Cooperation (3)

Before becoming a magical girl, Raging Flame was just an ordinary high school girl—she had no reason or opportunity to learn combat techniques.

So right now, she was relying purely on instinct, mimicking “moves” she’d seen in manga and games as she swung her greatsword.

From a professional standpoint, this fighting style might seem reckless and weak. But ordinary people and magical girls couldn’t be judged by the same standard.

—Boom!

Just the force of her footstep cracked the concrete beneath her into a spiderweb of fissures.

She locked eyes with the Fish Man Leader, imagining slicing it cleanly in two.

—Hyaah!

Her attack was a diagonal slash from upper right to lower left.

In kendo terms, that was… a kesa-giri?

Raging Flame couldn’t quite remember. But honestly, it didn’t matter.

The wind howled as the greatsword cut through the air.

Against a normal human, the sheer pressure of that swing would’ve knocked them to their knees.

For magical girls, raw physical power could compensate for lack of training.

—Clang!

At the moment of impact, the Fish Man Leader skillfully deflected most of the force. But it didn’t expect the attack to be a feint.

Raging Flame’s body, still carrying momentum, didn’t stop after the swing. Using that remaining kinetic energy, she drove her shoulder straight into the enemy.

The impact was like being hit by a speeding dump truck. The Fish Man Leader tumbled and rolled across the ground for over ten meters before finally coming to a stop.

—Now! Shoot!

Raging Flame hadn’t even gotten up yet, but she was already urging Huangxing on.

“Huh? Ah?”

A mere two or three seconds of hesitation—and the opportunity was gone.

The enemy had already recovered, weapon raised, stance defensive.

Seeing the perfect kill chance she’d created go to waste, Raging Flame fumed. She stomped her foot as she stood.

“Ugh, I’ll do it myself!”

With that, she raised her sword and lunged at the enemy again.

Tidal watched their failed coordination unfold.

How to put it… It wasn’t favoritism, but deep down, she gave her niece a little mental pat on the back.

Even though Raging Flame claimed she didn’t want to cooperate with Huangxing, in practice, she was trying to create openings for her teammate. That awareness was commendable.

That had been the perfect chance to finish the fight—unfortunately, Huangxing hadn’t been ready to take it.

But it wasn’t all her fault. Right now, they had zero synergy—like teammates in a competitive game who refuse to communicate, each playing their own way.

Building trust and coordination couldn’t be rushed. It required friction, interaction, time.

Tidal had plenty of experience with this… though, admittedly, from the corporate world.

…Well, she’d just have to patiently guide them as they grew stronger.

With the gentle, proud gaze of a parent watching their child, Tidal crossed her arms and continued observing the battle.

Now, Raging Flame was locked in close combat with the Fish Man Leader again.

The sound of flowing water faded, replaced by the sharp clang of metal on bone.

The raw, primal rhythm transformed the underground chamber into a battlefield from an ancient age of sword duels.

Huangxing held her bow, arrow aimed, tracking the shifting positions of the two fighters below.

“What… what do I do…”

Sweat beaded on her forehead. The near-miss with her first arrow—almost hitting Raging Flame—still haunted her. Her hesitation proved her nerves were still unsteady.

“Worrying about friendly fire is fine,” Tidal said, “but if you hesitate like this… look. Raging Flame’s in trouble now, isn’t she?”

She tilted her chin toward the battlefield.

Raging Flame and the Fish Man Leader were locked in a fierce clash.

On the surface, it looked evenly matched—neither had taken visible damage. But a closer look at their expressions revealed the truth: Raging Flame was clearly tiring.

“Raging Flame’s attacks have no feints or deception. She’s putting massive magic into every strike, chasing a one-hit kill. That means she’s burning through her stamina fast. She won’t last much longer,” Tidal analyzed.

“What should I do?” Huangxing asked.

“Don’t ask me.”

Tidal pointed at Huangxing. “You’re her teammate, aren’t you?”

Huangxing stared at her senior, then down at the battle below.

Raging Flame was clearly weakening. Her attacks grew slower, less forceful—her rhythm breaking down.

Realizing she couldn’t hesitate any longer, Huangxing closed her eyes and took a deep breath.

—Crap.

Her weapon felt heavier with each passing second. Raging Flame realized she was reaching her limit.

And the enemy noticed too.

The Fish Man Leader, previously on defense, suddenly went on the offensive. The bone spear danced in its hands, a flurry of thrusts cutting off Raging Flame’s escape routes.

—First strike.

Raging Flame twisted the spear’s trajectory with the flat of her sword, barely blocking it. But before she could re-grip the hilt, the second thrust came.

—Too slow!

The thought flashed through her mind.

She let go of the sword, executed a clean backflip, and created distance between them.

Seeing her weapon abandoned, the Fish Man Leader didn’t miss the chance. It lunged.

—Whoosh.

A volley of yellow-glowing arrows shot toward the Fish Man Leader’s face, forcing it to stop, block, or dodge—abandoning its pursuit of Raging Flame.

—Whoosh.

—Whoosh.

After that first rescue shot, Huangxing didn’t stop.

It was as if the act of drawing and firing brought her some kind of joy—her arrows came faster and faster.

The Fish Man Leader struggled to keep up with the increasingly dense barrage, forced to retreat. Seizing the opening, Raging Flame flew forward and reclaimed her sword.

The moment her fingers closed around the hilt again, a wave of relief washed over her. She looked up, meeting Huangxing’s gaze from above.

Huangxing was watching her too. Their eyes met—and without a word, they both nodded.

—Ready?

—Yeah!