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Chapter 102
Chapter 3 — Dry scrape, burn and perforate! • Episode 3–4 — Witch Cup ⑦【Dragon VS Rabbit】
Translated by KaiesV
Edited by KaiesV
Leaving Extend alone at the base, Dragon Call was flying toward the crystal in the mid-west. Since that is a crystal that has already been secured by the Red Team, it’s better to aim for the crystal in the northwest middle layer if she’s trying to secure new crystals, and Dragon Call had intended to do the same until about halfway through the trip, but changed her destination when she saw on the map in her vision that the crystals in the north-central area had turned Yellow and that Crosseau had been destroyed.
The information displayed on the map is basically the position of allies, the position of crystals, and their colors, but only if there is a Magical Girl of the enemy team within sight of the allies, the location of that Magical Girl is also displayed.
Until just a few moments ago, Dragon Call’s map showed Crosseau and Rabbitfoot’s icons at the location of the small crystal in the western outer layer, but the two icons disappeared at the same time, and a little later the crystal changed color to yellow. So that would mean that Crosseau is defeated and Rabbitfoot is there.
Furthermore, since Red Ball should be fighting Extend at the Red Team’s base, it’s impossible for anyone other than Permafrost to have secured the north-central crystals, given the Yellow Team’s current position in the area.
With almost no small crystals secured, Crosseau and Extend are waiting for a restart, and the Red Team is currently in a very tight spot. In such a situation, Dragon Call wanted to avoid fighting Permafrost, which has little chance of winning.
So, to avoid Permafrost and to intercept Rabbitfoot, she descended to the crystal in the mid-west.
「Tch! Grab The Sky!」
「Trans : Tree Dragon! Prison!」
Rabbitfoot, who had been carefully watching her surroundings with her hand on the crystal, noticed Dragon Call descending from the sky, shaking the branches and leaves, and quickly ran to leave the scene, but a tree that began undulating like an animal with a will blocked her way, creating a dome-like enclosure with the crystal at its center.
「I guess the fact that you came over here means it’s not a coincidence.」
Dragon Call speaks to Rabbitfoot while showing off her beautiful green dragon scales, which seem to have been dyed by the lush landscape of the forest, with her highly revealing priestess outfit.
If she was simply trying to avoid Permafrost, there was no need to descend once to this mid-west crystal. But if Rabbitfoot’s defeat of Crosseau wasn’t a coincidence, Dragon Call predicted that she would surely come close to the Red Team’s base. The least competitive piece on the Yellow Team is Rabbitfoot, while the most competitive piece on the Red Team is Crosseau. If Rabbitfoot can continue to reliably hold down Crosseau, it can take an extremely large tactical advantage.
Objectively speaking, the strength of Rabbitfoot and Crosseau was obvious, and Dragon Call herself believed that Crosseau’s defeat was either a mistake or a coincidence. However, when the field this time is divided into two parts, south and north, it’s unreasonable for Rabbitfoot, which is supposed to be the leading player, to come to the north where the Yellow Team has already secured 70% of the crystals, instead of the south where the Blue Team has secured most of the crystals. If so, then the action would have a more effective meaning than securing the crystal on the south side.
In other words, Rabbitfoot’s victory is not coincidental but inevitable.
「…If you lose, no one on your team can beat me, do you understand?」
「That’s why I’m going to stop you. O dragon of the land gone mad! Answer my call and show your fury! Crunch!」
「Rabbit Smash!」
A four-legged lizard-like dragon covered with black scales is summoned with substance and approaches Rabbitfoot with a maniacal cry.
Rabbitfoot, who activated her magic at about the same time that Dragon Call finished her summoning chant, directed her heightened kicking power not at the oncoming earth dragon but at the trunk of a tree that blocked her way. The kick, which can kill even a Fire Dragon from Dragon Call with a single blow if it strikes directly, is not something that can be stopped by a tree at a high altitude. Just as Rabbitfoot had planned, the thick tree that had been standing in the way like a wall burst into flames with a roar as if it had exploded.
「Urk——!」
However, beyond the large hole, more trees were growing wildly and intertwining irregularly, forming an eerie second wall.
Dragon Call knew that Rabbitfoot would prioritize escape over battle. It isn’t a matter of Rabbitfoot’s temperament, but of the role and chemistry assigned to him. The mobile leading role prioritizes securing the crystals without forcing the fight. Especially in this case, it was obvious that Rabbitfoot would try to force her way through the enclosure, as her chances of winning against Dragon Call were remarkably low.
「Field Magic :『Dragon』」
「I’m up here! Field Magic :『Rabbit』!」
The two invisible territories of the two girls spread out around each other and collided. The stalemate lasted only a moment, and Rabbitfoot’s territory was swallowed up and drowned out by Dragon Call’s unfolding territory.
This is the main reason why Rabbitfoot wanted to prioritize escape. Field Magic between Life Systems doesn’t coexist in the same space. There is no way that a territory claim by a Weak Beast against a Strong Beast can be accepted.
The prideful Rabbitfoot couldn’t admit from the start that she was lower in rank without even trying. Therefore, if Dragon Call used Field Magic, she couldn’t avoid using her own Field Magic, no matter how small the chance of winning. Rabbitfoot herself understood this, which is why she was trying to convince herself that her role wasn’t to force herself to fight and escape.
The pecking order of the Witches’ Tea Party is determined by strength against Diest. There are some Magical Girls whose magic itself is incompatible with Diest, so the rank in the pecking order doesn’t simply represent the rank of the Magical Girl as it is.
But even so, it could be an indicator. The pecking order given to the two Witches, both of whom were of the same life line and of limited release, clearly reflected the difference in their abilities.
「Don’t screw with me! I ain’t giving up!」
「I apologize, but I can’t take any more embarrassing losses.」
Rabbitfoot zigzagged towards Dragon Call, being chased around by a ground dragon that was agile in spite of its figure. The wall of trees that surrounds the area cannot be disturbed by the three-dimensional maneuvering that is their specialty, because they can move freely at the command of Dragon Call. She would be entangled and stuck before she could kick the wall. So Rabbitfoot gambled on her greatest strength: speed.
「Dragon Aura.」
「Charm Of Bunny!」
Rabbitfoot is so fast that she’s said to be the fastest on earth, and the earth dragon cannot keep up with her speed, but by turning the entire surrounding area into a territory, and by using the body enhancement magic that every Magical Girl in the Life Lineage naturally possesses, Dragon Call was able to completely see through the Rabbitfoot’s movements. Rabbitfoot’s movements were completely foreseen by Dragon Call.
As long as she can fly in the sky, she can attack unilaterally without the need to see through her movements, but while she’s using Trans : Tree Dragon, her wings degenerate and she cannot fly. The magic of transmutation reproduces the dragon’s negative characteristics instead of borrowing its power, so if a dragon is transmuted into a dragon that doesn’t have the ability to fly, such as a Ground Dragon, Sea Dragon, or Tree Dragon, it temporarily loses its own ability to fly.
Rabbitfoot invoked the Charm Magic with the idea that it would be profitable if it could pass, but the result was a dud. She couldn’t feel the response she had felt when she used it on Crosseau. She had considered the possibility that the Magical Girls’ protections weren’t functioning during this Witch Cup, but she know she was wrong.
「Rabbit Smash!」
「Trans : Gaia Dragon.」
Just before the collision, each activated their magic, and the game was decided in an instant.
Dragon Call was hit with a full-bodied blow, and her left arm was bent as if in a heap.
Rabbitfoot is split in half from the left shoulder to the right hip in an overknee, sprinkling seven-colored light and flashy, fancy effects.
「That hurts just a little bit, mmm…」
Even after receiving the enhanced strength, benefiting from body enhancing magic, and transforming into a more durable dragon, the damage caused by the Rabbitfoot’s blow was still enormous.
During the Witch Cup, the pain feedback felt by the avatar is set to be quite low, so it only hurts a little, but if this were a flesh-and-blood body, it is doubtful that it would be able to continue fighting.
「Trans : Flame Dragon.」
Dragon Call kicked the sky, realizing that she couldn’t let her guard down just because she was lower in the pecking order, as she had known when she was overwhelmed by Tyrant Sylph.
.
『Contender Rabbitfoot, who had been on a winning streak, but now she had to settle for a black star against Contender Dragon Call! Comment-san, what is your thoughts over this current battle!?』
『Although rarely seen in ordinary competitions, the battle between Magical Girls from different Life Lineages who have reached mastery of Field Magic is almost always one-sided. The nature of the territory is such that it’s inevitable that the stronger player will override the weaker one, so in that sense, I think Contender Rabbitfoot did rather well.』
「Heh, is that so. Did you both know about this?」
Elephant, looking at Mike’s form, asked Blade and Press with a voice of admiration at the fairy’s explanation.
Elephant was thrilled when Extend was able to match up with Red Ball, but she was more interested in the magic specifications of the battle between Rabbitfoot and Dragon Call, with whom she has no particular relationship, than in the outcome.
「I didn’t know that. I don’t really watch a lot of competitions.」
「I knew that! Well, I didn’t bother to tell Ele-chan since it would be a long～ time before you could use your Field Magic.☆」
Since the information that Field Magic is incompatible and the stronger party will be eaten is not very relevant in fighting the Diest, it isn’t surprising that Blade doesn’t know this. It is neither laziness nor negligence. In fact, it can be said that Press is more diligent in grasping such things, despite her appearance.
『I wonder why she didn’t use the Charm Magic she was expected to use to overthrow Wigs Crosseau!』
『This video doesn’t pick up any audio, if the magic fails, we won’t know what’s going on, I think she probably used it and it didn’t went through.』
「T–That’s not true! I’ll be up and running in no time!」
「Well, we should be able to do at least that.」
「Ahaha, a high target!」
「Not really——」
Field Magic is a level of magic that is generally considered profound, and being able to use it is a sign of superlative skill.
Press laughed as if to make fun of Blade, who was conscious in a good way, and when Blade, perhaps a little miffed by this, tried to argue something, a notification of the Diest occurrence rang out, interrupting the conversation.
「Huh? Mine doesn’t ring, you know?」
「That’s weird, it’s not mine either. What about you, Press?」
「Ah, It was mine. Well, I’m going out for a while—」
「Hey——」
The fact that Blade and Elephant haven’t been notified means that it wasn’t the town of Sakira where the Diest appeared. This means that before coming to this stadium in the magical world, Press was in some other town in the real world that wasn’t Sakira Town.
Blade tried to ask her about it, but Press seemed to be in a hurry and moved away without hearing her voice.
『I see! But then again, Contender Dragon Call used a wide variety of magic! It was an exciting battle to watch!』
『She probably thought she would lose if she was outplayed by Contender Tyrant Sylph. In fact, she was right to fight with all her might, since her left arm was taken away even after overriding it with a Territory.』
「Good grief, you could at least tell me where they are.」
「Press, can she handle it alone?」
「I’m worried, but there’s nothing we can do if we don’t know where she was. She didn’t seem too worked up, so let’s hope it’s not a strong Diest.」
「Yeah, I hope so…」
Blade looks stunned, and Elephant looks a little worried, as she looks at the seat where Press was sitting a moment ago.
To tell the truth, the two didn’t know Press very well. Both Elephant and Blade naturally consider Press a friend, but Press herself isn’t the type to talk about herself too aggressively, that said, she’s not the type to cause major problems, so they understand each other’s beliefs and weaknesses, like Blade and Elephant, nor does she share secrets like Elephant and Sylph.
They have teamed up since Press started fighting in Sakira Town as a new Magical Girl, and they sometimes meet in reality in a non-transformed state, but let’s just say that’s where it stops. Always lighthearted and aloof, she professes that she’s a Magical Girl for money, but they’re not even sure if this is true.
It’s not that they’re certain of anything. It may be that there are no deeper circumstances, but simply that the girl Press has a large personal space. They are worried because they just don’t know. Fighting a Diest alone is a common occurrence, even for Elephant and Blade, depending on the rank of the opponent. If that were all, Blade and Elephant would’ve been sent off without any qualms. But in the case of Press, they don’t know if that’s really all there is to it. So sometimes, like this, some vague uneasiness follows Elephant.
『Hey there! Having won the territory war, Contender Dragon Call has begun to move in a southwesterly direction, as seen from the center! Plus, apparently, Contenders Wigs Crosseau and Extend Traveler are back, and they’re both heading northwest!』
『There are a lot of Red Team versus Yellow Team situations, and the Blue Team is steadily expanding its position in the field, so Contender Dragon Call seem to be going to cut that way. On the other hand, I wonder if the two resurrected contenders are planning to leave the south side to Contender Dragon Call and paint the north side.』
『Yellow Team! The dominance they had earlier has turned around and they’re in big trouble! Contenders Red Ball and Rabbitfoot are now waiting to be resurrected! Contender Permafrost seems to have moved from the north middle level to the north inner level and secured the crystal safely, but what will happen to her!?』
『When this happens, the amount of crystals secured will slow down the revival of the two contenders considerably, so it’s a tough stand for Contender Permafrost.』
『Blue Team’s Contender Doppelganger! Still no movement! However, Contender Tyrant Sylph have secured the outer southeast crystal and are now aiming for the outer northeast crystal! And Contender Ex–Magna also painted the crystals in the southwest inner layer from Yellow to Blue! They now have 8 small crystals secured, which means they already have 40% of them!』
『So far, so good, but the reduced number of Yellow Team members has increased the likelihood that the number of crystals on the Blue Team will be outstanding. If that happens, the two teams will be concentrating on each other, so the key to the game will be whether they can maintain their current lead until the end of the match.』