She eyed the situation with resignation as she zipped towards the commotion. Undead monsters with frozen hearts. Plant magic. A couple of familiar faces. An agent of chaos amidst. She clenched her fists, and honed her senses, as she stepped into vision. The ambient seemed to darken as she slid into view. A maiden, and yet not quite. Horns, and a massive tail where her legs would have stood, scraped against the pavement as she eyed the familiar faces.

"Twilight gives way to the world of Magic. Tis a time of wonders and horrors." She would say, her undulating way not bereft of grace, as her eyes went through Connie, Mia, Ronin, the pink clone of hers, which made her wince ever so slightly, the undead Wendigos and finally Caroline. "Monsters are on the prowl, no such time for young maidens to engage in games... certainly not, with such ugly mishappen pig spits." She pulled back the sleeves of her dress, as she eyed Caroline.

"Thou must forgive, for we art weary of thy kin." She coughed ever so slightly, rubbing the base of her horns as if nursing a headache. "Oh, screw this!" She would then assume a fighting stance, magic coalescing on her arm to form a spear of wind and lightning. "You wanna play, Vice Cereal? Touch bunbun-chan, green-chan, my disciple Ronin, or the eyesory copy of hers and I will fist you so hard your sister will feel it! I beat Codeine before! I sure can take on you!"

The figure showed a rather fierce grin as she spun the spear above her head, gusts of wind and rain dotting the battlefield. "ORA ORA ORAAA. Don't worry girls! I will handle this one. Stomp those fuckers!".

Even if the outside had changed, the Mahou Shoujo once known as Sakura... was still somewhere in there.

Alex, having used his clones as diversions with defensive capabilities, managed to keep the bottleneck up despite the horde of wendigos slowly restoring their numbers, their tails expertly used to slam and parry the claws and antlers of their adversaries. Though the duplicates fell before the quick attacks of the blue monsters, they prevented the monsters from attempting to bust through the barriers around them or spread out. When they got through to Alex, he succeeded in standing his ground even as an antler pierced his arm right from under his shoulder, having bought enough time for Lily to charge her spell.

”Take this!" Lily’s eyes glowed an intense yellow, and she held Ramuh’s bowstring fully drawn.



A loud boom rang out as the blue thunder spear, as large as a ballista bolt, was shot out as if from a railgun, piercing through the ranks of the wendigos. The monsters were blown away into ash by the intense energy of the projectile, leaving none behind.

”Alright, we got them all!" Lily cheered. However, her smile quickly changed into shock; it was only then that Lily had noticed the injury that Alex had taken.

”Alex, are you alright?" She asked, looking worried. The antler had disappeared alongside the wendigo it belonged to, causing the opened wound to trickle with blood.

---

At the hospital, two wendigos rushed for Alicia with swift leaps, about to savage the Beacon archer, when they suddenly stopped in their tracks: they were slain by Sanngridr’s impaling spears that sprang up like deadly pillars right through their torsos, leaving their corpses to dangle in a macabre fashion. The one biting Aurelio was also struck; it was hit in its side, causing it to weaken its grip on Aurelio but not quite release it.

Alicia, however, chose not to accept the Valkyrie’s embrace, and dodged backwards…Right into the path of an impaling spear. The spear struck against Alicia’s lower back, but failed to pierce her; her Enhanced Outfit held firm, and saved her life. However, it dealt a critical blow that broke some of her ribs and caused her to cough up blood as she was knocked into the ground by the impact. Her body shook from the impact, but she managed to rise up to one knee and shoot a single arrow at the wendigo biting Aurelio; the Magician’s magic aimed for her, and pierced the monster’s frozen heart with burning light, rescuing him.

Aurelio, after a strike of his cane, used the emotion he got to quickly shoot out executing blades at the rest of the wendigos coming after them; he managed to decapitate one beast and cripple another, causing it to fall down. Then, having been freed from the jaws of the beast, attempted to protect himself from Sanngridr’s indiscriminate spell with a protective box of Determination. While it only slowed down the spear, it gave him just enough time to quickly move aside as the spear cracked through the box, scraping the side of his arm, making it look like a particularly insane form of an escape trick.

The remaining wendigo rose up quickly despite losing a limb, and set its sights on Sanngridr, seemingly finding the girl with the unfurled black wings particularly scrumptious. It rushed in to bite Sann’s black wing, causing black feathers to scatter as the beast painfully pulled and shook the delicate limb in an attempt to rip it off, but failing due to strength-sapping injuries it had incurred from various blades and arrows sticking out of it.

---

At the industrial sector, Shane hatched a genius plan to contend with the crows. Using the Thunderbird’s agility to evade the pursuing birds, Shane used collected dust and debris to form a field to conduct electricity, followed by unleashing a spherical burst of electricity that enveloped the area. Crows screeched as they were zapped, causing a black rain of feathers to fall. Dina’s phoenix joined the fray, a majestic beast with wings of flame, and it further scorched the skies blotted black. Finn also provided relief with his own Beast magic, lessening the power of the magic that has been cast on the flying combatants, but without being able to completely negate it.

Some of the crows followed after Mariette, and eventually perched on the very building the eyepatched girl hid herself away in, cawing loudly enough for even her to hear. Despite her predicament, Mariette was still able to assist, shooting at wendigos in the industrial district with periodically opened portals. One of her beams of light successfully shot through a wendigo’s heart, scorching it with white-hot brilliance and turning it to ash. At one point a crow managed to block a portal’s view with its fluttering, causing a black feather to fly into the basement as she slapped the bird away with a tentacle, but otherwise she was able to survey the battlefield and provide support without harassment.

Down on the ground, as Roxanna, Oliver, Finn, and the Angel of Hope arrived, Dina made her stand, and activated the Ruler’s Menagerie. Like a banner was proudly raised up, the spell gave a bolstering effect to the fighters around her; wounds slowly closed, and skin hardened against the blows of the enemy. As the spell, now further empowered by the Angel of Hope adding her own Reinforcement to the mix, washed over Hanna and her friend, they too stood up, having found new courage. “Y-You’ll pay for Karen’s death!” Hanna screamed as she summoned her blades and joined the fight alongside the wolf spirit-wielding girl. “Let’s avenge Karen, Fubu!”
“Yeah!”

Ashlyn took a sure-footed, area-of-effect style of fighting, performing mighty blows in a 360-degree arc and incinerating three wendigos with flame-wreathed weapons. Monica also fared on her own, and split a wendigo in half with her axe, leaving the halves to smoulder away.
Belladonna continued keeping up the good fight despite taking a more defensive approach, and with Ashlyn covering her succeeded in destroying two wendigos. The three of them together formed a triangle of pain, giving the ravenous beasts no quarter and no chances to flank them.
Hannah and Fubu also joined forces, and took down a wendigo each; Hanna with her slick blade chakrams, and Fubu with her rending wolf spirit.

As the number of slayed wendigos kept climbing, the eight wendigos that previously wailed now stopped, and descended down from the rooftop to jump on the fighters below, joining their accursed brethren. Even so, the cursed crows continued to flock. Finn and Dina, having taken careful note of the curse that permeated through the air with their Beast magic, now realized that it was perpetuated by an altogether different entity, hidden inside the factory nearby.

In addition to thinning the number of malevolent crows, Finn utilized his own black-beaked friends to distract and harass the wendigo pack, drawing aggression from others as they snapped their jaws and swiped at them, mostly to no effect as the birds flew just out of reach. He also performed some close-range burning attacks, keeping himself safe from the wendigos around him and even crippled a wendigo, rendering it incapacitated as its legs burned away, leaving it to snap at ankles. Oliver got to work with his bombs and ammo, burning three wendigos (un)alive by exploiting their weakness. In response to possible retaliation, Roxanna provided a wall of clones, preventing the monsters from breaching through to attack AoH or Finn and Oliver. It was a combination attack beyond compare, merciless yet magnificent.

Mayra was initially not faring well, having suffered numerous wounds from the horde of wendigos she had dove into the midst of. However, once Dina and Angel of Hope granted their blessings, the Flame Demon found a second wind within her, and turned into a whirling inferno of kicks and punches. Her body nearly exploded with fiery energy as she shrugged off the biting monsters, now wailing in pain as the magma-like blood burnt on their cold jaws. True to her name, Mayra was like a devil, traversin across shadows like an apparition and striking away at the monsters before they realized she had escaped, before moving on to new targets once her foes had become donuts. As a result, a whopping six wendigos scattered into ash.

”Agh, they just keep coming!” Justine cursed as she contended with a couple of wendigos, spinning her spear to deflect a claw swipe and following it up with a stab through the monster’s chest. However, she then blinked, having hear Mariette’s voice.
”C-Caroline!?” She yelled, and turned away briefly, before giving on last look at the battlefield.
”I’m sorry, but I need to find her!” Then, upon white wings, flew away, letting the winds of fate carry her.
”Stay there, Caroline…I beg of you…”

The wendigos, despite their reinforcements, were losing, yet they still managed to get a few more hits in. A wendigo bit down on Ashlyn’s neck, finding its teeth shattered as the ogre-like monster girl’s hide had become thick and chewy. Another wendigo clamped down on Monica’s leg in an attempt to immobilize her as she slowed down, followed by another wendigo clawing at her back, but failing to wound her due to her magical protection. One wendigo attempted to slam it’s antlers against Belladonna, only to be kicked right in the skull, separating it from the monster’s shoulders. Two wendigos went to attack Hanna and Fubu, slashing Hanna in the stomach and biting Fubu’s hand, causing Fubu to grunt in pain as it attempted crushing it. The three final wendigos struck at Roxanna’s clones, destroying six of them with their claws and bites, with the remaining three managing to barely hold the line. The two wendigos that yet remained against Mayra got in a slash at her chest and a headbutt on her back, only to be swept away by a single slap of her tail.

---

At the Penrose Bank, Caroline leaned her head to the side like a loose ragdoll as she looked at Connie, as if trying to read her expression through the mask she wore. She lazily nodded, a big grin on her face.
”Hello!” She greeted the timid girl back, and stepped even closer to her.
”Yes, Caroline’s Big Sis!” She answered. As she blinked, she then returned to a neutral expression, and…extended her tongue.

_”Blep.”

However, before she could continue, Miko interrupted Caroline. She turned her head to the side in an exaggerated fashion like an owl, without moving the rest of her body, and smiled brightly.
”So Big Sis is really here! Yay!”
She stopped leaning in Connie’s direction, and clapped her hands in an applaud as Mia further encouraged her.

”Okay! Caroline is going to look really hard, so Caroline will find Big Sis for sur-”

Suddenly, she froze, and her eyes darted to the newcomer who just arrived and slandered her. Her expression returned to a neutral one, like an alerted animal.

”Caroline…is ugly pig spit?” She asked with no emotion in her voice as her irises shrunk, a chilling contrast to the friendly demeanor she had shown just moments ago.
”Ugly pig spit?”, she whispered in repeat.
A creepy grin formed in the corner of her lip.
”Big sis…used to call Caroline pig spit. Big sis did all kinds of things to Caroline, like called Caroline names. Big sis gave so much pain…Caroline was happy, at home.”

She lowered her head, and her weapon appeared in her hand. It seemed to burn with even more intensity than against the wendigos. She raised her face enough for her lunatic red eyes to shine through the strands of her hair.

”You want to…play with Caroline…Like Big Sis? Caroline…Will play!”

She giggled maniacally, and with frightening speed dashed to Sakura, slashing wildly at her.

”It’s been so long since Caroline has got to play! Please forgive Caroline, Mother! Caroline wants sweet red! Lots of sweet red!” She screamed at the top of her lungs, as she continued running circles around Sakura, swinging her oversized weapon with great strength and unerring accuracy, forcing Sakura to block and knocking her across the street from the impact, managing to land upright.

When Lily unleashed her attack and atomized the monsters, Alexander let out a sigh of relief

”Alex, are you alright?"

"Huh?" It was then that he noticed his wound "...When did that happen?" He briefly wondered before using magic to heal himself "Alright, fine now." He then looked around the battlefield "Well it looks like that was all of them. Although..." He dropped his barriers "Why didn't anyone else get here. We didn't clear them out that fast. Yet it was just the two of us here." He started fidgeting with his weapons "Lily, I've got a bad feeling about this; it's been too quiet lately, it feels like we're about due for another big incident. Is there someone you can call the see if anything else is going on right now?"

With the reinforcement intervention from both Dina and the Angel of Hope, the boys' plans went off without a hitch. Finn kept focus on juggling between burning the wendigoes nearby with elemental flame and guiding his crows from getting hurt, while Oliver and his duplicates rained hellfire on their foes. The ghosts felt hyped up in seeing three of the frostbitten foes burnt to a crisp, fueled to keep at it with the assault.

Finn took a moment to step away from the wendigo he crippled, half tempted to crush it's skull under his foot as it tried to bite at him. "Hmm. Hey, Oli! Toss a firebomb over here, will ya?"

"You got it, bud!" The original Oliver, keeping near the other boy, tossed a chemical firebomb at the wounded monster, setting it a blaze.

"Thanks!" Finn nodded, focusing back on the battle at hand. Though he couldn't help but pay mind to the hostile beast magic at work. He looked around, trying to sense where the source was, until his one good eye landed on the nearby factory.

Gotcha.

"Keep it up, I'm going after the source!" he called out to everyone in the field, glancing over at Dina to see if she'd follow, then hurried off.

Whether or not his crows would follow, well, that'd be up to them wouldn't it?

...

..

Soon as Justine flew out of the Industrial District, Valerie had decided to message her through their coms.

"Your sister's the frail blonde in blood red, yeah? She's appeared by the Bank but uh...some pink haired dumbass decided to provoke her. You should probably hurry, and if you need back up, I can head down there while Lauren covers for me." The android gave her a quick rundown, looking through traffic cams. She saw Penny, MDP, and Kar'is barreling down the street, and blinked in bewilderment. "They gotta be heading towards the Industrial District." Valerie told herself, focusing on talking with the guys next.

"Heads up, Penny and the Dream Princess are heading towards your location. Dunno who the crystal girl is, but she doesn't seem like an enemy. Keep the momentum up for just a bit longer!"

"Roger."

"Noted!"

‘HAHAHAHAHAHAHA!’ Mayra laughed as she tore through the wendigos she was faced with one by one. She considered each of her many abilities as limiters to be released one by one, and she was always challenging herself to beat her enemy with as few “limiters” released as possible. With her darkness-limiter released, she was jumping circles around the wendigos, partly bleeding magma around the area and partly making flaming holes in the creatures one after another.

But, like, look at this glorious battlefield! There were so many girls, fighting a common enemy. Someone was clearly using crows against them. That thunderbird was awesome. So many blades and fire-weapons. Numerous flying girls. Spirits and beasts about, monsters and wings striking. It was all so glorious, it made Mayra want nothing more than to be the most show-offy of all the people present. So with a last glance around the battlefield, the glance thrown while slamming her tail into two wendigos, she decided she was going to launch to the rescue of the girls Mariette had told her to save, and-

-and she immediately abandoned that plan and stopped short as her eyes zeroed in on something that got her immediate attention. Now, Mayra had very little interest in boys, other than that they looked curiously. Fellow fire-users were more interesting, but they were decently common.

But what was it that she saw before her that she had never previously seen?

Fire boys.

Two of them.

@Majoras End

Mayra immediately shot off through the battle, utterly ignoring all form of action because she'd suddenly lost interest in the battle. She just suddenly landed next to the Oliver she decided was the real one, because it was the one closest to Finn. She just suddenly appeared, looking at him with a curious look and a tilted face, smiling as the dragon-girl inspected him and his weapons of choice.

‘Hey. You make fire, but it’s not normal fire. Cool. Can you show me how you’re doing it? I’m interested. Could we spar? I’d like to test you out!’ Mayra said, smiling and approaching him, possibly made even stranger than usual because the dragon-girl was still bleeding from numerous cuts from Wendigos, and also she just left two Wendigos she’d been fighting behind to suddenly go talking to Oliver.

‘Also your friend with the cool red flame is-’ and that’s when Mayra noticed that the other guy wasn’t there anymore but heading somewhere else.

‘Wait, he’s going somewhere!? There’s somewhere cooler to be than here!? I’m interested! Let me go, too!’ Mayra called excitedly and then blasted off with a beast-like leap after where Finn was running, an excited Mayra dashing to keep up with him and find out where he was going, completely and utterly ignoring/forgetting the supposed commands Mariette had given/bribed her with about protecting those other Magical Girls.

If Mayra were to actually catch up to Finn, she’d be like ‘Heeey, where are we going? Can I come? I’m coming anyway! By the way, I like your fire. Can you do some more? I wanna see!’ or something to that degree while dashing leaned forward and tilting her head at him. Not sure she actually would, but if she did.

---

@Ponn


Miko was a bit worried that Caroline would react negatively to that Gaia also urged her to look for her sister, but fortunately it appeared that Caroline didn’t think that far ahead. It definitely seemed like she was going to depart and leave them alone. However, Miko avoided breathing a sigh of relief until the vicious smiling girl had actually departed. Ronin, meanwhile, was kind of wondering if Miko was going to keep holding her sword at Ronin’s stomach for as long as Caroline was here.

Then some rather regal-seeming monster-girl started speaking. Both Ronin and Miko looked in her direction rather dumbstruck as to who this was and why they were here. Though, towards the end of her speech, she completely dropped the regal-seeming part and-

‘Sensei!’ Ronin called happily as she realized.
‘Wait, THAT’S Sensei?’ Miko asked, eyebrows raised. ‘But she’s a-’
‘Doesn’t matter, it’s Sensei! People change appearance all the time here!’ Ronin said, grinning, herself and Miko being primary examples of this.

Of course, it took but a moment for Caroline to, well, not be insulted by Sakura’s words, but going for a vicious assault against her regardless.

‘C’mon, we gotta help her!’ Ronin called excitedly… but was once again stopped as Miko didn’t move the sword. Ronin looked down, and then to her sister with a now the slightest inconvenienced look.

‘She… she said she’d handle it. Don’t give Caroline a reason to attack us,’ Miko demanded, remembering the time Caroline killed her.

‘Ey, sis… That’s my friend being attacked over there. Of course she’ll say she can handle it, that’s who she is, but I can’t just not help her!’ Ronin said.

‘B-but, last time you faced her, I…’ I lost you, were the words Miko couldn’t say.

‘Hey, I know what happened, but… I can’t just stop being me, you know? It just wouldn’t feel right! But with you at my side, I’m sure we can prevent it from happening again! Alright?’ Ronin asked, giving Miko one of her trademark optimistic friend-making grins as she felt so confident about this.

‘I…’ Miko had trouble finding the words to reply, yet she absolutely did not want Ronin to run off into battle with Caroline again. She threw a pleading glance towards Gaia and Connie, as if asking for advice or a helping hand or something… albeit maybe they were already occupied with something, who knows, then Miko and Ronin will sort it out themselves next post. Maybe. For now they’re standing there, meaning Sakura’s on her own for a little bit, unless someone else comes to protect her.

Already dealing with her own particularly odd situation at the hands of the interloper in the fight, Alicia's troubles were added to as Mariette's voice reached her ears. She could only assume it was a portal, as there was little reason for her to hallucinate or imagine what she might think. especially about a topic like the long lost Caroline Von Visceral. Alicia didn't have that much experience with her, aside from being at the train yard fight she was also at.

"Alright," she muttered back with a small nod. It was all Mariette would get from her for now.

Perhaps Alicia had been overly hasty, unnerved by the attempted feathery embrace. Perhaps she had simply misjudged how long the spell took effect for. She didn't necessarily know the reason herself as she wove back into the open, and right into the path of one of those spears as it erupted from the ground.

"Gaack!" A wordless cry escaped as the air was driven from her lungs by the force of impact. Her eyes watered and her throat burned, while the taste of iron overpowered her senses. Red blood splashed to the ground, a testament to the force with which she had been struck. It was only due to her Enhanced Uniform that she had been saved, and even now every labored breath sent spikes of pain through her chest. Sadly, it was a feeling she had become quite familiar with over the last few months.

Despite all of this, she marshaled her internal will past the screaming of her muscles. Lifting her bow from a kneeling position, she unleashed a shot at where she remembered Aurelio to be. It was far from her best, but thanks to the magic she had previously been enchanted with it was good enough for its purpose.

She then dropped once, more sending her bow away as she sought to restore her flagging energy. "You've got to be....kidding me." This was not how she had expected things to go, though it was better than being torn apart by a wendigo as a small blessing. She'd chastise herself for her lapse in battlefield awareness later.

Understandably distracted, Alicia only spotted the charging wendigo at the last second. A blade o0f light manifested in her grip as she tensed, prepared to rise up and strike it down in case their unharmed ally couldn't deal with it. Her chances in these circumstances weren't very good, but at least she'd be ready if it came down to it.

_{@Shifter_Master@Ariamis@AtomicNut@PlatinumSkink}

To Gaia’s great relief, it appeared as though her and Miko’s words had convinced Caroline to depart in search of her sister. However, only a moment later, and all their efforts were undone by the arrival of a strange, but also somewhat familiar, serpentine young woman. While the snake-like maiden had started off in a polite, and even somewhat regal manner, she soon devolved into hurling crude insults, before basically challenging the clearly unhinged Caroline to a fight. Yes, despite her drastically altered appearance, Gaia quickly realized exactly who this person was…

Sakura… You are such an idiot… Gaia seethed, while squeezing her eyes shut in an attempt to maintain her usually serene composure.

“M-Miss Sakura?!” Connie exclaimed, before gasping in fright as Caroline darted off to engage the new arrival in frenzied combat.

Meanwhile, and to the surprise of no one who knew her, Ronin prepared to race to her sensei’s aid, only to be restrained by Miko. Still, despite her calmer and more cautious sibling’s concerns, the teal-clad samurai was adamant in her desire to help. It was then that a visibly desperate Miko glanced toward Gaia and Connie.

Gaia’s mind raced. She knew full well Miko’s concern for her sister, as Gaia felt the same for Connie, who even now looked torn between preparing to flee in terror and rushing forward to help her friend. Taking a deep breath to focus herself, the verdant maiden exhaled a weary sigh. “Please, allow me to handle this,” she announced in a voice both tranquil and commanding. “Clearly there’s been a bit of a misunderstanding here, so I believe a small time-out is in order.” With that, the botanical beauty raised Nature’s Blossom and pointed the staff at the two combatants. From the flower at its tip sprouted a second, smaller bud, which opened to disgorge not a beam of emerald energy, but rather a thick cloud of sedative spores. With luck, both Caroline and Sakura would be knocked unconscious in seconds, allowing the remaining foursome time to figure out their next course of action…

’Thank you Lady Luck!’ Aurelio was screaming internally as he escaped with surprisingly light injuries altogether. A nasty scrape and a light bit of lacerations on his leg were much less than he expected to get away with, but sometimes luck went his way.

That moment of elation was nearly lost as he glanced over and saw that Alicia had been a much worse recipient of the spear spell from their unnamed interloper. Aurelio wasn’t entirely sure he should count her as an ally anymore due to all the friendly fire.

He didn’t lose the Elation however; it was too useful of an emotion to give up after all. Holding it close to him he raced forward two copies popping into existence as he ran, they were simple clones no real magic in them. As he only needed them as lookouts, his entire focus was on Alicia.

As he approached the Elation he held shifted and grew as he tapped into the revisor of emotion he made sure to carry with him. In this revisor he only carried three different emotions. The three strongest emotions in his opinion. Love, Wonder and Hate. He never had any of those emotions in large supply as true displays of them were rare and hardly public. But he did have Love at the moment. And for a friend obviously seriously wounded in possibly hostile environment? It was no question that he would dip into his limited stock for her.

Sann was ignored as Aurelio knelt next to Alicia. The manifested blade of light was ignored as he gripped his cane tightly, his eyes closed in concentration. “Storgḗ” he would intone as a white flow of light would start pouring from his focus. And instantly Alicia was flooded with relief. The pain was simply gone and her injuries were mending. It was magical healing at its finest, even if it might not be at its fastest. But that was understandable as Alicia’s mana was also being restored and her appearance was being cleaned up as well. As this was more than just healing it was restoration.

The feeling it invoked were numerous; warmth, annoyance, pride, tenderness, acceptance, happiness, sadness, hope, comfort. Yet despite all that, the central idea in the magic was simple. Family. And that shown though the spell with blazing clarity. Alicia was Family. Because to Aurelio, Beacon was family. And family deserved the best when they were in need.

---

Chaos was the best word to describe the raging conflict in the industrial district. Allies and enemies kept appearing in equal measure, but the magical girls were holding. More than that they were winning! Slowly, but surely, they were turning back the tide.

Dina’s presence was a great boon to the Sanctuary girls, the other reinforcements just compounded that. Hope was on the rise, and it looked like they would be getting out of here mostly alive even if it was much more banged up than expected.

Then Justine quit the battle field. Redeemed Sinner that she was she was no insignificant contributor to the fight. A bad loss to be sure but not yet a fatal one.

Ashlyn was the first to notice her tactics shifting to compensate. She shied away from offense more, her arms now being used as living barricades more often than not as she also conjured basic translucent red walls of reinforcement to block what blows she could see. The urging in the back of her mind was growing louder and louder. She needed to protect them. Needed to Protect them. Her offense faltered even further as she was losing the focus needed to push her instincts away. Though her defensive timing only grew sharper.

Belladonna was the most effected by Ashlyn’s shift in tactics. She couldn’t go out and harass the enemies anymore, but that didn’t mean she was any less dangerous. Her ears were on a constant swivel as at last she had stopped laughing, though her manic grin had hardly dimmed. Her strikes simply grew sharper, her ranged was limited but her claws were easily capable of rending limbs, and her kicks were strong enough to decapitate if landed squarely.

Monica was still in the fight, the monsters trying to attack her running head long into walls of fire. Her mood was clear as day. So long as you understood Greek that was. As she was cursing and swearing near constantly as the fight progressed. It sounded like a chant due to the musical quality her voice had, but for anyone who understood the language she was cursing up a blue streak.

Then Mayra also chose to quit the battle as well. One ace leaving was painful, but survivable. Both of them? That was a death sentence for someone. Because as much as everyone was pulling together to face this onslaught, they were still outnumbered. There were thirteen Wendigos left, possibly more that were only playing dead.

Just like that the fight gained a desperate edge. Which only further drained them. How long could they last before they lost someone, this time permanently?

But the fight carried on, injures piling up as the fighters grew sloppy due to exhaustion. It was only a matter of time until someone made a mistake. And when it came it was Ashlyn. The cause was her degrading rationality. She needed to protect others, a noble set of instincts to be sure. But they denied her the ability to recognize herself as someone who needed protecting. So, she got so caught up in doing everything she could to prevent anyone else she could see from taking another hit.

She never saw the Wendigos sneak up on her. Three at once ramming into her unprotected side. Two trying to tear into her with their filthy claws, the last trying to gore her with its antlers. Her skin was naturally thick and tough, further bolstered by Dina’s enhancements. But there was only so much that could be done when Ashlyn simply wasn’t trying to defend herself.

The claws only left scrapes, ragged ones, but better than tearing any deeper. The antlers landed with a sick crack that could only mean badly broken ribs, possibly worse.

The oni was launched away, breaking the triangle formation, leaving the flank exposed. Her scream of pain was only eclipsed by Monica’s outcry of concern. The pack of Wendigos descended on the obviously downed member, and neither Monica or Belladonna could reach Ashlyn in time.

Luck had finally run out it seemed.

Monica was struck numb, unable to act, paralyzed by the fact she was about to lose Ashlyn.

Then the world shook as an impact rocked the alleyway. From above descended a bolt of living wrath that fell upon the beasts that converged over Ashlyn without mercy.

Rejoice; her presence seemed to command as the roar of her interjection at last resounded out. Four dead Wendigos flaking away around her.

Rejoice, for The Queen had arrived.

And bad things were about to happen to all who threated her Sanctuary.

---

one minute to impact
The repeated attacks on her home, the threats that lingered in the dark unspoken by the Mint and by Ascendency. The gall and insolence of Monsters to strike into claimed territory. Her undiminished anger from earlier. The echo of a faded need to destroy. All of these things swirled inside Penny as she raced through the City.

Her home was on the other side of Penrose, and before this moment her record for crossing that distance on foot had been forty-five minutes. But that was because Penny played her capabilities close to her chest. No one really knew what she was fully capable at any given moment but her.

But she was done with hiding right now, done with letting her home look like a soft target because she was only so strong.

So that vast distance? Was gone in a fraction of the time.

Anyone connected to the local network knew when Penny entered the industrial district as well. Because her presence was suddenly everywhere within it. Every camera, every phone, every bit of GPS running software had Penny’s touch on it.

This area of the City was hers. Earned by right. And she was going to show everyone watching just why they needed to stop messing with it.

When she only had a street left, she would simply go up and over the last building in her way. Launching herself high she would take in the chaos below with a sharp and experienced eye. Then she let herself fall. Past the phoenix and through Shane’s pocket storm, though she did steal a stray bolt or two from the latter.



Penny wasted no time in showing exactly why she was so dangerous. She didn’t give anyone a chance to adapt to her presence, no moment to recover from her impact. She was instantly in motion again. Each attack she gave off was blisteringly fast, and savagely aimed. Death was her preferred outcome, but it was readily apparent that dismemberment was just as viable an alternative.

Earlier Belladonna bounced and ricocheted around the alleyway on her own like a violent wind of fang and claw. Penny now was all that and more. her claws would lash out with the force of of jackhammers, ripping though flesh and bone with frightening ease due to the projected energy blades lining her fingers. Her spider limbs brimmed with caged lightning and writhed about her lancing through skulls and chests with machine precision.

The bright blue of her energy fields, her elongated frame, and her near ephemeral appearance as steams of electricity arced off her as she tore into the host of beasts that dared attack her home gave off a freighting visage.

It was a sight that few people had ever seen. A Penny who wasn’t holding back to wear down her foe. A Penny who simply wanted you dead.

A machine of warfare, operating at full capacity.

As the battle at the Industrial District progressed, the Angel of Hope continued to provide healing and enhancement to her immediate trio of companions. Although, through the use of duplication, that trio had now grown into a small army.

Looks like we’re making good progress on these fuckers, Angela noted. And at least this goth chick knows to protect the healer, she added, upon noticing how Roxanna had deployed her clones to shield her from the brunt of the fighting.

“You have this humble servant’s most sincere gratitude, noble champion,” the Angel told her with a warm smile. “Truly, it fills my heart with such great joy to be in the company of such a kind and thoughtful soul!”

Finn then announced that he was heading to find the ‘source’, before dashing off towards a nearby factory.

Where the fuck is that emo edgelord going? Angela wondered as she watched the bandaged magical boy depart. And what the fuck did he mean by ‘the source’? Does he think there's some kinda spawn point nearby? She pondered that possibility for a moment, before quickly dismissing it. Nah, he’s probably just having some chuuni delusion… I mean, why else would someone dress like that?

“May fortune be with you on your quest, brave champion!” the Angel called. “Please know that this humble servant even now prays that you shall find what you seek, whatever it may be!”

She had barely finished speaking, when a mighty thunderbolt crashed into the midst of the wendigos, heralding the arrival of a magical girl of truly astounding power. Seeming less a magical girl and more an unbridled force of nature, the new arrival swiftly set about butchering the antlered monstrosities with terrifying efficiency…

“Good heavens…” the Angel gasped, her eyes widening in a mixture of awe and horror.

Who the fuck is that?

---

Despite the great speed of her multicolored mount, MDP quickly discovered that it paled in comparison to what her girlfriend was capable of. Thus, by the time she and Kar’is arrived at the Industrial District, Penny was already well on her way to finishing off the remaining wendigos single-handedly. “Wowie zowie~” MDP murmured in awe as the rainicorn pegasus gently lowered her and Kar’is to the ground before dissipating in a puff of glitter. “Penny Wenny is, like, soooo super duper amazing wazing~” she sighed, her face taking on an exceptionally dreamy expression. For several seconds, the whimsical girl was content to simply admire her girlfriend’s breathtaking prowess, but it was only a matter of time before her painfully short attention span got the better of her.

“Oooh~! There’s Oliver Woliver~!” she exclaimed happily as she caught sight of her ghostly friend. “And there he is againsie~! And over theresie, too~! Like, there are lots and lots of Oliver Wolivers heresie weresie~! (giggle!)” She observed with a cheerful smile, her childish mind taking great delight in the fact that there were now so many of her friend. “Oh~! And, like, there are some other people weple over theresie that Magical Dream Princess hasn’t ever wever seen beforsie~! Maybe waybe they’ll want to be friendy wendies with Magical Dream Princess, too~! (giggle!)”

With that new thought fully dominating her ADHD addled mind, MDP skipped over to where her potential new friends were waiting, blasting back any wendigos that came near her with prismatic beams from her whimsical wand, almost as an afterthought.

Does my will...amount to this little?

Sakura reeled upon the impact, as a now frenzied Visceral was bearing upon her. She had once prided once in her speed and nimbleness, but losing her legs had... hurt her stance. Covering herself in a glob of water to augment her defenses, she gritted her teeth as she was quickly put on the defensive. She deftly parried the best she could, with her sinous body and keen senses. They picked up that the others were trying to aid her.

Except it was not aid. The green spore beam hit Sakura's water glob, and in a frustrated reaction, wind swatted the attack away.

Am I that...unreliable that you must put me down like a rabid dog? Sakura thought, as she felt hurt. She who had returned to Penrose. She who had risked life and limb to help these girls. Now she had been targetted by their own weapons. The shock allowed Caroline to strike true, the blade biting deep in the crown of Sakura's head, lodging one of her horns off, as blood spouted copiously.

Hurt. Betrayed. She who had given everything to these whimsical girls. A third rate freak. A walking joke. She couldn't see from her left eye any longer.



_"Enough." She whispered in a harsh voice, as her remaining open eye glowed with the light of thunder. The night seemed to become darker by the moment, as the water surrounding her became electrified. She couldn't feel the pain any longer. Only the burning sensation. Her jaws became more unhinged and serpentine, as cloak of fast-moving razor winds engulfed her. A roar.

An ear-splitting shriek, of both girl and dragon was heard as her powerful aura swelled outwards, engulfing the whole battlefield. The weather changed, as rain started to pour, and the distant sound of thunder came closer. Probably half of the city was aware of the power being deployed here, but the dragon princess did not care. Her glowing eye was now tracking Caroline. An armor of stormy weather was now covering her. But the wind was just picking up.

Hot Fire and Cold Water. One circling, one rooted. Two parts of the half. When both clashed, thunder followed. When both moved, storm was being brought forth, and so with Sakura's control of humid winds and Caroline's fierce weapon, a large waterspout was manifested surrounding Sakura.

"CHOKE ON YOUR SWEET RED, YOU BRAT!" She boomed as she barreled with the full force of the tornado towards Caroline.

---

@twave@PlatinumSkink@Ponn@Shifter_Master

Dina gritted her teeth as she struggled to maintain the Phoenix in the fray, hungrily eating mana. The battle tide seemed to hold for now, until she noticed that the Crimson Cradle agent decided to flee chasing the source of hostile magic.

"Let others have the glory this time." She muttered as she focused maintaining the restorative duties. But the bleedout of allies did not stop there. Justine fled, earning a stern gaze from Dina, as well as Mayra, who was not that trusted to be disciplined to begin with. Dina's eyes cast a sight in the distance... and seeing disturbances further in the city, in the direction of the hospital.

"The Varangian is also busy, huh." She added. With a flick, she dismissed the mana costly phoenix. And that's when she saw the line faltering. One of the Sanctuary warriors had been struck, and yet another one was left in shock. Not good.

Dina clicked her tongue and descended upon the fray, her battle wires ready, only to be pushed back with force by the sudden interruption, landing with cat-like grace further away from the trio. Her eyes narrowed at the Queen. She should have been more mindful of friendly fire.

"RAMPARTS!" She gestured, as she created barriers around the fallen Ashlyn and shocked Monica, giving the Sanctuary warriors a little of respite from the chaos. She advanced in cautioned steps as she began to stabilize the fallen so called head of security.

"Retreat. You're far too shaken, Hearth Priestess." She said in a commanding voice to Monica as she tended the wounds of Ashlyn, her steely temper becoming harsher and colder as the battle raged with new arrivals like the walking fashion disaster of sugary doom. "With this amount of firepower, you are not needed for the cleanup. Take the wounded ones with you."

"I'll finish this with the others, then rejoin you for further treatment." Dina said as she readied her wires, waiting for the wendigos to try and assail her walls. Her tail swishing, indicating her displeasure.

---

_{She only wanted a dance}
@Flamelord@Shifter_Master@Ariamis


"Huh?" Sanngridr's bewilderement was made patent as she just watched her would be dance partner jump straight into a spear of her own making. "You're a poor dancer, Let me-KYAAANNN~~" She cut herself halfway through, letting a very strange sound as the Wendigo bit her wing. Whatever the beast had decided to nibble, It must have been a *very* sensitive spot, as the half pained exclamation of the valkyrie attested. Her usual attitude was stripped off her, and the other two people could see her cheeks flush, and a tear welling in her eyes, before unbidden fury flashed in them.

She struck fast and hard, twisting her body in a single thrust with her sword, and the ability of a surgeon. Hitting the heart of the offending creature, impaled in her own blade, now protuding outside the Wendigo´s body. Sanngridr then used her other hand to dab some blood on the blade from the falled creature, as she wrote runes on it.

"DAE...GAZ!" She said in a frazzled tone, her blade bursting in radiant energy and destroying the heart, while she panted heavily. It was then when her attention turned to the male magical boy... tending her dance partner's wounds. Her gaze narrowed upon on the offender.

"I'll allow it." She finally conceded. "She is a bad dancer anyway. But you, tophat...you owe me a dance now..." She whispered, as the crown hummed and cracked once more reigning her foul temper in.

It was then when a thunderous yell was heard, nearby. Sanngridr eyed the two, then eyed the direction. She caressed her torn wing and applied some healing on it, before shooting up and away, leaving some feathers behind.

---

@Ponn@PlatinumSkink@Ariamis

The situation with the rampaging Sakura and Caroline was getting dark quickly. But for Ronin and Miko, it just went all dark of a sudden. Finding themselves covered in something that warded off the wind, dark and fluffy. Wings. They could recognize those wings that covered the both of them.

"Looks like you've got a little problem...girls." Sanngridr said to the couple, before turning her sight to the green girl. "And fellow deity servant."

Wait, is that... Sanngridr's eyes now rested on the figure right next to Gaia... and then offered her best smile. "Need a little help?"

So, like, moments after Mariette spoke with Alicia she ended up in a spot of trouble. Mariette really hadn’t predicted that and wasn’t entirely sure what to do. Still, it felt mean to just leave, so…

So she charged a magical blast and let out a beam of light straight at the core of the Wendigo approaching Alicia through the very same portal she’d used to speak to her, before closing the portal and returning to the basement she was currently inhabiting.

While Mariette was looking around, she had information being whispered into her ear about how things were looking. For a moment the Industrial Sector looked bad and Mariette was mentally preparing to intercept, but then Penny arrived. There was Caroline, but Mariette didn’t want to bother with that, thankfully it seemed Miko was keeping Ronin from engaging the vampire-girl… Mariette sympathized with what she had to be feeling. It was modestly easy to imagine that Eli had felt the same loss Mariette had upon Deni’s death, and then some.

Still, there was one thing she was being told that really bothered her. She had someone constantly watching the town just in case something like this happened. Yet, this attack… where had it come from? Actually, she had a decently good idea where it came from. The voice in her ear told her how it had come from the Industrial Sector, and in fact, there was someone who had been there at the exact moment this event happened. Actually, more accurately, there had been a whole bunch of people… but only one that was still alive.

Mariette walked through a portal. She ended up in an apartment with a whole bunch of confused civilians that were wondering why they’d ended up here, and the magical effect on normal people ensured even if Mariette walked out of a portal in front of them they’d write it off as something mundane. Still, Mariette walked past them, she had one goal. The Beacon girl that she had placed upon the bed with the mundane doctor she’d portalled to next to her to deal with her injuries. She’d been decently patched up already…

‘What happened?’ Mariette asked, standing on absolutely no ceremony. ‘When this attack started… what did you see?’

Just in case this Beacon-girl would attack her for being here, Mariette had her tentacles ready…

Lily sighed in relief once Alex noticed his wound, though her sad expression didn’t change.

”I guess it’s worse everywhere else," Lily answered, and summoned her motorbike. She took out her phone, seemingly about to call someone, when she looked up at the sky ”I see a lot of birds heading over to the factories over on Industrial. I think we should go there next."

Once Alex was on board, the two of them headed off as usual. However, Lily continued to be gloomy behind the steering wheel.

”H-Hey, Alex…I’m sorry." She paused, as if to recollect her words, before continuing.

”For putting you in danger like that, and letting you get hurt. I mean, I’ve gotten hurt too; comes with this job and all. But I’m usually so fast I can dodge most attacks. But you’re always putting yourself out in harm’s way. Even if you can heal, I just…I don’t know, I feel guilty about it."

---

At the apartment where Mariette had collected various civilians, the injured Beacon girl was resting, bandaged up like a poor mummy costume for Halloween. When Mariette approached her, the girl visibly tensed up. “Y-You’re the one who rescued me, right? Th-thanks…”
She then saw the tentacles that emerged from portals around Mariette, and the girl blushed. “W-Whatever you’re thinking of, it won’t work. I won’t break!”
She was breathing unusually heavily, with something resembling a smile on her face. “No matter how much you torture me-!”

That was when Mariette asked her questions, causing the girl to blink. “O-oh. You just want…information.” Looking embarrassed at her misunderstanding, she glanced away with a cringing face, and then sighed. “A-Alright, I’ll tell you.” She sat up on her bed, and looked down at her hands. “It was me, Bloom, Stella, Riven, and Stormy. We were doing our usual rounds when we happened to see someone up on top of the iron smelting facility. Pretty sure it was a magical boy. Th-that’s when the monsters attacked us. I think I heard him say something about unifying or unification, but at that point I was too busy swinging my sword at some snapping jaws to hear more.” She then blinked, as she looked straight at Mariette…Or rather, at something behind her.

“Oh, it was him! That’s the guy!”

Mariette’s Light magic detected the statement as the truth.

When she turned, she saw her point at one of the civilians she had rescued. The boy in question stepped out of the crowd, and bowed.

“Oh, my deepest apologies for interrupting your conversation.”
He had a pleasant smile and relaxing demeanor about him, making him very approachable for a stranger…And that caused Mariette to feel even more put off by him.

“It seems your friend has mistaken me for someone else.”
Mariette detected the statement also as the truth.

“Anyway, I should introduce myself. My name is Robert White. I am pleased to meet you, Miss Pedersen. On behalf of the Queen of Hearts, I would be honored to give you this.” He reached for a letter tucked in his jacket, and graciously handed it out to Mariette. Just like the one before, this one also had the royal wax seal with the stylized heart symbol, marking it as genuine.

“Her Highness would like to invite you to a friendly game of croquet. It is a very important date, so please don’t be late~” he said, referring to the famous line spoken by a certain white-coated lagomorph. But the way he said it was still humorous, to the point even the Beacon girl let out a nervous giggle. Whoever this person was, they were very charismatic…And dangerous.

---

At the hospital, Alicia readied a blade of light despite her wounded condition, one arm clutching at her side as she endured the pain. However, Sanngridr was more than prepared to punish the offending monster who dared to sink their teeth into her, piercing the beast’s heart with her Valkyrie’s Tear, followed by casting a rune written in the fiend’s own blackened blood and searing the monster from within, causing it to howl pitifully as it scattered into ash.

By the time Sann was done, Aurelio had already moved to mend Alicia’s injuries as the battle had ended, relieving her suffering. Sanngridr also took a moment to heal her wing, molting broken feathers as new ones grew in their place. Thyen, without as much as a a goodbye, the Chooser of the Slain departed on ebony wings, heading towards the bank’s direction.

---

At the Penrose Bank, Miko and Ronin hesitated once Sakura had drawn Caroline’s ire, torn between fleeing the scene or aiding Sakura. Gaia chose a third option, and attempted to pacify the two combatants by enveloping them in a large cloud of very potent narcotic spores. This further drained Gaia, leaving her with only a little bit; the next spell she would cast would result in her transforming back to normal. However, the verdant girl did not have much time to think on the consequences when Sanngridr arrived, having taken the twins under her wing.

The spell was partially absorbed by Sakura’s aquatic barrier, the rest blown away by the serpentine girl. Caroline also noticed the spores, and breathed out fire, burning the spores out of the air.

”Caroline is not going to wash Caroline’s teeth!! It’s not Caroline’s bed time yet!” She screamed, and then delivered a blow that severed Sakura’s horn. Caroline jumped back after the hit, swiped it downwards to quell the flames, and licked her blade, tasting the blood on it. This caused the demented girl to giggle madly, seemingly elated.

”Sweet red! Just like Caroline remembered, sweet red!” She brandished her sword, lighting it up once more as she dashed once again at Sakura.
”Caroline wants more! More sweet red! MORE!”

In response, Sakura mightily shrieked, and the weather itself turned to a storm, causing Caroline to stop and blink in surprise as Sakura was surrounded by the raging winds, a creepily open smile on her lips.

”Haa ha haa!” She laughed, even as Sakura charged, channelling her destructive magic onto the red-dressed maniac. The entire street shook from the impact, and windows shattered. The rain continued to stain the street with water…and carried shades of red with it; Caroline’s blood. The Killing Blow, just as Sakura planned, caused a bolt of thunder to strike at the moment the two collided. Caroline laid on the street; Her red dress was bleached into shades of pink by the intensity of the energy that had struck her. Her arms, legs, and face were burnt. Her mad giggling was replaced by gurgling blood from her throat. Sakura also lay nearby, panting unevenly as she was also frazzled by the blow, but to a much lesser extent. Even so, she was in need of immediate medical attention.

”CAROLINE!”



Justine arrived, having quickly descended down to Caroline. She held Caroline in her arms, tears staining her cheeks.

”Caroline, stay with me!” She pleaded, but Caroline didn’t respond. She sniffled.
”I’m sorry for how much I hurt you, Caroline! I’m sorry for not being there for you when you needed me the most! I let my desire for revenge consume me! It let me down a horrible road of despair!”
She scratched the concrete-paved street next to Caroline with her long nails, breaking them.
”I did terrible things, thinking I’d avenge you, when I should have tried to heal your heart instead! I was so stupid! I’m sorry! So sorry!” She slammed her fist down, causing cracks to form on the street.

”...Big…sis…”

Justine froze upon feeling Caroline’s hand weakly rising to touch her cheek.

”You…Came for Caroline…You cared…” She faintly spoke as she opened her eyes, even as the pool of blood, diluted by the water, spread.

”Caroline!” Justine held the hand on her cheek.
”You will be alright, I promise! Just stay with me! I’ll never leave you again!”
However, Caroline coughed blood in response.

”...Caroline…knows….Big sis…Will always…be with…me…”

Then, she closed her eyes…And her hand went limp.

Justine continued sitting on her knees, holding Caroline, as she quietly wept.

_{”Caroline…”}

---

At the industrial sector, the battle came to a decisive close with Penny’s earth-shaking arrival; with a mighty force, bolstered by Dina and Angel of Hope, the Builder Queen paved the streets with the ashes of the wendigos, covering for the Sanctuary warriors who were about to reach their limit. Like Laughing Octopus in the beginning of MGS4, Penny tore through the ranks of monsters. Assisted by everyone else, including Oliver who picked off more distant wendigos with firebombs, and MDP who blasted a few more with pretty beams of deadly light, the battle was finally over; what wendigos remained were either incapacitated, or slowly regenerating.

“Phew, we survived,” Hanna commented, holding her arm due to a bite wound she had incurred, which had already began to close thanks to Reinforcement magic.
“Yeah…” Fubu agreed, though she frowned. “But not Karen.”
“Oof…I guess we’ll have to hold a funeral for her.”

However, even after the wendigoes were destroyed, birds continued to ominously gather in the sky. Though they have failed to harass anyone, having been shocked into nuggets or burned into hot wings by Dina’s phoenix, they still flew in circles above, almost as if they were watching.

Having realized this oddity sooner than others, Finn went to investigate the nearby factory, followed by Mayra. There, they heard someone’s voice in the distance; they seemed to be talking to someone else.

_{“Yes, the nexus has surpassed our expectations. I assure you that you will be pleased by its potency, Your Highness.”}

The two reached the main production hall, and up on a walkway next to the windows Finn saw the source of the Beast magic: a masked man in a decorated suit was speaking to an old-fashioned corded telephone attached to a strange device. The device emerged out from a suitcase much smaller than the device itself, and had glowing crystals and blue wires interspersed with electronics, buttons, dials, and an antenna on top. The antenna slowly rotated, and Mayra realized that she had seen something similar used on a dimension she or one of her colleagues had visited; it was a magitech radio of sorts. It also seemed to be capable of cloaking it’s user from magical or technological surveillance, with only the Beast magic having been able to be traced.

“The local defenses are unorganized but not to be taken lightly. Penrose is unsuitable as a landing point for our troops. Silverburg on the other hand is lightly defended and within marching distance. I recommend-”
The man stopped having noticed the arrival of the two.
“Ending call. Hail Wonderland!”
He then placed the corded phone back on the device, and pressed a button; the device sunk into the suitcase as it closed, leaving no trace of the device.
The man picked up the suitcase, and faced the intruders. He then placed a sealed letter on the windowsill, and dusted off his coat. He smiled smugly.

“Ignorant slaves to the Powers.” He snapped his fingers, and ten wendigos suddenly emerged around Finn and Mayra, having arrived from summoning circles; it seems the mysterious man had prepared for being found out. As the wendigos attacked, the man dashed out, swift as the wind, and disappeared completely.

With their next destination set, Alexander got on her bike and they took off. ”H-Hey, Alex…I’m sorry."

"...Huh?" Alexander was a little surprised at the sudden apology

”For putting you in danger like that, and letting you get hurt. I mean, I’ve gotten hurt too; comes with this job and all. But I’m usually so fast I can dodge most attacks. But you’re always putting yourself out in harm’s way. Even if you can heal, I just…I don’t know, I feel guilty about it."

"Uhh..." Alexander had to fight the instinct to scratch the back of his head in confusion "You...didn't. I mean...I don't understand why you feel in any way responsible for this fight, I sure as hell don't think you are. I wasn't even that badly hurt. I've been hurt much worse in the past. And having me in the front just makes sense, since I struggle with ranged combat, and you don't" He sprouted a tail and started using it to wipe off the blood that he hadn't bothered with before "So stop being so damn serious and grim, it feels really weird coming from you."

All in all, Roxanna was at least breaking even on the evening. Yes, her attempt to earn a bit of spending money on the side had been interrupted by fucking Wendigos and she was going to have to cleanse her now tainted stock while purging a bunch of frozen hearts in the process, but she had kind of met some magical guys who were rather stuck up, but professional and a solid team to work with... and she had met a beautiful angel who wore a tastefully skimpy attire that used her magic to make her awesome! She had even called her a noble champion and complimented her for protecting her!

In the off chance that either of the boys asked why her face was so red, she fully intended to blame it on the cold night. However, even as her clones fought the original did turn to the Angel in an almost timid way as she answered "T-Thanks. You're presence really brightened up a night that was starting to go rather sore... even if I do want to throw a blanket over you because damn you must be freezing!" Just because the sight was a pleasant one didn't mean that Roxanna wanted the poor girl to get frostbite after all!

Of course, it was around this point that magic started to get thrown around like it was nothing... and Roxanna's eyes widened just a bit as the source of said rainbow colored magic started to skip over... and a sigh escaped her as her shoulders dropped. "...I'm never going to get all the glitter out of my hair after this, am I?" She muttered aloud to herself, but otherwise just accepted that this was her life and running away from Miss Rainbows and Glitter would be a bad look.

"WHAT THE FUCK."

Back at Maura's interdimensional lair, Valerie and Lauren were busy setting up a super computer made by the android girl herself. Though she still had access to the traffic cams she hacked into weeks ago, and was able to keep an eye on the attacks going down. It seemed Justine heeded her directions to Caroline, but didn't say if she needed the extra help. So, Valerie assumed things would turn up better.

Oh how damn wrong she was.

The emerald haired Witch of Order flinched at the otherwise chill girl's outburst, and turned to look at her. "Must I dare ask??" Lauren asked.

With a twiching eye, Valerie prepared to head out. "A braindead asshat somehow one-shotted Justine's sister." She bluntly explained. Lauren rose a brow.

"Don't we only need one of them? What's the problem?"

The android grabbed her weapon. "First off, it looked like Caroline was pacified enough to leave until that pink-haired bitch decided to play with fire. Probably to flex their strength or some crap. Second, Maura planned on getting her purified and stuff for Justine's sake so she won't...I don't know, have that sort of incentive to recorrupt?? Fucking- Just hold the fort till I get back!" She had to contact Maura through magicoms to be deposting near Justine via Cradle.

Once she arrived at the bank, she sprinted towards Justine, and stopping with a skid, she knelt down beside her and the murdered(?) Caroline. She took a glance around at who was there with them. Two of Amanda's friends, Ronin and her sister, the angel lady Finn was uncomfortable with, and the pink haired one-trick horse. With a cold glare to Sakura, Valerie drew her blade and held it defensively. "You better not think about taking down a vulnerable girl now, asshole." She growled, before checking Caroline's pulse. Thinking of what she could do to fix this, she glanced towards Ronin and Miko...and Sann concidering she was holding them back like a mother duck.

"Can one of you stablize her real quick? Any ideas on reviving her??"

---

Meanwhile back at the industrial district, the battling magicals were apparently starting to loose their momentum. With Justine fleeing to find her sister, Finn heading out to behead whatever's behind the monster attacks, and-

Oh?

Seemed the only real fire-based magical in the battlefield had ditched fighting to talk with Oliver. And still scratched up at that! While his clones remained vigilant in combat, the real one took a moment to talk. "Hi. Chemical fire. Maybe later. Maybe later." He answered in rapid fire as Mayra asked him several questions. Then when she mentioned Finn's beast magic at work, she realized the other boy had ran off, and quickly went after him.

Okay then.

Maybe he should let him know about the dragon girl approaching him.

...Nah.

Atleast they didn't have to worry about any more wendigoes, seeing the royal power couple make quick work of them like gang busters.

Meanwhile, once Mayra caught up with Finn, the boy's eye widended in surprise. Holy shit. It's a fuckin' dragon! And apparently she was curious about his magic? "Let's deal with the root of this attack first, 'kay??" Was the only answer he could give Mayra at the moment. As they began to hear someone talking, the boy quickly stopped silent, motioning the dragon girl to stay quiet. He led the way, following the voice into the production hall. Seeing who the voice belonged too, Finn tensed up, carefully reaching for his weapon. Apparently whoever this masked man was working for, sounded like they were planning on invading Penrose.

Unfortunately the guy noticed them before he got more information. Great.

Finn quickly drew Briar Rose out of it's sheath as the red rabbit placed what was probably a calling card on the window, then turned to face them. Before he could say or do much, the masked man had summoned a whoping ten wendigoes to ambush the two.

This idiot had beast magic? Minions?? Either way,

"I FUCKING KNEW IT!!" Enraged, Finn atempted to attack the red rabbit, only to be forced on the defensive once a wendigo tried to attack him. He could only watch the culprit flee. Bastard. Once the boy drove his sword into the monster's skull and blasted it with another fire attack, he slid back to stand back to back with Mayra.

"So, there's ten of them and two of us. I'd say, split the work load? Five and five??" Atleast until Oliver caught up with him. Any more attacks, Finn would bounce between blocking and attacking with his sword, and roasting whatever got stunned. Hopefully the buffs from the Angel of Hope and Dina would last long enough for this to be quick.

Shit… Gaia swore as she watched Sakura and Caroline make short work of her spores. Her annoyance only grew when Caroline sliced off one of the pink-haired moron’s horns, causing the deranged blonde to giggle in manic glee as a fountain of blood shot from the wound.

“M-Miss Sakura!” Connie cried in alarm, before giving voice to a startled gasp, as the draconic girl emitted an ear-piercing shriek, causing roiling thunderheads to gather above them. Lightning crackled, thunder boomed, and a swirling vortex formed around Sakura, before crashing into Caroline with stupendous force. Upon dissipating, and to the timid girl’s great horror, Connie saw that Caroline lay unmoving, while Sakura was sprawled out some distance away, visibly hurt.

The kindhearted girl was so shocked by this, that she barely noticed the arrival of a strange winged girl, who promptly wrapped Ronin and Miko in her feathery appendages. This new arrival was quickly followed by a distraught Justine and an annoyed android girl, who asked if Ronin and Miko could help heal the wounded girls.

“Y-Yes, p-please!” Connie added, the robotic girl’s inquiry breaking through her horrified paralysis. “P-Please h-help t-them!” she begged the twins, her trembling hands clasped over her chest, while black tears streamed down the cheeks of her mask.

Meanwhile, Gaia couldn’t help but empathize with Valerie’s annoyance. This whole debacle was all the result of Sakura’s mindless aggression. The verdant maiden had fervently hoped that after seeing the ruinous consequences her policy of ‘act first, don’t even bother with thinking later’ had already caused, the pink-haired girl would have amended her ways by now. Sadly, that didn’t seem to be the case, and now she and Connie were left to tend to the aftermath of the latest clusterfuck Sakura had caused.

With that in mind, the botanical beauty turned to address the winged girl with Ronin and Miko.

“Although we have yet to become formally acquainted, if you possess any healing abilities, I would be most grateful if you would employ them to save these two misguided souls,” she requested, gesturing to the fallen combatants.

With any luck, we’ll be able to save them both, and this will actually have a peaceful resolution, Gaia mused. Although, sadly, I wouldn’t bet money on it…

---

To the Angel’s considerable delight, things at the Industrial District seemed to be winding down. This allowed Roxanna, well, the original Roxanna the opportunity to turn her full attention towards her angelic ally. She proceeded to stammer out her thanks, as well as her concern for the angelic beauty’s apparent exposure to the elements.

And her face was as red as a tomato…

Holy shit… I-Is she… crushing on me…? I mean, it’s not all that surprising with a body like mine, but still… Ew…

“Please do not worry yourself on my account,” the Angel told Roxanna, while beaming down at the nervous-looking girl. “Despite what appearances might suggest, my abilities provide me with ample protection from the evening’s chill,” she explained. “And even if they did not, your most generous words of concern and gratitude would surely be more than sufficient to warm this humble servant’s heart,” she added, treating the goth girl to a radiant smile.

However, before the lovestruck Roxanna could reply, a sickeningly sweet and irritatingly high-pitched voice herald the arrival of an incredibly cute and whimsical young woman…

---

“Hiiiieee~!” MDP announced cheerfully as she bounced up to the Angel and the original Roxanna and gave them a playful wink and peace sign salute. “Like, wowie zowie, you look super duper pretty witty, Miss Angel Wangel person worsen~! (giggle!)” Turning to Roxanna, she added, “And even though you look kinda winda gloomy woomy, Magical Dream Princess thinkie winkies you’re probably wobably a super duper good person werson insidey widey, ‘cause, like, you’re helpy welpying to fight the meanie weainie reindeer weindeer thingy wingies, and keeping Miss Angel Wangel person werson safey wafey~! (giggle!) Would you two like to be Magical Dream Princess’s friendy wendies~?! Would you~?! Would you~?! Would you~?!” she asked excitedly, while jumping up and down, inadvertently causing a deluge of glitter to fall upon her two potential new friends in the process.

Holy fuck… This bitch looks like she was puked up by a Lisa Frank catalogue… And could that voice possibly be any more annoying?

“Salutations, whimsical champion,” the Angel greeted the new arrival warmly. “This humble servant thanks you from the bottom of her heart for your most generous complement. Truly, you are the sweetest and most innocent soul this humble servant has ever encountered, and I would be only too happy to count you as a friend.”

“Yaaaay~!” MDP cheered, jumping up and giving the Angel a big hug. “Magical Dream Princess made another new friendy wendy today~! (giggle!)” Releasing the surprised Angel, the delighted Princess of Dreams conjured a pair of pompoms and began a silly little dance. “Friendy wendies~ Friendy wendies~ Yaay~! Yaay~! Yaay~! Friendy wendies~ Friendy wendies~ Hip, hip, hoooraaay~! (giggle!)” she sang, before jumping up into the air as small fireworks exploded and even more glitter rained down.

I-Is this girl for real…?

“So, like, what’s your namey wamey, Miss Angel Wangel person werson~?!” MDP asked, looking up at the Angel with an expectant smile.

“My name is not important, sweet champion,” the Angel replied. “I am merely a humble servant of the light, but if you wish, you may call me the Angel of Hope, or simply Angel, if you prefer.”

“Okie dokie, Angel Wangel~!” MDP acknowledged with another peace sign salute. “Magical Dream Princess will, like, totally wotally do that~! (giggle!)”

A moment later, the whimsical girl realized she had been neglecting her other potential new friend in the dark dress, and immediately moved to rectify the situation.

“Oh~! And, like, Magical Dream Princess would, like, super duper wuv to know your namey wamey, too~! (giggle!)” she told Roxanna, blissfully oblivious to how much she was invading the other girl’s personal space.

Things happened fairly quickly, or at least it seemed that way to Alicia's pained mind. From the laser Mariette deployed, to the other girl disposing of the remaining wendigo. Silence descended over the battlefield, and some tension left her with the knowledge that they had won the fight. The pain caused some to remain however.

Luckily for her Aurelio was there, putting his support skills to good use. The breath she was holding escaped as he whisked away the feelings of pain and set her wounds to mending themselves, while she let her blade of light dissipate. "This is a lot nicer than just powering through it," she conceded with a weak grin.

Her attention was then drawn back by their 'ally', who vowed a future meeting with Aurelio before departing from the scene to do whatever Odin's people did when they weren't fighting. Probably getting knockout drunk, if the Christmas party was anything to go by. Alicia watched her soar off before looking to the magician. "I'm deciding if I should be offended or not," she remarked.

After a few moments she decided that she wouldn't worry about it too much. It wasn't as if she cared what Odin's people had thought about her before, and the attack had been pretty indiscriminate. It was a pretty likely outcome.

As the healing finished, Alicia rose back to her feet. Surveying the area, she let the others know how things had gone. "Elora, this is Alicia. The threat at the hospital has been neutralized, with only a small complication along the way. How are things looking on your end?"

_{@Shifter_Master@Ariamis@AtomicNut@PlatinumSkink}

Oliver’s replies didn’t actually get much of a response out of Mayra, who probably forgot his answers within moments because she dashed after Finn instead. Who didn’t react much differently. Still, his eyes widening was kinda curious. Anyway, later, he says. Kinda boring, but, okay. That said, root? They were dealing with the root? ‘Alright! Uprooting first, then-!’ then Mayra looked a little confused as Finn motioner her to keep quiet. She was about to loudly ask why, but then she heard the talking too and got curious enough to actually be quiet for a bit.

‘Huh. Weird mask,’ said the dragon girl about the dude. Still, she kind of recognized that technology. She’d have to ask <redacted> about it, later. Slaves, huh. Mayra had no immediate response, but she didn’t like being called a slave. That can’t be right, a slave wouldn’t have as much fun as she is having right now. Yupp, flawless logic. She was about to rocket after him, but then he vanished without a trace and there was a pack of Wendigos jumping at them. Whelp.

Mayra spun and sent a fire-propelled kick to slam back the first row of attacks upon her and then took a step back, ending up back-to-back with Finn. He made his line, and Mayra smirked.

‘You gonna hog a whole five of them!? Give me eight, at least…!’ Mayra shouted with confidence, before taking position and started beating back at the attackers.

Truth be told, back-to-back fighting did not fit Mayra that well. She loved spinning and doing wide-spread area-of-effect blasts and damage, that would harm an ally if they were this close. Her usual strategy against hordes was also to just move so fast that enemies were unable to attack her from behind. However, she didn’t want Finn to die just yet, and she recognized that she was protecting his rear. So, she took it upon herself, a self-imposed challenge, that she’d change the way she fought for this encounter!

She’d stand firm, blasting fire and deflecting the Wendigos, one by one! She’d apply fire and force back the vicious antlers and claws of the creatures, she’d thrust through them when given the chance! She’d use darkness to curse the creatures with slowness, to make blasting them back so much easier, as she kicked and punch with vigour to drive them back and into dust…!

They could be back-to-back badasses yet!

---

So, Ronin and Miko looked on as Gaia raised her hand to stop the two offenders from attacking each other, and Ronin’s eyes kind of widened.

‘Wait I don’t think that’s gonna work-!’ Ronin called, because she kind of knew how that was likely to go down. Maybe a touch too late, as Gaia caused a bud to erupt to cause the fighters to go to sleep.

A wind and a fire blew off between the combatants, and a storm descended upon the scene, called by Sakura’s power. All that power focused into a single blow as the storm descended down on Caroline…! Ronin was amazed while Miko got kind of scared, the both of them a little wary of trying to approach like this…!

When a pair of wings suddenly enveloped the two of them, meaning Miko probably had to lower the sword she’d had pointed at Ronin’s stomach. The owner of the wings was immediately obvious.

‘Ey, Sanngridr! Chooser of the Slain! Well met, again!’ Ronin said, piping up and sounding cheerful at meeting her again.

‘Er, nice to meet you again?’ Miko asked, not entirely sure.

‘But, uh, I kinda really wanna see what’s going on, as fluffy and nice as your wing is, can we see, please?’ Ronin asked, aware it was somewhat difficult to go save Sakura while enveloped in fluffy wings.

So, it was impossible to tell what happened in the sounds that followed… except when Justine shouted out Caroline’s name and the sounds of combat quieted. Then Justine’s continued cries…

‘Wait, what?’ Ronin asked, confused.

‘She… she killed her?’ Miko asked, also stunned.

The twins had very mixed emotions about this. For one, they were shocked Caroline had gone down this easily. The Caroline they knew would need 3+ Magical Girls to even fight evenly against her. Also, while it was heart wrenching to hear Justine’s cries, and it sure would have been preferable if Caroline could have been purified as well… was it really that bad that a bloodthirsty villain had been killed? Ronin leaned towards yes, the best ending should always be pursued. Miko leaned towards being happy such a destructive force, one that killed her sister, was no longer of this world. Either way, both were just too startled to move…

That is, until Valerie arrived on the scene and then Connie pleaded to them to help save them.

‘…!’ There was no way Ronin could stay still with that. ‘Sorry, Sanngridr, I gotta move!’ she said, and attempted to jump out of the embrace with the help of some air-magic and reinforcement to just give that extra bit of speed, not directed in any kind of way that could hurt Sann.

‘W-wait, Ronin!’ Miko heard Ronin jump, and leapt to do the same.

This is when Sann has the opportunity to restrain the both of them, but in case she does not.

‘SENSEI, ARE YOU ALRIGHT!?’ Ronin shouted off towards Sakura, while running to Caroline. Sakura looked really bad, but Caroline was 100% dying right now. ‘SIT TIGHT, I’LL BE THERE IN A MINUTE!’ she called, before moving to kneel beside Justine, and to put her hands on Caroline. ‘Leave this to me, Justy…!’ she said, and in a twist of fate, Deni ended up using her powers to attempt to save the one who had previously killed her.

‘…’ Miko, begrudgingly, dashed to do the same, because Ronin’s power on its own was weak, that’s why there were two of them, so they could always add their power together. While she didn’t want to save Caroline, really, she also knew the pain of losing a sister. It was not a pain she wished upon anyone, even Justine. So a knowing gaze was thrown to Justine before Miko applied her powers as well, albeit she was saving part of her power to make a shield if Caroline suddenly lashed out at them…

‘Don’t blame Sensei! Caroline’s an unpredictable being, Sensei might have just saved our lives by directing her at herself,’ Ronin said to Valerie, aware Justine was hearing it but it needed to be said. ‘This being Caroline, holding back would have been stupid! It was just… a bit more effective than any of us expected, but if we save her now, it’s gonna be cool! Then Sensei helped us subdue her, okay…!?’ Ronin tried, because, she was an ally of Sensei. Also, she understood each of Sensei’s actions. They were not in the wrong.

---

Mariette frowned and tilted her head a little at the girl’s initial reactions to her and her tentacles. The portal girl couldn’t quite grasp just what could cause that kind of expression. It kind of bothered her. Anyway, the Beacon girl quickly overcame her, whatever that was, and was prepared to speak. So the girl spoke, with Mariette listening attentively. Something had appeared. A young boy had appeared, made an announcement about unification, and then the monsters had descended. And the person that did it… was right behind her?

Mariette spun around, and the tentacles were prepared to lash out. Except, what stepped out was a young, charming boy that so politely introduced himself to Mariette. He seemed so trustworthy, so nice and polite, an ideal gentleman, Mariette’s gut feeling told her this was a boy in which she could put her trust… which made her feel very uncomfortable because her mind and intelligence told her the exact opposite, and she had to force herself to keep her guard up.

‘I… hm,’ Mariette wanted to say something, but was conflicted, and instead ended up simply accepting the letter before watching Robert White vanish, and with that she had the startling realization that his effect didn’t leave with him. It was like he’d made an amazing first-impression, except Mariette’s mind knew it wasn’t. Very alarming.

Mariette immediately opened the letter to read it with a frown… … …

‘… What is crocket?’ she asked her mission control.

‘… It’s a game in which you…’

Then Mariette got to stand there listening to her mission control describe the rules of a game she’d never heard of before as the portal girl rather intently read through the letter…

---

A moment later a portal opened diagonally above Mayra.

‘Say, Mayra. Would it be beyond your power to throw a Wendigo through this portal?’ Mariette asked her dragon girl through a small portal. Mayra immediately felt an urge.

‘Hahaha… Is that a challenge!?’ Mayra called, and then next Wendigo Mayra would attempt to grab by the arm, swing with a fire-propelled throw and then try to release to make it fly through the portal, where Mariette was prepared with tentacles intending to trap it in Asengav’s darkness so that she and her lord might prey on whatever secrets the creature could tell them about the people who had summoned these creatures…

Despite the carnage swiftly ending Penny was reluctant to stand down again. Her gaze swept over all those that had gathered cataloging those she didn’t know and double checking over those she did know. The frankly absurd number of wendigos here had her on edge. As either Beacon had lied to her, which was unlikely, or someone else had been trying to blind them. An unsettling prospect for a whole host of reasons.

It was due to this continued awareness that Penny noticed the renewed combat happening not far away. Not in the mood to let it simply pass by without doing anything Penny moved to at least provide over watch.

Not that her assistance was needed. Something Penny was quick to note when she arrived.

[Scaling response configuration down to phase one.]

Nevertheless, she wasn’t going to simply watch. She kept an eye open for any openings to land a lightning round from her Gauss systems. Jumping into the fray would likely only throw off the rhythm that the combatants established. And it hardly looked like any of them were in any real danger.

Getting the story straight once all of this was done was going to be a pain, Penny could tell that already.

---

While Penny was busy making sure that the latest batch of monsters were killed. Snoopy was bobbing about keeping an eye on the after math of the mess that had brought her to this area in the first place.

The drone was happily bobbing around Dina and MDP in case either of them needed to contact Penny. But other wise the drone was simply observing the goings on.

Monica had heeded the Regent’s command and had started shepherding Belladonna and Ashlyn back to the Sanctuary, the latter not in as dire condition as one would have expected due to Ashlyn’s nature as a reinforcement user, when they over heard Hanna and Fubu. “We have a memorial space at the Sanctuary” Monica would chime in “If you want to want to make use of it.” She would offer. Sounding tired, but still able to inject honest warmth into her voice.

“We got off on the wrong foot I feel. And I would like to apologize for that.” Monica would go on to say “The Queen had warned us of Beacon and Wendigos in the area. So, we were all a bit on edge when we first met. But if you came seeking shelter at the Sanctuary she would take it out of my hide if we were to turn you away now.”

Ashlyn, who had been quietly hovering over about Monica, spoke up as well. “She’s also going to want to talk to you about what happened. Thank you possibly as well.” The Oni grimaced a bit as she felt a rib pop back into place. “We got bad intel, only one beast not that” She gestured back at the large clumps of ash still blowing away with the wind.

---

”Well that doesn’t sound ominous at all” Aurelio would say to himself as Sann flew off.

“Do you think the fact that we have a girlfriend would help us at all?" He replied to himself, one of the clones scratching the back of his head as they voiced the question.

“Doubtful.” Answered the other clone.

“Pity” They all said at once.

”Anyway. Here’s hoping for good news.” The original would say turning his attention back to Alicia as she checked in with home base.

Sakura panted heavily, as she felt her thoughts go slow and heavy, as if she was crawling through mud. Her body was numb and sure, and was stinging all over, unable to lift herself from the ground. Even breathing seemed to hurt now. Her good eye, blurry and unfocused, could only discern rough, human-like shapes. As if to nurse her own wounds, she seemed to whisper to herself.

_{"I did it...Tenebra... The price has been paid."} She stated, unapologetically. It was then when she felt a new blur, with some kind of weapon aimed at her, berating her lack of morals and chastising her for daring to strike a little girl. Her teeth clenched as a low key, ragged growl came forth from her windpipe, along a hiss. Her limp fingers clenched into a fist, as she summoned every inch of her remaining will to give this new bitch a piece of her own mind...the dragon way. Her mouth glowed ominously. She could probably rip off her ankles with a good timed Storm breath or something...

---

Meanwhile, Sanngridr just raised an eyebrow at the fast pacing of events. First, Decaffeine. Second, Valerie meddling in, signifying Cradle was involved. And third, the plight of a certain girl which made Ronin and her sister scatter from beneath her like panicked chicklings. Her eyes rested on the lady of Nightmares after offering a cursory nod to Gaia. Well, at this point, she could have taken Caroline, and fight her way out with her might, but even Justine wasn't enough of a reward for all the trouble. Sonia was still with Al, after all. What mattered if that oh-so called pretender of a playmaker that the Cradle top lady wanted to collect the special edition Justine and Caroline dolls? If anything, that only made her plays more blatant. It was apity, but she wasn't risking much more to get Justine back. Reaver was gone for trying to lick too many boots, a lesson hard learned.

And Sanngridr knew from more opaque players. So she beat her wings, once, and in an elegant stride, closed the gap between her and Connie, her eyes digging into the distraught girl. Her hand gently reached for the masked girl's chin with one finger, before tracing it back to the black tears running down her cheeks.

"Fear not, my masked lady. I have power over life and death. I am the Chooser of the Slain, after all." Sanngridr smiled as sweetly as she could, before slowly pulling her sword out, and using the inky tears from Connie, wrote a rune in the blade.

"Witness." She said solemnly as she aimed at the space between combatants. "BERKANAN!" She added in an energetic voice, as she focused her reinforcement and the rune. Coupled with the copied barrage power, Sanngridr's magical move turned into a healing explosion of sorts, revitalizing not only Caroline... but Sakura, and even Gaia too.

Sanngridr would then shrug and smile, her eyes now resting on Valerie. "What a disappointment more capable fighters did not join at once, then perhaps some of this... drama could have been avoided. Or then again, maybe not." The Valkyrie of cruelty then turned her back on the scene, not before giving a last longing stare to Justine, her eyes now resting on the green and black duo.

"Sanngridr used to have a dance partner, but she didn't know the steps... do you want to eat something out after this, mm?"

Feeling new energies coursing through her, Sakura managed to stand up, calming herself. Her hunched posture still betrayed a lot of damage, but even so she managed to look dignified as she picked her own severed horn, glare piercing at Justine. "How do you like them apples, Keepitreal? You shouldn't be too surprised this happened. That little yandere-chan is every inch the lunatic you were. And you, Robot Maid-chan, keep that Visa Cereal junior chan on a tight leash."

She then turned her back on them, grumbling all the way as she slithered away, not before doing a last parting gesture with one of her middle fingers.