Using a fearsome combination of spells, Alex used a tail-like weapon to crush the undead dinosaur that had attacked Lily. This was followed by a shining glint as a new shield was formed just in time to repel another bite. The Ascendancy triplet who was protected by his magic nodded without a hint of hesitation, brandishing her halberd. “Got it!” She jumped up the hole, and sliced down on the assaulting crocodilian monster’s snout, splitting the rotting monster’s jaw. Lily was breathing heavily, and held a strained facial expression that soon turned calmer as the gash on her body closed and healed.
”Sorry Alex, I messed up," she spoke, and lifted herself up to sit, using her Ramuh staff to lift herself up.
”But it looks like your shopping trip paid off; that move was neato."With a clang, Su knocked the yellowed teeth out of the plesiosaur that bit her wing, causing it to let go with a bellow, freeing her. She did not manage to hit the other plesiosaurs who bent their necks, but succeeded in blasting them with a horizontal tornado; just like she hoped, their necks did end up tangled together by the sheer force of the raging funnel, and their scaly skins were cut in bending lines, like grazed by a drill.The undead dinosaurs made a big splash as they hit the water and disappeared, like sinking into Briny depths.
The megalodon hit by the triple-effective Yellow Card was successfully lifted up in the air despite the dinosaur’s immense weight, leaving the undead monster to roar, its legs still moving in an attempt to charge at her. The other megalodon was hit by a poisonous dagger, which it shrugged off as it went in for a bite; she realized that the undead were immune to even magical poison. However, the fleeting distraction proved enough for the struggling triplet to escape, aided by the obscuring enchantment the gambler gave her.
Mister Bulk’s hands formed a black aura around them as he first formed a moat around himself by mass-summoning open graves, draining the water in his immediate area to them. Then he began casting curses at any target he saw, lobbing them out as skull-shaped projectiles that wailed like souls of the damned. The spells missed, letting the others see that thee spells were those of decay and aging; it caused trees around the museum to wither, and rock and concrete to crumble, eroding them like time skipped forward. Though he found himself under fire by Tetrad’s cards, he only made the minimum effort to deflect or guard against the attacks, enraged by his desire for death and destruction, only wincing as her well-aimed Red cards managed to crack one of the shoulder orbs, releasing black mist-like vapors as it shattered.
In that moment, Mika jumped on him while he flinched.
“Arrrr! Get off me, you mangy cat!” The lich flailed, attempting to throw her off. But it was too late for the undead sorcerer, as Mika held on, powered by the Red Reverse. Silhouette then dropped down behind him, like a an assassin ready to fulfill her bloodstained contract. She lifted her dagger, about to strike…!
Then, they were all engulfed by the explosion of Tetrad’s last card, shrouding the scene in coughing smoke. Silhouette was at the border of the explosion, and performed an uncanny dodge, leaving a streak of black smoke that trailed after her before she took to the landing unscathed. Mika was less fortunate, and was hit by the blast, though thanks to being wet from her flooding spell, she incurred only very light burns on her body and clothes. However, she felt like her furry cat ears had their tips set on fire.
“Urgh! Rot away, wormfood!”
Mr Bulk shot out a quick hex with a finger gun through the smoke, hitting Tetrad. As she felt the foul curse envelop her, she realized she had rapidly aged by sixty years in human age; her hair turned grey, her skin turned wrinkly and flabby, and her posture worsened, causing her to feel much weaker and burdened than before. For the magical girls who were blessed with eternal youth, this was a disturbing sight.
“Hahaa! You are but mortal, weak flesh!” The lich clacked his jaw as he scattered the smoke with a spell, showing how his bones were blackened and his robes were on fire; he resembled a heavy metal album cover.
“Fall in despair, and DIE!”
The lich lifted his arm, about to hit her with another curse. But then, Mika came to the rescue; using skills she had acquired thanks to her bond with Dan the Dolphin, she took a deep breath, gathering her inner power. Then, Dan appeared over Mika, helping to channel the Keijo technique.
Dan yelled out in his comically squeaky voice as Mika released the energy into a forward thrust:
“RABUU RIPPURUUU OOOBAAA DURAIBUUU!”
*Crack*
“NOOOOOO!”
Like a golfball, the skeletal wizard’s screaming skull was punted right off his shoulders, soaring high into the sky before it hit the street, shattering it into two. His body fell down with a thud, seemingly lifeless.
“This isn’t the end...”
They heard the lich’ voice emanate from the remaining orb on his body.
“I’ll kill you, kill every last damn mortal in Penrose! And from your femurs I’ll build-AHHH!”
With a crack, the two orb on the lich’s shoulder was split in three. The two triplets lifted their halberds, their faces cold. “Finally it shut up.” “What a pain.” They turned. “Where’s the staff?”
“Taken care of.” Kai lifted her rifle, which glowed a faint blue, and made a shot towards a distant alley. It looked like she didn’t hit anything, before a sound like shattering glass could be heard.
“YIAAAAARclackcklackclack...”
At that moment, the dinosaurs froze, as if stopped in time, and sunk into pits of tar, followed by the tar also disappearing like evaporating water, leaving only the bones from the museum scattered. Tetrad’s aging effect also began to reverse, if slowly; by de-aging a year per minute, she felt that it would take an hour to completely revert to normal.
It turned out that the lich attempted to escape, his disembodied hand clutching on to his phylactery-encrusted staff as it scuttled like a spider, before it was destroyed by a ricocheting bullet that hit around the corner. The sniper lowered her rifle, the Blue Reverse enchantment having ended, and sighed. “The U-Type is eliminated,” she stated looking towards the lone triplet next to Alex. “Take the staff and phylacteries.” The triplet nodded in response and signalled to the others. All three triplets then began gathering the lich’ remains, pocketing the broken orbs that once housed the lich’s soul.
Lily slowly approached the group that had gathered, an uneasy smile on her face.
“W-We did it. Good job, everyone.” Kai glanced at her, but didn’t respond. Neither did the triplets. Instead, the sniper looked up towards Su, and squinted. She still held the rifle in her hands.
“Hold it,” she ordered in a blunt manner, and the triplets rose; they all gripped their weapons tighter. One by one, each identical sister pointed their halberd at Su, Tetrad, and Silhouette respectively. Lily’s eyes widened upon realizing the hostile intent behind their eyes; it wasn’t the end.
“By the order of the Ascendancy, surrender, and assume human form. Refuse, and we won’t show mercy.”
Helga hesitated, but begrudgingly agreed to Emily’s request, putting her down at an elevated part of the sewers where the two had some room to catch their breath. “Emily, huh?” Helga answered, having crossed her arms. Then she blinked. “Oh yeah, it’s you! I won’t forget anymore. I’m Helga.” She then pointed at herself with a clawed finger, and smiled at her words of gratitude and worry. “You’re welcome. Lupa’s the kind of girl you really don’t want to mess with, honestly.”
Helga’s smile then curled into a frown as Emily turned. “Are you kidding me? You can’t go back and fight her like that! She’s gonna gobble you up for lunch!
And bury your bones in a backyard,” She added, as if that part was more important. But, Emily didn’t seem to be swayed, and Helga facepalmed. “Urgh, reminds me of a certain stubborn girl...” She joined Emily.
“But I’m not saving you twice.” She let Emily go back to the surface while still keeping herself out of sight in case Lupa attacked. But to her surprise, she didn’t. She carefully peeked up from the manhole to see what was going on, ready to join Emily if she chose to attack.
FanFan made a girly scream as her mighty birdcage collapsed thanks to Viva’s unintentional intervention; her acids melted through her fingers, splitting them upon impact with the stage.
“Aaaahhh! My manicure!” She cried, and shrunk the metal arms back to normal size as she looked at the broken fingers. Her eyes then widened as she saw two wolf monsters flank her. But the proud crusader of the Ascendancy wasn’t daunted by her situation.
“Here Fido~”
She clapped her normal arms together, and absorbed the metal of her thrusters into her metal arms; not only were they repaired, they were also enlarged and reinforced, wth wicked barbed spikes lining the length of the forearms as well as her palms. The large hands then snapped around the upper jaws of the two Feral Lupas at her sides, keeping them at arms’ reach while she focused her magic on boosting the defense of the arms, able to cast spells with her normal hands. She relied on the beasts’ primal instinct to bite down on the metallic hands restraining them, causing them to pierce themselves on the barbs. It was a cruel tactic, showing the pragmatic nature of the Ascendancy. But even so, FanFan was focused on what Leena was doing.
Leena’s eyes were intense as she stared right into Endsinger’s gaze. Even if it seemed futile, she kept her swords crossed, preventing Endsinger from pulling her out without bisecting her. She gasped as her gas mask was ripped off, and made a muffled sound as her lips were claimed in a kiss. Any girl, even a magical one, would be shocked if they were caught in an unexpected smooch, and Leena was no exception. And she did struggle, sounding uncomfortable with the lack of morals that the lich expressed, and hateful at the fact she managed to parry Dawn’s greatsword.
However, the lich realized that something was off. For one, Leena was surprisingly calm in the kiss, not having released the grip of her swords or even attempted to knee her. Then, she saw FanFan’s reaction to the kiss. Instead of horror or disgust, as one might expect from an Ascendancy member, there was but a grin. Then, upon tasting something she didn’t expect, she knew she was played;
Teeth braces.
Leena hit her swords together, and at that moment FanFan lifted her normal arms and performed a glowing magic circle of bright gray.
Leena’s teeth braces, having been prepared with activation runes beforehand, then released the compressed steel they had hidden, an example of internal magic contained in enchanted items. They expanded into two wide blocks shaped like an =-symbol that slammed forward with the force of a power fist, punching Endsinger in the face. With luck, she might even be cut against her ensnaring swords.
Once again the courtroom went silent at Alicia’s explanation, and seemed to last just a bit longer than before, as the Ascendancy contemplated the evidence presented. “So I was correct in my original assumption,” Hudie simply stated, while Sylvia spoke up to confirm the situation with Penny. “The decision of alliance with Penny’s Patron was carried out by the Beckoners of Penrose,” she stated. “And as Alicia said, we were ignorant of the treachery involved.” Then, all eyes were on Serenity for a moment, and Tsuki nodded. “That is true. While there have been beings in the past who have attempted to disguise themselves as Beacon before with false Sparks, Serenity’s Spark is genuine, with no traces of corruption on her.”
The other members of the Ascendancy whispered and murmured among themselves as they discussed Alicia’s testimony, except for Isthar, who still kept silently praying, and Rachel, who held a menacing glare on Alicia. During this time, Aurelio could sense that there was a mix of suspicion, belief, contemplation, and fear coming from the audience, with subtle variations coming from Hudie, Tsuki, Elora, and other regular members of the Ascendancy. Rachel herself seemed resentful, with a fiery passion for justice. However, for some reason, he was unable to gauge the Cardinal’s feelings; the mysterious girl was like pure air to his inquiry.
Finally, Rachel spoke up. “She has admitted to her guilt, I see no reason to stall this any longer.” She adjusted her glasses. “She needs to be made an example to others, to show the price of rebelling against the Beacon’s will and letting corruption seep into our midst.” The other Ascendancy members looked among each other; they seemed hesitant, and Rachel stepped forward towards the Light girl. “She is a self-admitted deceiver, weak of will and unable to realize the consequences of her actions!” She pointed at her, her expression one of hate. “She is a danger to us all! Burn her and her conspirators at the stake and be done with it!!”
”...”At that moment, something seemed to happen to Isthar; her eyes, previously closed, now opened. They were a brilliant golden color, and gave the illusion of casting light upon anything they gazed upon. The members of the Ascendancy tensed up, while the audience seemed to hold their breaths in anticipation.
”...Alicia Hayden, Seraph of Penrose.” Her voice was like the chorus of angels, so beautiful and pure that it tugged at the heartstrings of any who heard it. Sally began openly crying with comical fountain streams, while Sylvia held back her tears with a sniffle. The audience wept tears, while even the hardened members of the Ascendancy showed signs of sorrow. Isthar seemed to ignore this reaction as she continued speaking, without any hint of emotion in her voice.
”There is darkness within you, a doubt of self that gnaws you from within. You are conflicted by the feelings you harbor to those closest to you, and feel that you lack the power to change yourself.Rachel smirked, looking like she has already won.
”...Yet, you have never let that stray you from the true path..."Rachel gasped silently, her eyes wide in shock.
”You have fought and struggled, but never lost sight of your true self. You have never given up on doing the right thing, even if it means losing everything. Even in the darkest depths, the light of true justice, unclouded by bias, has illuminated your path, and pushed you forward. And because you risked your life to save your friend, a new hope was born.”Then, she opened her clasped hands, and revealed that she held a White Coin.
Rachel seemed distraught upon seeing the coin. “B-But Cardinal Isthar-”
”Beacon has trusted in the ancient ways, set when the world was young. We have kept the light of the world shining through tradition set long ago, showing us the way generation after generation. But now, a great darkness is coming, one even our light of justice cannot banish.”She wept tears of brilliant golden from her cheeks.
”Steel and fire will not be enough. We need more to withstand the coming calamity. Corruption starts in the heart...But it also ends in the heart. We need compassion, and understanding. We need a true love that encompasses all, so that the world may change.” She put one hand to her chest, and let the White Coin slowly float away from her palm.
”The White Coin is that catalyst for change. It embodies Beacon’s love in one another, and our faith in our cause.” The coin moved down the room until it ended up hovering in place before Alicia.
Everyone else looked on in wonder and anticipation. Isthar wiped her tears, and gave a subtle smile.
”Seraph of Beacon...Awaken your love. Cast aside your doubts, and become the light that illuminates the way to the future.”
The mysterious stranger made a strange-sounding laugh upon hearing Ronin’s answer. “No waurri! Gud preis för juu! Kum sii!” However, upon seeing Valkyire quickly catch up to them, she blinked, and released her wrist, hiding her weapons. “Saurri saurri! Zo happi to sii kustomier. Nou meen harmi!” She exclaimed. With the kidnapping situation resolved, Ronin managed to ask her question, and the exotic shopkeep scratched her nose. “Jiru? AAH, Jippo-Jiru! Jees, Jees!” She nodded. “Maghi Serevesus, jaas. Wei wei jaas...Mutta.” She seemed to think, until her eyes lighted up. “Odottakaa!” She held her hand forward, and then ran back to her shop.The two heard loud rummaging sounds including the clanging of weapons, a broken pot, and the cock-a-doodle of of a rooster before she returned. “Paketti! Jirulle Paketti!” She had a box of some kind; it was made of gnarled wood, tied close with writhing red string, and had a couple of holes on it. There were a couple of glowing runes etched on it as well. She pointed in a direction with her other hand. “Tarun refut, raita, refut, öba burig, zoom zoom!” She made her hand into a straight line that curved left, right, left, then over something, and finally jabbed forward a couple of times to emphasize her words. “Maghi Servesesus, Jirulle. Jaas jaas?” She then asked, and gave the box to Ronin.
The alien gynoid hissed as her attack was dodged, her mouth opening up like a Predator.
“Blasphemer! Traitor! Heretic!” She spouted insults, and now used her sword to block the attacks Penny threw at her. Unlike the reactionary armor which managed to guard her well, her sword parries were less effective before Penny’s brute strength. Penny managed to get a punch right to her jaw, causing blue blood to trickle from the corner of her jaw. “The Great Remaker loved you most of his fated one.” She clashed with Penny, visibly struggling to hold her own against Penny, yet still not refusing to give up.
“But look at you, Stagnation!” She made a spinning slash to create distance between the two.
“By refusing change, you will only rust and turn to dust! I, Sirkkeli, will see that Laat’s will be done!” Then, Penny felt something burn on her fists, and saw that the liquid on her enemy’s blades had turned into a metal-eating mold of some kind. Unlike with Valerie’s blade, which she was forced to drop lest it spread to her hand, this infection did not expand; this was thanks to Penny’s active efforts to resist changes to her metal.
However, it did not prevent the metal-eater from actively harming her like a burning rash, causing her Regeneration to constantly run at full power. Disturbingly, she found herself unable to control the Power, like an immune system reacting to a mild sickness with full alarms, likely a designed effect of the infection to counter Regeneration users. For now Penny had mana to sustain both enchantments, but she could tell it was not a permanent solution, especially if more of the metal-eating mold contaminated her frame and accelerated the magic consumption. Sirkkeli was fully aware of her predicament and continued attacking with her dripping blades; Penny was forced to choose between outright assault and risking the spread of the infection, or avoiding blows and attempting to wear her out first before her mana runs empty.
