Another late-autumn day was coming to an end, bathing the streets of Mizukino in rays of madder red sunlight filtered through the shadows cast by the nearby mountains. A cold wind blew by, embracing all it touched in its gentle caress, and the people slowly returned to their homes.

By all accounts, it should be the beginning of a night like any other. Nevertheless, some threatened the peace the Mizukino usually enjoyed...

"Quick, collect the energy you can while we have time!" A creature that looked like a living jack-in-the-box shouted to its minions, who looked like small puppets made entirely out of shadows, in a shrill voice as they run around a small office building. All of the workers still left inside were unconscious, perhaps because of the faint translucent aura that enveloped it, a barrier to cut it away from the outside world, visible only for those who had any measure of magical power.

As they were commanded, the shadows went around the building, looming over the collapsed workers, draining some kind of energy visible as strands of colored light from them. The process seemed to be going slowly, but who could tell what would happen if they were left to their own devices?


"I can, of course. That's precisely why the Pageless can't be allowed to do as they wish!" The Noble Scheherazade said as he observed from the other side of the road. He had already called the protectors of Mizukino City, the ones he entrusted with the Grimoires that he recovered so far.

"Please, come quickly everyone. I have a strange feeling this isn't like the other times..." Hopefully, they wouldn't take much longer to arrive, every second counted when it came to the Pageless.

"And... shoot!"

The sound of glass shattering was accompanied by one of the puppets being flung like a ragdoll away from its victim. A magical arrow had made its was through the window, pinning the creature against the wall, before several more rainbow-hued projectiles followed after. Some were still caught by surprise, others managed to dodge now that they knew what was coming. Once the trick no longer worked, a young girl leapt in through her newly-made opening, bow drawn at the enemy. Her

"Pageless! How dare you torment these people!" she shouted. "No matter how many times you appear, I will not let evil go unpunished! The magical archer Robin will be your opponent today!"

Robin fired off the glowing arrow inside her bow and proceeded to leap on top of one of the cubicles' walls. It was a delicate balance to keep, doubly so while wearing heels. Still, Robin stood atop its thin edge without even a hint of unstable footing. On the other side of the room was her current nemesis, a jack-in-the-box who clearly outranked the other mooks. "Are you the boss of these fiends? If so, then prepare for your judgement!"

Robin drew back the string of her bow again, her magical power gathering, then fired off her shot. Given the distance she was at, on top of her loudly announcing her presence, it was unlikely to hit. But it didn't need to; Robin had already achieved her goal. All eyes were on her now.

'Everyone... I'm counting on you!'

"You got it, Robin!"With Robin distracting the Pageless Momo took the opportunity to even the numbers a little bit. While she still wished that she could summon her dogs in any order she wanted Akamaru should be able to handle the weaker monsters. She opened her Grimoire and in less than a second the relatively large white Akamaru appeared out of nowhere. "You know what to do." Momo wasn't gonna lie. Of her three summons Kiba was her favorite, bigger and stronger than Akamaru but easier to control than Cerberus, still any fight that ended before she was forced to release her second dog was a good one.

The dog did indeed know what to do and ignoring the Jack-in-the-box went after some of the smaller shadowy Pageless, after its Master had gotten on its back of course.

Akamaru caught one of the shadows in its jaws, allowing Momo to punch it without being able to run. Unfortunately it still had one free arm and could and did punch back even using its claws to draw a little bit of Momo's blood but it wasn't a serious injury.

---

The wizard awakens from her afternoon nap, the call of her bed failing as she hears a familiar telepathic voice echoing in her mind. Officially called to action the teen would transform in a dramatic flurry and make way to the disturbance, eyeing the barrier from afar. On her handy staff, she would reach the invaded building, legs crossed as she observed Robin and Momo enter through a broken hole in the building.

From the air, Ayaka would dismount her staff and grab it with her left hand, and then aim it towards the building. Silent in her casting the crystal of her staff would begin to glow a dim purple, a magical circle forming at its end and drew itself to completion, and once it finished a wave of magical energy surged from the crystal and towards the building. A sigh followed afterword and Ayaka remounted her staff, eyes glowing as an aftereffect of her spell but now she could see the inner workings of the building and those inside.

"We need to separate the unconscious civilians from the Pageless..."

Ayaka would say to her teammates telepathically with a tired voice as she hovered only a few feet away from the office building. Quietly observing as she watches out for any strange misdeeds during the course of the battle, preparing an assortment of spells if the situation were to turn sideways.

Studying.

Yuri was an expert at studying and keeping up with his grades despite the fact that he was called away most nights to stop Pageless. Tonight seemed different. He sat down in front of his desk, his pen in his right hand. Slowly he looked from the textbook to the notepad as his hand moved over the page leaving behind beautiful cursive trails of ink. He was halfway down the page when he heard the voice of Scheherazade. Scheherazade was like the guardian of the group. He'd formed the group and showed them how to use their gifts, but training was always necessary to learn and master the gifts bestowed on them. Scheherazade helped in so many ways and Yuri was always thankful that he was chosen. It was always perplexing, as Scheherazade had told him, the Grimoire normally sought out females. He was the first and only male of the group and he didn't take it lightly.

He placed the pen neatly against the notepad and looked over at the Grimoire that hovered slightly on the nightstand. He could hear every word Scheherazade spoke to them. He remembered the first time it happened. It had freaked him out beyond belief and he hadn't slept for two days after, but now it was normal, now he was used to it and stood swiftly to his feet. Pageless were vile creatures, attempting to consume the lifeforce of humans for their own personal gains. One could only wonder if it was for something far more sinister than they initially thought. Yuri closed the textbook and moved elegantly over to the Grimoire. He made sure no one saw him before he touched it and allowed its power to overcome him. In an instant, he had transformed. His hair blew against the wind as he transformed into a swarm of butterflies, leaving through the crack in the window.

By the time he'd arrived, he could see the action had started. Robin, the nickname given to Kotone Yuzu, was firing arrows into the building Scheherazade had cloaked in a protective barrier. The Pageless could be seen and his teammates were already on it. Momo and her beloved canine were attacking Pageless, but one was able to claw her cheek. The swarm of butterflies swooped into the building knocking the Pageless claw away from Momo's face, one purple butterfly remaining on her cheek as if to kiss it softly. Momo would feel a sudden rush of energy and her power would increase.

The remaining butterfly began to form into Yuri beside an unconscious human. Yuri checked the human's vitals. They were weak, but still alive.

"Let's get you out of here shall we?"

Anyone know the closest exit?

Yuri barely managed to dodge the claw of a Pageless as he rolled to the left blasting the creature with a beautiful purple beam.

"Trust me, you don't want to make me mad," Yuri said as he blasted another Pageless.

"Curse you, humans!" The Jack-in-the-box spat out as first Robin, and then more and more of Mizukino's protectors filtered into the scene. It showed little to no regard with its underlings, swiping one of the shadowy puppets with its clawed hand and using it as a shield to block Robin's judgment strike.

When the puppet fulfilled its purpose, the Jack-in-the-box summarily tossed it at Robin.

"What are you waiting for? Get them!" Even as it commanded the other Pageless to press the attack against the magical girls, the Jack-in-the-box slashed its claws through the air, sending vacuum blades flying in Ayaka's direction.

Naturally, the move toppled some of the nearby cubicles, covering its escape route. The only signs of it taking a move would be a door swinging back and forth on its own and the clacking noises the Jack-in-the-box made as it hopped its way up the staircase with deceptive agility.

---

For a second Momo was surprised by the rush of energy she felt until she spotted Yuri. "Thanks for that!" While the power up wasn't as useful in her case as it would be for the others she was grateful for it and she and Akamura dispatched the Pageless. With that done she wanted to head back in the fray but was stopped by what Ayaka said.

Momo briefly considered sending the giant dog off on it's own but decided against it. Without her needing to say a word Akamaru knew what his mistress wanted him to do and began running towards the closest worker.

Just as the dog picked the guy up by the collar of his clothes one of the Pageless took advantage that with his mout full he had one less way to attack and delivered a nasty gash with it's claw to Akamura's side which if he had been a normal dog would no doubt bleed pretty bad, of course he wasn't a normal dog and wasn't actually hurt. Still not wanting to risk the civilian getting hurt Momo flipped the page of her Grimoire and the horse sized dog got replaced with what looked a larger, more aggressive two headed version of itself.

Kiba disdainfully threw the guy on his back before literally biting the head off of the Pageless. Momo could feel he wanted to fight more but she was able to control him enough to look for the next civilian to save.

Robin jumped from her perch when the boss monster countered, the cubicle underneath crumpling from the impact of the corpse. "Using your own allies as a shield... how dare you!" she called out after it, but couldn't pursue due to the follow-up attack. Robin looked around, scanning for both Yuri and Momoe. "Flare, Monarch! You two make sure the civilians are safe. I'm going after that villain!"

Robin got up from her crouching position and hopped from one collapsed piece of furniture to the other, quickly identifying and shooting down any shadowy creatures blocking her path. It didn't take her long to reach the stairwell, briefly catching a glimpse of the jack-in-the-box fleeing upwards.

'Ayaka! The target is moving up the building! I'm giving chase; try to intercept while I lure him out to the next floor!'

Robin telepathically gave the message to her teammate while she chased after their quarry. "I won't let you get away!" Robin shouted as she fired off arrows during her sprint. The magical projectiles weren't aimed straight at the monster, rather, she was shooting at the ground in front of it. By cutting off its escape route, Robin wanted to force the monster into the perfect spot for Ayaka's ambush.

---

From outside the office building, Ayaka watched intently as the battle pursued. Her attention being caught by the magical flurry of butterflies making their way inside. Her brow lifted in interest as she observed, though suddenly the Jack-In-The-Box released blades of air that rushed from within the building to the outside. Almost instantly did she raise her hand to form a barrier, her glance focusing on the box's escape as the wind-blades dissipated along her shield.

The boss or the commander of the pageless began its escape and she watched Robin follow its path. Preparing for additional aid, the wizard would grab a selenite crystal from her pocket. As she sat on the staff she would begin chanting a spell under her mouth, the crystal being enveloped with white light. Eventually its form would dematerialize and shift into a ball and as it changed it would shoot into the building and rush itself towards Robin.

It hovered and followed the archer, granting Robin sight over the majority of the building. If Robin were to focus on her surroundings she would be able to see the full capacity of the building along with any magical disturbances hidden from plain sight.

I have to help defend against the Pageless! Use my sight spell to shoot the Box through the floors!

Ayaka says exclusively to Robin, she prepares another assortment of spells. This time manifesting small orbs around herself, creating a dozen of purple-colored creations as she pointed to the building. The group of orbs would zip past her and go inside. Their form would shift into needle-like shapes dashing towards the Pageless and impaling them to give cover for Momo and Yuri.

Yuri knew that his purpose in all of this was to keep the humans safe and that is what he was going to do regardless of what he had to do to accomplish the task. With great speed and agility, Yuri moved from room to room in the building gathering the humans up and teleporting them out of the building. Each time he teleported, he felt slightly drained, but nothing he couldn't come back from. In his swarm form, he was able to move more quickly and get the humans out in the blink of an eye, but he was thankful for Merlin and her little minions showing up to impale any Pageless that attempting to attack him.

"Almost done evacuating the workers, just a couple more and we can get rid of the Jack in a Box responsible for this," Yuri said.

He checked on each worker that was positioned across the street from the building. They were safe and he was happy. The last two were in Flare's proximity and he didn't know if she had a way out. He closed his eyes and allowed the arcane energy of the universe to flow through him like a river. Extending his hand, he moved his wrist in a beautiful intricate manner and watched as a butterfly portal ripped open in front of him. He then locked onto Flare and smirked.

Portal coming your way. Try not to break anything.

In an instant, a portal would appear, but it was not an ordinary portal. Any Pageless that tried to get through it would be electrocuted. Yuri had his eyes closed as he maintained the portal to get Flare out of the building.

---

Where there is light, there is always darkness. From a world of those who could strive and achieve, there were those failures that made up the lower levels of society. The world of man, of Magical Girls, was one of duality; the keepers of light and those nightmares in the dark they faced. Unpredictable was the way of life and with it came all sorts of unspoken factors and variables. No one could or should try to predict the dictation of life, of fate, and destiny.

That was perhaps why no one could foresee the attack on Ayaka before it struck. Although the night was clear, it was distracted by the sound of conflict and fighting atop the building. From the chaotic buzzing of the Pageless and their bouts with the Magical Girls, the sharpness of something ripping, almost whistling through the air was lost. But it was there. And it struck at Ayaka with all the force and velocity of a bullet. Whether she had enough senses to dodge the attack or even the strength to counter it remained to be seen.

Even in the night air, she could make out what had been thrown at her with the help of the clear moon light. A large, metallic rod that almost resembled a pinion was the culprit and soon enough it was joined by more of its kind. The air whistled once more with the rods fired off at Ayaka from an unknown direction. They rippled through the air, their intent to stab or embed but no doubt to crush the force of light that stood in its path. Beyond the corner of her sight, Ayaka could make out a flitting shadowy form darting about. Was this the culprit?

---

Momo didn't need to be told that twice. With the first office worker she collected on Kiba's back she headed in a different direction then Monarch and before she had collected another two civilians. Unfortunately she had no idea what to do with them since Kiba was too big for either the stairs or elevator. Dismissing him wasn't an option either as that would leave her with Cerberus who wouldn't even fit into the building.

Just as Momo was cursing herself for not sticking with Akamaru she heard Monarch say something about a portal. "Just what I needed. Thanks." She had no idea if the magical boy heard her but that didn't matter. She sent her steed through it and appeared on the outside.

Before she could make sure there weren't any Pageless hiding down there to gather more energy without being attacked she saw some kind of large poles or something fly in the direction of the building but had no idea where they came from, nor did she see the shadowy form darting about. None of that was important though. "Monarch, something is going on up there! We have to go back in."

---

The rods came in a blur making their impact against Ayaka's body as her gaze was focused within the office building. Projections of her form began to break and she was shot backward, glass-like shards breaking away from her body as if she herself was made of glass. Each incoming rod and pions broke a paper-thin magical barrier. The pain suddenly started to settle in after a dozen hits and the wizard returned from shock.

In retaliation the wizard moved her hand outwards, aimed at a general direction as she snapped her fingers. A shockwave of magic releasing from the snap as the rods that struck her became motionless. Ayaka made quick movements, summoning her staff in her right hand as she could already see the metallic rods struggling against her no-movement spell.

Quickly did the wizard gather together a string of spells and incantations, her staff glowing immensely as a bright flash released from its crystal. Enveloping the block with a purple light and after the light disappeared, Ayaka was nowhere to be found, and instead, she hid within the shadows, being completely invisible to those unknowing.

"ENEMY PAGELESS! I've gone to the shadows! Be on guard, multiple projectiles! "

Ayaka yelled telepathically to her group out of breath, she flew towards the street where Yuri and Momo were moving unconscious civilians. Though with the danger of the situation she telekinetically grabbed the group of innocents laid out on the street and moved them into the first floor of the building.

Assuming both Momo and Yuri followed behind her after the civilians were moved. The wizard began to prepare another spell, this time paired with an orange crystal that aided in the creation of the invisible barrier that allowed see-through sight of the office building. Within a few moments, the invisible barrier would burst and then began expanding like a gas outwards filling the initial barrier that prevented exterior damage to the block.

Seconds later the area was covered with invisible gas-like magic energy and both Ayaka and Robin were now able to see beyond the office building including any magical disturbances. The wizard stayed on guard, slowly regaining her stamina as her eyes darted cautiously beyond the office walls to find the darting enemy.

Flare managed to get through the portal with the remaining humans and Yuri mentally sang praises as the portal crackled and closed with a rough implosion absorbing any nearby Pageless and destroying them. Yuri sighed when he opened his eyes and saw Momo lowering the humans on the ground next to the ones he had managed to gather. He hadn't seen the attack on Merlin, and was bewildered when he heard her voice telling them that a Pageless was around.

"Out here? I thought they were all in the building," Yuri questioned.

He couldn't distinguish if there was a presence nearby without elevating his senses. He didn't get a chance because Merlin appeared in front of them. Yuri watched as she telekinetically ensnared the unconscious humans and carried them into the first floor of the building. It took him longer than he dared admit to realize that he was standing in the street with utter shock on his face. They'd just gotten the humans out of the building. Why was Merlin taking them back into the building? He wasn't one to complain, but it seemed counterproductive. Nonetheless, he moved reluctantly towards the entrance before Merlin sealed it with her spell.

"Quite the powerful spell Merlin," Yuri said as he examined the barrier.

His hand twirled and fingers curled through the gas-like energy. He was satisfied at her use of the arcane arts, and yet he often wondered if she was able to focus on one thing and not be scatterbrained. One issue often revealed a bigger picture, one that was sure to involve more than just a simple Pageless trying to gather energy. Yuri had put together that something was different this time than the last few times he'd help thwart the attempts of the Pageless. It felt as if something were off as if something was missing and just out of sight.

"Come forth mighty Monarch and bless us with your power," Yuri muttered as his Monarch staff slammed into the ground in front of them.

The tendrils ended with beautiful arcana gems that held potent power. He had yet to unlock the full potential of the weapon, but it had gotten him out of many stick situations. He reached out, his fingers curling around the beautiful masterpiece. Energy flowed through him as he held it.

"Whatever it is Merlin, I got your back, but calm down before you blow a magical fuse or something," Yuri began as he took a step forward. "Now then, sight beyond sight. Be good little boys and stand guard won't you?"

Three butterflies the size of a stuffed teddy bear appeared two outside of the barrier and fluttered to guard the entrance. They acted like security cameras, scanning the vicinity to ensure nothing could sneak in. One was planted at the entry, the other in the corner of the room they occupied, and finally one across the street higher up to give a better view of the building entry.

"I will check on the workers to make sure they're okay," Yuri said, moving slowly towards them.

---

The reactions of the Magical Girls were commendable and nothing short of expectation for their powers. Even from the brunt of a surprise attack, Ayaka was able to quickly react and send counter spells to give herself protection. The metal rods were caught in her barrier, twitching in midair but gaining steady build and number as if desperately trying to smash right through her defenses. However, just as she disappeared, so too did their force cancel out. With momentum lost, they fell lifelessly now that their target was gone, dropping to the ground like metal beams.

Indeed, the attack halted completely when Ayaka removed herself from the outside battlefield, revealing some liege of intelligence possessed by the attacking force. The fact it aimed for her, the supporter who watched from outside the office building, spoke levels to this theory. All the same, if the Pageless were aware of the new presence, they didn’t much act on that fact. They continued to attack like the mindless monsters they were, only to be thwarted one by one.

Now the humans were being put back into the building, albeit the first floor, a testament to how even the outside area was no longer safe. With the union of two Magical Girls, their area of sight and surroundings expanded rapidly thanks to Ayaka and Yuri. The gas and Yuri’s butterflies did wonders in doing just that and indeed, there was magical energy afoot. A disturbance rippled along Ayaka’s clairvoyant gas but it was difficult to make out completely.

Likewise, Yuri’s butterflies would catch the hints of movement as well though they came in such rapid fashion and ferocity that it almost appeared like a blur. Be it Pageless or something other, there was a new force at place that was much too fast for their detection to pick up. But something was there, drawing their attention, perhaps even distracting them with their presence as the Pageless continued their dark work. It was hard to read intent for an unseen enemy, though not for long as more of the metal rods suddenly pierced through the magical gas aimed straight for Yuri and Ayaka each.

---

"Gah!" The Jack-in-the-box groaned as a shot skimmed his jump's trajectory, forcing him to do some impressive mid-air acrobatics to avoid it. "You'll have to do better than that to get me, human!" It said as it ducked and weaved between shots, kicking off the walls, breaking vases, and being weirdly agile as it reached the last floor before the roof.

Robin's bravery and the team's combined efforts were great impediments. However, the Jack-in-the-box ultimately made it to its destination, using the force from one of Robin's arrows to propel it tumbling out of the roof's door like a quirky cannonball just as the mysterious assailant began its assault on Ayaka and Monarch.

As soon as the Jack-in-the-box reached the roof, everything around the building went dark. Pitch-black darkness as if someone pulled a cloth over the eyes of everyone in the building. In fact, that was an apt comparison, as it would become evident a moment later when a very conspicuous tune began buzzing in the air out of seemingly nowhere.


As if called by the musical revelry, powerful spotlights pierced the darkness, revealing an unexpected truth. The whole building—nay, almost a whole block—had been seemingly moved under, or enveloped by, a gigantic pavilion, becoming the literal stars of some twisted circus.

"Be on your guard, everyone! I hope it's not what I'm thinking, but I don't like where this is going," Scheherazade said in a worried voice from his new perch atop a tall wooden pole.

Divide and conquer. A tactic as old as time, and now it caught to the defenders of humanity.

---

Robin was quick but the Pageless was quicker. For every arrow she shot to block its path, somehow, it found a way to break through. Even if Robin could shoot with pin-point accuracy while moving, she was still limited to the draw of her bow. She couldn't pull her arm back with enough speed to punish it for being out of position, and the one time she could, it managed to use the momentum of her projectile to its advantage to launch out to its intended location.

"ENEMY PAGELESS! I've gone to the shadows! Be on guard, multiple projectiles!" a voice reverberated inside of Robin's head.

'...Ayaka!' Robin thought to herself, growing worried about her fellow grimoire wielder. She had to trust in Yuri and Momo to protect her ally, though, as Robin herself was much too split from the group to turn back and help. If she didn't press on, the target would escape. She rushed to the outside of the door, chasing her quarry. Robin readied her bow, but just as she wanted to take aim, the world was blanketed in darkness.

"What-!" she cried out in surprise, twice when the spotlights suddenly turned on. Scheherazade seemed to have some idea of what was going on.

"Be on your guard, everyone! I hope it's not what I'm thinking, but I don't like where this is going,"

Scheherazade's warning had a calming effect on Robin. She let down her bow and crouched on the spot, taking a defensive stance. She focused for a brief moment. 'Even if we don't know what's coming, keeping the citizens safe is our mission. Stick close and protect them. I'll hold the Pageless off on the roof.'

Robin put her back to the wall of the outcrop so she couldn't be flanked, then took aim at whatever target she could. "No matter what tricks you fiends use, we'll overcome them and bring you to justice!"

Momo didn't like the fact that they were bringing the civilians back inside the building where the Pageless could steal their energy but it was better than letting them get hit by one of those rods. While Monarch and Merlin set up an impressive system of barriers and butterflies to increase their vision she had a much simpler way to try and find their mysterious attacker.

First though she made sure the civilians on Kiba's back were as safe as possible by depositing them on the floor against the wall and having the large dog stand in front of them. "Okay try to get a hold of the attacker's scent or hear their movement, but don't move from here until you have a good idea of where they are." By saying it out loud she risked whatever Pageless was doing this overhearing the plan but unlike with Akamaru she couldn't trust Kiba to obey her unspoken commands.

Unfortunately for Momo her plan to find the attacker got a lot more dangerous when they revealed to be willing their rods while indoors, even though it gave her and the others at least an idea of where the attacker was. While she trusted her friends to defend themselves she didn't like the idea of leaving the workers unguarded, but since both Kiba and she herself now knew the attacker most likely was the large two headed dog took off in the direction the rods came from, more than ready to tear whatever Pageless was doing this to pieces.

---

It was dark, time passively ticking in the wizard's mind as she waited for a clear sign of a secondary enemy. Her fears were correct, dashing from building to building was another pageless possibly even more powerful than the one they were entertaining. Ayaka's gaze met one of the unconscious bodies bet as soon as she moved her eyes off of observing a metallic rod came her way and suddenly the wizard was flown back. Luckily she had anticipated an attack but was surprised that her cloaking ability was of no match to the unknown pageless. Her form broke down once more, even more so while she was within the shadows.

A glow emitted from her hands, searing light escaped her palms as she revealed herself from the shadows; glowing white chains that gave off light shooting out from the tiled ground of the office. It held the metallic rod in place, roughly shaking as it battled against the chains but eventually losing motion. The chains would continue their attack glowing even more so as the rod began to melt against its form even though no heat emitted from the spell. Eventually, the rod would drop, and Ayaka would sigh in relief.

Her relief was short-lived, looking upwards through the floors she could see Robin struggle against the Jack-In-The-Box and watched as it escaped through the roof and after immense darkness purged the remains of light under the barrier. The energy of her teammates and the uplifting statement of Robin kept her hope alive and as dark grabbed at the edges of the building the wizard devised a plan.

"Robins right. We can try protecting the citizens while battling but that will end fatally. So... Yuri? "

Ayaka asked telepathically assuming that the Monarch had dodged the metallic rod that shot through the building.

"Are you able to create portals out of the barrier... somewhere out of the battlefield so that we can go all out without having to worry?

The wizard hoped that Yuri could do something of the sort, having the citizens moved to a safer place preferably outside of the barrier would aid in their winning chance.

---

There was something off about this newfound enemy the Magical Girls faced. Even in its initial appearance, the rods only ever aimed for Ayaka on first contact. Even now as more of the projectiles were dispatched one by one by the Magical Girls, the trajectory and direction of their mass never crossed towards the unconscious civilians. Whatever this new threat was, it held little mind or care for the people and innocents, only showing aggression towards the Magical Girls.

Of course, it was doubtful if any of them figured these turns of events; or perhaps they kept these observations to themselves. Regardless of the answer, all things led to darkness and with a resounding cry of classical music filling the building, the lights were cut off save for the massive spotlights at the building’s top. It was the work of the Jack in the Box, who seemed to be giving off one final grand stand to face its enemies or enact some other horrible scheme.

It hardly mattered in the end, especially to the unseen adversary facing the rest of Robin’s team. Suddenly, one of them made to move on the assault and launching away from Momo was her canine construct. Kiba would leap outward, blindly, into the darkness of the building to meet the new foe head on. For moments there was silence and stillness in the air as no rods came back to part the way and attack the Magical Girls and Magical Boy again. Then suddenly, all heard the sound of animalistic whining and Kiba was sent right back to Momo with the force of a rocket.

The dog was hurled with enough force to send it skidding along the ground as the unseen foe answered in retaliation. A new sound filled the air, the noise of clicking as boots clacked along the ground. Where once the enemy had moved in a blur, now it approached the three of them with all the casual carefulness of a wild predator, the darkness of the entire building encroaching behind them. The light from Ayaka’s chains melting the rods gave some identification as their new enemy slowly walked out and revealed themselves.

---