Magical Girl: Human Rebellion

Finally came the morning of the 21st of December. The day of the winter solstice.

As of yet, no one in Matsue had taken notice of the three hundred girls in strange outfits and Corinthian helmets gathered at the supposed location of Yomotsu Hirasaka, though that was likely due to the efforts of the small handful of illusionists in Hana’s ranks. Though not as powerful as my own, there were a number of girls with the ability to mask or block out sights or sounds to hide our activity, which was being used to prevent a scene at the point we were camped in.

There was still the better part of a day before sunset, so the group of magical girls were mostly milling around the tents we had set up, doing whatever they felt necessary to prepare for the upcoming fight.

Outside the tents stood a new banner I had never scene before, one of a blood-soaked Corinthian helmet on a black background. It was the logo of The Sisterhood Of Blood And Steel, a name the 300 had adopted after Hana’s rally speech a few weeks ago. In that short time, they had turned from a ragtag group of superpowered misfits to an organised and disciplined army that could likely challenge world governments if they so decided.

Among the camp, there were seven outliers. Those of us not wearing those metal helms adorning the heads of the Sisterhood. It was the seven of us who were undertaking the most dangerous mission of all: Saki’s Hussars, the infiltrators of hell. We sat in a smaller tent off to the side of the area, waiting for our briefing to begin.

“How are you girls feeling about all of this?”

Those words came from the mouth of Hana Hajime, whose entry into the tent meant that business was about to be underway.

Six of us seven gave vague answers about being ready but anxious and the like, but one of our comrades was lying abed in the corner, giving few answers outside of short grunts.

“Is she gonna be okay?” I asked, looking at Kyouma’s current sorry state. The hand she had covering her eyes indicated she was having a particularly bad headache.

“Poor girl, she’s been running herself ragged since yesterday. First she had to teleport the entire Sisterhood here group-by-group, then she had to keep returning to the manor for supply runs. When she wears down her entire magic reserve, it knocks her down like this.” Hana explained with sympathy in her voice.

The turn of events wasn’t surprising. The 「Untethered」Kyouma was the only known person in the world with the ability to teleport, so getting every member of the sisterhood plus all necessary supplies all the way to Matsue in a single day must have put immense strain on her body.

“She’ll be alright before sundown, right?” Asked Saki, concerned.

“It normally only takes her a few hours to regenerate most of her magic. I’m letting her sleep until sunset, though, since she’s barely had a wink this entire past day.”

No one was opposed to Hana’s decision. Both out of concern for Kyouma’s health and because we needed her on top form for our mission, we agreed that it was best to let her rest as much as possible until the setting of the sun.

“Kyouma aside, I’m guessing you came here to brief us on the plans?” Said Saki, though she likely already knew them herself.

“Yes, that’s right. As your role is both the most important and the most perilous, I thought it best to brief the seven of you privately so you’re fully aware of what you’ll be doing and when you’ll be doing it.”

She proceeded to explain the battle plans from beginning to end, with the specifics of our role being expanded upon along the way.

We were expecting the legions of hell to hit us hard out of the gate, with the choke point at the portal being exceptionally dangerous in the first stages of the battle. We would dedicate everything we had to ensuring the brutal first wave was repelled with minimal losses, after which point the seven of us would look for an opportunity to covertly traverse across the portal. We would learn everything we can, even down to the twins mapping out the area on paper, allowing us the upper hand if we were forced to stage a land invasion.

During the time before our operation, we would be conserving our magic and supporting the soldiers on the front lines by way of refreshing supplies and moving away any wounded. Each of the seven of us would be vital during the mission, so we had to ensure our magic levels were high enough to enter and exit hell with as minimal risk as possible.

“Past that point, I’m afraid we’ll have to improvise. We simply know too little about our enemy to plan further ahead than that at this time.”

Hana finished her briefing, with much of what we’d be doing unfortunately still up in the air. Despite their overwhelming power and likely high numbers, by far the biggest advantage hell had over us was information. While demons could travel freely to Earth and seemed to know our world and species inside and out, damn near everything about them was a mystery to us. We would have to figure almost everything out as we went.

“We’ve done the best we can to plan our approach, but this is gonna require a lot of quick thinking and good judgement. Fortunately, we have the best team for that. Every person in this tent has proven themselves to be smart, capable and good under pressure. And by god, are we gonna be under pressure.” Saki addressed the rest of us, her voice not wavering even as she acknowledged the unfavourable situation. “I won’t lie to you all: our job is more dangerous than we can possibly imagine. We’re treading into territory where no living humans have ever been. A land that’s cruel and hostile, filled with enemies and god-knows what else. But if there’s any group of people on the planet I would trust with my life, it’s the people in this tent. The odds are bad, but together we can tip them. I believe in all of you. Believe in yourselves.”

The eight people within that tent were those who would bear the heaviest burdens of us all. Hana, leading her army from the front lines, and the seven infiltrators, diving feet first into hell.

The world rested upon our shoulders.

***

After an entire day of preparation, the sun finally began to dip below the horizon.

I, along with the other members of the Hussars, was stood off to the side with those not occupying the front lines. The main bulk of the fighting force stood in tightly bound rows, spears in their right hands and shields in their left. The sea of helms and weapons was prepared to face down a terrible foe, ordered together with the discipline of a regiment with a decade of experience.

As everyone finished getting into place, the silence was broken by the voice of Hana, projected far enough for all around to hear her words.

“My Sisters! My Spartans! My defenders of Earth! Today is the day we face down the greatest foe this world has ever seen! Today is the day we match strength with divinity! And today is the day we prove that humanity is not an opponent to be taken lightly!”

“Hoo! Hoo! Hoo!” The chants of the 300 bellowed around the entire area, their spears slamming the ground in perfect harmony.

“For everything you love and hold dear, for every person you’ve ever cherished, for every happy and painful memory that’s built you into the person you are today, stand and fight! Cut down the foes who seek to take them from you!”

“Hoo! Hoo! Hoo!”

“May the setting of the sun be our finest hour! Earth needs no Gods!”

“Earth needs no masters! Earth needs no Gods! Earth needs no masters!”

The sound resonated everywhere it could reach, reverberating through my very soul. Until all at once, every person chanting halted, the last of the sun dipped out of sight, and a fiery ring appeared before us.

War had begun.