This has been a long time coming, so a thanks for waiting so patiently, I thought I would explain something noted in the comments.

In regards to the timeline of events, I am using a multiverse and within those universes are many different "Earths". They do not all exist on the same timeline, (Nanoha's Earth is different from the Nasuverse Earth and has a different timeline(It may be the year 2000 in one but not the other)) and there are some "Earths" that do not have any heros or the like and are more like ours (Tales and myths told through different mediums) that are called Archive Planets.

Then there is Gensokyo. Gensokyo exists as its own little oddity as there is only one throughout the multiverse and all paths from any of the multiverses lead to the same place.

I am combining some series together, and certain worlds are linked together in different ways, but they aren't relevant to this story.

I will be happy to answer any other questions.

Once again, thank you for your patience with my writing and enjoy.

Chapter 8: Escape

With a small smile, Nanoha flew down towards the surface of the river. Her magic enveloping her in a soft pink that reflected off the murky water. She skimmed the surface of the water so the girl in her arms could dip her hand into the water in awe before flying back up towards the arches of the bridge. For a little extra flair, she spun quickly, eliciting a happy scream from the small girl.

"Having fun?"

The red clad archer looked down on her from his position on top of the bridge. Her partner stood on the arch as well but was keeping his distance from the willful spirit. She knew him well enough to know when he was analyzing something, but what that something was usually eluded her.

"Maybe." She came to rest in the air so that she was eye level with the white haired being.

Erin turned in her arms towards the archer. "Hey Archer, have you ever flown before? It's so~ cool."

She could hear him grunt in annoyance before shaking his head. "Sadly, I lack that ability. I suppose I will just have to curse my luck for not being born with wings." A small smile graced his lips. "Then again, I always found it a lot easier to hit a target from the ground. I'd have to imagine that being able to fly simply makes you an easier target."

Erin turned to look at her in worry. Nanoha simply laughed. "Nyahaha. I suppose that can be true, if said flyer doesn't know what they're doing. I'm guessing you haven't met very many opponents who could fly."

Archer shrugged and jumped to the next arch. "Perhaps. Sadly only one comes to mind, and that one preferred to simply rain down magic on its opponents."

Nanoha laughed again. "Well, that doesn't sound like a lot of fun to deal with."

"Ahem!"

The brunette looked over her shoulder to see Yunno coughing into his hand and giving her a rather pointed look. She tilted her head in confusion.

Shaking his head, Yunno turned to the red spirit. "Actually, I've been meaning to ask you a few things for a while now."

Archer raised an eyebrow at the blonde before turning to him. "And what is it you wished to ask?"

Nanoha silently flew over to the arch and set Erin down. "I read through a few manuscripts left by the houses previous owner, and I was a bit curious about this so called 'Holy Grail War'. What exactly does it entail?"

"If you've read Rin's notes you should already know. Seven magi summon seven Servants to fight in a battle to the death for the Holy Grail."

"That much I gathered, but something you said got me curious." Nanoha turned to look over the city before her. She groaned at the complete darkness that greeted her.

"How exactly are you summoned? The way you speak you have some knowledge of past 'wars'. Is that the same for all Servants? That seems like it would make the war a bit unbalanced if you had information on each other right from the start."

She heard Archer laugh. "I suppose that would be true, if that was the case." Archer held up his hand to stop the librarian. "Then again, I'm something of a special case. At least for right now."

"The Holy Grail, or whatever it is that does the summoning, locks away any memories that it deems unnecessary for the duration of the war." A hand grabbed her jacket as Erin looked down towards the water. "In exchange, it gives us information it believes we will need. Otherwise, we would all have to sort through every memory we've ever had."

"You mean within every instance you've lived?"

"Well, seems I was right to leave you alone." She could hear Yunno take an unsteady step away. "It's not everyday you meet someone knowledgeable about the throne. You certainly seem more well informed than your companion at least."

Well sorry I don't live in the Infinity Library. She turned away so that she didn't have to see that knowing smirk of his. She wasn't sure why, but even upon just meeting him, there was something about the Archer that rubbed her the wrong way.

Yunno sighed. "Anyways, we should be hurrying. The faster we meet up with the others, the faster we can work to get out of here."

"Provided your 'friends' are still alive when we get to them." Nanoha shot the archer a dirty look. He shrugged towards the edge of the city. "It seems they have a few friends of their own."

Flying next to him, Nanoha strengthened her vision. With some difficulty she was able to make out the telltale flashes of light that signified shooting spells, as well as a flash of green that she recognized as Sanae. Reluctantly, she did have to admit the archer's eyesight was impressive.

"Let's go. Yunno-kun, we'll land once we get within range." Ignoring his groan, she grabbed Erin again and shot forward into the city.

Less than a minute later, the four were able to see the battle ahead. Green light shredded through several black bodies as flashes of light cut through a couple that were inching closer to the building her unit was guarding. The horde had been thinned drastically based on the amount of ash surrounding them, but she could see the beginnings of fatigue starting to set in.

"Raising Heart." With her command, her device expelled a cartridge from its frame, and eight balls of pink mana appeared behind her. Dropping her altitude quickly, Nanoha spun in the air and slashed her staff in front of her. "Shoot!"

The orbs of pink light flew through the air, each aimed at a different target. Several loud cracks resounded as the orbs collided with flesh and bone. Unlike before, where the shots simply exploded on contact, enhanced by the cartridge, the shots ripped through their targets. Several bodies fell to the ground with their legs broken while others started to dissolve after having their heads and chests punched through.

"Tsk." Lethal force wasn't something she was fond of using. But given the situation, she supposed she would have to make an exception.

She raised her device towards the remaining creatures and began gathering mana. Several flashes of light struck the creatures, and they started to dissolve. In their place were several long thin knives with red handles.

She looked back to see Archer standing on top of a streetlight, his bow in his hand. She groaned, that taunting smirk of his was really starting to get annoying.

"Miss Nanoha."

"Captain."

Sanae and Roland ran up to her while Johan pulled his axe out of the last zombie. Roland quickly saluted. "Captain, I'm glad you're okay. What happened, we've been trying to contact you for a while now?"

She shook her head. "I'm not sure. Someone or something must be blocking us. But we can worry about that later." Shifting her weight to let down Erin, she turned to look at Roland. "How did it go?"

Roland snapped to a salute, causing Sanae to jump in surprise. "Ma'am. Including the group of people we found here, there are about thirty refugees total."

"Sanae-san, what about…" her voice died when she looked at the priestess. The dried blood spotting her outfit was enough of a story. "I see."

"I was… too late." Her voice was little more than a whisper. Sanae quickly shook her head and looked back at her, her hands clasped in front of her chest. "What about you, Miss Nanoha?"

She patted the head of the small girl next to her. "Just one." She turned to look back at the lamppost. "Her guardian managed to survive as well though."

The two jumped as the red clothed being landed next to her with a small thud.

She looked towards the building, where Yuuno was healing Johan and Alice. "Let's head inside for now. We need to plan our next step."

She took two steps before she felt something stop her. Looking down she could see Erin looking back and forth between her and Archer. "What's wrong, Erin-chan?"

The young girl clutched the large red gem to her chest. "Can… can we come with you?"

Putting on a smile, Nanoha kneeled down next to her and patted her head again. "Of course you can." She turned her gaze towards the enigmatic spirit that was now eyeing her with an unreadable expression. "What about you?" She nodded her head towards the girl next to her. "Surely you aren't going to leave her under the protection of someone so unreliable."

She suppressed a small smirk at seeing the man's face contort into a grimace. "Ugh. This command is a real pain." He started walking towards the building. "It seems I have no choice. Let's hope you can at least survive the coming fight."

Ignoring the Servant's final jab, Nanoha stood up and offered her hand to the young girl, who happily took it, before following everyone inside.

A soft glow filled the room, illuminating the nearly three dozen people spread out within the small lobby of the building they had borrowed. The majority of the people were huddled together praying to those small frog statues that he had seen around. The rest were off to the side trying to stay as far away from the others as possible while still trying to stay close enough that they wouldn't be left behind. They would occasionally sneer at the mages patrolling the small area.

With a haggard sigh, Yunno decided he didn't like magi that much.

"You have no idea."

The bespectacled blonde tried not to jump as a voice rose from the ether next to him. "I guess not. Then again, what interactions I have had with them haven't left the best impressions."

The air next to him solidified as the red clad Servant appeared next to him leaning on the wall. "Let me guess. When you offered your assistance, whoever was there either tried to threaten you for identifying them so easily or told you 'Go fuck yourself, I don't need your help.'"

Scrya coughed into his hand. "More or less."

The librarian shifted on his feet. "It was more than half a week after the barrier went up that we were even able to talk with them, and at least another day before they would allow us to help." He grimaced as he looked at the meager group of survivors before them. A fitting picture of the stubbornness of the magi.

"And yet, they let you in."

It was more of a question than anything else. "Yes. After they sent their own team in. I think having a bloody arm sent back convinced them to let us try."

"A new set of pawns."

"Yeah."

The Archer cocked his head towards the front of the room. "You didn't seem all that prepared when you entered. Given how the Mages Association thought of you it seems they didn't give you any relevant information they had before you entered."

Yunno could almost hear the Archer spit the name. Figuring now wasn't the best time to indulge his intellectual curiosity; he focused on the actual subject.

"We tried. The magi we met with seemed horrified that we would even consider giving information to them and almost turned murderous when we tried asking for any."

Archer scoffed, "Not surprising. For a magus, their findings and magic are even more valuable than their life. Any decent magus would sooner kill themselves than divulge any small amount of their life's work."

He turned slightly towards the librarian. "With all of that, it's even more curious that they let you in here at all."

With a wave of his hand, Yunno created a mint green screen with various pictures on it.

"True. Many of the magi didn't want us anywhere near this city. To them, we're a group of interlopers that come in, reveal that we've been watching them for a while, and that we may be able to help with their current situation. Most of them even wanted to force us away or kill us." He brought up two pictures. "There were several that suggested we be given a chance though. These two seemed to carry the most weight."

The first picture was of an older gentleman sporting long black hair and what looked like a permanent scowl. The second picture showed a woman with long curled blonde hair and bright blue eyes.

"These two; Lord El Melloi the second and-"

"Luvia."

The blonde's eyes flashed to the Archer. "Yes, Miss Edefelt. Do you know her?"

"…No."

Sensing the growing silence, the white haired archer lowered his head. "Rin mentioned her briefly. Said that she was an annoying bitch with a haughty laugh that would grate on your bones."

"Uh huh." He didn't buy it, but decided it wasn't worth the trouble. "They vouched for us, for whatever reason, and we were allowed to enter the city."

Once more, Yunno looked over the survivors that filled the small room. Just barely over thirty people, out of a city of hundreds. The thought made his skin crawl and he felt like he wanted to puke. While they were given the okay to enter the city, the magi had refused when asked to bring a large regiment. Even if he generously included himself, the small force they chose wouldn't be enough based on their limited knowledge of Youkai. As a result, a request was made.

His eyes turned towards the front of the room. Standing in the center, taking stock of the situation and talking to Roland was Nanoha.

"We wouldn't be enough on our own, so we asked to call in one of our trump cards." He clenched his fist at his side. "It took more than a day for her to fill out the paperwork, make the trip, and be briefed. Because of that…" He let the rest go unsaid.

"I suppose so. If you didn't wait, you may have been able to save more than this paltry amount." Yunno closed his eyes in frustration. "Then again, if you all jumped in as you were, you might have just died the same as all of the others."

Yunno's eyes shot open to see Archer growl out, "Just like those two."

"Those two?"

He nodded forward. "Her parents. Rin and Shirou Emiya."

There, holding onto Nanoha's half-cape was the young girl they had saved, Erin Emiya.

"Miss Edefelt was probably hoping that you would at least be able to save them, or failing that, be enough of a shield for them to escape."

"I thought Miss Edefelt didn't get along with the Emiyas?"

Archer huffed. "Rin, no. Shirou Emiya, however was a different story."

Yunno hummed to himself. Curiously, he looked up at the archer. "You're being awfully helpful. From what Erin said, you don't talk much."

The Archer shrugged his shoulders. "Just passing the time I suppose. Not much else to do before we make our next move."

He stepped away from the wall. "Although, perhaps I have been talking to much. I don't like this familiar feeling."

Before Yunno could ask what he meant, a soft whistle filled the room. Nanoha was calling for a meeting.

Fixing his glasses, Yunno strode towards the center of the room, and quietly steeled himself for what was coming.

"Open your ears my subjects!" A loud booming voice echoed across the expanse in front of her. "The time is soon approaching!"

Willing magic into her eyes, Nanoha could see a tall, lanky man dressed in black waving his arms towards the large horde of creatures filling the field before him. The blackness surrounding them prevented her from making out any minute details about his appearance other than his glowing red eyes.

"My goddess has spoken to me! She has told me to prepare for our finest hour! In a short time, our number shall increase and we shall be fulfilled!" The false priest held up his hands as though expecting applause, only to be greeted by growls and moans. If this upset him, he didn't show any sign of it. "We shall be victorious, and our faith in my goddess will be rewarded!"

A third goddess was present in the city. Things started to click into place. This must be the third Youkai signal we were warned about.

This third goddess created the barrier covering the city and created the dead and their leader. That much was certain. However… Why hadn't the other goddess, Kanako-san, done anything yet? Surely she was as powerful if not more so? And why hadn't Sanae-san said anything about this? Did she not know?

"Hrnggh."

Shaking her head, Nanoha turned to the young woman beside her. She decided that these questions could wait until they could ensure everyone's safety.

The young redhead was squinting her eyes in some desperate attempt to see through the darkness. "That won't help."

Alice turned to look at her, her face still scrunched up.

"Just relax and let your eyes adjust, then you can enhance your vision. Trying to enhance your vision like that will just hurt you in the long run."

The young gunner nodded, closed her eyes and took a deep breath. Opening them again she started staring out into the darkness. Five seconds later she was squinting again.

"Heh. At the very least, you and your friends provide good entertainment."

Nanoha could feel her eyebrow twitch. "I'm so happy that this situation amuses you." She turned to see the red clad Archer leaning against a lamppost, little Erin looking over the wall and trying to see what was below her. "So, you're absolutely sure about this?"

"Of course." Archer glared at her. "If you take down the main Ghoul, the remaining Dead will be left without a master to supply them mana. Those that don't immediately die will most likely crumble to dust after a short while."

She could hear Alice let out a sigh of relief.

"That is unless these Dead have the capacity to become Ghouls themselves." A now familiar evil smirk graced his face, and Alice yelped behind her.

There's the catch. "So we just have to make sure that doesn't happen." She felt a tugging at her waist and looked down to see Erin had run over to her and was now glaring up at her guardian.

"I'll make sure that doesn't happen." Sanae walked up to the group. She had cleaned up her outfit as best she could and was looking much better than before. Apparently, the scene she had come across wasn't pretty.

"I highly doubt it will be that easy." Everyone turned to regard the archer. "You can hear it can't you? That false priest was tipped off that we would be here, most likely by his 'goddess', and they've come to finish what they started." He looked across the road.

Huddled against the wall was a group of just over thirty people. Most of them were adults, but there were several elderly and children scattered among the group. None of them looked reassured being out in the open, and several of them kept looking to Sanae for some sort of help.

Nanoha groaned and scratched the back of her head. "It was the best option we had. We could either split our forces and leave someone behind to guard everyone else, or we could all go together and pool our full force." She looked back out into the darkness. "Judging by the situation out there, I think this is the correct choice. Plus, we'll be able to get everyone out quicker once we're done."

"If we are successful, that is." Archer eyed the brunette. "Do you really think this will be enough?"

She looked back at the group. "Yes, I do actually. Sanae-san has been fighting these things for a while now, so she knows what to expect. Plus, none of them can fly. She would be able to take them all out on her own given enough time." Sanae scratched her cheek in embarrassment.

Nanoha turned towards the field. "We have two star forwards capable of thinning their numbers. One of which I trained personally." She smiled slightly as she let her ego show for a bit. "Then counting me, we have three long-range mages covering their backs. If we count you as well, we have enough firepower to obliterate them in a short amount of time."

Sanae laughed slightly. "Honestly, it seems kind of unfair when you think about it. Not a single one of them should be able to make it past the trees." Confidence shone in her eyes.

Archer nodded, "True." It seems even he had to admit this was the best-case scenario. "However, what if things don't go as planned?"

"Wh-what do you mean?"

The white haired man turned towards Alice. "I mean, what if we are attacked from behind. Those people you brought with us will be the first to go and this will all be for nothing."

Nanoha nodded towards the blonde speaking with the group right now. "That's why we have Yunno-kun. He'll stay behind and guard the people here."

The others all looked less than convinced, so she added, "We already know they can't break through his shields. Plus, his binds are stronger than mine, those Dead won't be able to get close enough to try."

"Umm." Nanoha looked over towards Alice, who still looked unsure about the situation. "So this will really work?"

She could see Archer eyeing her. "Well, I would prefer having Nala and Michael here as well, but we don't have any time to spare looking for them right now." She looked back at the distraught gunner. "Protecting these people is our priority right now. We have to trust they can take care of themselves until we can find them again."

Sanae and Alice nodded their assent. Archer, however, still had an unreadable expression on his face.

Any further discussion was silenced as Tom jumped up over the wall and onto the road.

"How many?"

Tom saluted. "About one hundred thirty in plain view. Another twenty or so on each side of the field."

"Alright." She nodded to the two gunners and pointed them to their positions against the wall. A whistle back to her partner told him they were ready to start, and a few quick hand signals informed him of how many enemies they could expect. She pretended not to notice his grimace.

A light jingle sounded behind her as a soft green glow filled the area. Moments later a gust of wind signaled Sanae's takeoff. Nanoha started towards her position only to feel a tug at her jacket.

"Erin-chan?" The young girl looked back and forth between her, the green shield and her guardian.

Humming softly, she patted the young girl on the head. "Alright, stay right here."

The brunette raised her staff towards her, it expelling a cartridge and a puff of smoke. [Protection Powered]

A small, pink shield formed around the girl, one she knew would keep her safe.

Ignoring the looks she caught from the corner of her eyes she turned back towards the field. Over a hundred zombies, or Dead as Archer preferred to call them, and only seven attackers. The odds were too large; she had too much to protect. This time she couldn't afford to hold back.

"Inhibitor Break."

[Releasing limiters number 7-13]

In an instant, her normally bright pink colored magic faded into a bright red. Her mind shifted, creaked, and groaned under the stress of removing the chains upon her mind. She could feel her magic becoming sharper, more uncontrolled.

A sharp exhale of air escaped her lips as she prepared for what came next.

[Releasing limiters 14-20]

Her mind became clouded and singularly focused. Unnecessary thoughts didn't matter. The only thing that mattered was tearing through her opponents before they did the same to her.

This wasn't something the Ace of the Sky liked to do. She much preferred blasting her opponents and leaving them defeated, but uninjured. As a result, Nanoha had placed mental inhibitors on herself and her device to limit not only the amount of magic she output at any one time, but just how deadly her magic was. With this many limiters released, her magic would tear and pierce through her opponents.

Grounding her stance, she took aim at a small group ahead of her and shifted her device back into Buster Mode.

She took a deep breath. The air between her and the force in front of her was quiet. The only sounds the soft tinkling of magic being prepared and the rasping breaths of the Dead.

Five slips of paper hit the ground, surrounding a group near the front, and green fire lit up the blackened park. The battle began and the two front attackers leaped out form behind some trees.

From the quickly fading light she could see Roland decapitating one of the Dead and aiming for a second as a green bolt from Tom pierced through two that were held by yellow binding magic. Next to him, Johan dislodged his heavy axe from one of the Dead and then cleaved through another two, burying his axe into the dirt and magically creating a wall of spikes that skewered another five. Movement to Johan's left caught the brunette's eye and she released three shots to drop the ones that were approaching out of his sight.

Sparing a quick glance to her right she could see Alice desperately looking back and forth, occasionally shooting whatever targets she could. She looked back in time to see several white arrows hit their targets.

She was thankful the archer was helping at least.

Another five slips of paper hit the ground, illuminating the area and destroying more of the enemy. At that moment, a loud collective yell sounded from behind her. Nanoha didn't have to look behind her to know that they had been flanked.

Then again, she also heard exactly what she expected next.

The sound of clanging chains hit her ears before the flash of mint graced the edge of her vision letting her know that whatever forces had tired to attack were captured by the librarian's chains. The sound of ripping flesh briefly registered before a voice entered her mind.

[9. 4]

Quickly whipping her device to her side she fired off several rounds at three Dead approaching from her left while shifting her gaze to the enemies on her right. Receiving confirmation of three kills from her device, she flipped her staff and fired two more shots, spiraling them behind the other two gunners.

Confirming the next two kills she quickly turned back to the field, grateful that her partner was always ready to help. The tunnel vision breaking her inhibitor gave her was a pain she didn't need to deal with right now.

Another flash illuminated the field. Piles of ash littered the field, signifying heavy losses for the enemy. Yet, a loud voice continued bellowing out across the field, urging his subjects to continue fighting.

"Got it!"

A shout from her right pierces through the echo of battle, and a bolt of green light streaks across the field, ripping into the priest's head.

No. Something was wrong.

Everything stopped.

The Dead stopped moving, as though someone had just hit the pause button on a remote. The two knights jumped back, giving themselves more room incase they suddenly start moving again.

That should have been it. That shot, his shot, should have ripped through the Ghoul's head, if not just snapped its head off its neck.

Yet, the priest was still standing. Its body was leaning back at a strange angle, but it was still standing.

A loud laugh echoed over the field, as the priest stood back up straight.

"Ah! My goddess! My goddess! Truly you have blessed me, your most faithful servant!"

It was unharmed.

"What? How? That was a direct hit. I know it!"

Clarity started to seep back into her mind and she took in as much information as she could.

Another green streak flew across the battlefield. Except, this time she could see it clearly. The instant before the bolt reached the Ghoul's head, a tendril of black ichor ripped out from his body and deflected the shot.

Nanoha's eyes widened in understanding. That was what it meant by blessed. "He's been blessed with some kind of protection."

"No." She shifted her gaze upwards towards the archer, who had an unreadable expression on his face. "More like a curse." He nodded towards the Ghoul.

Said Ghoul was still laughing, but was gripping his body as though trying to tear himself apart.

"He's been cursed to avoid or block any projectiles. If he can't physically move, the curse will find some other way to protect him. Say, by ripping out whatever he has for blood and using that."

The Ghoul writhed in place while he continued laughing, the Dead still littering the field started shifting as he started to compel them.

Cries of anguish echoed from behind her as the people began to lose hope. A small voice, barely a whisper, floated down from the sky.

"Why? Why would she…?"

Groaning to herself and trying to calm her thoughts about what to do next, a small set of hands grabbed the hem of her skirt. A small whimper sounded next to her.

Suddenly, she was calm. This wasn't anything new. She had people she needed to save. She didn't need to think. Magic pooled at the end of her device, and she took aim. If the first shot failed, she would just try harder until she got through.

"Hahahahaha!" The Ghoul continued. "Why do you resist? My goddess is magnanimous. She shall grant all of you what you deserve." Gaining his second wind, the Ghoul raised both his arms to the sky. "Everyone my goddess has met has been saved and the same shall be given to you!"

A loud gasp caught her attention above her. "That's… a lie."

Out of the corner of her eye, Nanoha saw several emotions flash across the priestess' face before finally settling on pure anger.

Several streaks of green spiral down towards the false priest. "That's a lie!"

As expected, black tendrils ripped out of the Ghoul and intercepted the talismans. Green fire exploded outward illuminating the area in front of it.

"It is useless! I shall see to it that everyone is-"

I am the bone of my sword

A chant, almost like an oath reverberates around her. She doesn't dare take her eyes off her opponent, yet she could see it.

Archer drew back the string on his bow, a long spiral sword nocked to fire.

"Caladbolg!"

Like a shooting star, the sword flies through the air towards its target.

The brunette catches a glimpse of the priest's face before she shields her eyes. His once laughing face quickly shifted to pure terror even as the curse worked to protect him.

White light and deafening sound fill the field and beyond as a giant explosion rocks the barrier. Fire and pure magic radiate outward, burning the ground and scattering earth.

Reaching down with her magic, Nanoha connects herself to the ground and catches the young girl behind her in a full body bind to prevent her from flying off. A mint green shield flies forward catching the rest of the force of the explosion. She hears screaming as Sanae tumbles in the air and tries to catch her footing and the crashing of stone tells her Johan had just halted himself and Roland.

After several agonizing seconds, the light dies down and sound returns. The first sound she hears is screaming.

Blinking her eyes open, Nanoha quickly locks on the priest. A once immaculately pressed robe is torn and destroyed; stringy black hair is now spotty and missing several patches; and darkened diseased skin is now sheet white. Yet, he still stands amid the flames of the arrow. The curse had protected him yet again from the full force of the attack.

"DaMN yoU!" The Ghoul cried out. He grasped at any part of his body to try and dull the pain as he continued yelling. "HOw daRE You!"

"Even that did nothing?" Alice squeaked. She was shaking again.

Nanoha grimaced. While the force of that arrow had reduced the majority of the Dead to dust, the Ghoul was still standing. The fires from Archer's attack quickly began to fade leaving only a small streak of light amidst the darkness.

Wait.

Three shells burst forth from her device as she took aim. "Twenty seconds."

It was a call to action.

Without waiting for a response she began charging her spell. The familiar mass of pink shone before her, a sign of the coming spell.

"KiLL thEM!" The priest screeched, all pretense of power and control gone.

The remaining Dead shambled forward attempting to follow their leader's orders, only to be cut down one by one.

Eyeing her target, Nanoha leveled her device and, in her mind, pulled the trigger.

"Divine Buster!"

A wave of pinkish-red magic burst forward and screamed across the field. As the magic drew closer, she could see the black tendrils wriggle about to protect their host. She knew that they would succeed. The curse would protect its host from even something like her spell.

That was why she wasn't aiming for the Ghoul.

A small hole in the barrier, likely created by Nala and Michael, had reached all the way through the barrier, and Archer's attack had been enough to force it open even larger. A small speck of light in a world of darkness; a spark of hope. That was enough; she would break through.

The wave of magic slammed against the barrier, and she could feel it creak and groan under the pressure. One final cartridge burst forth from her device, adding to the power of her spell, and finally forcing open the hole behind the ghoul. With a loud crack, the small break began to splinter outward, before a large portion of the wall shattered and began to fall away like broken glass.

Its body was burning.

A garbled scream ripped out from its throat as its body continued to burn.

"DAmn YoU!" The creature trashed about wildly, its eyes blinded by the light pouring in from the broken barrier.

"I'LL Kill YOU!"

"Will you?"

A sound from the creature's right caused it to lash out, only to suddenly feel nothing on its right side.

A soft plop and the sizzling of rotten flesh the only indication that its arm had just been cut off.

"HoW DaRE You! I Am a serVAnt of THE goDDess! i wiLL saVE mY SUBje-!"

Its jaw was sliced off.

"What an annoying flea. If you were that other false priest, this might actually be a cause for concern. He at least could mean some of the things he said."

The light continued to burn away at the creature's body. Yet, it still tried to speak.

"I WILL SAVE THEM ALL! JUST LIKE MY GODDESS!"

"Save them?" The voice spat the words. "Don't think you can do what he wanted to do! Even the girl understands better than the likes of you!"

A flash of air and one of the creature's legs was gone; the force of the strike ripping the flesh and bone apart and sending the creature sprawling backwards.

Desperate, the creature fumbled through what was left of its coat, until it found what it was looking for. Thrusting the figurine towards the red-clad being, it screamed for its goddess.

It felt nothing as it was sliced in half. Within seconds, the creature had been torn apart by the spirit and left to burn within the rays of the sun.

Yunno blinked away the spots in his eyes while he led the survivors across the ash covered field towards the broken barrier. In front of the break he saw both Nanoha and the Archer standing around a newly formed pile of ash. Nanoha was rolling over something in her free hand.

Voices rolled around him as the other members of their team started leading everyone over the threshold of the barrier. Everyone; except the priestess and the young girl still clinging to Nanoha's cape.

He knew he should be paying attention to the people he was in charge of, but Nanoha's condition took priority. She had released her inhibitors. That wasn't something she could just reset with no ill effects. Releasing them had a serious effect on her mental state.

"Nanoha." He called out to her.

A single look at her face told him that she hadn't even tried to reset them yet. A large scowl and a look of anger covered her face and he could feel that her mana was leaking out of her in waves.

"We need to ensure the safety of the civilians." He hoped reminding her of their mission would help focus her.

She turned back to the object in her hand. "Yeah, we should." Her voice was shakey.

As gently as she could, she led the young girl towards the exit and over the threshold.

"Finally."

Everyone turned to look at the Archer, who looked like a large weight had just been lifted off his shoulders.

"Now that that's done, there is something that requires my attention."

"Wait. What about the girl?" Sanae reached for the spirit. "Aren't you supposed to protect her?"

To everyone's surprise, he chuckled. "My orders were to protect the girl while she was within the barrier. Now that she has escaped, that order no longer applies."

Before anyone could say anything, the Archer started to disappear into the ether.

"Then again, I'm not the only one with unfinished business am I?"

With those parting words, the spirit's presence disappeared from the field.

"Damn it. He really just did that." Yunno placed a hand on his head to try and calm himself. "At least, we should make sure-"

"Hey, Yunno-kun?"

"W-what?"

The Ace knelt down and gently loosened Erin's grip on her cape. "I need you to take care of Erin-chan for a bit."

He was speechless. Without another word he took the girl's hand and could only stare in disbelief as Nanoha turned to Sanae.

"Sanae-san, could you take me to see Kanako-san again?"

"S-sure. I can bring us there." The green-haired priestess stuttered. "But, why?"

"Wait! Nanoha, you're not thinking straight right now." Yunno yelled out to her. The young girl by his side tried to break away from his grip. "You need to reset your-"

"Sorry, Yunno-kun." She interrupted, darkness concealing her face. "There's something I need to confirm. Something we both need to confirm." She gave a pointed look towards Sanae.

He wanted to say something. He knew she was like this. He had to say something. Looking to the last person who could help, whatever words he had been building up died in his throat.

"Yes. You're right." The priestess' eyes were downcast and her expression grim. "We- I need to know."

She extended a hand towards the white mage. "Miss Nanoha, allow me to grace you with the miracle of flight once more."

With that, Nanoha took her hand, and the two mages flew back towards the darkened city.

He didn't want to admit it, but they were right. Their mission had been completed, yet the incident wasn't over.