Seina's voice came out as a strangled croak, coughing and wheezing through her pain. No amount of willpower could convince her hand to stop choking her, Reiko's magic proving too powerful to overcome. Would she be throttling herself for the rest of her life, or could Takako break this curse?
That's if I survive this fight, of course. The Devil Princess's power was beyond anything she'd ever expected. The magical girl standing before her had to be thousands of times more powerful than Emiyo and they'd barely beaten her. With Seina's fairy friends trapped by the secretary, escaping from Starlight Dream was impossible. Her foes had her trapped in an inescapable corner.
Reiko's speed was unreal, moving so quickly that she was a blur even to Seina's eyes. If only Ume were her, her portals might be capable of catching the overconfident Devil Princess off guard.
Then a sudden idea popped into her head. Crazy, but it might work. Seina swished her wand forward, summoning forth a barrage of bubbles. Pushing past the pain to summon her magic proved difficult, but Seina gritted her teeth hard and somehow managed it.
"Really?" The Devil Princess said, amused. With a dismissive wave, Seina's bubbles scattered in random directions. They ricocheted around the room like bouncing balls, much to Reiko's confusion. The Devil Princess watched them float around the room for several moments before shrugging, deciding they were harmless.
Seina's bones rattled as a jab shattered her entire rib cage, driving her to the ground. What unbelievable power! Reiko had barely touched her! The Devil Princess stood over her, amused at Seina's apparent helplessness. Something bopped against Seina's backside, a bubble bouncing into her.
Perfect. Seina slid back, falling into the bubble. Darkness consumed her, but it was comforting, like snuggling up into warm blankets during a chilly night. This was her world, another part of her existence. The reprieve lasted only a moment, as an annoyed Reiko drove her hand forward to break Seina's protective pocket. But Seina had anticipated this, the world shifting as she emerged from another bubble floating nearby.
"Take this!" Seina unleashed her full fury in her next attack, punching her wide-eyed opponent right in the mouth.
"Oof!" Reiko recoiled, confounded by the unexpected blow. Despite the staggering amount of power Seina had placed into her attack, her opponent seemed more annoyed than hurt.
"You struck me!" Reiko's consternation lasted only a moment before shifting into a blinding, red-hot rage. "No one hits me!" Seina flinched back as the Devil Princess glared at her, hateful eyes promising death.
Fear stabbed into Seina's heart, realizing she'd knocked the proverbial beehive from a tree. Before she could retreat into a nearby bubble, a firm grip grabbed Seina by the scruff of her neck. A power thrust drove her to the floor, shattering the floorboards to splinters. Dazed, Seina rolled over and gazed into the eyes of her killer.
"I'm going to kill you, you piece of…" Then the Devil Princess forced herself to regain her calm. The smile made Seina wish the rage would return.
"Naughty. You've been a bad girl, Seina. You deserve punishment. I wish…" Reiko tapped her chin in thought before her eyes lit in mischief.
Before the Devil Princess could deliver her threat, the secretary popped into existence. The rest of the Mei's office returned with her, landing in a booming thud. Anything remaining standing had toppled over, ruining any semblance of order. The secretary blinked in confusion, her expression lost.
"You won?" Reiko asked, just as perplexed.
"Well…" The secretary hesitated, unsure how to respond. She opened her mouth to respond, but never got the chance to speak. Before she uttered a single syllable, everything exploded.
---
"What happened?" Seina said, pushing a wooden beam off her with her free arm. A starry sky greeted her, filled with countless pinpricks of light. She picked herself through the ruins of what used to be a building. Realization struck when she saw the crystalline buildings around her. The gapping magical girls staring at her confirmed her suspensions. She had returned to Starlight Dream.
People screamed in fear as Reiko appeared next, beyond furious. Pieces of broken lumber shattered nearby buildings as the Devil Princess blew them aside. Murder was in Reiko's eyes as she pulled the secretary from the rubble next.
"What's the meaning of this?" The Devil Princess glared into the hapless secretary's eyes, promising horror if she didn't get the desired answers.
"This newbie, Himari, she did something!" The secretary replied, trembling under the Devil Princess's wrath. "Somehow, her power broke my dimensional labyrinth."
"What?" Reiko said, unamused. "You're kidding, right?"
"Psst!" Seina jerked around, trying to locate the source of the sound. Had that been Charity? She glanced down, seeing the ancient fairy tugging at her skirt. Not daring to utter a sound, Seina pulled her useless body towards what she assumed was safety.
"You thought I'd forgotten you?" Pain erupted in Seina's chest as Reiko appeared from nowhere, stomping her against a broken wall.
A strangled croak escaped Seina's lips as the Devil Princess crushed her beneath her boot. Fire erupted in her chest cavity as it collapsed into itself, her spine shattering to pieces. Despite losing almost all the strength in her body, her left hand continued to choke her to death. It still refused to surrender its magical grip.
Still keeping her foot against Seina's chest, Reiko turned her attention toward Charity. "You. You caused this! When will you realize you and your worthless queen are defeated?!" The amount of vitriol and fury coming from Reiko's mouth surprised Seina. Actual spit flew from her mouth, an eye twitching as her body quivered.
"Leave my friend alone!" A familiar voice said. Standing on the remains of a bookshelf was Himari, her partner fluttering behind her. Her eyes blazed with a confidence the timid girl has never shown before.
"No, run." Seina tried saying, but her choking hand made it impossible. Seina knew she was a lost cause. Himari needed to flee before it was too late. Fighting against the Devil Princesses was suicide!
"Facing me, are you?" Reiko tilted her head, amused by Himari's bravery. Her lips twisted into a smile that brought a chill down Seina's shattered spine. Reiko was planning another wish!
"Run!" Seina tried speaking again, to no avail.
"Get off my friend!" Himari extended a hand and gripped it in a snap, dangling the bracelet around her arm.
Much to everybody's collective surprise, Reiko went flying, tossed aside like a paper bag in the wind.
What the?
"Don't worry, Charity has you!" A firm grip gave Seina's shoulder a comforting squeeze. "We're getting you out of here!"
"No, you aren't!" In a blink, Reiko reappeared. Her eyes blazed, promising retribution. Whatever Himari had struck her with, it had inflicted minor damage. Could anything hurt this monster?
Worry crept into Himari's features, her best efforts not having the results she hoped. But she gritted her teeth, preparing another attack. Reiko's body swayed as Himari gripped her hand again, but it otherwise hadn't even moved a step.
The secretary snorted, amused by Himari's growing panic. "Reiko is a Devil Princess. You think your little dimensional tricks will work on her?"
"I…" Himari couldn't complete even a syllable as she howled in pain, spewing blood from her mouth. She gazed down in shock, finding that Reiko had stabbed a hand right through her chest. Blood dripped from the stained sleeve of the Devil Princess's dress as she withdrew it.
"Himari!" Liam said, gasping in horror.
"Pathetic," Reiko said, snorting. Himari howled, a kick smashing her against the rubble.
"And so their little rebellion ends." The secretary said, relieved the Devil Princess's ire had been redirected away from her.
"It ends when Charity says it ends." The secretary recoiled in pain as Charity suddenly rammed her head into the secretary's nose. She staggered back, momentarily dazed.
"Huh?" Reiko said, blinking.
"Charity hasn't been sitting around for nothing. Charity has been consolidating her power, just for this one moment."
"So what?" The Devil Princess said, unimpressed. "And this will allow you to win, will it?"
Huh? Seina jerked in surprise as something grabbed her, pulling her useless body away from the Hall of Agony's ruined remains.
"I got you!" Nier said, dragging her towards a black vortex. Seina's size was giving him some trouble, but determination pushed along his efforts.
"Please. You aren't going anywhere!" The Devil Princess appeared above them, still bloody hand raised to strike.
"No." Brilliant, vibrant red light filled the hall's ruins, and the Devil Princess recoiled in pain as something collided with her stomach.
"No, Charity says." A red, flicking aura surrounded the fairy, alight with phenomenal cosmic might. With a thrust of Charity's paw, the Devil Princess flew through several buildings. Magical girls scattered, trying to get out of her path. Charity disappeared, going after Reiko before she could cause any more trouble.
Wow. The old queen's fairy had this much power? It made her wonder what the old queen was capable of. The portal got closer, only a scant meter remaining until they reached it.
"You aren't going anywhere." The secretary said, smirking in triumph. Before the secretary could act, a fist punched her aside.
"Hurry," Himari said through bloody teeth, her breathing pained.
"Run!" Liam grabbed Nier by the paw, diving headfirst into the portal.
"Don't worry, Seina, I got you!" While her grip was somewhat shaky, Himari scooped up Seina's prone body and dove towards Nier's portal.
"You aren't getting away!" Reiko snarled, kicking Charity aside like a rag doll. Much to Seina's horror, the fairy didn't rise again. "I wish…"
But Himari proved too quick, and they disappeared before the Devil Princess could complete her sentence. The last sight Seina saw was Charity smiling at her, battered but still alive. Despite getting recaptured by the Devil Princesses, no hint of fear anywhere on her face. She'd made this sacrifice with an open heart. Was it her imagination, or did it hint this wouldn't be their last encounter? Darkness engulfed Seina as they escaped from Starlight Dream.
---
"I wish…" Reiko uttered a feral, inhuman scream as her quarry disappeared from sight. Charity could only smile in amusement. This one didn't allow herself to get this upset often. Her body sagged from exhaustion, making even raising her head difficult. She'd used all her reserves, leaving her with almost nothing. Not that Charity would complain, of course.
"Oh, they got away." The secretary's voice quavered from both the fear of reprisal and the utter shock someone had actually eluded a Devil Princess's wrath.
"You!" Reality trembled as Reiko vented her frustration. Green cracks appeared in the air, existence unable to bear the power of her wrath. Her voice became incoherent as her voice couldn't properly vent her frustrations.
"Oh boy." The secretary trembled, losing all the strength in her legs. Charity, however, watched the Devil Princess scream her temper tantrum with an indifferent air.
Reality reassured itself when a new figure appeared, her armor glinting in the starry night. "What has happened here?" Mei turned towards the remains of the Hall of Agony. Her body froze, momentarily frozen in shock.
"Mei, where the hell have you been?" Reiko said, rage shimmering behind her voice. "Do you know what's happened?" Her fairy partner, Justice, flittered around her in equal agitation.
"She caused trouble, I take it?" Mei asked. She hinted at Charity's existence, but didn't even so much as glance towards her.
"Hello, Mei. It's been too long." Charity replied. "Charity has missed you. You need to visit Charity more often. We can speak of old times. Remember back on Rygol-7 when…"
"Who were her accomplices?" Mei asked, all business as usual. It brought a pang of sadness that her old friend didn't even look at her. "Did this Seina cause this?"
"No, my princess." The secretary said, her words slurring together as she spoke as quickly as she could. "Another junior magical girl helped her. Her name was Himari Uyou."
"Her?" Mei asked. "She was nobody of significance or power. How is this possible?"
"She…" The secretary paused, unsure how to vocalize her whirling thoughts. "Her powers had greater potential than we realized. She has power over dimensions, a dangerous ability in anyone's hands. Even my greatest masterpieces couldn't stand against it." She guided their attention towards the ruins of the Hall of Agony.
"What?" Reiko said, incredulous. "Where are these insects coming from? Harmless bites or not, they have the potential to become a great bother!"
"I agreed," Mei's hand played with the blade hung across her waist, pulling the sword from its scabbard before returning it. It was a nervous habit she'd never gotten rid of. "With time, they'll become a great threat."
The nervous gesture brought back old memories, recalling when the stubborn girl was just an apprentice. Despite a magical girl not needing such a mundane weapon, Mei had insisted on keeping her katana with her. She'd been eager then, determined to bring justice to the cosmos.
Unexpected tears stained Charity's cheeks, emotions she'd been suppressing cracking through the surface. She'd thought she'd cried every tear a fairy could shed. Thank goodness nobody had noticed this small chink in her usual unflappable armor.
"Useless girl." Reiko's fury reignited, directing her ire toward the secretary. "I wish every nerve in your body to burn like an exploding supernova!"
Screams echoed through the night as the magical girl writhed and screamed, unable to bear the pain. It didn't take Charity much imagination to figure out what she was suffering. While she was a jerk, Charity felt sympathy for the girl.
"You're lucky we need you. I wish…" Reiko tapped her chin several times before a devious smile grew on her face. "I wish for every second to last four hundred years."
Instead of screaming more, the poor girl went catatonic. She collapsed on the remains of a support beam, and her fairy partner tried in vain to wake her. The strain must have pushed the poor girl to her limit.
"Ah, I was right!" Reiko said, catching Charity's horrified expression. "Hurting you is pointless. But another? True torment."
"We must destroy them before they cause any more complications. I won't have our plans disrupted, not when we're so close." Mei said, ignoring this injustice completely. Had she cast a metal shell around her soul also, Charity wondered?
"Great, like we haven't already been trying that," Reiko said sarcastically. "Thanks to this fairy here, they've been eight steps ahead. Who knows what other future secrets she's told them? What if they awake the Wicked Queen?! They have her ******* wand!"
"I'm sorry. What's happening?" A blurry voice said. A figure burst from the rumble, rubbing her blurry eyes.
Midnight blue hair swished around as the newcomer studied the ruined remains of their palace. Unlike her fellow Devil Princesses, she wasn't wearing her magical girl outfit. Instead, she wore pajamas with crescent moons printed over her. The girl's diminutive height barely stood her over the collection of rubble she stood behind. Her fairy partner rode her back, still asleep despite the commotion.
"About time you woke up, Kaguya!" Reiko said, exasperated. "And how can you sleep through… Whatever. It doesn't matter. We've got a situation!"
"Oh dear," Kaguya said, yawning. The Devil Princess's body drooped, looking ready to collapse. If the girl was alarmed, she didn't show it.
"We'll need to tell, Yuuka too," Reiko said. "Wherever she is. How am I more responsible than her?"
"She's doing her part," Mei said, but Charity sensed the exasperation behind her words.
"Eh? Oh, so she's free?" Kaguya said, eying Charity with blurry-eyed interest, and Charity tensed. Of the Devil Princesses, this one concerned her the most.
"Yeah," Reiko said, her voice sour. "It's one of her plots. I thought my little prison blocked her powers!"
And it did, but I created this plan well before you captured me. Not that they needed to know that.
"Oh, I wouldn't worry about that," Kaguya replied. A sharp pain stabbed in Charity's head, making her almost stagger back from the sudden shock. The Devil Princess noticed this and gave a knowing smile. "Whatever timeline she's trying to create, I'll destroy it."
"Well, that's a relief at least," Reiko said, brightening and returning to her usual self. "Fear not, Mei sweetie. I'll find Kaguya, and we'll work together to sort out these naughty, mean rebels!"
"That's acceptable," Mei said, her face mask bobbing as she nodded.
"Sweet! Let's tear the rebels to shreds!" Reiko's partner, Justice, said. With that, the fairy summoned a portal and they disappeared from sight.
"Kaguya, secure the prisoner," Rei said, turning her back towards her old friend.
"It will be done." A shudder shook Charity's bones as Kaguya put a hand around her neck. It wasn't tight, but it would prevent any escape. Her head throbbed harder when she unsuccessfully tried reading the future.
Much to Charity's relief, the secretary stirred as Reiko's magic left her. She'd be fine, or Charity hoped, at least.
I've cast the die. It's up to you, Seina, Himari. Please be safe. If not, nothing exists in the future.