When that soft fist and the merciless Blazing Warhammer collided head-on, the entire church fell silent.
First came a heavy silence, followed by the church beginning to shatter.
The impact of the two forces clashing rippled outward from the floor, spreading all the way to the ceiling.
A thunderous rumbling echoed continuously throughout the church as the marble ceiling began to rain down in pieces.
“…Impressive. To think you could even break a technique that symbolizes the pinnacle of human skill. You truly are the Strongest Magical Girl in History.”
After a moment of silence, the White-robed Youth looked at Blazing Flame, unsparing in his praise of her power.
His upper body had completely caved in, yet he maintained his balance in an incredibly eerie posture, standing atop the cracked tiled floor.
Blazing Flame ignored his compliments. She let out a breath and swung her warhammer at his body again, intending to kill the youth on the spot.
However, at the moment she swung the warhammer, the youth also pressed his five fingers together and threw a punch forward.
Initially, the punch was extremely slow, but as the warhammer was about to land on the youth’s head, his fist suddenly accelerated.
It was only about 10 centimeters away from Blazing Flame’s head.
Realizing that her attack and the youth’s strike would land at the same time, Blazing Flame was startled.
She immediately manipulated her Magic Power to retreat, abandoning the easy opening to pull back rapidly.
Under her watchful gaze, the youth’s punch struck the stone wall with ghost-like speed, instantly shattering half the church.
A terrifying boom resounded through the building.
The cement and tiles of half the stone wall crumbled and fell to the ground, revealing dark red tentacles writhing and crawling inside.
Blazing Flame watched from the side, her heart pounding with fear.
She could not understand how an attack devoid of any visible power could possess a destructive force nearly equal to her own.
‘If I had ignored it and taken that punch head-on, I might have been knocked unconscious right then and there,’ she thought.
“That was truly a close call. You almost lost your life just now, Miss Chiyan.”
Even though his attacks had failed to hit her so far, the White-robed Youth was not discouraged.
He pulled back his left hand and shifted his body; his entire form quickly returned to its original state.
Looking at the writhing tentacles covering the walls and then at the unfazed White-robed Youth, Blazing Flame suddenly realized something. “This church is your true body, isn’t it?”
“You are only half right. This church is actually the main body of every one of our compatriots,” the White-robed Youth added with a smile. “How does it feel to see the new base of humanity, Miss Chiyan?”
“…It’s disgusting. This is the first time in my life I’ve had to fight an entire living building.”
“Haha, we can hardly be considered buildings.” The White-robed Youth laughed loudly. “We are simply New Humans who can share knowledge and maximize the use of living space.”
‘New Humans? Perhaps. But at this moment, I do not agree with what you are doing. I refuse to acknowledge that this mass of monster organs is a New Human.’
“You will accept it sooner or later.”
The youth’s voice was filled with confidence. He bent his body and sprinted toward Blazing Flame at a speed that transcended human limits.
Seeing that the opponent’s speed had exceeded her expectations, Blazing Flame did not hesitate.
She immediately switched to Boost Form, striking back with even greater speed.
“Boost Form! Loading complete!” she cheered.
Just as the girl’s cry rang out, two afterimages — one red and one white — began darting around the church.
As their speed continued to increase, the entire church became increasingly precarious.
Finally, the youth halted his acceleration and threw a slow punch forward. Despite her constant dodging, Blazing Flame found herself with nowhere to run.
No matter where she fled, she would be hit by this punch. She could only use her Shield to forcibly block the strike.
The church was finally shattered by the aftershocks of their battle.
As the youth’s punch landed, Blazing Flame’s body flew backward like a kite with a broken string, blasted against the wall by the surging force.
The cement, tiles, glass, and even the wooden chairs near the pulpit used to build the church were all pulverized into debris by the youth’s incredible power.
For a time, smoke drifted, and the church was filled with the foul, stinging scent of dust.
The White-robed Youth walked toward where Blazing Flame had fallen with a smile.
His body was relaxed; he didn’t even bother to take a defensive stance.
“It seems that in the clash between the Ultimate Human Technique and ultimate power, technique has triumphed in the end.”
“Well, Miss Chiyan? After experiencing the absolute pinnacle of human skill, you should understand why I call myself human, right?”
“Although I still have much to say to you, it seems some things will have to wait until you are conscious again. Of course, that is provided you are still alive and haven’t died just like that.”
As he spoke, he muttered to himself about the source of his power. It seemed he was already certain of his victory deep within his heart.
However, when he passed through the dust and smoke, hands behind his back, and arrived at the spot where Blazing Flame should have fallen, he realized something was wrong.
Blazing Flame, who should have been pinned against the wall by his punch and unable to move, was not there.
Even worse, he could not detect her location within the church, nor could he sense her presence.
“…You just said that you used the Ultimate Human Technique to defeat ultimate power, didn’t you?”
Just as the White-robed Youth was wondering where she had gone, a girl’s cold, aloof voice drifted from behind him.
He looked back in shock, only to see that Blazing Flame — who should have been heavily injured — was standing about 100 meters away.
Her only injury was a split at the corner of her mouth, from which a bit of blood seeped out.
“You… you weren’t injured?!”
“While fighting you earlier, I realized how powerful your combat techniques were, so I took the opportunity to learn a little. It seems to be quite useful.”
Hearing this, the White-robed Youth’s eyes widened, and he stared fixedly at Blazing Flame.
He could not believe that the pinnacle of martial arts, which he had learned through so many of his compatriots, had been mastered so easily by her.
‘Such talent… Could she actually be a monster in the guise of a magical girl?!’
“Don’t worry, I won’t stoop so low as to use your own things against you. Although my idiot roommate is always saying something about using magic to fight magic, if I really used technique to defeat you, you probably wouldn’t be convinced enough to admit your mistakes.”
“Right, Shadow Beast 0247?”
Blazing Flame looked at the stunned White-robed Youth and called out his true identity.
Then, she produced a Deep Red Card out of thin air, pressed it against her arm, and said calmly, “Transform.”
In the next second, the girl’s crisp and pleasant voice rang out in the tentacle-filled church, echoing through every corner.
Surging flames descended from the sky, turning into a pillar of deep red light that surrounded Blazing Flame, enveloping the girl’s body.
[Authorization granted]
[Core Power re-enhanced. Magic Power usage permissions fully unlocked.]
[Magical Girl Regalia: Chiyan — Burst Form! Conversion complete!]
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