"Call me Kaguya, the Dreamer." The Devil Princess said, giving a polite bow. "I'm pleased to meet you, Seina, the Troublemaker. You've caused Mei no end of grief with your meddling."
"I swore I'd stop your kind from hurting anyone else." Seina clutched her hand hard enough to draw blood. "I'm fixing the damage you caused. We're freeing the old queen, stopping your vile plans."
"Silly little girl," Kaguya said, giving a mock exasperated sigh. "Has Charity been feeding your little head these delusions? What if I told you that you've been fighting for the wrong side? That you're only hastening the destruction of everything?"
"What?"
"I'm afraid the multiverse is doomed. It will soon become a dead husk devoid of life. Think about your world, child. Its destruction is inevitable."
"Inevitable?" A stab of ice tore through her heart as she realized how defenseless she'd left the people she loved the most. Soon Aiko, Seiko, and Uncle Kenji would die, and nothing could stop it.
"But we can help you, Seina." Kaguya continued. "When Mei rejuvenates the cosmos, we will restore all. We will replace this multiverse of suffering with an eternal, blissful paradise. That is our purpose, to renew a broken multiverse."
"Why are we fighting against you?" Seina looked into the Devil Princess's eyes, seeing nothing but supreme kindness. Why had she even considered fighting against such a noble soul? Starlight Dream and the Princesses only wanted to restore justice to the cosmos. How had Seina been blind to this irrefutable fact?
"We should be friends! You're right, Kaguya!" Seina looked down, ashamed. "Could you ever forgive me for the trouble I caused?"
"You're already forgiven, Seina," Kaguya said, her kind voice warming Seina's sad and broken heart. "Let us be sisters!" Much to her delight, Emiyo and Colten nodded in agreement, finally seeing sense.
"Don't give me this love and friendship crap!" A violent voice broke through the tender moment, smashing it to pieces. "It's you monsters that ruined the cosmos in the first place. And we're meant to trust you with the next? What bull!"
This outburst caught everyone by surprise, mouths agape at the pure audacity. It jabbed into Seina's brain, leaving her momentarily dazed. What the heck was that? Why had she agreed with a monster like Kaguya?
"She was trying to corrupt your souls," Charity said as a way of explanation. "With the cloud of suffering, you were especially vulnerable. But she forgot somebody in the room, assuming he wasn't worth bothering with."
"Impossible!" The serene expression on Kaguya's face vanished, replaced with pure incongruity. "He shouldn't have been able to break my spell, regardless!"
But Seina understood. Mr. Kiyojiro had a high place in her heart. He was family, rough edges and all. If anyone could reach out to her, it was him.
"Damn." Emiyo grabbed at her head, suffering an even worse headache. With the Devil Princess's concentration lost, her soul-corrupting spell had fizzed.
"Pest." Kaguya's lovely face morphed into something ugly, almost inhuman in its fury. The sudden smile drove daggers into her heart, making Seina retreat a step. "No matter. I'll rip you to shreds instead. It'd been too long since I'd played with anyone. And it doesn't matter what you do. I've already preordained how you will die. Your petty victory was pointless!"
"Your evil ends here!" Seina summoned her staff to her waiting hands, already in motion to strike. While ruthless and mean, she couldn't allow the Devil Princess to transform.
"Huh?" Seina blinked as she struck open air, their opponent already across the room. She coughed in pain as Kaguya delivered a punishing kick to her sternum, atomizing several ribs. Even in her civilian form, the Dreamer was this powerful? Seina retaliated with a wild punch, but Kaguya had already disappeared.
"Emiyo," Seina said, grimacing as the Devil Princess's face smashed her nose in with another blow too quick to avoid. Dang, it was like Kaguya knew exactly where she'd move.
"Right," Emiyo said, breaking her trance of fear. Despite her resolve, fighting against a Devil Princess filled her with unspeakable dread.
"It doesn't matter," Kaguya said, her tone airy. "Two or ten thousand, your fates are already preordained!"
Seina watched helplessly as her every attack came to naught, avoided like the Devil Princess had seen them a year away. Remarkable! Even the untransformed Yuuka Tsujikawa hadn't been this crazy powerful. Kaguya blinked as Emiyo disappeared like she'd never been there. The Devil Princess's eyes widened as she dodged a blow meant for her skull. An opening clear, Seina's fist flew toward the Devil Princess's exposed back. While an open palm had intercepted her punch, Seina had finally touched her.
"Oh, so that's how it is," Kaguya said, somewhat annoyed.
"Ha! Just as Charity thought! Your ability to manipulate timelines isn't as useful against someone with time powers!" The fairy said, tone smug.
"So that's her ability?" Seina asked, scowling. What an annoying power.
"Oh!" Colten said, his fairy eyes alighting with understanding and mischief. So far, he'd opted to stay on the sidelines, saving his power for an opportune moment. This unexpected insight into Kaguya gave him some ability to change the outcome.
"That's telling!" Kaguya said, her expression darkening.
The Devil Princess hissed as Emiyo landed a glancing blow with her hoop, the former lieutenant flickering around the battlefield as time went into an erratic flux. Despite their change in fortune, they still couldn't land a significant blow against their opponent.
"Impressive. It's been a while since anyone has pushed me. But you won't find me such an easy foe." Seina blinked as four Kaguya appeared from nowhere, each attacking her from a different angle. Flummoxed, her blow with her staff flew through an illusionary Kaguya. Seina's head spun as the room's proportions became wonky, making it difficult to tell the distance.
Blow after blow drove into the helpless Seina, unable to defend herself with her senses so addled. Even closing her eyes didn't help, the illusion affecting even her imagination. Still, Seina refused to surrender, using her pain as a guidepost to reality. Only the real Devil Princess could hurt her.
"Gah!" Illusions faltered as Seina's staff drove into Kaguya's chest, the girl flinching back. The Dreamer had been unprepared for how hard she could hit back.
Time dilated as Emiyo moved in to attack with her hoop. Steel clashed as Kaguya summoned a sword to intercept the blow.
"Fool."
"Emiyo!" Seina watched in horror as the sword lost tangency, slipping through Emiyo's weapon like it was made of insubstantial mist. The blade stabbed deep into the magical girl's chest, piercing through the heart.
"Gah!" Emiyo's breath became labored as the life seemed to be sucked right from her soul. Her youthful skin wrinkled as age, her vitality stolen. In milliseconds, she became a living corpse.
What? How many powers does she have? A spike of dread stabbed into Seina's heart, realizing they still hadn't scratched the surface of the Devil Princess's power. And Kaguya still hadn't transformed.
"Nice try," Kaguya said, slipping away from Seina's wild swing. She tossed the decayed Emiyo aside, using her blade to deflect her opponent's staff. "But without your time-manipulating friend, I can guide this fight however I wish."
Seina feared the worst, eying the fallen Emiyo with dread. But she sensed a twinge of life still in the girl, faint but vibrant. While weakened significantly, Emiyo wasn't dead. Her bodyguard pulled her to safety, dragging her down another corridor. He cleared out with Liam and Charity, leaving only her partner behind.
Their weapons clashed as they engaged. Neither could gain an upper hand. Seina kept her distance from the other magical girl, using her superior speed to keep several steps away.
"Don't worry, Seina. I got this. Give her everything you've got!" Colten said, interrupting her despair.
"Oh?" Kaguya said, amused.
"Right." Colten might provide them the edge they'd need to turn the fight around. With Mr. Kaguya and the other fairies gone, Seina could afford to cut loose.
Within the tip of her bubble blower, Seina heightened its destructive capabilities so that no amount of predicting could save Kaguya. The Devil Princess's eyes widened as Seina concocted this plan, moving to strike a fatal blow. But she ignored the incoming attack, heightening her magic to a fever pitch. Nobody hurt her friends.
"Die!" Kaguya's blade thrust forward, Seina not bothering to dodge. Because she didn't need to.
"What?" Steel clashed as a sword appearing from nowhere, interlocking with the Devil Princess's weapon. It was Paliah, triumphant in his brilliant white armor. "Who the hell are you?"
"Wait, no!" Panic filled the Devil Princess's eyes as she realized the future looming over her. But Colten grabbed her with his free arm, trapping her in place. With claw-like fingers, Kaguya tore herself free and tried gutting her partner where he stood. But he'd already vanished, leaving the Devil Princess open to Seina's next attack.
She held nothing back, filling the chamber with countless destructive bubbles, leaving Kaguya nowhere to run. Counting on her partner, she detonated them all. The Devil Princess howled as fire consumed her, charring her to the bone. Seina flinched as the flames rushed toward her. But Colten was already grabbing her, time skipping to another location a few seconds ago.
"I can't believe that worked." The entire world shook as the chamber ahead exploded, almost knocking Seina from her feet. "I hope I didn't overdo it." She might have brought the entirety of Starlight Dream onto their heads.
"No, it's fine," Charity said, appearing from a far corridor. "The secretary's multi-dimensions protect this place. It'll cause some ripples, but it won't burst."
"Emiyo!" Seina rushed over to her friend, terrified as she saw the girl's state.
"I'll live." The former lieutenant rasped, her breath sounding like a corpse. Bu life was slowly returning to her, her withered flesh gaining some color. "We need to get going. Devil Princesses are coming."
"She's right," Charity said. "Kaguya isn't dead. Wounded, but not dead. She's left to get Mei. Time is short."
"She's still alive?" Seina said, surprised. Did the girl transform without her noticing? How did she survive without her powers? But that mystery could wait, and her bodyguard carried Emiyo as they fled down a hall. With Emiyo's time powers, only milliseconds passed as they climbed deeper into the bottom chamber of the Hall of Agony.
They wound around a spiral staircase that seemed almost endless. But a weight lifted as they climbed further down, the cloud of despair lightening. In fact, a lightness entered Seina's soul, making it soar to great heights. There was a purity to the air, like breathing in a child's laughter. And its power aided them, lightening their steps. While still thin, Emiyo regained her vitality at an astonishing rate. Was the old queen's power causing this?
"How deep does this go?" Mr. Kiyojiro asked, their steps echoing as they trotted deeper and deeper into eternity.
"Not far," Charity replied. "We're getting close to the core of Starlight Dream, a nexus of pure power that brings magic and vitality to the entire cosmos.
"Really? Why seal her down here?" Seina asked, curious. It surprised her to learn Starlight Dream was so important. But she supposed it made sense that it imbued magical girls with the pure essence of the cosmos.
"When Charity's partner created the Needle of the Cosmos, it severely weakened her. Not helpless, as the Devil Princess's learned, but still not as strong. That's how they defeated her. It allowed them to seal Charity's partner into the nexus, becoming one with everything. But it left her unable to affect the real world, watching but incapable of acting."
"It must have driven her mad, poor girl." Her bodyguard said.
"No, she's fine," Charity said, reassuring them all. "Just made her angry. She'll be ready to fight, no doubt."
"She must have been quite the warrior queen!" Seina said, impressed. It amazed her how resilient the pair had been to endure such imprisonments. This earned a smile from Charity, and warm light bathed them as they touched the bottom stairs.
The brilliance almost blinded Seina as she looked upon Starlight Dream's core, the pure essence of magical girl power. Its sheer scale stunned them, the cave only touching a sliver of its radiant surface. It brought tears to her eyes, its warmth like a comforting hug.
"Welcome to the core," Charity said, extending a paw. "It represents the pure life that brought the cosmos into existence, a seed planted long ago to birth the entire multiverse. The stories aren't wrong that Starlight Dream lies at the center of the cosmos."
"Amazing." Even her bodyguard was driven to tears, awed by its majesty.
"We need to hurry. They're coming," Emiyo said, standing on shaky legs.
"And I'm already here." A pitiless voice said. "Did you really think that distraction would cause me to miss your oh-so-obvious plan?"
"Yeah, losers! We aren't some gullible saps!" Her partner said, sticking out her tongue.
"Reiko Yoshida, the Poison Ivy," Seina said breathlessly. Terror stabbed at her heart, fearful of what had happened to Takako and Chō.
"And you've really pissed me off!" Reiko said, eyes blazing with fury. "So pissed, you're gonna wish death didn't come so hard for magical girls! Oh, you're going to suffer! I will drink your tears from your lidless eyes as you plea for death's sweet release! How should I start? I wish…"
But she didn't get to finish her wish, instead she grunted in annoyance as Paliah appeared from nowhere and slashed her across the throat. While only leaving a small nick, but provided the needed distraction. "Go, free her!"
"Who the hell are you?" With a backhand, Paliah's broken body slid across the floor. But Seina was already moving, darting towards the orb of light.
"Throw it!" Charity screamed.
"I wish Seina, the fool, would lose all control of her body!" The Devil Princess screamed.
"No!" Already her muscles tightened like they'd always been stone. But she'd already heeded the fairy's advice, hurling the staff like a javelin.
"Bastards! I wish the Wicked Queen's staff was in my hands!" Reiko said.
"Never!" Emiyo surprised them all, appearing right behind the staff. She snatched it from the air and hurled it faster into the orb. The wish took effect, but it was too late. The staff smashed into the orb's surface, melting into it.
What was happening? Could the Poison Ivy not make impossible wishes?
A figure burst through the orb, holding her staff high in triumph. Her hair was platinum blond, but Seina detected hints of black at the roots. She wore ragged jean shorts with a bomber jacket emblazoned with a skull with smothering eyes with a cigarette in its mouth.
"I'm back! And ain't happy." The old queen squatted down and withdrew a pack of cigarettes, putting one in her mouth. After lighting it, she took a deep drag, savoring its taste. "And I'm ready for some payback. Especially you, Reiko! I'm going to kick you bastards' asses for sealing me away. I'm gonna do what I should have done millennia ago. Stick my foot right up your ass! Call me Arisu Ikehara, the Wicked Queen!"