Kari burst through the door with Sachi unconscious on her back. "Shuu, I need you to shelter this girl for a while!"

The room was dark and something tumbled over with a light thud. When Kari turned on the lights, Shuu was clutching his head, eyes screwed shut and groaning.

"Shelter— Are you crazy? What do you think will happen if her parents find out?" he asked.

"They're in the hospital, and it doesn't look good for either of them."

Shuu asked no more questions and instructed her to lay Sachi down on the bed. A breaking news segment of the late night news answered the most pressing ones. Sachi's home had gone up in flames. The cause of destruction was unknown.

Only three people knew the truth, and two of them were in this room. One of which was supposed to be dead.

There was no telling how Flare would react upon realizing she was deceived. No, that wasn't quite true. Kari knew. She would come right for her and Sachi.

"So, who is she to you? Your new Makina?" Shuu asked from the kitchen as he filled himself a glass of water.

"As if. I just…" Kari paused and wondered why she had saved Sachi to begin with.

Doing so did nothing. She could have let her die for good and somewhat stayed in Flare's good graces, if there was any left. The only thing that came to mind was the moment Sachi pulled her away from incoming traffic earlier in the day.

"I owe her. That's all," she finally said.

"Look, giving you a place to stay is one thing. I know you, but I don't know this girl. She sure as hell isn't going to rave about staying with a stranger either. When she wakes up, have her call an extended family member," he replied, handing her a glass and not looking thrilled about having another person in his home.

"Two days. Give me two days to figure something out. Until then, she absolutely can't leave the house when the sun's up."

Shuu cocked his head sideways. She had asked him an outrageous favor and tacked on a strange condition after all.

He folded his arms and frowned. "Next you're going to tell me she's a vampire. Are you going to explain to me why?"

Kari agonized over his question, because telling him the truth would put him in Flare's crosshairs if it ever came out.

"Fine. Two days and no more." He sighed.

The next morning, Sachi was no less enthused about the rule to stay out of sunlight. If the exchange between her and Shuu wasn't awkward enough, Kari had to insist that she stay indoors for her own good.

"I can't even go see my parents?" Sachi asked.

"Not unless you want Flare to find out and turn you into barbecue," Kari warned.

"What… but how?"

Fortunately, Shuu had gone to work and wasn't around to hear this.

"I think Flare's somehow able to see during the day. Don't know for sure yet. Right now, she seriously believes you're dead. So stay put. Because if she finds out you're alive, your ass isn't the only one that gets fried," she said.

The girl who once viciously bullied Makina pressed her back to the wall and slid to the ground in silence. Her eyes went blank, lifeless like she had her soul ripped out a second time.

"I thought… I thought magical girls were supposed to save people?"

"So did I," Kari said, recalling the people she had already killed and let die. "I'll check on your parents for you, alright? Just stay put."

Sachi nodded wordlessly.

Kari and Rocky went straight to the nearest hospital. Doctors and nurses were still knee-deep in work after the incident at Roppongi. Many of the injured had to be transported to other hospitals due to capacity issues. It went to show how ill-prepared a place as dense as Minato City was if an incursion were to hit. She couldn't fathom the level of destruction that would occur during an apocalypse.

After turning on [Incognito] and having Rocky go invisible, they entered a packed lobby where a number of family members awaited news of their loved ones from the hospital staff.

She went up to a receptionist and rapped her knuckles on the plastic pane. "Excuse me. I'm looking for my parents under the family name Tamura. They were badly injured in a fire and should've arrived last night."

The baggy-eyed woman's mouth hung open. "I'm… I'm terribly sorry, but your mom and dad passed away by the time they arrived."

This was pretty much expected, given how big that fire was. Flare wasn't looking to leave any survivors that night.

"It's alright," Kari said. "My grandparents will come by later to take care of it."

"Sure, um… Excuse me if I'm being insensitive, but you don't seem very heartbroken by this?" she remarked.

Without giving the nurse anymore chances to doubt her identity, she quickly left the hospital. Breaking the news to Sachi right away crossed her mind. However, the death of her parents might lead her to do something rash. Might be best to leave it until the evening.

Rocky looked like he had something to say by repeatedly pointing to his mouth. She found a nearby convenience to store to head into and pretended to browse the packed lunches at the back. It took a second to convince her anthem that they could speak without fear of being found out.

"Do you really have Flare figured out about how she can hear or see us?" he whispered with caution in each word.

"No, it's a guess at best. Think about it. When Sachi ran away, Flare should have easily found her ages before I even arrived. She's not someone who toys around either; if she wants someone dead, then it's going to happen unless there's a good reason to ignore them," Kari explained.

The anthem furrowed his brows in thought. "Like how fighting you under the bridge would cause a scene and risk Sachi getting away? But she ended up finding her anyway and somehow knew you let Tetsuo and his friends die."

"Flare knew I let people die at night, but not specifically who. Remember how she was genuinely surprised that I had Tetsuo's phone at Roppongi? Which leads me to think her omniscience is limited."

"That's still a crazy skill to have…" he mumbled.

Very much so. Flare's omniscience seemed all-powerful. Even with all the holes, it still was.

"How did you even figure all this out?" Rocky asked.

"Yuria's letter. She probably had some idea and wrote a letter instead. But she's probably just like me a few days ago, thinking Flare could see or hear everything. Us speaking right now is proof that isn't true," she said.

He suddenly gasped, like a school kid who finally figured out the answer to a difficult question.

"That's why you told Sachi to stay indoors, because of—"

"The sun."

"I wanted to say it!" Rocky pouted.

Kari placed a hand on the anthem's head and grinned. A phone notification startled them. A message from Tsubasa and Rie frantically told her to turn on the television.

"Hey, can you turn that on?" she asked the middle aged employee behind the counter. He did so begrudgingly after being interrupted from reading his magazine, but what came on the tube made him put it down.

Multiple video shots of South Africa's Cape Town showed a devastated city overrun with head hounds, broken ladies, and other large monsters converging to one location. The cameras focused on something like a gargantuan white cocoon, nestled between two tall buildings. Giggling and convulsing monsters gathered around it like a profane worship hall.

Several international news helicopters bravely flew overhead to get a closer look. The one on the screen was through the lens of an American news organization.

"We are live right now above Cape Town, escorted by both the United States' and North African Coalition's magical girls. A mysterious cocoon appeared overnight, captured by satellite imagery. No one knows how or why it has appeared, but one thing is for certain— this can't be good… What? Something's happening! It's opening! It's opening!"

The cocoon began to shudder, shedding snow-like powder to the ground. A large crack snaked up the center and two pairs of arms pried open its encasing. What emerged looked like a white wolf with no eyes, standing on hind legs and hands pressed together in prayer. Gilded horns crowned the head, and shifting tattoos marked all over its leathery skin and rippling muscles. As the cocoon crumbled, the creature unfurled ivory-feathered wings reminiscent of the scarecrow monster.

"Is that thing… a god?" Kari asked, shaking where she stood.

"I… Nothing like that has ever spawned before… I don't even remember seeing it last time I was there," the anthem answered in terror.

"Holy shit…" the store employee uttered their exact sentiments. "Glad we live here, eh?"

Are we safe here? she wondered. That thing had wings, and if it could fly just like the scarecrow, then it wasn't safe anywhere.

Shuu was right.

A caucasian magical girl in military fatigues entered the frame, yelling something inaudible over the chopper's wings.

"Magical girl team leader, Hurricane, is now warning us to vacate the area fast! Any longer here and we're in danger—"

The cameras shook violently at first, then stabilized to focus on the wolf monster opening its mouth. A concentrated beam of light fired from its gaping maw and exploded another helicopter within the frame.

"Holy fuck! Get us out of here!"

It cut back to the news station of a speechless anchor before going into commercials.

"Are we… supposed to fight that thing?" Kari asked in horror.

A commotion outside the city drew Kari's attention away from the television. Hundreds of people marched down the streets, carrying signs and pickets. She and Rocky went out to investigate the crowd that seemingly came out of nowhere.

"The gods have arrived! The gods have arrived! The gods have arrived!" they chanted in unison over the sound of honking cars and boos from the crosswalk.

Their march put traffic to a standstill. Folks who were not part of the congregation heckled and jeered at the disturbance they caused.

Kari singled out an older man and pulled him from the marchers.

"The hell is all this about?" she asked.

"A reckoning! The gods deemed humanity's sin unforgivable and have come to cleanse the world. We're here to repent! You should, too! The Messiah foretold that this day would come! They were right! The magical girls Flare, Candy, Jade, and Kari are the real monsters!" he screamed at the top of his lungs.

People around them who heard his rambling chimed in with thoughts of their own.

"Hey, screw off and take this back to the internet where you belong!"

"You guys are just looking for attention!"

"The magical girls are trying to save people, and you're going around spreading baseless rumors!"

A group of the man's own came to his aid, shoving Kari aside to get her off him. She was looking into the eyes of fanatics.

"Magical girls are sent by the devil!" one of them shouted in response.

"That's right! They're the ones who are evil!" another added.

It soon devolved into a shouting match between two growing groups. Japanese weren't confrontational at all, but this was proving to be a fiery enough topic to break their manners.

"W-We should go. They don't look very friendly," Rocky said.

"I wonder if they'd feel the same way if a head hound was dropped right in front of them." Kari transformed before their eyes to the shock and awe of the respective factions.

It was amusing to see the difference in reactions, a stark day and night contrast. One side cheered in adoration, and the other regarded her as a monster. Some of them tried to throw crumpled pieces of paper at her, but she was much too high. Neither ridicule nor praise seemed to reach her. They were all just noise in the wind, and from up here— insects.

Kari shuddered as Flare descended from above. Every fiber in her body pulled taut and filled with boiling blood, thinking they were about to fight. But by the fiery magical girl's calm and indifferent demeanor, it appeared she was mistaken.

"It's like looking at a bunch of hairless sheep," she remarked, glancing at the crowds below.

"They're freaking out because they think a giant fucking monster in South Africa is a god," Kari said, steadying her breaths.

"No, it's because someone under the online moniker of 'The Messiah' spreading disinformation. I have people on Twitter calling me an attention whore because of them. Can you believe that?"

Kari bit back the urge to respond.

Messiah?

"Some guy below mentioned that name. I thought he was just pulling shit out of his ass. Is The Messiah person that big a deal?" she asked.

"Whoever they are has hundreds of thousands of people around the world chanting the same thing as the ones down there. I don't know what their game is, but it's starting to really tick me off." Flare glowered and clenched her fists so hard, a powerful heat was beginning to emanate from it.

Either someone had beef with magical girls or was trying to take advantage of the vulnerable masses. It wouldn't be the first time in history someone claimed to be a prophet, acting in sake of conning people out of their money.

This didn't appear to be the same case. If this was happening in other parts of the world with the same message, then they were coordinated. Very coordinated to have gathered so many followers and laid low until now.

"Why don't you just kill the newly born monster and prove them wrong about it being a god?" Kari chided.

"I know you're eager to get rid of me, but that thing is still a few evolutions away from a god. Let them believe what they want. Besides, I have a lot more adoring fans than a faceless doomsayer." Flare flew down to the cheers and adulation of the populace.

People poured out of cars and buildings to be closer to her, quickly overwhelming the marchers and forcing them to retreat for fear of being trampled. She had drawn a larger crowd in seconds than they did in minutes.

"Hi, everyone!" Flare shouted to her adoring fans, just out of reach of their outstretched hands.

"Flare!"

"I've watched all your movies!"

"I love you!"

They yelled back praise and declarations of love, all starstruck by her.

"You don't have to worry about a thing while I'm here! No matter what monsters there are, you can bet I'll take care of them no problem!" She did her signature peace pose and sent sparks of cinders flying like fireworks around her, sending everyone below into a passionate frenzy.

"Let's get out of here before I hurl." Kari beckoned to her anthem.

Rocky and Blaze awkwardly bid goodbye to each other. Their relationship had grown tenuous just as their magical girls did. She wondered if Flare's anthem was an accessory to all that she had done, or maybe just another hostage. For a race that expressed desire to help humanity, Blaze couldn't possibly be okay with what she's doing.

As they were about to take off, Kari took another glance at Flare in time to see her tense up. Sharp pops rang across the streets and silenced the raucous crowds. A stampede followed soon after as people ran for cover. Something whizzed past Kari's ear that was unmistakable aimed at her.

"Flare!" Blaze cried, flying in haste to her side.

Her three would-be assassins were In the middle of the streets, faces covered with paper masks and something in their hands pointed to the sky. Realizing that the bullets did little other than bounce off her skin and irritate her, they began firing in panic.

"A-Are those humans shooting at Flare? What should we do?" Rocky asked.

She considered flying higher to watch. If Flare died, then that's the end of that. If not—

One of them grabbed a woman who was too slow to escape and held her hostage.

"D-Don't even think about coming any closer!" a man's voice yelled, pressing the gun to her head.

Kari finally decided to intervene but Flare was faster. She snapped her finger, incinerating the hostage-taker into ashes and leaving the woman falling unconscious. His gun, which was all that was left of him, clattered to the asphalt.

"For… For the Messiah!" The remaining two turned their guns on themselves, but tendrils of flames ripped it from their hands and snaked up their bodies.

"Not so fast." Flare glared at them with a twinkle in her eyes.

It all ended as quickly as it began.

Police sirens were soon followed by the arrival of a dozen vehicles. A large number of officers poured into the streets in an attempt to secure the scene.

Captain Ogata surveyed the mess, acknowledged Kari's presence, and turned his attention to the captured perpetrators. "Miss Flare, we'll take it from here—"

"I don't think so. These guys seem to know about Messiah. I'll compromise by giving you one," she bargained, lifting the two higher into the sky.

Tension in the air grew thick as every officers' hand inched closer to their holster.

"That's not how the law works. We're after the same guy, and last I checked, magical girls aren't law enforcement. Hand them over and come down to the station with us instead," the police captain urged.

They stared unflinchingly at the other.

As people slowly returned, but only as far as the police barricades allowed, Flare cursed under her breath and backed down.

She forced herself to smile and said, "In that case, I hope we can cooperate, Officer Ogata."

Officers collected weapons from the ground that were, without a shadow of a doubt, guns. Something no one other than the police should have been able to get their hands on. The gunmen must have been part of the marching crowds and snuck in during the commotion.

Flare lowered the gunmen to the police to be detained, and Kari levitated herself down.

"Our CCTF detected a spike in social media activity last night surrounding the mysterious individual known as Messiah. Whoever they are has it out for you girls and genuinely believe monsters are the ones here to save us," Ogata explained, slamming the car door on one of the shooters.

"They timed it with the wolf monster in South Africa coming out of the egg. Going by what you said, it sounds like they either get around or have insiders," Kari said, narrowing her eyes accusingly at the police captain.

Their arrival is also rather timely, she thought.

"It sounds to me like you're holding a grudge from our last meeting.

"They had guns," Flare chimed in. "You want to explain that?"

"Not ours, that's for sure. At a glance, they were manufactured in the States. How they got in— I plan to figure out. In the meantime, you girls stay on your toes. Darker places on the web are ablaze with threats to your lives. My only regret is that I didn't warn you sooner."

Flare scoffed at the idea of hitjobs being made on them. She departed with the police force back to the precinct, promising to find answers on the Messiah.

"Come on. Let's not keep Shuu waiting back home," Kari said to her anthem.

Kari returned to Shuu's apartment and froze at the unlocked door left slightly ajar. Sachi escaping was the first thing that crossed her mind.

"Sachi!" She threw the door open and found her squirming on the floor, bound and gagged.

"Watch out!" Rocky shouted too late and was thrown hard against the wall.

Cold steel plunged into her abdomen. Kari stared at the metal handle, held by a slender hand that was quickly staining red with blood and belonging to none other than Yuria Wakana. Her weary eyes showed remorse and pity.

Kari slumped against the wall. Her strength was being sapped out until she lost the ability to even stand. Yuria then pulled out the now glowing knife.

"You should have left Aiko alone. Now I have to finish what she started. Oh, bother… My sister isn't going to be happy with me, isn't she? I wanted to spend more time with grandma, but I guess that will have to wait." Yuria sighed.

Blood dripping down from the knife took the shape of [Destruction and Ruin], which Yuria gripped in her other hand.

"I still can't believe you manifested a soul-carving weapon stronger than mine. I'll be taking this. You can thank me later when I've killed Flare. Oh, and… sorry about this," she said on her way out.

Sachi desperately tried to reach her and was crying uncontrollably.

"Hurry! Take the sigil! Please!" Rocky cried.

A sigil appeared in Kari's hand, but she had no strength to crush it.

The world around her became tinted in a shade of purple, and the last thing she heard before losing consciousness was the Apocalypse System's error message.