“You guys were incredible back there.”
“Aye, a wonderful showing from all of you, comrades.”
Hana and Kyouma complimented our performance as the eight of us retreated to a (lavishly decorated) private room within the manor.
It must have been the bedroom of one of the girls, because we had taken to sitting on an enormous four-poster bed. Judging by the walls lined with anime merch and the life size cardboard cutout of Gandalf The White in the corner, I presumed it belonged to Kyouma.
“You guys didn’t make it easy. Your powers are awesome. It’s no wonder you were so successful at saving the 300.” Saki returned the compliment, and I silently agreed. Hana and her team had put out an excellent showing, and their magical abilities were nothing short of incredible. Were it not for Nao’s aerial control and our good team cohesion, we’d have stood little chance.
“Well, it’s to be expected. After all, my girls are the only level-3s in the entire manor.” Hana huffed with pride, though the four of us had no idea what her declaration meant.
“Level 3? What do you mean by that?” I asked.
“Right, you guys aren’t familiar with our terminology. A level 3 is someone who’s unlocked their third and final magical ability, their trump card of sorts.”
“Third and final?”
“Yes, in our experience every magical girl has the potential for three abilities. No more. No less. My girls are special because no one here but these three has unlocked their final ability. Not even myself.”
Myself and my girls also seemed to come to the same realisation at once. The conclusion Hana had drawn matched up perfectly with what we had observed. Every magical girl we fought had used either two or three abilities.
“So that move Kyouma used… ‘spatial rend,’ was it?”
“Indeed, friend Shin. That was my final ability, my ultimate kill move.”
“It’s also worth noting that the abilities are always connected by a common strand of sorts,” Hana further explained. “For example, Kyouma’s ability is called 「The Untethered」, and it lets her remove the shackles of three dimensional space and move freely. The first level was what allowed her to ignore gravity and other forces, the second let her warp fourth dimensional space to move herself and others long distances near instantly, and her ultimate ability gives her the power to rip at the fabric of space itself. That’s what you experienced when falling into the chasm.”
How utterly terrifying. World-rending powers bequeathed upon a Chuunibyou in a silly hat. Were she not on our side I’d probably just surrender.
“I think I get the picture… so the only one of the four of us to manage it is Shin, right?” Mai was the first to speak after Hana finished her explanation. It was only once she said it that I realised myself.
“Shin, you’ve unlocked your final ability? Why didn’t you use it in the match?” Suzume asked.
Unlawfully taken from Royal Road, this story should be reported if seen on Amazon.
“My final ability, or at least what I assume to be so, is way too cruel for a sparring match. My power is 「The Illusionist」, it works by tricking the senses. The ultimate version of it strips someone of their senses altogether, rendering them blind, deaf and unable to smell, taste or even feel. I’ve only used it once, against The Director.”
“Yeesh. Thanks for sparing us the horrifying experience. I think death would be a less cruel fate.” Hikari shivered at the thought, and the other three seemed to silently share the sentiment.
“What about you two, then?” Asked Saki. “Was your ‘ultimate ability’ that move you pulled out when you got me out?”
“That’s right. My power is 「The Cool Spirit」and Hikari’s is 「The Burning Spirit」, but they’re special in that our powers are bound to each other. Our secondary ability is that we can both absorb magical power to cool something down or expel magical power to heat it up, and our finisher is 「Sibling Rivalry」, the attack you experienced which we can only cast together. Our powers are yin and yang in a way. Bound, and yet opposite.” Suzume explained.
“Yeah, we may be as different as can be, but we kick ass best when we’re together.” Hikari wrapped one arm around her sister’s shoulder, which she begrudgingly seemed to accept.
Saki, Sunao, Mai and myself all seemed to understand well enough. But Hana, surprisingly, seemed confused.
“Hold on a moment… Shin-senpai is the only one of the three of you to unlock his final ability?”
“Yeah, I’m pretty sure, why?” Asked Saki.
“What about Sunao-senpai?” The four of us looked on in confusion, to which she elaborated, “healing, protection and flight, right? That’s three.”
None of us seemed to have a reply. On paper, it seemed like she was correct. Nao had three abilities granted to her by her magical girl powers. But something didn’t quite add up.
“Hmm… using your own criteria, I don’t believe that’s the case.” Mai put her hand to her chin as she explained, as if she was actively figuring it out as she spoke. “While flight would fit with the guardian angel motif, it wouldn’t exactly make sense with the theme of protecting people. And none of the three things you named make sense as a ‘final trump card,’ so to speak.” She turned to Nao and looked her up and down, which caused the timid girl to blush slightly under the discerning eye. “I think our Sunao has something far more special. Real, organic flight.”
We all fell into a sudden silence. It sounded insane at first listen: a human achieving real non-propelled flight without the assistance of magic? Not gliding, not levitation, honest to god flight. It was an absurd notion.
But the more I thought about it, the more it added up.
“Nao… when the Director shot your wing, you held the damaged part like you would a real wound. Does that mean… those wings of yours…” I trailed off, but she timidly answered my question anyway.
“I-I think… I think they’re a real part of my body.” She put her hand to her back. Though currently wingless, it was as if she was feeling for the point they would protrude from. “W-when I transform, I can feel them. Like having two extra limbs. I can flutter them without using magic. I-I think Mai is right. They’re not powered by magic. Th-they let me fly organically.”
If that was the case, it made Nao truly exceptional. Many magical girls had the ability to fly magically, but Nao was something different: a real human Angel with working wings.
“Just what I’d expect from the girl who carried us to victory. You really are my little Cupid, aren’t you?” Saki nudged Sunao and started talking like a playboy again, causing Nao to look away while blushing furiously.
One look at the grins on Hana and her girls’ faces told me that they had drawn the exact same conclusion as me and Mai.
“Well, I think this sparring match has been a great success. We were able to understand one another’s strengths and weaknesses, which should serve us well in the battle to come. Which brings me to my proposal.” Hana waited until all seven of us had our attention squarely focused on her before she began speaking again. “When the time comes, I trust my soldiers to hold the line. But that may not be enough. I would like to leave my girls under your command for an extremely important mission. I want the seven of you to launch a counter invasion into hell.”