Ch.11 The withering sword

Before going to sleep in her makeshift room Alice washes her face after washing her hands in destroyed bathroom, and looks underneath her mask and touches her scar that Kasumi gave her the day Yukio was shot.

"I won't fail again"

Elsewhere in Miku's mansion (where everyone can fit at once) after much more tedious explanations and a briefing of the current situation from Mana, Kasumi slams her fists against the wall.

"That bastard, that bastard!"

Mana yells at Kasumi.

"Calm down Kasumi!"

"Don't tell me to calm down, he's dead I'm going to kill that freak Westcott do you hear me kill him kill him!"

Origami and Mana grab Kasumi by her arms and legs to restrain her. After many minutes of flailing and cursing Kasumi finally calms down. She takes a few deep breaths and comes up with a plan.

"Okay okay so besides Mana and Origami everyone here is a spirit this much we all know"

Everyone agrees.

"But also my dad has sealed all of your powers except my mom"

The sound of Kasumi mentioning her mom causes most of girls to twitch or put on sour looks, to which Kurumi chuckles at.

"But with this"

Kasumi materializes Zelel.

"I can turn back the clock and restore your powers temporarily"

Kotori looks surprised.

"You can, but how?"

"Easy thanks to dads genes I also possess the power to seal a spirits power, but since I'm directly related to him I can also unseal the powers he has inside his body"

Everyone looks with anticipation.

"But remember that this also means that the negative side effects are still at risk"

Miku is the first to comment.

"I don't care if it means I can rescue my darling then I willing to take any risks"

Everyone agrees but Kasumi has a different plan for Miku.

"That's good but you'll come with me to rescue Yukio"

"No I want to rescue my darling"

"(Sigh) look Miku, you may have not met him yet but in our time he adores you"

"Yeah and so do many others what's your point?"

"You and the other spirits are all involved in our lives personally in one way or another, but in your case we may be able to break through Westcotts damage and get him back without much preparation"

"So you want me to sing is that it?"

"Yes when Yukio and I were smaller you'd sing to us whenever we asked, Yukio would even pick you flowers whenever he could just to throw them to you"

"Well okay, but I want to know who's going to be in charge of rescuing my darling"

Mana decides on the teams after Kasumi decides who she is planning on taking. The Yukio rescue team was Kasumi, Miku, and Origami. The second team the combat team was Mana, Kotori, Tohka, and Kurumi. The final team the Shido rescue team was the twins and Yoshino. Tohka heavily objected to being part of the combat since she wanted to rescue Shido, but Mana explains the situation.

"Tohka my brother will okay if we do this right, but think about who we're up against, we need your strength to win this"

"Fine then I'll be part of the combat team"

With everyone in agreement the rest of their free time was used to get acquainted with their future friend. They asked quite a few questions one of which was Miku pestering Kasumi for the name of Shido's future wife. As they talk they fail to realize that Yukio is monitoring them from his room at the destroyed building under orders from Ellen.

"They plan on attacking soon"

"Really how do think we should counter"

"I don't think we should they aren't strong enough to stop all of us"

"I'll put my trust in your judgment Ivan"

"Your words are too kind mother"

Alice happened to see the two from around the corner and becomes jealous that this Ivan was getting so much praise from the mother that she has idolized since birth. Alice then coughs and notices that her hand is now covered in blood and becomes afraid.

"(Not yet… it's too soon)"

Alice leaves the building to get some fresh air, and prepares for the onslaught. Their teams were simple as well. Yukio would indeed fight Kasumi's team, Ellen and Alice would fight Mana's team, while Rosa would be in charge of fighting the rest. However first Rosa needs enchantments to get out of her wheelchair, so using the Akashic record Yukio delves into ways to create a replacement arm and leg. The next night was the time of the operation, and the girls gather so Kasumi can release their sealed power for the operation. After unlocking their powers they split into their groups and go towards different parts of the building. Kasumi's group go in from the bottom, Mana's the sky, and the twins through the back entering through a hole in the building. First at the bottom near the entrance Kasumi, Miku, and Origami see Yukio standing beyond the entrance waiting for them. Kasumi stops immediately to talk with him.

"Yukio do remember who I am?"

"…Yes I do in fact"

"So does that mean that you…"

"You're the daughter of the animal that killed my mother in our time, and for that I'm going to kill you here and now"

"Yukio…"

Origami warns Kasumi about his new style.

"Beware he's dangerous"

Miku comments on the situation herself.

"I don't know about you two but I'm actually kind of afraid of him"

Yukio transforms into his damaged angel form and draws his dual blades to fight the three girls. In the skies Mana and her team take the upper hand against Ellen and Alice (who's weapon is also a pair of swords but in a front hand fashion one is black and gold the other silver and gold) thanks to Kotori's Camael and Tohka's Sandalphon aiding Kurumi and her past selves assault. The skies radiates with the sight of flames and sparks, but even with all their combined abilities Ellen and Alice hold their own against the four. Finally Yuzuru and Kaguya along with Yoshino make their way up to the top floor to find where they're keeping Shido and on the top floor they see Rosa with her new limbs waiting with a look of bloodlust waiting to kill some spirits.

"Well what do we have here three little girls and a sock puppet making their way into the lion's den"

Yoshinon retorts.

"Oh yeah well at least we don't look like some trashy terminator knock off!"

"Such a mouth on a piece of cloth maybe I should cut off that pretty little hand first!"

Rosa charges with rage at her opponents, and Yoshino summons her angel which crashes part of the building, and the twin make use of the hole to gain the air advantage and each use their Raphael to attack Rosa. Back in the air Mana had made it into a one on one fight with Alice who was fighting slower now. Meanwhile Kurumi sends many of her past selves to hold Ellen in place while Tohka and Kotori prepare a team attack with their weapons, but Ellen blows away the doppelgangers and dodges the dual strike failing to see Kurumi floating above with one of her bullets ready.

"I guess three spirits was just too much for the number 1 wizard, sucks to be you"

Kurumi fires her bullet which freezes Ellen in place while Tohka and Kotori finish her with a combination of flame and blade creating a new technique as they both shout.

"FIREBRAND!"

The fire attack burns Ellen and launches into the ground rendering her unconscious. On the ground the fight with Yukio is about to be concluded since Kasumi's time based abilities rendered Yukio's new usage of speed useless, and Miku uses her sound based powers to confuse him while Origami blasts him until he gets shot through the wall, and just like Ellen falls unconscious and turns into his human form. But Kasumi feels something is off.

"That was too easy"

Origami agrees.

"Yes when we fought him before he was much more difficult"

Miku shrugs it off and tells everyone that they should help on the top floor; they do and Origami carries Yukio's body as they make their way up the building on foor. The fight with Rosa was about at its end since with Yoshino's angel freezing Rosa in place since much like Yukio she was a major disadvantage against two wind users. As everyone makes their way to the top the only one still fighting is Mana against Alice in their now one on one dual on the roof of the building. Mana and Alice even talk as they fight.

"You're very strong Alice but let me ask you something"

"What is it?"

"Why do you use your skills for Westcott he clearly did something to your body"

"Why you ask…."

They stop fighting for a second as Alice removes her visor to show Mana something she hid from her allies. Her eye lost its color and is now almost completely blank.

"Look at my face"

Mana looks at Alice with a gasp.

"You're dying aren't you?"

"Yes my father had my combat abilities enhanced when I was a baby; the price I would only live until this age"

"That furthers my question why fight for him?"

"….He's my father I love him and he's all I got"

Alice continues the fight and clashes swords with Mana once again, but as soon as they clash Alices left arm crumbles off her elbow like a withered piece of paper. Mana notices and asks to stop.

"Stop you're falling apart!"

"I don't care!"

Alice pays no head to Mana's concern and dashes again. Mana feeling pity for her opponent ducks and slices Alice into two halves from the waist. Alices torso falls to the ground with her still alive; everyone else makes their way to the roof to see if Mana needs help. Alices looks up at Mana and congratulates her.

"Well who would have thought I the strongest wizard would be felled by the ex number 2…well done Miss Takamiya"

"No you're wrong you weren't at full strength this win wasn't fair"

"No you had the strength I lacked, the strength to leave DEM…but I hung on to the one thing in this world I have and even if I wasn't dying I wouldn't have won"

"You were a great opponent Alice Mira Mathers"

Alice's eye goes completely blank rendering her blind, and she begins to hallucinate.

"Who's there…the voices… of my comrades…."

Mana picks up the sword that fell when Alice's arm fell apart.

"I hear them my comrades…"

Alice reaches into the sky and her other arm falls off and crumbles.

"They need me…there cheering and…. I should go… is this that you Mother?"

Mana begins tearing up along with the others who actually feel sympathy for their unknown opponent. Ellen also arrives on the roof and sheds a single tear for her daughter.

"Mother…did I make you proud….I hope…my brother can forgive his sister…for failing to…kill his murder…I'm sorry…Ivan"

Alice stops moving signifying her death, and everyone takes a moment of silence out of respect. Which is interrupted by a voice out of nowhere saying.

"What a waste"

Out of nowhere Westcott stomps on Alice's withered head which turns to dust under his shoe. He looks at Mana with his perpetual smile, and he was not alone he had Shido tied in front of him while he had a gun pointed at Shido's head.

"Well look at what you did Mana you broke my weapon"

(Westcott was cloaked using Yukio's light abilities to hide his and Shido's bodies)

Ellen who was floating across the way lowers out of sight to wait for the director's order, and Shido can't contain his anger since Westcott had told him about Alice's parentage.

"She was your daughter you son of a bitch!"

"I didn't kill her Mana did"

"Then why did you do that!?"

"Because I felt like it, besides it doesn't matter with what I have in mind next"

Downstairs in a hidden room a little girl is sitting in chair and waits for a timer to go off, which was a signal for her to run to the roof. Westcott was ready for the next phase of his new plan.

(Note Alice was told immeasurable lies by her father to make her a more precise killing machine which is why she believes her brother to be dead)