Chapter 24: Distribution

"Per the battle plan, Shimizu-kun, you are responsible for drawing the giant insect's attention!" Mai said, not forgetting to remind Wakaba as she circled toward the creature's flank.

At that moment, Wakaba had already charged to within five or six meters of the giant insect. She immediately activated her magic to launch an attack. Just then, however, the hideous maw beneath the insect's head snapped open, spraying a foul-smelling, yellowish-green liquid. Looking closely, one could see the liquid writhing densely—it was actually teeming with countless needle-thin worms.

Seeing this, Wakaba’s scalp tingled. "I must not let that touch me!"

She slammed on the brakes, channeling her magical energy into her feet, and propelled herself sideways. Her body cut through the air like a cheetah, tracing an arc as she leaped a full five meters away. This was the enhanced power she had gained after absorbing the core crystal. The yellowish-green spray swept in an arc, but it could not catch up to her. After landing, she leaped backward again to put some distance between them.

*Puff, puff!*

Several sounds of air being pierced echoed behind her; invisible wind blades whistled past her side. This was Ruka’s magic, cast from a dozen meters away: Air Blade! She could inhale air and expel it as sharp blades of wind. With a range of about thirty meters, she served as the team's long-range attacker. The invisible blades flew straight into the insect's maw.

*Awoo!*

The giant insect closed its mouth in pain, switching to using its tentacles to strike at Wakaba. By now, Mai had circled to the side of the white insect. Her fists, shrouded in a pale yellow aura, blurred in mid-air. One could only hear the thudding sounds of her knuckles colliding with the tentacles. The insect, under attack, began to turn its body to face Mai.

But Wakaba dashed forward again, closing the distance. Ten silver threads entwined to form a spike as thick as a little finger.

*Shing!*

The spike crossed the five-meter gap in an instant, striking the head of the white insect. Although it was blocked by the creature's armored plating, the spike slid along the slope of the shell until, with a *click*, it found a gap between the plates.

In that instant, Wakaba’s mana erupted. The spike, propelled like a bullet by an explosion of gunpowder, plunged into the gap.

*Awoooo—!*

A shrill, insectoid scream rang out. As if enraged, the insect lashed out with all its white tentacles toward Wakaba, leaving its abdomen and tail largely undefended. Mai and Chiyo moved in, attacking the roots of the tentacles. Mai could sever a tentacle with roughly three punches, while Chiyo’s razor-sharp leg blades could slice through one with only two strikes.

"Such thick armor!" Wakaba realized that once the spike had pierced the shell, it felt like stabbing a knife into a tire; the resistance was immense. Facing the swarm of sweeping tentacles and the spray of yellow-green worm-water, she had no choice but to retreat and dodge. As the distance between her and the silver threads exceeded five meters, they dissolved into a shimmer of light.

The giant insect pursued her, its massive six-meter frame allowing it to move with terrifying speed. Wakaba was running with almost everything she had, all while constantly dodging attacks from behind. Although Ruka continued to fire wind blades, some missed, and others struck the insect’s armor, failing to penetrate its defense. Meanwhile, Mai and Chiyo easily dodged the few remaining tentacles, taking the opportunity to prune them away.

After running two laps around the lake, Wakaba—who had borne the brunt of the attacks and danger—was inevitably pierced in the shoulder and left hand by two tentacles. One cannot walk by the river without getting one's shoes wet; for anyone acting as the bait, injury was only a matter of time.

*Thump!*

Enduring the searing pain, just as the insect retracted the tentacles to pull her into its mouth, Wakaba seized the chance. She controlled the silver threads and, with great difficulty, severed the two tentacles. The moment her feet hit the ground, her leg mana exploded, propelling her to the insect’s flank. The creature turned to follow.

Mai, who had been easily pruning tentacles, suddenly found the insect turning toward her. Caught off guard, she was struck in the side by a sweeping tentacle and sent flying, rolling several times across the muddy ground before coming to a stop.

Chiyo, who had been working on the tail, was also nearly pierced by a tentacle due to the creature's shift in direction, though she managed to dodge in time.

"Yuu Shimizu, what are you doing?" Mai and Chiyo shouted at Wakaba in unison, their voices filled with anger and accusation.

After rising to her feet, Wakaba had no time to respond, continuing to run to evade the insect’s pursuit. She ended up running over a dozen laps around the lake bed. She had sustained six wounds—all deep puncture holes from the tentacles. She had even been sprayed by the yellow-green liquid on her face; she had been forced to slice away the flesh on half her cheek with her silver threads to prevent the tiny worms from spreading.

This steep price had yielded results. Ninety percent of the insect's tentacles were severed, rendering them no longer a threat. Mai and Chiyo were able to break its legs, causing it to collapse on the spot, unable to move.

"We all worked hard together, and we finally won!" Ruka, who didn't have a single speck of mud on her, hopped over and cheered happily.

Mai approached Wakaba aggressively, grabbed her by the collar, and hauled her up from where she sat on the ground. "What were you doing during the fight just now? Do you have any idea that you almost got me killed?!"

Wakaba was baffled by the accusation. She looked at Mai closely; there was nothing but a minor scrape, which had already healed thanks to the powerful vitality of a magical girl. If that counted as a fatal wound, what did her own six puncture wounds and her carved-up cheek count as? However, she kept her silence.

"Shimizu-kun, you made fourteen errors during that fight," Chiyo, the model student with flowing long hair, said coldly with her arms crossed, her tone dripping with reproach.

Wakaba was even more bewildered. She scanned Chiyo from head to toe. Aside from a wound on her abdomen, there was nothing else.

"Big Sisters, please don't blame Brother Shimizu. Even though he didn't do well, he is still our companion!" Ruka said as she walked over.

Hearing this, Wakaba frowned slightly and tried to explain, "But I was injured..."

Before she could finish, Mai, who was optimistic, cheerful, and full of righteous indignation, interrupted her: "You getting injured is a result of your own lack of ability; it’s not like we were the ones who caused it! That is a completely different matter from you nearly getting me killed!"

Beside them, Chiyo shook her head in disappointment when she saw Wakaba failing to admit her mistake.

"Brother Shimizu, since you made so many mistakes, you’ll be getting a smaller share when we divide the core crystals later," the sweet-faced Ruka added.