Chapter 33

"You saved me," Seina said, somewhat dumbstruck. How had Paliah gotten into her room in such a timely manner?

"Transform," Paliah said, angling his blade towards a furious Miko who was still clutching at her bleeding stump. "I can't take these two alone."

"Er, right!" Seina could worry about where her rescuer came from later. She entered a pose, trusting her broach forward. "Change Change, Magical Love Dress Up!"

"Damn. How has this gone so badly?!" Miko said, grimacing. "Still, if we're quick, we can finish these two before the others arrive! They're probably fast asleep!"

She was right. Takako was at her apartment across town, and Ume and Himari were sleeping in a nearby inn. They'd said they didn't want to intrude on the Prime Minister's hospitality, wanting their own places to live. While they could arrive quickly, they'd need to know about the danger first.

"Don't worry! We'll handle them together, partner." Paliah said, wearing a cocksure grin.

"Right," Seina said, nodding. For some inexplicable reason, she trusted the knight. In his hands, Seina knew she'd be safe. Back to back, they readied themselves for whatever the enemy magical girls might have planned for them.

"You won't be so cocky when you face my ultimate, unbeatable power!" Miko said, summoning a slick knife into her grip, looking like something from a ninja story in Takako's mangas. "My name is Miko Mochizuki, the Gladiolus Assassin!" Though for an assassin, her dress was rather ostentatious, with its colorful purples, pinks, oranges, reds, and whites ordaining its multi-layers petals.

"Yeah!" Said a fairy Seina didn't recognize, pointing toward the green-haired girl in the robot suit. "And my partner is Chō Eguchi! The Acanthus Deceiver! And you can call me Kelv!" Unlike most magical girls, her dress had spiny leaves with white, purplish flowers sprouting within them.

"Okay." Though, Seina didn't understand why the girl hadn't just introduced herself.

"..." A silence hung in the air as Seina waited for a comment from Chō. It continued awkwardly as the girl continued to refuse to say anything.

"Yeah, that's right!" Kelv said. "You will wish for death once we're finished with you!"

"Sure, but uh," Seina said, stumbling over her words. "Could we take this outside? Mr. Kiyojiro will be furious if my room becomes a disaster zone." And he'd probably force her to clean it, too.

"…"

"Okay," Miko said, relenting. "That's fair. We'll just take this elsewhere!" With a flick of her wrist, Miko flicked her kunai upward.

"Darn it." Seina winced as dust and plaster rained onto her already bloody, dirty sheets. She'd hoped to emerge from this fight with her room unscathed. Setting that thought aside, she summoned her wand to her outstretched hand, and leapt out of the hole in her ceiling as several missiles rocketed in her direction.

With a flick of her wand, each missile exploded. Scorching heat washed over her, Seina wincing as it boiled her skin. A seemingly endless barrage of kunai knives flew toward her, each perfectly aimed at her heart. Metal clashed as a sword intercepted them, sending them clattering harmlessly to the roof. She gave a smile of thanks toward Paliah, amazed by his skill.

"Annoying," Miko said, summoning a kunai in her remaining hand. "It's like you knew where they'd go. No matter, nothing escapes my sight. My perfect ability makes me unstoppable!"

"Okay, sure," Seina said blankly. The other magical girl sure enjoyed the sound of her own voice.

"Ready, Chō?" Miko said, gesturing a knife towards her partner.

"..."

"Let's give them hell!" Miko said, her tone going sinister. Seina's eyes widened as each of Chō's mecha's arms and back opened to reveal row upon row of cylindrical missiles.

"Not here! The city!" Seina said, heart thumping in utter panic. Beside her, Paliah's brow furrowed as his mind raced.

"Well, hero," Miko said, her tone mocking. "Can you stop every missile? Can you save everyone?"

"Oh…" Seina didn't finish her sentence, each missile blasting towards her. They spread in every direction, not cluttering up as she'd hoped.

"I'll take left!" Paliah said, his feet already in flight. His body flickered and disappeared, only to reappear elsewhere, his sword already slicing a missile in half.

Not to be outdone, Seina concentrated on the incoming threat. They flew at incredible speed, almost too quick to see. But Seina wasn't idle, summoning a bubble to contain the incoming projectiles. Before her wand completed its bubble, a sharp pain almost made her double over. A kunai knife had struck her in the heart, followed by one in her kidney. While resilient, magical girls weren't immune to pain.

That jerk, Miko, was using the missiles as a distraction to tear Seina apart! But she ignored the pain, capturing the missiles before they struck any buildings. She turned to address the others, moving as fast as she could. Each missile exploded as she blasted it apart with her wand. Not that Miko made it easy, making her a pincushion as she rushed about. Her aim was always perfect, striking a vital point with each throw.

But Paliah wouldn't allow such an attack to go unpunished, Miko yelped as he slashed his sword towards her exposed head. The magical girl snarled at him, whispering death threats for her lost arm. They engaged each other, steel matching steel. Miko blocked his blade with her kunai knife. Their limbs were a blur as they fought blow for blow, neither getting a decent hit on their opponent.

Not to be undone, Chō launched a mechanized punch at Seina. Her bones rattled as Seina blocked the blow with her crossed arms. While this giant robot had a considerable amount of power, she was mightier. Rocket boosters blasted backward as Seina punched forward, but she was quicker. Deep cracks formed where her fist connected, listing the machine to one side.

A fist connected with Seina's head as the mecha's waist rotated, positioning a strike from an angle she hadn't predicted. While knocked back Seina quickly regained her feet. The mecha repositioned its body, turning to face her. Chō studied the crack Seina had created with a frown and pulled out a sketchbook. Seina blinked, watching as Chō scribbled something onto it with a pen.

"..." Chō turned the sketchbook around to reveal two squat robots with bug eyes and thin, reedy arms.

"Uh." Before Seina could compliment her rather impressive drawings. The two drawn robots leaped from the page beside her. They extended their arms, hands folded inwards, to reveal two buzz saws. Seina howled in pain as one dug into her shoulder, almost severing it. But she'd been quicker reacting to the left one, metal squealing as her wand's staff blocked its incoming buzz saw.

Her shoulder howled as the robot's weapon ripped free, she sent a quick kick into the nearest robot's chest. It exploded into scrap, only its computerized core remaining as it clattered onto a nearby roof. Before its fellow could recover from the shock, a single chop crumbled its head inward.

"Is that the best you've got!" Seina said, slightly bluffing. Her arm was bleeding profusely, rendering it awkward and stiff. She'd never been good at healing herself. Still, her confidence wavered her opponent, Chō seemed shocked Seina had dispatched her creations so quickly.

Several emotions cross over her face before setting on a firm determination. Her moving pen caused the paper of her sketchpad to smoke as she drew picture after picture. Chō's cockpit was filled to the glass with sketches, one pumped out after another.

"..." A triumphant smirk crossed Chō's face as she wiped the sweat from her brow after she'd completed her task. How many had she drawn? Hundreds? Thousands?

"Oh, that's not good," Metal carapace darkened the sky, the newly risen sun reflecting blood-colored light off their gleaming surfaces.

They were so numerous that Seina had difficulty telling out details. Unlike the twins, each robot seemed unique. Some were towering behemoths. Others were wee things, little bigger than Seina's thumb. Each directed their ire toward Seina, pointing their chosen weapon of destruction toward her.

"Seina!" Paliah said, alarmed. He tried phasing away to join her side, but a knife dug an exposed point in his left armpit before he could complete the movement.

"As I said, I never miss," Miko said, playing with kunai in her remaining hand. "Maybe you should worry about yourself." She tossed another knife, but Paliah had already appeared behind her with his sword aimed toward her back.

"Annoying! You're breaking the rules with those time powers of yours." Miko said, blocking the strike with her held kunai. "But, it's fine. You're dead anyhow. Nothing can hide from me! That's my ability! And I'll find how best to kill you, worm!"

But Seina didn't have time to help her ally, Chō already making life very difficult. The roof beneath her exploded, a sledgehammer smashing it to pieces as Seina dodged away. The others swarmed her, each eager to experiment with their deadly instrument. Not wanting to cause needless damage to her beloved Osaka, she leaped towards a more open area. Seina hoped Paliah could manage by himself.

Her boots landed on the sand, the ocean roaring beside her. Because of the later hour, the beach was devoid of any bystanders.

With incredible haste, Chō's forces flew towards her, eager for their enemy's destruction. But with no one around to cause collateral damage, Seina could finally cut loose. The night sky brightened into day as Seina unleashed a bubble into her enemy's ranks. The sheer heat radiating from it caused any unlucky robots in or near it to explode. It cleared an impressive line through the horde, causing them to spread out before Seina could repeat the trick.

"Come on!" Seina leaped towards the swarm, causing havoc amongst their ranks.

The metal creations were everywhere, an inescapable cloud. They were endless, replenished by Chō's relentless scratching. A scream escaped Seina's lips as a drill dug into her chest, but she repaid the damage a thousand-fold. They bit, clawed, shot, slashed, and tore into Seina, each leaving her bloody and bruised. But Seina refused to surrender, reducing the surrounding beachside to a scorched hole as she unleashed her fury.

Besides her drawings, Chō hadn't remained idle. Her mecha shot a beam of destructive energy through her ally's ranks, keeping Seina on her toes. Endless metal bits drifted through the shore and the glass surface that had once been the beach as Seina heaved and panted, her destruction of Chō's army complete.

Despite not receiving any damage, Seina's opponent fared little better, exhausted by her efforts to keep her army going. Creating them hadn't been cheap, Chō's pencil hand shook from exhaustion. Despite this, however, the magical girl remained smug.

"It's just you and me now," Seina said, her knees shaking. She understood Chō's game, summoning enough forces to keep Seina fighting to the point of exhaustion. Then, it'd be easy to finish Seina at her leisure.

"..."

"We'll then. Fight me, if you can!" A metal fist blocked Seina's as she engaged Chō's mecha. A searing pain slashed across her cheek as a sword of energy swiped toward her from the mecha's other arm. Only Seina's quick reflexes saved her head from being removed from her shoulders.

The free arm of Chō's mecha opened to reveal a laser gun, which fired gouging a line across the landscape as Seina dodged away. In retaliation, a bubble of pure force flew toward her opponent. While missing the body, it blasted its right leg off. The thing wobbled, using its thrusters to stay stable.

Her wand's shaft sizzled as it blocked the sudden stab of Chō's energy sword, Seina's blocked as a fist suddenly rotated in her direction. She wouldn't fall for the same trick again. Chō's whole mecha shook as Seina sent a punch into its cockpit. Cracks spidered along the glass's surface, worsening the damage she'd already done. Chō winced as glass rained upon her head, falling shards decorating her green hair. Panic crossed over her features as she realized how vulnerable she was.

"It's time to finish this, Chō," Seina said, dashing towards her opponent. With supreme grace, she danced around the robot's energy sword and beam attacks. "It's over!" Seina leaped into the air, fist raised towards Chō's waiting face. Only to howl in pain as a beam lanced her from behind. Her twitching form collapsed, a burned hole sizzling along her spine.

"..."

"You have got to be kidding me," Seina gasped, watching as a dozen robots burst from nearby pockets of sand. Each held a high-tech rifle in their hands. They must have been hiding in wait, making Seina think she'd beaten all the other magical girl's robot allies. She'd been sloppy, making foolish assumptions. Of course, Chō would fight dirty. It was her M.O.!

"..."

"No need to gloat," Seina said, struggling to her feet. A beam from another robot blasted her clear across the beach. Waves crashed against her, Seina fighting to overcome her battered body.

A metallic fist grabbed Seina by the collar and lifted her up, making her stare face to face with Chō. They exchanged no words, only staring each other down. The other magical girl gave Seina a respectful nod for lasting as long. With a wave of her council's joystick, Chō's mecha tossed Seina aside like a discarded can.

Rough hands grabbed Seina from behind, Chō's robot minions pinning her to the ground. Was this it? Had she lost? While terrified of what might happen next, her mind returned to Paliah. He'd been so brave to help her. Seina couldn't bear something happening to him.

Miko confirmed Seina's worse fear, appearing a few minutes later with a bloody armored figure dragging behind her. With disgust, she tossed Paliah face-first into the sand. It dusted his battered, once pure white armor.

"Damn. He just refused to die." Miko said, just as battered. Seina noticed the other magical girl had regained her arm, it was roughly stitched on with thread.

"Paliah!" Seina struggled against her captors. Leverage worked against her, however, making breaking free impossible.

"I mean, he just wouldn't die no matter how much I stabbed him," Miko said, furious.

"..."

"No, I mean it! It's like he's immortal or something!" Miko said.

"Seina." Paliah lifted a weak head towards her, clinching sand beneath his fingertips in anger at seeing her so hurt.

"No, you're finished!" Miko said, kicking the knight across the beach. "Just stay down already!"

"Never. I need to protect Seina." Paliah weakly stood to his feet, wobbling a little.

"No, stay down! Forget about me!" What was with him? Why was he so insistent on protecting her? They didn't even know each other.

"Never." A slight smile appeared on Paliah's lips, his mask bobbing as he turned to face her. "Never."

"Fine. We'll continue this pointless dance again." Miko said, summoning two kunai knives in her hands.

"..."

"Yes, yes. I'll be quick. I realize the rebel and Takako might appear at any moment."

The brief exchange was quick and brutal as Miko dismantled her opponent, seeming to always know where best to strike him. His time flickering only helped him so much against her skill and efficiency.

"Yield!" Miko battered Paliah in the face with the blunt end of her knife.

But Paliah refused to submit to the pain, grabbing her by the wrist. "I won't!"

"Pathetic!" With casual ease, Miko broke free and slashed him across the face. Pariah's mask shattered, sending fragments into his eyes. He cried out in pain, grabbing his injured face. His mask crumbled within his fingers, revealing his hidden face. A round, handsome, boyish face with a slight nose looked back at her with piercing green eyes.

"Huh?" This face, she knew it somehow. It clawed at the back of her brain. She knew this person. "I know you."

"Seina!" Paliah tried running towards her, but his feet failed, and he collapsed landing in the sand. This bravery, this desire to protect her, wasn't some misguided effort to defend a helpless maiden. This was for a dear friend, for someone he loved. Then, she had it! Seina looked into Paliah's familiar face for seemingly the first time.

"Colten?"