Hana of the Dawn stood before me with a look of pure loathing on her face, which told me exactly how much pain she was about to inflict on the silver-haired magical girl. The magical girl I assumed was Ranjika, and the maid and Argent Chevalier copy stopped what they were doing and looked over.

There were two Argent Chevaliers in front of us, and the one with the crossbow leaned back against a wall in amusement.

The unarmed Argent Chevalier sighed in exasperation as she turned to look at the gold-and-black uniformed magical girl who had just appeared by my side.

"Oh, if it isn't the Luzon Liberation Movement's pet attack dog," Argent Chevalier said as she narrowed her eyes. "What brings you here, then? I'm a little busy, if you haven't noticed."

Hana bristled, her face twisted in a fury. Then, she responded in a cold and neutral tone, "That is in the past. Do not speak of things you know nothing of, murderer."

Argent Chevalier snarled as her hand unconsciously reached for the jewel on her necklace. "Ha! That's rich! You're one to talk, a little puppy who purportedly traded one terrorist master's leash for another. A little puppy who wreaked death and destruction on command, calling me a murderer. What a joke!"

The magical girls glared at each other, bodies postured and ready to strike.

"I will not let you kill that boy," Hana said, her voice cold.

"Pfft, you've got to be kidding me? That's what this is about?" Argent Chevalier said, crossing her arms. She let out a small laugh. "You want to go out of the way to fight for this kid? You're seriously joking, right? Look at him! He's a sniveling useless little wimp. Look, the whole 'no witnesses' thing has already gone out the window. I'm going to grab that data core and get out of here. Although I don't understand your concern for these useless, weak lemmings, I have bigger fish to fry. You're all in my way."

Hana's gaze softened slightly, and she took a graceful step forward.

"What has become of you, Argent Chevalier?" Sadness and pity resonated in Hana's voice. "You were once one of the most powerful and noble magical girls. A role model for many. Now, you are a mere shadow of your former self, consumed by anger and loathing."

Argent Chevalier's expression darkened. "What happened? What happened is that I woke up to the reality that this world is cruel and unjust, and all that friendship and justice crap was horseshit. I realized that the only way to survive was to be stronger than everyone else, to take what I wanted, and to protect who and what was mine. To band with those that understand what we must do to survive together. And you know what? It worked. I clawed my way to the top, and I've never looked back. This is how the world works, and that's how it will always be. As long as life exists, the strong will always consume the weak. And that's just the way it is." Argent Chevalier's voice grew bitter, "You're all just tools! Toys that bleed and cry and beg for mercy. Your masters just take, take, and TAKE…" her voice trailed off, and she shook her head. Then she laughed.

Hana shook her head. "You're taking the easy way out, letting yourself be consumed by darkness instead of fighting for hope. You're letting your anger and despair control you, instead of rising above it."

"Who the hell are you to lecture me about despair and taking the easy way out!?" Argent Chevalier retorted. "You know nothing! You're just a lapdog! A puppet and little girl who's barely gotten out of her diapers! What do you know about losing your entire family and everyone you love?"

Hana was silent momentarily, trembling in indignant rage before she replied in a slightly softer tone.

"This one knows what it feels like to lose everything," Hana said quietly, her teary gaze never leaving Argent Chevalier's face. "That's why Hana fights. To protect others from suffering the same fate and create a world that does not require it. We understand good intentions led you down your road."

Argent Chevalier's face fell. "Hah! News flash for you. I'm all out of good intentions, kid. They died long ago. This world we live in is going to fall face-first into the fires of hell. And let me tell you something. That kumbaya and rainbows attitude isn't the mindset going to fucking stop it!"

I'd had quite enough.

I stepped forward and swung my left arm out in front of me, holding Project Raiju's orb with my other arm. My school bag hung off one of the straps on my shoulder.

"This is complete bullshit!"

Hana blinked, her lips slightly parted.

Argent Chevalier stared at me, shocked. The silver-haired girl looked absolutely flabbergasted at me.

"What... did you just say?" Argent Chevalier asked, her voice laced with anger. She flared a silver aura as her eyes glowed red.

But I didn't back down from her apparent attempt at intimidation.

"You think that you have the right to take whatever you want just because you're stronger? You're just using that as an excuse to justify your own selfishness and cruelty. You think you're strong because you can hurt others more than they've hurt you. But you're just weak. Weak and pathetic." I said, looking her in the eyes with a firm tone. "Real strength comes from standing up for what's right. From protecting those who can't protect themselves. To take the difficult road and face the darkness, overwhelming odds, and death in the face without flinching. You're not strong. You're weak. It's fucking disgusting."

Argent Chevalier's eyes widened. For a moment, she looked as if she were about to lunge at me. But she paused, and slowly, her features twisted into a cruel smirk.

"Oh, you are so naive," she said, her voice dripping with contempt. "This is the world we live in now, kid."

Argent Chevalier sneered. "It's survival of the fittest. You can either turn a blind eye and pretend that this isn't how things are, or you can change it. If you want to change it, you're going to have to fight for it. And to fight for it, you will need to grasp power with your own hands. More power than the monsters that dictate the show have. And let me tell you this. If you would walk that road, some people-people who would call themselves innocent- will get hurt. Some won't be able to come back from the darkness that you drag them towards. You think you can just change the world without getting your hands dirty? Just because you don't want to get your hands dirty, everyone else will have to? You think you can sit there and judge me?"

"No, I don't think I can just change the world without getting my hands dirty," I said, my voice growing more firm. "But that doesn't give you the right to do whatever the hell you want, to hurt and kill people just because you think you're stronger and for whatever fucked up utilitarian nonsense you have in your head. You're not just getting your hands dirty, you're swimming in the filth. You're a monster."

Argent Chevalier's eyes narrowed, and she stepped forward, her hand reaching for the glowing jewel on her necklace. But before she could touch it, Hana moved.

The gold-and-black uniformed magical girl moved with such speed and grace that it was almost impossible to follow her movements. She appeared between us in a blur of motion, with her scepter pointed directly at Argent Chevalier.

Argent Chevalier walked up to Hana of the Dawn, staring at her around eye level. "Kid, if you hand that core over, the two of you can still get out alive. Killing both of you would take up far too much of my valuable time. Knowing who I am, you would still challenge me? "

"You are a bully, Argent Chevalier, and a killer," Hana said immediately. "And you've already crossed the line countless times over. Now, you must be stopped."

"Oh? You're going to stop me? Let me emphasize something, little girl."

Argent Chevalier's grin widened, exposing a gold and silver tooth I noticed for the first time. "You're just a little puppy, and there are levels to this shit. You're out of your league, little girl, and you've just sealed your fate."

"Spare Hana your arrogance, Argent Chevalier," Hana said, glaring at Argent Chevalier with a cold glare, unmoved by her taunts. "This one knows your type. You use your own pain to justify the pain you inflict on others. That makes you no better than the ones who caused you to suffer."

"Shut your filthy mouth!" Argent Chevalier snapped, her face contorted with rage. "I'd rather have the entire city collapse into rubble and burn to ash than have to listen to you little shit brats grandstand and lecture me!"

Hana held out her scepter, and a condensed ball of gold light appeared, perfectly reflecting Argent Chevalier's hand movements as she formed a ball of silver.

Then, all hell broke loose.

The two magical girls clashed in a frenzy, the air sparking with electricity as their magic clashed together. In the same movement, Argent Chevalier carved a massive sword of blue and white energy and bashed it into Hana, sending her flying like a meteorite.

Nearby, the magical girl I assumed was Ranjika declared, "So it begins once more. I, Shasta will be your opponent."

The maid curtsied, "I am La Pucelle," she responded. Her maid uniform transformed into a sleek, black, futuristic-looking cybernetic suit of armor that matched her ebony katana. Her armor still resembled a French maid's uniform, adorned with various frills and a pair of lacy thigh-high combat boots.

Shasta blurred into motion, engaging La Pucelle and the original Argent Chevalier.

Hana hovered in the air, her hair spinning and billowing like a hurricane as she radiated a golden aura. With a roar, she hurled an orb of raging power at Chevalier, who countered with an impenetrable wall of black and red energy, pushing the ball back to Hana.

"Indrastra!" Shasta shouted down the campus commons as she notched an arrow in her bow and released it. The arrow shattered into dozens of golden lights that homed onto the Chevalier in front of her, exploding on contact in a deafening explosion of smoke and ash. The copy of Argent Chevalier went skidding across the island straight into the river.

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La Pucelle advanced on Shasta from the side, her blade glimmering in the moon's light above. Shasta gracefully stepped backward, barely avoiding the razor-sharp edge of the sword as it swept through the air. The maid twirled around, her weapon spinning in her grip as she lunged again at Shasta.

Her opponent reacted instantly, her bow transforming into a pair of razor-sharp chakrams and deflecting the strike. She then leaped forward, chakram in hand, and delivered an expertly calculated hooking strike toward La Pucelle's face. The maid reacted quickly, her sword weaving a defensive pattern as she blocked the blow. With a swift movement, she pushed back, preparing to strike again.

Shasta lunged forward with a fierce combination up high before her foot exploded into a powerful front kick that sent the maid soaring across the school campus.

The magical girl's cinnamon hair danced in the air as she smirked with satisfaction. She watched as the maid rose to her feet, her bright eyes flickering in disbelief at Shasta's attack.

Back in front of me, Argent Chevalier was busy dueling Hana. If you could call fighting utilizing a copy of herself dueling. Argent Chevalier's rapier twirled and spun at an incredible speed as she clashed with Hana—or rather, two of her did. Hana wielded two scepters that she kept up like a pair of combat sticks, blocking and deflecting any attack Chevalier threw at her in an impressive display of skill.

I backed away, desperately looking for a way to get to safety. The battle between the two sides escalated, and I was in no mood to get caught in the crossfire.

I didn't even know that magical girls fought each other! Thinking quickly, I ran up a set of stairs to hunker down at a gazebo nearby. It wasn't much, but at least it was some cover.

"Hey, what's your status, Raiju? Still with us?" I whispered at the orb in my arms. "Can you call on anything to help? One of the gravity bikes to circle on standby, ideally? Maximum power output."

"Affirmative. Sending coordinates. Hold tight, Operator Ikazuchi," the orb replied.

Maybe I should've been more specific, but I didn't know what to do, and I'd take anything at this point. Project Raiju blipped briefly before opening a hologram projection of the battlefield. It looked assembled from various school camera feeds. I noticed a blip approaching on a small city map at the bottom of the screen. It wasn't much, but it was something.

Shasta and the maid flew at each other, their weapons a blur as they swirled and clashed in a deadly dance. Sparks showered as blades met, and neither seemed to gain an advantage.

Suddenly, the maid's foot crashed into the ground like a hammer, sending a titanic shockwave that knocked Shasta onto her back. Shasta immediately kipped backward, avoiding a slicing blow that would have disemboweled her. She righted herself in the air and drew her bow once more.

The maid rolled forward and crouched, her blade held in front of her. With a shout, she planted her sword and lunged forward once more, her sword and her quarry traveling the same path, destined to clash one more time.

"Indrastra!" Shasta shouted, notching another arrow and firing it from her bow. The arrow shattered into dozens of bright golden motes that homed in on the maid's body.

But, the maid twisted her body and sword like a Jedi in midair, her sword intersecting with the motes and sending them flying off in all directions. She smiled, shouting something that sounded like 'you missed.' Her eyes flashed a brilliant white as she disappeared.

Argent Chevalier and Hana were still going at it in the air. Hana was doing her best, but the silver musketeer was slowly overwhelming her.

Chevalier was a phenomenal fighter who used acrobatic and wide-sweeping strikes with her smallsword to keep Hana on her toes. Every magic-based attack Hana would attempt to cast was matched by one of the Chevalier's own, and her sword seemed to spin and dance of its own accord in the moonlight.

The Chevalier with the crossbow flashed around Hana, causing her to briefly pause as she took in her opponent's movements as dozens of bolts fired in a second.

Hana disappeared in a blast of golden light. She reappeared a good twenty yards away an instant later, narrowly avoiding a barrage of skewering red thorns that looked utterly vicious. She countered with a blast, disintegrating the Chevalier with the crossbow in a single strike.

The silver Chevalier spun in the air, her blue cape billowing behind her as she landed on one knee and dismissed the silver rapier weapon in her hand. With a flick of her wrist, she summoned a second weapon, a crimson saber that crackled with red electricity. Hana stepped back as the weapon came to life in Argent Chevalier's hand. The magical girl grinned as she flourished the saber, electricity coursing down the blade.

"Shifting engine drive. Chaos capacitor at seven-thousand Feynman units." Project Raiju announced. I looked down at the projected image of the city, noticing that the blip I was tracking was rapidly approaching.

"Take aim at Argent Chevelier," I whispered.

Hana clutched her scepters tightly, the golden shafts pulsing with her inner power. With a fierce shout, she hurled herself at her enemy with furious intensity. An earsplitting explosion of energy erupted as they collided midair, their weapons clashing with a brutal blast.

Hana was thrown back, her golden scepters clattering across the brick road as she formed a crater in the schoolyard. My heart skipped a beat when I saw Dior's eyes shut. She looked like she'd been KO'd by the collision.

"Now!" I shouted, staring at the blip on Raiju's GUI. "Buy us some time!"

Argent Chevalier flew towards her like a streak of silver lightning, preparing to execute a finishing blow and impale her right then and there.

A jet engine roared in the air as a glowing blue supersonic streak crashed through the battlefield, slamming into Argent Chevalier and sending her flying across the island faster than my eyes could track. Half a minute later, I saw a blue flash go up in the distance, and the blip died on Raiju's GUI. I just hoped we'd bought enough time for Dior to recover.

A clang resounded through the air as a white aura flared around the maid. She dashed towards Shasta with her katana at the ready.

Shasta reacted quickly, firing a flurry of arrows at the oncoming maid. But the maid was too quick in her onslaught.

She evaded the arrows with ease and closed the distance between them in a blink of an eye. The maid lunged forward, her sword aimed at Shasta's heart.

Shasta leaped into the air in a swift, impossibly agile movement, performing a butterfly kick and avoiding the maid's strike by mere inches. She turned the evasive maneuver into a wheel kick, knocking the maid into the air.

The maid landed on the ground, her sword digging deep into the concrete as she used it to retain her balance. She yanked it free with a grunt, turning sharply to face Shasta again. The two magical girls stood several yards apart, circling each other as they glared at each other.

The two magical girls clashed once more in a flurry of flashing strikes, their blades ringing out like a chorus of steel. La Pucelle's ebony katana clashed against Shasta's chakrams, sending sparks flying in all directions.

But, like Argent Chevalier and Hana and battles, the tide was clearly turning one way. Shasta pressed forward with swift and brutal attacks, raining down blows on La Pucelle with her chakrams. Her tempo and rhythm picked up, her movements becoming almost frenzied. Despite her incredible skill, La Pucelle was slowly but surely being driven back; Shasta's attacks broke through her defenses and drew blood.

The maid tried to parry and dodge, but she was quickly overwhelmed by Shasta's rapidly-increasing speed and pinpoint technique. La Pucelle struggled to keep up with the sheer ferocity of Shasta's attacks. She deftly parried and blocked the chakrams with her katana, but it was clear that she was at a disadvantage. Shasta was simply too fast for her.

La Pucelle vaulted into the air with a snarl, flipping over Shasta's head and landing behind her. She swung her katana in a vicious arc, but Shasta spun around, deflecting the strike with one of her chakrams.

"Sudarshana Chakra!

Shasta shouted, flicking the chakram on her rear arm at La Pucelle. The chakram flew from her hand and cut through La Pucelle's sword with a brilliant flash of light and a clang of metal on metal. It curved through the air, searing a path toward a silver streak that was rapidly approaching the battlefield again. Shasta wasted no time with the opening she created, dashing in to grab the maid's arm.

"Nagapasha," she incanted as her eyes glowed with a golden light. Golden energy shaped like a snake coiled around La Pucelle's body, binding her arms and legs in place. The white aura surrounding the maid vanished as she was restrained, a look of surprise etched onto her face.

With a deafening boom, Argent Chevalier crashed into the chakram. A wave of light cascaded across the island like a tsunami that shattered all illusions and laid waste to any doubts about the scale of power at play here.

The chakram ground against the crimson saber, sending sparks and smoke flying in all directions. Argent Chevalier screamed in rage as she pushed against the chakram with all her might. The energy from both magical girls clashed with a continuous that sent shockwaves across the island.

Shasta calmly drew her bow and nocked another arrow at the silver magical girl.

"Brahm-" I watched her mouth for a second.

She shook her head and put the bow down as a tremendous explosion of light erupted from Argent Chevalier. The two weapons broke apart, sending a cascade of blinding light flowing across the battlefield. Shasta calmly walked forward as she caught the returning chakram as it whizzed through the air like a bullet.

Argent Chevalier landed several yards away from Shasta, her body covered in cuts and bruises. Blood dripped from the corner of her mouth, and her breath rasped in her throat. Her face was twisted in a look of shock and fury, her eyes blazing silver and red with power.

"Who...the fuck... are you?" Argent Chevalier hissed at Shasta.

Shasta shrugged, "I'm just a run of the mill Archer, but you can call me Shasta!"

She said it with a smirk, twirling one of her chakrams on her finger.

"Don't give me that crap. There are five active SS-rank magical girls and thirty-seven S-rank magical girls in the world. I know each and every girl who can throw out an attack like that, but I certainly don't know you. Tell me, who are you really?"

Her words dripped like venom from her lips as she glared at Shasta.

Shasta met her gaze with a cold, calculated stare. "There are many things going on in the magical world that you don't know about or understand, Argent Chevalier. I am simply a B-rank magical girl who's surprisingly good at frisbee."

"Oh, please. Spare me," Argent Chevalier said scathingly as she rolled her eyes.

Just then, another girl appeared on the battlefield in a flash of violet light. She had blue and purple hair and a gothic dress with a scythe slung across her back. She stared intently at Argent Chevalier, an unspoken challenge in her eyes. Her eyes glowed like the ocean, and she twirled her scythe before settling into a fighting stance.

"Sorry I'm late to the party, guys," Violet Tempest said in a chipper tone.

She cracked her neck and stretched out her arms.

"No problem. I've got this handled already," Shasta replied nonchalantly, pointing her finger at Argent Chevalier.

Argent Chevalier glared at the newcomer, unsure what to make of her sudden appearance. Shasta nodded, turning to stand next to her.

"Tch. We've overstayed our welcome, then," Chevalier spat.

Chevalier's eyes glowed red, and the space around her warped as she appeared behind Shasta beside La Pucelle. She wasn't quite teleporting, but she was clearly moving far faster than before.

"Let's go, La Pucelle," Argent Chevalier commanded.

La Pucelle nodded, still too stunned to react to the defeat and the disabling hold Shasta placed on her. Argent Chevalier took her hand, and the two vanished in a blur, disappearing from the battlefield and from my sight.

"That was too close for comfort... several times over, even," I muttered surprised at how quickly the battle ended.

Shasta and I stared at each other for several moments. The sounds of battle died away, leaving only the sound of crackling flames to fill the air. The world stood still for me as I took in what had just happened.

Then, panic struck me as my gaze drifted towards the crater Hana — no, Dior was in.

I ran over, knelt down, and began pawing at the rubble. I frantically tossed away rocks and bits of debris that were in my way, frantically digging for Dior.

"Hana!"

"...!" A muffled groan came from beneath the debris. Thank goodness she was alive.

"Are you alright?" I asked her as I started digging beneath her again.

"Y-yes," she gasped. "Just scratches."

I sighed in relief. I helped Dior to her feet, and we surveyed the battlefield. Smoke and dust still choked the air around us. I stared at the smoldering ruins of the commons, the wrecked cars, and the blazing fires nearby.

"Looks like it's over," I said, gesturing towards the battlefield.

Shasta shook her head, "No. I fear this may just be the beginning," she said quietly.

"Well...we can worry about that later," I said, shaking my head. I helped Dior up and dusted myself off, then looked at the now crumbling tower of the commons. "Let's get her home."

The group trudged along in silence, walking away from the destruction of the commons before the Magical Girls took to the air. We were exhausted and sore from the battle but still alive. It was a small victory, but it counted for something.

As we reached our destination, my heart filled with a strange mixture of sorrow and hope. I knew that this wouldn't be the end. More battles would come in the future — but for now, it was time for us to rest. And more than likely, they would occur like they did tonight — when I'd least expect it.

Still, we'd done all we could for now.

The rest was up to fate.