“You want me to do what?” Seina asked, her voice breathless, “Why?” She eyed the injured man beneath her, who stared at her with wide-eyed terror.

“You’re a magical girl. How about living up to the name already?” Emiyo replied, mouth twisting into a self-satisfied smirk. She peered out a top window, the blood of her victims straining her pristine white dress. “Kill him and I might forgive you.”

“This isn’t what we agreed!” Another voice growled in protest. It was the vampire woman.

“I changed my mind. Seina could be a useful asset if turned to the correct path. She only needs to awaken to her true nature.” A man screamed as Emiyo suddenly thrust him out the window, held by his neck like a disobedient puppy. “You know the consequences of refusal. Choose wisely!”

“You coward.” Seina’s teeth ground together as she considered her options.

“And remember, I’m a master of time,” Emiyo’s tone turned sing song with obnoxious cheerfulness. “Your precious uncle will die in three minutes if you don’t capitulate. It gives you plenty of time to mutilate that man to death. I give points for creativity. But a snapped neck will suffice. Afterall you’re only a novice magical girl.”

Her hand trembled. The helpless man scrambled away, eyes wide with blind terror, certain she meant him harm. If he fled, Uncle Kenji was dead. Yet, what else could she do? Hurting an innocent was beyond inconceivable, but losing Uncle Kenji was infinitely more so. She summoned her staff into her hand, giving chase to the fleeing man, desperately hoping the borrowed time would be enough to devise a plan to save both.

---

“Look at her go!” Emiyo guffawed, clapping in delight. “A swift blow to the neck, you think?” In her grip, the prime minister trembled, glancing down at the terrible plummet below with fearful eyes.

“Ha! It took almost nothing to make her abandon her principles!” Emiyo’s fairy partner guffawed.

Lilha watched with interest, eager to see if Seina would break her self-righteous, ridiculous morals. Imagining Seina with blood covering her hands brought a tingle of joy she hadn’t expected. What would happen next? Would she give her soul to evil to hide from her overwhelming guilt? Either way, Lilha was having her fun. Only Dreven remained stoic, watching the scene with intense solemnity.

“Is something the matter?” Lilha asked.

“Do you really expect her to do it?” Dreven raised an eyebrow, wearing a mocking smile. “If you do, you’re fools.”

“What?” Emiyo’s eye twitched.

“Seina won’t kill him. It isn’t in her nature. She’s buying time to devise some clever plan to save him.” Dreven gestured towards the cowering man. “Three minutes? You might as well give her an eternity.”

“Really? And what makes you so sure?” Emiyo ground out, and Lilha nodded her agreement.

“Because I have done battle with her. I know her better than anyone.” A lopsided smile creased his lips. “She is my polar opposite, remember?” He gave a dramatic flourish of his flowery pink dress for emphasis.

“R-right.” Again, Lilha wondered if Dreven was for real. Did he really believe the nonsense he was sprouting?

Emiyo gave a derisive snort. “What do you know? Seina is a magical girl like me. She’ll revert to her true nature soon enough.” Her fairy partner gave an emphatic nod of agreement. Dreven didn’t reply, turning back to watch the scene unfold.

“Hey, don’t ignore me!” Emiyo ground her teeth before returning to a self-satisfied smirk. “Never mind, you’ll see the truth soon enough!”

Seina had caught up with her victim, hand gripping his arm like iron shackles, making any further fleeing impossible. The man struggled for several moments before sobbing, accepting his fate. Seina hunched over him, blocking their view.

“She’s just standing over him now,” Dreven said. “Her hands are trembling. What now, hero?”

“One minute, Seina!” Emiyo yelled from her vantage point. “You better snap his neck before it’s too late!”

Lilha blinked, glancing at her watch. “Shouldn’t she have two left?”

“I’m bored. Even a single solitary minute is a waste of time.” Emiyo shook the prime minister, emphasizing her point. “Fifteen seconds!”

Not giving her much time, eh? Still, Lilha couldn’t help but admire Emiyo’s swift, logical cruelty. The magical girl had a knack for maximizing sadism. Besides, time wasn’t an obstacle to a magical girl. Seina could kill the man in nanoseconds. She relished the indecision in Seina’s expression, faced with a no-win scenario. Lilha’s delight magnified as Seina dropped her weapon, shamefaced. The pitiful girl was too weak to save her beloved uncle figure.

“Idiot.” Light gathered around Emiyo’s hand, ready to disintegrate her victim. Yet, the Prime Minister seemed relieved. No, overjoyed.

“That’s my Seina.” Uncle Kenji gathered himself up, straightening despite his awkward position. “Kill me if you want, but she’s already beaten you. She’s proven herself to be a greater magical girl than you’ll ever be.”

“Really?” Emiyo asked, wearing a mocking smile. “Take your worthless victory to your grave!”

Several things happened at once. From nowhere, a portal appeared centimeters away from the Prime Minister. A mop of blue hair appeared from the distortion in space-time, hand darting towards the hostage. The newcomer’s eyes widened in shock as her hand ground to a halt, fingertips brushing against the Prime Minister’s pristine coat. Much to Lilha’s astonishment, time had frozen only for the newcomer. Lilha found herself unimpeded by the time-stopping magic.

“Fool, just as I expected. You’ve fallen right into my trap, Ume!” Emiyo’s eyes sparkled with malevolence.

What? Another magical girl?

“This wasn’t just a trap for Seina. She’s only an insect. You? You’re a greater bother.” The evil magical girl’s eyes sparkled in victory. “I knew you’d come to Seina’s aid. So predictable.”

The new magical girl’s eyes widened in terror, trapped and unable to fight back. Emiyo thrust her hand into the portal, hovering right above Ume’s heart. Blood exploded from the wound in slow motion as a beam shot through the magical girl, who slumped from the portal onto the carpeted floor, a gaping wound in her chest. Ume floundered, each breath an agonizing effort.

Emiyo cackled in delight. “Finally, our little rebel problem is dealt with.”

“What about Seina?” Lilha asked. While one less magical girl was helpful, it didn’t deal with their greater problem.

“What about her?” Emiyo craned her neck towards the vampire queen. “I wonder how she’ll feel when I slaughter Osaka before her eyes. She’ll be too grief-stricken to be a threat.”

“Aren’t you forgetting something?” Dreven said, pointing towards Emiyo’s hand. Much to their collective astonishment. Uncle Kenji had vanished.

“What?” Emiyo flexed her hand, confused why it didn’t have her victim. Her eyes widened when she saw Seina hugging her uncle, crying in relief he was safe. After returning the hug and giving a nod of thanks, the man retreated to safety, taking the stunned younger man with him.

“What?! How? No!” Emiyo blinked and shook her head in utter disbelief. That shouldn’t have been possible. How had Seina entered without her noticing? Ume still lay on the floor, bleeding to death.

“You owe me, Seina!” Another newcomer said, shouting from a nearby window. “You better have Aiko get me all the bento boxes I want. And some anime DVDs!”

“Takako?” Blood spluttered from the dying magical girl’s throat, her eyes widening in surprise. “I-I killed you.”

“What? Didn’t you know? I’m invincible. Haven’t you been paying attention?” Takako replied, wearing a cocky, lopsided smile.

“You again?” Lilha scowled. Was there no end of these troublesome insects?

“Yes, you aren’t dead? I’d assumed the rebel here killed you.” Emiyo said, losing her patience. “What do you think you’re doing?”

“I killed you,” Ume repeated, more concerned about her missed kill than her own life. “How?”

“Worry about that later,” Takako leaped through a far window, reappearing in the room. She smirked, and a sudden swift kick threw Ume through a wall. Pavement shattered as the magical girl’s head stuck it, creating a miniature crater. The girl groaned in agony, but otherwise appeared still alive despite her gapping, bloody hole in her chest. Curse those magical girls. Why were they so indestructible?

“That works,” Emiyo said, her tone uncertain. Nothing about Takako’s recent actions made any lick of sense. Was she here to help or hurt? “At least you’ve finally shown some backbone! Nice work. That was an excellent display of cruelty!”

“No, you idiot! It’s a trick to rescuing Ume.” Dreven said. Sure enough, Seina stood over the injured girl, doing her best to staunch the worst of the bleeding of the gapping hole in her chest. Blood spatted everywhere over her dress, but Seina was more concerned with saving the other magical girl. She gave Takako a friendly wave.

“What, but!” Emiyo staired, mouth agape. “You wouldn’t dare.”

“I do dare.” Takako’s face extended into a smug, self-satisfied smile. “Consider this my resignation. I quit!”

A variety of emotions passed over Emiyo’s face, having trouble processing Takako’s sudden alliance change. Takako’s unapologetic attitude fueled her temper, the lieutenant’s head turned crimson from her fury, a vein throbbed dangerously on her brow.

“This shall become your grave!” she spat. A wave of distorted time-space spot from her hand, freezing everything it touched in place. But Takako slipped away before it connected, appearing next to Seina.

Seina stared at the girl, wide-eyed, tears blurring her vision, embracing the girl into an enormous hug. “Ume told me she killed you!”

“Stop that,” Takako said, admonishing her ally, but didn’t fight against the embrace. “Is it so surprising? I’m invincible, remember?.”

“Sure.” A slight smile appeared on Seina’s lips.

“You were always the weakest! How did you…” Emiyo said, interrupting the tender moment. “Never mind, it matters little. A slight power boost won’t save you.” In a single bound, Emiyo landed right beside Seina. Both girls kept their distance, wary of the lieutenant’s power.

Excellent! Butcher them all! Lilha cackled, eager to see how Emiyo would eviscerate her hated foes. Much to her surprise, Dreven seemed pensive.

“What is it?” Lilha asked. Dreven didn’t reply, watching the scene unfold on the street below through narrowed eyes.

“This makes it so much easier. So many easy victims to kill!” Emiyo extended a hand, summoning a sickle with a blade that shimmered with blue energy. Its wickedly sharp edge seemed to slice through the air itself.

Takako stepped forward, her head lifted in with a superior smile. “I suppose it’s about time I show off as well. I’ve been wanting to show my true power.”

“True power?” Emiyo asked, tilting her head like she hadn’t heard right.

“Thank you, Seina,” Takako said, startling the girl who stared like Takako had grown a second head. “I discovered a side of me I never realized existed. I’d been coasting through life, lost without even realizing it.”

“Well, uh.” Seina rubbed the back of her neck, embarrassed. “It was my pleasure. But Aiko did the hard work. I’m just happy to see you alive.”

The two exchanged a sickeningly sweet smile before Takako returned her attention towards their opponent. “Shall we play, Emiyo?” Her tone was dismissive, showing an even greater level of arrogance than she’d ever heard from the girl. If Takako intended this to irritate her opponent, it more than succeeded.

“Just die.” Emiyo swung her sickle, and Lilha lost all perspective as reality itself rippled around the magical girl.

Space-time distorted as Emiyo extended her will. Pain. That became Lilha’s existence, never-ending agony, every second its own hellish nightmare. Tears blurred her vision as Lilha wished for death, anything to end her suffering. She opened her mouth to plead for release, but each word arrived slurred, unable to break free. Was this her existence now?

Lilha realized she wasn’t the only victim. The three enemy magical girls’ bodies twisted and warped, becoming like colors washing together. Their faces twisted in agony but were helpless to fight against the forces assaulting them. Much to Lilha’s horror, she realized Takako was the true target of Emiyo’s attack. She was only suffering the backwash.

What power. Despite her agony, Lilha stood transfixed. This was power beyond anything she’d ever dreamed. Before Seina appeared to ruin her life, she’d assumed her husband was the most powerful creature in existence. Now she realized he’d only been a gnat, fighting against giants. Fear paralyzed her body, and she slumped against a nearby wall, unable to control her trembling. Dreven, however, faced his pain, standing up, grimacing but remaining firm, watching the scene with intense interest.

The lieutenant gave a savage grin, taking delight in the helplessness of her victims. Seina dropped to one knee, panting with pained breaths, incapable of standing against such powerful magic. Ume heaving and coughed blood, her breathing becoming something unrecognizable, inhuman even. The girl’s eyes closed, and her body stilled so completely, it was impossible to tell if she still lived.

Emiyo was so pleased with her obvious superiority that she was unprepared for the fist Takako threw into her solar plexus. Somehow, the girl had broken free of the time attack. The rending of time-space stopped, releasing Lilha from her agony. The once great vampire queen almost cried in relief.

“What?” Emiyo stepped back, grimacing and tasting blood in her mouth.

“Why are you so surprised? I mastered karate with Seina. I know how to throw a punch.”

“How! Why didn’t my powers work?” Pure fury filled Emiyo’s features.

“Yeah, how did you do that?” While she moved with obvious pain, Seina was recovering quickly. “I couldn’t do anything against it.”

“That’s because you’re a brick Seina, and I’m a master magician. Magic manipulation is my specialty.” Takako replied.

“That makes sense,” Seina nodded, accepting this vague answer.

“No, it doesn’t!” Emiyo yelled. “It shouldn’t matter! You’re the weakest magical girl I’ve ever met!”

“Really?” Takako said, cocking her head towards Emiyo. “Shall I show you my power now?”

She threw out both hands and summoned her twin pistols, one black, the other white. With a flex of her hand, they exploded into light, vanishing from her hands. The light floated in the air before combining into a shimmering ball of light before Takako’s face. The magical girl thrust her hand into the light, withdrawing a black stick with a stand of light trailing behind it. The light exploded, revealing the new form for Takako’s weapon.

“Wow,” Seina said, awed and amazed.

After regaining her senses, Emiyo almost burst out laughing in sheer disbelief. “Really?”

“That’s it? Really?” Lilha snickered before almost tumbling over with laughter. A ribbon wand! That was Takako’s great new weapon?

Takako only smirked, twirling her ribbon around her body, almost twice her height. Its white colors shimmered with a colorful pattern as it circled around her. With a feather’s grace, its length gently curled around its wielder.

“Your weapon has evolved?” Seina clapped her hands together, eyes sparkling.

“Don’t be an idiot.” Emiyo snapped. “A ribbon on a stick? How the hell is this an evolution? She had a deadly weapon before!”

Lilha couldn’t argue with that reasoning. With a gun, she could blow people’s heads open. What was Takako’s plan now, ribbon dance people to death?

“Are you all a bunch of idiots?” Dreven rolled his eyes behind his helmet’s faceplate, exasperated. “Have you learned nothing about magical girls?”

“Oh shut up!” Lilha turned to glare at her former subordinate. Her face extended into a terrible grin. “Never mind. We finally have them on the ropes. It’s about time I get into the fight.”

Finally, she’d get the chance to use her power in all its terrible glory. Once the right moment to strike appeared, Seina and her hateful ilk would be corpses mutilated beyond recognition! Lilha abandoned the useless fool Dreven and leaped to the street from the hole in the wall and retreated towards a far street. There she could watch the battle without accidentally getting hurt or possibly killed again.

“I don’t know what game you’re playing, but it matters little. Die.” Reality bent as Emiyo unleashed the full force of her time abilities onto her foes. Concrete aged into dust and a metal light pole rusted and corroded into uselessness.

Seina flinched and braced for impact, but Takako remained firm, twirling her ribbon around her. Emiyo gapped in sheer disbelief as the piece of cloth tore through the time distortion, leaving her friends and allies completely untouched.

“H-how?” Emiyo trembled with outrage. Did she also sense a twinge of fear hidden there also?

“You might have the power over time, but I have a greater resource at my disposal. The power of imagination.” Takako gave a slight shrug of her shoulder. “My guns could only access a small fraction of that ability.”

“A problem, but not an insurmountable one,” Emiyo replied with a dismissive sniff. “You will all burn. Redirect my power all you wish. It can’t save you. I have other, better tricks.”

In a blink, Emiyo appeared before Takako. Blood trickled from the girl’s neck. The scythe’s blade missed decapitating her by mere centimeters. Another swing and that slash left an even deeper wound, her target only surviving decapitation by a hair.

Emiyo must be using her time magic to increase her speed. Nice.

Seina rushed in to intervene, attacking from Emiyo’s blind spot after another decapitation attempt. With a casual gesture of the evil magical girl’s hand, Seina was frozen in place. Unlike her ally, she was defenseless against Emiyo’s time powers.

Takako whipped her ribbon to engulf the evil magical girl in its white tendrils. But Emiyo slipped away with casual ease, her time-altered speed making her impossible to touch. Poor, sad, pitiful Seina tried to distract Emiyo as Takako launched her own counterattack. But their combined abilities were a pittance against their foe’s.

Oh my god, we’re actually winning this. Lilha wasn’t sure if she should laugh or cry. Victory had abandoned her for so long, she’d forgotten its taste.

“What now?” Seina mouthed towards her ally, circling around Emiyo and trying to find an opening.

“Just give me a few moments. I’m not quite sure how these new powers work yet.” Takako replied.

“What?!” Emiyo said, flabbergasted. “You started this fight without any clue how your powers worked? You fight a lieutenant of the Devil Princesses without even the start of a plan. Are you really so foolish?”

While Emiyo ranted, Seina gestured towards the fallen Ume, impatiently tapping her foot while making a rising motion.

“Fine.” Takako gave an exaggerated eye roll but nodded. She darted towards her would-be killer, but Emiyo was no fool. She hadn’t forgotten her once subordinate’s healing abilities for even a second. With a flick of Emiyo’s wrist, her scythe launched towards Ume’s throat. The fallen magical girl’s eyes widened in delightful terror, helpless to save herself from her impending doom.

“No!” With her own burst of speed, Seina raised her staff to intercept the weapon. Metal scraped against metal as the Seina’s staff knocked the blade aside, but killing Ume hadn’t been Emiyo’s true intention. Seina watched in dawning horror as Emiyo appeared before her, hand extended, reading an energy blade to eviscerate the magical girl’s chest. The edge missed, but Lilha’s eyes widened in utter delight as Seina’s right arm flew in the opposite direction. It burned into nothingness moments later.