“Ok, time to make my move.” Nagoo took a deep breath as she covered her mouth along with her beak. Whilst holding her breath, she began tuning the pair of frequency lines of her Aechos Vision, adjusting them to a specific vibration.

“I think this is the correct waveband.” Shortly, Nagoo slowly started fading into a dull greyish tone dimension where the ambience was eerily silent. Where she had been transported to was the Subtle Shadow Realm.

The Subtle Shadow Realm was closer to earth’s reality and environmental replication. The scene was exactly the same as Vultures Byte, however, it possessed a darker hue that separated interaction with the earthly plane. Some astral entities and butterfly fairies could be seen clearly in the Subtle Shadow Realm. The breathing method there was diametrically opposed to the earth’s atmosphere. This was why Nagoo had to hold her breath to enter the Subtle Shadow Realm with the assistance of her Aechos for she was not yet accustomed to that dimension’s energy.

“Incognito Mode.” Moving stealthily throughout the Subtle Shadow Realm, Nagoo leapt from the branch that she was perched on. She flew within range of the idle vulture who sat on her wings in meditation.

“I can maintain this shadow state so as long as I hold my breath.” Nagoo landed a few feet away from her idle target.

“I can sense her Krowqui from here. It feels so toxic.” Though she had a sliver of trepidation tucked into her buxom bosom, Nagoo still moved closer to the vulture where she could better analyse the ribbons' whereabouts, moreover, plan her method of approach.

“This White Ribbon around her slender neck is the easiest one to steal. Its value is only 1 point though. It will have to do for now.”

Only allowing the tip of her hand to escape the Subtle Shadow Realm, Nagoo careful disentangle the White Ribbon from around the vulture’s neck then swiftly vanished her presence once again into the Subtle Shadow Realm.

“Wow, she’s amazing.” The ladies observing closely from the surrounding bushes were amazed when they witnessed the White Ribbon vanishing from the vulture’s neck. “I can’t believe she’s actually doing it without getting caught. We just might be able to acquire all her ribbons without having to start a fight.”

While the others were excited about Nagoo’s adept thievery, Adusa was thinking logically. ‘With that ability of hers, what is going to stop her from fleeing with the ribbons when she acquires all of them?’ Adusa began thinking of other ways to steal the ribbons from her overly established teammate.

“Got it. Now to replenish my breath.” Nagoo returned behind the big tree trunk where Adusa was hiding. She had no idea that Nagoo was behind her until she undid her incognito mode to refresh her lungs capacity. “Hey…”

“Huh, Nagoo?” Adusa was a bit startled upon hearing her voice. “I didn’t sense your presence at all. That’s some ability you’ve got there.”

“Yea, thanks. But it isn’t all that impressive. Hold on to this for me. I’m going back for another one.”

“Ok…” Adusa was incredulous when Nagoo gave her the White Ribbon. She wanted to say something else to Nagoo but she had already vanished into the Subtle Shadow Realm.

“Which one should I steal next?” Nagoo questioned herself as she approach the vulture once more without being noticed.

“The Blue Ribbon on her head should be easy enough.” Turning upside down above the vulture, Nagoo exposed the tip of her hand and carefully retrieved the Blue Ribbon.

“Got it. I can probably steal another one since I have plenty of air left in my lungs.” Feeling greedy, Nagoo observed the vulture for her next target. “The Red Ribbon on her leg. It is worth 5 points. I have to have it.”

While attempting to unwrap the Red Ribbon from the vulture’s skinny leg, unexpectedly, a tiny fairy from the Subtle Shadow Realm flew into her nostril, forcing her to exhale roughly. “Cough! Cough!” She blew out the fairy that vanished instantaneously back into Subtle Shadow Realm.

“Huh?” The other ladies were surprised when they saw Nagoo coughing roughly in front of the vulture.

“What happened? Why did she undo her ability?” Okami was at a loss.

“Something must have happened.” Lyra surmised correctly. “This is bad. The vulture’s feathers are shivering!”

“Nagoo get out of there right now!” Baiera’s warning came too late.

As the vulture arose from her deep meditative state she immediately slapped Nagoo away. She crashed through a few leaf heaps before colliding into an adjacent tree.

“HAA!” Nagoo’s pain became audible to her companions as well as other critters of Vultures Byte.

“Nagoo!” The other ladies began soaring out of their hiding places.

“Looks like the ruse is over. We’ll attack together!”

“Huh?” Coming fully out of her meditative state, moreover, alighting her slender legs onto the leafy ground, the vulture realized that 2 of her ribbons were missing.

“My ribbons? You stole them.” She gave her discourteous eyes to the ladies who formed a circular formation around her. “You know, if you had asked me kindly and said, ‘Valery, can I have those ribbons please?’ Then I would have gladly given them to you, but instead, you use trickery and ruthlessly stole them from me. You remind me of my former lover who stole my heart only to trash all over it later. I will never forgive you crows!”

Adusa stepped forwards, saying, “What are you blabbering about you crazy bitch? Let’s fight!” She dashed ahead while tossing out an arm replete with viscous purple substance. “Poison Fist!”

“Hm?” Valery didn’t make any rash moves; she just stood there waiting for the attack to hit her. Seeing this put a dent in Adusa’s pride.

“What, you’re not going to defend against my attack? Are you scared shitless?”

That wasn’t the case, Valery had already made her move they just didn’t realize it yet. Just as Adusa’s Poison Fist was about to smash into Valery’s complex, Nagoo appeared before her, blocking the attack with her scattering feathers.

“Nagoo! What the hell are you doing?” Adusa was surprised, including the others.

“Why did you block Adusa’s attack, Nagoo?” Lyra couldn’t fathom what was going on.

“Yeah, why are you protecting that vulture?” Riuk joined the fray of bewilderment.

Hearing the displeased voices of her peers, moreover, noticing their livid temperaments, Nagoo responded unsurely, “I don’t know why I did it. My body just moved on its own.”

“What?” Her peers were confused hearing this answer.

Using her keen beastly senses, Okami surmised, “The vulture must have done something to Nagoo. That’s why she behaving this way.”

“Yes, you are correct.” Valery took a step forwards and embraced Nagoo from behind as if they were intimate lovers. Her lascivious hands travelled all across the naughty parts of Nagoo’s body, stimulating her sensual flow.

“I did do something to your lady friend.” Saying this, Valery’s sharp talons started traversing up the slit of Nagoo’s thigh feathers; fondling their way toward her erogenous organ.

Smiling lustfully at the other girls, she stated, “I made this pretty one mine and very soon I will do the same to the rest of you! Krowqui, Marionette!”

Valery’s wing feathers began shooting out very thin red threads of Krowqui. Nagoo’s entire body was being manipulated by visible strings!

“Watch out! Don’t let her Krowqui touch you!” As soon as Lyra spoke these words of caution, the other ladies began scattering to evade the innumerable red strands chasing after them.

After dodging a bundle of red strands that almost penetrated her head, Lyra speculated, “This must be how she’s manipulating Nagoo. She attaches her Krowqui threads to a host’s body then channels her thoughts through them to manipulate bodily movement.”

Valery overheard Lyra’s deduction, “Clever girl. But too bad, knowing that won’t do you any good.”

A secret bundle of Krowqui threads suddenly attacked Lyra from her blind spot. Just as she was about to respond to the surprise thread element, a beautiful crimson rose appeared behind her that interrupted the threads' vibrations, causing them to crumble immediately.

“Huh, what was that?” Searching around for the intrusive presence, Lyra soon identified Mou standing on a limb in a tree close by. “Mou, what are you doing here, were you following us the entire time?”

Looking down at Lyra’s displeased countenance, Mou responded, “Is that how you talk to the guy who just save you from becoming a puppet?”

The other girls looked on at Mou and said, “Is that the ass creep from the Orientation Shrine?”

“You mean the pervert from earlier, the one who was lusting after Lyra’s butt?”

“Yeah, the debase guy who was fondling our lady bits with his lascivious eyes.”

Mou became upset hearing the ladies bashing his womanizing persona. “Tsk, I’m no pervert! And you…” He pointed at Adusa. “Don’t call me an ass creep! I’m not even attracted to asses that much. I like round breasts, the bigger the better. However, not the overly big ones. I don’t want a bosom that could potentially suffocate me.”

“Eww, gross!” Lyra and the other ladies immediately covered their breasts from Mou’s lascivious eyesight. “You big pervert, stay away from me!”

“What’s with that guy? He’s so slutty.”

“He must be affiliated with the Alfcar family. All of their members are sex-crazed maniacs.”

“You better not come near us, you depraved freak!”

Mou felt humiliated hearing the variety of derisive words being spat at him. “Alright, be like that then. None of you better don’t come crying to me for help later when you’re in danger.” He sat upsettingly on the tree branch, moping visibly.

Adusa directed her attention back to the vulture who waited for them to get serious. “As if we need your help to take this ugly vulture bitch down. Girls let’s finish this!”

“Well said.” Okami agreed.

The ladies got into formation again and restarted their combined charge towards the vulture.

“Go my darling, protect me!” Valery sent forth Nagoo to handle her friend’s imminent assault while producing more Krowqui threads to capture them.

“Here she comes! Be on your guard!”

They witnessed Nagoo vanishing out of sight completely.

Mou who was watching from atop the tree branch with his legs crossed, thought to himself after seeing Nagoo’s swift disappearance, “Hm, that girl. Her presence completely vanished from my discernable senses. Is that her main ability? Before she disappeared I got a glimpse of her eyes. That pattern resembles the famed Aechos Vision. Then she must be a descendant of the Andrahaz Family. Those monsters who control great amounts of space/time, but their visual prowess isn’t as monstrous as the Rincur Family’s Crownus Vision that controls time/space.”

Below Nagoo came back into view behind a particular crow.

“Adusa behind you!” Lyra’s warning was too late. Nagoo punched Adusa towards Valery then vanished once more.

“You’re mine now!” Valery captured Adusa with her red threads. “Become my Marionette!”

“I don’t think so, you vulture bitch! Poison Bubble!” Adusa quickly coated herself in melting purple substances that melted away the red threads that were trying assiduously to penetrate her curvaceous body.

Nagoo reappeared again, this time reaching for Adusa’s head. Seeing this, Okami who was the closest to Adusa quickly executed one of her signature techniques.

“Feathery Guillotine!” She transformed into a rotating blade of feathers that forced Nagoo to withdraw her grasp from getting any closer to Adusa, thereafter, Nagoo retreated several paces.

Adusa became livid. “Nagoo stop getting in my way or I just might have to smash that pretty face of yours!”

“I can’t help myself! She’s making me do it.” Nagoo was strung to the bone with Valery’s Marionette Threads. Her body wasn’t hers to command anymore.

“Tsk, get a hold of yourself, Nagoo!”

“Shouting at my puppet won’t help the situation. She’s completely under my influence. Fu-hu-hu!” Valery laughed mockingly and added, “That is what happens when you get caught by my Marionette Threads. You will become mine forever. Hm…?”

Valery noticed Lyra landing behind her with clear silver Krowqui Circles rotating around her fingertips. Arcane energies coagulated to form many shards of glass which eventually combined perfectly into a wide rectangular mirror.

“Astral Mirror, Reflection Frame Capture!”

From atop the tree, Mou looked curiously at Lyra’s mirror that suddenly captured only Valery’s image inside the reflective frame.

“What is this?” Looking at her reflection, Valery didn’t know what to expect of Lyra’s unique ability.

“Take this, lewd vulture lady!” Lyra clenched her fist really tight. Seconds later, she gave the mirror a powerful punch. When the mirror shattered to pieces, Valery received painful damage to her body that blasted her into a nearby tree.

“Huh?”

“Feathers Xpansion, Derby!” While Valery was still stunned, Baiera’s metallic feathers grew massively, moreover, she transformed into a rolling ball that came along and slammed Valery to the ground with her big bubbly butt. “Yes! I got her pinned!”

“Nice going, Baiera.” Riuk praised her efforts. “You crushed that vulture like a pancake.”

“I sure did.”

The girls gathered around, celebrating their quick victory. Mou who sat on the tree limb sensed that something was amiss. He sucked up his pride and told them, “Quit celebrating, you foolish girls. You haven’t accomplished anything yet. All you did was make the vulture angrier. Look there.”

“Huh?” Turning their heads to where Mou pointed, the ladies saw Valery standing safe and sound beside Nagoo; fondling her for added pleasure.

“Dammit! Nagoo must have rescued her again.” Lyra surmised correctly.

Adusa became angrier. “I’m getting really fed up with her right about now.”

Valery’s head was hanging low; her face was contorted in a fit of anger and rage as she spoke, “You disgusting unfaithful crows. Look at what you’ve done to my beautiful face!”

When the others saw Valery’s face they were shocked. “What an ugly mug,” Adusa added insult to injury.

“Serves you right.” Okami hated her guts.

“KAAAW!” Valery began screaming hysterically; completely overcome by her rage. “I shall bestow upon you crows, Devine Punishment!”

A crimson blast of Krowqui began radiating from Valery’s presence. Countless series of threads expanded above and began weaving together a certain shape.

“Damn, she’s enraged!”

“Girls don’t let her intimidate you. We can do this.” Said Lyra offering words of encouragement to her team.

Hearing their conversation, Mou voiced his opinion. “I don’t think you can. You girls don’t possess the skillset to defeat that vulture.”

“That pervert again.” Baiera was displeased hearing Mou’s opinions, thus Lyra told her:

“Ignore him. We can definitely do this if we cooperate properly.”

“Yes, we can!”

The countless number of red threads that Valery produced combined into a humungous crimson bird that had 3 heads as well as a large katana sheathed by its left flank. She called it Vulberus!

“You crows will now suffer an excruciating death!” Valery commanded her summoned Vulberus to hover lowly over the opposing ladies; hoping that its mighty complex would intimidate their rebellious mien and indeed it did.