Editing Failing Witch:Volume1 Episode4 (section)

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The room was lined with metal tanks that may have been larger than carriages.

The place may have originally been meant to cook enough stew or porridge at once to feed hundreds of people.

The room was even larger than a tennis court. The broken ceiling gave it vertical space as well, but it would still be difficult to fly around on brooms.

For a normal witch, anyway.

The chocolate parfait of a sky pirate girl shot straight up without even an approach run. One of the techniques she had mastered in order to teach the witches of Private Striga was a vertical takeoff that lacked the usual approach run.

“Grab on!!”

She reached out a hand and grabbed someone’s hand, taking Dorothe and Viocia in with a chain of linked hands. Then she pushed her broom forward and accelerated. As seen with taking off from the diving board, no approach run was necessary when already in midair, even if they were just barely off the ground.

Viocia and Dorothea got their brooms flying too. Formula Brooms could instantly break the sound barrier but still turn as sharply as a bicycle.

“Convert the seven notes to nine and intoxicate the world here, Orpheus!!”

“Will do, milady. Yes, there is no greater music than helping those in need. And a clear goal is a wonderful thing!”

Melehe created whistle-like spaces with her left hand’s fingers and shouted when the water pump burst. The water that sprayed forth defied gravity as it formed several spears and shot out toward Arbamini specifically.

Blue Holibre and green Lampans intervened.

“Stay put, Arbamini! Holibre and I will intercept them! Don’t let her provoke you into flying!!”

“Right? Do they really think they can beat us when it comes to attack magic? This thoughtlessly launched attack isn’t a threat. We’ll blow away those water spears and send it back at her!!”

But that wasn’t the real attack.

Another voice rang out.

“Th-the Aspect of Amorality gathers wind power in the knots of the thread and releases it when the knots are untied. Eep. The first, a pleasant breeze. The second, a powerful gust. The third, a raging storm!!”

When no-bake cheesecake bandage zombie girl Dorothea touched her bandages, her willpower reached the stagnant air. A massive invisible sphere targeted Holibre who had stepped out front from a different angle.

Dorothea made it sound simple, but her storm summoning had required using the same magic three times. A normal witch would have gone dizzy from attempting it, but not her.

A student’s exam struggles, whatever form they took, became her power.

That included the dieting, jogging, and memorization Dorothea had kept up on her own.

A sulking voice spoke up. Coming from Formula Broom – Lyceum.

“Tch. Quit that stupid trembling. Adjusted assessment: you’re not half bad when you put your mind to it.”

At first, Dorothea’s eyes widened in surprise, but then she smiled a little. And she gripped her broom all the tighter.

Meanwhile, things were still happening.

“Fall back, Holibre!! Arbamini, are you ready yet!?”

“Almost…there!!”

Red, blue, and green. The trio in colorful waitress uniforms began to show concern in their voices. And someone else made a move against them.

The creaking of bronze shook the room.

“Moloch!? Don’t force yourself! I’ll help you, so please don’t break!!” shouted pumpkin tart witch Viocia by gathering strength in her gut.

Nevertheless, the fallen and crumbled bronze statue opened its torso wide. A beam shot out from the floor. The flames, heat, and shockwave expanded quick. Arbamini, Holibre, and Lampans all tried to escape in different directions, but they were all engulfed by the massive explosion full of orange embers.

Dust hung in the air.

Small pieces of the ceiling poured down. Any flight at all risked crashing in these conditions, so Viocia’s trio landed on the floor.

Dorothea nervously fidgeted with her broom.

“Th-they aren’t…fighting back? Eep.”

“Those three create one big magic spell between the three of them,” said Viocia. “So if one of them is knocked out, they can’t use their magic!”

“No, don’t let your guard down!” shouted Yagoro.

A deep rumble tore through the air.

Everything was blown out from within. Jagged metal and large rocks scattered about, so Viocia’s group quickly ducked. The rubble would have hit them otherwise.

“That wasn’t very nice. If we didn’t have a trick up our sleeve, we’d’ve been badly hurt.”

The trio emerged like nothing had happened. Arbamini, Holibre, and Lampans raised their Formula Brooms, pressed the ends together, and laughed as one.

Something crawled.

The fried shrimp braid, the twintails, and the ponytail swayed side to side with the movement of their bodies. Come to think of it, didn’t a witch’s long hair hold a special meaning in the Black Mass of the Aspect of Amorality?

Melehe gripped her broom with eyes wide.

“You’re kidding. All that and they aren’t even scratched!?”

With a tearing sound, the trio removed some kind of talisman that had been pasted to the handles of their brooms.

Then the three brooms spoke one after another.

“The first proclamation of the formless one: Nothing need concern you save for the Aspect of Adoration.”

“The second proclamation of the formless one: None of woman born shall harm you.”

“The third proclamation of the formless one: You shall never be vanquished until the old meal center to the hill outside of town shall come against you.”

“Ah ha ha. Made it, made it, we actually made it.”

A crescent-moon smile split across Arbamani’s face.

“Nothing can hurt us now. Which means you can’t possibly win!! We can take our time making you suffer before you die!!!”

(That was the witches that led Macbeth astray? That’s an alteration of the prophecies spoken through the apparitions’ voices, don’tcha think!?)

This was a guaranteed victory curse that made the target invulnerable through the combination of multiple conditions. But in the play, they had been truthful statements that were used to gain Macbeth’s trust and then lead him to his doom. Casting that one yourself was about as reckless as it got.

The next voice sounded out of place here.

“Right? Lampans, lend me your ointment.”

“Really? Here, Holibre. What kind of girl doesn’t have her ointment with her at all times?”

Yagoro detected a faint scent.

(That ointment contains scopolia, borage, and some other ingredients. As a witch ointment, that would be a thorough acceleration boost, but as big as this place is, we’re still indoors. They really don’t give any thought to the burden they place on their bodies, do they? Are they willing to crash full-speed into the wall!?)

Melehe shot more water spears every which way, but the trio didn’t even try to dodge them. Just by standing in place, the pressurized water weapons turned to spray and vanished. They all hit, but the trio wasn’t damaged. They didn’t even flinch or bat an eye.

“Direct attacks aren’t going to work!! We need to overturn the fundamental magic structure!”

“Oh, you fancy-schmancy prep school ace. Do you really think we’ll give you the chance?”

Arbamini laughed and twirled her Formula Broom in one hand.

Even Viocia readied her broom in response. She may have thought a powerful magic attack of light or darkness was coming. But she still wasn’t thinking about this on the right level.

The enemy had created a situation where they would never be vanquished or harmed no matter what.

“Viocia, Melehe, Dorothea. Can the three of you drag bronze Moloch away if you work together?”

“Teacher?”

“You expect us to retreat before they’ve even attacked? You don’t think much of our skill, do you?”

“'''Trick question warning: ''They can’t be harmed no matter what'', which puts this on another level altogether!!'''”

Arbamini laughed and then spoke.

“Now, Formula Broom – Glamis.”

That curse eliminated all forms of bodily damage.

So no matter how risky the trick, that trio didn’t need to hesitate.

Which was why they gave no concern for the danger it presented to them.

“Witches who led Demon Lord Macbeth astray! Take control of my body!!”

A thick, massive explosion instantly changed the flow of battle.