The horse-people erupted in bizarre screams as they began racing toward the villagers in haphazard formation. The creatures did not give off the impression of being intelligent, but they did seem desperate, as if there was something spurring them on.
The sight was unnerving.
The invading horse-people were in much better shape than the first creature. There was almost no comparison. They were large, tall, and covered with powerful, bulging muscles. Some of them were even too big to fit through the existing hole and had to bash down more of the wall before they could make their way in.
“Anyone who can’t fight, get somewhere safe,” shouted one of the soldiers, readying his weapon as he barked orders. “There may be a lot of them, but this is no different from any of the other times.”
The villagers fled quickly, but there was minimal chaos. They had already experienced several attacks. Jin brandished her katana, eyes fixed on the approaching monsters.
“I’m not thrilled to be fighting mindless beasts, but at least it will give me a chance to test this new blade.”
She was wielding the ordinary katana she had just received, not the malefic sword. It might not be as well made as her previous blade, but it was still more than sufficient for combat.
Jin’s face, however, looked apathetic. She preferred to cross blades with strong-willed opponents—those who were willing to face death for what they believed in. She would rather fight an enemy she could enjoy.
Her expression, however, was fleeting. In the next moment her face hardened into an expressionless mask. It was the face she wore when it was time to get down to the business of killing.
“I left my hammer back in the wagon, but I guess I can always just use my fists,” Proto said, shaking out her bare hands.
In terms of pure strength, Proto had the advantage over all of them, including Jin. Even Proto’s bare hands (strictly speaking, her arms were actually just parts of her exterior chassis) were strong enough to pulverize bone.
Their usual front-liners, Jin and Proto, were already raring to go. The remaining three girls, however, looked less than thrilled to be there.
“I’ll just stay back here where it’s safe…”
“Me too…,” Tsutsumi said.
Fire and poison. Both of these elements were difficult to control, and if Homura and Tsutsumi were not careful, they could wind up hitting their allies as well. Homura could control her flames to a degree, and could even extinguish them if need be, but she needed to stay in control of herself in order to be able to do that. If she started to rage, the damage could quickly spiral out of control.
“I’m worried I’ll end up doing something like I did back in Guadhari…”
Deep down, Homura really wanted to burn something, but she had enough sense to keep that urge under control. She had been training hard to stop herself from losing control when she used her powers, but there was no telling what might happen.
Homura took a step back. If getting her thrills meant hurting innocent villagers, she knew there was no way she would ever forgive herself.
“I’d just…get in the way…”
Tsutsumi, meanwhile, was completely unable to control her poison once she released it. The damage she caused could vary greatly depending on where her teammates were situated and which way the wind blew. There was also the fear that she might expose her true nature by spreading her wings.
Either Homura or Tsutsumi could have likely ended the entire situation in a heartbeat by using her full strength, but there was also a significant risk that the surrounding area could get caught up in the fallout.
They both took a step back. Psycho, however, stiffened and assumed a battle position.
“I…”
She raised her weapon, ready to fight…
“I… No, I guess I’d just get in the way, too.”
…and then lowered it.
Psycho took a step back as well, although for a different reason from Homura and Tsutsumi. After taking a quick look around, she felt overwhelmed by a sense of inadequacy.
Psycho was unable to use any battle magic. And the only weapon she knew how to handle was her little knife. Her reaction times were relatively quick thanks to her self-buffing magic, which operated instinctively, but that was still a far cry from a real blessing.
Psycho’s ability to fight depended heavily on cooperation with her teammates and on the strength of their enemies. She could handle foes without special abilities, or opponents who had already been slowed down by Tsutsumi’s poison, but a single blow from even one of the smaller, more delicate horse-people would have meant trouble for Psycho.
Her knife work was useless unless she could get within range of the enemy. But if she got that close, she would probably get killed.
The same held true for team tactics. It was better for Tsutsumi to sit this battle out, and the other soldiers already seemed up to the task even without relying on team play. Not one of the soldiers flinched, despite the large number of monsters approaching. They must have felt pretty confident about their chances.
The battle began.
The village soldiers were equipped with katanas and bows. With their katanas, they engaged the monsters that closed in, and with well-placed arrows, they killed those that separated from the herd.
Jin joined the katana brigade, but she was practically an army all on her own.
“Too slow. You’re all too slow.”
She charged ahead, throwing herself into the enemy ranks and cutting a winding path through the oncoming horde. Proto, meanwhile, used her incredible strength to deliver a heavy punch to one of the larger monsters, launching it into the air.
“Ha! Did you really think you were going to out-muscle me?!”
The large monster clipped several other creatures as it was tossed through the air, sending them all crashing into the dirt.
Psycho kicked a rock in frustration as she watched the battle unfold. Jin was slicing through one monster after another; Proto was tossing them through the air. Even the soldiers were making short work of the creatures.
It was a clean sweep. No one faltered.
Homura suddenly took a step forward, spurred to action by the heroic sight.
“You know what…? I’m going to fight, too!”
“How about you don’t!” Psycho said, trying to restrain her.
“But everyone else is fighting while I’m just standing here doing nothing. It’s not right! And besides, lately my need to burn things has gotten… Well, it’s still very strong… But that’s neither here nor there! I’ve got to do something, at least!”
Homura charged nobly into battle.
As a result, several of the village’s homes were burned to the ground. Fortunately, at least no one was hurt.
“I told you!”
“I’m sooorrryy!!”
“Hmph. The edge of this blade leaves much to be desired,” Jin muttered as she cut down the last remaining monster.
She was already flicking off the blood as the creature fell to the ground. After the sound of its crash subsided, the village was quiet once more.
A moment later, the other combatants began sighing in relief.
“Well, I guess I’m up.”
Even after such a large wave of enemies, the number of soldiers without injury was surprising. There were a few wounded enough to require healing, however. Psycho began to tend to them. At least this was one thing she was good for.
“Ouch… Wow, thanks. An injury like this would have usually taken forever to heal. You’re good!”
Psycho was highly skilled with healing magic. She was even capable of healing injuries beyond a normal priest’s ability.
“Yeah, well, you’re lucky I was here, I guess,” Psycho joked, before sending the healed soldier on his way. She stared absently into the distance.
“I wish I could fight, too…,” she muttered softly, too softly for her friends to hear.
Psycho’s fighting abilities were a step or two below her teammates’. Depending on the situation, she might be unable to participate in a battle entirely. It made her uneasy sometimes, realizing that she couldn’t rise to the occasion the same way they could.
As Psycho watched the other four girls from a distance, a priest, who was also healing the soldiers, approached her and spoke.
“You shouldn’t say that. You’re contributing a lot, even without fighting.”
Apparently, the priest had overheard Psycho talking to herself. Oddly enough, this was a male priest. With all the touches of old-school Japanese culture around, a female priest would have seemed more fitting. He was trying to cheer up Psycho, who had a sour look on her face.
“You’re saying support is just as important as combat. That’s true,” Psycho said, nodding in agreement with the priest even though she herself was not so sure. “Look, it’s not like I’m trying to say this work is boring or anything…”
But Psycho’s face made it clear that she felt something was missing.
“I understand how you feel. Even I sometimes find myself wishing I could join the fight, since our contributions don’t happen until after battle is over.”
The priest’s kind words did little to dispel Psycho’s funk. But she wasn’t the type to stand around forever feeling sorry for herself.
With a deep breath, she recovered her usual bravado and shouted for her friends. There were things they needed to do. They had accomplished what they had come for. Now it was time to blow this popsicle stand.
“All right, ladies! We came, we saw, we got Jin’s weapon. Now let’s get the hell out of—”
“Rice.”
“I…guess we have time for one bowl!”
Jin had a point. The girls decided to recharge their courage by stuffing their faces with rice before they left.
Rice is a precious thing.