Magical Girl: Human Rebellion

The first wave of demons were cut down like ribbons, the spears of the Sisterhood tearing them apart without reprieve.

They weren’t the towering beasts we had seen before; they stood slightly shorter than most of the girls there, standing with postures like chimpanzees and attacking with unrestrained violence. They were hairless and had skin that clung to their bodies tightly just like Maxwell and Laplace, but unlike their larger counterparts they seemed practically powerless in the face of the power of magical girls.

A small number possessed wings that fluttered with speed like a hoverfly, though they were shot down mercilessly by a small group of archers at the back of the formation. Their bodies tumbled out of the skies, forcing several magical girls towards the middle of the pack to raise their shields above their heads.

The attack was relentless, but the front line held firm. The primitive clubs and bare hands of the imps proved no match for the spears and shields of the Sisters, who cut down their foes and sustained little more than mild scratches in return.

“Hold fast! Cut them down! Pile them so high that the gates to hell are blocked by blood and bodies!”

At the front of that rigid formation stood the steadfast Hana, who had yet to take a single step back despite the continued onslaught. With her power, the front lines continued to hold strong, not budging an inch even in the face of such a massive horde. Minutes passed, hundreds were cut down, and still the line did not take a single step back.

Those of us following Saki’s lead had to carry off soldiers who had taken wounds a handful of times, but they were instantly replaced in every instance, and the fast healing of a magical girl ensured they’d be back on their feet quickly.

The defence seemed easy. So easy that it was suspicious.

“They’re testing us,” said Saki as if reading my mind. “Sending thousands of suicidal grunts at us to evaluate our strengths and weaknesses.”

“That’s awful…” said Nao.

“That’s war.” Mai spoke seemingly with indifference, though it was clear she somewhat agreed with Nao. “When you have an extreme numerical advantage, the art of war becomes moot. There’s nothing stopping you piling bodies until you wear your enemies down. That’s how the Soviets kicked Germany out of Russia.”

“And for all we know, we’re facing an army larger than we could ever conceive of. Odds are, the thousands upon thousands of grunts they’re throwing at us aren’t even the tip of the iceberg.” I was worried about what was to come next. If the enemies coming our way were all like this, there was no doubt that we could last for days or even weeks with good logistics and perseverance. But even the strongest warriors get tired. They had likely identified that our biggest weakness was our numbers, and were trying to overwhelm us.

Despite Hana’s promise to stack them so high it’d block the hot gates, the bodies of the imps all burst into flames and disintegrated shortly after being killed. This meant that the no man’s land between our forces and those of hell was always open for consistent attacks, and the constant flames were increasing the air temperature until it was scorching hot. It must have been exhausting for Hana and her soldiers.

Our one saving grace was that none of us had actively used magic yet. Both Hana and Saki’s passive abilities were in play, but neither of them significantly drained magic power, nor were they detectable. No matter how many imps charged headlong into our spears, they were unable to ascertain our true strength.

The cycle continued for hours. By my rough count, the number of imps cut down, shot out of the sky or wasted in the burning of corpses had surpassed ten thousand. With the exception of Hana, who stood firm with blood running down her face, every person on the front line had been replaced at least once. We had sustained no casualties, but some dozen or so of our comrades had sustained minor wounds and were recovering in the back lines.

Still, not a single spell had been used. Ten thousand foes were felled by the point of the spear and the head of the arrow, and no sign of faltering was seen in the lines of the Sisterhood.

The night was dark, and the flames of the gate and the corpses of our enemies were the brightest light sources we could see. It was a gruelling engagement, soldiers having little choice other than to hold their position for hours upon end in the cold night.

Somewhen in the early hours of the morning, a new sound began to ring out across the front. The din of rainfall on three hundred brass helmets. The weather had taken a turn for the worst, and now the Sisters would have to fight in the wet and cold.

“This isn’t good. With the ground softening up, it’ll be far easier for them to force our lines to move back. Hana and her soldiers will have to dig their heels in even more than before.”

Despite Saki’s pessimistic words, Hana’s line continued not to budge. In fact, it seemed to be under any pressure at all. It didn’t take long to realise that the forces attacking us were slowly tapering off. The relentless horde throwing a thousand bodies at us with no hesitation finally seemed to be losing steam, until eventually no more imps were being cut down at all.

Their bodies burned away, steaming as their heat met the downpour, and the front line fell quiet.

“Is the first wave over? Did they exhaust their forces?”

Though I asked the question, I knew the answer was likely no. There was no retreat or anything of the sort which symbolise an acceptance of defeat in the initial battle. Those on the front lines were simply killed off until no more were sent. It was almost like they were in the way of something else that was happy to let them die.

“Duck!”

As if fate was mocking me, the moment the thought sprung to mind I heard Hana’s call. The hundred soldiers in the advance formation dropped to their knees and shielded above their heads all at once, as rain of flaming arrows fell upon their heads, followed by an enormous ball of flame that sailed over their heads and detonated upon hitting the trees behind us. The trees instantly caught fire, even the torrential downpour unable to put them out.

The source of the enormous fireball become obvious in the next moment, as a hulking demon, standing some 7-8 metres tall, stepped through the portal and swung his club down towards the front line.

His target was Hana.