(A.N.: This is Part 1 of the final chapter.)
Chapter 6
ENAQBZFUBHGF!?
Part 1
It has been a day — or perhaps even an eternity — ever since Fräulein Floret read the diary she found buried deep within the ground. Time was a concept long gone in this unchanging gray Sahara.
"... Onee-chan, I'm back."
"Welcome, welcome..."
An unimaginable sight unfolded in the tea party on the moon. Many talks were had on this tea table, whether they be serious, silly, or simple idle chats, but definitely all of them were filled with smiles and laughter — a clear reflection on their bubbly personalities.
Now, neither of them could see any 'party' in this tea party. Fräulein was stirring her cup of iced coffee with a finger, sighing repeatedly while occasionally looking up above the cloud-coated planet. Frau on the other hand sunk her small frame deep within the cushiony chair, a look so displeased you could see the dark miasma oozing all around her.
"... You first. You look kind of dangerous right now."
"Thank you, onee-chan. Then..."
She casually lifted the table with one arm, and threw it up the air. As soon as it was high enough, from her hands erupted lightning and an ear-splitting thunder. She shouted her rage.
"STUPID! MAGICAL! GIRLS!! What the hell are you guys DOIIIING? If onee-sama doesn't kill you first, I'LL PERSONALY HANDLE YOU WITH CARE! AAAAHHHHH!!"
She threw her own chair to the distance and gave it the same shock treatment. Of the chair's fate, not even splinters remained.
"FGHCVQSHPXVATCVRPRFBSFUVGF!!"
She began shouting something in a strange language Fräulein couldn't comprehend. The blonde girl couldn't do anything but wait until her anger subsided.
"Fghcvqshpxf... lbhthlfnertbbqxabjvatguvfplcure... ha... ha... okay. I'm good. I'm good. I'm calm. I'm the forsaken magical girl of chaos and depravity, Magical Frau Klein. Being angry is not helping, Nein, nein."
With a snap of a finger, the table and chair she blew to smithereens materialized to their previous places like new. The cups and plates that fell on the ground were replaced and refilled. Fräulein wasted no time in using her ice magic to summon an ice cube to her cup.
"I'm always amazed at that energy of yours. Chamomile helps with the nerves, you know?"
"Thanks, onee-chan. But I'm calm now. Yes, calm, calm as a clam~"
"So, what's this all about?"
Frau heavily sighed and sunk deeper to her chair, hugging her legs, as if hiding from some invincible force out to get her.
"... World Euphonics onee-sama's angry."
"World Euphonics onee-sama? You mean that moon voice? What evil did you do now?"
"Not me! My stupid sisters!"
She slammed the table with her fist, giving the tea cups and tea a jump. Just remembering the insanities the other Magical Girls did made Frau Klein's nerves go haywire.
"They're... whatever they're doing is making World Euphonics onee-sama super angry. I've never seen onee-sama that angry before. They even blocked the Akashic Central Computer from gathering data! Nein, it should be impossible without me... What the hell are they hiding...? Those traitors who turned their blades on onee-sama, I would've made them if I wasn't sealed!"
"... What are we talking about again?"
"The world! They sealed ten days in that world so World Euphonics onee-sama wouldn't be able to observe! Not only that, they killed off humanity at the same time!"
"So, um, those other Magical Girls killed humanity... in those ten days?"
"Yes! If onee-sama hasn't noticed that small glitch in the data, it would've slipped from her sights! Onee-sama's data can't have holes in it. It's going to wreck onee-sama's project! To fool onee-sama like that, did they forget their gratitude? Wh—"
"There, there, it's all right."
Fräulein gave the shivering girl a hug. Frau's eyes were bloodshot, and her breathing was ragged once more, so she couldn't ignore the little girl's state and tried patting her softly on the back. It worked for little Alice, it should work for her look-alike on the moon too.
Frau tried to resist at first, but gradually gave up and left her body to the haughty girl's pats. Slow, but kind pats. Slow, but sure. The warmth transmitted from her palm helped Frau regain composure once more.
"... I don't like seeing onee-sama angry. She's someone who'll bring us all to a great path. Why can't my sisters understand that?"
"Yes, yes. But don't you worry, okay? If it's that moon voice, then surely she can do something about it."
"... That's the problem, onee-chan. She can't directly interfere with the world. I don't know why but she doesn't do that. She only observes. The only time I know she did stuff was with you, and that's a special case. I'm the only one World Euphonics onee-sama can rely now."
"Then it can't be helped. It's the will of fate that those ten days end up with humanity losing, after all. Now, smile, smile! There are many other things we can do other than worry about things we can't do! I shouldn't have worried about that diary, huh."
"Fate? How can I accept that stupid fate? What of World Euphonics onee-sama's goals? Her dreams? Her ambitions for us all? How can I— ... eh? Diary?"
Frau Klein's eyes turned to dots.
"See? If even moon voice, who can overturn my fate like that, can't do anything, what more about us? Okay? Now that we've got that over, what game should we play today?"
"Onee-chan? Diary?"
"Oh yeah, I haven't told you about that. Well, it's a good topic anyways. See, my sister was such a cheat, she teleported a book from the world to the moon! Is that even possible?"
Fräulein pulled out a peculiar object from her tattered suit. It was a bundle of papers with a cardboard cover, bound by several metal rings.
"Tada! Fraulein's Diary — dedicated to me! I found it under the ground while I was digging around the place."
"... Eh? That a prank?"
"Nope, it's real! See here, not my handwr—"
"Gimme that!"
Frau snatched the book from her hands without even a speck of care, and absorbed every single letter from its pages. The normally noisy tea party was now bathed in unbreakable silence, filled with nothing but the flick of pages. With every flick, Frau Klein's expression grew darker and darker.
She was reading an impossibility. Hopefully a prank. It was simply a record of past events Frau Klein has seen herself thanks to the Observatory above their heads. But the implications of such a record being here on this place, it just couldn't be. Because this was a place where even death has died.
"... No way."
"Yes way! What do you think, Frau? I'm proud of my cheat of a twin sister! Ah, I kind of miss her."
"Cheat...? Onee-chan, this isn't just a mere cheat. Do you even know where we are?"
Fräulein tilted her head at Frau's obvious question.
"The moon, right?"
"Ja! So how do you think something like this could've gotten here?"
"... Long-ranged teleportation?"
Frau Klein realized. She didn't want to believe it. She didn't want to stare into the dark abyss that is Fräulein's ignorance.
"Onee-chan, when I say 'moon', what kind of moon am I talking about?"
"Heh? The world's got only one moon, right? Wait, there were two? I—I never noticed it!"
Frau realized. Fräulein didn't understand the impossibility of a lone human sending an object to this 'moon'. All this time, she though they were on the moon that circled around the world. She didn't even question why she could breathe, or why gravity was the same as the world. She simply ignored all those facts and lived a careless life.
It really was the same, whether the world, or here. As long as she had love, she didn't care about anything else.
"... Onee-chan, if it was only distance that separated us from the world, I could've easily escaped and smash those Magical Girls' heads. Why do you think it took six goddesses and a hero to seal me here?"
"Eh? So where are we?"
"We're in the Astral Plane! We're far removed from that world's reality! We're in a place outside their time! You can't just 'teleport' from here to there. That's just like saying you can travel between worlds!"
"Really? What's that cloud-covered planet up there then?"
"An observation gift from onee-sama, so I wouldn't get bored! I get data from World Euphonics onee-sama and feed it there so I can watch what I want! It's a huge T.V. screen! Ha... ha... Uwaa~ the forsaken magical girl of chaos and depravity, Frau Klein, has been defeated. I give up trying to make you understand, onee-chan."
"W—well, it's fine, right? I don't really care if we're in this 'Astral Plane' or whatever, but let's skip the hard story and have fun! Um... want to play word chain again?"
"Later, onee-chan. Maybe, maybe there's a clue in this diary to interfere with the Dies Irae sequence that onee-sama hasn't noticed... Uwaa~ I knew that Fraulein Floret was good, but sending an object here, she must've been seriously researching to kill me... scary, scary!"
"I'm bored... Hey, Frau, while reading that, tell me what's this 'Dies Irae' thing you magical girls keep talking about. Two years ago — no, centuries ago? Geh, my sense of time really has been frayed. Well, some years ago, this twintail redhead fire girl kept shouting the same thing too."
"The Dies Irae sequence... Super short story: it gives us — the Seven Magical Girls — absolute rights to the world. If all of us deem humanity dangerous to the World, we use ten days to purge them all. We're like, the World's defense mechanism? Even World Euphonics onee-sama's observations can be fooled if we wanted to. But it's impossible to do without me... hmmm... hmmm?"
Something was wrong. Something was terribly wrong. Frau turned the pages left, then turned the pages right. She then stopped at the last page.
The letter, July 28. The last entry, July 17. Fraulein Floret must've ripped the other ten entries to prevent a 'conflict' with the Dies Irae and successfully send the diary to the Astral Plane. If onee-sama was right, and the Dies Irae sequence started on July 18, why was Fraulein Floret alive on the eleventh day?
All of humanity should have died on those ten days. Even onee-sama's data said so.
A mistake? Did Fräulein Floret mistake the date on her part? Frau Klein assumed that at first. It should be. But if, and just an if, it was not mistake, but a clue, then it meant that the other Magical Girls were somehow able to extend the Dies Irae sequence and fool onee-sama for one more day.
"... What are my sisters planning?"
"You know, Frau, it's useless worrying about that~ Give up, you can't fight fate, you know? Come on, let's play!"
"Shut up, onee-chan. I'm not like you. If it's for World Euphonics onee-sama, I'll fight! Fight! Magical Frau Klein, go~"
July 16, they arrive at that academy. July 17, onee-chan gets summoned by the headmaster. Ripped pages. July 28, the end.
"... Ah, onee-chan, when were you sealed again? And by who?"
"Heh? Sealed? Who?"
"Lemme change that... When were you sent here again? Who 'killed' you?"
"Oh, the day I died? July 18, I guess? And as for who killed me... Me? I mean, I died from my ice cubes. Or do I blame the ice cubes? Can you blame the tool for the faults of its master? I bet you can! Yeah!"
"... If it's onee-chan's soul who isn't completely connected to the world, then I guess it's possible to send you here during Dies Irae? But, you 'killed' yourself? Tsk, I forgot onee-chan's super stupid. Like this, onee-chan. Explain to me exactly what happened that day."
"Uh... I woke up, I tried going to school, but my body didn't want me to, so I forced it, I summoned ice cubes, I finally controlled my body, I stepped out of the door, then moon."
"You step out of the door, then moon~ Ja, ja, so where's the 'I died' part?"
"... The ice cubes?"
"Uwaa~ Why so?"
This tale has been unlawfully obtained from Royal Road. If you discover it on Amazon, kindly report it.
"I mean, that's the part where my shakiness disappeared. I must've been a ghost then."
"Hhmmm... The time you made those weird ice cubes must be the turning point. If it's just water, it must be Frau Kraus, but... Onee-chan, anything else? Anything specific? Anything weird?"
"Let's see, weird, huh? Alice's bed was strangely clean, but I can explain that. Also, I tried that concentration technique Fraulein taught me, along with a chant I ma—"
"There. Fraulein's concentration technique. What's that?"
"Ah, that. She said if I connected to my 'inner self', Mana flows much better through you. So I did."
"Ha... just the basic magic stuff... So you felt the Mana passing through you, right?"
"Mana passing through me? It was more like... trying to swim through some muddy stream to reach that silver orb-thingy?"
Frau Klein's eyes just couldn't stop turning to dots.
"Y—you sent yourself here!? Nein, nein, silver orb... your soul is also connected to the Astral Plane? Just... I see. World Euphonics onee-sama was using the moon to keep your existence from fading! But in order to exist in that world too at the same time, you must be hooked up to... Oh, so that's how she anchored your soul there without directly interfering with anything. Onee-sama's a genius. Then that means..."
"So are you done?"
"Uwaa... this situation, too ironic. Ha ha..."
Frau Klein rubbed her temples, laughing dejectedly. The cloud-covered world above looked like it was mocking her. She didn't want to accept it was stupid fate that placed all these pieces in place. It was just unfair.
"Frau? What's wrong?"
"... You."
"Hah?"
"You're the answer, onee-chan. You're the chink in their armor. You're World Euphonics onee-sama's back-up plan."
"Hah?"
"You ——— are the one who can change 'fate'."
Part 2
Fräulein Floret did not understand this development.
Separated by twenty meters were the two sole residents of the moon. One was a child, maybe thirteen, garbed in a dark-themed dress overstuffed with laces and frills. Her moonlight-silver hair perfectly complemented her deep dark irises.
One wore a tattered suit and a frayed skirt. She was confused. Just moments ago, they were talking about humanity's end, a fated event not even the moon voice could stop — and now they were here, face to face, her partner's eyes filled with unmatched hostility.
Dark miasma danced around Frau Klein's figure, and even Fräulein could feel her choking magical energy flood the surroundings.
"... Frau? This isn't a game, right? Fighting is bad, you know?"
"Onee-chan, whether this be a fight or not is on you. Although I already know the answer, I'll still ask —— If I told you to go back to the world and prevent my sisters from finishing the Dies Irae sequence, will you? If you do so, you can save everyone you love, especially your 'twin sister'."
"Ha? But that's impossible, I'm already dead. And she's already dead. And besides, nobody can prevent fate. If the Dies Irae happened, then it happened! So let's stop this pointless battle, Frau!"
Fräulein tried her best to appeal to Frau. She wanted to go back to those laughter-filled days. She didn't want to fight her family. She did not want Frau Klein to reject her. For she was her reason of existence right now.
"... It's not impossible. But even if I explain it, you still won't listen. Then..."
A chill ran up to Fräulein's spine. Dangerous. That girl was dangerous. That was what her instincts were telling her. She readied her chipped silver knife and braced herself.
Frau Klein reached her hand towards her enemy with a calm expression. It was the calm before the storm.
"I shall reject your broken ways ——— Fräulein Floret!"
"!?"
Darkness gathered around that hand, condensing to a solid ball of pure Mana. There seemed to be no end to that overwhelming power. To that ball, she crushed it with her open hand as it burst like a bubble. She then proclaimed,
"Come! Exert thy existence and fulfill my will —— Ygris Laviena!"
A massive humanoid form emerged from nowhere and filled the distance between them.
A malevolent being about fifty meters tall tall towered above all, every part of it coated in jet-black scales. Its gaping mouth was a chaotic jumble of razor-sharp teeth. Black smoke poured from its nostrils and its eyes glowed like embers.
"TBBQZBEAVATZLANZRVFLTEVFYNIVRAN!!"
Something similar to a scream poured out from its mouth. This was a creature that laid waste on the world. No blade could hope to pierce its scales and no magic could hope to corrupt its cruel dominion. This was a creature capable of bringing humanity to its extinction — Ygris Laviena.
"What now, Fräulein Floret? This is one of my greatest pride! What can 'fate' do against my Ygris? You haughty being, daring to stand above all, proclaiming yourself as the deliverer of fate? Ha! Now show me, your stupidity!"
Against that monster, Fräulein just stood there without worry or care, thinking deep and hard about something. After a moment of contemplation, she finally formed her words.
"... Let's stop this, Frau. I don't want to kill you, because if I do, I'll kill myself as well. So please... stop this..."
"... Still saying stupid things? If it's for World Euphonics onee-sama's ambitions... I'll bash your head to the ground as many times as it takes until you go back there and stop my sisters! You're not human anyways!"
Fräulein took a deep breath. There wasn't even a speck of hesitation in Frau's eyes. Why would she go this far just to prove the impossible? Fate cannot be fought. So was death. She learned that seven years ago, and more so ever since coming to this world. The absolute rules of the world were called absolute for a reason.
Even moon voice, the only existence she knew who could fight against fate, could not do anything about it.
Maybe it was fate too, that made Fräulein fight against Frau? If so, then she could accept this outcome. It was fate that their lives would end this day. It couldn't be helped.
The lights in her eyes faded away. In her mind, Frau Klein and Fräulein Floret's death became fate.
"... Then, I shall show you, Frau, here and now. The truth of this world."
Fräulein discarded the silver knife to the ground. Against that giant right now, she couldn't cut corners. From her skirt, she drew a knife she would only use on her job — a dull dark knife that that seemed to consume the light around it. It was a knife she believed that embodied the chilling tyranny of fate.
"Ygris, destroy her! She won't die in this place so go all out!"
"JUNGFGUNGXAVSRYBBXFFPNEL!!"
The humanoid giant raised its arm, charging to strike at the pitiful ant. Fräulein did not move from her spot. It was not bravery that made her face the giant demon. Bravery was something she never had. It was belief. Pure and simple belief of her creed. As long as she believed in it, she could assert to the world the ideals she has gained.
It hurled its fist to the ground where she was. The colossal cannonball approached.
In a split second, the blonde girl readied her dark knife, and whispered:
"All are equal in the eyes of death."
Right before the great destruction from heaven could strike her,
—— she disappeared.
The ground shook, and a small crater formed beneath the giant's fist.
"W—wha!?"
"Aaaaaaaaahh...!"
Fräulein shouted from her soul. She dashed like a whirlwind, dashing on the giant's scaly arm, heading towards its neck where she could give it a fatal blow.
"Give up, Fräulein Floret! Your knife won't be enough to pierce through Ygris' scales!"
It didn't matter for Fräulein. All she had to do was believe. Believe that all were equal in the eyes of death, the eyes of fate, and that this colossal monster was no exception.
"CYRNFRTRGBSSZR!!"
The giant screamed, and tried to use its other hand to swipe off the foreign invader. But she did not stop her sprint. She ran faster, faster, faster, and as the hand drew closer, she believed, and leapt up from its arm.
Fräulein Floret believed she could jump high enough to avoid the monster's hand ——— and she did.
"... Impossible."
Her body flew through the air. She flew at a distance impossible for a human. She was high enough to overlook even the black-scaled giant. Her grip tightened. From here, Frau Klein was just a small insignificant dot. But Fräulein wanted her to witness what she was about to do.
The tyranny of fate.
There were no need for words. Fräulein was but a grim reaper, a girl who knew no other way of living.
She would show Frau Klein not through words, but through results.
She shot herself down, blazing towards the giant's neck. She was a meteor, and nothing could stop her advance.
"FCNERZRBUCYRNFRFCNERZR!!"
It was a scream similar to the grating of glass. The monster felt danger from that small body shooting down. Although Ygris Laviena wasn't known for its speed, it boasted an impenetrable defense that could turn away even the strongest of attacks. Great heroes would give in to despair when their prided swords broke like toothpicks. A small knife wielded by a young girl's hand would be nothing but straw.
But it felt danger nevertheless.
"Here I come ——— Ygris!"
She twisted her body midair, and swung down her knife down with a roar.
Fräulein Floret believed she could slash through the giant's impenetrable scales and deliver death ——— and she did.
"BHPUVGUHEGF...!!"
An unholy howl of death. The grim reaper's blade passed through those jet-black scales like butter. It was a small wound compared to its colossal stature, but it was enough for her. It was enough to assert death's tyranny.
After seconds of falling, Fräulein landed on the ground with a thud, skidding through the gray dessert until coming to a full stop. She was now just ten meters away from Frau Klein. Both of them could cover that small distance in one bound. But neither of them moved.
Behind Fräulein Floret was the crumbling form of the giant who once lorded above all. Its scales came down like the leaves of fall, making for a surreal sight. Its body was now charcoal that has used its worth.
In the place where even death has died ——— the eldritch has fallen.
"... That power, it's the same. But still..."
The both glared at each other. There was no rising action, nor was there any premonition of this event. They were happily chatting about things over tea the other, and killing each other the next.
But Fräulein knew, that fate was outside those concepts. Fate was cruel. Fate was unjust. It trashed the world without reason or rhyme. She was not in a perfect fairy tale story where everything happened for a reason. This was the lesson — the sentenced she earned that fateful night seven years ago.
She pointed the dark knife at her family.
"Now, Magical Girl Frau Klein ——— accept our fate."
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I split this chapter 'cause it's too long. Next chapter contains the true 'goal' of this story.
Also, yep, it's Rot13.
I hope you guys pronounce Fräulein's name right in your heads. It'll be important in the final arc of this story ;)
Next up on Magical Fr(?)ulein and the World Euphonics' Final FINAL chapter (Serious this time) for this arc: OP character vs. Cheat Powers.
Lots of confusing stuff this chapter, but it'll be explained in the next. But if you have questions, ask away.
Random Cat Fact: A female cat is called a queen or a molly. Molly isn't methylenedioxymethamphetamine, okay?