>Usuki is shocked to see her cannon has taken in some serious damage, one more critical hit to it and she will have to repair it.

Usuki: "Our Tono will not be happy about it, but I have a few tool boxes."
Fukashi: touches her shoulder "Look, more of them!"
Usuki: "Sounds like I got one more shot before this thing's done, temporarily."

>Usuki's performance rating on her cannon dropped significantly, her accuracy is reduced by a third.

=====================
Turn 4

>Usuki is getting desperate, as two waves replacing the initial frontline row skirting around the crater whilst running up to them.
>She has to lead her shot a bit, and she fires it again, making an already large crater deeper, sinking in all 40.
>40 Sisters left a small crater.

Usuki: "Try that again!" sticks out tongue
Nagashino: "Behind us, they are trying to block our exit route."
Usuki: "Lob a projectile or something, I'll try to repair it as quickly as I can."
Nagashino: "Think I can hurl one? You bet I could!"
Usuki: "All three of you, get close to me because I am about to get this cannon fixed, buy me time."
Juraku: "Casting a defensive bubble underway, leader."

>Nagashino throws out a terracotta grenade and tries to hurl it a long way high up onto one of the snipers. The grenade exploded just a split-second from directly hitting one, dealing 40 damage and shaking the building even more.
>Usuki grabs one of her three repair kits and starts working on the fallen spoke and the visual smears on her cannon to improve her accuracy and damage for the next five turns. During this time, she urges her teammates to protect her more closely.
>Fukashi's hat was torn off, and now without it, her head is vulnerable, making her mad.

Fukashi: "You DARE not mess up my head like that!"

>Fukashi uses her healing powers to restore 100 HP at the cost of 100 MP, ending her turn.
>Juraku casts a defensive pink shield around the team to deflect bullets for a short time, costing her 150 MP and ending her turn. Another clip of bullets come flying toward the team just as Juraku's shield raises up, sending all of the bullets back in all directions, 164 are instantly killed from the ricocheting bullets, including two of the four snipers.

>Team Usuki dealt a whopping 20,440 damage. Usuki's cannon dealt 4,000. The shield cast by Juraku helped absorb as much suppressive fire it can handle for the duration of the turn, the damage from the deflection is an impressive 16,400.
>Team Misaka lost 204 more Sisters. Their health is down from 1,990,720 to 1,970,280.
>The time of day is now 12:00, every 4 turns equals one hour in-game.
>Weather conditions is worsening a bit, it is now partly cloudy.

malmon wrote

OOC: Sorry! I haven't forgotten, just don't have a lot of time right now >.<

OOC: April 22nd will be the deadline, so we have all the time while we can.

Turn 5

>Juraku's shield is pulsating, but still working at half strength.
>Team Usuki is a bit unfazed by the sudden shock from the previous turn coming from a large circular ring of Sisters in unison. With nowhere to run now, Usuki's cannon is upgraded and repaired, slightly bigger than the original size, a process known as gigantification.
>Usuki can now move the cannon with full stability unless another sniper bullet takes it down again; she hopes it won't happen this time. After some thinking, she loads up six cannonballs, two each to see what happens. Like a battleship, she then lights the fuse separately with a half-second delay and again on a secondary fuse with the same delay.

Usuki: "FIRING THE MAIN BATTERY IN A SALVO!"

>One after the other, her upgraded cannon lets loose six cannonballs to level the buildings perched by the snipers, one of the balls nearly hit the actual Misaka by destroying an adjacent intersection from some distance away, knocking out three traffic lights. Mikoto takes scratch damage of 5 from the ball's outer blast radius on impact.
>Two cannonballs on two buildings is all it takes to bring the remaining two snipers down, the last one went too far and hit nothing but an empty road, cratering it. Had Yamato been present, she would be very jealous at her by the ridiculous range.

>Usuki expresses a sigh of relief for a moment.

Usuki: "They won't have another chance to bring me down. A small victory for us."
Juraku: "Not as much as a victory until I see it as glorious by defeating them all."
Usuki: "Consider that move as lucky."

>Usuki's salvo skill cost her 180 MP, ending her turn.

>Nagashino steps out of the shield for a moment and uses alternate fire mode for increased accuracy with less ammo consumption. She holds her position and slowly in a clockwise motion fires her minigun at the group of Sisters surrounding the team by going for the foreheads. Not wanting to hurt her teammates, she moves a little bit to continue firing her clip, repeating until she covers the whole circle around her friends.
>Nagashino did not use magic this turn, but she does seize as many as 100 Sisters. She sure does have big clips of bullets.
>Nagashino steps back in the shield, but not before the shield begins to fade away.

>Fukashi decides to upgrade her longbow temporary with a few rudimentary tools, increasing her range, but her accuracy needs some luck. She will try to see if she can hit Mikoto.

Fukashi: "Don't come near me and my friends, you'll get shot where it hurts the most."

>Fukashi aims her bow straight ahead at a 10-degree angle, and fires a single arrow. The arrow appears to have made a near miss by centimeters from the wind.

Fukashi: "I almost had you; we know where you are now."

>Juraku takes out a mana potion to restore it back to full and decides to handle Mikoto by herself. This however makes Usuki and the team very concerned.

Usuki: "What, are you crazy? Facing her alone gets you killed!"
Juraku: "Leave this to me, if she goes down, the morale of her body doubles would surely befall on them."
Usuki: "I insist that you can't do such a thing."
Juraku: "We are being surrounded, the only way to make them run off is to end her, and I think cornering her to limit her range is the only way to do."
Usuki: "Suit yourself then, we are sitting targets here."

>Juraku heads off to deal with Mikoto by walking. It may take a few minutes or so to find her true position, ending her turn. Once Mikoto gets into range, things will get very nasty from there. By next turn, her shield will disappear.

>102 Sisters, two of which are the last two snipers are dead this turn.
>Juraku used a mana potion this turn, bringing it back to full.
>Mikoto is alarmed by Fukashi's arrow.
>The vending machine Mikoto used becomes out of order due to the cannon's adjacent blast radius.

malmon wrote

OOC: How do you have any idea where Mikoto is, may I ask~?

OOC: She was using the vending machine at the time the cannonball struck; the blast radius barely hit her followed by Fukashi pointing straight ahead before she fired her arrow. She thinks she may be running towards the big park where my Juraku goes out on a patrol to look for her.

=====================

>Juraku mistakenly treated the cannonball as friendly damage, and yells at Usuki just as her shield is destroyed.

Juraku: "I am on YOUR side, you idiot!"

>Juraku can hear Usuki a long ways from her position.

Usuki: "That wasn't me, but at least you found her. Deal with her, and if she's eliminated, her army's morale will surely go down."
Juraku: "It would be an honor, leader."

>Juraku temporarily leaves the team behind to deal with Mikoto herself. As she already dodged the returned cannonball, she encounters the short brown haired student with brown eyes, she can feel the energy coming closer with dread, but she is ready to stand her ground.

====================
Turn 6

>Team Usuki's progress against a clone army is not going fast enough and is taking a toll on their ammo, but not magic. Juraku left the group under Usuki's orders to deal with the main threat who is behind the control of the clones. Since Usuki's cannon are powerful enough yet still temporary to take out huge clusters, she has a better plan on her shoulders.

Usuki: "If I can take out the power grid somewhere, maybe that will cut off their connection and drop to the ground unconscious."
Fukashi: "Our technology is outdated, we don't have sufficient firepower and anything too advanced on them is nothing, they're living magnets."
Usuki: "We just have to do what we can at best."
Nagashino: "I guess my minigun's getting low, they may have a warehouse full of munitions we can try it out."
Usuki: "That might be, but then they'll use it too once we get there."

>One of Usuki's cannonballs proved useless against Mikoto, it just won't work. Perhaps her lifting strength is too much. Usuki then turns her cannons towards another advancing wave of Sisters, instantly cratering them all before they even get into range. The amount of shade in the park is almost completely gone, exposing the team to the sun's rays. She relies on Fukashi to whittle her down until she finds a weakness. Nagashino skips a turn fearing she may not have enough ammo to last another turn.

Usuki: "See if you can hurl some more arrows until we can find a weak spot."
Fukashi: "You got it!"

>Fukashi's longbow begins to charge up, she holds her breath and waits for the wind to change to straight ahead.

>The charged arrow dealt splash damage with a small explosion on Mikoto, dealing 100 damage.
>Fukashi might have found her mark and tells Usuki.

Fukashi: "She's weak to splash damage and charged shots dead-on."
Usuki: "Good, that means my cannon can do far more hurt per shot."
Fukashi: "Hold on, she's gaining some static charge around her! Standby."
Usuki: -_- "This is just pure insanity right there. Team, we must head for a hiding spot someplace, they won't find us for some time."
Nagashino: "Where?"
Usuki: "The little holes dotted around some streets, we can use that to buy some time to get away."
Fukashi: "Yeah, but when I first saw them, they have something on their foreheads, goggles I think."
Usuki: "Then if we remain quiet and slow as a snake, then their goggles won't even hear a single dot."

>Team Usuki prepares to unsheathe their weapons, with the captain abandoning her cannon in a ditch, turning it into scrap. They are trying to look for more powerful armaments, but in the meanwhile they have to end a turn save for Juraku.

==============

>Juraku is now face-to-face with Mikoto.

Juraku: "Today is the day you will die, piece of worthless trash."

>Juraku's spear tightens her grip by buffing herself with defense, awaiting Mikoto's response by ending her turn.

>Usuki dealt fatal damage to another wave of 100 Sisters, and Fukashi dealt 100 damage to Mikoto with splash damage.

Juraku: "And to think... small cough ...that we are trying to reach you because we HAVE to. Once I am through with you, your Sisters will be of no use against your fellow friends." she says in a high-pitched threatening voice

>Juraku can't help but look at her wounds, her health is a little less than 50% but can still fight.

 

=============
Turn 7

>Team Usuki finds a manhole, seals it up after all three are in and moves through the dimly lit sewers looking for an alternative route to the comms station or the warehouse, and hoping that no group of Sisters surround them once they reach the light on the other side of the underground system. They are now in the sewers, ending their turn. Fukashi kept her bow and Nagashino her minigun in case the Sisters find themselves a way in too.

=============

>Juraku slowly walks out of the rubble with some bruises.
Juraku: to self "This little girl is too tough; I must head for a water spring like Usuki told me a bit earlier. Ugggh! I must think to myself, if that spring becomes electrified too, I would be dead. Then, how can I ever fight in this sortie?"

>Juraku abandons her spear temporarily, already covered in blue lightning sparks but she will come back for it. She sprints for the healing fountain in a back alley, breaking line of sight of the Sisters and ends her turn.

Team Usuki dealt no damage this turn. The Sisters automatically yawn in unison (getting bored).

Turn 8

>Team Usuki's distraction seems to be working; the Sisters appear to be focusing on watching Mikoto and Juraku. Usuki now hatches a new strategem.

Usuki: whisper "All right, we might be able to kill off as many of them as we can once we bring out the warehouse's weaponry."
Fukashi: whisper I'll cut off the power grid and the comms tower for you with my bow while you do that."
Usuki: whisper "Thank you, it means a lot. That will bring their network on haywire. Nagashino and I will unload the big guns on them as soon as you do."

>Usuki, Fukashi, and Nagashino steps out of the other manhole safely, now arriving at the warehouse with no Sisters around. They wait inside and close the loading doors as Fukashi locates for the power grid station not too far away on foot.

Usuki: whisper "They won't know what's coming until they hear it, hehe."

>Fukashi takes a few city blocks, launches a fire arrow for 10 MP against the power lines connecting to the power grid, and taking out the comms tower in one blow with another fire arrow, costing another 10 MP.
>Within seconds, the transformers snap and exploded, and the comms tower comes crashing down, causing the MISAKA Network to go haywire.

Fukashi: "That should do it!"

>Fukashi heads back to the warehouse with Usuki and Nagashino already having the big cannons out by the roof overlooking where the Sisters gathered. They end their turn together, upon the next turn, they will unleash a tremendous amount of firepower never before seen.

=====================

>The time of day hit 13:00, clouds start blocking the sun, a heavy downpour is underway, indicating a Severe T-Storm Watch in effect.
>Juraku brushes off Mikoto as she desperately runs for the fountain as fast as her legs can carry her.

Juraku: "Get off of me!"

>Juraku finally arrives at the healing fountain; the chiming waters make short work of rejuvenating her vitals to 3,000 HP. She is going back to get her spear.

Juraku: "Get out of my way!" she notices her spear has cooled down and the sparks faded away

>Juraku bumps into 7 Sisters to get her spear back, slightly injuring them each for 5 damage.

>She manages to get her spear and then face Mikoto.

Juraku: "We'll do this the easy way... she readies her spear ...or the hard way. Let's fight!"

Turn 9

>Without hesitation, Team Usuki is about to open fire the warehouse’s heavy machinery, but for a few seconds, something is not right on Fukashi’s part. The collapsed comms tower and the damaged power grid are not enough to render the MISAKA Network going out of sync; it actually makes them able to hear them far better, perhaps beyond the general vicinity’s range, making it harder for any future getaways. Even so, something else must be powering them.

>Irritated, Usuki just decide to go all-out on the Sisters to clear a path back to Juraku from the rooftop’s vantage point.

Usuki: “They’re coming this way, stop them with all we have!”

>Without a word from her teammates, several tons of firepower is leveled at several dozen platoons of Sisters hastily trying to reach the team with turret fire, cannonballs, fire rockets, and grenade launcher shells from Nagashino’s minigun that explodes on contact, which is her special skill.

>Fukashi adds the spice with a volley of fire from her longbow for 50 MP, raining down on the shelter building from such a distance, sparking a fire to the propane tanks as the Sisters try to get in, exploding instantly with everyone in it. She shows not a single hint of remorse.

>As the Sisters keep pushing forward to reach their last known position, Nagashino switches back to normal fire and pelt them with bullets as fast as she can, with Usuki able to turn the fire rocket turrets onto the pylons and destroy it too, removing any chances of bringing power back.

Usuki: “Look at them running towards us! They are still coming! Keep on the pressure!”

>The team then gets on the turrets together for a more concentrated barrage; they simultaneously unleash a huge torrent of bullets without mercy until it runs out of ammo.

>When the smoke clears and the team ends their turn, 3,480 Sisters within a short timeframe are dead from this massacre. Nagashino used up 75 MP.

====================

>Juraku was launched mid-air but she regains control with a Just Ukemi upon touching the pavement, still having the spear in hand.

Juraku: “That… coin of yours, what sort of magic did you get that? No matter, I’ll have it crushed to bits!”

>Juraku gets up to her feet and without hesitation begins her turn by giving a hard jab on Mikoto’s chest, pressing in, spinning the front of her spear a few times, and then releases with dripping blood. 20% of any damage she inflicts is leeched back into her HP. 750 damage is inflicted on Mikoto, which is converted to 150 HP restored before taking the aforementioned retaliation damage on Juraku for -10 HP.

>Mikoto even dropped it and it landed next to both of their feet right after Juraku retracted the spear and crushed it with her boot. Although she takes a brief shock of another -50 HP to her toes, she does not mind, and then taunts her again.

Juraku: “Too late… you are just as powerless as your fellow subordinates.”

>Juraku ends her turn.

>At 13:30, a line of rain comes pouring down over the city, darkening the sky to a dark grey for the first time in weeks.
 
>The situation becomes even more intense, with Team Usuki able to clear the path and are now racing back to get Juraku, but another wave of Sisters comes rushing to the warehouse loading bay doors.
 
>Team Usuki gets down from the rooftop, with Nagashino sealing up the doors with a long non-metallic strip of material onto the locks. Usuki gets the rest of the warehouse's machinery, place it on the far rear of the building, and dim out the lights. Fukashi lets her magic regenerate by 50 MP whilst she sets up the ballista trap in the center of the building with a high-explosive tipped arrow ready to fire by pulling the huge strings.

>This is when the battle theme changes into something more upbeat and aggressive.

https://youtu.be/2ngEGQPEzxQ

===================

Turn 10

Usuki: grumbles into empty space "Damn you, Misaka, what are you trying to do."
 

>Just as she said that, the Sisters are trying to pound onto the door, kicking and screaming to open up if the team does not comply.
>Usuki decides to wait with confidence, with Fukashi readying to pull the ballista trap as soon as the loading bay doors are breached and Nagashino with her minigun churning up but not firing yet.
 
Usuki: "Wait for it... wait for it..."
 
>The non-metallic bar starts to come loose slowly, and after about a minute or so, the locks are breached and she gives the order.
 
Usuki: "LET IT RIP!"
 
>The ballista trap is set off, with a huge HE arrow fired across the interior of the warehouse straight into a long line of Sisters; the arrow exploded on impact and killed two entire rows of 50 with it. Nagashino fires the minigun without a second thought in a sweeping arc as more Sisters keep piling over the corpses they stepped on, and Fukashi launching an explosive tipped volley of six arrows for 150 MP as soon as Nagashino reloads her gun.
 
>Nagashino's arc fire tactic downs 40 Sisters, followed by Fukashi's volley within moments instantly turning another 30 Sisters into red pudding.
 
>Usuki thinks the wave of Sisters is dealt with in the warehouse area, so she decides to have the team stay put in case another wave comes in. She then skips a turn.

==============

>Without the Railgun coin thanks to Juraku, Mikoto can no longer generate electricity nor even her Sisters. This allows Juraku to pick them off safely, including Mikoto in melee range, at least for a short while. It also allows the team to start using conductive magic without fear of taking damage. However, if Mikoto's HP falls to about 50% or less, Kuroko will come to her aid. She had better hope the storm doesn't get too strong or else the battle can get ugly.
 
>Juraku, having sustained major wounds again for the second time, begins to complain to the Tono off-screen briefly. Only castle girls like Juraku can speak to the Tono with their telepathy.
 
Juraku: "Nnngggh, Tono-chan, I can still fight for your rule, but I am taking a heavy beating in here, hnnnnggg!"
 
>Juraku then snaps back to her senses and starts running back to the fountain to regain her vitals. She manages to get her health back again to 3,000 HP before the lightning bolt from the storm destroys one of the many water springs, gushing water leaking out with minimal flooding.
 
>She heads back to face Mikoto, who by now trying to chase her down, with Juraku smacking her for 125, and then knocks her out nearly unconscious with her spear's back end to the forehead for 1,500. With her health already maxed out, she does not get any leeching benefits.

>Mikoto's HP falls to around 75%.

Juraku: "H-h-h-o-ow.... un...fair. But I... ...will save myself... from corporal punishment. I-I-... am.. d-d-done."

>Juraku offs herself with her spear by committing seppuku. With her soul gem shattered coming from the lightning bolt, she's eliminated from the party.

[spoiler]

[/spoiler]

[spoiler]

[/spoiler]

Turn 11

>Team Usuki can hear a distant scream coming from Juraku indicating something went wrong with her tactics, and now they're down to just three remaining. Juraku did what she had to do, but to no avail to stop her.

>Unfazed at what just happened, the team of three are stuck inside the warehouse, unable to escape, but still determined to wipe them out when necessary.

Usuki: "A ring of enemies is no better than an army of them forming a huge ring. This warehouse isn't big enough for us three!"
Fukashi: "Is this some sort of revolution?"
Usuki: "Quite so, they're trying to prepare themselves for another big war or something. They've been preparing this for years since."
Nagashino: "Then we have to slay them all."

>Usuki, Fukashi, and Nagashino moved the ballista trap away and set up the turrets in a 60-60-60 formation on the same circular platform with the MG turrets. Fukashi's arrow strategy would be useless, but she gets to try out the turret. With all three are stationed on the platform, Usuki gives out the order to fire when ready.

Usuki: "They're already in clusters, we got heat, and we're going for the center mass!"
Nagashino: "Should've left my minigun alone!"
Fukashi: "That's for screwing my hat!"
Usuki: "FULL SYNCHRONIZATION SEQUENCE!"

>All 3 turrets start releasing a straight line of bullets simultaneously in three angles, including sentry turrets automatically firing just as some of the Sisters try to rush in to attack range with precision from the ground floor.

Turret Fire Sound: https://youtu.be/1D3iNEAT7Js

Usuki: "DON'T STOP, KEEP FIRING!"
Fukashi: "This is better than archery!"
Nagashino: "Fear the mighty power of the dakka!"

>After about 5 minutes of continuous firing, the turrets are dried of ammo. The team makes a small congratulatory high-five, but still not quite over with this battle yet. With the path cleared, but without Juraku, and already too dangerous to go outside, they head back to the same manhole again, seal it up and hide in the sewers.

>Only less than half of the Sisters' army remains. Usuki did took 270 HP, Fukashi 150 HP, and Nagashino 370 HP from the Sisters' torrent of bullets during the engagement.

OOC: I received a hilarious PM response from @[deleted] saying he got a lot on him now, so I decided to spare his avatar and whatever is leftover of the Sister army, to keep things historic. They inevitably routed anyway and my fellow Lucians decided to occupy Academy City peacefully under Lucia's control.

This ends the halftime and the first half of the tournament. It is my eighth straight victory.