Chapter 79: 79

The Approaching Time Limit

Translated by LyraDhani

Edited by LyraDhani

While sensing the wavering air, he avoided Hitsugi’s attack that was unfolding in all directions. Since there was a lag of about one second from the time he noticed the shaking until the box appeared, avoiding it was easy, but he really had to be careful of what came after.

“–Kuh, that was dangerous!”

The true value of Hitsugi Airi was not the horror of the box that suddenly appeared, but her high level of predictive power, which she had drawn from her combat experience.

Multiple boxes were placed in exquisite locations, as if she knew in advance the direction that Tsugumi would avoid. If he simply avoided to the side without thinking, his internal organs might be destroyed to shreds at that moment.

No matter how small the number of boxes that could be put out outside the barrier, if they were aimed at him with pinpoint accuracy, he wouldn’t be able to get away with it. Without prior knowledge of Hitsugi, he would have fallen prey to the boxes in no time.

–But this is still lukewarm.

He thought about this while avoiding the attack that interrupted his transportation from time to time. If this were the original Hitsugi, she could easily anticipate Tsugumi’s actions four or five moves ahead and set up a box in advance at the location where he planned to move.

Apparently, the being who was controlling Hitsugi was not fully using her abilities. The one controlling her was probably not very good at it, or it might be because Hitsugi was resisting hurting people in her mind. Either way, it was a good thing for Tsugumi.

While avoiding Hitsugi’s attacks, he wrapped a minuscule thread around her body. Then, after wrapping the threads a certain number of times, Tsugumi passed power through the threads to make them gigantic. Hitsugi resisted with a small moan, but the intricately entangled threads were not easily untangled.

“…!”

“I finally caught her. …I am asking you, please stay quiet.”

Hitsugi’s arms and legs were secured with rope, and thin threads were woven in like a belt to cover her ears and eyes. If she couldn’t see his location, she shouldn’t be able attack.

Tsugumi, who had restrained Hitsugi tightly, looked around and rushed to where Yukino was holding her bloodied side.

“Yukino-san, are you all right!?”

“Oh, it’s just a little graze, that’s all. Rather, just keep an eye on Hitsugi. If she made a box appear to break up the threads, she’ll be able to escape from the restraints in no time.”

Yukino said, her expression contorted as if she was enduring pain.

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“Yes, I’ll be careful. But – why on earth…”

As Tsugumi muttered this with a somber look, Yukino exhaled deeply to catch her breath and began to speak in a quiet voice.

“In my opinion, it’s probably because of yesterday’s Irregularity. I heard Hitsugi had inhaled the last of the black mist emitted by the Demonic Beast. I rushed to the government after hearing some unpleasant information from an acquaintance, but I didn’t think I’d have to fight the Hitsugi. …Really, the enemy does nasty things too.”

“Is it due to Irregularity…”

-An irregular Demonic Beast, out of the default frame. Tsugumi had also encountered it twice in the past.

Originally, Demonic Beasts were full of malice and atrocity, but Radon and that Blue Oni were somehow different from other Demonic Beasts, giving him the impression that their malice was amplified. It was as if they had been tampered with.

But he had no idea there was an entity that had this kind of influence even after they were knocked down. That was probably why he let his guard down without a detailed examination of Hitsugi.

“But I am glad you’re here. My skills are good against Demonic Beasts, but when it comes to humans, the attack power is too strong.”

“Yukino-san’s skills are [Air] and [Heat], right? …Certainly, it’s not suitable for restraint.”

“It can’t be helped. Nobody expected an interpersonal fight. Just in case, I told the lower-class Magical Girls to stay away when the fight started, and I was right. A normal Magical Girl can’t beat Hitsugi. Even I turned out like this. …Damn, can’t Toono come out at a time like this? Really, she’s useless in a case of emergency.”

Tsugumi replied with a wry smile to Yukino who swore bitterly. Toono Sumire, who was ranked first, has been holed up in the festival hall since yesterday because of the festivities. She wouldn’t be able to come out until tomorrow at the very least. She wouldn’t be expected to be a force to be reckoned with.

“Anyway, I wonder if Hitsugi-san will be okay. …Since a few minutes ago, she has been putting out boxes all the time to break the restraints. It would be easier if we could drive her to the depletion of divine power, but at this rate, we may not be able to hope for that. Right now I’ve managed to get the thread to bind faster, but if it keeps going like this, I’m going to be jittery…”

In contrast to the box, which continued to buzz and cut the threads, Tsugumi devoted more than half of his mental energy to reassembling the threads in a zigzag manner. While Tsugumi was beginning to show signs of fatigue from lack of divine power, Hitsugi, who had been using her skills all along, didn’t seem weakened at all.

…What is she compensating for the power that is clearly lacking? The thought of it made Tsugumi feel unspeakably uneasy.

“I’m asking my contract God to check on her condition. Normally, such interference would be against the rules, but this is clearly out of the ordinary. As long as Hitsugi’s contract God, who is supposed to stop her, tacitly approves of her outburst and channels divine power, there is a possibility that the entire contract God has been taken over by a Demonic Beast. …You might want to be prepared for that.”

When Yukino said this with a difficult look, Tsugumi had nothing to say.

–Magical Girls always live side by side with death. He understood that. But maybe he just thought he had understood.

He had almost forgotten because of the convenience of Demonic Beasts, they were essentially “invaders” against human beings. They were not just a convenient source of energy, they were also hostile to mankind with clear malicious intent.

Perhaps for Demonic Beasts, this world was just a hunting ground, and humans were just a lower-class existence. Thinking that they could continue using them in their favor forever was overly optimistic.

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For the past 30 years, humans had been defeating Demonic Beasts as if it was their job, and it was only natural for them to become impatient with the war situation, which had not progressed at all, and to try a new approach.

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–I have experienced Irregularities twice, I should have known that better than anyone else.

Thinking about this, Tsugumi bit his lip hard. He understood well the danger of the current Hitsugi because he possessed Bell’s power – the [Gluttony] skill. He was now devouring the energy in her body at a tremendous rate.

The words, “It’s only a matter of time,” came to mind. Even if he could continue to restrain her, they wouldn’t be able to save her unless the malice nestled inside Hitsugi was removed.

…If there were people who possessed dispelling skills, there might have been a way, but such unique abilities were difficult to find.

It was because Magical Girls with non-combat skills were generally regarded as incompetent, and most of them were forced to retire after a short period of time. …It could be said that this thorough meritocracy had backfired.

Besides, even if there were Magical Girls with such abilities, would they really be able to come here while Tsugumi was holding Hitsugi? Would there be a guarantee that she would be saved? The more he thought about it, the more he got lost in a maze of thoughts.

Then, as Tsugumi pondered this, he suddenly noticed Hitsugi’s resistance was weakening.

–Is it because the divine power is running out? Thinking so, Tsugumi looked up toward Hitsugi. At that moment, he felt that their eyes met through the cloth that was supposed to be blocked.

In the next second, Yukino’s impatient voice reached his ears.

“Get away from there right now! –There’s a big one coming!”

When Tsugumi stared at Hitsugi, he felt the air in the vicinity expand. The air around Hitsugi seemed to swell up, and the dense presence of divine power was unintentionally pressurizing.

“–Damn it!”

With a small curse, he let go of the threads binding her and hurriedly shifted from the spot. The moment he landed at a place about 50 meters away from Hitsugi, a large tornado occurred on her body. The tornado kept spinning, chipping away at the surrounding trees and rocks.

–That attack was, no matter how he looked at it, beyond the capabilities of skills that could be used outside of the barrier. If they had stayed in that place, they must have been reduced to dust by now.

“…She’s finally taken off the limiter, there’s nothing we can do about it now.”

“Yukino-san! Are you safe!?”

“Ah. Because I put up a barrier as soon as I could. …Unfortunately, I’m about to reach the limit. I’m not even sure I can buy any more time.”

“…If attacks like the one we just had continued over and over again, I honestly don’t have confidence that I can shrug it off either. It’s a tough call.”

–The other side was aiming to kill, but Tsugumi had to fight without hurting Hitsugi as much as possible. With that handicap, it was safe to say that there was no way to beat her.

Additionally, the further away from the target, the less precise the threads that Tsugumi manipulated. To restrain Hitsugi now, he would have to get a little closer to catch her. That meant putting himself in the attack zone of that tornado.

The rotation was gradually weakening now, but if the same attack was repeated, again and again, there was nothing they could do.

–Once or twice, he might manage to avoid it. But surely not the third time. Perhaps it would be quicker for Tsugumi to collapse from exhaustion of divine power.

In the meantime, the dust from the tornado was gradually disappearing. At the center of the box swirling around and around, the bloodied Hitsugi stood with a ghostly expression on her face, riding on top of a box that had appeared in mid-air.

She must have been quite reckless in escaping from the restraints. The deep wounds on her limbs spoke for themselves. The wounds were so severe that she would normally be out of action. …She might not have as much time left as Tsugumi had thought.

“I will attempt to restrain her again. –Is there anything yet from Yukino-san’s contract God on the results of the analysis?”

When Tsugumi asked this, Yukino stared at the space next to her and gave a small shake of her head.

“I’m sorry. It seems the results will come out in a few more minutes, but it doesn’t look good. I just need a little more time. …If the worst happens, I’ll take responsibility. If you feel your life is in danger, you can run away. –Please remember that.”

–What exactly does the worst-case scenario mean? Tsugumi himself was aware of the answer, but he quietly put a lid on it. Otherwise, he wouldn’t be able to stand up.

Tsugumi let out a small breath and focused his mind. For now, he should only concentrate on capturing Hitsugi.

“–I’m going. Please be as quick as you can.”

With that, he dashed forward. He prayed the result of the long-awaited analysis would be salvation.

◆◆◆

As Tsugumi challenged Hitsugi again, someone was watching from the shadows of the building.

Perhaps she had been running to come here, the person was breathing heavily, shoulders up and down.

Confused and upset. With the color of deep sadness reflected in her eyes, the person said in a whisper.

“Hitsugi-senpai. Why are you doing this…”

Hyuga Aoi, the Magical Girl who came running after hearing the news, looked up at Hitsugi in dismay with a face like she was about to cry.

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