“Haruko, what are you doing here?” Emiyo asked, momentarily taken aback.

“Cleaning up garbage,” Haruko replied, her tone chilly. “What are you even doing here, anyway? Shouldn’t you be back at Starlight Dream filing papers or something?”

“I’m here investigating some rebel activity,” Emiyo said, not liking the other lieutenant’s tone. “Stay out of this. These three are my prey.”

“Hardly. The Devil Princess themselves instructed me to destroy Seina’s allies,” Haruko said in her usual smug, superior tone. “Step aside. The credit for their defeat belongs to me.”

“Seina?” Emiyo said, surprised. “How do you know about her? Wait, where even is that little whelp?”

“Seina.” Haruko snorted, pleased with herself. “She’s become a plaything for Yoshida. At least you can delight that the upstart suffered a hideous death, likely tortured past the point of sanity.”

Takako’s heart wrenched, fearing for her friend’s safety. Thanks to Colten, she knew Seina wasn’t dead. But the confirmation that Seina was fighting Reiko was ill news.

Aiko trembled as her usual self-styled confidence faltered. Only the illusive Paliah seemed unconcerned, snorting in derision.

“You know nothing. This world’s protector couldn’t have lost so easily.” Paliah entered a fighting stance with his blade. “And I’m here to protect it while she’s gone. Be gone, or meet my steel.”

“Who are you supposed to be?” If Haruko was concerned, it didn’t show in her expression. She sneered, finding the idea of being threatened by a non-magical girl absurd.

Takako shared her opponent's doubts. While his time trick was nifty, they were fighting magical girls. He’d likely only be dead weight.

“Aiko, flee to safety. We’ll handle this.” Takako whispered to her friend, taking advantage of Paliah’s distraction. She wondered if the exaggerated gestures were intentional.

“Just be careful, okay?” Aiko gave a jerky nod, her worry undisguised. Takako edged around her, using her body to cover her escape. Thankfully, neither lieutenant seemed interested in this random bystander.

“Okay, tough guy,” Haruko said, eying Paliah with amusement. She spread her arms wide, leaving herself open. “Show me what you’ve got.”

Paliah hesitated for a moment, knowing it as an open invitation to throw himself into a trap. Before Takako could warn him about the lieutenant’s power, he rushed in to strike. To his credit, the knight proved more slippery than either magical girl expected. Mid-slash, he disappeared like smoke and reappeared behind Emiyo, sword stabbing at her blind spot.

The sound of thunder reverberated through the warehouse as his sword shattered into a million shards, centimeters from Haruko’s skin. Paliah howled in pain, almost getting shredded by the fragments of his sword. Several pieces pierced right through his armor, as if it’d only been a thin tin can. Blood oozed from multiple puncture points.

“What?” Paliah staggered back, his movements pained.

“I am the untouchable demon, hero,” Haruko said, grinning in triumph. Takako rushed forward to save her brash ally, but the lieutenant was too quick. Paliah’s body shredded pavement as it struck with impossible speeds. The mangled remains of his body sickened her stomach.

The fool. Takako’s confidence faltered, knowing the terrifying danger of Haruko’s power. It controlled vectors, all vectors. It made striking her impossible by any means, some rumors suggesting even magic wouldn’t work.

“Serves him right for stabbing me. So there!” Emiyo’s taunt proved short-lived, however. She howled in pain as a blade pierced her heart, she stood still seemingly in surprise before coughing up a mouthful of blood.

“What?” The lieutenant gapped at the person stabbing her from behind. It was Paliah.

Sorry, what? Takako blinked, unsure her eyes were deceiving her. But there the knight stood, whole and unhurt. Even his sword hadn’t suffered a scratch. Takako blinked as she saw Paliah’s mangled remains still where she’d found them. What the heck was going on? To confound her confusion, the fallen Paliah vanished from sight, leaving only a slight bloodstain.

“I’ll handle this one,” Paliah said. “Good luck.”

“Okay,” While Takako hadn’t a clue what was happening, she supposed it didn’t matter as long as Emiyo stayed off her back.

“And you’re planning to fight me, too? Don’t you remember that one girl who got bisected during training? She’d only tapped me on the knee.” Haruko extended her arms in open invitation. “Throw yourself upon me and die!”

“If you can catch me,” Takako said, pointing her wand towards Haruko.

“Wait, that’s your weapon?” Haruko said, both amused and baffled. “Figures. It’s ridiculous, just like its owner.”

Takako entered a dance, her wand’s ribbon twirled around her in colorful and elaborate patterns. While unnecessary, it proved a helpful distraction.

Light almost seared Takako’s vision as a beam shot from her ribbon, striking her opponent in the chest. To nobody’s surprise, it bounced back with triple its original speed. Takako had already been moving before the beam struck Haruko, and it’d still almost hit her.

That answers that. It’d been worth a try.

“Is that all?” Haruko said. “You’re fast, but that won’t save you.”

“Then try this.” She returned to an old favorite, summoning energy balls into the air. They surrounded her opponent, leaving her no room to escape. Without warning, they each shot beams in random directions. In a blink, the abandoned warehouse evaporated to dust. Yet, this also proved useless. No matter which direction they struck her from, each magical beam reflected off without even singeing the lieutenant’s dress. The air filled with so many randomly directed blasts, Haruko temporarily lost sight of Takako.

“Hey!” Emiyo said, dodging away from a random beam.

“Yeah, thanks.” Beams shot at Paliah, but he always seemed to be elsewhere before they struck. His body flickered like an image having trouble rendering.

Through the confusion, Takako appeared behind Haruko. Her ribbons lashed out, sharp enough to cut atoms. She howled in pain as her own weapon almost bisected her.

“You thought there’s a limit to how many vectors I can control?” Haruko said, amused. “Subatomic, a million, a billion? I can deflect them all. All vectors.”

“Well damn.” Takako put pressure against her side, trying to stanch the bleeding. She’d made her ribbons too deadly, interfering with her healing ability.

She can’t be unbeatable. There must be a reason this clown hasn’t defeated the Devil Princess and declared herself the Queen of the Multiverse, or whatever.

“Gravity, really?” The gravity fields capable of shredding apart planets pulled at Haruko in several directions, but Haruko stood there unbothered. It hadn’t even ruffled her hair. Takako’s magic scouted the lieutenant’s vector barrier, her ribbon flapping around as it searched for weak points. But they found nothing, even that repealed off Haruko.

“Enough.” Haruko thrust a hand forward. Takako’s chest crumpled like a crushed can, her agony liquid fire. A laugh sputtered through bloody lips.

“I knew it,” Takako said, eyes alight in triumph. “I can beat you.”

“What?” Doubt flickered on Haruko’s expression, uncertain if it was just more of Takako’s usual bravado. “You lie. You’ve gotten stronger, I’ll admit. But it’s still nothing. I’m more than just my power. I’ve trained my entire life.”

“Oh, shut up and attack me already. Nobody cares about your training regimen or how many sit-ups you’ve done.” Takako gave her trademark smirk, egging her opponent on. From the corner of her eyes, she watched Paliah’s fight with keen interest. If she were to win, she’d need his help.

Even weakened as she was, Emiyo’s speed was incredible. Her body flickered as she sped around her opponent to confuse him. Like the knight, her movements made no logical sense. She moved without continuity, appearing where she liked. She must be moving along with time. Each step sped or decreased by the smallest millisecond.

Paliah kept his sword stance firm. If he showed any fear, his mask hid it. Emiyo’s sickle appeared from nowhere, slashing toward the knight’s exposed throat. With just as little continuity, a sword deflected the blow. Steel met steel as Paliah drove Emiyo’s deadly weapon back. Momentary surprise filled the lieutenant’s face. She hadn’t expected Paliah’s blade to be tough enough to withstand a magical girl’s weapon. She flinched back as a gauntleted fist struck her. Holding her bloodied noseEmiyo snarled..

“Damn. But I’ve already seen through your little gimmick.” Emiyo said through her bloody fist. “You’re displacing yourself in time. You’re flickering yourself a few seconds back and forwards through time. Though, I’m confused about how can break a law of time. A person can’t cross their own time-stream. The Paliah Haruko killed was you in the future. You’ve replaced yourself with a younger version so you can continue to fight. Impossible, just impossible.”

“Hold on, what?” Takako said, trying to make sense of this statement. A future version?. “But what if he loses now? Wouldn’t that… mess things up?” Already her head was hurting.

Paliah smirked and lifted a finger. “That me might be anywhere in the future, days, years, decades, even.”

“Okay.” Takako gave a weak smile, not really understanding any of this.

“Decades? Yeah, right! You die today.” Emiyo thrust a hand forward and time froze to an utter standstill, her sickle slashing forward.

While Paliah could break past her time magic, it wasn’t instantaneous. It bought Emiyo the precious seconds required to deliver a killing stroke. Only luck saved Paliah, the lieutenant’s slash going wide. Blood trickled down the knight’s neck as the blade slipped back, pushing himself from the time lock. They both disappeared as they resumed the fight in earnest, their weapons clattering as each searched for an advantage. Takako figured only Emiyo’s exhausted state allowed Paliah to fight her at all.

“Shouldn’t you worry about yourself?” Takako leaped back as a barbed tip eager to strip flesh flew past her. Her ribbon intercepted Haruko’s next attack, but it exploded into a million fibers before it connected. Only a quick flip back saved her from a nasty scourging.

Takako summoned a gravity well to disrupt Haruko’s whip’s course, but it ignored it. She winced as it snapped centimeters from her face. Never mind, Takako had other methods. For all Haruko’s power, Takako proved the nimbler. She kept several steps ahead, cloaking herself in the fog to make her opponent misjudge her cracks.

“You can’t run!” Irritated, Haruko only increased the violence of her whips. They lashed out at Takako with dizzying speed, each crack coming closer to striking her.

Paliah wasn’t doing much better, Takako winced as he received a deep gash across his right leg. Blood strained his pant leg, refusing to heal. Emiyo was wearing him down, decreasing his strength by the second.

A devilish idea occurred to Takako, slipping past a lash intended for his head. From the corner of her eye, she judged the distance between the other two combatants. She maneuvered herself into a corner to lure Paliah in. Eyes alight with triumph, the lieutenant didn’t notice Takako’s ribbon slipping around her.

Distracted by her battle with Paliah, Emiyo didn’t notice Takako’s ribbon tapping her shoulder. She blinked in confusion as she stood somewhere else. The lieutenant yelped in fear as the barbed tip of Haruko’s weapon lashed toward her.

Time slowed as Emiyo extended a hand, trying to save her from its scourging wrath. Takako smirked as the whip slowed in midair, Emiyo sighing in relief as the tip paused centimeters from her chest.

“As I suspected, her vector powers can’t work against time.” Takako said towards her strange ally.

“Huh,” Paliah said, bemused. “Didn’t see that coming. That might be something we can use.”

“What the heck are you doing?!” Emiyo said to her fellow lieutenant. “You almost hit me! With your speed, you could have redirected it!” She panted, drained by her efforts to save herself.

“Idiot. It’s your fault for letting Takako switch places with you.” Haruko didn’t sound too concerned. “Watch yourself, before it gets unfortunate.”

“You!” Flame practically shot from Emiyo’s mouth, beyond incensed by the insult. She howled in pain as Haruko jabbed her in the chest. It hadn’t been at full power, but enough to send the message that Haruko wouldn’t broker any disrespect.

“Fool, focus on the real enemy!” Haruko said, turning her baleful glare towards Takako.

“Fine,” Emiyo replied, her words venomous. “This isn’t over.”

“You have a plan?” Paliah whispered. “I might be capable of piercing her vector barrier, but I lack the power to hurt her.”

“Leave that to me,” Takako replied. “Just do whatever. I’ll make it work.”

“Thanks. That fills me with real confidence.” But Paliah was smiling, making Takako smirk.

Odd. He’s a total stranger, but I feel comfortable fighting alongside him. For whatever reason, she didn’t doubt Paliah would watch her back. But that mystery could wait another day.

Haruko came at her with the ruthlessness Takako expected, targeting Paliah at every chance she could. Like a predator, she focused on the weaker first. It forced Takako into an awkward position to defend herself while keeping her knight friend alive. Paliah tried his best to avoid getting hit, but the lieutenant’s speed proved too insurmountable an obstacle. To compensate, he flickered around to make himself a difficult target. Only Emiyo was the odd person out, her sickle not very compatible with her ally’s whip.

“Watch it!” Emiyo rubbed her bloody hand that she’d accidentally bumped into Haruko. “Drop it when I’m close.”

“Yeah, right,” Haruko replied, unconcerned she’d almost blown her ally’s limb off. “And leave an opening to get hurt. It’d be better you die instead.” The two continued to squabble, fighting without any unity.

Hate flared in Emiyo’s eyes, she masked it but her expression made dark promises once this battle had concluded. She gasped as Paliah flickered behind her, almost impaling her. She seethed, thrusting a hand forward for a time trap. But Paliah slipped through it, not even needing Takako’s help.

His time magic was astounding. While more gimmicky than Emiyo’s ability, its greater raw power was undeniable.

“When I say now, flicker,” Takako whispered towards Paliah as she passed. The knight gave an imperceptible nod in response.

With a flourish of her wand, a thick cloud of mist filled the arena. Haruko snorted, unimpressed as the cover slid around him. But this hadn’t been her intention, hiding everyone else. Emiyo waved away the annoyance, but the cover only clung to her tighter. While this was only a minor annoyance, it gave Takako the precious seconds she needed. Her ribbon slashed out, hardening straight. Paliah jerked in surprise as it bumped into him, but he quickly realized what he was touching. She bumped it against him again, and Paliah realized that she meant him to grab it.

“Now what? Your powers are useless if you can’t see.” Takako yelled towards Haruko.

“Fool. Instinct guides my ability.” Despite not seeing her, Takako heard the smirk in Haruko’s tone. “Besides, I can hear you just fine!”

The fog dissipated as Haruko charged forward, fist extended towards the magical girl stupid enough to advertise her position.

“Now!”

Takako’s head spun as the world lost its substance, turning hazy. Then reality reasserted itself, and he was in another place. Before Takako could make sense of her situation, her face almost got caved in as Haruko’s fist swung towards it. She prepared for a follow-up attack, but the lieutenant’s punch hadn’t been an intended one.

“Wha…” Haruko howled in pain, coughing blood. She flailed in her agony, temporarily losing control of herself. In Takako’s hand, she noticed her ribbon had lost half its length. Perfect, just as she’d intended.

“What did you do?” Paliah asked, saddling up towards his ally.

“You hurt her!” Emiyo said, her eyes wide. “Impossible.”

“Nothing too painful for us, but deadly to a magical girl with her power set,” Takako replied.

Paliah studied the remaining Takako’s ribbon in thought. “When I flickered, I displaced your ribbon back a few moments. And Haruko’s ability can’t block time. So your ribbon materialized before the vector power could stop it. Right into Haruko’s body.”

“Where Haruko’s power worked against her. It automatically repels anything not you, right? I’m surprised it didn’t tear her body in half.” Takako said, grinning as the lieutenant glared at her with hate. “Your own vectors reflected the foreign substance within you. And inside your stomach? That had to hurt.”

“Damn you.” Haruko drove a hand into her stomach. When she withdrew it, her hand held a bloody piece of cloth. “That won’t happen again!”

“Isn’t this the part where you flee with your tail between your legs?” Paliah said, taunting. “You’re the type that whines whenever you get a bruised knee. You can dish it out but you can’t take it!”

That only incensed the lieutenant further, but a cruel smile appeared on Haruko’s lips. “And Takako can’t win without you.”

Before Takako could do anything, Haruko flung her blood toward Paliah. Each speck that connected pulverized the knight with a force that shredded flesh. Part of Paliah was just gone, holes torn literally through his body.

“Paliah!” Takako charged forward, but her body jerked to a halt. An invisible hand had grabbed her tight.

“Hurry, finish him,” Emiyo said. Dammit, she’d completely forgotten about her. “Takako’s good at healing, but it’s doubtful she can revive the dead.”

Paliah howled as a kick broke his spine in half. Vengefully, the lieutenant stuck him with her real leg instead of using her vectors. His body crumpled to the ground. Despite the damages, however, he still lived. He rasped in gasps of pain.

“What does it take to kill you?!” Haruko said, beyond furious. “Whatever. Can you survive without a head?” She slammed her boot toward Paliah’s helpless skull.

“What?!” Haruko blinked as her boot hit empty air.

“Don’t worry, I got you,” Ume said, floating down to the ground. With gentle hands, she placed Paliah down.

“Where the hell were you?” Takako said, half-accusing, half-joking. While they’d had their differences, she appreciated the rebel magical girl’s sudden and timely appearance.

“Thinking,” Ume replied seriously. “It hurt to realize you might be right. I felt like a coward, abandoning you both. You made me realize how weak I was.”

“Yeah, and we’re here to kick butt!” Hope said, beaming.

“I…” Ume paused, overcome with emotion. “I don’t know how you do it. You accomplish the impossible. You actually hurt Haruko despite being so much weaker.”

“It’s called being a badass,” Takako replied.

“I’m being serious here! I’ve fought for centuries, but have nothing to show for it. But then you come along, and now Starlight Dream’s forced to send lieutenants to kill you.”

“Devil Princesses, actually. One’s coming this way to kill us all.” Paliah said through blood-soaked teeth.

Ume shook her head. “You two are just crazy. But what the hell? If I fight alongside you, maybe I can finally avenge Hinata’s death.”

For a brief second, genuine grief crossed over Ume’s face. It gave Takako some insight into what drove the hard magical girl to such lengths. Was she just as broken inside as Takako?

What a sorry bunch we are. Yet, Takako won’t have it any other way. “Hey, Paliah. You still alive?”

“I’ll manage.” The knight replied. He struggled to his feet, using his sword as a walking stick.

How are you not dead? Takako smirked when she saw the uncertainty on both lieutenant’s faces. They hadn’t expected this motley group to be such a threat, and it shook their once unshakable confidence in themselves. They could act all invincible all they’d like, but they’d shown weakness. And Takako would ruthlessly exploit that for all it was worth.