c26 sever

In these confined quarters, using an explosive bolt would have risked bringing the roof down upon them, along with other possible unpleasant effects. As such, Ryouko had prepared a more conventional attack, one of her most‐favored combinations: tossing a set of grenades to try to overload shielding, following by a small set of stringed crossbow bolts—now modified with a bit of stickiness—then a single, short‐range teleport, barely more than an inch, which was more than enough to disassemble practically anything.

She smiled grimly as her attack had the intended effect, sending three alien troopers immediately to the floor as critical organs and suit functions were severed, green ichor and clear hydraulic fluid gushing out of the various fracture planes.

She then performed a follow‐on teleport, shifting her position to the other side of the infantrymen she had just killed, timing her movement so it would dodge the laser fire that would immediately come from the alien squad's escort drones, as well as the explosive "death shrapnel" typically emitted by deceased alien infantry—a special trap for careless magical girls, particularly of the melee class. She then fired a series of quick, magically aimed arbalest bolts, easily destroying the drones that had revealed their positions—even the aliens couldn't afford to put forcefields on everything.

(To The Stars, Chapter 26)