It has been about an hour since Hanako and her friends started the hiking trail leading them through the mountains, and the woods are becoming denser as the trail snakes its way around large trees and protruding rocks. A sign at the foot of the mountain informed them the trail to the top of the mountain was for experienced hikers only, but there was little in the way of choice — the regular highway taking cars across the range had already been barricaded at the base, and the last thing Yasu wanted was to lure Moonlover towards the armed lawmen patrolling the road.

Following the trail would at least take them to the top, so the group decided to think about how they’d deal with issues on the Mitakihara side when they presented themselves. Procrastination turned out to be a good thing, as right now, more than enough problems are already presenting themselves. Hiking isn’t too much of a problem for the Puellae Magi, but Koharu, poorly dressed for the occasion and far from athletic to begin with, is lagging behind, and Yosuke doesn’t seem to be putting in much of an effort to help her, wordlessly trailing behind the exhausted girl like a steel ball chained to her feet.

Shinju walks with Hanako and Yasu at the head of the group, feeling like they’re going very slowly but still almost leaving Koharu and Yosuke behind.

Shinju: (quietly, so only the front group will hear) What do you think? Can we take a break, maybe at the summit?

Hanako: …Probably. (she’s just as quiet as she speaks) We’re not far, anyway.

Yasu: Mm. That’s a good idea. Let the others rest. Things get bad, I’ll keep an eye on them.

Shinju: (She calls back to Koharu and Yosuke) Just a little more and we’ll take a break at the top of the hill, okay? 

Koharu: (breathing heavily, she tries to pick up the pace, only for Yosuke to take her hand and gently reel her in)

Yosuke: Take it easy. I’m staying behind you. (he mumbles something else, but the two are too far away from Shinju to hear)

Yasu: (she sighs softly) …I’ll stick with them for a while, in case Koharu needs medical attention. You two go on ahead. (she walks back down the trail towards Koharu and Yosuke)

Shinju: (quietly, to Hanako again) … I guess my active upbringing is helping me now. Honestly didn’t think I’d get to use it much until n’ unless I joined the JSDF. 

Hanako: I… suppose my training is responsible for this surge in endurance I have, myself. I wasn’t always this… fit. But training under both Yasu and Kiwa-chan, it’s shown results.

Shinju: What, they didn’t just teach you Puella stuff? Had you doing cardio and regular exercise, too?

Hanako: Mm. (she nods quickly) Yasu said it was important that I get into better physical shape, to keep from running out of energy in longer fights. For Witches, it doesn’t seem to matter quite as much, but since lately, our opponents are not just Witches…

Shinju: Yeah… Witches never seem to care if a deadly attack is coming right at their face. People are a lot different. And these are people that are okay with murdering innocent people. I don’t think I’ll ever understand that.

Hanako: …I’d love to say “yeah, me either,” but you and I both know that my emotions can be… volatile, even in the best of times. But it’s not like I can fully relate to the feeling of people like Moonlover able to… harm people so casually.

Shinju: Moonlover. I wish we didn’t have to call her that. She must have a real name. That’d be better than a silly code name. 

Hanako: Indeed… I’m getting sick, myself, of adversaries that hide behind aliases…

Shinju: Hmm? Something happen with you and Yasu that I miss?

Hanako: N-No, of course not. But between the Conductors and now this “Moonlover” person, I would like an adversary whose name and history is at least clear. …N-Not that I’m hoping for any more adversaries, or anything like that. 

Shinju: Are the Conductors our adversary? I mean, there’s that weird fop who’s bothering Niko, but I don’t think he’s one… 

Hanako: …I’m not so sure. Not at the moment, and not anymore?

Shinju: (Shinju runs her hands through her hair with a sigh) Well, great. I don’t have time for another posse of villains anyway.

Hanako: They were adversaries, once upon a time. But most of them died, or at least, their ambitions did. Yui took up the name, without taking up the baggage that came with their sordid history. …I would like to think that they won’t become adversaries to us at any point in the future, either.

Shinju: (She speaks flatly, with a hint of annoyed envy) You sure know a lot about this. 

Hanako: (Hanako sighs with a hint of veiled annoyance of her own) Kiwa-chan and Cecilia are rather close friends. And… well, you’ll eventually discover this yourself when you meet her, but Kiwa-chan really likes to talk.

Shinju: Okay, I get it now. Mm… I guess I just feel like I dunno what the heck’s been going on for you. Seems like only Koharu’s the big one in the know these days. 

Hanako: It’s not by choice, I can assure you. I am attentive to the knowledge that I feel I need to help us survive this conflict. The rest… (Hanako sighs again, shaking her head) I count Kiwa-chan as a close friend. She was there for me when I needed her, in ways that I needed her… unique personality and approach. But after my mistakes with Aoi, I feel the need to not trust Kiwa-chan completely. I have not known her very long, and she has a history to which I am not privy. Nor have I tried too hard to pry. I always suspected that I was… better off not knowing Kiwa-chan’s past. But her training and information have been enlightening and helpful, more or less. I just know more than I would like, I suppose. …Wording it like this, I suspect Koharu will either love the information fountain, or despise Kiwa-chan’s demeanor. There will be no middle ground. 

Shinju: Oh, if I know Koharu, it’ll definitely be despise her demeanor. If she’s on your nerves even a little bit, it’ll be worse for Koharu, I bet.  

Hanako: Ehe~ You’re probably right. Honestly, I would have gone mad, if not for Yacchan being there as an anchor.

Shinju: … Has Aoi called you or anything since then? 

Hanako: (she looks away, then down, silent for nearly a minute) …Aoi and I have not spoken since… since the fight within Walpurgisnacht’s barrier.

Shinju: (She relaxes and her shoulders drop) Okay. ‘S probably a good thing if she’s stayed quiet. I don’t think I’m swinging by anytime soon. 

Hanako: Swinging by…?

Shinju: Oh, maybe you don’t know. Yui had her start healing people again in– (Shinju looks around shiftily) A… place. That I’m not gonna say right now. Anyway, I haven’t been by for healing or to talk to her either. 

Hanako: (Hanako opens her mouth to say aloud where she thinks Shinju is referring to, but quickly quiets herself) { …Her gym, you mean? }

Shinju: {‘Haku said they’re trying to hide so I’m being a little paranoid. Sorry.} … I don’t really know if she wanted to do it or if Yui put a gun to her head or whatever. Both could work. 

Hanako: …Knowing Yui, anything is possible. But we can figure all of that out once we return to Mitakihara. …Is there anything else you wanted to ask me, Shinju? It has been some time since we could talk like this.

Shinju: I’m not gonna rake you over the coals about the Aoi thing like Koharu. I get it. I didn’t join myself, obviously, but I get it. Maybe you thought I’d be super mad like her and that’s why you didn’t say anything when you left? 

Hanako: …I couldn’t stay. I couldn’t stay in Mitakihara and heal, both the damage I endured, and the damage I caused. If I made contact during my training, I would have come back prematurely. …I remained at Aoi’s side out of a misguided sense of loyalty. I didn’t… want to lose someone I considered a friend. It was more important to me than anything else. As a result, I did some things that were… questionable at best and horrible at worst. …I don’t even hold any ill will towards Aoi, either. But… with everything I did… what I became… I needed a drastic change in order to ensure I never do anything like that again. …I’m sorry, Shinju.

Shinju: (She lightly bumps Hanako’s shoulder with her fist) Geeze. You’re too hard on yourself, you know that? Aoi could prob’ly have used a friend who’d tell her no in there. Even if it was really stupid, like, politically, I know what she was going for.  

Hanako: …That was the thing. I didn’t disagree with her intentions, even if the method was… extreme. To remove evil from the world, to remove evil human beings from power… I never saw fault with the why of it. Just the how. But it all… it all happened so swiftly. I felt torn, in those moments… and with the pressure, I realized… I was helping Aoi do the wrong thing. But I saw no way back for myself. And before I knew it, it was… over. I was drowning in my thoughts and emotions, and… I needed to get away, if only for a while.

Shinju: Well, I can forget about it. I used to be a pickpocket and stuff too. But write me a letter or something next time, ‘kay? Not that I think there’ll be a next time. 

Hanako: (Hanako gives a little chuckle) No, I certainly don’t think there will be a next time either. Come on, let’s keep moving. The summit is ahead, just up this path.

Before Hanako can turn around again, a sudden sonic boom pulsates through the woods, snapping several trees in twain. Amidst a whirlwind of scattering leaves, an immense force tears into Hanako, tackling her into the wooden fencing separating the path from the steep and perilous cliffs lining the trail, which immediately splinters. Hitting the mossy dirt with at a worrying speed, Hanako continues to roll down the hill, eventually coming to a halt just before she tips over the precipice, a creaking metallic leg pinning her to the ground.

Blood rushing to her head as it hangs over the edge, Hanako struggles to look up, seeing the bloodied, smiling face of Moonlover hanging over her.

Moonlover: <You ran off before we were done playing! Quelle bonheur you were easy enough to track down!> (her face falls before Hanako has a chance to react) <Eh ben, do you not like me or anything?> (she does a shoulder roll, brushing her filthy, loose hair from her face) <Je te comprends pas, Hanako. Aah— Je comprends pas pourquoi je ne te comprends pas. Make it make sense already!>

Hanako: (she coughs, drops of blood splattering onto Moonlover’s cheek) <I can’t… stand you.> I don’t… get it, anyway? Why… why help them? You… clearly don’t… care at all about… about Kyubey’s goals, right? You’re just… doing whatever you please… no rhyme or reason.

Moonlover: <Ah, excusez-moi… Je te comprends pas… You wanna know why I’m doing this? Evidemment! I get to see so many new places, meet so many new people… Do things I’ve never done before! The view here is quite amazing, n’est-ce pas?>

Hanako: …I-Indeed. I hope you enjoy it… on the way down. (a rapier launches from behind Moonlover on a burst of wind, aimed at the base of her spine)

Moonlover: (she twirls out of the way of the attack, moving her feet off Hanako’s body and catching the incoming rapier by the handle) <Avec un… cure-dent? You think I am like a piece of spinach stuck between your teeth? I suppose I’m full of iron!>

Hanako: God… I wish… I could find an enemy… that did not… speak exclusively in… stupid one-liners.

Moonlover: <Why are you such a sourpuss all the time? What’s there to be so negative about… when you have all the power in the world?>

Hanako: …All the power in the world? If I truly… had that, you would be dead where you stood.

Moonlover: <Mais quelle grande gueule! You ever considered that might be on you? Le p’tit mignon, he’s told me everything, t’sais? Pauvre petite, t’avais les clés de ton bonheur… and you traded them in, for what? This? You’re as miserable as you’ve always been, ‘cept now you get to become a Witch and drag others into your misery as opposed to merely dying alone! Oh, is that what this is about? Like, suicide by cop? And I’m the cop?!> (she fakes a police salute) <You do not have the right to remain silent!> 

Hanako: (Hanako, however, defiantly remains silent)

Moonlover: (Moonlover sighs) <… If you don’t even like being alive, why don’t you just let yourself get killed, huh? It really boggles the ol’ brain… boggle boggle boggle…> (with a grin, she holds the stolen rapier to Hanako’s neck) <I hope you weren’t expecting me to get bored!>

Hanako: (Hanako closes her eyes, a calm expression on her face. The winds around them become deathly still.) …If I wanted to die, I could think of far better ways than at the hands of some crazed, apathetic psychopath in poorly applied clown makeup.

Moonlover: <Clown? You think I’m funny? That’s so cool!>

Hanako: You’re not funny, though. …You’re just a joke.

Moonlover: <Ooh, nice one!> (she lunges forward, aiming the rapier at Hanako’s heart)

Hanako: (before the sword could find its mark, a sharp, sudden gale comes in from Moonlover’s side, sharply contrasting the stagnant air moments earlier)

Moonlover: (the gust catches her off guard and with a grunt, she is blown out of Hanako’s reach)

Shinju: (a sudden rush of water cascades down the mountain behind Hanako, flowing between the trees. The water rises up and reforms) Hey! Are you okay? 

Hanako: (coughing a bit, she rolls back into a kneeling position, catching her breath) …I am now, Shinju. Thank you. …I do hope you’re ready, though. I fear our assailant means business this time.

Moonlover: (using a tree as a jumping off points, which immediately splinters under the crushing force of her armorclad legs, she propels herself in Shinju’s direction)

Shinju: !! (she surrounds herself in a large mass of water, dissolving away) 

Moonlover: (she zooms through the water, landing into a roll — as usual, however, she gracefully recovers, soon getting into position for another lunge) <Gonna be another one of those fights, eh? T’es une méduse, n’est-ce pas? I’ve heard they eat des méduses in your country…> (she grins) <I swear… not even the girl with the eyes was this much of a COWARD!>

Shinju: (she reforms out of the water, swinging the cutting water jet from her umbrella at Moonlover… but before she does, she jumps back a few steps, substantially decreasing the power of the jet with the distance)

Moonlover: (making quick use of Shinju’s hesitation, she sidesteps the attack with a wide grin) <What’s the holdup, super soaker? ‘S not like you haven’t sliced me up before!> (her graceful twirl seamlessly transitions into a leap, her legs propelling her into the air as she swings herself on top of a branch, facing the two) <Beautifully bloomed like a flower of flesh, my very soul laid bare! (she tilts back her head, opening her mouth and reaching into it with a single finger, which hooks itself into a loop deep within her throat. Quickly, she pulls a thin black chain from her gullet, at the end of which is a lavender colored Soul Gem, which she playfully twirls around, showing off its pristine shimmer for all to see.) <Tu l’a raté le peu, crétine! If only you hadn’t legged it on those goody two shoes, eh ben?> (she scoffs) <What are you afraid of, hmm? Killing a little girl? You can rest easily… Ophelia St. Croix has been dead for ages!>

Hanako: (on a burst of wind, Hanako lunges forward, rapier extended out towards the dangling Soul Gem)

Ophelia: (she playfully swings the Gem out of Hanako’s way before pulling it in like a yo-yo) <Hey, presto!> (she holds up her clenched fist and opens it, revealing the Soul Gem has disappeared)

Hanako: (with a frustrated scream, Hanako drives her rapier towards Moonlover’s open palm)

Ophelia: (she doesn’t flinch as the rapier pierces her hand) <How many times do I have to t—>

Shinju: (Having circled around behind, Shinju launches a blast of water at Ophelia, with a sudden shout to distract her) 

Ophelia: Ghh— (the blast knocks her off the branch and she lands in the dirt)

From out of seemingly nothing and nowhere, a swarm of knives drop down onto Moonlover’s prone body. They pierce and pin her to the mountain floor, and Yasu lands a short distance away, offering her hand to Hanako.

Yasu: Not bad. Both of you. But make no mistake, Hayama. We need to go for the Gem this time. (Yasu summons two twin daggers into her hands, staring at Moonlover’s prone body, as if expecting her to rise immediately)

Ophelia: (she grins) <Oh dear, is it time to go under the knife again? Don’t make my nose light up red!>

Yasu: …You failed to mention she was a talker, Hanako.

Hanako: …I assumed it would be obvious right from the start. (her cyclone reforms, a fresh rapier appearing in her hand)

Ophelia: <Hmm? Je comprends pas. Lemme in on it, ‘kay?> (she kicks her legs up into the air in order to tear herself free from her restraint, unflinching as they tear through her flesh)

Hanako: (Hanako pushes Ophelia back against the cliffside wall, pinning her with a strong burst of wind.)

Yasu: (At the same time, Yasu makes a motion with her hand, and the knives around Moonlover’s chest pull apart, hooking into her skin to force it apart, revealing her Soul Gem) Now, Hayama!

Ophelia: (she chuckles in excitement, eventually bursting out into full-on laughter, a high-pitched, childlike cackle)

Shinju: (She dashes in, firing a concentrated jet of water directly at the Soul Gem) 

Ophelia: … <and now you’ll see how deep the rabbit hole goes!>

As soon as Shinju’s thin lance of water pierces the cackling Balancer’s Soul Gem, a ferocious pulse of disruptive force erupts from the trinket, rupturing the earth and tearing through the foliage in its way, scattering the attack into miniscule droplets. Immediately after, an ear-splitting, bellowing sound rips apart the peaceful evening air and the outward push reverses into an inward pull that converges back into the Soul Gem, exploding Moonlover’s body into a visceral burst of blood and flesh. Yet the laughter does not stop.

When the blood disperses into a cloud of scarlet smoke, from it emerges a looming figure, its whole body clad in thick slabs of armor — the creaking metal that once replaced Ophelia’s legs now her entire flesh. Its featureless helmet leers at Shinju as if concealing a piercing glare, as from within echoes a familiar, mischievous giggle.

Yasu: (Yasu takes a step forward, her eyes not leaving Moonlover’s monstrous new form) On your guard, you two.

Hanako: (Hanako takes a step back, also not looking away. She swallows nervously, but nods, gripping her rapier tight.) …R-Right.

Shinju: Tch! Did she go Witch or something!? 

Yasu: …No. And judging by the drastic nature of this change… she didn’t use Kiwa-chan’s method, either.

Ophelia: (the armored creature’s laughter turns into a chuckle) Too powerful to be allowed to live… yet still so ignorant. (her voice is familiar, yet alien at the same time, speaking an unidentifiable language that the girls can nevertheless perfectly understand) Dumb flesh… Can you feel it? The pain coursing through your veins? The fear? The shackles pinning you to the rotting soil? We are made of the same matter we trample upon. Dust. (the  creature raises its armored hand, admiring its form) Flesh is a prison. Flesh is sorrow… anger… fear. Pain. (she looks at Hanako, as if looking straight into her, despite the helmet’s lack of any discernible eyes) Even as we tear our souls from our bodies, we crave to be flesh. Flesh ties us to the earth that birthed us. Makes us part of the circle of life. But why? Are we slaves to our flesh? Born to die? To become dust? Like animals? I am not an animal. I am eternal. I am alive.

As Ophelia’s words echo through the red mist, Koharu and Yosuke have finally reached the summit as well, gasping as they witness from afar the battlefield, the Balancer’s new form and the damage it has done to its surroundings.

Yosuke: (he mutters in amazement) … Holy shit.

Koharu: … (she instinctively reaches for Yosuke’s hand)

Yosuke: (he turns to Koharu) They’re… They’re gonna be okay, right? Why’s one of those Witches showin’ up all the way out here? 

Koharu: … Not a Witch. (she points) Look at those legs. It’s that Balancer.

Yosuke: You mean the one Hayama sliced in half?!

Koharu: … She did what?

Yosuke: Well, she did the thing with the water, like—

Koharu: —you were unconscious when she last attacked us—

Yosuke: —she told me, I dunno—

Koharu: Why would Shinju tell you anything she wouldn’t tell me?

Yosuke: I dunno, just ‘cause—Look out! (he tackles Koharu to the ground, pushing her out of the way of a falling tree, which has just been uprooted by the tremors caused when Moonlover suddenly sprints into action)

Yet from where Koharu and Yosuke are standing, the creature doesn’t exactly move as much as it simply appears to be everywhere at once, contorting its limbs as if being tossed around by a disgruntled puppeteer, into attacks that would only be barely visible even to the enhanced eyes of a Puella Magi. As if avoiding a direct hit isn’t challenging enough already, the shrieking bursts of wind that follow each sweep of Moonlover’s legs are even worse, slicing through the forest like butter and making it impossible for any of her opponents to even keep their feet on the ground. Though Hanako, Yasu and Shinju seem to be trying their best to keep up with the now inhuman pace of the fight, things look as if they’re heading towards a massacre…

Yosuke: (he grunts) We gotta get outta here. W-We gotta hide.

Koharu: I’m not leaving here without the others. They need me.

Yosuke: Wh… Are you insane? What are you going to do against a monster like that?

Koharu: (she struggles to get back onto her feet, shielding herself from the wind) H-Hanako!

Yasu: (exchanging a knowing glance with Hanako, Yasu breaks the defensive pace, launching herself directly at the armored beast before them)

Ophelia: Well, if you insist! (she meets Yasu’s attack head-on, grabbing the attacker’s face with a single hand and slamming her into the ground)

Hanako: (Hanako’s eyes widen as Yasu is thrown to the ground, her body unmoving. After a moment, darkness begins to form in Hanako’s eyes, swirling in an otherworldly iridescence. Shaking her head, the darkness fades, but Hanako’s wind flares out as she steps forward) Y… Yasu!

Ophelia: (she puts her foot onto Yasu’s chest — her hand still around Yasu’s head — and moves to pull it clean off her neck)

Koharu: Hanako! This must be that secondary transformation Takahata showed off—

Yosuke: She ain’t listening, senpai! Let’s get outta here before she n—

Ophelia: (she suddenly turns her head towards the two, letting go of Yasu, who slumps into the mud)

Yosuke: … Fuck.

Hanako: (Hanako dashes between Moonlover and Yosuke, her arms outstretched as her personal cyclone flares out.) Yosuke… take Koharu somewhere safe!

Yosuke: Easier said than done! (he tugs on Koharu’s arms to lead her into the woods)

Ophelia: Eyes up front, cutie pie! (entirely unaffected by Hanako’s winds, she launches herself at the girl like a bullet)

Shinju: (She conjures a mass of water blocking Ophelia’s path, throwing it into her opposing her momentum) Get out of here, you two!

Unfortunately, the large wave seems to do little to push the armored monstrosity back. Just as with Hanako’s winds, it effortlessly passes through the water, as if unaffected by the very laws of mass. 

Ophelia: (from inside the helmet, another harrowing laugh echoes)  I will not be held back! Never again! (she hammers down her fists on to the ground upon landing, just a short distance away from Hanako’s feet, immediately causing the earth to split into a large crater)

Hanako: (Hanako leaps into the air, keeping aloft in her cyclone. At the same time, she envelops Koharu and Yosuke into a separate cyclone, throwing them deeper into the woods.)

Ophelia: Oh, don’t worry about your friends, cutie pie. Why would I bother to try and kill them before I kill you? (she casually uproots a nearby tree, lifting it onto her shoulder like an immeasurably long club) Now get down here so we can play! (with a spin, she hurls the trunk at Hanako)

From her position on the ground, Shinju fires a water jet upwards, cleaving the trunk in half before it reaches Hanako. Hanako, in turn, flies between the split remains of the former tree, diving in for quick attacks against Moonlover, weaving between streams of water. Neither Puella seem to be able to leave so much as a scratch, however, and Hanako is clearly losing momentum.

Hanako: { Shinju… I’m not sure I can keep this up much longer. Perhaps we should consider a tactical retreat? }

Shinju: { Got that right… I don’t think this fight is ending any other way than someone dying. }

Making use of the girls’ split-second distraction, the armored figure continues her assault, sweeping Shinju’s leg and knocking her to the ground. Instead of finishing her downed opponent, however, Moonlover suddenly swivels, contorting her body and kicking her leg into another direction entirely — aimed straight at Hanako’s Soul Gem. It’s too sudden, too unnatural to properly react — the creature’s limbs moving as if blessed with eyes that see in all directions and unbound by the laws of logic. Hanako closes her eyes, her wind calm as she accepts her fate. But what she expects doesn’t come. Instead, she opens them up again to see the leg, a mere finger’s length away from her chest, frozen in mid-air.

Ophelia: (she scoffs) I w-was wondering… when you were gonna use those powers on me, reine des abeilles!

Yasu: (sitting up on her knees, Yasu is holding her right hand outward. The armor containing Moonlover is held still, aside a quivering leg. Surrounding Moonlover are equally held aloft daggers, pointed in her direction. Blood is pooling from her forehead, covering the right side of Yasu’s face, and she’s staring at the telekinetically bound Moonlover, panting quite heavily.) Haah… shouldn’t have made yourself metal, then. Or does this bullshit power make you immune to everything?

Ophelia: So you’re magnetic, then? Look at you. You’re not gonna attract many people when you’re sweating like that! (she giggles) Or are you tryin’ to do my job for me?

Yasu: Jesus fucking Christ, can you STOP TALKING?! (Yasu yells, holding out both hands and telekinetically pulling Moonlover’s armor and spreading her arms and legs.) Shinju! Now!

Shinju: (A shower of rain descends upon Ophelia’s armor. On impact, the drops unnaturally gather and coalesce into a seam in the armor. The water hisses and expands, the armor creaking and rattling until the chestplate is forced open)

Ophelia: (she screams as the armor bursts open, propelling various pieces of metal in different directions. A large hole where its chest used to be, the armorclad figure falls to her knees, casting its gaze towards the sky. Yet as the remaining water gushes from the cavity, accompanied by an orchestra of agonized shrieks, it becomes clear that there is nothing underneath — the inside of the armor is empty save for a pitch-black Soul Gem, hovering in the void within, surrounded by swirling tufts of pale mist)

Shinju: (The water is propelled away and Shinju reforms in the air. She draws her umbrella, pointing it at the Soul Gem within the armor, and fires a concentrated water jet) 

Ophelia: (before Shinju’s attack can hit its target, however, the swirling mists burst out into a wave of malicious energy, instantly vaporizing the water as it closes in on its source — Shinju)

Shinju: Hrngk– aaaaah!! (Shinju is launched backward down the mountain by the wave of negative energy, smashing through branches and tumbling to the ground)

Yasu: Shinju! Aaargh! (The energy hits Yasu as well, forcing her back against a cliff wall) H… Hanako! Run!

The energy hits Hanako as well, though she stands amidst the swell of pure negativity, appearing completely calm. She opens her eyes, an iridescent darkness swirling within them, and two straight “tears” of darkness running down her cheeks. She releases her rapier, letting it float around her as she begins to approach the armor.

Yasu: H… Hanako! W-Wait! It’s too much! You’ll turn—

Ophelia: (the scream morphs into a terrifying grunt as years of accumulated agony and grief wash over Hanako) You know what it’s like to hurt somewhere you don’t even have! Why wouldn’t you wish it away? Why would you embrace it? Why do you embrace the pain? How can you live a life that is nothing but pain! (Ophelia’s wails echo through the woods as the armored figure rises back to her feet) DUMB FLESH!

???: Coward. You think these banal feelings real pain? (Hanako? floats to stand in front of the armor, hovering without her cyclone, several more rapiers floating in a circle around her) You ran from them. She embraced them. That is the difference between us.

Ophelia: And yet in the end we are BOTH monsters! (she cackles, propelling herself at the mutated Hanako and read to deliver one of her signature earth-shattering kicks)

???: (The kick doesn’t reach its mark, however. The air around them is completely still, yet a fierce burst of wind forces Moonlover’s armor back. The air around Hanako remains still, despite the wind; even her attire is unfazed from the gust.)

Ophelia: (as she lands, she slides back, her feet leaving a trail in the mud, before she leaps into the air again, this time flipping into an overhead kick — the lower leg in question disattaching from her hip and flying towards Hanako like a missile, connected to her body with a fearsome-looking chain)

???: (A gust of wind emanates from the ground itself, forcing the detached leg upwards. Hanako’s body drifts listlessly to the side, and all four rapiers point in Moonlover’s direction. As soon as they do, countless needles fire from the tips, all aimed at the exposed black egg in the middle of its iron cradle.)

Ophelia: So you can attack, huh? Useless! (she quickly retracts the leg to pull it out of the gust, turning her back onto Hanako so the attacks bounce off the armor on her back, before launching into another attack)

???: You bore me. (Hanako’s body lunges forward, not unlike a marionette and a massive burst of wind pushes forth, trying to pin Moonlover against a cliff face)

Ophelia: Feeling’s mutual!

Digging her heels into the dirt, Moonlover stretches her arms out wide before bringing them together in front of her, directing the shadowy mists towards the incoming attack. As the burst of wind and the destructive pulse of dark energy crash into one another, a massive explosion follows, reducing most of what is still standing up within its radius to chunks and splinters, and whipping up a gigantic dust cloud.

As they are running away from the scene, the shockwave knocks Koharu and Yosuke to the ground. Stumbling face-first into the mud, Koharu instinctively shields her head from the impact, causing her to roll into a similarly curled up Yosuke.

Yosuke: Augh! Is she trying to get us all killed? Fuck! What the hell was that—

Koharu: (she grunts, breathing heavily) … Can’t… do this anymore…

Yosuke: Oh no, you don’t… I mean, yes you do! Come on, we gotta keep running!

Meanwhile, as the dust settles over the crater, four unconscious bodies are strewn around — on one side, closer to the trail, a limp Hanako is lying tangled up in a large bush, having been blown a few meters away by the explosion, with Yasu and Shinju both not far away from her. On the opposite side of the crater, at the bottom of a blood trail that starts on the cliffside now propping up her body, sits Moonlover, her head hanging unnaturally, her transformation undone, her clothes torn and both of her legs stumps. 

As the sun begins to set, her eyes open. With a sickening sound, her snapped neck cracks back into place and in a flash of muted light, her armorclad legs are restored as she rises to her feet. Slowly, but steadily, a grin creeps onto her face as she bends her creaking knees, getting into position for one last leap, across the crater, to crush Hanako Sasaki’s Soul Gem under the crushing weight of her kick.

Ophelia: Au… revoir.

Once again, Moonlover launches herself into the air — but as her leap reaches its zenith, a sudden force blindsides her, sending her veering off target, towards the edge of the cliff now looming to her left — a direct result of a landslide that must have been caused by the explosion. Having shakily risen to her feet, Shinju has her hand outstretched toward Moonlover, grimacing as she uses her powers for one final push. In a split-second, Moonlover is washed over the edge of the cliff by a wave of water. Her eyes widen, and she instinctively reaches out for anything to hold onto, but to no avail.

Ophelia: Ahaha! Ahahahahaha!

As she is sent plummeting into the depths of the ravine, her cackling echoes through the trees for a few more seconds, before eventually going quiet. Hanako’s eyes snap open, still swirling with the unnatural darkness, and she races towards the cliff where Ophelia fell. An equally unnatural shriek follows, and countless ivory rapiers hurtle in the direction of Moonlover’s body. A minute or so passes, and a hand comes down onto Hanako’s shoulder, causing the stream of swords to subside.

Yasu: H… Hey. Lily, let go. It’s done.

Lily: …

Yasu: You did your job, Lily. But we need Hanako back. Okay? (Yasu holds up a spare Grief Seed) Otherwise… there’s not gonna be anything left of either of you.

Hanako’s head nods after some hesitation, and she turns to face Yasu, her expression turning neutral once more as her eyes slowly close. Yasu holds the Seed up to Hanako’s Soul Gem, which had turned nearly completely black from the exertion. It takes about a minute, but Hanako’s Soul Gem is eventually cleansed, returning her to normal.

Hanako: …Th… thank you, Yacchan. Shinju. Both of you. (panting heavily, Hanako drops to her knees, slowly scooting away from the cliff’s edge) …D-Do you… think it’s over?

Shinju: N… not unless we’re really lucky. Don’t count on that killing her. Let’s get out of here before something else happens.