Strike Witches: Worldwide Liberation

Egypt Arc

Chapter 12: Wild Magic

A week had gone by since the 501st arrived at the base of the 31st. The Strike Witches had settled in with their new comrades.

Mio was surprised by the modification to her striker unit Kye ordered done. Kye explained that similar to herself and Yoshika, Mio's magic had grown too powerful for a normal striker. This left Mio speechless.

A sortie was scheduled for 1100 hours. Minna was briefing the participants.

"This sortie will consist of seven witches." Minna said. She put her finger on the map behind her. "In this region a battalion of land neuroi have been spotted escorted by one large type flying neuroi. The commanding officer leading this mission will be Major Katou. Under her in this assignment will be Captain Marseille, Captain Barkhorn, Lieutenant Hartmann, Lieutenant Pottgen, Lieutenant Juutilainen, and Lieutenant Miyafuji. You will fly in and take out the flying neuroi. The ground forces will handle the land neuroi. After you complete the mission you are to return to base. Any questions?" After a few moments of silence, Minna spoke up again. "Dismissed!"

Chairs rustled as the witches got up to exit the room. Kye pulled Yoshika aside before she could leave the room.

"Oh hey." Yoshika said.

Kye spoke quietly. "Do you feel that you can use the golden aura in combat safely after the training I gave you and Mio on the carrier?"

"I think so." Yoshika said.

"Okay." Kye said. "Then do me a favor. Show them your power. You have permission to use the golden aura in this mission."

"Okay." Yoshika said. "I will!"

"Good." Kye said. "Now go, it's time for takeoff."

Kye watched as Yoshika ran towards the hangar to join the rest of the witches.

Everyone hopped into their strikers and donned their animal features. The usual blue circles appeared under their strikes.

"Let's go!" Keiko said as she took off, followed in order by the other six witches.

After a roughly fifteen minute flight, and some occasional bickering between Trude and Hanna, the witches arrived at their destination and found more than what they were briefed for. In addition to the several land neuroi and the large type flying neuroi, there were five smaller flying neuroi.

"The hell." Trude said.

"It just means we have more to take out." Keiko said. "Our mission is to destroy the large neuroi, and to do that it seems we will have to take out the smaller neuroi as well. Teams of two. Barkhorn, Hartmann, go. Marseille, Pottgen, go. Juutilainen, Miyafuji, with me."

"Roger." All six said in unison.

"By the way, just Eila please." Eila said.

"Okay." Keiko said.

Within five minutes the five smaller neuroi were destroyed. Two killed by Hanna and Raisa, two killed by Trude and Erica, and one killed by Eila. The larger neuroi showed aggression as soon as the last small neuroi was destroyed. It fired several beams at the witches, none of which landed a hit.

"Maintain formation." Keiko said. "This is a fast regeneration neuroi with a mobile core. We need to hit it from several angles."

"Consider it done." Trude said.

"Sturm!" Erica said, opening up with her signature barrel roll attack, leaving a huge hole in the bottom of the neuroi.

The other witches fell in to attack, dodging or blocking neuroi beams as they shot. Slowly, the neuroi showed damage and ascended into the clouds in attempt to buy time for regeneration.

Hanna and Trude pursued it quickly, maintaining a high damage output, exposing the core. They missed their shot, however, and it regenerated and moved its core.

"Damn!" Trude said.

The witches regrouped and attacked again, pushing the large neuroi away from the land neuroi.

"This one is stubborn." Eila said.

"I'll get it." Yoshika said.

"What are you going to do?" Trude asked.

Yoshika concentrated and released a golden aura.

"That aura..." Keiko said.

Yoshika flew in toward the neuroi, blocking the incoming beams. She drew her sword "Let's do this, Tenshimaru. Reppuzan!" She fired a powerful Reppuzan at the neuroi, slicing it in half and destroying the core. It shattered into white flakes.

"The Reppuzan." Keiko said.

"Miyafuji can do that?" Hanna said, amazed.

"That's our Miyafuji." Erica said. "Way to go!"

"Mission complete." Keiko said. "Return to base."

Everyone proceeded to head back to base, except Yoshika. She was having trouble deactivating her aura.

"Why won't it fade?" Yoshika said. Her aura intensified, turning into a bright green.

"This is Major Katou, reporting to base." Keiko said. "We have a problem."

Yoshika's aura turned bright blue. "Ahh!" She screamed, as if in pain. She slowly drifted toward the ground.

"Describe the problem, Major." Minna said over the intercom. Mio and Kye listened in.

"Just after Lieutenant Miyafuji destroyed the target with her Reppuzan, she started having trouble turning her power off." Keiko said, sparking Kye's attention. "It's changed color twice now, first to green, then to blue. Now it's changing to a dark red."

"What?" Kye said. "What's going on?"

Yoshika's aura slowly started emitting white sparks.

"Her red aura is shooting little white sparks." Keiko said. "She's descended to the ground. She's screaming, too. She sounds like she's in pain. I don't know what to do."

Kye equipped an intercom in her ear and ran to her striker. "Oh, shit. Listen closely. All of you are to maintain a distance from her. Don't let anything get near her. Her power is running wild. I'm on my way."

Kye was into the sky in under a minute. She released her blue aura and accelerated. Under the effects of her blue aura, her speed was enhanced tremendously. A sonic boom could be heard on the ground as she broke the sound barrier a few hundred yards out from the base.

"Was that what I think it was?" Mio said.

"A Sonic Boom." Shirley said. "I know that feeling. She's flying faster than the speed of sound."

Kye arrived at the witch's location in under five minutes and was truly astonished at what she saw. Yoshika was enveloped in a white aura. She appeared to be in pain.

"The pinnacle." Kye said slowly and quietly.

"Kye, what's going on here?" Keiko said.

"This is something I never in my life hoped to see." Kye said. "She has reached the Ultimate Aura of Energy Projection. I wish I could be happy seeing this, but her power is running wild. She could kill us all if it's not quelled. We aren't to the point of her power being lethal, so I'm going in to try to help her."
Kye flew to the ground, still maintaining her blue aura. Even though the two and a half minutes had long past, she was able to hold her aura longer due to using it out of combat.

"Yoshika!" Kye said. "Can you hear me?"

"It.. hurts!" Yoshika said. "It won't go away."

"You have to calm it." Kye said. "You have to want it to fade."

"It's not listening to me!" Yoshika said.

"It's rebelling." Kye said. "Your magic is THAT powerful, Yoshika. You can calm it. You have to take control."

"I'm trying!" Yoshika said.

"Listen, Yoshika." Kye said. "I'm going to do something risky to try to burn a little of your magic. It won't be permanent, and it might give you the little push you need to take control back."

"I trust you." Yoshika said.

Kye placed her hand on Yoshika's shoulder and drew Akarimaru with her free hand. She had trouble balancing due to the wild magic. She used the same technique she used to mimic Perrine's Tonnerre, but this time not just copying the abilities of her target, she absorbed some of the magic. Her own aura flared white.

'Such power.' Kye thought. 'I see how she could lose control. I'm having a difficult time just holding it in place.' She gathered the magic and launched a Reppuzan across the empty desert, one so powerful that it left a small canyon in the sand.

Yoshika was able to calm her power and fade her aura. Kye followed suit and held her niece. "Are you okay?"

"I think so." Yoshika said. "I'm tired."

"I imagine." Kye said. "That was quite the ordeal. I'm surprised that trick actually worked."

Yoshika passed out, and Kye scooped her up. "Let's return to base." The return flight was quiet. Kye was deep in thought and the other witches were still awestruck at the display they witnessed.

When they arrived at the base, Kye jumped out of her own striker removed Yoshika's striker. She left them for the others to put up and carried Yoshika to her bed.

Mio and Lynne entered the room and sat down by Yoshika's bed. "Is she okay?" Lynne asked.

"Yeah." Kye said. "She was able to regain control."

"Her magic has grown so powerful." Mio said.

"Today was the first day in my life that I was truly afraid." Kye said. "She could have killed everyone and herself, and could do nothing about it."

"You saved her." Mio said.

"It was a miracle." Kye said. "Wild magic normally isn't something to worry about, but with Yoshika it's a different story. Her magic power is over twice as powerful as yours or mine. And our power is already abnormally strong."

"Over twice?" Mio said with a surprised look.

"Yes." Kye said. "I apologize, but there is something I need to go do. Can you with her for a bit, Lynne?"

"Yes." Lynne said. "Anything."

"Mio, come with me." Kye said. "I was hoping I wouldn't have to tell anyone about this, but the time has come."

Kye left the room and headed to the command room. Once she got there, she ordered everyone aside Minna, Keiko, and Mio to leave.

"What you are about to hear does not leave this room until the appropriate time." Kye said. "Am I understood?"

"What's going on?" Mio asked.

"This isn't like you." Keiko said.

"AM. I. UNDER. STOOD?" Kye said again, strongly.

"Yes." They said.

Kye turned to the radio and turned the channel to the same setting she used to contact the person who crafted the upgrade to Mio's striker.

"Are you there?" Kye said.

Moments later the man responded "Yes." The man said. "What can I do for you."

"You can come to the 31st's base." Kye said.

"What?" He said.

"You heard me, Ichiro." Kye said. "It's time to cut the crap. Your daughter just had a case of wild magic with the Ultimate Aura. You need to get here as soon as possible. We need the limiter."

Everyone was astonished to hear Kye address the man.

"I see." He said calmly.

"I'm going to have Sayaka and Yoshiko flown out here as well." Kye said. "I feel somewhat relieved." Ichiro said. "Although it's a bit sooner than expected, it's time for us to see each other. I will be there in two days at the most."

"I'll see you then." She turned the radio to another channel.

"Was that..?" Mio asked weakly.

"Yes." Kye said. "That was Ichiro Miyafuji, my brother and Yoshika's father. This is a situation I had not expected to run into for at least a few more months, but her power has grown unbelievably powerful."

Kye turned back to the radio. "Hello, this is Lieutenant General Kye Miyafuji. Am I speaking to command at the Fuso Base?"

"Yes." A man responded.

"I have an order for you." Kye said. "Go to the Miyafuji Clinic and relay this message to Sayaka Miyafuji and Yoshiko Akimoto. Yoshika Miyafuji has experienced an extreme case of wild magic and is currently unconscious. I need them on an emergency flight to the 31st Joint Fighter Squadron base here in Africa immediately."

"Yes ma'am." The man said.

"Thank you." Kye said. She turned the radio off and turned to Minna, Mio, and Keiko.

"I'm sorry this had to happen here." Kye said. "You three need to know this, as well as the rest of the witches, but I'll tell them later."

"Dr. Miyafuji has been alive all this time?" Mio said. "And you knew?"

"Yes I did." Kye said. "We staged his death. That's something I cannot tell Yoshika, though. Ichiro himself will tell her, Sayaka, and Yoshiko when they all meet."

"I saw Yoshika cast the Reppuzan." Keiko said. "It was the most impressive thing I've ever seen in combat short only of your own feats. She truly has taken after you."

"Something I'm both proud of and worried about." Kye said. "Well all we can do now is stand by her side and wait for Ichiro, Sayaka, and Yoshiko to get here."

"What will they do?" Minna asked.

"Honestly." Kye said. "I'm not sure that they can do anything. I was expecting Yoshika's power to run wild at some point, but it was much worse than either me or Ichiro thought it would get. He has created a limiter of sorts that can help Yoshika control her power by limiting it and slowly allowing more to flow at a time. What we need first is for Sayaka and Yoshiko to heal her."

"But she's just unconscious." Minna said.

"It's worse than that." Kye said. "She was in a great amount of pain when I helped her calm her power. I took a quick look and it seems her body has weakened. She could die without her mother and grandmother's help if left too long."

"You can't be serious." Mio said, scared.

"I wish I wasn't." Kye said. "We can only hope at this point."

After that, the command room was silent. Kye drifted to a chair and sat down, in deep thought. Mio remained with her, not saying anything, but Keiko and Minna left to make sure everyone else from the sortie was not injured.

Within two days, Sayaka and Yoshiko arrived via airplane. Ichiro arrived soon after, but avoided contact for the time being, wearing a cloak and hood to conceal himself.

Yoshika was still unconscious.