Congratulations on Your Magical Girl Duties

76 – Magical Mock Battle (3)

Amidst the scattering droplets of blood, the magical girl’s fury spread.

“You son of a b*tch!”

Being a magical girl who takes the front line, the wound was shallower than expected. It would have been difficult to inflict a fatal blow from that distance in the first place.

Well, no matter.

I can just hack her more, right?

Meanwhile, the squirrel-like magical girl quickly retreated and rejoined the other magical girls.

“Why did you run out there alone! Come back and focus on healing!”

“Sorry, I understand.”

“But what was that just now! And what’s that thing that b*stard’s holding?! Is that… a sword?”

“I don’t know. He’s just… strange. Be careful.”

“We’ll handle this ourselves!”

Following suit, magical girls with the impressions of a horse and a hawk charged forward. Their weapons were a mace and a spear respectively.

Here, the magical girl wielding the spear unleashed her attack even faster.

“Gale spear.”

Not a simple pinpoint, but a stabbing attack that engulfs the area by wrapping it in wind.

The magical girl with the mace added to the attack.

“Earth smash!”

The condensed yellow magic in the plunging mace glinted.

A tricky combination.

To avoid either the spear or the mace attack, you would inevitably have to be hit by the other.

Even if, by some stroke of luck, I dodged it all, there would probably be some follow-up attack – a shockwave, or fragments spitting up from the ground the moment the bludgeon hit.

Most magic-infused ground slams worked that way.

Maybe not before, but in my current state, I couldn’t conjure the magic needed to perfectly block or evade her combo.

So, I would just have to play the cards I held as best I could.

“Crescent Moon.”

Swinging Moonbeam upward, I painted a crescent arc. A chilling crescent that cleaved through the oncoming wind.

“W-what?! Why is my magic—!”

Ignoring the panicked shout of the magic girl, I brought the edge of Moonbeam to bear against the bludgeon.

And carefully, ever so carefully, redirected its path.

Applying only the slightest force.

As naturally as flowing water.

It wasn’t easy. Even while minimizing the backlash, the heavy bludgeon hammered at Moonbeam relentlessly.

– Kaa, ka-ga-ga-ga-k!

“Ah, damn it. This is heavy.”

My hand trembled violently.

One wrong move and my wrist would snap like a twig.

No doubt, winning against her in a straight-up strength contest was an uphill battle. Realistically, it was impossible.

But, it didn’t matter.

At least Moonbeam wouldn’t break.

How could magic possibly shatter moonlight?

I just needed to endure.

So, gritting my teeth, I continued to alter the bludgeon’s trajectory.

From a downward strike, to a gentle sideward sweep.

Finally curving it skyward.

The descending bludgeon traced a slightly warped half-circle, ultimately flailing into the heavens.

I was forced to one knee in the process, but it was a worthwhile trade. At the very least, I didn’t have to worry about any follow-up attacks.

Meanwhile, the magic girl, having realized her magic had been cancelled, paled considerably.

“H-huh? W-wait a minute! Why is it moving like—”

Well, this was my chance.

Putting strength into my knee.

Three steps forward, and a final, long stride.

And.

First, one.

“Banuol (Half-Moon).”

The target: not the magical girl wielding the blunt weapon—

“Eh?!”

—but the magical girl with the spear.

“Why… target… me…?”

The magical girl’s last words were swallowed by the blood gushing from her thigh. She charged in with such bravado, yet was the first to be rendered helplessly disabled.

The reason I targeted her was simple. In my experience, opponents wielding spears were generally more troublesome than those with bludgeons or swords. Especially the ones who added magic to the mix.

Meanwhile, the magical girl with the blunt weapon had instinctively cowered, anticipating an attack aimed at her.

“N-not, me…?”

She merely tilted her head up, dazed by the unexpected turn of events.

Without hesitation, I closed the distance.

Faster than the magical girl could assume a fighting stance.

And now, the remaining one.

“Man—(Full—)”

At that moment, the edge of my vision flared.

“Enough of this.”

A magical girl with disheveled hair suddenly intervened, thrusting a longsword.

“Tch.”

I halted my attack and leaped back, creating space.

A pity. If I’d had just a little more leeway, I could have dropped at least two before starting.

Unconcerned with soothing my regret, the disheveled magical girl continued her assault with sword strikes.

It was, however, a slightly ambiguous sword style.

She showed no intention of truly attacking, and wasn’t aggressively pressing the offensive, yet there were no openings to exploit for a counterattack.

However, casting magic would invite immediate pressure. She wasn’t allowing me any room to consider swinging a sword.

A sword only meant for hindering and suppressing.

Probably intended to buy time until the other magical girls arrived.

A sense of déjà vu hinted that my assumption was correct. The previous knight commander had conducted combat in a similar fashion.

The problem was, I couldn’t find an opening to cleave through with my blade. Honestly, it was frustrating. If they came at me with even a touch more brutality, I’d find my chance.

“It seems grappling with him is more taxing than expected, so I’ll give a quick magical briefing. Please rejoin the fight as soon as you’ve recovered.”

Of course, showing no intention of doing so herself, the wild-haired magical girl focused all her attention on keeping me at bay, while rapidly sharing information with the other magical girls.

“The opponent uses magic, much like we do. It appears weak at first, but strengthens with each successive activation; a stacking-type magic, it would seem. There appear to be four stages in total.”

*The essence of my magic.*

“It seems to activate when he makes a cutting motion with his sword, and only progresses to the next stage if he hits. Waving it in the air likely does nothing. The third and fourth stages have considerably long wind-ups.”

*The activation conditions and vulnerabilities of my magic.*

“Furthermore, its effective range seems to be from close to mid-range. Roughly equivalent to Magical Girl Elemental Squirrel, perhaps. It seems to lack an elemental attribute, so consider it a purely physical attack.”

*My magic’s effective range and attributes.*

“The sword’s form is similar to a Hwando(環刀). However, only the hilt and blade exist and the length is unusually long. Be wary of the cutting attacks and the unorthodox range manipulation.”

*Next, an analysis of Moonlight’s Blade form and attack predictions.*

“The material of the blade is unknown, but its hardness is equal to, or greater than, individual magical wands. Don’t even think about breaking it with magic.”

*Following that, the characteristics of Moonlight’s Blade.*

“However, the user does not possess a magical girl’s physique, so it would be best to actively exploit your superior stamina and strength.”

*And finally, a solution to breaking it.*

I loathed to admit it, but her observational skills were certainly sharp. I hadn’t even swung the blade a handful of times, and she’d already managed to grasp everything.

Of course, compared to my prime, certain aspects were incorrect, but for the present moment, it was an accurate analysis.

Truly a shame. If I’d known they were this astute, I would have forced one more out here, even if it meant pushing myself past my limit.

In that instant.

“Therefore.”

The wild-haired magical girl lowered her voice.

“We’ll avoid using magic and instead overwhelm him, preventing his cutting attacks at the source. Magical Girl Brown Horse and I will take on this task. Is that acceptable, Magical Girl Brown Horse?”

“Understood.”

“And Magical Girl Elemental Squirrel will provide support from the rear with her magic.”

“Leave it to me.”

Before her words had even finished echoing, a magical girl wielding a bludgeon joined the wild-haired one.

At the same time, the wild-haired magical girl’s swordsmanship began to change.

“Here we go.”

It was a sharp, menacing blade.

Too excessive and cumbersome for hunting mindless monsters, just blindly charging forward.

But, far too suitable a blade for the slaying of men.

An uncanny sense of familiarity surged once more, a déjà vu in the familiar sword strokes. Forcing down the feeling that threatened to overwhelm one side of my head, I focused on the approaching blade.

First, parry it.

Second, deflect it.

Third, weave it aside and clear it away.

“Quite… irksome.”

The wild-haired magical girl frowned, belatedly preparing her fourth strike.

I’ll take this moment.

A half-beat faster, a step forward.

And, trace the moon.

“Sak— (朔—).”

But a blunted weapon crashed in, halting my blade mid-arc. The manifested moon vanished uselessly.

“Where do you think you’re going!”

I couldn’t engage in a straightforward strength contest with a blunted weapon.

Not when I was already at a disadvantage in sheer power.

I let the initial attack slide past, and evaded three follow-up strikes.

In that instant.

“Squirrel Fire!”

The magical girl wielding the rapier skillfully wove her fire magic, forcing a choice upon me.

Meekly take the hit?

Evade, along a limited path?

Choosing the latter, the two magical girls lying in wait pressed me relentlessly once more.

And so, the situation continued to repeat.

Not entirely the same, but in similar configurations.

This was… bad. Truly the worst.

Attempting a counterattack was futile; the two magical girls’ teamwork was genuinely malicious. Incomparable to the two who’d initially attacked.

Moreover, their coordination grew increasingly meticulous with each passing moment. There was scarcely a visible opening.

Especially, the magic that the rapier-wielding magical girl cast from a distance was truly grating.

Every time I tried to do something, she’d throw up an interference.

“Sak—(朔—)”

“Squirrel Thunder!”

Just like now.

“That b*tch, really.”

Avoiding the lightning that struck in a similar fashion as before, the wild-haired magical girl once again swung her longsword fiercely.

“Do you have the luxury of paying attention to other things?”

Lighter, more restrained movements.

Drawing a clean, elegant sword path.

Truly, the quintessential sword of murder.

Evading or deflecting it wasn’t difficult in itself. Because it was textbook, there were few unconventional elements, and honestly, I was sick and tired of swords like this anyway.

The problem was, if I used a technique to twist the sword path even slightly, or create even the smallest opening…

“Where do you think you’re going!”

A bludgeon surged in to fill the gap.

And as the bludgeon bought them time, the wild-haired magical girl would quickly recover and once again swing her longsword.

“You have so many tricks up your sleeve. It’s infuriating.”

Then, just when I thought I was getting used to the two magical girls’ assault…

“Squirrel Earth!”

The magic of the magical girl wielding the rapier would strike when I least expected it. Now, she was casting a spell to shake the ground beneath my feet.

It was truly driving me insane.

One covers for the other, and that one covers for yet another, so even if I wanted to break through, I simply couldn’t.

Still, there were rare moments when I managed to draw the full moon perfectly.

“New Moon.”

However, the result wasn’t meaningful.

“Captain, I’m counting on you this time!”

“Understood. Protection.”

If I fired magic at the close-range magical girl, one of the two would cast a defense spell and block it.

Even though my magic had the property of negating magic, the New Moon or the Dark Moon couldn’t break through a defense spell cast with such intention.

So, would forcing my way in here and targeting the distant magical girl have any effect?

“Dark Moon.”

“Squirrel Fraud!”

Not even that.

He evaded with something akin to a shadow clone technique.

Yet, trying to use magic on the ground or walls to forcefully transition to Half-Moon and Full-Moon stances, they relentlessly exploited the preparation needed.

Preventing me from taking a step.

Denying me the angle to swing my sword.

It felt like being buried alive, head above ground. So suffocating, and no solution in sight.

“Hrrrk… Shit…”

In the end, it didn’t take long for me to be completely exhausted.

Muscles and bones, pushed beyond their limit, screamed in protest. My squeezed lungs spasmed erratically.

“Damn, this b*stard’s tenacious. Doesn’t take a single hit.”

“Boss, my mana’s running low…”

“Even for me, this is unexpectedly rough.”

Meanwhile, the opponents, too, seemed somewhat fatigued, each voicing their regrets.

But it wasn’t much comfort. My condition was far more dire. A natural outcome, considering I’d been fighting 3 against 1 non-stop.

This is why battles against numerical superiority are always unreasonable.

I hadn’t needlessly regretted not eliminating two of them at the start. If I had, I wouldn’t be cornered this much now.

Those futanari before, there was plenty of space, and it was night, making them manageable. Their individual skills weren’t that exceptional, either.

But now, only unfavorable conditions surround me.

A space wide, yet clearly limited.

Not exceptionally outstanding, but adequate skill.

Near-perfect coordination, exploiting their numerical advantage.

Even the absolute difference in raw strength and stamina between a magical girl and a non-magical girl.

My being driven into a corner was practically inevitable.

“Crude as it is, I can’t deny his reflexes and instantaneous reactions themselves. If he were a magical girl, even just basic magical training would’ve put him in the ranks of the strong.”

The judgmental words scraped at my nerves, but I lacked even the strength to retort. I was simply too spent.

“From a swordsman’s perspective, that was a remarkably troublesome sword. Crude, but thoroughly practical. Like cramming every magical assassination technique into one style, maybe?”

The words kept coming in choppy bursts.

“You thanked us at the beginning, didn’t you? Didn’t understand it then, but I do now. If we had fought one-on-one, we really would’ve been in danger.”

My body felt heavy.

My eyes were closing.

I felt like I could collapse any second.

“A regrettable affair, truly.”

At that moment, a voice laced with premonition settled upon me.

“To crush a seed brimming with such potential, here and now.”

Accompanied by a blade even sharper than the voice itself.

Reflexively, I raised my Moonlit Sword, parrying the strike, and summoned the last of my strength to trace a moon.

“Sa–(朔–)”

But, before I could finish, my vision warped, twisting halfway.

A heartbeat later, a viscous pain arrived.

“Erection of horse!”

The mace-wielding magical girl had smashed the side of my head. A mace enhanced with yellow mana, extending its reach just that bit further.

Completely spent as I was, her magic was far quicker than my own.

One side of my vision bloomed crimson. Beneath the grating whine of tinnitus, murky blood and clear fluid sprayed out. The latter, no doubt, spinal fluid.

Even so, I forced myself to complete the moon.

I didn’t care who it hit. Just to reduce their numbers by one, to create even the smallest chance of victory.

“–Moon(–月).”

But, the desperately drawn moon appeared momentarily in the wrong place, then vanished.

“Squirrel aqua!”

The slender-sword magical girl’s magic caused my foot to slip.

Just a little.

But enough for the moon to graze past.

I was disoriented. Dizzy. As my consciousness blurred, the Moonlit Sword, too, began to slowly fade.

In that instant, the wild-haired magical girl approached.

“It seems you’re quite out of strength.”

As she thrust her longsword fiercely forward.

After that, no sound reached me.

Only, the familiar sensation of the past returned, replayed.

The sensation of a sharp edge tearing through skin, piercing organs, grating, *ka-gak,* against the spine, then tearing through skin again.

Yes.

The magical girl’s sword had impaled me.

“That’s all.”

And then.

“It is finished.”

The sword twisted with brutal force.

Everything flashed before my eyes.

For a fleeting moment, consciousness severed.

It returned, but perception was… fractured. Thought refused to turn.

In that instant, a foreign weight vanished from my body.

“May you fare well.”

What followed was the sensation of something spilling, gushing forth.

A hollow liberation flickered through my sight, fading darker and darker.

And then, my world was extinguished for a time.