*
Skill disable. That was the most prominent ability displayed by the camera wielded by Christine. When the dragonoid Fragment were to shoot another devastating beam of light, it would abruptly fizzle out. It was a sort of suppressive force different from the force that messed with the calamity's perception and parameters.
Our efforts are loosely held by a thin thread. Arin's suppressive fire while able to fill in the gaps of time when Taneda couldn't keep up her guard, either out of exhaustion or being out maneuvered, was actually too weak to serve any actual purpose. Christine's camera was strong enough to temporarily disable the massive laser attack, but she herself had gaps where she would be careless and unable to permanently disable the opponent's skill.
She's using her skill at a super high output, a tiny lapse was enough to cause the skill activation to be a failure and waste the magic power. It was impressive how she could keep that up at all times, Lastia still had much more to grow. Similar to Arin, Lastia couldn't do any damage if at all. She primarily served as bait for when Taneda is down, acting as a further bandaid to this precarious battle.
Skill disable, suppressive fire, volatile bait... Lastly, only Taneda seemed to be able to do damage. Arin said we were on the same grade as Taneda, but likely weaker. The difference between our abilities are drastically different after seeing it in action. It looks like we have enough people to at least lessen the burden on Taneda, if the 3 of us could keep the Fragment occupied and even pry open a gap in its guard... Then get Taneda to deal a finishing blow...
No matter what plan I put forward, Taneda is at the forefront with the rest of us acting as auxiliary support. But she... Even if she can temporarily split its joints, was that enough to kill it? The world itself was aiding her... More specifically there was some ancient magic or universal law weakening it... Yet, the chances still look incredibly grim.
Lastia landed next to Taneda, causing a massive crater into the ground. She whispered a few worlds before leaping forward. At a blinding speed, she aimed a low punch at its hip before hopping away to dodge the dragonoid Fragment's kick.
"Can you kill it?" (Lastia)
"I have to try." (Taneda)
Her brunette twintails swung freely as she answered with a determined voice. There is no yes or no in this situation, she had to do it or she'll die. She already had an inkling to Lastia's thoughts, after all she was in combat with The Fragment the longest.
"You guys CAN'T do it, can you? Then it obviously falls to me, don't you think? I'll have you calling me the greatest damn sentinel, the strongest magical girl." (Taneda)
As if to show off that she could do it, she receives a point blank punch in the liver as her body glowed a faint white. Her aura was white, it exuded an unmatched sensation of purity that began to overflow. The dragonoid took a step back, seeing that her punch for the first time... Hadn't sent the target flying. Taneda's cheeks swell before she violently spat, around a cup's volume of blood splattered the ground in front of her.
Her lips were stained vibrantly with red like lipstick, like a rose baring its thorns. What was most beautiful was her wide grin that signaled the call for victory. It was like the push everyone needed to get out of this rut, when people see hope they begin to rush into it with all of their being. There is no other way out, push your body beyond your exhaustion's limits. Break free from the constraints of common sense, isn't that what being a magical girl is about?
A foreign and unsettling affection seeps into Lastia's heart. Love that is not her own, that much is clear. She was feeling someone else's fondness... What was it for...? Right, it had to be magical girls. The world's laws always revolved around them, so this affection must be the same. It didn't boost her power or anything, if anything it made her wholly uncomfortable. But what is one more displeasure in this fight for humanity's life and death?
The magical girls sped up. It's all to clear what they have to do, Taneda with her current strength focused on conservation of magical energy and attrition can not deal any lasting damage. Naturally, what she's doing now is concentrating her magical energy for one big final attack. It was the job of the others to keep it busy.
"Module drive!!! PANDORA!" (Lastia)
Manifestation of humanity's innate evil, inquisition. She doesn't have unlimited magic power, so this technique uses what little she has to reflect her own curiosity at the world's workings. Her desire to learn and disassemble the world, as someone who doesn't retain memories beyond a single day, this technique most suited herself. It wasn't a shared network like Yggdrasil that other people can use it.
In a burst of unexpected speed, she arrives next to The Fragment and slams her fist into its face. It didn't expect such a daring attack, having already labeled all of them but Taneda as insects. The most surprising matter was that the punch pushed The Fragment into the ground, before Lastia hopped away to dodge the tail whip. She was burning out like a shooting star, her beauty was elevated by her deep reddish black aura, leaving The Fragment intimidated for a slight moment.
That tiny moment was enough for retreat, it is intelligent. It will learn and it will counter. That's what made this fight so hard to prolong. Arin arrives next to its tail as it lands, stepping on it as she unloaded her magic bullets into its body. Over time and repeated usage, she had grown fond of these dual guns. Even if her magic is for {Bartering}, making trades with the universe at the cost of something precious, she feels she can move forward as long as this pair of guns rested in her palms.
For now she can just trade away something as mundane as magical energy for stronger bullets. She upped the amount of energy she was giving away for stronger bullets that leave an impact in its body, hammering it into the ground. Restrained, it begun preparing to fire a large laser attack. Christine prevents it without pause, snapping her camera at an unobservable speed. One has to make it clear that it was her magic skill that makes her click the camera, not the other way around.
Christine can easily defeat any B grade and below physically, but she was mainly a debuffing type of sentinel. This time she added a few more debuffs, making the opponent 'feel heavy', decreasing its magic energy transmission and circulation rate, sapping its magic energy for her own use. With another click of the camera, she begins transmitting the magic towards Taneda who had been gathering her energy as quick as she could. Just a few more moments!