Indeed, as the Negari's body fell sideways, it began to break apart into that strange, black, starry fluid. Any magical girl with much experience would be able to recognize this, certainly. A Negari's destruction meant that it was no longer able to hold any kind of form. The fluid that had stuck to the girls seemed to recede, almost as it it was fading away. This, too, was something any magical girl who had beaten a Negari would be familiar with. Once it was destroyed, it started to fade away into nothingness. But something here... something was wrong. The Negari wasn't fading.

Suddenly, a series of black holes seemed to open across the street, dozens upon dozens of them. From them emerged... More Negari!? Weak ones, small, shaped vaguely humanoid in some cases, spiderlike in others, and still others looking almost like some sort of cross between a dinosaur and a drill, with the head simply being one large spike. All of them were black, with orange eyes across their bodies. They were no larger then a grown man, but there were many of them. Even if they were weak, there was still such a sudden influx of the creatures...

And the dark goo the first Negari had melted into was starting to rise, spindly limbs covered in orange eyes jutting from the pool of starry liquid to drag its new form out. This wasn't unheard of, some Negari possessed multiple forms, but..!

It looked like the fight had gotten much more intense in an instant.

It was at around that moment that Akane arrived, eyes wide as she stumbled back. Inwardly she was kicking herself. What help would she be?! She'd just get in the way, and... and all these Negari! But... but... She... had to do something, right?

Right?

She noticed that several of the Negari were being diverted towards a building nearby, and then her eyes fell upon the reason that they'd been going there. A little girl, with brunette pigtails and a pink shirt with a cat's face on it, had fallen to the ground nearby. Akane didn't know why she was there, but it wasn't important. Perhaps she'd gotten away from her parents and seen the magical girls fighting? Whatever the case, with so many Negari...

What if the magical girls didn't get there in time?!

Akane ran as fast as she could and grabbed the girl's wrist, just as the Negari were closing in.

"A-ah?"

The redhead would just get here away from the fight, right?! Then... then...

There were so many Negari swiftly surrounding her...