Psykoakuma: Haha, well the djinn was being controlled by the magician, so it wasn't really the djinn's fault. He really had no choice in the matter. Shifting the blame onto the magician is much better, in our opinion. Kotori's 'impending doom' is going to come whether or not the others can stop it. And really, there's that point in life where you just have to say 'screw it, I'm gonna have fun for one night and worry about the future later.'
Sleygal: The Forces of Nature trio, huh? It could be because they look like genies in their incarnate forms, which is the species that a djinn would be a part of. Very interesting comparison!
Collab with kaffinee.
We don't own Love Live.
Jailbreak Plotting, Again
Umi groaned, her mermaid tail habitually waving in disturbingly warm water. She opened her eyes dimly, her head thrashing and pounding with a throbbing, maddening headache. Looking around, she noticed Tsubasa, Erena, and the newly captured fairy sitting together in front of the tank. Interestingly, the fairy was hugging her legs to her chest and snuggling next to Erena, and Tsubasa seemed a bit too close to the orange-haired girl for them to be complete strangers.
"H-hello…" the mermaid said slowly. She glanced at Tsubasa and Erena, wondering why they seemed so acquainted with the fairy already.
Tsubasa, presumably sensing her keenness, spoke up: "Hello, Umi-san. You have been unconscious for a few hours now." The elf indicated to the fairy beside her with a tilt of her head, and said, "This is Anju; the fairy that the magician previously seized. Anju, this is Umi."
"Pleased to meet you," the fairy's sweet voice rang out. She smiled nervously at the blue-haired girl.
Umi dipped her head. "And you as well. If I may ask, why do you three look so familiar with each other?"
"Oh, right," said Erena, who was sporting a large purple bruise on the side of her head. She gently rested her weary body on Anju and sighed. "It just so happens that the magician captured my girlfriend." She chuckled grimly. "I don't know whether to be relieved that we're together again, or terrified for her life."
The mermaid's jaw dropped at the spirit's words. "Oh—oh, well, alright. I wasn't expecting that." Then she looked at the elf. "Well, what about you, Tsubasa? You and Anju seem close as well."
Tsubasa smiled. "Anju is a childhood friend of mine. Erena and I didn't recognize her at first because her hair was covering her face."
Umi nodded in understanding. The fairy's orange locks traveled to just above her breasts; long enough to conceal her unconscious face at the time of the attempted escape. A crown of white acacia blossoms, calla lilies, and snowy white lilacs adorned the top of her head, much like that pure white sakura ring on her slender fingers. Anju wore clothing similar to Kotori, Umi noted, with a colorful bandeau that trailed into a layered thigh-reaching skirt—though the cloth were in shades of yellow and white, instead of the colorful assortment that embellished the gray-haired fairy's body. In addition to her elegant outfit, baby blue butterfly wings were sprung from her back, but the fairy didn't bother to utilize them in the dim, enclosed dungeon.
"Anyway," Umi said, "about our escape… what is the magician doing now? Are the others safe?"
"I would like to say the others are safe," Tsubasa responded, "but we cannot be sure. When the golem knocked you out, Umi-san, I was faintly conscious—not enough to actively move my body, but enough to notice my surroundings. I saw the magician leave the room in frustration, complaining about how he had to kidnap the creatures all over again."
"I can imagine that happening," Umi muttered. "Do you think it's possible for us to endeavor an escape again?"
The elf's brow furrowed, her head tipped to the side in thought. "I haven't thought of that… hmm, a second getaway—that would be interesting… Hold on." She stood up and nimbly walked to the walls, tracing the engravings on the stone with her slim pointer finger. "Oh…" She frowned, staring up at the etchings, her eyes widening slightly.
"What happened?" Umi inquired.
"My runes are ruined." The brunette's frown deepened. There were slashes cutting deeply into the runes, effectively enabling them ineffective.
"Are you able to create new ones, Tsubasa?" Anju asked, biting her lip worriedly.
"I'll try that," Tsubasa said, and paused, considering. Then she picked up a sharp stone from the ground, placed it against the wall, and moved her hand to carve.
"Is it working?" the fairy whispered. Her round, amethyst eyes watched Tsubasa as the elf drew incomprehensible hieroglyphs onto the walls.
The elf stopped abruptly, stiffening as her body turned cold without the usual breeze of magical aura that she had expected, and sighed. "I can carve runes, but I cannot sense magic emanating from them like they should be; it's giving me the chills. The magician likely reinforced the magic barriers and made them even stronger so that runes crafted from hands other than his own will fail to function."
"That's… smart." Erena looked surprised.
Umi laughed. "I'm shocked at this sudden intellect as well." She poked her head out of the tank and looked around the room, observing her surroundings. Her eyes widened. "Wow, I didn't notice it before—this room is an absolute mess."
"Yes," Erena agreed, her gaze following the mermaid's. "I think it was the golem's doing when it rose up and burst through the floor to participate in the fight."
"That seems accurate." The floor was smashed and chunks of stone were lying in rubble around the room. Then something caught Umi's eye, and she blinked, curious. "Wait—what is that? It's glowing a bit, and…" Unable to find any words to describe the thing of her notice, she feebly pointed at the floor, where a piece of stone was missing. The mermaid desperately wanted to inspect it closely; however, due to her confinement in the tank, she was unable to do so. "Could one of you examine it for me?"
Tsubasa dropped to the floor smoothly, studying whatever laid yonder the hole in the floor. Then she raised her eyebrows in surprise. "… It's a magic circle."
"What?" Umi exclaimed incredulously. "Another one? How did the magician not notice such a thing was revealed from the ruined floor? Who knows what we could do with our knowledge of this magic circle?"
"I guess he left the room in so much of a rush in his aggravation that he consequently did not manage to catch sight of the revealed loop," Erena mused.
"A fatal mistake," whispered Anju. She smiled cheerfully.
"What does the magical circle do?" Umi questioned, staring at the radiant ring.
Tsubasa scrutinized the glowing disk. Her emerald eyes widened. "Oh!" she gasped in astonishment.
"What is it?" Anju asked.
"I—I recognize the details of the circle." The elf's eyebrows drew together, her face scrunching up in confusion. "My family—because they are an honorable people—had been guarding it. It holds an ancient spell—a forbidden spell—that my parents, and their parents, and the generation before, had been keeping in custody for protectoral purposes." She paused, hesitating. "… Until it was stolen a few years ago."
Anju's body stilled. "Why… why is it forbidden? What happens if the spell is activated?"
"…. It allows the manipulator limitless power—able to be unleashed upon anyone, anytime, anywhere." Tsubasa's voice wavered. "To activate it, however, the caster must sacrifice one member of each major species in the world and beyond: human, dragon, kitsune, elf, spirit, fairy, mermaid, angel, and devil."
Umi breathed sharply. "So that's why… that's why the magician attempts to capture all those creatures. He plans to…" The mermaid felt like her brain malfunctioned as she comprehended her own analyzations of the details. "He plans to trigger the enchantment—and rule all Creation."
Erena paled at the words. "Is there any way to counter the spell if it is ever initiated?"
"You cannot do anything if the power is already given to the magician," Tsubasa said. "However, it is possible to destroy the spell, but the process is a bit complex. All of the to-be-sacrificed creatures must work together and unleash their specific potent attacks simultaneously on the circle. This will effectively terminate any magic that the circle may release.
"Even so, the magical circle is furthermore protected by a magical barrier, so it's even harder to destroy. The creatures would have to use their most powerful attacks in order to successfully abolish the magic circle."
"Wow," Anju said, astonished. "That might be difficult."
Erena frowned. "But… that indicates that we are to be some of the creatures that must participate in destroying the circle. Are you okay with the termination of the spell your family had been protecting for centuries, Tsubasa?"
The elf nodded gravely in acceptance. "We cannot allow the magician to use it for his dark ambitions."
"I don't want to swim around and merely wait for the magician to sacrifice us, though," Umi spoke up. "Is there anything useful we can do for the time being?"
Tsubasa tilted her head to the side, pondering. "Well…" she said slowly after a while, "Even though we cannot carve runes, and even though we cannot ruin the magic circle itself right now, we can still plan and plot and put our magics to good use—the magician didn't think to force anti-magic restraints on us…"
"What are you thinking?" asked Umi.
"Few structures are wholly created out of stone," Tsubasa simply said. "To be specific, roof beams are habitually made of wood. The walls are prevented from crumpling outward because the roof beams are in tension."
Erena frowned. "So?" the plum-haired girl said in confusion.
"Scorch the beams, and the walls will fall," Tsubasa continued. "The passion from the embers will make that even worse. It may not demolish the stones, but it will deteriorate mortar—and the minute a few stones shift, it will put uneven stress on the rest of the wall, which can collapse."
Anju stared at the elf. "… Are you suggesting what I think you're suggesting?"
"Yes." Tsubasa's lips curved into a cunning and vindictive smile. "We're going to burn this goddamn tower down."