COUNTDOWN TO DIMENSIONAL DISTORTION
160 MINUTES REMAINING
With her eyes fixed firmly on the precise heading taken by Elsie and Srethis, Hayate followed the trail of magic in front of her as it drew her group closer and closer to the great ominous shadow of Grylmark's facility. Below her, Exoria and the Legion ran on the open ground to keep up with her, dealing with any obstructions in their way. Since her two companions were unable to fly and she could not carry both of them at once, the commander of Riot Force 6 had decided to remain airborne whilst moving at a slightly reduced speed. That way, she could keep both the Time Mage and combat cyborg within viewing distance.
It was a slower pace than what Hayate was used to, but there was no helping it; the three of them needed to stay together more than ever. Right now, the Bureau mage couldn't shake the feeling that they were being led into a trap. If that was the case, then she needed to be ready to counter any such deception on Grylmark's part, and flying high above ground would afford her enough distance to be able to do so properly.
Srethis came back here to find Elsie, on Grylmark's orders. They must have met up with him already, which implies that Grylmark already knows about me; he knows that I've recovered my sight and that I'm with Exoria and the Legion. He probably also knows that we're headed straight towards his facility, which means that he's going to be expecting us, all of us...
Somehow, she didn't think that their group would be receiving the warmest of welcomes once they arrived. Hayate's fears were soon realised when the first wave of mutants appeared at the western perimeter of the hospital, rampaging across the blistered terrain and crushing everything in their path. Quickly, she cried out a warning to her companions on the ground, causing them to stop dead in their tracks just out of range of the vicious monsters.
As the Bureau mage continued to cover more distance on her own, the thunder of noise rose steadily in her ears with greater pressure until it had drowned out the march of the rebellion previously. The threat of the civil war was no longer anything for her to be concerned about, having been nothing but a short-lived storm which served as a minor distraction before moving on to other weaker tides. The real danger lay the tempest which now lurked well within her sights. She watched in dismay as more and more creatures poured out of the hospital gates, lending greater strength and force to the massive army of mutants which fortified the facility on all sides...
At the same time, Hayate sensed the powerful presence of the surrounding force-field, an additional counter-measure against anyone who dared to try and infiltrate the complex. Deep down, the Bureau mage couldn't help thinking: Seriously? It wasn't enough for Grylmark to summon a thousand-strong horde of deformed monsters which rose in number by every passing minute, so now a huge magical shield was in place as well? Maybe he had known that Hayate was coming, but even so it seemed a little bit over the top. Was she really the only visitor he was expecting? From her point of view, there was no way that anyone would be entering the hospital like this...
Curiously, she noticed that Elsie's trail continued onwards from here, penetrating through the force field and into the facility itself. Unfortunately, Hayate couldn't see any way of following it further without putting herself into unnecessary danger, or being forced to use far too much magical power than was sensible. There were no gaps or cracks in the magical barrier as far as she could see, so Grylmark must have allowed Elsie and Srethis in at a designated point before sealing it up again.
No, the only way in at all would involve disabling the force field completely: once she managed to gain entry to the hospital itself, the mutants' numbers should stop increasing altogether. Usually, Hayate wouldn't have any problem doing so, but the building was absolutely huge – certainly far too big to be any ordinary public hospital – and the barrier consisted of a ridiculous amount of energy that she would be hard-pressed to break through. Besides, the amount of enemies milling around made it very impractical.
How are we supposed to breach Grylmark's defences? Even I can't break through something this big on my own, not without using up all of my reserves of magic in one go and ending up completely drained and useless for a week. Maybe I could ask Exoria and the Legion to help me, but I'd have trouble moving both of them off the ground. Even so, their skills wouldn't be very well suited for this...
She was forced to keep her distance from the force field when some of the more courageous monsters started rising up into the air to get at her. Yes, the stronger mutants were capable of flight magic and could probably reach her at this altitude; Hayate wasn't too worried about them, since she could evade the beasts by flying up to a greater altitude, but doing so would mean losing sight of Exoria and the Legion. Briefly, she cast her gaze downwards to see how her companions were faring, and was relieved to see that the duo had decided to stop some distance away from the western perimeter, temporarily safe from harm for the moment.
Reluctantly, Hayate retreated from the western gate of the hospital until she too was in the all-clear. Was this where it all ended, then? They had come so far only to find themselves at an impasse at Grylmark's impenetrable defences. She'd known that the old man would have tried to make some kind of trouble for them, but the scale of this mutant army was just ridiculous.
Isn't there any way through at all?
Unwilling to give up completely, the short-haired mage decisively concentrated on the forefront of the mutants' ranks, paying close attention as a new surge of monsters emerged from the closest entrance of the facility. With a jolt of surprise, Hayate realised that the force-field's magic just in front of the western gate was strangely unstable and corrupt in places – so there was a weak point after all, here within range of her spells! If she fired directly at that exact spot, then the barrier would definitely weaken and crack to some degree... but it would still be too small to make any real difference on the whole building. What they really needed was a way to bring down the entire force-field in one go, not just little pinpricks on one side...
As she stood there in mid-air trying to puzzle out what to do next, there was an unexpected flash of yellow light from above her. The Bureau mage glanced upwards with a start to see a beacon of magic spread out across the city skyline, and wondered curiously what it was. She wasn't near enough to be able to analyze the source of the spell or find out what kind of magic it was, but it didn't seem to be dangerous at all. What was going on?
We came all the way here because I reasoned that Nanoha and the others would be regrouping around this facility. If I'm going to find out for sure, then I'll have to fly to a much greater height, which will mean separating myself from Exoria and the Legion for about five minutes. Will they be all right without me?
She hesitated for a moment, and then saw that the Legion was deliberately preventing Exoria from going any further towards the hospital. Even if the Time Mage was reckless enough to approach the army of mutants, the cyborg's programming dictated that they must defend their mistress in any situation. The two of them would be still be safe for a while longer, it seemed. Satisfied, Hayate flew higher across the stained sky of Uminari City to investigate the strange golden light she had seen earlier...
Before she had gone more than several metres, a second firework of magic appeared overhead from a completely different direction. This time, Hayate distinctly sensed the magic of the Wolkenritter confined within. The familiarity of the Guardian Knights' presence was enough to make her inhale sharply.
The Wolkenritter? They're here?
Hayate stared up at the twin streams of magic, confused about what was taking place directly above her. Like the first jet of magic, this second spell contained no destructive nature or pent-up concentration of mana or anything like that – it seemed to have no real purpose other than for display. Why would the Wolkenritter have fired it? It was very pretty, but unless its caster was trying to get somebody else's attention, then...
She put on a tight burst of acceleration and came to a stop as close to the clouds as she dared; it was already difficult enough to take in sufficient oxygen at this altitude where the air was thinner. The entire facility was now completely visible beneath her from a great distance, and the mutants had become little more than tiny insignificant black dots on the ground. Even so, the shimmering form of the force-field remained as powerful as ever.
Before Hayate could try to analyze the two magical stream further, a third jet of pink-coloured magic suddenly shot upwards from the eastern side of the facility. Her eyes widened as she recognised the magic contained inside this firework as well: without a doubt, the third beam of light had been fired by none other than Nanoha.
Nanoha? Something really important must be taking place here! Why would Nanoha and the Wolkenritter be firing harmless streams of magical light into the sky? Are they trying to communicate with each other, or maybe send out a signal?
That's it, the short-haired mage thought excitedly. A signal! Three shots of light had been fired now, which meant that three signals had been given out from each side of the facility. But what did it all mean? Was Nanoha just telling the Wolkenritter her position, or informing them where she wanted them to go, or was it something different altogether? Hayate screwed up her face in concentration, trying to think back to everything that Shari had told her about communication signals at the TSAB. Unfortunately, she drew a virtual blank on that. The Bureau had never settled for using ancient methods like signal flares, that was why they had electrical communicators of their own to talk with each other...
In any case, the purple signal from the Wolkenritter had come from the northern end of the facility. Should she head in that direction to regroup with her friends, or change heading and go east to find Nanoha? Or was there another reason why everyone was separated into small groups around the hospital, exchanging signals with one another?
Wait a moment, Hayate thought suddenly. There were three signals, one from each side of the facility, and they came virtually one after the other. Shouldn't there be a fourth signal coming from the western side? Maybe that's what Nanoha's doing: she's waiting for a fourth group of Bureau mages to reveal themselves and complete the signal. That should be pretty close to my position, too.
Eagerly, the Bureau mage scanned her surroundings for another group of mages nearby who would be preparing this fourth signal. Unfortunately, she couldn't see anyone at all, but it was always possible that they were keeping themselves carefully hidden to escape detection from Grylmark's minions. Patiently, she contented herself with waiting for five minutes or so, but the time passed in relative silence and there was still no answering signal to complete the circle. Soon enough, Hayate began to wonder if there was going to be any fourth signal at all.
Maybe Nanoha was only expecting three signals after all, the short-haired mage wondered. Maybe she doesn't have enough people to do that...It was only a guess, after all. Still, now that I've gained enough altitude, I should be able to sweep the area with my magic and establish just how many members of the Bureau are in position around the hospital.
She closed her eyes and began to concentrate, sinking down slightly lower in the sky as she did so. It was an extraordinarily vast area to cover, but Hayate found herself able to pick out the strongest and most recognisable signs of magic. The forwards would be a little more difficult to pick up, but she should still be able to manage...
I can see them. Signum, Zafira, Shamal...the entire Wolkenritter, except for Vita. They're all here. Nanoha and Fate, Rein and Agito, Tiana and Erio...
A curious sensation came over Hayate at that point. Vita had been taken away by Grylmark: she knew that much from Srethis' admissions to her. And Subaru and Caro? The Bureau mage cast her mind back to the terrible events of yesterday when she had woken up blind in the hospital, remembering how Vita and her had barely managed to escape from the deadly mutants housed within...Yes, Subaru and Caro were still being held inside. She didn't know why Grylmark would be keeping them prisoner as well, but there could be no good reason for it.
Vita, Subaru and Caro are all trapped inside that facility. But apart from that...every single member of Riot Force 6 is here and surrounding the building on all sides! There is no fourth group of mages to give the last signal! She checked again, trying to work out who else Nanoha could have possibly been communicating to, but there was nothing. No, there's definitely no one else at the western gates at all. The only person here is...me...
Shock spread across Hayate's face in an instant. That couldn't be right, could it? Nanoha must have been sending that third signal to somebody else at the western side of the hospital, some one that Hayate probably couldn't see...
No, the commander of Riot Force 6 realised, understanding everything at last. I'm high enough in the sky to able to see everyone around the hospital. I'm definitely the only one here at the western side. Could it be that my previous fight with Elsie created enough background magical residue to allow the Bureau to detect my presence? That means...I'm a part of the plan as well... I'm the one who's supposed to give the fourth signal! The three other signals given out by the Bureau before now, waiting on a fourth one to complete it – they were waiting for me the whole time!
But even so, what message were the signals meant to convey? Fortunately, Hayate had a pretty good idea of that herself. The weak point in the western gate would likely be repeated in each of the other gates of the hospital; she could see from here that the force-field was relatively symmetrical in nature It was no coincidence that the Bureau had split itself into three other groups at the remaining entrances...
It's the signal to begin the attack. That's what it is. And Nanoha left it to me to give the last signal and start it off!
At the same time, Hayate couldn't help feeling just a little annoyed at this. Couldn't Nanoha have just come over here and told her the whole plan, rather than shooting pink magic into the sky from a distance? Well, she probably had her reasons.
Swiftly, she descended back towards the ground where Exoria and the Legion were still waiting. If all hell was about to be let loose before them, then it was probably a good idea to let them know beforehand. Just this once, she wasn't going to be attacking from a distance.
"Exoria, Legion," the Bureau mage called out to them, hovering in mid-air just a few metres above ground. "I want both of you to follow my lead."
The Time Mage looked at her in baffled incomprehension. "Hayate, what are you talking about? What are you going to do?" She pointed at the mass of bloodthirsty creatures stalking the hospital grounds. "You led us here to find the Bureau, but now we can't go a single step further! There's far too many enemies for us to deal with!"
"There is no way through," the Legion agreed at her side. "Hayate, you cannot just - "
The commander of Riot Force 6 took a deep, patient breath. Nanoha was waiting for her to act, and she intended to give her friend a show to see.
"Things are going to get a little chaotic in a minute," she said. "When that happens, I need you to stay calm and not panic. Just stick with me, and we'll all live through this, I promise."
With that, Hayate rose up through the air again, ignoring the confused protests from her two companions, yet confident in the knowledge that this was what she needed to do. She could try to explain things properly to Exoria and the Legion, but they would probably start panicking and running in the other direction, which could make it harder for them to survive what happened next. Exoria would be the one doing that, at least.
Watch me, Nanoha.
She soared across the sky until she was positioned directly above the western gate of the complex, moving within range of the hundreds of mutants patrolling the area. She heard the malicious roars of delight that came forth from their mouths, felt the creatures' eyes alight on her with glee, sensed her enemies surround her quickly in a tightly-knit box of death to devour her. She hovered just in front of the weak point of the force-field, close enough to smell the monsters' toxic breath as they polluted the grounds with their presence.
She gazed into the eyes of the first beast that came lumbering towards her, a savage brute with barbed claws coming out of its wrists and three grotesque stumpy legs to stand on. She looked to her left and saw the figures of three winged atrocities dart down for the kill, and then looked to her right to see a giant living ball of slime and hunger open its maw to tear her to pieces.
She watched them until they were barely a few metres away from her, and took a moment to embrace what a normal person would feel in the same situation. Their last sight before an agonising death, most likely. Thankfully, she would not suffer the same, and hopefully neither would anybody else.
"In an ancient land, sink to the darkness," Hayate chanted, raising the staff of Reinforce above her head with growing magical power. She whirled around and released the full impact of her spell on the spot. "Diabolic Emission!"
A massive black sphere of energy spread out around her, growing in magnitude until it had engulfed every living mutant on the west side of the hospital. The Bureau mage poured her magic into the spell, feeling the force field crack and shudder beneath the power of her attack, yet still refusing to give way completely. Her opponents were instantly caught up in the tremendous web of magic, unable to continue their advance against her as they struggled in vain to resist the effects of the spell. She felt the impact of the dark energy roll around the perimeter of the entire hospital, buffeting against every other gate until it came back full circle, and Grylmark's barrier weakened further...
I'm using your will for this spell, Reinforce. I know you'd want it used for a good purpose.
Hayate's weapon-arm swung towards the ground in a sudden release of magic, and the colossal ball abruptly collapsed inwards upon itself, shredding every single mutant caught within the blast. As her enemies were pulverised right, left and centre, she planted her feet against the ground with a determination and spirit born of years of training at the TSAB and resisted the vicious earthquake which rocked the grounds of the hospital in a backlash of power. Magical energy blazed around the commander of Riot Force 6 in a shining beacon, marking her out as a single soul at the heart of a storm which wiped out countless mutants in its wake, and she slowly lifted her eyes up to where the rest of the Bureau was situated...
Signum watched from her post at the northern fate with a mixture of great astonishment and disbelief as Hayate's spell consumed everything on the hospital's right side, decimating a quarter of the mutant army in a matter of seconds. She rushed forward anxiously in mid-air, sensing that the resulting shockwave was affecting the force-field on all sides and dealing additional damage where the Bureau had not even struck yet. The Velka Knight didn't know whether to be grateful that Hayate had finally given a response, or to be dismayed that the mage had gone ahead and attacked the hospital head-on...
Hayate, what are you doing? You're not supposed to attack yet!
She rubbed her eyes, blinked, and then glanced towards the two other members of her group blearily. This wasn't exactly how she had envisioned her plan to proceed.
"What was that supposed to be?" she said sharply, pointing down at the wave of energy rippling against the gates of the hospital. "Is she trying to take on all the mutants by herself?"
Zafira cleared his throat and stepped forward to stand next to her. "It looks like Hayate has given her signal," he replied. "All four signals have now been received, which means that - "
"That was not a signal, Zafira," Signum said testily. "That was a destructive spell of tremendous proportions which is usually reserved for wiping out entire armies. Our signal flares were harmless displays of colourful light to draw attention, not an attempt to blow up the whole city. I don't know what Hayate was trying to tell us, but that was one hell of a signal."
"It was a little bit over the top," Erio ventured, looking over at the countless dead mutants which now littered the western gate. "Maybe that's just her way of saying she's pleased to see us?"
The Guardian Beast frowned and scratched his head. "Does this still count as a signal?" he asked, perplexed. "The last signal is the indication for everyone to attack the force-field at once, but hasn't she already attacked?"
"We were supposed to launch our attacks at the same time from all sides," the swordswoman said in an exasperated tone of voice. "The plan might not work now that Hayate's already attacked the western gate. However...the spell she used covers such a huge area that it might just have the same effect, as long as everyone manages to fire their spells in time..."
The earth rumbled as Hayate's spell continued to tear into the foundations of the barrier, causing it to creak and weaken substantially at almost every point where it touched the ground. The mutants at the north side were thrown off their feet completely by the ensuing quakes, and some of the weaker creatures were even put out of action for good.
We really should have explained the plan to Hayate first, Signum thought as she charged up Laevatein in her hands. It's not her fault for attacking early, and she probably wanted to give us as much of an advantage as possible. But that spell of hers was so powerful that it's affecting the entire hospital! This isn't exactly how I thought the plan would go, but the opportunity is still there and I'm not going to waste it!
Even though they weren't attacking at the same time like originally planned, the Bureau could still be able to break through the barrier. The magnitude of Hayate's spell had made it possible, but they had to be quick enough to fire their spells before the shockwaves died down completely...
"Storm Falcon!" the swordswoman cried, and unleashed the charged bolt of purple mana directly at the unstable area in the centre of the north gate.
The arrow exploded on impact, scattering the gathered mutants in all directions and causing heavy damage and devastation to the force-field itself. Just like before, tiny cracks began to appear across the face of the protective shield, widening and branching out like veins until they began to break it down slowly from inside. The barrier frantically tried to repair itself on the spot, but Hayate's first spell slammed into it again from the other side and forced it down to a lower energy setting than before...
The docking bay of Grylmark's facility was a vast open chamber of incredible proportions, housing more than a hundred spacecraft and military planes which the old man had collected over the past several decades. A set of raised metal platforms kept each vehicle separated into their individual bays, helping to support their main structure and keeping them from falling apart completely. Unfortunately, none of the crafts were remotely operational any more. The burden of time had taken its toll upon every last one so that all of the ships had fallen into disuse and disrepair, either eroding away or malfunctioning to some degree until there was very little left to hold any of them together. In a sense, the docking bay was closer to a archaeological museum of ancient warships, rather than a foundation for any realistic ambition of taking off into outer space again.
In the years before he had come into possession of this facility, Grylmark had relied on the use of physical transportation to other planets and faraway galaxies. However, those were old times that he had left behind long ago, and the spacecrafts in question had been unable to endure the passing of the ages like he did. New technologies had come to replace the old, advancing civilisation to greater heights until academic miracles became achievable.
The summoner stood in the centre of the docking bay and cast a cursive eye upon the hull of a particular spacecraft which lay hidden in the debris. Out of all the ships that remained, one had lasted through the years better than any of them. It possessed a large range of remarkable features, being well-equipped with a large range of armaments and shielding technology, and capable of altering its form to travel on virtually any terrain – land, sea, lava, sub-zero temperatures, and deep space. A demonic figurehead was mounted on the front, depicting the name of the majestic vehicle: Gargoyle.
Yes, the old man remembered the Gargoyle well, though ironically the ship was far from resembling any sentient mythical being made of stone like its name suggested. If he had not taken on Oguba's powers of time travel, then the Gargoyle would certainly have served as a trustworthy method of escape from Mid-childa, taking him far away from the effects of the dimensional distortion. Sadly, the circuits of the spacecraft had run dead many years ago, just like all of the others, and nobody could fly it anymore. It would be a shame to leave such a magnificent ship behind when he departed this world for good, Grylmark thought to himself, but there was little he could do about it. There was so much history and culture left forgotten in the relics of the past...
All good things must come to an end, yet new products can still be reborn from the ashes that remain. The circle of time continues on and on, extending to a timeline which stretches out to infinity...
A thunderous explosion suddenly came from outside, sending powerful vibrations through the walls of the hospital and causing dust to seep into the room from above. Irritated at the interruption, the summoner moved briskly past the still form of the Gargoyle and the rest of the inactive ships until he was standing by the main control panels at the far side of the chamber. With a brief flick of his wrist, the old man brought the monitors to life. He hadn't expected the Bureau to make their move so soon, but perhaps they were growing restless...
There was a frenzied shout from the outside corridor, and Ungore rushed into the docking bay at a run.
"Grylmark, we're under attack!" the alien cried, their voice coming out thick and hoarse as they fought to catch their breath. "A wave of energy is wrecking our defences from the west and wiping out all the mutants stationed there! If we don't do something, it could break through the barrier!"
The old man raised an eyebrow in response but didn't deign to turn around. Though it wasn't completely unexpected, it appeared that Hayate was attacking separately from the rest of the Bureau's forces surrounding the hospital. Why had she chosen to act by herself? It wasn't strategically sound for her to fire a lone spell which would have minimal effect on the barrier on its own, and didn't seem like the kind of thing she'd resort to. Perhaps she had another plan in mind, but Grylmark couldn't see it.
"You need not worry about Hayate," he replied darkly. "Have you forgotten what I said before, Ungore? For all of her power, she cannot possibly bring down the entire force-field on her own. Pay her no heed and calm yourself."
Ungore glared at him. "You told us that she couldn't possibly touch us," the one-armed creature said accusingly, raising their voice over the rumbling quake which rolled across the facility with greater volume. "You told us that we would be safe here! But I saw the readings in the control room, Grylmark. The strength of the barrier is falling at a dangerous pace. The mutants are being obliterated so fast that they can't be replaced quickly enough!" The alien marched forward angrily towards him. "Give me one good reason why I should believe another word you say, Grylmark! Do you want this place to be our grave?"
Another explosive impact rocked the facility and sent the creature flying to the floor, but Grylmark levitated himself upwards slightly to avoid any significant damage. For just a few moments, a wary look lingered in his eyes. He could sense that the mutants under his control were being rapidly eradicated, giving him cause to worry about how he was supposed to block off the other entrances sufficiently with what was left. Had he made a mistake?
Before, the summoner had been so confident that Hayate would be unable to break through the force-field, but now the scale of her current attack was planting the seeds of doubt into his mind. For the first time, Grylmark wondered if perhaps he had underestimated the mage after all. Hayate was strong, yes, but she couldn't smash through something like this...or could she?
She survived the executors of the Harlaown Program in the middle of curfew without her sight, and now she has returned at the height of her power. This woman is truly a force to be reckoned with. Perhaps I had better take extra precautions after all...
"Let me put your mind at ease, Ungore," he said, turning around to face the alien. "Since you are so worried about the state of the force-field, you can use your skills and abilities to reinforce it yourself." The old man pointed to the active control panel adjacent to the doorway. "Listen closely. That terminal is directly connected to the controlling flow of energy that charges up the western side of the main barrier. If you link your magic with its internal circuits, then you will be able to help repair the barrier manually and at a much greater speed. In addition, you will also be able to send fresh waves of mutants through the gate." He paused for a moment, seeing the other's face change in response. "A word of warning, however. The mental connection is very strong, so any extra damage suffered to the shield will also be felt by your body and mind to some degree. It's your choice."
Ungore's eyes narrowed as they got to their feet. "Very well," the alien said coldly. "I'll make sure that Hayate goes no further!"
They moved forward eagerly and began to concentrate their energy into the console, a mild glow surrounding their body in return. The quakes continued to roll across the base of the hospital, but with relatively less impact than before. Gradually, Grylmark lowered himself down to the ground again, satisfied that Ungore was successfully using their abilties to absorb Hayate's most dangerous attacks. There had been nothing to worry about after all.
You are a mage of very high calibre, Hayate, he thought to himself with a faint smile. But even you cannot hope to take me on alone.
"Woo hoo!" a young girl's voice yelled out cheerfully from the hall. "Where's the food?"
With an exuberant cry, Elsie flew through the open doorway in a near-somersault which almost sent her crashing into the disused ships stationed around the walls of the docking bay. She was followed shortly by Srethis, who paused only to give a silent nod of acknowledgement towards where Ungore was concentrating on the terminal. Without a single towards anyone in the room, the silver-haired girl twirled her balloon around in mid-air and kicked at the air below her to come out of her nose-dive. She began skipping around the docking bay and peering at each of the spacecrafts with great curiosity, showing more than a keen interest in the sleek form of the Gargoyle itself.
"Ah, our late arrivals have finally revealed themselves," Grylmark said disdainfully. "Srethis and Elsie, I allowed you entry into this facility fully fifteen minutes ago. Can you explain what you were doing up to then?"
"Dancing," Elsie said brightly, crouching down to examine the Gargoyle's framework. "Dancing and singing. But enough about that!" She spun around to face the summoner in a flash of silver. "The lizard said you were going to feed me if I came here! Where's my food, Greymon?"
"It's Grylmark," the old man said irritably. "Your food will have to wait, so keep your patience. I will see to it that Srethis and Ungore will feed you later - "
He stopped in mid-sentence when he saw what Elsie was doing. The Labinnac Sister had opened her mouth to clamp onto the edge of the nearest ships and was actually eating away at the metal with her teeth. Srethis and Grylmark both stared at the girl in wide-eyed astonishment as she swallowed whole a multitude of electrical components and thick wiring in front of them, taking them down her throat in a disturbing fashion as easily as if she were chewing vegetables.
The black balloon in her hand pulsed faintly in her other hand, and a feral grin came across Elsie's face as she tore off part of the wing with her teeth. The steel plates of the aircraft were ground into small pieces inside her mouth, disappearing into a small body which should not be able to consume such tough material...
She's eating the spacecraft, Grylmark thought, stunned at the extraordinary sight. He had encountered many strange phenomenons over the years and come into contact with a range of bizarre alien races, but this was on a different level altogether. She's consuming metal and electricity as if it were food! I always knew that the Labinnac Family was a unique crowd, but I didn't expect Elsie to be quite like this. Kagura showed no signs of such strange eating habits, but Kagura has always been slightly different from the rest of the Labinnac Sisters. With Elsie, however...how is she able to bite through such thick metal using only normal human teeth? Is magic involved?
The summoner didn't wait to dwell on the nature of the girl's abilities, however. What he did know was that Elsie had just devoured almost an entire ship in front of his eyes. She was also coming very close to making short work of the Gargoyle, and he was more than a little fond of that particular craft.
"That's enough!" he said sharply, stepping between the strange girl and what remained of the other spacecraft. "You are not allowed to eat any of my ships! If you must eat, then find something else to feed on!"
Elsie's face fell, her mouth still crammed full of circuits and wires. "But I'm still hungry," she whined. "Kagura onee-chan said it's okay if I feed on electricity every now and again, but this just isn't filling me up at all. It's too old and too dead...but I guess it'll do for now." Her eyes lit up suddenly. "Can I play with them instead? I've always wanted to fly in a spaceship!"
"No!" Grylmark drew himself up impatiently, knowing that they did not have time for this. "No eating and no flying! You would not be able to fly them, regardless." He swept one arm before him, indicating the wide expanse of broken spacecrafts which would never leave the ground again. "It takes many years to learn to pilot one of these models, and these crafts have not been working for a long, long time. Now cease your idiocy, Elsie, and stand with me to destroy the Bureau! I will not hear another word of this from you!" He rose forward in the air, preparing to address all three of them as one. "Since everybody is finally gathered here, I have an announcement to make - "
There was a sudden hum of power from behind him and the dual rockets at the rear of the largest spacecraft roared to life, drowning out the rest of his sentence in a searing wave of blue-white energy. Guns and cannons extended out of the ship's open compartments and began to circulate against one another, turning to target random locations around the docking bay. As everybody looked on in amazement, purple and red external lights shone forth to flood the centre of the chamber with a bright warm glow.
"Woo hoo!" Elsie cried, sitting comfortably inside the pilot seat of the Gargoyle. "I've got it working! Isn't this great?"
The Gargoyle rose into the air under her control and lifted up two giant crane-like arms from its hull. It teetered from side to side uncertainly, swinging the metal arms through the air wildly and then smashed them into the ship next to it. As the Labinnac pressed another switch lazily, twin laser beams shot out of the side of her craft and incinerated the remains of the hapless vessel.
Grylmark opened his mouth to yell at her again, but then decided better of it and kept his anger in check. Instead, he tried looked at the advantageous side of things. Here was perfect proof of Elsie's skill and adaptability that would make a great mercenary of her, perhaps even rivalling the talents of her sister. How in the world had she managed to make the Gargoyle operational so quickly? That vessel had been out of action for nearly a decade by now, and it was no easy task to control...
How interesting, the summoner mused. She consumed the dormant energy from the other ships and transmuted it into raw power, which was fed into the Gargoyle's circuits and revived it again. This girl is much more useful than she seems, even if she drives me up the wall. Now how do I stop her from destroying all of the other ships?
"Elsie!" he thundered, curling his hands into gnarled fists. "You cannot "play" with that ship. Stop smashing up all of my transportation vehicles! They were very expensive!"
"But it's so much fun!"
The old man clenched his right fist tighter until Oguba's tendrils of magic began to seep out from beneath his skin. He didn't really want to release time magic at a time like this. The space-time continuum was already so unstable.
"I do not care!" he shouted back at the silver-haired girl as she blasted another vehicle into pieces. "You are not here to play, girl! Land that ship immediately and get back down here! The Bureau is right outside the gates!"
A sudden explosive impact hit the hospital from outside, throwing Srethis and Ungore off their feet and even disorientating Grylmark slightly. In the front seat of the Gargoyle, Elsie sensed the commotion and hesitated warily, before reluctantly landing the ship at the end of the docking bay with keen and gentle precision. Whatever powers afforded to her by the Labinnac Family had evidently allowed her near-perfect control of the complicated spacecraft.
"What wass that jusst now?" Srethis said quietly, picking themselves up painfully. "Wass that...Hayate?"
Ungore shook their head. "Hayate has been attacking us from the west ever since you two got back. That explosion came from the northern gate." The alien whirled around in realisation to face Grylmark. "But if it wasn't Hayate, then..."
The old mark grinned as Elsie pulled herself free from the Gargoyle. Only in times of dire need could he actually command the attention of his lackeys for more than a minute, it seemed. Hopefully, it would be the last time he would need to do so. As much as Grylmark would have enjoyed doing battle with the Bureau once more, they were no higher on his list of priorities than Hayate was.
"I see that you have finally become aware of the gravity of the situation," he said. "Did you really expect the Bureau to stand idly by whilst Hayate threw herself against our gates? They have chosen to assist her with all the power at their disposal." He pointed to the set of monitors set into the wall, similar in appearance to the one that Ungore had been focusing on. "Srethis and Elsie, your skills are needed! Ungore cannot protect this place from Hayate and the Bureau at the same time. Pour your magic and energy into those terminals and reinforce the north gate with everything you have!"
Another tremor shook the ground, lending greater influence to his words. Dazed, Srethis struggled forward to access the nearest terminal, managing to remain upright as they did so. Elsie, for her part, flew around in a circle around the docking bay and decided to ignore every single word that Grylmark had said.
"It iss the Wolkenritter," the lizard hissed, their green eyes widening as they used the monitor to swiftly analyze the attacks at the northern gate. "Yess, there iss no quesstion about it...the Wolkenritter have come to take back Vita!" They turned around towards the summoner imploringly. "Grylmark, you musst releasse Vita at once! We do not want to wage war with the Bureau at a time like this, and if we let Vita go - "
The old man was having none of it. "Silence, Srethis," he said contemptuously. "I will do no such thing. Are you not aware by now of Vita's importance to my plans? Think what you will of my actions, but you should know that I do not believe in the weakness of hostage situations: Vita will remain here until I am completely finished with her." Thankfully, he thought to himself, he would not need Vita for much longer at all. The Guardian Knight represented many long years of an ambitious project that Grylmark had dedicated himself in heart and soul, and he refused to let it all go to waste. For some, time was only a fleeting sensation...
A flicker of irritation passed across the summoner's face, and he turned to glare at the silver-haired girl zooming close to the ceiling. "Elsie!" he demanded, practically at his wit's end with putting up with her nonsense. "What do you think you are doing?"
"Floating," the Labinnac said cheerily. "Floating through life."
Grylmark gritted his teeth angrily. It was so difficult to tell a Labinnac what to do sometimes; Kagura, for instance, would put a bullet in your brain if she even suspected that you were trying to manipulate her, which was why you had to tread around her very lightly indeed. He was used to having people do what he wanted, whether by blackmail or a very persuasive series of cunning arguments. There was a reason why Srethis and Ungore were so keen to carry out his every order, despite his betrayal of their previous organisation, and Grylmark knew that that reason could easily be their downfall in the end.
"Come down here and help Srethis," he said to Elsie with forced calm in his voice. "As a Labinnac, you can power up the force-field to a very high degree. With your assisting us, the Bureau will never be able to gain entry."
Ungore looked up from their terminal to cast a look of great loathing in his direction. "I don't see you doing anything worthwhile, Grylmark," the alien growled. "How exactly do you plan to escape from the dimensional distortion? We have yet to hear a word from you about the matter."
"Patience, Ungore," the summoner replied, deliberately turning away from them. "You may receive an answer to your questions far sooner than you might think. For now, concentrate on repelling the Bureau's forces." He clasped his hands together and closed his eyes, feeling Oguba's power resonate strongly inside him. "This isn't over yet."
Fate was watching the hospital from the south with Rein and Agito by her side when Hayate's spell unexpectedly appeared at the western gate. Before she could register what was going on, a black wave of energy expanded in the blink of an eye across the entire length of the force-field and engulfed the building in a mass of devastating magical power. Even from this distance, the scale of the damage was high enough to wipe out the nearest horde of mutants in their hundreds, and even felled the enemies positioned at the other gates. Instinctively, the Enforcer shielded her eyes from the great rippling shockwaves which followed the attack, her face filled with trepidation at the sight.
What the...? Hayate? You're not supposed to attack yet!
Earthquakes rumbled across the hospital grounds and scattered the remaining mutants like dominoes. As Fate tried to keep her bearings, she found that she had mixed feelings in general about what she had just witnessed. On one hand, she was very glad that Hayate had responded to the rest of the Bureau and that she would be fighting alongside everybody, but...this wasn't how the plan was meant to go. The Bureau was supposed to launch their combined attack upon Grylmark's base of operations, and now they wouldn't be moving in sync anymore...
Shaking her head in confusion, Fate looked towards her designated target at the southern gate. Many of the enemies on her side had been felled by the tremors from Hayate's spell, giving her the welcome opportunity to fire a spell straight into the centre of the barrier with minimal resistance. With a start, the blonde mage realised that it must be like this on every side of the complex: Hayate's attack was so widespread that it had given a small opening to every squad of mages surrounding the building. If they didn't take immediate action, then that window of opportunity would soon disappear; the mutants would recover their senses and be able to block the effect of the Bureau's combined attacks. Whatever happened, everyone had to strike now.
But was this really the last signal they had all been waiting for? Did it actually count? Fate couldn't be certain: there had definitely been a breakdown in communication somewhere. How was everyone supposed to attack at the same time when one of their number had already fired their spell ahead of time?
"What are we supposed to do now?" Rein said with a puzzled look on her face. "Do we go ahead and attack the barrier anyway?"
Agito nodded swiftly without hesitation, her face saying it all. The unison device was determined to get inside the facility as quickly as possible. "I'm not waiting a second longer, Rein! Vita could be dying in there!"
"But is that really the best idea? What if everyone attacks at different times and we can't bring down the force-field after all?"
Fate wondered about that herself. Nanoha and Signum were leading the other two groups, so how would they react? Would they bide their time and wait for something else to happen, something which would give them a better idea as to what to do next...or would they take this opportunity that Hayate had given them and continue with the rest of the plan as normal?
Somehow, she had a feeling that Nanoha wasn't prepared to wait any more, not with the dimensional distortion fast approaching. Signum, too, would not be willing to delay Vita's rescue further. Everyone would be keen to press on and see where this would lead them...
"We're going to continue as normal," the Enforcer decided. The mutants had been taken off-guard and her target was framed right in her sights. There would not be a better chance than this. "We're taking Hayate's attack as the final signal. Rein and Agito, get ready to attack! Thunder Blade!"
She swung Bardiche forward and unleashed a storm of golden blades which slammed into the surface of the force-field surrounding the southern gate, spearing through any monsters which tried to block her attack. Carefully, Fate brought her spell into greater focus so that the swords moved in to concentrate on the centre of the force-field, trying to pinpoint the unstable area of magic as closely as possible. Even at this range, she couldn't miss.
"Break!"
The swords all exploded as one, wrecking a spectacular amount of damage upon the gate itself and driving the shield back from the south. Moments later, Signum's spell smashed into the facility from the north and the entire barrier shuddered in response...
Inside the hospital, Srethis and Ungore were still trying to strengthen the force-field against the Bureua's first two attacks, pouring their magic and energy through the terminals in order to maintain a strong connection. As Fate's attack reverberated against the shield in a terrific burst of power, the internal wiring and circuits of the consoles began to overheat at a rapid pace; soon enough, smoke had risen from the back of the terminals until the two creatures could smell their own flesh burning. Without warning, an explosion of magic lashed out between the control panels and Srethis and Ungore were thrown violently across the room with a pained cry. Chain lightning burst straight through the screen of Ungore's console, devastating what was left of the circuitry and lancing into the floor dangerously.
"There's another one!" the alien cried, nursing their wounds fearfully. "Now the Bureau is attacking from the south as well!" They clutched at their head, a panicked look in their eyes. "First Hayate, then the Wolkenritter, and now this as well...We can't hold the force-field against three sides at once!"
"Thiss iss too much," Srethis whispered, backing away from the smoke as far as they could. "We sshould have let Vita go insstead of fighting like thiss..."
Seeing this, Grylmark let out a curse between clenched teeth, the temptation to use Oguba's power now stronger than ever. How could this be happening? Despite all of his best preparations, the Bureau was starting to break through the barrier! He could sense it himself with his own magic: waves of mutants were dropping like flies before the combined spells of Fate, Signum and Hayate, mutants which should have impeded the Bureau's progress for another hour at the very least. The entire chamber was shaking from the impact of the powerful attacks, though fortunately the foundations were still strong enough to prevent the place from caving in altogether, and the old man knew for sure that the same thing was happening everywhere else in the hospital. There were cracks, too, deep cracks in the outermost layer of the force-field which had been opened up by the TSAB and were widening with every passing second...at this rate, the force-field would not last much longer...
I have tried to be realistic about our chances here. I reasoned that the Bureau would eventually be able to gain entry, but not before waging a long, tedious siege against my mutants which would deplete their numbers and leave them too drained of energy to pose any real threat. But this...! It's been barely twenty minutes and yet they're already on the verge of destroying the force-field completely! I reinforced this shield with Oguba's time energy myself – no one should be able to damage it with just one spell! How can the TSAB be this strong? They're supposed to be separated from one another, unable to get their bearings or fight properly...What have I done wrong? Where did I miscalculate?
The floor lurched again, and Grylmark almost lost his balance completely. Quickly, he grabbed at one of the raised platforms nearby to stabilise himself, realising that he was quickly running out of options. There...there wasn't enough time! Less than three hours remained until the dimensional distortion took full effect upon this world, and he still had to run the last procedures on Vita. Unfortunately, the summoner knew that he wouldn't be able to do that until the Guardian Knight had reached her fully awakened state and her precious HX chip had been completely extracted. Until that happened, there was no question of him leaving this place at all, no matter how much time magic circulated inside him...
This must stop, Grylmark thought, seizing a potent stream of Oguba's power through his fists. The terminals on the wall seemed as if they would explode from inside at any moment, and Srethis and Ungore were too afraid to approach the panels anymore. He had not expected to be forced to step in and use his own abilities to stop the Bureau here, but it seemed he had no choice -
Before he could do so, however, Elsie casually swooped past him and hurled a giant icicle into each of the burning consoles. Almost immediately, the overheated panels were engulfed by sub-zero temperatures which broke through the smoke in a matter of seconds, and great clouds of steam billowed out of the screens instead. The Bureau's siege against the hospital slowed down significantly, allowing the force-field to begin vital repairs on itself.
"I'll take the south," the silver-haired girl said with a slight smile, fragments of ice crystals dropping from her fingertips as she danced across the room.
There was dead silence as the others looked at her with a mixture of astonishment and outrage, but the Labinnac ignored them completely and made her way to one of the undamaged terminals. It didn't take her long to open up a connection to the force-field and use her magic to aid its recovery. Before long, even the earthquakes had disappeared altogether.
"How generous of you to lend a hand, Elsie," Grylmark said quietly with ill-hidden malice. "Considering that you possess enough power to hold up a large percentage of the force-field, couldn't you have thought to do so before the shield was about to collapse?" His cold stare settled on her, but did not seem to have the desired effect. "Instead of waiting until the last minute, perhaps you could have helped out when I told you to?"
Elsie acted as if he hadn't said a word, concentrating mildly on the screen in front of her. "I like this one," she said curiously, twirling her balloon string around her fingers absent-mindedly. "Whoever's firing from the south must be pretty strong, which means that I can have some fun again. And really, what's the point of doing anything if it's not going to be fun?"
"You can defend three sides of the facility by yourself?" Ungore said in disbelief. "Why didn't you say so earlier? Now Srethis and I don't have to keep getting hurt! We can just sit back and - "
A wave of magical energy suddenly slammed against the edge of the force-field, cutting off the alien in mid-sentence as the quakes started to return with as much force as before; evidently, Hayate's spell was still in effect around the hospital and as powerful as ever. Quickly, Elsie tried to raise the strength of the barrier on her side, a slightly worried look coming into her silver eyes, but another fierce crackle of magic pummelled against the facility from the north and the west. Despite her best efforts, the Bureau were still maintaining their attack and pushing the shield back again.
Grylmark had had quite enough of this. He hadn't expected to spend so much time overseeing the defence of the facility, but circumstances had not exactly been going his way recently. Nevertheless, things seemed to have quietened down considerably for him to be able to take his leave.
"Srethis and Ungore, get back to your posts at once," he ordered. "Your terminals will probably be unusable now. Take control of the ones next to them and hold the north and west perimeters with all of your power. You must not let the Bureau gain entry." He drew himself up to his full and imposing height, turning away to stride out into the main corridor with his robes trailing behind him. "I cannot spare any further time or resources to stay here any longer, so I will leave the defence of this facility in your capable hands. If Elsie needs assistance at any point, then give it to her."
Sparks of Fate's magic flew across Elsie's terminal, but the silver-haired girl absorbed the impact and repelled the charge skilfully. Srethis and Ungore were not so lucky, however, and were forced to work harder to reinforce their respective sides of the barrier. From Grylmark's perspective, the situation was touch-and-go at the moment, but at least the Bureau would not find it so easy to break through anymore. As far as he was concerned, that was what mattered right now. He knew he had made the right choice in selecting Elsie to join them.
"You are leaving uss, Grylmark?" Srethis said suspiciously, their green eyes straying towards his departing figure for a moment. "You...you would not leave uss behind to die, would you?"
The old man stopped in the doorway, surprise flickering across their features. "Srethis, you have such a low opinion of me," he said. "I promise you now that we will meet again before the world ends."
"Then where are you going?" Ungore demanded. "If you dare to betray us like you did with Red Scorpion - "
Another great tremor shook the docking bay, and the alien's attention quickly shot back to the screen in front of them. With beads of sweat forming on their forehead, the one-armed creature managed to repair a small fragment of the force-field on the western side, aware that another attack could put their efforts to waste in no time.
"I have no such intention, you fools," the summoner said irritably. "I simply have a time schedule to keep. As you may have noticed, we are all running spectacularly low on time. If you wish to escape this world alive with me, then I suggest you stay where you are and make sure the Bureau does not gain entry!" He stormed out of the docking bay, the last of his patience all but extinguished. "Those are my last orders to you, Srethis and Ungore! It is all I ask!"
The force-field shook and buckled around the hospital yet again, but Grylmark paid it no heed as he left the last of his companions behind him and made his way through the winding corridors. His true destination was held firmly in his sights, a place that very few people were able to reach, and he did not intend to let the Bureau stop him now when there was still so much to lose. No, the old man was determined to make sure that even Nanoha wouldn't get in his way this time. She would be far too preoccupied with the situation with Oguba, which was why there would be a little surprise waiting in store for her, assuming she made it that far...
It's time to check up on you, Vita. You are the key to the project I have worked on for so many years.
Deaf to all but the beat of his own ambition, Grylmark headed deeper and deeper into the inner chambers of the complex, anxious to get an update on the Guardian Knight confined within...
Nanoha's heart pounded in her chest as everything around her started happening at once. For the past several minutes, she had been waiting with baited breath for any sign of activity from Hayate's location, hoping that her friend would recognise the significance of the three signals that the Bureau had cast into the air. When there had been no action or visible acknowledgement at all, the combat mage had feared the worst, thinking that the TSAB really would remain at a standstill...
That was when the magic of the Tome of the Night Sky suddenly engulfed the western gate of the hospital in an open attack. At first, the Ace of Aces didn't know what was happening, and simply stared in stunned silence with Tiana and Shamal, watching as hundreds of mutants were wiped out in less than a minute. Why had Hayate literally attacked Grylmark's facility head-on without anyone to assist her? Seconds later, however, a huge wave of golden and purple magic struck the force-field from the north and south with explosive results, and Nanoha's breath caught in her throat.
Fate and Signum have begun their attack! she thought with sudden realisation. They must have seen Hayate's spell as the fourth and last signal! Now is the time for everyone to strike the force-field from all sides!
But if they did that, the Bureau wouldn't be attacking simultaneously anymore, would they? Even with Hayate's massive area of effect on her spell, there was a small delay between the spells fired from each squad. It wasn't something that anyone had much influence over, because each group was based at a different distance from Hayate's location. Depending on how far away they were situated from the western gate of the facility, everyone's reaction time would be slightly different.
My group is based here in the east, which means that we're further away from Hayate than anybody else. That's why I wasn't immediately aware of what she was doing. Fate and Signum were closer, however, which explains why they've released their own spells already. I need to hurry up and release my attack quickly! I don't know how much the delay between each attack could cost us!
The combat mage hesitated as another thought came to her: the whole idea behind everyone firing at the same time was to achieve a greater initial impact and force on their target using the combined spells of the Bureau. That was something which you wouldn't get by attacking individually. If she chose a spell with a long-lasting effect or a powerful penetrative nature, then maybe she could make up for the brief loss of time. It was a small thing, but it could be the difference between breaking through the force-field or wasting lots of unnecessary energy in one go...
"Tiana, hold on to Shamal," Nanoha said, thinking quickly. She lowered the sharpshooter off her arm so that the medical mage could carry her instead, just for a short while. "Stay behind me, both of you. I'll need two hands for this, and it's going to get a little dangerous."
"You mean it isn't dangerous already?"
With single-minded determination, the combat mage moved forward and shifted Raging Heart into Excelion Mode. Multiple wings of pink magical energy spread out at the base of her device to support the surge of power, already beginning to charge up her chosen spell as she willed it. Within moments, the Acceleration Charge System kicked in as well to assist her, and the Ace of Aces put on a rapid burst of speed to accompany her attack as she flew closer and closer to the eastern gate of the hospital. She could use Divine Buster again, but even that might not be enough in the circumstances...
"Barrel Shot!"
A blaze of pink mana crackled forth from Raging Heart's tip to connect squarely with her target, and the combat mage soon felt the supportive effects of the spell bring everything into sharper focus. At this range, Nanoha could sense the crippling effects of the Bureau's attacks on the rest of the force-field, and realised that they were closer to succeeding in this than ever before. Hayate's bombardment spell was buffeting from side to side around the entire barrier and wrecking heavy damage where it touched the ground, Signum's spell was blasting the northern defences apart, and Fate's powerful attack was gradually pushing the force-field back from the south. They couldn't back down now!
The Ace of Ace's spell made direct contact with the eastern gate, and she felt a moderate vibration pass through the air as the great shield receded before her slightly. It wasn't enough to bring it down, but that hadn't been Nanoha's intention. Barrel Shot was only a prerequisite spell which allowed her to perform a much more deadly attack, emphasised further by the effects of the Acceleration Charge System...
"Excelion Buster!" she cried with all her might. "Break...SHOOT!"
A brilliant orb of destructive energy expanded from Raging Heart's tip and screamed forth in a powerful beam of magic, tearing into the unstable central point of the eastern barrier with obliterative force. Nanoha felt the roar of the wind in her ears as the whole world went completely white around her, holding herself strong and resolute as a violent crack came from the weakened force-field, giving herself over to exerting as much force as she dared. The few mutants that remained in the vicinity of the spell found it impossible to come anywhere near her, and were blasted off the ground completely. Behind her, Shamal and Tiana kept pace with the combat mage at a relatively safe distance, both of them shielding their eyes from the bright glow of magic that had erupted from her weapon...
She pressed her attack further, sensing that similar cracks were opening up all over the barrier where the rest of the Bureau were besieging the facility. For several more seconds, the force-field put up a brave fight under its occupiers' control, maintaining a strong defence against the four spells which were ripping it apart from the inside whilst desperately trying to repair the extensive damage done to each of the gates. Within the hospital, Srethis, Ungore and Elsie were frantically trying to re-energise the barrier with all the magic at their disposal, struggling just to keep it active for a few more precious seconds even as the new terminals burst into flames and showered them with electric sparks...
For an instant, Nanoha even sensed the faint presence of Oguba's magic inside the shield itself, and wondered if that was why it was so hard to take down. For Grylmark to actually reinforce the barrier with time magic...No, she wasn't really worried about that. She was no stranger to fighting any essence of Oguba: she had done it before, and expected to do so again. If she couldn't break past a small manipulation of time magic right here, then what were her chances of confronting the Lost Logia within the three hours that remained?
You're not stopping us here, Grylmark! I'm not giving up now!
Staggered from the powerful attacks that confronted it on each side, the force-field could no longer hold itself together anymore; the cracks in each of the four gates had now widened into great crevices, joining together into one giant hole around the perimeter which threatened to cut the barrier into pieces altogether. More strains of magical energy seeped in through the breach and added to the damage, until the hospital's defences had reached a truly criticial state.
With a high-pitched, piercing sound that shook the heavens, the entire shield shattered in a tremendous explosion which consumed the horizon of Uminari City. All of the pent-up magical energy which had kept the barrier going for so long was abruptly released into the sky, and Nanoha gradually let the effects of her spell die away. She felt the energy of the shield rain down on top of her, but ignored the soft harmless brush of the particles against her skin, almost savouring the feeling.
The combat mage brought herself to a stop above the great building as the colour of the sky gradually returning to normal. Below her, the hospital facility lay open and exposed with no active trace of the force-field remaining. Some small charges of magical residue ran across the ground with very little effect, but that was all. A smile came across Nanoha's face as she looked upon the sight – the plan had succeeded! The Bureau had succeeded in smashing the barrier forever!
We did it, she whispered in her mind triumphantly. We finally did it! The barrier is down for good!
"Nanoha, you did it!" Tiana cried excitedly, carried in the sky by Shamal to stand by her side. "The force-field's been destroyed completely! You really did it!"
"We did it," the Ace of Aces replied, knowing that this was thanks to the combined efforts of the Bureau as a whole. Her grip upon Raging Heart's hilt had not lessened, however, and she knew why: this had only been the beginning of their real battle to defeat Oguba and return to their own time. Swiftly, she turned around to face the other two women. "Everyone else will be able to enter the hospital now, so let's not disappoint them. We should be able to meet up with the rest of the Bureau once we get inside."
"At last," Shamal said, smiling with quiet anticipation. "Now our path is clear, Nanoha. Let's get inside as quickly as possible and find Vita."
The combat mage raised a hand to stop her. "Be careful," she cautioned the medical mage. "There are still small clusters of mutants in the area who survived the main attack, so we can't let our guard down. Apart from that, I think we should be fine. " Nanoha took a deep breath and cast her gaze down onto the undefended facility, barely able to suppress her excitement. "It's time to head down to the ground and enter the facility. Let's go!"
As their group flew down towards the eastern gate of the hospital, her pulse raced at the thought of what exactly they would find within. What exactly was Grylmark planning? Would he and his allies be preparing to ambush them as soon as they set foot within, or had they already turned tail and fled? One thing was for sure: Nanoha knew for certain that somewhere in that facility, Oguba was waiting for her, and her alone. From what Yuuno had told her, it was inevitable that she and the Lost Logia would meet face-to-face. She also had her own suspicions about who Oguba really was, which meant that things were about to get very interesting.
We've managed to gain entry to the hospital, she thought. Now comes the difficult part.