Chapter 46: Wings Against the Blade

[“Ah… first time meeting you, Sensei. You seem quite busy, don’t you?”]

“Who… are you?”

Before searching for a way past the debris wall, Sensei, tending to the collapsed Hiyori and Misaki, faced a chilling voice crackling through an Arius student’s communicator—a monstrous woman who’d been waiting for this moment.

“Eek…!” Hiyori whimpered.

“It’s Madame,” Misaki said grimly.

Sensei’s face twisted with unconcealed disgust at the revelation.

[“Kekeke, yes, I’m the ‘adult’ guiding those pathetic children you’re with—Beatrice,”] the voice continued, dripping with mockery.

[“I knew you were heading to the old cathedral. The schemes of those brats are mere child’s play to an adult like me.”]

“You oppress students with violence and fear, blind their eyes, and deafen their ears to make them despise and hate each other, and you call yourself an adult?” Sensei snapped, her voice thick with anger.

[“A misunderstanding, dear. I merely used the hatred they already had. Kids fighting is just everyday nonsense, isn’t it?”] Beatrice replied, flicking her fan as if it were obvious.

[“Like that Trinity witch over there, gleefully spewing her hate, for example,”] she added with a sinister chuckle.

“Enough,” Sensei cut in.

[“Hmm?”]

“Mika’s no witch. She’s just been led astray by your vile deeds,” Sensei said firmly.

[“Kukuku, clinging to such futile hope—how fitting for my adversary. But it’s pointless, Sensei. Soon…”]

BOOM!

Beatrice’s mocking retort was cut off by a thunderous impact shaking the ground.

“Kaoru, Mika…!” Sensei clenched her fists, glaring at the debris-blocked passage, realizing a fierce battle was unfolding beyond.

[“Urgh?! The altar…?”] Beatrice’s voice faltered, audibly shaken.

[“A shock strong enough to affect the Basilica’s mystic pathways…? What kind of power do those girls have…?! Tsk, for now—”] Her panicked muttering was abruptly silenced as the communication cut off.

“W-What…?” Hiyori stammered.

“I’ve never seen Madame like that,” Misaki said, stunned.

Sensei, equally bewildered, stared at the blank communicator screen.

While Sensei endured her unpleasant first encounter with Beatrice…

Tat-tat-tang! BOOM!

On the other side of the debris wall, Saori, pinned under rubble and unable to move, witnessed the intense clash unfolding before her.

This kind of fight… is it even possible?

Initially, she’d hoped to aid Kaoru with her one usable arm, but it quickly became clear this battle was beyond her reach.

Even in her weakened state, the movements of the two girls were too fast to track.

“Hahaha, outsider-chan, how long are you gonna keep scurrying like a rat~☆?” Mika taunted, her flickering, blood-red halo casting an eerie glow as she fired relentlessly at Kaoru.

Bang! Tat-tang!

Each shot from her submachine gun left craters in the walls and pillars, as if fired from a heavy cannon, sending fragments flying.

Tap!

Despite the confined space, Kaoru weaved between pillars with supernatural speed, dodging every shot.

“Fufu, how about this?”

SLASH!

With a few light swings of her sword toward a wall, Kaoru’s blade sent shockwaves slicing through thick stone like butter.

CRASH!

The ceiling, losing support, collapsed toward Mika in a domino effect.

“Hmm, just this?” Mika sidestepped the debris with ease.

Tap-tap-tap!

But in the brief pause of Mika’s gunfire, Kaoru used the walls and pillars as stepping stones, darting behind her like lightning and reaching out.

If she can touch Mika’s weapon like she did with us and disable it…!

Saori realized Kaoru’s intent, gripping her hand tightly in anticipation.

“Haha?” Unlike the Arius Squad, who’d been caught off guard, Mika wasn’t so easily outmaneuvered.

WHAM!

Mika spun, her white wings slamming into Kaoru, who blocked the blow with her outstretched hand, wincing slightly.

Though Kaoru seemed unharmed, the heavy thud told Saori the strike carried immense force.

She can use her wings like that too…?!

“Hahat! That hurt, outsider-chan. My turn!”

Thud!

Instead of shooting, Mika lunged, swinging her gun like an axe toward Kaoru’s head.

WHOOSH!

“Danger…!” Saori shouted instinctively as the strike threatened to split Kaoru’s skull.

CLANG!

“Fufu, that was close,” Kaoru said, effortlessly parrying with her sword.

Though it was odd to block a gun with a blade, Kaoru’s strength held Mika’s weapon at bay.

“Tch!” Kaoru swung her sword, sending Mika and her gun flying back.

WHOOSH!

As if her earlier toss of Saori into a wall was child’s play, Mika hurtled toward the wall at terrifying speed.

“Hmm, not bad, outsider-chan.”

Thud.

Mika, however, adjusted mid-air with uncanny agility, landing lightly on the wall and dropping to the ground unscathed, her combat instincts undulled despite her madness.

The fight’s evenly matched. This won’t end quickly, Saori assessed, ever the Squad leader.

But… Her gaze shifted to Kaoru’s sword, a realization dawning.

She’s not using it against Mika directly.

Kaoru hadn’t once swung her blade to strike Mika, only using it to block or control her movements.

She didn’t even use it directly against us when we attacked Sensei.

For whatever reason, Mika hasn’t noticed yet.

But if Kaoru keeps fighting so defensively…

CLANG!

“How’s this?!” Mika swung her gun again, only for Kaoru to block it.

BAM!

“…?!” This time, Mika followed with a sudden headbutt.

“Ugh…” Caught off guard, Kaoru staggered.

Bang! BOOM!

Mika fired a single shot, infused with some unnatural force, sending Kaoru crashing into the wall.

“Urgh…!”

CRUMBLE!

As debris and dust filled the air, Saori gritted her teeth.

“Stay out of this, outsider-chan. You’ll pay your price later,” Mika said, her earlier taunting replaced by an oddly subdued tone.

“Now…” Turning to Saori with a manic grin, her lifeless eyes gleamed. “Your turn!”

“Urgh…!” Facing those predatory yellow eyes, Saori struggled against the rubble pinning her leg.

WHOOSH!

A fist-sized metal chunk shot through the dust, whistling toward Mika’s head.

WHAM!

“Argh?!”

BOOM!

Mika flew back, slamming into a wall. Stunned, Saori turned to the source.

Step, step.

“Oh my, thinking I was done would’ve been disappointing, fufu,” Kaoru said, emerging casually from the dust.

She picked up the pistol she’d thrown, noticing Saori’s gaze.

“Fufu, Saori, you okay?”

“I… no, are you okay? That hit…” Saori stammered, staring at Kaoru, who, aside from a slight scratch on her forehead, looked unscathed.

“Hmm, it did sting,” Kaoru admitted.

Click.

Mika, equally unharmed, rose from the rubble.

“Outsider-chan, you’re rougher than you look! Not as bad as Nagi-chan, but I take care of my hair, you know!”

“Oh my, you’re the one who headbutted me first,” Kaoru retorted, brushing back her sweat-dampened lilac hair.

“…” Watching the two, still in top form despite the devastation around them, Saori wondered if her earlier concerns were misplaced.

Their weapons don’t even matter…