls cannot fully unleash their potential without resolve or conviction. If you wish to grow stronger, don’t lie to yourself.”
Blade, too, became stronger over time, driven by an unwavering desire to be the strongest.
Whenever possible, she engaged other magical girls in mock battles and fought continuously against monsters as a stray due to the limited number of battles allowed under contract.
Any wish or conviction is fine.
The stronger the conviction, the brighter the magical girl can shine.
Nodding to each other, the two stood up and challenged Blade again.
After experiencing numerous defeats eight times,
they finally succeeded in landing a hit on Blade in their thirteenth attempt.
