"Are you hurt? Can you still stand?"
A gentle, soothing voice reached her ears, and Soyo realized she'd been lost in her own thoughts without even noticing.
"I… I'm okay."
Was she a magical girl? No… she was wearing the Tsukinomori uniform, high school division… A black-haired Valkyrie. Was that the Raiden Mei she'd heard about?
Soyo had heard the name Raiden Mei plenty of times, but this was her first time seeing the real person.
Even someone like Soyo, who was used to seeing young ladies of quality, couldn't help but be stunned by the other girl's looks.
She opened and closed her mouth before finally managing a response. "My legs… they're a bit weak."
The running earlier hadn't actually been that intense. The main reason for her current state was muscle spasms from sheer fright—not surprising at all.
Some animals could even die from shock.
"Then let me…"
Seeing the black-haired girl, who had seemed about to help her up, suddenly change her previously soft expression for a serious one, Soyo knew the situation wasn't looking good.
Always considerate of others, she naturally understood priorities. "Don't worry about me, Raiden-senpai. Please go protect the others first."
"Then please hold on for a bit. I'll deal with them as quickly as I can."
The black-haired girl's expression softened again, but before Soyo could reply, she transformed into a flash of lightning and vanished from sight.
Though she wielded only a wooden sword, enveloped in high-temperature plasma, anything it touched melted away as easily as butter.
A clean, horizontal slash left a scorching golden light on the severed surface, followed by intense heat. The creatures didn't even get a chance to dissolve into mana before turning to ash.
"Raiden… Raiden-san!?"
The young lady she had saved was still trembling with fear.
"Please evacuate. Leave this place to me."
The calm, decisive voice soothed the panic slightly.
Though fear still gripped her heart, the young lady didn't say another word, turning and running straight for the Valkyrie Department without looking back.
Streaks of lightning, too fast for the eye to follow, flashed across the campus.
With the first wave of monsters cleared, the remaining ones were cut down before they even had a chance to emerge.
The young ladies who had been fleeing in panic began to notice they seemed safe now.
Watching the black-haired girl, whose entire demeanor was poised and dignified, slowly sheathe her wooden sword at her waist, those who were already interested in her felt their eyes practically gleaming.
So Valkyries could be this powerful too?
They were amazed. The Valkyrie instructors were even more stunned. "What's going on? Is that something a human can do?"
Instantly appearing from the rooftop to the ground, then slaying a monster in a flash, all accompanied by blinding lightning—wasn't this a magical girl?
While they were still reeling, a tremor suddenly shook the earth.
"What now!?"
The Valkyrie instructors could still tell the commotion was coming from behind them. Had that robed figure pulled another stunt?
As if answering their thoughts, the robed figure's laughter echoed through the school again, though it sounded rather strained.
"To think you've already learned how to use that Core. But just how far can you take it? Since those weaklings couldn't handle you, how about this one?"
As her words faded, an even greater tremor made it hard for the young ladies to keep their balance.
The shaking was strong enough to rival an earthquake, yet not a single crack appeared on the ground.
"Kiana! Fall back!"
The department head immediately stepped in front of Amber, scanning their surroundings with wary eyes.
She was certain something was around them, but… her eyes couldn't catch it?
She was very concerned about what the robed figure meant by 'Core.'
Judging from the earlier situation, it likely referred to the unusual power Mei had displayed.
The reason the robed figure wanted to take Mei and Kiana away seemed tied to this anomaly—or rather, to the 'Core' she mentioned.
If the enemy wanted it, then there was even less reason to let them have it.
Moreover, the fact that they were willing to risk confronting Schicksal head-on to capture Kiana and Mei suggested this so-called Core possessed power that didn't fear Schicksal.
Considering the extraordinary physical capabilities both girls possessed, the department head grew even more convinced of her guess.
That said, they had to find a way out of their current predicament first.
"Don't underestimate me! I can fight too!"
Amber stepped up beside the department head, then raised her baseball bat toward the robed figure in the sky. "You! If you want to hurt Mei, you'll have to go through me first!"
"You're her target too!"
Even though she'd long known this white-haired girl cared deeply for the black-haired one—often making embarrassingly awkward displays in public—couldn't she at least recognize her own situation now?
"What you should be doing right now is hiding with Raiden Mei! Hold out until the magical girls arrive for backup!"
"'A Valkyrie's duty is to never abandon her comrades.' You just said that, didn't you, Sensei? Whether as a Valkyrie or as a Kaslana, I can't possibly leave this place."
"You…"
The department head's words stuck in her throat, and she finally swallowed them back.
"How presumptuous."
The robed figure's voice dripped with disdain. "To be honest, I'm not that interested in you. I just wanted to take a swipe at Schicksal's arrogance while I was at it. Since you're so eager to die, I'll oblige you."
As she spoke, the ground shook even more violently, reaching a level where even these trained Valkyries struggled to stay on their feet.
Then, a pool of black sludge spread across half the field in the blink of an eye.
A massive, disc-shaped maw lined with sharp teeth shot out from the sludge.
From their perspective, they could even see that the terrifying creature's insides were also lined with fangs. One glance was enough to send anyone's sanity plummeting.
No way to dodge!
The department head hadn't expected the enemy to summon a monster of this size all at once. That maw alone looked big enough to swallow half their school building.
A dazzling flash of lightning streaked across the campus once more. The two who had been within range of the giant maw a moment ago now found themselves a hundred meters away.
"Mei!"
Only one person present could pull off something like that.
"I'm late, Kiana."
The black-haired girl's expression and voice were as gentle as ever, but her gaze turned icy as she looked toward the worm that had burrowed back into the ground.
"Wait! Over there is…!"
Amber's sudden cry snapped the black-haired girl's attention away.
Although the three of them had escaped the attack range, the worm's strike hadn't missed entirely.
It slammed hard into the school's teaching building. Even though it was just a collision, the creature's massive size still caused tremendous damage.
Most importantly… that area was very close to where Sakiko and Mutsumi were. They might not have been hit directly, but an accident was hardly impossible.
Fortunately, as the dust settled, the figures of two girls were revealed, safe and sound.
Half the rooftop had collapsed.
With the load-bearing pillars damaged, the other half was tilting perilously. Luckily, Sakiko had quickly grabbed Mutsumi, and both clung to a rooftop bench, avoiding any real danger.
"Quite the desperate move. But how many times do you think you can pull that off? Using magical power in a human body—do you really think there's no cost?"
The robed figure wore an expression of assured victory, as if she already held triumph in her hands.
--+--
T/N: I have a Patreon! Webnovel will get 3 Chapters Every Day, and advanced chapters will be uploaded on Patreon.
It may not seem worth it now, but maybe in the future. Who knows!
[email protected]/AspenTL
If you guys wanna check it out.