[Corruption, Brainwashing, Tokusatsu Themes]

"Can't sleep?"

The starry night was shining down on Saki as the minutes ticked by. Only the sound of her little buddy was enough to make her snap free from soaking in the atmosphere, her eyes gazing down towards the V-Aibõ gently resting in her palm.

"Mmm. Election's tomorrow." The blue-haired girl said, a soft sigh leaving her lips as she gazed up at the stars again. "And the fight against Grandfather took a lot out of me. I wish I could go to sleep, but I... I just can't. Not when such an important day is just hours away..."

The tiny digital form of Bee did her best to nod with the pixels allotted to her on that screen. She was just as tuckered out as her partner, given her part in the transformation that allowed them to beat her Grandfather. But since she was still so new to all of this, there was a question burning in her mind.

"What's the election for, anyway?"

"The election... It's to become the new Student President at Mimoto Highschool. A title I frankly shouldn't even be going for, because graduation is just around the corner as well." Saki explained, heaping another load of self-depreciation onto her shoulders.

"Whoaaaa, that sounds really important. Could I become Student President, Saki?" Bee asked, stars growing in her tiny pixel eyes. The thought of being like, a big important person sounded like a lot of fun to her!

A soft chuckle left Saki's lips. Bee was a breath of fresh air for her. Somebody that didn't know anything. Somebody that genuinely believed her to be everything she said she was. "I think you could, Bee. You're reliable and honest. And you want to do the best for the people you love."

"Like you, right, Saki?"

If only it was that simple. "I wish. I wish I could be that. Reliable. Honest. There for the people that need me." Saki said, a single tear starting to roll down her cheek. "But with what I did... I'm sure they still think about what I've done. How far I sank in the pursuit of what I thought was best. How many people I hurt..."

"But you also did your best to save them! You came clean! And even when you were doing bad things, you still saw what was the real problem and focused on that! You're better than you think you are, Saki!"

It felt nice to hear. But it was Bee's inexperience that also made her words sting. She couldn't possibly know what the others thought. It was just blind faith...

Still, Saki wanted to believe in it. She wanted to believe in the little friend who believed in her. Just like she wanted to believe in her friends that had given her everything to stand against her Grandfather's trial. She wanted to be the best she could be, because otherwise she'd be letting them down...

"...I can't guarantee anything, Bee. I really can't. But I want to try." The blue-haired girl said, gazing back down at the V-Aibõ, tears gently rolling down her cheeks. Happy tears. How long had it been since she genuinely felt like she could do anything if she set her mind to it, without the weight of something on her shoulders..?

Seeing Bee's tiny pixelated smile only served to confirm how long it had been. Too, too long. It was this kind of smile she always loved to see on the faces of the students she helped. Genuine appreciation and love...

"That's my Hero! I'll back you up in any way I-"

A sharp pain rushed through Saki's heart just as Bee poured out her support for the 'Hero', causing her to drop the toy. Only for it to freeze in midair, as everything around her went dark. No, that wasn't right...

More accurately, the darkness of her heart had spread out. There was only one thing that could be behind that pain, and the isolation she suddenly felt...

"You're no Hero. Not when you keep thinking that you can afford to be that soft."

Saki, hand still over her heart as she felt the pain burning through her like before, turned around to face the part of her that had remained suspiciously quiet for the last few weeks. The part of her she thought had been defeated after she took control of her...

The Sole Hero. Only now, the blackened form of the Kanzei armor that wrapped around her was cracked. And sunlight was bleeding from those cracks. As if the burning sun that had been weighing down on Saki was trying to escape from the armor she was meant to wear...

Just looking at that part of her was enough to make the pain grow. Saki could feel it. The sun within that armor. Trying to burn her away and remind her that she was too weak to protect the people she loved...

"I know I'm not a Hero." Yet despite that. Saki stood tall. For once, she wasn't backing down against her other self. She called upon her trusty cane, the weapon manifesting out of the darkness around the two of them and causing the light that was pouring from the blackened armor to stop inches from her body. "But even if I'm not a Hero, that doesn't change that I have people that believe in me. People I can't afford to let down, no matter what. Even if I worry about them like you do, I'm not going to give in."

Sole Hero didn't respond. Not to Saki’s assertions. Nor to the quiet transformation taking place before her eyes. The obsessive 'Hero' faced off against the Jõtaider she was supposed to be controlling, the two of them being one part of the same whole...

"Belief." Sole Hero muttered. "It won't last. Not if they'll perish." She continued, slamming her own cane against the light underneath. "Bind."

Chains upon chains erupted from the searing light around her. Each launching so fiercely towards the girl she was part of, intending to wrap her up like all the others. Wrap her up and shut her away so she couldn't be hurt.

The loud echo of a hammer slamming against metal heralded the transformation of Saki's weapon, turning the cane into a pair of whip swords. Both constantly in motion to strike away at the chains that were trying to get close to her.

Saki had changed. That much the other part of her could tell. Yet it wasn't enough. It was never enough. No matter how much the girl would change, the truth would remain the same. She was too soft. Too weak.

"Decree."

The chains that had been sent off course by the whipswords immediately turned into the very same darkness that kept the light at bay. Tens of thousands of needles shooting in towards the Golden Girl, trying to pierce and lock her down. She wasn't going to let up the assault in any way...

Another loud slam echoed out, and the whipswords in Saki's hands turned into a pair of tower shields, each just big enough to cover almost every angle. And Saki made up for the lacking space by stepping in just the right tempo, as each needle wasn't fired at the exact same time.

The assault was relentless. But for the first time, Saki actually felt like she could stand up to the voice trying to force her down. She just had to keep believing. Just had to keep trusting in what they saw in her!

"Rejection."

However, blocking that many attacks left Saki vulnerable. Each of the needles embedded within the shields rapidly expanded, expending all of their energy in one fell swoop, fully intending on swallowing the Golden Girl whole and leave her weak and ripe for her defeat.

"Divine Rejection!"

Yet she wouldn't let that stop her either, as she used her own attack. Turning the energy of her shields into barriers that covered everywhere but below, she used the force around her to propel her into the air. And then, as she reached the apex of this launch, the hammer of her soul echoed out three more times, forming a winged pair of greaves around her boots!

"Divine Judgment!" "Judgment."

The Golden Girl flew down towards her other half, leg outstretched as she clashed against Sole Hero's own. Light and Darkness sparking as their feet pushed against one another, each trying to win out in this contest of pure willpower.

Sole Hero peered past the helmet that covered her eyes. The girl was putting it all on the line. She was soft, yet she still tried so hard. And yet...

And yet it still wouldn't be enough to save them if it happened again... It wouldn't ever be enough..!

A scream echoed out as the two kicks erupted into an amalgamated explosion, launching both Sole Hero and Saki away from one another. Bit by bit, the exhaustion of their fight was becoming apparent, as neither of them were able to hold a firm stance...

"You don't have to do this." Saki said, the golden girl slowly letting her stance lose tension. "No. We don't have to do this. We can be better. Both of us." The two of them were part of the same whole. There was no reason for them to come to blows. No matter what her other half believed.

Saki was so painfully naive. It was exactly why her other half couldn't back down. Exactly why the Golden Girl had to be shut away like all the others. So that she too wouldn't be hurt...

"Slayer." Sole Hero spoke, and a jagged, misshapen piece of gold formed in her arms. Before it gradually sank into shape, replicating that of the blades a certain Hero near and dear to their heart once wielded...

Saki paused as she looked at the depraved form that the blade that represented her bonds took. "That's... Hopper's..." And the memories of that night quietly bubbled to the surface, her confidence in the moment starting to waver...

"It's the blade of a true Hero. One who would do what needed to be done, even if she hates it! NO MATTER WHAT SHE PERSONALLY FEELS! THE BLADE THAT WILL SAVE EVERYONE!" That's right. This is what it meant to be a Hero. To not be soft. To not be weak. To put everything you had into doing what was right. And protecting everyone. So that they could never be harmed again.

Never again.

It's that part of her that made Saki waver. She didn't want anybody to be harmed again. Not after she had lost everyone. But now, she had people to rely on. People that she could believe in and help her protect those she worried about. People that had her back..!

"Synchronize..!" Saki cried out, brandishing a person-sized version of the blade she had wielded just earlier that day. One that was still bigger than her, even if she could wield it with ease! "Divine Slayer, Mode: Jõtaiken!"

A blade that represented what the two halves of Saki believed in. The belief that Saki had to do everything, no matter how much she hated what she put people through, all for the sake of keeping them safe so she'd never lose them again. And the belief that the people Saki had grown to love and care about were there for her, no matter what would happen to them..!

The two halves of the one wavering heart clashed, golden burning energies contrasting the multicolored sparks that shot off from the clash between them. Two equally powerful beliefs, now being put to the ultimate test..!

"Even if I want them to be safe, I'll fight to protect them. Because they believe in me. They know I'll have their back! Now and forever!"

Weak. Frail. Pitiful. Those were the thoughts that came to Sole Hero's mind as she heard Saki's words. Even if she could feel her own heart bursting from that kind of love, it was not enough. Never enough. If she kept going like this...

Then even she would fall, and there'd be nothing left. Because once she fell, everyone else would fall too. She couldn't let it happen again. Nobody was going to die before her again. Nobody!

Never again.

Never again!

NEVER AGAIN!

"WHAT DO THEIR BELIEFS MATTER IF THEY DIE?!"

That shrieking shout caused all the darkness that had gathered around Saki to crack, letting the burning light in. Perfectly synchronized with the blade that symbolized her bonds...

Shattering into pieces just like that, burning away and leaving nothing behind as the sun that was erupting from the armored half in front of her...

All that Saki could do was scream in horror, as images of what could happen flashed before her eyes. Death after death replaying in the blink of an eye, each only possible because she didn't give it her all...

Each of them were her fault for not doing what she was meant to do. Because she was so soft, each was guaranteed. A nightmare of her own making...

A nightmare that ended where it always began. With the memory of that day replaying before her very eyes, swallowing the girl whole...

"MOM! DAD! SHIKI! SAIKI! DON'T LEAVE ME!"

Saki's screams echoed out as she was shut away within the nightmare, a punishment for forgetting what drove her this far...

With the light completely breaking the darkness of Saki's heart apart, burning away what kept her weak, time slowly began to resume...

"Wah! Careful, Saki! You-"

Bee suddenly felt a different kind of pressure flowing from the blue-haired girl she trusted. The nature of the device she was held in and what birthed her allowed her to understand just what had happened...

'Saki' gazed down at the V-Aibõ. And she kneeled down, a sorrowful look in her eyes. One filled with as much scorn to match the sadness burning from her heart, as she gazed upon the little helper's container...

"You... You're not Saki! You're... You're that bad part of her! Let go of her! She's a Hero! She's not a meanie like you!" Bee cried out, yet without anybody's help, she couldn't really get out of the little toy...

The manifested half of that burning heart just kept on staring. Her aching heart continuing to beat. "...A Hero needs to be mean. Otherwise, she'll lose everything." She muttered, that crushing calm that had filled her since she traveled through that heart to break her other half returning once again...

"Even you, Bee. I can't let you be hurt."

Bee was about to scream childish obscenities at the mean part of her partner, before the device quietly shut down. And bit by bit, the plastic that made up the casing turned the same sickly combination of black and gold that Sole Hero was known for...

...

The morning sun shone in the distance. Peeking its way over the horizon, as the quiet hours of the morning counted up. The day had finally arrived. The day she'd be able to save everyone. Never again would she lose anybody close to her.

Never again.

—

The morning sun quietly shone its rays in through the windows of the Fukano residence, the seconds ticking by as people gradually woke up and began their day...

"Minami? Have you seen Saki? I know Saeko said she'd head to school early to handle Election stuff, but Saki wasn't in bed when I woke up. And I don't wanna wake up Yumeko to see if she knows where she went."

Even if those people could be counted on just part of one hand, as was the case with Mikai who was currently heading down to the kitchen, surprised to see her white-haired friend currently busy with a bowl of cereal and nobody else. Given the loud snoring from the other room, Hiro was fast asleep...

Minami smiled as she pushed the cereal aside slightly, allowing her to rest her elbows on the table as she peered towards Mikai. "I wish. Given the door leading out to the porch was open when I woke up, she must've been awake early. As for where she went, I'm not sure." She explained, tilting her head slightly as she sighed. "Maybe the crushing worry got to her after all, even after what you said happened yesterday. Maybe she ran away!"

"No way. Don't make jokes like that." Mikai said, the young gal walking over to get a bite to eat herself, her cute spider-patterned pajamas keeping her modest despite the early hours of the day. She had gotten them from Saeko not long after their relationship took the turn it had, and they were nice and comfy so she loved to use them whenever she got the chance. "She's strong. Stronger than she thinks she is. So I don't think she'd run away just because of a bit of doubt, even with that voice in her head!"

Her white-haired friend nodded and sighed. "Indeed. Those friends in our heads are quite something indeed." She mused, ignoring the barely visible form of Ouroboros hanging over her shoulder. Trying desperately to lick at her cereal. It was adorable, but she really did need to find a way to feed her properly. Especially if that Warmth from last night was the trick...

"By the way. You said Chimera wasn't supposed to look like I think she does while we were stuck in one of Helheim's silly tricks. What'd you mean by that?" Mikai's curiosity flared up as she took her own seat. She never expected to be eating breakfast with Minami like this, like they were part of one big family. "And why'd you try and make Hiro quit anyway, I thought you had a bone to pick with her for her part in that Resonance stuff."

A soft chuckle left the lips of the handicapped girl, quietly pushing her wheelchair backwards as she stood up, her Jõtaider armor wrapping around her legs allowing her to stand without much issue. "I've been trying to piece everything together since the Near-Descent, Mikai. And one of the things I found out had to do with that dear Chimera inside you." She chimed as she sauntered around the table, until she stood right next to the young gal. Almost towering over her due to being able to stand for once...

For a second, it seemed as if she could see the girl's passenger's visage around her. That growling beast that was much bigger than either of them. Already ready to protect the girl she inhabited. She was like Ouroboros in that way, which only served to make Minami that much more certain of her hypothesis...

"What if she wasn't who she said she was?"

Chimera's eyes grew feral, audibly growling and making her visage grow static-y in response. She wasn't about to let this girl try and imply she wasn't who she thought she was. She was-

"So what?"

Both Chimera and Minami paused as Mikai responded, both turning their gaze towards the sandy-haired girl. "...S-So what? Aren't you worried that you might have something like a Prime inside you? Like how I have Ouroboros? Or something that might cause you problems later, like that voice that Saki's saddled with?"

"Nah." Mikai smiled, slowly causing Chimera to smile as well. "Chimera's Chimera. She's been there for me since I started waking back up after all those years. I don't care if she's a Prime, or if she's not actually the Chimera we think she is. To me, she's Chimera. And that's all that matters. Would you care if it turned out that Ouroboros isn't what she said she was?"

The girl had managed to turn the question back on Minami. And she simply couldn't help but laugh, losing her concentration and dematerializing the boots that kept her standing, sending her tumbling onto the floor below. Yet it didn't hurt, because she was still laughing out of pure shock.

"I suppose you're right, Mikai. I suppose you're right." Minami laughed. As much as she had investigated, she had completely neglected a basic fact like that. The fact that sometimes, it didn't matter what the explanation behind things was... Sometimes, it's what they presented themselves as that mattered most.

If that was the case, then maybe this 'hunger' that Ouroboros was talking about was less actual hunger, and more... Hm..? Yes, it was possible. When the chips came down, that's what Ouroboros proclaimed, wasn't it..?

That she was there to protect her. So naturally, if that was what was true about Ouroboros, then...

"You've given me a bit to think about, Mikai. Thank you." Minami said, carefully pulling herself up using the edge of the table, grabbing a chair to help her sit even though her legs were disagreeing with her. "Now then, you were asking about Hiro as well..."

Mikai nodded. "Last I checked, you were enjoying seeing Hiro suffer because of her part in that Resonance thing. So what changed?" Not that she had a problem with Minami's way of mining enjoyment from Hiro. It was all in good fun, at least from what she had seen. She never went too far or anything..

"You know how I enjoy storylines that lead to sad tales, those that evoke a lot of emotion from the reader because they can't help but ponder if things could've gone another way?" Minami started explaining, with Mikai nodding along. "They're great for insight into how bad everything could've gone. But the more I saw Hiro having trouble emote, despite how much I was enjoying how she was hurting from what she had done... I just couldn't let it continue."

A remarkably soft smile wormed its way onto Minami's lips. So soft that it almost felt alien on her. Because she was constantly in such a cheeky and devilish mood, to have her wear such a caring and soft smile felt so weird... Yet it also felt like she was finally baring a bit of her true self, the one she hid underneath all those layers of pure tease.

"Our lives are meant to have happy endings. Despite the turmoil we go through. I know there's no way our stories will end the same way as the ones I love to read. That's why I wanted to put a stop to Hiro's path." Minami explained, before that soft smile turned back into a cheeky one. "I just didn't expect for that to lead to me sleeping together with her in the same bed." A wistful sigh leaving her lips just after. "Reminds me of better times..."

"Better times? You're making those better times now, Minami!" Mikai shot back, only to laugh just as Minami did. the two reaching a wave length that neither probably expected they could...

To think that Mikai had been so scared of Minami when she first transformed. In reality, transforming into Ouroboros had given Minami the power to make the Happy Ending that she thought they truly deserved a reality. She just messed around before getting there...

Hopefully, she could give Saki that kind of happy ending too. As long as she could find her in time...

—

"Can... Can you actually take part in the Election, Neo?"

"I do not see why I could not."

A few hours later, in the halls of Mimoto Highschool, an odd sight could be found. A thrown-together booth, helmed by none other than Overlord Helheim's daughter. Currently just sitting there, with a 'Vote For Me' sign barely attached to the top of the booth.

Unfortunately for Neoheim, nobody actually stopped by to try and check out what she was peddling. Nobody except for the marble-bodied Mumei-chan, who couldn't believe her eyes. It helped that she had met her before, so she didn't think she was weird for setting something like this up.

"I... I actually don't know if you couldn't." Mumei-chan said, smiling as she looked around. "But it kinda looks like you're not going to get a lot of votes. I bet most of them are going to vote for the current President."

Neoheim nodded. "I expected as much. However, that will not deter me. I will try my best to appeal to their needs and their tastes. And then make them true, should they choose to vote for me." She explained, her eyes almost dazzling with how clever of a plan this was. Sometimes, she was just as absurd as her Father...

"Well, you've got my vote, Neo!"

The red-haired draco-bot smiled as she held out a metallic can with a big H on the side of it, letting Mumei-chan drop her vote into it. Before blinking a little as she noticed the girl's expression shift slightly. "Is something the matter, Mumei-chan?"

"A-Ah. Right." Yeah. Truth be told, she was a little worried. Not because of Neoheim, but... "S-Say, you wouldn't happen to have seen that... Uhhh... The Mikai-like? You know, the one from back then. You're... You're friends with her, aren't you?"

Neoheim nodded. "...I have. But I cannot tell you where the Young One is. If I did, she would have my head." Her own expression now carried one that mixed together a bit of sadness with one of hope. Because she had her expectations for the Young One. Hopefully, they will come to pass.

Mumei-chan frowned a little, but nodded in turn. Friends didn't rat out friends. Yeah, that made sense... "...Is she planning anything bad like that again?"

This made Neoheim tilt her head. "...Why do you wish to know, Mumei-chan?" It didn't make sense to her. Mumei-chan was just another girl. Just another inhabitant of this world. Why would she like to know what was going on with the Young One?

"It's just... Y'know, she did all of that, but you don't just go and declare yourself Mikai because you've got a bone to pick with her." She explained, pushing her fingertips together. "I just kinda wanna try and talk to her. Maybe I can help her understand there's nothing wrong with not being Mikai. E...Ehehe.."

An absurd line of thinking. If she referenced her files on this kind of behavior correctly, one might even call it a form of... 'Brainworms'. However, perhaps the Young One could use a push from a girl like her. After all, the girl had an important role in pushing Mikai forward as well, did she not?

"...I would not recommend seeking her out." Neoheim concluded, before smiling slightly. "But I hope you succeed in getting through to her, Mumei-chan."

The marble-colored puppy girl giggled and nodded. With any luck, she really could get through to the girl. She just had to hope for the best...

Once Mumei-chan departed, however...

"Say, Draco-bot. You seen the Golden Gal around?"

The blonde that approached her stall next was... Bison... No, that was not her designation while she wore those glasses and that uniform.

"Claudia Springs. I have not seen this 'Golden Girl'. Are you here to vote?" She asked. Frankly, she was a little upset her Father's shenanigans had led to her not facing off against her. That day would come later...

Claudia laughed as she popped a vote in. "Sure. I gotta have a talk with her, so you can have my vote instead." She chimed, patting the red-haired dragon-bot on the head. "If ya see her, find me fast, 'kay?"

Neoheim did not understand exactly how this member of this... 'Golden Freedom' organization operated. But she definitely made it impossible to ignore her, with the way that she carried herself...

And once she left, murmuring began to echo around the stall. As many more eyes gradually drifted towards the stall...

...

Had she just given her a hand in this Election..?

Such a strange woman…

—

"YOU FUCKING IDIOT!"

The loud sound of the hallway wall caving echoed out, but thankfully nobody came by to try and figure out what was causing all that noise.

Leaving Hayato to quietly pull himself out of the crater in the wall, one he found himself in as a result of a certain friend of his expressing her complete and utter disbelief at how stupid he could be.

"I didn't even tell you the full details of what I wanted to talk about..." He muttered, dusting himself off after the blow. He could feel his head ringing, but he didn't do anything to stop it. Frankly, he deserved what just happened to him...

The girl who tossed him into the wall with one punch launched another, the shockwave that flew past him as she stopped it right in front of his bruised face, very nearly knocking him back on his ass...

"I didn't need to know. You wrote that you had gotten a message from Ero's Mom. And you needed advice. INSTEAD OF GOING TO THE WOMAN'S DAMN DAUGHTER? DON'T YOU KNOW BETTER?!"

This was one of the reasons why the girl was one of Hayato's closest friends, even if he tried his best to keep to himself given the nature of his work. Kei Ushigoro, true to her nature as a cow, didn't hold anything back once she was angry. And she had every damn reason to be angry with the way that he was acting...

"What the hell was I supposed to tell her!? That her mom's heading off to sacrifice herself and I don't know where the fuck she could be?!" Hayato shouted back, his own emotions riled up after that blow. He knew that it was what he had to do, but...

The cow-haired student grit her teeth, adjusting the bindings that were supposed to keep her breasts pinned against her chest so they didn't get in the way. Only to notice that they had snapped from how much she threw into that punch, turning her anger back towards her friend. "You were just going to leave her in the dark when you knew? I knew you were an idiot because of what you got up to, Hayato, but this takes the cake!"

"And watch her deteriorate because she can't find her?! You want me to put her on a blind goose chase, not knowing if she'll make it in time!?"

"IT'D BE BETTER THAN HER FINDING OUT AFTER IT'S TOO LATE! WHAT DO YOU THINK SHE'LL DO WHEN SHE REALIZES YOU KEPT THAT FROM HER?!"

While his two friends argued, the brown-haired Kotaro Kaeshi watched from the sidelines with a small bucket of popcorn. All while kicking his legs back and forth, this was much more fun than being forced into being a Jõtaijin...

"I'D RATHER HER BE ANGRY AT ME THAN ANGRY AT HERSELF FOR NOT BEING ABLE TO SAVE HER! IT'S BECAUSE I COULDN'T DO ANYTHING TO STOP MY MOM FROM BECOMING A HOUSEPLANT THAT I ENDED UP LIKE THIS!"

Once again, a fist flew at Hayato's face. One that he met with his own fist, the sheer potency of that clash being enough to strip their arms bare...

Kei grinned a little, her frustration giving way to smug confidence. "And where'd you end up? Come on. You know where." God, she was insufferable when she started getting confi... dent...

The realization slowly dawned on Hayato. If not for this powerlessness, he would never have met Ero. Because he did what he could to prevent that tragedy from ever happening again, the two of them ended up as partners. And here he was. Foolishly trying to keep her out of it because he'd rather have her be angry at him than end up with that same feeling...

When in reality, it was that feeling of desperation that drove him to the point where he actually managed to beat Neoheim back when she controlled Ero. It was in his darkest hour that he managed to make a miracle happen...

"There's that look of introspection. You hate it in the moment, but you always find a way to turn it around." Kei grinned, flicking her hand as she could feel her knuckles screaming out in pain. "You've gotten strong, Hayato. Just use this strength a bit better instead of being a punk-ass bitch who thinks too much before he acts, got it?"

Hayato nodded, his own fist aching from the clash. But he'd work past the pain. He had to. He just had to make sure he could find Ero in time. If he poured everything into this search, they'd find her before Lady Hopper'd have her life snuffed out.

"Thanks, Kei. Always appreciate the concussion." He shot back with a smug yet grateful smile, as he ran off to find his partner before it was too late.

Kotaro chuckled as his multi-haired friend ran off, the former Derriere Devotee grinding his less bubbly butt against the seat. "Sooooooo. Wanna bet something terrible's going to happen, Kei?"

"Duh." His cow friend replied, redoing her bindings as she kept an eye on her best friend, still able to see him in the distance. "Today's Election. We'd better get ready, wouldn't want to be caught off guard if something does happen."

Kotaro saluted, giggling as the thoughts of what might happen bubbled their way through his mind...

—

"A rose for you, beautiful."

Yua Hokori, the former Pawn whose Pawn Syndrome caused her to erupt into a Queen Pawn, blushed as she was suddenly offered a rose by a rather handsome looking older girl in a variation of the standard uniform. This one looked more like a suit, one that perfectly fit that half-mask that decorated her face and complimented her deep scarlet hair perfectly. God, she could just lose herself in that pretty gaze...

"I-I... U-Uhm, t-thank you." It's not that Yua was shy over getting a rose from a stranger. In fact, she could still remember how eager she was to obey anybody that had the right kind of approach to sweeping her off her feet. It's just that she had never seen this girl before. Even if she kind of reminded her of somebody. Somebody a bit older...

The masked girl smiled as she blew a kiss at the shorter girl, a heart dancing along her fingertips as it bounced towards the girl...

Only to be pierced by a thin prismatic rapier, causing the masked girl to raise her exposed eyebrow in turn. All while she came face to face with the submissive and perverse green-haired girl's sister...

"Ahhh. The esteemed Akemi Hokori. Did I cross a line in trying to hit on your darling sister?" The masked girl chimed, gently bowing before a fellow appreciator of the stage...

The redheaded Stage Girl and former Jõtaijin held her rapier in front of her, a confident look split down the middle as you could almost see a bit of scorn in one eye. "I do not recognize you, Masked Performer. However, your energy concerns me. Do leave my sister alone, I wouldn't want the two of us to come to blows. I doubt this is the stage you wish to share with me either."

Always so serious and devoted to her craft. It almost made Yua swoon over her own dear sister, though she knew she couldn't get that depraved. Ah well, she could still slink behind her as if she was playing the part of a scared girl who couldn't help but feel her heart throb for the mysterious masked thief of the heart...

"Indeed, indeed. Very well. I shall take my leave." The suited student(?) bowed once again, before quietly walking away. Humming a familiar tune to herself. Some sort of fantastical melody...

Akemi shook her head. What a strange individual, departing the stage with a single push like that. Somebody she definitely needed to keep her eye out for... "Yua, call upon me the moment you see them again. Failing that, call the Jõtaiders."

"Ehe, got it. Maybe they'll tell me to stay out of the way, maybe even order me, ehehehe..." Yua giggled, a naughty bit of drool running down the perverse girl's chin...

Prompting her redheaded sister to simply sigh and shake her head. As much as she loved her dear sister, she was a handful...

But should push come to shove, she'd personally be there to save her from this stranger...

—

"So, uh... You managed to tie the knot with your Kouhai, huh?"

Tsubasa blinked. He had just been off to vote for the Election, and he managed to stumble his way upon another duet like him and Momiji.

Mina Magatsu and Rika Nitta. Formerly Glory Chaser and Cheer Champ, the two still had access to their powers after Haruhi's faction returned their Jõtai Factors to them. Well, more so Hayato given he wasn't a fan of how everything went down, but...

"Y-Yeah. Yeah, I did." Tsubasa smiled as he scratched the back of his head. "I'm, uh, thinking of going on a date later this week! M-Maybe take her to the local amusement park, the sun's finally starting to come out more. If that doesn't pan out, then maybe to the arcade. I'm sure she'll be able to kick my butt if she tries hard enough!"

He really never expected to be in love like this. Especially with somebody like Momiji. He honestly had something to thank D'Or and the rest of Golden Freedom for, given it had led to Momiji becoming the weapon he wielded in emergencies. Which was how the two of them were able to grow closer too...

Mina, for her part, didn't ever expect a nerd like Tsubasa to get it. But the fact that he had managed to go a step further was what had encouraged her to try it herself. Which was why she was currently holding Rika's hand, the bigger and stronger girl smiling as she stood at her side...

"Have you gone any further than that, Tsubasa?"

Rika, however, was perhaps a bit further minded than either her nervous tomboy of a partner or the nerd that had managed to make his dream come true in his own way. Leaving both Mina and Tsubasa to gasp stunnedly at how brazen the question was.

"I-I... N-No, not yet. I, uhm..." Tsubasa muttered, his slight confidence draining from his face as he went pale. "I... I don't want to chance anything until we've both graduated..."

Yeah. Yeah, that made sense... Mina didn't blame him for wanting to take it slow, given how things kept on going crazy in Mimoto...

"Rika, you can't just ask somebody if they've done that. I know getting bigger helped you with your confidence, but-"

Mina's attempt at lecturing her partner resulted in the bigger girl pulling her into her arms and kissing her right on those adorable tough lips, the tanned tomboy's mental faculties taking a break in response as she practically melted in those arms...

"It's fine, Mina. He can't be like us. You know that."

Tsubasa's color returned in the form of one huge red blush as the tall and muscular cheerleader winked at him. She... She was joking, right? They weren't... Oh, oh god, they were, weren't they.

"R-Right, sorry, gotta go!" The soft nerd cried out as he ran like hell, hoping not to think about what the two of them were like behind closed doors. No, no no no, bad brain, don't think about big buff cheerleaders and what they did to tough tomboys aaaaaAAAAAAAAA

A soft giggle echoed out as the door to a nearby classroom opened the moment Tsubasa ran off, revealing a pink-haired gal wearing a black and pink frilly dress that made her look absolutely adorable, despite the fact she was far, far taller than she probably should be. Especially when paired with her equally frilly pink parasol...

"My my, what a delectable little treat you showed me." The pink-haired stranger chimed, winking towards Rika as she slowly walked away. "Let's see if I can't find more delightful love like that to chew on..."

The dark-haired cheerleader blinked a little as the stranger departed. Love to chew on? Huh, what a strange thing to say. Then again, love could take a lot of different forms...

"Miiina. We might need to get ready. If that girl's somebody that'll do bad things, then we need to..." She tried to talk her partner into getting ready, but one good look at her told her everything...

She was out cold from all the teasing, prompting the bigger girl to sigh as she went into the classroom that just opened, closing the door behind her.

Time to rejuvenate her beloved, just in case things needed her to seek glory...

—

"Excuse me. Have you seen my love?"

Azami Mizutani, the former Jõtaijin that had turned Saeko and Yuuki into Youkai with how she had gotten them drunk, blinked a little as a rather ghastly looking goth approached her. She almost looked more like a ghost than a person, especially with how thick and dreary that black dress was. In fact, she almost felt like her life was being sucked out of her if she looked at her a little too long...

"Sorry, don't think I know somebody that loves a girl like you." Azami said, before blinking and realizing how she put her foot in her mouth. "I-I mean, it's not like you're not attractive, girlie, it's just that the kinda gals I'm around are more into lively girls! I'm sure your love's a real charmer, real into goth gals like you!"

The dress-clad girl didn't react much to this outburst. Simply sighing as the click of her heels echoed through the halls, walking away to try and find her dear love...

"Geez. I show up just to go vote for anybody but that cranky gal Saki, and I suddenly get attacked by a ghost gal." She muttered, the deadly shivers rubbing against her body. The grey-haired gal almost looked more like a droll with how little she moved her body, and the way she just wandered off made her feel awfully dreamlike too...

"She's empty."

Azami could feel her heart nearly bouncing out of her chest as her much shorter senpai suddenly appeared at her side. "S-Since when were you watchin', Yu? And whatcha mean empty, like that Mikai gal was empty, or somethin' else?"

"I was at your side all along. You just didn't see me because of those things hanging from your chest." The short shrine twink and former Jötaijin said, his geisha-like makeup remaining after his stint as a Jõtaijin thanks to how peaceful his time as one had been. And because it felt comfortable, the paint on his oni bod really served to stimulate him in a way that nothing else could.

His much larger oni partner pouted, her chest wasn't that big. He was just that small. Like, somehow one of the smallest in the entire damn city...

"As for what I mean... She's incomplete. And much like her, I feel other presences around this school with the same empty energy. Somebody is trying to put their creations to the test, would be my assumption based on what I've been able to detect." He explained, before gazing up at his companion. "I do not believe that she or the others like her will do any harm. However, it may be prudent for us to keep an eye out. For all we know, it could be some sort of deceptive measure. A blanket of wool being pulled over our eyes so we don't suspect what might actually be at play."

Azami nodded, scratching the back of her head slightly. She was way, way too sober for this. She'd need a drink if things were going to turn ugly...

And one to deal with any pests that might come their way, should her Senpai's gut feeling come true...

—

"You're absolutely sure she can actually do this? She's not even a student at this school for goodness sake, Rose! Are you really going to let some stranger walk up and try to become the new representative of all our students, just because she thought it'd be a fun thing to do?"

Katsuo Maki was more than a little incensed. The strange young girl that almost looked like a dead ringer for the current Student President was winning a lot of votes after coming out of nowhere. It's not that he had an issue with her winning per say, just that there was a real danger if she wasn't a student. And the fact she wasn't one should mean she was disqualified in the first place!

Principal Rose nodded along as he complained, before quietly pulling out a set of transfer papers. "Fortunately, that's all been squared away. Even if I have seen much better handwriting in my day." The blonde woman remarked, pushing up her glasses as she did her best to ignore the rather loud fonts that were scribbled onto the forms.

The older teacher took a look at the forms, his heart sinking as he went through what was being written. Before his heart returned to a state of calm as he read the last few lines. "'Please take good care of my daughter Neoheim, this world has done wonders for her development. Let her become a wonderful Overlord once she graduates! Ha ha, signed, Overlord Helheim.'. This kind of pride..."

He was tearing up a little. His misconceptions were blown away, and he quietly hung his head. "My condolences, Principal. I have a few things to arrange, regardless of who wins today's election." Once again, he had been so short sighted. Just as when he ended up against the students he was supposed to be serving. He had to make sure this new one was welcomed appropriately.

Because if he were to let a fellow Father down when he genuinely put his hopes in him and the rest of Mimoto Highschool to raise his girl, even if it was only for a short while, he would never be able to live it down!

Rose chuckled. "He really does miss you, you know." She spoke aloud, quietly turning towards the corner of her room after she was sure that he was far enough away so that he couldn't possibly hear who she was talking to. "You sure you don't want to go back to him yet?"

"Juuuust biding my time a little longer. I'm just happy to see my old Pops still. Gosh, it's like he hasn't aged a day!"

The corner quietly took on a soft pink-purple hue, as a blonde girl became visible. Smiling as she slowly got up from her hiding spot, sauntering towards the Principal that had been so kind as to not reveal her presence.

"By the way, there was something I'd like to get ahold of before I go. You have her research, don't you? The stuff that led to the development of that thing Hiro uses to transform."

Natsuki Maki. How she had found out about Rose's ties was... Well, it wasn't difficult at all. But the fact she still had abilities after everything that happened with the Native Awakening... It shouldn't be possible. But then again, there were so many impossible things that had happened ever since that day Rose first clashed with Tsukiko all that time ago...

"What do you need it for, exactly? Not that I think you'll turn it over to the company you once worked for." Rose asked, digging into her drawers to find what she had been asked for. Should be in here somewhere...

A wink from the blonde Native was all that she got. Very well, the two of them were just going to have to share this secret for the time being.

As long as this didn't lead to yet another Jõtaider running around, then she could go announce the winner of the Election without losing sleep.

...

God, if another Jõtaider became real, she might actually have to get her wife to host a bargain sale in case they needed to turn against all those suited girls...

—

"That's literally an armor walking around in a maid uniform. You can't just do that. She doesn't even have her head on!"

"'cuz I got it. And what, is there something wrong with an armor being a maid?"

"What ISN'T wrong with an armor being a maid!? She can't even use her feminine wiles to get what she wants!"

"If you're so keen on wanting to be a better example, why don't you try and be a maid?"

The bespectacled nuisance clammed up after that, pushing her glasses up the bridge of her nose as she tried not to think about the wolf girl and the literal living armor currently working overtime alongside all the other maids that were in the halls of the school.

It was one thing for Ichika Dekako, former Jõtaijin Tithoth, to have to deal with the fact her idol had turned her into a goon. It was another to find that the very same girl was currently absent from the Election that she was supposed to be winning handily thanks to everything she had done for the school.

It was an entirely different thing to end up having to deal with a bunch of stupid maids! Who in their right mind thought it was a good idea to hire a bunch of maids to cater to a... oh. Right. Yeah. The catering after the election.

Ichika slumped over as she tried to walk off, only to end up bumping her face straight into the soft yet rugged belly of the maids' Mistress, causing her to roll her eyes as she slowly pulled herself back up. "Ain't in the mood for you, Anemone."

"The least you could do is apologize to my girls." Agatha glared, fury building in her eyes as she shot a glance at both of the Hels that she had employed.

Despite how they had gotten off on the wrong foot, these two girls were doing their best to make up for their problems. Them and all the maids that she had gotten back from her idiotic nuisance of a Mother. She wasn't about to let some boob-brained bitch like Ichika stomp all over them just because she was getting upset.

Not that it seemed like they really minded the harassment... They basically saw it as a child throwing a temper tantrum and shrugged their shoulders.

"Whatever. Why are you even here? You lost faith in Himitsu-senpai, didn't you? You kicked her ass after she tried to prove herself better than you, and now you think you really are better just because you beat her? That's what the rumors say-"

Agatha glared straight into Ichika's eyes again. Which distracted the breastacular girl from noticing that her hair almost seemed to move in response to that very same anger. "I taught her a lesson. Because she was getting obsessed with trying to be more than she really was. And then she asked ME to help save her. Even if I'm disappointed in her actions, she was trying to get better."

Ichika could feel the pressure of her glare, prompting the tanuki to let out a gasp as her natural Monster Ability kicked in, causing her to turn into a much shorter girl, one still as stacked as ever, before running off from the fear that Agatha filled her with...

"If you really believed in her, you'd be defending your vote for her. Even if she had been a stupid idiot." Agatha muttered, looking at the scrap of paper in her hand. She was voting for Saki, even after everything. Because she believed in what she had seen when she was at her weakest...

"Oi! Anemone!"

Agatha blinked as a redheaded woman ran towards her. Right, still had to get used to the fact Aimi matured into a bonafide matriarch with her own transformation. Something that was only emphasized by the rather large breasted mouse-like girl currently riding on her shoulder.

"Sasaki. And... Osoregi, I think it was? What happened to... Never mind, not going to ask." The last thing she wanted to think about was more tits, and it was clear that the short girl still wasn't used to how she had ended up after her own stint as a Jõtaijin. "Any sight of the girl of the hour? You'd think she'd be trying to campaign like that Neo girl, but I haven't been able to find her."

"I haven't seen her. But Nezu here? She's got a better pair of eyes than I do. And that's with the glasses she's stuck with too." Aimi grinned, sticking her arm out slightly so Nezu could get back down from her shoulder by sliding down it.

The white-haired short girl, who was still reeling from being both turned into a Jõtaijin and one of Helheim's minions last week, nodded as she pulled out a little camera she had brought. "I didn't want to chase after her in case something went real bad, but I managed to get a photo. And, uh..."

She turned it towards Agatha, who couldn't help but grimace. That was a picture of Saki alright, but the way she was walking felt a lot more stalwart. Like she was heading towards some sort of destination, striding forward with little regard for anything else...

Not only that, but it almost looked like something was trying to pour off her. That couldn't be good. And even if she was strong, there was still a good chance things could go terribly wrong...

"Thanks, you two. Try and find a place where you could be safe if something goes wrong. I'll get Mikai." Agatha didn't like relying on Mikai, especially now that she had her own power. But Saki was one of the strongest in the school. And if she was this committed, instead of flaking like she did in her fight...

Her gaze turned to both of the Hels in her employ, calling out to them. "Fen! Jor!" Immediately, the two maids saluted, prompting Agatha to grin.

Even if she wasn't strong enough on her own, she was going to do what she could to back up Mikai when the time came!

—

"Wait, you haven't seen her anywhere? You were here first, and she's just not been here?"

"That's what I've been saying, yes. I'm... I'm really worried, actually."

Yuuki scratched the back of her head. She, the bespectacled girl in front of her, and the girl of the hour, as well as Mikai and Yumeko had been fused together in a way just yesterday. And yet here, on the one day she actually imagined Saki would show up and try and prove that she still had what it took, especially after that pep-talk with her Grandpa, and she's just not there. It was more than a little concerning.

Saeko didn't know what to think either. She had honestly hoped that Saki would make her way to the school after she woke up and noticed that the door leading out to the porch was open, but the fact she hadn't seen her both on the way to school and in the school itself... It made her worry more than she'd like to admit. Especially since she had just tried her best to cheer her up the day before...

"Damn, where could she be? Think she's still sleeping in-"

"Unfortunately, she's not."

Just as Yuuki's about to float the idea that Saki might be staying behind out of fear or something, Minami wheeled in. With a bit of a concerned expression of her own, which didn't bode well...

"Great, if she's not at home- wait, you sleep in the same house as them?" Yuuki was just about to get lost in how she might be able to find Saki, only to realize what Minami was implying by knowing that Saki wasn't staying at home.

Saeko and Minami nodded, a cheeky smile on Minami's face. "What's the matter, Yuuki? Think I'm stealing away the girls you love so much?" She chimed, the tension in the air being swallowed whole thanks to the way she spoke...

"Real funny. If anybody's stealing any girls, it'd be Mikai. Just don't end up biting off more than you can chew, Minami, wouldn't want you to end up having to deal with that much." Yuuki brushed the attempted teasing aside, before her mind started to heat up again. "Alright, so if she's not at home, and we couldn't find her, and she seemed to leave the door open..."

"Kidnapping by the Darkness?" Saeko floated the idea, before shaking her head. "Things would've gone south much faster if they had managed to get their hands on her. Especially if it was that Lumiel guy..."

"And Mikai would've woken up and saved her." Minami added, wheeling over to the tea that had been prepared for her. Seems like the trance she put Saeko under all these years ago was still going strong. That, or she was simply that good of a girl. Either way, calming tea for her...

Yuuki scratched the back of her head again, fire and ice starting to swirl around her in equal measures. There was something crucial to this she was missing. Something that could...

Her eyes widened as it clicked into place, like she finally managed to make that damn sliding puzzle make sense. "That other Saki. The one we got you to headbutt just a few weeks ago. Could she-"

Just as she spoke, bright light flooded its way into the Student Council's meeting room. And the burning sound of the sun echoed through their ears, emphasized only by the stalwart click of those familiar heels...

"There you are. I've been looking for you."

It was bright. So, so damn bright. So damn bright that Yuuki had to quickly craft a pair of icy shades to try and block the bright light, but even that wasn't enough, which meant she had to cover part of her face to not get burnt by the bright light. And the other two...

Well, the way they were being stunned by this bright, incinerating light said everything. Damnit, why'd she have to go and get herself taken over now of all days!?

"S-Saki! Fight back! This isn't you! You're not like this!" Saeko cried out, but all she could do was cover her eyes. She couldn't see a thing, all she could do was hope...

Sole Hero glared in the direction of the lavender-haired girl. She didn't understand a thing. No matter. She would be safe before long. Out of the three members of the council besides her, she was the only one who couldn't put up a fight. Not after losing her abilities as Spider...

"Damnit, Saki- No, I got a better name for you! Sole Hero, that's what you think you are! Let go of my best friend and stop giving her such a damn headache!"

Yuuki roared as she ignored the burning, blinding light in front of her. Even if it melted her ice and her sight, she still had the flames of her PASSION! They'd carry her to victory!

Sole Hero shot a glance towards the passion-filled girl. Even with everything bearing down on her, she'd still fight. Which was why she needed to be protected. Because if she kept up this self-destructive effort, she'd burn herself out far faster. This was not something she could accept.

"Hate to break it to you, Black n' Gold. But you're not my Golden Girl. So I hope you don't mind a little injection, should make you go away and get her back to us."

Minami was just as eager to try and fight against what she was naturally weak against, using her slithery body once transformed into Ouroboros to easily avoid the full brunt of the light bearing down on her, all so she could get close enough to stab her with her pointed tail.

Leaving the black-and-gold armored Kanzei to glare in her direction. Minami was the type of girl who was too clever for her own good. The kind who would play with forces beyond her understanding and bring everyone down with her. She couldn't allow that. She couldn't allow her to go down such a path.

"Rejection."

Sole Hero's voice boomed, as her power manifested in a different manner than before. From the cracks in her armor, the light that was blinding the girls poured forth even stronger. This time, wrapping themselves around the two girls in the form of barriers they got trapped inside. Not only that, but thanks to how they had been blinded... They couldn't see it until it was too late, resulting in them ramming head first into the barriers they had been trapped inside.

The light slowly died down, thanks to how it was being used to trap the two members of the Student Council. Leaving Saeko to weakly remove her hands from her face, peering straight ahead at Sole Hero and the two girls that were trapped within their shiny cages... "Yuuki! Minami!"

"Damnit, Sole! Let me out of here and let me kick your butt for being such a pain!" Yuuki cried out, trying to both spear the barrier with her ice and burn it to cinders with her PASSION, neither of which having much effect despite how much she was pouring into it. Damnit, was she really that weak after all!?

Unlike Saeko and Yuuki, Minami took a moment to properly understand what she was looking at. The barrier was part of this... Sole Hero's body, which meant that even if her attack couldn't make it through...

"You shouldn't be letting me into your system in any way, 'hero'." Minami grinned underneath her helmet, the venom at the tip of her tail starting to grow thicker and thicker. "Let's see how you handle a little bit of poison. This kind'll be a blast, even more than usual."

Sole Hero turned her gaze towards Minami. She was trying to blow her up. Once again, too clever for her own good. This was why she needed to strip her of her ability to fight. To imprison her and keep her safe.

And yet... If she did that...

The other Kanzei shook her head as she clenched her fist. No. She knew how to deal with this. Even if she didn't like it. She raised her hand to her chest, and glared in the direction of Minami's barrier.

"Bind. Decree."

Minami's eyes widened as the barrier around her compressed further and further, with more light shooting out from the cracks in that armor. Pulling her towards the armored girl, the sinking realization slowly creeping in...

But it was too late. She was pulled all the way inside, the sound of a weapon being dipped into a cold bath echoing out through the room as the two other girls were forced to confront what had just happened...

"You... What in the world did you do to her!?" Yuuki cried out, slamming her fists against the barrier. Even if she wasn't strong enough to destroy it, she wasn't going to stop trying. Not after what she just saw!

Sole Hero's gaze turned back towards Yuuki. If she kept pushing herself, it would just get worse. She would break herself before she'd break free. She couldn't allow that. Never again.

"Bind. Decree."

Yuuki let out a scream of frustration as her own barrier compressed further and further, shrinking her as she was pulled towards that body. She couldn't do a damn thing to fight back, and that was much worse than the pain smashing through her..!

"DAMNIIIIIIT!"

Another swallowed by the armor. Another weapon quenched in the infinite void that was the inside of Sole Hero's very existence. Leaving her to turn back towards the one girl that was hopeless to fight against her...

Saeko could feel the heart beating through her chest. She was weak. Helpless. Defenseless against something like this. Even so... Even in this darkest hour, she couldn't let herself get discouraged..!

"Saki..! Saki! You have to be in there! You have to listen to me! Please! Please wake up! I don't want to see you hurt people again!"

Her words... Her words had reached Saki before. Even if she couldn't fight as well as the others, she wanted to reach her. She wanted to make her understand..! Please, it had to work...

Sole Hero stopped. And quietly brushed her hand past her helmet, revealing her stalwart expression, and the black hue that her hair had taken on...

As well as the cracks in her very face, light trying to break free. The light that she represented, the light that would burn everything and protect everything at the same time...

"I can hear you, Saeko." It wasn't Saki's voice. It was her face, but it was clearly not the voice of the girl she had believed in all those years ago. It was a frightened voice, trying to hide itself behind such a bright light... "Just give up. And let me protect-"

Sole Hero's words were cut off by a shot of webbing from Saeko's fingers. Tears running down her cheeks as she glared into her eyes. "You don't want this. You don't! Why do you do it!? Stop, please! Let Saki go!" She wasn't going to fall for these tricks. She wasn't..!

Sole Hero closed her eyes. Allowing the light bursting forth from her body to reform her helmet, letting her materialize the cane in her hands...

"Rejection. Bind. Decree."

The light burned away the thread that Saeko tried to shoot at her. The light wrapped around her like it had done to her friends, pulling her in. No matter what she tried to do, she wouldn't break free...

Saeko... She didn't do anything. All she did was glare at the girl within the armor. The girl who wasn't the brave girl that she had tried to empower that day. The brave girl had been buried under nothing but layers upon layers of self-destructive fear...

All she could hope for, as she was quenched within the darkness of the Sole Hero...

Was for Mikai and Yumeko to make Saki open her eyes, and look past the light of fear that blinded her...

—

"Everyone. Please. I know you're worried, but we must continue."

The fated hour had arrived. The moment where the crowd would make one last vote for their preferred President, hoping to tip the scales in the favor of the one that was meant to be.

However, as Principal Rose addressed the crowd... There was still not a single sign of the current President. Saki Himitsu, the girl that had done so much for the students at Mimoto Highschool, was nowhere to be found. A crisis to be certain, and yet...

She couldn't let the process be stalled for much longer. After all, the girl was still a student. If she had skipped school because she didn't feel she was confident, then that was just how things were going to go. She'd have to find her after school was over, of course. She still owed her that much as a part of Golden Freedom...

Murmuring and whispering kept on filtering through the crowd. None of them were too pleased with how this was turning out. Some more excited than ever to finally get rid of a girl they weren't fond of, but they were heavily contrasted with everyone else...

Rose had to do something to calm the crowd. But as much as she wanted to use her own powers, now wasn't the time...

"Principal. I can take the stage."

Neoheim, the new candidate, spoke up. Rose threw her a glance, eyebrow raised in confusion. Yet at the same time, this show of initiative...

Maybe there was some merit to her trying to build a voterbase after all. Very well, if the girl wanted to try and appeal to the hearts and minds of her fellow youths, who was she to stop her?

"You have the stage, Neoheim."

The redheaded dracobot nodded, as she stepped up to the podium. Clearing her throat as she stood there with all eyes on her.

If she was like Lord Lumiel, she could take advantage of all these eyes on her. Spread her virus and make them her minions. Hers to use and abuse as she wished. Perhaps even use it to challenge the Golden Girl directly, and prove that even if she had been copied from her originally, she had now become something more.

However. She was not like Lord Lumiel. She had learned so much over this last period. Initially, it was in the pursuit of learning how she might be able to give the Young One another chance. Something to cling to besides Lady Cepha who had rejected her. And thus...

"...I am aware that you no doubt look upon me as a stranger. An invader, of sorts. Given my connection to my Father, and what we did during the Near-Luna Descent." She began, closing her eyes as she quietly spread her wings. She wasn't going to hide who she was, nor was she going to hide what her intent was.

"However. I have been living among you for some time now. Understanding what it means to be. Understanding what it is that makes you all push forward. I want to make that part of me just as much as I want to see those parts of you push you further."

"Joy. Anger. Ambition. Perhaps even something along the lines of Lust, though I still do not understand its significance compared to the others. However, there is but one emotion that I've been nurturing more than any other."

All eyes were on her. She could see it. They were captivated. Captivated by this strange dracobot that had shown up just to try and become a Student and their Student President in turn...

Neoheim smiled. Yes. She had done the right thing. Just as she thought she had.

"Love. Love is what I've been searching for. And Love is what I've been learning from all of you. For that reason, I wish to be a Student President that can observe you all, and try to help you bring your Love to fruition."

The stranger from the Darkness bowed her head. Before slowly pulling back up to show the crowd her earnest, loving smile for the very first time. One that she could only wear because of what she had seen...

"Thank you all. I hope you will choose me."

A round of applause went out as Neoheim stepped back from the podium. Regardless if she ended up with the position or not, she was delighted to have made such an impression on the students. Father was going to be very proud of her...

Principal Rose smiled a little as well at how this had turned out. Well, she never expected somebody from the Darkness to be so forthcoming and genuine. And unlike Lumiel, she was honest about it all. Perhaps she really could take Saki's place, at least here at the school. Charlotta probably wasn't going to let her join Golden Freedom, not that the offer was even something in the Principal's mind...

Still, there was no sign at all of the aforementioned Saki. Just where was she-

A blinding light started to brightly shine through the entire hall, causing the entire crowd that had gathered there to vote for their President to panic in an instant... Until the blinding light burned away the resistance of those that saw it, quieting the crowd down...

Leaving them all peering towards the sole thing they could see. The black-haired visage of their Student President, clad in that blackened golden armor she had donned since the moment she made her mind up...

"Students of Mimoto Highschool. I will keep you safe. Never again shall you be hurt. Never again shall you ever be put at the risk of being harmed. You will remain safe and sound, as long as you remain blessed by I, Kanzei." She spoke, before quietly pausing and looking at her body.

This armor that made up her form could not take much more. No matter. She had no reason to hold back. From today on, she would protect everyone. "No. No longer will I don that name. Never again will that name besmirch what I truly am!"

As the Student President roared, more parts of her armor cracked. Making more and more flames rush out of the sun that made up the core of her body. All while forming a ring behind her, one that shone despite the cracks within it...

"I AM BROKEN SUN! AND MY LIGHT SHALL PROTECT YOU ALL!"

As the light shone upon the students that had gathered in the hall, one by one they started to cook within the Broken Sun's rays. Slowly but surely losing their wills and whims, so they could remain protected...

At least, that was the plan. Until a storm of bats flooded the hall, each latching onto one of the students and forcing them away, sending the crowd running bit by bit...

Leading Broken Sun to peer towards the culprit. "Bat. Do not stand against me. I aim to protect you and D'Or just the same. Why can't you see?" None of them understood. All so painfully naive, thinking they could really stand against her and stop her...

"I can see. I can see the girl we took in falling down a path of deep despair." Principal Rose replied, her body turning into bats as one of them latched onto the stunned form of Neoheim, who was no less immune to all this bright mesmerizing light as the rest of the students she tried to appeal to.

"Try as you might, Saki. This will not make your pain stop."

With that, the transformed Baroness Bat vanished with most of the students she had managed to latch onto. Giving Broken Sun more than enough work to go through before her goal reached its natural conclusion...

"...I wish not to use them. But they are what I need right now..."

As she spoke, the Broken Sun that embodied her finally cast a dark shadow on the ground below. One that almost looked like the same sort of dark pool that Saki would normally use to call upon her chains…

Three figures rose from the shadowed pool, the single source of darkness emitted by the Broken Sun herself. Three awfully familiar figures to anybody in the hall, striking fear specifically because of their changed forms...

"Sink deep into devotion with me, let it swallow you whole as you deny reality with Denile..."

At Broken Sun's left flowed the mesmerizing Denile, a converted Yuuki whose skin had turned tan from how badly she had been scorched within the sole hero. Her body completely bare, only kept modest by her incredibly elongated hair, flowing like the river she was named after. Spiraling around her more and more, giving an exotic and erotic feel, one that had come to be expected from Saki's imagination...

"Let yourselves be shut away. That is the judgment deemed appropriate for you by Atombis."

In front of her stood the converted form of Saeko, her meek yet defiant form converted into one completely devoted to the sole hero. With the Broken Sun shining on her, she now looked more like a living sarcophagus, one explicitly more sensually curved to match her new dog-like form. She was frankly one step away from looking like another form for Kanzei herself to take, only she was lacking a proper host. One that she would no doubt find amongst the stunned crowd...

"Present your heads for your Goddess. Any defiance will be judged by her Khopesh."

To her right stood what looked to be Ouroboros, however she had taken on a gilded color scheme to match that of her Goddess. Not only that, but the voice that echoed out seemed to be coming from the exotic blades growing from her forearms, as if Minami herself had become the weapon she claimed to be. Not that she had an issue with being a weapon for her Goddess. She would cut down the infidels, should it become a necessity...

Broken Sun gazed upon her three heralds. She did not wish to use them like this. She truly didn’t. She wished that she could just keep them inside and protect them. But if she wanted all the students in one place, their obedience and power was necessary…

“Do not come to harm. The moment you find yourself in combat, bring them here. I will make them mine.”

Each of her three personalized Jõtaijin bowed before their Goddess, as each then departed in their own way. Denile turning into a flowing river that splashed her way out of the hall. Atombis sinking into the floor below, hellbent on emerging where she needed to so she could convert and protect those that her Goddess wanted. And Khopesh turning into a proper serpent, slithering through the nooks and crannies of the school to cut down those that dared defy the Goddess…

Leaving Broken Sun all alone with the mesmerized students that were still being burned by her visage. They would remain hers, protected to the end-

“There you are, Golden Girl. Hope you’ve got room for one special guest!”

The doors to the hall were blown open, courtesy of one strong punch. And the one to launch that punch was the very same that had tried to break through to Saki in her own way…

“Claudia Springs.” Broken Sun muttered, turning her attention to the American idiot. “You will not win.”

Bison grinned, a pair of shades manifesting on her face as she cracked her knuckles. “Lets put that to the test, Sunburn! I’m gonna pry the Golden Girl out of you, whether you like it or not!”

The first of many fights she’d no doubt have to endure today. No matter. Her dominion was secured. All she had to do was get rid of her and shut her away like the rest.

Then, the matter fell to… Her…

—

“That’s what I get for taking my time getting to school. Seeing it turned into a villain's lair.”

Mikai whistled innocuously as she stood outside the transformed Mimoto Highschool. Or rather, given the print of Saki on the outside of the newly pyramidized building… The Great Kanzei Pyramid? Something like that, knowing that voice inside the girl’s head.

“...Mikai. Thank you for earlier.”

The young sandy blonde could feel the strong arms of her passenger wrapping around her. And she just couldn’t help but giggle, patting the oversized predator on the head. “Don’t need to thank me, I gotta thank you for everything. Now c’mon. We’re saving Saki from herself, one way or another!”

“Yeah. You can count on me, Mikai!”

The two body-sharing partners grinned, before Mikai turned to look at her other partner. “You sure you’re ready for this, Hiro? You’ve been sleeping most of the week after you quit your job.”

The white-haired woman adjusted the brace on her arm. Even if she had quit, she still had the KING System. Leaving her to merely glance at her partner and nod. “I’ve been using that time to think. Don’t worry about me. We’re going to save her. That’s all.” She said, cracking a slight smile. “Ready, Partner?”

“Straight to the point. Counting on you, Partner!” Mikai grinned, as she donned the same pose as when she was reunited with everyone. Matching the familiar pose Hiro adopted, their determination shining brighter than ever!

“DAI HENSHIN!” “Jouchaku.”

After everything Saki and the others had done during the Near-Luna Descent, this time…

This time, it was Mikai’s turn to make things right!