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[color=gold]”Unfortunately for the observer of the heavens,”[/color] Shatterscape turned to look back at Evil Eye as the unicorn impaled the Miseria, [color=gold]”This humble high priestess brings ill tidings, for she has seen that her loathsome foes can become of one flesh and be transfigured into these messenger birds of malice.”[/color] Indeed. If they were not careful, the chaff would turn into the abominations they fought, slowly whittling them down over time. The tengu seemed to be more than the sum of their parts as Shatterscape observed the battlefield.

Including the light girl that Willow oh-so-helpfully pointed out. Now, Ember merely ignored the taunt, knowing it to be nothing more than a gamble to rile her up, while Sylvia had Roche to anchor herself to. But Hotaru? The warrior had no such luxuries. Even if she knew the words were likely fake, even if she understood it to be teasing, they struck something deep inside of her. So no sooner than she knew her team-mate to be safe, she started to reposition her bodies and rushed towards Hizuki.

Shatterscape’s body did not even flinch as a magical detonation shook her surroundings, scattering her targets. The injured one stumbled towards her, so Hotaru made a show of driving her claws into the thing. Curved metal sunk into vulnerable flesh, ripping it open from the inside out as she impaled the creature before tossing it away as though it were nothing more than a sack of flour. Whatever happened to it, she did not care, because her eyes were focused on one thing:

Hizuki.

Both gauntlets wrapped around her.

[color=#D8CD9F]”Go fuck yourself, light bitch.”[/color] Hotaru spat her words and squeezed. Metal groaned beneath her hands, pressing against the light girl’s body. It creaked, breaking and shattering as Hotaru forced Shatterscape’s body to put most of her strength into it while the others watched in stunned silence in their mental space. Ember in particular looked at the warrior as though she were crazy while Sylvia went pale, freezing in terror.

[color=red][i]”’Ru, what the hell are you doing?!”[/i][/color] Ember shouted as she tried to seize control of the body, but she severely underestimated the warrior’s resolve. Indeed, Hotaru kept Shatterscape’s body in a vice-like mental grip, refusing to respond with anything save for a sneer when she looked at Ember.

[color=red][i]”She isn’t those girls! Let her go or she’ll die!”[/i][/color]

[color=#D8CD9F][i]Good. It’ll be better for the world that way.[/i][/color] Hotaru grinned as she thought that as she tried to seize complete control of Shatterscape’s fingers. One mistake… one lapse in attention from Ember was all she needed. Only one muscle. Just the one and then this light girl would be gone from their lives forever, too injured to as much as look back at Hibusa town or at Evil Eye.

However, her grip on the body weakened. Easing up on her concentration, she saw that Sylvia joined Ember in trying to wrench the body from her grasp and slowly, but surely, they were succeeding. Already, she could feel her grip starting to slacken, potentially allowing Hizuki to slip away.