*
Invade and propagate, no mercy for the enemy. Scarlet light rapidly flowed into the hole in space as it spewed out black smoke and widened. The two didn't react like opposing forces that resisted each other, the scarlet light passed through the smoke, reducing its density by vaporising its mass along the way.
"..." (Pelenia)
"You might find me cowardly after all that big talk...
But I'm not giving up this advantage. It's not even closing the hole in response, it must be stuck in the middle of transitioning from wherever it came from to this space, or facing resistance from materialising in this plane. " (Lastia)
"... If you're cowardly for trying to cheese a fight, how do you describe me who's leaving the fighting to you? " (Pelenia)
"... Thanks for being lenient. I'm weak after all. " (Lastia)
So she'll grasp at anything that could put her up an edge. Eventually the hole stopped expanding, instead it shrunk into a single point in an instant and a black light flashed the school grounds. When the light subsided, Lastia and Pelenia opened their eyes, strained from the sudden outburst. In the air a single being floated, it was undoubtedly the Remnant responsible for everything. It was nothing like how Pelenia recognised. It had evolved even further since she last saw it when she ran.
Slim charcoal black limbs following an elongated torso and a girthy tail. A humanoid shaped salamander, its snout pointed at the two magical girls with curious bulging eyes. It was seriously disturbing to see how its muscles were chiseled to the extreme, resembling old marble statues more than they do to actual humans. It had a smooth head with no horns or wings, 2 black beady eyes with what little resembled an eyelid was pretty much protruding out of its snout.
The pressure it exuded was so heavy that Lastia could feel it from the ground, this creature had enough magic to fill a city, much like the amount of {Feed} that Lastia has generated. A single difference evinced a lucid disparity in their magical power. The Remnant's magic was contained within its own body, while {Feed} was not. This density difference was enough to exert psychological pressure similar to an entire mountain range crashing on one's back.
Pelenia's legs folded and her face thrashed into the floor, her arms and legs tangled over one another, unable to be lifted. She needed time to get used to the pressure... It was possible to adapt to after some exposure. Lastia was still standing after all, it was a sensation not too dissimilar to the weight of {Feed}. It might even be slightly lighter, considering it wasn't eroding her flesh and mind like {Feed} was. She stared silently into its inquisitive eyes, drawing a staring contest from a far distance.
It floated at a couple hundred metres in the air, its digits resembled that of a salamander's, though its palm was flexible enough to bend them into a 4 fingered fist. The staring contest only lasted a short while, though it felt like eternity. The Remnant could feel through its perpetually diminishing smoke and its senses. Even if {Feed} was outside Lastia's body, it felt a power at a similar level to its own. A threat to its life. It tried to discern her intent, sifting through the possibilities in hopes... That they would not need to fight.
Her hostility was clear, she completely rid the city of its black smog. Her magic was a threat to its way of life, it did not stop at neutralising the smog, it trampled over it and multiplied. The smoke in the city was its other form, one of its forms was completely annihilated, forcing the embodiment of this form to appear. The blackhole that formed was essentially its body in the middle of conversion between forms, an organ. That's why it couldn't retreat halfway, it was stuck and had to go through with it.
It wasn't damaged much, but both parties understood how it fared against {Feed} thanks to her attempt to kill it before it appeared.
Without a word, a chain lodged into its heart from its back, tearing a hole in its dense flesh. A physical construct made of {Feed} condensed into a similarly dense construct and solidified to interact with the Remnant. It was too thick so something like a chain couldn't remotely damage it, it was an illusion of a chain. In actuality, its actual shape was a sharp stake perched on the end of a chain. 8 more similar constructs appeared, each 2 piercing into its limbs to render it immobile. Blood spilled over its lower jaw, dripping vigorously over the school park's grass fields.
The Remnant flexed its muscles, sending a vibration that disintegrated the chains. A shock wave rushed towards the magical girls. {Feed} converged to form a shield of dark scarlet in front of her. This city was bathed in {Feed}, and it was only hungry for more seeing that the chains were destroyed. The opponent could whittle the total mass of {Feed} to reduce Lastia's power, but that also frees up the mental pressure on Lastia from sustaining less mass. This allows her to produce more, creating a negative feedback loop.
More chains formed between them, the Remnant vanished and appeared before her eyes without her notice, slamming its fist deep into her chest.
"TIA!?" (Pelenia)
However she took no damage, when she lifted her torso back, a big bunch of chains had accumulated around the Remnant's fist. The shock traveled along the chains and into the ground, causing a deep chasm to be formed between them. Lastia back stepped as the paved ground collapsed into the chasm. It looked at the chains in surprise, though its salamander head had no way to express emotion, the way its gaze lingered on the chain restricting its fist was enough.
She didn't even react to its attack, how did the chains formed before the punch connected and blocked it?
"... Did you think that you broke all the chains? Did you believe all of them needed to be visible?" (Lastia)
Pelenia breathed a sigh of relief as Lastia spoke. She continued training {Gratitude} into her body, hoping it would turn the tide of battle no matter how insignificant her contribution was.
It seemed that from the very start, Lastia did not only create 9 chains. If it were to be described as a quantity, it was numerous. It was still growing.
She stepped around the Remnant, carefully observing its behaviour. Neither side could do damage to each other. With a flash of its hands, it broke through the chains restraining its fist and swung at Lastia who was now at its side. It looked like more chains came into existence to stop it, flashing from transparent air to a firm opacity that defied its will.
"I will kill you." (Lastia)
She declared coldly.