Chapter 93

The magical girl you called out to by name…

“Is it… Colette?”

Star Nail trembled at the sight of what appeared to be Blue Colette, but drastically changed.

There were so many questions she wanted to ask.

Why did you disappear?

How can you use such a barrier?

Why did you attack Marin?

“Can’t you see? Who else would it be?”

Blue Colette laughed teasingly as she shouldered her spear.

Her appearance was far removed from the Blue Colette that Star Nail knew.

Horns had sprouted on her head, and a single black wing protruded from her back.

Strange markings covered her body, making her look unnatural.

Furthermore, she showed not the slightest concern for attacking Marin.

“—Why did you attack Marin-chan?”

“Attack? I didn’t do anything like that. I just tried to kill her.”

Star Nail’s face contorted in sadness as she gripped the two guns holstered at her waist.

“Hey, Colette…”

“What? Oh, right! Why don’t you come with me, Nails? We can silence those pesky Magic Bureau folks and anyone else who complains! Plus, you can become this powerful too!”

(Already… it’s hopeless.)

Blue Colette’s mindset had strayed far from that of an ordinary magical girl.

There was no choice but to defeat her… Star Nail resolved herself to the task.

“Hmph. Even though your appearance has changed, your actions remain the same.”

Marin, who had been blown away by Blue Colette’s spear earlier, returned.

Though the shockwave from the spear could have been lethal, several bounces on the ground left her slightly dirty.

“Well, you seem to be alright.”

“If I couldn’t handle something like this, I wouldn’t stand a chance against A-Rank or S-Rank threats. What happened to you?”

“This? Hmm, how did it happen again?”

Blue Colette turned her spear toward Marin and smirked wickedly.

It was clear she had no intention of talking further.

“So, will you side with me, Nails? Or not?”

Star Nail drew her gun from her waist and pointed it at Blue Colette.

No longer was she the girl who sought comfort from Marin or confided in Fūru; instead, there stood a magical girl resolute in her decision.

At the sight of this, Blue Colette grinned.

As if she had foreseen this choice all along…

“…Right. Then I suppose I’ll have to kill you too, Nails.”

“I’ve always thought of you as my best friend, Colette. But this is wrong. Relying on such power is unacceptable.”

“We use our powers, don’t we? Why are you spouting nonsense now?”

While pointing her spear at Marin, Blue Colette turned her gaze to Star Nail and shouted angrily.

Seizing this opportunity, Marin instantly readied her bow and fired an arrow.

However, Blue Colette’s spear swatted it away effortlessly.

Marin signaled to Star Nail with a raised finger before bending it.

This was a hand signal devised by Shirokigawa of the North Kanto Branch.

Among various signals, this one indicated drawing attention to request support.

“Tch, attacking while someone’s talking, huh? You’re more ill-mannered than I thought.”

“Under normal circumstances, I might have considered negotiation, but in this state, it seems impossible. I’ll handle you like any other monster.”

Blue Colette’s magic surged, emitting ominous energy.

“In that case, I’ll kill you like a monster! Spiral Drive!”

Magic gathered at the tip of her spear before being unleashed toward Marin.

What would normally be a gust of wind capable of lightly gouging the earth had been amplified by witchcraft into a force capable of shattering rocks as it charged toward Marin.

Not only Marin, but even Star Nail could be caught in its radius. Drenched in cold sweat, Marin leapt away from the trajectory.

(A bit of observation would’ve been preferable, but this looks tough.)

“Flying Blade!”

“Impact Shot!”

Marin infused her sword with magic and sent it flying as a slash, supported by Star Nail’s bullets.

But Blue Colette simply waved her spear to deflect them effortlessly.

“Something like that won’t work. Marin, why don’t you switch to Enhanced Form already? Though even then, you wouldn’t stand a chance against me!”

Blue Colette swung her spear at Marin, who blocked it with her sword but gritted her teeth under the immense force.

Quickly, Star Nail provided covering fire with her gun, but Blue Colette leapt back to avoid it.

“First Strike: Moon Flash!”

Marin pressed her advantage immediately.

She brought her sword down from above at Blue Colette, but it was deflected by the wing on her back.

Taking advantage of the momentary opening, Blue Colette blew Marin away with her spear.

“Dealing with two opponents is still troublesome. Allow me to eliminate you first.”

Blue Colette took aim to throw her spear, concentrating magic upon it.

The overwhelming magic warped space, sending electrical-like currents through the air.

Star Nail attempted to flee, but there was nowhere to hide, and inexplicably, her body wouldn’t move.

“Death Spear: Gungnir”

A black tempest arose as the spear was launched toward Star Nail.

“Don’t! Get out of the way!”

Marin’s cry echoed in vain as Blue Colette’s spear struck the gun Star Nail had raised to defend herself.

“Ugh… ghh…”

For a brief moment, Star Nail held her ground, but in an instant, both her hands were knocked away, and she was blown far back, losing consciousness.

Fortunately, she had managed to deflect the spear, but her arms were gone.

Blood flowed uncontrollably from the shoulder stumps, threatening her life.

From afar, the spear returned to Blue Colette’s hand.

“You wouldn’t have ended up like this if you’d come with me… Next, Marin. Your turn.”

“—You wretch!”

Marin, ceasing to address her by name, gripped her sword in anger.

“Guiding Light… Hanazuki!”

Transformed into Enhanced Form, Marin wielded two swords as she charged at Blue Colette.

All hesitation vanished; she faced Blue Colette not as a former ally but as a designated target marked for elimination.

“How frustrating. Why are you always favored?”

Deflecting Marin’s sword with her spear, Blue Colette complained.

Favored power. Favored environment. And human dignity.

In none of these aspects could Blue Colette match Marin.

Yet here Marin stood, able to fight comfortably.

“I dislike you too.”

“Good. Then let’s say goodbye here!”

Using the momentum from blocking Marin’s sword, Blue Colette leapt backward.

Once again, her spear began to gather magic.

Marin tried to evade, but her body wouldn’t obey.

“Fufu. How undignified. This technique activates inevitably and strikes its target—my strongest skill. Die now! Death Spear: Gungnir!”

The spear of death hurtled toward Marin.

If Marin hadn’t awakened through meeting Inie, she would have suffered a fatal blow like Star Nail.

However, Marin’s current state allowed her to overcome adversity through sheer strength.

“Third Form: Guardian Sanctuary!”

Plunging both swords into the ground, Marin erected a dome-shaped barrier.

The spear collided with the barrier, producing a loud sound as they deadlocked.

Had this continued, Marin would have emerged victorious.

However, the barrier gradually drained her magic.

Realizing it unwise to waste magic unnecessarily, Marin withdrew her right sword and slashed upward from below, altering the spear’s trajectory.

The spear flew past Marin and disappeared behind her.

“It missed? How curious.”

“Tch”.

Though the attack missed, the magic expenditure wasn’t negligible. Marin swayed slightly but masked it by putting on a show of bravado.

Blue Colette’s Death Spear: Gungnir originated from her desire to kill, granting it properties of certainty.

Conceptually, however, Blue Colette couldn’t perfectly bestow absolute lethality and accuracy.

When throwing the spear, she could merely temporarily halt her opponent’s movement.

Should someone embody mythical certainty, perhaps only Kaede or a witch could achieve it.

Blue Colette conjured another spear, wielding two now.

Ordinarily, her weapon was just one spear.

But the mutated Blue Colette found creating additional weapons trivial.

Wielding dual spears, Blue Colette charged at Marin.

1

“Ugh…”

Several minutes into Marin and Blue Colette’s battle, Star Nail regained consciousness.

Dazed, she tried to rise but found her arms wouldn’t move, causing confusion.

Realizing she lay in a pool of blood, memories of Blue Colette’s previous attack returned.

(My arms! My arms are gone! The bleeding won’t stop, and if it continues…)

Pain threatened to make her scream, but she endured, scanning her surroundings.

(Marin-chan…)

Knowing her voice would hinder Marin, Star Nail remained silent, watching the battle unfold.

(Colette…)

Witnessing the transformed Blue Colette, Star Nail silently wept.

Despite recent hardships, Star Nail believed they could overcome them together.

Yet Blue Colette was undoubtedly trying to kill both her and Marin.

There was no returning to how things used to be.

An unscathed Blue Colette versus a progressively injured Marin.

Or rather…

Blue Colette’s wounds regenerated instantly.

At this rate, Marin would be at a disadvantage.

Though Marin’s magic had increased significantly compared to before, Enhanced Form consumed it rapidly.

Meanwhile, Blue Colette’s magic showed no signs of depletion.

The worst-case scenario loomed near…

There was nothing Star Nail could do now.

Together, or alone, Marin couldn’t defeat Blue Colette.

Besides, they were within a barrier.

Help wouldn’t arrive—unless…

Star Nail suddenly recalled a conversation with Fūru.

“Perhaps you should seek her help?”

That was what Fūru had said to Tamake.

Fortunately, the “her” Fūru mentioned had resumed activity today.

But… would she truly offer assistance?

Such thoughts swirled in Star Nail’s mind as Marin and Blue Colette continued their battle.

Blue Colette’s increasingly sinister grin revealed her awareness of cornering Marin.

Marin’s Enhanced Form could last about five more minutes.

She might manage one or two major techniques.

However, failing to defeat Blue Colette with those would leave her without options.

Regardless of injuries, Blue Colette regenerated instantly, showing no fatigue or magic depletion.

(A gamble…?)

No help would come within this barrier.

Even the captives themselves didn’t know where they were.

Under normal barriers, Inie might have come to rescue them.

But this wasn’t a normal barrier, leaving no hope for Inie’s assistance.

Thus, continuing purely defensive tactics held no meaning.

Marin infused her sword with magic and swung it, repelling Blue Colette.

“Cheeky brat!”

Cursing, Blue Colette landed safely while Marin sheathed both swords, adopting a quick-draw stance.

“Draw Cut: Funeral Blade!”

Unleashing her swords, beams of light surged toward Blue Colette.

Blue Colette briefly looked surprised before smirking.

“Crossed Death Spears”

Releasing both spears, they formed a cross, blocking Marin’s attack.

Though shattered to pieces, the spears successfully defended against Marin’s assault.

And those fragments instantly repaired themselves, returning to Blue Colette’s grasp.

Marin grimaced, wishing this technique had defeated Blue Colette.

At the very least, she hoped to inflict severe injuries, but Blue Colette remained unscathed.

(No good… At this rate…)

Watching this, Star Nail grew anxious.

Though unclear how much leeway Blue Colette possessed, she clearly held the upper hand.

Again using dual spears, Blue Colette pressed her offense against Marin.

If, by some miracle, help arrived…

“Please…”

Star Nail whispered faintly,

toward the absent figure,

hoping this plea,

this wish, would reach her.

“Help…”

Marin fought at her limit, vulnerable to any opening.

Time was running out…

After coughing once, Star Nail took a deep breath.

“Help me! Inny Flowering!”

Her voice faded into emptiness.

Clearly, no help would come.

Such resignation spread across Star Nail’s chest…

Just then,

a fireball soared from the sky toward Blue Colette.

Caught off guard, Blue Colette was blown back by the fireball, followed by an ice chunk falling from above.

No one present could wield such magic.

Next to the fallen Star Nail, a magical girl descended.

Both Star Nail and Marin were surprised.

The magical girl everyone thought couldn’t possibly come had arrived.

Yes, her name was…

“Inny Flowering”

“I came since I was called.”

She had broken through the witch’s barrier to offer aid.