[hr]
[center][img]https://i.imgur.com/zLmcB5Q.png[/img][/center]

Lily was heavily injured, having broken enough bones to end an athlete’s career. But that pain only drove her forwards in hot white anger, her hair having risen up from the static electricity she now emitted.
[color=fff200]”No we’re not! Your friend’s still alive!”[/color]
She screamed back as her ascent slowed, but it seemed the rocker girl wouldn’t listen. As she stopped at the apex of her magnetic jump, she was about to pull an arrow when her eyes flared open at the sight of her beginning her final song, as spirits gathered in a storm and the music grew louder and louder.
[color=fff200]”Wait, don’t do it!”[/color]
As angry as she was by them causing havoc and tormenting a poor young girl, what made her livid was the fact she would end it all in an instant. She couldn’t let it happen; she needed to answer for the wrongdoings she had done. But what could she do? In just a couple of seconds, Zophia would blast her with a shredding wave of music in a pointless, bitter self-sacrifice.

[color=fff200]”No...If only I have more...Time...”[/color]
Then, it hit her. She drew an arrow with a wicked, sharp clock-hand as a tip. It was risky, but in her heart she knew she had to try; it was the only way she could save her life. 

It was her chance to overturn fate itself.

[color=fff200]”FINAL FLASH!”[/color] She yelled, and with a single thrust, drove the arrow into her chest. At that moment, as her body incurred the mortal wound, time stood to a still, freezing all into place; Zophia’s song turned silent, Alex and his duplicates were left mid-punch and move, and even Amy and the rest of the minions and fairies did not move a muscle.
However, Lily knew this tranquility would be the most fleeting of moments, and immediately transformed her bow into a staff, and shot a bolt of lightning at Zophia.

[color=fff200][i]Alright, I managed to-NO![/i][/color]

But at that moment, Lily’s hopes were dashed, as the moment the bolt of electricity left her staff, it was also frozen in time.

[color=fff200][i]No, I need...Just a bit more-![/i][/color]

She grit her teeth, blood dripping from the corner of her lip, as she pushed her mana as far as she could by propelling herself magnetically forward. Every second, she could hear her heartbeat pounding against her chest, the only sound she could hear in the stillness outside time.

She had reached the stage...But that was the moment her her mana was about to end. She was doomed to fail from the very start, having expended far too much from her earlier fighting, but even so, she continued running up to Zophia, dragging her broken leg behind her; maybe it was her anger towards the dark magical girl’s selfishness, or maybe it was her foolish belief that she could save her, but she continued moving her body, right up to her.

She needed to see Zophia eye-to-bloody-eye as she received her punishment for failing to save her.



But just as she released her spell, it did not end as she expected it to; instead Lily found herself unable to move, and realized she too was caught in the stopped time.

[color=fff200]”H-Huh? But why...”[/color]

She felt a familiar warmth in her, and realized that Ixion had possessed her body, and perpetuated the spell in her absence. She felt the Lesser Force’s crackling being envelop her soul in his embrace.

[color=fff79a]”Lily...”[/color] She heard Ixion speak to her in her soul, and in her mind’s eye saw herself sitting in a field of roiling clouds, leaning against the sitting Lesser Force’s sitting equine form. She looked back, and felt him nuzzle her cheek.

[color=fff79a]”You are the Bringer of Balance, Lily...”[/color] 
The moment he said that, a window into Lily’s real eyes were opened, and Lily saw a slowed vision of the moment Zophia would release her soul storm. Ixion then stood up, and slowly walked away on the clouds. Lily was distraught.

[color=fff200]”Wait, you don’t mean to...”[/color]

[color=fff79a]”I must go now, Lily. You...Have taught me much about humanity. How in the face of adversity, you keep believing in correcting the balance. You have protected this world...Now, I shall protect yours.”[/color]
Lily stood up, tears in her eyes.

[color=fff200]”Please, Ix...Don’t go.”[/color]
The Lesser Force turned his head back; his eyes twinkled, emanating bittersweet joy.
[color=fff79a]”Continue to bring balance to the world, Lily. Fight for justice.”[/color]
And then, the Lesser Force began glowing brighter and brighter, starting from the tip of his jagged horn, and running through the rest of his body with the force of a lightning storm, until her vision was overcome in a flood of yellow light.


[color=fff79a]”Farewell.”[/color]

When time resumed once more, Alex saw Lily suddenly right in front of Zophia and struck by the dark magical girl’s ultimate attack, causing her to fall down on the spot, like a marionette with its strings cut off; her right leg was bent at an awkward angle due to her broken knee as she transformed back into human. Zophia then also fell, having drawn her last breath.

Not soon after, Amy claimed her own life in grief. The pool of blood had reached Lily’s position as it flowed from her corpse.

In the end, Lily’s gamble to save the two had failed...And she had paid the price.

[hr]
“I don’t need to explain my reasoning to you,” Sharron replied coldly, and proceeded to listen to the rest of Ashlyn’s answer. When she was done, the Ascendancy operative was contemplating what hse heard. “I see. So that is your answer.” She stood up, though it was a bit troubled as she wobbled, her feet unsteady. “I have now heard enough.” Then, she began limping to the exit door. But just before she left, she turned back one last time to look at her. “When we next meet, I hope it won’t be in the field of battle.” And with that, she opened the door, and left the Interdimensional Home.

[hr]
Hudie withdrew her fan from Raven’s neck before she finished her first sentence.
“The twins?” She could be heard muttering, but she waited quietly until Raven finished before she spoke again. “Very well. I will deliver the Cardinal back to HQ. You go back and assist our forces back at the Park.” She then took Ishtar’s body, carrying it in her arms as she proceeded to swiftly run.

[hr]
[center][img]https://i.imgur.com/NngpAdx.png[/img][/center]

Helga rolled her eyes at Su’s biting remark. “Navi? Am I some car device for you?” It seemed she didn’t get the reference, but the message still came across. “Fine fine, I’ll stop nagging. Let’s just go!” Using Su’s wind magic, the two easily outran the grumpy troll that came barreling at them from under the bridge, swinging a wooden stool on his other hand after throwing the milk pail.

After they made their escape, Helga sighed. “It blew up into a goddamn gang war, complete with some crazy spells thrown around. You heard the announcement after all the lantern heads got wrecked, right? Who’d have expected the PI to pull that off, huh?”
She then listened to Su speak, only to blink as she brought up Justine. She bit her lip, looking awkward as she averted her eyes. “That was...Well, as you might remember me mention, I, uhh...was alone for a long time. Every day I feared that Beacon would catch me. I was so desperate, I was willing to believe in the first helping hand that came my way. And well...It just so happened to be Justine.” She then turned her eyes back to Su with a concerned look. “But you gotta understand! Justine told me she wanted to end the suffering I, her, and everyone else were in! She was the kindest person I knew at the time...I believed in those words.” Her voice turned morose. “Not only did she provide a hideout safe from Beacon, she also gave me meaning; until then, all I did was try to survive. But working for her, I felt like I could help others like me who were still fearing for their lives. That’s what I meant.” Her voice turned bitter. “But it was only when I failed her that Justine showed her true colors, and abandoned me, not to mention her perfect world...I was so stupid for ever believing in her.”

[hr]
Leena, while momentarily faltered by the blast of fire that erupted from Hyun Long, managed to recover on top of a rooftop, and saw as the ghost ship carried the monster queen farther away. “Damn, this is getting crazier by the second. Who brought a freaking ghost ship here?” She muttered. “Focus, Leena!” Rachel would yell at her as she passed by her. “Follow me!” She left her platforms lingering just long enough for Leena to hop up using them, allowing her to rejoin the fight.

The Ghost ship, though unnaturally damp on its keel,with plenty of barnacles clinging, soon began to dry up from Hyun Long’s flames, and then caught fire. But just as Hyun Long had gripped a board and was about to pull it off, she was startled by Mariette’s sudden appearance. Like a squid hiding under a rock, the monster queen scuttled to the other side of the ship to avoid her initial blast of light, only to get struck by more beams that appeared below her, scorching her corruption-imbued flesh and destroying her tentacles in droves. 

Hyun Long screeched, about to counterattack. At that moment, Alicia began her attack, shooting up at both Long and Mariette with arrows of exploding light. When another tentacle opened it’s maw, about to blast fire at the dark magical girl, Trixy shot at her with her seed shot. Before Mariette could fully escape using her portals, the vines had caught Mariette’s arm long enough for the fire blast from Hyun Long’s tentacle to hit it with her flames and for Alicia to hit with an explosion from one of her arrows. As a result, Mariette managed to escape, but her arm was left with painful third-degree burns, destroying her sleeve in the process, and leaving it numb and crippled.

Even after she left, Hyun Long continued to be struck by Alicia’s explosive arrows proving to be effective against the clinging monster queen; one by one, she lost tentacles that kept her hanging on to the ship, until only a couple were left. Hyun Long looked desperate as she swung her hands up at the partially loosened, burning floorboard, still clinging to her hunger even as the cold death of falling from such a height loomed below her.
But then, Amaryllis arrived, and the monster queen’s eyes flashed with fright as the Knight of Rose approached her. She growled, ready to attack, when the just magical girl gave her one last chance at redemption, presenting the White Coin. She looked at it, seemingly confused.
Then Amaryllis saw, for the first time, how Hyun Long’s eyes seemed to gain new life.
“Q-Quell...This...” She slowly uttered. “...Hunger...”

At that moment, one of her few remaining dragonhead tentacles stopped latching onto the ship, and lunged at Amaryllis’ hand holding the White Coin; with a great crunch, the jaws clamped down over the hand, and bit it off, eating it and the White Coin in the same bite.
The monster queen’s expression then turned slack, as white light now poured from her eyes.
Her final tentacle loosened its grip on the ship, and she closed her eyes; like a falling star, she was bathed in white light as she rapidly plummeted, loosened from Amaryllis’ chains by the transformation into a regular-looking [url=https://imgur.com/xF0FC0l]girl[/url].

But before she hit the ground, she was caught in Leena’s arms, landing on a more flexible barrier Rachel cast that absorbed the impact. The Inquisitor glanced up at Amaryllis, her gaze still cold. Yet, the Knight of Rose could feel that it wasn’t malice or disapproval that colored those eyes, but respect.
“A bold move, Knight of Rose, but a stupid one. Nevertheless, I am grateful for the assistance you gave to me today.” With that said, she turned away. “There’s a situation still at the Park, correct?” She asked the gas mask wearing girl, to which the latter nodded. “Yes, Inquisitor. A horror has manifested three Avatars, of which one has been destroyed.”
The Inquisitor landed down into the rave. “Go there and assist the operatives on the field. I need to personally oversee the cleanup here. Paladin Seraph!” She raised her voice to reach Alicia. “Deal with the corrupted who participated in the monster queen’s neutralization.” Having said that, she began collect the various Ascendancy corpses, teleporting them back to HQ.

[hr]
Nightwing's dark skin ran with black veins as she pushed her Dark magic to it’s limits, injecting curses into Grisbar in a flow of foul vapor. Yet, it turned out to not be enough against the dragon; she was thrown off, and turned back to human, a punkish-looking girl with a pale complexion. However, as her vision dimmed, she saw what looked like a tiny doll perform a glistening slash.
“There...It’s....dead...” And so, her eyes closed.

Elora, even when she was knocked off of her cyber box and surrounded by the animal spirits, did not seem to falter. While it seemed like she was a hostage without her weapons, she continued typing away on a holographic keyboard that was emitted out from a tiny device embedded in her clothes, continuing to direct the cyberbox far above to shoot at the spirits and collect data on the Horror Avatar. “The wolf monster is located behind a cloaking veil. Extend your attacks beyond the first target,” she broadcasted using a microphone that extended from her collar, and transmitted through a loudspeaker installed on the cyberbox. The cyberbox also cast a spotlight, aiming it at the wolf Pillar Druid’s true location.

As Grosket was assaulted by Viva and Reaver, Tsuki came in with an incredibly powerful blast of pure magical force. “Magic Missile!” She screamed as she delivered the destructive spell;
like an entire legion of spears were shot out from a cannon, the blast shredded through the weakened ent’s trunk-like body in a scattering, causing it to collapse on itself.