*
Meanwhile... On Alice's side. With guns blazing, a horrific wave of searing ember licks the street. An explosion took place, a massive number of houses begun to release wisps of smoke into the skies. This was new, she hasn't gotten this far before. Back then, how was it like? No, better not to think about it, lest she goes insane.
Right now she has to fight. Swinging out of cover, she presses on the trigger. With her superior strength the gun steadies and never veers off aim. With practiced precision, her bullets slip through the shattered concrete ruins and land gracefully into the heads of her targets. The gun fires bullets at a speed and lethality that could kill C grade magical girls, in other words it could kill any magical girl that hasn't breach the limit of this era.
Or would it be better to call it the previous era? Right now it was the era of abundance, there's no doubt this amount of conflict is unprecedented and foreign to the peace that its inhabitants know. A couple other magical girls stood to her side, sending a wave of cover fire as she hopped over her cover and sprinted forward. In a gunfight, manuevre warfare and knowledge of enemy locations can drastically increase the chances of victory. For Alice alone, this isn't her first fight despite wrestling the gun off a corpse not long ago.
To be frank, Eterna must have personally assaulted Sariel. That girl can take care of herself, Alice felt that she needed to prioritise everyone else first. Armed men with assault rifles have launched raids in the residential A zones. Right after this, she and Sariel should send a message to the magical girls of other zones, those that have yet to be attacks.
The A zone is nearest to the administrative zones that concern governance, this was where Eterna's influence was strongest. The people there follow her orders to a fanatical degree, almost akin to mind control. However it isn't that unreasonable. Eterna is the deity of this world, there's no mistake in worshipping her. The only one in the wrong is Eterna herself.
It would be lie to say the situation regarding the other zones don't concern her. If possible, she wanted all the magical girls to be safe. It's not their fault Eterna waged war on them, it was a one sided slaughter last time. Among countless timelines, the world always ended in the year 11509. How many times does this make? How long has she fought? It always ended in her own death, yet she awakes once more to right the world. If she grew to an old age and died of natural causes, would that send her to this time again?
Not being able to control her own fate brought about such consequences. Her death sending her back in time is not something she knows why it happened. Her behaviour is a mere side effect of experiencing too much at once...
"... Tracking magic indicates all enemies are eliminated unless they sent more reinforcements." (Lux)
A wide straw hat is strapped to her back, in contact with a black vest worn over white silk, out of concern that it would be shot full of holes on her head. Strips of black cloth faintly flicked over the stale air as she moved about, countless strips arranged themselves over her snow white kimono. Contrary to her outfit's image, her skin was a healthy dewy brown, tanned golden by the transformation. Her scabard hung silently on her obi and her pale blond hair brushed her exposed nape and clavicle.
She would be what anyone would call, a gyaru. A fashionable and cultured girl that dabbled on looks centre around her tanned skin and blond hair. This was an ancient concept recently revived as a trend, in her normal form she wasn't even tanned nor blond. If it's someone daring and composed, Alice would think of her, a person worth her weight in gold.
"We're receiving reports from the group chat, the other A zones are also reporting no losses. Thinking about it, we close the distance faster than they do. They'll always be on the receiving end of an ambush." (Arca)
A bespectacled beauty with long jet black hair spoked up next. Her frosty expressions were always a treat to look at as she presents her findings in grounded facts, like a mature office lady giving a presentation. The type that seemed cool for young students to admire. She wore a one piece black dress with dark purple frills and hot pink highlights, giving an overall dark palette that helps her blend into the night.
"Good work. I've texted the sentinels to work on the other zones. With the attack on Sariel, they'll be convinced." (Alice)
"... Isn't that nasty? Using Sariel as bait... That's why you made her the leader isn't it?" (Arca)
She couldn't glean Alice's feelings from her face, in response Alice maintained a blank stare at the concrete rubble. Following multiple explosions of school buildings, a gun fight broke out. She told the other magical girls in the A zones that it was more efficient to steal a modified gun, use their magic energy as bullets and fire back.
The power of magical girls varied wildly, one distinct difference is the range of their attacks and how the efficacy is retained or drops as attacks go further. The modified guns solve the issue with astounding range, much like sniper rifles but remaining semi-automatic. Nonetheless, her closest companions Lux and Arca were tough C grades in their own right. They hover around the limit of this era, exceptional in their own generation.
"Bait... You could say I pinned the target on her back by making her the figure head. I still guide her actions lightly, a puppet leader of sorts that could be disposed.
But you know... The only reason it's so easy to get her to do what I want, is because we share the same stance. And that she herself knew that it was her duty as the strongest. I can only hope at least her soul survives so she reincarnates into a better time and lives a peaceful life. " (Alice)
Her blank facade crumbles and she gently bites her lips. Holding in her burning hope inside her heart.
"... No need to be concerned. I said there weren't any casualties didn't I?
I didn't mean to bring up the bitterness you had to swallow. You've seen a lot haven't you? This is how magical girls should be, representing hope and paving the future. " (Arca)
" She... Survived!? " (Alice)
Where had the poker face Alice bared at her enemies gone? The one that ruthlessly gunned down all dissident, even when one or two attempted to surrender. Right now, it merely melted into undeniable joy.