Minnie giggled as she pushed the barrel of the gun against Alex' helmet. Her smirk turned wider at his defiant words.
"Now cracks a noble heart. Good-night, sweet prince. And flights of angels sing thee to thy-AH!" She screamed at the arc of light Alicia shot from far away as it hit her shoulder, and winced in shock. As a result, she didn't notice how Alex swung at her leg until it was too late. The thin barrier broke as it impacted against her leg, but the thin, blade-like weapon sliced effectively, leaving a grievous wound on Minnie; a regular person would have been dismembered.
"Aaaahhh! Curses! How...A barrier! So that is why you took so many attacks without flinching!" Minnie shrieked as she jumped back, and landed with a single foot like a ballerina; her crooked leg dripped with blood.
"Bastards! I should have extended my spell for a couple of seconds more, and finished you right there..."Lily tried to stand up, but clutched at her leg in pain; it seemed that she was somehow injured. She used her staff as a crutch, and stood up.
"That's it..." She wobbled a bit in place.
"You can stop time! That's how you attacked us so fast!""Brevity is the soul of wit, it seems, but that changes nothing!"Minnie spoke through grit teeth, and aimed at Lily with her revolver, expecting Alex to get up and charge at her. She was now sweating from her brow.
"Hold it! We have not reached the third act yet!"Lily widened her stance, wincing a bit, and changed her weapon to a drawn bow.
"Time spells must be taxing. That's why you're sweating. Aren't I right?"Lily looked furious, her bow drawn to it's limit.
"You tried to hurt Alex, so I won't forgive you!"Minnie scowled. But then, she giggled.
"To be, or not to be: that is the question."Lily's eyebrows furrowed.
"Stop spouting that Shakespeare crap!"But Minnie only laughed.
"When sorrows come, they come not single spies. But in battalions!"And then, it happened again; the two heard a strange sound behind them, as if space was displaced. Before Alex managed to turn, Lily already made a panicked scream. It was Sonia, who had grabbed her.
"Excellent work stalling, Minnie. Now we have obtained the last sacrifice for Lady Justine." She looked aside at Alex, and blocked the inevitable attack with an ornate knight's shield that appeared before her open palm; it was emblazoned with a bat-winged heart, and dropped down with a loud clang.
"It seems her sweetheart is still alive. Dispose of him and the other witnesses.""NOOO! ALEX!" Lily screamed as loud as she could. But then, her eyes caught something.
She managed to struggle against Sonia's hold enough to shoot a lightning bolt that flew right past Minnie.
"That's enough. Our Lady has waited for due time."And just as suddenly as she appeared, she disappeared, enveloping Lily in the pocket of nothingness with her, leaving naught but the shield behind.
Minnie giggled, and twirled her revolver, while still standing on one leg. She made a dramatic lift of her hand to her forehead, mimicking grief, yet she had a malevolent grin on her face.
"Alas, poor Lily! I knew her well, Alex. The lady doth protest too much, methinks. Ohohohoo!"
The arrow that Lily shot was never aimed at Minnie. Instead it traveled far, and hit the thick waterfall of rain that Amber had directed to fall on enemy forces, specifically the one that was aimed at the bloodicorns. Despite their armor, they were shocked effectively thanks to being soaked from the rain, making them vulnerable to Lily's magic. Most of them fell over, dead from heart attacks, while the rest scattered to avoid the water; they have lost their strength in numbers, and were easy pickings as well.
Amber found Helga stuck between a heap of scrap metal that was once a car, and a building's side.
She seemed to be alive, but despite her great strength failed to push the metal away.
"S-Sorry, Amber...I'm tough, but that hurt..." She spoke through pained breaths. "That car hit me like a bullet train thanks to Minnie speeding it up." With Amber's help, she managed to free herself. She looked disheveled, and her arms were lowered like a gorilla's. "She's dangerous with her time magic. We gotta stop her!"