Chapter 18: Fallen Angel

14 Years Old Arc: The No-Staff of Magic Academy

Fallen Angel

BOOM!!

A bolt of lightning struck.

However, I didn't feel the impact of the lightning strike on my body. Instead, I felt like I was being held in someone's arms and floating in the air.

It was Al.

He had caught me just before the lightning struck, and was now holding me in his arms, flying low to the ground.

Al set me down where the forest grew denser, and hid me behind a tree.

"Wait here. I'll deal with that."

"Al!"

Al soared high into the sky.

★

"What the hell is that thing?!"

"I've never seen a monster like that!"

The square was in chaos.

Some tried to escape. Others were frozen in place. Others cried out in anguish.

It was a chaotic mess.

"Don't panic!!"

Suddenly, a loud voice rang out.

It was Max's voice.

Everyone there, with the exception of one person, instantly understood who they should follow.

"All remaining Student Council members, gather around me! Use defensive magic together!

All members of the press who are safe, gather here too! We will protect you!

Aerial Mages, fly and disperse! Run around it to distract it!

From now on, I will name the Unidentified Hostile Object as 'Fallen Angel'!"

Order is restored to the area.

The Fallen Angel targets the group that has formed around Max, and approaches while flapping its wings.

Soon, it scatters particles of light from its wings.

"Defensive magic! Begin chanting!"

""""O unhindered light that illuminates all things—!""""

The Fallen Angel retreats, and lightning strikes Max, who is at the center of the makeshift force, once again. 

""""—Surround me in layers upon layers and protect me!""""

CRASH!

More than half of the more than 100 membranes of various colors defensive barrier magic were broken, but the magic was effective in blocking the lightning.

The press frantically turned their cameras towards the Fallen Angel.

[AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA]

The Fallen Angel cried out in frustration at the ineffective attack, its body trembling.

At that moment, a single Aerial Mage glided towards the fallen angel at tremendous speed.

It was Al.

Al slashed at the Fallen Angel with the saber in his right hand as he ran past, but the Fallen Angel's armor was so hard that the saber snapped in half.

"Mergen! Don't do whatever you want! Follow my orders!"

"Who would follow your orders?!"

While Max and Al continued their argument, the Fallen Angel released particles from its wings again, preparing to fire a lightning strike.

"It is retreating during the attack...!! Everyone! Begin chanting the defensive magic! Chairman Felzer and the Aerial Mages will attack with lightning!"

"Understood!"

"Yeah, got it!"

"""Lightning projectiles loaded... Ready to fire!"""

"""Oh, hammer of the heavens—!"""

The Fallen Angel's lightning strikes Max and his companions.

Just like before, the lightning strike is blocked by a defensive magic.

"""Lightning projectiles, all at once!"""

"""—Crush the heinous crimes along with the anvil!"""

What's different this time is that Chairman Felzer and the Aerial Mages retaliate with a lightning strike.

BOOM!

Crackling, crackling, crackling!

[AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!!!!!]

It seems lightning is effective against the Fallen Angels.

.... So that's why it retreated every time it unleashed its attack, to avoid taking a damage from its own attack.

The Fallen Angel writhed in agony in mid-air.

A high-speed projectile flew towards the giant eyeball at the center of the suffering Fallen Angel and thrust a long, slender rod-like object into it.

It was Al.

He had apparently twisted it off somewhere; he was using the pointed end of a road sign, which was taller than him, to stab the Fallen Angel in the eye.

[AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!!!!!!]

A blood-red, viscous liquid splattered from its eyeballs.

The Fallen Angel thrashed its arms wildly in pain.

Its long, slender hand struck Al with a dull thud.

Al was blown towards the ground.

Al was falling.

"AL!"

Ignoring the unpleasant dampness in my lower body, I began running towards where Al would fall.

As I ran, I heard the sound of something flying in the sky, and several figures resembling humans with one wing each glided in an orderly formation towards the suffering Fallen Angel.

"GOOD JOB, KIDS!! YOU'VE HELD ON WELL!!"

★★★

"Watchdog Squadron, we have just arrived at the target airspace! Garm Squad, stay put! Skoll Squad, disperse to the 2 o'clock airspace from the target, and Hati Squad, disperse to the 10 o'clock airspace from the target!"

While issuing orders to his subordinates, Colonel Vance-Arrich Radel observed the target.

The monstrous creature, with a road sign sprouting from its single eye and writhing in agony, wearing the same prosthetic wings as them, looked ominous.

"Fallen Angel" a flying monster from the abominable religious tales of the Long-Eared Tribe—a fitting description.

But Radel reconsidered, thinking that didn't matter.

He would just do things as usual. Destroy the target as ordered. That was all.

["Skoll Squad! We have arrived at the designated airspace!"]

["Hati Squad! We have also arrived at the designated airspace!"]

His subordinates appeared to have reached their designated positions.

'Very well, then I'll give the order to destroy that Fallen Angel.'

"Skoll Squad! Hati Squad! Load the lightning rounds!"

"Skoll Squad! Assume position! Fire!"

The lightning, far more powerful than the toned-down lightning from the Academy students earlier, struck the fallen angel with a tremendous roar.

Something resembling human organs, along with a red liquid, spurted out from the gaps in the Fallen Angel's armor.

However, Radel showed no interest in that and continued to give orders.

"Skoll Squad! Reload the lightning rounds! Hati Squad! Assume position! Fire!"

The lightning rounds hit directly.

The Fallen Angel writhed in agony more than ever before, scattering pieces of flesh as it crashed down.

"Hati Squad! Reload the lightning rounds! Everyone, stand by! ...Well, this should be the end."

The Fallen Angel plummeted, crashing to the ground and scattering pieces of flesh before being crushed.

There was no need for further attack. Experience from countless times destroying people and objects told him so.

Even so...

'The orders from that descendant of Friedrich von Bernstein were excellent.

If war were to break out, I would want to fight under the command of a superior like that.

And then there was Albert Mergen, wasn't it? That boy also showed promise.

He was rebellious and sometimes didn't follow orders, but his courage to charge headfirst into battle without fear of death was valuable.'

"Good. Very good!"

Colonel Radel nodded deeply, impressed by the reliability of those who would one day bear the responsibility of defending Mittelland.

★★★

"AL!"

I rushed to where Al had fallen.

Al was in terrible condition.

His limbs were bent in the opposite direction to their normal form.

He must have fallen on his back; his prosthetic wings were shattered.

His internal organs must have been damaged, as he coughed violently, spitting up blood.

"Al..."

He fought until he was so badly injured...

Seeing Al, who looked like he was about to die, made my chest ache, and I felt tears streaming down my cheeks.

'I mustn't let Al die.'

I knelt down and gently lifted Al's body from below with both hands.

Then, I gathered as much mana from the air as I could and cast a healing spell on Al's body with all my might.

A green phosphorescence enveloped us, the light appearing and then dissipating again.

I could see a camera pointed at us out of the corner of my eye.

I heard the sound of the camera shutter clicking several times.

"Al! ...Al!"

But I couldn't care less about that.

I continued casting healing magic, tears streaming down my face.

With my tear-blurred eyes, I continued to gaze at Al's face as it gradually calmed down.

Author Note:

• It has the shape of an angel.

• It uses lightning attacks, but its weakness is lightning attacks.

The above two points are stolen from an enemy called "Metatron" that appears in "Mai-HiME: The Genealogical Tree of Fate SHURA"

TL Note: 

Garm, Skoll, and Hati are from norse mythology.

Garm: The Gatekeeper of Helheim (the underworld)

Skoll and Hati: The offsprings of Fenrir.