"Holy!" Arisu exclaimed as her once magnificent creation, a tower that spanned the cosmos, collapsed, shattering dust into the void.
"Unbelievable. She pulled it off." Takako said, dumbstruck.
Icy daggers stabbed into Seina's heart, the weight of her failure crushing her. "What does this mean? How powerful is a Great Vampire?"
"We'll worry about that shit later," Arisu replied. "We need to check on our friends first!"
"You're right." Seina's anxieties about Kaguya's newfound powers could wait until she checked up on Mr. Kiyojiro and the others. Without another word, they flew towards what remained of Starlight Dream.
"Cool form, Seina. Your white hair is pretty!" Takako said as they flew. "And you kicked that Devil Princess's ass! I'd never thought it'd see Mei the Destroyer scared."
"She was practically pissing herself!" Arisu said, amused. "You're the real deal, Seina."
"Thanks, I just wish the cost wasn't so high." A wave of loneliness threatened tears again, Colten's loss almost too much for her to bear.
The sickness ate away at her gut, making her wonder if she'd ever feel joy again. A cloud of miasma hung around, refusing to dissipate. But no, she needed to be strong for the sake of her friends. With Kaguya still out there, they could mourn later. It didn't stop her gentle tears, though. Thankfully, her friends didn't comment on them.
"Mr. Kiyojiro," Seina shouted as she landed, her heart sinking as she saw the crystallized rubble of the once great city. So little remained. Light peeked through the cracks running across the surface, the heart of Starlight Dream shining brightly past the senseless destruction.
"Takako! Seina!" A familiar fairy said, peeking his head past some rubble.
"Nier!" Takako said, extending her arms wide. A smile blossomed in Seina's heart at the touching reunion as the pair shared a hug. Arisu beamed as she reunited with her partner, the duo sharing a fist bump.
"There was an explosion near the tower. Do you know what's happening?" Mr. Kiyojiro said, showing himself next. He paused as he got a better look at his charge. "Seina, your hair's white."
"Yeah, what's up with that? And your magical girl outfit is different. What's happened?" Nier asked.
"It's Mei," Takako replied, allowing her partner to take his place on her shoulder. "That maniac blew herself up to destroy the Pin of the Cosmos!"
Mr. Kiyojiro uttered a curse. "So, the Great Vampire is free. Still, you look great, Seina! More powerful than ever. Where'd you get that new form?"
"I…" Seina broke apart from her bodyguard. Her throat tightened up, fighting back a sob.
"Where's that idiot brother of mine?" Botan said. "I still can't believe he charged into that insanity! Still, is Mei really dead? Like really dead? It seems hard to believe."
"Yeah, she's gone." However, Seina felt no satisfaction, only the residual pain of her partner's destruction. A gaping void had opened in her heart, refusing to be closed. "Colten, he…" Tears welled in her eyes, unable to finish.
"Oh." Mr. Kiyojiro looked down, understanding her meaning. Genuine pain twisted his usually stoic features, clenching his fist hard enough to draw blood.
"What do you mean? Where is that idiot?" Botan asked, not understanding the sudden mood change in everyone else.
"Colten's gone," Takako said, supplying the answer.
"What? No." Botan only laughed, not believing such a crazy story. "That's impossible. Look, Seina's right there. She can't be alive if he isn't!"
"Tsk. Are you slow?" Arisu said, annoyed. "They aren't lying. The poor fairy's gone. Colten sacrificed himself to save his partner."
"What, but…" Botan shook her head, struggling to understand. She looked at each magical girl, searching for the joke. Her voice cracked when she realized the truth. "No. He can't, no…"
"I'm sorry," Seina said, pulling her partner's sister in for a tight hug. Botan held nothing back, sobbing into her embrace. They said nothing, only taking comfort in each other.
"And Emiyo too?" Mr. Kiyojiro said. "Her partner disappeared, and we don't know where she is."
"Yeah," Seina replied, clutching the distraught fairy tighter. "She was very brave. We weren't exactly friends, but she was good deep down, even if she never really realized it."
"And Himari?" Mr. Kiyojiro said, looking around. "I don't see her anywhere either."
"She's…" Seina paused, unsure how to respond. "We don't know. She disappeared, but I don't think she's dead."
"Don't worry about her," Charity said, pipping up. "She'll be back."
"That's a relief," Seina replied. "What about Chō and Liam? They still haven't shown their faces yet?"
"Well…" Before the fairy could finish, everyone lost their footing as the ground rumbled beneath them.
"That must be her, the Great Vampire," Seina said, dread stabbing at her heart. A general uneasiness washed over the group as pressure overcame them like a fog.
"What is?" Mr. Kiyojiro said, falling to his knees. Much to Seina's shock, the life seemed to drain from her bodyguard, his body becoming gaunter, like he hadn't eaten in weeks. Seina didn't feel much better, like she'd been struck with a nasty cold.
"Quick, put a bubble over Kiyojiro, now!" Arisu said, shocking Seina back to her senses. The reason for the warning became clear as her bodyguard became more skeletal by the second.
"Thank you, Seina." Mr. Kiyojiro said from the safety of Seina's protective bubble. While still weak, he'd regained some vitality.
"What the heck?" Takako said, her reddening forehead becoming sweaty.
"It's Kaguya's power. She passively drains vitality from everything around her. I've seen her drain an entire planet of life in seconds. She's the antithesis of life itself." Arisu said as a way of explanation. "It's lucky that we've already evacuated Starlight Dream. She won't be able to regain her full strength as quickly. She's still weak from our previous fight."
"Then we'll have to beat her quickly," Takako said, her voice out of breath. "If she runs off to drain other planets, it'll be hell to stop her."
"Don't worry about that. I have no intention of running." A familiar yet unfamiliar voice said.
"Kaguya!" Seina said, her breath heavy as she came in contact with the Great Vampire's presence. While similar to the Devil Princess she knew previously. Seina detected subtle and non-subtle changes with the new Kaguya.
While her face was the same, it had higher, tighter cheekbones. Instead of gentle blue eyes, Kaguya's eyes now glowed a malevolent red, orbs encompassing the void. Around pale, almost snow-white skin, she wore a black sailor suit with a red ribbon. This was the true Kaguya, the Dreamer.
The Devil Princess extended her painted nails, though they seemed more like talons than fingernails. "I don't like leaving unfinished business. I'm ending this here." She closed her eyes, taking a deep breath she didn't need. "For Mei's sake."
"Mei?" Seina said, confused. Wasn't the girl just a pawn for this vampire's game?
"Yes. Though I'm loath to admit it, Mei made these long last centuries enjoyable. So, yes, I will finish this. She gave her life so you all could burn in hell."
"What a spiteful little…" Arisu said, uttering more unkind words about the late Devil Princess. "Still, I'm glad you're here, Kaguya. I don't like unfinished business either."
"And what a battle it was! Two titans facing off in an epic confrontation to be the baddest girl in the cosmos. But I see you've lost that title."
"Still tough enough to kick your ass, Kaguya," Arisu replied.
"That's my Arisu, a demon to the last," Kaguya said, somewhat wistfully. "And yet, you spared me. You wouldn't be in this situation if you hadn't sacrificed everything to seal me away."
"I don't regret it." The Wicked Queen replied. "We come from the same trash pile. The Guardian of Daini Kameido never abandons her own."
"Typical Arisu, misguided but loyal to the end." Seina detected some genuine sadness in her words. "Shame I must destroy you. We've gone too far for any other possible outcome."
"Yeah." All emotion left Arisu's face. "I suppose it needs to be that way."
"Still, if I'm going to end it all, I'm glad you're here," Kaguya said, taking a fighting stance.
"Likewise," Arisu repeated the action, and they prepared for battle against the greatest monster in the cosmos.
"I see this battle's conclusion clear as day." The vampire said. "Only a fraction of a thousandth of a percent chance of victory. Nice odds, eh?"
"Please." Arisu only rolled her eyes, unimpressed. "Only a fool counts a victory concluded before a battle!"
"Ugh, that stupid timeline controlling power again." Seina wished she shared the Wicked Queen's confidence.
"Damn, I can't believe her power." Takako said, her breathing becoming shallow. Her body swayed, having trouble keeping upright.
Back in her world, Lord Lothaire's similar power allowed him to take over the planet with minimal effort. Even nukes had been useless. Some of his enemies even killed themselves, overwhelmed by the despair of the discrepancies between their power. Nothing surprises you when you have an utter mastery of time.
"And not just that," Kaguya said, a smirk extending across her mouth. "I am the Queen of Vampires. I possess all their abilities."
"All abilities?" Seina said, shocked, mind racing as she considered the implication of such power. Each vampire had their own special ability. For example, her nemesis, Dreven, could regenerate from anything. You'd need to destroy him to the atomic level to kill him for good. If Kaguya had that ability…
"I hope you're ready, little sheep because despair is ready to swallow you whole!" Kaguya said, Seina wincing as an invisible blade sliced through her armor, cutting to the bone. It struck so quickly, that she'd barely seen the attack.
"Nice. I see you haven't lost your touch." Despite the dire nature of their situation, Arisu only grinned. She'd enjoy this little scuffle. Fists met as Kaguya blocked the Wicked Queen's incoming punch. The vampire didn't count on the sudden kick to the ribs, shattering her rib cage.
"And you haven't either," Kaguya said, also enjoying the fight. "Despite your imprisonment, your skills haven't diminished at all."
"And you've gotten sloppy," Arisu replied. "You didn't train during my sojourn, did you?"
"Guilty as charged," Kaguya said, amused. The Wicked Queen howled as millions of invisible blades slashed her apart. Only her iron will keep her alive. "But you're weak now, Arisu. You can't win."
"But I can!" Seina held nothing back, charging with her full power. Steel flashed as Seina engaged their ultimate foe, but each blow failed to meet its mark. Her opponent was impossibly quick. The constant draining of her energy didn't help, wearing away at her considerable strength. Her previous battle with Mei had already left her exhausted.
What had happened? She'd used her time powers to distort the timeline, but it still hadn't been enough.
"I see your confusion," Kaguya said to the unasked question. "I can see billions of possibilities. Even if I can't control the exact timeline, the closest one usually works well enough. Besides, your time powers are pathetically puny compared to mine."
Fine then, she'd need to get more creative. Besides, brute strength wouldn't defeat a Devil Princess, anyway. Bubbles appeared into existence, hundreds in number. But Kaguya kept her distance, unconcerned.
"Landmines, eh?" Arisu said, beaming. "Not a terrible plan."
"Can you?" Seina said, waving a vague hand, hoping the Wicked Queen would pick up on her plan.
"Sure, enough. Leave it to me." Only Arisu could mess with their opponent's timeline controlling power. She was the linchpin to defeating this monster.
"I can help, too," But Takako's breathing weakened, becoming almost inaudible. "Damn, Can't… sorry." With a swipe of her ribbon, the magical girl vanished to recoup her strength."
"Don't worry, Takako. We got this. Let's go!" Seina dived forward, blade aimed at Kaguya's head.
With a dismissive snort, the vampire deflected each blow with a hand. But Seina was already moving, diving into the nearest bubble. With the sudden, incredible time jump it afforded her, Seina attacked again with blinding speed. Kaguya slipped away, but an unexpected fist to the nose drove her back. With another speed bubble, Arisu's blow put the Devil Princess into the perfect position, Seina's blade landed a deadly blow right through the heart.
"Not bad," Kaguya said, blood trickling from her mouth. "Pity the punch did better damage! Let's have some fun!"
"Wha?" Seina watched in confusion as their opponent pirouetted like a dancer. She spun faster and faster, so quick that following her became dizzying. Soon, thousands of Kaguya danced around the stage that was their battle, laughing all the while.
What was this? An illusion? Where the falsehoods started or ended was impossible to determine. The Wicked Queen stood still as a statue, mesmerized by the display of Kaguya's prowess in dance. Or was that an illusion, too? Seina knew she couldn't just stand here helpless but feared fighting back. She might only hurt her friends.
"See, this is my personal ability," Kaguya said from everywhere, yet nowhere. "I can blend fiction and reality together."
"Gah." Seina winced as pain drove her to her knees, her body lashed to bloody stripes by countless dancing Kaguya.
"Because, unlike my more brutish Devil Princesses, I think beauty and power go hand-in-hand. What is fighting if not art?" Kaguya asked behind Seina's ear. Seina responded by lashing out with a wild slash, only to hit empty air.
"Wha!" Seina stepped back as she suddenly stared at the Vampire Queen's eyeball, just her pupil dwarfing her tenfold. The planet-sized Kaguya laughed in merriment at her opponent's expression. Her voice boomed like a rumbling mountain as she spoke.
"And without your strength to rely on, what are you?" With dazzling speed, two fingers flicked Seina away. "Just a plaything, like everything else."
"I'm not finished yet." Seina's breathing intensified, her opponent's aura sucking away her ever-waning strength with every passing millisecond. As she faced the horde of Kaguya, Seina wondered if she'd entered a doomed battle, facing something far beyond anything she could fight.
But Seina refused to surrender. Hadn't the Wicked Queen defeated her once? But Seina wasn't Arisu. She didn't have her fighter's instincts or experience. Heck, she'd just gotten a super form she barely understood.
No, she wasn't thinking right. She needed to fight smart. Seina shook her head, trying to shake away the fuzziness caused by Kaguya's miasmas aura. Twelve vampire queens engaged her at once, their battle dancing confusing and disorienting as they danced around her. Invisible blades dug into her flesh, the origins of their attack unknown.
"Had enough?" Kaguya said, from everywhere, yet nowhere. "Don't tell me you're finished already?"
She must have a weakness! But it seemed like a foolish hope, a desire for something impossible.
"Vampire! You're fighting a vampire, Seina!" Her bodyguard yelled from his protective bubble.
"Silence!" With a wave of her wand, a burst of energy crashed into Mr. Kiyojiro's protective bubble, popping it. Botan screamed as she got blown back with him.
"No!" Seina said, horrified. She rushed to help him, only to scream as thousands of biting lashes bit into her.
"I've got him!" Charity said, grabbing her bodyguard. Her body glowed golden, protecting them both from Kaguya's power. Botan clung to Mr Kiyojiro's shoulder for dear life. Much to Seina's confusion, the Wicked Queen's partner returned to the cave leading to the heart instead of fleeing to another dimension like Nier and Takako had.
Still fretting for her bodyguard's life, she gritted her teeth, furious at this monster for almost killing someone important in her life. Then Mr. Kiyojiro's words struck home.
Vampire? She supposed those monsters had their weaknesses, but Kaguya was their Queen, a Great Vampire. Vampire lords were already almost immune to the stereotypical vampire weaknesses. Sure, sunlight still bothered and weakened them somewhat, but usually not enough to cause a significant difference.
Still, it couldn't hurt. Even the slightest pain might mean the difference between life and death. And, Seina realized, she'd already laid the landmines.
"Are you surrendering already?" Kaguya said with a smirk. "You're barely fighting back."
Her amusement faded as Seina's bubbles burst into radiant light, each a miniature sun. The pale skin on the vampire's exposed flesh started sizzling as Kaguya winced back in pain. "Damn, how dare you!"
Seina watched as each of Kaguya's clones lost their substance, their colors fading like wet water paint. One copy sent a wild slash into Seina's throat, but its attack barely nipped her skin.
"What's happening?" It shouldn't have been this effective.
"You shouldn't be surprised. Kaguya is the Queen, the Great Vampire. She's even weaker to a vampire's weaknesses than her offspring. All their strengths, but all their weaknesses also." Arisu said, dragging herself over. It seemed she'd been injured while Seina had been mesmerized by Kaguya's illusions. Already the Wicked Queen had regained some color, revitalized by the sunlight. While still drained by Kaguya's sinister aura, Seina felt better.
Arisu smirked, her fist glowing with radiant light, warm even to Seina despite the cold, harsh void of space. "As a creature of darkness, holy power is her greatest weakness."
But this only earned a pained smile from Kaguya. "Not bad. How about I get serious? Use all the sunlight you wish. It won't save you."
"You magical girls aren't the only ones with special weapons." With a dramatic twirl of her hand, the vampire queen summoned a sword. It wasn't like any weapon Seina had ever seen before. While shaped like a katana, its length extended further than usual, almost twice as long. Unlike your typical sword, the blade curved back and forth like a wave, ending with a wickedly sharp tip. Much unlike what you'd expect from a creature of darkness, her colorful weapon was constructed from a multicolored crystal than any sort of metal.
"Invisible blades are fun, but they lack the personal touch." Kaguya raised her sword to a fighting position. From her stance, Seina could tell the vampire was no stranger to using her weapon. She tensed, knowing the guff between their ability with a sword.
Metal clashed against crystal as their blades met, the clash rocking reality with its shockwave. Much to Seina's surprise, the impact barely bothered her.
While battling the late Mei, it's been like fighting back a tide wave. With the Vampire Queen, however, it'd barely rattled her. Puzzled, Seina returned the strike, making her opponent flinch back at the sheer fury of the counterstrike. Despite her vast power, the vampire queen couldn't match her opponent's raw strength. Arisu stood on the sidelines, her eyes closed. Her body glowed brighter as she gathered power within herself. Whatever she was planning, the Wicked Queen was content to allow Seina to take the lead.
A flash of uncertainty crossed Kaguya's face when she realized this discrepancy in power. Seeing her advantage, Seina pushed her attack. Her opponent lost her composure, unable to match Seina blow for blow. On instinct, Seina used her bubbles to barrage her opponent from all angles. With their sunlight, she might be able to destroy the Vampire Queen at the atomic level. She noticed Kaguya's movements were becoming more sluggish as the sunlight drained her strength.
An invisible blade slashed apart incoming bubbles, but Kaguya still wasn't quick enough to stop them all with Seina harrying her. The vampire hissed as a sunlight bubble struck her shoulder. The reaction of pain was immediate.
I'll beat her like how Emiyo and Arisu defeated Reiko. I'll cut her to pieces and use the sunlight to destroy the remains.
"No!" Genuine fear crossed Kaguya's features, knowing she was in trouble.
"Time to finish this!" Lightning-quick, Seina slashed her blade vertically to cut her opponent in half. But it'd been a mistake.
A sudden smirk appeared on the vampire's features as her desperate defense turned into an elegant dance. Seina gasped as her blade slashed through a cloud of darkness. A cloak of darkness gathered around the Vampire Queen's body, its edges flickering like a flame in the wind. All weakness seemed to leave Kaguya, the sunlight having little effect on the vampire. Speed restored, the Vampire Queen punished Seina for her presumption she could defeat her that easily.
"Wha?" Blood coughed from Seina's mouth as a sudden blow pushed her back. She spun around in space, confused about what had just happened. She blinked, trying to regain her senses, only to gasp as the truth became apparent.
Floating in front of her face was what remained of the bottom half of her body, her legs dangling as they lazed through space. Kaguya had cut her in half.