"Focus and put some effort into it!"
"Move fast. Remember the basics, keep your footing solid, and don't make big changes to your stance just because your opponent tests you!"
"Is that clear?"
"""Yes!"""
The girls answered in unison across the Training Ground, then rallied and resumed sparring. Weapons clashed without pause.
With that, the azure-haired girl turned to face the person before her. She raised her right hand above her head and clenched it around empty air. A massive scythe, much taller than she was, emerged from the void, and she took up a fighting stance.
Across the ring, the sky-blue-haired girl gripped her sword and shield, on full alert and ready to respond to any attack.
"Miss Hyacinth,"
Mercury said, sounding a little hesitant,
"Do you really want to fight me? Just so you know, I haven't tested the protection built into Heartmoon Fox's Mindscape. If something goes wrong, you might end up in a lot of pain."
"It's fine, ma'am. I just want to see where my limits are. Come at me."
Hyacinth peeked out from behind her shield, brimming with confidence.
Mercury sighed. She shifted her scythe from in front of her to her side, lowered her center of gravity, and leaned forward. Magic surged through her body and burst outward, forming a thin halo around her.
Here she comes.
Hyacinth immediately focused all her attention on the woman before her.
The Azure Reaper, Magical Girl Mercury, had not fought anyone head-on except Red Rose in decades. Anyone who followed the forums had either joined in or seen the debates over where she belonged on the power rankings.
Red Rose was unquestionably top-tier. By all rights, Mercury, who could match her, should have been too. But without any results from direct fights to back it up,