Chapter 77
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 77
Chapter Title: Magical Mock Battle (3)
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- Splurt!
Blood sprayed through the air, laced with the Magical Girls' boiling rage.
"You fucking bastard!"
Being up front as a Magical Girl must have helped; the wound was shallower than expected. The distance had made it hard to land a fatal blow anyway.
Whatever. It didn't matter.
I'd just tear into her more.
Meanwhile, the squirrel-like Magical Girl quickly fell back to join the others.
"That's why you shouldn't have rushed out alone! Get back here and focus on recovery!"
"Sorry, got it."
"But what the hell was that just now? What's that bastard holding? Don't tell me that's a sword?"
"No idea. It's just weird. Be careful."
"We'll handle him ourselves for now!"
Next came the Magical Girls who resembled a horse and a hawk in their features.
Their weapons were a blunt club and a spear.
Here, the one with the spear struck first, a step faster.
"Gale Spear."
Not a simple thrust, but a magical stab wrapped in wind that swept across a wide area.
The club-wielding Magical Girl joined in.
"Earth Smash!"
Yellow magical power flashed from the descending club.
A tricky combo.
Dodging one attack from the spear or club would inevitably mean taking the other.
Even if I luckily evaded both, there'd probably be a follow-up shockwave or debris from the club hitting the ground.
Most attacks like that, infused with magic and slammed into the earth, worked that way.
If it were my old self, maybe. But in my current state, far from peak condition, I couldn't weave a spell to perfectly block or dodge their linkage.
So, I'd make the best of what I had.
"New Moon."
I swung the Moonlight Sword from low to high, tracing a crescent. The eerie crescent sliced through the charging wind.
"Wh-what?! Why's my magic...!"
Ignoring the panicked Magical Girl's cry, I brought the tip of the Moonlight Sword to the club.
And carefully altered its trajectory.
With just the slightest force.
Smoothly, like flowing water.
It wasn't easy.
- Ka, kagagagak!
Even as I deflected with minimal resistance, the heavy club battered the Moonlight Sword mercilessly.
"Ah, shit. This thing's fucking heavy."
My hands trembled.
One wrong move, and my wrist would snap.
Raw strength-wise, Magical Girls were tough to beat. Practically impossible.
But that was fine.
At least the Moonlight Sword wouldn't shatter.
How could mere magic break moonlight?
All I had to do was endure.
Grinding my teeth, I poured strength into my wrist and redirected the club's path.
From straight down, to a gentle side swing.
Finally arcing upward to the sky.
In the end, the plunging club traced a slightly dented semicircle and flew skyward.
I'd dropped to one knee in the process, but it was a fair trade. No worries about follow-ups now.
Meanwhile, the face of the Magical Girl whose magic had been nullified paled.
"Huh? W-wait! Why's it moving like─"
Whatever. This was my chance.
Power to my knee.
Three steps forward, the last one big.
And...
First, one down.
"Half Moon."
Not the club wielder─
"Huh?!"
─but the spear holder.
"Why... target... me...?"
Her final words drowned in the gush of blood from her thigh. For all her bravado, she was the first to drop uselessly.
Simple reason.
From experience, spear users were trickier than club or sword wielders, barring special cases.
Especially with magic mixed in.
Meanwhile, the club wielder had instinctively crouched, thinking she'd be next.
"N-not me...?"
She'd just been stunned by the unexpected turn and looked up blankly.
No hesitation. I closed the distance.
Faster than she could ready herself.
And now, the last one.
"Full─"
In that instant, my vision flashed on one side.
"No more."
The bobbed-hair Magical Girl had suddenly intervened, thrusting her longsword.
"Tch."
I halted my swing and leaped back, creating space.
A shame. A bit more leeway, and I'd have taken down two before starting.
As if sensing my regret, the bobbed-hair girl pressed her sword strikes relentlessly.
But they were oddly restrained.
Not a full aggressive assault, yet no openings for a counter.
Trying to cast? She'd pressure immediately, denying the space to swing.
A blade meant purely for containment and suppression.
Probably buying time until the others rejoined.
Déjà vu confirmed it. The old Knight Commander had fought similarly.
Problem was, she kept her angles tight, making it hard to break through. Frustratingly so. A more reckless push would've been manageable.
"He's tougher than expected, so I'll Magical Brief as quickly as possible. Join in as soon as you're recovered."
Of course, no such mercy. While desperately checking me, the bobbed-hair girl rapidly shared intel with the others.
"He's using magic like ours. Starts weak but seems to stack with repeated casts. Four stages total, apparently."
My magic's traits.
"Triggers on sword-slashing motions, advancing stages only on hits. Probably no effect on empty air. Third and fourth have big wind-ups."
Activation conditions and weaknesses.
"Range looks short to mid. About Magical Girl Elemental Squirrel's distance. No element, so treat as physical."
Effective range and properties.
"Sword resembles a Magical Ring Blade. Just hilt and long blade. Watch for slashes and variable reach."
Next, Moonlight Sword form and attack prediction.
"Material unknown, but hardness equals or exceeds personal magic wands. Don't try breaking it with magic."
Then, its traits.
"But the user isn't a Magical Girl, so exploit Magical physical superiority."
Finally, the counter.
Hated to admit it, but sharp eyes. After just a few swings, she'd analyzed everything.
Compared to my prime, some inaccuracies, but spot-on for now.
Truly regrettable. Should've forced another down, no matter what.
That instant.
"Therefore."
The bobbed-hair girl's voice lowered.
"No magic. Pressure hard, block slashes at the source. Magical Girl Brown Horse and I will handle that. All right, Magical Girl Brown Horse?"
"Got it."
"Magical Girl Elemental Squirrel, support from range with magic."
"Leave it to me."
No sooner said than the club wielder joined the bobbed-hair girl.
At the same time, the bobbed-hair girl's strikes shifted subtly.
"Here I come."
A sharp, vicious blade.
Too excessive and cluttered for hunting mindless monsters.
But perfectly suited for killing humans.
An oddly familiar sword path brought déjà vu again. Shaking off the nagging sensation filling my head, I focused on the incoming strikes.
First, block.
Second, deflect.
Third, entwine and shove aside.
"Quite... annoying."
The bobbed-hair girl grimaced, prepping her delayed fourth strike.
This was the moment.
A half-beat faster, one step forward.
And trace the moon.
"Dark─"
But a club intercepted midway, blocking my sword. The manifesting moon vanished futilely.
"Where?!"
Couldn't brute-force the club.
Especially when outmatched in strength.
I'd deflected the first attack, dodged the three-follow-up.
That instant.
"Squirrel Fire!"
The three-pronged sword girl's flames slyly forced a choice.
Take it meekly?
Or evade into the limited retreat?
Choosing the latter, the waiting duo pressed relentlessly again.
The pattern repeated.
Not exactly the same, but similar.
Bad. Truly the worst.
Countering was impossible; their linkage was vicious. Worlds apart from the first pair.
And it grew tighter over time. No gaps whatsoever.
Especially the three-pronged sword girl's ranged spells. Truly irritating.
Whenever I tried anything, interference.
"Dark─"
"Squirrel Thunder!"
Like right now.
"That fucking bitch."
Dodging the plunging lightning similarly, the bobbed-hair girl whipped her longsword fiercely once more.
"Got spare attention for elsewhere?"
With lighter, more controlled motions.
Drawing clean, fluid paths.
The textbook murder blade.
Dodging or deflecting wasn't hard. Textbook meant few tricks, and I was plenty familiar with such styles.
Problem came when I twisted the path or pried a gap.
"Don't you dare!"
The club surged to fill it.
While the club bought time, the bobbed-hair girl recovered and struck again.
"Full of dirty tricks. Annoyingly so."
Just as I acclimated to the duo...
"Squirrel Earth!"
The three-pronged girl's spells intruded whenever forgotten. Now shaking the ground beneath me.
Driving me mad.
One covered for the other, endlessly. Couldn't pierce anywhere.
Occasionally, I'd snag a full moon draw.
"Dark Moon."
But no meaningful result.
"Captain, your turn this time!"
"Understood. Protection."
Aimed at a close one? One cast defense to block.
Even if my magic devoured theirs, Dark Moon or New Moon couldn't pierce deliberate barriers.
Force to the distant caster?
"New Moon."
"Squirrel Fraud!"
No. Clone-like dodge.
Using ground or walls to force Half or Full? They exploited the wind-up relentlessly.
Denying footing.
Denying swing angles.
Like burying my head while exposed. Stifling, no answers.
"Hah... fuck..."
Exhaustion hit soon enough.
Overworked muscles and bones screamed. Lungs spasmed irregularly.
"This guy's tough. Hasn't taken a single hit."
"Captain. My... magic's running low..."
"Even for me... this is tougher than expected."
They sounded weary too, voicing regrets.
But scant comfort. My state was far worse. 3-on-1 the whole time, naturally.
Majority fights were always unfair.
No wonder I regretted not dropping two early. I'd not be this cornered.
Past futanari hordes had space, night timing, mediocre skills. Manageable.
Now? All conditions against me.
Spacious but confined area.
Decent skills, not exceptional.
Near-perfect numerical linkage.
Magical Girl vs. non: absolute strength and stamina gap.
Inevitable cornering.
"Crude, but your Magical reflexes and snap responses are commendable."
Her critique grated.
"If a Magical Girl, basic training alone would rank you among Magical powerhouses. Impressive potential."
No retort. No strength for it. That exhausted.
"As a sword user, a nasty blade. Crude but battle-honed. Like cramming every Magical assassination tech."
Her words stuttered in my ears.
"You thanked us early on? Didn't get it then, but now I do. One-on-one, you'd have been dangerous."
Body heavy.
Eyes drooping.
Ready to collapse.
"Truly a shame."
Then, a bloodthirsty voice approached.
"To crush a Magical seed brimming with potential here."
With an even keener blade.
Reflexively raising Moonlight Sword to parry, I scraped up last dregs to trace the moon.
"Dark─"
But vision twisted halfway.
Sticky pain arrived late.
"Erection of Horse!"
The club girl smashed my temple. Yellow magic extended its reach.
Exhausted, her magic outpaced mine.
Vision reddened. Amid ringing tinnitus, thick blood and clearer fluid sprayed. Latter brain matter, probably.
Still, I forced the moon complete.
Hit anyone. Just down one more for slim odds.
"─Moon."
But the desperate moon flickered wrong, then vanished.
"Squirrel Aqua!"
Three-pronged girl's spell slicked my feet.
Just a bit.
Enough to veer the moon.
Dazed. Dizzy. Mind fogging, Moonlight Sword began fading.
Then, bobbed-hair closed in.
"No strength left, it seems."
Thrusting fiercely.
No more sounds.
Just familiar past sensations replayed.
A blade rending flesh, piercing guts, scraping spine with a kagak, tearing skin again.
Yes.
The Magical Girl's sword pierced me.
"And."
"It's over."
The blade twisted brutally.
Vision flashed.
Consciousness snapped.
It returned, but cognition lagged. Thoughts stalled.
Suddenly, the foreign sensation in my body vanished.
"Farewell."
Then, a spilling feeling.
Empty release. Vision flickered, darkening.
Soon, my world blacked out.