Things weren’t looking great for Hizuki. This was the second time she had been attacked by the detention club, and it happened to be at a critical moment when her defences were particularly low. Perhaps it was a mercy that Hotaru had decided to ignore the girl instead of finishing the job herself. Or perhaps she figured it would be more cruel to ignore Hizuki and meet her fate. The building side was approaching, she had only a moment to consider how to spend the rest of her fading consciousness. 

But then her course changed.  She could feel the G-forces working on her as she suddenly pulled away from the wall. To either side of her were bright green fairies. Their bodies were made of a bubbling, caustic gel that was transparent enough to reveal their skeletons. It appeared that they had been able to redirect Hizuki before she joined some pedestrians for dinner. 

Her thrusters died down, and she fell a few feet into the arms of another magical girl. 

Though the neck of her violin pressed into her back, causing some discomfort. 

[center][img]https://img.roleplayerguild.com/prod/users/e39b451c-cbdf-4533-a353-15961e03cd2f.jpg[/img]

[color=deeppink]"I’ll never hurt you, physically."[/color]

[color=888888]— Willow[/color][/center]

[color=ff1493]"Howdy, partner!"[/color] Willow’s eyes shifted from Hizuki’s battered form to the ongoing chase. [color=ff1493]"I know you don’t like it when I talk about other people’s mothers, but I think she forgot to teach her kid any manners."[/color] Willow was flying along with her caustic farries. Behind her, Black Gate was being hauled after them. She had a rope gag in her mouth, with her wrists and ankles bound together. The goat girl didn’t look like she was in much better condition than Hizuki, only there were fewer bruises and more acid burns. [color=ff1493]"On the upside, Oros is really into the battle damage look, so maybe that won’t happen if we meet up with her again."[/color]

A screeching sound caused Willow to look over her shoulder, and she saw tweedle dee and tweedle dum surfing after her. Or what was their name? Ah! The Mediocre Morganite and Pathetic Pearl!

[color=ffc0cb]"Wha-"[/color] Morganite stood up on her shield. [color=ffc0cb]"What did you do to her!? Give her back!"[/color] 

Willow looked at Hizuki, then back at Morganite, then at the fleeing Diamond carrying Tsubomi. [color=ff1493]"Are you thinking what I’m thinking?"[/color] A triumphant smile crossed her lips, only for it to vanish as a pillar of light grazed her shoulder. [color=ff1493]"Oop! Hold on tight!"[/color] 

The caustic farries screamed before rushing for Morganite. They all slammed into her other shield, but managed to coat her shield in burning goop. It was immediately blown off with how fast they were moving. Willow quit floating and fell onto her dark unicorn. She reached out her hand and caught Black Gate before she smashed into the pavement. 

[color=ff1493]"Eyyyyy, Shatterscape!"[/color] She twitched her ear just before it was hit by another lazer. The charging girl had a head start on her, but she knew she could hear her. [color=ff1493]"You’ve dealt with these guys before right?"[/color] She lifted her arm, and a beam passed under her arm and scorched her garment. [color=ff1493]"Let me take the batter, this fight will be over before it starts!"[/color] The next beam took a piece of her ear off, prompting her to set Black Gate on the back of her steed and feeling her ear. [color=ff1493]"Eh, it’ll grow back."[/color]

[center][img]https://img.roleplayerguild.com/prod/users/0198a2f0-3f56-7228-aea5-54ec744ad853.webp[/img]

[color=00ff00]"You will [i]not[/i] impede my sacred quest!"[/color]

[color=888888]— Dazzling Diamond[/color][/center]

Diamond had been running for a while, but it wasn’t going to last much longer. Once she got to third base, that intersection just ahead, she could change roads and run straight out of the city with everyone. The dark girls could chase if they liked, but it would get more dangerous for them as they moved away from their little nest of sin. 

But Diamond had been dealing with a complication a minute, and Evil Eye was about to add an extra one.

A high school student falling from the sky. Diamond’s brow became crossed. Of course it was obvious what the goal was here. The girl was going to die if Diamond didn’t catch her, but doing so would necessitate putting down Tsubomi. Carrying two people at once would be cumbersome, especially if she wanted to do it safely. But that wasn’t an option either. Whatever was chasing her wasn’t in a good state of mind. Maybe it would calm down as soon as she handed over Tsubomi, but what if it didn’t? What if, in its blind rage, it ripped her to pieces instead? That wasn’t something any light girl was willing to risk. 

With a growl, Diamond held out her bat in front of herself. While still holding onto it, her fingers gripped onto the handle of a concession stand that wasn’t there. But in a shower of sparkles, suddenly it was. Immediately it began spooling up crazy amounts of cotton candy and overflowing with popcorn. The two mixed to make some unholy sticky, soft mass that grew on top of the table. By the time the school girl landed, her fall was broken by hundreds of unusually large popped kernels and swaths of cotton candy. Aside from some caramel clusters sticking to her hair, butter in her socks, and some cotton webbing between her fingers, she would survive. 

[color=00ff00]"Topaz!"[/color] Diamond wasn’t trying to speak into the mic anymore. They were close enough that they could hear each other. That [i]thing’s[/i] tendrils were closing in on Diamond. It still looked like a long dead prehistoric lizard, but it was still evolving. It started to grow a dress decorated with flowers, and the number of bladed tendrils flying around increased. The red muscle that was wrapping around its bone structure started to look like red skin. Its evolution was nearly complete and its prey was almost in reach.

[color=fab35f]"I’m all ready, hun!"[/color] 

Topaz pulled the string back as far as it would go, and fired a golden arrow. It whizzed past the popcorn tower and smashed into the beast’s heart. The abomination crumpled instantly. What was flesh and muscle and bone turned into coagulated blood. A magical girl, stained head to toe in blood, rolled through the mess on the road. She had no arms or legs, just stumps that had been shaved down as far as they could be. They didn’t give up their pursuit, however She crawled, with her blood stained locks obscuring her entire body. Topaz prepared a second arrow and fired it into Oros’s forehead, causing the girl to fall onto her stomach. Oros chuckled, softly, barely audible over the sound of the chaos unfolding. 

[color=fab35f]"Poor thing."[/color] Topaz shook her head. [color=fab35f]"These dark girls are willing to ruin themselves in their pursuit of power."[/color]

Meanwhile, despite everything happening to Hizuki, the schoolgirl falling overhead, and the rapid approach of the dark girls and Diamond, Kaeru chose to observe a bit longer. Indecisiveness was said to be a tool of the enemy, but it was also said that cooler heads prevail. And in this particular case, it would seem that Kaeru’s choice to remain calm and survey her surroundings might have revealed something to her. Topaz only sighed in response to the frog maiden’s words.

[color=fab35f]"I had an idea they’d be coming around."[/color]

And they did. Earthshaker and Nyxia came flying overhead and landed on the other side of the street. By this point, Diamond had arrived and shoved the concession stand with the buttered and candied student. She laid Tsubomi at Topaz’s feet and prandished her bat with both hands, looking out at the approaching dark girls. 

[color=fab35f]"Good golly Miss Molly!"[/color] Topaz raised a hand to her mouth. [color=fab35f]"What happened to her face?"[/color]

[color=00ff00]"Don’t know."[/color] Diamond didn’t take her eyes off of her [i]worthy opponents[/i]. [color=00ff00]"See if you can do something. Then we’re getting out of here."[/color]

[color=fab35f]"Alright, alright."[/color] 

Earthshaker was too angry and filled with rage to pay the presence much mind, but Nyxia could feel that it had followed them all the way over here. And for better or worse, it had gotten stronger. The observant Kaeru could also feel it arrive with the shield and laser duo. Whatever it was, it was going to make its move soon. 

Additionally, the sound of crackling electricity was drawing closer. But this was not the power the two were feeling. Boleite drew near.

Topaz kneeled beside Tsubomi’s body and drew one of her arrows. [color=fab35f]"For love, justice, and a smile!"[/color] Then while gripping the arrow like a knife, she drove it straight towards Tsubomi’s heart.