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[img]https://i.imgur.com/GuPBplr.png[/img]Ozma wasn’t sure just how much worse Roma’s delusions could go, just how far her madness ran. But the rogue Magical Girl found new ways to stretch the logical extreme of her arguments as each one of them refuted her in their own way, barring Olivia. Hybridization? Domestication? It sounded ridiculous to Ozma and any other Magical Girl with sense in their heads. [color=ed1c24][b]“You’re grossly assuming Pageless act like any other species on the planet. We know they’re not,”[/b][/color] Ozma pointed out gravely. [color=ed1c24][b]“What you’re suggesting will only end in feeding more people to the Pageless. They follow the strong in the dark, and the moment they find someone stronger, more coveted in shadow; that’s when they’ll turn on you Tsubasa.”[/b][/color]

The red witch spoke cryptically with words worn down by experience and perhaps pity. What happened to Roma that twisted her mind this far? The Magical Girl couldn’t have come to these radical opinions so easily; not the one Ozma knew of when she joined the Ministry all those long years ago. Something was off. Something was still wrong. They still didn’t get any sort of motivation or reasoning behind Roma’s actions from the girl. There had to be a driving force, had to be something that pushed her closer to the Pageless’ desires…unless. [color=ed1c24][b]“Don’t tell me…is this about Ba-”[/b][/color]

The shadows among them deepened and with them the rustled restless sounds of hungry Pageless reacting in kind to Roma’s Grimoire. The line of a murderer among them was concerning and Ozma said nothing of that. The time for talking was over, denounced by Roma herself. The area darkened, her Grimoire revealed, and the rogue’s body was gone, her last words a haunting echo of her true location. [color=ed1c24][b]“She’s at the school,”[/b][/color] Ozma announced. It was foolish. It was downright suicidal. Even if Roma meant to kill students, surely, she should have known it was a fool’s errand to strike the Ministry directly at its heart. Was she that determined to join her partner…?

Magical Girl Ozma pivoted around on her broom, ignoring the darkness, ignoring Roma’s laughter, and ignoring that obvious bait her celestial attendant stood in for. She already sensed the barrier, now murked in the shadows of the Pageless, being chiseled away and worked on outside. She ignored the increasing power around them, the formation of another Apex Pageless, to instead move her hands in patterned motions, practiced and honed over years.

The corrupt spell that held the dark barrier in place faltered, shifting, slowly growing weaker being near Ozma’s presence as if the magic that made it together was slowly absorbed by her. [color=ed1c24][b]“Get the students out, Waffenhändler. Head back to the Ministry. Moonlight Tsubasa is either on a suicide mission or she’s trying a blitzkrieg,”[/b][/color] she said, knowing the German would instantly catch on to how much speed was of the essence. [color=ed1c24][b]“Either way, catching Tsubasa is the priority. If she slips away again then this was all for nothing. You catch that too Oros?”[/b][/color] she called out to the other side of the barrier.

Something let out a bestial groan deep in the dark mall, peeks of light spreading out as the barrier cracked from Ozma and Oros’ efforts. The Apex Pageless, freshly manifested, was coming. And yet, Ozma only grinned, turning her sights on Maria now. [color=ed1c24][b]“You’re up Morning Star. That’s your cue.”[/b][/color] Not Maria. Her Magical Girl name. The look between senior Magical Girls was clear; Ozma expected Maria to hold off the Apex Pageless. [color=ed1c24][b]“Join us as fast as you can,”[/b][/color] was the last thing Ozma said to the teacher before slamming her hands together with a thunderous clap. The air stifled and the wind picked up. A great and thunderous red force emanated between Ozma’s palms and as she slowly pulled them apart, horrendous crimson winds flew out from her hands, tearing apart the weakened dark barrier in torn fragments and silvers. [color=ed1c24][b]“All of you, go now, off and Far to Another Land.”[/b][/color] 

The barrier was broken. All of them save Maria were expected to head to the Ministry. Even as the dark barrier remnants shattered and the sunlight seeped through, it did little to stop the Apex Pageless’ approach. It hovered with a dark aura, floating right before Maria singled out as Ozma flew about to coax every other girl back the way they came. It stared the teacher down, hellish mantle of a weapon glowing with infernal flames like the dying embers of the mall.
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