42 of the saddest, most pitiful magical girls that could be, had been united under Mariette's leadership. Most of them had darkened bags under their glowing eyes, their eyelids heavy with lethargy. They also had unsteady footing as their countless footsteps clamored in the shadowy corridor, as if they had been unaccustomed to exerting so much energy. A few of them were so frail they could not stand by themselves, and leaned on a stronger girl's shoulder, slightly straggling behind. However, for how pathetic they seemed, they had a great power in their sheer number as they huddled around their Savior in a drove of frilly dresses and faint smiles of hope. 

The smiles of the liberated dolls turned to confusion when Mariette gave her first order, unsure how to answer. They looked at each other with sad eyes, and murmured and whispered among each other, like lost souls. 

"Umm..."

A high-pitched voice called out from the crowd, and a lone [url=https://i.pinimg.com/564x/c9/31/5d/c9315d90e0592f3c6aa3fd0af83120b8.jpg]girl[/url] stepped out; she looked about the same physical age as Mariette, and she averted her eyes with a blush on her cheeks, her forefingers pointed together in a demure fashion.
"Uh, well, if you really think we'd need it...I...Can help." The other girls looked on with a mix of interest and suspicion as she continued. "I specialize in Rejuvenation, and I can completely heal a person, in body and mind. But, mmm, it's embarrassing..." She whined, but then bit her lip, took a deep breath, and said:
"I need to...k-kiss them. And, uhh, not just a little peck will do. It has to be on their l-lips, and for...at least ten s-seconds. I've never done this, and I need to focus on it, so...eep."
Suffice to say, gasps popped out from the crowd, and many eyes looked on at Mariette, curious to see how she would react.

After Mariette had decided on what she should do about restoring her mana, she hand-picked and divided the 42 girls into three distinct groups. Though she did remember quite a few of the girls and their powers, the whole mass ended up as a scrambled blur in her uncaring mind. Eli helped by confirming whatever suspicions Mariette had with her third Eye, but the slime harpy soon became exhausted in the face of so many girls to analyze. And so, Mariette had to primarily rely on grouping them based on their physical qualities. 

The first group, totaling ten girls, were sent out to search for Justine's treasure, in whatever form it took. While most of them seemed able to hide or run, they all looked frail if not outright sickly. In fact, three of them were unable to stand by themselves, and had to be supported; the smallest girl was carried in a piggyback ride by a taller girl). However, they had powers to hide themselves or flee, so Mariette deemed them fitting for the task, having fulfilled her conditions. The second group consisted of the only pair of [url=https://78.media.tumblr.com/8bc0fda78001e2332ccee8c62c9f410a/tumblr_o54ot7RaKw1rl8894o1_1280.jpg]twins[/url] out of the entire horde, with the ability to communicate between each other over long distances. Thus, they were assigned with securing an exit and explaining the situation to Mariette's named targets. And finally, the rest of the girls, numbering a mighty 30, ran out, with six of them acting as a human palanquin for Mariette to ride on. And, just as she ordered, they bravely slew any nefarious candle they saw, ending up victorious against the illuminating foes as they headed up the castle. Along the way, Mariette felt the effect of numerouas broken mirrors on the wall, causing her great pain. Would she survive the whole trip?

[hr]
Alicia was glad to learn her Enhanced Outfit had perfectly preserved the contents of her pockets. She was successful in the application of her Hoodoo Sorcery, and her herbs had a soothing effect on Kimble's wound, which she discovered to run from her shoulder down to her hip; it became clear she managed to use her wind magic to redirect the magical cannon shell just enough to graze her, preventing her from being completely obliterated. While she was recovering, Penny's Regeneration got to work, and new metal parts lengthened to form new limbs. By the end of it, she had skeleton-like legs and arms, missing flesh and skin, but capable of function. The feline girl's furry ears perked up, and she opened her eyes slowly, still in a pain-induced stupor. "Nhh...Nyahh..." She purred meekly after hearing Alicia's reassuring words, and her tail slowly curled around herself as she looked up at Alicia and Penny, clearly confused and afraid as they leered down at her. "Nhh...Huh? Wh..What's going onnyah?"

Sylvia sighed as she followed Penny back to Alicia, and seemed genuinely shocked. "A survivor? Move, I gotta-Ngh!" She grit her teeth, and drew in a sharp breath as she saw Kimble. "Oh, you gotta be kidding me..."
Sally frowned. "That's a...monster, right?" She asked, looking at Alicia with sad eyes. "Uhh, what should we do?" She asked while poking her chin with her finger.
"Ugh...This is a problem," Sylvia whispered, her head leaned down so her eyes were hidden by her hair. 
"Don't you remember our mission as Beacon, Sally? We have to-"
"Sylvia! No, we can't!" Sally screamed, her eyes widened. "It's so cute and adorable, it would be too cruel! What if we recruit her, like the killer rob-I mean, like Penny? I'm sure that's fine, right?"
Kimble then whimpered, with tears in her eyes: "Please, have mercy. I promise I won't cause trouble. Please don't kill me." 

Alicia's Beckoner strung a sorrowful note on her harp. "Alicia, for all the time you have served under Beacon's guidance, you have proven yourself a loyal and honorable follower of our ideals. Your sense of justice has been unwavering in this time of weakness for our order. If only all our chosen were as virtuous." The Beckoner sighed." My brethren have deemed the purging of all monsters absolute...However, I will give you the power of choice."  The rest of Beacon were stunned into silence. 
"Decide on this monster's fate. Whatever judgement you arrive in, I will deem it just in the light of Beacon, and you shall be above retribution. Listen to your heart."

[hr]
Alex dodged and weaved through Justine's rain of blood with superhuman speed, dashing across the free-falling floor to catch Lily just in time. She yelped with surprise, and blushed heavily from the sudden intimate contact, tucking her arms to her body.
[color=fff200]"Alex! So you really did come to save me! I knew it! I'm good at predicting this stuff!"[/color] She exclaimed with a little giggle, as carefree as always. However, her expression soon turned serious.
[color=fff200]"But no more messing around! We need to stop Justine before she hurts anyone else!"[/color]
She then blinked, and an idea came to her. She pointed up with a cheeky grin.
[color=fff200]"Bring me back up and closer to her, Alex! I know what to say to her!"[/color]

Justine von Visceral howled with laughter as she spun, her dress twirling in elegant fashion as she made but slight motions to dodge Scout's attacks. One of them managed to cause a tear in her otherwise perfect ensemble, but she did not seem to notice as she threw her red spear at Scout; it nailed her right on the foot and pierced the stone floor mere seconds before Shade's Stasis, trapping her in place.
[color=662d91]"Pitiful! So pitiful it makes me laugh!"[/color]

Justine began charging a large red ball of magical energy once she was done with her hell of bullets. Her attacks were partially avoided thanks to Shade's rapid use of Stasis to hurl herself in the air, but it was not enough; she incurred multiple wounds on her body from the projectiles piercing her clothes and skin. On her own, she would have been unable to attack, let alone move. But assisted by both Scout and Sue, she was shot through the air in glorious fashion, her ChronoRend ready to deal a decisive blow.

And so it did. But not on Justine; the blade found itself piercing Janet's tattoo. just moments ago Justine's eyes flashed red, and the jellyfish-like girl's own pupils repeated the signal. Her body jerked forward like a puppet on it's strings, her tentacle hair wildly flailing in the air, only to turn still as she was cut right through.
[color=662d91]"Conniving jester!"[/color] Justine suddenly reached out and gripped Shade's ChronoRend-holding wrist, squeezing it with unnatural strength. Janet's form turned to that of a regular blonde girl wearing a black dress, and she turned limp as she fell down, taking the embedded weapon with her as her weight combined with Justine's pressure forced her to drop it from her hand.
[color=662d91]"You will pay for making me lose my most precious servant!"[/color] 
She grinned with malicious intent, and dark magic manifested from her iron-like grip, spreading down her arm and through her wounds.

[color=662d91]"[b]Heart Breaker[/b]."[/color]

At the moment of incantation, Shade felt a great pain in her chest; similar to a heart attack, she felt how her heart began beating slower and slower, the blood in it now controlled by Justine herself and expanding. It seemed as if Justine was about to kill her by literally splitting her heart in two when Sue's thunder shot caused her to release her grip, the girl's heart still whole. No longer able to hold her consciousness, she turned back to her human form, and was dropped by Justine, now following behind Janet. Helga cursed, and dove down to catch the two girls. They were now close to the ocean.
[color=662d91]"This is what happens to any who oppose me! Now, give Lily to me!"[/color]