CH 62

Chapter 2 — Expand, my world! • Episode 2-6 • Recapture ④

Translated by KaiesV

Edited by KaiesV

It would be too much to do if the Witches were left to be beaten unilaterally and the Witches regain their territory without being able to do anything about it themselves. That statement by Extend-san was not incomprehensible. So I helped Elephant-san and the others with their training, and I did not try to touch the attackers on my end.

But that doesn’t mean I should just leave everything to Elephant-san and her team and call it a day. I want Elephant-san and her team to win, but there is no guarantee that they will win. It may sound good to say that I trust them all to win, but trust without proof is laziness on the part of others. If Elephant-san lose and her life is threatened because I wasn’t around at the time, I don’t think I will ever recover.

That’s why I apologise on Elephant-san and the others, but each battle has a backup. We have agreed to stay out of it as much as possible, but if something should happen, I will not hesitate to intervene.

I will be waiting for Elephant-san, Samurai Peach-san and Knuckle-san for Blade-san, and Extend-san for Press-san, each a short distance away. It was of course a secret from them.

「Yo, you’ve got good taste, don’t you?」

Such a voice was thrown to me as I hid in a place where I could just barely grasp the exchange between Elephant-san and Shadow-san, taking advantage of the wind.

I knew she was here somewhere, but I was right, wasn’t I?

A Magical Girl with vivid-colored red hair and gray military uniform.

Simeracres-san, the eleventh in the pecking order, was standing on the roof of a private house with a fearless smile on her face.

「You’re Tyrant Sylph, no? I’m Simeracres.」

「I know you. You’re probably the Witch hired to vandalize the territory.」

「Oi–oi, you’re being very combative, aren’t you? I thought you were neutral.」

「Yes, that’s correct. I simply don’t like the fact that other Witches are spreading their wings on my turf.」

Normally, I would like to punish this Witch who is working for the assailants, but that’s not the point now. I will let her off the hook for now, because I can’t let this person interrupt me and miss what is going on with Elephant-san. And she’s hired anyway, so we should be gone on her own in a few more days.

「That’s not what you said, geez. Well, that’s what I thought. So you were on the side of the locals after all.」

「…I believe you said I was neutral.」

「Hey, you, I guess I’m not used to belly tricks. How did you know your territory had been raided? I thought you were supposed to be the one who didn’t know that. If they were crying for help, it’s strange that you are hiding here. You were in for them from the beginning.」

「Tornado Mixer.」

That’s not enough to convince me of the situation, and maybe I’m being cajoled, but I’m not going to waste any more time on unnecessary questions and answers. If I’m under suspicion anyway, it’s best to get ahead of it before it turns into a certainty.

Simeracres-san, who was directly hit by the tornado, was caught in the middle of the explosion and buried in a pile of rubble with surrounding structures as collateral damage. The explosion that just occurred, it looked like it was centered on Simeracres-san, but maybe she had a bomb? It’s normal because it seems like they sometimes use props in person.

「Hahaha! You’re a ferocious person with a clear face! Good! Interesting!」

「…I thought you took a direct hit but…」

Looking almost undamaged, Simeracres-san rose from the pile of rubble and laughed happily. Her costume is in tatters, but the body has only small cuts. The costume is scorched in some places, which I think was caused by the explosion.

「You went easy on me, didn’t you? Otherwise, a Witch’s blow wouldn’t have been so light!」

I’m sure I went much easier on her than when I was shooting at Diest, but that didn’t make me think she was so lightly wounded. Is this the power of the Witch who specialize in Body Enhancement Magic? It would be better not to fight them thinking that I was dealing with a human being.

「Fly Wing.」

「——Shout thy name!」

As she jumped up into the sky to avoid losing control of the air, Simeracres-san’s ragged military uniform popped with the light and transformed into a white, ethnic-looking garment that clung tightly to her skin. There is a deep cut in her thigh area that does not seem to inhibit physical movement.

Also, several sacks fell to the ground at the same time the costume changed. Maybe it’s a prop that was left behind. If it’s a military uniform, there doesn’t seem to be any place to store the props in that outfit.

「Quadra Tornado Mixer.」

「Strong 4th!」

When the most powerful Enhancement Magic of Simeracres-san’s magic was activated, she flew freely through the air and avoided the tornado. How many times do I see something that isn’t right, or is it not a cheat?

Simeracres-san is a Magical Girl who has made several videos to promote herself and is arguably the most famous of the Witches, but at the same time, her fighting style and the magic she uses are almost all publicly available and circulated.

Simeracres-san’s magic is said to have originally been Rigor Magic, and its only effect is to strengthen the body. She was supposed to be a super close-up, meat-and-potatoes type of Magical Girl, with no other effects whatsoever. In fact, according to my research, it was only until Strong 3rd that her physical abilities were enhanced. But when Simeracres-san awakened as a Witch and reached Strong 4th, her magic somehow added the power of flying. They said that she uses some mystical power to fly. I do not understand what it means.

If that were all, it might be okay, but what’s sneaky is that Flight Magic and Body Enhancement Magic are combined. Where other Magical Girls would use two slots for magic, Simeracres-san can use only one of them, and she also only needs to chant for one. Well, it doesn’t change the fact that Simeracres-san can only use Enhancement Magic, so it doesn’t make sense to have a magic use slot available, and she doesn’t seem to be able to use it fully, despite its cheat performance.

「Kuh, little by little!」

The tornado takes a complicated trajectory as it bites at the flying Simeracres-san, but she deftly avoids it, sometimes hitting it and deflecting its trajectory to avoid a direct hit. As I can imagine, I don’t think she can take an all-out Tornado Mixer and stay lightly injured.

「I’ll tell you what, that’s my line you know!」

It wasn’t only Simeracres-san who is flying around, but I am as well. I’m in a lot of pain and I’m hungry, but Extend-san’s training has certainly paid off. So far I’ve been using Tornado Mixer while standing on a stick in the air to concentrate on using magic, but that’s like asking me to scratch and hit.

I must move with the idea of attacking my opponent and protecting myself at the same time. I had a hard time at first, and the movements were awkward, but now I am able to both evade and attack in this way.

「How about this?!!」

「Wind Armor.」

Against Simeracres-san, who launched a forceful long-range attack, kicking buildings and sending their fragments flying, or throwing small iron balls like pachinko balls at me as shotgun pellets, I put on Wind Armor to deflect the flying debris.

Most of them were knocked down and out of reach by Tornado Mixer, and all that came through my defenses were deflected off course and flew in the wrong direction.

「Then it’s this one!」

When Simeracres-san tried to knock down the bag she threw with a tornado, a large amount of smoke was generated from inside, temporarily filling my field of vision. Naturally, the strong winds would clear the smoke quickly, but Simeracre-san was aiming for that very short-lived distraction.

「—Raahh!!」

「Kuh——, ——!」

Because I temporarily lost sight of Simeracres-san, I lost the direction of my escape. I still flew around to clear the smoke and keep moving, but the Witch wasn’t so naive that I could escape just by moving at random.

It was only when I lowered my raised fist that I noticed Simeracres-san, who had approached me before I knew she was there, lost in the smoke. My Wind Armor was like a thin film of wind to deflect the projectiles, and it was no problem for Simeracres-san to break through it and hit me.

I quickly intervened with my big cane to defend myself, but I bit out a scream as I was slammed to the ground with a shock that numbed my arm.

Uuuuhhh!! It hurts!! It hurts like hell! But I can’t run out of magic! I gave up control of the tornado when I got hit, but my other magic is still alive!

It hurts so much that I can see the tears floating in the corners of my eyes, and I think every bone in my body has been broken and shattered. But not as much as when Extend-san mistreated me in the training room. I can still fight. Quickly, I have to fly before Simeracres-san comes after me.

I was about to jump up again, maintaining my magic, when I suddenly saw Elephant-san leaning against the wall at the edge of my vision, as if about to give in to the pain and break. It seemed I had gotten very close before I knew it.

「Eh!? Elephant-san!?」

「Sylph-chan… be careful…!」

I knew I shouldn’t, but I couldn’t control myself. I was so eager to get to Elephant’s side as quickly as possible that I rush straight to her instead of jumping up.

There was no way that a Witch with a long history of warfare would miss such a blatant opening. I should have known, but my body moved on its own.

「There’s a lot of openings!」

Simeracres-san, who like me had been on the ground for some time, closed the distance in a single breath and drew her fist. The earlier blow must not have been a blow of Simeracres-san’s full strength, because it was in the air with no tread and I was flying around, so I did not have time to aim accurately. So even I, a pure rear-guard type, managed to withstand it. But this blow is no good news. If I were to receive this blow, it would be the end of me. But I can’t avoid it. I move my mouth as if in agony, but I can’t even chant in time. Simeracres-san knows this, so she came to deliver that blow head-on and with all her might.

「Tornado…」

But I knew from the beginning that she would.

「Huh!?」

The big cane is pointed directly at the front, at Simeracres-san. I did not intend to use it for defense.

Her fist, swung out faster than I could finish my chanting, passed just in front of my eyes. So Simeracres-san struck out grandly like an amateur who misjudged the distance. The person who struck the sky looks astonished, as if it were impossible. Of course, it’s impossible for a Witch who has fought many battles in her career to be an amateur.

「Mixer—!!」

It was a full-throttle, no-holds-barred attack. Without giving her time to avoid it, a vicious tornado engulfs Simeracres-san and sends her flailing about like a swarm.

How much time had passed? When the whole area around me had been cleared except for the area near me, I released the spell.

The situation was so stressful that one wrong step and I could have died or been seriously injured. I thought I was fighting calmly and according to plan, but I guess I wasn’t as calm as I thought. I didn’t mean to go this far. I don’t want to be a murderer, so I hope she’s alive…

「Kuh… what did you…」

Simeracres-san, lying on the ground in a depression and on the cleared ground, looked up at me, battered and bloodied. She doesn’t seem to be able to stand up, but if she can talk, she seems to be doing better than I thought.

I’m not going to go to the trouble of revealing the seed to Simeracres-san, but it’s not that difficult. It is simply an application of Wind Armor for arrow protection, because it is a super-narrow, high-density Wind Armor. The Wind Armor now has enough output to take out melee attacks as well as flying weapons.

My Wind Armor against arrows was originally a magic that envelops me in a spherical wind that completely envelops my body. It had enough power to deflect flying projectiles, but not enough to prevent being hit or slashed when approached, and was not what I would call armor. But magic can be applied through the mastery and growth of the user.

After being hurt by Extend-san, my thought was that I shouldn’t bother getting used to the pain, but just as long as the other person’s attack didn’t hit me. So I practiced evasive maneuvers while attacking, and I practiced a lot of Wind Armor magic so that I could apply it in case I was approached and attacked.

The application of magic does not require separate chanting. For example, I heard that Blade-san’s Sword Geyser can now be used outside of the ground in applications, but the chanting has not changed. I think Press-san’s Press The Hand is a preference.

So it takes no time to use Wind Armor magic in advance, and just before the attack, I can narrow the range and increase the output.

Thanks to her promotional efforts, I knew that Simeracres-san would be using her flying techniques. Besides, I could expect her to approach me and attack me by some means since she was said to be so strong against me.

Therefore, the fact that I dared to use wind armor to deflect the flying tools, and the fact that I was attacked once my Wind Armor was broken through, were all strategic moves to create a final opening. The only accident was that I ran up to Elephant-san, but it turned out well, so that was all right.

「It is my win. Elephant-san has also won. Do you still want to go again?」

I noticed just a few moments ago, I saw Shadow-san fainting and rolling near Elephant-san. Elephant-san seems to be unable to move, but she is still conscious, so that means it was Elephant-san who won.

I don’t know what kind of contract Simeracres-san has, but there should be no reason to fight anymore.

「…Strong 5th.」

「!?」

Simeracres-san’s wounds were closed at the same time the chanting was completed, and he slowly stood up.

The strongest magic that Simeracres-san could use would have been Strong 4th. In fact, she have never used more magic than that in any of our previous records.

But I see. So I’m not the only one hiding a trump card?

「I haven’t been notified of the completion of the request, and the deadline hasn’t come yet. I can’t just end it on my own.」

「That’s very disciplined of you.」

「Mercenaries are sold on trust, remember?」

If it’s a bluff, bull, or bluff kind of thing, it would’ve been alright, but if she can seriously afford to laugh at a light-hearted remark, it’s not good. Is this also called mystical power? I think it was foul that her wounds can be healed.

The strategy of inducing a strikeout by applying Wind Armor will no longer work. That is a first time kill. If she know it’s there, Simeracres-san should be able to get through the attack even over my armor. If she can’t do that, she can’t call herself a Witch.

But I can also use a trump card now that I couldn’t use earlier. There was a danger of involving Elephant-san in the battle, but now the battle is over and she is right there. I don’t have to worry about getting involved.

「Nhn, well then, let’s just get it over with. I’ve got a lot of catching up to do.」

「The feeling’s mutual.」

I think Simeracres-san is referring to Extend-san. Shs too have confirmed Elephant-san’s victory and need to go check on Blade-san and Press-san. If something happened to the two of you, Elephant-san would be sad.

Neither of them has the slightest intention of backing down, and at the moment when the fight is about to resume at the same time as some trigger…

「Goooooaaaaaaaaaaaahhhhhh!!!!!!」

A horrifying roar that shook the earth rang out, and Simeracres-san looked up vigorously and ran in the direction of the voice.

「Temporary truce!」

Simeracres-san said that much and was quickly out of sight.

I was stunned, unable to keep up with the sudden development.

「What is that now…?」

A terrifying scream that seems to awaken a fundamental fear deep within.

This should probably be the voice of a Diest. And if so, Magical Girls should have the ability to suppress fear and anxiety. We won’t get scared off in a fight with the Diest, we won’t cower in our feet. And yet, even with such an abominable feature, why am I still feeling an uncontrollable fear?

A little later, a notification of the Diest occurrence rang out from the magiphone.

It rings not only mine, but also those of Elephant-san and Shadow-san.

And when I saw the notice, I was convinced. It was the most intimidating feeling I had ever felt. And rightfully so. The notice displayed this in decal letters, as if to indicate the danger of its presence.

『Duke-class.』