My Magical Girl System

Chapter 198: Synchronized Assault

The swarm of giant bats continued their relentless assault, their high-pitched screeches echoing through the cavern. The team fought with coordinated precision, but the bats’ numbers and speed made them difficult to pin down.

Sein’s flames roared as she incinerated two bats that dove too close. "These things just keep coming! How many are there?!"

Sarah fired Pink Rain in wide arcs, the pink projectiles tearing through clusters of bats, but more kept emerging from the darkness above. "Too many! We need to thin them out faster!"

Hope’s greatsword swung in a massive arc, golden light trailing behind the blade as she cut through three bats in one motion. "We need to push through!"

Andrey’s mind raced as he blocked a bat’s claws with his staff. The echo of their screeches made it difficult to focus, but he could see a pattern forming.

"They’re circling us," he said, his voice steady despite the chaos. "They’re trying to separate us. Everyone, stay close!"

Lisa reinforced the barrier around the group, but a screech from a nearby bat cracked its surface. "My barrier won’t hold forever! We need to take out the source!"

Andrey’s eyes narrowed. The bats were fast, but they were also predictable. They dove in groups, swooped from above, and retreated into the shadows to screech again. Each cycle was slightly faster than the last—they were adapting.

’If I can time it right...’

He stepped forward, positioning himself directly in the center of the bats’ flight path. The swarm responded instantly, converging on him from three directions.

"Andrey!" Lisa shouted.

"Trust me," Andrey said.

He activated Damage Absorb and let the bats strike him—claws raked across his arms, fangs scraped his shoulder, and a screech hit him directly. The attacks piled up in quick succession, each one stored in his growing reservoir. His body glowed red, energy building, his muscles straining under the pressure.

"Almost..."

Another wave struck him. His Damage Absorb was nearly full.

Sarah realized what he was planning. "Is he insane?!"

Sein grinned, flames flickering around her fists. "No. He’s just stupid enough to make it work."

Andrey’s eyes snapped open. "Now!"

He released all the stored damage at once, a massive shockwave of red-gold energy exploded outward from his body. The blast tore through the swarm, shattering bat after bat in a violent pulse of pure force. The cavern shook, and the bats that weren’t destroyed were thrown back, their formations shattered.

"Everyone, use this chance!" Andrey shouted.

Before the bats could regroup, Andrey’s hands shot forward. Mana Threads lashed out, shimmering thin strands of energy that weaved through the air and wrapped around the remaining bats. The threads tightened, immobilizing them mid-flight. Their screeches cut off abruptly as they were bound in place, their glowing yellow eyes wide with confusion and panic.

"Finish them!" Andrey ordered.

Sein didn’t need to be told twice. She launched herself at the nearest immobilized bat, her crimson flames blazing brighter than before. "Crimson Cataclysm!"

The wave of fire engulfed several bats at once, their bodies burning to ash in seconds.

Sarah raised her wand high, pink energy swirling around it. "Heartstorm Apocalypse!"

A colossal pillar of pink energy rained down, engulfing a cluster of bats and reducing them to particles of light. "Pink Nova!"

Hope followed through, her greatsword blazing with golden light. "Radiant Judgment!"

She swept her blade in a wide arc, the golden crescent cutting through three bats at once, their bodies dissolving before they hit the ground.

The Mana Threads held the remaining bats firmly in place while the team’s synchronized attacks tore through them. The cavern filled with flashes of light, the roar of flames, and the sound of weapons cleaving through the swarm.

In less than a minute, the swarm was gone. The cavern fell silent, the only sound being the heavy breathing of the team.

Andrey lowered his hands, the Mana Threads dissipating. His body was covered in scratches and bruises, but his regeneration was already working. His chest heaved with each breath, but he was still standing.

Sein landed beside him, her flames dying down. She looked at the scattered remains of the bats, then at Andrey.

"...Not bad, Andrey."

Sarah floated down, landing a bit unsteadily. She put a hand on his shoulder, her voice a mix of concern and exasperation. "You’re insane, you know that? Letting yourself get hit that many times..."

Lisa rushed over, her hands already glowing with healing energy. "Let me heal you! You’re covered in wounds!"

Andrey gave a small, tired smile. "It was the fastest way to clear them."

Hope sheathed her greatsword, walking over with a look of admiration. "That was incredible timing. The shockwave and the threads worked perfectly together."

Andrey nodded, letting Lisa’s healing wash over him. The cuts on his arms began to close, and the bruises slowly faded.

"That should be all of them," Sarah said, scanning the area. "Let’s keep moving."

Andrey checked his new personal inventory. He still had enough supplies to continue. "We push forward. Whatever they were guarding, it’s deeper in."

The team moved onward, the cavern walls narrowing as they ventured deeper into the second floor. The faint blue-green glow of the stalactites grew dimmer, replaced by an eerie, pulsing red light from somewhere ahead.

The eerie red light pulsed rhythmically from deeper within the cave, casting long, shifting shadows across the damp stone walls. The air grew heavier, thick with the scent of moisture and something metallic like old blood.

Sarah shivered, her pink energy flickering faintly around her hands as she looked around. "This red light is way creepier than the blue-green glow from before. It feels... weird."

Lisa nodded, her eyes scanning the darkness ahead. "The mana density is rising again. Whatever’s guarding this floor is close."

Andrey stepped forward, his staff extended, Ki senses probing the darkness. The red light pulsed faster as they advanced, and from the shadows ahead, a sound began to grow.

A low, rhythmic flutter.

Then the fluttering grew louder, multiplying into a deafening roar.

From the darkness above, an enormous swarm of giant bats descended. There were easily three times as many as before. Their bodies were larger, their claws sharper, and their glowing red eyes burned with hunger. Their screeches echoed through the cavern, the sound waves rippling through the air like physical force.

Andrey’s eyes narrowed. "There’s too many to fight individually. We need to thin them out fast. Sein, Sarah—focus your strongest area attacks. Lisa, reinforce the barrier and prepare to trap them with Gale Ward. Hope, guard the flanks and pick off any that break through."

He stepped forward, planting his staff firmly on the ground. "I’ll draw their attention and tank the hits."

Sein grinned, flames roaring around her fists. "Always the reckless one."

Sarah raised her wand, pink energy gathering in a storm above her head. "Don’t die before we finish this."

Lisa’s hands glowed with mint-green light as she reinforced the barrier, preparing her Gale Ward to trap the swarm.

Andrey activated Damage Absorb and walked straight into the path of the oncoming swarm. "Now!"

The bats dove toward him, claws extended, screeches filling the air. The first wave struck him, claws raking across his arms and chest, fangs sinking into his shoulder. Each hit was absorbed, stored in his body as he held his ground.

The swarm pressed in, wave after wave crashing against him. The stored energy built rapidly, his body glowing red with the pressure.

"Sein! Sarah! Now!" he shouted.

Sein launched herself into the air, flames blazing brighter than ever. "Crimson Cataclysm!"

A massive wave of fire exploded outward, engulfing the first cluster of bats and turning them to ash.

Sarah raised her wand high, pink energy swirling violently. "Heartstorm Apocalypse!"

A colossal pillar of pink energy descended from above, slamming into the swarm and obliterating dozens of bats in a single strike.

Lisa’s hands shot forward, her wand glowing bright mint-green. "Gale Ward!"

A swirling dome of wind and force erupted around the bats that had escaped the initial attacks, trapping them inside a spinning barrier. The bats slammed against the magical walls, disoriented and unable to break free as the winds continued to swirl violently.

Hope swung her greatsword in wide arcs, cutting through the trapped bats with precise, powerful strikes. Her golden blade cleaved through their bodies, each swing destroying multiple bats at once.

The coordinated assault was devastating. The remaining bats screeched in panic, their formation shattered, but Andrey was still at the center, absorbing the hits that slipped through.

His Damage Absorb was nearly full. He stepped forward, the stored energy blazing in his chest, and released it in a shockwave that tore through the cavern. The blast sent the surviving bats scattering, their bodies broken or stunned.

Lisa followed up immediately, expanding her Gale Ward to catch the stragglers, trapping them in the spinning winds until Sein and Sarah could finish them off.

Sein, Sarah, and Hope finished them off in a final, synchronized assault.

The cavern fell silent once more.

Andrey stood at the center, breathing heavily, his clothes torn and his body covered in fresh wounds. His regeneration was already working, but the exhaustion was catching up to him.

Sein landed beside him, flames dying down. She looked at him with a mix of respect and exasperation. "You really need to stop being the punching bag."

Andrey managed a small smile. "It’s efficient."

Sarah rolled her eyes but couldn’t hide the relief in her voice. "Efficient or not, you’re going to get yourself killed one day."

Lisa rushed over, her hands glowing with healing energy. "Don’t tease him right now."

Hope approached, her greatsword resting on her shoulder. "The swarm is gone for now. But I have a feeling that wasn’t the last of them."