The sound of heavy footsteps echoed across the ground, like a relentless march of soldiers.
From the shadows, armed women with fierce expressions approached one by one from the floor.
The midday sun, filtering through the white ceiling, lost its brilliance in the presence of the maliciously colored crimson tide.
“I’m going to say it one more time. Can’t you just let me go?”
Violet slowly raised her hands and took a step forward. A small spark flickered at her feet.
“Such a stickler, can’t you just get new subordinates?”
While the witch grumbled, Valefor surveyed her forces.
Every time he looked around, the monocle glimmered in the sunlight.
‘This is beyond imagination. It was indeed right to evacuate and handle it alone.’
He gauged the enemy’s level. Unlike the clones he’d faced earlier, these copies took on the form of adults and exuded a different kind of presence.
The atmosphere emanating from their stance was that of trained elites. To deal with this number, a lackluster guard or escort would simply not suffice.
‘I guess a bit of damage to the facility is something I’ll have to allow. If adjusted properly, it can be repaired and reused.’
Most of the clones wore expressionless faces like dolls, but some showed faint smiles as if amused by something.
Instead of approaching, Violet circled around them.
Like a predator creeping through the underbrush towards its prey.
Just when she intended to signal the charge to the clones, Valefor, who had been observing them indifferently, finally spoke.
“Who are you?”
“…?”
“I received a report just a moment ago. You call yourselves the Ariel Group, right? Even made a broadcast about it.”
The chairman of Polaris and former president of Magnavis spoke calmly about others’ affairs.
From his dry tone, Violet felt a faint tremor.
A mild anger and confusion that even superhuman restraint couldn’t hide.
‘Broadcast?’
Violet rifled through the memories of Clone 721, finally understanding why that mage would pose such a question. It seemed that the fake had done something impressive.
“However, it’s strange. As far as I know, the organization known as the Ariel Group didn’t exist until a few months ago. Yet here you are, appearing as if you fell from the sky. Given the level of armament and combat power observed, that’s something you can’t easily hide.”
Violet interjected with feigned interest.
“Oh? And so?”
“…I’ll ask directly. What is the Obsidian Legion’s plan?”
“Shut your mouth, you foolish old man. Even if I claimed to be a true Obsidian agent, do you think I would say ‘yes’?”
Violet retorted in a mocking tone, but the grand mage remained unfazed as he stared at her. Adjusting his monocle slightly, he calmly reproached her.
“You little fool. Are you treating me like a blind old man? That’s the Raikes-Haiven System. The form may have changed a bit, but it’s a combat martial art founded by my old comrades. Do you think I wouldn’t recognize it? So what is Colonel Rogers up to? Answer me.”
No sooner had the last command left his mouth than massive magic circles began to emerge behind him.
Violet laughed incredulously.
“So that’s why you engaged me; it was just to buy time!”
Violet lightly waved her left hand upward.
“So what does Sicamore want? He says to kill you. Have a nice journey.”
The ground right beneath the grand mage erupted in an explosion. A thick dust filled the air.
From below the surface flew numerous spears.
-BOOM!
Several prepared clones dashed into the swirling dirt. The clang of metal resonated sharply a few times.
Moments later, shredded clones sprang forth from within the cloud. The grand mage soared into the air, deploying dozens of defensive barriers.
“It’s a shame to lose such a facility, but it can’t be helped. Disappear.”
From the barriers adorning the ceiling, hundreds of tracking spells rained down. Clones rushed in from every angle, like a torrential storm. The grand mage leaped upward. Multiple magic circles wrapped around his legs.
Prepared were enhancements in strength, acceleration, and blood flow manipulation.
-THWACK!
As he retreated, spears flew into the space he had just occupied. Valefor stood unshaken and stepped back.
A chase ensued under the massive arched roof. A pursuit between hunter and prey.
Violet charged in. Avoiding the incoming spells, she propelled herself forward. The Violets kicked off walls and columns, dashing rapidly.
Behind them trailed a gleaming swarm of pursuing blades. They moved with the finesse of predatory fish stalking their prey.
One blade flew in from the left and above. Bending her back, Violet kicked off the ground, spinning in midair. From her feet, magical energy surged, propelling her forward at breakneck speed.
Moreover, the eyes and ears on each clone amplified sensory feedback, synced with the main body.
With her vision expanded hundreds of times, Violet gracefully dodged the incoming attacks.
She saw them, the shining barrage, heard the sizzling noise of ether cutting through the air.
-CLANG!
Occasionally, a single clone, targeting a gap, was struck by the stray bullets, faltering. Magic cascaded down onto the stopped clones, puncturing them and causing them to collapse.
Though numerous gaps opened among the overwhelming swarm of clones, they quickly began to fill again.
As countless clones shackled him with spears and harpoons to suppress Valefor, Violet prepared to leap once more.
‘There’s the opening!’
An artful maneuver unfolded once again.
Raikes-Haiven System Type 1. The Violets shot toward the grand mage like bullets. Valefor’s monocle glimmered in the briefest moment.
-KAPOW!
Dozens of clones were flung away by telekinesis.
The displaced clones were pierced by the magic bullets and tracking spears, as the grand mage extended his left hand.
Feeling immense pressure bearing down upon her, the witch Violet commented, “Telekinesis, huh?”
Even amidst that, she wondered if he had grasped the position of her main body, piquing her interest.
The force bearing down on her felt comparable to the pressure of the deep sea. She remained unfazed, placing her left hand upon her one-handed sword, rubbing it.
A strange, red magic circle began to swirl on the blade.
The sound of air being sliced echoed as the cutting strike tore through the telekinetic barrier.
“…Ugh!”
Startled by the keen sensation, the grand mage unfurled his left palm. Blood trickled from his hand.
“…A grand magic formula. This is quite unexpected. Has the federation finally succeeded in development?”
While the grand mage expressed his astonishment, Violet charged in with an angry momentum.
Incensed, Violet discarded her one-handed sword. What emerged from the air was an enormous halberd.
“Die!”
The main body and clones swung in unison.
The first trajectory barely missed, but the second was blocked by a defensive formula. The third—
-BOOM!
Dozens of layers of formulas shattered in a single blow. Only after urgently weaving a new formula did the halberd come to a halt inches from him.
Valefor gave up defense and initiated a counterattack. Overwhelming magical power coursed through his metal staff.
Countless formulas adorned his arms.
What was added next was enhancement of strength, amplification of mana, and neural acceleration.
Dozens of swords and staffs collided as they flew in. Just managing to fend off the clones’ torrent of attacks, he faced the main body’s assault.
-CLANG! CLANK! CLANG!
The cutting strikes of the drawn sword collided with the staff, sparking flames.
In that moment, Violet pressed against the staff, pushing Valefor back.
‘Where does she get such strength from…?!’
The grand mage visibly faltered. No matter how awakened she was, this was abnormal.
‘The flow of mana didn’t feel like anything. How…?’
Just as that thought crossed his mind, a flail struck the grand mage hard.
He was slammed into the wall, crashing through it like bowling pins, shattering several barriers in succession.
Violet chased right after him.
“Hahaha!”
Another shock reverberated, and as the dust cleared, the grand mage was brushing off the remnants as if unbothered.
Violet again charged forward, and they clashed once more. Each swing of her sword generated small shockwaves.
He observed the flow of mana. More power was felt than anticipated.
‘No, it’s not that I couldn’t perceive it. The manner of movement is different. Distinct from other awakened ones.’
Valefor was convinced. The very essence of the mana flow was different.
He could only recognize such forms of superhuman strength in two types of beings.
One was a monster, and the other was…
“You’ve received enhancement procedures, haven’t you? So you too are an enhanced human?”
“Wow, you got it right!”
The moment Violet laughed, a long-range mana bullet flew in.
She was hit and staggered, dropping her sword. Without missing a beat, Valefor raised his staff.
-KOOROOOOM!
A massive spell, over several meters long, broke through the walls as it aimed straight for Violet.
The prepared supplementary spells included acceleration and mass amplification; the primary attack spell was Achenbur’s Crystal Sword.
The colossal magic blade descended. It cleaved horizontally through the main body and three clones.
“Caught you now!”
And Violet, smirking, struck out her sword and hand in different directions alongside her clones.
Raikes-Haiven System Type 2.
A storm that cannot break the reeds cannot lightly shove away massive mass and output upon the return blow.
-TING!
The magic sword swung wildly, striking nothing but air. As if water gushed from a crevice in a ruined dam, the Violets drilled inward toward the staff.
Raikes-Haiven System Type 3, unarmed combat techniques.
The witch’s fists and dagger pierced and struck repeatedly. They hit with a speed exceeding dozens of times per second. The grand mage’s protective barrier shattered.
“…Grrr!”
With a magical explosion occurring, the grand mage barely escaped.
As he made his ascent to the surface, clones lying in ambush revealed themselves.
“Slice her apart!”
The clones swung their swords from a distance. A strange straight line was etched in the air.
Type 4, cutting strike.
Countless waves of sword energy flew in, mercilessly tearing into the grand mage. The protective relics he’d donned lost effectiveness and crumbled to dust.
Valefor staggered as he stood up.
“How’s it going, old man? Are you finally coming to your senses? Can we leave now?”
He swiftly prepared a restoration spell. As he raised his head, Violet greeted him with a haughty smile.
The grand mage silently glared at her. His face was as impassive as a statue. The unchanging expression made Violet feel uneasy.
She knew. Due to the insufficient magical power and the deteriorating physical abilities, she hadn’t dealt a decisive blow.
‘Damn old man. Even after that beating, he still shows no reaction. Just like the past, there’s no difference.’
The grand mage spoke briefly.
“So, did you enjoy it?”
“…?”
Violet tilted her head in confusion.
Valefor contemplated the situation. It seemed unlikely he could preserve the project facility while fighting effectively.
The early awakening techniques of the awakened ones were quite primitive. It was all about hitting and slicing monsters harder with their enhanced bodies.
Against beasts scarcely different from themselves, that alone would have sufficed.
Later on, with the development of sword energy release techniques, they easily slaughtered monsters protected by ether barriers and high-speed movement-blocking fields, saving the soldiers.
In the late stages of the war, much more agile and cunning monsters emerged.
They moved like humans and exhibited advanced combat skills. Awakened soldiers, relying only on strength, began to fall one by one.
As the front lines shook, the Human Alliance came up with a new strategy.
Weapons from the high middle ages, long forgotten after the industrial age, were resurrected from dusty tomes.
Elegant duel techniques, renowned among noble families for their martial arts, were passed down to the soldiers in the trenches and plains.
Blood and sweat became ink, and modern techniques of awakened combat were born on the pages of the battlefield.
However, amidst the rising human conflict after the invasion, some soldiers pondered.
Current combat techniques were merely imitating existing martial skills; at their core, they were just fast and strong swings.
They explored what was exclusive to the awakened ones.
Two curious soldiers later invented the Raikes-Haiven System, or the Raikes-Haiven Special Enhanced Close Combat Technique, named after themselves.
Over countless trials and errors, the technique progressed through generations.
As the years passed, the technology, buried under the federation’s obsession with advanced weaponry and high-powered armaments, was rediscovered and organized by someone from the intelligence department who had left the military.
And this fact did not sit well with Valefor.
Of all people, the most exemplary inheritors of the martial art created by his comrades turned out to be members of a terrorist organization of the Ban Clan.
‘If it is that combat technique created by my comrades, there is no way to secure an advantage in close combat. Unless it’s the armored knights of Restraid.’
He hardened his resolve. He would bury that witch along with the facility. Valefor closed his eyes.
“What’s wrong, already giving up? Is this what they call a war hero?”
The witch taunted once more as she charged in.
As the strikes clashed again, she spoke through the mouths of the clones.
“You’re called a hero of the first and second dimension invasions, and for the achievements in dungeon conquest, but in the end, you’re just an old man beaten by a young one. What have you accomplished in a century of living? Hahaha! Just a senile specter with nothing to boast of but war!”
The grand mage answered her provocations with a quiet tone.
“Indeed. I might be nothing but a has-been old man, as you said. Just maintaining my youth through the power of mana, ultimately, I am but a specter from a century ago.”
“Wow, you understand well. Then quickly fall into my hands…”
Valefor interjected.
“Then, do you know what war is?”
“What?”
A shockwave erupted. The mage landed atop the structure.
“Do you know trench warfare? Have you endured three days and four nights against a legion of monsters crashing down like a sea? Have you fought battles on the frozen steppes of Pastella, and on the plains and hills of Lutecia, never yielding an inch? Your Obsidian youngsters shout for combat, yet they don’t even grasp what struggle means. I witnessed the struggle for survival. Thousands died for the sake of advancing one yard. To reclaim a mile of front line, tens of thousands of soldiers perished. The world we lived in was that era.”
“Impressive. So, veteran, did you create chaos in the academy just because you wanted war? People have died, after all. How commendable.”
The witch scoffed. Rarely did a personal emotion seep into her tone. Valefor pondered her words, then replied dismissively.
“Watch your mouth, terrorist witch. Are you demanding an apology? Setting aside the appropriateness of the situation and the subject of an apology, I do not engage in such acts for personal pleasure like the petty folk.”
“A guy who orders human experiments has the gall to say such things—”
“Do you have any idea how many people died due to the monsters and the gates? Just counting the casualties from the old war makes it well over tens of millions. Add to that all recent damages from monsters, and the number surpasses hundreds of billions statistically. I’m merely adding a few dozen to a hundred on top of that. It’s significantly fewer than the number of people that die in traffic accidents in a year. It’s a small price to pay to save billions of lives.”
“Wow.”
Valefor raised his staff.
“Do you have anything more to say? This conversation is over. Given what you and your flimsy so-called Ariel Group have done, I won’t let you leave peacefully.”
In an instant, a tremendous surge of magical power swept across the entire project facility.
“You foolish, rude girl. Born in this era of peace, you dare to speak of war in front of me.”
Colossal magic circles appeared successively above the facility’s ceiling and behind the grand mage.
“So, I will show you what war is.”
Torrential streams of melting rays tore through the facility’s floor. Hundreds of electric spheres dropped from above, causing the stairs to collapse in an instant.
Violet dashed upward with her clones, rushing against the crumbling ground.
Focusing magical power in her legs and toes, she stomped on the rubble and stepped into the air to ascend once again.
“What the hell…!”
The moment Violet touched down, spikes erupted from the floor like tidal waves.
While several clones were pierced, Violet leaped into the air again.
Countless flames engulfed the area. The witch borrowed the perspectives and senses of her clones. With her heightened senses, she dodged the incoming barrage and twisted to charge back toward the mage.
“Charge!”
The mage was airborne, unleashing his bombardment. She extended her arm.
Numerous chains extended outward. At the chain’s end were a sword and scythe, intertwined.
Technique of Type 5. The overwhelming magical power dwindled. As mana condensed into the sword connected to the chain, it twisted and swayed like a serpent, burrowing through the hail of projectiles.
The clones followed suit. Dozens of chains lit through the air, aiming for the airborne mage. The chains melted away as they passed through a conflagration of blue flames erupting from the staff’s tip.
“Damn this bombardment…!”
The witch seethed. Because of this damned compatibility, her past strategy had failed. And now, she was forced to bleed once more.
The merciless bombardment, careless of the safety of the facility, erased the clones along with the structures.
The clones resisted according to their main body’s control. They deployed Type 1 and charged forward. A barrage of cutting strikes infused with Type 4’s sword energy rained down, disrupting the grand mage’s magical power.
The grand mage countered.
The electric capture nets on the sides ensnared the charging clone, electrocuting it to a halt.
The Richter-Mile Ether dispersion technique. The cutting strike was quenched and vanished as it made contact with the closely arranged magic circles in mid-air.
The Fire Dragon of Parmas. Blue flames enveloped the area. The grand magic formula couldn’t withstand the outpouring mana and shattered. Clones disappeared one by one, engulfed in the firepower.
Colossal swords flew in, obliterating the Violets.
“Grrr!”
Twisting in mid-air, the avoiding witch Violet felt her arm severed by the incoming attack.
In a panic, Violet quickly exchanged with a clone, causing the one-armed clone to fall away into oblivion.
‘Damn it, should I be glad that I didn’t shatter into pieces this time?’
She didn’t want to use this cumbersome and troublesome technique again.
She dashed through the burning, collapsing facility, seeking an opportunity to get closer.
In an instant her mana, her clones, revealed the ground.
‘This won’t do. If things continue like this, I’ll be finished.’
The witch initiated her last charge. The clones ceased to evade or create distractions.
She struggled through the torrent.
The clones executed their maneuvers systematically, conjuring new weapons. A massive, square-headed executioner’s blade displayed its might.
‘Damn it, how did Sicamore use this again…? No, there’s no time to dwell on it.’
Although she hadn’t mastered it perfectly, this was the only way.
In the next moment, a massive flow of mana surged from above the project facility’s ceiling.
“I don’t know what tricks you’re up to, but this facility will be your grave.”
The large-scale killing rays blazing from the rampaging dungeon rained down from the sky. One side of the ceiling melted dramatically.
‘The Arklight’s flash…!’
Even as Violet and her clones swallowed the sense of defeat, they lifted the executioner’s blade without a second thought.
Thinking was the ultimate form. The technique that smashed through barriers and spatial boundaries.
Raikes-Haiven System Type 7.
An immense cutting strike incomparable to Type 4 launched toward the grand mage.
Seeing Valefor’s eyes shake, Violet bitterly smiled.
‘Am I losing again? Well, it can’t be helped.’
As sunlight poured in, the clones began to vanish.
-BOOM!
The impact from the cutting strike shattered the facility’s roof into countless pieces, causing it to plummet.
Swept up in the heat, Violet lost consciousness. Her body disintegrated into ashes.
And then, everything fell silent.
At 9:15 a.m., in the western section, at the project facility of the Magnavis Group.
The periphery of the project facility, melted by tremendous heat, produced a rough sound as debris shifted due to telekinesis.
From beneath the rubble, Valefor rose.
“I took a hit.”
He sighed, glancing at his broken staff and bloodied elbow.
At the last moment, while defending against the flying cutting strike, his arm had been severed.
‘The staff can be repaired, and I can use a prosthetic for the arm. However…’
Valefor staggered for a moment, nearly collapsing to the ground.
The cutting strike had burrowed into his attire, ripping it, and blood soaked through his abdomen and chest.
‘That was a proper hit. I was nearly in trouble.’
The technique of the grand magic formula that Violet applied had left its mark on him, now hampering his recovery and disrupting the flow of his mana.
Meeting another foe in this state would be exceedingly dangerous. He would need to heal for a time.
‘Where did Sicamore bring that monster from?’
The grand mage sat exhausted against the remnants of a nearby wall. In the distance, helicopters of unknown allegiance approached.
From Mark’s perspective, they belonged to the academy city autonomous district dispatched after the commotion.
‘It’s over now. Now…’
In the morning sunlight, he closed his eyes. Considering what awaited ahead, it seemed best to rest for now.
Thus, the unofficial fight came to an end.
The Witch’s Hammer operation had finished.
![[TS] The End of Magical Girls Has Come](https://i3.wp.com/darkmtl.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/01/1737407792-8993-TS-The-end-of-magical-girls-has-come.png?resize=151,215 "[TS] The End of Magical Girls Has Come")
![[TS] The End of Magical Girls Has Come](https://i3.wp.com/darkmtl.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/01/1737407792-8993-TS-The-end-of-magical-girls-has-come.png?resize=85,105 "[TS] The End of Magical Girls Has Come")
