Mochi stood up beside Miyu, clenching her fists with determination.
—I'll start —she said firmly before launching herself toward one of the flame-wrapped puppets.
But she didn't get to strike it. Another puppet lunged at her first, slashing with its blazing claws.
—Ugh, it burns! —Mochi crossed her arms to protect herself, but the blow landed squarely on her right forearm. She felt the impact and an unbearable sting that made her stagger backward until she fell on her back. Her sleeve was instantly charred, exposing her wounded skin; three cuts —luckily not too deep— ran across her arm, and blood began to trickle down her hand, dripping onto the ground.
Before she could react, the puppet charged at her again, its claws glowing with an orange light.
—Senpai! —Miyu stepped in front of her at the last second, opening her umbrella. The blow struck against the shield with a metallic clang, and a shower of sparks lit up the place. The force of the impact couldn't break through the defense; Miyu held firm, once again impressed by her weapon's endurance.
Two of the remaining puppets lunged at Miyu from opposite directions. She clenched her teeth; she knew she couldn't block both attacks at once. She turned to guard herself from the one on her left, praying the other strike wouldn't be too strong.
But the hit never came.
A shadow darted past her at full speed: Mochi.
The cat girl jumped with momentum and drove a punch straight into the abdomen of the puppet attacking from the right. The impact was brutal; a dry thud echoed as her fist sank in, and the burning body was hurled backward, crashing to the ground with a smoking hole in its chest.
—That one won't be getting up anytime soon —said Mochi, panting, a fierce spark in her eyes. Though the fight had started poorly, adrenaline now filled her with renewed energy. It was now just the two of them against the three remaining puppets.
The creatures began circling them slowly, emitting distorted screeches that blended with the crackling of the flames covering them. They looked like predators waiting for a single careless move.
Mochi and Miyu stood back to back, synchronized, breathing in unison.
—Senpai, I'll handle the defense —said Miyu firmly, holding her umbrella in front of her—. I'll leave the attacking to you.
—Leave it to me, Miyu —Mochi replied, grinning with her fangs visible—. I'll show them who's boss.
One of the puppets lunged at them, tearing through the air with its claws. Miyu spun her umbrella and blocked the attack with precision before stepping aside. Mochi took advantage of the opening—she shot forward from behind the shield and delivered a powerful uppercut to the enemy's jaw.
The blow shattered the puppet's head, scattering charred fragments that clattered to the ground with a hollow sound.
—Miyu, only two left —said Mochi, breathing hard.
The two remaining puppets attacked simultaneously. Miyu once again raised her umbrella, blocking a barrage of sparking strikes. Mochi waited behind her, searching for the perfect moment to counterattack, but the assault was relentless; with both attacking at once, there was barely any room to move.
Miyu was giving it everything she had to block the nonstop blows; her umbrella screeched each time it clashed with the burning claws. Meanwhile, Mochi's impatience grew—the fight had reached a stalemate. Worse yet, she noticed the flames concentrating around the damaged parts of the puppets they had already defeated; they seemed to be regenerating. If all four got back up at once, they wouldn't be able to defend themselves.
But not all hope was lost. Miyu began to notice something strange: every time a puppet struck her umbrella, a small amount of ether seemed to leak from the enemy's body and be absorbed by the umbrella. It glowed with an increasingly bright light. Seeing that Mochi wasn't reacting, she realized no one else could sense it—or at least not right now. Without fully understanding how, she felt an instinctive surge of power and made a decision.
—Senpai, I'll take care of the one on the left. You handle the other —said Miyu, her voice firm.
—Miyu, are you sure? —asked Mochi, a hint of doubt in her tone.
—Trust me, senpai. I can finish it. I'm sure.
Mochi stepped out from behind the shield and kicked the puppet in front of her straight in the chest. She knew she was exposing herself to the other's attack, but she trusted Miyu's words. The kick wasn't devastating, but it was enough to knock it down momentarily.
Miyu didn't waste the opportunity. She took a deep breath, closed her umbrella in one smooth motion, and thrust it forward like a rapier toward the last puppet standing.
—Yaaaaaah! —Miyu shouted with all her strength as she charged.
The moment the tip of the umbrella touched the burning body of the puppet, Miyu saw how the accumulated energy focused into a tiny point, as if all the absorbed ether had exploded at once in that spot.
A sonic blast shattered the puppet into dozens of fragments that scattered in every direction. Mochi stared, wide-eyed and open-mouthed, at what she had just witnessed.
—That was amazing, Miyu!
The puppet Mochi had knocked down began to rise again, but the shockwave from the explosion threw it off balance; it staggered. Seizing the moment, Mochi charged forward with a determined punch. The creature reacted and tried to block with its arm… but it was futile—the impact split the limb in two, and it fell apart into burning splinters.
—Senpai, get back! —shouted Miyu, bracing herself for what was coming.
Mochi tried to follow up and finish the fight once and for all, but Miyu's warning shout made her react just in time: she leapt back, barely dodging a slash that would've torn open her chest.
The two puppets they had defeated at the start had already regenerated and were joining the attack again.
Mochi moved back behind Miyu, who raised her umbrella as a shield once more, blocking the relentless assault from the three creatures. Each blow made the metal handle vibrate, every impact sending sparks and burning ash flying.
Slowly, the girls were being pushed back by the sheer force of their enemies.
—Miyu, we just have to hold out and look for a chance to counterattack —said Mochi between breaths—. We beat them once… we can do it again.
But her words froze as something cold brushed against her back.
She turned her head—it was the rooftop railing.
They had retreated all the way to the edge. One more step back, and they'd fall ten stories into the void.
—Miyu, could you do that thing again with the umbrella? —asked Mochi, keeping her eyes fixed on the puppets.
—I don't think that's possible, sempai —Miyu replied, breathing heavily.
—I see… I was afraid you'd say that. We'll have to think of something else.
The attack of the puppets intensified. Each blow was faster, more violent, and the heat they emitted made the air itself seem to burn.
—Miyu, I have an idea —Mochi whispered, leaning toward her to explain her plan. She didn't know if those things could understand human language, but she wasn't about to take the risk.
Miyu nodded decisively. It was insane… but they had no other choice.
—Now, Miyu. —Mochi's voice was the signal.
Miyu crouched, planting her feet firmly against the ground. Mochi stepped onto the umbrella, and Miyu pushed with all the strength in her arms.
The jump was perfect: Mochi soared into the air, spinning on herself as the puppets stopped their attacks and followed her with their burning eyes, confused.
Taking advantage of the distraction, Miyu snapped the umbrella shut and used it as a club, striking one of the puppets and knocking it aside.
At the same time, Mochi came down from above with her hands clasped together, delivering a hammer blow straight to another puppet's head.
The impact was brutal: the creature's skull shattered into a thousand pieces, scattering embers and burning fragments all around.
Both girls landed firmly. They had broken through the enemy's line and regained space to move—ready to keep fighting.