"What? How?" Mei gripped her bloody nose, staring at the crimson streaking across her hand in shock. "You can't survive without your partner! It's impossible!"
"You're right, I can't." Seina put a hand over her heart. "But he isn't dead. He lives here, within me."
"Impossible." Mei's face twisted into pure rage. "I destroyed him utterly, leaving nothing to absorb!"
"I didn't take his power, Mei," Seina replied. "We joined our power together to stop you!"
"Nice trick. Your bond must be something else," Arisu said, beaming. "Even I've never fused that deeply before, and Charity's my blood sister."
"Wait, is that how you get a super form?" Takako asked, curious.
"Damn right, but it's difficult to pull off," Arisu replied. "If I wasn't so damn weak, I'd be using mine to kick this asshole to the curb."
"But why is Mei able to use a super form?" A sudden, horrible thought occurred to Seina. "Mei, where's your fairy partner? Could it be?"
"I see you've figured it out. My fairy partner is dead. She was destroyed many years ago. I…" Mei's voice cracked. A myriad of emotions washed over her face before shaking her head. "It doesn't matter. All I care about is bringing her back!"
"So that's why you're working with Kaguya, to restore your partner to life?" Seina asked, the pieces coming into place.
"Yes, we will restore the multiverse to the paradise it should be. We don't need to fight, Seina. If you help us, your partner can return to life, too." Mei extended a hand, inviting Seina to grab it. "Wouldn't that be better than living in this hollow, empty universe?"
The Devil Princess's eyes widened in shock as Seina slapped her hand away, her eyes alight with fury. "No. Colten wouldn't want people to die for his sake. We fight to save others. We fight to fix what's broken. Even if I could bring Colten back, I couldn't live with myself if even one person died to do it."
"Stop being a child." Mei gritted her teeth. "When something's in reach, you're a fool to not reach out and grasp it."
"Face it Mei, we all think you're full of crap," Arisu said. "Your promises aren't worth it, even if they were real."
"Fine. I've always been alone, anyway." Resolve settled into Mei's hard, steely eyes. "But I'm getting what I want, regardless of the cost!" Seina's blade clashed with Mei's extended sword, blocking a near-fatal blow.
"I pity you, Mei." Seina blocked another blow. "But I'll stop you if I must! No one else will die. I won't allow it!"
"Show me if you can!" Reality trembled as their blades exchanged blows. Both combatants circled each other, preparing for a battle to decide the cosmos.
---
"Please." A magical girl said, gasping through the dagger lodged in her throat. "I won't do anything bad anymore. Just spare me…" But the girl didn't get to finish. The vile magical girl was already dead as her head separated from her body.
Bathiko had little patience for the girl's pleas for mercy or pity. Her kind deserved neither. She felt an inkling of sadness for her fairy partner who wailed for her lost partner. But it faded when the fairy vanished to nothing as her magical life force failed.
In Bathiko's opinion, that fairy had only been another victim of magical girl's cruelty. It'd been that magical girls' fault the fairy had died, not Bathiko's. Only Starlight Dream was to blame for this tragedy.
She gazed down at the blue orb that the magical girl had tried to assault. This planet, unlike many others, had been lucky. The vile magical girl had met her terrible fate before having the chance to cause it any harm. Many planets hadn't been so fortunate, costing an incalculable loss of life in the Devil Princesses' vile plans.
"Another one saved," Bathiko said, her mouth quirking in a slight smile. "You think the Devil Princesses are annoyed their genocidal plan is screeching to a halt? That's already our fifty-fourth magical girl kill."
"Damn it." Bathiko cursed. She was doing it again, speaking to someone who wasn't there.
Though either her loneliness or fantasm, the fairy often spoke to her lost partner, Miko, someone she'd slayed with her own two paws. Stealing your partner's life went beyond any crime or taboo. It was sin without measure, a taint that would never wash off. But Bathiko would accept such a stain, regardless of the consequences.
"What next, though?" With the death of that last magical girl, she'd crippled the Devil Princess's efforts to purge the cosmos of life in the cruelest way possible. Should she search for further stragglers or face the Devil Princesses? With her dark power, Bathiko was confident she could battle them on an even footing. Still, she'd need to isolate each Devil Princess first. Despite her terrible power, Bathiko wasn't crazy enough to fight all those monsters alone. As she pondered her decision, her world shook as a sudden shockwave struck her.
"What was that?" Bathiko said, again speaking to no one. But she hardly noticed, disturbed by the display of raw power. The shockwave hadn't been anything physical or magical but a tremble in the fabric of reality itself. Bathiko had a nasty suspicion why. Had Seina and her crazy friends started a war with the cosmic rulers of the Starlight Dream? She snorted. Of course, they had. Only Seina would be that insanely reckless.
She smirked, pleased with this situation. It gave her the perfect opportunity to extinguish them both. Weakened by their battle, they'd be easy prey for her. Beyond pleased, Bathiko opened a portal to Starlight Dream and the future free of magical girl tyranny.
---
"Useless!" Mei screamed as her sword slashed at Seina. Their blades clashed with a thunderous boom, its shockwave throwing back their hair. "You're a mere child. You don't have the experience to fight someone of my caliber!"
It was true. Compared to Seina's laughable, clumsy swordplay, the Devil Princess was a skilled master, each attack deadly and precise.
But Seina wasn't afraid, eying her opponent with a cool detachment. While landing a few scraps, Mei had yet to cause any serious wounds.
"What's the matter? Aren't you going to fight!?" Mei slipped behind Seina to stab her from behind. A last-second deflect saved her from getting hurt. "Don't you hate me, despise me? I killed your partner. Killed countless people. The blood on my hands is beyond measure! Fight me already!"
Yet Seina continued to stay on the defensive, studying her opponent. This lack of interest only inflamed the Devil Princess's temper further. "Fight me! Say something! Enough silence!"
Steel chattered against steel as their blades met. Mei snarled in Seina's face as the latter stayed serene despite her dangerous and capable foe.
"What is she doing?" Takako asked. "Kick her ass already, Seina."
Arisu, however, only seemed amused by the situation. "I think our friend here has already started to."
"I see what you are now," Seina said, finally speaking as she blocked another blow. Despite her inexperience with a blade, she was learning quickly. "You're just a sad, lonely girl lashing out at the world."
"What? Stop looking at me with pity! Are you so stupid that you pity a monster?"
"That makes it easy for you, playing the monster?" Seina said. "Your power is to destroy, right? It makes sense. If you destroy all your problems, you don't need to deal with them. Makes it easier to run away."
"Shut up!" Mei snarled, her frustration mounting as Seina continued to refuse to fight. "You don't understand anything about me or what I've lived through. Or what pain I've been dealt."
"You used to be a hero, right?" Seina asked. "What changed? Why this path? You aren't like the other Devil Princesses. There's still a heart and soul within you. Why do you hide it?"
"You wish to know?" A nasty smile grew on Mei's demon-like mouth mask. "Because when my partner died, I realized nothing mattered. This entire existence is a joke. Why protect a cosmos that only spits on me? Stop looking at me like that! Stop pitying me! Why can't you hate me? I killed your partner! You must want revenge!"
"No, that's pointless." Seina only shook her head. "I won't bring Colten back. And I don't hate you. How can I hate someone so scared and lost?"
"Shut up!" The cosmos rattled as Mei unleashed her fury, unleashing enough magical might to shatter another universe. But it dissipated to the force of a cool breeze, incapable of hurting anything. "What?!"
To explain, Seina summoned a bubble to her side, allowing it to fall into the palm of her hand. "I used one of my bubbles to absorb the destructive shockwave. I won't allow anyone to die." She said as a promise.
"You." Mei's voice trembled with rage as she was denied the devastation she sought.
"But I won't hesitate to teach you a lesson." With a flick of her wrist, Seina flung the bubble that would have deviated entire universes into Mei's chest. Caught off guard, the Devil Princess howled as she felt the sting of her own destructive power.
Snarling, Mei slashed her blade in random directions, sending wave upon wave of destructive energy in her wake. But bubbles popped into existence to shield reality from their power. With Colten's power supplementing hers, Seina had the ability to fight and protect. And, of course, the ability to cheat. When she saw Mei unleash her attack, even Seina knew it'd be beyond her speed to protect everyone. So instead, she sent her bubbles a few seconds in the past, guaranteeing they'd be right where they'd be needed. Colten wasn't the only one fighting by her side. Emiyo had also offered her aid as well. With their combined powers, they would stop this monster.
"No!" Mei shook her head, flummoxed at how easily Seina had foiled her attacks.
"Enough." Seina was done holding back. Even with her tremendous power, she dared not allow Devil Princess's destructive ability to go wild again. So, the cosmos's guardian went on the offensive.
"Gah." Mei trembled as she blocked a blow with Seina's full strength behind it, flabbergasted at how much she'd underestimated the other magical girl. She howled as a bubble crashed into her, sending another wave of the Devil Princess's own destructive power into her.
Their blades clashed as Seina charged with full force. Despite her initial surprise at her opponent's sheer brute power, Mei smirked when she realized that was all Seina had. The Devil Princess still outclassed her in skill and speed, landing several deep cuts through Seina's considerable defenses. More bubbles flew in her direction, but the Devil Princess destroyed them with her ability, rendering them useless. Mei fought more carefully with her ability, ensuring Seina couldn't turn it against her again. Still, Seina wasn't without her tricks. While not as powerful as Emiyo, she still possessed some time control ability. It gave her an idea.
A hiss escaped Seina's lips as a blade stabbed through her side, but she had already pivoted away. As Seina closed the distance, Mei disappeared out of easy reach. But that didn't matter. The Devil Princess gasped in startled surprise as Seina's sword stabbed through her chest, eyes wide.
"Impossible. How?" But Mei only gritted her teeth, knocking Seina away with a forward punch. She moved in for a follow-up strike but gasped as her opponent disappeared, replaced by a floating bubble. While momentarily started, Mei blocked Seina's incoming sword strike from behind.
"I see. You're using your bubbles to give you quick bursts of speed." Mei said, impressed despite herself.
"It's a nifty trick." By accelerating time within her bubbles, they provided a helpful platform to move quicker than usual. With her secret discovered, Seina held nothing back, summoning dozens of bubbles around her.
Mei tensed as Seina disappeared from one bubble to another, too quick for even her warrior eyes to catch. But her battle instincts were keen, just blocking Seina's next strike. It didn't protect her from the sudden punch to the sternum, coughing blood as her rib cage shattered. As she raised her blade to retaliate, Seina had already disappeared into another bubble.
But the Devil Princess won't allow such a trick to work twice, summoning a wave of destruction with her sword to dissipate Seina's bubbles. Surprised and caught out in the open, blood trickled from Seina's mouth as the Devil Princess stabbed her opponent through the heart.
"It matters not how many tricks you have," Mei said, voice cold. "In the end, I destroy everything."
Fire erupted in Seina's chest as the Devil Princess tore at her from the inside, destructive forces warring within her to destroy her very soul.
"Seina!" A beam lanced from Takako's ribbon into the Devil Princess's head. But she ignored it, smirking as it had little effect. When she saw how useless her attack had been, Seina's friend's body deflated as she felt utter defeat. "No. I'm just too weak. I can't do anything!"
"And so it should be," Mei replied. "The Devil Princesses can't be defeated!"
"You talk too much," Arisu said. She smirked, clearly knowing something they didn't. "How about you check again before declaring victory?"
"I'm not finished yet!" Despite her soul unraveling, her grip closed around Seina's essence. No, essences, two of them. Emiyo and Colten still fought by her side, protecting her even beyond death.
"What?" Mei howled as a fist clobbered the side of her head, dazing her. With a grunt, Seina tore the blade free and tossed it aside. Now she was mad. She refused to allow her friends' sacrifice to be in vain.
"Gah!" Bone crumbled as Seina unleashed everything she had into a single, devastating blow. The Devil Princess tried flying away but floundered as Seina's sword cut clean through a midnight wing. She held nothing back in her punches, using her blade to deflect the Devil Princess's clumsy attempts to fight back.
"Yeah! Get her!" Takako said, cheering her friend on. Despite Seina's weariness from the intense battle, it invigorated her to fight harder. "Show her why you're the strongest magical girl!" Arisu only smirked, pleased by the display.
"I don't know about strongest, but everyone's behind me!" Seina said, landing another punishing blow. "And they're giving me strength to defeat you!"
"No, you can't!" Mei flailed, and her swipe dodged with ease. Her missing wing seriously hampering her speed and agility. "You're just a naïve child who understands nothing! I can't be beaten by the likes of you!"
The Devil Princess gasped in shock as her blade shattered as it struck Seina's incoming sword swipe. "Impossible! Monster!"
"It's over. You're finished." Seina said, finality in her voice. "It's over."
"Over?" A brittle laugh escaped the Devil Princess's lips. "I suppose it is. But I won't die. Not until I'm granted my greatest wish. Burn in hell, Seina."
Arisu's eyes widened, her breath catching. "Stop her, Seina! Before she…"
But the Wicked Queen never got to finish her warning. Mei pressed a hand against her chest. The resulting explosion rocked the entirety of the cosmos, almost enough to split creation in half. It blew the Devil Princess back, little remaining of her body but a bloody chunk. But Seina was too distracted to notice, fighting to absorb the damage with her bubbles before it caused any harm. Sweat trickled down her brow as she panted, gladdened she'd contained the destruction, if barely.
"Spiteful monster." Takako spat. "Are you okay, Seina?"
"Well enough." She replied. She searched around but found no sign of the Devil Princess. "Is Mei dead?" It was the only explanation. Nothing could survive such a point-blank blast.
"No, she's still alive," Arisu said, her mouth creasing into a hard frown. "It was her only shot of escape, so she took it."
"But that's insane," Seina replied. "There wasn't any guarantee that even she'd survive that!"
"I don't think Mei cares about her life much. But I have a nasty suspension where she's going." Arisu said.
"The stake?" Seina replied, a horrible realization stabbing frigid ice in her heart. "But, weakened as she is, can Mei even destroy it?"
"We better hurry and find out," Arisu said, already flying towards the shattered remains of Starlight Dream. After a muttered curse, Takako and Seina followed, praying they wouldn't be too late.
---
"Almost there!" Mei gasped, her mouth mask falling from her face. With her fingernails, she clawed her way to her final objective. Unsurprisingly, a familiar face greeted her.
"That was some fight." Kaguya said, "That Seina's a real monster. I wasn't sure you'd even survived."
"That's not in the cards until I topple that monstrosity." Mei clawed her way closer across what remained of Starlight Dream.
"One problem. Someone has interfered with our plans and stopped the planetary infernos. You might not be powerful enough to topple it."
"It doesn't matter. I will succeed and get my greatest wish."
Pity crossed over the vampire's face. "You must realize I was lying? It must have crossed your mind that I was manipulating you to gain back my real body. My promises were nothing but empty."
The vampire began to pace. "I'm not sure why I'm telling you this, but you deserve to know, regardless."
Despite the agony of her battered, mangled body, a weak smile grew across Mei's mouth. "I already knew. But I thought it was worth a shot, anyway."
"Really?" Kaguya responded with a questioning look.
"Toppling this tower gets me what I want, regardless. Even if I can't get my partner back, I can at least endure this entire hateful reality dies with me. That was your plan, right? Destroy everything?"
"Not really. I actually planned to bolt this multiverse for someplace better. I'm tired of this reality."
"That's fine. Thanks to us, this multiverse is dead anyway, an empty husk."
"Mei…"
"Just destroy those bastards for me, okay? I hate losing."
Unexpected emotion crossed over the vampire's features. Was her fellow Devil Princess fighting back tears? "Sure."
"Thanks, Kaguya. You're the only thing that's made these long, torturous centuries bearable."
Kaguya didn't respond, turning away to not display how Mei's sacrifice hurt her deep down. They shared a strange kinship. So wounded by their cruel worlds, they'd given up giving a damn about anything. While Mei didn't know the circumstances that drove the other Devil Princess to become a vampire, she could imagine the details. After being spit on for becoming a literal monster on the outside, what other choice did she have besides becoming one on the inside as well?
"You better get going." Light burst from Mei's body as she concentrated her power. "This will be a big explosion."
"Goodbye, Mei." After a sad shake of her head, the vampire disappeared.
"This is it! It's finally over!" Mei laughed with glee, pleased she'd fulfilled her destiny as the destroyer, the only thing she'd even been good at.
Oh, she'd first tried being a hero, but it'd only turned to dust like everything else. What was her idiotic partner thinking when she sacrificed herself to save Mei's pitiful life? Why had that fool Diligence thought Mei wanted to live alone with her failures and cursed existence? Her life had only caused pain for others or driven them away. Her parents had happily abandoned her once they realized what she was.
"Finally! Oblivion awaits!" Mei could hardly wait. Agony tore at every atom as her body collected destruction within her. But the pain didn't matter, only victory over Seina. How she hated that girl and everything she stood for.
It made no sense. The girl had lost her partner and came from a hateful, pitiless world, just like Mei. So why didn't Seina despise everything like her? Why bother fighting for a worthless cause she couldn't possibly believe in? The agony flared hot to a fevered pitch, but the Devil Princess only laughed harder.
"Die in a fire, Seina! I hope you get everything you deserve!" With a sudden lunge, Mei drove her hand into the Spike, finally snapping Kaguya's prison. The ensuing explosion engulfed her existence, snuffing out her very soul in the process. But Mei could only laugh, pleased to get her greatest wish, finally.