If Scathach were the one here, the enemy would never have been able to breach a defensive line laid with Runes. Unfortunately, the one here now was Lancer, a mere amateur when it came to Rune magic.
More and more "Familiars" swarmed in from all directions, and the frost on the ground began to dissipate at a visible rate. However, for Lancer, this was already enough.
The "Orbment" at his waist flashed several times as he stacked multiple layers of support magic on himself. Perhaps due to his inherent strength, the magical empowerment wasn't as exaggerated as one might expect, but as far as he was concerned, his overall combat power rose by at least 30%. Most importantly, his mobility—the key factor here—increased even more.
Squish!
Just as the butterfly-like Familiars broke through the frost, Lancer kicked off the ground and charged. The shattering floor sent nearby Familiars flying, but the vast majority still lunged at him. These butterfly-like creatures instantly transformed into sharp scissors as they closed in.
Head, neck, heart, kidneys...
They targeted every vital human organ. However—
"Demon Mode"
The surge of bloodlust erupting from within his body blew them back instantly. At the same time, the spear previously encased in translucent ice turned completely blood-red. A terrifying scent of blood permeated the enclosed space, causing even the Witch to hesitate for a moment. It seemed to wonder if it was facing a human or one of its own—a monster?
Lancer, however, didn't hesitate on the battlefield. Having broken through the enemy's blockade, he thrust his spear violently toward the opponent's "wings." Clearly, he intended to cripple its flight capabilities first.
Although Witches maintained some biological traits, their bodies were manifested from corrupted "Soul Gems"—that is, "Grief Seeds." Lancer had no idea if those seemingly vital spots actually functioned as such, so he prepared himself for a battle of attrition.
Strip away the opponent's mobility; destroy their limbs or similar organs.
Rip!
The butterfly-like wings were instantly torn away. The "Witch" hovering in mid-air wobbled violently due to the loss of balance. This was an unexpected windfall for Lancer; he retracted his spear without hesitation and then thrust upward with a powerful horizontal sweep.
Thud!
This time he pierced the area where the heart should be, but unlike usual, Lancer didn't pull back. Instead, he gritted his teeth, his arm muscles bulging suddenly.
"Hah!"
With a low shout, Lancer biceps swelled. The Witch, whose body alone—not counting the wings—was seven or eight times his size, was hoisted into the air by sheer brute force. And then—
BOOM!!
After slamming it hard against the nearby wall, he immediately launched into a storm-like barrage of strikes.
The Witch's wails echoed continuously. Driven by their mistress, the surrounding Familiars tried to rush to her rescue, but to their despair, the attacks of ordinary Familiars couldn't even penetrate the defense of his "Demon Mode." They couldn't break through the dense shroud of blood-red energy. Finally, they changed tactics entirely; they stopped trying to kill Lancer and instead tried to pin him down to save the Witch.
Undoubtedly, this was the right move. Countless Familiars swarmed over him like a tidal wave, completely burying Lancer. Under the immense pressure, Lancer "combo" finally came to a halt.
Strange fluid leaked from hundreds of puncture wounds on the Witch's body, making its already distorted form look even more grotesque. However, even if the Witch wanted to regenerate its completely destroyed wings, it wouldn't happen anytime soon.
Strange "legs" beneath its bloated body supported it as it tried to crawl away. But right then, the pile of "Familiars" where Lancer was buried suddenly began to vibrate.
Sensing something was wrong, the "Witch" let out a piercing shriek, commanding its minions to keep stalling for time. But unfortunately, the vibrations grew more violent until—
Crash!!
Terrifying blood energy erupted outward, instantly blowing away the Familiars surrounding Lancer. This outburst undoubtedly thinned the blood shroud on Lancer body significantly, but for him, it was enough.
Leaning back and gripping "Reincarnated Gáe Bolg" with one hand, Lancer shirt shredded instantly under the force of the blood eruption. Because of this, his right arm, pulsing with bulging veins, was fully visible.
Realizing the danger, the Witch began to flee frantically toward the exit, but it was already too late.
"Death-Defying Strike"
Thanks to Lancer deliberate control, this strike didn't completely drain him dry this time, but he still looked a bit ragged, with his stamina nearly depleted. However, as he propped himself up with one hand on his knee, he stared intently at the "Witch" in mid-air. He clearly cared deeply about the outcome of this attack.
The fleeing Witch had no chance to dodge. The blood-red spear pierced through its body instantly—though this time, it didn't just pass through.
Crunch! Crunch! Crunch!
Once the ice-coated "Reincarnated Gáe Bolg" hit the Witch, it exploded from within the target's body. Terrifying blood-colored ice crystals burst out of the creature continuously. In an instant, the opponent looked like a curled-up "hedgehog."
But that wasn't the end. A light suddenly glowed from within the ice crystals, and then—
Pop! Pop! Pop—BOOM!!!
A series of small explosions made it impossible for the creature to maintain its form, and it collapsed instantly. With the final explosion, the distorted body expanded rapidly before bursting, sending countless ice shards and strange fluids flying in every direction.
However, before those eerie fluids could splash onto Lancer, they simply vanished. With the death of the "Witch," the Barrier disappeared. Deprived of magical power, a body composed entirely of magic naturally lost its support. The ice shards, however, slammed directly into the surrounding glass and walls.
Clang! Clang!
In an instant, the walls were riddled with ice spikes, and almost every pane of glass was shattered. Lancer didn't care much; the place was abandoned anyway.
Instead, he looked with a heavy expression at the black object that had fallen to the ground.
A "Grief Seed."
A completely corrupted Soul Gem. The final destination for all magical girls. Its very existence was a tragedy.
With a complicated heart, Lancer stepped forward to pick it up. After casting a seemingly casual glance toward the third floor, he turned and headed for the stairs.
Only after Lancer had completely vanished did a white figure emerge from the third floor.
Kyubey stood there, tail wagging, with that same smile as always, but there was a hint of gravity in its voice.
"What a terrifying man..."