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@Majoras End
Oh, I see. And yes, you can have two mind mutations.
Oh, I see. And yes, you can have two mind mutations.
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@Majoras End
I noticed that you only picked two mutations (assuming Wings are the physical mutation), when you should pick two more for a total of four.
I noticed that you only picked two mutations (assuming Wings are the physical mutation), when you should pick two more for a total of four.
Justine threw the spear after the magic spam was over. Also, when you have time, could you write down the benefits from the Black Coin?
42 of the saddest, most pitiful magical girls that could be, had been united under Mariette's leadership. Most of them had darkened bags under their glowing eyes, their eyelids heavy with lethargy. They also had unsteady footing as their countless footsteps clamored in the shadowy corridor, as if they had been unaccustomed to exerting so much energy. A few of them were so frail they could not stand by themselves, and leaned on a stronger girl's shoulder, slightly straggling behind. However, for how pathetic they seemed, they had a great power in their sheer number as they huddled around their Savior in a drove of frilly dresses and faint smiles of hope.
The smiles of the liberated dolls turned to confusion when Mariette gave her first order, unsure how to answer. They looked at each other with sad eyes, and murmured and whispered among each other, like lost souls.
"Umm..."
A high-pitched voice called out from the crowd, and a lone girl stepped out; she looked about the same physical age as Mariette, and she averted her eyes with a blush on her cheeks, her forefingers pointed together in a demure fashion.
"Uh, well, if you really think we'd need it...I...Can help." The other girls looked on with a mix of interest and suspicion as she continued. "I specialize in Rejuvenation, and I can completely heal a person, in body and mind. But, mmm, it's embarrassing..." She whined, but then bit her lip, took a deep breath, and said:
"I need to...k-kiss them. And, uhh, not just a little peck will do. It has to be on their l-lips, and for...at least ten s-seconds. I've never done this, and I need to focus on it, so...eep."
Suffice to say, gasps popped out from the crowd, and many eyes looked on at Mariette, curious to see how she would react.
After Mariette had decided on what she should do about restoring her mana, she hand-picked and divided the 42 girls into three distinct groups. Though she did remember quite a few of the girls and their powers, the whole mass ended up as a scrambled blur in her uncaring mind. Eli helped by confirming whatever suspicions Mariette had with her third Eye, but the slime harpy soon became exhausted in the face of so many girls to analyze. And so, Mariette had to primarily rely on grouping them based on their physical qualities.
The first group, totaling ten girls, were sent out to search for Justine's treasure, in whatever form it took. While most of them seemed able to hide or run, they all looked frail if not outright sickly. In fact, three of them were unable to stand by themselves, and had to be supported; the smallest girl was carried in a piggyback ride by a taller girl). However, they had powers to hide themselves or flee, so Mariette deemed them fitting for the task, having fulfilled her conditions. The second group consisted of the only pair of twins out of the entire horde, with the ability to communicate between each other over long distances. Thus, they were assigned with securing an exit and explaining the situation to Mariette's named targets. And finally, the rest of the girls, numbering a mighty 30, ran out, with six of them acting as a human palanquin for Mariette to ride on. And, just as she ordered, they bravely slew any nefarious candle they saw, ending up victorious against the illuminating foes as they headed up the castle. Along the way, Mariette felt the effect of numerouas broken mirrors on the wall, causing her great pain. Would she survive the whole trip?
Alicia was glad to learn her Enhanced Outfit had perfectly preserved the contents of her pockets. She was successful in the application of her Hoodoo Sorcery, and her herbs had a soothing effect on Kimble's wound, which she discovered to run from her shoulder down to her hip; it became clear she managed to use her wind magic to redirect the magical cannon shell just enough to graze her, preventing her from being completely obliterated. While she was recovering, Penny's Regeneration got to work, and new metal parts lengthened to form new limbs. By the end of it, she had skeleton-like legs and arms, missing flesh and skin, but capable of function. The feline girl's furry ears perked up, and she opened her eyes slowly, still in a pain-induced stupor. "Nhh...Nyahh..." She purred meekly after hearing Alicia's reassuring words, and her tail slowly curled around herself as she looked up at Alicia and Penny, clearly confused and afraid as they leered down at her. "Nhh...Huh? Wh..What's going onnyah?"
Sylvia sighed as she followed Penny back to Alicia, and seemed genuinely shocked. "A survivor? Move, I gotta-Ngh!" She grit her teeth, and drew in a sharp breath as she saw Kimble. "Oh, you gotta be kidding me..."
Sally frowned. "That's a...monster, right?" She asked, looking at Alicia with sad eyes. "Uhh, what should we do?" She asked while poking her chin with her finger.
"Ugh...This is a problem," Sylvia whispered, her head leaned down so her eyes were hidden by her hair.
"Don't you remember our mission as Beacon, Sally? We have to-"
"Sylvia! No, we can't!" Sally screamed, her eyes widened. "It's so cute and adorable, it would be too cruel! What if we recruit her, like the killer rob-I mean, like Penny? I'm sure that's fine, right?"
Kimble then whimpered, with tears in her eyes: "Please, have mercy. I promise I won't cause trouble. Please don't kill me."
Alicia's Beckoner strung a sorrowful note on her harp. "Alicia, for all the time you have served under Beacon's guidance, you have proven yourself a loyal and honorable follower of our ideals. Your sense of justice has been unwavering in this time of weakness for our order. If only all our chosen were as virtuous." The Beckoner sighed." My brethren have deemed the purging of all monsters absolute...However, I will give you the power of choice." The rest of Beacon were stunned into silence.
"Decide on this monster's fate. Whatever judgement you arrive in, I will deem it just in the light of Beacon, and you shall be above retribution. Listen to your heart."
Alex dodged and weaved through Justine's rain of blood with superhuman speed, dashing across the free-falling floor to catch Lily just in time. She yelped with surprise, and blushed heavily from the sudden intimate contact, tucking her arms to her body.
"Alex! So you really did come to save me! I knew it! I'm good at predicting this stuff!" She exclaimed with a little giggle, as carefree as always. However, her expression soon turned serious.
"But no more messing around! We need to stop Justine before she hurts anyone else!"
She then blinked, and an idea came to her. She pointed up with a cheeky grin.
"Bring me back up and closer to her, Alex! I know what to say to her!"
Justine von Visceral howled with laughter as she spun, her dress twirling in elegant fashion as she made but slight motions to dodge Scout's attacks. One of them managed to cause a tear in her otherwise perfect ensemble, but she did not seem to notice as she threw her red spear at Scout; it nailed her right on the foot and pierced the stone floor mere seconds before Shade's Stasis, trapping her in place.
"Pitiful! So pitiful it makes me laugh!"
Justine began charging a large red ball of magical energy once she was done with her hell of bullets. Her attacks were partially avoided thanks to Shade's rapid use of Stasis to hurl herself in the air, but it was not enough; she incurred multiple wounds on her body from the projectiles piercing her clothes and skin. On her own, she would have been unable to attack, let alone move. But assisted by both Scout and Sue, she was shot through the air in glorious fashion, her ChronoRend ready to deal a decisive blow.
And so it did. But not on Justine; the blade found itself piercing Janet's tattoo. just moments ago Justine's eyes flashed red, and the jellyfish-like girl's own pupils repeated the signal. Her body jerked forward like a puppet on it's strings, her tentacle hair wildly flailing in the air, only to turn still as she was cut right through.
"Conniving jester!" Justine suddenly reached out and gripped Shade's ChronoRend-holding wrist, squeezing it with unnatural strength. Janet's form turned to that of a regular blonde girl wearing a black dress, and she turned limp as she fell down, taking the embedded weapon with her as her weight combined with Justine's pressure forced her to drop it from her hand.
"You will pay for making me lose my most precious servant!"
She grinned with malicious intent, and dark magic manifested from her iron-like grip, spreading down her arm and through her wounds.
"Heart Breaker."
At the moment of incantation, Shade felt a great pain in her chest; similar to a heart attack, she felt how her heart began beating slower and slower, the blood in it now controlled by Justine herself and expanding. It seemed as if Justine was about to kill her by literally splitting her heart in two when Sue's thunder shot caused her to release her grip, the girl's heart still whole. No longer able to hold her consciousness, she turned back to her human form, and was dropped by Justine, now following behind Janet. Helga cursed, and dove down to catch the two girls. They were now close to the ocean.
"This is what happens to any who oppose me! Now, give Lily to me!"
The smiles of the liberated dolls turned to confusion when Mariette gave her first order, unsure how to answer. They looked at each other with sad eyes, and murmured and whispered among each other, like lost souls.
"Umm..."
A high-pitched voice called out from the crowd, and a lone girl stepped out; she looked about the same physical age as Mariette, and she averted her eyes with a blush on her cheeks, her forefingers pointed together in a demure fashion.
"Uh, well, if you really think we'd need it...I...Can help." The other girls looked on with a mix of interest and suspicion as she continued. "I specialize in Rejuvenation, and I can completely heal a person, in body and mind. But, mmm, it's embarrassing..." She whined, but then bit her lip, took a deep breath, and said:
"I need to...k-kiss them. And, uhh, not just a little peck will do. It has to be on their l-lips, and for...at least ten s-seconds. I've never done this, and I need to focus on it, so...eep."
Suffice to say, gasps popped out from the crowd, and many eyes looked on at Mariette, curious to see how she would react.
After Mariette had decided on what she should do about restoring her mana, she hand-picked and divided the 42 girls into three distinct groups. Though she did remember quite a few of the girls and their powers, the whole mass ended up as a scrambled blur in her uncaring mind. Eli helped by confirming whatever suspicions Mariette had with her third Eye, but the slime harpy soon became exhausted in the face of so many girls to analyze. And so, Mariette had to primarily rely on grouping them based on their physical qualities.
The first group, totaling ten girls, were sent out to search for Justine's treasure, in whatever form it took. While most of them seemed able to hide or run, they all looked frail if not outright sickly. In fact, three of them were unable to stand by themselves, and had to be supported; the smallest girl was carried in a piggyback ride by a taller girl). However, they had powers to hide themselves or flee, so Mariette deemed them fitting for the task, having fulfilled her conditions. The second group consisted of the only pair of twins out of the entire horde, with the ability to communicate between each other over long distances. Thus, they were assigned with securing an exit and explaining the situation to Mariette's named targets. And finally, the rest of the girls, numbering a mighty 30, ran out, with six of them acting as a human palanquin for Mariette to ride on. And, just as she ordered, they bravely slew any nefarious candle they saw, ending up victorious against the illuminating foes as they headed up the castle. Along the way, Mariette felt the effect of numerouas broken mirrors on the wall, causing her great pain. Would she survive the whole trip?
Alicia was glad to learn her Enhanced Outfit had perfectly preserved the contents of her pockets. She was successful in the application of her Hoodoo Sorcery, and her herbs had a soothing effect on Kimble's wound, which she discovered to run from her shoulder down to her hip; it became clear she managed to use her wind magic to redirect the magical cannon shell just enough to graze her, preventing her from being completely obliterated. While she was recovering, Penny's Regeneration got to work, and new metal parts lengthened to form new limbs. By the end of it, she had skeleton-like legs and arms, missing flesh and skin, but capable of function. The feline girl's furry ears perked up, and she opened her eyes slowly, still in a pain-induced stupor. "Nhh...Nyahh..." She purred meekly after hearing Alicia's reassuring words, and her tail slowly curled around herself as she looked up at Alicia and Penny, clearly confused and afraid as they leered down at her. "Nhh...Huh? Wh..What's going onnyah?"
Sylvia sighed as she followed Penny back to Alicia, and seemed genuinely shocked. "A survivor? Move, I gotta-Ngh!" She grit her teeth, and drew in a sharp breath as she saw Kimble. "Oh, you gotta be kidding me..."
Sally frowned. "That's a...monster, right?" She asked, looking at Alicia with sad eyes. "Uhh, what should we do?" She asked while poking her chin with her finger.
"Ugh...This is a problem," Sylvia whispered, her head leaned down so her eyes were hidden by her hair.
"Don't you remember our mission as Beacon, Sally? We have to-"
"Sylvia! No, we can't!" Sally screamed, her eyes widened. "It's so cute and adorable, it would be too cruel! What if we recruit her, like the killer rob-I mean, like Penny? I'm sure that's fine, right?"
Kimble then whimpered, with tears in her eyes: "Please, have mercy. I promise I won't cause trouble. Please don't kill me."
Alicia's Beckoner strung a sorrowful note on her harp. "Alicia, for all the time you have served under Beacon's guidance, you have proven yourself a loyal and honorable follower of our ideals. Your sense of justice has been unwavering in this time of weakness for our order. If only all our chosen were as virtuous." The Beckoner sighed." My brethren have deemed the purging of all monsters absolute...However, I will give you the power of choice." The rest of Beacon were stunned into silence.
"Decide on this monster's fate. Whatever judgement you arrive in, I will deem it just in the light of Beacon, and you shall be above retribution. Listen to your heart."
Alex dodged and weaved through Justine's rain of blood with superhuman speed, dashing across the free-falling floor to catch Lily just in time. She yelped with surprise, and blushed heavily from the sudden intimate contact, tucking her arms to her body.
"Alex! So you really did come to save me! I knew it! I'm good at predicting this stuff!" She exclaimed with a little giggle, as carefree as always. However, her expression soon turned serious.
"But no more messing around! We need to stop Justine before she hurts anyone else!"
She then blinked, and an idea came to her. She pointed up with a cheeky grin.
"Bring me back up and closer to her, Alex! I know what to say to her!"
Justine von Visceral howled with laughter as she spun, her dress twirling in elegant fashion as she made but slight motions to dodge Scout's attacks. One of them managed to cause a tear in her otherwise perfect ensemble, but she did not seem to notice as she threw her red spear at Scout; it nailed her right on the foot and pierced the stone floor mere seconds before Shade's Stasis, trapping her in place.
"Pitiful! So pitiful it makes me laugh!"
Justine began charging a large red ball of magical energy once she was done with her hell of bullets. Her attacks were partially avoided thanks to Shade's rapid use of Stasis to hurl herself in the air, but it was not enough; she incurred multiple wounds on her body from the projectiles piercing her clothes and skin. On her own, she would have been unable to attack, let alone move. But assisted by both Scout and Sue, she was shot through the air in glorious fashion, her ChronoRend ready to deal a decisive blow.
And so it did. But not on Justine; the blade found itself piercing Janet's tattoo. just moments ago Justine's eyes flashed red, and the jellyfish-like girl's own pupils repeated the signal. Her body jerked forward like a puppet on it's strings, her tentacle hair wildly flailing in the air, only to turn still as she was cut right through.
"Conniving jester!" Justine suddenly reached out and gripped Shade's ChronoRend-holding wrist, squeezing it with unnatural strength. Janet's form turned to that of a regular blonde girl wearing a black dress, and she turned limp as she fell down, taking the embedded weapon with her as her weight combined with Justine's pressure forced her to drop it from her hand.
"You will pay for making me lose my most precious servant!"
She grinned with malicious intent, and dark magic manifested from her iron-like grip, spreading down her arm and through her wounds.
"Heart Breaker."
At the moment of incantation, Shade felt a great pain in her chest; similar to a heart attack, she felt how her heart began beating slower and slower, the blood in it now controlled by Justine herself and expanding. It seemed as if Justine was about to kill her by literally splitting her heart in two when Sue's thunder shot caused her to release her grip, the girl's heart still whole. No longer able to hold her consciousness, she turned back to her human form, and was dropped by Justine, now following behind Janet. Helga cursed, and dove down to catch the two girls. They were now close to the ocean.
"This is what happens to any who oppose me! Now, give Lily to me!"
Sorry for the lack of activity. I've been planning this mission, and have yet to decide on how it should play out.
Alicia's Beckoner appeared with a small blink of light, and she strummed her harp as she landed on her shoulder with her tiny feet. "Alicia! Where have you-Ah!" She yelped in surprise, and floated down to inspect Doris. "As we expected Justine has gone so far as to enslave others to her will, and have them...It is horrendous." She turned to Alicia, and gave a reassuring smile. "Do not worry, for you have the Beacon with you...In your pocket, and in your heart." She then climbed into her pocket, and popped out holding the jeweled trinket in her tiny hands. A pillar of light shot up from the item, and seemed to clear the night sky for but a brief moment before it disappeared.
It only took a moment until Alicia could feel the same sensation as when she crossed through Mariette's portal; one Overcity Shift later, she was before a group of Beacon girls; the reinforcements have finally arrived.
"Well you took your sweet time!" Sylvia Starshine berated Alicia, her hands on her hips. "But I'm glad you finally did activate the signal." Another girl stepped forth, happy as can be. "Have you located Justine?"
Alicia saw that she accompanied by Shamrock Sally, a Beacon girl notorious for both her extreme clumsiness but also her miraculous success in most missions. She bore a wide smile as she asked the question, her bounciness visually apparent from both her figure and dress. "Umm...Hello, how can I help?"
Alongside her was June, a rookie Beacon girl who just began when the HQ was attacked, and a pair of twins she had never seen before. They simply stood side by side, and looked on at Alicia silently.
"I know it's not much, but there were only a few rookies available," Sylvia spoke, but then noticed Doris.
"If you think they can be saved, then we'll hold back for now. But the moment things get hairy, we won't hesitate to burn the whole den of evil down. Alright, listen up!"
She pointed at the castle.
"Blueberry, Strawberry, you spread out and look for hostages. June, you check out the library. Sally, you...Accompany Alicia. Whe-huh?"
Sylvia turned to see Penny's pathetic remains call out for them, and she sighed.
"So the monster had its use after all. Wait just a sec, I'll come over!"
She shouted, and gave a hand signal for the others to begin the operation. Everyone dispersed, but as Alicia was about to follow them, she heard a mewl low on the ground; she saw how Kimble's ears weakly twitched.
"Uuuhhh..." She murmured, critically injured; it was a miracle she was alive.
"Nghh..." She whined, and her tail slapped the ground, causing her to wince. Sally turned back.
"Hm? IS something wrong, Alicia?"
Sylvia leapt over the ice floes, and knelt beside Penny as she opened up her bag. "You're lucky I have my Hammerspace Bag with me." She took out some tools, and began giving her some mechanical first aid. "Hold still, your squirming makes this hard! Geez, what a piece of work..." She mumbled, and soon enough, Penny felt better...for a limbless torso. "So the rest of you scattered all over? What could have caused that much damage?" She asked, and then looked around. "Hey, didn't you come here on some kind of tank? Where is it?"
The doll-like magical girls formed a wide circle around Mariette and Eli when they reached her, but then stopped, standing completely still with their arms at their side, aside from the occasional sway or crooked head. "Huh?" One asked, and the others looked confused as well. At first, they looked on with disdain and enmity like before, but when she mentioned Justine, they gasped. "You're a victim too..." Some mumbled, and some looked sad. It seemed her lies took root in their magically addled minds, and when she claimed she would defeat Justine, they smiled, having fully bought the deception. "Savior..You're here to save us." They weakly cheered, and now approached her even more, until Mariette was uncomfortably pushed against by a horde of smiling girls.
"Let's go, Savior! Lead us to victory!" They spoke like a song, and lifted her up, carrying her in a crowd-surfing fashion as they ran out of the dungeons, in the direction Mariette would give them; they would obey nearly any order now. The Dark Magical Girl had succeeded in gathering minions of her own. Would she be the next ruler of the castle?
The air in the altar chamber turned tense and seemed to faintly sparkle, as magical wind and mist swirled around and struggled for control between Janet and Sue, like Yin and Yang. The hostility was so palpable one could nearly taste it, hanging by a thin, sharply-wound thread, the silence only broken by Helga's quiet sobbing. Lily was frozen in place, not daring to move a muscle as Justine looked deep into her eyes with two crimson orbs. She then glared at Alex, and gripped her dagger tighter. Alex' clones flanked Justine, and the vampire girl's fangs glistened as she bared her teeth, her eyes ablaze with determination.
"I won't let anyone deny my paradise! NOBODY!"
In a single instant, everything fell to chaos. As if she had cast a spell herself, Justine, and Lily by proximity, were encased inside Janet's bubble-like body, shielding them against the clones that flanked them and repelled their attacks. The bubble shivered, piercing screech resounded through the chamber like a demonic bat, and the large window in the back shattered; carried by the winds, the shards caused the room to shimmer in hues of red.
"Futile! Mere peasants like you cannot change fate!"
Justine spoke with glee, and made a stabbing motion towards Lily. The green/haired girl yelped, and defended with her arms. The dagger bounced back, having shattered one of five barriers Alex managed to cast on her.
"All I need is a drop of your blood, Lily! It will only sting for a moment!"
Justine made another stab, and another, her face a twisted smile, and Lily cried out in fear.
" So give it to me! Like the son of God, save us with your sacrifice!"
But then, she stopped with a scowl as she felt the magic in the air coalesce around the chamber, just as more magical girls ran into the chamber. Her eyes widened, and she looked like she screamed loudly. However, her words fell to deaf ears, as everything turned silent; Sue cast a spell of great arcane might, and most of the floor disappeared, alongside everyone on and over it.
A bright, yellow light flashed over everyone's eyes far in the horizon as it dipped into the ocean. The sound of harsh winds befell everyone, as they now plummeted from the sky alongside a long piece of marble floor that Justine and Lily stood on. Helga was startled by the change, and looked around, now upside down as she fell. Scout was standing at the very edge of the now-falling marble-floor, and nearly tripped from the edge, saving herself with her Dexterity. Justine, however only showed pure wrath in her eyes. When Sue launched the bubble up, she flapped her bat wings by reflex, and scoffed with a squint in her eyes. The black tentacles whipped and coiled around the bubble, and it endured until it was hit by Sue's vacuum punch, causing it to open up and expose the two inside.
"You harlot! But this changes nothing! The moment we reach the sea, Janet will kill you all! It is useless!" Justine shouted, and reeled back to throw her red spear.
"Justine!"
Justine turned; she saw Helga pointed at Justine; her tears flowed upwards from her cheeks. "My lady promised me we would sail the seas together...to go on adventures on her ship. But you killed her! You have taken everything from me! I won't forgive you...I WILL AVENGE MY AMBY!"
And then, she transformed again, and assumed her draconic form. But this time, it resembled her monster girl appearance more; it was fitted with futuristic accessories, with two horns with clean-cut tips growing from her forehead, and from her back sprouted scaly wings. She charged forward, and placed her clawed palms on the bubble. The bubble then incurred a point-blank impact from her sound wave cannons, now amplified with a frequency that could segregate the most viscous liquid. Due to her liquid form, Janet incurred heavy damage from the blow, and was forced to reassemble back to her jellyfish form.
"Kneel, peasants, and submit to your destiny! Cross of Golgata!"
Justine spread her limbs, including her four black wings, and magic circles formed from each one; she unleashed a barrage of wide red beams of magical energy in the shape of crosses from them. One was aimed at Helga, another at Alex, one at Shade, and the last one at Sue. The lasers were accompanied by a massive amount of red orbs, filling the air with a curtain of magical projectiles, forming mesmerizing patterns as Justine showed her supreme magical ability.
"Aaahhh!"
Lily screamed as she fell, only slightly slower than the seesaw floor. It would still take some time before they hit the sea.
"I wish I had wings tooooooooo!"
It only took a moment until Alicia could feel the same sensation as when she crossed through Mariette's portal; one Overcity Shift later, she was before a group of Beacon girls; the reinforcements have finally arrived.
"Well you took your sweet time!" Sylvia Starshine berated Alicia, her hands on her hips. "But I'm glad you finally did activate the signal." Another girl stepped forth, happy as can be. "Have you located Justine?"
Alicia saw that she accompanied by Shamrock Sally, a Beacon girl notorious for both her extreme clumsiness but also her miraculous success in most missions. She bore a wide smile as she asked the question, her bounciness visually apparent from both her figure and dress. "Umm...Hello, how can I help?"
Alongside her was June, a rookie Beacon girl who just began when the HQ was attacked, and a pair of twins she had never seen before. They simply stood side by side, and looked on at Alicia silently.
"I know it's not much, but there were only a few rookies available," Sylvia spoke, but then noticed Doris.
"If you think they can be saved, then we'll hold back for now. But the moment things get hairy, we won't hesitate to burn the whole den of evil down. Alright, listen up!"
She pointed at the castle.
"Blueberry, Strawberry, you spread out and look for hostages. June, you check out the library. Sally, you...Accompany Alicia. Whe-huh?"
Sylvia turned to see Penny's pathetic remains call out for them, and she sighed.
"So the monster had its use after all. Wait just a sec, I'll come over!"
She shouted, and gave a hand signal for the others to begin the operation. Everyone dispersed, but as Alicia was about to follow them, she heard a mewl low on the ground; she saw how Kimble's ears weakly twitched.
"Uuuhhh..." She murmured, critically injured; it was a miracle she was alive.
"Nghh..." She whined, and her tail slapped the ground, causing her to wince. Sally turned back.
"Hm? IS something wrong, Alicia?"
Sylvia leapt over the ice floes, and knelt beside Penny as she opened up her bag. "You're lucky I have my Hammerspace Bag with me." She took out some tools, and began giving her some mechanical first aid. "Hold still, your squirming makes this hard! Geez, what a piece of work..." She mumbled, and soon enough, Penny felt better...for a limbless torso. "So the rest of you scattered all over? What could have caused that much damage?" She asked, and then looked around. "Hey, didn't you come here on some kind of tank? Where is it?"
The doll-like magical girls formed a wide circle around Mariette and Eli when they reached her, but then stopped, standing completely still with their arms at their side, aside from the occasional sway or crooked head. "Huh?" One asked, and the others looked confused as well. At first, they looked on with disdain and enmity like before, but when she mentioned Justine, they gasped. "You're a victim too..." Some mumbled, and some looked sad. It seemed her lies took root in their magically addled minds, and when she claimed she would defeat Justine, they smiled, having fully bought the deception. "Savior..You're here to save us." They weakly cheered, and now approached her even more, until Mariette was uncomfortably pushed against by a horde of smiling girls.
"Let's go, Savior! Lead us to victory!" They spoke like a song, and lifted her up, carrying her in a crowd-surfing fashion as they ran out of the dungeons, in the direction Mariette would give them; they would obey nearly any order now. The Dark Magical Girl had succeeded in gathering minions of her own. Would she be the next ruler of the castle?
The air in the altar chamber turned tense and seemed to faintly sparkle, as magical wind and mist swirled around and struggled for control between Janet and Sue, like Yin and Yang. The hostility was so palpable one could nearly taste it, hanging by a thin, sharply-wound thread, the silence only broken by Helga's quiet sobbing. Lily was frozen in place, not daring to move a muscle as Justine looked deep into her eyes with two crimson orbs. She then glared at Alex, and gripped her dagger tighter. Alex' clones flanked Justine, and the vampire girl's fangs glistened as she bared her teeth, her eyes ablaze with determination.
"I won't let anyone deny my paradise! NOBODY!"
In a single instant, everything fell to chaos. As if she had cast a spell herself, Justine, and Lily by proximity, were encased inside Janet's bubble-like body, shielding them against the clones that flanked them and repelled their attacks. The bubble shivered, piercing screech resounded through the chamber like a demonic bat, and the large window in the back shattered; carried by the winds, the shards caused the room to shimmer in hues of red.
"Futile! Mere peasants like you cannot change fate!"
Justine spoke with glee, and made a stabbing motion towards Lily. The green/haired girl yelped, and defended with her arms. The dagger bounced back, having shattered one of five barriers Alex managed to cast on her.
"All I need is a drop of your blood, Lily! It will only sting for a moment!"
Justine made another stab, and another, her face a twisted smile, and Lily cried out in fear.
" So give it to me! Like the son of God, save us with your sacrifice!"
But then, she stopped with a scowl as she felt the magic in the air coalesce around the chamber, just as more magical girls ran into the chamber. Her eyes widened, and she looked like she screamed loudly. However, her words fell to deaf ears, as everything turned silent; Sue cast a spell of great arcane might, and most of the floor disappeared, alongside everyone on and over it.
A bright, yellow light flashed over everyone's eyes far in the horizon as it dipped into the ocean. The sound of harsh winds befell everyone, as they now plummeted from the sky alongside a long piece of marble floor that Justine and Lily stood on. Helga was startled by the change, and looked around, now upside down as she fell. Scout was standing at the very edge of the now-falling marble-floor, and nearly tripped from the edge, saving herself with her Dexterity. Justine, however only showed pure wrath in her eyes. When Sue launched the bubble up, she flapped her bat wings by reflex, and scoffed with a squint in her eyes. The black tentacles whipped and coiled around the bubble, and it endured until it was hit by Sue's vacuum punch, causing it to open up and expose the two inside.
"You harlot! But this changes nothing! The moment we reach the sea, Janet will kill you all! It is useless!" Justine shouted, and reeled back to throw her red spear.
"Justine!"
Justine turned; she saw Helga pointed at Justine; her tears flowed upwards from her cheeks. "My lady promised me we would sail the seas together...to go on adventures on her ship. But you killed her! You have taken everything from me! I won't forgive you...I WILL AVENGE MY AMBY!"
And then, she transformed again, and assumed her draconic form. But this time, it resembled her monster girl appearance more; it was fitted with futuristic accessories, with two horns with clean-cut tips growing from her forehead, and from her back sprouted scaly wings. She charged forward, and placed her clawed palms on the bubble. The bubble then incurred a point-blank impact from her sound wave cannons, now amplified with a frequency that could segregate the most viscous liquid. Due to her liquid form, Janet incurred heavy damage from the blow, and was forced to reassemble back to her jellyfish form.
"Kneel, peasants, and submit to your destiny! Cross of Golgata!"
Justine spread her limbs, including her four black wings, and magic circles formed from each one; she unleashed a barrage of wide red beams of magical energy in the shape of crosses from them. One was aimed at Helga, another at Alex, one at Shade, and the last one at Sue. The lasers were accompanied by a massive amount of red orbs, filling the air with a curtain of magical projectiles, forming mesmerizing patterns as Justine showed her supreme magical ability.
"Aaahhh!"
Lily screamed as she fell, only slightly slower than the seesaw floor. It would still take some time before they hit the sea.
"I wish I had wings tooooooooo!"
Was the second weapon a Gold Coin purchase? Great number crunching here, good job. Not that I'll accept it, heh.
Curie blazed through the air like a jet plane, leaving behind numerous slashes while weaving around the various attacks aimed at her. While she was immune to Penny's thrown projectiles due to the aura of stone-melting heat she now emanated around her in her fully powered state, the same couldn't be said of the Engine's giant glowing blades; she got a grazing blow delivered to her despite her attempts at predicting her, and the impåact sent her flying back, towards the moon. Curie now had blood dripping form the corner of her lip, and snarled as she shook her fist.
"No! I can't lose! I have to...Protect the castle...I have to protect the world...from this monster!"
Then she was shot by the lightning bolt redirected from the gauss discharge, and she screamed; her aura now grew so bright as to resemble the sun bomb from earlier, and her body began changing even more; her skin distorted, and her muscles expanded even more.
"So this is the end...Well then, I will make it my final firework!"
She then took her sword, now ablaze with fierce flame, and pierced it through her stomach.
Her body seemingly absorbed the sword, and the fire spread to encompass her entire body.
"LADY JUSTINE, WITNESS ME!"
With that final scream, she charged right at the Engine of Destruction, wreathed in flames, and tackled the giant construct into the lake, pushing her underwater. She didn't stop, no matter how many blades and spikes would strike at her. And then, she blew up in an earth-shaking atomic blast; if it wasn't for the magical dampening effect of the lake's waters, the entire landscape would have been consumed by the explosion. Instead, a massive pillar of water bizarrely resembling a mushroom cloud appeared as the lake contained the blast, meaning the entire force of the attack was directed on the Engine. As a consequence, the massive construct's parts scattered everywhere, and Penny's broken cyborg body launched high up, and landed on one of the remaining floats of ice. But miraculously enough, she was alive; Sol's blessing of invincibility had weakened after Penny absorbed the Earth Bastion, but the protective magic had been strong enough to prevent her death. But now, she had lost her limbs.
Doris was hit in the Ice Golem's arm by the metal slug; while not as powerful due to the lack of electrical energy that powered the projectile previously, it was enough to make a crack spread through the arm. Alicia took advantage of the distraction, and with radiant light blinded her, melting the golem into a loose enough shape for her to break free.
Doris covered her eyes with her arm as a reaction, but then looked confused as she opened them again; her eyes no longer had a dull sheen, and instead looked around in a panic, unlike her emotionless demeanor before.
"Huh? Who are you? Where am-"
She did not have time to finish her sentence, as she was pierced by a brilliant blade of light that smashed through the fragile crystal shell. She clutched at the blade, and looked on with horror as she saw the blood spread from her stomach.
"Aghhh! W-Why? I...d-don't...understand..."
She whimpered as life left her, and tears dripped down her pained face, before they froze into sparkling crystals, and she turned still.
The Ice Golem melted into a patch of pure white-snow, only to be tainted by crimson as the innocent magical girl's corpse landed on it. Alicia now felt a different cold from the one that lingered from her freezing after her victory; it was a chill in her heart.
Eli dashed through the dark tunnels, now a bit dank as splashing water had flowed down from the stairs. She easily spotted Ilia, who still lied unconscious, and reached the dungeons, where numerous magical girls have been collected. Eli recognized the girls, as most of them were kidnapped by Mariette, and offered to Justine. The girls didn't react when Eli arrived, but when Mariette stepped inside, she could feel eyes drawn to her in the candle-lit cells. The candles had enough distance that the dark magical only felt a slight pain in her chest. And then, they slowly turned their heads towards them, and slowly walked out of their open cells. "You...You brought us here...Witch..."
She could hear them whisper, the doll-like girls' movements stiff and creepy as they approached her. "...It's your fault..." They ghoulishly moaned. If Mariette attempted to walk away, she would realize the magical girls would follow her, at a slightly faster pace than she moves. However, she would hear what sounded like a train ahead in the underground corridors...
Sonia walked nonchalantly toward Makoto, confident in her victory, when the squirrel girl made her comeback.
"No, impossible...Not even Minnie could turn back time!"
When she was sent flying by the Killing Blow, she broke through the ceiling, and landed in the foyer just as Scout, Anaya, and Shade arrived there, kicking up a cloud of dust. She weakly reached out towards the high ceiling of the room.
"Lady Justine...Forgive me...For failing you..." She muttered before she turned unconscious. She was then surrounded by the various maids; until that point, they attempted to scale the magical walls Alex had set up, and some even attempted forming a pyramid to reach the top. But now, all they cared about was carrying Sonia to a different room, ignoring the magical girls completely. Now, the only thing between them and Justine were the magical boy's barriers.
Justine clenched her fist, and bared her teeth after she heard Alexander speak.
"You dare call me a coward? She snarled. Her wings now beat harder, and her posture turned more agitated, her spear pointed at the magical boy. She looked like she would have been ready to attack, but as Sue asked for her opinion, she curiously lowered her spear, her eyes wide as they glared with nearly uncontrolled hate; it seemed Sue had managed to reach through to her with her voice despite the vampire girl's unstable mental state.
"You have no idea what you're talking about."
Her lips turned into a mocking smile, though a careful eye noticed a twitch on her lower lip.
But how predictable; you dismiss anything that doesn't fit in your narrow-minded conception as stupid, like the pathetic sheep that you are."
"Alex is not a sheep!" Lily spoke up, but then yelped as Justine once again looked at her.
"Caroline..." She repeated the name, and seemed to reminisce for a short moment.
"My sweet sister...She means the world to me. But what I feel for her...It can't be called love. No, something so horrible, so painful...It could never be love. I did all I could to make her happy. I even let her scar me. But no matter what I did, she would be hurt, with tears in her eyes. And then...She wanted to be hurt. If the world calls such despair love..."
She then clenched at her chest.
"The only way she can be free...The only way the world can be saved, is if I make the pain go away. I'll clean everyone's hearts, make them pure again...Hers, and mine."
By the end of her monologue, she had descended down to Lily's level, the sacrificial dagger pointed at her.
"Do you not want to save this world, Lily? Is that not our sworn duty, as Mahou? It is your destiny."
"I...I..." Lily wavered, and shook as the vampire approached her.
"No! I can't lose! I have to...Protect the castle...I have to protect the world...from this monster!"
Then she was shot by the lightning bolt redirected from the gauss discharge, and she screamed; her aura now grew so bright as to resemble the sun bomb from earlier, and her body began changing even more; her skin distorted, and her muscles expanded even more.
"So this is the end...Well then, I will make it my final firework!"
She then took her sword, now ablaze with fierce flame, and pierced it through her stomach.
Her body seemingly absorbed the sword, and the fire spread to encompass her entire body.
"LADY JUSTINE, WITNESS ME!"
With that final scream, she charged right at the Engine of Destruction, wreathed in flames, and tackled the giant construct into the lake, pushing her underwater. She didn't stop, no matter how many blades and spikes would strike at her. And then, she blew up in an earth-shaking atomic blast; if it wasn't for the magical dampening effect of the lake's waters, the entire landscape would have been consumed by the explosion. Instead, a massive pillar of water bizarrely resembling a mushroom cloud appeared as the lake contained the blast, meaning the entire force of the attack was directed on the Engine. As a consequence, the massive construct's parts scattered everywhere, and Penny's broken cyborg body launched high up, and landed on one of the remaining floats of ice. But miraculously enough, she was alive; Sol's blessing of invincibility had weakened after Penny absorbed the Earth Bastion, but the protective magic had been strong enough to prevent her death. But now, she had lost her limbs.
Doris was hit in the Ice Golem's arm by the metal slug; while not as powerful due to the lack of electrical energy that powered the projectile previously, it was enough to make a crack spread through the arm. Alicia took advantage of the distraction, and with radiant light blinded her, melting the golem into a loose enough shape for her to break free.
Doris covered her eyes with her arm as a reaction, but then looked confused as she opened them again; her eyes no longer had a dull sheen, and instead looked around in a panic, unlike her emotionless demeanor before.
"Huh? Who are you? Where am-"
She did not have time to finish her sentence, as she was pierced by a brilliant blade of light that smashed through the fragile crystal shell. She clutched at the blade, and looked on with horror as she saw the blood spread from her stomach.
"Aghhh! W-Why? I...d-don't...understand..."
She whimpered as life left her, and tears dripped down her pained face, before they froze into sparkling crystals, and she turned still.
The Ice Golem melted into a patch of pure white-snow, only to be tainted by crimson as the innocent magical girl's corpse landed on it. Alicia now felt a different cold from the one that lingered from her freezing after her victory; it was a chill in her heart.
Eli dashed through the dark tunnels, now a bit dank as splashing water had flowed down from the stairs. She easily spotted Ilia, who still lied unconscious, and reached the dungeons, where numerous magical girls have been collected. Eli recognized the girls, as most of them were kidnapped by Mariette, and offered to Justine. The girls didn't react when Eli arrived, but when Mariette stepped inside, she could feel eyes drawn to her in the candle-lit cells. The candles had enough distance that the dark magical only felt a slight pain in her chest. And then, they slowly turned their heads towards them, and slowly walked out of their open cells. "You...You brought us here...Witch..."
She could hear them whisper, the doll-like girls' movements stiff and creepy as they approached her. "...It's your fault..." They ghoulishly moaned. If Mariette attempted to walk away, she would realize the magical girls would follow her, at a slightly faster pace than she moves. However, she would hear what sounded like a train ahead in the underground corridors...
Sonia walked nonchalantly toward Makoto, confident in her victory, when the squirrel girl made her comeback.
"No, impossible...Not even Minnie could turn back time!"
When she was sent flying by the Killing Blow, she broke through the ceiling, and landed in the foyer just as Scout, Anaya, and Shade arrived there, kicking up a cloud of dust. She weakly reached out towards the high ceiling of the room.
"Lady Justine...Forgive me...For failing you..." She muttered before she turned unconscious. She was then surrounded by the various maids; until that point, they attempted to scale the magical walls Alex had set up, and some even attempted forming a pyramid to reach the top. But now, all they cared about was carrying Sonia to a different room, ignoring the magical girls completely. Now, the only thing between them and Justine were the magical boy's barriers.
Justine clenched her fist, and bared her teeth after she heard Alexander speak.
"You dare call me a coward? She snarled. Her wings now beat harder, and her posture turned more agitated, her spear pointed at the magical boy. She looked like she would have been ready to attack, but as Sue asked for her opinion, she curiously lowered her spear, her eyes wide as they glared with nearly uncontrolled hate; it seemed Sue had managed to reach through to her with her voice despite the vampire girl's unstable mental state.
"You have no idea what you're talking about."
Her lips turned into a mocking smile, though a careful eye noticed a twitch on her lower lip.
But how predictable; you dismiss anything that doesn't fit in your narrow-minded conception as stupid, like the pathetic sheep that you are."
"Alex is not a sheep!" Lily spoke up, but then yelped as Justine once again looked at her.
"Caroline..." She repeated the name, and seemed to reminisce for a short moment.
"My sweet sister...She means the world to me. But what I feel for her...It can't be called love. No, something so horrible, so painful...It could never be love. I did all I could to make her happy. I even let her scar me. But no matter what I did, she would be hurt, with tears in her eyes. And then...She wanted to be hurt. If the world calls such despair love..."
She then clenched at her chest.
"The only way she can be free...The only way the world can be saved, is if I make the pain go away. I'll clean everyone's hearts, make them pure again...Hers, and mine."
By the end of her monologue, she had descended down to Lily's level, the sacrificial dagger pointed at her.
"Do you not want to save this world, Lily? Is that not our sworn duty, as Mahou? It is your destiny."
"I...I..." Lily wavered, and shook as the vampire approached her.
Sonia was not prepared for her spell being used against her, and shrieked as the knives were shot at her, covering her front with her arms; two knives embedded themselves on her left arm, one on her shoulder, and one on each of her legs before she teleported away. However, Makoto was not left unscathed; three knives behind her were unaffected by being turned towards Sonia, and struck into her body; one above her tail, one on her shoulder, and one between her shoulder blades. Makoto saw her reappear much farther away, about 500 meters in distance.
"Both gravity and time? You indecent vermin!"
She spat out as she magically ejected the knives out, and held her bloody arm with a vicious glare.
"My knives are useless, it seems..." She spoke, but then grinned with uncharacteristic glee.
"I did not imagine I would need to use my ultimate attack, but it seems nothing less will be enough for such a festering infestation."
With those bitter words, she held her arms before her with open palms, and a massive magic circle appeared.
"High-Impact Hell!"
She triggered another spell. Then, Makoto saw it; a bullet train came charging at her at full speed from the circle, filling the corridor entirely.
Curie blocked the first punch, and was sent sliding back a good ten meters. She was surprised, of course, but more than that, she smiled.
"Now this is strong! Finally, a worthy opponent for me to test my mettle! Come, clanker; let's dance!"
At first she tried to stand her ground, her teeth grit as she countered with her own swings of her irradiated sword. However, she quickly realized that the Terminator-like monster would not stop for a single moment, even if she sliced through her tough armor, and so she resolved to dodging and leaping out of the way, trying to get strikes whenever she can. It was an awe-inspiring sight to behold, as the titanic fight raged on between the two, evenly matched.
But then, the sounds of groaning metal could be heard coming from the lake.
"What the-!"
Curie's eyes widened; Earth Bastion resurfaced on the lake like a submarine, only to shake profusely. It glowed with a brilliant light, which then turned red, and the ship broke apart as the pieces were drawn to Penny, forming into a fearsome construct:
Penny felt that she had become truly one with Earth Bastion; at the moment of Amber's demise, her connection to the ship had weakened, and now the Engine of Destruction had fully assimilated it, replacing it with her own, left in the materials given to her by Al'O.
"So you also have a golem of your own! Very well then, I shall accept your challenge! FULLL POWEEEERRR!"
Curie shouted hot-bloodedly, and she developed an even greater aura, her hair now blue as it flickered like fire atop her head. However, her body also changed; charged with so much nuclear energy, she grew freakishly muscular, resembling a steroid-using freak rather than the beautiful woman she was before. She once again took flight, using her magic to propel herself through the soles of her feet with rocket-like streams of fire, flying fast and striking hard.
The fight also escalated against Doris, who seemed to have the upper hand as she had her Ice Golem stand in the way of the castle gates. It was undeterred by both Scout's bullets and Anaya's dolls, their blows glancing off the surface of the golem's hard body and unable to make it budge an inch.
"Exterminating," Doris spoke with barely any emotion, and the Ice Golem lifted its arms. But just as she was about to slam down on the two girls, the ground beneath it exploded into dust and sand.
"Earth magic detected," Doris spoke with a hint of alarm in her voice as she realized she could not move. She saw the great stone spike launched at her, and the Ice Golem split horizontally in half; it's upper half launched off, leaving the legs stuck in the quicksand and destroyed by the spike that hit them, scattering the pieces as snow into the air. The legless Golem landed on its hands, right next to Alicia, still stuck in her icy prison. Then, standing amazingly dexterously on one arm, it used the other to grab the Beacon girl, holding her tightly. By now Alicia felt how the ice had cooled her body and calmed her head; her magic reserves had partially returned. Not to the extent that she can go all out, but she could use her powers once more, to a reasonable degree.
"Surrender now, or she will be shattered. This is your last chance to retreat."
Lily was in a dream; she was on a tiny boat caught in a rainstorm, thrown about until the boat fell over. She sank into the depths of the sea, and the more she struggled, the more she sank, and she closed her eyes as she hit the seafloor. But then, in the dark abyss, she felt a hand on her cheek. She opened them, and saw a familiar pirate girl stare right into her eyes with her signature cheeky smile, her lips mere inches from hers.
"Amber? It is you, isn't it!" Lily thought, but to her shock, she was caught in an air bubble; it rapidly floated up, and Amber waved up at her, smiling softly as she slowly disappeared from view.
"Amber, no! Don't leave me! AMBER! Wait, huh?"
Like a catapult, Lily sat up screaming the pirate girl's name. Her jaw dropped, her eyes wide as she took in the hectic chaos around her before her; there was strange mist in the air, and sad singing that clutched at her heart. Then she felt warm blood on her cheek. She touched the hand that left the print, and recognized it belonging to a woman, lying dead over her, and it caused her to scream in fright. Then she screamed more when she saw the magical girl flaoting in the air she didn't recognize who reached out for her with black tentacles, as well as numerous clones of Alex that were running right at her. She looked down, panicked as she saw the white gown she was wearing, and then began kicking the tendrils away with tears in her eyes.
"No, don't! I'm not suitable! I'm not actually pure! I'm dirty! President Dirty of Dirtlandia! ALEEEX!"
She screamed in despair, fully affected by the song.
Helga was in even more despair than her; she was devastated by the sight of Amber's corpse, and fully embraced being thrown, using it to spin her body around with her claws extended into a drill-like motion, only to miss Janet. She landed on Sue's small cyclone, at first looking like she might explode from pure fury and transform, but instead collapsed to her knees to weep. Ammy! Lady Ammy! Nooo..."
"SILENCE!"
But then, just as Sue's tentacles were taking hold and she was lifted off the stone altar, a bright red beam of intense magical energy shot over Lily, vaporizing the black appendages in its path and sending the clones flying off, their barriers blown away as easily as cardboard. When Janet's song ended, and Sue turned to look, she saw a crimson magic circle, with intricate runes spinning on it; Justine closed her outstretched palm, and looked down on everyone present, her fangs now showing from her evil smile.
Lily gasped, and covered herself with her arms. Justine then gripped the dagger in her hands tightly, now glowing slightly red with a phantasmal blood-like haze around it, and took a deep breath.
"Ignorant fools...Why do you struggle so much, and cling to your despicable emotions?"
She spoke coldly, and opened the palm of her other hand outwards. Her long red nails glistened in the moonlight.
"You throw your worthless lives away, only to be betrayed and hurt by those you love. But no matter; once Father has blessed this world, and love is eradicated, it won't matter anymore."
Lily's lower lip trembled, but she now stood up from the altar, her hands clenched into fists.
"But why, Justine? Why do you hate love so much?" She asked, her eyes determined.
"There must be a reason! If you only tell us, we can help-"
"You can't! Nobody can!"
Justine howled, her scarlet eyes wide and glowing; her ladylike composure had given way to behavior not too unlike Caroline's.
"There is no soul that walks this cursed earth that can comprehend the agony I have gone through! Love ruined my sweet Caroline, and broke my heart...For centuries, I had to endure it. But no more! I won't stand for such injustice, such a deplorable existence..."
A red orb of blood swirled from her fingers, and extended into a red spear, even more complex and sinister-looking than the one her little sister wielded. She pointed with her finger, her eyes swirling with insanity.
"Both gravity and time? You indecent vermin!"
She spat out as she magically ejected the knives out, and held her bloody arm with a vicious glare.
"My knives are useless, it seems..." She spoke, but then grinned with uncharacteristic glee.
"I did not imagine I would need to use my ultimate attack, but it seems nothing less will be enough for such a festering infestation."
With those bitter words, she held her arms before her with open palms, and a massive magic circle appeared.
"High-Impact Hell!"
She triggered another spell. Then, Makoto saw it; a bullet train came charging at her at full speed from the circle, filling the corridor entirely.
Curie blocked the first punch, and was sent sliding back a good ten meters. She was surprised, of course, but more than that, she smiled.
"Now this is strong! Finally, a worthy opponent for me to test my mettle! Come, clanker; let's dance!"
At first she tried to stand her ground, her teeth grit as she countered with her own swings of her irradiated sword. However, she quickly realized that the Terminator-like monster would not stop for a single moment, even if she sliced through her tough armor, and so she resolved to dodging and leaping out of the way, trying to get strikes whenever she can. It was an awe-inspiring sight to behold, as the titanic fight raged on between the two, evenly matched.
But then, the sounds of groaning metal could be heard coming from the lake.
"What the-!"
Curie's eyes widened; Earth Bastion resurfaced on the lake like a submarine, only to shake profusely. It glowed with a brilliant light, which then turned red, and the ship broke apart as the pieces were drawn to Penny, forming into a fearsome construct:
Penny felt that she had become truly one with Earth Bastion; at the moment of Amber's demise, her connection to the ship had weakened, and now the Engine of Destruction had fully assimilated it, replacing it with her own, left in the materials given to her by Al'O.
"So you also have a golem of your own! Very well then, I shall accept your challenge! FULLL POWEEEERRR!"
Curie shouted hot-bloodedly, and she developed an even greater aura, her hair now blue as it flickered like fire atop her head. However, her body also changed; charged with so much nuclear energy, she grew freakishly muscular, resembling a steroid-using freak rather than the beautiful woman she was before. She once again took flight, using her magic to propel herself through the soles of her feet with rocket-like streams of fire, flying fast and striking hard.
The fight also escalated against Doris, who seemed to have the upper hand as she had her Ice Golem stand in the way of the castle gates. It was undeterred by both Scout's bullets and Anaya's dolls, their blows glancing off the surface of the golem's hard body and unable to make it budge an inch.
"Exterminating," Doris spoke with barely any emotion, and the Ice Golem lifted its arms. But just as she was about to slam down on the two girls, the ground beneath it exploded into dust and sand.
"Earth magic detected," Doris spoke with a hint of alarm in her voice as she realized she could not move. She saw the great stone spike launched at her, and the Ice Golem split horizontally in half; it's upper half launched off, leaving the legs stuck in the quicksand and destroyed by the spike that hit them, scattering the pieces as snow into the air. The legless Golem landed on its hands, right next to Alicia, still stuck in her icy prison. Then, standing amazingly dexterously on one arm, it used the other to grab the Beacon girl, holding her tightly. By now Alicia felt how the ice had cooled her body and calmed her head; her magic reserves had partially returned. Not to the extent that she can go all out, but she could use her powers once more, to a reasonable degree.
"Surrender now, or she will be shattered. This is your last chance to retreat."
Lily was in a dream; she was on a tiny boat caught in a rainstorm, thrown about until the boat fell over. She sank into the depths of the sea, and the more she struggled, the more she sank, and she closed her eyes as she hit the seafloor. But then, in the dark abyss, she felt a hand on her cheek. She opened them, and saw a familiar pirate girl stare right into her eyes with her signature cheeky smile, her lips mere inches from hers.
"Amber? It is you, isn't it!" Lily thought, but to her shock, she was caught in an air bubble; it rapidly floated up, and Amber waved up at her, smiling softly as she slowly disappeared from view.
"Amber, no! Don't leave me! AMBER! Wait, huh?"
Like a catapult, Lily sat up screaming the pirate girl's name. Her jaw dropped, her eyes wide as she took in the hectic chaos around her before her; there was strange mist in the air, and sad singing that clutched at her heart. Then she felt warm blood on her cheek. She touched the hand that left the print, and recognized it belonging to a woman, lying dead over her, and it caused her to scream in fright. Then she screamed more when she saw the magical girl flaoting in the air she didn't recognize who reached out for her with black tentacles, as well as numerous clones of Alex that were running right at her. She looked down, panicked as she saw the white gown she was wearing, and then began kicking the tendrils away with tears in her eyes.
"No, don't! I'm not suitable! I'm not actually pure! I'm dirty! President Dirty of Dirtlandia! ALEEEX!"
She screamed in despair, fully affected by the song.
Helga was in even more despair than her; she was devastated by the sight of Amber's corpse, and fully embraced being thrown, using it to spin her body around with her claws extended into a drill-like motion, only to miss Janet. She landed on Sue's small cyclone, at first looking like she might explode from pure fury and transform, but instead collapsed to her knees to weep. Ammy! Lady Ammy! Nooo..."
"SILENCE!"
But then, just as Sue's tentacles were taking hold and she was lifted off the stone altar, a bright red beam of intense magical energy shot over Lily, vaporizing the black appendages in its path and sending the clones flying off, their barriers blown away as easily as cardboard. When Janet's song ended, and Sue turned to look, she saw a crimson magic circle, with intricate runes spinning on it; Justine closed her outstretched palm, and looked down on everyone present, her fangs now showing from her evil smile.
Lily gasped, and covered herself with her arms. Justine then gripped the dagger in her hands tightly, now glowing slightly red with a phantasmal blood-like haze around it, and took a deep breath.
"Ignorant fools...Why do you struggle so much, and cling to your despicable emotions?"
She spoke coldly, and opened the palm of her other hand outwards. Her long red nails glistened in the moonlight.
"You throw your worthless lives away, only to be betrayed and hurt by those you love. But no matter; once Father has blessed this world, and love is eradicated, it won't matter anymore."
Lily's lower lip trembled, but she now stood up from the altar, her hands clenched into fists.
"But why, Justine? Why do you hate love so much?" She asked, her eyes determined.
"There must be a reason! If you only tell us, we can help-"
"You can't! Nobody can!"
Justine howled, her scarlet eyes wide and glowing; her ladylike composure had given way to behavior not too unlike Caroline's.
"There is no soul that walks this cursed earth that can comprehend the agony I have gone through! Love ruined my sweet Caroline, and broke my heart...For centuries, I had to endure it. But no more! I won't stand for such injustice, such a deplorable existence..."
A red orb of blood swirled from her fingers, and extended into a red spear, even more complex and sinister-looking than the one her little sister wielded. She pointed with her finger, her eyes swirling with insanity.
"I WILL BRING FORTH A PURE AND BEAUTIFUL WORLD, AND GRANT SALVATION TO ALL!"
Irina immediately left once she was confronted by the other pilots without a word, and only gave them a cursory glance with eyes as hardened as stone before she stomped out of the party, her hands still clenched tightly. She completely ignored Maria as she passed by the entrance to the laboratory, which was uncharacteristic of a strict woman like her. The door's window slit was opened, and Lorenzo's wrinkled eyes looked down at the pilot. "I'm busy, pilot! Go away!" He grumbled, before shutting the slit, until it was opened again when Ana came in. "Inside, Ana. Now." His tone was stern as he opened the door, keeping a hawk's eye on everyone as he only let Ana in, before he slammed the door shut. No matter how long Maria or anyone else would knock on the door, no response would come out. Lorenzo gave a lecture about staying too late at the party, and forbid her from having sleepovers before he retreated to the lower level. And so the party came to an end, and attendees left murmuring rumors about both Irina and Elora.
The next day, Ritsu announced through the loudspeakers that squad Sigma be summoned to a briefing once again. She waited until everyone was present, which curiously included Irina; she scoffed and leaned against the back wall, doing her best to not make eye contact with anyone. Ritsu activated the holo-projector once again, and this time, it showed a planet familiar to Zim: Fortress. "The Cruxi have managed to invade Fortress, a planet considered one of the most durable against a siege. As you know, we must take it back, and your mission is to spearhead the assault on the planet's capital and clear it of defending forces. Due to the importance of this mission, high command has given clearance on the use of three assault packs, to be distributed by the squad's lead officer." She gave a nod to Katya. "There will be a couple of changes to your squad, however. First off, Sergeant Steinhart, your request has been granted, and you may partake in this mission." Elise smiled, and raised her arms with a grin. "Yes!" "However..." Ritsu continued with a frown. "Due to the crippling injury you have sustained, you have been demoted to the rank of pilot, and will be held as a reserve unit." Elise clenched her teeth, but nodded. "Understood. If that is the price I must pay, then so be it."
Ritsu sighed. "Ace pilot Irina has been assigned to replace her in the squad, in addition to the new arrivals." Irina gasped, and gave an angry glare, looking like she might blow up. "Captain!" She stood up straight, and lifted a hand to ask a question, as per proper military conduct. Once given permission, she asked: "Executive Officer Lorenzo had ordered me to stay at Solaire for the time being." Ritsu shook her head. "This order came from the Colonel. He specifically stated your skills would be needed in this mission." Irina took in a sharp breath, and made the motions to speak again. "Captain, I...Never mind." Her eyes reflexively jumped at Ana before they returned to Ritsu. "Very well. However, I request that I may be permitted to be deployed separately from the squad." Ritsu lifted an eyebrow. "Romanovna, what is your opinion? Do you agree with her?"
The next day, Ritsu announced through the loudspeakers that squad Sigma be summoned to a briefing once again. She waited until everyone was present, which curiously included Irina; she scoffed and leaned against the back wall, doing her best to not make eye contact with anyone. Ritsu activated the holo-projector once again, and this time, it showed a planet familiar to Zim: Fortress. "The Cruxi have managed to invade Fortress, a planet considered one of the most durable against a siege. As you know, we must take it back, and your mission is to spearhead the assault on the planet's capital and clear it of defending forces. Due to the importance of this mission, high command has given clearance on the use of three assault packs, to be distributed by the squad's lead officer." She gave a nod to Katya. "There will be a couple of changes to your squad, however. First off, Sergeant Steinhart, your request has been granted, and you may partake in this mission." Elise smiled, and raised her arms with a grin. "Yes!" "However..." Ritsu continued with a frown. "Due to the crippling injury you have sustained, you have been demoted to the rank of pilot, and will be held as a reserve unit." Elise clenched her teeth, but nodded. "Understood. If that is the price I must pay, then so be it."
Ritsu sighed. "Ace pilot Irina has been assigned to replace her in the squad, in addition to the new arrivals." Irina gasped, and gave an angry glare, looking like she might blow up. "Captain!" She stood up straight, and lifted a hand to ask a question, as per proper military conduct. Once given permission, she asked: "Executive Officer Lorenzo had ordered me to stay at Solaire for the time being." Ritsu shook her head. "This order came from the Colonel. He specifically stated your skills would be needed in this mission." Irina took in a sharp breath, and made the motions to speak again. "Captain, I...Never mind." Her eyes reflexively jumped at Ana before they returned to Ritsu. "Very well. However, I request that I may be permitted to be deployed separately from the squad." Ritsu lifted an eyebrow. "Romanovna, what is your opinion? Do you agree with her?"
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