Chapter 28

The storm arrived from out of nowhere. At one moment, Carmentae was explaining the complications of her Seosten detection spell to the rest of them. The next, the sky blackened, as rain began to pour down.

"What the hell?" Avalon muttered, looking all around them. Pace did the same, keeping an eye out for any threats.

"What's going on?" Flick asked. She closed her eyes, then transformed into her Witch state. Seeing it made Pace shudder, but she remained silent as Flick flew many feet above them. "Is that a Witch?"

"A Witch?" Pace echoed. "But there shouldn't be any outside a barrier. None except . . ."

"Walpurgisnacht," Carmentae finished. Pace looked her way, and saw her eyes were wide.

"Carmentae?" Pace asked.

"Charmeine is here!" Carmentae blurted, meeting Pace's eyes. "She—she made it so Walpurgisnacht would arrive now. Kyoko. Kyoko's with her!" Her leg was shaking, and she looked to be on the verge of panicking. Seeing that, Pace put a hand on her shoulder. Carmentae jumped at the contact, then stared at her hand.

"Go to her," Pace said, squeezing the shoulder. "We'll find the others and confront Walpurgisnacht. I know you can keep Kyoko safe."

"I . . ." Carmentae swallowed. "Thank you."

She vanished, leaving Pace's hand hanging in the air.

"We need to get to the others right now," Flick said, lowering herself so that her feet nearly touched the ground. "Climb on. I'll fly us there."

"Fly?" Pace asked, looking her over. The Witch form didn't bring back pleasant memories, but that wasn't a problem at a time like this. More concerning was that while Flick was twice their height, there weren't exactly any stable handholds on her.

"I won't let you fall," Flick said, guessing her thoughts. "We have to go!"

"Right," Pace said. Now wasn't the time to be careful. She reached for Flick's back, pulling herself up. To her left, Avalon was doing the same. "Let's go!"

Flick took off, and Pace suppressed her yelp. They were soaring through the sky, the harsh rain and wind pelting them. Still, Flick was taking the brunt of it, and Pace found herself turning to Avalon.

"Hey," she said.

Avalon faced her. "What is it?"

"Carmentae and Kyoko," Pace said. "Do you . . . think they'll be good together?"

Now probably wasn't the time to ask, based on Avalon's raised eyebrow. Still, she answered the question.

"I think so. There's a risk of them supporting each others' more violent tendencies, but they understand each other enough to connect and work together. I think they'll be able to keep up with one another, without pushing themselves too far. Neither of them exactly get along with others, so it's good they have each other."

"That's . . ." Pace took a deep breath. "Yeah, that's good. That's really good."

Avalon squinted at her. "Why do you ask?"

Pace looked away.

"I guess I was worried."

It was weird, not having to breathe as a Witch. Flick's body had no lungs in this state, so either her body took in oxygen magically, or didn't need any. Still, not breathing meant she couldn't take any calming breaths.

Are you still there, sis?

"Y-yeah. Do you think we'll be able to win?"

Flick looked toward the horizon, toward the sea. Floating over the shoreline was a being unlike any she had seen before. There was no doubt in her mind that she was looking at Walpurgisnacht.

The strongest of all Witches was enormous, making Flick's original Witch form look small in comparison. Rather than actively attack anyone, she was spinning, the massive gears that made up her lower half turning while her blue dress flapped in the wind.

Another oddity was that Walpurgisnacht's body was upside down. Her head, shaped like a jester cap, was facing the ground, while her arms were lowered yet facing the sky. Nearby buildings had already been torn apart in the wind, and as they floated toward Walpurgisnacht, they burned with a rainbow flame.

Worse, Flick could see Walpurgisnacht being pulled by ropes connected to her neck. The Familiars took the form of animals in a parade, like something Flick would see at a circus. They looked like 3D constructs made of stage paper.

It was a play, being carted through the city. And that play brought destruction, as Walpurgisnacht caused flooding and wind greater than any natural disaster could bring. If they failed to stop her, the entire city would be destroyed.

Blonde locks caught her attention, and she changed course to land on a nearby building. Once Avalon and Pace jumped off her, she reverted into a normal state.

"Mami!" Flick ran up to her. "Thank God we found you."

"I . . . yeah." Mami stared up at Walpurgisnacht. "We're really going to fight this, then?"

Walpurgisnacht laughed, and Flick found her mouth was dry. "We have to," she managed to say.

"You're right," Mami said. She took a deep breath, and when she spoke again, her voice had an edge to it that hadn't been there before. "What are your orders?"

Flick blinked. "My orders?"

"Our whole group would have fallen apart without you," Mami said. "You remained focused while I fell apart. I may be the veteran of the group, but you're the best leader we could have."

"She's right, Chambers," Avalon said before Flick could protest. "I'm prepared to trust you with my life."

"Same here," Pace said. "Please, Flick, tell us what to do."

"I—" Flick started, only to stop as her eyes widened. Explosions were suddenly engulfing Walpurgisnacht. They blew apart the ropes connecting the Witch to its Familiars, sending it careening in the opposite direction.

The explosions continued to strike, in such a rapid succession that it was impossible to follow. They pushed Walpurgisnacht farther and farther back, as far away from the main population as possible.

"Those explosions," Mami whispered. "Could they be . . .?"

"Yeah," Flick said. "It's Homura. She's already fighting Walpurgis."

This was all wrong.

Homura sprinted across the boardwalk, firing off missile after missile. All the while, that damned Witch was laughing in her ear. Though she was running out of bazookas, she summoned more to fire at it in her timestop. She knew that every second she gave Walpurgisnacht to react, it would get closer to the civilians. To Madoka.

Walpurgisnacht wasn't supposed to arrive early. It always showed up on the same day, letting Homura set up all her traps the night before. That was her greatest advantage in the battle every loop. More than that, it was the only reason she was able to keep up with the Witch.

Now, she had none of that. And she was left completely unprepared.

You fool. You should have seen this coming. Walpurgisnacht wasn't sending its Familiars at her just yet, acting as if it didn't notice the constant explosions Homura was pelting it with. Normally, Homura would have used this time to herd Walpurgisnacht toward a tower, which she would then collapse.

She should have prepared for this possibility. This timeline was far too different from the others. There were more abnormalities than ever before. So many possible sources of interference. How often had she been blindsided in these last few weeks? One final surprise before the end shouldn't have left her this panicked.

Any semblance of control Homura still had vanished, as Walpurgisnacht finally chose to attack her. An appendage shot out of it, looking as though the galaxy itself was contained within. It struck Homura, sending her flying away. Even worse, it twisted into the shapes of two unfamiliar Magical Girls, both of which rushed toward Homura.

Activating her timestop, Homura pulled an automatic rifle out of her shield, then fired at the two Familiars. They both fell to one strike. Not that it mattered, since more were already forming around the area.

Homura ignored them, instead leaping farther into the city, where Walpurgisnacht was closing in. Though she shot at Familiars along the way, they were an afterthought compared to the real threat.

I won't let them die. This is the only time we've all come this far together. I refuse to let it end here!

A building was flying Homura's way. Using her timestop, she weaved around it and continued her sprint. Her magic was already running low. Somehow, this had to end soon.

The sound of shattering glass caused Homura's gaze to snap to the right. A Familiar burst out of the crashed building, waving a staff at Homura. Energy beamed from it, and Homura barely threw herself out of the way in time.

Her path brought her directly to the feet of another Familiar, this one with a sword. Homura rolled away from its downward thrust, but was left exposed to another attack from the staff. It hit her in the chest, taking away her breath and sending her flying into a building which had yet to fall.

This isn't working! The thought made Homura grit her teeth, and she pulled out a pistol from her shield. As the two Familiars swung at her, she ducked away from the attacks and shot them both in the temple. They hadn't finished fading before she rushed off.

Walpurgisnacht was in sight once more. By this point, there was a swarm of rubble surrounding it, which Homura leaped onto in order to get close. After a few jumps, she was high in the air, close enough to fire her weapon at the Witch. In response, Walpurgisnacht sent a beam of fire her way, which she blocked with her shield.

I won't let you stop me. Walpurgisnacht was clearly tired of her, and threw another building at her. With her magic running low, she had no choice but to jump back, increasing the distance between them. This time, I'll finally end you.

Pain erupted in Homura's leg, making her cry out. She shot at the Familiar which stabbed her, but stumbled when she tried to stand afterward. She couldn't move.

And another building was sailing toward her.

Homura closed her eyes, bracing herself for the impact. Instead, she was swept off her feet, eyes widening as she landed on something soft. Looking down, she saw she was on a wolf.

That wolf jumped off the platform, getting both of them away from the falling building. Another bound brought her lower to the ground, and sharp claws ripped into the Familiar which was waiting for them. The wolf continued to leap away, dodging any danger and safely reaching their destination.

After setting Homura down on the rooftop, the wolf shifted into Sayaka Miki.

"Hey," Sayaka said. "I'm . . . I'm sorry. I was a real bitch toward you. I even hit you when you were trying to help me. Honestly, I would blame you if you hated me. So it's probably selfish of me to ask, but . . ." She held out a hand. "Can we start over? As friends?"

For a moment, Homura could only stare at the offered hand. Then, she took it.

"I would be glad to, Sayaka."

"Boost!" Came Kyoko's command. Carmentae was more than happy to oblige.

Finally, they were working together. As they were, they were already nearing the sight of the battle, able to weave away from anything which tried to stop them. Any Familiars which came across their path were slaughtered, in an almost effortless assault

This is how it feels. Carmentae kept the thought to herself, rather than transmit it to her host. Having a partner who works with you willingly. It's nothing like being forced to control my host as a Lie.

More than that, though, Kyoko was trusting her. When she left herself open on one side, she knew Carmentae would handle the threat. When she asked for a boost, she didn't doubt Carmentae would follow through.

How unlike their battle with Mami, when they were still new allies. All of Kyoko's emotions were open to Carmentae, but she only had to read the surface to know how difficult it was for Kyoko to trust anyone. Even if her life depended on it, opening herself up like that had once been impossible.

I understand, Kyoko. Again, the thought was for Carmentae alone. She took control of Kyoko's left hand, pulling them on top of a building with added strength. I'm no longer upset you didn't let me take control sooner. Because I feel the same way.

A few more jumps were all it took before they were finally with the others. Everyone was there, looking as though they were regrouping for another assault.

"Hey!" Kyoko called out as they got close. The rain and wind was intense enough that she had to keep her voice raised. "We might want to kill this thing before that Charmeine bitch screws with us again."

"Then it was her who brought Walpurgisnacht here early," Avalon said.

"Yeah." Kyoko pointed at Avalon. "And she wants Carmentae to make sure this Witch kills you. Any plans to deal with her when you're alive after this?"

Avalon grimaced. "We can't focus on that right now."

"We can't leave you in danger!" Flick looked like she wanted to reach out for Avalon. "What if she comes after you? Avalon!"

The words hit Avalon hard, based on how she turned and embraced Flick. Whatever words were exchanged between them, they were impossible to make out over the wind. When they were done, Flick nodded, and they shared a brief kiss.

"Walpurgisnacht can't get any closer to the city center." Homura was the one speaking, now. "We need to strike as one, and we need to make sure it's enough to finish this."

"Maybe I could help with that?"

Everyone spun around at the voice. Standing at the edge of the building was a blonde woman. She radiated elegance, with her blonde hair flowing in the wind and twin axes held in each hand. Her face was that of a hardened warrior, but one who grew from the brutal experiences rather than falling apart.

"Any clue who this is?" Kyoko asked.

No, Carmentae sent back. But I think she does.

Only one person on the roof wasn't staring in confusion. That girl fell to her knees, tears filling her eyes as a single, strangled word escaped her throat.

"…. Mom….?" Flick choked.