Magical Lotus - Mahou Shoujou Byakuren - Episode 4

[Oldmansour]

>How strong does her power signature feel from when we were fighting her earlier? Does it seem appreciably diminished?
>Does this disruption by any chance seem like what happened when she transformed earlier?

>It is diminished, yes. But not enough to make you feel good about your chances if she decides she wants to keep rumbling with you.
>No, it's definitely different. In fact, after a moment's analysis, it feels similar to the sensation you registered when Air transformed that horse into a youma the other day, though not quite as intense.

[DracoOmega]

>So, do we think she's creating a youma from something up there? A bird or something, maybe?
>What do we think the effective range of our combo attack is? Do we think we could ascend close enough to hit her with it without her seeing us through the clouds - particularly if she's preoccupied?

[Oldmansour]

>So, do we think she's creating a youma from something up there? A bird or something, maybe?
>What do we think the effective range of our combo attack is? Do we think we could ascend close enough to hit her with it without her seeing us through the clouds - particularly if she's preoccupied?

>From what you've been told about the formation of youma, it could even be something as simple as a cloud.
>You don't actually know the maximum range of that attack. Its effectiveness does diminish with distance, though, so the closer you are to your enemy, the more force you can bring to bear against its face.
>You imagine you could. Presuming the clouds obscure her eyes like it does that of a humans.

[DracoOmega]

>Are we able to cart a zone of tranquility around with us, centered on us, rather than a specific location?
>Do we think the tranquility field could counter what Air did earlier with the, well, air? Still it enough that it wouldn't knock us out of the sky?
>Could we be charging up our combo attack while flying?
>How long did it take Air to make that horse youma last time, as far as we could tell?

[Oldmansour]

>Are we able to cart a zone of tranquility around with us, centered on us, rather than a specific location?
>Do we think the tranquility field could counter what Air did earlier with the, well, air? Still it enough that it wouldn't knock us out of the sky?
>Could we be charging up our combo attack while flying?
>How long did it take Air to make that horse youma last time, as far as we could tell?

>No. At the moment, that effect is a stationary one.
>It would take the edge off it, but not stop it altogether. Only a full on Sapphire Lotus could fully block a downdraft of that magnitude.
>You think so, but your teammates would have to fly next to you at the same speed, and you wouldn't be able to move as fast as you normally would.
>Less than a minute.

[DracoOmega]

>At that diminished speed and Air's current distance, how likely do we think we could reach firing range with a prepared attack before Air is liable to be finished?

[Oldmansour]

>At that diminished speed and Air's current distance, how likely do we think we could reach firing range with a prepared attack before Air is liable to be finished?

>To reach effective range within the time you think you have before Air completes her youma is doable. But how quick you get there depends on how much you wish to charge your blast before you get there. The equation is one of time vs. charge.

[DracoOmega]

>Air is making another youma. If we are quick, we may be able to interrupt or catch her unaware. Keep pace and gather power for a second shot while we move.
>Start to ascend as we say this, then call back to Shizuha: "Get back inside and stay there until we give word."
>Ascend up towards Air, gathering power for another combination attack as we do so. Favor speed over full-charge; if she's still busy when we fire, she may be much less prepared to defend herself.
>But keep an eye on Air's signature for movement or other changes.

[Oldmansour]

>Air is making another youma. If we are quick, we may be able to interrupt or catch her unaware. Keep pace and gather power for a second shot while we move.
>Start to ascend as we say this, then call back to Shizuha: "Get back inside and stay there until we give word."
>Ascend up towards Air, gathering power for another combination attack as we do so. Favor speed over full-charge; if she's still busy when we fire, she may be much less prepared to defend herself.
>But keep an eye on Air's signature for movement or other changes.

>The elder Aki beats feet as you and you two colleagues take flight again. Both of them start to pull ahead of you a little bit, but you reign them in, wanting to maintain the cohesion needed to charge a combo attack. It's actually harder to pull that off as you'd thought, charging a shot whilst moving, especially in a direction you're not used to. Lily and White Rose may be adept at flight, but you're not there yet. More practice will be required, but perhaps best to worry about that when you're not flying into the teeth of an electrified cloud.
>Wait, electrified cloud? Yes, sure enough, the clouds above you start to crackle ominously with electricity as you and your two fellow mahou shoujous climb into the sky, accompanied by a wave of power from the Champion of Air. Elis appears to have electrified the clouds between you and her. Water may have called her a fool, but apparantly she isn't always a fool.

[DracoOmega]

>Do we think we can still reach effective range without passing into this lightning cloud? (Or close enough for it to zap us)
>How far does Elis appear to be beyond it?
>Do we think we could project a tranquility zone onto a small segment of this cloud to 'quiet it down' enough to pass through it?

[Oldmansour]

>Do we think we can still reach effective range without passing into this lightning cloud? (Or close enough for it to zap us)
>How far does Elis appear to be beyond it?
>Do we think we could project a tranquility zone onto a small segment of this cloud to 'quiet it down' enough to pass through it?

>Yes. But the lightning would most likely reduce the effectiveness of your attack, if not block it altogether.
>Approximately 1000 feet, give or take a hundred either way.
>You are capable of projecting a tranquility zone into a small area of the cloud, yes. But it wouldn't completely neutralize the electricity, you don't think. It would certainly reduce the negative consequences of flying through a lightning cloud, but not block them completely. And you'd have to slow down even more than you already have to form the field in the first place.

[DracoOmega]

>Would firing an Amber Lotus at the cloud sacrifice the charge we've accumulated for our other attack?

[Oldmansour]

>Would firing an Amber Lotus at the cloud sacrifice the charge we've accumulated for our other attack?

>Yes. Whether it worked or not.

[DracoOmega]

>How much charge do we currently have, and how much more do we think we could regain in the time it took to reach optimal firing range after doing this?

[Oldmansour]

>How much charge do we currently have, and how much more do we think we could regain in the time it took to reach optimal firing range after doing this?

>Not as much as you had before, but enough to put out a blast to make even Air think twice. You should be able to regain about the same level of power, if not more, before getting as close as you might like to Air. Assuming she doesn't throw something else in your way.

[DracoOmega]

>Then let's fire an Amber Lotus into that cloud while we're still moving, and see if that can disrupt the electrification enough to pass through

[Oldmansour]

>Then let's fire an Amber Lotus into that cloud while we're still moving, and see if that can disrupt the electrification enough to pass through

>Without sacrificing more speed than you have to, you point your scepter up into the air and fire a beam of orange light into the lightning cloud over your head. A golden radiance spreads throughout the cloud, and the ominous crackling of lightning diminishes greatly. But not completely. The cloud is still charged, even with an amplified Amber Lotus used against it. Flying through it will not be pleasant.
>And then Lily pipes up. I have an idea. Let me try something.

[DracoOmega]

>What is it?

[Oldmansour]

>What is it?

>I can make my shield big enough for the three of us.

[DracoOmega]

>You think you can block the lightning as we pass through it?

[Oldmansour]

>You think you can block the lightning as we pass through it?

>I can now. Lily assures you.

[DracoOmega]

>Then do it.
>Let's get our own powers charging up again as we move. And put some heart into it. We can do this!

[Oldmansour]

>Then do it.
>Let's get our own powers charging up again as we move. And put some heart into it. We can do this!

>Lily removes her hand from yours and breaks formation, sideslipping up and to her left, taking position relative above you and Rin. "Big Spring Lily Leaf Shield!" she yells, and with a visible wince and audible groan, a rotating barrier of leaves do indeed appear around the three of you. With her playing defense, she can't contribute to the pooling of energy for another attack, leaving you and White Rose alone to that purpose. Despite yourself, you feel a touch of apprehension as you get closer and closer to the stormcloud. Lily's never tried to create a barrier this size before, which doesn't really help with the natural aversion to flying into a lightning cloud in the first place. And so, squeezing Rin's hand a little tighter, you breach the cloud wall.
>Lily's leaves push the electrically charges clouds away from you as they touch the ceiling, their color changing to a vivid blue as the electricity charges them. To actually see sparks dancing within a cloud... It would be a wonderous sight, if your mind wasn't occupied with other matters. You can enjoy the beauty of the world when it's safe. Assuming Lily's shield holds.
>The dense clouds continue on for twenty feet, then fourty, then sixty, lightning striking off Lily's shield all the while, the sound making you extremely nervous as you wonder just how much Lily's shield can absorb. Air's already proven that it can pierce Lily's defenses if she wants to, and you find yourself bracing against another such attack from above, or for the cloud to re-energize around you. But after several nervous moments, the clouds ahead of you thin noticably, and after one last streamer of electricity bounces off the leaves in front of you, you burst out into open air once more.

>The Champion of Air can be spotted several hundred feet away, a black and purple sphere of malign energy just below her and to her right.

[DracoOmega]

>Does this look like the youma we felt her creating?
>Can we estimate how close it is to completion, or even what it is she is corrupting?
>How's that power gathering coming?
>Can we observe anything additional about Air's condition from here, or how much damage she took from that last attack?

[Oldmansour]

>Does this look like the youma we felt her creating?
>Can we estimate how close it is to completion, or even what it is she is corrupting?
>How's that power gathering coming?
>Can we observe anything additional about Air's condition from here, or how much damage she took from that last attack?

>It feels like it, yes.
>Very close indeed. And no, its core is shielded from sight.
>Not as much as you would have liked. With Lily playing defense, she couldn't contribute to the charge. You and White Rose can put out a good shot, but it won't nearly match the blast you used before. On the other hand, since Lily's shield is definately carrying a full charge, the addition of that to the attack you want to put out would not be an ignorable secondary shot.
>Not from this distance.

[DracoOmega]

>Do we have an open shot at Air or is the forming youma in the way?
>Also, is Air still mostly above us, or is the distance lateral?

[Oldmansour]

>Do we have an open shot at Air or is the forming youma in the way?
>Also, is Air still mostly above us, or is the distance lateral?

>You have an open shot at both.
>A straight line between you and her would be a diagonal one, about 5 degrees off vertical. You came through the cloud more or less pointed straight at her.

[DracoOmega]

>Let's close until we think we're in effective firing range, but make it quick! Give it all the juice we can on short notice; if we can hit her while she's still preoccupied, we likely get a huge advantage.
>Then, when we're ready, give the signal to our allies to fire, and let's hit her once more with feeling!

[Oldmansour]

>Let's close until we think we're in effective firing range, but make it quick! Give it all the juice we can on short notice; if we can hit her while she's still preoccupied, we likely get a huge advantage.
>Then, when we're ready, give the signal to our allies to fire, and let's hit her once more with feeling!

>When the time is right, you and Rin point your joined hands forward and unleash the energy within you, projecting a ribbon of red and white light upwards towards the Champion of Air.
>Only for your beam to be interecepted by a beam of brilliant blue light launched from the Champion's hands before it strikes the demon. You can see that your last attack did leave some visible damage on Elis, but obviously not so much that she can't fire back, and with a force that matches yours. The two spells collide in midair and explode in a shower of multi-hued sparks.
>Lily's shield, however, traveling behind your combo attack, carries on through the explosion cloud and towards the Champion. Elis folds her wings, now glowing a dull red, in front of her body to absorb the impact of the shield.
>At this point, the black cocoon hatches, revealing the youma within, but you don't get a chance to get a very good look at the thing before Elis launches her counter attack. Throwing her wings out dramatically, a sextet of blood-red orbs of electricity streak down towards you and your comrades.

[DracoOmega]

>Try to swerve away from the incoming attack, but throw up a Sapphire Lotus barrier if we do not think we can evade them. Try to cover the others with it, if we have to.
>Try to start gathering charge again; lesser attacks seem utterly wasteful against Elis
>Spare a glance at that youma. What can we tell about it?