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I hope this isn't considered out of bounds...
-Nyxia Torrentia, Neon Tempest of the Ultraviolet Rainbow


While the darkest depths of the ocean would have indeed take longer to reach than was practical, darkness wasn’t the only thing Miseria were fond of. They also congregated around areas rich in negative emotions, places suffused with feelings of despair, anguish, and distress. And what better nexus of such emotions was there beneath the waves than the wreck of the Markov, a Russian cruiser that went down with all hands over a century ago, at the hight of the Russo-Japanese War. Its rusted remnants still rested off the coast, and while its unfortunate crew were now little more than piles of bones, Nyxia thought it was a fair bet that the emotional energy produced by their horrific demise would still be strong enough to attract at least a few Miseria, like vengeful ghosts haunting the site of their death.

The glow of her neon hair, coupled with those produced by her energy cannon and Roche’s tattoos, provided more than enough illumination for the Neon Tempest to navigate her way to an open hatch and slip inside the wrecked vessel. Swinging the Omega Obliterator like a searchlight, Nyxia carefully investigated every nook and cranny as she methodically made her way ever deeper into the watery tomb. The increasingly tight confines might have concerned other magical girls, or, indeed, Nyxia’s easily frightened mundane self, but the Neon Tempest was confident that if she did find herself in need of room to maneuver, it could be attained by the simple expedient of vaporizing the warship’s hull with a blast from her beloved weapon. As for Roche, she was sure the rule keeper would have little trouble keeping up.

See? There are plenty of things I don't want to vaporize on sight.
-Nyxia Torrentia, Neon Tempest of the Ultraviolet Rainbow


The cool water felt sublimely refreshing as Nyxia shot through it, the Omega Obliterator held before her like the point of a spear. Her momentum finally slowing, the Neon Tempest looked around to find that she was not alone, a small smirk playing across her face as she took note of Roche’s presence. A moment later, and she was once more in motion, the rapid kicking of her powerful legs sending her plunging further down with considerable speed. It wasn’t long before the colorful panorama of the coral reef spread out before her, equally colorful fish darting about amongst the intricate formations. So pretty… Nyxia thought to herself, her amused smirk shifting into a smile of genuine delight as she took in the scene of natural beauty. If only Kaito could be here to see this… But at least you’re here to keep mommy company, right, baby? she told her giant weapon as she closed her eyes and gently pressed her forehead against it. Roche was there, too, of course, but even though the Neon Tempest’s opinion of the rule keeper had softened considerably since their first tumultuous interaction, she would still never consider her family.

Thanks to the superhuman physiology of her magical girl body, Nyxia was able to explore the reef to her heart’s content without having to worry about heading back up for air. It might have come as a shock to those who only encountered her during the club’s nightly Miseria hunts, but there was more to the Neon Tempest than a psychotic killer of monsters. There were other things that gave her joy, and the freedom being a magical girl gave her to experience the world’s natural beauty was one of them. Holding her oversized weapon beside her like a parent might hold a small child, Nyxia pointed out the various marine life to it as the myriad aquatic processions swam past them. However, it soon came time to pursue other activities… Are you getting hungry, baby? the Neon Tempest inquired of her energy cannon. Let’s see if we can find you something to snack on. Departing the reef, Nyxia headed for deeper water, both farther out, and farther down. She knew well enough that most land-based Miseria didn’t come out until after dark, but at certain depths, it was always night, and it was there that she hoped her prey would be waiting…

This is all your fault, Finn.
-Ashley Avenir


Unfortunately, but predictably, Ashley’s plan didn’t come anywhere close to working out as she had hoped. Even as her blinding beam of techno mystic energy streaked towards it’s target, MDP broke out of her stunned stupor and formed a whimsical barrier to shield the fleeing quartet from the Knight of Tomorrow’s attack. W-What…?! The high-tech heroine’s mind spun at the sight of this most unexpected of developments, but even so, her ostensible ally’s barrier proved no match for her own beam of annihilation. The neon green lance pierced the prismatic shield like a molten spike through tissue paper and detonated in a brilliant explosion. However, when its green glow faded, Ashley saw to her horror that none of her targets had been eliminated, but neither were they unscathed. Amanda was emerging from the broken wall of a building on the far side of the street, her visage filled with fury. The horned esper’s bruised and battered body was being held by its shadowy companion. And the dragon… The dragon had turned its enraged form towards the diner, towards Ashley herself, and although it had been visibly wounded, the Knight of Tomorrow doubted that she could withstand the full force of its monstrous might.

N-No… I… I didn’t want this… Ashley thought to herself as her heart began to pound like a jackhammer. I didn’t want any of this!

Despite the fact that they were dangerous enemies, she hadn’t wanted any of them to suffer needlessly, but despite her best efforts, that was exactly what had happened. Despite following Director Moller’s orders, all she had succeeded in doing was making this horrible situation even worse. Yet, instead of the anticipated attack, the dragon simply created a golden wall to cover his and his allies’ escape.

Even as she struggled to comprehend the dragon’s parting gesture, Ashley heard MDP's childish voice beside her. The pastel garbed girl proceeded to explain in her own, infantile, way that she and The Pounder would no longer be able to support G.E.M.I.N.I. operations in the future. Perhaps the girl really was too naive to do what needed to be done, to make the hard decisions that needed to be made, but even so, Ashley couldn’t help but find herself agreeing with the childish freelancer, couldn’t help but feel that this time, they really had gone too far. “I understand,” the high-tech heroine replied softly as the pastel-colored pair departed.

As she gazed into the gleaming, golden wall the dragon had left behind, Ashley’s thoughts turned to the pointlessness of this whole endeavor. While Dante had presumably been killed, Amanda had escaped and now harbored a fierce hatred of G.E.M.I.N.I. that made her a far greater threat than she’d previously been. Not to mention, they still didn’t have conclusive proof that Dante had been the one responsible for Finn’s hallucinations…

Finn. It all really boiled down to him, didn’t it? He was the reason they’d come here in the first place, and the reason things had escalated so catastrophically. Not only that, but because he had chosen to run off before the operation had concluded, they had been left with one less agent to prevent Amanda’s escape into either Maverick or The Hand’s clutches. Yes, Ashley reflected with grim certainty, Finn bore the greatest responsibility for everything that had happened here today, and the Knight of Tomorrow was determined to not only ensure that he knew just how much of a liability he had been, but that it would never be allowed to happen again.



18 | Female | GEMINI | Vision of Tomorrow
Implements of Tomorrow | Wand, Shield | Arcane | Tune of Tomorrow
Raiment of Tomorrow | Stride of Tomorrow
Light of Tomorrow | Light | Power of Tomorrow
PRO-TEK 4000 Defensive Surgery Implement | Kevlar Coat, Kevlar Padding, Medical Supplies, Tazer, Clip Light
[Reveal (2), Purity (4)], Damage (2), Damage X (6), Shield (4), Reflect (4), Heal (6), Major Heal (18), AoE (2), Powerful (0), Piercing (2), Purify (6), Homing (2), Avoid (2)

DAMAGE: B | SPEED: E | SENTINEL: C | 1000

PHYSICAL: E | ARCANE: C | CHAOS: B | 118

Wouldn't it be cool if Suki didn't know how to swim?
-Nyxia Torrentia, Neon Tempest of the Ultraviolet Rainbow


Nyxia was awoken from her restful slumber by the sound of Roche announcing that they had arrived. Slowly opening her eyes and sitting up, the Neon Tempest found that instead of the secluded cove she had been expecting, the beach before her was downright crowded. Of course, none of the beachgoers would bother, or even notice, her in her magical girl form, and their presence wouldn’t exactly disrupt her own plans for the outing, but it was still a little disconcerting nonetheless. Hopefully she wouldn’t run into any of the other club members here… Exiting the van, Nyxia stretched herself out and allowed her bare skin to soak up the warm summer sun. Casting her gaze over the panorama before her, the Neon Tempest’s eyes lit up upon noticing the long pier leading out towards the distant horizon. If aquatic Miseria did exist, then the deeper waters offshore were the most likely place they would be found, which meant there was really only one thing for her to do.

“I’m going swimming,” Nyxia announced, before setting off for the pier. She didn’t particularly care if Roche chose to join her, but she hoped that Suki and Tsubomi would stay behind. While it was almost a certainty in the latter’s case, Suki was always a wildcard. Although it would be easy to suspect that the blood witch would try and flirt with the various other beachgoers, it was also possible that she loved the idea of swiming with her club mates even more. Indeed, maybe she even had a fetish for the water, the Neon Tempest thought with a shudder. Then again, maybe she hated the water and couldn’t even swim? That would honestly be the best case scenario, Nyxia reflected, which was why it was probably the furthest thing from the truth.

As she pondered these thoughts, the Neon Tempest had continued to draw closer to the end of the pier. At first, she had merely been strolling along at a leisurely pace, but as she got closer to her destination her pace quickened. Slipping past the various clumps of people with fishing poles, she came to a stop a few meters from the end of the pier. Directly ahead of her was a small group of divers preparing to head down, but instead of trying to squeeze past them, Nyxia decided to take a different approach. Her mouth curling into a small smirk, she took a few steps back, braced herself, and then darted forward in a burst of speed. Just before she reached the blissfully unaware divers, she leapt into the air, her powerful legs propelling her over the group and into the water beyond with a loud splash.

Somehow, I knew it was going to come to this…
-Ashley Avenir


Ashley’s heart sank when Estelle predictably announced that she had no intention of making any move against Amanda, even as a pair of shadowy beings rose up from the floor and lunged for the two agents. Thankfully, the Witch Hunter seemed to have no qualms about swiftly dealing with this new threat, and neither did the Pink Pounder. As the Knight of Tomorrow backed away from the shadowy assailants, allowing her melee-oriented allies to dispatch them, Estelle shouted that a hostile esper was responsible for the sudden attack. A quick look out the window confirmed as much, with a horned girl shouting for Amanda to run, along with a literal, golden-scaled dragon that seemed to have appeared from out of nowhere. And run Amanda did. By the time Ashley had reached the window, both Amanda and the mystery esper (along with some sort of shadowy… thing) were atop the massive creature, who was poised to take flight at any moment.

Time was of the essence, her window of opportunity rapidly closing shut, yet in those precious few seconds, the Knight of Tomorrow’s mind raced with frantic speed. There were three options available to her. She could simply do nothing and allow the trio (quartet?) to escape, she could ask MDP to try and put them all to sleep, or she could employ all her remaining mana in an attempt to neutralize Amanda and her apparent allies in one shot. Although she didn't have definitive proof, it was almost a certainty that the esper who had attacked them was a Maverick terrorist at the very least, if not a depraved esper working for The Hand. Either way, letting either organization have access to someone of Amanda’s abilities and motivation to use them against G.E.M.I.N.I. was something the high-tech heroine simply couldn’t allow. As for MDP, The Pounder himself had said that she was too pure a soul to comprehend the threat posed by the truly evil, something a glance at the whimsical girl's unmoving, seemingly shell-shocked form more than attested too. Indeed, even if she had been capable of sending the fleeing group to dreamland, they would eventually wake up. Dr. Moller herself had already made clear that G.E.M.I.N.I. possessed no facility in the city capable of holding Amanda, and how much more would that be the case for an actual dragon? No, there was really only one course of action to take here, the one Ashley had been dreading, yet still grimly preparing herself for.

Damn it…

She didn’t want to do this, but she was left with no other choice. Aiming her techno-wand at Amanda, the Knight of Tomorrow charged the glowing weapon with every last ounce of transcendent power she had left. There was a rising hum, which quickly gave way to an ear-piercing screech as neon green particles of techno mystic power rapidly coalesced around the gleaming sphere at the techno-wand’s tip and arcs of emerald energy crackled from its twin, glowing prongs.

Behind her visor, Ashley’s steely gaze locked with that of the weeping teen’s.

“I’m sorry,” the Knight of Tomorrow whispered.

An instant later, the pent up power was released in a baleful cylinder of pure annihilation, one which homed in on Amanda regardless of any obstructions, or even the laws of physics. Upon striking her, it would burst apart in a spectacular emerald detonation. It would take several seconds for the blindingly bright glow of the stupendous blast to fade, and thus allow Ashley to see the results of her all-out attack, but even so, the high-tech heroine found herself hoping that her target had perished instantly, and without pain. Because if she hadn’t, if any of them had survived and were in any condition to retaliate, she doubted that she or her allies would be in any condition to withstand it…



18 | Female | GEMINI | Vision of Tomorrow
Implements of Tomorrow | Wand, Shield | Arcane | Tune of Tomorrow
Raiment of Tomorrow | Stride of Tomorrow
Light of Tomorrow | Light | Power of Tomorrow
PRO-TEK 4000 Defensive Surgery Implement | Kevlar Coat, Kevlar Padding, Medical Supplies, Tazer, Clip Light
[Reveal (2), Purity (4)], Damage (2), Damage X (6), Shield (4), Reflect (4), Heal (6), Major Heal (18), AoE (2), Powerful (0), Piercing (2), Purify (6), Homing (2), Avoid (2)

DAMAGE: B | SPEED: E | SENTINEL: C | 1000

[Gold Beam][Piercing][Powerful][Charge][Homing][Avoid][Damage X][AoE] = -504 mana

PHYSICAL: E | ARCANE: C | CHAOS: B | 118

I know that we’re supposed to be the good guys, but at times like these, I have a really hard time believing it…
-Ashley Avenir


“I… see…” Ashley replied in response to The Pounder’s “explanation”, still not entirely convinced of his or MDP’s sanity. A moment later, Dr. Moller gave her own response to Ashely’s request for guidance, and the Knight of Tomorrow’s frown of uncertainty only grew more pronounced with each new word the director spoke. Cute…? the high-tech heroine wondered, not for the first time questioning her superior’s own mental faculties. After all, this was hardly the time for bad jokes. “Um, no, ma’am,” she replied. “It’s just that some of them have been helping with the cleanup and I don’t believe any of them saw us in our mundane forms, so I was reluctant to take further action against them.”

The director went on to discuss Finn, Dante, and the latter’s apparent daughter, noting that the Pax Septimus branch of G.E.M.I.N.I. lacked the facilities for holding someone of Amanda’s potential capabilities. While the doctor did concede that questioning her might prove beneficial, the odds of learning anything from someone so obviously antagonistic towards them were minimal. Yet, although the potential danger she posed was impossible to ignore, Dr. Moller’s final instructions still sent a chill down Ashley’s spine.

Eliminate…?

The word echoed over and over in the Knight of Tomorrow’s mind, even as the still-weeping Amanda slowly pulled what was left of Dante towards the now-unblocked door. Ashley tried to tell herself, tried to convince herself, that this was no mere girl, that this was a monster, and a highly dangerous one at that. She told herself that Amanda was a threat, not only to Finn, but to untold numbers of innocent civilians. Yet, all she could see before her was a girl grieving the senseless death of her father. It would have been another matter entirely if she had attacked Ashley or her allies in any way, but she hadn’t. If anything, she had seemed afraid of them, and not without good reason, the high-tech heroine was forced to admit. That said, it wasn’t as if the director’s order could just be ignored, but even so, Ashley found herself fervently hoping that one of the others would be the person to carry it out, however unlikely that might be. After all, Estelle only seemed interested in offering Amanda comfort, and there was a decent chance their freelancer allies hadn’t even heard Dr. Moller’s order to begin with.

Where was Finn when you needed him?

Amanda’s pace was slow, her focus on what remained of her father. For the next few harrowing seconds, Ashley would simply wait to see what the others would do, all while steeling herself for the possibility that what she dreaded the most would indeed come to pass. That it would all depend on her…



18 | Female | GEMINI | Vision of Tomorrow
Implements of Tomorrow | Wand, Shield | Arcane | Tune of Tomorrow
Raiment of Tomorrow | Stride of Tomorrow
Light of Tomorrow | Light | Power of Tomorrow
PRO-TEK 4000 Defensive Surgery Implement | Kevlar Coat, Kevlar Padding, Medical Supplies, Tazer, Clip Light
[Reveal (2), Purity (4)], Damage (2), Damage X (6), Shield (4), Reflect (4), Heal (6), Major Heal (18), AoE (2), Powerful (0), Piercing (2), Purify (6), Homing (2), Avoid (2)

DAMAGE: B | SPEED: E | SENTINEL: C | 1000

PHYSICAL: E | ARCANE: C | CHAOS: B | 622

I guess socializing isn't that bad...
-Nyxia Torrentia, Neon Tempest of the Ultraviolet Rainbow


The Beach? Nyxia had never been, thanks in large part to her mundane form’s exceedingly poor constitution, but she had always wanted to go. Yes, the thought of swimming with her brother and looking at the colorful coral and the fish that swam amongst it had long captivated her imagination. Yet, while she now had the ability to visit the beach whenever she’d like, she had never done so, had never seen any reason to, not if Kaito couldn’t be by her side. Still, what Roche said made sense, and the thought of testing her beloved Omega Obliterator’s underwater capabilities was an appealing one. Plus, there was even the possibility they’d encounter some aquatic Miseria that were even stronger than their land-based brethren. With this in mind, the Neon Tempest gave her partner a pleased smirk.

“Y’know, that actually sounds like it could be fun,” she told the track captain, moving over to sit on a nearby desk. “Having Suki around might be a pain in the ass, but I’m sure I’ll be able to find some crabs to stick in her bathing suit if she becomes too annoying,” Nyxia added with a twisted grin. “Guess I really shouldn’t be surprised an athlete like you enjoys spending time there,” the Neon Tempest continued. “I’ll bet you and your dad had all sorts of racing and surfing contests, huh?” she noted before sighing and staring at the floor. “I wish I was that lucky…”

I think it's time for a little field test...
-Doctor Nykannis


Comfortably ensconced within the deepest depths of her interdimensional Lab, Doctor Nykannis, Queen of the Mad Scientists, was meticulously working on the continued expansion of her already inconceivably vast knowledge base, her attention intently focused on the lagomorphic Puchuu she was methodically dissecting. The creature’s vital statistics and other important information were noted on a glowing, holographic screen just above her workstation, while detailed schematics of a Snowbun, an Incubator, a Hoojib, a Killer Rabbit, and a certain eldritch, leporine-eared “Supreme Being” were depicted on an arc of several ancillary holodisplays.

“Hmmm… Yes, yes, I see… Very interesting…” the Monarch of Mad Science murmured as she went about her work, before the blaring of an intruder alert interrupted her musings and brought her progress to a screeching halt.

Bringing up yet another holodisplay, the mad scientist was greeted with the sight of her Lab’s manufacturing center, a seemingly endless maze of hyper factories, nano forges, and quantum fabricators, adjacent to her power accumulator pocket dimension. And there, on a vast, gear-like platform, surrounded by the convoluted inner workings of some colossal cosmic engine, stood a crack strike team of The Beacon Ascendancy. There was the masked and mysterious Hudie, the intensely focused Tsuki, the snide, sycophantic Violette, and finally, their bold and fearless leader, the indomitable Inquisitor Rachel herself.

“The time has come, abomination!” the inquisitor declared. “For too long, we have allowed your wicked perversions to fester unchallenged, but no longer! By the holy light of The Beacon, your wretched taint shall be forever purged!”

“Hmmm… I suppose I could use a small break,” Nykannis noted with a smirk as she put down her techno-mystic tools, rose from her work station, and teleported to the intruders’ location. Arriving in her massively monstrous combat form amidst crackling arcs of yellowy-green actinic lightning, the Mad Scientist Supreme gave her guests a toothy grin. “Well, well, well… Isn’t this a surprise. I gotta say, I knew you sanctimonious shitheads were sorely lacking in the I.Q. department, but attacking me in the one place where I’m basically omnipotent, while simultaneously being too spineless to stand up to those Wonderland rejects and their Queen of Farts? That’s taking things to a whole new level…”

“Enough of your prattle!” Rachel snapped. “We have no need to explain ourselves to the likes of you! Now perish!”

With that, the inquisitor darted forward, with Hudie following close behind. A golden glow forming around her as she further augmented her already staggering physical abilities with her exceptionally gifted Reinforcement magic, Rachel leapt into the air, even as a glowing, golden spike of pure mystic energy formed in front of her. “Pricket of Punishment!” she cried, swinging Ukonvasa, her giant, double-handed hammer, with all her formidable strength and smashing it into the recently-conjured spike, sending the projectile hurtling towards Nykannis’s towering form. For her part, Hudie employed her gifted Time specialization to dart past Rachel and engage Nykannis in melee. Although several of the Lab’s various defensive systems sought to impede her, the masked mistress of minutes used her butterfly wing-esque bladed fan, Lepidoptera, to swiftly slice the hammer, buzzsaw, and energy blade-tipped techno tendrils apart in a blur of motion, while her preternatural agility allowed her to avoid the grinder pits, nano acid vats, and energy beam blasters with effortless ease. Meanwhile, Tsuki and Violette had not been idle. As the former advanced, she focused the energies of her gifted Arcane specialization through Merlin’s Oak to erect an array of sigil-etched mystical barriers with which to deflect the security system’s barrage of beams and blades, before employing the enchanted stave to fire her own shimmering beam of destructive force at the deranged doctor. Violette, on the other hand, proceeded at a more cautious pace as she opened her mystic grimoire, Sidhetale, and called forth an ever-growing whirlwind of spirits in preparation for an exceptionally powerful attack.

In a demonstration of the impeccable teamwork and coordination for which the Ascendancy was renowned, the attacks were perfectly timed to strike the same precise location in rapid succession. Thus, although Rachel’s energy spike was absorbed by the fluctuating folds of a Hyperdimensional Hyperion Veil, Tsuki’s beam arced around the just-revealed obstruction at the last possible microsecond to smash through several multi-layered Neo-Neutrino Shields, before ultimately being halted by the inconceivable properties of an Nth-Space Negation Shell. Yet, even this barrier was no match for Hudie, who, moving between ticks of the clock, slipped past each of the slowly reforming protective screens in turn, before slicing through the Negation Shell with a flurry of strikes that transcended time itself, negating its very existence, and managing to make the barest scratch upon the nanofluidic hyperalloy armor beyond.

A scratch that was soon restored to its original, unmarred, state, even as Hudie was hurled backwards by a concentrated gravitic repulsion pulse.

“Okay,” Nykannis declared with a malicious grin. “Now it’s my turn…”

An instant later, the Monarch of Mad Science opened up with the full cataclysmic fury of her super-scientific ultramagitech arsenal, sending torrents of starkly inconceivable destructive energies crashing against the three closest Ascendancy girls’ woefully deficient defenses. Hudie bore the brunt of this assault, her mastery of time proving itself as nothing in the face of ravening Hyper-Quantum Giga-Cyclonic Chrono Cannon beams, Polymorphic Possibility Particle Paradox Pulse Projector rays, and Superdimensional Schrödinger Warps. In mere moments, she had felt herself turn to dust and be reformed over a thousand times, until, after her final “death”, she lurched back to life with a violent spasm as she vomited up the multi-colored yarn her internal organs had been transmuted into. Tsuki, meanwhile, had to contend with a fusillade of hard light energy bolts spewed forth from a quad-barreled rotary infinite poly-cyclic repeater cannon at a rate of ten thousand rounds per second. After shattering her arcane barriers like mundane panes of glass, this horrifying, hyper-tech hailstorm shredded the mage into bloody stew, a shuddering heap of tattered clothes and flayed flesh that coughed up fresh gouts blood with each tortured breath. Even mighty Rachel could not escape Nykannis’s hellish bombardment unscathed, the indomitable inquisitor’s mystic armor braking apart under the fury of Omniphasic Ultra-Atomic Supernova Lances, Omniaetheric Zero-Point Hypertachyonic Wave Motion Cannons, and Turbo-Charged Polyphasic Quantum Singularity Giga Blasters.

“Awww… Was that too much for you?” Nykannis sneered at her foes’ writhing forms. “Here, maybe these are closer to your level,” she added, before a quintet of hovering, weapon-covered drones detached from her towering ultratechnomagimechanical form and descended upon the Ascendancy team…

Groaning with a mixture of pain and outrage, Rachel staggered to her feet.

“Unacceptable…” she hissed. “Let the penance for my failure be my strength! Purgatory!” the inquisitor shouted, punching the ground, at which point a blinding pillar of light erupted around her, infusing her battered body with restorative energies. The agony was immense, as if her wounds were being cauterized by holy fire, but they were healed nonetheless, the pain sharpening her focus, making her stronger. When the glow faded, she fixed her steely gaze upon three of the approaching drones. “I have not the time for such trifles!” she declared, her voice filled with contempt, before gesturing towards the drones and shouting “Gibbet!” With that, a glowing cage of golden energy formed around the sinister machines even as they opened fire, their beams, bolts, and missiles unable to penetrate the mystic barrier.

Meanwhile, using Merlin’s Oak for support, Tsuki’s trembling form rose to her knees, before crying out, “Call of the Radiant Phoenix!” Particles of glowing light rapidly gathered about the tip of her stave, before a brilliant avian form burst forth, its flaming wings spread wide. From out of this span shot a beam of healing light, one which fell upon the nearly dead Hudie and swiftly mended all her myriad afflictions. In mere moments, she had been fully restored. At the same time, healing energies flooded into Tsuki herself, removing her own injuries and filling her with renewed strength and vitality.

“My thanks,” Hudie told her comrade with a nod of acknowledgment. “Please accept this as a token of my gratitude,” she added, sending a swarm of shimmering butterflies shooting towards the two drones nearest the mage with a sweep of her bladed fan. “Echo of Ages!” the masked maiden called out as her mystical insects swirled around the drones in the shape of an hourglass, locking them in a temporal stasis field. Then, turning her hate-filled gaze towards Nykannis, she pointed her weapon at the technomantic titan and shouted, “Curse of Years!” Instantly, the Monarch of Mad Science’s massive technomagimechanical form began to rapidly dissolve and decay, yet, just as soon as an aspect withered to dust, it was immediately restored, the Mad Scientist Supreme’s powerful regenerative capabilities holding the forces of hyper-accelerated entropy in a state of equilibrium.

However, that equilibrium was shattered a moment later, as Violette unleashed her now quite sizable vortex of spirits in a mighty torrent. “Phantasmal Procession!” she declared, pointing towards Nykannis with a gesture of command as the cavalcade of ghostly knights surged past her. Slamming into their foe’s monstrous form, they breached each of the demented doctor’s defenses in turn, and, despite losing a substantial amount of their number in the process, still proved strong enough to wear away at her ultratech armor faster than it could be regenerated. “Ha! How do you like that, you filthy heathen?!” she taunted with a cruel smirk.

“Wow, that was almost impressive!” Nykannis replied with equal derision. “You actually managed to inflict some completely negligible damage with that little trick! Plus, you didn’t blindly rush to your doom like the rest of these idiots,” she added, gesturing a wickedly clawed appendage to the crypt commissar’s three teammates. “Did nearly getting your brain popped like a zit back at the rave make you a bit more cautious than your fellow mindless zealots? Well, whatever the case, I think you deserve a reward, she added with a malevolent grin as she deployed a truly horrific weapon. Its amorphous, midnight black form seemed to shift into spines, tendrils, and wickedly sharp teeth, while its barrel was set in the mouth of a face whose chalk-white skin was slit by inky black cuts and pulsating veins. The mouth itself was frozen in an anguished scream, most likely in response to the spikes of darkest obsidian, which protruded from its forehead. Streams of black blood poured from eyes that were opened impossibly wide, and filled with mind-numbing terror. Indeed, those horrific orbs shuddered and bulged with such intensity, it seemed as though they would burst apart in a shower of gore at any moment. “Wanna see something that’s REALLY impressive?! Then feast your eyes on my Negaphasic Numinospheric Nightmare Cannon! Nyahahahaha!” As the deranged doctor continued her maniacal cackling, she fired a violently twisting, pitch black beam of condensed nightmare energy at the Ascendancy girl. Utterly unprepared for such an attack, Violette could only cry out in horror as she was completely engulfed by the baleful beam…

As is happened, Nykannis had actually been rather prescient when mentioning the infamous rave, since it was to that very night that Violette’s tortured mind brought her. Blood gushing from every orifice, her mind ablaze with agonizing pain as she fought to keep it from being rent asunder, the Ascendancy commander felt her violently spasming form being slowly dragged up the stairs leading to the surface by several spectral hands, the door at their summit, viewed through a crimson haze, promising both safety and precious relief from the nearly unbearable pain coursing through every fiber of her being. However, no matter how far along she was dragged, Violette never seemed to get even the smallest distance closer to that place of refuge, the doorway remaining forever out of reach. Seconds stretched to minutes, and minutes to hours, yet there was still no escape from her torment. Indeed, not even death came to bring an end to her misery. Instead, she would simply repeat this agonizing ascent over and over, forever. “N-Nuh-N-No…” she whimpered as blood gurgled out of her mouth. “N-No… N-NOOOOOO!!!”

Beyond the confines of her nightmare, Violette’s anguished screech reached the ears of Rachel, although there was no sympathy to be found in the inquisitor’s icy gaze, only contempt.

“Utterly disgraceful, Violette!” Rachel snapped. “You are a warrior of the Ascendancy! A champion of The Beacon! Throw off the shackles of those wretched illusions and stand true!” As the inquisitor spoke, a golden pillar of flame engulfed Violette, and while the flames were agonizing in their own right, they burned away the nightmare, returning the crypt commissar to the waking world.

“F-Forgive me, Inquisitor…” Violette hissed through gritted teeth, her agony replaced by blazing fury and bitter shame. “I’ll not falter again!” Rising to her feet, she pointed to Nykannis and cried, “Don Quixote!”

Swirling into being amidst wisps of spectral energy, a single ghostly knight charged towards the Monarch of Mad Science at full tilt. His armor was far more elaborate than any warrior Violette had yet conjured, while his lance glowed with mystic power. He rode forward with inexorable purpose, his weapon piercing each of his monstrous foe’s multilayered defenses in turn as it prepared to deliver a Killing Blow. Yet, just before the gallant ghost could reach his target, he was smashed into spectral paste by an enormous ectoplasmic omni-oscillating quantum hammer.

Simultaneously, Tsuki had fired off another brilliant beam of arcane energy, while Rachel and Hudie charged Nykannis from opposite sides. However, the Mad Scientist Supreme was more than prepared for this, with Tsuki’s beam being reflected right back at her. Its amplified power proving more than a match for the mage’s hastily erected energy barrier, the force of its impact sending her grievously wounded form flying backwards, even as Rachel and Hudie disappeared into twin poly-harmonic protective portals, only to reemerge moments later directly in one another’s paths. It was only thanks to the pair’s superlative agility that they were able to barely avoid striking each other with their charged up attacks.

“Yeah, I heard the Grand Magistrate liked to see ‘cross ups’,” Nykannis noted. “It’s too bad you guys are so super ultra gifted at avoiding them.”

“B-By the guiding light…” Hudie breathed. “H-How can she even possess such multifaceted abilities?”

“Well, I’d explain it, but you dogmatic dumbasses couldn’t possibly understand such advanced concepts, and I hate having to simplify things for the feeble minded,” Nykannis replied with a mocking smirk.

“If only Leena were fit enough to join us in this battle…” Rachel hissed through gritted teeth. “She would easily be able to silence your blasphemous perversions of magic!”

“Oh, please… Nykannis sneered. “I’d just deploy a focused numinospheric null field to nullify her nullification abilities! And speaking of…” At that, the weapon cluster atop one of the mad scientist’s myriad tentacular mechadendrites morphed into a single oversized cannon, its glowing, coned barrel ringed with concentric conducer hoops, spinning orbs, and an octet of sphere-tipped prongs, which crackled with pent up power. An instant later, that power was released in a shaft of desaturated energy, which fell upon Violette, draining the girl of her magic and forcing the crypt commissar back into her mundane form. “Your stupid ghosts are really starting to annoy me,” Nykannis told her. “And so are you! she added, unceremoniously vaporizing the defenseless young woman with a Trans-Etheric Ultra-Antimatter Turbo Disintegrator ray. “Nyahahaha!”

“Violette!” Rachel cried, before turning to face Nykannis with a visage of righteous rage. “You’ll pay dearly for that, you monster!”

“Oh, I’m just getting started! Nykannis informed her with a maniacal grin, while opening up an energy clawed appendage to reveal a palm-mounted possibility particle projector.

From it promptly issued forth a beam of yellowy-green luminosity, which struck Hudie directly in the chest. At first, nothing seemed to happen, but after a few seconds, the horrifying nature of the attack was revealed in all its gruesome splendor… At first, dozens of boils seemed to sprout across the masked maiden’s skin, growing larger with each passing second, until they burst apart in a bloody spray to reveal a swarm of trans-phasic omni-temporal biotechnomantic butterflies. The insidious insects swirled around her, creating an exponentially enhanced entropic field, one which first decayed her skin, then her organs, and, finally her bones, until there was nothing left of the mistress of minutes, save scant wisps of dust. Meanwhile, Tsuki had been subjected to an even more horrific fate, the baleful energies of an Omniphasic Polytransmagorphic Xzylohgifphonic Chaodoxx Cannon rapidly and violently polymorphing her body, shifting it into innumerable shapes, and even turning it inside out, until all that remained of her was a pulsating lump of fused matter. A trap door promptly yawned open bellow it, causing the nauseating mass to fall into a vat of sickly green nano acid with a loud splash.

“Now, then…” Nykannis taunted with a wicked smirk as she loomed over Rachel. “It looks like it’s just you and me…

“Think again, abomination!” a voice called from above.

From out of a shimmering portal descended a squad of magical women, their oversized weapons shining with holy light.

“Fear not, Inquisitor! Reinforcements have arrived!”

They were The Shining Sentinels, cross-dimensional crusaders who could each cleanse an entire world of corruption single-handedly. They were the very embodiment of The Beacon, the very apex of the Ascendancy. They were… utterly erased from existence…? Yes, with the simple sound of tearing paper, the titanic trio were completely unmade, as if they had never been created in the first place.

“As I was saying…” Nykannis quipped, a maniacal grin spreading from ear to ear. “Check it out, you four-eyed fanatic!” the Monarch of Mad Science added as she gestured to an enormous weapon that took nearly half her various appendages to support. Its twisted, technomantic form a bizarre amalgam of techno organic components, a plethora of wires, tubes, and glimmering crystalline cores, while a profusion of glowing, spheroid power accumulators, concentric coils, crackling forked prongs, and quantum quintessence quills protruded from various points, all culminating in a gapping, diamond-shaped barrel, rimmed by a slowly spinning ring of several pitch black blades, each etched with an excessive abundance of intricate techno-runes. “My latest creation, The Neo-Metaphasic Polyplenumic Omnioblitorational Super-Scientific Storyslayer Cannon! Nyahahahaha! I developed it after researching the energies of the Queen of Tarts’s signature sword, which she was kind enough to provide me a sample of to study,” Nykannis explained. “It’s kinda anti-climactic when it does its whole ‘storyslaying thing’, what with just the page ripping sound, but I’ll be adding some extra features that should enhance the visuals quite a bit. After all, I’ll need this thing to look as epic as possible when I use it on queenie herself! Nyahahaha! Still, I think it’ll suffice for dealing with you.

With that, Nykannis pointed the weapon at Rachel, the swords ringing its barrel beginning to spin up once more.

“It will take more than that to lay me low!” the inquisitor declared, before raising her hammer high. “Fortress of Faith!”

No sooner had the words been spoken, then the glowing ramparts of a mighty stronghold rose up around Rachel, its gleaming bulwarks of mystic energy standing in firm defiance of the impending attack. There was the sound of a page being torn from a book, yet, while the fortress fell, Rachel herself was left completely unscathed.

“Nice trick,” Nykannis commended. “Clearly I’ll need to work on this thing’s penetration abilities. Y’know, I think it’ll be more fun to finish you off the old fashioned way,” the deranged doctor added with a smirk, retracting the Storyslayer Cannon into a sub-etheric storage space. “So come on, Inquisitor,” she taunted, her myriad glowing eyes narrowing into slits. “Show me what you’ve got.”

“For the sake of my fallen sisters, I shall not falter, I shall not fall, not until I’ve smote you and this abhorrent realm from existence!” Rachel snarled. “Power of the Shinespark, lend me your aid! Consecration of divine judgment!” she cried, lifting her hammer high once more, both she and her weapon glowing with blinding light as unfathomable power surged into them. “DEUS VULT!!!”

With that, the inquisitor charged forward, her abilities enhanced to their highest possible extent, her furious form encased in shining, golden armor, auric lightning crackling about her like a divine halo, while her hammer grew to triple its already gargantuan size. This was her full Templar Mode, employed against only the most powerful of foes. Indeed, she had last used it when facing off against a literal monster queen, yet, at her current power level, Nykannis was akin to an eldritch horror, her defensive abilities far surpassing those of any mere monster girl...

“Now, gaze upon the visage of your vanquishment!” Rachel roared as she slammed her hammer down upon Nykannis with cataclysmic force.

However, the Killing Blow was fully absorbed by a swiftly erected Numinospheric Nth-Space Negation Shell, augmented by a multilayered Polyphasic Neo-Neutrino Hypershield, and supplemented by Refractive Nanofluidic Nythoninum Metaphysical Monomolecular Omnifoliated Power-Plating, the unstoppable force crashing against the utterly immovable object in a colossal expulsion of unfathomable energies.

“Wow, finally goin’ all out, huh?” Nykannis observed. “Well, I hate to break it to ya, but even though every single one of your stats may be over nine thousand, all of mine are over nine thousand times that! Nyahahahaha!” the Mad Scientist Supreme informed her adversary with a wickedly gleeful cackle, before striking back with a monstrous, eldritch energy-bladed biphasic buzzsaw.

The strike split the inquisitor in twain at the waist, both halves spinning away at considerable speed due to the force of the blow. Not wasting a moment, the Monarch of Mad Science fired a withering volley of Multi-Phasic Maelstrom Missiles, Omnispectrumatic Giga Cyclonic Quantum Annihilator Rockets, Omniaetheric Zero-Point Hypertachyonic Wave Motion Cannons, and Polycyclic Transwarp Infinity Beams at Rachel’s still-airborne torso. When it finally landed with an unceremonious thud, it was little more than a charred lump of flesh, its armor having been completely stripped away by the starkly inconceivable energies unleashed upon it. Indeed, it was a testament to the inquisitor’s sheer force of will that she was still clinging to life by the most tenuous of threads.

“F-Finish it…” Rachel croaked, her single remaining eye glaring at Nykannis’s looming form with unrelenting hatred.

“Now, now,” Nykannis chided. “I’d never hit a girl with glasses.”

From out of the forearm of one of her appendages, a thin mechadendrite emerged. It immediately employed the spindly digits at its tip to delicately remove the mangled remains of Rachel’s glasses from her face, before carelessly tossing them aside.

“There. That’s better,” Nykannis noted with approval as she raised an enormous, energy spine-covered power fist that cracked with arcs of yellowy-green actinic lighting. A moment later, the fist slammed into Rachel’s head with a sickeningly wet crunch, the inquisitor’s cranium bursting apart in an explosion of gore.

“Well, I suppose that served as an adequate field test,” Nykannis reflected as the simulation concluded, the messy remains of her final opponent disappearing in wisps of fading energy particles. There were probably a few minor variables that could have been adjusted, but for the most part, the mad scientist was fairly pleased with how things had turned out. “Now then, what to do next…” she wondered as she reverted to her normal form and stepped through a glowing portal to another part of her vast Lab. “I could always invite Jen over for an Esper World viewing session, see how my little Ashley and the miniature version of everyone’s favorite failure are doing…” she mused. “Oh, and don’t worry,” she added, patting the exposed brain of the partially dissected Puchuu laying atop the operating table at her workstation as she passed it by. “I haven’t forgotten about you, Chiichuu. I’ll put you back together after I finish entertaining my soon-to-be arriving guest. Then we can talk about making that new magical girl team of yours…”

Being a leader means dealing with unpleasant repercussions and responsibilities as opposed to simply running away from them.
-Ashley Avenir


Ashley couldn’t help but wince slightly as The Pink Pounder’s blood-soaked form gave her a thumbs up, but she still managed to return the gesture, along with an admittedly awkward smile. MDP’s incongruously jaunty arrival inside the ruined diner was a different matter, one that actually surprised the Knight of Tomorrow. “Um, wouldn’t it be safer if you stayed outside?” she asked the pastel-colored freelancer with a concerned frown. Yet, before the whimsical girl could reply, Dr. Moller’s voice sounded over Ashley’s earpiece. The director noted that although a cleanup unit would be arriving shortly, the agents’ mission wasn’t over. Even with Finn being MIA, they would still need to complete their investigation, something the high-tech heroine was in firm agreement with. She was also told she would need to make a report on the mission, something she wasn’t exactly looking forward to, despite knowing the necessity of it. Finally, Dr. Moller asked if she needed anything else.

At first, she was tempted to request that Binky join them, but although the additional support would have given her less to worry about, Ashley knew full well just how thinly stretched G.E.M.I.N.I.’s presence in Pax Septimus currently was. “I think as long as The Pounder and MDP stick around to assist, Witch Hunter and I should be able to handle things,” the Knight of Tomorrow ultimately replied, even as she heard the pink-armored knight furiously shout at someone outside. I hope… “Um, Director?” Ashley added in a lower voice. “There are still a few patrons left, but none of them appear to be hostile. Also, Dante’s daughter just came out of the back room. She’s clearly distraught over what happened to her father, but I’m not sure how she ties into all this. I’d like to eventually question her, but if she’s a monster, I would prefer to do so in a more secure location. How would you advise us to proceed?”



18 | Female | GEMINI | Vision of Tomorrow
Implements of Tomorrow | Wand, Shield | Arcane | Tune of Tomorrow
Raiment of Tomorrow | Stride of Tomorrow
Light of Tomorrow | Light | Power of Tomorrow
PRO-TEK 4000 Defensive Surgery Implement | Kevlar Coat, Kevlar Padding, Medical Supplies, Tazer, Clip Light
[Reveal (2), Purity (4)], Damage (2), Damage X (6), Shield (4), Reflect (4), Heal (6), Major Heal (18), AoE (2), Powerful (0), Piercing (2), Purify (6), Homing (2), Avoid (2)

DAMAGE: B | SPEED: E | SENTINEL: C | 1000

PHYSICAL: E | ARCANE: C | CHAOS: B | 622

I'm not agreeing to this because I like being aound you or anything...
-Nyxia Torrentia, Neon Tempest of the Ultraviolet Rainbow


“Doing good deeds?!” Nyxia snarled incredulously. “Ya honestly think that’s gonna make us stronger?!”

However, before Oros could respond to Nyxia’s annoyed inquiry, Roche stepped into the room, looking a fair bit more cheerful than her typical stern demeanor. At first, the track captain’s agreement with Oros and subsequent suggestion to “do something new” were viewed with the same amount of disdain Nyxia held for the blood witch’s initial idea. Yet, after a moment’s reflection, the Neon Tempest began to see the possible merit in both courses of action. So far, their nightly slaughters of the city’s Miseria had done nothing to further augment their strength, so perhaps a change of approach was needed, even one as seemingly pointless as helping those in need, or as unpalatable as engaging in recreational activities with her fellow club mates. Plus, Nyxia had to admit, helping the flower shop’s owner had felt nice, so maybe there was something to this whole “selfless service” thing after all…

Unfortunately, while Nyxia was mulling all of this over, Oros had continued her ramblings, with the blood witch ultimately reaching the conclusion that if Roche thought an idea was a good one, it really meant that said idea was utter crap. Thus, after giving her “condolences”, the pink-haired love freak had promptly made her exit, leaving the Neon Tempest alone with the track captain. Despite her lack of fondness for any of the club’s members, Nyxia still preferred the composed stoicism of the code keeper to Oros’s disgustingly desperate flirtations. Indeed, if she absolutely had to go to a boring play, she would rather it be with someone who wasn’t likely to babble away about the most banal subject matter for its entire duration. Though, it seemed the play was off the agenda, at least for the time being, and that meant they would need to come up with another suitable activity.

“Okay,” Nyxia began with an exasperated sigh as she turned to glare at Roche, with one hand on her hip. “So what kinda fluffy feel-good crap did ya have in mind?”
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