CH 109

Chapter 3 — Dry scrape, burn and perforate! • Episode 3–4 — Witch Cup ⑭【Thread VS Octopus】

Translated by KaiesV

Edited by KaiesV

After successfully defeating Permafrost and regaining the small crystal in the final five minutes before the end of the match, Tyrant Sylph stopped moving when she rushed out to take another crystal. No, she was made to stop.

「Puppet Play.」

With a muffled chant, Tyrant Sylph’s body was pinned in mid-air, motionless.

Realizing what had been done to her, Sylph tried to launch a counterattack spell, but her mouth wouldn’t move. A Magical Girl who is blocked from chanting is powerless. Tyrant Sylph stared at the owner of the magic, who appeared from behind a tree, moving her eyes, her only eyes which could move.

Wigs Crosseau, the Thread Witch, is a somewhat godlike girl in a pure white costume.

In a battle that she absolutely cannot lose, Sylph, faced with an opponent she absolutely doesn’t want to lose, puts all her strength into her body to somehow break free from her magic, her emotions flaring up. Magical Girls are resistant to magic that has a direct effect. That’s why, the Puppet Play magic used by Wigs Crosseau mustn’t be unconditionally controlling Sylph’s body, and Sylph is trying to tear it off, taking a guess that it is probably mediated by a thread.

There’s a high possibility that the power awakened by the battle with Permafrost can be used to break out of the situation, but Sylph hadn’t yet mastered the last of her hidden power because the battle was over before she even knew what was going on.

「Please be patient as I will try to make it painless.

Metal Fillet.」

But the next blow was fired faster than Sylph could break free of the magical thread.

Unlike in the Rabbitfoot fight, the match would end directly. At this point, allowing resistance to sap her magical power is more risk than reward. Above all, it was a decision based on reflection on the fact that she had been defeated by Rabbitfoot because she had let her guard down, even though the strategy was to reduce her opponent’s magical power.

A strong steel thread, so thin that you have to look closely to see it, is about to cut Sylph’s small body in half.

Sylph, determined not to give up and not to be defeated in such a situation, kept on struggling, but still her body wouldn’t move.

「Octopus.」

Just before she was about to be cut to pieces, she was entangled in a tentacle-like object that suddenly appeared in mid-air, hurling her into the sky.

『Leave this to me and head to the next crystal!』

『——urk, got it!』

In the deadly battle with Permafrost and entangled in Wigs Crosseau’s magic with no time to exhale, Sylph had no time to look at the map and was unaware until just now that one of her allies was approaching.

Sylph was confused by the fact that she was suddenly thrown into the air and could move freely, but she understood when she heard the voice over the communication and saw the dependable figure standing on the ground. As this competition entered its final stages, she said, Doppelganger was finally on the move.

Sylph had a few questions about the defense of the base and the fight against Wigs Crosseau, but she brushed them aside and flew away, following Doppelganger’s instructions.

Now Sylph doesn’t have enough time to check the board and judge the situation. Then she decided to trust the judgment of the commander who had been watching the whole situation so far.

Wigs Crosseau made no pretense of pursuing Sylph, but instead faced Doppelganger and held up her staff.

「It seems a little different from the plan. Are you going to do it here?」

「I heard you earlier. I guess I forgot to turn off my comms.」

Doppelganger doesn’t answer Crosseau’s question, but begins to talk to herself in a somewhat blown-out and refreshing tone of voice.

「To tell you the truth, I was on the fence just now. Should I stick to the plan or not? But I can’t just turn a blind eye when my best friend’s niece told something like that.」

「——Wire Anchor」

Doppelganger, speaking apologetically, calls up a special wand-shaped weapon, and Wigs Crosseau uses magic to trigger the action.

As if to surround the two conversing at a slight distance, something pierces the entire area around them in a 360-degree radius. It is an anchor assimilated into space and invisible to the eye. It’s a needle with a pointed tip like a stake and a loop on the other side, through which a thread is threaded. They penetrate not only the earth, which has physical mass, but also space, creating a battlefield favorable to Crosseau even if it’s a cleared area with no obstacles at all.

「I’m sorry, Crosseau-chan. The promise is void. I mean it. Here I come.」

The two had made one promise to each other as soon as the pairings for this Witch Cup were announced. The promise was that if they could create a situation where their battle would decide the winner at the end of the match, they would produce a close game and Doppelganger would lose.

Doppelganger and Wigs Crosseau aren’t the type of people who are very interested in competing against each other, and the only reason they participated in this Witch Cup was because Earth asked them to participate by all means.

Doppelganger hates Earth, but she isn’t so childish as to refuse a request from the most powerful person in the Magic Bureau just because she hates him, and she decided to take advantage of the Witch Cup as a big stage if she was going to participate anyway. Then she came up with the idea of foiling against Wigs Crosseau.

The Witch who ran the Witches’ Tea Party before Wigs Crosseau, who could be called her predecessor, took over the role about a year before she retired, working with Doppelganger to impart her know-how. Therefore, Crosseau has enough knowledge and ability to organize the Tea Party and organize the Witches, but she couldn’t imitate her predecessor’s charisma alone.

To begin with, her predecessor and Wigs Crosseau are completely different in terms of their personalities, which is unavoidable, but as Doppelganger who will retire in the not-too-distant future, she wanted to leave a little something behind for her adorable junior colleague.

So, she had to fight with her predecessor, whose name is well-known in the set, and she had to fight with herself to get a grip, and by making her victory known, Wigs Crosseau will be as good as the Witches of a Generation ago, Wigs Crosseau is the Star of a New Generation of Witches, she was trying to impress the audience that she was a Witch worthy of leading a New Generation of Magical Girls.

It was for this purpose that she didn’t move until the last minute, citing the need to defend her base. If Blue Team were to lose a ragged game, she would have considered making her own move to avoid making it a digestive game, but the game unfolded more conveniently for Doppelganger than she had imagined. Despite her own conservative course of action to defend her base, she proposed the risky strategy of letting Sylph take the large crystal in an advantageous situation, in order to adjust the situation so that her team wouldn’t gain too much advantage. She didn’t even know who had fallen, but she had read from the movement on the map that it was probably time for someone from the Yellow Team who come back to life.

「It doesn’t matter. Either way, I do not intend to lose. Field Magic :『Cocoon』」

For Doppelganger who has reneged on her promise at the last minute, Wigs Crosseau doesn’t seem bothered at all; on the contrary, her expression, which rarely changes, softens, and she deploys her Field Magic with some glee.

「Doppelganger——」

A great number of threads come at her like a wave, and doppelganger stops them with her eight legs she has just summoned. But it wouldn’t last long. Doppelganger knew that. It was just a matter of buying a little time for her to become the strongest.

「Dry scrape,」

This is not magic.

This is a key word to open the third gate.

This is the watchword of her best friend, whom she have heard next to her countless times.

「Burn and perforate.」

A blinding flash of lightning shone and burned through the tsunami of threads with all eight legs.

.

『Finally, Contender Doppelganger is on the move! She pulled the strings that held Contender Tyrant Sylph in a vice-like grip with her eight legs and successfully rescued her!』

『Contender Wigs Crosseau’s Puppet Play is a magic that wraps a special string around the opponent to manipulate her. The more threads that are wrapped around the body, the more horrifying the magic that takes control of the body down to the smallest detail. On the other hand, it only works on things in human form, so there are many ways to break through as long as you understand the specifications, like Contender Doppelganger did.』

『Contender Doppelganger, as it were, threw Contender Tyrant Sylph out of the line of fire! I think they have a better chance of winning if they bring it to 2-1, but why did Contender Tyrant Sylph fly away!?』

『It’s probably because they don’t have much time. With the mobility of Contender Tyrant Sylph, she can still just barely get two small crystals if she doesn’t encounter any other Witches. But that won’t happen if she’s stuck here against Wigs Crosseau.』

『Then, Contender Wigs Crosseau would have been better off stranding Contender Tyrant Sylph!』

『Right. The Red Team’s best bet option is for Wigs Crosseau to stall them and Contender Extend Traveler to take the Yellow Team’s crystal. However, if it’s possible, it would be best to defeat Contender Doppelganger here and take Blue Team’s large crystal. It seems that Contender Wigs Crosseau has bet the fate of the match on her own victory.』

『I see! This battle is going to be an important one that will determine the course of the game!』

『This will probably be the last battle as far as the surviving Witches are concerned. It seems like fate that two of the highest-ranking participants in this year’s event would be the grand finale.』

『Ahhhh, it’s Contender Wigs Crosseau who took the lead! This is suddenly a big move, her Field Magic! I wonder if she was going to end it with this as soon as possible!』

『The realm magic of the creation system summons and manipulates large numbers of creatures it governs. Contender Wigs Crosseau used「Cocoon」against an outside opponent just the other day, and I am sure many of you have seen it on video. The nature of the「Cocoon」makes it almost impossible to avoid or defend against, so it is necessary to intercept this magic with high firepower in order to break through… but this is surprising.』

『This is!? I didn’t expect this lightning!? There is no mistaking it! Beautiful golden ponytail reminiscent of lightning! Her eyes are shining like amethysts, hung up in a victorious manner! And a modified nun’s uniform with a black base and purple lines! This is Monarch Spriteeeeeeee!!!』

『The most famous magic of Contender Doppelganger is Perfect Mimicry Magic, which, as the name implies, transforms them into something completely different in appearance. When fighting external enemies, its magic is often used in a tasteless way, such as transforming into a huge beast, but on the contrary, against Magical Girls, its power can transform into other Magical Girls and take the initiative in magic, it’s needless to say that she was very good at technical combat, such as interfering with and sabotaging controls. This is the reason why even that Contender Red Ball avoided fighting her. However, up until now, she have basically only transformed into a relative Magical Girl, but I didn’t expect to have such a hidden gem.』

『Contender Doppelganger transformed into the form of Monarch Sprite! Shooting out lightning one after another, she shoot down the magic of Contender Wigs Crosseau! Wigs Crosseau seems to be trying to attack with her mass and blind spots, but all of her attempts are blocked by the purple armor of Contender Doppelganger! Contender Wigs Crosseau, is this difficult for you!?』

『If Contender Doppelganger can reproduce 100% of the magic of Monarch Sprite, then it will be very difficult for Contender Wigglescroso to win. After all, she was the Witch who held the Second Place in the ranking, even ahead of Discause until the time of her retirement. Except for Lazy Lady, who can be called a Hall of Fame inductee, you can see how substandard she was when we say that she is always mentioned in the strongest discussions of Witches of all time. Well, if she can reproduce 100% of it.』

『A magical exchange that leaves no time to catch your breath! Perhaps because she would be burned out if she simply stretched the string, Wigs Crosseau pulled out the trees in the vicinity and threw her one after another, while at the same time sneaking Puppet Play with strings and steel threads! In addition, huge arms with countless threads bound together attack one after another! But Contender Doppelganger is not concerned! She haven’t yet used large-scale magic, but she was making light work of it with only basic lightning magic! I thought that after a long time we would be able to see the Field Magic『Storm,』which is a lightning storm like rain, and the magic of『Thunder God,』which turns itself into an electric shock, but I guess this is a sign of leeway!?』

『As for Contender doppelganger, she doesn’t have to fight too hard, as just sticking with it until the end of the match will help the Blue Team win. Nevertheless, there is no reason not to defeat them if she can be defeated easily, so it isn’t that she doesn’t use them, but rather that she cannot use complex magic. I think just using another Magical Girl’s magic is a foul magic, so I think there must be some conditions.』

『Then would’ve been better for her to turn into Contender Wigglescroso and sabotage her magic!?』

『As explained earlier, Contender Doppelganger’s fighting style is a technical one, i.e., it is all about technique. Since it’s not forced through by force like Contender Red Ball, it may not work effectively against opponents who have better magic-handling skills than Contender Doppelganger. I don’t know if she have actually tried it, but I suspect she thought the interference wouldn’t work on Contender Wigs Crosseau.』

『She is currently being pushed back, but she is still the third-ranked Witch in the pecking order! Just as the battle was beginning to be slightly competitive, with a slight advantage for Contender Doppelganger, the video switched to Contender Tyrant Sylph! She was now on her way to the small crystals in the southeast middle layer, having secured the crystals in the south middle layer that were taken by the Red Team! Ohhh!? After defeating Contender Rabbitfoot and taking the small crystal in the north inner layer, Contender Extend Traveler took another crystal in the southeast middle layer! It appears to be she was for the middle southeast as well!! Will it be a further battle with only 2 minutes left to go!?』

『It’s slightly closer to Contender Tyrant Sylph. Contender Tyrant Sylph will be the first to arrive in terms of mobility, but will she be the first to dye the crystal or will she be the first to be intercepted by Contender Extend Traveler…』

『Contender Red Ball, the only survivor of the Yellow Team, immediately regained the small crystal in the north inner layer that was once taken, and is now chasing after Contender Extend Traveler for the small crystal in the southeast inner layer!』

『Whether or not she realize that the person she was chasing is Contender Extended Traveler, the math is that she will take her down if they run into each other while taking the Red Team’s small crystal. At the moment, the Blue Team has 6 small crystals, including the crystal in the middle southwest layer secured by Contender Ex–Magna, while the Red Team has 7, so at first glance it would appear that taking the Red Team’s small crystals is a better priority, so they are doing so. In fact, the Blue Team is more likely to reverse the situation due to the number of people left on the field and their mobility, but even if they realize it now, from that position they will no longer be able to reach the Blue Team’s small crystal.』

『Contender Ex–Magna is currently moving towards the crystal in the outer west layer!』

『Currently remaining on the field is Contender Red Ball for the Yellow Team, Contenders Wigs Crosseau and Extend Traveler for the Red Team, and all of the Blue Team. Of these, it is almost certain that Contender Ex–Magna will take the red crystal in the outer west layer and Contender Red Ball will take the red crystal, also in the middle southeast layer, so tentatively, the Yellow Team has 8 small crystals, the Red Team with 5, and the Blue Team with 7. The rest of the match will be decided by the winners and losers of Contenders Wigs Crosseau and Doppelganger’s battle, and whether or not Contender Tyrant Sylph can secure the crystal.』

『What would it take for each team to win!』

『The Red Team must win and secure the small crystal for Contender Wigs Crosseau, and Contender Extend Traveler must reach the small crystal by the end of the match, defeat Contender Tyrant Sylph, and secure the small crystal. These two are required. If Contender Wigs Crosseau had won as soon as she started fighting, she would’ve won quickly by taking the big crystal, but it’s pretty tough to do that now because it’s not going to happen in time. Even if they do that well, they are still tied with Yellow Team, so they’re still in a position to win, not win. Blue Team, on the other hand, requires the Contender Doppelganger to defend the small crystal until victory or the end of the match, and then Contender Tyrant Sylph must take the small crystal. And Yellow Team will win if they don’t lose the small crystal that Contenders Tyrant Sylph and Extend Traveler are fighting for.』

『Thank you for your detailed commentary! In the meantime, the game is going on and there is only a few minutes left! The battle between Contenders Wigs Crosseau and Doppelganger still shows no sign of ending! Meanwhile, Contender Tyrant Sylph seems to have arrived at the Small Crystal! She was in a great hurry to get her hands on a small crystal without any warning of her surroundings!』

『There are 20 seconds left. At this point, Contender Doppelganger has successfully defended the small crystal in the south outer layer. Now it will be up to Contender Tyrant Sylph to take this small crystal and Contender Extend Traveler player to get it in time.』

『Ten seconds left! The small yellow crystal is gradually turning blue from the inside!』

『Contender Extend Traveler, are you extending time or moving at high speed, will you be able to make it? 5,』

『『4!』』

『『3!』』

『『2!』』

『『1!』』

『0!! The match is over!! Contender Extend Traveler narrowly misses the cutoff!! The winner is———!!! Blue Teeeeeaaaaammm!! At this time, all Witch Cup contestants will be transferred to the waiting room!』