***(Myuu)
A dull room with 2 paths, seeing the moldy dust coat every bit of space under the stale air, I quickly redirect my attention to the twin, overbearing, arching doors under the spotlight of significance.
What was the point of this? Who would run after coming this far? I quickly move on to the door that alluded my progression down this journey. While we couldn't find the progenitor, we couldn't exactly say our efforts were useless either. Roughly 70% of the bases in Central have been annihilated, leaving not a single cult member alive. It was hard to say if we were really righteous or not in doing so.
My footsteps knocked the dust up, stirring the once frozen air like a gentle blizzard before settling down like grey snow. A momentary darkness encapsulated my vision before a world of grey entered my eyes. It looked like a seemingly endless space, one that was perfect for fighting without overly damaging the outside world.
A long figure appears in the distance, her clear bright hair had such a vibrant hue that it seemed to purify the world around it. It had a brilliant glow no other could imitate, not even Kaori's could match up to it. It was as if I was staring at something supernatural, even beyond normal magical girls. But I suppose that is to be expected, she was an S grade after all. Saying that one shouldn't ever trifle with her was an understatement.
Name: Huo Li
Title: Arcmaiden of the NorthWest, Maiden of unending war, Huo lily Shidend Navia
Magical girl effectiveness level: S
Perimeters:
- Physical: S
- endurance: SS
- speed: S
- will: S
- well: S
She rest stop a throne like no other that I've ever seen, no matter how ridiculous royal accomodations have been in the past, this takes the cake. I can not make sense of it, it was like I was staring at something wrong, something not meant to be in this world. It's texture and vibrance fluctuate to no end, leaving one disoriented from prolonged staring. I grit my teeth, my legs felt numb for a moment leaving my mind to stumble backwards with the rest of my body.
I turned to glare at her who sat leisurely at the top, the top of... A pile of unrecognisable trash. Even the shape changed as time went by... It was constantly changing and clearly not normal... A 4th dimensional construct?
She gave off a soft smirk of pity, pulling my attention to the miniscule amount of movement of her lips like a super magnet. As magical girls, we didn't even need to use an incantation to activate our skills, using magic was as natural as breathing. But some people do it anyways because it sets the mood and fires us up.
That, or it's a form of deception to throw off the enemy's timing. Due to the ability that everyone has, to use magic chantless, we are always on guard to react to each other's magic. So we predict, we predict when their attacks would come out. From observing their preliminary muscle movements to their throat peristalsis, or various other physically observable markers, we judge the timing of our opponent's attacks and react accordingly.
Nothing happened. She cackled while clutching her stomach at the top of her throne, putting her callous disposition on full display. Anger welled up in my body, but I knew my place. Judging by the stats that showed up too, SS grade endurance.... Also seems impossible to get past. What a troublesome opponent...
But nevertheless, I just have to find a way during this battle. When she was done, she wiped the tear off her cheek that leaked from her guffaw. Her expression transitioned into one of graveness. Drained from it was all her mischievousness. She rested her right arm onto her arm rest(?) before propping her cheek onto her palm. Her legs arranged themselves by the side, it looked more like she was laying on a couch than a throne. It was so malformed that it didn't matter anyway.
"By the way, there's no negotiation. If I don't defeat you, The Eye God will wipe off the region I govern off the face of the earth, me included. Nothing I can do about that." (Huo Li)
"Even if you have infinite endurance?"
"... Pigtails... Nevermind. There's no point in informing a dead person. I'm sorry but after defending my region from multiple factions for this long, I can't stop now. If just killing you will save my labyrinth and city from The Eye God's selection, then it's a low price to pay. "(Huo Li)
"HUH?! ANSWER ME! WHAT DOES THE EYE GOD HAVE THAT CAN HOLD POWER EVEN OVER YOU!!! "
"... Absolute power. " (Huo Li)
What could only be described as a storm of dull lights began to flow from the throne and into Huo Li's body, it surrounded her like a rain typhoon that threatened to lop my head off with its stray winds. The physical pressure emanating from the flow of her power was enough to scare me nevermind the need for her to intimidate me with her aura. Every fibre of my being screamed at me to run.
'I should have picked the other door!'
'I knew it, I wasn't strong enough. Why did I act so tough?'
'Did I have a death wish? What was the point of all that?'
'Will there be any point to this end?'
I picked up my spear, readying for a battle. I either fight my way out of this or die. Huo Li was essentially the most well known arc maiden, her existence was leaked to the public unlike Kanou. Comparing them would be akin to comparing a peasant to a celebrity. There was that much of a difference in their names. After all she had essentially saved 3 regions worth of people by herself. She may have even had saved the entire faction. That was how much influence she had.
I was paired with the strongest arc maiden to fight, it wouldn't be an exaggeration to call this a death sentence. Giving off a deep sigh, the typhoon cleared away as if in response. Initially she was wearing a sort of modified modern shrine maiden outfit that had minimal red stripes on a white base. Now she was strapped in what seemed to be a black hooded robe that was open in front like a trench coat.
Under it was metallic armour with a similar colour theme to her shrine maiden outfit, which covered a third layer underneath which consisted of thin black body suit. Her face was deeply obscured under the hood, possibly by some kind of optical magic. With that, she wouldn't have to worry about me reading her expressions, she really looks like the grim reaper...
For an opponent like her who beats me physically in every way, I can only win through my skill. She's not like Kanou either, where she spends exorbitant amounts of magical particles from her well to fuel her magic. Huo Li actually has transcendental management over her reserve of magical particles, rather there are rumours that she won't run out no matter how long you fight her in attrition.
Before I noticed, she had vanished from her spot and appeared behind me in the same instant. An explosion of deep green engulfs the area around where I stood, I quickly clutch my neck and head as I bent my body forward, a desperate fervour taking over as my heart rate increased excessively. Sure enough there was a large cut that appeared on the back of my palm.
It felt like my heart would pop out of my chest with how hard it was beating. My sweat poured down like a cold shower, yet it couldn't cool down my excitement. A simple move from her had garnered this much fear in my reaction, this fight would be the furthest from easy.
In order to deal with that one move alone, I had coated my body in my first skill, a regenerative green aura that revives dead cells and any damaged tissues. This preemptive healing wouldn't work if the attack was instant like Kanou's, the magic won't sense the damage to my body, fortunately this issue didn't rear its ugly head with Huo Li. It indicated that Huo Li was still within the realm of speed, she can't use instant attacks. Otherwise that would spell death for me.
Within this very first exchange, I had also planned out my own course of action rather than only healing. That was why vine spears had exploded out of the ground around me, reaching immediately to attempt to carve out Huo Li.
Needless to say, it was only an attempt. She didn't bother to destroy the wall of vines surrounding me. I clutched my temples in terror and was quite distraught by her attack, yet she didn't take that opening. She's either waiting for me to remove them of my own volition or planning a nasty prank.
I swing my spear forward as I open up the vine walls that I conjured to protect myself, my fingers gripping the shaft of my spears tightly as I exerted all my strength. I wielded another spear in my other hand, tensing my body for her attack. Unfortunately, she was nowhere near in front of my. I was right in my intuition that she would try to position herself behind me with her superior speed, so I positioned my other hand there just in case. Sensing her attack, I tried to parry her scythe.
A deep hot sensation pierced deeply into my waist, as if a thousand hot coals were forcefully cramped into a hole made in it. It was searing and unbearable, nearly causing my legs to go numb and my mind to go into shock. How does... Kaori deal with these... Injuries...?! Especially the new one... She's always full of injuries, I assumed magical girls were numb to pain... I forgot she couldn't feel touch... And I subconsciously believe myself to be superior to her due to my stats...
"[Grail of the cradling Nebula], do you not understand why I wield a scythe despite how impractical it is?
It's curved. It went around your spear and stabbed you as easily as taking candy from a baby...?!" (Huo Li)
I didn't completely retract the vine walls, and since I stood forward she had walked over the spot where they originally were behind me. They shot out of the ground once more with higher speed than usual as I poured in more magic than usual. In a battle of attrition or physical match up, I wouldn't last. So I must rely on surprise tactics like this... Tch!
She easily smashed her scythe into the ground, gouging out a large chunk of the ground along with the vine walls she obliterated with her sheer strength. I had finally forced her to use her strength rather than just running around and taunting me, but I thought that it was strange. She had a reputation as what is essentially a hero, I didn't think she would have this kind of mischievous character. Or perhaps... She's been taking me seriously the whole time?
I can't hinge on surprise attacks, I have to strategies and draw out her other skills. Then work around them until I find a way to defeat her. I rush forward with my spears in my hands, slowing down at the last second before rolling to my side. *Whoosh!* Getting back up, I observe a large crack in the ground where I was previously rushing. If I had gotten hit by that I would have been bisected....?!?!!
HAGH!!!! CURSES!! She?! She was still too fast for me to follow, without sound she had disappeared from where she stood and planted her punch firmly into my lungs. It knocked all the air out and caused a Web of cracks in the ground where I stood. The damage to the ground wasn't caused by me... It was the impact from her fist, the shockwaves exceeded what my endurance stat could handle and started destroying the environment... The ground crumbled under me, causing me to lose my footing as I dropped onto the ground.
"Sleep tight." (Huo Li)
My magic conjures vine spears from my body, attempting to deflect her attack by hurting her. But she simply stood still, letting them hit her with absolutely no effect... My magic was too weak from the start... The difference is too big, how was I suppose to do anything? I... I wanted to be my own person... I... I wanted to be something else other than Kaori's reason to live. It was so pathetic... Pathetic for her and pathetic for me, living in this world solely for each other and nothing else.
So I saw the memory lost as a chance... To push her away so she can develop an attachment to things other than magical girls... And me... The scythe cuts through my throat in an instant, a mere feeling of weightlessness overtakes me... In an instant now, she would split my brain in half and that would be it...
I don't need a long time to reflect. I can feel plenty of regret at this instant. She didn't hesitate and used her advantage to defeat me, she didn't look down on me and used all her concentration and kept her guard up... There was nothing... For me to exploit...
[Extreme body governing], transcend the need for a body and roll my head away.... Nah, it was too slow even if it began rolling. I meet my inevitable end.
***(Huo Li)
"..."
I take a few steps back in anticipation after perforating her brain. She has a healing skill, it wouldn't be surprising for her to achieve resurrection by now. Sure enough, a overgrowth of plants swallow her 'corpse'.
***(Myuu)
I won't let anything else decide my worth. [Being: Verdant centralised ensemble].