The Random Fight Scene Thread

[Rain]

NOT for PvP. Put that in its own thread. =P

---

April vs Hinanawi Tenshi



So, after much thinking, April had worked out someone that she could fight without any sort of moral dilemma or wondering if this was the right thing to be doing. She could, by now, recreate Gilgamesh's favourite tactic of standing on top of a lamppost and blasting the hell out of anything that happened to be somewhere in her line of sight. That was not, however, the full extent of the abilities she had gained--Gilgamesh was arrogant, not utterly incompetent--and she wanted to try them out. It was hard to think of someone that could put up a fight AND she could attack without remorse.

Ultimately? Tenshi. Heal her after the fighting was done and she'd be none the worse for wear, seeing as it was unlikely there would be a shinigami in heaven at that particular moment in time.

And thus, it had come to this: a white-haired girl wearing only a crimson-and-gold robe, open down the front, and carrying a drill sword slung over one shoulder, against the blue-haired female with the apron and what looked like an ordinary jian. One had all the power of an ancient semi-divine king and his entire treasury, the other was blessed with power and strength superior to any normal human.

April was the first to make a move, since Tenshi seemed to be trying to wrap her head around the complete lack of any decency. A single blade shot from the air behind her to try and impale the girl, who shock herself out of her stupor and instinctively raised a keystone to absorb the impact. Despite the power of the Gate of Babylon, it couldn't completely destroy the stone.

It looked like this had been a good choice after all.

Tenshi responded by rushing at April, swinging the sword in a wild, telegraphed arc. So, not a master swordsman, but she could normally make up for it through seeking the opponent's weakness and sheer physical capability. Capability that her foe was evenly matched on, as she proved by flipping over Tenshi's head... and springing off a blade launched from the Gate to go higher.

This repeated several times until April was high in the sky above the Celestial, tossing Ea back to its resting place and grabbing the Houtengeki. Clutching the halberd firmly in her hands, the white-haired female plummeted towards the ground, expecting Tenshi to dodge--who wouldn't, in this situation?--and shooting a nameless blade at her from the side when she did the expected.

The blade failed to do more than scratch the eternal teenager as she slid back even further, furrowing her brow and growling before tossing an unidentified magical bullet. April didn't even try and dodge, the weak attack was incapable of piercing her magic resistance and it gave her all the time that she needed to swap the Houtengeki for two invisible swords. One could be vaguely seen as mist curled around it, the other was surrounded in a flaming haze.

On the defensive, April's blue-haired opponent blocked as much as she could with the Sword of Scarlet Perceptions and absorbed the rest with keystones. Only one strike found its way past her guard and it failed to do more than scratch her exceptionally tough flesh. Needing to rethink, April rushed backwards, finding that the roles had swapped. Now Tenshi was on the offence, and she was having to react whilst trying not to be crushed.

The first was simple enough--the sword was thrust into the ground, lumps of stone rising to try and smash Tenshi's opponent out of the way. The white-haired inheritor of Babylon succeeded in dodging these by jumping over them, flipping once or twice as she landed atop the uneven earth--only to find that she had to deflect the blue-haired girl's attacks with swords she couldn't see herself and more projectiles from the Gate of Babylon. Ultimately, Tenshi backed up a little herself and fired a stream of small lasers. The first few did nothing, blocked by the swords. The middle amount grazed harmlessly against April. The last?

The Sword of Hisou learned your weaknesses. Magic Resistance was useless against it for more than one or two attacks. Eyes widened in surprise, April backed up and considered her next move. The robe was just getting in the way and was tossed aside, disappearing into gold mist as she exchanged her swords once more. Something that couldn't be blocked... a nameless scythe-like instrument found itself in her hand as Tenshi attacked again.

This time, rather than try and block, the now-naked girl focused on dodging, once again using fired weapons as stepping stones to jump over attacks. Seeing an opening, April struck, grinning as the weapon curved straight through Tenshi's sword and through her too, seemingly not doing any damage in that, or the flurry of blows that followed as Tenshi tried to work out what was going on.

By the time April disengaged, her opponent was panting. The sword she had used was tossed aside and replaced with Ea: Tenshi's own magic was useless, she'd already lost the element of surprise with the small lasers, and April had just severely winded her at least with the energy-draining sword. That left one attack: Scarlet Weather Rhapsody. What better to meet the laser formed of countless crimson bullets than a laser formed of furious mana and twisted air?

Tenshi rose into the air, sword pointed down at her foe. At the same time, April slid backwards, arm drawn backwards and the drill starting to spin. Three, two, one...

"ENUMA ELISH!"

The two lasers collided, one visible only as a tormented distortion in the air unleashing a terrible howling, the very surface of heaven cracking under its pressure. The other? A 'solid' red beam splintering into its component bullets as it tried to match Ea. The fight slowly turned to April's favour as the power the sword had gathered began to run out, its might faltering before the Sword of Rupture. As her attack faltered, Tenshi's eyes widened...

And then she was caught up in the torment and flung backwards.

April had won.

---

And who knows what happened after that?

[Deleted]

... Somehow I feel that they ended up in bed together after that. But anyway, um, two fights:

---

Emiya Ayaka, the child swordswoman known as Archer, panted. The invasion force was finally being beaten back. Around her lay the bodies of many dead minions of the Riders. Zombie-like beings, monsters, even human soldiers, all lay dead or dying. Kanshou and Bakuya were dripping with the blood of the fallen invaders. This world... it would be safe. The civilians were evacuated from this area, the invaders were routed. Their ships were even pulling back. They'd suffered heavy casualties, it was undeniably a victory. Even with the deaths on the side of the Wings... they'd won it.

Archer allowed Kanshou and Bakuya to dissolve away, and fell to her knees, panting. She needed a break, she'd exerted so much energy in fending off the attackers...

The communications device in her ear suddenly crackled to life.

"Something huge just entered orbit... it's tearing right through the defense-aaaaaaaaaaagh-*"

Archer's head snapped up. And there it was. The massive ship that had been brought under the fold of the Doomsday Riders, the huge dreadnought that had previously only been heard of in rumor and myth. It was strange, it didn't really look like a ship. More like a vast, huge mechanical squid. The tentacles outstretched in front of rest of the ship, and Archer could only watch as a huge laser tore out from within the tentacles and sheared clear through one of the defending ships, and crashed to the planet below. Even from here, she could see it gouge a long glassy gash in the earth, rending a scar into the planet. The Riders... if they couldn't take the planet as their own...

The had sent Sovereign to destroy it.

Bastards.

Their defenses couldn't do anything against the huge ship... and now, the damn thing spoke. The robotic voice rang out, from no where else but the ship itself.

"Your annihilation is your destiny. Yield to your destruction, for attempting to resist is futile. Submit."

"..."

Archer stared up at the ship. None of the wings with the firepower to destroy that thing where here... and they wouldn't be able to arrive in time....

Sovereign continued to descend, opening its arms. It was close, now... Heading right for her.

... To hell with this.

Archer stood, panting. Her energy reserves were low, but she could do this. She knew she could. There was nothing in her arsenal that could take down a ship like that... save for one. A blade normally wielded by something vast, a huge mechanical suit. That was the one thing she could trace, the one weapon to counter this threat.

"Toresu on..."

Sovereign's laser was charging once more. Archer stretched one arm to the sky.

"God Grade... Blade Works!"

From the hilt, which formed in her hand of pure energy, sprung the rest of the sword. A great disk formed near the base, and still the sword formed. Already, it was so, so much larger then Archer, a massive hilt. And still the blade formed. A slowly spinning golden disk, surrounded by more golden, spiraling designs. And still, the blade grew. The massive sword formed and formed further, and finally, it was complete.

God Grade was massive.

The huge sword was bigger than Sovereign itself.

Sovereign shifted its aim, attempting to shoot the sword itself now.

"Like hell I'd let you!" cried Archer.

"Yaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaah!"

Archer swung the massive blade down. It tore clear through Sovereign's barriers, the invisible defense system shredded like tissue paper. When it struck Sovereign itself, it just obliterated it. The dreadnought's limbs twitched as it was ripped asunder, the last moments of its existence punctuated by an explosion that tore the air. Fragments of Sovereign scattered across the battlefield, and God Grade burst into fine particles the moment it had finished destroying the ship.

Archer panted, gazing up at the sky.

"Tch... even the ship was an idiot..."

And with that, she slipped into unconsciousness. She would awaken later, but for now, she had over-exerted herself to the point of complete exhaustion.

---

Archer ran. They'd hit the Celestial Quay, they were going right for the Council. She was trying her best, but she'd been delayed. The Riders' minions were everywhere, and fighting through them had cut down on the time she had to get there. The immense stairway that lead to the Council Chamber didn't particularly help, either. She gritted her teeth, and kept running. The doorway to the chamber was just ahead... the light on the automatic doors flashed green as they swung open to let her through, and...

A dark figure stood before her. Slowly, he withdrew his strangely white, luminescent blade from the corpse of a dying council member. The circular room, the peaceful view into space seeming ironic now, was littered with the bodies of the dead... but not all of them. Some of the council had escaped notice. The cloak was unmistakable, and when the figure turned... fiery red hair, a beard, gray-blue skin... ebony armor with gold trim...

It was the Rider of War, King of Evil, Ganondorf.

Archer gripped Kanshou and Bakuya tightly. Even if some of the Council had escaped, he had slaughtered so many of them. The 'child' gritted her teeth.

Ganondorf laughed.

"Hahaha... once again, you come to face me..." the dark man spoke, grinning as he looked down at the white-haired girl. "After your failure to slay me the first time, even with strongest of your abilities, perhaps it is best to just let me kill you so I may slay the remainder of your idiotic council."

Archer shifted her feet, going into a fighting stance. Her expression was full of defiance, eyes trained carefully, not on Ganondorf himself, but on his blade. The memories of her first fight with the King of Evil, how nothing she traced had any effect on him, rose unbidden in her mind at his words. Nothing could even so much as pierce the man's skin, it took hitting him in the chest with Broken Phantasm and knocking him clear off a cliff to defeat him, and that hadn't even scratched him. But... there had to be some way.

"You're a fool, and all that confidence will only lead you to your death," she retorted, eyes remaining focused on the white blade Ganondorf held. "It's incredible that an idiot like you made it this far. It's by luck alone that you killed so many of the Council... and for killing them, I'll end it here."

Ganondorf laughed again, throwing his head back. His booming laughter echoed through the Council Chamber. "Bold words, for a little girl."

Then, without warning, he threw himself forward. Archer shifted her stance and raised both Kanshou and Bakuya, swiftly parrying, before moving, attempting to strike at Ganondorf's side. However, the man was stronger, and his next block knocked Kanshou away from her. Without missing a beat, Archer switched her now-free hand to Bakuya and barely managed to block his next strike.

His fighting style, it was all about power. All the strength of his blows, everything, there wasn't really any strategy there. If she could find out how to hurt him, and then use his lack of real strategy against him... An idea rose in her mind. Perhaps...

On Ganondorf's next blow, she blocked with only one hand on Bakuya. In her other hand, she focused... and a crimson spear formed. A weapon that was unblockable, it would always hit the heart, no matter what.

"Gae Bolg!"

She lashed out with the spear. Ganondorf, preoccupied with trying to break through her defenses, was unable to strike her before the spear stabbed into his chest.

There was a moment of dead silence. Then, the dark man started to laugh. With another loud peal of dark laughter, he swung his blade once more and knocked Bakuya away, before outright punching Archer. The sheer force sent her small form across the room, and she slammed into the wall.

Ganondorf reached up, and took the spear from his chest. He looked it over.

"I'm invincible, didn't you realize?" he asked, his tone mocking as Archer struggled to get to her feet. "The triforce of power protects me from all harm... this cursed spear is nothing before my might!"

With that, her hurled Gae Bolg directly back at Archer. Her eyes widened, and she threw up one hand.

"Rho Aias!" she cried. The purple petals of the shield sprung up from her hand, and the spear failed to pierce them. Archer struggled to her feet, as the petals fell away and dissipated. She panted. Nothing could harm him, not even skewering him through his heart... nothing. But that didn't mean she would give up. She would fight him until she collapsed from exhaustion, if she had to.

Caliburn, the precursor to Excalibur, formed in both her hands.

"There must be some way to kill you, you bastard," she replied, her eyes narrowing, "And I'll find it."

She charged. Ganondorf parried. Their blades clashed. For a while, it went on like this, Archer would find herself gaining ground, only to be worn down by the sheer power behind Ganondorf's strikes. And even if she managed to strike him, nothing harmed him. Not a single drop of the King of Evil's blood had been shed. Skidding back, Archer lunged.

Ganondorf struck.

Archer felt the blade cutting into her side. He had missed impaling her, but he had cut into her flesh. She could feel the blood trickling from the wound, as she stumbled and fell to her knees. The pain... No. No. She'd felt worse, but the injury... even with her ability to heal faster then a normal human being, it was a deep gash. A hideous wound. She felt her side, and the raised her hand. It was covered in blood.

And then Ganondorf's armored boot struck her in the chest. With a cry of pain, she rolled and tumbled across the ground, coming to a halt and lying still, on her stomach. Archer coughed, and blood splattered on the ground beneath her. She would need time to heal, and she couldn't do it in this fight... But she wouldn't give up.

"You're still defiant, even now?" Ganondorf asked, "There is nothing you can do. You will die, and I shall slay all that remains of your pathetic council. Perhaps, if you give in now, I will end your worthless life quickly."

Archer weakly grinned.

"I know a bastard who used to be like you," she replied, pausing a moment to cough, "He treated people like nothing but trash. His ways have changed. I always thought he was an idiot, but I guess he's smarter then you."

Ganondorf sneered. "I've endured your insults long enough. It is time to silence you."

He began to approach, the white blade he wielded glowing as he closed in on Archer's trembling form. What could she do against him? Nothing she did hurt him, he truly was invincible. Nothing could hurt him, nothing in the whole multiverse...

The memory arose seemingly from no where. The time Archer had spent in Hyrule... the tablets bearing the those distinct designs... the form of that blade in the pedestal. Realization struck her. The Master Sword, the weapon to beat all evil, the blade destined to strike down even those who held the bearer of the triforce of power.

Archer laughed.

Ganondorf raised an eyebrow.

"Laughter? In the face of death? Perhaps your injuries have driven you to madness."

Archer struggled to a standing position, still dripping blood from her side. "I've just realized how to kill you."

"With what?" Ganondorf asked, now amused, "All of your weapons are nothing, merely petty trifles in the hands of a child. Do you expect to wound me with a toy sword, now?"

"Tch. I told you that kind of attitude would get you killed," Archer replied, outstretching one hand. "Blade of Evil's Bane Works!"

The blue hilt formed first. It was relatively simple, without much ornament aside from the inlaid gem. Then the blade itself formed, the pristine silver metal retaining something of a slight glow. Soon, the Master Sword had fully formed in her hand. She raised it, now gripping it in both hands, to point at Ganondorf.

The dark man's eyes widened in shock. "That sword! But that... that's impossible!"

Archer's grin widened.

"Even if you survive one blow from this weapon, King of Evil," she declared, "An infinite number awaits you!"

She charged. Panicked, Ganondorf swung his blade and blocked her initial strike. He was instinctively on the defensive now, trying desperately to block each blow that Archer struck. Even in spite of her wounds, Archer had renewed vigor. Each strike was fast and powerful, aiming for every spot that Ganondorf left open. The King of Evil made a desperate attempt to strike...

And Archer sliced clear through the glowing white blade. She struck again, a now frantic Ganondorf barely managing to block. He attempted to slash...

The Blade of Evil's Bane cleaved right through his right arm. Ganondorf howled in pain, blood squirting from the severed stump of his arm.

Archer didn't hesitate.

She struck.

The Master Sword struck his armor and went straight through. Flesh, bone, it was nothing to the enchanted weapon. The very tip pierced Ganondorf's back from within, running him completely through. The King of Evil gasped in pain.

Archer let go of the blade, and stepped back.

Ganondorf's corpse fell to the ground. The Master Sword dissolved away, leaving nothing but the dead man's corpse.

Archer panted, standing over the body.

She had won.

[Rain]

April vs Rain
"You... stop giving me sex advice, bitch!" a blue girl snarled, gleaming in the sunlight, as she drew the ridiculous nodachi she always carried on her person. Aside from that, the slime girl only had a haori on, and that was mostly as a homage to Assassin.

April frantically waved her hand, quite abundantly clearly dressed in only a kimono. The right sleeve hung limp, unaltered in any way because she really didn't want to mess with the Fire Rat's Robe. Repairing it meant hunting down other stuff in the Gate and that was annoying. "Hey, hey! I just thought you might want to try anal one time!"

"That's the problem, it's none of your business!" the older sister snapped, running forwards and swinging the blade at the white-haired girl's throat. It was a bit of an overreaction, but given the relative power levels, anything else would be too little to fully express her irritation.

Predictably, the younger twin avoided the attack by stepping backwards, moving from smooth marble to short grass. Yay, now it was much easier to slip over. Blocking the next attack by shooting a handful of blades, she tried to work out how to get Rain to calm down... or at least how to fight back without potentially eviscerating her.

Then she remembered that physical attacks weren't any use in this sort of situation. Right... Durandal it was, then, she didn't want anything that might cause side effects.

The arming sword fell into April's hand just in time to block another well-aimed slash, reminding her once more just how little skill she comparatively had to her sibling. Sure, in an all-out fight she would win, but that was due to power and having more special attacks than a moddable RPG character.

What followed was a blurred exchange of blows. Whilst all the power and speed was on the fleshy girl's side, she hadn't the insane focus on martial skill. Much like Assassin could go against Saber without difficulty, Rain was opposing her Sister without breaking a sweat. Not that she could sweat any more... well, not anything that would be useful in a fight.

Given April's lack of skill, it was only a matter of time until one blow slipped through her defences... and was promptly stopped by another sword, giving her time to disengage and hurriedly start throwing on the armour whilst Rain pursued her. Heads turned as the sisters raced across the most populous area of the planetoid, one wearing nothing more than pieces of armour that were hastily being put on as she ran and the other blue. It even took them down into an underpass beneath a river at one point.

April almost ran into a corner but managed to avoid it at the last second by jumping and running along the wall for a few seconds. Rain? Rain pretty much ran into it at full tilt, squashing down to a haori-covered puddle before springing back into her normal shape, the very act of resuming physical form closing the gap that had been widening since they started running.

The chase carried on, spiralling higher and higher as April headed for the only major landmark that she could see. It eventually ground to a halt at the top of a mountain of meringue, capped with icing sugar. This wasn't so much because April wanted to stop, though she had managed to equip all the armour aside from the boots, but more because she slipped on the white powder and ploughed herself into a sugardrift ten feet deep.

Breathing heavily, Rain stalked towards her. Right, enough running, she was going to make her sister pay for... for... something! It was probably something important, but it didn't really matter what it was; it would be anticlimactic to stop now. Not paying any attention to her surroundings, the slimegirl was caught completely unaware as April attacked her.

Halfway into the trench dug, a dozen blades shot from either side, ripping through the gelatinous body and the other side of the drift like paper. This, naturally, didn't really stop Rain so much as simply annoy her, but it did slow her enough that April could find what she was looking for.

Fully equipped, the swordfight resumed, an odd amulet now hanging about the younger twin's neck. Not finding an opening this time, Rain frowned and did the thing that came naturally.

"Tsubame Gaeshi!"

Three attacks arced in, unblockable... and were blocked by the now-glittering amulet. Expelled outwards, two slashes were flung harmlessly into the sugary drift... and the third cut Rain neatly in two, unable to rejoin because her top half was shoved away from the rest of her.

Dropping Durandal, April scooped up the slowly-puddling legs, holding the blob close to her chest as she walked over to Rain's top half, sighing, "Are you willing to stop fighting now?"

"No."

"Sure?"

"Yes."

"Even if it means you don't get your legs back and have to be a loli or midget?"

"..."

"Ah, forgot you'd like that. Hmm... what else... do you even remember why we were fighting?"

There was a pregnant pause as it became overly apparent that Rain couldn't remember what had started this off, too caught up in the heat of the moment to bother recalling it, before she finally muttered a sullen 'no'.

"See? No reason to fight. Promise to stop?"

"'es..."

"Good."

[Deleted]

"Why... why are you doing this?!"

Kamachi Atsuko, also known as Magical Saber, gripped the hilt of her Noble Phantasm tightly as she glared down her opponent. The girl before her was a magical girl, much like herself. She was younger(no older then ten), with eyes of an usual shade, deep crimson. Her hair was straight, very long, and finely groomed. The clothes she wore were remarkably simple, a dress that seemed to be made of flowing liquid gold. Her arms were folded tightly, and she wore a small smile on her face. Her eyes were slightly narrowed as she regarded Magical Saber standing before her. Behind the girl, dozens of golden portals, rippling in the air, had opened, with hundreds of Noble Phantasms emerging from them. The girl in gold barred her way with this display, preventing her from passing by. This... Atsuko had to get past. There was no question of it.

"You're a magical girl, just like me!" cried Atsuko, lowering Excalibur briefly and taking a step forward, "Why do you oppose me?"

"Hahaha..." the girl in gold laughed, standing before the golden void behind her with the bearing of royalty. "Magical Queen of Heroes Girugako needs not explain herself to you, Magical Saber. But perhaps, for someone like you, I could waste my breath on a reason for my actions. You see, Magical Saber, my Gate of Babylon contains all the treasures in the world. And, without question, you are a treasure yourself. It is my right as Queen to claim you!"

Atsuko stared. Claim her...? What... what did the girl mean by that...? "... Such a young girl... shouldn't be talking about such things!"

Girugako raised an eyebrow, inclining her head to one side. "You are my treasure, I may speak about you however I wish. Now, submit to my rule!"

Atsuko's expression hardened. She took Excalibur in both hands. She didn't want to hurt such a young girl... but she couldn't just wait around. "I don't have time for this!"

"You're going to resist?" Girugako's smile widened into a grin, her pupils contracting to give her an almost manic expression, "Of course, that is part of what makes you so alluring."

If I can hit her from here with my Noble Phantasm, it should incapacitate her without any permanent injury... Atsuko narrowed her eyes, shifting her foot back. She needed to end this quickly...

"Certainly, no-one can match the might of the Queen of Heroes," Girugako continued, "So ultimately, your efforts to resist are futile. Gate of Babylon!"

All at once, the Noble Phantasms behind Girugako fired. Atsuko's eyes widened, and she had the barest chance to swing Excalibur up and deflect the weapons flying towards her. This girl... she had that kind of power? All those Noble Phantasms, all in her 'Gate of Babylon'... how had she obtained them? If she could fire them at a whim...

"Ahahaha!" Girugako laughed, "Oh, I would be disappointed if it were that easy! Saber-chan, this battle promises to be entertainment of the highest grade!"

Saber stared in shock. The girl was treating this battle as entertainment?!

"You know, this world is full of unworthy rabble," continued Girugako in an almost casual, conversational manner, "Mongrels who are unworthy of even laying eyes upon me. There are few people in this world worthy of facing even a fraction of my power. I would be defiling my weapons to use them against such people!"

Atsuko's eyes narrowed. She took another step forward, raising Excalibur as she did. "It's the duty of a magical girl to protect the people! How could you talk about them like that?"

"Simple. They are mongrels, unworthy of facing their Queen," replied Girugako in a nonchalant manner, "This world is populated by these unworthy people. They litter my kingdom, and I only tolerate such things because it amuses me. But you? You are different. You are a treasure, one that I must possess. You are one of few people worthy of my true Noble Phantasm!"

That Gate isn't her Noble Phantasm?! Atsuko's eyes widened, but she stood her ground, raising Excalibur. She began charging it at once. Prana began to drawn in. It swirled up from the ground around Atsuko, curling around her Noble Phantasm. The blade took on a golden glow, its nature as a Noble Phantasm becoming strikingly apparent in that instance, as more and more prana built up. If she could just launch it before Girugako drew out her Noble Phantasm...

Girugako grinned, and reached behind herself. Slowly, she drew it from the golden void. The hilt was gold, and writing was clearly displayed upon it. The guard was some sort of strange ovular shape... and the blade... could that even be called a blade? It was black, with red markings... it looked far more like a drill then the blade of a sword.

"Behold!" Girugako declared, raising the weapon above her head, "Ea!"

Her true Noble Phantasm... there was no time to gawk at the weapon that the young girl before her now held. Excalibur had nearly reached its full strength...

Ea began to spin, the individual sections of the 'blade' whirling and drawing in some form of red energy to it, which began to whirl around the weapon. "This is the weapon that split heaven and earth! The first weapon, the power that created the world, the power that can unmake it!"

Girugako swung it down, "Now, contemplate Enuma Elish!"

"Excalibur!"

Atsuko swung Excalibur down. A burst of swirling red erupted from the tip of Girugako's Ea, as a blast of light burst forth from Excalibur. The beams tore towards one another and clashed, in a flash of energy. They roiled against one another, but it was rapidly becoming apparent that Ea was a weapon of untold power. It forced Excalibur's blast back, and tore through it, the red impacting against Atsuko's body. The magical armor that served as her protection offered little to defend her from the blast. Atsuko saw stars as she was sent flying, hitting the ground with a loud thud. Pain wracked her body. That weapon... that Noble Phantasm, the sheer power it possessed...

But Atsuko couldn't give up.

"Now do you see the power I possess?" asked Girugako, "You may be worthy of Ea, but I do not desire to destroy one of my treasures. Do you submit?"

"No."

Atsuko struggled for a moment, then pushed herself off the ground, gaining her footing once more. "I'll never submit. I have my true duties as a magical girl to fulfill. And you're preventing me from fulfilling those duties. Without question, I must defeat you."

Girugako pouted, the expression on her face reminding Atsuko that she was dealing with a child. "Very well, then, I suppose it's up to me to make you see sense!"

Atsuko raised Excalibur once more. She would beat this enemy magical girl, regardless of what it took. She had to. Despite the pain wracking her body... she had to beat this 'Queen of Heroes'. Perhaps, if she could just close the distance between them... But how? If she attempted to charge, that would give Girugako ample time to use Ea, or fire off one of her hundreds of Noble Phantasms... what could Atsuko do against such power? There had to be something...

The Noble Phantasm she had never received... Atsuko wondered if it would be able to help her here. But that was lost forever, wasn't it?

Wasn't it?

"If I must damage you to make you see sense... so be it!" Girugako cried. Ea began to spin again... Atsuko raised Excalibur. Her Noble Phantasm... was it truly lost? Noble Phantasms were free to the call of their owner, they would hear it when requested. But she had no way of knowing if the Noble Phantasm she had lost would even aid her. And why would it answer now? It had never answered before... she simply would need to call its name to try. Would it answer her plight? Would this be an exercise in futility?

There was only one way to find out.

At this point, facing down Ea, Atsuko had nothing to lose. "... Avalon!"

"Enuma Elish!"

The blast of red fired.

Time seemed to slow. Then... there was a gleam. The faintest golden gleam... Which spread. And changed... the Noble Phantasm. It had answered her call. Before her, there formed a scabbard, fitted for the blade she now gripped. And then... it splintered, becoming dozens of pinpoints of light which spread over Atsuko, cagelike. What... what was it doing?

Atsuko's thoughts were answered when the blast from Ea crashed against her... and she felt nothing. She was removed from it, the blast couldn't effect her. This Avalon, this scabbard... it was a defense. Understanding suddenly flooded her mind. It wasn't just a defense. Avalon was the ultimate defense, completely removing the user from this plane of reality to protect them from all possible damage. And it had answered her need.

She didn't have much time.

Girugako's eyes widened. "You... you... cheater! Dirty rotten cheater! That's just... you're... that's mean! You can't be mean to your queen!"

The small girl drew back Ea to fire again, the sections of the 'blade' whirling. As Atsuko ran, Excalibur charged.

"Ex-"

Atsuko raised Excalibur.

"Enuma Eli-"

"-CALIBUR!"

Atsuko swung her blade down. The light erupted from Excalibur, and crashed right into Girugako before she could counter it. The magical girl toppled back as the light overwhelmed her, the power tearing through the defense offered by her golden dress.

Unconsciousness swiftly took her, and the girl fell to the ground. Ea faded back into the gate, which shut itself, leaving only Girugako on the crowd, unmoving.

Atsuko felt Avalon leave her. So she hadn't truly regained it... its power had answered her need, but she still did not possess the ultimate defense... She would figure out what had happened later... for now...

She walked up to Girugako's unconscious form. It was strange, now that she wasn't haughtily declaring her royal status and superiority, she looked like any other child. It almost made Atsuko feel bad for using such power to defeat her... but Girugako was a magical girl, just as she was. It was unlikely anything short of that would have defeated her. Atusko bent down, and carefully picked the girl up. If Atsuko didn't know better, she would say that Girugako was fully aware of what was happening, judging by the smile on the girl's face. She placed her against the wall. Atsuko didn't have time to take her somewhere safer, at the moment, but at least she had gotten her out of the road... she would come back and try and take her home, if she were still there when Atsuko returned. Even after that fight, she couldn't just leave an unconscious little girl in the middle of the road...

With that, she was off running. She still had her enemy to face, for the final time...

[Deleted]

He was a killer.

Dlanor's task today was a straightforward one. There was no investigation, witches weren't involved, even. It was simply the acts of one man. He had posed as the detective, engineered a murder mystery using magical aid. He had wrapped up a group of innocent people in this plot, and then revealed himself to be the culprit. And when they were unable to escape, he killed every single last one of them. This was not simply a violation of Knox's Seventh. This was an act of pure, unbridled evil. It was more than just the act of committing murder. It was manipulating people who believed him to be the detective, and killing them just as they came to the horrifying realization that they had been tricked.

Dlanor was an Inquisitor of Heaven, someone tasked with enforcing Knox's Decalogue. And she did not tolerate such evil. When she received the order to kill the man known as Archibald Renaldo, there had been not even the slightest scrap of hesitation in her mind.

There never was.

Reaching his location had not been a difficult task. The large, stately building in Dlanor's country of birth... it was not difficult to locate. Even if this was an entirely different universe than the one Dlanor originated from, this England was much the same as the one she knew. The magicians who had constructed this building had seen to it that humans without magical ability were unable to notice it. Dlanor was beyond the ability of a human being in all respects. It was a tall, imposing structure of steel and stone, a black, mostly-windowless monolith rising above the other structures surrounding it.

Entering it, too, was not a difficult task. Nor was making her way to the top, to the place her target waited. Gertrude and Cornelia had been instrumental in disabling several defenses that had been put in place before her target's office. While they had not been beyond Dlanor's ability, it was impossible to disable multiple magical defenses at once. Now, they had returned to being invisible and intangible at her sides. At least until Dlanor needed them once again. The door before her was locked.

With a hum, the Red Key appeared in a flurry of rose petals.

Dlanor raised her weapon and slashed cleanly through the door, before stepping through as the halves collapsed to the ground. The room she found herself in was vast, and long. At the opposite end was a desk... and there, seated behind the desk before a vast window, was her target. Archibald Renaldo sat with his head rested on one hand, his expression incredulous. He was a young man, in his mid twenties, with slim features and green hair. His suit, for he wore one, was a pristine white.

Dlanor quickly registered the distance between herself and her target. She did not know the full extent of her target's capabilities, though he had been seen with a large amount of weapons, so it was important to carefully analyze their battlefield. If she were to kill the evil man that sat before her, Dlanor needed to get close.

Archibald stood.

"My wards were disabled, I knew you were coming," he began, raising one eyebrow at Dlanor. "Before I kill you, I'd like to know why you wasted your time, and your life, getting here."

Dlanor spoke. Her voice, as it usually was on such missions bar certain... circumstances, was a stable monotone. Her expression remained the picture of neutrality, even as she regarded the man who had killed dozens of innocent people and violated the Decalogue.

"Archibald RENALDO," she began, "You have violated Knox's DECALOGUE. In your acts of murder, you engineered a mystery in which you played the DETECTIVE. This is a direct violation of Knox's SEVENTH. I have been dispatched to execute you for this VIOLATION."

Archibald inclined his head to the side, his expression becoming and amused smile. "Is that so? Well, there's no use denying it... I don't know who you are or how you learned about the experiments, but you're going to be the last person to find out. I'll make sure of it."

Dlanor brought one leg forward... and with a burst of speed, ran for her target. She raised the Red Key. With just a few more meters, the blade of red light would pierce Archibald's chest. The evil man and violator of Knox's Decalogue would be dead.

"Arsenal, create a series of directed explosives at her feet and trigger them."

For the briefest moment, Dlanor's eyes widened as a shimmer of gold left a series of circular devices at her feet...

And then her vision was overtaken by a burst of heat, sound, and light. Dlanor was thrown back by the explosion, and crashed into the wall at the opposite side of room. She fell to the ground, and lay still for a moment, mostly stunned by the sudden explosion. Dlanor rose to her feet after a brief, shocked moment. There was pain, but her body was not damaged by the blast. There were a few tears in her uniform, but there was nothing that could threaten her in any significant way.

The more pressing concern was just what Archibald had done.

A series of craters had appeared in the floor just before Archibald's desk. The magician stood there, arms folded, with a grin forming on his face. "Made of more durable stuff then I thought, are we? I'm sure you're wondering just what I did... Arsenal, create fourteen speargun turrets!"

There were multiple golden shimmers, and before Dlanor's eyes fourteen bulky cylinders, each supported on a tripod and containing a long spear, materialized in a row in front of Archibald's desk. Each of the turrets was trained on Dlanor. She hadn't anticipated this... it was reminiscent of the magic possessed by witches, the ability to simply call what the user wished into existence. Dlanor was familiar with it, but she had not been expecting such magic. She had seen Archibald using normal weaponry, that implied he did not have an ability such as this...

"Behold!" Archibald spread his arms wide, "The Arsenal of Heaven! Any weapon I desire, I need only to tell my Arsenal. It then materializes in my possession, allowing me to slay anyone who would do me harm! Foolish, foolish girl, did you truly believe you could contend with a magician of my power?!"

Dlanor's eyes narrowed, ever so slightly. This man was an arrogant fool... she could overcome this. Her body could heal. "My abilities are sufficient to eliminate YOU."

Archibald laughed. "Madness! Arsenal, cause each of the turrets to fire!"

With a chorus of dull twangs, each of the spearguns fired. Immediately, Dlanor moved. She felt a rush of air as a spear whistled past her and embedded itself in the wall behind her. Another spear careened directly for her forehead, and was met with the Red Key. The spear was slashed in half, the pieces knocked aside. A third spear crashed against the golden armor on Dlanor's left arm, and the remaining spears were eliminated with a second swing of the Red Key. As the pieces of metal clattered to the ground, Dlanor shifted her feet back into a standing position.

An expression of surprise was displayed upon Archibald's face. "More skilled then I thought, as well, to simply evade or destroy all of those spears. Very well, then, I see it will take something more to destroy you! Arsenal, create a dozen spears controlled by my mind!"

A dozen spears materialized around Archibald, suspended in the air. Archibald's smile returned, and they fired themselves at Dlanor. Dlanor charged. Each time a spear drew close, she slashed through it, or evaded. By the time she had made it one meter from the desk, she had destroyed all but three of the spears and evaded the rest. Dlanor was almost there... he wouldn't be able to demand a new weapon from his arsenal at such a short distance.

Dlanor felt the cool metal of the first spear pierce her back just a few seconds before she could close the distance and impale her target. It was joined, seconds later, by its remaining brothers. One went through Dlanor's upper torso, clear through her heart and out the other side in a spray of blood. The final spear tore through her left lung. Dlanor, surprised, stumbled and faltered a moment as blood ran down the front of her body. Soon, her blood began to pool on the ground at her feet, the spears glistening with her vital fluids. Archibald grinned, a certain madness appearing in his expression as he watched Dlanor bleed in front of him.

"Ahahaha! You didn't expect that? Don't feel bad, even the most skilled warriors would not expect projectiles to curve and attack them from behind," Archibald leaned forward, towards Dlanor, "And you're just a child! I almost feel bad, killing a kid, but it's really not that much of a problem."

Archibald laughed again... and then focused on Dlanor once more, his smile fading slightly. "Go ahead and die, I want to clean up all this blood and you're taking a while. You should be dead already, anyway. What did that pierce? Your heart? Your lungs?"

Dlanor's head hung. A trickle of blood ran out of her mouth... but a catlike smile had appeared on her lips. This foolish man thought she was dying? This... malignant, evil monster of a man though he had slain an angel of heaven?!

Dlanor's thoughts moved faster. Her eyes widened, pupils contracting, as her catlike smile became a catlike, wide grin. She quickly raised her head, her golden-armored hand raising to grab the spear that had impaled her through her chest. Archibald drew back in horror.

"Y-y-you're still alive?! H-how... how are you..." he stumbled over his words.

"I am an Angel of HEAVEN," Dlanor began as she drew the spear forwards and out of her body, "I cannot be killed by such THINGS."

She took a step forward, blood dripping from her woulds. Her normal calm, collected air was gone, replaced with a manic impression of insanity. Dlanor tossed the spear aside, as Archibald took another horrified step back. "You are a VIOLATOR. A KILLER... KILLERKILLERKILLERKILLERKILLERKILLERKILLERKILLEKILLERKILLERKILLER<Die the Death!>"

Dlanor lunged forward.

"Arsenal, create a sword!"

Archibald threw his hand up, and with a shimmer of gold a simple sword appeared in his hand. His tone was panicked, now, Dlanor's maddened tone and cry had shaken him.

He barely managed to avoid the Red Key as the blade cleaved cleanly through his sword.

"<Sentence to Death!>"

"Arsenal, a gun that can kill anything!"

An ornate golden flintlock pistol appeared in Archibald's hand he raised it and pulled the trigger, the bullet firing with a crack. It struck Dlanor in the stomach and blew a hole clear through her, but she didn't even slow.

"Arsenal, create a series of impenetrable shields!"

The shields, each made of a strange, glasslike substance appeared before Archibald as he backpedaled. They were each every bit as impenetrable as he had asked for...

"<Great Equalizer is the Death!>" cried Dlanor, expression wild as she shot forward, feet lifting off the ground. Leaving a trail of blood behind her as the Red Key shattered each one of the shields that Archibald had created.

The man gave one last shocked, horrified expression before the blade of red light pierced his chest.

Dlanor's feet landed back on the ground. Her expression faded from the manic insanity of moments before back to the stoic calmness. The only sound in the office was the quiet dripping of blood.

Then, Dlanor spoke.

"Archibald Renaldo, you have been executed for your violations of Knox's DECALOGUE."

Dlanor felt a presence behind her as she drew the Red Key out of Archibald's corpse. The body fell to the ground as she turned to face... Gertrude. Somehow, she had expected this. She could see the concern on Gertrude's normally calm face as the older-looking angel drew out a handkerchief and brought it up to Dlanor's cheek, wiping a spot of blood away. Dlanor winced, trying to move her head away and failing.

"Allow me to speak. Let it be said that you have sustained serious injuries. I am aware you are able to heal, but do you wish for further attention?" said Gertrude.

"I do not require ATTENTION. I am FINE."

Gertrude's expression clearly showed that she did not agree. Dlanor had finished her mission. Her target was dead...

Now, she merely had to return to Heaven.

[Deleted]

Version two, with an update!

---

He was a killer.

Dlanor's task today was a straightforward one. There was no investigation, witches weren't involved, even. It was simply the acts of one man. He had posed as the detective, engineered a murder mystery using magical aid. He had wrapped up a group of innocent people in this plot, and then revealed himself to be the culprit. And when they were unable to escape, he killed every single last one of them. This was not simply a violation of Knox's Seventh. This was an act of pure, unbridled evil. It was more than just the act of committing murder. It was manipulating people who believed him to be the detective, and killing them just as they came to the horrifying realization that they had been tricked.

Dlanor was an Inquisitor of Heaven, someone tasked with enforcing Knox's Decalogue. And she did not tolerate such evil. When she received the order to kill the man known as Archibald Renaldo, there had been not even the slightest scrap of hesitation in her mind.

There never was.

Reaching his location had not been a difficult task. The large, stately building in Dlanor's country of birth... it was not difficult to locate. Even if this was an entirely different universe than the one Dlanor originated from, this England was much the same as the one she knew. The magicians who had constructed this building had seen to it that humans without magical ability were unable to notice it. Dlanor was beyond the ability of a human being in all respects. It was a tall, imposing structure of steel and stone, a black, mostly-windowless monolith rising above the other structures surrounding it.

Entering it, too, was not a difficult task. Nor was making her way to the top, to the place her target waited. Gertrude and Cornelia had been instrumental in disabling several defenses that had been put in place before her target's office. While they had not been beyond Dlanor's ability, it was impossible to disable multiple magical defenses at once. Now, they had returned to being invisible and intangible at her sides. At least until Dlanor needed them once again. The door before her was locked.

With a hum, the Red Key appeared in a flurry of rose petals.

Dlanor raised her weapon and slashed cleanly through the door, before stepping through as the halves collapsed to the ground. The room she found herself in was vast, and long. At the opposite end was a desk... and there, seated behind the desk before a vast window, was her target. Archibald Renaldo sat with his head rested on one hand, his expression incredulous. He was a young man, in his mid twenties, with slim features and green hair. His suit, for he wore one, was a pristine white.

Dlanor quickly registered the distance between herself and her target. She did not know the full extent of her target's capabilities, though he had been seen with a large amount of weapons, so it was important to carefully analyze their battlefield. If she were to kill the evil man that sat before her, Dlanor needed to get close.

Archibald stood.

"My wards were disabled, I knew you were coming," he began, raising one eyebrow at Dlanor. "Before I kill you, I'd like to know why you wasted your time, and your life, getting here."

Dlanor spoke. Her voice, as it usually was on such missions bar certain... circumstances, was a stable monotone. Her expression remained the picture of neutrality, even as she regarded the man who had killed dozens of innocent people and violated the Decalogue.

"Archibald RENALDO," she began, "You have violated Knox's DECALOGUE. In your acts of murder, you engineered a mystery in which you played the DETECTIVE. This is a direct violation of Knox's SEVENTH. I have been dispatched to execute you for this VIOLATION."

Archibald inclined his head to the side, his expression becoming and amused smile. "Is that so? Well, there's no use denying it... I don't know who you are or how you learned about the experiments, but you're going to be the last person to find out. I'll make sure of it."

Dlanor brought one leg forward... and with a burst of speed, ran for her target. She raised the Red Key. With just a few more meters, the blade of red light would pierce Archibald's chest. The evil man and violator of Knox's Decalogue would be dead.

"Arsenal, create a series of directed explosives at her feet and trigger them."

For the briefest moment, Dlanor's eyes widened as a shimmer of gold left a series of circular devices at her feet...

And then her vision was overtaken by a burst of heat, sound, and light. Dlanor was thrown back by the explosion, and crashed into the wall at the opposite side of room. She fell to the ground, and lay still for a moment, mostly stunned by the sudden explosion. Dlanor rose to her feet after a brief, shocked moment. There was pain, but her body was not damaged by the blast. There were a few tears in her uniform, but there was nothing that could threaten her in any significant way.

The more pressing concern was just what Archibald had done.

A series of craters had appeared in the floor just before Archibald's desk. The magician stood there, arms folded, with a grin forming on his face. "Made of more durable stuff then I thought, are we? I'm sure you're wondering just what I did... Arsenal, create fourteen speargun turrets!"

There were multiple golden shimmers, and before Dlanor's eyes fourteen bulky cylinders, each supported on a tripod and containing a long spear, materialized in a row in front of Archibald's desk. Each of the turrets was trained on Dlanor. She hadn't anticipated this... it was reminiscent of the magic possessed by witches, the ability to simply call what the user wished into existence. Dlanor was familiar with it, but she had not been expecting such magic. She had seen Archibald using normal weaponry, that implied he did not have an ability such as this...

"Behold!" Archibald spread his arms wide, "The Arsenal of Heaven! Any weapon I desire, I need only to tell my Arsenal. It then materializes in my possession, allowing me to slay anyone who would do me harm! Foolish, foolish girl, did you truly believe you could contend with a magician of my power?!"

Dlanor's eyes narrowed, ever so slightly. This man was an arrogant fool... she could overcome this. Her body could heal. "My abilities are sufficient to eliminate YOU."

Archibald laughed. "Madness! Arsenal, cause each of the turrets to fire!"

With a chorus of dull twangs, each of the spearguns fired. Immediately, Dlanor moved. She felt a rush of air as a spear whistled past her and embedded itself in the wall behind her. Another spear careened directly for her forehead, and was met with the Red Key. The spear was slashed in half, the pieces knocked aside. A third spear crashed against the golden armor on Dlanor's left arm, and the remaining spears were eliminated with a second swing of the Red Key. As the pieces of metal clattered to the ground, Dlanor shifted her feet back into a standing position.

An expression of surprise was displayed upon Archibald's face. "More skilled then I thought, as well, to simply evade or destroy all of those spears. Very well, then, I see it will take something more to destroy you! Arsenal, create an arm-mounted laser cannon with enough firepower to destroy a military-grade tank!"

Archibald raised his right arm. A golden shimmer appeared around it, and when it had vanished it left behind a strange cylindrical contraption. It was golden, and wider then Archibald's arm by a considerable amount. The barrel ended just before his fist. Archibald grinned, and the barrel began to glow.

Dlanor almost immediately realized what her opponent was about to do. "Gertrude, CORNELIA!"

Dlanor swung her armored arm up to shield her eyes, just as her subordinates materialized in front of her. Each of them raised their arms, and then the laser fired. It was a huge beam, dwarfing Dlanor herself, and deep blue in color. It reached Gertrude and Cornelia in an instant... and reflected off of the barely-visible barrier they had constructed, tearing into the roof and out of it, into the sky. For a brief moment, Archibald's eyes widened in surprise. The laser cannon stopped firing, and vanished into golden particles. At the same time, Gertrude and Cornelia vanished as well.

"I will fulfill my MISSION," began Dlanor, taking another step forward. Her subordinates had done well, that laser could possibly have achieved crippling damage. Damage that would have allowed Archibald to make his escape.

Her target sneered. "You summoned your bathing-suit-wearing friends and made a shield, so what? A shield can't protect you from everything. Arsenal! Create a dozen spears controlled by my mind!"

A dozen spears materialized around Archibald, suspended in the air. Archibald's smile returned, and they fired themselves at Dlanor. Dlanor charged. Each time a spear drew close, she slashed through it, or evaded. By the time she had made it one meter from the desk, she had destroyed all but three of the spears and evaded the rest. Dlanor was almost there... he wouldn't be able to demand a new weapon from his arsenal at such a short distance.

Dlanor felt the cool metal of the first spear pierce her back just a few seconds before she could close the distance and impale her target. It was joined, seconds later, by its remaining brothers. One went through Dlanor's upper torso, clear through her heart and out the other side in a spray of blood. The final spear tore through her left lung. Dlanor, surprised, stumbled and faltered a moment as blood ran down the front of her body. Soon, her blood began to pool on the ground at her feet, the spears glistening with her vital fluids. Archibald grinned, a certain madness appearing in his expression as he watched Dlanor bleed in front of him.

"Ahahaha! You didn't expect that? Don't feel bad, even the most skilled warriors would not expect projectiles to curve and attack them from behind," Archibald leaned forward, towards Dlanor, "And you're just a child! I almost feel bad, killing a kid, but it's really not that much of a problem."

Archibald laughed again... and then focused on Dlanor once more, his smile fading slightly. "Go ahead and die, I want to clean up all this blood and you're taking a while. You should be dead already, anyway. What did that pierce? Your heart? Your lungs?"

Dlanor's head hung. A trickle of blood ran out of her mouth... but a catlike smile had appeared on her lips. This foolish man thought she was dying? This... malignant, evil monster of a man thought he had slain an angel of heaven?!

Dlanor's thoughts moved faster. Her eyes widened, pupils contracting, as her catlike smile became a catlike, wide grin. She quickly raised her head, her golden-armored hand raising to grab the spear that had impaled her through her chest. Archibald drew back in horror.

"Y-y-you're still alive?! H-how... how are you..." he stumbled over his words.

"I am an Angel of HEAVEN," Dlanor began as she drew the spear forwards and out of her body, "I cannot be killed by such THINGS."

She took a step forward, blood dripping from her woulds. Her normal calm, collected air was gone, replaced with a manic impression of insanity. Dlanor tossed the spear aside, as Archibald took another horrified step back. "You are a VIOLATOR. A KILLER... KILLERKILLERKILLERKILLERKILLERKILLERKILLERKILLEKILLERKILLERKILLER<Die the Death!>"

Dlanor lunged forward.

"Arsenal, create a sword!"

Archibald threw his hand up, and with a shimmer of gold a simple sword appeared in his hand. His tone was panicked, now, Dlanor's maddened tone and cry had shaken him.

He barely managed to avoid the Red Key as the blade cleaved cleanly through his sword.

"<Sentence to Death!>"

"Arsenal, a gun that can kill anything!"

An ornate golden flintlock pistol appeared in Archibald's hand he raised it and pulled the trigger, the bullet firing with a crack. It struck Dlanor in the stomach and blew a hole clear through her, but she didn't even slow.

"Arsenal, create a series of impenetrable shields!"

The shields, each made of a strange, glasslike substance appeared before Archibald as he backpedaled. They were each every bit as impenetrable as he had asked for...

"<Great Equalizer is the Death!>" cried Dlanor, expression wild as she shot forward, feet lifting off the ground. Leaving a trail of blood behind her as the Red Key shattered each one of the shields that Archibald had created.

The man gave one last shocked, horrified expression before the blade of red light pierced his chest.

Dlanor's feet landed back on the ground. Her expression faded from the manic insanity of moments before back to the stoic calmness. The only sound in the office was the quiet dripping of blood.

Then, Dlanor spoke.

"Archibald Renaldo, you have been executed for your violations of Knox's DECALOGUE."

Dlanor felt a presence behind her as she drew the Red Key out of Archibald's corpse. The body fell to the ground as she turned to face... Gertrude. Somehow, she had expected this. She could see the concern on Gertrude's normally calm face as the older-looking angel drew out a handkerchief and brought it up to Dlanor's cheek, wiping a spot of blood away. Dlanor winced, trying to move her head away and failing.

"Allow me to speak. Let it be said that you have sustained serious injuries. I am aware you are able to heal, but do you wish for further attention?" said Gertrude.

"I do not require ATTENTION. I am FINE."

Gertrude's expression clearly showed that she did not agree. Dlanor had finished her mission. Her target was dead...

Now, she merely had to return to Heaven.

[Deleted]

The rain came pouring down.

That masked magical girl...

Girugako had seen her in battle before. The pristine white outfit, the warm, almost gold color of the wooden spear... without question, the girl was a Lancer. That long, green hair... it seemed familiar, somehow. But the girl that stood before her had the air of a stranger. A stranger who was hardly worthy of being her enemy. However, the goals of these villains... This girl was their Servant. As such, she needed to be defeated. And with that dark air about her, that... lack of a human feel... Girugako felt that the girl she saw before her was not a human being. Therefore, destruction was wholly viable. It would be one less worthless mongrel in this world.

She would eliminate this girl from her sights.

"You face the Magical Queen of Heroes," Girugako began, arms folded as she stared down the girl, who stood before her. The angular, black, beaklike mask obscured her expression from view. "Your mission is at an end. Your master was a fool to expect a worthless mongrel like you to defeat me!"

Behind Girugako, the Gate of Babylon opened. The air rippled as Noble Phantasms emerged from her Golden Treasury, water dripping down them as the downpour continued. Soon, the arsenal was arrayed against her foe, the hundreds of incredibly powerful weapons poised to strike and destroy the worthless figure in her sights. "Now, bow your head and die!"

The Noble Phantasms fired, tearing through the air and the endlessly cascading sheets of water to meet their target, and rend it to pieces. But they never reached their target. In an instant, the masked girl moved, darting through a gap in the onslaught of Noble Phantasms. She moved with incredible agility, speeding forward and darting through the Noble Phantasms. Her spear was angled to go cleanly through Girugako's stomach. Shocked by how the girl had dodged her spears, nevertheless Girugako quickly sidestepped only a second before the spear hit its target. Girugako narrowed her eyes, as the girl skidded to a halt behind her. What kind of magical girl could simply dodge the onslaught from the Gate of Babylon?! Lancers were fast, but... this mongrel's speed was more then Girugako has expected. However, this was nothing. She would still be able to crush this mongrel with ease, regardless. Quickly turning, Girugako grabbed a sword from the Gate. She did not wish to stay in melee range for very long, but the enemy magical girl was sure to launch another attack while she was close. As predicted, the masked girl thrust the spear towards Girugako, to be met with the blade. Girugako too this opportunity to force it off course, then swiftly leap back and out of close range. While her power was unmatched, fighting in close range with a Lancer was a foolish move. The sword returned to the Gate of Babylon, only to be fired in another storm of Noble Phantasms, before the enemy magical girl could recover.

Once again, the girl swiftly found a gap... but was too slow to avoid being hit entirely. With an ear-splitting crack, a Noble Phantasm struck the mask, splitting it apart and causing the pieces to scatter to the ground. However, the girl continued to charge, regardless of the loss of her mask.

Girugako's eyes fell upon her face, just as she was preparing to sidestep once more.

The spear hit her in the stomach. Girugako's dress held fast, but the force of the hit knocked her off her feet. She tumbled and rolled across the ground, mud marring the pristine gold of her flowing dress. She felt it, even though the dress protected her. But the pain... it was nothing, compared to what she had just seen. That face... but... she was fighting, it... it... she was...

After a moment, Girugako began to push herself off the muddy ground, her eyes wide in shock. She sat up, turning, to get a good look at her opponent's face. It couldn't be, it... it couldn't be her...

The girl who looked back at her was unmistakable, even with her face contorted in anger. It still held the softness, the sweetness that Girugako remembered. Struggling to her feet, Girugako raised her hand towards the girl. It was... it was her...

"... E-Enki-chan... it's... you..."

Her best friend. Her first friend. Her only friend. The girl she had spent days playing with, she had cherished as her closest friend. The most worthy girl in the world, the girl Girugako had desired to spend her whole life with... The girl she had watched grow weaker and weaker until she was unable to stand. The girl that Girugako had stayed with, holding her hand, while she smiled up at her one last time before going completely still. Enkidu, the girl that had died holding Girugako's hand.

Girugako took a step towards her dearest friend, trembling.

"Enki-chan... i-it's really you..." Girugako said. She hadn't seen her... in so long... she... she hadn't ever recovered. She had cried for so long... and now her friend stood before her. But... she had attacked her... why...? Tears welled up, unbidden, in Girugako's eyes, "Wh-why... are you... E-Enki-chan, wh-why... are we f-fighting? Wh-why..."

Enkidu swung her Cedar Spear, and it struck Girugako in the side. Once again, her dress protected her, but she felt the hit, hit the ground, and rolled. More mud clung to her body. The rain kept pouring down, drenching both opponents further. The water pouring down Girugako's face mixed with the tears now flowing freely from her eyes. "E-Enki-chan... wh-why? Why... why are you d-doing this...?"

She struggled to her feet. The strike from the spear had knocked the wind right out of her... Girguako offer her hand to Enkidu. Tears rolled down her cheeks. "P-please... you're... my cherished f-friend... c-come back..."

What had happened? Why was her beloved, cherished friend Enkidu doing this? Girugako didn't understand. The last she had seen of Enkidu... her still body, lying on the medical bed...

The spear struck her in the side and knocked her to the ground once more. Girugako let out a choked sob, and lay on the ground. "Wh-why..."

She... couldn't fight her. Girugako had so much power, power fitting of the Queen of Heroes... but she couldn't use that power on her cherished friend. Even if Enkidu was set to kill her... She just... couldn't. The most worthy person in this world...

Girugako felt the spear jab her sharply in the side, where she lay. Still the dress held fast... but it wouldn't, for much longer. And yet... she still couldn't bring herself to move, couldn't bring herself to fight back against her cherished friend. The Queen of Heroes... and yet the one person she had loved above all others had died, and returned as her enemy. How could she lord of all these subjects, not matter how worthless, when this had happened to the one person whom she felt worthy? Even more then the object of her affections, Magical Saber... Enkidu was worth more then everything in her kingdom.

Another jab to her side. Further strikes would surely tear through Girugako's dress, and kill her. Girugako winced, and lay in the mud, tears rolling down her face. "... Enki-chan..."

...

...

Enkidu... wouldn't want this... Her cherished friend... she wouldn't want to be the one to kill Girugako. This was wrong. This... shouldn't be happening.

Enkidu raised her cedar spear again.

Suddenly, chains lashed out from the air, through the Gate. They immediately wrapped around Enkidu's limbs. She was a human, nothing more than that... but they were still powerful chains, even if to Enkidu they were simply mundane. Girugako weakly rose to her feet. Tears freely streamed down her face, lost in the rain. She stepped back, and reached towards her gate of Babylon. The chains held Enkidu's limbs tight. They both shared the same namesake... Girugako trembled as she reached back. Her hands gripped the cool metal of a familiar weapon... the greatest of all her Noble Phantasms.

Girugako drew Ea out from the Gate of Babylon. The rain clattered against the black, red, and gold weapon. The segments of the 'blade' began to slowly spin. Girugako hung her head, as the segments of the drill-like weapon spun faster and faster. "Enki-chan... my most cherished and closest friend... Part of me... is so happy to see you, even if it's like this...

Girugako raised her head, to gaze into the eyes of her friend. Enkidu strained against the chains. They held fast. The expression of on Enkidu's face had become one of confusion, as opposed to anger. The tears continued to flow down Girugako's face. Her chest tightened... the pain from the strikes of the spear had faded. But there was a far deeper pain wracking her now. "But this hurts, so much... I loved you, Enki-chan, as the most worthy person in this world. As my only real friend... Wh-when... y-you died... I... I... I didn't know what to do..."

Girugako let out another choked sob, then took a deep breath. "Seeing you like this... this isn't your will... But it still hurts to do this... I'm so sorry, Enki-chan..."

Girugako pointed Ea squarely at the chest of her enemy. The segments of the 'blade' spun faster and faster, a whirling maelstrom of red energy. Enkidu... was worthy of this. It was undeniable. "I'm so sorry... I can't make things different..."

Enkidu struggled against the chains more frantically. Even in the shadows that had firmly taken hold in her mind, she could tell the weapon pointed at her was vastly destructive... and they the girl before her was significant. But she was the enemy. Enkidu had to escape and destroy her. But why... was that feeling so wrong...?

"... I love you... so much, Enki-chan..." Girugako's voice trembled. Ea... she had built up enough power in the weapon to surely destroy her foe. Her beloved Enkidu... She had restrained Ea from firing for long enough... to truly bid Enkidu a final farewell. But she had one last thing to say to her most cherished friend, the most worthy person in this entire universe...

Girugako raised her head. The tears continued to stream from down her cheeks. It felt like they would never stop. Girugako forced herself to smile, one last reassuring smile to her friend. "G-goodbye, Enki-chan..."

Her grip on Ea tightened.

"Enuma Elish!"

---

The rain came pouring down.

The rending gale of destruction that was Enuma Elish faded from existence completely. That was hardly even its full power. Ea, at its full power, could tear the planet apart and reform it anew. No such destructive might was required. The target was a single girl. Girugako’s trusted friend. Enkidu. Girugako stared ahead, trembling. The tears wouldn’t stop. They intermingled with the rain pouring down her face as she stood in the muddy field, the gash in the earth obscuring what may lay within. Enkidu was dead, wasn’t she? After so long without her friend, Girugako’s first action when fighting her was to kill her. Even if the girl had been controlled…

Girugako’s shoulders sagged. Her gaze fell to look at the ground. She hadn’t been able to overcome Enkidu’s death the first time. It took being bequeathed the power worthy of a Queen of Heroes to change her focus, and even then the thought of Enkidu’s death still lingered in the back of her mind. And now she had killed her. Enkidu had attacked her… Enkidu had tried to kill her… it wasn’t Enkidu’s will… but even knowing that, being forced to destroy her truest friend…

The knot in Girugako’s throat refused to go away. The air rippled around Ea, and the Noble Phantasm was returned to its resting place in the Gate of Babylon. Girugako became unsteady on her feet, and fell to her knees in the mud. Her pristine golden dress had already returned to full clarity. Nothing could mar it for long. Girugako didn’t care. Her friend was dead, after living and seeing her again…

Slowly, she became aware of a ragged, limp form in the grove that Enuma Elish had left. Enkidu’s body had survived… Girugako had used the attack on a human, before. At the lower levels of power, it did not destroy them completely, though she had not been attempting to kill them at that time. It was not surprise to her that Enkidu’s body survived…

The tears kept flowing.

“… G-Giru-chan…?”

Girugako’s crimson eyes widened. That voice… but… it… there was no way that could be…

“Wh-where am I…?”

Girugako looked up. The ragged form in the ditch… it was moving. Enkidu was moving! But that… that couldn’t be…

Girugako didn’t care. All this mud and muck, she didn’t care how filthy she’d become. She sprang to her feet and slide down the side of the gash in the earth, sprinting to her friend. It was unmistakable, Enkidu was moving… her breaths were shallow, but Enuma Elish, in all its power, had failed to kill her. Going to her knees beside her friend, Girugako hesitated. Was this real?

“G-Giru-chan… you’re all dirty… y-you never get dirty…”

Girugako shook. “E-Enki-chan…”

“… I-Is something wrong…? We’re outside… i-in a storm like this…”

The tears flowed freely.

Girugako took a hold of her friend, picking her up out of the mud. Mud? Such a thing could not be allowed to stain the most worthy person in this world. Girugako wrapped her arms around Enkidu. Enkidu’s body was warm… she really was, unquestionably, truly, alive. She was light… she was still so light…

“… A-are… are you crying, Giru-chan…? Wh-what happened…?”

Girugako sobbed into Enkidu’s shoulder, clutching her tighter.

“C-crying? Nothing can b-bring tears to my eyes, Enki-chan, don’t you know that…?”

Enkidu smiled, weakly. “Th-that’s funny… it looked like you were crying… I wanted to help cheer you up if you were sad.”

“I’m n-not sad, Enkidu.”

Girugako clutched Enkidu to her more tightly. Both girls were soaked with rainwater, now. In the haze that still affected her, Enkidu was unable to tell if Girugako was crying, or if it was the rain. But she could feel her friend shaking… It was cold out here…

“I’m happy.”

“Oh… I’m glad, Giru-chan… Can we go inside? It’s cold…”

“Y-yes… it is cold, isn’t it? A muddy, desolate place unsuited for a Queen and her valued companion.”

Girugako didn’t feel cold. Rather, she felt warmer than she had in years.

She pulled Enkidu to her feet, supporting the slightly smaller girl. She couldn’t walk yet. Girugako was strong enough to move her fairly easily, in magical girl form.

“Come on… We’re going home.”

[Rain]

The two warriors danced back and forth, blades clashing out of sheer skill rather than any attempt at faking their efforts or supernatural abilities. It was sheer unadulterated martial prowess, the private duel something every swordsman from here to the Wyld would have talked about if they had known. Endlessly, ceaselessly, gold met ruby as the two Exalted fought, Dragonblooded against Solar.

He was the first to draw back, the elder and teacher. Despite his goal being her destruction, there was no malice on his ageing but proud features, just satisfaction. "Even now, as Anathema with gifts outstripping even your younger years, you fight as you were taught. I am touched, child."

The tall figure bowed her head in silent acknowledgement as she accepted the praise.

"But much has changed since we last clashed blades, has it not? Enough dithering. Now we fight as the supernatural creatures we are. To the death, Kei, and may the Victor toast the lover's memory at the day's end!"

A pained look crossed the girl's face, but her golden blade was ready as the attacks came anew. Same as before, neither could gain the advantage; youth met experience in a clamorous din. For all the gifts her state granted her, 'Kei' had no clear advantage: the man she thought was closer than her own father and the absolute pinnacle of her kind.

Eventually, they both broke off again, nearly spent but uninjured. The mute girl drew back further, reflexively making the same shape with her fingers she had always shown her teacher: 'I have learned something new, please watch'. On his guard, the older Exalt took a defensive stance.

Soft features twisted in guilt and sorrow, the Solar raised her sword to the side, other hand forming shapes only he could translate: 'Thread of the Descending Sun'.

That was the last warning before the attack: a quick slash that seemed to hang in the air... before a deep orange line ripped forwards, scything through the air and tearing through his defences with furious heat. His defences, his body, and the entire forest behind had an imperceptible line cut through them.

For a long second, everything stayed still, as if in disbelief at the attack. Then the spell broke and the world came crashing down with a noise like thunder multiplied a thousandfold in a chasm.

The last thing he saw was the tear-streaked face of the sword-wielding prodigy he had adopted, crimson hair so like his own feathering about her features, mouthing four silent words: "I am sorry, father."

[Vinestar]

Golden Theater Swing vs the Holy Mother of Dismemberment

A traveler walked upon the a road of bones, the thing itself winding through a darkened, misty metropolis. Here and there, shambling shapes moved through the acrid smog of the Underworld city. They were hungry ghosts, ravenous for the taste of the living. They were angry that this particular morsel was lit up with holy light, their very nature reviling the warmth of the Sun's Chosen.

The man himself was long haired and lithe, pretty enough to be mistaken for a woman from a distance. He was dressed in silk, no other protection needed besides the subtle aura of holiness entwined about his body. The Solar stopped as a procession of undead soldiers marched towards him in timely fashion, a mournful staccato beat resounding from the distance. All were armed with various crude but effective weapons, and armored in full metal plate, the rotting corps bearing a rather imposing sight.

Trailing behind them, a pale lady of unearthly pallor and beauty was borne in a palanquin. She was dressed as a widow would, black dress and veiled face. As the procession stopped before the Zenith, the deathly one stepped out of the vehicle, a hint of disdain showing through the cobwebbed veil. "I don't know whether to commend you for your bravery or chastise you for such stupidity... Nevertheless, I am curious. What are you doing within my realm?"

"I am looking for a child that you've taken. Give her back." Calm and low was the voice of the man, the faintest hint of animosity resounding in his tone. This demand seemed only to make the Deathknight chuckle with amusement.

"All that I have are tributes. They are mine to do with as I wish, Chosen of the Sun. Are you now taking on the mantle of a shepherd? I can think of other things that might better suit your face... Perhaps when your light is dimmed and spirit bound to mine... Oh, what fun we shall have..." As crazed in the head was the Holy Mother of Dismemberment was, she still adored fine works. This one was very pleasing on the eyes, and with a bit of adjustment... Well, he had to be broken in anyways. "Submit, and I might think about it. Let the darkness into your heart, and let me put a collar around your neck... Maybe I'll give back this girl you are looking for then..." Inclining her head, an undead servant handed over a soulsteel collar to the pallid mistress.

"..." An instant later, the tool was knocked out of the Deathknight's hands, feathersteel needle clattering to the floor. "That should be answer enough." The motion was not overt, yet the force behind the throw was strong. Uncertainty began wriggling its way into the sorrowful lady's head as she looked at her now empty hands.

Irately waving away such thoughts, Holy Mother waved imperially. The rotting footsoldiers immediately mobilized and stepped towards the irksome man... Who wasn't there anymore. Scarcely able to comprehend what had happened, the Abyssal leaned forward to get a better view... And had something slip over her neck. With a vicious tug, the inhabitant of the pandolin sailed out and smashed into a nearby rock face.

When the rubble stopped falling, a clearly enraged Mother strode out of the hole, flinging off her robes to reveal Soulsteel a whipsword curled about her waist- with little nothing else. Unfurling the thing, she angrily swung it through her own forces with unholy might. Her squad cut down for disappointing her, the berserk Deathknight turned her attention to the hiding martial artist. "You..." Hefting
The Ripper of Fertility, she wildly began smashing it against the environs with seemingly random abandon.

Leaping out from behind an outcropping, Golden Theater Swing thought he was safe from the lash of soulsteel... Until it tore into his back. "Gh..." Falling down, the gash upon his body felt aflame, the pain excruciating. He only barely twisted his frame out of the way of the descending follow up. Before he landed again, Golden flung another feathersteel dart at the frenzied Abyssal.

Laughing as she simply blocked the thing with her forearm, the blackened lady rushed forward now with a sensual smile on her face. "I get it... You're weak upfront..." She was much faster than the Solar had anticipated, and much more dangerous at that. Spinning in an arc to force him to avoid the hungry teeth of her weapon, Mother brought up her sensuous leg... which Golden disregarded as he saw a literal stiletto strapped on her heel. Its savage thrust stabbed him in the stomach, which was luckily wrapped with a length of orihalcum weighted rope. Still, the force of the blow knocked the breath out of him.

"Hngrh... What do they feed you?" Grimacing and pulling himself up right again, the Lawgiver swiftly clinched and tightened the leg with a length of his own weapon until it began biting deeply and drawing blood. Once the foe was sufficiently off balanced and tangled, a savage spinning elbow to the temple was performed. The strike though ferocious, made Mother laugh out even more, even as dark blotches appeared on her skin. "...Creepy."

In response to that, the whip twirled about Golden's rope holding arms. If he was a nanosecond slower, the man boy would've been needing prosthetics. Still, now the mad woman was free again for the rope was cut by Ripper. Raising her weapon as though she was going to let its tongue fly again, Mother instead did a hammer blow with the sheathe, smashing the surprised Zenith's head towards the ground. "What kind of man can't hit hard enough?! Should I just castrate you right now?!"

The pain was not nearly as bad as the previous bites though, so the Solar was able to roll away before his head was completely smashed. Trying to steady his heartbeat, Golden Theater Swing looked over his opponent once more. She was definitely stronger than him, and had much more experience. Still... her style let her be open to attacks, and she was overconfident. And a bit mad. "If only I could finish her off with one shot... The damn woman keeps on going..." Instantly, he knew what to do.

Breathing slowly, the Zenith forced himself into stillness, concentrating on his breathing with his eyes closed. "What's the matter, you giving up already?" Smiling wickedly, the Holy Mother made her way towards the unmoving target, though her whip was held at the ready. "I knew you would see things my way... After you're trained, you might well become my most favorite toy... But the first step of training is... dying." Attempting to plunge her hand into his chest and rip out the heart, what came next was a surprise. A kaleidoscope flared forth from the anima of a great theater, temporarily blinding her with its colors and intensity. Her hand met nothing but air. "Coward... All men are cowards..." Muttering madly, the recovered creature of darkness once more swung her weapon about, hoping to score a hit somewhere. The damn charm was messing up her depth perception and internal compass though, for everything in her vision was a fractured rainbow illusion.

She continued to smash her way about the place, scoring hits on the nearby buildings and her own cut down soldiers. Twice, she thought she saw a glimpse of his hair, and twice was she frustrated. Snarling like a beast after falling for his tricks, the dominatrix screamed out obscenities and curses. Still, she knew that he couldn't keep this up forever... And she was right. All too soon, the prism faded away as the young whelp returned to visible status. Through playing games, she lunged at him with fury, whip trailing behind her.

It came as a surprise when the Lawgiver rushed forth himself, throwing himself at her. Close range, she couldn't use her whip to its fullest potential... and she didn't defend at all, considering her power derives itself from sadomasochism. This was the weakness in her strategy. Clenching his fist, which was oddly glowing red, the youth finally allowed himself a smile. Uppercutting the defiler of youth into the air, the blue haired man finally felt his legs gave way. "Never again..."

When she landed, the Deathknight lithely held her balance. Cracking her head back in place, the Holy Mother of Dismemberment sneered. "Was that all? That was what you wanted, a last hit in before becoming my slave? Audacity is not enough in the Underworld..." Kicking the exhausted man backwards, the elder Abyssal chuckled malevolently as she peered down at the gasping boy. "I've been waiting for this... I wanted to hurt you so much... To make you as mad as me..." Raising her leg up to finally drive the literal point home, the Dusk Caste brought her foot down.

She missed though. Her balance was off, and heat was now mounting within her body. Stumbling, she felt her body burn intensely, not with life, but with raw literal heat. "What- did you do?!" The pain was not what she was used to, everything was being blasted by fire. Her unbeating organs, her blood, her very bones were like a bubbling soup.

"Hahn... You were wrong, old hag. That wasn't audacity. That was cunning. By now, you should be a melting pot, your insides a goop. Blood of Boiling Oil was what I performed... Can you guess what that charm does?" He asked sarcastically, the screams of one who should have enjoyed the pain almost drowning out his voice. It continued on for a few minutes, before slowly dying down altogether. What was left was something that didn't even look human anymore.

"Right..." Picking himself up slowly as his healing factor went into effect, Golden Theater Swing began walking towards the estate of the twice deceased noblewoman. "Little one..."

[Deleted]

He was called the Artificial Angel.

Kiyomi had come to understand exactly what that meant in the past few days. She had spoken with him, learned about him, learned what he truly was. And what his goal was. And she had come to one final decision.

She had to stop him. She had to stop that man from killing every last man, woman, and child on the planet. For that was his goal, his ultimate desire. He had explained quite clearly that he perceived all of humanity as filth, unworthy of god's graces. He had explained that he felt it to be his duty to destroy every human being on the planet. Kiyomi wouldn't let him. She would stop him.

She had to stop him. Her power... no mage could hope to harm him. No mage had enough power to fuel a spell strong enough to break his defenses. But she could do it. She had to do it.

Now, standing in the crater that had once been the Yukimura Municipal Building, she would end it. Her enemy stood before her. He was a... if Kiyomi had an interest in such things, she would have called him handsome. He had short-cut, white hair hanging loose around his head, and his eyes were deep blue. Black jacket hanging open, white shirt, black pants... and an expression of deep amusement.

"Eh? What's this? That useless mage girl?" he asked, inclining his head to one side, "You've resisted god's punishment? Hah. That makes this more interesting. Killing a bunch of unconscious people is more efficient, but killing a stubborn idiot bitch of a mage is more fun..."

He grinned.

Kiyomi took a step forward, eyes narrowing. She felt no fear. She was set, determined to stop the foe before her. No-one else in this world had the power to stop him... Unlimited mana.

"I don't care what you say about me," she began, "But I won't let you kill anyone any longer! Your delusion ends here!"

"Ahahaha!" the Artificial Angel laughed, "Really? You really believe you can do that? I am the most powerful being on this planet. Unlimited mana is nothing to me! And I am doing the work of God! Do you truly believe you can stop that?"

Kiyomi's response was a short, determined nod.

"There is no doubt in my mind that I can stop you."

The Artificial Angel's expression hardened.

"Then I will enjoy crushing that conviction," he responded. He took a step forward...

Kiyomi raised her arm...

And in a flash, the Artificial Angel was before her. His fist flew, seeming to glow with a golden light as it lashed towards her stomach. A golden loop materialized above his head... As the fist struck. Kiyomi's let out a cry of pain and shock. Her entire body felt the strike, her entire body shuddered from the impact... and the punch sent her flying back. She hit the ground and rolled, as the Artificial Angel laughed.

"That was just a fraction of my power! And before I let you die, you shall have tasted far more than that!"

Kiyomi struggled to get up. The pain... She hadn't felt anything this bad before...

It was about then when she saw the Artificial Angel's boot raised above her chest. She swiftly rolled to the side as it came crashing down, raising a cloud of dust where it struck. The man with the attributes of an Angel laughed madly. "Ohh, maybe this will be fun! Everyone else dies so fast, but you're trying to get away!

Kiyomi leapt to her feet, struggling to ignore the pain. Mentally, she ran through her defensive spell, a whirling current of mana around her to destroy any attacks.

The Artificial Angel's fist lashed out again. A white tendril of mana shot out of the ground around Kiyomi, and was joined by three others, which began to spin around her to the point of becoming a blur. This had defended her before, disrupting spells and destroying projectiles...

His fist passed straight through it, and hit her in the chest. There was an ugly crunching sound, and Kiyomi rocketed back and hit the wall behind her with a resounding thud. She fell to the ground, gasping for air. Something in her chest... it had broken.

"What did you expect to achieve? I haven't even used my power yet..." the Artificial angel strode forward. Weakly, Kiyomi attempted to get to her feet... and then a golden light surrounded her.

"My defense is perfect, no mage can pierce it! Not even you."

With a flick of his wrist, suddenly Kiyomi was launched towards him. A golden wall materialized, and rocketed towards her. She hit it full force.

Pain wracked Kiyomi's body. The mana current, it hadn't defended her... it hadn't even scratched his defenses. And this pain... her body felt like it was on the verge of falling apart.

She coughed, and blood trickled out of her mouth.

"Giving up? So soon? How dull."

The Artificial Angel flicked his wrist.

Kiyomi slammed into the ground. Cracks spiderwebbed out from around her. She could feel the blood flow out of her mouth... Something inside was bleeding...

His boot struck her in the side, and she was lifted off the ground and hit several meters away with a crash. Such pain... she could barely move.

Kiyomi twitched weakly on the ground.

"The White Cannon of Japan!" he declared, strolling over to her weakly-twitching body. "The mage with unlimited mana! An idiot bitch attempting to challenge the most powerful being in the world! The will of God!"

His boot struck her in the side. She rolled, and came to a halt. More blood... so much blood from her mouth. The pain... Kiyomi tried to move. But... what could she do to him? That defense... could she break it, even if she had a chance?

She had to try.

Flinging her hand up, a bolt of mana fired out of her palm. She poured mana into it, to make it as potent and dangerous as possible...

It simply dissipated on his invisible barrier. Lunging forward, he grabbed her by the head. In one swift movement, she was lifted off the ground and tossed across the crater like a ragdoll. She hit the ground hard, and didn't move from there.

"You're dumber then I thought, trying that trick again," he began. A golden blade formed around his arm as he approached, grinning madly. "You can't hope to pierce my defenses, mage brat. Didn't that get through your head?"

Just as she summoned the strength to rise once more, he struck. The golden blade cleaved through her side and burned like a thousand white-hot knives. Kiyomi's eyes went wide, and she cried out in pure agony. It was pain unlike anything she had ever felt before, pain beyond anything she could imagine. The Artificial Angel with drew the blade from the still-screaming Kiyomi, and kicked her sharply in the stomach. Her scream was abruptly cut off when she flew back and hit there ground, rolling end over end.

"You're like a toy," the Artificial Angel began, "This is fun! Causing you pain, breaking all that idiotic determination... You were an idiot to come here. You could have simply lied down and let my kill you like all the other scraps of filth on this earth. But you came to me... well, at least I can enjoy myself."

He approached.

Kiyomi shuddered on the ground. She could barely move... what could she do against him? What could she do against a man with the power of an Angel? He was the most powerful being on the planet. Even with her unlimited mana, could she pierce his defenses?

She felt the boot on her back, which pressed down. Kiyomi cried out, but it was weak. She felt nothing but pain. Maybe... maybe she should just lie down and let him kill her... Maybe...

Maybe there really was nothing she could do to defeat him.

"I know how you fight. Even if you had the chance to use your White Cannon... you never could've broken my defenses with that pathetic spell."

... Wait...

He had seen her battles... and the White Cannon...

"You couldn't even kill another human, what makes you believe you could kill an Angel like me?"

Kiyomi's eyes snapped open.

"Move!"

Mana blazed around her. It worked almost like a rocket, pushing her forward out from under the Artificial Angel's foot and across the crater with incredible speed. The Artificial Angel, not suspecting this, was nearly sent off-balance.

"Eh?"

Kiyomi's body was wracked with pain. She willed herself to stand.

"There's something you don't understand," she began, raising her arm. It hurt. Everything hurt. But she wouldn't give up. Not now. "Allow me to show you just why you're wrong!"

"What's this?" The Artificial Angel inclined his head to the side, "You're going to try it? Ha! Fine, burn yourself out and die in agony!"

The formula of the spell ran through her mind. Her spell. Her final, most powerful spell above all others. What had earned her that name. The White Cannon

The mana swirled, curling into the palm of her hand and gathering. It built, and grew... and in the span of an instant, lashed out in the form of a vast beam of mana. The Artificial Angel didn't so much as flinch, even as the cannon crashed against his defensive barrier. He laughed madly.

"See? You'll burn yourself up before you even put a scratch on my defenses! But fine, it should be fun to watch."

Kiyomi bore onward. The pain in her body... it was unimaginable. But she pushed through it. She had to keep firing. The intense blaze of raw mana consumed her sigh, but she knew it was hitting. More and more, she poured more of her unlimited reserves of mana into her white cannon. She could do it. She could do it. Damn it, she knew she could do it.

The Artificial Angel waited. He waited to hear the screams of pain as the White Cannon of Japan's body tore itself apart from the exertion. It would be any moment, now, the sweet agony bore by overexerting oneself casting a spell...

Was... that a crack...?

"What...?"

Spiderwebs spread out from the crack. His defenses, but... that... that was impossible! The Artificial Angel's eyes widened...

... And with a sound like breaking glass, his defenses shattered. He threw himself out of the way, and the White Cannon tore past and struck the wall behind him. It dissipated, leaving a swiftly-cooling molten mark on the rock.

"Like I said..." Kiyomi lowered her arm. Maybe it was just the adrenaline, but she hurt less... and she did it. She broke his defenses. And now... It was time to end it. "There's something you don't understand."

In an instant, the Artificial Angel was upon her. Kiyomi could guess that he was desperate to end it, after something like that... And she moved just a second faster. She thrust her right hand, which glowed with mana, into hist chest. On contact, it released a burst of mana, which tore through his chest and blew a hole clear through him. He stumbled back, eyes wide.

"Ghk... wh-what?"

Particles gathered, mending the hole in his body. But the Artificial Angel was shocked. She had blasted through him, so easily... and to have done that...

"I don't use my full power against humans," Kiyomi began. The Artificial Angel lunged again. Kiyomi's mana current rose and spun. With a hiss, a shocked cry, the Artificial Angel's hand fell to the ground. He backpedaled rapidly in shock, not sure how to react, even as his hand regenerated.

"Unlike you, I don't want to kill them," continued Kiyomi, "But you? I don't have to hold back against you. You want to kill every person on this planet!"

She raised her arm. Her White Cannon... At its fullest power... she had used so much mana. Would it kill her? Maybe. But it would kill him. There would be nothing left to regenerate. "Even if it means destroying you, I won't let you do that!"

The Artificial Angel's grin returned. "I'm still the most powerful being in the world! Do you really believe you can kill me?"

In a flash, blades of gold appeared on both his arms. "I'll cut you to ribbons before you could even blink!"

Kiyomi's expression set. The mana swirled around her palm, growing in power as she poured more and more mana into her spell... "I have to kill you, for the sake of everyone in this world. Now... White Cannon..."

The spell didn't require speech to fire, not after she had refined it. But there was only one way to trigger its true strength....

The Artificial Angel charged.

"Full... POWER!"

The gathered mana fired. The resulting beam rushed forward, melting the earth and rock beneath it into a roiling mixture of molten materials, which cooled into cracked glass moments afterwards. The beam was huge, thick enough to engulf a human being in its white light.

The Artificial Angel stopped in his tracks, eyes wide, skidding to a halt...

But there was no time to dodge.

"D-damn yo-"

The White Cannon engulfed him in a blaze of mana. His body was vaporized in an instant, nothing left. Not even the tiniest particle.

The blaze of mana dissipated, leaving a trail of glass beneath the path it had taken to its target.

Kiyomi's arm fell, hanging limply at her side.

"Haaa... haaa..."

The pain was returning... but she had done it. The most powerful being in the world, the Angel set to commit genocide... he was no more.

Kiyomi had won.

Darkness swiftly took her. The exertion, the pain... it was too much. She fell to the cooled, glassy ground, unconscious.

It would not be long before the people effected by 'god's punishment' would regain consciousness, and find this injured girl in the crater of a building. She gravely needed medical attention...

But for now, she would rest.

[Rain]

Blood... so much blood. What the hell? How the hell had this wretched... thing done that to her? He'd always been going to die, but now... now she was going to ensure that there was no trace of anything he'd done left. Anything except that grail, but that was doomed anyway.

A hail of blades cut down the bastard's attempts to do any more damage, burning through the worms and giving the blood-drenched girl chance to draw what she was really after. Ea, the Star of Creation That Split Heaven and Earth. Overkill? Probably. But she was pissed, and it was thorough.

April could feel the sword under her hand, almost... alive. It wanted to be unconstrained, to shred the whole world and forge it anew, but she wasn't going to allow that. Neither was she going to turn it into a mere laser show. No: she was going to fire it at full power, and just limit the collateral damage. Not as if it wasn't possible.

If Zouken hadn't had any idea how dangerous the sword was, the tortured whine as it started to spin would've been the first clue that he was damned. The second would be the red that replaced normally blue eyes. The third, of course, was the result when the sword was thrust forwards.

“Enuma Elish!”

A normal sword simply cut. A magical sword cut better, or strangely. A really powerful one could launch laser blasts. Ea tore a hole in reality and returned everything to nothing. And the only thing that controlled how much it annihilated was its wielder.

The rift that opened from ground to sky could have consumed the world. Instead, only one portion of Fuyuki was devoured, returned to the void and left as a gaping scar in the ground. There was no way to survive, no way to flee in time. It was done, Zouken was dead.

And now she just had to get home before she went the same way.

[Rain]

Bug Pokémon. Eugh, how... annoying. Bugsy; Koga—even though his was ostensibly a poison gym; all the starter trainers that couldn't make up for the type's general lack of power that littered the regions... and now, in the Sinnoh Elite Four, there was a damn trainer that specialised in the things. Though Kyon would have mustered similar sentiments about pretty much any other type in existence, she had a special place in her heart for this after Haruhi had made everyone spend a summer 'catching' as many as they could when they younger.

Normally, Kyon would have sent out Pidgeot. This time, though... she was annoyed and had something to try out. She'd used it against a few trainers on the way and gotten to know its major idiosyncrasy, so why hold back?

There was a pause before the battle as her opponent took in the creature released. It looked like a statue. In fact, it not only looked like a statue, it was acting like a statue, and to the best of Aaron's knowledge had been a statue recently. Somehow, the short, busty girl in front of him had managed to get her hands on Regigigas.

And it was just standing there unmoving. She didn't seem overly bothered.

Kyon was secure in the knowledge that she had instructed the golem in what to do whilst it woke up before the fight. In effect, she didn't need to even consider giving any input until that stage in the fight, just leave Regigigas to its own devices against the Yanmega.

The horrendous noise of its first attack washed over the golem to seemingly no effect as it staunchly remained rooted in place, the only indication it had been hit at all a brief red glare in its eyes. Staunchly not moving, it gleamed brightly... and continued to stay still as Yanmega fired off a blade of air, briefly rocking back for a second before righting itself. It gleamed again. And then again.

Uncertainly, the bug type went in for a physical attack, slamming into the golem... once again to no apparent effect; Regigigas being the type to display no indication of being hit until it collapsed. What followed was alarming: the colossal pokemon split into what looked to be half a dozen clones, which rapidly—much more rapidly than its bulk suggested, hinting at its previous moves—shuffled around to make identifying it even more difficult. Unsurprisingly, the next hit missed... and the half a dozen became a round twenty.

Kyon's smile at this point was slightly unnerving, but with no offensive actions on the golem's part, the Yanmega once again went for the noise-based attack, dispelling half the clones but missing the original.

The next move was the most terrifying. Hurtling forward at twice the speed of its previous movements, despite all probability, and slammed a fist crackling with electricity into the dragonfly pokemon. Unable to adequately dodge in time from the unexpected burst of speed, it was sent flying back into the wall, leaving a small crater and most definitely out of the fight.

One down, four to go.

[Tachi]

Tachi sighed. After the abominations he'd fought to get this far, the charr scientist had expected a wooden door to stop him? Of course, even if the beastman had hoped to cower in that chamber, an arrow to the throat had put an end to that plan on the previous floor. It was a shame that Pyre had taken that as his cue to leave, forcing the monk to finish off Rragar's "experiments" on his own.

Shaking his head, the effeminate boy raised a hand towards the oak structure. It stood roughly ten metres tall and seemed to have been here for quite some time. The rotting wooden door was, of course, no match for the barrage of energy blasts that followed.

Stepping into the room, two things immediately occured to the priest. Firstly, the room was more like a cave than any lab he'd seen, with stalactites hanging from the ceiling, large rocks littering the area and what appeared to be a small pond. Secondly and far more importantly, the experiment he was here to put an end to was already complete.

The Hidesplitter, a fleshreaver with greater power than the others he'd encountered on the way here. Their kind gained strength based on the flesh they assimilated, and Rragar had kidnapped and murdered some of the strongest warriors he could find for his little "pet". The beast turned its attention to the newcomer and charged towards him, aiming to impale him on its horns.

Diving to the side, Tachi narrowly avoided the attack. As much as he hated to admit it, knowing what the monster was made it more than a little intimidating, on top of the fear its appearance invoked. He muttered a few words under his breath and was soon cloaked in a golden aura. It wasn't his best protective spell, but it would keep him alive. Rising to his feet, the priest was caught off-guard by Hidesplitter's next charge. This time though, the creature stopped short of impaling him, instead trying to claw his throat out. The golden barrier shattered as the strike connected, throwing the fleshreaver into the cave wall.

After another short chant, the boy was engulfed in pure white flames. Any fear of the monster before him vanished in an instant, his expression changing to a confident grin. Without waiting for Hidesplitter to recover, Tachi began his assault.

"This hand of mine burns with an awesome power!" he yelled, charging forwards. In response, the flames around his right hand intensified, just as his fist smashed into the creature. Howling in pain as the impact seared its flesh, the monster slashed blindly at the priest, drawing blood as its claws tore into his chest.

"Gah..." Staggering back, the boy assessed the damage. It wasn't too bad, certainly nothing he couldn't fix when this was over. He glared at the beast before him, he knew he couldn't let it get many more hits like that, "Its burning grip tells me to defeat you!" This time, the fire engulfing his left hand grew stronger. Ducking under another clumsy attempt to tear at his throat, he unleashed an uppercut on the monster, illiciting another pained scream.

Hidesplitter was too blinded by the pain it was in to think at this point. It returned to its first failed tactic, attempting to gore the priest on its horns. This time however, the response was very different. "Take this! My love, my anger and all of my sorrow!" Its charge was met with the same.

"Stonesoul Strike!" The boy placed a hand on the creature's head, letting most of his flaming aura envelop the fleshreaver. The stench of burning flesh filled the air as it howled in agony. Tachi tightened his grip, he didn't want to risk leaving enough for this thing to fix itself up. "Ray of Judgment!" The rest of his aura faded as a bright light issued from his hand, engulfing the monster.

Dropping to his knees, Tachi smiled as Hidesplitter's ashes fell to the ground. With his mission complete, the boy turned his attention back to the bloody wounds on his torso. Removing his ruined shirt to get a better look at what he was dealing with, he got to work on closing them.

[Vinestar]

Glancing to and fro, the blond woman quietly withdrew her pair of firearms from her holsters. Holding them lightly in her grip, Gunner peeked around the corner of the wall. A scant second later, she whipped her head back a few ticks before black sludge splashed at the edge and ate through the concrete.

"Annoying." Looking around the building for any possible props, she spied an overturned cart. Flipping the errant vehicle of the food service industry back on its wheels, the Imperial Guardswoman kicked it out of hiding. As the beast's attention was drawn to the object, Gunner herself dashed out and let her nimble legs carry her down the length of the long hallway.

Her quarry was in sight, a seething mass of something akin to an squid and an eel combined whilst blown up into the size of a tank. Having expended its recent round of sludge on the now melted serving cart, the giant seafood buffet hissed in annoyance as it whipped two of its tentacles into the narrow walkway. Spinning left to avoid the first limb, the lithe woman used her momentum to briefly run along the wall before jumping off. Using the arched second tentacle's apex as a stepping stone, Gunner opened fire in mid air.

Bullets whizzed through the air, most of it embedding itself in the rather thick skin of the behemoth. Grunting at the equivalent of mosquito bites, the thing was then surprised as the shelling detonated, riddling its amphibious membranes with small crater marks. "You'll make useful rations, beast. I wonder if this restaurant will be able to make use of your flesh as compensation for the damage you've wrought." Gunner remarked as the rather enraged titan screeched and slid its main body into the aisle.

It was like an incoming meat wall, one full of rather large teeth and flying acidic spittle. Baleful amber orbs continued eying their target as it thundered towards the now non moving marksman. "Hmph, and that's phase two of the plan complete." Snapping her fingers, a construct of veritable size and workmanship materialized from its hyper dimensional hangar. Opening attachments and slots, it revealed an inordinate amount of muzzles and missile tips. Only now did the beast know it's been led into a trap.

Opening fire, the thing scarcely was able to do anything but a pathetic back shuffle before giant rounds slammed into its body with impunity. What was once a giant monster was now only mounds of meat. Patting her beloved machine on its leg, the adventurer let herself be carried by the mecha's hand before winking away. Meanwhile, the restaurant reopened a few days later with around a month's worth of product.

[Psyga315]

{This is a random fight scene showcasing the two Nicholases for the semi-reboot... Sorry if this is jumping the gun, just want to grasp their understanding before I botch them up. It's based off one of the scenes in JTTM, but now with a different take. This is going off the assumption that the scenes that preceded this happened.}

The subway station moved across the under the streets of Mitakihara. On the subway sat Nick, looking down as he tried in vain to forget about what happened. To forget that Sayaka is doomed to be a Witch, and that nobody can help him save her. Even that bitch, the Watcher, wouldn't help him. Then he noticed the two people in front of him.

"I still can't believe I had to pay for the dinner yesterday!" One guy said. "I mean, that was my hard earned money too!"

"I know, and it's just gonna get worse from there man. Soon she wants you to settle down and have kids. See, this is why I told you to stick to those dirty magazines! The real thing is a pain in the ass!" The other guy said.

Nick recognized the conversation. The one Sayaka should have heard. In normal circumstances, Nick would have ignored them. However, this wasn't one of those circumstances.

"How could you even say that?" Nick asked them. The two looked at him oddly.

"Huh? You mind not butting in to this conversation, you damn Yankee?" One guy said.

"Women have sacrificed so much to make this world the way it is today. Had it not been for them, you bastards would be rotting in a cave." Nick said.

"The hell are you on about?" The other guy said. Nick stopped talking. He soon remembered. No one knows how this world progressed. Nor would they know about the Incubators or the Puella Magi. Trying to explain to them this would be like trying to explain quantum mechanics to a toddler. Instead he scoffed.

"Tell me... Are you satisfied with this world?" Nick then held up his broadsword. "I'm not." To one of their shock, Nick ran to them, about to stab them, when suddenly, a boomerang like object flew and hit him.

"Just what the fuck do you think you're doing!?" Nicholas said as he ran to Nick with the other Zero Slugger in hand. Nick turned to face Nicholas and intercepted him. The two pushed each other out of an open door (once the subway doors opened) and onto the platform.

---

Nicholas, with both sluggers ran to Nick and slashed at him. Nick blocked them with his broadsword and the two kept at it for thirty seconds before locking blades.

"For someone who's big on saving lives, you sure like to kill people!" Nicholas quipped. Nick growled.

"Those fuckers... They would have gotten what was coming to them!" Nick said. Nicholas could feel the broadsword pushing into his Sluggers.

"Is that what Sayaka would have wanted? Is that what Mami would have wanted? Is that what Madoka would have wanted?" Nicholas said, trying to push back.

"No! But... I failed! I failed in saving her! Sayaka is doomed to Witchhood now!" Nick said.

"SAYS WHO!? Sayaka can make it!" Nicholas said.

"NO! She can't! She's doomed! This world reacts negatively to positive changes!" Nick said.

"So? We can still make right! Fuck, and I'm supposed to be the bad guy..." Nicholas said, chuckling. Soon the two broke out of the lock. They stood, and stared. They both panted. "... I'm sorry about what happened to Mami. I couldn't control the other members." Nicholas said.

"You nearly killed her." Nick said. Nicholas then awkwardly chuckled.

"Hehe... Yeah... Nearly..." Nicholas said. Nick then looked at Nicholas with deadly intent.

"... You know something I don't..." Nick said. Nicholas could see in his eyes that the blues were turning more bright and vibrant. "What happened to Mami? Is she okay?" Nick asked.

"... I... I shadowed her to the park... She was really scared about her run-in with Charlotte. Scared that her life would never matter... I... I then saw her Gem... It... It was too late. I'm sorry..." Nicholas said. It was odd for the joker to now feel like a depressed clown, but here he was. Nick, however, looked to Nicholas.

"... So... I failed to save her huh?" Nick said monotonously. He then recalled the Watcher's words:

"This world responds to every positive change with a negative one. For there to be hope in this world, there must be someone in despair. That is the way this world works. Any attempt to say otherwise were and will be swatted down."

"She was right then... I... I am..." Nick said. Soon, Nicholas could see the Hellfire building up around Nick, making the shape of that of a bird. But... Nick's eyes... they...

They reminded him of something. It was obvious of who once Nick looked at him.

"I AM SUCH AN IDIOT!!!" Nick said, with a rage that could only be matched by Diarmuid. Nick's eyes were now bright blue with the sclera being blood red. Nick then rushed at him, fire blazing as he swung his sword at him, a stream of fire soon following the sword. Nicholas was knocked back by the slash. His Color Timer began to blink on and off as the loud annoying beep sounded. Nicholas could only look helplessly at the enraged Nick.

Hiding deep within the shadows, Gai and Chirin look at Nick.

"So... He has achieved it." Chirin said. Gai nodded with a smirk.

"Yes... He has burst through the limits of his despair... Past the levels of his normal strength and into new areas of his power... He's achieved... Fulldrive."

Nick was about to land the final blow to Nicholas, when suddenly, a black figure flew and blocked the attack. A familiar figure with a dark aura surrounding her: The Watcher. She had the blow blocked with a single hand, and soon, the fire was absorbed into the Watcher's dark aura. As that happened, Nick lost his "bleeding" eyes and was restored to normal. He then broke down into tears. as the Watcher let go of his sword.