Extinction

by Jafs

In a bastion of hopelessness lies the requiem of a goddess.

18. Hecatomb

Hecatomb

Staggering, Homura stood up. She had heard the scream of a child, but she could not see it, as there was still too much smoke from the explosion.

Something that was still very visible was the rocket, which did not appear to have received much damage.

Homura conjured a large black pin in her hands. It was time to put an end to it.

A flash of light and heat.

Immediately, the girl with long black hair turned to the source of it.

There were flames in the air that dissipated.

Homura frowned, trying to figure out what it meant. Soon her eyes widened as she realized that this could be a decoy. She turned back.

However, her movement was interrupted by a black gloved hand, which grabbed her face.

From the cloud of smoke, Inquisitor made his move. Holding the witch's head, he carried her body easily, as if it were a doll, thanks to the strength provided by his magic. With the same force, the man smashed her head against the concrete wall of the silo. Like a pile driver, he did this repeatedly and quickly, to the point where the wall cracked.

However, it was not only pieces of concrete that began to fall. Pieces of ceramic and metal gears hit Inquisitor's boots. He realized this and stopped what he was doing, unwittingly letting the witch slip from his hand.

Homura fell unconscious, with one half of the top of her head broken open.

Inquisitor was astonished. There was no blood on the witch's head, no bone or flesh! The 'girl' was really a disguise. The 'skin' was made of ceramic, the damaged 'eye' was cracked as if it were made of glass, and where there should have been a brain was a sophisticated mechanism, a fine watchmaker's work, now damaged and halted.

There was something else in that set of gears, something not inorganic, but also far from natural. A purple salamander, which seemed to be dead, but pulsed in a faint glow.

Inquisitor bent down to scrutinize the thing more closely.

The salamander opened its eye, it was big, and human.

The man had a jolt.

At that very instant, the salamander crept between the gears, disappearing into the girl's body. A lilac aura enveloped the gears and they began to move. The body had mechanical spasms, as did the eye that was undamaged. The eyelid opened, revealing only the white sclera, taking time for the eye to adjust.

Hardening his countenance, Inquisitor drew his cross.

Homura drew in air as her body regained its senses, finding herself facing her executioner poised to deliver the final blow. There came a blast, a flash of blue light behind the man, and she saw him fly against the wall and roll on the floor. Fallen, he lay motionless, with a wide burnt hole in his back. With small blue flames still consuming his flesh, it was possible to see parts of the vertebrae of his spine. Then Homura looked at the author of this.

The child's eyes were teary, her lips trembling. She was carrying a rifle of unknown model.

"Invader is dead!" Gritting her teeth, Nano pointed her gun at the witch.

There was not enough time to dodge, Homura would have to create it. She opened her palm to conjure an hourglass.

But the child was suddenly engulfed in flames. "AAAAAAGGGGHHHHH!"

While listening to that disturbing scream, Homura noticed the priest getting up.

The child's cries of pain stopped and she began to fire wildly.

With deadly energy projectiles passing close by, Inquisitor had a stern expression, watching the result of his magic.

Overheated, the plasma rifle exploded, ripping Nano's arms off, her gauntlet flying away. The child fell to her knees.

Taking advantage of the new flames, Inquisitor made a subtle gesture with his hand, like a conductor.

The blue flames became dominant, charring until Nano's skeleton crumbled like a house of cards.

It was then that the man exhaled, with a now guilt-laden countenance. Even though it might be justifiable, what he had done was heinous. "Gnnn!?" An instant later, the colors of the scene were dead, except for the witch who stood in front of him now, with a condemning look on her face.

Homura was holding an hourglass in a horizontal position with one hand, while the other held a giant black pin, which she used to pierce the priest, right where his soul gem was.

The red gem shattered completely and the man was catatonic.

Homura was still holding the pin. She gritted her teeth, she had no choice, like in the past.

However, the man did not fall, he exchanged glances.

With the half of her forehead that she still had, Homura frowned.

While Inquisitor's forehead, in a decisive act, was used to strike her.

The strong impact further cracked Homura's face and more small gears flew as she fell to the floor.

The colors of the world have returned to normal, and so has the passing of time.

Fallen, Homura looked at the priest.

He was still standing, ripping out the pin on his chest in a single motion and throwing it away. Where his gem had been, there was now a bloody wound, dyeing his cassock red. He clenched his fists and the wound burst into a jet of fire, cauterizing it immediately.

Homura did not even try to look for the reason he was still alive, as she saw her hourglass lying on the floor. It was close by and already in a horizontal position, all she had to do was touch it for time to freeze. She crawled to the object and stretched out her hand, but then something pulled her hard.

It was a silver thread that seemed to have a life of its own.

The girl with broken head struggled, but the metal wire was strong and fast, tying her arms and hands together with her body, as well as her legs. "No!" With her face on the floor, she saw the man's boots approach the hourglass and kick it away.

Inquisitor conjured a new cross in his hand and turned to the witch.

Homura struggled to her knees and raised her head to look into his eyes.

"So che non capisci, ma..." the man spoke, "brucia, strega."

She expected a finishing blow, but then she felt that the thread wrapped around her body was heating up quickly!

I will die.

It was not the first time, Homura had lost count of how many times this had come into her mind. However, it was not a witch, it was not a magical girl, nor was Walpurgisnatch. It was a man, an aberration who refused to die when his gem was broken. Her skin gave way to a hard, pearl-white texture. Her eye was now colored, with alternating green and red circles. Her mouth filled with sharp teeth. Despair as her last hope.

"La sua natura sarà sempre quella della disperazione e della morte," Inquisitor stated, followed by children's laughter, as if they had found what he had just said funny.

Homura's eyes widened, seeing the troupe behind the man.

Inquisitor could feel the auras burning in his back. The weight, the rebellious energy. There were more than ten of them, for sure. He held the cross close to his chest and closed his eyes.

Whirling large, sharp black pins in their hands, the dolls laughed quietly. This time the funeral even had a priest! But the funniest thing was that the good-for-nothing was not yet a corpse, and she would have to stay alive for the joke to continue to make sense.

Suddenly, the sound of laughter was drowned out by the sound of combustion. Before they could act against the priest, the dolls were engulfed by intense flames.

Trembling with tension and focus, Inquisitor slowly opened his eyes.

The metal wire became incandescent and Homura's black dress began to catch fire. She rolled on the floor to try to put out the flames, but it was useless.

Some dolls tried to throw their pins at the man, but their wax bodies began to melt and the joints of their limbs no longer responded to their intentions.

Homura felt that her body would meet the same fate. Relying on her experience, she knew she could abandon it, escaping in her salamander form, but she would surely be incinerated an instant later. What were her options?

Inquisitor relaxed his stance. He had burned a lot of magic this time, but he was satisfied that he had neutralized those powerful familiars of the witch. Then he saw the world around him change.

Homura also noticed the change that was taking place.

There was no more silo, or rocket. They were inside a huge glass dome, with images of merry-go-rounds projected onto its surface. Snow, fake like the machine's horses, was falling, while violins played a song, cheerful at first, as it should be for a toy, but skipping notes and out of tune, unable to mask its anxiety.

A witch's barrier. Inquisitor looked at the one that was burning.

Homura knew what he was thinking, but that was not her barrier. She was quite sure of that, for she remembered to whom that twisted world belonged.

Before he could take any action, Inquisitor noticed a movement out of the corner of his eye. He turned around and saw a cathode ray tube monitor, white and with a partially cracked screen. With a pair of long black wings, the device gently descended near his position.

Homura could not believe what she was seeing.

The screen of the winged monitor lit up, showing a crest. An eight-pointed star with wings.

Homura immediately recognized that it was the symbol of the Law of Cycles.

Then the screen changed, showing runes.

And Homura could read, naturally.

H. N. Elly (K******)

Logging in...

After this, the screen showed a female puppet, her body with joints. Her black hair was long, with two long ponytails, each one tied with red ribbons.

Inquisitor raised his eyebrows. Despite the differences, he recognized that icy gaze. "Invader?"

The monitor used one of its wings as a whip, extending its length.

Inquisitor reacted by dodging the attack, but he was too close, too late. From shoulder height, his right arm was amputated in a single cut. However, he did not even blink, throwing his cross at the new witch.

With some ease, Elly dodged the spinning cross.

Inquisitor kept his only arm outstretched.

The cross paused in mid-air, acquiring incandescent hues, and returned, whirling again.

This time, Elly did not notice, until the cross touched one of her wings, consuming it in an explosion of flame. "aaAaAaAaaaaaaaaGGgghHHGGghg!" The witch's distorted screech, filled with static, echoed through the dome as she fell with the screen against the floor.

The cross reached the man's hand, already cold.

Homura remembered well, that witch was weak, she would have no chance against that priest from hell. Her only chance was to conjure an hourglass and turn it, but how to do that without the object being caught in the flames on her body? How to do this with her hands tied? The wax on her body was melting, interfering with the gears, any movement was increasingly taxing.

Seeing the fallen and motionless monitor, Inquisitor used that brief opportunity to pull off his red mantle and examine his right shoulder. The reason was not the missing arm, but the red gem, shaped like a trident, that lay in the clasp of the belt over his shoulder. It was stained with corruption, but intact. After checking it, he cauterized the serious wound. He had lost a lot of blood, requiring his gem to maintain full consciousness, but there were two witches, two seeds to restore his soul's purity.

Inquisitor's feet left the ground.

The man frowned. Was he floating? That was when he saw a flock of small angels who were carrying him. With sinister smiles, they had one wing each and flew in pairs.

He raised his arm to strike them with his cross, but something more bizarre came over him. The cross was soft, something that was once made of metal now looked like a rubber toy. His arm was more flexible than it should have been too, and his clothes, his body, no longer had any texture, everything was now only solid colors, with few outlines and details. He had become a cartoon, a visual parody of himself! "PORCODIO!"

There was the window of opportunity, but Homura could not move, only being able to observe the angels helping the fallen monitor.

An angel pulled Inquisitor's eyelids, forcing him to keep his eyes open, while other angels brought screens. On the screens were images familiar to him.

Papà...

A little girl came into the room. It was daddy's room and he was there. Mom was busy in the laundry room, she was always busy at this time. Daddy called to come closer, to ask questions and cuddle.

Inquisitor gnashed his teeth.

He waited, and the girl removed the top of her clothes, leaving her torso bare. Daddy's hand glided over the skin, smooth, young, without scars like Mom's. He appreciated that very much, but he always threatened to put scars on that skin too. The girl needed to stay still, while daddy lay completely naked on the bed. The time had come, he wanted to see. He took the girl's shorts with both hands, as well as her underwear, and lowered them all at once, revealing... a penis and a pre-pubescent scrotum.

Inquisitor's breathing became rapid.

God exists. Mom smiles. There are so many stories of tribulations and they exist so that people can prove themselves worthy of the ultimate reward. There are so many saints. Their stories prove that suffering is life. The little girl dreamed of God, a moment of peace and no fear, she was destined for this, her life was a trial, not a choice. But daddy laughed, for he told the girl that she could only leave her family and be with God if she became a priest, but only men can become priests, and daddy proved that this was never possible by touching... the boy's penis.

The angels were pulling, stretching Inquisitor's body to a superhuman limit. The man's face was deformed, but he seemed calmer. Surer of his path.

Daddy was a bad man; he would burn in hellfire. Mom is a victim, but a conniving coward, destined for the ashes of purgatory. The little girl came to hate God, like someone who hates a truth that should not be hated. When the envoy from the stars came to offer a contract, the girl knew what she wanted.

Madre, when you said that miracles come only from God, you are right. For us it is only up to live with the tribulations, strengthen the spirit, and reach heaven.

May the flames consume the sins.

There was only fire on the screens. The angels carrying Inquisitor were suddenly incinerated and he was back to normal. Rotating his body during the fall, he landed with his feet on the fake snow of the barrier. "INVADER!"

The angels that were lifting Elly caught fire and the boxing witch again fell with the display against the floor.

Much to Homura's dismay.

"I shall thank you, Invader, you have reinstated my fervor." Inquisitor conjured a cross in his hand.

The barrier landscape went up in flames. The merry-go-rounds collapsed on top of each other, becoming fodder for the fire.

The flames that consumed Homura intensified more than ever.

Inquisitor raised his arm with the cross and the fire seemed to know how to interpret the gesture. The glass of the dome began to crack as the barrier became a branch of hell. "I will finish quickly here and then go after Generalíssima. It's time to put an end to the farce that she is and for me to become the leader of the Sisterhood."

Madoka.

Homura's face melted as the flames licked her wax body. The inside of the body had become a furnace and the gears were stuck. The purple salamander reappeared in the broken head of the nearly destroyed doll's body, observing the even more calamitous scenery outside. It was the inevitable moments that preceded the end.

I'm sorry.

The violins stopped playing, as did the intense sound of the fire. A sudden stop, without warning.

The salamander opened her human eye wide. Everything was paralyzed in time! The other witch and her minions, the priest with his cross, even the flames that burned Homura's doll body. However, the colors were still normal.

It was then that Homura, the salamander, noticed someone approaching with no hurry. A tall woman with long white hair, wearing a tiara with a large corrupted gem.

Estér's pink eyes sparkled briefly as she smiled. "Ah... Homura-chan, I didn't want to see you in that state. I almost failed."

Homura was certain that this was the woman Kyouko had described. She had no Japanese features, but she spoke in Japanese and expressed with an odd familiarity.

The woman stared, breathing deeply.

Was she expecting an answer? Homura knew she could still make use of telepathy, but the situation was so dangerous that no words seemed safe.

"Ahh..." Estér exhaled, bringing her hand to her chest. "I'm sorry, Homura-chan. After so many times... We're finally exchanging words... Well, I don't think you're in any condition to speak. You must have many questions, yes, and I have all the answers. But first, let me get rid of the trash."

Homura saw the woman turn to the priest.

The man, who was once frozen in time, began to move again. He soon saw that the flames were not moving and turned to Homura, and then noticed the other woman. "Another witch?"

"Please, Inquisitor," in English, Estér sneered, "you are smarter than that."

He saw that the woman was tall, taller than him, and had white hair. "It was you who killed Madre. Generalíssima is with you?"

Estér stated, "You thought that if you were a man, everything would be different, but the abuse occurred just the same. You rewrote your history, but not your destiny."

Inquisitor's eyes widened. "Who the hell are you?"

"You wished you had been born as a man." Estér smiled. "I am the one who will make that wish come true, literally." And everything was covered in fire.

Homura saw the priest conjure a large column of fire where the woman was standing. Unlike the others, those flames moved normally. The magic that is controlling time is really different from mine!

Inquisitor pointed with his cross so that the flames intensified.

Contrary to expectations, the flames were immediately extinguished, revealing that the woman was still smiling, unhurt.

Inquisitor frowned.

[Your magic is a disappointment.] Estér's fake smile was gone. [That only makes me angrier, you have ALL my attention.]

"You have generated a vacuum around you," Inquisitor spoke.

[Then you noticed.] Estér continued to use telepathy, because there was no air to propagate sounds. [Your magic causes ignition and can be used as fuel, but you still depend on an oxidizer.]

Again, Homura was witnessing the interaction of two strangers, although the white-haired woman acted as if this was not true. She had killed a member of the Sisterhood and she was now confronting the priest, was she an ally?

[Kill yourself, Inquisitor.] Estér crossed her arms. [It's the only thing you can do to prevent ME from killing you.]

Suddenly, a wall of fire rose up between the man and the tall woman.

The wall was high and the flames were intense. Estér raised her eyebrows. [Are you trying to cook me? Have you forgotten that vacuum is an excellent heat insulator?]

Inquisitor replied, going through the wall of fire in a flying kick.

Estér's eyes widened moments before the sole of the priest's shoe connected with her face. With her nose broken, she staggered.

In accordance with his training, the man did not waste a second. Holding it like a dagger, he buried his silver cross in the woman's torso.

Estér opened her mouth, but there was not a scream coming out, but fire. A jet of fire erupted from her back, like a weld, forming a wide hole. Her legs failed her and she fell.

Inquisitor mounted on her. Holding the cross, with its sharp, incandescent edge, he raised his arm to deliver the blow. His target was the blackened gem in the tiara.

Estér looked into his eyes.

"AAAAHHHHH!" With all the force amplified by magic, Inquisitor hit the gem with his cross. The strike was so devastating that the cross pushed the gem through the woman's head until it met the ground, making it quake. Her skull burst open and he closed his eyes with the splatter on his face.

Silence.

Inquisitor could only hear his breathing, inhaling the smell of burning. He reopened his eyes and realized that, unlike the witch, this woman was indeed made of flesh and blood. Only mouth down was left from the head of the corpse, with the cross he still held being the nexus of that bloody mess. The hot end of the sacred object was soaking into the thick pool of blood, cooking it.

He looked around. The flames that burned the barrier were still frozen in time. Was that not the woman's magic? Perhaps it was the witch who conjured hourglasses? However, Inquisitor could not ignore the growing feeling that something was wrong, for some time had passed and the woman's magical girl garment had not dissipated.

As he looked at the corpse, an ominous discovery came to him. The hole in her torso was gone, the large wound had been completely healed! He looked at the head.

A smile, the mouth was smiling! With teeth bared, the mouth said in Estér's voice, "You're too weak."

Stupefied, Inquisitor felt something pushing his cross upwards.

Emerging from the pool of blood, the corrupted soul gem of Estér levitated, lifting with it the cross that the man was holding.

Inquisitor was even more shocked, for the gem was intact, not even a crack. In an attempt devoid of reason, he put force into his arm to push the gem back to the ground, but to no avail. It was then that he noticed the woman extending her arm, her open palm toward his chest.

And Estér uttered, "Abjuration."

"EEEEAAAAAAGGHHHH!"

Homura heard the man's groan and saw him being thrown away, wrapped in a red light.

"GGGNNNNNNAAAHH!" Inquisitor fell to the floor in terrible pain, but not being from the impact. "Aaah... Ah..." It was his back, with a wide burnt hole formed by a plasma blast. It was his arm, amputated and cauterized. His skin, with several burns of varying degrees, that he was not even aware of before. All the pain he had blocked out. He almost fainted, only his adrenaline stopping him, as if to warn him that if he lost consciousness right then, he would never wake up again.

Getting used to the pain, he reopened his eyes and the first thing he saw was his arm. He no longer had a sleeve, he was without clothes? However, what was most wrong was that his arm was thinner, his hand was smaller.

Inquisitor felt smaller.

He rose with difficulty, managing to sit up. Indeed, he was completely naked. "Ahhh... Ahh...?" However, his chest was different, there was a round, voluminous, soft pair hanging from it. There was still hair, but more prominent around the areolas of his now large nipples. "Oh? Aaaahhnnn?" At his crotch, there was a tuft of hair, but nothing else.

Homura was also confused by what she was witnessing.

Estér's corrupted gem continued to float, now in a higher position, and her headless body rose up as if it were being pulled by the stone.

Inquisitor realized this and she widened her eyes.

First came the blood, which had been splattered on the ground and was now flying, forming a flow to the headless part. Then came portions of brain, bone fragments, pieces of flesh, strips of skin, and locks of white hair, all coming together like an elaborate puzzle. Finally, the tiara received the gem, and Estér reopened her eyes. She smiled and held out her hand. An egg-shaped jewel, with a dark red gem, came flying down gently into the tall woman's palm.

Inquisitor gritted her teeth. She recognized that that was her soul gem.

"I finally found a good use for this gender swap magic," Estér commented, "now I understand why your daddy was so interested in you, you're kind of cute. Of course, it would be nice to wax to deal with that cavewoman look."

"WHA-" Inquisitor paused for a moment, as she heard her own voice, now high-pitched. "WHAT ARE YOU?!"

"What am I? A ridiculous question for an inquisitor." Estér's eyes sparkled. "I hold your soul in my hands and you have no power to change that. I know your past while you know nothing about me. What else can I be at this moment to you but god?"

"'God'?" The naked woman, with a hole in her back and only one arm, stood up. Her legs were trembling, but she managed to stand with only the strength of her ire. "'GOD'?!"

Estér raised an eyebrow.

"You... You... aaa... are not God." Inquisitor struggled to keep her balance. "Ahh... You don't know me. I never wanted to change my destiny. The ordeal is necessary to be closer to Him." She pointed at the white-haired woman. "You can... ah... take my life, but your hubris... It will be judged."

"I'm a condemned soul," Estér promptly replied.

Inquisitor frowned.

"Those were your last words, fool?" Estér nodded. "You reminded me... Do you know when was the first time I heard about your God? From a drunkard, who talked to himself and had hallucinations. A lunatic, but he had a big boat and the world I knew had been completely destroyed by Incubator."

Inquisitor became more confused.

But Estér continued, "I had children with him, but I left him before he could see my belly grow. I took care of the lineage, oversaw it until it prospered and multiplied. The descendants created and worshiped new gods, for I never taught them about your god."

Homura, listening to the exotic woman monologue in English, understood even less. She scrutinized the dark gem in the woman's tiara, with flashes of other colors, like thunder in a thick storm cloud.

"Nevertheless, it's your god that is still remembered today," Estér said, shrugging, "I must admit that perhaps He does exist. But if He wants to judge me, He'll have to leave His throne." She then showed a tender smile. "Tell Him that for me, angioletto. Okay?"

Hearing that term in Italian, Inquisitor was so surprised that he forgot his pain. "What did you say?!"

Estér remained silent.

"Only one person called me that way..." All Inquisitor's senses waited for an answer, but her spirit dreaded getting one.

Estér remained smiling.

Inquisitor already knew. "No..." She understood. "No, no, no..." With a start of a scream, stuck for so long, it revealed a truth from the Bastion of New Orleans, "MATRIAR-"

Estér crushed the red soul gem.

Inquisitor's female body stood still for a moment, before collapsing like a rag doll.

The white-haired woman gently blew away the small fragments that still remained in the palm of her hand. Then she turned her attention to Homura.

In her salamander form, Homura wondered if it was not more prudent to hide inside her doll body again.

"How did Inquisitor manage to defeat you? Did that brief time of peace leave you inept?" Estér waved her hand. "Well, let me fix you."

Homura felt blinded by a flash and then her eyes opened. Were they closed? She moved her body and realized that it was no longer her salamander body, but that of the doll. She looked down at her black dress, in perfect condition, with no burn marks. Her wax arms were no longer melted, with the hard, pale surface giving way to the texture and tone of her human skin.

Estér said, "Forgive me, Homura-chan, I still don't have a full understanding of this hybrid anatomy that you have now. Are you still feeling any pain? I have other types of restorative magics I can try."

"I am... fine..." Homura hesitantly looked at the woman. She was speaking in Japanese, in a very friendly way, but she had just killed a person, and she must have been the one who had killed Madre in the lobby. Worst of all: That woman would be capable of many things, including manipulating time.

... Temporal anomaly...

... We should be prepared to deal with someone who has agency over fate...

... I have all the answers...

Lost with what was happening, Homura needed at least one answer, "Who..."

"Madoka," Estér said.

Homura looked at her and, tense, stood up.

Estér smiled slightly. "I was sure I would have your attention, but I don't want to have our conversation here, with this mess around." She pointed her finger upward. "Meet me on the surface, ten kilometers northeast of this position. Witches can subvert space with their barriers, it shouldn't be hard for you to create a way out." Her pink eyes sparkled. "I'll be waiting for you, Homura-chan, don't disappoint me this time."

Homura had not gotten what she wanted. "Who are you?"

But the woman was no longer there.

Homura had not even blinked, yet she could not notice any suspicious movement. The woman had vanished instantly! Hearing the intense sound of flames, she realized that time had started to pass normally again.

"Akemi-san! Akemi-san!"

Homura looked at who was calling her. It was the witch, the monitor being carried by the one-winged angels.

The monitor screen lit up, revealing Hellen Nakamura's surprised face. "What happened? Who's this dead woman? Where's the man?"

Homura shook her head a little. She also only had more questions than answers.

Hellen noticed that the dead woman had one of her arms amputated. "That woman...is that him?"

Homura commented, "You are part of the Law of Cycles."

"Huh? Yes," Hellen confirmed, "Madoka-san was concerned about the organizations of magical girls around the world and asked for help. I was one who managed to get into that organization, Souls' Sisterhood."

"A spy..." Homura concluded.

"You could say that." Hellen nodded. "I was able to make some arrangements to be 'selected' to work at this secret facility. Unfortunately, I couldn't inform Madoka-san often enough without arousing suspicion." Hellen's image on the screen flashed, showing that she was more tense. "I was going to try to contact her today, since they planned to eliminate all of you in Mitakihara. It's a relief that you have come, but through false information. Something is very wrong. Who else is in your group? Is Madoka-san here?"

Homura frowned and pressed her lips together.

"Madoka-san is alone in Mitakihara?" Hellen's image flashed more. "Oh no... She may be in great danger!"

Homura lowered her head, her breathing unsteady.

"We can still warn her. On the floor above there is a data center with Internet access. I can send a message to her cell phone. That's where I've also hidden dozens of grief seeds. We need to rescue-"

With her open palm, Homura summoned an hourglass.

To Hellen's surprise. "Akemi-san?"

Turning the hourglass, Homura disappeared.

"Akemi-san..." Hellen could not believe it. Commanding her angel familiars to rotate the monitor, she could see everything around her, looking for a sign of Homura.

What she found was another group of angels approaching, carrying a partially melted gauntlet. A compartment in the gauntlet was open, revealing an intact but very blackened gem.

Pieces of the dome were falling down, being engulfed by fire. The barrier would dissipate and nothing would stop the flames from reaching the rocket and its fuel.

"It's okay..." Hellen whispered to the gem on the gauntlet, "Everything will be fine."

／人 ◕‿‿◕ 人＼

"Another large, empty room."

Although Kyouko was not wrong in her comment, the room was the largest the group had found by a wide margin. The girls walked to the center of it.

Looking in all directions, Sayaka concluded, "There is no other way out, only the way we came."

Umika agreed, "We chose the wrong tunnel at that last fork."

Kazumi was the one who was most disappointed. "Ah... Rock, paper and scissors didn't work this time."

Kaoru, on the other hand, was more interested in the walls. "Did you girls notice those marks and cracks in the concrete? It looks like there was a fight around here."

"Now that you mention it..." Kyouko looked at a small crater in the floor. "A fight between magical girls."

"Like an arena?" Kazumi's eyes widened.

"A training room," Umika theorized, "maybe there is no fighting. Just that here members can freely practice their spells and weapons."

"Whatever it is," Sayaka said, "it's not what we're looking for. We still have to find who Oriko-san said would be on that floor." She turned toward the exit, being joined by the others, but no one even took a step.

From the exit tunnel came a woman wearing a white shirt and military camouflage pants. She had short dark pink hair, the same color as her eyes, and dark skin. She stopped, staring at the group with a stern countenance.

It was an awkward silence.

[Umika-chan.] Kazumi called out.

[Yes, I know.] The magical girl adjusted her glasses and took a breath, before saying in English, "Hello..."

The woman said nothing, keeping the same expression.

"Ware... W-We don't hurt you. We want peace..." Umika fumbled with the words, "Diplomatic d-desu. We just want to talk."

The woman clenched her fists.

Kyouko noticed this and became even more tense than before.

Umika gulped at the lack of an answer. Would she have to risk a few more sentences in English?

The woman named Leona Julieta Contreras finally spoke up, "No tendré piedad de ustedes, brujas."

Kyouko did not understand anything, but the intonation was clearly threatening. "Okay, what did she say?"

"Ahnnn..." Umika stammered, "T-That isn't English!"

"Huh?!" The girls looked at her.

Umika continued, "I think it's Portuguese."

A flash of pink light and Leona revealed her magical girl 'uniform', a second skin, dark pink, formed of parts that successively separated and recombined, dancing on the curves of her sculpted body.

"S-She's NAKED!" Kazumi exclaimed.

"And it's a nice 'naked', huh?" Kaoru smiled. "She must work hard to have that athlete's body."

"That's a warrior's body." Kyouko created a spear in her hands.

Bringing an immediate reaction from Sayaka. "WHAT ARE YOU DOING?"

"Get real!" Kyouko did not take her eyes off the woman. "She didn't transform to give us Portuguese lessons. She's willing to do diplomacy the hard wa-" The redhead heard the sound of something soft being crushed as she felt a warm splash on her face.

The woman was no longer there.

Kyouko blinked, sure that she had not blinked before. Still, the woman was gone. There were droplets on her lips, and came the taste of blood. Adrenaline surged in her chest, as the splatter had come from where Sayaka was standing. She turned around.

Sayaka was standing, but the face... There was no face, but an open hand and a forearm, both covered in blood.

The woman had attacked from behind, piercing Sayaka's head with her arm. She pulled her arm back and the faceless girl slumped to the floor, no longer moving. Without showing any remorse, the woman stood examining her bloodied arm.

Kyouko was not wanting to believe her eyes and looked at the other girls in the group to confirm what she was witnessing.

With wide eyes, Umika had already summoned her book.

Making a shocked face, Kazumi let out a wail, "NOOOOOO!"

Kaoru was closest to the woman. Driven by terror, she chose to fight. "CAPITANO POTENZA!" She delivered a kick, with her transformed animal leg, made of black metal.

The strike was swift and the woman still seemed engrossed with her arm bathed in blood. However, just as the kick was about to connect, the woman vanished.

Kaoru frowned as she realized that she was kicking the air.

Kyouko had already recovered from the initial shock, her instincts sharpened by years of coexisting with dangers, supernatural or not. Still, she failed to notice any suspicious movement from that woman before she disappeared.

For a measly moment, a 'pink blur' enveloped Kaoru's leg.

Kyouko narrowed her gaze. It was uncertain, but she could have sworn she saw the image of the woman applying an elbow and a knee in a combined blow.

Karou's metal leg shattered in two places. "AAAAHHHH!" Screaming more in surprise than in pain, she fell to the ground with her leg now amputated at thigh height. Kaoru was so incredulous that she let her leg turn back to flesh and bleed. This had never happened before, to the point that she believed her metal leg was indestructible. Then she noticed the woman standing in the same place as before, looking at her.

Kyouko gritted her teeth. Even paying the utmost attention, she could only note that the woman had instantly reappeared, acting like someone who makes fun of reality. Like someone she knew very well.

Leona glanced at the redhead.

Sensing the murderous intent, Kyouko brandished her spear. The woman then disappeared, something she had expected. Knowing what had happened to Sayaka, she pivoted her body.

Indeed, the woman was behind, but before the spear had any chance to hit her, she disappeared again.

"Damn it!" Trembling, her breathing short and strained, Kyouko had no idea where the woman might be now.

"She stepped in my trap!" Umika announced.

Kyouko turned and saw the woman standing on a circle of light on the floor, with runic markings around the edges. Magical shackles held both of her shins.

Umika wasted no time. "KAZUMI!"

"Right!" Knowing exactly what she needed to do, Kazumi jumped up and landed on a floating platform of warm light that she had created herself, while conjuring her trusty staff.

Despite the light show, Kyouko continued to pay attention to the woman. She looked calm, as if she saw no threat, even though she was caught in the magic trap. It was then that the redhead noticed that the woman's second skin was pulsating with a glow. Something is wrong.

"I didn't want to do this, but I won't let you hurt my friends!" Kazumi raised her staff and let her body be enveloped in the light. "Meteora Fina-"

The woman was no longer in the trap, she was gone.

Kazumi was so confused, that all the magic power she had accumulated drained away. "How... Where..."

Kaoru yelled, "WATCH OUT! KAZUUUUUUMIIIIII!"

Kazumi intended to look at her friend, but she did not have time to even turn her head. An overwhelming force pushed her back, ripping through her body. She tried to scream, from the pain and shock, but from her mouth came only a spurt of blood. Losing the ability to feel her lower body and legs, she looked down and saw a bloody arm, which had emerged from a large wound in her torso and was holding a strange object also bathed in blood, almost cylindrical with a few edges.

She had no idea, nor ability to think, what it was, but it was vertebrae from her spine.

"NOOOOOOO!" Kaoru cried even more, her desperation was such that a pair of horns grew on her forehead.

Umika was speechless, still trying to understand how her magic trap had failed.

Kyouko was also silent, but more to maintain focus, as she could be the next one.

Kazumi only had time to feel herself being thrown down before her face met the concrete. With her nose and cheek bones broken, she raised her head and looked at Umika, to whom she extended her arm. "U... mi... ka..."

Leona was already standing next to the fallen girl. She raised her leg and stomped on the head of the disguised witch. The head split open, forming a crimson fan on the floor.

"KYYYAAAAHHHHH!" Kaoru screamed and screamed.

Umika was awestruck and gasping for breath.

Kyouko gritted her teeth, muttering, "She's a monster..."

Even more terrifying was the woman's face, with blood dripping down that did not shake her infinite coldness. "Estoy cansada, muy cansada..." And then she vanished.

"AAAaahhh..." Kaoru fell silent, faced with the realization that there would be a next victim.

"Where's she? WHERE'S SHE?!" Kyouko turned from side to side, swearing she was seeing 'pink traces' in the corner of her eye, which disappeared an instant later. "Damn Oriko! She knew about this woman and sent us to die!"

"No, she was right."

"Wha-" Kyouko saw a small bluish dome, a kind of force field, form around her. "WHAT?!"

That had been Umika's doing. "Now we know why in her visions she never saw you fighting the attackers in Mitakihara. This magical 'girl' is a grown woman with many, many years of experience and fighting. If others like her were to attack the city, you'd never stand a chance. At least, here, we have a chance to avert that future."

"Tch..." With the tip of her spear, Kyouko touched the force field, confirming that it was quite rigid.

Kaoru had also been enveloped by a force field, but she saw that her long-time friend did not have one. "What're you doing, Umika?! She's gonna attack you!"

"That's what I hope." Umika turned her back to the other two girls. "I still don't know how this woman moves, but it seems that she needs to have physical contact with her victims. She hasn't used a weapon so far."

Kaoru's eyes widened. She had understood her intention.

"Yeah, I noticed that too. That's why this bitch is being overly cautious," Kyouko said, "whatever you're planning, let me be the bait. I bet I fight better than you, book girl."

"No!"

Kyouko looked at Kaoru.

The girl with the severed leg stated, "Only she is capable of that!"

"'Book girl'?" Umika separated the cover of the book she was holding into two parts, each part cover becoming one of the sharp ends of a spear. "I'll show you..." She jumped up and announced in mid-air. "Rosso Fantasma!"

The redhead frowned. "What?"

Kyouko Sakura, the scarlet devil of Kazamino. Her magic specializes in illusions. Umika split herself into multiple identical versions of herself, each one landing in a different place, but only one being real. However, based on Michiru Kazusa's recollections, she never made use of this magic. Now that I have had some conversations with her, I can understand that she has a kind of 'shame' about using it. Could it be because of her relationship with Mami Tomoe?

The clones positioned themselves so that each one could see all the others.

I can't fail again. Umika redoubled her attention. She looked at one of her copies. I activated a magical decoy on this 'false self', making it look like I failed to conceal my source of magic for a moment. I have my doubts as to whether this will work against this woman, but I need to try everything! If I can at least watch how she approaches and attacks, I will know how best to react to touch her or have her touch me in a non-lethal way.

Kaoru and Kyouko continued to watch the plan unfold in silence. The tension was palpable, for the murderous woman would act at any moment.

Then, behind the copy of Umika that had a decoy, a pink blur formed.

That's her! I'm going to use it now! Umika had already prepared everything. She and her copies held out their hands at the same time and a purple aura formed on the ground.

Kyouko raised her eyebrows. That magic...

Kirika Kure, as notable for her loyalty to Oriko Mikuni as for her magic capable of slowing anything down. It seems to be a form of time manipulation, as it also affects the perception of its target. Umika took a deep breath, trying to release the tension. Unfortunately, I cannot use the Homura Akemi magic that I have registered, it requires a tool of special quality that I have not been able to recreate.

The blur became sharp, revealing it to be the woman with two skins. Slowly, she was preparing to punch the copy.

It worked! Umika held back her anxiety not to give away her real self. Now I can-

The woman disappeared.

Did she notice? How? Then Umika noticed that the woman was behind another copy and soon disappeared again, reappearing behind yet another copy. What... is she doing?

And so on, the woman disappeared and reappeared behind each copy. Suddenly, it got so fast, that there was a semi-transparent image of the woman doing the punching motion behind each copy, and the image was getting more and more solid.

Umika understood. She will attack all my copies at the same time!

"UMIIKKKAAAAA!" Kaoru shouted.

Not just my copies! Umika turned around and her eyes met the woman's. Her fist was almost touching Umika. The magical girl with glasses took a step back, avoiding the attack. And that's it! Now I just need to touc- An overwhelming blow struck the side of her torso and Umika felt, besides the sudden pain, that she was flying, then the impact with the ground and the world spun.

Astonished and helpless, Kyouko and Kaoru watched Umika's body roll over several times and then drag for a further distance.

Umika was lucid, staring at the gray ceiling. I dodged it! The pain had been blocked, but she could only move her arms and head. How? Where did this blow come from? Suddenly a shadow loomed over her.

It was the woman standing beside her.

I'm going to die, and then my friends! And Madoka! Panic rose in Umika, the survival instinct screamed inside her, bringing her an option. Wait! This is my chance! She stretched out her arm like a snake's lunge, grabbing the woman's shin. At the same time, she exclaimed, compelled by adrenaline, "Fantasma Bisbiglio!"

Satomi Usagi, member of the Pleiades Saints, my dear friend. Her magic allows her to control the mind and body of her victims. Therefore, we will be able to...

The woman raised her leg.

"Oh?" Umika was now seeing the sole of her aggressor's foot above her head.

Leona stomped, crushing the witch's head. She did this several times, to ensure that the disguised monster was dead.

The force field shattered around Kaoru, who was falling into despair. "HYYYAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHH!" However, between her and the scene of her friend being brutally killed, a wall of red chains formed. "Huh?!"

"GET UP!" Kyouko grabbed Kaoru's arm. "Lean on me! I know it's all going to shit, but losing control and becoming a witch won't help!"

Kaoru obeyed, realizing the pair of horns on her forehead. She took a deep breath and held her cry.

"Listen! I know what this bitch is doing, she's messing with time!" Kyouko explained, "I've divided this room in two with a chain-reinforced wall, and we've got the side with the exit. This bitch can stop time all she wants, she won't get past my wall before she runs out of magic." She looked at Sayaka.

The magical girl with cape was lying on a pool of blood, motionless.

Kyouko gritted her teeth and said, "We hafta get out and find Homura. She's our only chance."

"Look!"

Kyouko's attention was caught by Kaoru. The redhead looked to where the other girl was pointing.

Far away, on the other side of the wall of chains, the woman was looking at the two girls. With her always cold countenance, she was preparing to execute a punch.

Kyouko widened her eyes.

"What's she going to do?" Kaoru asked, and got a shove in response, being thrown away.

It was Kyouko who had done this, before she also threw herself to the opposite direction. She kept looking at the woman and heard an impact sound.

The woman had vanished instantly.

Still in the air, Kyouko turned toward the direction she had pushed Kaoru.

The woman was there, she had executed the punch, and Kaoru's headless body touched the floor. A red stain on the wall was the only indication of the fate of that body part.

So appalled she was, Kyouko did not take care with her landing and hit the floor hard. She stood up quickly, looking at her wall of chains. There was no hole, no damage, it was still untouched. Kyouko then understood: that woman's magic was not related to time, but to space.

The woman was gone.

"Damn it!" In an urgent act, Kyouko struck the ground with the tip of her spear baton. A red aura formed on the ground around her and dozens of spears sprouted, like the blossoming of a flower. Surrounded by those defenses, the redhead turned around, looking for the woman. To her surprise, she found the woman standing near the magic phalanx.

The pink skin danced across Leona's impassive face, her gaze fixed on the witch behind those spears.

Kyouko pressed her lips together and held the spear more firmly in her hands as she watched the woman begin to circle around, her movements being accompanied by the legion of sharp points.

Leona then stopped and lifted her leg. She knew exactly what she needed to do.

Kyouko saw that she was going to perform a stomping. She knew she would have to be very fast, but she could not rush. She waited until the last moment of movement before crouching down and forming a barrier of chains above her.

A foot, with a mixture of pink and brown skin, stepped against the barrier, being strong enough to pierce it, but not reaching the red magical girl.

Leona had teleported, appearing above where the witch was, thus avoiding the circle of spears, and at the same time executing the stomp. However, she was surprised by the barrier, which was now like a platform, where her foot had been trapped.

Kyouko had made the right reading. "Gotcha!" And she was not going to miss the opportunity. The baton of her trusty spear subdivided into several parts and came to life. The weapon was now like a flying serpent, the tip sharp as a deadly fang. Its target was the woman's neck, to meet the same end it had given to its victims. That woman could not control time, she was not fast, let alone more agile than her spear could be! She would not be able to block.

In fact, Leona only had time to notice the attack coming, she did not raise a single arm. However, her pink skin moved in a pattern this time, clustering on the side where the blow would come, even covering her neck.

The spear head hit her neck and shattered.

Kyouko's triumphant demeanor was gone.

Leona's pink skin glowed and the chain barrier was as if consumed by that light, disintegrating. She landed inside the small area surrounded by the spears.

"No!" And Kyouko immediately jumped out of the area. Confronting that woman head-on was certain suicide! Unfortunately, she felt her hair being pulled.

Leona grabbed the witch's ponytail with one hand and effortlessly whirled the witch above her head, as if it were a lasso she was about to throw.

Much to Kyouko's terror. "AAAAHHHHHHHH!"

Leona planned to throw the witch against the ground and finish her off, but she had held the witch's hair so tightly that it was crushed and broke, ripping the ponytail apart.

Kyouko flew up and slammed into the ceiling. The impact was so violent that she immediately felt broken teeth ricocheting inside her mouth. She fell to the ground and remained motionless, with no prospect of being alive the next minute. This was the end, Oriko be damned!

Nee-san...

A child's voice, a familiar voice, a painful memory. Kyouko opened her eyes and felt them burn with the heat, and the smell of ashes. The curse was calling.

Leona looked at the tuft of red hair in her hand and at the fallen girl. The disguised witch was not moving, but she was certainly not dead. It was time to put an end to this.

Light, heat, pain.

In an instinctive reaction, Leona pulled her hand away. The hair she was holding had spontaneously combusted. The fright had passed, but the pain remained. She examined the palm of her hand, finding that there were burns where it was not covered by her second skin. Then a warm light caught her attention.

It was the redhead, now with all her hair being a flame. She was also now wearing an opulent red kimono, with beautiful paintings of flowers and seaweed. With her back to her opponent, she began to stand up and disappeared into the mist.

Leona looked around. The thick fog had suddenly appeared and taken over the whole room. The soles of her feet also felt that the floor was different. She looked down and saw that it was red stone tiles.

Sound of an animal's hooves on a hard surface.

It was a distant sound, but unmistakable. Leona's second skin became agitated, sensing imminent danger.

The dancing light of a flame appeared behind the mist. It moved quickly.

Leona noticed that that light was circling her, as the sound of hooves grew louder. The tiles under her feet began to tremble.

A sound of a horse neighing and the light from the flame was getting big.

Leona clenched her fists, waiting for the witch to come, but her ears managed to pick up another sound.

The swing of a blade.

That sound was coming from behind. She turned and was met with the red head of a spear, and then nothing, just the mist, for Leona had teleported to another location. She exhaled, her heartbeat had quickened.

That was too close.

The sound of horse hooves continued.

Leona looked for the flame, but to her surprise there was not just one. Several lights now danced and circled behind the mist. She tried to sense the witch's position through the source of the magic, but it was as if the whole mist was the source.

A massive spear came flying.

With the help of her second skin covering her forearm, Leona struck the weapon, managing to parry it. However, she did not like that. The attack had been too easy to stop, seeming to have another purpose.

She was right.

On the ground between her feet, a spear emerged, intent on impaling her. Leona could not dodge it, but the spear was unsuccessful, breaking against the second skin that always covered the woman's crotch.

More spears came up from the ground, but they did not hit anything, because their target was no longer there.

With the new teleportation, Leona had obtained a moment of safety, but her situation was getting worse and worse. The sound of hooves was deafening, as if a large cavalry was surrounding her.

She was tired, very tired.

Without waiting for an attack, she teleported again. Destination? A random position. Then, she teleported again.

And again, and again, and again...

Again, again, again, again, again, again, again, again, again, again, again, again, again...

Nowadays, the story of Generalíssima's deeds are given only as a myth to inspire the novices. An immigrant who achieved a prestigious position in the Sisterhood, in a meteoric ascension. She defeated Katrina in the Bastion of New Orleans single-handedly, defeated the omicron-class witch with one blow. Some are convinced that these are inventions, untruths.

They are right, because she is so much more. I know that.

Leona is capable of something even gods envy.

To be everywhere.

And nowhere.

The power of ubiquity.

Still, she was only a human. To perceive everything, from every angle, was too much for her mind. However, in that magical mist, where her senses were restricted, the impact of this limitation had been reduced.

Teleporting on and on, Leona understood the nature of the witch's barrier: the illusion of choice. An old trick, none of the 'flames' behind the mist were real, they were only supernatural luminescences. The witch had complete mastery over her domain, dedicating a portion of the mist like a thick veil to hide her real presence entirely.

This was no longer enough, for Leona was able to see, from all possible directions. A ceremonial candle wearing a red kimono, holding a spear, and mounted on a white horse, enameled with ashes, with elaborate black lines. From the animal's long neck hung a huge red medallion.

She was able to see it, she was able to end it.

Where to attack? Would there be a weak point? Leona had no more patience and chose the medallion, even if it was not a weak point, she would be hitting the witch's center of mass, that might be enough. She redirected a portion of her second skin to the arm she was going to use for the blow. When she executed, it was not a punch, but an open-handed stab.

Leona's hand easily pierced the medallion, and the mist, the world, shattered like stained glass.

With the sudden stop caused by the impact, Kyouko was thrown away from the back of the animal she was riding. "AAAHHH!"

As she heard a loud neigh of pain, Leona's eyes widened. She had not expected that her arm would end up inside the chest of a real horse with a peach-colored fur. She could feel the warmth of the blood and the heartbeat of the living creature. It was not for long: she pulled her arm back, tearing the flesh along the way. When she removed the limb, Leona received a crimson squirt, being bathed in blood.

It was not a horse, but a mare, named Homura. With one last groan, the animal collapsed with its tongue out.

Lying on the ground, Kyouko saw that scene and could not contain herself. "NOOO!" But she realized that this caught the attention of the killer woman with two skins.

With blood running down the curves of her body, the woman showed an intense gaze before disappearing.

Gritting her teeth, Kyouko stood up at once and conjured a spear. She wanted to take all her anger out on that woman, but she was still aware of her opponent's strength. "SHIT!" Frustrated, she struck the ground with her weapon, causing many spears to appear around her, just like the other time. She needed time and resorted to the only resource that could give her that.

The sound of an impact, the head of one of the spears shattered.

Kyouko could not see the attack, she could not see the woman. She turned around several times, but at most she could get a glimpse of a pink blur.

More impacts, more spears destroyed.

The sound of the blows was loud and powerful. Sensing that she might be the next target, Kyouko summoned spears without stopping, some of them giant, representing the size of her desperate effort.

Even the giant spears reinforced with chain walls could not withstand the barrage of blows.

Kyouko was at her wit's end, all the anger she had could not supply any more magic. Even with all the desperation, she could not turn into a witch again! Powerless, she followed the head of one of her spears being torn off the baton.

The sharp broken head of the spear spun in the air... Until a pink blur intercepted it.

Kyouko's eyes widened, catching a glimpse of the woman hitting the spear head with a volley kick. An instant later, she felt a strong impact on her chest. She had time to feel that she was flying before her back violently met against a wall, followed by a gush of blood coming out of her mouth. "Gaak!"

The woman's kick caused the broken head of the spear to fly like a cannonball, hitting Kyouko straight on. The girl was not hit by the blade, in which case she would have been cut in half, but the heavy metal head crushed the redhead's chest. She fell to her knees, and her face would have hit the floor if her hair had not been pulled back.

Kyouko's head was lifted with force and she saw that the woman was already in front of her. So close, but she had no strength left.

The woman lifted one leg, preparing to deliver a knee strike.

Kyouko knew that the target was her head; she would meet the same end as the other girls. She closed her eyes, cursing Oriko in silence.

Silence broken by the sound of a blade piercing through flesh.

And the final blow had not come. Kyouko reopened her eyes.

The woman was wide-eyed, trembling. Her other hand was holding the blade of a sword that had pierced the center of her chest, in a spot that was not covered by her second skin. A trickle of blood was coming down from the wound, mixing with the dried blood of her victims.

Kyouko began to fall forward, her hair had been let loose. Surprised, she propped her hands on the ground and managed to still have the strength to keep her face from meeting it. She looked at the woman again, but the woman was no longer there.

She saw Sayaka. The blue-haired girl was far away, kneeling over the pool of her own blood, but with her head completely healed. She had used the trigger of her sword handle to fire the blade that struck the woman.

Kyouko noticed that her friend was frightened, dumbfounded. Certainly because of the woman's disappearance. The redhead tried to send a telepathic message, but she was feeling her consciousness leaving. The wound in her chest was very serious.

The woman appeared behind Sayaka. She no longer had the wound on her chest, and one of her hands was holding the blade that had transfixed her.

Kyouko tried to warn, but she had no strength left. Her arms surrendered and she finally lay on the ground.

Yet Sayaka had noticed something in her fallen friend's countenance, to the point where she decided to look back. She only had time to do that.

Leona, with one precise stroke with the blade she was holding, decapitated the witch, causing the blue-haired head to fly off. However, she continued to strike the body, overcome by a fit of rage.

Her vision was dimming, but Kyouko could hear the sound of meat being sliced, of her friend being butchered.

Like any witch, you have to beat her until she dies. Leona followed this to the letter, until the blade in her hand melted. "Hnn!?" The witch's body was also melting, both flesh and blood turning into a blue goo, which began to crawl, quickly running up her legs.

Leona felt stuck to the ground. The goo was heavier than it looked and was stuck to her skin. Teleportation would not help. The goo had already covered her chest when pieces of a knight's armor emerged from the goo. As she realized that she would be trapped inside that cursed armor, Leona's pink skin began to glow.

It was the manifestation of the miracle of her wish, the wish for freedom.

The pink glow spread through the goo and armor like fire in straw, and burned as such, for all that remained was a black mist.

Freed, Leona witnessed the black mist coalesce into a grief seed. The seed landed gracefully in front of her feet. However, her attention was already focused on the other witch.

The red-haired girl was lying motionless. She seemed to be dead.

Leona wasted no time. Teleporting and trampling the girl's head. The head was crushed, but Leona was not satisfied, she continued trampling the body, splashing blood all over the floor.

The girl's body finally crumbled, becoming a black cloud that solidified into a seed.

The fight was over.

"Guuuh..." Leona vomited blood and brought her hand to her chest. The pain was being blocked, but she feared losing consciousness.

[Leona?]

That was when she heard a voice she so longed to hear, but which now only brought her anger. [Estér? Where are you? I called you, and called you...]

[I was chased by witches, they are able to see me.]

The adrenaline was going away. Her legs were shaking, and Leona fought the urge to sit down. [And that's a problem now? You can handle them better than I can! And faster too!]

[Inquisitor was in the silo.]

At Estér saying this, Leona was paralyzed.

[I was too late. He killed Invader and Nano, and burned the rocket. He still believed that the stolen seeds were hidden in there.]

Leona gaped and almost lost her balance. She could not think of anything, there was only one feeling.

Humanity was doomed. Absolutely.

[I killed him. You had asked me not to do that, but...]

Leona regained her composure and shook her head. [No. You did good.]

[Meet me on the surface, ten kilometers to the northeast. I'll be waiting for you.]

[I... I'll be there soon.] Leona spat out more blood and looked at the seeds on the floor of the room, a total of five. She went to collect them, with a feeling that her eyes would get teary.

[Generalíssima?]

It was Revenant this time. Leona tried to use magic to suppress her emotions, an instinctive act and in vain, for she being a being of pure freedom, this was not possible.

[Generalíssima?]

Leona put her hand over her eyes and pressed them shut. A way she remembered she used to hold back crying, back in the days when she was in the orphanage. [I'm listening.]

[Are you still in the data center?]

Being an adult, Leona did not know if this really worked, but the crying did not come. The problem now was that blood was also dripping down her nostrils. [What's the situation?]

[Lucky is with the novices, building a way out. Matryoshka is with them too. I'm fighting a witch.]

[Keep going.] It was all in vain now. Leona picked up the last seed.

[Well, are you still going to take much time? I'll defeat this witch, no problem, but if you come to lend a hand, this will be over pretty quickly.]

Revenant's telepathy came to no one, since Generalíssima was gone.

／人 ◕‿‿◕ 人＼

Oriko dodged another relentless string of attacks, provided by the black woman. The blonde recognized that the battle was already too long, both because of her opponent's defensive abilities, and because her attacks were simple and direct. They were even getting slower.

Meanwhile, Revenant was waiting for a telepathic message.

It came, but it was another voice. [Revah! How are you? I know you're struggling! I felt someone else's magic there.]

[Yes, but it's just one witch,] Revenant replied to Lucky, [I'm fine, thanks to your bullets you put in me.]

[That's nice, but their effect should reduce with time.]

[You already told me that.] Revenant made a firm stab with her javelin at the witch, who dodged it easily. [How's Matryoshka's plan coming along?]

[That's why I called you. The wall has collapsed! Now the rest of the way to the surface will be with my king size drill bullet!]

Revenant sighed, relieved. [So, what are you waiting for? Get out.]

[First, I'll come over and help you.]

[No need, Drongo.] Revenant pressed her lips together as she prepared a new attack. [I have already called Generalíssima.]

[Generalíssima?]

[Yeah, she's still busy with the data center, but she'll be here soon.]

[But while you are alone, I can...]

[The novices are priority!] Revenant gritted her teeth. [Get the fucking children out of here! NOW!]

There was no reply.

However, Revenant knew Lucky well enough to know that this did not mean her friend was convinced. [You are insulting me now. Do you think I can't handle a single witch on my own?]

[Sorry,] Lucky said,[we're going west. Matryoshka said there are some farms there.]

[Does she know that?] Revenant was somewhat surprised, but she had no time to be distracted. [Good, but keep an eye on her, I'll catch up with you, now GO!]

Meanwhile, between one dodge and another, Oriko analyzed the situation.

This woman is trying to buy time for the moment, otherwise she would be annoyed that she can no longer press me with her speed. However, she has to defeat me if she intends to escape with the others.

She looked at the bone necklace of her black opponent, more specifically at the white gem that was hidden there.

Her gem is still quite pure, even after healing from such severe injuries. Yuma would need to purify her gem if she did something similar.

Oriko has never witnessed such efficiency in the use of magic.

If I still had a soul gem, my magic would have depleted by now.

In yet another dodge, the blonde stared closely into her opponent's honey-colored eyes in an attempt to decipher what she might be planning.

I don't like that. Her invulnerability must be temporary, or she would have injured herself long ago with her own weapon so they wouldn't be used against her. But for how long? If it's an hour, that's too long.

Oriko had to make a decision.

I still have one attack that she did not receive. If I use it directly on her gem, I can kill her, but then whoever killed Madre will have gotten what they want.

She knew what she needed to do.

Those who plot for this war will not surpass me. I need to see further! I will find out the result of this duel.

She concentrated. Her eyes stopped moving, for now it was the future that would come to them.

Then pain.

It was a distant pain, a pain that was yet to come. Oriko looked at the source of the pain and saw that her abdomen was impaled by a javelin.

Will she hit me? But how...

She heard a sheet of paper being blown away by the wind. Oriko then realized that she was in the middle of the desert.

Her eyes followed the sheet of paper. It was a page of newspaper, which rose into the blue sky and began to turn into something metallic, a circular silver object. A coin.

Oh no. I've lost control, I'm seeing too far ahead.

The spinning coin was about to fall on Oriko's face, but then the object reflected the sunlight, blinding the girl.

No! No! I have to stop!

Flashes of disconnected images came accompanied by many voices.

... your alleged strength, is your greatest weakness...

... Why do I still cry?...

... You will never win ...

... you don't deserve Homura...

... you are alone...

... NO, MADOKA! DO NOT DO THAT!...

STOP! STOP!

Oriko gnashed her teeth and opened her eyes wide, defying the blinding light. However, she saw that she was now in a hallway of a building.

The space was well lit, thanks to the windows, which were large glass panels. Outside was the center of a bustling city.

Oriko recognized the landscape. "It is Mitakihara..." She came closer to the window, her trembling fingers touching the glass. "When... When was the last time I saw the future of my beloved city without it being in ruins?" Her heart was anguished, fearing being blinded by the second sun, and all the destruction that followed. Time passed, with none of this occurring. "So we have succeeded, Akemi-san, we have prevented the tragedy that besets us."

Oriko noticed that there was no reflection of herself in the glass. I'm not really present at this moment in the future.

But why am I here?

With that thought in mind, she turned around. "What is this place?" Based on her experience, she would only be there if an important event was about to occur.

On the other side of the corridor was a light-colored wall, with doors interspersed with panels with various pamphlets about health promotion and disease prevention.

"This place looks like a hospital..."

Seeing that one of the pamphlets was a calendar, Oriko immediately approached it. That was like a valuable treasure for a seer. "How far into the future am I?"

However, what she read chilled her spine. "That... That is impossible! That calendar has to be wrong. If it is not, then I am not having a vision of the future, but of the past!"

There was a day marked on that calendar. Oriko did a quick calculation. "If that is today, it is about a month and a half until Walpurgisnacht. Why is that day so important?"

She looked at the door next to the panel. On the surface of the door was installed a holder with some documents. These documents contained information about the patient who was in that room.

The name of the patient written on the document caused Oriko to stop breathing for a moment:

Homura Akemi

"Hm, hmm, hm, hm! Hmhmm~"

Oriko heard someone humming. It was a nurse coming down the hallway, pushing a cart with several Styrofoam jars and boxes. She looked young and short, with no volume in her bust, which could give the illusion that she was a pre-teen. She was not Asian, with fair skin, and eyes of an intense and alluring blue. Her blond hair was like strands of gold in the daylight coming through the windows, somewhat long, below the shoulder line.

Oriko gulped as she felt a certain familiarity. "That nurse..."

The nurse stopped with her cart in front of Homura's room. She knocked on the door, speaking in fluent Japanese, "Yuuhuuu! Homura-chan~~ Are you awake yet? I brought ice cream~"

The hand that knocked on the door had a silver ring on its middle finger. When Oriko saw that, she was sure. "It is her! It is the girl from my vision! The one who is holding-"

A flash of light.

Oriko instinctively closed her eyes and heard the sound of wind, and crackling of flames.

No...

She reopened her eyes and saw herself surrounded by burnt ruins.

No, no...

The sky was filled with dark clouds. A rain of ashes covered the bodies.

No, no, no...

Mitakihara was dead, and its tombstone was a mountain of black tentacles, the cursed form of Madoka Kaname.

"The future has not changed!" Oriko clenched her fists tightly, feeling her nails cutting her skin. It was her effort to keep herself from falling into despair. She needed to stick to reason.

There was a difference, which she had not noticed before due to the initial shock. There was a woman with her back to Oriko, looking at Madoka's witch. She was tall, half-naked, with very long white hair. Her skin was brown, but was marbled with black veins.

This woman looks like the one Sakura-san described. Is she the one who killed Madre? Of course, she would participate in the attack.

"But why is there still this attack?" Oriko counters her own reasoning, "we found their base and they fled. Even if they reorganize in time, they would understand that their plan was discovered, or at least they would consider that they lost the element of surprise. That should have been enough for them to avoid continuing with their plan... or not?"

With the wind of desolation in her ears, the seer had a distressing musing, "What if what I am witnessing is not the planned attack that Madre mentioned, but rather a reckless retaliation due to our visit? Could it be that our intervention is the reason for this slaughter? In some sort of a self-fulfilling prophecy?"

"Is that so?"

Oriko was astounded after hearing the woman. Am I here? She looked at the ground, but saw that her presence was not casting any shadows. Then she looked at the woman again, even more astonished.

The white-haired woman turned around. Her pink irises glowed, while her sclerae were filled with black veins. The woman smiled, and a black goo oozed from between her teeth, the same viscous liquid oozing from her nostrils and ears. On the tiara on her forehead was a large corrupted gem, sparking, threatening to burst at any moment.

Oriko shuddered before an old nightmare.

"I'm very grateful, Oriko Mikuni-san." The woman opened her arms, looking up at the ruins and the sky blocked by the smoke of the dead. "Without you, this dawn would never be possible."

"Me?" Oriko lowered her gaze, more certain of that now. The person with agency over fate... It was me all along.

"I believe it would be rude of me not to reward you," the woman continued to speak, "so I'm going to suggest that you take a step to the right."

Oriko looked at the woman again, confused.

The woman still had a big smile, while the black veins spread across her body pulsed in excess. "Now."

The seer raised her eyebrows as she realized what it could be. The nightmare would come to an abrupt end, and she did the best she could, practically throwing herself to the right.

A javelin pierced her abdomen, being the sign that it was too late.

Revenant was holding the weapon firmly, rejoicing. "HAHAHAAH! GOTCHA, BITCH!"

"Acknn..." Oriko held the javelin close to where it had pierced her body, feeling the warm blood trickle between her fingers. That was the present, and she was going to die.

She could not die, not now.

In an act of command, Oriko extended her hand toward her opponent. Dozens of orbs appeared above the blonde, their crystals emitting an ominous glow.

Revenant's countenance changed instantly, gritting her teeth. She backed away quickly, pulling the javelin back.

Oriko had already blocked out the pain, but she could feel her uniform getting soaked with blood faster. She did not understand the black woman's reaction, she guessed that the woman would try more blows. That did not matter, because the fight had to end with that attack, even if that woman would die.

Revenant stopped retreating and her metal skirt rose up. The skirt remained armed, forming a disk around her waist. In the gap in the front of the skirt, she left her javelin in an upright position, sticking it into the ground. The metal of the javelin reacted with the metal edge of the skirt, generating white sparks.

Instants later, the orbs fired deadly beams of light. Oriko was blinded by the bombardment, but counting on the fact that her opponent could not resist that powerful new attack.

The beams of the spheres dissipated, after firing all the magic accumulated in them.

And Oriko wished she was hallucinating. The black woman's skirt had generated a spherical force field, looking milky and translucent. The most bizarre thing was that the inner surface of the force field was firing the same rays as the spheres, but weaker, just enough to burn the woman's skin.

"I was gonna use that when I was incapacitated, but ya didn't attack me..." Revenant undid her force field, her skirt lowered to its original position. Despite her burns, she was smiling with satisfaction.

Oriko knew very well why.

"I felt the desperation in that attack," Revenant said, "so that's yah best one."

Oriko watched the woman's burns peel away, revealing the healed skin underneath. She then looked down at her bloody skirt. Though plentiful, her resources were running out, and her opponent was becoming more and more invulnerable. Her mind raced for a plan, or Madoka would die, and the future with her.

Revenant extended her hand toward the witch, "Let me try..."

Oriko felt light coming from above her. She looked and saw that it was her spheres that were getting ready to fire again, but she did not want that!

The spheres emitted beams of light against the blonde. She did not even react, her body being burned and disintegrated in an instant.

And then she blinked.

Revenant extended her hand toward the witch, "Let me try..."

Oriko had little time! She swayed her arms desperately, commanding all her spheres to evaporate.

"Oh, ya saw that too."

Hearing the black woman's comment, Oriko looked at her in surprise.

Revenant was in a relaxed posture, with a slight smile.

"Do you know that I see the future?" Oriko asked.

"Ya talk as if that's hard ta figure out." Revenant threw away the javelin she was holding, and the weapon evaporated into a brilliant green mist. "Well, the warm-up is ovah."

Oriko saw the woman conjure a silver cross in one of her hands. The object did not seem to belong to her, as it did not match the theme of her attire. However, the woman conjured an even more bizarre object in her other hand, a sort of white furry toy with rabbit ears.

And the woman aimed that toy at the witch as if it were a firearm.

This time Oriko did not see it coming, her instincts came first. She ran to the side, and cocked her head in the same direction, before she heard the first bang. A burning sensation cut across the top of her shoulder.

Revenant continued to shoot with her gun.

With quick gestures, Oriko created her spheres to block the bullets. At first the spheres remained static, but then they flew at the girl, crashing into her violently. She had already avoided the pain, but she was helpless, watching her own spheres do a loop and hit her body again and again. With the countless impacts, she was thrown into the air and whirled around, until finally her face met the floor.

"Noice balls." The spheres flew up to the black woman and stayed floating around her. "By the way, I'm Revenant. I got that name cuz I make my enemies get a taste of their own poisons."

Oriko had no idea if any of her bones were broken, if she could stand. She tried, but then her legs were coiled together tightly, causing her to fall again.

It was the cross that Revenant was holding, which she had turned into a metal whip. "That's a pity. I wish yah friends would come so I could play with yah weapon moah. And maybe expand my collection."

The blonde was still lying on her stomach, unresponsive.

"For now, thanks fawr yah seed." Obeying Revenant's will, the floating spheres began to glow.

At once, the fallen girl turned around, staring at her executioner. 'Staring' was not the best term, for she had no eyes. It was as if they had been torn out, blood dripped from her empty eye sockets like tears.

Such a sight made even the veteran sister upset. "Whatta fuck?" Then something hit her face and covered it. "Shit!" Revenant was quick to remove it and saw that it was a sheet of newspaper, but it was written with runes and the paper was pierced where the eyes of the people in the pictures should be.

She felt a weight in the air, as if it were thicker. She was no longer in the dormitory, but in an immense landscape composed of sheets of newspapers with the same feature as the one she was holding.

The fallen girl was no longer there, instead there was a kind of hill covered by a damaged white mantle stained with blood.

"Then ya've shown yah true face, witch." Just then, Revenant felt the pain of many teeth digging into her back. "Ah! Ya lil'mothahfackah!" She turned around, certain that it was a familiar.

In fact, there was a swarm of what would be the eyes that should be on the pages of the newspapers. Some eyes turned, showing that their backs were made of flesh and these parts opened like flowers, revealing a mouth lined with teeth and eyes.

Revenant opened fire with her furry revolver and commanded her spheres to intercept the monsters. That was enough to make the swarm retreat and disperse. "Cowards like yah mistress!" She created more spheres, which shot beams of light at the familiar that was still on her back, incinerating it. She also flexed her muscles to the extreme to expel the teeth that were still stuck in her wounds. "SHOW YAHSELF!"

A roar. She turned toward the hill.

There was no longer the mantle covering it, revealing that it was a titanic agglomeration of living flesh, with hundreds of sharp-toothed mouths and thousands of eyes, being the support of a beautiful white pearl of similar size.

"Huh? Ya think that would scare me? That just made my blood boil moah." She disposed of the revolver and the cross, and commanded her spheres to come together.

The spheres fused with each other, resulting in a malleable crystal mass. The mass was elongated, becoming a giant crystal javelin.

With the great weapon floating beside her, Revenant wasted no more time. "Die, wretch!" With the woman pointing at the abominable hill, the crystal javelin began to emit a strong glow.

Like a bolt of light, the javalin flew and pierced the hill of flesh, traversing it completely. Mouths wailed in despair as the hill was sucked up by the trail of light left by the weapon. Finally, the hill collapsed, being crushed by the pearl it held.

To Revenant's delight. "Good riddance!"

Silence came, as a huge pool of blood grew under the pearl, soaking the newspaper sheets.

However, the barrier showed no signs that it would break down. Revenant had already abandoned her joy.

Oriko landed gracefully on top of the giant pearl. She still had battle wounds, especially the one on her abdomen, but she was very much alive.

"How?!" the black woman gritted her teeth, uttering a rhetorical question, "what I killed wasn't ya?"

The blonde replied, with a polite smile and bowing her head, "I am Oriko Mikuni. It was nice to meet you, Revenant."

"Noice? YAH ASS!" Revenant was going to speak more insults, but a sudden strong gleam changed her plans.

It was the giant pearl, which shot out a massive beam of light.

Revenant had no way to react, being swallowed by the light. However, she suffered nothing, for despite its size, the attack was essentially the same as she had received before. The only problem was that the beam kept being fired and Revenant could not see in all that light. "Fackin' witch!"

As if there were no impediment at all, the black woman began to run through the light. The goal was to move forward and reach the pearl. If the witch was counting on her not being able to resist that attack, she was in for a bitter surprise.

To Revenant's surprise, the beam dissipated. The blindness caused by the light diminished and she could see that she was running towards the pearl. Then she saw the blonde girl, Oriko, land in front of the pearl this time and stand still, waiting.

Was this another trap? Revenant decided not to stop, the other time it had caused her to be impaled by her own weapon. It was very unlikely that the witch would have a more powerful attack, she was sure of that.

Oriko had a calm expression, despite the state of her clothes and her body.

It was a bluff, to buy time, it had to be! With this idea in mind, Revenant conjured her trusty javelin in one of her hands. She would also conjure spheres to aid in the attack, in case the witch would just dodge. Revenant had expected Oriko to know this because of the clairvoyance the witch possessed. Revenant wanted to see the witch's countenance at the moment the monster would realize the inevitability of its defeat. "Ya can't escape!"

Oriko remained still.

Revenant reached the witch, delivering a vicious blow towards her enemy's head.

Oriko did not jump, nor did she take a step to the side. This time, she just moved her arm and held the tip of the javelin firmly, stopping the strike.

"What?" Revenant felt the strength the witch was exerting, despite the calmness in her demeanor. The black woman tensed her muscles to push the javelin.

However, Oriko bent the javelin with her hand, until the metal weapon broke.

"W-W... What?!" Revenant lost her balance and saw the witch's other arm quickly reach for her bone necklace. Wide-eyed, aware of what the witch was after, she held her enemy's arm, but she could not stop the witch from pulling the arm back.

Revenant fell to her knees. Her legs failed her as she realized the intense fatigue and a cold emptiness growing in her chest. "Ah... wha...?"

"I underestimated your intelligence."

Revenant looked up, at Oriko's face and her closed hand.

"And that is what you expect from your opponents," the blonde continued, "you are aware of the 'tough persona' image you convey. Someone who is simple, honest and straightforward. If you had not revealed to me that you pretended you did not know about my ability to see the future, I would still be believing it."

Revenant's body was shaking, struggling not to fall, but she was still trying to conjure another javelin. "I dunno... watcha're talkin' about..."

"Your alleged strength, is your greatest weakness," Oriko replied, "so it was vital for you that I relied on your suggestion that the best way to defeat you would be to use different, decisive attacks while, in fact, one powerful, sustained attack would be enough."

Revenant witnessed the witch open her hand, revealing a corrupted soul gem. Then, light. She closed her eyes momentarily, feeling warmth and a breeze, when she reopened them, she saw that she was on the surface, in the desert.

"Your invincibility requires magic, and you have no control over that," Oriko concluded, "and you do not seem to be able to copy things that do not harm you physically, or you would have predicted this outcome."

"Yeah, yeah..." Revenant smiled. "Are ya done braggin'? Get it ovah with, ya bloody arrogant piece of shit."

Oriko grew more serious and revealed the palm of her other hand, from which then emerged a grief seed.

Revenant pressed her lips together and took a deep breath.

Oriko moved the gem a little closer to the seed, and a sliver of darkness left the gem and entered the other object. With that, the blonde contracted the muscles in her face in an expression of pain.

While Revenant frowned. She felt her body lighter, with some of her strength returning.

Oriko moved the gem away, which was still blackened. "You have your father as an inspiration... You and I have something in common." She offered the gem to the black woman. "Here."

Offended, with a witch mentioning her father, and filled with distrust, Revenant inquired, "Whatta hell are ya doin'?"

"Go, find the others of the Sisterhood." Oriko absorbed her seed. "Tell them that a witch let you live, for she never wanted this fight in the first place."

Revenant took the gem that was being offered and examined the jewel. Then she looked at the witch again, narrowing her gaze. "With ya followin' me? No fuckin' way!"

"I have already predicted that if I go west, I will meet the other members of your organization" Oriko gave a slight smile. "One of them has rabbit ears. That is the one who you copied that plush weapon from, is it not?"

Revenante was silent, but her eyebrows rose.

"Do not worry." Oriko pointed to a direction. "I plan to go northeast."

"Theah's a source of magic ovah theah," Revenant commented.

"Oh, you felt it too. It is moving away fast, but I could sense a familiarity about it." Oriko lowered her tone, talking to herself, "she must have found something."

The muscles in the black woman's face remained tense.

With a disappointed visage, Oriko turned toward the direction she intended to go. "It is hard for you to trust me, but I want you to listen to me. The coward who killed Madre is the same person who wants to destroy my beloved city and our future."

"Our future?" Revenant said with scorn.

"Yes. It may be too late, but I do not want to give up, because I believe in miracles." Oriko started walking, limping. "So think carefully about what you are going to do, there are people who care about you."

After a moment without hearing any more words from the witch, Revenant stood with a little effort. She again examined her soul gem in her hand and then looked at the witch's back.

Oriko continued to walk slowly away.

Revenant nodded, as if agreeing to something, and created a javelin in her free hand.

Oriko kept walking.

Gritting her teeth, the black woman held her weapon tightly as she launched her gem into the air. The small object almost disappeared into the blue background of the clear morning sky, but she knew she would not miss.

The image of a smiling, freckled young woman came into her mind.

Her eyes threatened to produce tears, she had no more time. With the gem falling to her, Revenant gave her last, precise stroke against her own soul.

Then the sound of impact and sparks. Something had deflected the trajectory of her jab! "Huh?" A painful punch, which she had felt before, hit her abdomen. "Uuoogh!" and another hit her knee, fracturing it. "AAAGH!" She fell, kissing the barren ground, and stood there, watching her gem bounce and roll to the witch's feet.

Oriko picked up the corrupted object, saying, "I hold out the hope that I will be wrong next time." She turned and walked away again.

Compelled by anger, Revenant vociferated, "Ya'll not use me ta convince anyone ta join ya! No one is gonna become a witch 'cause of me!"

Oriko did not answer.

"Dya heah me?" Seeing that she was further away, Revenant raised her voice even more. "THEY'LL AVENGE MY DEATH! THE SISTAHHOOD WILL FIND A WAY TA WIPE Y'ALL OUT!"

Oriko was still limping.

Realizing, Revenant uttered, "Shit..." She tried to stand, but the pain in her knee was too much, and there was little magic to block it. "Aah! Fuck! Fuck! Fuck! FACK!" She began to crawl as fast as she could. "Come back heah! Come kill me, YA COWARD!"

Oriko's image was so far away, it flickered due to the heat of the air.

"COME BACK HEAAHH!" Revenant extended her arm toward that image. "AAAAAHHHHHH-"

Revenant's body had become limp, without movement. Her magical girl uniform was gone, with her now wearing a white shirt and military pants. Soon, insects felt safe to land and walk on the woman's lifeless eyes.

／人 ◕‿‿◕ 人＼

"Крольчи́ха?" Matryoshka was in the desert along with the other members of the Sisterhood. They had walked a good distance without a hitch, but Lucky had stopped and looked back. "Is there anything?"

"No," Lucky replied, with a certain sorrow, "I don't feel anythin', I don't feel her anymoah."

"We're already far away," Matryoshka said, "but if you want to go back..."

Lucky looked at her and then at the novices.

The young girls and children did not protest, but their concerned faces said it all.

Lucky smiled, tugging her rabbit ears. "Nah! If I do that, Revah will rip my fluffy ears off!"

"Generalíssima will help her, won't she?" Matryoshka nodded. "She should be enough."

"Yep! She'll bring Revah with her." Lucky smiled wider at the novices. "And Madre, too, 'nd... Invadah 'n Nano."

The countenances of the novices did not change.

Matryoshka took a long breath.

Nothing that would shake the enthusiasm of the magical bunny girl. "C'mon!" She took the lead of the group, holding the Russian magical girl's arm. "Show the way!"

"O-Of course," Matryoshka said, surprised at the sister's energy.

"We're Souls' Sistahhood!" Lucky announced to all. "We can't afford ta lose, the world depends on it!"

---

Next chapter: The dove and the lion