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[color=LightSkyBlue]“Opposition…?”[/color] Olivia echoed, a frown once more marring her otherwise lovely visage.

Now that she was paying attention, it seemed as though Tsubasa wanted them to surrender their Grimoires to the Pageless, at least if what the wolf-girl was saying was anything to go by. This was more than a little distressing to Olivia, as it would essentially mean throwing away the only thing connecting her to her darling Xolys! No, it was absolutely unthinkable! However, when Lupin went on to suggest that Tsubasa feed the Pageless her [i]own[/i] Grimoire, the masked maiden gave a very surprising response…

Manifesting her Grimoire for all to see, Tsubasa revealed that, instead of [i]feeding[/i] it to the Pageless, she had somehow [i]fused[/i] a Pageless to the enchanted tome itself, thus creating a strange hybrid. Indeed, even as she displayed the increasingly dark, twisted, [sub]and admittedly rather cool[/sub] pages of her now-expanded Grimoire, the masked maiden explained that [i]this[/i] was the path to domesticating the Pageless, to making them docile and controllable, like the swarm arrayed behind her.

[color=LightSkyBlue][i]But… Is that really safe…?[/i][/color] Olivia found herself wondering.

The Pageless were fascinating, cute, and, in more than a few cases, utterly adorable, but they were still fearsome monsters who both preyed upon innocent people and consumed their stories. Even if this new technique Tsubasa had developed would provide the Pageless with an alternate food source, the source in question seemed to be none other than the soul of whoever was bound to the Grimoire they had been fused to. Or, perhaps more precisely, the bond that soul shared with it. Tsubasa might have been more than willing to make such a sacrifice, but Olivia was [i]far[/i] less eager to do so. While she had often pondered how enjoyable it might be to have a Pageless for a pet, having one feed on, and more than likely corrupt, the bond she shared with her beloved Xolys was an entirely different matter. It was perfectly fine to let a pet cuddle with you in bed, for instance, but only if you knew it was housebroken. Otherwise, you’d have quite the messy situation on your hands, to say nothing of what might happen if said “pet” was actually a wild animal who wanted to kill and eat you…

As it transpired, such questions would have to remain unanswered, at least for the time being. With a sudden, dramatic darkening of their surroundings, Tsubasa revealed that Ozma had indeed been correct. The figure before them was simply one of the masked maiden’s celestial attendants, through whom she was projecting her voice, a voice which now noted that she would be providing a similar “sales pitch” to the students at Marrywell.

And that there was a [i]murderer[/i] among them…

This revelation definitely got Olivia’s attention. It was just like something out of a murder mystery, and she had always enjoyed a good murder mystery. Edgar Allen Poe, one of her favorite writers, [i]was[/i] considered to be the father of the modern detective story, after all, and so it wasn’t particularly surprising that Olivia found the prospect of taking part in a real life mystery to be quite exciting. Of course, all those hopes were dashed a moment later when Tsubasa revealed that the alluded to murderer was, in fact, none other than [i]Ozma…[/i]  

[color=LightSkyBlue][i]Ozma…? A murderer?[/i][/color]

It was a shocking revelation, to be sure, but then, perhaps Tsubasa was equating the slaying of Pageless to murder? Although, if that was the case, then [i]every[/i] Magical Girl would be a murderer, if not a full-fledged serial killer. Regardless, there were obviously far more immediate concerns to worry about, namely the impenetrable cloak of darkness which now thoroughly blanketed the mall. Xolys had just begun to kindle his eldritch flames in an effort to provide some illumination, when Suzuya rendered such action moot. Firing a flaming bolt at the art supply shop in front of which Tsubasa’s attendant had just been standing, the fox girl’s projectile swiftly ignited the flammable contents within, creating a rather impressive blaze. The conflagration’s warm glow revealed that the attendant had vanished, along with seemingly every last one of the gathered Pageless…

[color=LightSkyBlue][i]S-She [b]couldn’t[/b] have taken them all to Marrywell… Could she…?[/i][/color] Olivia wondered as she peeked over Xolys’s enormous shielding hand, the heat of the blaze so intense she could feel it on her fair skin. 

While it was becoming increasingly hard to justify Tsubasa’s actions, the azure-clad beauty still found it hard to believe the masked maiden would go so far as to purposefully endanger innocent students. And yet, that seemed to be what she was doing now, as a dark power made its presence felt. Growing steadily stronger with each passing second, its source was obvious to everyone present, even Olivia. An Apex Pageless was drawing nearer and would soon be in their midst.

As the de facto leader of their “strike force”, Ozma wasted no time in giving orders, even as she worked to dispel Tsubasa’s dark barrier. All the students were to follow Valeria back to the school, while Maria dealt with the Apex Pageless, a foe who was just now coming into view… 

[color=LightSkyBlue]“Goodness!”[/color] Olivia gasped, her eyes going wide. [color=LightSkyBlue]“He’s [i]so[/i] very imposing, especially with those menacing horns! And I just [i]love[/i] his big, spiky lantern!”[/color] the Ethereal Rose added, her eyes sparkling with wonder, before sobering slightly and turning to look up at her eldritch consort. [color=LightSkyBlue]“Oh, but don’t worry darling,”[/color] she hastened to reassure the monstrous beast. [color=LightSkyBlue]“You’re [i]far[/i] more menacing than [i]he[/i] could ever be! In fact, I’m [i]sure[/i] you could defeat him with twelve tendrils tied behind your back!”[/color]

[color=MediumBlue]“Your high opinion of my prowess in combat is most gratifying to hear, my sweet Rose,”[/color] the Master of Xhar’doth replied fondly. [color=MediumBlue]“But I believe it would not be prudent to put it to the test at the present juncture. Come, my dearest,”[/color] Xolys added as he hurried along after Valeria’s limo. [color=MediumBlue]“I fear our fellow students at Marrywell have far more urgent need of our abilities…”[/color]     

Indeed, the Master of Xhar’doth had a dreadful feeling he knew [i]exactly[/i] what Moonlight Tsubasa was planning, and he only hoped they would arrive in time to stop it, before it came to frightening fruition…