Chapter 7

Magische Mädchen!? Part 1

Part 1

Frau Klein glared at the figure standing ten meters away from her, showered by a rain of dark scales and crumbling charcoal.

"... That power, it's the same. But still..."

There was only one explanation left. Frau Klein waged many wars, clashed blades with many warriors, triumphed most of them — but she has only seen that power Fräulein wielded once. It must be the same power the helped her sisters seal her on the moon. The power of that hero from the previous war.

The corruption of reality — a chaotic power that forced the user's own 'beliefs' over the World. An extreme form of humanity's magic that overwrote the rules without limits.

A power the ancients called the 'Magical Constant'.

But the hero's Magical Constant wasn't at this level. No, to even compare the two would be an insult to Fräulein's absolute dominion. Although the hero was scary strong, rewriting his weapons and surroundings to his liking — it would never be enough to easily kill an Extinction-class monster in one hit.

No matter how much you believed, it was impossible to remove every single creeping uncertainty from your mind. Even a pinch of doubt from your subconsciousness was enough to break apart the Magical Constant.

Such a power was in the hands of someone like Fräulein, who believed in the supremacy of fate with every part of her soul.

The dark knife was pointed at her.

"Now, Magical Girl Frau Klein ——— accept our fate."

The Fräulein Floret of now was a being equal to the Phenomenon of Death.

"Aren't you crazy powerful? Hey, it's powerful enough to change fate~ Stop being stupid and save the world!"

"... What are you talking about? Me, powerful?"

"Hey, hey, you killed my Ygris in one strike!"

"Isn't that the quality of this knife? Brother dear said this knife was so good, it can kill anything alive in one slash. He even sold it to me for cheap. Its true name is the 'Dagger of Darkness and Fate Realization'."

"... Ha. Haha. That sounds just like my stupid onee-chan."

Although they were having an idle chat, neither were letting their guards down. Their hole-riddled stances were but enticing honey that tempted the other to strike first. But Frau was still uneasy. There was no enmity nor bloodlust from that blonde grim reaper. Nothing but pure unadulterated belief of her fate. Frau would be killed in every sense if she was careless.

"Uwaa~ This is a first for me. I fought lots of strong people back then in the world. Everyone had courage and super strong spirit that just wouldn't die down no matter how much I hit them! Like zombies! ... But I never thought I'd really fight a coward. It's normally impossible, 'cause normal cowards run away from me. Why can't that be always the case? Ha..."

"I don't understand."

"Just wanted to say that this'll be a super tasteless battle. Haa... and I wanted a hot-blooded battle after so long."

"Hot-blooded...? Fights to kill each other aren't hot-blooded. They're cold-blooded, right?"

"True! But, it's the first fight where I'm risking my life here! Is this how everyone felt when they faced me? Kinda eye-opening. But I wanted my first, to be a little more exciting?"

"This'll also be the last, so don't worry."

"Uwaa~ Scary, super scary!"

It wouldn't go away. No matter how much Frau tried to ease her shaking hands through casual talk, it still wouldn't go away. Her body felt chillingly cold. Her breathing was heavy. If she did not hold herself up, her stance would break and she would fall down on the ground crying.

It was back, that emotion she thought was long gone: fear.

Fear for her life. Fear from the 'fate' the monster in front of her wanted to enact. Frau Klein could not see how she could win against such a cheat power. One scratch was all it would take to kill her. Because Fräulein Floret truly believed so.

No matter how much she struggled here, to the World, it was fate that she would die today.

"... So what?"

One step forward. There was no hesitation in that step.

"... For World Euphonics onee-sama, and myself —— I shall fight."

She reached out her hand to nowhere in particular. Fräulein readied her dark dagger. There was something wrong with Frau Klein. That hand of hers, unlike before, did not hold any magical energy. It was simply the act of holding out her hand.

"... Ha. Haha. Uwaa, what's wrong with me? I don't make sense. Just like all those heroes... Ironic."

A funny thought. Magical Girls were supposed to be logical beings who did the biddings of the World. Before they were egos, they were phenomenon, after all. Her other sisters were like that. They prioritized their and the World's life more than anything else. They would unhesitatingly pick the option that gave them the greatest chance of survival, like a cold machine.

But Frau Klein knew. If she took a single step back now, she would not remain herself. She would simply be another Fräulein Floret, a coward who allowed fate to do as it pleased. She would just be another Magical Girl, another goddess who followed the whims of the world. She didn't want that.

Another step forward. It was firmer than the last. Her hand was still in the air, reaching for that non-existent hope.

"Onee-chan, if I defeat you right now, will you listen to any request of mine?"

"... How many times do I have to say it, you can't fight fate."

"Heh? Really? Then, let me show you... the way to be a hero."

Sparks gathered around that hand. The air around them froze. Dangerous. In one bound, Fräulein crossed the distance between them. Her grip tightened. There was no hesitation in that slash meant to take the little girl's neck.

Fräulein Floret believed she could kill Frau in that strike ——— but she could not.

The echo of steel hitting steel rang throughout the empty moon.

"Eh...!?"

In the space between her knife and Frau's fragile neck was an elegant sword of silver. It was unnaturally bent, unable to take the full brunt of the knife's slash, but a simple fact still stood —

——— Frau Klein was alive.

"G—geh. To even bend Justilica's Holy Sword with a cheap knife... uwaa. But I guess — it was enough to stop you?"

Frau Klein smiled.

What did that Grim Reaper think of this unexpected party trick? Did she expect flashy magic to stop her? Magical Girls should be the pinnacle of magic, after all. They were 'Magical' for a reason. A Magical Girl wielding a brutish sword should be the last to expect — that is, if she never read history.

Using force unexpected for her small frame, Frau Klein pushed back the assailant and once more brought the previous distance between them. Fräulein stood there with a perplexed expression. Although the sword was surprising, there was something else bothering her mind.

"H—how... my knife got blocked?"

Frau Klein pierced the crooked sword to the ground. It was the first grave marker on this desolate gray land.

"Justilica's Holy Sword, forged by the Faeries of the North for the Hero Lent Ashfelt — a magical sword that will never be broken as long as the World exists. Ha, they never said it couldn't bend. Those faeries were smart."

She reached out once more to nowhere in particular, sparked her hand, and pulled out a new sword from thin air. It was a majestic sword of gold, with bolts of lightning swirling around the blade. Its overwhelming presence made Fräulein take a step back.

Frau Klein readied her stance and pointed the sword's tip to the dazed girl.

"... That's right. I'm not that good at stuffy magic anyways."

What made Frau Klein the strongest among the Seven Magical Girls? Her vast knowledge of magic? Her unfair ability of creation and destruction? Her masterful skill in leading armies?

No. In each of them, one or two of her sisters would surely defeat her. Magical Girls were beings that weren't bound by common sense. Her abilities would not last against all of the other Magical Girls at the same time.

"My specialty were always swords. Swords of all kinds, from all places, taken from heroes who dared challenge the gods."

It was her unparalleled skill in swordsmanship. That was all it took to oppose even the great Magical Girls. She was one who broke her duty as a goddess, becoming a Demon Lord who used all kinds of swords to bring down everyone who fought against her. The heretical goddess who used humanity's weapons.

She was the Forsaken Magical Girl of Chaos and Depravity — The Princess of Swords, Frau Klein.

"Now, Fräulein Floret ——— Let me do the honors to fix your cowardly ways."

Part 2

"HAAAAAA!!"

Frau Klein launched herself to the Grim Reaper, tightly gripping the golden sword with a hand. She swung the lightning blade without hesitation. This was a place where death has died. Fräulein wouldn't die even if her head was cut off.

"Guh——!"

A strained voice escaped Fräulein's lips as their blades clashed. That slash was a flash of light. She would've been hit if her reflexes were even a bit slower.

"Heh, you caught it? As expected from you, Fräulein! This sword is the Lightning Sword Liveria, renowned for its god-like speed and the ability to cut through anything!"

"Aaaaahh!"

Fräulein twisted her body to avoid the next flash and attacked Frau's side. That black blur was parried by a dull silver blade in her other hand. Sparks flew, and the iron blade broke into two.

"—!? That just now was the Sigfi's Sword. That was used by the Hero Sigfi as he fought against me and lost!"

Fräulein paid Frau's explanations no heed and fired a volley of slashes. Her knife's range was shorter than Frau's swords, but it didn't matter at their short distance right now. A trail of lightning parried every single one of her attacks. With every clash, the golden sword chipped away, shedding its previous majesty.

"Haaa!"

A heavy slash broke through that golden sword and aimed for Frau.

"Tsk!"

Frau immediately used a sword with a fire-red blade to meet that dark knife. It broke, but it managed to shift the blade's path.

A chill. Strands of white hair fluttered in the air. Frau tilted her head in time to avoid the silver knife Fräulein flung out of nowhere. She must've had some spare knives under her skirt.

The magical girl leapt back to increase the distance between them.

"... Uwaa, your instincts are really crazy. Is that really just innate? It's been long since someone matched me in swords. You're really unfair!"

Fräulein kept her silence and readied her knife for another round. The troubled look on her face made it clear that she didn't expect her attacks to be avoided.

Frau Klein flashed her a cocky smile.

"What's wrong, Fräulein Floret? Feeling confident just because you killed Ygris in one strike? No matter how strong your Magical Constant is, it's not enough to easily kill the strongest Magical Girl! Where's this 'fate' you keep talking about, huh?"

Frau Klein bluffed. It was clear she was on the losing side. If she even let a single attack graze her, she would die. She got by right now thanks to her sword skills and the plethora of phantasmal swords she pulled out one by one.

There was only one way she could win. This was never meant to be a battle of strength in the first place. The only reason Fräulein was strong right now was because of her cowardice and her knife. If she could put even a single seed of doubt in her mind, that dark knife wouldn't last a bit against her swords.

This wasn't a battle of strength. It was a battle of beliefs. If she died first, she would prove Fräulein right. If Frau made her change her mind, it meant that fate could be fought. Frau Klein had to give it her all in this one moment to prove herself right.

Without wasting another second, she whispered the words,

"... Break drive, function."

The next sword Frau pulled out was something Fräulein never expected ——— a perfectly ordinary iron sword. Compared to the previous legendary swords she swung around that were fit for heroic beings, that iron sword was something you could find dangling at the waist of an average soldier.

"!?"

But it didn't stop there. Iron swords began popping out of nowhere, floating still in midair. Hundreds more of that shabby sword swarmed behind Frau's back. Each of them were almost the same, with minute differences you wouldn't discern in a glance.

"... Here I go, Fräulein Floret! After quality, let's see you taste quantity!"

Frau closed in.

The first sword she swung were blocked and destroyed. A stray sword from the air slithered in and defended the magical girl from Fräulein's next slash. It broke as well, but it served its purpose to deter that dark blade.

This exchange continued for a time.

A hundred swords clashed with that knife. None of them remained intact. A new set of swords. None of them remained intact. A new set of swords. None of them remained intact. A new set of swords — one of them remained, albeit crooked and in the point of breaking down. Frau used it as the base to create new swords. She clashed every single one of her newborn swords with that unbreakable knife. Two remained. She used them as the base to create new swords, and clashed every single one with that unbreakable knife. Four remained.

"———!"

Faster, sharper, stronger — with every new generation of swords, she began forging original ones geared for the sole purpose of meeting with the unbreakable knife — no, belief of that absurd existence called Fräulein Floret. Frau Klein's mind was cleared of everything else. The fear, the uneasiness, the anger — all were flushed out for the sake of creating that single sword. She kept burying Fräulein in a volley of throwaway rejects she had in thousands. The moon was filled with nothing but the sounds of metal clashing. The sounds of a forge.

Faster, sharper, stronger. Finally, at the six hundred sixty seventh generation———

She reached out for the final sword.

A clear ring echoed throughout the world filled with the graves of broken swords.

"———!!"

"Ha— ha— ha— uwaa... found it. I actually found it. There really was one... I won the bet."

What opposed Fräulein's dark knife was a sword with the same tinge of darkness in it. No, it wouldn't be weird to say it was the 'sword version' of Fräulein's knife. A slender blade of dull darkness that seemed to consume the light around it. Even when clashing with that Magical Constant-infused knife, it could not even chip the dark sword.

"W—wha...?"

"I'll call it ——— the Sword of Darkness and Fate Rejection."

Darkness clashed with darkness and the two figures showered in a rain of sparks. No matter how much Fräulein's trusty knife met with that sword, it would not break or even chip.

At this point, all of Frau Klein's fears were blown away. There was no point in being scared of a knife that would not reach her. Fräulein's superiority was partly due to that unfair knife. Now its superiority was gone, this became a fight between Fräulein's innate instincts and Frau's extensive experience in battles. But she was a Magical Girl who specialized in direct swordfights while Fräulein specialized in sneak attacks. She wouldn't lose anytime soon.

Frau Klein flashed another grin.

"Heh? What's wrong, Fräulein Floret? Can't cut through this sword?"

"...Haaaa!"

Frau suddenly twisted her body to avoid Fräulein's slash and aimed for her neck. The grim reaper's knife slithered to protect her. Their blades locked.

"Guh—!"

"There is something you lack, something that's essential to humans!"

They sprung away from each other. Frau followed up and rained Fräulein with heavy slashes. Fräulein stepped in and slipped through her attacks. She thrust her knife, but it was parried with another copy of the dark sword on Frau's other hand.

"Yes, that thing you lack is ——— love!"

Was it her imagination? She thought she saw Fräulein's face cramp for a second. This was it, the chink in her armor...!

Frau discarded one of the swords and held the other tightly with her two hands. It was now or never.

"That's right, Fräulein Floret! You have been loved by those around you, but you never loved them back!"

"——!"

Sparks. The dull ring of irons clashing. More sparks. Their blades locked once more. With their face close to each other, Frau could tell the troubled look on Fräulein's face. As if she was fighting something inside of her. Yes!

Frau turned around and lashed a kick to Fräulein's side.

"Gah——!"

Fräulein's body was flung dozens of meters away, plowing through the hard silver ground.

"Let me tell you, the moment you know you're human is when you have something you love so much that you'll even fight fate for it!"

Frau didn't wait for her to stand up and crossed the distance between them in one bound. Fräulein immediately shot up and blocked it with her knife. Although Frau had a smaller frame, she was now pushing down the kneeling Fräulein.

"True love ——— that is what you lack, and something you'll never find!"

Frau raised her sword once more and brought down a heavier swing. Fräulein threw herself to the side, but was still grazed by that unbreakable dark sword.

"Ha... ha... true... love...?"

"That's right. The truest, purest of love. I've seen you live your life in the world, but all you ever did was accept love. You never gave anything in return! Look, your twin sister is about to die, and you decide to stay here and live? I don't see any love in that!"

"——Kah!"

Another swing smacked Fräulein's battered body away. Frau noticed it. The impossible. That dark knife Fräulein wielded ——— chipped away.

"... Yes! I hate you! You have the power to change fate! Cowards can be cowards because they are weak! What about a strong coward? What excuse do you have?"

"Ha... Haaaaa!"

A scream from her soul. Fräulein threw herself to Frau, frantically swinging her knife. There was no elegance in them. Just pure, simple rejection. Like this, Frau Klein didn't even have to see her blade to parry them. Compared to the Grim Reaper from before, this was laughable.

"If you continue on that path, you'll end up on a land of vast loneliness!"

Their blades clashed, and the dark knife chipped away.

"If you continue on that loveless path, you'll end up on the moon!"

A crack. A small, but obvious crack formed on that once peerless blade.

"If you continue on that cowardly path, you'll end up to where I am right now!"

Finally, the Sword of Darkness and Fate Rejection ——— shattered the Dagger of Darkness and Fate Realization.

"Wha——!?"

A cold, chilling sensation pierced through her chest. On the edge of her mouth was a trickle of blood. Frau Klein — pierced that dark sword through the grim reaper's heart.

"Accept it, Fräulein Floret ——— fate can be fought. Through love."

... Okay. This chapter was supposed to be 7000+ words, but I didn't want to give a rushed work. I've got some exams to finish, so I posted this part for now. I know, the pacing's weird, but please endure this opening arc. This is a prologue arc, after all, and the story starts on the next arc. See you all in two weeks!

Next up on Fraulein Floret and the World Euphonics: A glimpse of Fräulein's love-filled past, and her being badass for once. All in First Person POV.

I hope you understood the power fluctuations that happened. I'll post a glossary after the arc to explain things a bit clearer.