*
Already, I could detect a few presences as I continue to make my way away from the Inn. I'm sorry to the surrounding problems, there may be some collateral damage. I won't be holding back here. There's no need to be wary of their abilities when they're dead.
In any case, Stick activate rip off one tiny spot in their magic defences. There is currently one of them skirting my detection range as I move, but my actual range is far larger and encompasses up to 10km, while this one is barely 1 km.
A good method of measuring the enemy's aptitude is to see how far their detection range can go, as merely expending more magical particles won't extend the range, it required more skill and technique to maintain the wave of magical particles the further and further it got. This false 1km range already took lots and lots of practice to pull off, my passive having a 10km range was simply unfair to others. But I'm not complaining, I'll use this against them. Then, I'll even kill from afar.
Not even Kanou, an S-grade with a transcendant level of technique and skill in magical particle manipulation could feel my passive activating. This is an advantage I have to capitalise on. Using the Stick to remove their defences on their back, I use my second skill to rip out their spine. That should solve i-?! 3 more entered the 10km range in the moment 1 was killed... No, 6 more just arrived on top of that.
"Myuu, there's at least 9 of 'em."
"Un." (Myuu)
"If I can judge accurately, some of them seem to be C-grade, those will be easy to kill. But there are also roughly 5 B-grades. The one I killed was a B-grade. They're likely comrades."
"It looks like they won't make this easy." (Myuu)
She looks around, likely observing their current positions before taking action.
"Yeah..."
I also noticed their arrival, some seem to be hiding, likely an ambush tactic similar to ours. Individually they don't seem to be very strong, hovering around the middle of the B-grade. There's a couple upper tier ones like us, but with their comrades in the way they can't go wild like us.
As we were concealing our magical signatures, we could now release them now that we've been found. Killing intent, a semi-physical semi-psychological phenomenon initiated by the magical particles of the person letting off their aura, in other words letting their emotion control their magical particles for a second. An oppressive wind presses on all of them as I fully release my own aura, freezing them for a short second.
But this second was enough for me to impale one of them with my arm through the heart.
"KUHAGH!?!!!.... [Ring... Alter]..." (?)
Kicking her corpse off my arm immediately, her body explodes mid-air causing the surroundings to tremble for a moment. Jeez, that would have been dangerous had I not heard the first word. The B-grade magical girl that I killed was one of the ones supposed to be hiding waiting for an opportune time to ambush me, but I suppose that was why their own guard was down. Now there was only 8 left, 4 B-grades and 4 C-grades. The others gave up on hiding seeing that I killed one of their own immediately.
They begin to rush at us, dividing into 4 per person. Thanks to Myuu, My body had been warmed up to execute adequate footwork, I was able to dodge my way around with minimal movements. A C-grade rushes down from the air with their body covered with fire, I move to my right and twist around them before kicking them down with all my strength, crushing them into the ground with echoing bone cracking sounds.
The upper tier B-grade sends water to trap my head in an attempt to drown me, but wind rushes around my head to block it off. She coats her fist in water and throws a punch towards my face, I coat my fist in wind to return the favour. First skill [Hollow calamity] technique - reigning drill cross punch. The difference was evident, even though she had initiated her punch first, mine landed first. Her skull caved in and twisted in an anti-clockwise direction along with the skin on her face. Her previously brought out fist flew backwards along with the rest of her body until I caught her arm. Fire, lightning and rocks fly at me from all directions, but I use my incapacitated opponent and block all of it with her body. Their attacks obliterating their comrade into a burnt corpse.
Between us who kept fighting stronger opponents and them who picked on the weak, it was easy to see who was more adept to fighting opponents on the same grade. Leaping around one of them, I slam their superior's dead body into them, causing the air to fly out of them as they flew into a nearby building. Stuck under their superiors corpse, I sent wind blades to finish them off. The other 2 proceeded to run away.
They weren't really much of a fight. On Myuu's sight, it seemed that a couple of their fists had gotten stuck inside her abdomen, she fights in such a gruesome way... I should remember not to make her angry again... She twists their arm off their shoulder sockets, sometimes even their neck off with her superior strength. She releases her magical girl augmentation protecting her skin and flesh so the opponent can impale her easier than she turns them back on while healing herself so they get stuck. The rest of their body parts are restricted by vines. She took her time in killing the 2 stuck in her that the rest ran away.
It looks like we killed over half their forces, leaving 4 left. Their surviving numbers being 3 B-grades and 1 C. It still felt like something was really off. According to Owner, the authorities were too under manpowered to handle this group. Surely they wouldn't be this weak, unless the authorities were weak themselves... It isn't impossible considering we were on the upper echelons of B-grades. In fact Myuu was an A-grade herself, she would easily qualify as a general and receive a handsome salary.
It was more like that this was simply a small squad. If they had a decent sized organisation that was the equivalent of a small army, I could see why the authorities don't stand a chance against them. Perhaps half the size of the Rising Knight Order. I wonder what those guys are doing now. Their leader got kidnapped by the Eye God to fight in another dimension, likely her Oblivion Magia was just super large. Perhaps the subordinates went back to daily life or they continued their journey into central to rescue their leader. Celistane Frey, the Sun God and Kyou my distant acquaintance. Maybe we'll meet once more someday.
As they had retreated, we also went back to the Inn to rest. As we entered the usual entrance, the Owner was there at the bar with 2 drinks prepared. I wonder if he was going to down both of them if we died. His eye showed a glimmer of hope but his expression was still as dim as before. The usual cheery middle aged man was nowhere to be found. Even with his signature stubble of a beard, thin mustache and greying hair, he had a completely different aura to him.
"... Take this and go rest. You should leave tomorrow." (owner)
"... Are you worried about your business?"
"Just as everything intertwines at the centre of the universe, all magical girls will be entangled near that rascal. The progenitor of all magical girls. She's the leader behind that small ragtag group, obviously she's much further away near the centre of Central. You guys should run. Far away from here. Nothing good will come out of meeting her, and you will meet her in Central. There's no escaping her surveillance there. " (Owner)
With a raised eyebrow, Myuu inquired further to sate her curiosity. " How did you know so much... " (Myuu)
A genuine question, a simple owner of an inn shouldn't know such things at all. It was odd for him to have all this information and not get assassinated. It would be far more normal if he was replaced in the small period while we were gone from the inn.
"One hears a lot when all manners of individuals step into their inn. Some good, some bad. You could also say I had my fair share of adventures, though I've retired from such meaningless things." (Owner)
"Was it because you lacked power?"
"Yes." (Owner)
"We'll take your advice. Myuu let's go, we're moving out tomorrow so we need to rest early."
I grab her arm to pull her along with me as we headed towards our room.
"It's too late to call it early!" (Myuu)
***
"Goodbye. I hope you live fulfilling lives. Since you survived yesterday, I suppose you guys avenged my daughter." (Owner)
He flashes an uncharacteristic smile, his palms placed on his hips as he stood in a prideful manner. His brother who was the chef and his son who was the cashier had also come to pay their goodbyes. His wife was still busy waiting tables and collecting dishes, but we manage to say our final goodbyes.
After taking a quick stride to the outside of the inn's entrance, Myuu decided to ask about the decision made yesterday.
"Are we really leaving? Knowing you, there is something else you have in mind right?" (Myuu)
It looked like there was a question mark above her head and an old fashion light bulb as if she had already guess the answer to her own question. Her eyes gaze expectantly at mine, awaiting my reply.
"Yeah. I merely said that we were leaving. I didn't say to where. Now it's blatantly obvious. We're going further in."
A crescent moon escapes my lips, my index finger points up as if an entire secret scheme had gone well, though it didn't really matter that much. The Owner couldn't stop us from going anyway, in a way it was just a formality to pay respect to him. I'll take his wish to heart.
"Heh, as expected of the 'ideal magical girl'. What a sense of justice huh? What about the 4 we left alive?" (Myuu)
For some reason Myuu had a smug smile, she covers her lips as if trying to hide her overt happiness.
"surely killing most of their comrades would have left them traumatised? Well, we can't exactly leave immediately anyway, we still needed some supplies for travel. Even if we didn't need to eat, it's still better to exercise normal human function."
It was an unreliable answer that led me to looking at the side as I replied, while scratching my cheek a little. Myuu continues to talk about a burning concern that the both of us had.
" That isn't exactly reassuring... It may be irrational, but this group may take out their anger on and hurt more residents. Even if it was irrational for them to be unlawful in the first place. " (Myuu)
" *sigh*, We'll find their base tonight and raid it. We're aiming for their entire organisation anyway. If I reach the progenitor magical girl, I'll get closer to the Eye God's secrets. And the secret of magical girls. "
I trained my sight back onto her, looking into her eyes as I gave an answer that was as serious as possible. Hopefully she doesn't laugh at it out loud. I wouldn't get anywhere anymore if I just retreated here, this is why I'll have to keep moving forward.
I'll solve the deal with the Eye God, and hopefully there'll be no more wars with other factions. Occasionally there would be some territorial disputes out of my reach, so staying in a side region was inadequate. I have to go towards the very centre instead, where the Eye God is. Where everything intertwines to her existence, her fate and her actions.
Hopefully what the invading faction said wasn't true. I can't even begin to envision such a future. A future where the Eye God ends the world. There was also the mystery of the progenitor.
"Who is it that you want to help?"
An exasperated expression coats her face, as if she had swallowed a bitter drink she complains.
"Hmmpff... Isn't it obvious? It's you! You always get into some trouble or world ending disaster!" (Myuu)
"... I'll try to be careful from now on... "