Kwaaaang――
The gigantic sound of an explosion that sends chills down your spine just by hearing it.
Hana glanced up for a moment.
A massive spearhead cutting through the sky.
Countless illusions and silver weapons opposing the spearhead.
Amidst the huge scars that seemed to tear the crimson sky apart, two beings were locked in a fierce battle.
Silver burst forth from the radiant multicolored light.
Reddish-brown surged from the burning barrier.
The two gigantic colors tangled chaotically, covering the red sky.
The sight was so immense that anyone watching felt their body freeze in place.
Worry flooded Hana as she realized her friend was fighting there.
“Hikari-chan?!”
“Hana!! It’s dangerous!!”
“Ah!”
“Hana!! Focus!! You have to dodge!!”
Echo shouted anxiously as she whipped her short blonde hair, pushing away giant soldiers and black lions with sonic waves.
“Eh?!”
Kwa-dudd-dudd!
A reddish-brown flash surged towards Hana as she turned back.
A giant, larger than a telephone pole, was barreling towards her, shrouded in reddish-brown light, smashing everything in its path.
From a point it grew larger, soon filling her entire view with the giant’s light.
Kwa-dudd-dudd-dudd!
The asphalt shattered.
Walls flipped over.
Vehicles flew.
They planned to divert the giant’s attention with an all-out attack on the sports center and escape as far away as possible. Hana and her friends were on their way back, passing the baseball stadium to destroy the stele again.
Echo pushed the enemies away with sonic waves,
Sylph lifted the group with wind,
Daphne assisted the team so they wouldn’t tire.
With all that help, Hana was able to attack the giant faster than ever before and escape. But the giant, Achilles, who was several kilometers away, was hot on their heels with a flash.
“Are you kidding?! You’ve come this far?!”
“Sylph!! Now’s not the time to be surprised!! Dodge!!”
Achilles’s legs moved with such power and swiftness that his upper body floated like a ghost, gliding towards her.
Hana desperately wrapped herself in golden starlight to escape the giant, but she could feel Achilles’s momentum creeping closer.
Like a super-speed train racing along an invisible track.
Becoming a spear unparalleled by any speed or momentum.
Kwa-zhik! Kwa-zhik! Kwa-zhik!
The surroundings shattered as if struck by a storm, debris rising all around her, passing through a tunnel made of rubble.
Kwa-dudd-dudd-dudd!
If you were standing on the tracks watching a train charging out of a tunnel, this is how it would feel.
Even as Hana faced Achilles’s charge, which seemed like it would shred her skin with mere force, she could not help but imagine it.
Darkness flickering wildly between bursts of reddish-brown armor.
The gaze visible through the battered helmet’s faceplate.
Killing intent.
Death.
Destruction.
Crushing.
If she was hit by that, she would die.
Her small body would likely be smashed to bits without a trace.
As that thought crossed her mind, Hana felt her breath catch.
“What to do?”
Even if she dies and comes back,
If she gets out of the fight, she can’t help Hikari-chan.
If she loses, many who aren’t magical girls will die.
Her mom and dad, waiting at home, would be in danger.
And her little sister, who had just come to this world not long ago.
– “Hana-chan! You have to protect your sister when she’s born, okay?”
– “Me, mom, and dad will protect her together!”
– “Yeah! Of course!”
“Ah…”
Right before Hana’s frail body collided with a giant several meters tall.
“Hana!!! It’s dangerous!!!”
In that moment, which felt like forever, golden starlight wrapped around Hana, allowing her to narrowly avoid the giant’s charge.
As she rolled, the red sky and ground flipped, creating a dizzying sight.
Gasping breaths.
Golden hair.
A red sky.
When Hana’s vision cleared from the chaotic mix of everything, she finally breathed a sigh of relief, feeling alive.
“Ugh…”
“Are, are you okay, Daphne?”
“My, my head hurts.”
Amidst the sound of the wall of the baseball stadium crumbling, Hana heard the voice of the golden girl who had come to save her.
Kwa-dudd-dudd!
Kwaaang!!
Rolling thunder—
Though it didn’t hit its target, Achilles, unable to resist the remaining force of that overwhelming speed, rushed through the hundreds of meters wide stadium and crashed through the opposite wall.
The noise of Achilles disappearing beyond the wall was faintly heard.
Thud! Thud! Thud!
Having narrowly avoided the imminent crisis, Hana turned to see Daphne clinging to her with one hand.
Daphne’s arm was completely mangled from the giant’s force.
A limp arm with twisted joints.
Her fluttering white dress was stained with dust and blood, and her beautiful golden hair was matted with sweat.
“Ugh… Hana!! Let’s escape while we can!”
“Daphne! Your arm… your arm! I’ll heal you!”
As Hana clenched her teeth in fear, ready to use her healing ability with glowing yellow starlight…
Kwaaang!!
Achilles, who had vanished beyond the wall, jumped back over the baseball stadium’s fence, descending from the sky.
Like a meteor cutting through the crimson sky.
“Daphne!!! I’ll save you!!!”
“Sylph!! No!!”
“Uwaaaah…!!!”
Always with that blank stare, the golden girl struggled to create a massive wall of wind.
A hemispherical shield formed from countless winds.
The reddish-brown giant’s flash shot down from the sky like a meteor.
The clash of their two powers, like a giant spear striking an egg, caused a devastating explosion that shattered everything around them, unleashing a deafening roar.
Shuuuuuuuu!!!
Kwaaaang—
Debris soaring into the sky.
The ground crumbling.
Before the pure violence could strike like a hammer on the water’s surface, everything lifted into the air.
Hana was helplessly flung away, catching glimpses of her other friends who had come to save her.
Sylph, pushing herself to create the barrier, was sent flying, bleeding from her nose in the aftermath.
Daphne, whose one arm was rendered useless, tumbled through the rubble, covered in blood.
Echo, who was throwing black lions away, was also thrown far away by the bombardment behind her.
Everything happened in an instant, feeling surreal as if it weren’t real.
Bang! Bang! Bang!
Hana, having soared into the sky and tumbled several times upon landing, couldn’t get back up from the shock.
Her limp body felt numb, just like her paralyzed lower half before becoming a magical girl.
A sense of floating without any feeling.
Emptiness.
Despair.
“Ugh… ugh…!”
“…!………!”
“…!!!……!!”
Beeep――
Through the completely blown-out ear drums, Hana seemingly heard her friends struggling to say something.
“Run!”
“It’s dangerous!”
“I can’t just leave you behind…!”
The vibrations from heavy footsteps echoed from far away, approaching Hana’s body on the ground.
Thud
Thud
Thud
Hana barely turned her head and saw hundreds of giant soldiers and lions surrounding them from beyond the stadium.
“■■■■■!!”
“■■■!!”
Her friends’ voices sounded faint and distant, as if heard underwater, while the unwanted roar was unnervingly clear.
Roarrr…
The stadium collapsed with a resounding crash.
From the sky above, the reddish-brown flash was descending again.
Roarrr…
To end the lives of her friends along with her own.
To go out and harm others once more.
Roarrr…
Hana, with her numb arms flailing, began to rise.
Just like that day when paralysis of her lower half had struck her.
Just like that day when she fell over and buried her face in the bed, crying endlessly.
“Ugh… Hikari-chan…! Mom…! Dad…!”
And her little sister.
Recalling everything, Hana rose.
Wobbling on her legs,
even if her body ached and throbbed,
even if all her friends were down,
Hana struggled to lift her numb body and stood alone in the arena.
Monsters surrounded her completely.
Soldiers advancing with glimmering spearheads.
The reddish-brown flash approaching from the sky.
Swish—
Hana, shaking off the blood from her nose due to the shock, struggled to open her eyes and faced them.
Now, she alone could stand as a magical girl in the stadium.
No matter how many times a magical girl could return from death, ignoring her friends in danger wasn’t how Hana lived.
Just like the first friend who didn’t ignore her pathetic self at the cafe, so gently.
Just like her mom, who cared for her as if she were just a heavy load.
Just like her dad, who spoke boldly, believing everything would turn out fine.
There was only one thing Hana needed to do at this moment.
Run.
Run, wrapped in starlight.
With the starlight of swiftness, blow everything away.
For her friends,
for her family,
for the people.
Run.
“Huup! What I’m good at is…!”
Running to help people.
“A magical girl exists to protect people!”
In this moment, like a meteor falling from the sky, she needed to rise and protect them.
As she recalled the gratitude and encouragement from those who had helped her until now, the yellow starlight began to bubble up.
Hana spread her legs wide, braced herself with her arms on the ground, and lifted her head to face the approaching monsters.
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