(2025 Edit) Technomancer: A Magical Girl's Sidekick [Post-Apocalyptic][Mecha][Magical Girls]

Celestial Sonata

"Celestial Overture: Euphonic Destruction!"

I drew my bowstring back, a magical bow of golden light forming. I held it there, and my muscles strained with effort.

And then I unleashed it upon the tentacled Sylithran.

A massive barrage of sound and light slammed into it, tearing its tentacles apart and shattering it into a shower of ichor and steam. The shockwave spread outward, shaking buildings, sending debris flying, and shattering glass.

I panted, wiping blood from my lips. Even that much had taken a toll on me.

My wounds had only gotten worse since the last time I'd fought. Most Marquis-class chaos beasts were only a moderately hard fight at best, but my injuries were making things more difficult.

The Sylithran had been a threat that required immediate action, and I was the one who was most capable of dealing with it.

But I was not at 100% by any stretch.

Off in the distance, a bright white light indicated Seraphina had engaged the massive dragon-like chaos beast leading the charge against the city.

I looked at the carnage around us, and I winced.

The streets below were a war zone. WIthout the keystone negentropy generators, the city's defenses had short-circuited in a domino effect of system failures and malfunctions. Chaos Beasts of every size and shape had poured in from every side.

We had been completely overwhelmed. I'd heard that the minister of this district was already dead, and our forces were spread thin as is.

And then I heard an emergency alert ping on my communicator. It was marked urgent. I tapped on it. The holographic screen displayed the message: "Entropy cascade rating: Magnitude 8.4." I didn't even need to look up the number. I knew what that meant: they'd confirmed the presence of a Duke-class Chaos Beast in the city.

I narrowed my eyes and gritted my teeth. Yeah, I definitely didn't need that confirmation. I was staring directly at the beast - a massive creature in the distance that loomed above the horizon like a mountain.

"Damn," I murmured, "This is bad..."

The severity and speed this Chaos Event had happened at had taken everyone by surprise. The Duke-class chaos beast had somehow evaded early warning systems, and the negentropy barriers had been compromised in a matter of seconds.

It was a nightmare scenario. And now, I was looking at a Duke-class monster, one that would have taken multiple A-Rank Magical Girls or an army to take down in any normal situation.

Or just me, if I weren't dealing with injuries both physical and emotional. A Magical Girl's power was one part physical and one part spiritual. I scowled at my strained knee and fractured ribs. The transformation prevented pain and helped my movements, but the injuries still made things more difficult for me, especially when fighting at the speeds we were moving at.

But I had to do this. If not me, who would?

I closed my eyes and focused, feeling the power within me flow outwards. A golden aura surrounded me, a bright halo that seemed to emanate from every part of me.

"Seraphina's fighting hard," a voice said beside me. I turned and saw Magical Girl Lovely Euphonia, who had been assigned to support the evacuation efforts with her transportation abilities. Her blonde hair was tied up in a bun, and her purple eyes were locked on the beast. Her gold and white outfit clearly took inspiration from my own, and her flute was broken in her hands. She must've been desperately low on mana if she hadn't resummoned it yet.

The novice Magical Girl looked worried, and rightfully so.

I looked up at the giant beast. Its wings were outstretched, and it was covered in red crystalline spikes and spires.

"It's a big one, all right," I said, taking a deep breath.

The two dozen or so Viscount through Marquis-class horde leaders I'd already hunted down would ordinarily have taken only a fraction of that effort, but I was running low on steam by my standards.

But there was still a Duke-class beast to fight, a monster that could level the city single-handedly.

And if it was here...

Was the woman with the red cloak and mask here as well?

I looked at the dragon again and clenched my fist.

It didn't matter right now, though. We had a bigger problem on our hands.

"Aren't you able to you handle that one yourself?" Euphonia asked, frowning at me.

She didn't even react as her companion - Magical Girl Innocent Sin appeared beside her in a puff of black smoke, looking completely exhausted.

I shook my head. "I got injured in my civilian life last week. Badly. Bruised ribs and a strained ACL were the least of my injuries. I can still move around fine thanks to my luminal aura but it's still going to affect my fighting ability."

Euphonia grimaced and nodded.

Sin sighed. "Yeah, that's what I figured. I'd heard but... man, even THE Celestial Sonata is still mortal, huh?"

"I'm still gonna go after that big one," I said, looking at the dragon. "You two should keep doing what you're doing. I can take it down on my own, even injured.

Sin frowned and crossed her arms, her long black hair swaying as she narrowed her yellow eyes. She was a short, black-haired girl with a large chest that bulged beneath a black cloak, a sharp contrast to Euphonia's slender lithe, and blonde figure. The pair were D-Rank magical girls and worked best when they were together, but they were rookies - probably eleven or twelve years old.

"You sure about this, boss lady?" she asked. "I know you're the number one here, but that's a healthy Sonata and not a Sonata who's got a visible limp even while aura farming on these things."

I turned and winked at her, putting on my best cocksure grin. "I'll be fine. I've fought worse."

The two of them nodded, but I could tell they were nervous. I knew I was.

But I couldn't let it show. Not now.

Right now, I had to make sure they had hope. I had to make sure they knew that we were going to be okay. That I could do this. That we could.

Even if I didn't fully believe it myself.

"You've been amazing," I told them, turning away from them, posing with a grin and a peace sign. "I'll take care of it!"

And then I flew off, leaving the two girls to watch as the dragon reared up, a terrifyingly loud roar reverberating through the sky and sending a wave of fear down my spine. Its massive maw was a gaping abyss, and its eyes were a pair of blazing suns.

The Beast of Desolation. That's what Sparky had called it.

We'd defeated two of the three that'd mysteriously emerged from the portals during the Chaos Event two weeks ago, but a mysterious woman in red had combined her strength with it to incapacitate me.

I'd failed to hunt it down and resolve the problem then and there, and now it was my fault that the people of this city had been put in harm's way. I would've been killed if Sparky hadn't somehow waded through an entire Chaos Event to reach me through a proxy drone.

I did wonder what became of him. He was pretty sharp and quick on his feet.

I shook my head.

But it wasn't the time to beat myself up or think about the past. It was the time to take action.

My body was surrounded by a shimmering golden light, and my hair floated in the air behind me like a cloud of gold as I increased my elevation.

I summoned my bow, nocking an arrow and drawing back. A brilliant beam of energy erupted from my fingers, the bow glowing like a small star.

Even on a good day, the gap between a Marquis-class and Duke-class chaos beast was massive. There was zero chance Seraphina or I would be able to take this one down without great effort. We'd have to do the bulk of the lifting as more A-Rank and B-Rank girls found breathing room to join us.

My arm trembled and the arrow quivered as I struggled to hold the draw. My injuries were already affecting my stamina, and that meant that I'd be running on empty sooner rather than later.

A golden beam of light shot forth, streaking across the sky. The beast roared, and a massive sphere of red energy materialized between the two of us. The arrow crashed against it with an impact that shook the sky, but it held.

I frowned, my eyes narrowed.

That thing was going to be tough to deal with. It had the ability to launch energy balls that could bypass any magical shield and create flames that could chew through anything in their path. And the longer it lived, the more its powers would grow and grow.

I had to stop it before that could happen. But if it was anything like its 'siblings' - the Beast of Liminality and the Beast of Civilization - it was going to be an absolute monster.

As the sphere dissipated, a golden glow filled my hands, and I fired another shot, followed by a third. They arced in separate directions before they converged, hitting the beast's wings at the same time.

It roared again, this time with an edge of anger to it.

Then, a series of bright flashes lit up the sky behind it.

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A white-clad woman in robes with flowing moonlit white hair appeared in the air behind the dragon, twirling a staff with a glowing white orb at its end.

It was Seraphina - a Magical Girl who'd briefly taught me when I'd awakened, and one of my personal idols.

A woman who'd taught me a lot about life and what it meant to be a hero.

The Beast roared, and I heard its roar reverberate across the sky. Seraphina's staff glowed, and she pointed it at the monster, her eyes blazing.

The dragon unleashed another ball of crimson light, and she swung the staff again, deflecting it with a radiant white light fired at a diagonal angle.

Seraphina was retired and a reservist who normally stuck to the sidelines and helped out in training and teaching the next generations, but she was one of the few S-Rank Magical Girls alive.

She maintained her youthful appearance and physique in her transformed state, but a Magical Girl's abilities were directly tied to their base athleticism and health. She wasn't at peak human condition anymore but her pure skill with magic more than compensated for it.

It was always said casters aged better than physical specialists, but her durability would still diminish. The older you were, the more you needed to compensate for the physical aspect.

She twirled her staff in her hands as it glowed with a bright white surge of power, and then swung the weapon forward, pointing it directly at the beast. It let out a roar that echoed across the city as it turned to face her. It opened its mouth to launch an attack.

Seraphina didn't give it a chance.

"Judgement!"

She unleashed a barrage of bright white beams of energy that streaked through the sky. The dragon raised a barrier, just as it had against me.

Seraphina drew another pattern in the air with the staff. It was a rune, a sigil of some sort, and I couldn't tell what it did. But a cross-shaped pattern appeared on the barrier, and her beam attack lanced right through it. The dragon's wings lit up in a blaze, and the beast let out a roar of pain as they caught fire and burned.

Seraphina smirked. I'd seen her fight countless times, and I'd learned that her magic was centered around light manipulation and amplification. But the woman had always kept a couple secrets up her sleeve. She'd fought in the Fourth Chaos War directly against the Imperatore on Earth and lived to tell the tale.

"Badhbh Cath, the War Crow of Munster. I summon thee!" Seraphina called, her eyes glowing as she raised her staff above her head.

A bright light enveloped her and the beast, blinding me. When my eyes finally adjusted, I saw a giant figure, a woman clad in glowing white armor. A pair of angel wings were stretched out from behind her, and a long, white spear was clutched in her hands.

It was a war spirit. An immensely powerful being of mana and magic, summoned forth to fight for a Magician.

"Badhbh! Your daughters are threatened!" Seraphina commanded.

The woman's lips curled up into a smirk as she flew forward, swinging her staff at the dragon. It roared, rearing up on its hind legs, its wings flapping.

"Macha, Macha. The Lady of Divination, the Scourge of Ulster! I summon thee!" Seraphina's eyes were aglow with power as she summoned a second spirit. Another flash, and an armored, angelic woman with flowing blonde hair and a bright, gleaming sword stood before us. Her wings were black, and her skin was a dark brown.

"Your children have been wronged, Macha," Seraphina called. "Defend them! Protect them!"

"Badhbh! The blood of your daughters has been spilled!" Seraphina called, and the woman nodded, raising her spear. She launched herself forward, slamming her spear against the barrier and cracking it with an explosive shattering sound.

"Your daughters cry out for blood!" Seraphina cried, pointing her staff at the beast.

Last, she drew the symbol of a great white eagle on her staff.

"Mór-ríoghan, the Sovereign of the Skies. Phantom Queen of the Tuatha De Dannan! Come forth!" she yelled.

A woman with her eyes closed and two masks floating at her sides appeared. She wore a hood, and a black cloak that billowed in the wind. She had a calm, serene look on her face.

"Rage, Morrigu! Rage for your daughters!" Seraphina screamed.

Morrigu opened her eyes. They glowed with a white light that was blinding for miles all around.

She let out an inhuman screech as the dragon's barrier was shattered. The dragon howled in pain and rage as the two winged warriors rushed towards it, their weapons raised. A bright flash of light illuminated the night as the two collided.

I flew down, my heart racing.

I couldn't afford to let up, either.

I summoned a massive arrow, nocking it and drawing the bowstring back. A beam of light shot forth from my fingertips. I fired a dozen times, each shot streaking towards the beast, which had turned its attention towards Seraphina and her spirits.

"First Movement: Star Song's Soothing Arpeggio!" I sang out, as each arrow turned into a hundred more, and a hundred more after that. It was like a meteor shower raining down on the creature. It screeched in pain as the arrows pierced its scales and burned holes into its flesh. It roared, rearing up again, and a beam of red light lanced towards me.

I barely had time to react before the attack slammed into my chest and sent me flying backwards, the air rushing out of my lungs and the world turning into a blur. My vision swam as I tumbled through the sky.

...

"I hate you. I HATE YOU, I HATE YOU," a silhouette in my memories screamed at me.

...

"I can't believe it," an old man whispered, his voice filled with pain. "How... how could you..."

...

"WHY?" A woman's voice cried out in anguish.

WHYWHYWHYWHYWHYWHYWHYWHYWH—

I blinked, opening my eyes in a pile of debris. My body felt like it was on fire, and the voices continued to ring through my head.

I slowly pulled myself up and out of the pile of broken bricks. The sounds of battle echoed around me as Seraphina continued to fight.

My ears were ringing, and my vision blurred as I looked around again.

Then, the sound of screams and cries reached me, and the air around me began to crackle. A surge of adrenaline snapped me awake, and I stumbled out of the pile, the debris crumbling to dust.

Seraphina was in the distance, the spirits of Morrigu, Macha, and Badhbh fighting alongside her.

The dragon's red light was still streaming out of it, carving a path of destruction across the city below and leaving a trail of burning buildings and scorched earth.

Desolation - the Authority of the First Imperatore. It could bypass any barrier and lock its victims into a perpetual nightmare, where all they could see was a hellscape where all their failings came to light. Most Magical Girls would suffer and die to the despair of the vision, as the toxic corrupting energy burned away their luminary aura and life-force.

I'd barely been able to flare my aura enough to withstand the beam, and the attack had briefly caused me to hallucinate, to hear voices I knew weren't real.

I had already survived the attack during my first encounter, but the memory of my failures was still raw in my mind. The loss of the Void Clan, the Magical Girls and civilians alike I'd been too cowardly to save. Suffering through the Authority once would inoculate one to it ever again, but it still chunked my lumina as much as any powerful attack from a Duke-class beast.

However, if Seraphina got hit by that beam and was forced to experience the nightmare here...

We were doomed.

Whether she survived it or not, she'd lose the ability to control her summons, and her spirits would disperse.

And we'd be finished. That thing could easily raze this city to the ground in an hour or two.

My body ached, and I was exhausted, but I forced myself to my feet. The dragon's attack was still raging on, carving through buildings, destroying homes, and killing people.

It turned around, aiming its beam at Seraphina.

No!

My heart pounded in my chest as I flew towards the beast as fast as my injured knee and fractured rib cage could take me. I had to get there in time. I had to stop it.

"Second Movement: Heavenly Refrain!"

I poured everything I had into a single shot. The bowstring vibrated and hummed, glowing with a golden light. My hair whipped around me in a cloud of gold, and my hands were surrounded by a bright halo.

"Vivace! Vivid Crescendo!"

The arrow of pure energy that materialized between my fingers was so brilliant that I had to squint. It was a blinding beam of pure light. A massive, golden ray of energy. I let loose, the arrow flying towards the dragon.

I missed, the arrow slamming into the beast's torso, and the blast radius was so large that the entire dragon was engulfed.

I flew up, dodging debris. My eyes widened.

The dragon had blocked it.

A large glowing orb was protecting the beast, a red barrier of energy.

It reared back, a red glow forming within its mouth, and then unleashed a massive cone of red fire and lightning aimed at Seraphina, her summons, and the city below.

The three summons flew forward to meet the attack, unleashing beams of their own.

Seraphina twirled her staff, chanting words I didn't recognize. A shimmering, white wall of light appeared before the three of them.

The four beams slammed against the dragon's The force of the blast was enough to knock the breath from my lungs. But slowly and surely, it was overpowering the spirits.

Seraphina grunted with effort, her face straining. The spirits' faces were contorted with effort as well, sweat beading on their brows. They were pushing with all their might.

But it wasn't enough. Slowly but surely the red flame was creeping forward, forcing the three summons back.

And then it suddenly came to an abrupt stop.

A dodecahedron of light appeared, stopping the beam. Seraphina floated in the air, her arms outstretched as the beam struck the barrier with a thunderous crash that echoed across the city.

She grunted, sweat dripping down her forehead as the beam ricocheted around the web of energy, and she forced her hands outward. A series of glowing, geometric figures appeared around the barrier, forming an elaborate, intricate web of interlocking shapes.

The beam shattered, dissipating into a million shards of red light that evaporated into nothingness. Seraphina panted heavily, her eyes closed in concentration. Her face was pale, and her body trembled.

I gaped, amazed at the mastery over magic I'd just witnessed. The attack couldn't be blocked, but she'd found a loophole and used spatial displacement to disperse it.

But I didn't have time to marvel at her skill, because the beast roared in anger and charged at Seraphina. Its mouth opened wide.

It was a massive creature, the size of a small city building, and its fangs were the size of cars.

The spirits charged forward to meet it, their weapons drawn.

Badhbh's spear slammed into its scales, and she pushed forward, but its clawed hand smashed her into a nearby skyscraper, and the building collapsed.

Macha's sword sliced into its shoulder, drawing blood and blue ichor. Macha's spear slammed into its flank, and it roared in pain.

But it wasn't enough.

It lashed out with a swipe of its clawed hand, sending the two winged spirits hurtling away.

"Glas Gaibhnenn, prized beast of Cian!" Seraphina yelled. "Answer my call! Answer your master's summons! Answer your master's will!"

A minotaur-like bull beast materialized. A massive, glowing blade appeared in its hand. The beast roared and charged at the dragon, its sword held high.

Seraphina waved her staff again. "Come forth, Failinis, Hound of the Tuatha. Heed your master's call!"

An enormous, truck-sized white wolf with a black mane materialized. Its fur bristled with electricity. It snarled and leaped at the dragon, sinking its fangs into the beast's leg.

The wolf was blasted off by a red beam, and the bull's sword shattered against the dragon's armor. The dragon reared up on its hind legs, and a glowing, crimson light appeared at its feet. Red light swirled around it, forming a tornado.

Both summons were swept up, and they disappeared into the vortex. The beast then turned to face Seraphina, charging directly at her. The veteran grimaced as the dragon slammed into a barrier she quickly threw up.

"Celestial Sonata!" she cried out, and I blinked as she flew back, looking at me.

"What? What is it?" I asked, flying through a hole in the barrier she opened to support her. The dragon smashed at the weakened barrier, shattering it only to encounter a more tightly reinforced one beneath.

"We cannot do this alone. You know that," she panted.

"But we have no other choice," I growled.

She tilted her head. "You are correct. Help is on the way, but it'll take time."

Despite her declining physical ability, her summons were all as capable as B-Rank and C-Rank Magical Girls.

She was unique amongst the few S-Rank Magical Girls for a reason. She could control and coordinate multiple high-level summons and familiars at once.

Seraphina was in a league of her own. But we both were in our own ways. And this thing was giving us a run for our money.

I narrowed my eyes. "We also can't let that thing keep rampaging around like this, and I'm sure you've already contacted everyone you can."

The barrier was cracking and breaking. I looked down, seeing a small group of people running from our battle.

"We can't let it hurt any more people," I said.

"Correct," Seraphina said.

"Then I'm not sure what you want me to do."

"We stall," she commanded. "I will need your assistance. I am not as swift as I used to be."

I nodded, gritting my teeth. "Okay. I can do that. What do you have planned?"

Seraphina always knew what to do. I looked up to her as my mentor and a veteran.

I was stronger than her now, but she was a tactical genius who knew how to work with other people better than I could ever dream of.

She furrowed her brows and looked away, grimacing.

...

"I... I do not know yet."