Tart Magica Chapter 10

Corbeau charges directly at Riz as Riz throws herself back to avoid the attack. Riz fends off her attacks with her dagger as Corbeau taunts her, making fun of her for only defending herself and not attacking. Corbeau is impressed with Riz however, for being able to move as well as she does despite her extensive injuries. She then demands to know how Riz expects to defeat her since she brought Flèche with her to prevent anyone from attacking her outside of her magic's range. Riz tells her not to worry and disappears into her shadow as Tart and Melissa materialize behind Fleche and Corbeau respectively. Both of them swing their weapons at their opponents but are unable to successfully connect their attacks. Corbeau calls out to Fleche to provide support as she fends off attacks from both Melissa and Riz. Her arm wounded, Corbeau licks her lips and taunts them once more as she boasts of her magic's ability to pass off her wounds and damage to other magical girls. She then calls to Fleche to finish off La Pucelle with another attack like the one that nearly killed her earlier.

The scene shifts to a flashback from when Riz first pulled Tart and Melissa into her shadow realm. As they hang suspended, Riz tells them they don't have much time and to pay close attention to what she is going to tell them as she has a plan to defeat Corbeau. She hands something to Tart and tells her they are leaving this battle in her hands. As the flashback ends, Tart prepares her attack against Fleche, but Fleche has dropped down one side of the tower they were fighting on. As Fleche runs backwards down the side of the tower, she launches arrow after arrow right at Tart, each one finding their mark. She turns and using her momentum is able to run sideways across the walls of the fortress, launching more arrows up in her wake. Corbeau laughs as she tells Riz that La Pucelle couldn't even handle such a small fight on her own and is a complete failure. Fleche jumps back up onto a tower on the opposite side of the fortress, and as the dust settles, Tart is standing there completely unharmed. Riz tells Corbeau that Tart's magic has become even more powerful ever since her revival. Kyubey, who's been watching the fight this entire time, states that it's possible that because Melissa's wish altered Tart's destiny (death), Tart has now been burdened with an even greater destiny. Perhaps her being recalled from the brink of death was always part of her fate, as decreed by Tart's wish. Corbeau is furious at all this and demands Fleche use her full magic, as if she intends to drain herself dry. Tart braces herself for the incoming attack and thinks back to when they were still on their journey over. In flashback, Riz and Tart stand in her Tart as Tart tells Riz she's worried that her only contribution on the battlefield may be limited to standing at the front lines waving the standard of France since she's never been on a battlefield before. Riz smiles and asks if that's all she was worried about. Even such a seemingly small role would be enough since from the viewpoint of the soldiers the sight of Tart standing before them waving the flag would be the very embodiment of "hope". She asks Tart is she's seen the expressions on the soldiers' faces on the battlefield and Tart smiles and responds yes. As Tart remembers the words of Riz telling her that she too will trust in that hope, she powers herself up and conjures a standard and lance with her magic just as Fleche is finishing powering up her final arrow attack. Tart unleashes a large beam of pure magical energy as she uses her ultimate move: La Lumiere. The attack destroys the tower where Fleche was standing as well as leaving a sizeable hole in the fortress. Melissa calls out to Tart about how amazing that was while Corbeau is amazed that anyone could have that level of power.

Corbeau then brings her attention back to Melissa and Riz and begins a relentless barrage of attacks on the two, knowing if she stays close then Tart wouldn't dare unleash such a large attack so close to her friends. Corbeau kicks Riz hard but Riz throws out a whip made of shadow and lashes it around Corbeau's leg, pulling it around and causing Corbeau to swing to where Melissa stands ready. Melissa hits Corbeau square in the torso and knocking her back. Before she can recover Corbeau is hit with another devastating explosion from behind. Corbeau struggles briefly to stand, her mask broken in half and fallen away from her face. She laughs, enjoying the pain she feels as she heals her wounds and once more wonders if they've forgotten that all the damage she's suffered will only be bounced back to them. As she stands, she realizes that only Tart is outside her range of power. Riz however, reminds her she's already figured out her magic. As Corbeau looks down, she realizes her soul gem is filled with impurity. She calls Riz a witch and demands to know what she did. As Tart stands at the tower looking down at her friends, she holds in her hand Melissa and Riz's soul gems. Back when they were still in Riz's shadow realm, Riz tells Melissa and Tart to stay calm as she explains things. She tells Melissa to take off her soul gem and hand it to Tart as she does the same. Riz tells Tart to hold on to them and keep them safe. She explains that soul gems are their actual souls that are taken from their bodies and placed within soul gems when they contract. If they are destroyed, then the magical girl will die. But so long as they keep their gems on them, Corbeau's magic will heal her and force the impurities on them. Tart stares trembling at the gems in her hands before bursting into joyous prayer at the marvel that their invisible souls can be placed into precious stones, the same soul that is redeemed by Jesus Christ. She calls Kyubey a true angel before Riz snaps her out of her reverie. She tells Tart to focus on fighting the archer since they can still function so long as they stay within 100 meters of their soul gems. Corbeau's range of power is about fifty meters so Tart mustn't get too close or too far from them whereas Melissa and Riz will ensure Corbeau never goes near her. She reminds Tart that their lives are literally in her hands. Tart promises she will do her best for her partner.

Back at the scene of battle, Fleche stirs slightly as Minou appears before her. She had planned to gather up what was left of her but instead she conjures a seal with her magic and presses it to Fleche, causing her to scream. Corbeau, meanwhile, laments the impurities of her soul gem as Riz asks her how it feels to be defeated by her own power. Corbeau can only laugh in pleasure once more since they are the first to ever tarnish her soul gem. While she wishes she could play with them more, she knows if she takes too long her sisters will begin to worry. As she summons black feathers around her, Minou walks over and calls out to Corbeau. She tells her she knows better than to use *that* while there are still English troops in the vicinity. Corbeau warns Minou away since she will automatically absorb any impurities in Corbeau's soul gem. But Minou isn't worried and tells her Lapin had been asking for her. She tells Corbeau to leave everything to Fleche instead as Corbeau holds her near and tells her she makes an older sister proud. Corbeau calls out to Riz and tells her sorry for having cut their play date short and disappears into a portal with Minou. The remaining French soldiers with Gille at the lead finally arrive at the fortress just as Fleche's witch form has spawned and stands ready and waiting in the courtyard. It has the appearance of a large hammerhead shark with a crossbow on its underside that lines up with its eyes. The shark-like witch turns its direction towards Orleans and readies to fire an attack. Tart leaps out from the tower and strikes at the witch's head with her sword. While the attack wasn't quite enough to stop the witch, it powers up its attack and Tart only barely manages to turn its head just as it fires off its attack. She grips her sword tightly and slashes the witch down the middle, parting it neatly in half. The witch explodes and is finished off. Melissa congratulates Tart but Tart assures her it wasn't just her who finished off the witch.

As the smoke clears from a gun muzzle, Elisa stands at the edge of a cliff side some considerable distance away. Two men stand behind her, her uncle and the constable who praises her shot. Elisa responds she had not intended to join into the battle but her uncle interrupts her and tells her the constable was correct in calling her excellent. He praises Elisa some more as Elisa beams despite responding humbly. She tosses her head back and declares it to be the duty of nobility to lend a hand to common folk suffering from the fist of their oppressors. As her uncle begins to praise her once more, the constable coughs to break up their compliment party. They wonder if this was enough to secure the fate of Orleans and can see that the tide is now beginning to turn in this war. Elisa tells them to leave it to her as she will offer her greetings to the Dauphin Charles in person as well as introduce herself to La Pucelle.