"What is this?" Kaguya said, frowning as she distanced herself from the reborn magical girl. "It's like the fates have entered your corner."
"It's like you're an angel," Himari said, staring in amazement. Chō clapped, humbled and awed.
"It suits you." Takako said, lips quirking in a slight smile.
"Well, uh, I suppose so," Seina said, somewhat bashfully. The way everyone was gaping at her in awe was making her self-conscious.
"Don't think this surprise will save you, girl," Kaguya said, her tone venomous. Her eye twitched, thoroughly put out. "I'll kill you, somehow. If I can cause Arisu to die, nobody is safe from me. I will survive."
Despite the odds against her, the devilish vampire refused to relent. It would be admirable if it weren't from pure spite. Seina extended a hand, and a staff appeared within it. Unlike her usual staff, it was a rod of bleached wood, and its tip extended into a spiral until it ended with a red gem that floated in its depths, a ruby that gleamed like a red sun.
"Finally! A proper staff!" Seina said, delighted.
"Really? That's what you're worried about? There was nothing wrong with your old one," Paliah said, rolling his eyes.
"You'd never understand," Seina said, pouting. A magical girl deserved a dignified weapon, not whatever she had before.
"Woah!" Seina leaped back, just avoiding a whip of reality-tearing destruction. While invisible to the eye, she detected a subtle ripple tearing through the air. From the hardening of the vampire queen's lips, she hadn't been expecting this.
"What? How?" Kaguya asked, her voice a low growl. "Why won't the future answer me anymore?"
A slight smile appeared on Seina's lips, thinking she knew why. "Let's just say I have friends in high places."
"That so?" Kaguya said, scowling. Clearly, she sensed something was happening behind the scenes. A self-satisfied smile extended across her lips. "Then I better get serious. Thanks to the fallen fairy, I have become mighty, godly, unstoppable. Your new form can't save you."
"Woah." Seina stepped back as reality distorted around them, becoming indistinct, a chaotic swirl of color and confusion. Unlike Bathiko, Kaguya wasn't ripping it apart, more like rearranging it to her liking. Seina tensed, knowing anything could happen.
"Seina!" Takako said, her voice becoming distant. Her image and the rest of her allies became more indistinct, like they were being seen through a glossy window. Only Paliah stood ready, staying close to her side with his sword ready.
"How about no?" Everyone blinked as reality reassured itself. Takako tapped down herself, restoring everything in its proper place.
"What did you do?" Kaguya said, staring wide-eyed.
"I just put a bubble around the multiverse," Seina said reasonably. "I'm reasserting everything back to how it should be." Much to her relief, her planet had weathered the storm, protected by Himari's remarkable barrier.
"Like everything?" Takako said, amazed.
"Sure." With some effort, she restored the portions of the multiverse that Bathiko's recklessness tore to pieces. Not the people, sadly, a voice telling her their souls had already moved on. But she'd restored the planets, ready to seed new future life.
"But I thought you were terrible at fine-tune magic?" Takako said, putting a hand on her hip.
"Well, I…" Seina wasn't sure how to answer. Everything had clicked into place, knowing instinctively where to place every puzzle piece.
"Our friend from above, I imagine," Paliah said.
"You're right." Seina could feel Mr. Kiyojiro guiding her hand, whispering the vast Akashic Record of the heavens in her ear. Its limitless knowledge flowed through her head, but she understood every word.
"You seem keen on ruining everything Mei ever worked for." But a pleased smile grew across the vampire queen's face. "But I'm sure it's left you a little distracted."
As the words left Kaguya's mouth, an indistinct blur was already gunning at Seina, moving at impossible speeds. But Seina blocked the thrust with her staff with the ease of someone catching a slowly thrown baseball. The vampire snarled and slashed with thousands of invisible tendrils of death, but Seina had little difficulty deflecting these, too.
"I see." A maniac gleam flashed in the vampire queen's eyes, a cornered animal who'd found herself trapped by a hunter. "What a monster you are. A pretty face, but empty of humanity."
This stung Seina, knowing how much she'd surrendered to gain this power. But she refused to be insulted, thrusting up her chin. "What would you know about humanity, vampire?"
Kaguya smiled, knowing she'd struck a nerve. She extended her hands, smile widening. "Enough. Your power is great, but death will never claim me. Strike me down if you can."
Inviting an attack, eh? Seina had enough of Kaguya's games, ready to finish this for good. The vampire gave a satisfying hiss of pain as Seina extended her staff, summoning enough bubbles to fill the horizon. Each glowed with the sun's radiance, the vampire's skin sizzling from their cleansing light.
The vampire howled in rage and a legion of bubbles were burst into pieces by invisible lashes, only for a dozen others to take each's place.
"No! This isn't over, Seina! I will not die! I will evolve again!" Kaguya said, pain etched into her features.
"How about we finish this?" Paliah said, drawing his blade. "Let's put her out of her misery."
"Come then, if you dare," Kaguya snapped back, defiant to the end.
"Yeah, get her," Takako said, beaming. "Finally, no tricks to save her."
"She won't escape. I won't allow it," Himari said. "She won't even be able to leave this arena." Chō nodded, her mecha ready for action.
"No. No," Kaguya said, tensing, her eyes frantic as she sought an escape route. She howled as a blade cleaved through her body, severing it in half at the middle.
"You!" Invisible tendrils lash out at Paliah, attacking from a billion different directions. But again, the fairy only shrugs as each tendril evaporates into mist. The vampire howled as another chunk of her body slid away.
"You aren't much anymore, are you?" Paliah said, catching another claw strike with his blade. His power was incredible, Seina's equal in every regard, only more a sharply tuned edge than a shapeless bubble. "Goodbye. How about we finish this, eh, Seina? I'll make you not even exist as a memory anymore, vampire."
Kaguya scrambled as Paliah's blade impaled right through her, trapped by his power. With a flourish, he danced away, leaving his blade in place to keep the vampire queen contained.
"About damn time. I'm ready for this nightmare to be over," Takako said, energy gathering around her ribbons, sparking with rainbow-colored lights.
"..." Chō mecha opened every inch of its body to reveal countless arrays of missiles, each primed and ready.
"Peace, finally." Himari's bracelet jingled as she gathered power within it, a force powerful enough to destroy all the dimensions within the vampire queen.
"Kaguya, I'm sorry." A melancholy washed over Seina, wishing circumstances could be different. It was thanks to her vampire curse that she'd become a monster. Hopefully, now she'd gain some peace.
"Never. Peace will never come." A new voice said, startling Seina. She glanced around but sensed and saw no one. Tense, she unleashed her most devastating punch, reality rumbling from its impact. The rest of her friends unloaded their magical payload into whatever was left of the vampire queen.
A weak howl escaped Kaguya's lips before she was consumed by the awesome forces thrown against her. The combined blasts obliterated her, the vampire's basic elements shattering to the winds.
"Is it over?" Seina said.
"Damn right it is," Takako said, throwing herself onto Seina with an enthusiastic hug. "And all thanks to the angel girl!"
"..." Chō gave a nod, showing a rare smile.
"Peace. Finally." Himari extended her arms, soaking in their triumph.
"Is everything okay?" Paliah asked when he caught his partner's expression. "We've done it! Devil Princesses are finished. What is there left?"
"I suppose."
"I say we gather everyone and throw the biggest party!" Takako said. "Aiko will get some DVDs, and we'll waste the night away!"
"I like the sound of that. No horror movies, though," Seina said.
"Really, the great Seina, afraid of some silly ghosts?" Takako said, amused.
"..." Chō nodded her assent, but to what, Seina couldn't tell.
"And cake, all we can eat. I'm sure Aiko can scrounge up some…"
"Takako?"
"And…"
"Takako!" Her friend's body had just flicked like static on a TV. Seina jerked around, her friends talking, but nothing left their lips. "Guys, something's happening!"
They each stared at her, confused like she was speaking gibberish, eyes full of concern. Takako extended a comforting hand on Seina's shoulder, but it passed through her like mist. Her friend stared at it in confusion.
"What's happening?!" Seina said, voice twinging with utter panic.
"I don't know," Paliah said. Unlike the others, he'd retained substantial form. "I, no, it can't be!" His eyes widened in fright.
"Colten, what's happening?"
"They're vanishing from history. The Timeline is reasserting itself to something else!"
---
"What?" Kaguya blinked, confused, trying to understand where she was. Nothing but utter blackness surrounded her, a void devoid of anything. At first, the vampire queen assumed she'd died, but she quickly dismissed that thought. While her body had gotten mangled by the magical girls' all-out attack, bits of her still remained. She felt as each tissue and fiber reconstructed itself, her heart restoring itself first. It didn't take long for her to squeeze her hand, returning it to its proper place.
"Where am I?" Kaguya said, glancing around. "How did I get here?"
"That would be due to me." A smiling figure said, smiling. "I plucked you from time and brought you to this pocket timeline before they destroyed you utterly. A fading timeline, true, but it suits my purpose. That bodyguard won't find us easily."
"And who are you?" Kaguya asked the unfamiliar magical girl. Much to her confusion, the girl seemed immune to her natural, life-draining aura.
"Your offspring, I suppose." The girl replied. "One of your distant progeny."
"Okay." Kaguya frowned at the non-answer. "You saved me, why? What are you after?"
"After?" The girl's smile turned devilish, full of mischief and cruelty. "The destruction of a mutual foe. Seina Kamiyama."
"And what's she to you?"
"She's my bane. You could say my failure to kill her started this whole mess." The girl's expression twisted into a scowl. "Seina is a weed that refuses to be plucked!"
Kaguya studied the newcomer more closely, noticing features she hadn't noticed before. A dark aura radiated from her body, not unlike the fallen fairy. But she tasted a familiar flavor to her savior as well. "Are you a vampire? Yet a magical girl as well. How is that possible?"
"Nothing is impossible for those that seek survival and conquest. Call me, Dreven. But that matters little. What is a name? Forget that. What matters is, what now?"
"Isn't that the question?" Kaguya scowled, knowing she'd hit a roadblock yet again. Somehow, Seina had ascended to a higher form, a being of the pure divine. Even her words scorched her very soul. "If you've been watching the fight, you've seen what Seina has become. What do you suggest?"
"A backup plan, one to spell that hateful magical girl's doom. A rewrite. To give you another chance."
"You've lost me."
"Simple. Go back in time and destroy Seina before she becomes a threat."
"Insanity! That would break the laws of time. I don't even want to comprehend the damage that'd cause." And it'd likely only destroy her in the process.
"You quibble over damage and consequences now?"
She considered for a moment. "Point, but it doesn't make what you're suggesting any less insane. What if I meet myself? Two people can't exist at the same point, simple temporal mechanics." Breaking the laws of time was risky. It could easily cause a calamity, self-destructive calamity.
"If you wish to be destroyed by the Lotus Nightmare, then so be it."
"Fine." In any given situation, Kaguya chose survival, no matter the consequences. "How do you propose we do this? I may be able to control timelines, but I can't control time itself."
"That would be my specialty, stolen from a certain lieutenant of the Devil Princesses," Dreven said. "I can create a time corridor easily enough. I shall take you to the beginning. Then, do as you wish."
"You realize the paradox will obliterate you, right? And why not go yourself?"
"Anything to destroy Seina. And I can't go, I'm not powerful enough to survive." Dreven's expression hardened. "Be warned, I'm uncertain even a paradox will be capable of killing her."
"Fine. Fine." Kaguya waved a dismissive hand.
Dreven's expression scratched up in concentration, sweat glistening across her forehead. "No, you don't. I will break through! You can't stop me, bodyguard!"
"What's happening?"
"They are interfering. But I will break through, anyway!" Dreven collapsed to one knee. Kaguya marveled as the dark magical girl's skin became transparent before turning fully translucent. The girl was literally using her entire being to fuel this spell. "Hurry, as it opens. I'm punching a hole through the timestream, but it will only remain open for a fraction of a nanosecond."
"Open, damn you!" Dreven howled in pain, her fading self's expression pure agony. A laugh escaped her lips before she collapsed.
At first, Kaguya assumed she'd failed. Then an almost imperceptible dot appeared above her, a swirling vortex amongst the nothingness.
"Go!" The word barely left Dreven's mouth before she faded, leaving not even a fragment of a trace behind.
But Kaguya was already moving, turning into mist and heading towards the small vortex. Dreven had been optimistic about the timeframe, but Kaguya got through as it's collapse nipped at her heels.
What greeted Kaguya made her reconsider the wisdom of her decision, the naked exposure to the timestream tearing her to pieces. Lifetimes passed. Or was it only seconds? Time had lost all meaning as she was torn bare by the time winds. Kaguya feared she'd go mad, but then she struck a hard pavement in a heap.
"Damn." Kaguya rubbed her head, trying to regain her bearings. Above her, she saw what should be a bright sunny day covered by a dark cloud, smothering the hateful sunlight. People in rags passed by, giving her space when they realized what she was.
"Where am I?" Kaguya glanced around. She watched as a vampire lashed a bunch of dirty slaves with a whip, taking delight in snuffing out the life of a weak, elderly woman as she failed to pace. Other vampires walked about, each a king, the uncontested ruler of this planet.
"What? I...." A man said before collapsing. Kaguya watched as more nearby humans suffocated from her aura, many dropping like flies from its sheer weight. She eased up her power, not ready to kill this entire planet just yet. If she wasn't careful, she might end up draining the entire galaxy of life by accident.
"The Colosseum battle will begin soon." A voice over a loudspeaker said. "Please join us for the festivities." Kaguya heard the cruelty and delight in his voice.
"Huh?" While this world's state heartened her dead heart, she wasn't any closer to discovering where she was. Then she saw something that froze her in her tracks, unable to believe her eyes.
Amongst a crowd of lowly humans, a familiar face was being pushed toward the Colosseum, including a pair whom Kaguya assumed were her parents. "S-Seina?"
"Faster." A vampire said. Seina flinched as a whip flew past her cheek.
"Okay, I'm going," Seina said, increasing her pace.
The sight of her nemesis was a sudden shock to Kaguya. Not just her unexpected appearance, but the shape the girl was in. This Seina was almost skeletal, a twig threatening to crack. Kaguya almost hadn't recognized the girl from the shoddy shape she was in, a ghost of what she'd eventually become.
"I'm this far back?" A laugh threatened to escape the vampire queen's lips. Dreven hadn't been kidding about getting thrown back to the beginning, before Seina had even become a hated magical girl. But what to do now? She watched as her nemesis got tossed around with some amusement.
"But I can't linger. I know what she will become." It'd be so easy to obliterate the girl, snap her with the merest pressure of a finger.
"I'm given too much freedom to decide." Kaguya wondered if it would be more fun corrupting the girl, turning her into another monster like the Devil Princesses. With the terrorized girl's life hanging on a continuous thread, her life a living hell, it shouldn't be too difficult.
Or maybe she was just scared of causing a drastic change in history, fearful of the calamitous consequences.
"What the hell." In a flash, she stood before Seina. "Hello."
"Yes, mistress vampire? May I help you?" Seina said, realizing she was facing the unwanted attention of a night predator. No fight hid behind her eyes. The girl fully expected that she might not survive this encounter.
"Man, this isn't as fun as I'd hoped it'd be," Kaguya grumbled to herself. This was too easy.
"What do you want? These guests are needed in the Colosseum." The head vampire said, annoyed. "Do you want to face the vampire king's wrath?
"Shut up." She smiled as the vampire's eyes widened in fright before his body exploded into dust. The humans trembled, uncertain of what this development meant.
"Anyway. You interest me, girl. What is your name?" Kaguya asked, pretending like she didn't know.
"Seina Kamiyama." The girl said, her voice wavering as she forced out the words.
"Yes, she's our daughter." An older man said, the father, stepping forward. "May I ask what you want?"
"She's a good slave, mistress vampire." The mother said. "Hardest worker you'll ever find!"
Huh? This reaction puzzled Kaguya. She'd expect them to be more interested in saving their daughter, not trying to make some deal to save their skins.
This was your life, Seina? Despite herself, Kaguya felt some measure of pity for the girl. While Kaguya hadn't known her own parents, growing up with an aunt that barely gave a toss about her, she'd hoped they'd be more protective and loving than this.
"No, this doesn't concern you. I'd step back if you wish to live." Like total cowards, they backed away, not even offering a token retort to protect their daughter. "Anyway, I'm not interested in slaves. How would you like a better life, girl?"
"What do you mean?" Seina said, voice wary.
"I can offer you eternity. All the food you want. To live like a princess."
"And the cost?" Seina asked, showing impressive prudence and caution.
"Smart girl. You're right, no meal is free." Kaguya smiled. She squeezed her hand, and soon blood oozed from her palm. It dripped to the ground with a rhythmic tap, tap. "Drink my blood, and you will gain everything. No more starvation. No more toil to near death day after day. Utter freedom to do whatever you want. All it will cost you is your humanity."
Seina hesitated, unsure what to do. In her eyes, Kaguya saw the girl weighing her options. She'd lived under vampires all her life, knowing what terrible monsters they were. But she also understood what hope she was being offered. This wasn't a simple choice.
"Why me?" Seina asked, hands trembling. "I don't understand."
"Because I see potential in you. A strength to overcome anything." And damn that ability. Still, any power could be changed, corrupted.
"You know, I could take the offer instead." The father said, rubbing his hands together. "Our daughter's too kind. Too weak. She'd never accept it."
"I'll do it!" Seina suddenly burst out, obviously unimpressed by her parents' selfish scheming. "I mean, I suppose I must. I'm tired of being hungry and scared. Being weak." She stared down at the ground, shamefaced at her weakness.
"Then take it. There's nothing wrong with wanting to live a happier and better life." Kaguya said, voice gentle.
"I'm ready," Seina said, stepping forward. Tears glistened in her eyes, but she spread out her hand and cupped them to catch her benefactor's blood. Her parents looked ready to protest, but a glare from Kaguya sent them scurrying away. They didn't even look back as they ran behind some ruins.
Seina scowled, furious at how quickly her parents had abandoned her. "I guess I'm alone after all." Before she could rethink this decision, she gulped down the offered blood.
"And you won't just be an ordinary vampire, Seina. You'll be like me, a great vampire. You'll stand above them all, and they will tremble at your power."