Puella Magi Madoka Magica : Rebirth

Chapter 8 : The Brocken-Wraith

The first Wraith was down before it even realised Kirika's presence. The black Puella Magi had appeared in front of it very suddenly, giving it no time at all to react. Her glowing claws ripped through its deformed head in a single fluid motion, killing it instantly. The Wraith dissolved into a pixelated puddle and disappeared, much to the fury of its brethren.

Kirika executed a perfect somersault in the air and landed on another Wraith's head. She stuck out her tongue at the nearest foe and yelled, "Hey, you there, you bung-bottomed buffoon! Yes, you! Care to jivvy with me in a waltz?"

The Wraith screamed and tried to whack at her with its long shining arms, but she neatly dodged and landed on another Wraith's shoulder. The unfortunate monster, whom she had perched upon its head just seconds ago, met its end at the hands of the angry Wraith. The shining arm cleaved through its body like as if it were nothing more than a withered leaf.

An unholy shriek ripped out from the Wraith's mouth, enraged by the fact that a puny little girl had made it kill its own member. Two claw-tipped arms lashed out at Kirika at what would have been the speed of a lunging snake, but to the gold-eyed girl, they were moving just about as fast as a snail. The two arms smashed into the hapless Wraith, minus the black Puella Magi. Kirika had leapt off the shoulder coolly and settled on the neighbouring Wraith's head. "Coo-e! I'm here, you slowpoke! Hahahahaha!" she taunted it, waving her claws in the air.

Before the Wraith could retaliate, it was knocked aside by another of its towering brethren. It hissed at the first Wraith, raising an arm to punish it, but another Wraith decided that enough was enough. They can't be fighting one another. It jumped in between the two Wraiths and immediately got a painful beating from the second Wraith.

It was then that all chaos ensued. The Wraiths started to fall onto one another, some hitting out at the elusive Kirika, others flailing their arms about wildly in hopes to catch her. But for most of the part, they only managed to hit each other silly. Pixels popped and sparked in the night air, turning the battleground into a visual display of 'fireworks'. Kirika weaved in and out of the fight, slashing randomly at faces, arms and legs, turning up the heat even more. With a final slash at a particularly ugly face, Kirika perched herself on a nearby lamp post, laughing maniacally at the Wraiths' stupidity.

"Hahahahahhahah! Really, what a bunch of fools!"

***

Oriko, Luna and Estella had passed the diners. Thankfully, due to Kirika's efforts, the Wraiths haven't reached the eatery. The customers were still blissfully unaware of their potentially precarious situation. The trio forged on, and were surprised when they noticed that the Wraiths were actually fighting one another.

"Umm...what's going on there?" said Luna, scratching her head uncertainly.

"Beats me, sis. Looks like their brains are smaller than ants'. They don't even know their own enemy," replied Estella, feeling secretly relieved that the Wraiths were somewhat silly. After forgetting about her magical abilities for six months, she had feared that her fighting capacity would be severely lowered, leaving her at a great disadvantage.

Oriko was also feeling relieved. The twins' presence seemed to alleviate her burden. Though she haven't yet seen them in action, she instinctively knew that she and Kirika would be able to depend on them. "Twins, get ready for action," she said, "We'll launch an ambush on them while they're distracted."

They bobbed their heads once. "Roger!"

The senior Puella Magi nodded her approval, smiling grimly. She was about to transform when all of a sudden, a vision flashed through her mind.

000

A huge black Wraith had appeared out of the shadows like a demon out of hell. It was taller than the normal Wraiths by a full two heads, and it was not cloaked, showing off grotesque muscles and sinewy flesh. Kirika's face was that of pure shock as the monstrous Wraith grabbed at her and smashed her into the ground, screaming its hatred at mankind.