The five remaining members of the House of Yagami gathered together in the antechamber as the seconds ticked by, ready to execute the next stage of the time switch. In the concealment of the outlying doorway, Noriko and Lideri were speaking to each other in low voices about what would happen next; they both knew that the mistress of the house disliked having too many people in the same room with her at once, and took care to respect her wishes. It wouldn't be long until only the highest ranking staff members would be left as they all departed this dying world, one by one...
Inside, Yagami faced away from everyone else in her wheelchair and pressed her fingers acutely against her temples, perhaps trying to ease an internal pain which troubled her. A small tremble had taken hold of her shoulder where the muscles had grown taut, though it was not due to any fear or terror. No one dared to approach or engage with her, nor attempt to read her bottled up feelings and emotions caged inside, but Suzuka stood by her mistress' side as always to lend any help or support . The purple-haired steward's kindly smile had not shifted by a single iota ever since the day had begun. Before them, Arisa stood at ease with her legs slightly apart and her sword at her waist like an immovable guardian of the mansion, patiently overlooking the current situation.
"I'm just a little perplexed by this, that's all," the brown-haired maid was saying to Lideri in hushed tones, out of earshot of the other staff members. "Time travel is just so...new to me. I understand the Family's need for survival, but why me? Why would Yagami-sama want me to accompany her to the other side?"
"We all have our special skills, Noriko," replied the librarian pleasantly. The head maid had always been well-liked by the Family, with her attractive temperament and easy-going attitude, and Lideri shared the same fondness for her. "When we reach our ultimate destination, a new stronghold will be constructed in the likeness of this mansion. You've become as much a part of the Family as any of us, so it is only fitting that you share in our future. Besides, somebody has to clean the house."
Noriko sighed, her grey eyes looking past yearningly. "I suppose so," she admitted. "But surely that's not all, is it? Each and every one of us has something that makes us special. You have your vast knowledge and spells, Lideri. That's something of real use in any environment. Dr Kaizen has her medicine, Wyvern has his engineering talents, Arisa has her combat skills, and Suzuka..." The head maid stopped to think for a moment, but then decided better of speaking it out loud. "Never mind what Suzuka can do. But what am I really here for? Is my only purpose to sweep the floors and dust the hallways? Anyone can do that, and it just makes me feel a bit...replaceable."
"You're not replaceable, dearie," Lideri said gently, putting a sympathetic hand on the other woman's arm. "There's no one else in Uminari City with the kind of memory that you possess. You are worth something here, and as time goes by you'll become even more valuable. You'll see. There are people all over Mid-childa who will never fully understand their worth in life, Noriko; you should rise above them and show that you can do better. The Family needs every single one of us in order to function at its highest potential." She brought her hand away and met the other woman's eyes softly. "Always remember that, even if people tell you different."
The short-haired maid smiled awkwardly. "I know," she said. "You're right, of course. I couldn't possibly cope with living anywhere except here. I tried working in other places before now, of course, I really did try...but every time I did, it never really seemed right. People would get hurt, or upset for no real reason. I feel that things like that make much more sense over here, Lideri." She relaxed her shoulders and then gazed back at the old woman with a sparkle in her eye. "But I'm just delaying the process, aren't I? Let's get this over with before Arisa starts losing patience." The maid shook herself and grinned excitedly. "I'm going to travel in time! Woo hoo!"
"You're such a child," the librarian chided her, as Noriko held out her Yagami Bracelet towards her. "Just hold still, now."
With practised ease she released a small spark of energy from her fingertips, bracing herself as it made contact with the device and reacted instantaneously. Having carried out the procedure a few times by now, Lideri was feeling quite used to the whole experience, but it was still an effort to maintain her composure. She watched as time magic roared to life around the maid's body and pressed against Noriko's skin in a small compressed whirlwind of blue mist, the light of its glow intensifying until the librarian was forced to shield her eyes from the blinding sight; for the third time today a gateway was being opened up to another universe, a place where the Family would be able to escape and rebuild their legacy beyond the skies...
To her faint surprise, there was no deafening storm of magic which heralded the opening of the artificial portal, no blast of power like before. Any sounds made by the time switch were quite subdued in comparison to when Wyvern and Dr Kaizen had gone through. Noriko barely seemed to feel a thing as she was taken away through the shifting gateway, the words of the activation spell passing through her lips in a near whisper.
Does time travel have a different effect on each of us? the old librarian wondered to herself as the surge of energy gradually died down, leaving only an empty space where the head maid had once stood. When Wyvern went through the portal, the noise was tremendous and almost unbearable to my ears; when I did it again with Dr Kaizen, the process was only slightly more tolerable. Now with Noriko, the overally experience is almost calming in itself. Could it be that the proximity of the dimensional distortion to this world is having an effect upon the time-space continuum from our relative position? With that logic, would it be easier to make concurrent transitions through time?
Lideri made a mental note to read up on it once she had the chance – if such a chance ever became available, that is. Noriko had gone through the portal without too much trouble, so the Family's attention would now transfer to the next available staff member. Usually, the librarian would have thought that Arisa would be next to go through, but...
All eyes were on her as she walked back into the antechamber. Yagami was still facing away from everybody as she stared into her mirror as usual, but the reflection of the mistress' gaze was directed squarely at the old woman nonetheless. At her side, Suzuka was typing away into a handheld device in one hand, perhaps making preparations for her own journey. The purple-haired steward lifted her head for a moment as Lideri came in, giving her a small glimpse of that mysterious subtle smile she always wore, and then went back to her notes again without saying a word.
"Has Noriko made the time switch?" Arisa asked, an expectant tone in her voice. When the librarian nodded her assent, the head of security seemed both satisfied and mildly relieved. "We're proceeding on schedule, then. The next person to go through will be Felicity, under Yagami-sama's express wishes."
Lideri returned the blonde woman's gaze without saying anything, resisting the temptation to raise an eyebrow. At times like this, actions spoke louder than words. Felicity would be the next person to go through? How were they expected to pull this one off? Nobody had directly approached Felicity Labinnac in many years, save to deliver her her next meal, and the last person to do so had been left with far fewer limbs than before. The only people who came into contact with her were prisoners to be tortured at the highest level, under Yagami's orders, which was how Exoria had almost ended up like during her last foolish visit.
Felicity is not somebody you want to deal with at a close distance, the librarian thought to herself. She is a living weapon which answers to no one. If we really intend to initiate the time switch with her, then we will have to get much closer to her physically than any of us would like...
"I'm waiting," Yagami said chillingly.
Though she spoke quietly, the mistress' voice had a remarkable effect on the women around her. Arisa and Lideri exchanged tense glances with one another, knowing that a decision had to be made quickly. In the background, Suzuka continued to type away busily as if none of this concerned her.
"Very well," the librarian said with great reluctance. "I will go to her. Felicity can sense my magic from a mile off, and she is unlikely to harm an old woman." The words felt hollow in her mouth, as if she had just agreed to write out her own epitaph already. "Besides, she cannot open the portal without me."
"Felicity is not under our control," Arisa said. The nature of her words emulated concern, but Lideri had known the head of security a long time and could tell that she was just being pragmatic. "She could kill you down there, Lideri. If that happens, then none of us will be able to do the time switch."
"Not so. You only need magic to activate the Yagami Bracelets, Arisa. Magic is the key. If all else fails, then you have Suzuka to aid you with that."
The purple-haired steward smiled reservedly upon hearing her name mentioned, though her eyes remained fixed to the screen in front of her. "How very noble of you, Lideri," she said sweetly. "Sacrifice yourself for the greatness of the House of Yagami. But aren't you forgetting something? Felicity does not have a Yagami Bracelet. She will have no connection to the time portal."
"I know that. I know that," the old woman grumbled. "But I think we should be able to get around that with the help of Felicity's prestigious abilities. She is a truly ancient creature, after all, and possesses a wide range of techniques and immunities handed down to her from the Labinnac Family. If we can replicate the effect of the Yagami Bracelet in her situation, then all will go as planned." Lideri turned her face towards the uniformed woman standing before her. "This will be a very delicate process for me," she said thickly. "Arisa, I would value having you by my side for support."
The head of security shrugged. "As much as I would like to offer my life alongside yours, I have my own obligations to think about," she said lightly. "As you well know, I am an important asset to the House of Yagami. Weaponry, defence systems, finances, security codes, recruitment...my responsibilities are nearly endless. If I die, then the Family will struggle terribly in my absence." Arisa inclined her head and brushed a lock of blonde hair across her forehead. "You may think this cold of me, Lideri, but why should I back you up? If Felicity decides to make a meal out of you, then even my skills can't save you."
"You could pull me out of harm's way before she dismembers me," the librarian said darkly. "Or speak to her at the very least. She knows you, Arisa."
A harsh crack sounded from the front of the room. It was the sound of Yagami twisting the arm of her wheelchair in impatience and anger.
"Enough of this arguing," the mistress hissed, turning her wheelchair round to face them. Her face was a mask of disgust and anger, lined with torment and darkness. "You are not Sinners. You are members of this Family, united in everything you do. Fear should have no place in your hearts, whether or not a Labinnac Sister is involved, and you would do well to embrace that ideology. Do I make myself completely clear?"
The two women muttered their apologies and excused, but Yagami wasn't listening out for an answer. She lifted one hand to her right expectantly and Suzuka dutifully placed the typing device into her grasp. "Arisa," she commanded. "You will accompany Lideri and keep her alive. Ensure that Felicity executes the time switch, and then return here immediately for your own transition." Her left hand slammed down onto the damaged arm of her wheelchair. "I have no patience for this foolishness! Time is trickling through our fingers, Mid-childa is falling apart, and you choose to argue? Do as I say, right now, or you are no better than just another common Sinner!"
Rein and Agito flew swiftly through each level of the hospital facility as they searched for the other members of the Time-Space Administration Bureau. The two unison devices had been unwilling to leave Fate behind at first, knowing that she was facing a dangerous enemy alone, but kept faith that the blonde mage would be able to handle herself. There wasn't enough time for them to stop and fight every single enemy who turned up, and with little over two hours remaining it could take forever to navigate the maze of hallways within the massive complex. All they could do now was use what skills they possessed to support the rest of the Bureau in any way possible.
Countless traps littered the circular route they had chosen through the hospital, but the unison devices were able to use their small size to their advantage, passing through potentially hazardous regions without triggering any frightful explosions or attacks of any kind. Although the corridors were narrow and restrictive to a mage of average size, Rein and Agito found that they could soar forward at high speed and zigzag through any obstructions in their path. Many of Grylmark's carefully-laid traps were only set off by pressure plates or the sudden motion of larger objects. They were not designed to pinpoint the movements of unison devices, nor anything close to them.
"Where are we going?" Agito said frantically as they ascended the third staircase in a row, reaching a floor which looked completely identical to the one they'd just left. "Everything here looks the same! Shouldn't we have found Signum's group by now?"
Rein pushed in front of her friend to see further ahead, but saw that the passage led to a dead end and that they had to turn back. "I think we're lost," she confessed. "Maybe we could use sensory magic to find the others? But what if that sets off one of the traps?"
The red-haired unison device grabbed her hand to stop her. "How many floors have we gone past?" she said impatiently. "Five? Six? Normal mages can't fly at the same speed as us in these narrow hallways. That means we must have passed the Bureau already!"
"Are we going to go back down then?"
Agito glared at her. "Back down?" she said. "It took us ages to get this far, Rein! I'm not going all the way back down and put all our efforts to waste."
"But we have to find Nanoha and everyone else somehow," the blue-haired unison device said urgently, trying to think of a proper plan. "There has to be a better way. Something which doesn't involve going round in circles all the time..."
The two girls shot round the corner and then came to a screeching halt, momentarily startled as their surroundings underwent a drastic change of environment. Gone were the cold metal walls and silvery floors which made up most of the hospital's interior design, for all of these had been completely replaced by a strange ivory texture which layered the new passageway from every side. A large amount of electrical power was flowing through masses of sealed wires built into the walls, expanding across a range of terminal connections at set points down the hallway. The resulting vibration was strong enough to make the textured layer bend slightly with the motion.
Halfway down this unique corridor was a locked door surrounded by a small haze of dazzling energy. For all appearances, however, the security on it was quite mediocre. Small blue sparks ran across the tip of the handle, indicating that it would shock anybody who touched it with their bare hands, but any Bureau mage would know better. The layer of energy was formed by standard electricity and man-made machinery, and was therefore vulnerable to magic.
"Brennenkugel!"
Agito's incendiary spell ripped into the centre of the door, burning most of the metal clean off and opening a hole large enough to gain entry. As she and Rein flew inside, both unison devices tensed cautiously in case there were any stray enemies lying in wait for them, perhaps a few surviving mutants who had been locked up in here long ago. Neither of the girls knew what to expect. Fortunately, the place was devoid of any aggressive lifeforms, though it contained a very different kind of surprise...
"What is this place?" Rein whispered in awe.
Computers, headsets, microphones and advanced communication equipment filled the room almost everywhere they looked, complete with electronic keyboards and lines of data and information running across each monitor; dozens of video screens were also hooked up to the ceiling, all of which showed moving images of scenes throughout the hospital. There was nobody to operate them, but all of the machines were active and functioning on full power despite not having been touched for a long time. It seemed that Rein and Agito had discovered a fully-equipped control room of some kind, which kept surveillance on vital areas across the facility.
Surveillance? the blue-haired unison device thought as she looked round in amazement at all the buzzing monitors and whirring connectors. Grylmark's surveillance of the entire hospital? That means there must be hidden cameras everywhere...
She leaned forward curiously to inspect the numerous flashing screens hanging from above, discovering things that she would never have thought of finding in a place like this. The first screen showed a tall, warrior-like figure running through the halls of the facility, pink hair flowing down her back in a ponytail. With a shock, Rein realised that the woman was Signum.
Another screen showed Nanoha and Tiana upon the lower levels of the complex, evading illusion traps whilst they attempted to find a way to the top floor. Shamal was climbing the stairs in yet another screen, pushing onwards determinedly as she searched for Subaru and Caro. Zafira and Erio too were here too, battling against a massive enemy that she couldn't quite make out properly...
This is amazing! I can finally see where everybody is and what they're doing! There's a small ledge of data next to each screen, so you can determine their exact location...
"Agito, this is it!" she said excitedly. "We can see where everyone is! Nanoha, Fate, Signum, Zafira...they're all showing up on each screen in different areas of the facility!" Her gaze took in the sight of the microphones and headsets on some of the electronic keyboards. "Maybe there's a way to communicate with them somehow!"
Her red-haired companion flew up keenly next to her, watching the cameras intently. "So where are we?" she asked. "Does it say which floor we're on right now?"
Rein pointed at the number broadcast on the central monitor.
"Six?" Agito said in disbelief. "Are you serious? We just flew up six floors?" She peered at one of the higher-up screens with a confused look on her face. "What is that? Zafira and Erio...are they fighting a spaceship? What's going on?"
The display went fuzzy as a distant explosion rocked the area, and the unison device turned away from the scene in disgust. There had to be a better way to make sense of things here.
"Wait," she said, her purple eyes caught by a smaller screen near the back. "Rein, I think that's Vita. It's got to be her!" Agito's eyes widened as the image came into greater focus. "She's in a...I think she's in a tank of liquid or something. It doesn't look good. Did Grylmark put her in there?" Panic flew into her face, and she instinctively grabbed her friend's arm . "Rein, she's not moving! What are we going to do? We have to help Vita!"
Rein focused on the line of data directly under Vita's camera. Fifteenth floor. The Guardian Knight was being imprisoned very close to the top floor, it seemed, which was just the kind of thing you might expect in this situation. Was anyone in the TSAB anywhere near that level? Quickly, she started to go through the other screens one by one and determine exactly where everybody else was...
Zafira and Erio, fighting that giant spaceship. I don't know what's happening, but the screen keeps going offline for some reason. Is that a cyborg with them? I can't tell anything specific, but all of them look like they're still on the first floor. But Signum is by herself, somewhere on the second floor. How did she get separated from the rest of her group? Did something happen?
She flew over to the right side of the control room, trying to find something positive in the surveillance cameras. One of the other squads must be closer to the top floor than that, surely. Vita couldn't hold out for much longer!
I thought I saw Hayate in this screen, but then everything went blank again. The explosive traps must be disrupting the cameras...Wait. Wait just a second. Rein stared hard at the next screen, not understanding what she was seeing. This had to be wrong. Nanoha and Tiana are all the way underground!? What are they doing so far away from everyone else? They must have been going in the opposite direction, but why would they do that? And Fate is still at the southern entrance where we left her, so she hasn't even entered the hospital properly yet. At this rate, nobody will be rescuing Vita! Everyone is too far away!
The unison device felt her heart plummet in despair. As it stood, she and Agito were actually closer to Vita than anybody else. Would it be left to them to rescue the Guardian Knight all by themselves? Rein didn't know if it was possible, but maybe they could still try...
Wait. I didn't see Shamal anywhere in the video screens.
It probably wouldn't make much difference, but it was worth a shot. Swiftly, the unison device moved forward to check out the medical mage's position. At first, she couldn't find her at all, but then a result came up from the most unlikely of places.
What the...?
Rein rubbed her eyes, sure that she was imagining things. This couldn't be right.
"Shamal's on the ninth floor...?" she said slowly, completely bewildered now. Something really didn't feel right about this. "How did she get up there so fast? She's all alone, with no one to help her...wasn't she supposed to be with Nanoha and Tiana? If Shamal keeps going at her current rate, then she'll eventually reach the top floor, and that's where Grylmark must be waiting..."
The roar of the motorbike was loud in her ears as Kagura raced forward to attack, her face lit up by excitement and anticipation. Fate kept her eyes trained on the muzzle of the shotgun pointed directly at her, letting her senses guide her actions in the best way she could whilst monitoring her enemy's approach. She heard the air crack and rip before her at medium range, felt the blast of the shell as it lacerated the ground at her feet, and she swivelled around on her heel with lightning speed to evade the next shot before it left its mark in her Barrier Jacket. The projectiles themselves wouldn't be able to penetrate her armour, but the impact they made could send the Enforcer hurtling back a good few metres or so, potentially landing her into a more vulnerable position. Never mind that her opponent had no magic of their own: it was probably a good idea to avoid getting hit at all right now.
She caught a glimpse of Kagura's confident expression as the assassin turned the motorbike around for a second charge, firing shell after shell at her whilst barely sparing any time to reload. Fate ran forward across the grille in the floor using quick dashing motions to dodge each shot, choosing to save her magic for a time when she might really need it. A high-powered spell would finish the battle much more quickly, but the Bureau mage didn't know how many enemies might be waiting for her inside the central chambers of the facility. Maybe disarming her enemy and using low-cost attacks would be a better use of her energy.
The shots were coming more quickly now, first from in front of her, and then from a completely different angle as the Labinnac Sister drove her bike around the perimeter of the chamber to make a complete circle. Taken aback, Fate whirled around to see that Kagura was using the vehicle to hem her into the centre of the room, firing constantly in a strafing pattern from multiple angles to maximise accuracy. Dozens of shells shredded the air left and right at her exposed position until the Enforcer gave up on her current strategy and rose up into the air at a great height, maintaining a safe distance from the gunfire. The sound of the motorbike soon drew to a grinding stop, but the shotgun continued pummelling the empty space beneath her.
With a patient look in her red eyes, the Enforcer caught the last shell on the flat of her sword's blade, cutting through the impactive force with a small amount of Bardiche's magic and nullifying it. She still hadn't sustained a single hit.
"Are you finished?" Fate asked, lowering her weapon as she lowered herself back down. From the sound of it, her adversary had finally run out of shells to fire at her. "I really can't spare the time to fight you now. My fianceé needs me."
Kagura's eyes burned into hers with a trace of poison as she tucked the empty shotgun back under her waist strap. "You won't fight me, clone?" she said in a dangerous tone. "What's wrong? Scared that I'll make you bleed all over your pretty face?"
The Enforcer returned her gaze squarely. "I wouldn't say that," she replied. "You've fired at me forty nine times and haven't managed to hit me yet. I'm not about to fight you seriously after something like that." She touched down on the ground softly and rested Bardiche's blade against the metal grille. "You told me that you came here to find your sister, but so far you've done nothing but threaten me with violence ever since you arrived here. There's no need for this, Kagura. If you put down your weapons and leave this facility, then I'll see what I can do to find your sister. That way, you won't need to get hurt and I won't have to worry about you harming any of my friends inside."
For several seconds, the red-haired army girl continued to stare at her with empty hostility. Then all at once, the corners of her mouth turned up slightly in a superior smirk and her expression crumbled. To Fate's dismay, her opponent threw back her head and laughed long and hard, lapsing into a fit of guffaws and chortles until she had to hold onto her stomach. Panting for breath, she gripped her knees and blinked away tears of mirth, still struggling to control herself.
"What is it?" the blonde mage said in annoyance. "What's so funny?"
Kagura chuckled secretively. "You are," she whispered. "I should have known you would be like this. So unlike your sister."
"I don't know what you're talking about," Fate said with a frown. She tapped her weapon against the grille restlessly. "What has my sister got to do with any of this?"
With a single motion, the assassin pulled her shotgun back up to chest level again, a predatory grin on her face. "You're not a clone of Alicia after all," she said, her breast moving up and down quickly. "Not the Alicia that I know. You're just like those fools in the Bureau before they were all taken by the Program! Always trying to be a fucking hero!" Kagura's hands curled around the handlebars of her motorbike as she moved forward to encircle the mage again. "I don't know who you are, sweetie, but you don't have the guts to kill someone for the sake of it. You need a reason to commit a so-called atrocity! Don't you think that's pretty pathetic?"
She licked her lips and transferred the shotgun to her other hand, riding past the Enforcer in a blur of red and green. "You think you can lecture me about peace and tranquillity. You think you're a fucking saint. Well, let me tell you something right now, sweetie – I live for war. I gun people down in the street because I feel like it. I spent half my childhood with my hands covered in the blood of my enemies. And you talk to me like I'm a common executor? You think you can tell me what to do, honey?"
The Enforcer stared at the assassin in rising alarm, the colour draining from her face as she realised that this was not the kind of person who was easily pacified. Turning on the spot, she tried to keep the speeding bike within her sight. "Let's try to calm down here," she said quickly. "I meant no offence - "
"Offence? This is much more than that." Kagura's foot was pressed all the way to the accelerator, her weapon virtually spinning across her fingers. "Don't try to tell me to calm down. Don't tell me to adapt to your fucking rules! You talk about not fighting seriously, but I'm the one using a depleted firearm to test your boundaries and observe your movements! You really thought I'd take on a high-powered Bureau mage like you with just a little shotgun?" Her muscles went taut as she took in a deep breath and shuddered, grinding her teeth together with bloody resolution. "Now that makes me mad. That really gets my blood boiling!"
She swerved the motorbike round and suddenly charged at Fate, intending to run her down completely. Caught by surprise, the blonde mage quickly took to the air reflexively; with no time to build up any proper acceleration, she was only able to partially avoid the attack and suffered a glancing blow from the vehicle's side. The Enforcer winced in pain as she backed off, winded temporarily. It wasn't too bad, but it didn't improve the mood of her aggressor.
"And that's not all, is it?" the red-haired army girl said harshly. She brought her motorbike to a halt just opposite the Bureau mage, her pulse racing as she grasped the empty shotgun in her right hand. "You still refuse to fight me without a reason. Even after I show you the kind of person I am, that's just not enough for you! You probably think I need saving or befriending or fuck knows what else! It's just the kind of person you are, because your head's been filled with all kinds of bullshit about love and justice. Well, sweetie, how about I give you a reason?"
She planted the muzzle of her shotgun down on the ground, a sly grin forming on her face. "I'm going to tell you something. Something really good. You know what caused the rebellion to break out, don't you, sweetie? The bloody war we've been having? Of course you do. It was an imbalance in the Harlaown Program, which was caused in turn by the premature death of Chrono Harlaown." Her smile widened, becoming more sinister. "Surely whoever killed him would be directly responsible for the birth of Mid-childa's very own civil war!"
Fate felt an uncomfortable knot in her stomach. Something about the army girl's words didn't quite feel right. "What are you saying?" she said in a defensive tone. "I know about Chrono's passing, but that doesn't mean - "
"But it does," Kagura gloated, a predatory gleam in her eyes. "Before eleven o'clock this morning, Chrono was killed by two bullets which punctured his chest and stomach. It happened in the middle of his palace as his subjects all deserted him." Her face glowed with elation. "I should know. I was there. After that, the Program lost all power and the civil war between rebels and executors broke out."
It seemed a very precise way to describe how somebody had died. The Enforcer stared at the red-haired woman in growing horror, taking in the sight of the heavy weaponry strapped to her back, the smug and boastful way she had spoken about Chrono, and the near-feral sadism present in her eyes right now. She felt a sliver of ice trickle down her spine as she fully realised the truth of what Kagura was telling her, felt her throat go dry and deprive her of words. This was inhuman.
"You?" Fate said, profoundly shocked. A dim haze was rising up in the back of her mind, causing her vision to swim slightly. "It was you?"
"He died in great pain," the assassin whispered, a note of twisted pride in her voice. "I wanted him to suffer. The Program affected me when I was very young, and took away what little family I had left. Back then, I was still making a name for myself. It wasn't until later that I became a member of the Labinnac Family and learned to embrace the joy of taking lives again." She laughed again deeply, hugging the gun against her waist. "Oh, how sweet is the kiss of revenge upon those who brought you such loss! Everyone should experience it at least once in their lifetime!"
Kagura is the one who murdered Chrono? The Enforcer was staggered from what she had just heard, shaking on the spot as she came to terms with it. But that means...because of her, thousands of people have perished in the civil war, both rebels and executors alike! Not just them, but countless innocents too who weren't even involved! She set off the final trigger which led to the deaths of so many around the world, all whilst knowing exactly what would happen. No matter what reason she had for doing this, nothing could excuse something on this scale!
"You made this happen," the Bureau mage said hoarsely, feeling the words leave an unpleasant taste in her mouth. How could any one person be capable of such a heinous act? To condemn so many and still be able to sleep at night...no, not even that, but to be proud of doing so? It turned her stomach to imagine such a monstrosity. "You...you unleashed a war which took the lives of countless innocent people. You wanted this to become reality..."
She had to take a step back, her mind shattered by what she was experiencing. "Kagura...I don't understand. Why would you do such a thing? Why would you knowingly cause mass murder and - " She couldn't say it. Tears of anger and frustration were burning behind her eyes, until Fate couldn't take it any longer. "People are dying because of your actions!" she yelled. "It's still happening to the whole world right now! Don't you see that? Don't you see any of that, Kagura?! Uminari City was almost burned down to the ground! Families have been wrecked, homes have been destroyed and turned to rubble - "
"Good!" the army girl retorted unflinchingly with equal passion. "I never had much of either of those things to begin with! I'm glad to hear that in time, lots of people will be in the same situation that I was in." She drew herself up irately, the muscles of her bare arms tight against her military dress as she glared at the Enforcer. "Who are you to judge me, Fate?Why should you care about thousands of strangers you've never met before, when so many die all the time without anyone noticing? I didn't do this just because I hated Chrono. He had it coming a long time ago, but that isn't the real rason. I did this because a day like this is what I've always dreamed of!" The mad passion was reflected in her dark green eyes, eyes that brooked intimidation and a desire for control and domination. "I did this because I wanted to create a heaven for myself, and you can bet that I succeeded! All I've been feeling since the rebellion began has been constant euphoria, and I'm fucking loving it!"
"A heaven?" Fate's hand tightened around Bardiche's hilt until her knuckles had turned white. She was trembling with anger at the senselessness of it all. "You call this a heaven?!"
"I call this a warzone. An eternal battle which rages on and on! How could I wish for anything less?" Kagura's grin broadened as she kickstarted the engine of her motorbike again. "What's wrong, sweetie? Have I hit a nerve? Looks like you've finally found a good enough reason to fight me!"
With that she drove the motorbike straight at the blonde mage, swinging the empty shotgun around her head to use as a bludgeoning weapon. And this time Fate didn't try to dodge it. Shaking with fury at the peak of emotion, her mind burning up with the thought that here was the one person solely responsible for why so many people had died in the rebellion, why Uminari City had become engulfed in smoke and flames and arson, why Mid-childa was literally tearing itself apart and consigning itself to oblivion -
You! You're the one who did this to the world!
She slashed forward with Bardiche's golden magic in a wave of raw power, simultaneously tightening her shoulder muscles to meet the force of the incoming collision. The shotgun disintegrated into ash before it could reach her, shredded apart by the brim of energy circulating around her blade, and then the front wheel of Kagura's bike slammed into her body at full speed and knocked her to the ground. Fate felt her shoulder go numb from the ferocious impact as she fell, but she had anticipated this and was already charging up a spell in her other hand. She turned her head to keep her opponent within casting range as the red-haired assassin swung around for another run.
"Plasma Smasher!"
A high-powered beam of destructive magical energy was expelled from her palm towards the form of Kagura's motorbike, but the army girl had now taken one hand off the handlebars and was lifting a heavy-duty bazooka over her shoulder. As the Bureau mage released her spell, Kagura put her vehicle into reverse and fired three times at the overwhelming blast of magic, sending missiles screaming forth to explode viciously against the edge of Fate's attack. Standard firearms would usually have little effect against any magic spell of the TSAB, but the impact of multiple rockets hitting the same point in a large blast radius was enough to diminish the speed of Plasma Smasher very slightly. It wasn't much, but it gave the assassin a couple of extra seconds to get out of the way, with minor wounds to her arms and legs and her bike still intact.
Without pausing for breath, Kagura moved at high speed to circle the Bureau mage like before, this time firing the bazooka at her again and again until the ground ruptured beneath her feet and was transformed into a mass of metal craters. The grille was torn apart with a few shots, shortly followed by the rest of the floor as everything buckled and gave way before the onslaught. Even so, the massive pillars leading up to the roof of the chamber stood strong and unyielding in the midst of such destruction. Bubbling away in the corner, the row of acid tanks remained undisturbed by the chaos.
As her surroundings turned barren and ruined, Fate brought up a magical shield on four sides to defend herself from the missiles. Smoke clogged up the air around her with each attack in a suffocating haze, and she tried not to breathe too much of it in; for all she knew, this could still all be a decoy. Two of the rockets struck against her Barrier Jacket at one point, driving her down to one knee, but the Enforcer gritted her teeth and increased the radius of her magical field to deflect any similar attacks. Under cover of the smoke, she flew up from the ground and tried to find a way out of this. There were various ways of how she could proceed, but her enemy was surprisingly resourceful despite having no magic of their own.
She trapped me in one spot and could have finished me if I didn't have my magic or my armour. I was angry and hurt before. I let her provoke me, let her blind me with my own heightened emotions, and now she's the one taking the upper hand. She breathed in the clean air above the smoke, feeling it fill her lungs and bring a refreshing calmness to her heart again. Now I feel better. Fighting with nothing but bitterness and resentment to fuel you is never healthy: it can bring about your downfall. Nanoha showed me that a long time ago.
It wouldn't be long before Kagura noticed that she wasn't on the ground anymore. What should she do? Fate knew she couldn't go back to her first plan, just dodging every attack that came her way and refusing to fight back out of goodwill. This woman was a killer, and proud of it. She was someone who delighted in causing harm and taking the lives of others. She had unleashed a war upon Mid-childa upon a mere whim, just because it satisfied her.
Fate knew that time was short and that Nanoha and the Bureau could need her help urgently. The dimensional distortion was approaching fast and there was nothing anybody could do to stop it, so she couldn't spare much time fighting here when she hadn't even entered the main hospital yet. But what was the alternative? Letting Kagura go? She couldn't allow her into the facility, not when the assassin was fully capable of decimating anything she came into contact with. What if she attacked the Wolkenritter and jeopardised their attempts to rescue Vita? What if she interfered with Nanoha's hopes to contact Oguba?
"Kagura!" she said sharply.
The storm of missiles came to a stop and the smoke started to dissipate. When Fate could see again, her opponent was framed on her motorbike just below with her bazooka aimed skyward and targeted at her.
"Yeah?" the red-haired army girl yelled back. "You got something to say before I blow your head off? Make it quick, sweetie."
The Enforcer studied the way the woman held herself confidently, the arsenal of weaponry she carried on her back, and the way her body was wrapped around her vehicle like a second skin as she prepared to charge forward. There was no sign of magic coming from her, none at all...and yet Fate could have sworn there was something else in its stead, something which you wouldn't find in any ordinary human. Try as she might, the mage couldn't quite place it. Combat cyborg? No, this was different than that, somehow. But what was it?
"I've changed my mind from before," Fate said. "Your actions against Chrono and the Mid-childan civil war are terrible and barbaric, but that's not how I'm going to fight you. I'll fight you in my own way, and not just because you want me to." That's how she wants me to fight her. "So I'll say this just once: I'm not letting you enter this hospital, no matter what. Doing so would put my friends' lives in great danger." She turned her sword on its edge, her face reflected against its golden sheen of magic. "If you want to pass through here, then you're going to have to go through me first."
Kagura smiled darkly across the length of her bazooka. "It doesn't matter whether you let me through or not, Bureau mage. I don't intend to let you live either way." She accelerated the motorbike forward at full speed. "Bring it!"
Two more rockets fired in rapid succession towards the Enforcer, but neither of them reached her; the first exploded harmlessly against Round Shield and the second was deflected by a surge of magic that Fate released across her blade. The mage increased her speed as the motorbike zoomed past her in the same pattern as before, gaining familiarity with combating this type of strategy. She easily evaded the next few missiles from her advantageous position in the air, and called up her sensory magic to get a better idea of her enemy's position.
As long she stayed well above ground and used only ranged attacks, Kagura wouldn't be able to drive her into a corner with her offensive tactics like before. That was the one thing she could be sure of right now. Of course, from this position it was also tricky to get an accurate hit on the fast-moving assassin. Maybe a guided spell would be the answer?
I need to do something about that motorbike. That's the only reason why I'm having trouble targeting her at all. And if I could just focus for a second, then I could go much faster...
Fate put up another Round Shield to keep the rockets at bay, and concentrated on the circular pattern that Kagura was weaving around her on the ground. The red-haired woman was driving through one circuit after another and using the same route each time. The Enforcer memorised the route, burned it into her mind until she could literally still see it behind closed eyelids, and then chose the target of her next spell carefully.
"Photon Lancer Multishot!"
Multiple cylinders of energy appeared in the air around her and launched themselves right into her enemy's attack path, forcing the assassin to change direction at the last second. Under the modified programming of the spell, each bolt swiftly locked onto the exhaust trail left by the motorbike and followed the vehicle like a homing missile.
Fate saw Kagura's face freeze up when she realised what was going on. It wasn't so much panic as a combination of surprise and disbelief, but the red-haired girl's attention wavered for a crucial second and the bazooka fell from her shoulders. Swerving back and forth to evade the energy beams, she drove her bike up onto the first ramp and around the main pillar, ducking her head down for cover. The Photon Lancers shot past her and hit the pillar instead.
Breathing hard, the army girl guided the motorbike back down the ramp now that the danger had passed and reached down to her waist for another gun, safe in the knowledge that she was never going to run out. Then a wave of blinding light washed over her from above, and she looked up with a start to see Fate flying towards her at high speed with the blade of her weapon outstretched. Without the barrage of missiles to wear her down, the Enforcer was going even faster than she was.
With a muttered curse, Kagura spun her bike sharply to the left and slammed on the brakes at the same time. Her vehicle reacted with a sputtering and hissing noise and steam rose from its engine in protest. For her part, the Bureau mage didn't even try to change course; she continued to go past her enemy in a straight line, missing her completely as she embedded Bardiche deep into the metal floor without visible effect.
The army girl looked at the scene quizzically, unsure what was supposed to have been achieved here. The Enforcer was still gripping the sword's handle with her body suspended above the ground, and there was no sign of further attack.
"Better watch where you're aiming, clone," Kagura remarked derisively. "You just missed me."
Fate raised her head to look at her. "I know."
She released the magical energy flowing across her arms directly into Bardiche's core, forcing the surging mass down to where the blade was fixated beneath the surface. The result of so much pent-up mana concentrated at a single point caused a massive shockwave of power to ripple across the entire chamber like lightning. Her adversary was thrown off her motorbike with a surprised yell, the current later of metal flooring simply exploded around the golden sword and even the multiple platforms and pillars around the room shuddered violently in response. Fate felt her sword vibrate intensely under pressure and decided not to push her luck. Careful not to damage her weapon further, she pulled Bardiche out of the ground with an effort and turned to confront the assassin.
That's the motorbike dealt with, at least.
With a start, she saw that Kagura had grabbed up the bazooka that she'd dropped earlier and was preparing to fire it at her, right over the fallen motorbike. There was no time to do anything else but run for cover until she could ready another spell. Missiles streaked overhead as the mage raced across the edge of the main crater with baited breath, aware that the assassin was attempting to get back on her bike again.
Fate stood her ground as one last rocket came towards her. She was tired of constantly dodging missiles all the time. With grim resolution, she turned the flat of her blade to face the attack and felt Bardiche surge with formidable power in a sizeable radius. The missile made contact with her magical field and was then deflected in the other direction completely, back towards the person who had fired it.
Kagura stopped with one foot on the pedal of her motorbike, her eyes wide when she saw the rocket coming straight at her. She had a formidable array of weaponry, but nothing which could protect you from a bazooka.
"Fuck this," she growled, and threw her body clear.
The force of the explosion lifted the motorbike into the air and sent it flying in Fate's direction, much to the Enforcer's dismay. Burning tyres and gears blew apart as the mage raised her sword against the mesh of spinning metal parts and sliced it down the middle with two practised strokes. She ducked down and rolled her body into the crater, hearing the remains of the motorbike crash emptily within the far reaches of the chamber, and breathed a sigh of relief. Her face and hands were grazed slightly from the near-collision but otherwise she was all right.
Whew. That's a load off my mind.
Fate rested her sword against the rough ground of the crater for a moment, glad to take a short breather. Then she lifted her face and looked into the darkened eyes of a woman in military uniform just inches away from her.
It took her a moment to realise that Kagura was in the crater with her. The assassin did not look very happy.
"Is this still your idea of heaven?" she asked.
With a snarl, the army girl brought her arms up suddenly to reveal a small scythe in each hand. The Enforcer parried the attack in a blink of an eye, pushing back with Bardiche against her opponent as they both moved into a standing position.
Scythes? Fate thought, viewing her opponent's choice of weapons with interest. That's a new one. We can do scythes.
"You're starting to get on my nerves," Kagura said silkily. "I've met girls like you before, Fate. I'm used to making them scream." She pushed forward until they could see eye to eye with each other. "Don't test my patience, sweetie. You know you can't defeat me."
The blonde mage flexed her fingers against Bardiche's hilt. "We'll see about that," she said. "Haken Form!"
Her magical device changed shape and form in the space of an instant, rearranging the energy of the sword blade into a slim long handle with the axe-head flipped across its apex. A golden arc of energy extended from the tip, twice the size of either of Kagura's scythes, and Fate slashed the air cleanly with her newly transformed weapon. A whole variety of shooting spells were now available to her in this form, but she doubted that there was enough room to fire any of them properly. She needed to get some distance from her opponent in order to do that.
"Size isn't everything, sweetie," the assassin sneered, with barely a glance at Bardiche's glowing edge. "A tower of bricks can be brought crashing down with a single shove in the right place. Here! Let me show you!"
With a howl of delight, Kagura leaped forward with her blades whirling with deadly precision to slash at the Bureau mage's throat. Fate caught both attacks on the edge of her own full-length scythe, shifting the angle slightly to throw her enemy off-balance and give her some more space in the crater. She noticed the clash of sparks as their weapons made contact, and that puzzled her: if Kagura was just using normal weapons, then surely Bardiche's magic should have cut straight through them?
Her opponent's blades caught the light for a moment, allowing her to see them closely at close-range. Both scythes appeared to be infused with blood-encrusted glass, which seemed a strange way to craft a weapon. Fate didn't know the significance of such material, but it was certainly resistant to her melee attacks.
She saw Kagura take a step back and then come at her in a flying kick, feeling the air hiss with the sharpness of the motion. The blonde mage blocked the woman's boot with the back of her free hand, then side-stepped the scythe which slashed at her forehead in turn. She angled Bardiche downwards and spun the weapon round as Kagura came at her in a frenzy, stabbing and slicing at her as if possessed. Fate concentrated on deflecting the attacks as best as she could, ignoring several blows which nicked her Barrier Jacket and didn't penetrate fully. She lashed out with her foot and swung her magical device in a full circle, opening up a partial wound in her opponent's midsection.
The assassin stared at her in outrage as if unable to believe that she was bleeding. Then a hiss of anger escaped from her mouth and she ducked down to target Fate's legs. The Enforcer backed off in surprise, not expecting such a strategy, and Kagura took the opportunity to aim a high kick at her face. Fate felt the boot slam into her chin and staggered back, the world going temporarily out of focus for her.
She shook her head to clear it and recovered in time to see the army girl plunge both scythes right at her neck. There was no time to block both weapons at once: they were coming at her from different directions completely...
With adrenaline racing through her, the Enforcer used Bardiche to parry the first scythe, and then grabbed hold of Kagura's wrist tightly before the second scythe could come down. She caught a small glimpse of the infuriation in the assassin's eyes before Fate kicked her in the stomach, sending her opponent reeling back. At last, she had enough space to fire a long-range attack.
Swiftly, the Enforcer charged up a spell and took aim at the red-haired woman before she could get to her feet. It was now or never.
"Haken Saber!"
She unleashed the compressed mana blade in a single sweep of energy just as Kagura hurled both scythes right at her. The weapons spun through the air and melted as the spell reached them, breaking up into nothing but tiny particles of broken glass. The army girl saw that Fate's attack was still rushing towards her unabated and dived to the ground; Haken Saber passed over her head and detonated against the opposite side of the crater, showering her with chunks of heavy rock and metal as part of the hole gave way from above.
I think we're finished with scythes here, Fate thought, flying out of the crater and back into a more stable environment. She's good with close combat – maybe too good. Even the Wolkenritter would have trouble taking her on at close quarters, and that's what they specialise in. We were at a stalemate until I managed to use a shooting spell. It looks like I'll have to bring out something more powerful…
"Zanber Form," she said.
As Bardiche reverted to its previous appearance of a golden energy sword, the Enforcer scanned the chamber around her hopefully for clues to a better strategy. There was more than enough space here to fire bombardment spells, but the multiple platforms and ramps leading up to the ceiling were supported only by a series of pillars. If she fired on Kagura and broke through any of the pillars by accident, the whole place could start coming down. Fate hadn't forgotten about the boiling tanks of acid in the corner, either – whatever happened, she had to avoid hitting the acid or the pillars. That meant she should be using attacks of a limited radius.
Before she could charge up an appropriate spell, the red-haired assassin clawed her way out of the crater, now completely livid. She took the dual machine guns off her back and let loose at Fate with everything she had.
"I'll fucking kill you, mage!"
The Enforcer waited patiently as dozens of bullets were deflected harmlessly off her Barrier Jacket. She passed Bardiche in front of her face to block the second round, and eventually Kagura saw that she was getting nowhere and stopped firing. One of the machine guns dropped to the ground, empty and useless.
"So that's how it is," the assassin said, breathing heavily. "I can't hurt you with bullets. Looks like everyone's got their immunities." She lowered her other machine gun towards the ground for a moment, and then suddenly grinned. "You're a tough one to crack, Fate. I love a challenge! Fighting with my life on the line...I haven't felt this alive for a long, long time!" Kagura brought the gun up to chest level again. "Let me share the feeling with you!"
She spun around to the right, and fired the machine gun right at the tanks of boiling acid.
What the...? Fate's eyes went wide. No! What is she doing?!
As she watched, highly concentrated acid began to leak out through the multiple bullet holes in the vats. Steam rose from the floor as more and more of the corrosive liquid began to fill the chamber. The acid soon ate into the area around the tanks themselves, burning the containers apart from the outside.
"Are you out of your mind?!" the Enforcer yelled.
The first tank cracked and split open, releasing its deadly contents all over the ground. It was soon followed by the next tank, and another, and another...before long, the colossal volumes of acid were inching their way down to the mage's position. Fate made doubly sure that she was high off the ground as the liquid started to seep into the crater where she and Kagura had been fighting. There was enough acid flooding the place to fill up a whole swimming pool!
To her horror, she saw that the assassin wasn't stopping there. There was a new weapon in her arm now, attached to a fuel supply and a flickering blue flame.
A flamethrower? Fate couldn't believe what she was seeing. As if filling the room with acid isn't enough, now she's going to set the liquid on fire? This place will be blown sky-high!
She couldn't understand what kind of joy Kagura was getting out of this. The red-haired girl was standing on one of the last remaining platforms on the ground, a small island drowning in acid. Putting a light to the highly flammable substance now would only cause her to blow herself up in the process, not to mention everything else around her.
With a shock, Fate realised that the door leading to the rest of the facility was no longer accessible. The acid was slushing around the whole place now and bubbling away merrily, leaving no space to get through the exit without using extreme measures. She would either have to blast through the wall with her magic, which would risk leaking the acid into another part of the hospital, or she could try finding another way out. The Enforcer's gaze shot to the numerous ramps and platforms which ascended to the ceiling, beyond her sight. It was possible there was a way out over there, but she had to act fast. The only other exit was through the southern gateway, but that led back outside to Uminari City and would take her back to square one.
"What are you going to do now, Fate?" Kagura taunted her. The assassin's platform was disintegrating even as she spoke, and the acid was beginning to rise to the soles of her boots. She raised the flamethrower in her hands, ready to fire the fateful blast. "Can you survive my idea of heaven?"
She leaped off the platform with inhuman speed and latched her body onto the main pillar which supported the ramps leading up to the ceiling, clawing onto the great block like a spider. With her other hand, the army girl squeezed the weapon's trigger and unleashed a storm of burning flames onto the sea of acid below.
Fate didn't wait to see the mammoth explosion take light before her, didn't stop to smell the smoke which lifted up towards her, didn't wait for all hell to break loose and be dragged into the depths of the infernal quagmire for good. She just flew upwards with all her might, racing past the ramps and platforms zigzagging across the chamber as red and orange flames reached out to claim every last inch that remained. The base of the main pillar, already eaten away by the worst of the acid, was starting to give way at last though the ceiling itself was still holding. With her heart in her mouth, the Enforcer ascended towards the last ramp at the highest point in the room, anxious to see if the stairway of platforms led somewhere. If not, she would have to blast through the wall herself and risk releasing all of this havoc into the rest of the facility...
There!
An old, green-stained door lay locked securely at the end of the last ramp. It was covered with written warnings of hazardous material and acidic content, but Fate had a good idea about which side of the door they were referring to. Presumably it was a secondary entrance to the room, used by mechanics and engineers who would work on the machines, but none of that mattered right now. She didn't bother to struggle with the locks or use force on the door. The flames would catch up to her in less than a minute.
"Plasma Barret!"
Bardiche's guided bolt of energy brought the door crashing down, revealing an opening to a chute of some kind. It didn't look like a very welcoming way into the main hospital, but Fate didn't see how she had much choice.
I have to get out of here before I'm burned alive. Here goes nothing…
She landed on the base of the highest ramp and prepared to head on through – when a hard fist slammed into her head from behind and knocked her down onto the searing metal.
Dazed, the blonde mage shook stars from her eyes as Kagura grabbed a fistful of her hair and jerked her back painfully. The assassin's face was streaked with blood and ash, and the look in her eyes was positively murderous. She must have run up every single ramp at a phenomenal speed whilst at the very edge of the vast explosion, all the way to the top of the chamber.
That's impossible, Fate thought hazily, as the red-haired woman dragged her forcibly down the platform. No ordinary person could run that fast. Even I struggled to fly up here in time...and yet this woman is completely human. How can she have such superhuman abilities?
"How did you get here so fast?" she murmured.
Kagura hit her across the face and slammed her down onto the melting platform. The intense heat of the metal was scalding to the touch, and the flames were still rising. The mage cried out as the woman's metal heel came down on her, pressing her harder onto the ground. She tightened her grip around Bardiche's hilt, glad that she hadn't lost hold of it yet. She had to hold on...
"You're going to suffer," the red-haired assassin whispered. "I'll make you burn, Fate. No one puts me through the torment that you've put me through today!"
Fate closed her eyes blearily. "Torment? I'm not the one who tried to blow this place up without a proper escape plan."
"Shut up!" She felt herself dragged off the floor by her throat, Kagura's baleful glare burning into hers. The smoke was beginning to engulf them both. "Ever been burned alive, sweetie?" The grip squeezed tighter around her neck. "Ever wanted to feel what it's like?"
Fate returned the gaze, her eyes watering from the heat. "Ever been impaled by a sword?" she said coldly.
The army girl's fist came towards her face for another blow, but the Enforcer whirled around and caught it in her hand, and squeezed. Her opponent's mouth opened slightly in surprise as she threw her back against the platform, hard. Steam rose from the red-haired assassin's skin as the heated metal surface scalded her bare muscled arms, and Kagura lunged forward with a snarl of fury. Her hands curled around the mage's throat in a fatal death-squeeze.
With her heart pounding fit to burst, Fate hit her with Bardiche's hilt in a blow which momentarily stunned her. As the woman's hands started to throttle her, she pushed the golden blade into the assassin's chest.
Kagura released her suddenly, a choked gasp coming from her mouth as she stared down at the sword in her body in complete astonishment. Her hands fell limply to her sides and her breathing pace began to speed up, so that her breast was moving up and down rapidly around the edge of the blade. Though the light seemed to fade from her eyes, something inside her remained very much alive.
Puzzled at this strange reaction, Fate tried pushing the sword experimentally. There wasn't even any blood. Tentatively, she removed Bardiche from Kagura's body, and the assassin simply remained standing in the same position with the same look of disbelief on her face. She was still breathing quickly in a peculiar fashion, and the rest of her body seemed perfectly fine, but the confused look in her eyes remained the same.
"Hello?" the Enforcer asked, tapping Kagura on the head. "Can you hear me?"
There was no response. It was if the girl had turned into a zombie, though she was still obviously alive. What exactly had happened when the sword had entered her body?
I'm getting out of here, Fate thought. This is getting really bizarre.
She turned tail and raced out through the shattered door of the burning chamber, flinging one last look behind her to see if the assassin would follow her. The last she saw, Kagura was mumbling to herself and holding her head in her hands, swaying to and fro as the flames rose up to consume her. Without a moment's further hesitation, Fate departed the chamber and entered the chute that lay ahead, not knowing where her path would take her next...