Akane chose Shiho's plan of attack, and the two began to rehearse the introduction Shiho had in mind. After Mai and Mikoto finally walked into the forest clearing discussing the carefree events of their day, they stopped silently when they noticed the three uniformed Meisters standing in their path. Akane and Shiho had expressions of lively cheerfulness, but Haruka only stood in place with her arms crossed and tapped her loafer-clad foot on the ground. Akane jumped a few paces forward from the center of the group and delivered their theatrical entrance.
"We are Garderobe's faithful Meister Trias, nyaa!"
She winked with youthful vigor at the end of her proclamation. The rogue Meister and her master only stared back in bafflement. Mai scratched her head with a raised eyebrow before she responded.
"Um... o-... kay? Haruka, is this some sort of joke?"
Mai glanced around the forest, not sure if she should look for an assassination squad or a candid camera. Haruka only continued to wait stubbornly, as her serum-soaked mind made her unable to recognize her former Garderobe classmate. Akane replied with a smile, but there was a new sinisterness in her energetic voice.
"Of course it's not! You're a threat to the Columns' power, so we've been sent to eliminate you!"
The three girls broke their act and pulled their sparkling steel batons from their hips. After their glowing blades locked into place, Mai stepped back in shock. She turned to Mikoto, who silently nodded and allowed Mai to transform into her Robe. As the attackers ran forward together in perfect unison, the now-Materialized Mai removed her Robe's chakram weapon from her belt and caused it to grow into a giant burning ring in retaliation. Upon launching herself through her floating weapon, the Otome's entire body was converted into a flaming javelin that easily breached the charging phalanx formation of Akane's group. While Mai returned her body to its original Robed form and summoned the compact chakram back into her belt, she turned around to face the carnage she had wrought.
Since Akane, Shiho, and Haruka had not been Materialized when they were struck with Mai's attack, they lacked the luxury of having their nanomachines bring mercy and modesty to their deaths. The intense heat and flame Mai emitted as she brushed past them had quickly dissolved their cloth uniforms and left the three girls' flailing feminine silhouettes to be hopelessly devoured by a wall of starving flames. When howls of agony subsided from the defeated trio, the flames died down and revealed all that remained of Akane and her squad were a pile of black cinders and the three silver collars they had been given by Garderobe. Mai sighed in a mix of grief and relief as she walked back towards Mikoto and deactivated her Robe.
Mikoto approached the pool of ash. When it was cool to the touch, she knelt to one knee and picked up the deceased Akane's decorated collar. She rotated her hand to inspect the item from all angles, and quickly took a liking to its simple but elegant design. She hung it next to the other rings on her Buddhist staff, then stood back up to resume her conversation with Mai.
With their carefree life now rudely interrupted, it wasn't long before Mai and Mikoto were preparing to retaliate against the Columns. In addition to this, Garderobe had failed in fulfilling its last desperate attempt to alleviate its energy crisis and the problem only worsened. With the loss of Akane's Meister squad, there was no longer any potential for Garderobe to fight their war without GEM equipment. The Columns' war of attrition against the world quickly fell from their favor, and within time they were forced to surrender.
THE END.