*
When her twisted beauty melted away her own guise as Barius and revealed her true face as Kaede, it sent a multitude of questions into the Demon King's mind. First off, he was at a disadvantage fighting with multiple magical girls at once.
Jett black threads of ever-flowing darkness attach themselves from Kaede's soul to the Demon King's. After the patient wait for her comrades to bust a hole through his defences, Kaede has finally made contact with his well. If not for the odd flowing of magic in his body, akin to a minor psychological discomfort originating from a stomach ache, and the fickle, delicate looking string stuck through his flesh...
He wouldn't have noticed it. They sky had gotten dark enough that their Faint auras were the only sources of light left. The threads connecting them look so thin, as if they might snap at any time. But they don't exist in physical space, they are threads formed by Kaede's magic, that is why her magical signature is present in these 'threads' making them black.
They were more like veins transporting the Demon King's magic into her well... And with it, a piece of his well. However... This transfer is miniscule. Like squeezing blood out of a stone, it was nothing. Just because he couldn't sever it, didn't meant that there was no hope. If he killed the caster, the magic would dissipate on its own. [Demon King Constitution], [Authority of the Demon King].
His second skill allows him to use the countless skills possessed by his subordinates, one of which includes the magic eraser. He wouldn't be as proficient at them as they are, but still powerful enough to beat the average A grade magical girl.
This time he didn't choose the magic eraser skill, he chose [Gigantification], [One that lies atop the mountain], [River of steel and cold avarice], [Faint fear fair frame]. His armour pulsate as his flesh deeply melded with it even further, allowing the creation of a more powerful monster. [Gigantification] was not the expansion of the body's mass or volume, but their ideals. It materialises their ideals.
His torso grew smaller, almost forming a triangle shape with his upper body. His muscles tighten and his armour dug into them with clear impacts, blood leaked through the cracks and gaps in his armour like a bountiful garden sprinkler. The ground was quickly covered in a dark crimson liquid that was viscous enough to stick to skin. His wings continue to expand, as if blocking out the sky, and all his limbs swelled at once along with the rest of his body.
His body grew into a bloody giant metal golem anyway, then it began to shrunk. Everyone could understand what was happening, he was reaching the furthest ends of his ideals and digging into the deepest recesses of his pride, fishing out every last bit of power. He shrunk back into his original size, but it no longer looked like he was wearing armour, rather it looked like he was the armour itself.
His new skin gleamed under the moonlight and the faint auras of the magical girls. There was no plan beyond this area, they all stood stunned as Kaede failed to finish the plan. She was suppose to weaken the Demon King with that last move and together, they'll pummel his weakened self to death.
Even if they did attack him during his transition, he was at a stage of materialising his ideal self, basically his expanded body was more conceptual than a physical body. It would immediately regenerate with no limit as long as he had magic. It was better to spend the time looking for a new strategy instead.
He was now like a metal humanoid. His jail cell like helmet and feathers were still there, his body even looks smaller than before since the armour is now part of his flesh. He boasted the perfect form of abs and stretched muscles, and... His magic density was way higher than before...
"... He is approaching S grade... Perhaps he has even reached it?" (Neli)
The only silver lining was that he couldn't manifest all the phenomenas of the skills he was using. [One that lies atop the mountain] multiplies his strength and will stat. Usually it would also cause his words to have a mind controlling effect, of course it couldn't put his present enemies into subservience, but it could hinder their movements and slow them down enough to be killed instantly. But at present, he would only have the strengthening effect.
[River of steel and cold avarice] boosted his will stat, regeneration, radiates a passive fear effect on his enemies and is able to temporarily steal stats or skills. At the same time, the opponent would be weakened on all of these aspects, including the stolen stat or skill. At present, the Demon King would only have boosted his will stat and regeneration. To conjure anymore phenomena from this skill, he would have to stop using every other skill and only use this one alone.
[Faint fear fair frame], as the name suggests, it sets a fair playing field. In this magic territory, the opponents can only use the same skills as he does... But as they don't possess his skills at all... They can't use any skills. Perhaps he had high compatibility with this skill or some other factor was at play, but in the pragmatic sense he was fully capably of using this skill to its best potential.
Kaede has already been linked to his well and embedded her magic inside it. Even the magic erasure would no longer have an effect on it. But if they couldn't use their skills, they were basically sitting ducks before the Demon King's superior stats. In an instant, the Demon King had completely overturned the situation.
"Heed..~~~!! MyyyYYY woOordsS!! HumanityYYy shall face~~ it's downfallLL!!! By it's own hand..." (Demon King)
With a renewed aura, he pressures everyone into submitting. Kaede was the first to fall to her knees, her knee bruised up as it smashes into the ground, causing a large crack in the open walkway.
" AaaaAAAgggHhHH!!!!" (Kaede)
She resists, crying her soul out at the oppressive magical signature of her opponent. She uncouth coarse growl marks her very own flag of rebellion.
"I will never!!! Submit!!!! To yoUUuU!!!" (Kaede)
The rests as well, try to resist the pressure acting on them. They weren't affected as badly as Kaede, but they were still left immobolized while standing. Barius seethed at her every breath, her face gouged itself into a sea of frustrated wrinkles at her wrists felt rigid from the strain of trying to resist the pressure. Her back feels cool as her narrowed eyes focus on the Demon King. Slowly, her fingers collapsed into her palm, then they stretch outwards once more. She was quickly regaining her mobility, starting from her fingers.
Neli was stuck and Jiyu had no way to defeat the Demon King. Anything she tried would feel like a tickle. That was the immutable gap between an A grade and a C grade... That was... Until Kaede came. The pressure was a targeted psychological attack formed by the opponent to attack their opponent in a non-physical way. It could also be used for intimidation purposes.
In other words there was no effect on non-magical girls. Unless specifically targeted, humans and non living things wouldn't feel a thing. When targeted, it would be the same as using a magic attack to break the target. No human would survive then. But if it's a magical girl, they would feel the aura through their magic senses even if it was only in the vicinity. It was due to the way they perceive magical particles as it would be assaulted by a large reading that could overload them.
In other words, the thread was feeling none of the pressure. So if Kaede grabbed onto it... She could pull on it like a bungee rope and used her enhanced strength stat, which was unaffected by the enemy's skills, and close in the distance in an instant. She appears in front of Barius, whom the demon king was about to attack. Barius was the first to move, that was an undeniable fact as she was the strongest magical girl present.
But Kaede managed to get herself between them before the Demon King could land an attack.
"Wha..!?" (Barius)
Kaede gives a gentle smile to Barius, her mouth closed up and her heart beats drown out the sounds of battle, even the Demon King's approach is completely silent when all that lies in her eyes was Barius. In a split second, an entire arm protrudes her heart. They were all aware of Kaede's damaged well, making her performance at C grade at best. So even heart injuries were fatal to her.
Her eyes widened in shock, a warm and familiar sensation is caught between her eyelids. Her cries were also stuck in her throat, it never felt so dry before in her life. She reached out her hand, she wanted to hug her and assure her that she would survive. In her eyes was a dead friend, it felt like time had stopped despite her being unable to use her skill.
She realises that she was too slow, she could have kept time freeze and eliminated the threat. She trusted Kaede's words and left the Demon King alive. Was it all a mistake in the end? She couldn't believe anything in the end, a turmoil brewed at the back of her chest. It bubbled up like stomach acid, waiting to be released with all her frustrations. Kaori was her rival, and as a result for accepting her role as a rival... Also her beloved friend.
Now, she was about to lose that. Kaede on the other hand thought the opposite. She would continue to live.
"Hehe... hehe... HEHEHEHAHAHAH!!! HAAHAHA HAHAHA!!!" (Kaede)
Like a splash of cold water, her demented laughter filled in the tranquil gaps of the battle field. Her voice soared high into the sky and entered the ears of everyone around here with amazing clarity. Her expression reverted back to the twisted smile that sent the Demon King's alarms blaring. They screamed and screamed into his senses, telling him of an illusory threat that he cannot find. He looks at the frail magical girl in front of him and on death's door.
"Do you not get it? Your skill sets up a territory where we cannot use our skills...! We cannot use our skills in your territory...! But our bodies are not your territory... It is not an Oblivion Magia after all!!" (Kaede)
Yes, the skill was absurdly powerful, but it wasn't anything on the level of a final skill. If it was below the level of a final skill, can it really replicate the territorial abilities of an Oblivion Magia? An Oblivion Magia overwrites the canvas of the universe and paints over it in the user's own colour. That includes the enemy magical girl, their will, their magical defence becomes breached unless they expand an Oblivion Magia of their own. Usually stronger magical girls can all do that, limiting its use to slaughtering weaker opponents.
"Yes, I am weak... But you seem to overlook this thread really easily... Don't you think I would have dies instantly from that punch? Why do you think I'm able to converse with you now? " (Kaede)
"...!?" (Demon King)
"First skill, basic technique. [Hollow calamity], gradient change." (Kaede)
The thread expands in size, she uses her skill to change the gradient of magical particles flowing into her. She sets her own magic as infinitesimally small in value compared to the flow coming in, causing the thread to swell immediately to the size of a tree. Super dense magic rushes into her body from her opponent's well, regenerating her wounds and filling her with power.
Well assimilation: 50%
60%
70%
"STTTOOOOOOOPPPP!!!!!!?" (Demon King)
The regeneration of her flesh is immediate, and it traps his glistening metallic fist inside her abdomen.
"Haha... Is this a gift for me too?" (Kaede)
Her small hands grab onto the impaling fist, akin to a child who just received their first toy. Her hands explore its surface area, it fascinated her that her opponent's fist was a few times larger than hers after all. She wondered what it would feel like if their fists clashed, the exhilaration, the pain, the excitement. She crushes one of the fingers and twists off the wrist in her fervour filled daydream.
"GYAHHHHH!!!!!!!" (Demon King)
90%
There would still be a small leakage, and even if she stole 100% of her opponent's well she wouldn't be able to plug it up anyway. Now, absorbing anymore would be a detriment to her instead. It was his well to begin with, it's fully compatible with him. Thinking in another way, it would be far more efficient in his body than hers, just this fact alone made it really easy for him to steal it back.
Jiyu was long gone, off to warn the others. Only Neli and Barius was also there with Kaede. They stared on with their mouths agape. Kaede rips off the thread by landing a punch in the Demon King's weaken body. His large stature is sent flying off into a nearby building, a large crater forms in his torso and his sturdy bones and organs cave in. With 10%, his performance was still a high B grade, on the verge of A grade. Due to efficiency issues, Kaede was facing a similar situation. She was only slightly stronger due to the sheer quantity of magical particles that she stole.
"... Why can't I... Muster my magic... Properly... " (Demon King)
[Faint fear fair frame] breaks off. With it, the sound of glass breaking resounds throughout the area.