The win rate of the magical girl is 0.1%.
After Inie had her say to Dendrobium and flew off, Dendrobium was unable to move immediately.
Inie wielding various kinds of magic battles against Mastidizaya.
The magic being used is entirely different from what was shown in the battle with Dendrobium, and its power is overwhelmingly immense.
Her fighting style appears intensely powerful and brilliant, something Dendrobium admires about high-ranking fighters.
Inie is ensuring that Mastidizaya’s bombardments do not target the ground unnecessarily, but Dendrobium does not understand this.
Even though just being there is an obstruction, Dendrobium cannot take her eyes off Inie’s fight for a moment.
However, she truly has no time to merely watch.
Dendrobium recalls Inie’s words from earlier, grimaces bitterly, and takes flight.
This is to keep other magical girls away from Inie and Mastidizaya so Inie doesn’t have to worry about her surroundings.
“Search.”
Dendrobium casts a spell to locate the positions of other magical girls.
Because Inie is trying to avoid direct confrontation as much as possible, there are no nearby magical girls who can quickly reach this battlefield.
Dendrobium flaps her wings toward the nearest detected presence.
Behind her, the sounds of explosions from Inie’s magic and Mastidizaya’s artillery reverberate, increasing Dendrobium’s unease.
The spell Dendrobium fired at Mastidizaya is the same one she used at the end of her battle with Inie—her most potent attack, practically a finishing move.
However, it fails to inflict any noticeable damage, and Dendrobium narrowly escapes a counterattack, which would have killed her if not for Inie.
Mastidizaya should only possess S-rank level strength right now.
Yet, it is completely overwhelming.
Perhaps it could be chalked up to poor compatibility, but that would just be an excuse.
Dendrobium holds back the tears threatening to overflow and finds the first magical girl.
“Stop!”
“Dendrobium? What’s wrong?”
The magical girl she found was Orlantan, representing America.
“That monster is impossible to defeat. If you can, please follow my instructions.”
“You won’t know unless you try, will you? Besides, if we don’t win, we can’t leave here, so we have no choice but to fight.”
Orlantan may be speaking the truth.
But from Dendrobium’s perspective, having already faced Mastidizaya once, challenging it again would be sheer recklessness.
“There’s no way we can beat that thing. We have no choice but to leave it to Inie.”
Upon hearing “Inie,” Orlantan’s eyes sharpen. She harbors personal resentment towards Inie and dislikes her.
She couldn’t bear leaving the battle against the monster solely to Inie.
“I can’t leave it all to her. Besides, if we combine our forces, even an SS-rank opponent…”
Can be defeated. That’s what Orlantan was about to say when a Mastidizaya artillery shell lands and explodes a short distance away.
A crater forms as if a meteorite struck, freezing the surrounding area.
Fragments of ice from the explosion assault both women, forcing them to endure to avoid being blown away.
Seeing the devastation, Orlantan is unable to continue her previous statement.
She instinctively understands that she wouldn’t be able to defend against such an attack, let alone evade it without the ability to fly.
“…”
“You see now… There’s nothing we can do.”
Still frozen in place, Dendrobium delivers the harsh truth to Orlantan.
Since parting ways with Inie, two of Mastidizaya’s restraints have been broken, granting it more power, inching closer to SS-rank.
Clutching her fists, Orlantan mutters, “I understand,” having glimpsed the irregular might of the monster and realizing her own inadequacy.
“Orlantan can’t use detection magic, right? If you go straight in that direction, there should be someone there. Please handle it. Afterward, escape as far as you can from Inie and the monster. See you.”
Dendrobium takes off toward the next magical girl.
Glancing briefly at Inie’s battle with Mastidizaya, despite only a few minutes passing since their separation, deep marks of destruction are carved into the ground.
(Inie Flowering…)
Standing alone against an SS-rank monster to save them, Dendrobium wishes she could help, could lend her strength.
But she knows she cannot, due to her own mistakes.
For now, following Inie’s advice, prioritizing evacuation is the best course of action.
After the witch disappeared, no one in the venue attempted to leave.
Partly because of the witch’s last words, but mainly because the majority wanted to witness the conclusion of the battle, regardless of the outcome.
As the barrier dissolved and other magical girls sprang into action, Inie remained stationary.
“Inny Flowering and Mastidizaya aren’t moving yet, I believe.”
“Most likely, we’ll know soon enough.”
Inie’s voice echoes through the venue, drawing criticism from other magical girls for her arrogant suggestion.
However, Arongante understands that Inie’s judgment is correct.
Arongante, having fought Mastidizaya before, knows that among the ten participants, none could defeat it based on yesterday’s display.
Even the Arongante-acquainted Inie would likely fail to triumph.
If there’s any chance of victory, it lies solely with Inie.
“Though Inny Flowering claims she’ll fight alone, what do you think?”
“To be honest, anyone other than Inie going out there is akin to committing suicide. For regular magical girls, defeating an SS-rank is impossible.”
Arongante’s words carry weight as a current top-tier fighter, but they also fill the audience with despair.
“—Do you think the competitors can defeat Mastidizaya, Arongante?”
“…”
Arongante hesitates to answer immediately.
Having concluded her conversation, Inie begins chanting, growing small wings on her limbs in addition to her usual combat form.
Flying into the air, Inie launches high-speed icicles at Mastidizaya.
They strike Mastidizaya, blooming into icy flowers.
While the attack causes no damage, it draws Mastidizaya’s attention.
Mastidizaya starts running, equipped with seven restraints, including one on its head.
Currently, it cannot fly and can only attack using the cannon on its right arm.
It’s clear to everyone what Inie has done; despite her earlier taunts, she has directed Mastidizaya’s hostility solely towards herself.
Only a magical girl capable of long-range attacks like Inie could achieve this.
“This is…”
“She intends to fight… alone.”
From the venue where the full scope of the battle is visible, it’s evident what Inie plans to do.
She flies around, keeping her distance from the other magical girls while luring Mastidizaya.
An artillery shell is fired directly at Inie, narrowly missed by her, but it collides with a distant mountain, obliterating it.
Such a single blow is fitting for an S or SS-rank threat.
While escaping Mastidizaya, Inie constructs a magical array behind her, halts abruptly upon completing the chant, and turns toward Mastidizaya.
“Heaven Strike!”
Compressed magical energy is unleashed, gouging the ground as it hurtles forward.
“Remarkable…”
To Faye, who previously thought magic outdated, it appears dazzling.
“This isn’t a public match, but this Heaven Strike was the starting point for inflicting injuries on Thalagong. A worthy name for its power.”
Though it was called Divine Strike during the Thalagong battle, it failed to defeat the opponent, resulting in its downgrade.
Ordinary monsters would likely be felled by this alone.
Engulfing Mastidizaya, the Heaven Strike pierces through.
The crowd erupts in cheers, but they quickly subside.
After the Heaven Strike dissipates, Mastidizaya reappears unscathed.
However, two restraints audibly snap off.
“Mastidizaya’s restraints absorb damage, and it cannot be defeated until all are removed. It grows stronger with each restraint broken.”
Five remain. The real battle begins after all restraints are gone. This is merely a prelude.
While everyone focuses on Inie and Mastidizaya, the image of another magical girl shows Mastidizaya appearing.
The magical girl wields her staff and fires a black beam at Mastidizaya.
Yes, that magical girl is Dendrobium.
Realizing this, Arongante wants to yell at her for doing something foolish but manages to suppress it.
Dendrobium’s magic, while potent, pales in comparison to Inie’s recent attack.
The audience cheers with phrases like “Good job!” but Dendrobium’s magic has no effect and fails to remove any restraints.
Mastidizaya, having shifted its gaze from Inie, slowly raises its right arm, aiming the cannon at Dendrobium.
Inie shouts for her to run, but Dendrobium, shocked and frozen, doesn’t move.
“This… Dendrobium’s magic seems to have no effect whatsoever…”
“If only we could give her some instructions…”
The cannon glows blue, firing a projectile that would obliterate anything it hits.
Everyone anticipates Dendrobium’s death.
“Ice! Roar forth!”
In the nick of time, Inie’s magic intervenes, causing the projectile to explode before reaching Dendrobium.
Blown away by the blast, Dendrobium sustains only minor injuries.
After bombarding Mastidizaya with numerous spells to distract it, Inie flies over to Dendrobium.
“I didn’t expect Inny Flowering to intervene, did you?”
“Inie, despite everything, doesn’t abandon people. Aren’t there quite a few magical girls who’ve been saved by her?”
Despite being scolded earlier, Inie rescues Dendrobium in distress, raising her stock…
“Still, her words seem rather cold. What drives her to act this way?”
Claiming she’ll fight alone and pushing others away with “get out of the way” stems from her desire to prevent casualties, despite her harsh tone.
She continues to push Dendrobium away, urging her to flee.
“Even so, wouldn’t using other magical girls as decoys increase the chances of victory? But she chooses to fight alone.”
As Inie and Dendrobium argue, Mastidizaya bursts out from the dust cloud, flying upward.
Inie speaks rapidly to Dendrobium before flying off toward Mastidizaya.
Left behind, Dendrobium can only watch Inie’s battle for a while.
With two more restraints broken, Mastidizaya moves more agilely, eliminating any openings in its attacks.
Each of Inie’s spells is spectacular, revealing her seriousness.
Amidst growing dissatisfaction among the audience and spectators toward Dendrobium, she finally moves.
“How strong would you say Inny Flowering is, from your perspective, Arongante?”
The strength of Inie seen through the eyes of a top-tier fighter is undoubtedly intriguing. The hologram displaying Inie’s battle is terrifying even to magical girls, let alone civilians.
Each attack reshapes the terrain as she darts through the sky.
“Well, I can’t precisely measure, but she could easily take down an S-rank. Perhaps even an SS-rank, though Inie is primarily a rear guard, so she’d need a frontline fighter to succeed. Ideally, if she could enter Enhanced Form…”
Arongante clasps her hands, expressing bitterness.
The minimum requirement to defeat an SS-rank is entering Enhanced Form, which normal magical girls simply lack the firepower to achieve.
It’s strange that Inie, who managed to defeat the quasi-SS-rank M·D·W, is considered unusual.
If Inie could enter Enhanced Form, Arongante believes there’s a possibility of defeating Mastidizaya.
But in the current state…
“I see… However, isn’t Inny Flowering the only one with a chance of winning?”
“—Yes. Even in 1000 battles, winning once would be rare. Still, the only one with any chance of winning is Inie.”
(Or perhaps, if she transforms into that dark form…)
Without a miracle, Inie has no chance of winning.
While Dendrobium meets with Orlantan, two more restraints break, enhancing Mastidizaya’s ferocity.
Attacks start grazing Inie, gradually staining her white robe red.
Finally, Inie’s hood is torn off, revealing her face.
Her blue hair dances in the wind, faintly gleaming in the magical light.
Yet, her eyes remain dark and murky, sad and sorrowful, even amidst the fierce battle.
Like a robot programmed only for war, her expression remains unchanged as she casts spells.
When Mastidizaya’s artillery grazes her, blood spurts, but she says nothing, healing with recovery magic and retaliating.
Inie’s selfless battle, combined with the current situation, becomes unbearable to watch.
At that moment, Faye, who had forgotten to commentate, senses something amiss.
Within the parameters of this tournament, blood should not be depicted, and pain should be minimized. She shouldn’t appear this grievously wounded.
Why? Reflecting on this, she recalls one detail.
The witch mentioned controlling the simulator, implying she’s rewriting the settings.
Thus, Faye realizes that Inie is currently fighting under conditions identical to regular monster hunts.
How can she continue fighting without faltering despite her wounds?
Why doesn’t she ask for help, why does she challenge such a formidable foe alone, showing kindness by letting others escape?
This puzzles Faye endlessly…
“…Isn’t she afraid? Isn’t she in pain?”
This thought slips out.
“Is something wrong?”
When Arongante asks, Faye continues.
“Likely, the settings have been altered to reflect reality. Yet, she…”
Continues fighting with an unchanging expression, enduring countless wounds.
Challenging an uncertain victory alone, and beyond that, showing compassion by letting others escape.
The disparity between her inner and outer selves leaves Faye speechless.
To the civilian audience, this is already a highly stimulating image. A young girl sacrifices herself to battle an overwhelming enemy.
What thoughts lie behind those seemingly clouded eyes? How much has her heart been numbed?
“—What a tragically lonely magical girl.”
Alone in the land of death, battling.
She… Inny Flowering is utterly alone.
