"DO YOU HEAR ME STRONZO?! I WANT YOUR HEAD!"

Omo's violent screams filled the room. Stronzo tried to quickly throw himself back onto his feet, but even mere moments of standing were a challenge against his balance. His heart rate surged and sweat rolled down his face for the first time in ages. With every step Manaka took, his teeth clenched tighter, and it felt like his heart was getting ready to leap out of his chest. What was the issue? Why was he losing his composure? His eyebrows briefly furrowed, but his face still wore the expression of shock and disbelief. Just as he had feared, he had awoken a monster, much like his Goddess had warned... but there was no time to dwell on his failures. Just mere moments more of this shaking, and the entire room was doomed to collapse on them! Manaka would be the death of him and taking herself with! But this energy.... it never stopped growing!

"I can't believe it... but, I made this mistake. This is my fault! I was wrong about you!.. but, I will make this right! Please forgive me my majesty, for I have doubted your wisdom. My wrongs shall be re-righted." He'd say in a soft prayer to himself. His eyelids shut while he uttered this prayer. While he spoke, he could feel the blessings already take place. His tense and sore body started to relax. His mind return to become one with his body, and his face eased into a smile. ("Mama mia... you truly have been blessed with power. However, you are not the only one with that kind of power... How foolish of me, I have forgotten that I too am under the wing of the almighty Goddess of Shadows. I valued her room, but if its walls must come down and be fated to doom us all, then so be it. I will right my wrongs by any means necessary, and use my true strength!")

"I-Impressive... you haven't trained a day in your life, and you can actually make me give some effort!" Stronzo exclaimed. Despite the shaking and quaking in the room, he was able to gain firm balance at last. His feet planted firmly on the ground, his arms moving into position for this next fighting stance. His knees bent down to act as springs, and his arms remained relaxed while crossed in front of him to mimic the same thing. Stronzo's body had a bright glow to it as he pushed his own power to its limits. "But your lack of skill will only take you so far!"

"REAAAAAAAGGGGHHH!!!!" She would violently yell. In a blink of an eye, she would appear in front of him and throw a single hard punch square into his defensive stance. The single punch alone sent a gust of wind that knocked down one of the supporting columns and kicked up dust in the air. Though, Stronzo remained firm as ever. His defensive stance caught the fist while pushing himself backwards to further cushion her strength. This punch would be followed by a second punch, then a third, and then a full-on furious barrage of attacks. With every blow, Stronzo continued to spring backwards and cushion the attacks.

Suddenly, the raging Omo would see her hand being strongly resisted. One of her fists were caught and gripped tightly by Stronzo. His body's glow matched hers evenly, and like-wise, her fist couldn't travel any further! "You're an idiot if you thought I'd give in just yet!" Stronzo venomously yelled. His hand pushed harder and harder against her punch and with no signs of stopping in sight. "You have so much power, but one could only dream of matching me no matter their strength!"

"RAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAGH!" The opposing monster screamed once more before throwing another punch straight for the side of his face. Omo wasn't going to give her enemy time to breathe in between her attacks. The sheer power behind her could give anyone the idea that she had lost all of her senses. She was only intent on inflicting misery and distraught upon her enemy. The killing intent only continued to rise with every second the battle continued.

The fist thrown would glide passed Stronzo's cheek, who had ducked his entire body to the side briefly. The hand he previously used to grab onto her punch had left her. His calculating eyes darted over her body, searching for a singular opening spot on her. Jackpot was struck when he caught the sight of her stomach being completely exposed, which he would take full advantage of by throwing his fist directly into it.

Stronzo would be in for a rude finding, however, when he sees that his full-powered punch had only angered Manaka more. The beast didn't flinch. It didn't move. It just stood there with such a malevolent glare that it could put a new meaning in 'scaring someone to death'. His fist was quickly pulled back, the man staggering back in horror. "N-no way! That was everything I had! You can't be serious..."

As far as he was concerned, the face he gazed at was no longer human. It was a cold... evil... and broken. He shook his head quickly, then thrusting his hand out towards Omo. "STOP! THIS ISN'T HOW I FALL!" Omo would find herself suddenly frozen by the command of his hand. "I was convinced that you had me bested in strength, but there is no way you have far exceeded me! You're no princess, but a savage beast who lusts for blood! I can't be embarrassed by something so unsophisticated!"

The motionless beast gave yet another cold glare at Stronzo... and then something else would provoke further panic into his heart. A sinister smirk grew on Omo's face... which grew into a wide grin that expressed all of her malignant intentions.

"What's so funny?! Why are you smiling?! I have you trapped!-- WHAT THE-" He'd be interrupted by the sight of a small twitch in Omo's finger. What started as a twitch became a small movement of her legs. Before he knew it, her entire body was inching forward towards him! "YOU SHOULD BE FROZEN! HOW?! THIS MAKES ABSOLUTELY NO SENSE!"

"YEAH! GET HIM, MANAKA!" a familiar voice would be heard from across the room. Standing there was a taller well-built female of about 175 centimeters tall, salmon pink hair, and an utmost pleased smile on her face. She had been watching this entire spectacle unfold, as if it were a TV show she would enjoy at home.

"Y-You! You can't be..." Stronzo gasped quickly, his eyes darting towards the bystanding figure. "SLIPPY??!?" Miyuki stood there with a pleased smile on her face as if she had done something right. Little did Stronzo know that this all went to her original plan. From that very day she observed Manaka obtain that new power in the hallway, it was far more intense than anything she expressed before. There was a lot more power to be observed from Omo, and that would have been the only hope they had of defeating Stronzo. Miyuki faked her death so she could see Manaka do just that, and lucky her, it worked! Miyuki was proud, and her cheesy grin said it all... until it would be wiped off in the nick of time when Manaka became distracted by Miyuki's voice. Omo, while distracted, was telekinetically tossed straight into the wall, knocking a pillar down with her. "-SHIT! I SPOKE TOO SOON!"

There was no more time to waste, Stronzo was clearly pressured and had resorted to abusing his ability. This was the perfect time to understand what his capabilities were. From how he brought Manaka in, tore that chair from the ground, and froze both of them at separate occasions, Sekken could only connect that his ability was some sort of telekinetic power. It allowed him to freeze one target in place, or suck them towards him at incredible speed. Problem was though, he's been only able to do one at a time. To test this theory, Miyuki charged straight into Stronzo, preparing a headbutt for his gut while he still had control over Omo.

"NON PIÙ!" Stronzo frustratedly yelled, holding his hand towards Miyuki, who would then freeze in place just moments before contact. "I CANNOT TAKE ANY MORE OF THIS! I WILL KILL BOTH OF YOU!", but unknown to him, Manaka was already recovering quickly from that toss and making another confident charge. More sweat continued to drip down Stronzo's face and further panic filled the air. He froze Miyuki, but now Manaka was charging straight for him! He eyes flickered between Miyuki and Manaka, who were both readying their own attacks.

"REEAAAAAAAAAAAAGGHHH!!!!" Manaka brutally shouted while sprinting towards him. Her heavy running quaked the ground beneath the pressured Stronzo, who was mere moments away from being tackled. "THIS IS FOR MEGAMII!!!!!"

In a sudden panicked decision, Stronzo freezes Manaka in place just before she could tackle him. His breathing rate increased, he could feel his arms burning, and his body was starting to ache. His mind had escaped the confines of his body, and by this time it was far too gone for him to catch. In the mere moments he tried to regather his thoughts, he'd find himself grabbed from behind. Miyuki had suddenly vanished! In the moment his attention was broken, Sekken went behind him and tucked her arms under his armpits, then locking her hands with the back of his head. "I learned this one from Sora!" She would say with a small chuckle before thrusting her knee into the middle of his back.

"Y-YOU!" Stronzo tried to shake Miyuki off. His slowly exhausting body allowed a considerable fight against him and Miyuki, who had recovered some of her strength in the short time she was bystanding. A second knee to the back forced Stronzo to lose his composure. At last his body gave in to Miyuki's repeated blows. His body would be rag-dolled to the ground, being laid right on top of her. Her grip remained firm, and her heart remained strong. There was no escape no matter how many times he squirmed. His waning power was no match for Miyuki's recovered strength.

"DO IT, MANAKA!" Miyuki would demand from underneath Stronzo. The moment those words met the ears of the berserk Omo, the once cold and villainous eyes would ease. The animalistic savage had returned to the world of rationality, though now was forced with a demand she wasn't sure she could follow through with.

"B-BUT MIYUKI, YOU'RE UNDER NEATH HIM!"

"JUST FINISH HIM OFF, I'LL BE FINE!"

Manaka had panicked about what Miyuki was implying. She wanted her to finish him off while he was on top of her?! She couldn't believe it, what if Miyuki gets hurt?! Manaka could never forgive herself if that was the case... Despite her skepticism, her gut instinct told her to follow along. Her thoughts from earlier replayed in her mind:

("It's only a matter of time before you exhaust yourself... and I don't want to be standing here useless while you do. But... how do I fight?")

This was her chance...

Her chance to fight, and make a difference!

Manaka then reached for every ounce of remaining Ki in her body before leaping straight into the air. Her arms hugged her body, her feet were stretched out in front of her, and now it was time for her signature finisher: "GRAVITY DROP!" Manaka then applied her weight ability to herself, dropping down with all of her might plus the weight of four times that of Earth's gravity. This was her finisher. Miyuki was right, this was their best chance at a victory. There was no way around trusting Miyuki's word.

Miyuki had her eyes closed while this happened, just focusing on maintaining her strong hold on Stronzo until the time was right. ("One... two... three...") Miyuki began counting to herself. Once she got to three, she opened her eyes. Manaka had shown Miyuki her signature move, so it was now time for Miyuki to return the favor. The world around Miyuki suddenly began to slow down. To her it at least seemed that way. The truth was, Miyuki's senses were hyperbolized ten-fold, allowing her to quickly let go of her hold within just inches before contact, and roll out of the way.

Miyuki's head turned back towards the scene, watching Manaka finally get the long awaited chance of contribution that she never got before... though, what she saw instead had taken her breath away. She got out of the way too soon...

Stronzo's hand would have been raised towards Omo, who was stuck in place mid-air. He grimaced in agony, and his desperation grew while he pressed harder and harder to keep Omo in place. "-NGH!! YOU CAN'T FOOL ME LIKE THIS, I CAN'T FALL FOR SUCH A TRICK!" Stronzo would angrily shout. "I-I CAN'T LOSE! I-35 IS FREEDOM FOR ALL KIDS AND ALL PEOPLE! YOU WORMS SEEK TO KEEP EVERYONE BENEATH THE FEET OF OUR WORLD LEADERS!" He would press harder and harder until he couldn't press any harder. His tiring arms would give their last battle, his body would give its last aches, and then it was all over... Stronzo would be left in a crater inside the floor, standing over him being the victorious Manaka Omo.

The following minutes were empty, null of most sounds, thoughts, and/or actions. Miyuki and Manaka stood where they were, staring at the crater that held the fallen former I-35 boss inside. Both were panting from exhaustion and left in a mix of emotion from their victory. It was not a sweet victory, rather one that had the taste of a sour candy. It was sweet, but was soon soured in the midst of their silence. They both felt the light at the end of the tunnel was near, but that light was just narrowly out of their arm's reach.

Any minute now their bodies were going to give out... and there still was that looming feeling of inevitable failure.

"-pant pant- 'Goddess of Shadows', huh?"

"Goddess... of Shadows..." Manaka repeated, her head slowly turning towards the throne. Another peculiar thing she failed to bring up earlier was the music, but now she could. "The music, Miyuki... I can still hear the violin. Wait... is that the new piece we got from orchestra class?" Manaka asked while listening in.

"I... don't know, I'm not in orchestra" Miyuki joked with a short laugh, but then quickly clutching her chest. "Ow, it hurts to laugh!"

Now that the violin music was brought up, Miyuki began to listen to it as well. By how the noise resonated so purely and had some small errors in their playing here and there, she could tell that this wasn't being played on a radio or speakers. Someone was in here playing the entire time.

"M-Manaka... A-are you thinking what I am thinking?"

"Wh-what?"

"That Stronzo wasn't the only one in here with us?"

Manaka wouldn't answer Miyuki's question because she didn't want to think about that possibility. She hung her head low, sighing with despair in her voice: "Well, it was good knowing you, Miyuki"

"H-hey! D-don't say that yet, we're not dead!"

"..yet. I have a feeling we will be soon though." Manaka then pointed at the throne, where the source of the violin music came from revealed itself...

"Bullsh–" Miyuki stared in awe at the source. There they were, nonchalantly playing their violin...

"H-HEADMASTER SATO!?" Both shouted in shock.

The Headmaster remained focused, delicately standing while gracefully moving along with the music he played. His body swayed gently from side to side while he happily climbed down the steps. This beautiful room was treated like a ballroom, the man dancing around like he was the star of it all.

The Headmaster moved gingerly on his tip toes across the room, dancing swiftly around the throne he was once sitting upon. Meanwhile, both Miyuki and Manaka stared at the show he was presenting. Sato then leapt across his chair before disappearing behind it. As quickly as he disappeared, someone would emerged. Coming from the other side was... a girl? What had replaced Mr. Sato was a girl just about Miyuki's height, pale white skin, short-cut bobbed hair similar to Miyuki, but wore a school uniform in colors that matched the desaturated violet highlights in her hair. To top off her appearance was a faded crown that was crookedly placed on her head.

"I-It's you... the...the girl from the bathroom!" Omo would say with shock. Miyuki didn't recognize her, but Manaka did.

This girl graciously danced towards them, putting finesse and prowess in her footwork. It was a beautiful show, neither Miyuki nor Manaka could disagree with that. Though its talented choreography was powerful, the sudden anxiety was just as prevalent.

She would then disappear behind the throne again, now two people emerging from the other side. Mr. Sato and the girl were now in a ballet together, the girl being the lead with the violin while Sato backed her up. Though the size and outfit difference between Sato and the girl were bizarre, somehow the two managed to move so well together that it could be guessed that they had rehearsed for probably a millennia! The two switched their positions back and forth while dancing slowly towards Miyuki and Manaka's general direction.

Once the two got within three meters away of Manaka and Miyuki, the song would conclude, and both the Headmaster and the girl would give a singular bow without saying a word. Miyuki and Manaka were just as speechless, both sharing a mix of confusion, fear, and interest of the two.

Manaka would be the first to speak up, "H-hello? Wh-which one of you is the 'Goddess of Shadows'?"

The question would be answered with the two laughing in sync, their laugh suddenly mixing and distorting. The ground began to rumble and the room began to shake. Mr. Sato and the girl would then hold their hands out to each other, their hands connecting... and then their bodies began to mix together into one shadowy body, of which would disappear from Miyuki and Manaka's sight.