Magical Lotus - Mahou Shoujou Byakuren - Episode 5, Part 2

[Oldmansour]

>"There's several water-free holes in the roof big enough to slip through. Rose and I can split the non-fliers between us."
>What is it?

>Well, the good news is we beat Ioana, and Linia's headed inside.

[DracoOmega]

>That's very good news. ...what's the bad news?

[Oldmansour]

>That's very good news. ...what's the bad news?

>Well... Ioana got me first.

[DracoOmega]

>Oh. I'm sorry I couldn't get there in time.
>Let's start getting the non-fliers positioned so that we can make our break for the roof

[Oldmansour]

>Oh. I'm sorry I couldn't get there in time.
>Let's start getting the non-fliers positioned so that we can make our break for the roof

>Guess I should've figured she was leading us on. Either she held us off long enough to fix her Topaz, or she was bluffing us. Nailed me with it when we went to charge her.

>As you call up one of your flying discs, Poppy returns to your side. "Hiyori, Cinnamon, you'll have to cover us. Lotus, let me go up first. Glider doesn't have much offense, but I can distract him until the rest of you get up on the roof. Spectrum Shift: Glider."
>"Heads up!" Cinnamon yells as Poppy transforms, Hiyori casting a quick barrier spell that blocks the three Sapphire blasts Kenyu sends your way.
>"Come on!" the Oni yells down at you. "You're making this too easy!" He almost sounds disappointed as he fires again, a five-way spread of Sapphire projectiles. Hiyori's breath comes out as a hiss as she casts again, more fervently, the spell cast managing to handle Kenyu's attack, though only just. Obviously she can't keep that up for much longer either.

>And then Cinnamon launches herself up at Kenyu, trailing sparks and embers behind her. "Follow me, Poppy!" she cries, discharging a stream of small fireballs at the firefighter. Poppy in her Glider form follows the little fairy up as you and Hiyori take to the sky. No longer needed on the ground, White Rose abandons her spell and conjures her own flying wheel, taking off just in time.
>You hear Kenyu laugh as you reach Haruka and Pink Carnation, the two having taken refuge atop a large piece of debris to escape the water. Both appear to be conscious, Haruka looking dour, Carnation's expression one of disappointment.

[DracoOmega]

>Extend a hand to Minoriko
>"Let's get you out of here before the whole place floods."
>Let's get them out of here before the whole place floods

[Oldmansour]

>Extend a hand to Minoriko
>"Let's get you out of here before the whole place floods."
>Let's get them out of here before the whole place floods

>Haruka nods behind Minoriko. "A good plan, Lotus, to take this fight up." she says as Minoriko climbs aboard your disc, though she does so a bit laconically, covering herself. "I'd hoped it wouldn't be necessary, but Kenyu, I'm ashamed to say, took advantage of our nature."
>"Haruka protected me, Lotus." Minoriko says quietly.
>"And Carnation protected me." Haruka says quickly as White Rose picks her up. "She displayed admirable courage and enviable skill, but Kenyu's Dawn Jewel was too much for her. And too much for me as well. He gave me no room to prepare spells powerful enough to counter his."
>You, Rin and Hiyori experience no problems with escaping the flooding reception room, thanks to the cover given to you by Poppy and Cinnamon. The two are buzzing around the glowing firefighter like a pair of TIE fighters, peppering him with blasts of energy and fire. This also gives you the change to have a look at the roof itself, and it too is covered by the charged water generated by Kenyu's Dawn Jewel. The only part of the roof that are unaffected are some distance away, save the pile of rubble that you think might have been a structure of some kind that's been destroyed in the fight.

[DracoOmega]

>Does that pile seem a safe enough place to deposit our non-combatants?

[Oldmansour]

>Does that pile seem a safe enough place to deposit our non-combatants?

>Safer than most places up here. It's big enough for them to duck down behind should they need cover.

[DracoOmega]

>To Rin:Let's let them down atop that rubble over there.
>Fly over to deposit our cargo
>And toss a Scarlet Lotus in Kenyu's direction while we're moving. Don't let him get too complacent.

>How thick was the steam created when our Vermillion Lotus zapped Kenyu's water attack? If we did a wide-angle one towards the water pooled below Kenyu, might it be enough to briefly break line of sight?

[Oldmansour]

>To Rin:Let's let them down atop that rubble over there.
>Fly over to deposit our cargo
>And toss a Crimson Lotus in Kenyu's direction while we're moving. Don't let him get too complacent.

>Understood.
>As you travel, you twist your body around to fire off a Scarlet Lotus in the general direction of Kenyu. The shotgun blast of red and white energy balls spreads out a bit before it reaches the hovering firefighter, but either he doesn't notice your attack in between Poppy's and Cinnamon's, or he chooses to ignore it. Your shot takes the big man in the stomach, and the force is actually sufficient enough to knock him from the air, sending him sprawling to the ground.

>As you deposit your cargo, however, you sense his Dawn Jewel stop feeding energy into his water spell. That's good news, but it has two bits of bad news accompanying it. For one, the water does not immediately dissipate when he withdraws his Jewel's energy, the water persisting at least for the moment. Too, this means he is now free to use his Dawn Jewel to reinforce his defensive spells, and to use it against you and your group.
>And he does so almost immediately. As Cinnamon begins to crow about the fact that Kenyu has fallen, a massive surge of golden-white light erupts from his body, a blast wave of Dawn energy. Poppy is quick enough to go evasive, just, breaking off her attack run and heading up and away from Kenyu, but Cinnamon is caught off-guard and too close to the blast, her body consumed by the wave of light. When Kenyu's attack fades, Cinnamon is still aloft, but her clothing has been reduced to dust. The fairy has been eliminated.

>How thick was the steam created when our Vermillion Lotus zapped Kenyu's water attack? If we did a wide-angle one towards the water pooled below Kenyu, might it be enough to briefly break line of sight?

>You actually didn't create a great deal of steam at all. Your attack seemed to evaporate the water rather than simply boil it away like Cinnamon's attack did. However, the temperature and power of your Vermillion light is variable. If you wished to use it to generate more steam than you did before, that can easily be accomplished.

[DracoOmega]

>Let's fire another Scarlet Lotus at him, as we bank towards Reisen's position
>To Rin: Stay close to me.
>To Reisen: Which spectrum do you think could contribute most to a combined attack that might actually punch a hole in those barriers of his?

[Oldmansour]

>Let's fire another Scarlet Lotus at him, as we bank towards Reisen's position
>To Rin: Stay close to me.
>To Reisen: Which spectrum do you think could contribute most to a combined attack that might actually punch a hole in those barriers of his?

>Understood.
>Saber or Caster. But neither one of them can fly.
>You resume your attack as you and Rin leave the two eliminated members of your group behind. Getting a better look at Kenyu, you see that your attack actually did punch a hole in his barriers. There's damage to his shirt and trousers that wasn't there before. You hurt him, but not enough to knock him out. Another Scarlet Lotus might have hurt him even more, but this time he intercepts your strike with a burst of Sapphire Energy. As he used his weaker Jewel against what's probably your best shot in terms of offense, however, he doesn't quite manage to stop your attack completely. A few pellets of energy penetrate his Sapphire shield, but not enough to penetrate his body armor.
>The Oni grins as he kips up back to his feet, sending a spray of water in all directions. Too convenient for him to be damaged by his own spell of course. He doesn't stay upright for long as he drives his left fist into the roof, sending a wave of energy through the water. The surface ripples and spikes of hardened water start to shoot up to stab at you and your colleagues.

[DracoOmega]

>To Reisen: Then hop aboard when I get close. I want all three of us together for this.
>Let's hit the water spikes with a Vermillion Lotus as we continue to close on Reisen. Prioritize clearing away spikes for defensive purposes, but if we can make a nice sight-obscuring steam cloud between us and Kenyu at the same time, so much the better
>And make sure Rin stays within combo range also

[Oldmansour]

>To Reisen: Then hop aboard when I get close. I want all three of us together for this.
>Let's hit the water spikes with a Vermillion Lotus as we continue to close on Reisen. Prioritize clearing away spikes for defensive purposes, but if we can make a nice sight-obscuring steam cloud between us and Kenyu at the same time, so much the better
>And make sure Rin stays within combo range also

>I'll try. she replies as she dodges a burst of Sapphire energy from Kenyu.
>The problem with defending yourself against this attack of Kenyu's is that the spikes are rising very quickly, and your flying disc is mostly opaque. This makes it difficult to see through it to see if any of the spikes are erupting immediately beneath you. You do a good job intercepting and avoiding the spikes that appear before you, but as you and Poppy draw close one of the spikes stabs upwards and penetrates your disc, missing you almost completely, only nicking your ankle, but your disc shatters. White Rose automatically moves to try and catch you, but her path is interrupted by another spike. Only a tremendous evasive effort enables her to avoid plowing right into the thing. You start to summon forth another disc, but the wet ground is approaching at a great rate.
>And then you sense a powerful surge of magic and the water changes again. A rolling mass of Metal magic washes over the charged water, leaving behind a sheet of solid lead. Hiyori must have cast the same spell that Kiku used against the Tar, transmuting Kenyu's water magic into a harmless metal, in this case, lead. When you hit the ground, it is solid, harmless ground that you land on, although your landing is not the most graceful.

[DracoOmega]

>Scramble back to our feet
>"Thanks."
>How close are Rin and Reisen? Close enough?

[Oldmansour]

>Scramble back to our feet
>"Thanks."
>How close are Rin and Reisen? Close enough?

>"Look out!" Hiyori replies as you regain your footing. Relentless in his assault, Kenyu unleashes another barrage from his Sapphire Jewel, a rain of projectiles flying up over his head and raining down towards you and your allies.
>Unfortunately, neither. Between your fall and the evasive maneuvers of your airborne colleagues, the distance between you three has increased.

[DracoOmega]

>Throw a Sapphire Lotus up to intercept the barrage and dash for the nearest our two partners

[Oldmansour]

>Throw a Sapphire Lotus up to intercept the barrage and dash for the nearest our two partners

>Seeking to stop Kenyu's attack before it has a chance to do any damage to you or your allies- and by the sound of Hiyori's heavy breathing she could use a brief respite, you employ your Sapphire light, generating a barrier of light over Kenyu's head. Apart from a couple of projectiles, neither of which are really moving fast enough to threaten Poppy or White Rose on their own, the rest of his assault crashes into your forcefield. Not the easiest assault you've ever blocked. Even his Sapphire Jewel packs a wallop.
>The firefighter shoots you a grin as you charge towards White Rose. "Smart move! But how long can ya keep it up!" The energy of his Sapphire Jewel surges as he sends a concentrated stream of his own blue energy towards your Sapphire shield.

[DracoOmega]

>Rin! Help me block it!
>And keep moving towards her, as best we can

[Oldmansour]

>Rin! Help me block it!
>And keep moving towards her, as best we can

>Understood! the kasha cries, making a beeline for you. Her speed is better then your for more than just the normal reason; the lead Hiyori transformed the water into is fairly smooth, and you find it difficult to run at your best speed upon it. White Rose is not so impeded, and makes it to your side in good time, adding her power to your Sapphire shield. The difference is as dramatic as you expect, your newly empowered shield easily able to handle Kenyu's Sapphire assault.
>Somewhat unexpectedly, though, he stops his attack on your shield, only to renew it again a heartbeat later, this time employing his Dawn Jewel. Even when combined with Rin's power, your shield is no match for that surge of awesome energy, and your Sapphire Lotus shatters.
>"Spectrum Shift: Caster!" Poppy yells as you keep Kenyu occupied, transforming back to her ranged damage dealing form as she hits the ground. "Caster: Lightning Beam!" A lance of electric energy bursts from Poppy's hands at the firefighter, striking him in his shoulder blade. He staggers under the attack but manages to hold his ground.
>His Jewels flaring, two columns of twisting flame erupt from the ground, coalescing into humanoid amalgams of flame. One of these flaming constructs charges at Poppy while the second heads in the direction of you and White Rose, leaving half-melted lead in their wake.

[DracoOmega]

>Hit it with a Cerulean Lotus!
>And if that seems to work effectively, sweep it over to the one going for Reisen, too

[Oldmansour]

>Hit it with a Cerulean Lotus!
>And if that seems to work effectively, sweep it over to the one going for Reisen, too

>Best way to fight fire? Cold water, which thanks to your Cerulean light, you have in abundance. Even though Kenyu's elemental is a construct of his Dawn Jewel, you have the elemental advantage. The fire construct resists your blue light only for a couple of seconds before it freezes and shatters.
>"Caster: Frost Diver." Reisen casts again as you line up your own shot. Spikes of ice erupt from the ground, eerily echoing Kenyu's earlier attack. Poppy's spikes of ice surround the flaming construct, turning the thing's outline blue. She draws her hand back to cast again as the construct struggles to free itself, but you act before either of the two of them, blasting the now stationary target with a blast of Cerulean light, shattering it to pieces.
>"Shouldn't a firefighter not be using fire?" White Rose says to Kenyu.
>The big oni grins. "My line of work, if I didn't know how to use fire, I'd be out of a job. Besides, it takes people by surprise. Most of the time." he adds in a complimentary tone.

[DracoOmega]

>"One can rarely afford to be too surprised on the battlefield."
>Let's continue to try to get in position for a triple attack. If that means hitching a ride with Rin or conjuring our own disc again, so be it
>And rather than spray distracting fire this time, let's keep an eye for Kenyu to charge anything long enough for us to hit him with an Indigo Lotus in the middle of it. Maybe that will count as a surprise.

[Oldmansour]

>"One can rarely afford to be too surprised on the battlefield."
>Let's continue to try to get in position for a triple attack. If that means hitching a ride with Rin or conjuring our own disc again, so be it
>And rather than spray distracting fire this time, let's keep an eye for Kenyu to charge anything long enough for us to hit him with an Indigo Lotus in the middle of it. Maybe that will count as a surprise.

>"Got that right. Like how you surprised me when you two teamed up." The firefighter stomps his foot and sends another wave of Dawn energy through the roof. Rather than collapsing more material, this time a massive wall of fire erupts between you and Poppy. "Like I'll make it easy for the three of you to gang up." Kenyu says as he switches to his weaker Jewel, firing off a cone-shaped blast of Sapphire energy.

[DracoOmega]

>Use a Cerulean Lotus to cut a path through the wall of fire for Reisen and rely on Rin to shield against the other attack. Well, unless it looks like she won't be able to, in which case prioritize defending against them instead
>If we can open a hole in the wall, beckon Reisen through. Rhere's already two of us on this side, better for her to come to us than vice versa

[Oldmansour]

>Use a Cerulean Lotus to cut a path through the wall of fire for Reisen and rely on Rin to shield against the other attack. Well, unless it looks like she won't be able to, in which case prioritize defending against them instead
>If we can open a hole in the wall, beckon Reisen through. Rhere's already two of us on this side, better for her to come to us than vice versa

>If Kenyu was using his Dawn Jewel to attack, you doubt Rin would be able to handle that on her own. But his direct attack is drawn from his Sapphire Jewel, and that is something White Rose can handle. "White Retainer's Guarding Ring." she casts, hurling up one of her white wheels to intercept the conal energy coming directly at you. The wheel blocks a portion of the cone, generating a safe zone for you to operate and stand in.
>It is you that has the difficulty in dealing with Kenyu's power. Although your Cerulean Lotus was effective against his fire constructs, this wall of his resists your cold blasts with ferocious tenacity. You suspect you would be able to cut through it eventually, but it would take some time.
>"Caster: Cold Bolt!" you hear Poppy cast through the flames, and something strikes Kenyu's wall on the opposite side that you were shooting. The two-pronged assault is successful at punching a hole in Kenyu's firewall, though you have to use your Cerulean Lotus to keep the hole from closing as Poppy runs towards you.
>"No you don't." you hear Kenyu hiss. The big firefighter waves his arm, and the towering wall of fire folds down and collapses towards you as though it were a tidal wave.

[DracoOmega]

>How far did Reisen get before this happened? Is the firewall collapsing on top of her, too?
>How close together are we?
>How tall is the fire wall? Do we think we could take to the air and get over it before it crashed on top of us?

[Oldmansour]

>How far did Reisen get before this happened? Is the firewall collapsing on top of her, too?
>How close together are we?
>How tall is the fire wall? Do we think we could take to the air and get over it before it crashed on top of us?

>In the neighbourhood of ten feet away from the wall.
>Not that you can tell.
>You and White Rose are standing next to each other. You two are standing around fifteen feet away from Poppy, give or take a couple of feet.
>Between thirty and fourty feet.
>You have insufficient time to conjure a flying disc and escape the firefall.

[DracoOmega]

>Is Rin still actively blocking that sapphire barrage from Kenyu or is that already over?
>If not, take hold of her hand: Together!
>Deploy a Sapphire Lotus to shield us from the onrushing fire, together with Rin's own defensive arts