Watching Marisa challenge Patchouli with such fighting spirit, Kars shook his head, convinced her chance of winning was virtually zero.
"It's truly laughable that someone would actually challenge Lady Patchouli in magic." Koakuma also had low expectations for Marisa. How could a normal teenage human girl possibly defeat Lady Patchouli, who had been studying magic for an untold length of time?
"Moon Sign 'Silent Selene'!"
The environment of the Great Library instantly transformed into a starry, cosmic scene. Then, numerous blue magic circles surrounded Marisa, gathering energy that resembled moonlight and spreading rapidly toward her position. Her situation instantly became precarious.
It should have been a battle that ended in an instant, but Marisa, riding her broom, appeared perfectly fine in their sight, albeit looking a little dishevelled.
"She really is like a rat, always hiding and dodging." Patchouli's expression and tone remained unchanged as she observed Marisa evade her attack, continuing her assault without pause.
"Damn it!" Marisa immediately retaliated. She pulled several bottles and jars from her skirt pockets. They exploded in mid-air, unleashing streams of star-shaped magic bullets and beams that clashed with Patchouli's attacks, causing violent explosions.
"Does that even count as magic?" Koakuma covered her mouth, giggling at Marisa's method of attack. However, before she could laugh for long, one of Marisa's bottles struck her. The resulting explosion of star-shaped magic bullets caused her a significant amount of pain.
"Ow! This girl is so annoying!" Koakuma cried out angrily, clutching her bruised head. But then she realized Kars had been unusually silent since the fighting began. She turned to him, confused.
"Kars, what's wrong? Did you get hit too?"
"No, I just think Patchouli might actually lose."
Kars's answer made Koakuma think he was joking again. Lady Patchouli losing to a human using such ridiculous magic?
"Kars, if you're trying to trick me, you should at least use a more convincing lie! How could Lady Patchouli possibly…" Just as Koakuma was thinking this, she noticed Patchouli's complexion was off. In a flash, she realized the problem: asthma.
The explosions from the crossfire were undoubtedly aggravating her condition. Patchouli's slightly abnormal pallor was proof enough. If an asthma attack fully set in, Patchouli wouldn't be able to continue fighting.
"Cough, cough, cough…"
As she worried, Patchouli began to cough severely, exactly as feared. The onset of the asthma caused a momentary pause in her attack. Marisa, unaware of the reason but seizing the opportunity, immediately launched a counterattack, placing Patchouli under sustained offensive pressure.
"How can I possibly lose just because of this… Cough, cough, cough!!" Patchouli, growing agitated, coughed even harder, unable to restart her attack. She could only watch as Marisa gained the advantage, quickly pushing her into a desperate situation.
With the reversal, Patchouli, unable to effectively fight back against Marisa's relentless assault, was forced to move and dodge. However, her second issue soon surfaced: her chronic anemia and low stamina meant that after dodging for only a short time, she was too exhausted to move.
"Lady Patchouli!" Koakuma cried out in alarm. Who could have foreseen the sudden asthma attack and the resulting reversal of the battle? The initially underestimated Marisa had grabbed the opportunity and instantly turned the tables.
"She actually lost…" Kars sighed. As the words left his mouth, Marisa, riding her broom, pointed her Mini-Hakkero at Patchouli. The magical blast that erupted instantly swallowed Patchouli.
The surrounding magic circles vanished, and the environment reverted from a starry cosmos back to the Great Library.
Kars caught Patchouli, who had been thrown back by the blast, holding her securely in his arms.
"Well? How does it feel to be defeated by the human you looked down on?" Marisa, having won, didn't appear overly triumphant. She stood before Kars, adjusting her slightly rumpled clothing, and then fixed her gaze on him.
"So, next, I'm guessing you're the so-called mastermind behind this incident."
"I understand. I'll take you to her." Since Patchouli was out of commission, and Koakuma and he were useless in a fight, Kars understood Marisa's implication.
After entrusting Patchouli to Koakuma's care, Kars started walking ahead, preparing to lead Marisa to his two little aunts.
"Hey, can you stop messing with those books?" Kars couldn't help but look back at Marisa, who was already trying to retrieve the books she had dropped earlier.
"I'm just borrowing them for now, promise! I'll return them when I die." Marisa smiled brightly, clutching the books as she followed Kars.
"You certainly have a flair for the dramatic." Kars didn't stop her. For one thing, it would be difficult, and for another, the books weren't strictly essential to Patchouli. Losing a few wouldn't be a major issue.
Besides, before meeting his Little Auntie Remilia, it was questionable whether Marisa would even get past Sakuya, who was definitely formidable!
With this thought, Kars led Marisa out of the Great Library. However, they hadn't walked far when they heard a loud commotion from a distance.
"Reimu's finally here! I need to hurry!" Hearing the noise, Marisa immediately knew Reimu had arrived. She didn't even need Kars to lead the way, flying toward the sound.
"Reimu? Is that the Shrine Maiden?" Realizing the possibility, Kars sped up, running toward the noise. He soon arrived at a scene of chaos, where Sakuya, her maid uniform torn and shredded, was leaning against a wall, looking defeated.