[Tokusatsu Themes, Corruption, Wolf TF]

Darkness.

Nothing but Darkness.

She had been here many times before. The moment she opened her eyes for the very first time, she was in Darkness.

And even now, she was in Darkness.

Ten years had passed since she first awoke. And for what? To be tossed aside, because she wasn't what Mama wanted?

Kimiko slowly gazed into the Darkness, a dead look in her eyes. Everything she had worked towards. Everything she had done for the sake of Mama's approval. All of it became nothing in the face of...

...

Why...

Why couldn't she just have said thanks, or anything like that..?! Why did she have to throw her to the side, casting her away like yesterday's rotten food..!?

Tears rolled down Kimiko's face as her fingers dug into her arms. She could feel the pain. Yet the physical pain didn't compare to the pain in her heart. The pain of Mama rejecting her...

"Young One."

A robotic voice echoed from the Darkness, and a blue hue accompanied it. A blue hue, not unlike the Overlord's lifeblood. Yet it quickly lost its luster once it entered Kimiko's vision. Turning into nothing more than gray, like the Darkness that consumed everything...

"Go away..."

Kimiko could do naught but mutter, as she closed her eyes. And the Darkness swallowed her whole, making her disappear into a different quadrant of the endless Darkness. Leaving the visitor to quietly watch as the Young One left her all alone.

The red-hued mechanoid stared at where the Young One had sat, a gaze of contemplation on her face, and a sense of confusion within her mind.

Why had she begun to show compassion for the Young One? ...Was it even Compassion? What exactly was the emotion that drove her to find her and try to reach out to her..?

...Had she been contaminated by the emotions from that world, when she fused with Ero... Perhaps she had. And perhaps she'd find the answer to what she was feeling.

And the answer to why she wanted to help the Young One.

---

"What makes a Hero? Uhm, why are you asking me, Himitsu-senpai?"

Mumei-chan felt a bit of sweat run down the side of her face as she was confronted by the Student Council President. It's not that she felt intimidated, she just wasn't prepared for a question like this. Especially since the President herself hadn't bothered trying to reach out to her too often. Not that she blamed her for that, she was kind of unremarkable, even after her transformation, but she was still putting her on the spot!

"Because you were turned into a Jõtaijin on the same night that Mikai became Mimoto." Saki bluntly said, a small notebook in her hand. She had been writing down countless statements from the other students and victims she had come across. All for the sake of furthering her own thoughts on the matter. "So, what do you think makes a hero?"

Mumei-chan blinked as she stared at the notebook, before the gears turned around inside her head. "What do you think makes a Hero, Himitsu-senpai?"

"A Hero does everything she can to protect those that need to be protected. No matter what." Saki said, before glancing to the side. "It's... It's part of why I ended up causing the Near-Luna Descent. Because I wanted to protect you all. I just went about it in such a horrible way. Without thinking about the consequences of what I was doing."

Mumei-chan nodded and nodded, her tail wagging excitedly. "If that's what you think a Hero's like, Himitsu-senpai, why don't you just try and do it better? You know how you messed up, so you can try again!"

Saki was rendered speechless for a second. "But... Everyone else has way more valid ideas. Their ideas of what a Hero should be align with Mikai more so. Wouldn't I..." She trailed off, her eyes growing dark for a moment. A golden, saddened gleam reflected within...

"There's no wrong way to be a Hero, Himitsu-senpai!" The marbled pupper cried out, as she reached up and slammed her hands down on the blue-haired girl's shoulders. "It's not like you to have a sad look in your eyes either! When I first arrived here, you had a determined, yet soft and welcoming look! You always tried to help others, because you thought it was right! Not because it was what others thought you should do!"

Saki winced slightly. Mainly because it felt like two heavy stones had just slammed into her shoulders. And yet, the pain caused her to open her eyes, and though she couldn't look into Mumei-chan's because of the hair that got in the way, she swore that she could see stars shining behind that very same hair.

"I... But..." She muttered, before slowly shaking her head. "...I suppose I need to think about this more. Thank you, Mumei-chan."

Mumei-chan merely grinned, especially as Saki patted her on the head. "You're better than you think you are, Himitsu-senpai. I can't wait to see that side of you again, or whatever side you decide to show me next!"

Saki had asked a good deal of the student body what it meant to be a Hero to them. And now... Was it all for naught? Who knows. But one thing's for sure. She had to keep thinking. Understand what being a Hero meant to her, and how she could pay the others back for all she had caused...

"Saki-senpai!"

And almost as if on cue, Saki could turn her head to the side and see Mikai standing in the doorway. Sweating a bit due to clearly having been sprinting, causing the President to quietly shake her head disapprovingly. "You know, as close as you've gotten to Yuuki, she's not going to be happy if she knew you were running in the halls, Mikai."

Mikai gasped, before shaking her head. "She can punish me later, I really need your help, Saki-senpai! You're the only one I can count on, because everyone else is busy!"

"When you put it like that, it sounds like you'd rather ask anybody else." Saki muttered, with Mikais earnest nod causing her to momentarily chuckle. The idea that Mikai might be holding a grudge was... Amusing, to say the least. "Alright. I'll help. I do owe you for what I've done."

Mikai tilted her head. "Owe me? You don't owe me anything, Saki-senpai. But I'm really happy you want to help" The idea that Saki-Senpai owed her anything didn't even cross her mind. It just sounded silly, really!

Saki shook her head in turn. "Don't worry too much about it. Let's hurry. Especially if Yuuki ends up noticing that you've made a mess of the halls while you run." Another soft chuckle left her lips, as she disappeared into the halls with her much shorter rival...

Leaving Mumei-chan to simply stand there, chuckling a little. Well, she never expected to help her Senpai. But she never expected to end up helping Mikai become the girl she was today either... Ehe. Lucky her.

"Look at 'em go! They've got better legs on 'em than a prairie horse!"

Mumei-chan blinked, as a slightly tanned blonde spoke to herself right outside the room. She hadn't seen her before, yet she wore the Mimoto Highschool uniform. Even if she had her sleeves rolled up to keep her arms uncovered, and her skirt kept dangerously short to show off her strong looking thighs. "Who are you?" She'd ask, as she stepped over. There was something about her that made the hair on her back raise slightly....

The tanned blonde smiled and patted Mumei-chan on the head as she came over. A strong hand ruffling her hard hair. "Name's Claudia Springs, Rock Pupper. Hearin' you say all that nice stuff was a real treat too, gotta say!" Ah. She had listened in on the pep talk. "Say, ya wouldn't happen to know where I'd find the Principal? I've got a bit of business with that Rose lady, it's been so long since I've seen her and I wanna make sure my enrollment goes smoothly!"

As soon as Claudia's hand made contact with her head, it was like... It was like she felt a strong wave of joy fill her, causing her tail to abnormally wag harder than it normally did. "F-Follow me!" She cried out, as she quickly started to run off as well. S-Something about how she had been pet just made her more inclined to help out. Her heart slamming against her chest as she guided the newcomer around...

All while Claudia laughed. Well, seems like she'd be in for a real fun time here in Mimoto...

---

"And what do we have here? A little ember, trying to set fire to the books?"

"AHHHHHH!"

Momiji screamed as she very nearly felt her soul jump out of her body, before she comically collapsed to the ground. One would be forgiven for thinking her body released a metallic CLANG as she hit the floor, especially considering her continued existence as a Jõtaijin...

The twin-tailed girl turned around to face the one that had whispered such a foreboding line into her ear, blushing much brighter as she locked eyes with her Senpai, Minami. "M-M-M-Minami-Senpai! D-D-Don't scare me like that! I-I made sure that I wouldn't use my power like that ever again!"

"Oh? You burned down a library already?" MInami chimed as she rested her head on the back of her hands. "Now what might happen if I tell your dear Tsubasa about that, mmm? What will he think?" The playful leer in her eyes never ceased to be any less unsettling, since it was almost impossible to tell how serious she really was at any one moment...

Momiji just kept on blushing brighter and brighter as her twintails caught fire, but thankfully not to the point where they'd actually become a hazard. Her Monster Ability was tied to her emotional state, just as her ability to... to...

The flames died down as her mood suddenly turned dour, something that Minami definitely picked up on. "Oh? Did I strike a bad nerve? You really must tell me, I only tease to scare. Not to outright discourage you from whatever it was that you were doing."

"...M-Minami-senpai. Y-You were fighting during the Near-Luna Descent too, right..?" Momiji could feel her heart sinking deeper and deeper into the deep caverns of her stomach. She felt awful, just thinking back on what she had done. "I... I don't want to go through that again. I don't want to have my power turned against Tsubasa. A-And yet..."

"And yet the power lingers. Waiting to eat away at your heart. Waiting to turn you back. That's why you want to find a solution. Or if worst comes to shove, you want him to take care of you, so you won't harm him again."

Momiji's eyes lit up, as Minami simply winked. "H-How... T-That's... How did you..." Had... Had she read her mind?

"The stories I read, the ones that contain some of the darkest yet most compelling tales I've ever sunk my teeth into..." Minami explained, before putting her hand on the short tsundere's cheek. "There were many girls like you in them. One of them eventually accepted that she couldn't live a life where she was a danger to the ones she loved. That's why I can tell, that's one of the things you're considering..."

Tears ran down Momiji's cheeks. Because it was all true. She had read her like an open book. And indeed, if she became that much of a problem to her Senpai, then she wouldn't want him to hurt any longer. She'd want him to take care of her. All for the sake of keeping him safe...

"But."

Minami's eyes lit up in turn, as she leaned close enough for her forehead to touch Momiji's. So that their eyes, reflecting their inner selves, could peer into one another. Letting the confident serpent get so close to such vulnerable, frightened prey...

"Who says you have to give in? Who says you have to let that power hurt him? You can make it your own. Let that scared little ember of yours, so frightened by the darkness, grow and consume it. Grow, fueled by the love in your heart! All so that you may dominate the power that still lingers, so that you can use it for the sake of that love!"

Momiji began to blush again. From the intimacy, and from this strange peptalk. Had... Had Minami-senpai always harbored... Yes, yes she had. She had always kept this kind of personality under wraps. Mainly because nobody dared to approach the wheelchair-bound student unless they pitied her. That's what she thought, anyway. Perhaps erroneously so. Maybe she had simply scared them all away with this personality...

Regardless, the twin-tailed girl wiped away the tears that started to form in her eyes. "Minami-senpai... I... I'm..."

"Ssh."

The white-haired girl simply put her finger on Momiji's lips and winked. She didn't need to hear anything else. She gave her a wink, and moved that finger to her own lips.

"Your actions speak louder than your words, little ember. So show me. Show me the kind of love that will swallow the darkness that remains." Minami said, winking one last time. "And perhaps, swallow your beloved Senpai whole too. You know he'd be into it."

She was right. He would be into it. But more importantly, she had to prove that she could do it. She knew she could. She just had to do it..!

"Thank you so much, Minami-senpai!" Momiji cried out as she ran off, all sorts of giddy. Determination billowing through her nervous heart, knowing that this... This remaining element of Murakumo, the Jõtaijin she had been twisted into, would be hers to command before long..!

Minami chuckled, as she reached towards the books on the shelves. All while she felt a certain presence wrapping around her shoulders...

"You just wanted to make sure she didn't steal your books, you liar..."

Ouroboros was thinning. Wrapping around her the best she could. All while barely able to muster that much. All while Minami simply chuckled...

"Perhaps. But there might be a clue in these as well. A clue that'll let me help keep you fed. Wouldn't want my favorite snake to start passing away and leaving me powerless." Minami chimed, as she gently rubbed the phantasmal serpent that was wrapped around her shoulders.

Which simply prompted a groan from that very same serpent, clearly not happy to be treated like a mere pet. "I'm meant to be a Prime, for goodness sake..." She whined, almost like a brat would. Quite unlike the maternal guise she had taken when the two saw each other for the very first time.

Minami simply smiled, as she started to turn the pages of one of her favorite books. With any luck, there'd be a tale in here that could help her with Ouroboros...

And perhaps, give her ideas on how to mess with Hiro as well...

---

"Sorry about the wait, Yumeko!"

Yumeko brushed a hand through her hair, letting the soft hat on her head shade her from the sun hanging above. Despite snow that had been drizzling down over the last few days, the sun shone so bright. Keeping it at least warm enough for... Well, something that she had been waiting for.

She had asked both Mikai and Saeko out on a date. Plain and simple. And it was because of this that she wasn't surprised that Mikai had been a little slow. Considering this was the very first date that she'd go on. Not unlike...

No. No, this wasn't her Mikai. This was the Mikai she had grown to trust and believe in all over again. She shouldn't think back on those times too much. It was thinking too much about that time that had ended up being part of the cause for the Near-Luna Descent.

Yumeko simply sighed and smiled as she gazed towards Mikai. Letting her short girlfriend get a good look of her, as she stood outside of the city mall, having waited patiently for her arrival.

She even dressed to impress. The hat was one thing, but she also wore a very expensive looking cardigan that honestly looked like she might've been trying to look like D'Or with how long it was, and a dress that was kept nice and tight by a pair of belts. Especially one right beneath her bust. Not only did she want to look nice and comfortable, which explained her fluffy looking boots, but she also wanted to show off a little. Specifically because she was going out on a date with the girl she had come to love...

Looking at the approaching girl, Mikai had also taken the concept to heart. That was why she was wearing a much more modest dress compared to the usual uniform she wore. It was a nice plaid dress, and she had a bag hanging off her shoulder that went together well with the short hat she wore. She looked really homely, and the embroidered pattern of a smiling lion on her chest certainly helped give off that energy.

"Saeko made that for you, I take it?" Yumeko smiled as Mikai made it all the way over to her, the taller girl chuckling slightly as she noticed that Mikai seemed to be a little out of breath. "Where were you, anyway? I know you don't live too close to the city center, but you're in good form, Mikai. You shouldn't tire out so easily."

"M-Mmhm! I just had to ask Saki-Senpai to help me with something." Mikai chimed, chuckling a little as she rubbed the back of her head. "Agatha had asked for a bit of help getting the hang of those brand new powers she awakened, but I'd never want to miss this date. So I had to ask Saki-Senpai for help!"

Saki and Agatha together. With the former meant to help train her. A recipe for disaster. But that was just like Mikai. Trying to look out for her friends, despite the results potentially ending up hazardous...

"Well, as long as she said yes, then I don't have anything to worry about." Yumeko had to put her faith in the other Jõtaider... Even if she was meant to be an enemy, in some vague sense. "...Was there anything else she wanted you for? She didn't want to beat you up under the guise of some sort of weird Trial, right?"

Mikai shook her head. "After I told her that I needed her help with Agatha, it looked like she wanted to say something. But she said it wasn't anything important, so I didn't press her! If she wants to tell me something, she'll tell me when she wants to!"

"Awfully perceptive of you, Mikai." Yumeko said, with the girl simply giggling in turn. "Hopefully it's not more reckless hate for the sake of hating-"

"S-S-Sorry I'm late!"

Yumeko didn't get to finish, before the last part of the little trio finally arrived. She had expected her to be late too, because Saeko probably had to fret over what she wanted to wear. How she wanted to present herself. Considering everything she had been through, she didn't blame her.

What she didn't expect was for the girl to don something so simple, yet so elaborate at the same time.

Saeko, who was still blushing like you wouldn't believe, wasn't even wearing her glasses. Not that you would actually notice it, because the dress she wore was so eye catching instead. The best way to describe it would be a sundress, which was horribly fitting for this winter season, but seemingly made out of web after web layered on top of one another, stapled together to form such a comfortable looking dress. Combine that with a hat that she had definitely borrowed from D'Or, and very bright red lips that had definitely been touched up by Rose, and...

Well, this time, it was Yumeko's turn to blush. And she couldn't explain why Saeko's look made her feel that way either. It was... It was the earnesty of it, perhaps? Either way, she didn't know what words to use to describe those feelings.

"Woaaah! That's a really pretty dress, Saeko! How long did it take you to make it?" Mikai, by comparison, was simply happy with what she saw. So she spoke her mind, always happy to be as upfront as possible.

Saeko nervously laughed, shivering slightly thanks to her uncovered shoulders. "Long enough. I can tell you both like it, so it was worth it in the end." She didn't dare tell them that it had literally taken her two weeks, since she started work on it ever since Mikai accepted her feelings, because she didn't want to embarrass herself when she had gone through the trouble of integrating some of her old self with her new honest self.

In a way, this was not just a date between girlfriends... It was Saeko accepting her own mistakes. As Spider. Maybe that was why she had also chosen to let her hair simply hang by her back, reaching just as far down as it usually did when she assumed Spider's identity...

"Well, Yumeko?" Saeko said, trying her best to put on an air of confidence. "Shall we?" She asked, as she stepped closer to the black-haired girl. Offering her hand, as Mikai had already wrapped her way around her other arm.

Yumeko took that hand, remaining silent as they ventured into the mall. Still wondering how to properly react to this display...

And if these feelings that were growing within her were truly healthy...

---

"My. And here I thought you couldn't look more like a ghost, Hiro. Decided to dip yourself in bleach?"

"Nice to see you too, Setsuna."

Setsuna Kaname chuckled slightly, laying down quietly in bed. Still covered in bandages after the assault that she had been through, though she had recovered for the most part. The bandages were practically a formality, given the nature of the wound she had received in the first place, and her stay was mostly due to the re-integration of the Jõtai Factor that had been violently ripped from her when she was last on stage...

"Seems like what they told me wasn't wrong." The silver-tailed idol sighed as she gazed upon her good old friend. And that emotionless gaze that stared back at her. "You really have gone cold turkey on emotions, all thanks to how far you've pushed yourself."

Hiro nodded. "For the sake of the people I care about. That includes you, Setsuna." The white-haired heroine said, taking a seat by the idol's bed. "...They're not as locked up as you've heard. They just require enough pressure to be released. But it's all grief, unfortunately."

"Despite the smiles and nervous looks you gave back then, you always were the type to quickly blame yourself, no matter if it was your fault or not." Setsuna said, only to let out a laugh. "I bet you blame yourself for what happened to me too."

Hiro simply stared back, prompting Setsuna to laugh a little again. "...He went back to apologize, didn't he?" The white-haired heroine asked, not even reacting to the teasing.

"He did. He also helped to reintegrate the thing he ripped out of me." Her dear friend said, before closing her eyes slightly. "I haven't forgiven him for what he did. But he looked like he was thinking about what he had done. So I let him off a little easy. Buuuuut... He does owe me a favor. Just as you do, Hiro."

An eyebrow would've been raised, if Hiro could properly emote. "When did I owe yo-" She paused. "...All the way back then, you kept that in the back of your mind?"

"I never forget a promise, Hiro. I'll have you on stage again soon. So you better prepare yourself. Even if you have to let your heart ache as you sing, to the point where your tears start to swallow the audience whole." Setsuna said, as she reached out and offered her friend her hand. "I want you to let it all out. So that dumb white mop you call hair starts to fix itself."

Hiro took her friend's hand. And for a faint moment, it was almost as if her lips feigned a smile...

---

"HOW IN THE FUCK IS THIS MEANT TO BE FAIR!?"

Agatha's scream cut through the air as she narrowly dodged around a sword strike, red hues covering her face as sweat poured down it. All while she tried to avoid the onslaught that was headed her way.

She was facing off against brand new types of enemies. Egyptian-themed minions, constructed entirely out of Kanzei's chains and powered by an intense flame of PASSION brimming within them, powering it and ensuring that they were just as vigorous and as dangerous as the real deal.

"Fighting isn't fair, Agatha! Now c'mon! You did great against those two lovers! You can do great against these too!"

Yuuki was standing on the sidelines, ice currently covering most of her arm as a powerful flame rested on her palm. She wasn't quite used to this brand new power she had awakened, but she was getting the hang of it. Especially since it resonated with her PASSION. If there was one thing that she had a good grasp on, it was her PASSION!

"WHEN I'M DONE WITH THESE, YOU'RE GETTING THE WORKS, SHIMO!" Agatha shouted, gritting her teeth as she let her fist clash against one of the minions. Letting her fist smash against all of that powerful metal...

Only for the pain of her strike to ring through her body, and leave her stumbling back as the chained minions unfurled and tried to capture her. Something that she only just barely managed to dodge thanks to kicking the ground, leaving the ground underneath flaked from the amount of strength she put in...

Saki merely watched, hand softly wrapped around her cane. A stern, yet absent gaze on her face. She was keeping these minions up and running, for the sake of helping Agatha train, and yet...

"It really isn't like you to not say anything, Saki." Yuuki said as she turned towards her dear friend, resting her head on the other palm of her hand. "What's on your mind? Still moping because you're not the only Hero?" She said, a hint of teasing to her tone...

Saki didn't respond, simply keeping her eyes on Agatha. Squeezing her hand slightly around the cane, to send a bit more power through to the minions...

An act that caused them all to sprout weapons from their respective 'hands', sending a coordinated series of slashes in Agatha's direction. Up, down, then both diagonals..!

All of which the girl simply blocked against, since she was running out of energy. "Is this what Mikai goes through every time she has to fight!? How in the world is that girl able to smile after all this hard work?!" Agatha shouted, her body trembling as the pain of being slashed vibrated through her...

"How is she able to smile..." Saki muttered as she watched. Muttering to herself, as she gazed down at the ground below. How was she able to smile..? Not Mikai...

How was SHE able to smile, after everything that she had done? Mumei-chan's words had really been weighing on her mind. Was there really anything wrong with what she was doing? No, it's not that there was anything wrong... Why did she go so far when all she wanted was to protect the people she held dear..?

"Earth to Saki. Come in Saki. Your PASSION is starting to flicker."

Saki snapped out of her spiral as she felt Yuuki's hand patting her on the back. The white-haired girl was always able to stay positive. No matter what got in her way. No matter what tried to stop her from being there for the people that looked up to her.

"...Yuuki." Saki said, as she tightened her grip on the cane a little more. "What... What is a Hero to you?" She asked once again. The question allowed her to think about anything but her own failings. Because it let-

"You were."

Yuuki's words cut through Saki immediately, the blue-haired girl nearly dropping her cane in shock. "I... I was..? Explain, Yuuki." She muttered. As much as it hurt to hear 'were', she needed to hear this...

"What is there to explain?" Yuuki shot back, her smile still remaining on her face. "Your flame, your PASSION, it burned bright before. When you tried to help your fellow students. But then..." She grimaced. "When I ended up corrupted again. Turned into that Yukionna when I got absolutely wasted. You saw who Mikai was. And your flame... It's been snuffed ever since."

The Student President couldn't believe what she was hearing. Not because she didn't agree, she understood that it was the moment where things started going down hill. But because... She... Wasn't she passionate, devoted to her beliefs when she threw it all aside to protect them no matter the cost?

"You're saying... You're saying ever since I saw her take the role of a Hero, a role she didn't deserve..!" Anger rose through Saki. She couldn't control herself. Even if she tried to better herself, her complexes still remained. "You're saying because I saw her, I started to break..!?"

"Listen to yourself, Saki." Yuuki maintained eye contact. "The Saki I knew. The Saki that I supported for these last three years... What part of her still remains? Where's *YOUR* PASSION?"

The feelings inside Saki swirled around more and more. She felt like she could break something at this point. Anger, yet at the same time grief because Yuuki was stabbing her where it hurt most. Her closest friend knew exactly what was wrong with her. And yet... And YET!

"My passion... my passion!? Why is it always passion with you, Yuuki!? I FIGHT TO PROTECT YOU, WHY DOES IT MATTER IF I HAVE PASSION WHILE I DO IT!? IF MIKAI CAN DO IT, WHY CAN'T I!? WHAT DOES THAT LITTLE RUNT HAVE THAT I DON'T?! WHY DOES SHE GET TO BE THE HERO?!"

The emotions burdening her heart were flying freely, with Yuuki simply keeping her cool. At least, right up until the moment she was launched to the side, thanks to getting one of those chained minions slammed into her.

"HIMITSU!"

Agatha shouted, turning the incensed girl's anger towards her. Anger that was met by anger, as Agatha slammed her fist into the ground...

With her hand buried in the ground, a powerful light started to pour from her arm. A light that she yanked out of the ground once it poured in, causing her to yank out a massive rope of roots in the process...

A rope that she squeezed tight. With a single cry of power, Agatha put all of her strength into a single whipping motion. Spinning around with this makeshift whip.

The root whip slammed into the remaining minions around her, with the momentum of the root swinging around causing them to be trapped and bound once the blonde let go...

Fury allowed her to put her power to good work. Imbuing life into the earth, growing something she could use as a weapon. All while she cracked her fists, attention now fully focused on the girl that was meant to train her.

"I'm sick... and I'm tired! Of bullshit like you! Bullshit like this! BULLSHIT THAT KEEPS ON GROWING!" Agatha shouted, the upper sleeves of her uniform shredding apart in response to the sheer amount of strength pouring through her anger-filled form. "NO MORE! YOU'RE GOING DOWN, SO YOU CAN START UNDERSTANDING WHAT A MESS YOU'VE MADE!"

Saki slammed the butt of her cane into the ground, immediately materializing the Kanzei armor around her. Her eyes gleaming from pure rage, with the darkness of her heart vibrantly on display in her long delicate black locks...

It was time to dole out Divine Judgment..!

---

"GOOOO AWAAAAAY!"

"But i just wanna see what you'd look like in a cute maid outfit, Akaijin-Senpai!"

"Y-Yes- NO! STOP!"

Ero giggled as she pressed her hands up against the otherwise unremarkable door that led into a certain room within the Mimoto Highschool basement. Current residence of one Kokoro Akaijin, who had been missing for the last little while...

"You know we're never going to get your Pawn Syndrome treated if you keep acting like this, Senpai! You gotta get the need to be obedient out of your system, and then we gotta get you a checkup at Doc's! Come onnn! I don't wanna deal with another Queen Pawn!"

Truth be told, she didn't really wanna be tasked with this either. But Lady Hopper had told her to deal with it, because otherwise the Pawn Syndrome may mutate even further. And while they were definitely in slightly more peaceful times, that didn't mean that they could start getting sloppy...

"GO! AWAY! I CAN HANDLE IT ON MY OWN!"

Kokoro was a stubborn girl. Refusing to leave her secret home. Refusing to show herself unless absolutely necessary. And still, somehow managing to keep her position as the Valedictorian. Because despite becoming a bit of a NEET, she was still as good at her studies as before...

"You really want to end up a latex-clad queen who secretly wants to be dominated? You wanna be like Yua? I mean, I could just go get you a latex outfit if that's what you want! I'm sure you'd look cute!"

Indiscriminate screaming echoed from behind the door, with Ero simply laughing in turn. Sighing a little after, because she kinda did feel bad for the girl. Why was Pawn Syndrome even a thing? Besides as a way for D'Or and her company to fight back against the system that had produced them...

Then again, if SHE had Pawn Syndrome, Hayahaya would probably ignore her needs too... Mmmm... Maybe Kokoro just needed to find the right partner? Maaaaybe...

As Ero thought to herself, blocking out the sounds of constant screaming behind the door, her sensors suddenly began screaming. Causing her to frustratedly sigh, not unlike Hayahaya would when faced with her teasing...

Something from the Darkness was approaching. And if they wanted something with Kokoro, then her secondary objective would kick in. What in the world did they want with a girl that had been afflicted like that..?

The question was on Ero's mind for a lot shorter than one might expect, as she quickly materialized her scythe when a Dark Portal opened in front of her...

"Oh, come on. You weren't satisfied with merging with me for a day or so, now you want more?"

Especially so, when she noticed who was coming out of it. It was Neoheim, that draconic girl that had managed to infiltrate her systems and make the two of them merge together. If there was one person she never wanted to see again, it was her!

Neoheim returned the distaste in kind, glaring straight at Ero, but she did not manifest any sort of weapons. This was not the time to fight her, even if she wanted to get rid of her so she could have that boy all to herself...

Even that thought was too much for the draconoid, shaking her head rapidly. "I did not come to fight you. Nor did I come to dock with your body. I came to seek understanding. To find out why my chest keeps beating."

"You have a heart?" Ero asked, her hand quickly drifting over her own chest. "Can't really say I'm that surprised. I just didn't think something from the Darkness would be just as human as me."

"You are a machine." Neoheim shot back, a sense of distaste very visible in her eyes.

"Practically human, big girl." The Ganguro Goth Bot said with a smile, before she walked away from the door. She even dematerialized her scythe. "How's about this? You promise not to cause trouble, and I'll try and help you with that heart of yours. You just gotta tell me a bit more about it, and I'll start figuring things out for you. What do you say?"

Risky proposition. For both of them. There was a less than 0 chance of one of them betraying the other. They were completely at odds with each other at most times.

And yet, Neoheim decided to bet on that risk. What would Father call it? A 'Gut Feeling'? It was not uncommon for him to ally with others for the sake of a greater challenge, or so he explained it...

"Very well." The red draconoid said, as she started to walk by Ero's side. All while her hand remained across her chest.

If she could understand this feeling inside her, maybe she'd learn how, and why, she wanted to help the Young One...

As they walked away from the door, away from Kokoro's secret hideout, the door slowly opened...

And a latex face poked her way out, checking if the coast was clear...

---

"Stand down."

Kanzei said, the chains of her Divine Bind wrapping around Agatha. Overpowering her with all the power in her was not difficult at all. Agatha might have a lot of raw strength in her, but she did not know how to use it. Not like Kanzei had come to understand her powers...

Agatha grit her teeth as the darkened chains dug into her body, gasping and panting from the rush of pain. All while glaring at that golden bitch that kept on acting so high and mighty. That golden bitch that dared to insult her hero... That dared to insult her friend!

But she saw past her. She saw past all that glitter. Past Saki as a whole. The only thing that Agatha saw at the moment, was all the bullshit that she hated..!

"You... You're just like her... Just like all the rest..!" Agatha grit her teeth, the power rushing through her arms. Rushing through her, no matter how painful it was for her to gather all this strength. "Never explaining anything..! Never being honest with yourself..!"

Kanzei slammed the butt of her cane against the ground again, sending more chains out from the dark hole that they had emerged from. Chains that wrapped around Agatha, keeping her from moving much more than she already was. "If you cannot break those chains, how can you hope to learn how to protect others? How can you prove yourself to fight alongside me..?" The anger was still in her voice. But the golden shell allowed her to maintain a level of detachment. A level of protection that kept her from succumbing completely...

"ALONGSIDE YOU!? PROVE MYSELF!? YOU, YUMEKO, MY MOTHER, ALL OF YOU! YOU ALL KEEP TALKING SO MUCH ABOUT THINGS THAT DON'T MATTER!"

Agatha shouted, as she forced herself upward. She had been forced onto her knees by the chains, but she wasn't going to sit there and take it. She wasn't going to sit there and get lectured..!

"WHY DO YOU ALL HAVE TO BE STUCK IN YOUR STUPID BELIEFS?! THINKING THAT YOU CAN CONTROL THINGS AND MAKE THEM GO AS YOU WANT THEM TO!" She screamed, pain fueling her voice. Pain fueling her heart..! "THIS ISN'T YOUR TIMELINE! THIS ISN'T YOUR WORLD TO CONTROL! AND WE AREN'T JUST THERE TO LOOK PRETTY, YOU GOLDEN IDIOT!"

Kanzei grit her teeth underneath her helmet, as she clenched her hand around the cane. "Break the chains, before you try and lecture me b-"

Another potent, primal scream echoed from Agatha, as every single muscle in her body flexed all at once. And in the process, the chains that tried to keep her down, the chains that tried to bind her, they snapped clean apart. Every single chain link falling to the ground, disappearing into nothing but darkness...

Seeing them shatter like that made Kanzei stagger. There... There should be no way for a girl like her to break those chains. Only those that were stronger than her, the ones that had more will, were able to shatter them..!

"DON'T YOU GET IT, HIMITSU?!" Agatha kept on shouting, taking short step after short step. Before those steps gradually evolved into a run, as she wound her fist back. "CAN'T YOU SEE WHAT YOU'RE DOING?!"

Kanzei clenched her hand down on her cane once again. No. She was stronger. She was determined to protect them. To keep them from harm. And in this case... She had to put up the right kind of challenge. Otherwise, Agatha's strength would fall short. Yes, yes that was what she had to do!

A barrier formed in front of the golden Jõtaider, with black tendrils flying forth from the darkness that formed it. Tendrils that wrapped around Agatha, sapping her of willpower. Sapping her will to f-

"OPEN YOUR DAMN EYES, YOU IDIOT!"

The tendrils not only started to burn from touching Agatha, but several vines started to sprout from the ground. Vines that wrapped around those very same tendrils, yanking on them to drag the Jõtaider closer..!

Kanzei lost her footing due to the connection between the barrier and her own will, but the barrier would protect her. She was sure of it. She was-

The barrier shattered. Falling to pieces as Agatha punched clean through it, slamming her fist straight into Saki's face. Shattering her helmet, exposing the Student Council President for everything that she was...

Saki could feel the pain pouring through her, with her armor cracking in response to her willpower wavering. "This... This shouldn't be possible..!? How..!? HOW ARE YOU THIS STRONG!?" She cried out, anger filling her as she fell victim to her own anger. Turning her cane into a greatsword, a jagged piece of metal, hammered into instability by the forge in her heart..!

Agatha kept on walking. Not flinching for a moment. Not as she saw the girl's anger consume her. Not as that blade came down towards her...

Because she punched clean through it as it came towards her. Because she slammed her other fist straight into the stunned girl's face, forcing her onto the ground...

Saki couldn't believe it. The pain. The failure. Her anger. All of it mixing together as she glared up at Agatha, struggling to get back up thanks to the pain of that last punch.

"You..! I... I..! I need to finish this..! You haven't finished your trial..!" Saki cried out, still stubbornly clinging to what she believed, when pressed into a corner like this...

"Listen to yourself, Saki..."

Agatha's anger tapered out as she gazed down at the furious girl. Simply unable to stoke the billowing flames inside her any longer. All because of the pity that filled her instead.

"Yes..! I... I need to put you through a trial..! Otherwise... Otherwise, you'll all die when you're fighting with me..! Just like... JUST LIKE THEY DID, WHEN THEY TRIED TO PROTECT ME..!"

Saki's armor shattered. Right as she remembered... Right... Right as...

Tears started to pour down her cheeks, as the memory of that night replayed in front of her eyes. Replaying over and over and over. With her friends rapidly interspersed. With them turning into Luna, only to be cut down..!

"Saki!"

The memories were stalled, as Saki's gaze once again focused on Agatha. The disappointed girl, still looking down at her with pity in her eyes...

And... tears..? She... She was crying too... She... She was...

"I... I don't... I don't want to lose anybody ever again..." Saki muttered so quietly, as she gazed up at the girl that had broken through her defenses. That had practically humiliated her, with how easily she had broken past it all...

"You think we want to lose you either!?"

Silence. Shock, dawning on the Student President's face. Something that she had never considered. Something that she had never given a single moment to...

Agatha kneeled down, so that she could look straight into Saki's eyes. All while she reached for one of the broken chain links that hadn't disappeared. Only to let it disappear once Saki looked at it. "You're tearing yourself apart, you idiot... All because you want to protect us? All because you want to stop us from helping you out..? You'd use this, and be no better than those bastards..?"

...The Darkness... And her darkness... And her... Will-draining powers... T-They... They were the same..? There... No, that...

The look of pure confusion in Saki's eyes was telling. She never considered any of this. Even after hearing what Kimiko said about her powers, and how she had been such a key player in the whole 'breaking Mikai' ordeal... She never even stopped to think about the nature of her powers...

Agatha didn't like seeing Saki like this. But damnit. Somebody had to try and get through to her. "Ever since I found out that you were the one that had been antagonizing Mikai, I had been trying to figure it out. Trying to figure out why you would push her away. You know how many people look up to you, Saki..? How many people that would gladly be protected by you, but would be broken if you died..!? You know how many!?"

She didn't. There's no way that she could've. She only thought about keeping people safe. Because she never wanted them to get hurt. She never wanted to see anybody die in front of her, ever again.

Never for a second did she think that she should live too. Even when she was helping people as nothing more than a Student President. Even when she helped as nothing more than a Senpai. She never thought about herself. She only thought about keeping them safe, no matter what. Not realizing that... that...

Tears were flowing. A waterfall of sadness, pouring down her cheeks. There was nothing that she could say. Nothing that she could do. All she could do was simply keep crying. Was... Was this why Mumei-chan had told her that it was okay to not change..?

Agatha couldn't stand looking at her when she was like this. So vulnerable. For the first time in her time at Mimoto Highschool, Agatha finally saw what was behind that layer of respectability. That layer of selfish selflessness... That layer that kept her going...

"I don't know if this was how you always were, Saki. But..." She muttered, as she walked over to that broken greatsword. Tossing the parts towards the sobbing girl. "Back then. When you took me to meet Mikai... I respected you, as much as it annoyed me to have you bring me along. Because you cared about us. You cared to try and help us."

"Where did that Saki go? Or was she always fake?" Agatha muttered, as she let her body slowly calm down. Putting her hands into her pockets, as she watched the skies above. The clouds that had settled in, and started to drizzle a bit of snow down upon the two... "I don't know. And frankly, I don't want to know. Because if all that time you spent trying to help was a farce... Then I can't help but pity you, for letting it all fall to pieces."

Saki didn't say a thing. Barely even reacting as the snow started to drizzle down on her. Simply remaining on her knees, as she tried to put everything together. As she tried to understand, despite not being able to...

"You sure you had to go that far?" Yuuki said, walking over to Agatha as she plucked the flakes out of her hair, not at all bothered by the snow that was drizzling down on them...

"Wouldn't you want to kick your idol's ass if it turned out they were the worst?" Agatha shot back, refusing to gaze towards Yuuki. "Why didn't you try and stop her? You're her friend, aren't you?"

The white-haired girl simply gazed up at the skies above as well. "I am. But that's why I trusted her. I thought that she could get better. My PASSION burns bright, but not enough to light hers up. To be better, she has to want it. With all of her heart." She explained, adjusting her scarf slightly. "And... I can't say I want to fight my friend. Whether Saeko, or Saki..."

"...Ain't that the truth." Agatha mused. Would she be there to punch Mikai's lights out, if she... Yeah. Yeah, she would. She tried to be, even. But she also understood where Yuuki was coming from. Either standing by your friend, or fighting them to break them free from a dangerous path... Both were hard to do...

As the two girls stood there, letting the cold of the winter sky slowly swallow them, letting Saki get covered in the snow as she ruminated on her failures... Perhaps, after they got back inside, their worries would be buried underneath these snowflakes...

"I knew I had caught the whiff of something! But to think it's nothing more than a pair of pups! Hah! To think I actually thought I found Sol again!"

Unfortunately, they weren't allowed to think about the near future. Because the present still had more in store for them, with Agatha quickly clenching her fists as she stared straight ahead. Flanked by her Senpai, whose multi-elemental powers were ready to be unleashed.

Saki wasn't. In fact, she simply kept on kneeling. Even as the girls' new enemy came closer and closer. Until the winds started to blow so powerfully that it almost felt like they were all in a snowstorm from how the snow was being thrown around.

Emerging from these violent winds was a wolf-looking woman. Blue tail, blue ears, blue hair. Golden eyes, not unlike she belonged to the Darkness... But the torn clothing that made her look more like a punk, especially the spiked collar around her neck, definitely didn't feel like she was with the Darkness. At least not like the others had been...

"Who in the world are you?" Agatha asked, the power brimming through her cold-yet-strong arms. She was going to knock this bitch's lights out, and then get back inside and get some hot cocoa. And maybe get some for Saki, if she was willing to say something..!

"Who am I? Who? Seriously, that's what you ask? Man, have Humans really forgotten that much about us?" The blue-haired wolf laughed as she bared her fangs. "I'm what you call-"

Before she had the chance to finish, a blast of intense fire flew right towards her. One that she interrupted by an equally intense howl of her own, the chill that flew forth from her body extinguishing the flames until they were left as little more than flickering embers...

And immediately catching the punch that came after the flame, grinning as she glared into Yuuki's eyes. "Tryin' to catch me while I'm about to introduce myself, eh, pup? You're a wild one, just like me! I can smell that flame!"

"Just looking out for my friends!" Yuuki shouted, as she stamped the ground. Icy spikes rising from the frozen ground below, each trying to skewer the wolf and lock her into place so she could punch her. If not that, then at least incinerate her!

That's what she would've done. But the spikes simply broke as they tried to pierce through the wolf, sending a small shock through Yuuki. Right in time for her to get slammed back by the exact same technique, her own PASSION just barely melting the pointed tips of the spikes and preventing her from being skewered as she was launched away...

"Heh! Friends. Nah! You need pets. And as Lady Hel's personal Pet, I'll make sure you three become wonderful hounds!" The new Wolf cried out, as she crossed her arms across her chest, before baring her claws...

"HEAR MY HOWL, NINE REALMS! HEL FENRIR!"

The billowing storm wrapped around the wolf, as Agatha's eyes widened. Lady Hel? She had heard that name exactly once, from her Mother... There's no way, why in the world were they back NOW?!

Slashing through the wind, the transformed Wolf revealed herself. She had bulked out as she donned a set of icy cold white armor. Armor that made her look even more wolf-like, while skull iconography was plastered across her various limbs. Combine that with her short blue hair growing into a long and mighty white mane, and she looked like a ghastly wild beast. With only the golden spiked collar around her throat serving as contrast to her other colors...

"Another enemy... Just how many kinds of enemies do we have in this city?!" Yuuki cried out, before her shock turned into confidence. "Agatha. Grab Saki. I'll keep her busy. At least until we get ahold of backup. You're not in any condition to fight, are you?"

"I-" Agatha bit her tongue before she finished. She wanted to fight... But she also knew that there was no real reason to keep fighting all on her own. Not when Saki was still in danger. Getting her out of danger, so she could keep on dwelling on her mistakes...

Unfortunately, Hel Fenrir didn't stand idly by. Laughing at the two of them as the winds erupted into a proper blizzard, one that blanketed her and left her as a shadow in the winds..!

"I AIN'T LETTIN' MY PREY GET AWAY! HUNT HER DOWN, LEYDING!"

The enemy howled, as a brief golden glint appeared within the storm. Seconds later, a shadowed wolf rushed forward, the snow doing everything to try and hide its proper location. Leaving it impossible for Yuuki to properly defend herself...

But she was still going to try, as the ends of her hair started to catch on fire. "RUN, AGATHA!" She cried out, PASSION filling her entire body, as she let her own flames consume the area around her. All so that she could see the enemy and nail it in its weakest point...

Unfortunately, all she succeeded in doing was melting away the wolf as it flew towards her. Revealing the chain within. A chain that immediately snapped around her neck, one that she struggled to pry off with everything that she had...

Agatha had gone to Saki at this point, though she couldn't stop herself from turning towards Yuuki as she heard the white-haired girl cry out in pain. By that point, it was already too late...

"You look great with a collar and a leash, girl. Tell me, what's your name?"

Hel Fenrir had emerged from the icy wind, grabbing ahold of Yuuki's chin while grabbing her chain at the same time. Grinning as she stared straight into those PASSION-filled eyes...

"Yuuki... Yuuki Shimo!" Yuuki cried out, as she grinned in turn. All of her hair catching on fire, as she let her PASSION burn wildly through her. "And you... You won't get your w-"

The flames on her body were smothered, as a deadly chill poured through her. Courtesy of the collar around her. Instead, a deep need to be obedient filled her. A deep, desperate need to follow orders... A deep... Ah... Ahhh...

"No longer. You'll be my sweet little Leyding. Got it, pup?" Hel Fenrir said, with Yuuki quietly nodding as the collar around her neck kept on glowing. "Good. Glad to see that Gleipnir's still as powerful as ever!"

The despicable wolf cried out, as the icy winds consumed her and Yuuki both... And by the time those very same winds died down just enough to leave them visible, Yuuki couldn't look any different...

Illuminated by the golden collar around her neck, 'Leyding' was dressed in a very similar looking set of armor. The main difference between the one that Hel Fenrir wore, and the one that she was stuffed into, was the mask that obscured her face and left only her mouth visible. A mouth that had her tongue lolling out. A mouth that had drool dripping from her lips...

A mouth that now hungered, as she had been transformed into an armored beast. Not unlike the one that she was connected to...

Agatha grit her teeth as she cast another gaze towards Saki. Still unresponsive. Not that she blamed her, after what she had done to her... Then, if nobody was going to come here... She'd have to do what she could. Just as Mikai would..!

"You let go of my friend, you overgrown MUTT!" Agatha shouted, as she rushed into battle. To save her friend. To keep her former idol from being captured too...

To be a hero, just like Mikai. Saving her friends, because it's what she wanted to do!

---

"Why... Why do you still stand in front of me..? Do you feel no shame..?"

"I do! I feel nothing but shame for what I've done! But that's why I'm here! That's why I want to protect you!"

Yumeko quietly sipped from her cup of soda, as a movie played out in front of her. A movie that Saeko had picked, starring heroes not unlike Mikai and all the others...

The movie was about a heroine and her rival. The rival that had hurt the hero so much. Trying to strike fear and despair into her heart. Trying to make it obvious that she was the only one that deserved these powers...

And yet, she was the one that was betrayed. She was the one that lost. Over and over. Only to be cast aside by the ones that she fought for. Because she wasn't good enough.

...

The heroine showed her no pity. Throwing all of those insults that she had used on her back at her. Before leaving her to ruminate on her failures. Leaving her to figure out what she was going to do from that point onward.

And when the Heroine was about to lose. When the enemies had her at their mercy... The rival showed up once again. Saving her, before affirming her mistakes. Affirming that she was going to make up for them...

"Idiot..."

"You're the idiot... And I'm the bigger idiot, because I never listened, no matter how much my heart told me to!"

Yumeko had seen this movie before. Even back in her own timeline, this movie played. Back then, the heroes reminded her of Mikai and her own rival. Now? It reminded her more of Mikai and Saki... If Mikai was a fair bit worse, and didn't hold any kind of sympathy for the ones she had fought against.

She closed her eyes as the fighting began on screen once again, before gazing to her side. Watching her dear girlfriends, and the tears that were rolling down their cheeks.

They hadn't seen this before. But it resonated with them. No doubt because of what Saeko had done. No doubt because they both hoped that something like that could happen to somebody they knew.

Yumeko sipped her soda, and softly smiled as she focused on the movie once again.

...No matter how many times she saw it, this movie never failed to make her smile. Just as Mikai's struggles, and the way she worked through them... As well as Saeko growing to become a better girl, despite her rough start...

None of it would ever tire her. Especially thanks to their newfound love...

---

Darkness. Deep. Deep darkness.

Saki was sitting in the depths of her own heart. Hands wrapped around her legs. Head pressed against her knees.

How badly had she fucked up? How long had she been so blind to this?

She.. She just wanted to protect them. But not only had she hurt them by trying to protect them...

She had given them the fear that she would leave them. Because her selfishness only extended to the way she felt selfless. She never stopped to worry about herself at any point.

She... She never ever stopped to think about anything. She just took responsibility, and barreled straight ahead.

But without thinking about the ramifications. Without properly understanding what it was she did, and why she did it...

Did she truly take responsibility..?

...

The tears ran down her cheeks, as the once strong girl simply sobbed...

Filling the darkness around her with her fears...

Letting the darkness gather behind her. Forming her Shadow. Her Sins...

...

Even now, she wanted to protect them...

Yes...

Protect them...

If it was a sin to want something like that...

No.

...

The Darkness behind her started to fade, as Saki continued to sob. Though at the same time, she stood up within her own heart...

It's not that her want was a Sin. It was everything surrounding that want.

Thus...

Until she had everything figured out..!

That Want..!

---

"What's the matter, Valkyr? You're supposed to have all these strong powers! And you're starting to falter, just because of a pair of dogs?!"

Agatha's face was red. Her body was aching. Her fists... Not quite bleeding, but definitely scraped due to some bad blows. And everything that could've gone wrong definitely seemed to have done so...

And the way that Hel Fenrir treated Yuuki... Petting her like a pup, which made the armored girl squat down as she was being patted... It was frustrating. Infuriating to watch..!

"Come on..! Is this all I've got..?!" Agatha muttered as she clenched her fist. Her bastard of a Mother went through all the trouble to awaken these powers inside her, and they were not useful at all..?! God... God damnit..!

Hel Fenrir laughed as she flicked her hand across her spiked collar, causing another collar and a chain to stretch out from them. "Leyding. It's time we get you a sister!" She laughed, as the blizzard around her started to roar once again.

Agatha braced herself, her muscles trembling as she tensed up. She wasn't going to fall. Not now. Not when she had gone through the trouble of asking to be trained. Not when she had antagonized Saki like this... She had gone down this path, clearly knowing that things could go wrong!

She wasn't going to lose!

"GODKILLER ABSOLUTE ZERO!"

Hel Fenrir let out a howl, before the silhouette within the blizzard turned into another shadowed wolf. Dashing towards Agatha with Leyding in tow, and another shadowed wolf appearing beside her...

Which one was actually the chain? Which one was actually the wolves?! She had once shot, she couldn't afford to hesitate..!

So she wasn't going to choose. Yuuki's idea was sound. Clear up the area so she could actually see. But she had a better idea. The power in her arms... The power rushed through her. She just had to use it.

"GROW, DAMNIT!"

Agatha slammed her fists into the ground, and the ground responded to her powers. The snow underneath her was launched into the air as a tree sprung forth, acting as a barrier and an attack all in one. Clearing up the blizzard as it soaked away the snow...

Only for the tree to be cleaved in half by Hel Fenrir. A tree was nothing compared to her. And the way she swung around meant that the chain was coming..!

Agatha shut her eyes as she thought the collar was about to hit her. But... There was no sense of obedience filling her heart. Not a single breath telling her to do what a good girl should. It caused her heart to waver, as she opened her eyes...

"A...Are you.. .alright... Anemone..?"

Saki... Saki was standing in front of her. Not clad in her golden armor. Just her uniform, tattered and covered in snow... But she was standing there. With that golden collar around her neck.

"Saki..." Agatha wasn't sure what she should be feeling, but right now the main feeling was definitely fear and worry. "Why'd you jump in front of that..!? It converted Yuuki!" She shouted. The last thing she wanted was to lose somebody else if she messed up any more!

Tears quietly rolled down Saki's cheeks, freezing as they dropped to the ground. "I'm... I'm sorry, Anemone. For everything... I can't... I can't atone for my sins like this. But..." The collar around her neck made it hard to speak... But it didn't stop her heart from forcing those anguished words out.

"Please... Please, help me, Anemone..!"

A howl echoed as Saki was yanked back. Not from Hel Fenrir, but from 'Leyding'... Did Yuuki resonate with that? Or was it just something Agatha thought she heard. Either way, she now had to face off against three hounds that wanted to convert her...

"Welcome aboard, Dromi." Hel Fenrir said, patting Saki on the head as the blizzard consumed her as well, converting her into an identical armored wolf, not unlike what had happened to Yuuki. Keeping her connected to her Alpha, through the chains that were meant to bind Fenrir herself...

The armored villainess laughed as she turned back towards Agatha. "You've lost two friends today, Valkyr. Why don't you just give up and join my pack? I've been looking forward to the idea of a brand new Cerberus. Way better than the kind that 'Hades' asshole tried to impress Lady Hel with!"

"You... Do you know how rare it is to hear her ask for help..?"

Just like that, the wind seemed to stop. The snow quietly drizzled down once again, though even that seemed to taper off. All while heat started to pour forth from Agatha, who sounded way calmer than she ever had before...

"What the... You don't have Sol Valkyr's power, you're not supposed to be able to melt my blizzard..!" Hel Fenrir cried out, as she yanked both of her pups close to her. Sweat running down her face. Sweat and fear..!

"I don't have the power of Fire. Or whatever Mother had before." Agatha said, as she clenched her fist. "It's not the power of Nature either. I think I get why that bitch tried to awaken these powers within me." As she opened her fist once again, a tiny flower had sprouted...

A flower brimming with life. Life that put an end to the terrifying wind around her. Life that suddenly shot into the skies above, parting the clouds and letting the sun shine down!

"I don't intend on forgiving her. Nor do I intend on forgiving Mother for leaving me all alone all this time! BUT I WON'T LET THIS LIFE THEY'VE GIVEN ME GO TO WASTE! ESPECIALLY AFTER SAKI ASKED ME FOR HELP!" Agatha screamed as she clenched her fist, and tossed her hand to the air, spreading the petals of the flower that had sprouted...

Petals that swirled around her, brimming with life as they were stitched together by the aura around her. Her uniform being infused with the same life, reverting it back into threads that stitched onto the petals as they grew bigger and bigger...

Donning Agatha in an outfit made out of leaves, petals, flowers, each coming together to form a colorful and sunny skirt, top, boots and gloves. Each fit for her dominantly powerful personality and way of living, each revealing more of her...

As those two twintails of hers spiraled free, before drilling together into a single ponytail. One that reached all the way from her head, all the way down to the ground! Each revolution of the ponytail decorated with different life-filled flowers!

"Blooming Heart! Blooming Life! BLOOM VALKYR!"

Hel Valkyr was faced with the successor of her Lady's old enemy. The last remaining Valkyr... And she couldn't help but laugh, as the chain that wrapped around her neck started to glow once again.

"LEYDING! DROMI! ONE FINAL PUSH, SLAY THE VALKYR!" She shouted in turn, as her blizzard kicked up once more. Localized, due to the sheer amount of life pouring from Bloom Valkyr, but it was more than enough!

"GODKILLER ABSOLUTE ZERO!"

Bloom Valkyr kept her eyes focused on the prize. Focused on what was coming towards her. Three identical shadows. Three identical threats. If she tried to hurt one, the other two would hurt her back. If she tried to hurt them all, they'd dodge due to the nature of her attack. So what she had to do..!

Instead of staying still, Bloom Valkyr ran towards the wolves. Running to meet them head on, life itself brimming through her fists!

"LET'S FEAST, GIRLS!"

The wolves each howled in unison, as they tried to descend upon the Valkyr.

But instead, they hit each other. Slamming their heads into Hel Fenrir. Each of them left stunned for a moment, with Hel Fenrir able to recover a little quicker than them due to being the main enemy. All in time for her to try and look for the heroine...

"Over here."

She was behind her. Not only that, but in her hands were... Gleipnir, the collar and chain that kept Hel Fenrir connected to the other two.

"Hey, hey, hey. I'm sure we've just gotten off on the wrong foot! Please, I need th-"

Bloom Valkyr didn't take any chances. Her life energy poured through the chains, oxidizing them and rusting them in an instant, before she crushed it with one firm squeeze.

Crushing Gleipnir not only turned Saki and Yuuki back to normal, albeit knocking them out in the process, but it also reduced Hel Fenrir back to her original form. Now just Fenrir, with none of Hel's powers running through her.

"A... Aha. Aha..." Fenrir could feel the sweat pouring down her face. "T-T-This was just a test, you know? T-To see if you really were the next Valkyr, ahaha!" She said, stepping back in a futile attempt to get away from Bloom...

Right up until she bumped up against the half-shredded tree from earlier, and she couldn't back further away. Even as Bloom Valkyr approached, cracking her knuckles in time with the fear growing on Fenrir's face.

"Then this'll be a test too. SINCE YOU CHOSE TO TEST MY PATIENCE, I'LL TEST YOUR ENDURANCE!"

A howl of fear echoed, as Bloom Valkyr made sure that Fenrir paid for her transgressions...

Paying her back for hurting her friends.

---

"So. Fenrir awoke her powers..."

A young girl sat in a dark room, the skull she wore on her head barely illuminated by the blue flame she had used to watch her minion fight. Sighing as it was choked out, as Fenrir's connection to her died down...

"What a hassle. To think that Lady Minerva's daughter could be somebody this rough."

"You say that like Minerva was any less rough, little Hel."

'Hel', still barely illuminated as a single light turned on above her, grimaced as she gazed at her guest. That blasted Oyabun who had courted Lady Minerva...

"Don't call me little. Lady Minerva sealing away my power had consequences. You know that, you were there." Hel pouted and crossed her arms. "Besides. I did as you asked. Your daughter's powers have awoken fully. Aren't you satisfied?"

Kazutora simply chuckled in response, as she came closer and put her hand on the much smaller girl's chin. "Not yet. Agatha awakening to the power of Life is good... But if Minerva comes back now, given what you've told me, then she won't stand a chance. So keep sending off more of those cute pets of yours. She'll need the practice."

Hel wrestled her head out of Kazutora's grip, glaring at the blonde before huffing. "Fine. But only because of Lady Minerva. Not because of you, harlot."

"I appreciate it. To this union of ours. A grand Villain, who was tricked by a wicked magician, and a mere Matriarch, who hopes to see her daughter blossom." Kazutora chimed, closing her single exposed eye...

All this. Just to ensure that Agatha was ready for what was to come...

---

"You brought us out on this date for another reason, didn't you, Yumeko?"

Yumeko sipped her soda as she sat at the nice table, opening a single eye to gaze at both Saeko and Mikai. Girls that she had grown closer to over the day, especially after this long dinner...

A dinner that had left a whole table's worth of dishes and dirty plates behind Mikai, as she had proven herself to be a black hole of sorts. Impressive, really.

"Don't say that, Saeko! I'm sure she just wanted to have fun with us! Right, Yumeko?" Mikai was a lot less suspicious. She trusted her girlfriend, implicitly, because she promised not to keep any other secrets.

Yumeko put the glass onto the table and softly smiled. "She's not entirely wrong. But I really have enjoyed my time with you two." She said, as she reached into her bag...

And pulled out not one, but TWO Desrivers. Both in relatively good condition at that. One was significantly smaller than the other, however, as if it was meant to clip onto something instead of being worn independently.

"Whoa. How'd you get these?" Mikai asked as she reached for one, only for Yumeko to push the smaller one towards her. Not that she minded, she was just happy to get a gift.

Saeko raised her eyebrow as well, before focusing on the gift that was presented. A gift that... She wasn't exactly a fan of. At least not on the surface...

"I had a chat with Hopper. And she was willing to let me have these." Yumeko explained, as she pointed towards the one that Mikai had received. "That one is meant to latch onto your belt, Mikai. It should make Chimera's fusion with you more stable, enabling you to assume that form again. Wouldn't want you to suddenly end up a butt-nun again."

Mikai blushed and laughed as she pocketed the DesRiver. She wasn't against being that, but she was definitely much more happy to be able to turn into Jõtaider Mimoto Chimera again. "As for the other one... You don't want it, Saeko?"

"Not yet." Saeko said, as she pushed it back towards Yumeko. "I want to earn it. I don't think I can stand to fight with a Jõtai again, even if it's through an approximation like that one." She explained, bowing her head apologetically.

Yumeko simply nodded in turn. "I understand. Just let me know when you feel capable, Saeko. Then you and Mikai can fight alongside each other."

"It'd be great, Saeko! But no rush, I'm sure you'll feel like you've earned it sooner or later!" Mikai shouted with glee, as she scooted her chair over to her girlfriend so she could give her a big ol' kiss on the cheek and a hug. A comforting hug too, one that Saeko leaned into with a big ol' blush on her cheeks...

All while Yumeko simply smiled, and patted her bag slightly. Her experiments had not yet finished. But one thing was certain, after this date they had been on...

The next time either of her girlfriends were in trouble... She wouldn't hesitate to help them. Personally.

---

"I commend you two for surviving thus far. But in the end, you are still nothing but prey."

"Prey's pretty dangerous when it's backed into a corner, you know..."

The eyes that peered at them, illuminating the darkness behind the dark-skinned woman clad in that tender suit. Their allies, converted into her kin...

"Eclipse. It's been an honor fighting alongside you." The Colonel said, as he drew his knife from its holster. "If we make it out of this, I'll gladly come with you when you return to your daughter."

"Likewise, Colonel Fushimi. I look forward to meeting your family, to see how I should've spent my time with my daughter." The Commissar said in turn, as she brushed her hair aside to reveal her sparking eye.

The Sanctuary Battalion's leader, Colonel Michael Fushimi, and the Commander of AEGIS, Minerva 'Eclipse' Anemone. All alone. Against a horde of their own soldiers, twisted and transformed into Monsters by the devilish woman...

No. By the Apex Predator, Manticore. And that was their fate, should they fail to survive...

Both exchanged a single glance. And against all odds, they charged forward.

For the sake of their families back home!