Chapter 119: Aria and Iris join forces for the same goal.
Yume raised both hands.
"I’ll cover the left."
Luna nodded.
"I’ll protect the evacuation."
Aria looked at Iris.
"What about you?"
"I attack."
"That’s not a very elaborate strategy."
Iris frowned.
"But it works."
Aria pointed at a group of enemies.
"The ones in the back are holding up a barrier."
Iris looked.
"I already saw them."
"I’ll immobilize the front ones."
"I don’t need you to..."
"Now."
Aria extended a hand.
"Kneel!"
Two attackers dropped immediately onto one knee, but the third resisted.
Iris reacted without thinking and slipped past the side, launching two rapid attacks, one struck the woman who had resisted, and the other destroyed the magical device another was carrying.
Aria pointed to the right.
"Above."
Iris didn’t even ask. She turned, and an agent was trying to attack from a platform.
Iris fired. The attack hit exactly on her hand and the weapon fell.
Noah watched them.
’Could it be...?’
Aria made another gesture.
"Two steps to the left."
Iris moved and an attack passed through where she had been, so she answered immediately with a discharge that sent the enemy falling.
Noah’s eyes widened a little more.
They weren’t talking much, because they didn’t need to.
Aria saw opportunities and Iris reacted.
Iris pressed and Aria controlled.
They understood each other.
Yume noticed it too.
"They work pretty well together."
Luna nodded.
"Way too well for having been insulting each other a little while ago."
Noah stayed silent.
That meant the original bond was still there, not in the same form, since there were no visible romantic feelings, but there was something.
A natural compatibility and a coordination that seemed to exist even without experience.
Aria raised her hand.
"Fall back!"
Three enemies were forced several steps backward and Iris attacked, the explosion knocking them down.
Aria looked at her.
"Good hit."
Iris looked uncomfortable.
"I didn’t need you to praise me."
"It was an objective comment."
"Don’t say it like you’re my superior."
"I’m not."
Aria glanced toward Noah.
"Yet."
Iris also looked at Noah and her expression changed.
"Focus."
Aria turned back to her.
"I am focused."
"You were looking at him."
"So were you."
Iris fell silent, and with that Noah immediately understood the difference.
In the anime, the coordination between them had been the start of their getting closer, and here it worked, but the emotional center was somewhere else.
Both of them kept looking toward Noah, worrying about his position and constantly checking if he was okay.
’The connection still exists.’
Noah frowned.
’But it changed.’
A huge creature appeared from one of the entrances and Reina saw it.
"That’s not one of mine!"
Misaki answered from above.
"Unit six."
Ayane looked toward the monster.
"Don’t let it reach Noah!"
Reina stared at her.
"And the rest?!"
"Them too!"
The creature advanced and Yume raised both hands.
"I can destroy it."
Luna stepped in front of Noah.
"Not here."
Yume understood there were too many students nearby.
Iris looked at Aria, who was already watching the monster.
"Can you stop it?"
Iris asked.
"I don’t know."
"Try."
Aria extended both hands.
"Stop."
The creature slowed, but kept advancing, so Aria clenched her teeth.
"Stop!"
The monster halted and its legs trembled.
Noah saw Aria starting to breathe harder.
"You won’t be able to hold it much longer!"
Iris gathered energy and Yume did the same.
Luna raised a barrier behind the monster to keep any explosion from reaching the students.
Iris looked at Yume.
"At the same time."
Yume nodded.
"Got it."
Aria raised her voice.
"Down!"
The creature was forced to lower its body.
"Now!"
Yume and Iris fired and both attacks slammed into it head-on, launching the creature backward into Luna’s barrier.
A second explosion finished destroying it.
The auditorium shook. Luna held the barrier until the energy faded, then lowered it.
"Eliminated."
Yume smiled.
"It worked."
Iris breathed and Aria did the same.
Noah watched them.
Four magical girls fighting together for the first time.
It wasn’t perfect, they hadn’t trained, and there were tensions between them, jealousy, personal problems, but it worked.
Another unit tried to advance toward Noah and Luna detected it.
"Don’t even think about it."
She created a barrier right in front of them. Yume attacked from above while Iris blocked the side and Aria raised a hand.
"Drop your weapons!"
Two weapons fell to the floor and Reina appeared behind the attackers.
"Thanks."
She summoned a small creature that charged into them.
Ayane arrived an instant later and Noah saw her.
Their eyes met, making Ayane freeze, so Noah couldn’t understand her expression.
She had an order, to capture him, and he knew it.
Ayane also knew that Noah knew.
A voice came through Ayane’s communicator.
"Kuromiya Unit."
She lowered her gaze.
"Report."
"The other units are losing positions."
"Understood."
"The target is still on the stage."
Ayane looked at Noah.
"I see him."
"This is your chance."
Ayane didn’t answer and Reina reached her.
"We can grab him now."
Misaki descended from the platform.
"West route partially cleared."
Ayane remained silent.
Noah was protected by four magical girls and the evacuation was almost complete.
Reina stepped closer.
"Ayane."
She looked at her.
"If we want him, it has to be now."
Misaki nodded.
"I agree."
Ayane watched Noah.
She remembered the Great Mother’s order, the final deadline, also the other units and what they might do if they captured him.
Then she looked at each magical girl.
Noah was protected, not by the organization, but by them, so Ayane closed her eyes for a second.
"No."
Reina blinked.
"No?"
"Retreat."
Misaki looked at her.
"The mission..."
"Failed."
Reina’s eyes widened.
"Are you serious?"
Ayane spoke without changing her tone.
"There are too many magical girls."
Reina pointed at Aria.
"That one just appeared."
"Exactly."
Misaki observed Ayane and understood something, but said nothing, while Reina did.
"The Great Mother is going to destroy us."
"I know."
"She gave us a final deadline."
"I know."
"Then...!"
Ayane cut her off.
"I said retreat."
Reina went quiet and Misaki put away her weapon.
"Understood."
Reina looked at Noah and then at Ayane.
"This is going to go very badly."
Ayane didn’t answer and activated the communicator.
"Kuromiya Unit reporting."
She waited.
"Capture of the target has failed."
Silence was the only thing that answered while Ayane continued.
"Four active magical girls, multiple units compromised, so continuing the operation would increase losses."
Another pause.
"I order my unit to retreat."
The communication ended and Reina swallowed.
"That was it?"
"Yes."
"And now?"
Ayane looked toward Noah one last time and smiled at him.
"Now we accept the consequences."
Meanwhile, Luna reached Noah’s side.
"The units are retreating."
Yume looked around.
"The others too."
Several enemies began escaping through secondary exits; some used teleportation, while others simply left the auditorium.
Iris approached Noah.
"Are you hurt?"
"No."
Aria appeared immediately.
"Let me see."
Noah raised his hands.
"I’m fine."
Yume arrived.
"You sure?"
"Yes."
Luna checked him from head to toe.
"No visible injuries."
Ren finally let go of the metal bar and the object hit the floor.
Noah looked at her.
"Are you okay?"
Ren took a deep breath.
"No."
Everyone looked at her, and Ren pointed at Yume.
"Magical girl."
Then at Luna.
"Magical girl."
Then at Iris.
"Magical girl."
Finally at Aria.
"Just became a magical girl."
Ren pointed at Noah.
"And you have powers too."
Noah smiled nervously.
"Well, yeah."
Ren brought both hands to her face.
"I need a lot of explanations."
Aria looked at her new outfit.
"Me too."
Yume looked at Noah.
"This is going to be a long conversation."
Luna nodded.
"Very long."
Iris crossed her arms, while Noah looked around.
The auditorium was destroyed, several seats broken, marks from attacks on the walls and floor.
The last students were being evacuated, but everyone was alive, while Aria had received her powers and the four of them had fought together.
Noah let out a slow breath.
’Finally.’
Then he remembered something and Aria looked at him.
"By the way."
Noah felt concern immediately.
"What?"
Aria smiled.
"You promised you’d do whatever I wanted."
Yume turned toward him, Luna too, Iris frowned, and Ren looked at him with exhaustion.
Noah closed his eyes.
’I shouldn’t have said that.’
The battle was over, but his problems weren’t.