***
'Last thing, if you ever get into a fight... Please use this. I trust you won't use this to do something evil. I can tell, you want to be a hero don't you? '
After the tour, a strange small grey block was placed into my hand by guide-san. Kanou-san had looked strangely serene, as if she was watching something far off in the distance. Incredible puzzlement stuffed my mind dry, but it was better to only use this cube when it's an emergency.
*
And that Emergency is now. Ughhh... There was dust and blood all over the sand around me, clouds of said dust blew around in the air irritatingly. As if sensing my feelings, the clouds of sand and dust blew away in an instant. I had just taken a hard leap off the ground, a feeling as if there was no gravity overtook my body as I glided down at an alarming pace.
I had transformed into a magical girl on my day off because it would be faster to travel that way. As my magical girl form, magic particles are taken into my body naturally before being used as fuel to translate my abilities into supernatural phenomena. One such phenomena includes this. My body had been bruised up real bad from that attack, I was smashed to the ground from the sky. But I power through the pain and bring out the grey cube. Maybe it could save me.
Sucking in a little of my magic, a transparent blue screen surfaced, hovering above the grey cube.
Title: Kaorin, magical warrior
Magical girl effectiveness level: C
Position: Monk
Perimeters:
- Physical: C
- endurance: C
- speed: C
- will: D
- well: D
...???!!!!!!!! What the hell!! Use this before battle? What a joke. What would knowing this arbitrary shit help me in?! Just what part of this devastation would this information even slightly restore? Kuh! How horrible.
Putting the cube back, the weakness in my hand caused it to shiver as I stored the item back into my costume. Other than what it just showed me, the cubes ability was to convert itself into magic particles and store itself in my magical girl costume. For a last resort, it could also be used to fuel an attack, but items will fly out at high speeds from a random hole in space, caused by its destruction. At such high speeds, even my flesh would be shredded apart, a suicide attack of sorts.
My muscles tremble under the recoil, they screamed to be let go of. Too bad I'm going to let anything go. Picking my body back up, I stare straight at enemy. 8 crystalline fiery orange feathers floated around a similarly orange bird with purple highlights. Not only did this bird have the normal pair of wings, there was also 2 more pair of horizontal wings pointing in opposite directions, and a total of 6 muscular claws gleam with a metal like sheen.
A lustre unlike no other, as if it held 6 smaller suns over each of its black claws. Its head was resemblant of a snake but with a loose beak that could open as wide as a snake's jaw. In other words, at least 180 degrees. It could probably swallow a car whole and had the stature of a 3 storey building. And it was way too weird to look like a dragon.
4 of its claws seemed to be leaking a little ominous liquid, though there didn't seem to be any holes for secretions. Ah, it must be my blood..... Tch! As if I would let that go. Getting ready to leap towards it, it was as if my movements were read and the beast attacked right in the moment to cause hesitation. Originating from its chest, black clouds spew forth like a tsunami, consuming a wide area of 500 metres radius.
Under the pitch black fog, it felt hard to breath and maintain my magical girl form as the flow of magic particles must have been forcibly stopped. Fortunately, my element was wind. Focusing on my arms, magic flowed into my palms and knuckle before I punch out at the free space. Large amounts of force blew out from every pore in my arms, pushing back the black fog that disrupted my magic. Securing an opening path back to the outside of this large fog area, I lept forth with most of my strength. The ground shifted and gave way under the force, the the destruction and cracks formed crackled through the air as a thunderous boom while gravity released its hold on my body.
My mind was tense from the battle, trying to read the air as much as possible. First, I needed to think about why the fog was here, not how. It was obviously to blind its prey, and unload relentless ambushes on them to destroy them. It should have a clear idea of the fog's position and understand that I'm going to escape one of its most effective weapons. Perhaps it was preparing to ambush me now. But from where...
"krkk"
The cracking of the ground resounded clearly under my gliding feet as dust and sand flew into the air. Ah, so it has more than 1 trap after all. Just one claw, was all it took. One claw in my flight path smashed into my torso from out of the ground before more came out to redirect the force like a game of pinball. It was in practice, land mines that didn't need you to step on the ground. The air was knocked out of my lungs as I could hear a couple of bones crack. My torso lost feeling in the centre while the rest of my body was burning up like a bonfire. Once again, I stood up. I have to power through the pain assaulting my whole body. Blood leaked through my costume, lining the ground with a dark crimson reminiscent of spilt paint.
"Huuughhh!?"
Hmpf, no more playing around I suppose. I just wanted to brawl it out physically and have a little wrestling match, while my opponent fought like its life depended on it even if it was in an advantageous position. My position is monk, I assume that meant that I cover my body with magic and fight in that style. But in video games, monks also dabble in a little Holy magic and could cast long range spells, albeit extremely weakly. As if that matters in the real world when the enemy is this overwhelmingly strong. I have to completely make use of my ability as well. My body was actually too weak to stand on its own, I'm using my wind to hold it up so my opponent thinks I'm more durable than I actually am.
With those punches, I had secured a line to the outside to access mana properly and fight with my full force. But who said I had to go outside to procure magical particles? The path closed up as the beast unfurled another mass of black fog. It was too late though, I got what I needed. It was like reaching for a tiny drop of water in the waste land. However this tiny drop could allow you to excess the whole oasis. And take it all in an instant. This time, I didn't even need to punch the air to move the fog. It simply moved away in a small radius of 10 metres on its own.
Standing at the very centre of that was my ragged body. Full of wounds and near death. Surely, only one hit is needed to finish me off? Feeling the air with my skin, I track the enemies attack. Getting caught by a surprise attack, I didn't have enough time to procure magic particles after spending them on the flight. With my magic recovered, my detection range has expanded. And I can hear it, the soft whirling akin to a screw driver. From this direction!
Twisting my body and limbs to the absolute limit, the combine centrifugal force and force of my magic and fist struck at in one area. Due to the abnormal twisting of my body, as if wringing my body dry, my attack range had gone a little weird. My joints creaked under the pressure, threatening to break while my fist reached into the open air. By having a weird range, I meant that it didn't attack straight, and it was particularly affective this one time.
Absurd amounts of force conjured from my knuckle into the side of the opponent's attack. Other then facing the opposite direction, one of the horizontal wings had started to face the back and the opponent used it to generate spinning force with its 6 metallic black claws as the drilling point. It must also be how it went underground.
The spinning drill attack from its claws reached close to inches from my neck before being struck by my fist from the side. A circular wave of wind blew out vertically from the point of impact as the claws look like they were being crushed into itself.
My throat though burning out with blood that clogged its pipes, released a shrill war cry.
"HAAhgGRAHHhhhHHHHHhHhh"
Twisting my wrist outwards in an anti-clockwise manner, I pushed it even further into the drill leg, tearing it off the bird.
The beast released its own shrill cry, but it was that of a birds, particularly a dying crow's. It must be its dying attack or death cry, unlike the claws that are made of metal, the rest was flesh. Tearing the claws completely off left a gaping hole for it to die of blood lost. I still can't let my guard down. Releasing my powers hold on my knees, they dropped down like rag dolls as I held my forearms in a cross shape to guard against the final attack. Concentrating all of my magic into a transparent dome around me, large supersonic waves pierce my ear drum as the black fog erupted into a world of flames.
That was its last resort. I was safe because I protected my whole body, but... My ear drums were temporarily destroyed and the gas turn out to be flammable... The city behind me around a kilometre away... This much fog wouldn't be able to touch it, would it? In the first place what game me enough confidence to say it was 300 metres in radius only? I have no scale to use it on in this desert like waste land... And the fog was also messing with my sense of depth. That was why I had tracked the drilling attack before it came, yet it was close to ending my life in a second...
Laying down on my back, I watch as the flames grew taller around me and the sky darken with soot and ash clouds. My body is numbed. I'm tired. I want to sleep. I can visit my friends later, maybe they'll treat me to dinner if I appear as a magical girl. Well, I would need to wear civilian clothes first. This was way more embarrassing than possible. Wearing this costume.
Strangely enough, the fire started to abate and the clouds shrink into nothingness. Hmmm. Am I saved? I was too exhausted to move and I would stay here for a couple hours. Maybe take a nap. I don't know if my magical girl body would die from blood loss in the middle of that though. That was why it was scary, but not so bad if it happened while I slept. On a few seconds, all the mass destruction and fiery blaze was gone. The road and desert seemed to be the very same as usual. Even my wounds were starting to close up and my mind recover.
Floating with 2 other magical girls was a familiar looking one in a forest green hood and black suit, leather armour and gold stars lining her torso. Her skirt fluttered and I think I saw a little light blue, similar to the sky. Ah~ what a good day. I feel like taking a nap again.
"You... WHAT WERE YOU THINKING!! Why did you fight it out by yourself! Are you an idiot?!" (Kanou)
"Haha... Maybe I am... I just thought, maybe I could be a hero for once in my life... And protect the small settlement behind. If it could lit its clouds into an explosion and cause fire, the residents behind would stand no chance..."
"That's pure idiocy. Now that the Gangrea monarchy, Illnoia administration, and even our Sanctuary Of The Eye God has split from being regional managers into small countries, the world is more dangerous than ever. Especially the humans...
Anyway, you understand right? A fight between magical girls.... Its why we need as much manpower as possible, a few sacrifices won't matter if the whole survived... "(Kanou)
" That's awful... You were willing to sacrifice everyone I know to force me to survive?... "
"... Yes. I would. This isn't a choice anyone can find an alternative to. If you had died, we would have rained that small settlement into a sea of flames ourselves to reduce the number of mouths to feed. "
(Kanou)
" I see.... Tch. Well, at least I survived then. That's great right? Now no one needs to die? "
"... Yeah. Let's go patch you up at the base. " (Kanou) Her distant gaze left an impression. I can't let go of that thinking, that notion. But I suppose I should prioritise recovery instead of arguing for now.