How to beat them?
You scramble over the question in your head. The assault team had been able to beat Silver Champion as easily as it had because of Michael's sudden immunity to magic you were completely unaware of, but that wouldn't help him here.
You were aware of Solar Radiance's ability to ignore immunity and defenses that would otherwise leave her helpless. Lunar Radiance's snake form, while mostly unknown, was also something that the greater part of ToHO had been aware of before her death. You could beat them, and you knew you could beat them, but how could you beat them without killing them?
How...
Wait...
Why were you making this harder than you needed to?
"
Sam! Now would be a great time to start spell stealing! Brilliant! White Mage! Everyone else, either keep them busy or hit the deck! I'm going loud!" You leap into the air, dust and dirt blasting away at your take off. At five feet you curl in on yourself as your MG 'armor' cracks. And then... "
CORE PURGE!"
Light.
(Sega Inbound: 4 Turns
Segarite Generators: +3,150 Health
Solid Core: 35,700 + 3,150 = 38,850 Health Remaining
Presence of Light: +500 All Allies
Gabriel: 24,277 + 500 = 24,777
Solid Core: 38,850 - 1,785 (Containment Breach) = 37,065 Health Remaining
Countdown Left: 4
Core Purge: 133,875 Core Damage
Solar Seal: 500 Base Resilience, no dice, +4,000 Epic Existence, -5,000 Hostile Divinity Exposure = 500 Extra Damage
Lunar Seal: 500 Base Resilience, no dice, +4,000 Epic Existence, -5,000 Hostile Divinity Exposure = 500 Extra Damage
Lunar Seal is out of Sync, Core Purge fails to damage!
Insurmountable Perfection Dice check!
Core Purge: N/A (Defaults to 0)
Solar Radiance: 12,500
Core Purge negated by Insurmountable Perfection!
Lunar Seal and Solar Seals take no damage!)
A feeling of your
Light searching for something takes over, but you dismiss it. Instead, you focus on what it does to your targets. But when
Light clashes with
Light, and your plan falls to pieces instantly. Lunar Radiance hisses in obvious discomfort as your power washes over her in search of the control seal, but remains otherwise unharmed.
But the brilliant
Light surrounding Solar Radiance stops yours cold. The clash between the two powers sparks and roars, shaking the courtyard, but your
Light fails to pass hers. You find yourself rendered speechless, but the rest of the Assault team does not share your disbelief.
One of Lunar Radiance's heads lunges forward, and Red Rose dodges, leaping up and over the attack to allow it to slam into the ground she had been standing on. The veteran Magical Girl then sprints along the neck towards the main body, leaving the dazed head behind her.
Team GEAR's Human members collectively dive for cover behind the debris that litters the courtyard. Sam and James hiding together behind what looks to be the remains of a stone table, while Michael is left to roll himself under the remains of an overturned pillar, where Brilliant Key also takes cover. Insight ducks past the head that Red Rose had jumped so she could climb atop the neck herself.
Gabriel and Lucky on the other hand both take to the air, with the Angel racing one way, and the Fairy going the other.
"
Judgement!"
"
Twin Wing Blast!"
(Wing Blast: 5,000 Base Damage, +1,813/+1,778 Dice, +12,588/+2,064 Boost!, +838 Divine Inspiration (Shell), +414 Demon Knight (Demon King), +259 To Victory (Promised Victory), +1,000 Offender, +2,500 Demonslayer, +500 Divine Power = 24,912 Total Damage
Wing Blast: 5,000 Base Damage, +2,304/+1,994 Dice, +8,533/+10,093 Boost!, +838 Divine Inspiration (Shell), +414 Demon Knight (Demon King), +259 To Victory (Promised Victory), +1,000 Offender, +2,500 Demonslayer, +500 Divine Power = 22,908 Total Damage
47,820 Combined Damage
Hyper Evolved Snake: 2,500 Base Resilience, +1,274 Dice = 3,774 Damage Reduction
44,046 Total End Damage
99% Hard To Kill
50% Large Enemy
221 Final End Damage
HE Snake: 10,000 - 231 = 9,779 Health Remaining
Gabriel SS: 12,000 Base Damage, +4,500 Judgement, +529 Dice, +225 Dice, +838 Divine Inspiration (Shell), +414 Demon Knight (Demon King), +259 To Victory (Promised Victory), +1,000 Offender, +6,000 Demonslayer, +500 Divine Power = 26,265
Hyper Evolved Snake: 2,500 Base Resilience, +223 Dice, -234 Juggernaut = 2,489 Damage Reduction
23,776 Total End Damage
99% Hard To Kill
50% Large Enemy
118 Final End Damage
HE Snake: 9,769 - 118 = 9,661 Health Remaining)
An explosion of wind. The flagstones of the yard are reduced to dust and rubble from the raw power behind Lucky's magical assault, while the ground itself cracks and shifts from the blow. Gabriel's Soul-Severer blurs and, with the thunderous crack and shockwave you know so well, collides with Lunar Radiance's scales.
And to your mounting horror, both attacks do virtually no damage.
(Shed Skin Triggers! Hyper Evolved Snake's Health has been reset! Body Modifiers have been negated!)
Then it gets worse. The few cuts and scratches your two team members managed suddenly crack and split. And in moments, the suddenly dead skin falls away to reveal unblemished scales.
"What the fuck?"
"
Dodge!" Red Rose's shout comes just in time to snap Gabriel and Lucky out of their freeze, allowing the far more durable Angel to push Lucky out of the way of a lunging head in order to take the tackle herself.
(Sega Inbound: 3 Turns
Segarite Core: +3,150
Solid Core: 37,065 + 3,150 = 40,215 Current Health
Presence of Light: +500 All Allies
Gabriel: 24,777 + 500 = 25,277
Solid Core: 40,215 - 1,785 (Containment Breach) = 38,430 Health Remaining
Core Purge: 133,875 Core Damage
Solar Seal: 500 Base Resilience, no dice, +4,000 Epic Existence, -5,000 Hostile Divinity Exposure = 500 Extra Damage
Lunar Seal: 500 Base Resilience, no dice, +4,000 Epic Existence, -5,000 Hostile Divinity Exposure = 500 Extra Damage
Lunar Seal is out of Sync, Core Purge fails to damage!
Insurmountable Perfection Dice check!
Core Purge: N/A (Defaults to 0)
Solar Radiance: 12,500
Core Purge negated by Insurmountable Perfection!
Lunar Seal and Solar Seals take no damage!
Megabody: 5,000 Base Damage, +535 Dice, +20,000 Wrath of the Earth = 25,535
Megabody: 5,000 Base Damage, +535 Dice, +20,000 Wrath of the Earth = 25,535
51,070 Combined Damage
Echo of Peace: 33,195 Damage Reduction
Gabriel: 4,000 Base Resilience, +432 Dice, -500 Abandon All Hope, -500 Saved a Friend = 3,432 Damage Reduction
14,443 Total End Damage
Gabriel: 25,277 - 14,443 = 10,834 Health Remaining)
Gabriel is slammed into the ground with a massive crash, stone an earth giving way beneath the snake's mass and power. You heart leaps to your throat, but as the dust clears, the Angel is still standing.
She grasps the snake's massive fangs, the leading point of one piercing deep inter her shoulder, while both of her feet are braced against the bottom jaw, ignoring the tongue wrapped around her waist, trying to pull her in. Her blood drips to the earth, and she snarls.
"I... ain't-" Gabriel grits her teeth, and you can see her muscles visibly strain, "-going down-" Her back straightens, widening the mouth with jerky motions, "-that... EASILY!" With a roar and resounding snapping noise, she physically throws the snake head off of her, breaking the fang that had been buried in her shoulder off at the root. Lunar's head leaps away, screeching in pain as Gabriel falls to her knees.
(Brilliant Key casts Shine! Gabriel's Health has been reset to Max and her Body Modifiers have been removed!)
"
Shine!" Then a flash of light, and images of dancing flowers wash over her, sealing her wounds, and erasing the blood from her armor. "C'mon! Get up!" Brilliant Key and Michael pick up the Angel and swiftly drag her behind another fallen pillar.
"You should be paying attention." You snap your attention back to Solar Radiance as she speaks, just in time to stare at her hand in your face. "
Searing Light."
(Searing Light: 18,250 Base Damage, +75,000 Dice, +100 Burn In The Light = 93,350 Total Damage
Solid Core: 1,700 Base Resilience, dice negated, -425 Core Exposed, -850 To the Face = 425 Damage Reduction
Unstoppable Triggers!
93,350 Total End Damage
50% Indestructible Core
25% No Longer Human
35,006 Final End Damage
Solid Core: 38,430 - 35,006 = 3,423 Total Health Remaining)
Your
everything burns.
The pain hits you like a freight train, as the light literally
cooks you alive. Your skin blackens, and you can feel your muscles change in consistency. Your vision goes white as your eyes boil in place, and your ears are filled by what you distantly realize are your own screams.
Your nerves fried, you don't feel your impact with the ground.
"Nepgear!"
(Brilliant Key casts Shine! Solid Core's Health has been Reset to max, and her body modifiers have been negated!)
"
Shine!" The pain blessedly fades as Brilliant Key's magic washes over you, banishing the pain and agony. "Grab her other arm, I need at least one of mine open!" You suddenly feel light as Michael physically lifts you off the ground and carries you through the air, while your surrounding blur. "Set her here and give her a moment to recover."
The ground returns though the pain does not. "Nepgear, you with us?" Slowly your eyes manage to focus on Michael's face as the dizziness fades and your balance returns.
"Y-yeah... I'm alright. What did I miss?" You slowly roll yourself into a sitting position, allowing you to peek over the edge of the overturned "bench" that the three of you are hiding behind.
"Not much... but we need to do something. This isn't going very well."
Lucky and James were both hidden behind the base of one of the few pillars that are still standing, while Samael is huddled behind another object you can't readily identify with Gabriel, who looks worse than you feel, her wings drooping and usually immaculate hair a mess. Even at this distance you can see that she's on both her hands and knees, breathing heavily.
Red Rose is still leaping from head to head, almost completely distracting Lunar Radiance with random jabs from her spear. Insight is clinging to the back of another head as it tries to buck her off like a bull. And above it all, Solar Radiance stands on Lunar's last unoccupied head, casually firing beams of focused light after Red Rose, unhurried now that almost all of Team GEAR has been knocked out of the fight... but one is missing.
"Where is Aquila?"
"She's over there." You follow Brilliant Key's finger to your elf teammate who is steady climbing up Lunar Radiance's colossal back as if she's done it all her life, steadily making her way to where Solar Radiance is standing without either her jungle gym or target even known of her presence.
"So that where she's been."
"We need to do something about that damned snake..."
"We need to kill it!" Lucky's shout draws the attention of nearly all the combatants. "Human Transformation Magic can be forcibly cancelled by killing the shape the Caster has taken! Magical Girl Magic is different, but rules like that have always followed the standard Human Conventions! So if we kill her snake form, then we should be able to force Lunar Radiance back into her Human form!"
Solar Radiance frowns at Lucky's hiding place, before wordlessly firing another ray of light at the rock she and James are hiding behind. With an 'eep' the Fairy jumps from cover and darts across the courtyard, drawing the beam away from James before it can eat through the rock.
She is forced to cut the attack as Red Rose baits one of Lunar's heads across her firing arc, allowing the Fairy to duck back into hiding.
Your eyes narrow.
-Operation Soul Collector-
Objective: The neutralization of all Hostile MG Forces within the Dark Hall Necropolis
Optional Objective: The Retrieval of all Mind Controlled Magical Girls within the Dark Hall Necropolis
Failure: Death of the insertion team / Escape of the Unified Darkness task force
[]Battle Plan!
Nepgear's Instincts [Suggested Additions]
-Aim Red Rose at the Hyper Evolved Snake and kill it.
--Re-trigger Core Purge in the confusion to knock Lunar Radiance out of the Fight and keep pressure on Solar Radiance.
Status of Team Gear:
Nepgear: Rattled (Current Health: 7,350)
James: Frustrated, Ready
Samael: Worried, Ready
Michael: Out of Breath (Chance of not having an available attack)
Gabriel: Fully Healed, Exhausted (Unavailable: Double-Hit, Juggernaut, Flight / ATP reduced to 1)
Lucky: Frightened (Unavailable: Omni-Caster)
Aquila: Occupied
Sega: Unavailable. Hung up at Barricade. Will return during the fight: Turn Counter 2.
Status of Assault Team:
Red Rose: Occupied, Frustrated
Brilliant Key: Rattled (Chance of hesitating on an attack)
Insight: Stuck in Place, Functionally Unavailable
Status of Barricade Forces:
Unknown
Dance of the Sun and Moon:
Solar Radiance:
Solar Excellency is Active
Lunar Radiance: 4 Stacks of
Stone Cold Blooded, 1 Stack From
The Hydra Problem
+50xp You know what a roast feels like now
+25xp Everyone survived a Plan Gone Wrong
TM
75 EXP Gained = 1,390 EXP Total
[]EXP Plan?
[]Save it~
(Samael Has Learned:
Solar Radiance:
-Solar Radiance
-Superiority
-Titan Slayer's Vice
Lunar Radiance:
-Lunar Radiance
-Survivor
-Wildheart)