Magical Girl Overtime [Second Arc Complete!]

The mood on the plaza was sorrowful. The orc residents draped sheets over the dead bodies of their family members, with most of them sobbing quietly. Bellona could feel their apprehension towards herself as she walked past some of them, and she didn’t blame them. It was true that she was pinned down and releasing her barriers would have endangered the people she was protecting, but from the outside it must have looked like she was only caring about her own people while abandoning those outside of her barriers.

To her relief, her daughter wasn’t given the same scorn. Various people walked up to Arisu and thanked her for saving them, and the girl looked a little overwhelmed by the attention, immediately downplaying her actions.

Bellona still couldn’t quite make sense of what she witnessed there at the end. Zach appeared and simply walked towards Hayder’s fortified position and shot the augmented guards in the head without so much as flinching as they riddled his body with holes; he only appeared to realize the state of his body as he stopped to reload.

He called Hayder’s bluff, a risk Bellona herself didn’t want to take, but the CEO’s reaction was all she needed to finally rush out and take the fight to the corporate forces, together with Arisu, and once Hayder got shot, all the augmented troopers abandoned the fight, withdrawing into the aircraft and flying off to rush their mortally wounded CEO off to some doubtlessly highly specialized medical facility, though Bellona didn’t believe they’d have much success, seeing how the man’s brains were sprayed all over the aircraft’s passenger cabin.

Sadly, the agents on the other side of Mana’s portal managed to get away with half a dozen people to who knows where, and Marisa looked like she beat herself up over it. She chased them to the best of her abilities, but of the dozen people taken hostage she only managed to get half back as they all scattered into different directions to throw their pursuer off.

Still, compared to the hopeless stalemate that threatened to tip in favor of Corporate Police, this was a much preferable outcome, and Marisa was already working her magic on one of Nicola’s locator rings to ensure that Bellona could pursue them.

Mana, Arisu and Annette had all gathered around one of the bodies. It was Zach, naturally. He was covered by a sheet like the rest, and Bellona was glad for it. Even now, some blood seeped out from underneath, bearing witness to the catastrophic state his body was in when he died.

For twenty seconds he entirely defied logic and biology, moving through a storm of bullets that all hit his center mass, and after he was done with Hayder, he clutched the medallion he wore with his good hand and collapsed.

Annie sniffled, grabbing his miraculously intact right hand and giving it a squeeze, while Mana didn’t look much better, staring at the bloodstained medallion in her hand which Zach wore during his final fight.

“I shouldn’t have dragged him into this…!” Annie spoke, still sniffling. Her left arm was in a sling, and she was out of commission for the foreseeable future, thanks to being shot by the strange, mechanized soldiers.

“And even though he helped us, I was still poking fun at him…!”

Bellona lowered her eyes. She couldn’t find the words to comfort Annie. Not now, at least. She turned her head towards Arisu, whose attention was somewhere else entirely. She stared into the space above the corpse, as if she was paying attention to something only she could see.

But before Bellona could ask what exactly she saw, she was interrupted by Katsuya arriving, who wiped some sweat off his brow.

“The townspeople will enter a period of mourning. They can’t help you out right now, but I will do everything I can to help you get your people back. That’s the least I can do, especially since your friend actually ended that demon Hayder’s life.”

“Got it!” Marisa spoke, raising her locator ring and focusing on it.

“…they’re in an underground level, deep under that strange pyramid thing that you blew up, Bellona!”

“Ah… the secret R&D division. Hayder was yelling about some kind of goddess, so he might have been building something down there,” Katsuya commented dryly.

“That’s all good and well, but how am I going to get back into the city? They must be on even higher alert than before, with their ‘king’ having died,” Bellona grumbled.

“Ah, but that’s where this ancient sewer system comes into play,” Katsuya explained, pulling out one of the projecting tablet devices. He accessed it and immediately a 3D depiction of the tunnel systems appeared.

It was a labyrinthine mess, but Katsuya hit another control element that only he could see thanks to his implant, and a yellow line was drawn through the various tunnels, avoiding the dead-ends caused by cave-ins and debris, until it ended at a point somewhere inside the city walls.

“What’s going to happen to the corporation now, anyway?” Annie managed to ask, slowly getting on her feet.

“Hayder is dead, and you’re still alive. Are you going to take over? Is there some kind of… inheritance?”

Katsuya furrowed his brow in thought before he shrugged.

“I’m not sure. There should be a board of shareholders, but knowing Hayder, he probably had them killed and replaced with puppets of his own, to keep complete control over the company. There should be systems that I still have biometric access to, however, so…”

He stopped and rubbed his chin, thinking about his own words for a moment before he turned towards Bellona.

“I’m going to come with you.”

***

“That guy is coming with you, so why can’t we?!” Arisu asked with a pout that quickly melted away as Miori patted her daughter’s head. She was saying goodbye to her and the two witches she had in tow.

“I’ll need you all to guide all the people who are left back to Earth. Besides, I’ll have better chances the fewer people are with me. If we didn’t have to protect a whole crowd, this entire encounter would have only taken a few minutes, and Zach…”

She looked over to the bundle that was once a man. Annie had put the medallion on top of it and offered some kind of prayer over his corpse.

“He would be okay. He wouldn’t have needed to throw his life away,” she spoke, though she saw Mana avert her eyes after saying those words. The young witch hesitated, then she spoke again.

“He might have died either way. He felt guilty for what he did with the Rodent Regiment and tried to take his own life earlier. He probably would have done it later if all of this didn’t happen.”

Arisu stared at the covered corpse for a while, then she turned her head towards Mana.

“I think it’s going to be alright.”

“…what do you mean by that?” Mana spoke with narrowed eyes, and Arisu grabbed her by the wrist, dragging her along.

“I’ll tell you on the way back.”

Miori watched her daughter and the witches leave, then she walked up to Annette.

“I’ll be going, then. If what the girls told me before is true, Hayder’s soldiers will feed those people into some kind of machine to annihilate both of our worlds. I don’t know what would drive him to do that, but I’ll prevent it from happening.”

Annie noisily blew air out of her nose, then she looked up. Her eyes were terribly reddened.

“He likely didn’t know. Whoever gave him the plans for that machine probably told him all sorts of things.”

“Are you sure?”

“Did you see him? He was a walking corpse, pumped full of medication, using an exoskeleton to pretend that he could still walk. Those ‘gods’ you’re up against probably promised him some way of turning back the wheels of time, or to plant his brains in a young, able body, or…”

Annie furrowed her brow.

“Maybe the game had something to do with it. I can’t figure it out, really. What I know is that I’ll have to put all my trust into you, Miori. Give them hell on my behalf!”

Father Winter’s Embrace, 6310

Seika, the Celestial Sisters and Maria followed Caelon, making their way towards a narrow tunnel that was hidden deep inside the corpse forest. The old elf raised his hand as the thumping of spider legs on the frozen ground got closer, and by his command, the invisible creature stopped, letting their group pass. Caelon stepped close to the opening, pulling vines and low-hanging branches aside, gently, as if he feared that touching them wrong could wake the trees. A reasonable expectation, as Seika had learned recently.

As the tunnel was uncovered, he ducked and walked ahead, leaving the four women behind him to exchange uncertain looks before they followed suit. The tunnel wasn’t in much better shape than the entrance; dirt had piled up on the ground to the point where even the relatively short women all had to crouch to move forward, with their guide almost on all fours.

“This tunnel connected our lands for thousands of years and was conceived as an escape route from the city. However, since the Enchanters have claimed supreme rule, there was never a need to flee the capital.”

“What does that Enchanter title even mean?” Miyu asked to keep back the eerie quiet of the narrow tunnel as they advanced, and Caelon appeared deep in thought for a moment.

“Before the city was built, the light elves lived in similar villages to ours. Where we sought unity with the forest itself, they pursued coexistence and cooperation with the spirits that reside in the inanimate. Particularly, very clear and beautiful gemstones that could be found near their villages. They used them to craft wands and staves and crowns, and ‘enchanted’ them as such.”

“Do they still do that?” Seika asked with some curiosity as the tunnel became a bit more spacious. By now the roots and vines had let up, and the path ahead was lined with stone tiles.

“No. Whatever spirit stones they had have all been worked into jewelry, foci and weapons. The High Enchanters, however, never really ceased the trade and strove to find new ways to incorporate the spirits of nature into her magic.”

The old man stopped for a second and turned around, pointing at the earrings Miyu and Momo were wearing.

“Something like those items, to be precise. Star metal and glass from meteor craters, channeling the spirit powers of the sun or moon, depending on whether they descended upon the earth during the day or night. Taenya bragged about her cousin’s achievements like no one else.”

Miyu averted her eyes and Momo clenched her jaw in response.

“It’s not, like, we want her powers, but we got no other choice other than, like, burning through all of Nicola’s magic rings.”

“I’m not here to judge you for that. Just keep your promise, that is all I ask.”

After a while the tunnel opened up some more, enough that they could stand side by side and upright. Caelon lifted a hand, and multiple lights lit up around them. Crystals, embedded in elaborate golden lamps that decorated the walls started glowing one by one, and they could now clearly see the white marble surrounding them.

It was like a proper road, just underground. The ceiling had a fading painting of the sky on it, and they continued on, quietly admiring the architecture around them.

“This feels a little too elaborate to be an escape tunnel,” Seika commented, though Caelon only blew air through his nose.

“The Enchanters liked everything to be beautiful. Art, music, roads, architecture… all of it had to match the beauty of our natural forms.”

“You don’t like that world view?”

“The real world, the forests – all of them are messy, beautiful and ugly in equal measure. Trying to shape our world in our image only strips it of the qualities that make us appreciate beauty in the first place.”

Seika didn’t respond, thinking about that answer for a while as their little procession continued. And before long, they were taking stairs, as a spiral staircase led up a circular structure. They weren’t underground anymore, she realized, as colorful light filtered by stained-glass windows danced on the white marble, and they finally reached a door.

“Is this the palace?” Miyu asked cautiously as Caelon put his hand on the handle.

“Not yet. This is a guard tower, the door disguised as the armory, which is right next to the royal theater, which in turn has corridors connecting to the palace to allow the High Enchanters to attend plays directly,” he explained. As he pushed the door open, golden sunlight blinded Seika for a moment, and soon after, she stepped outside, following Caelon.

It was eerily quiet. Too quiet for the kind of city she saw on the other side. Gold-and-marble buildings rose up as far as the eye could see, and all of them led towards the large palace in the distance. It faintly reminded Seika of Capitolium, yet there was an elegance about this place that Jove’s city lacked. Its streets were mostly empty, likely owed to a decade of starvation, and the survivors being drafted into the brainwashed forces of the High Enchantress, leaving for Nicola’s world, to never return. A quiet sorrow filled her heart as she saw this marbled mausoleum.

“The theater is right over here,” Caelon spoke, already walking ahead towards the grandiose building next door. Multiple statues depicted elves in dramatic poses right in front of the building. Famous actors and actresses, Seika surmised.

“What in the world,” Caelon spoke quietly, and Seika followed his pointing hand towards the plaza below them.

Ghosts wandered around. Ghosts in suits, who went about their business, talking to people on their phones, and a little further there was a group of high school girls wearing Mana and Arisu’s uniform. None of them seemed to be aware that they were wandering through a fantastic city, and there was no one to observe them, either.

“It would appear that this world collision is proceeding apace. Or maybe something happened to accelerate it?” Maria mused, speaking for the first time in a while.

“Then we best hurry. Come along now,” Caelon urged them, and Seika nodded, glancing a final time towards the plaza.

I will save our world and this one. No, we will do it. Won’t we, Miori?

December 2384

Miori half-transformed to kick a grate out of the outfall pipe her and Katsuya were huddled inside of. It fell down, and a terrible clang echoed through the artificial channel below and the cliff of house walls above before a loud splash signaled that the grate was being swallowed by the channel’s water.

Miori acted quickly, grabbing Katsuya and flying out of the large pipe up into one of the side alleys before the noise attracted unwanted attention. She took a deep breath, and even though the city smelled like an ash tray, she much preferred it over the stench of the sewers the two had walked through to reach this point.

Katsuya walked up to where the narrow side alley met the main street and peeked around the corner. Miori could already see the base of the large pyramid structure of the corporate headquarters she blew a giant hole into not that long ago.

“Good. I don’t think they expected us to come after them into the city. Or their eyes are all on the roads leading into the city,” Katsuya spoke quietly, then he pulled his smart gun out of a holster and checked the magazines. Miori knew that it wasn’t enough.

“Once we enter, we’ll have to deal with the entire security force, and…” he spoke, stopping himself as Miori put a hand on his shoulder and shook her head.

“We aren’t going to do anything. Thank you for showing me the way, but I’ll take it from here.”

The man blinked, his mouth moving before he found his words, which he then shouted.

“But I have biometric access to everything! My father made sure to embed our privileges deep into the system so they couldn’t be revoked, that’s why Hayder wanted us dead in the first place! With this, I can open any door, release any lock, and…!”

“And without you there, I won’t have to account for collateral damage like I did back in town,” Miori added for him and she saw the man clench his jaw.

His big chance at heroics, to make his life mean something, and he’s going to stay behind.

“I will cause chaos. I will blow holes through sealed doors, I will destroy whatever morally wrong kind of research I find, and I will save my people. You can walk in after and take over, if that’s how succession works here,” Miori spoke to him, and the man’s spirit deflated entirely. He put his gun back into the holster.

“I’d just be in the way, wouldn’t I?”

“You would. So just stay here for the moment or hide somewhere safer than in this back alley. All eyes will be on me, so you should be able to remain undetected for a good while.”

“Alright then,” Katsuya confirmed with a grumble, and Miori patted his shoulder as she walked past him, though he stopped her for a moment, handing her an earpiece, and what looked like a miniature camera she could clip to her jacket.

“I can still guide you from afar. Tell you which way to go to the underground labs.”

Miori nodded. She at least let him have this one thing. And she had to admit that it was a good idea regardless, to stop her from getting lost in some sort of underground labyrinth. She put the earpiece on as she walked outside into the open street.

It was dark again, with the thick cloud cover blocking out any and all sunlight. As she passed some people in the street, approaching the large corporate building, she witnessed a strange scene. A group of children were running through the street, transparent and unaware of the people around them. Some people avoided them, until they should have bumped into the small figures and they simply phased through them.

“What are these holos advertising? I don’t get it,” she heard someone shout.

“Some kind of family insurance plan?”

“Could do with a logo or no one will know. Dumbasses.”

Miroi knew what was happening, thanks to Arisu and Mana filling her in right after they appeared in this world, and this was her final confirmation that the abducted people were being offered to some kind of machine that accelerated the collision of this world and hers. It happened in this world and the world of the High Enchantress at the same time; the world in which Seika was currently doing her best to stop the catastrophe.

Her thoughts went back to Seika, and she managed a little smile.

No matter where we are, Seika. We are working hand in hand. We will put an end to this, and we will save our world. Together.

Father Winter’s Embrace, 6310

“Just through here,” Caelon urged the group as he pushed the large doors of the theater house open. Seika looked around anxiously as the doors loudly protested their use after who knew how many years of dormancy.

No one appeared to hear, or care, so their little party entered quickly, closing the heavy doors behind them again.

“There should be stairs up to the Enchanters’ loge that servants used to take. That will be our way into the palace,” Caelon spoke in a hurry, but he froze as he reached the theater.

The stage was a magnificent construction. A sunroof was built right above the stage, with shutters and a metal iris letting stagehands adjust the light and even focus it into a sort of spotlight. Right now, it was partially opened, illuminating center stage, where a Deogemma stood and greeted them with a mocking smile.

“Fames. Discordia’s daughter,” Pallas spoke in a cautious tone.

At first glance, the thin figure didn’t appear too threatening to Seika’s eyes. She looked malnourished, with spindly arms and legs. Her thin, white hair illuminated her from the back, and her dark eyes betrayed cruelty.

“Caelon, I think it’s best if you go back to your village and leave the rest to us,” Seika spoke quietly, and the old man grimaced. He wanted to object, that much she could tell, but as the man looked directly at the figure in front of them, she could see that the mere sight filled his heart with terror.

“…don’t forget your promise,” he spoke in a hushed voice, turning heel. The large theater doors opened with another strained creak and slammed shut, and only then did the creature speak to them.

“How amusing. Did you not think that I would be able to sense the approach of my kin? And the one whose body we altered, no less.”

“She has a point there, I fear,” Maria spoke, stepping in front of the group. She held her scythe in a tight grip, with her eyes burning full of murderous intent. This was the target of her revenge, and no matter what Seika said, she wouldn’t be able to deter the villainess from engaging the Deogemma in front of her in combat.

“You three go ahead and stop this machine before it annihilates our world. There are still so many young hopeful models for me to sleep with, after all,” the villainess spoke, though Seika felt no sincerity behind those words.

“Disgusting…” Momo growled, though Seika shook her head. She transformed into Minerva, urging the idols to transform as well as she pointed towards the loge above, with the best view of the stage.

“Do you really think I’d let you?” Fames hissed, summoning a pitch-black dagger into her hand before she extended her hand as the trio flew up towards the loge. Dark tendrils shot from her palm, rushing towards the trio to wrap around them, but before they could reach them, a flash of obsidian cut straight through the tendrils, separating them.

Maria’s wings blocked the entire view of the theater as she hovered in place, covering the idols and Minerva during their retreat.

“That one is mine to kill! Now, go already!”

“Try not to die,” Minerva spoke, but she only earned a scoff from the villainess.

She turned around, and together with the Celestial Sisters, she ran down the corridor towards the palace.