Chapter 46 – The Battle of the Sky-Dome

The day was finally here. I took the girls to the Sky-Dome stadium, a massive, crumbling concrete shell. Its retractable roof was half-open, letting a single, brilliant shaft of noon sunlight hit the dusty field inside. The air was thick and still. They stood before me in stylish, dark athletic gear, looking rested, focused, and humming with a quiet, dangerous energy. "Alright, this is as far as I go," I said, opening my arms. "You know the drill, girls." One by one, they came forward. Akane's hug was a brief, powerful squeeze. "MVP. It's gonna be me, Master!" Miki's was a confident, lingering embrace finished with a slow, promising kiss. Aoi's was a formal, respectful hug. Homura was shy but surprisingly strong. Chiyoko was last. Her hug was warm and all-encompassing. "We'll be back soon, my love," she whispered, kissing me deeply. With the ritual done, they turned as one and walked toward the entrance. They didn't look back. "Fallen Stars, transform," Aoi commanded, her voice calm and clear. In five synchronized bursts of swirling, colored darkness: crimson, pink, indigo, silver, and violet, they took on their magical girl forms. They were a breathtaking, terrifying sight. A cohesive, deadly unit, they walked into the stadium and vanished into the shadows. "The pieces are in place," Gemgem's voice hummed in my mind. "Now, we watch." I walked to a high hill with a clear view of the stadium below. "Been a few months since we met, huh, Partner?" I murmured. "What will happen to you after this?" "...It has," Gemgem replied, its voice unusually thoughtful. "Once the Aegis is broken, my primary function in this city is complete. Normally, I would move on, find a new host, and begin the cycle again." It paused. "However, this family you have built... it is a new variable. One that warrants further study. Perhaps my purpose is not just to start the fire, but also to watch how it burns." "So, it might be goodbye, then," I said. "The girls won't leave me just because I lose your power." "Well, Akane might try to get her revenge." I shrugged, settling in to watch the fight. "If we win this, you owe me a hug before you go, Gemgem." "...Your obsession with physical contact is a baffling character flaw," Gemgem sighed. "We will discuss your reward after the victory is secured." Down below, five points of brilliant, white light appeared in the center of the field. The Aegis of Light had arrived, clad in shining white and gold armor, looking like goddesses of justice. "So, the shadows have crawled out into the light," Valkyrie's voice boomed across the stadium. "I am Valkyrie. Surrender now, and we will grant you a swift end." "We are The Fallen Stars," Aoi's voice cut through the air, just as sharp but without the volume. "And we are here to offer you liberation." The battle exploded into motion. Akane and Homura were a crimson and silver blur. Golem met them head-on, her body turning to solid granite. The ground shook as Akane's fist met Golem's stone arm in a deafening sonic boom, while Homura immediately trapped Golem's feet in a gravity well. At the same time, Sylph vanished in a streak of wind, aiming for Chiyoko. But Aoi was there, a wall of pure void simply swallowing Sylph's wind blades. The real fight, however, began on the mental front. Miki started to sing, her voice a subtle, enchanting melody not of despair, but of doubt. "Is your sacrifice worth it?" she sang. "Is your justice truly pure?" Valkyrie faltered for a split second. The Oracle, beside her, closed her eyes. "I see... so many futures... a trap... no, a duel... their motives are... unclear..." "Aoi's plan is working perfectly, isn't it?" I said with a grin. "Who's your favorite, Gemgem?" "They are executing the strategy with 94% efficiency," Gemgem replied, dodging the question. "Their synergy is optimal." Down below, the battle rages like a beautiful, chaotic dance. Akane is a relentless force of nature, her every punch shaking the ground, forcing Golem into a purely defensive stance. Homura provides perfect support, using her gravity fields to subtly alter Golem's balance, creating openings for Akane's attacks. Sylph, the assassin, is completely neutralized by Aoi. Every time she tries to flank or attack from a new angle, a shield of void is there to meet her. Aoi is forcing Sylph into a direct, fruitless confrontation. The true battle remains in the center. Valkyrie is trying to charge, to lead her team, but she is caught in Miki's web of song. The doubt is seeping into her soul. Her attacks are powerful but unfocused. "What is this poison?!" Valkyrie yelled. "Justice is absolute! Sacrifice is noble!" "Is it?" Miki sang back. "Or is that just what the Light tells you, so you don't feel the cage it's built around you?" Then Chiyoko made her move. She didn't attack. She walked calmly towards Pixie, who was desperately trying to heal Golem's cracking stone skin. "You're pushing yourself too hard," Chiyoko said gently. "Your power is beautiful, but you're draining your own life force. Let me help you." A warm, violet aura extended from her hand, an offer of pure, unconditional healing. Pixie flinched back, confused. The Oracle clutched her head. "I can't see! They are helping... and harming... their future is not dark... it is free..." The Oracle is broken. And without her guidance, the Aegis of Light is blind. "Damn, Chiyoko," I muttered. "Healing the enemy during a fight. I might need to spank jer later. Her ass looks seductive from this angle, too." I gulped. "Her action is tactically sound," Gemgem noted. "It has sown maximum confusion within the enemy ranks for minimal energy expenditure. Withholding disciplinary action may be prudent." "It's the most logical action," Gemgem noted. "It has generated maximum confusion within the enemy ranks and lowered their morale. I recommend that you withhold disciplinary action, host." Chiyoko's gambit paid off. Pixie hesitated. Valkyrie, seeing her team's healer being approached, roared in fury. "Get away from her, you witch!" She abandoned Miki and charged. But Homura was ready. "Absolute Domain." A massive sphere of gravitational force shimmered into existence around Valkyrie, stopping her dead. Her spear shattered against the invisible wall. She was trapped. With their leader captured, the Aegis faltered. Golem tried to charge to her aid, but Akane saw her opening. "You're not going anywhere! CRIMSON OVERDRIVE!" She unleashed a single, devastating punch, aimed at the weak cracks in Golem's rock armor. The armor cracked and exploded, revealing an unconscious woman inside. Sylph tried to flee. "Void Lock." A cage of pure darkness snapped shut around her. Only Pixie was left. Chiyoko walked over and gently placed a hand on her shoulder. "It's over." Pixie looked at Chiyoko's kind eyes, then at the captured Valkyrie, then at her unconscious friends. She drops her small wand, and her shoulders slump in defeat. She surrenders. The battle was over. The Fallen Stars had won. "Well, that was quick," I said, getting up to head home and prepare the victory feast. "I was expecting them to be stronger. Maybe something was holding them back?" But as I turned, a chill ran down my spine. "Hey, Gemgem... you didn't see her coming, did you?" "Impossible..." Gemgem flared in my mind, a flicker of genuine, primal alarm. "Psychic presence is null... a complete blind spot..." I looked up. Standing a few feet away was a girl who hadn't been there a second ago. She had short, messy black hair and startlingly intelligent, crimson-red eyes. She wore a simple black hoodie and jeans. She has no aura, no visible power. She looks completely normal. And yet, the silence around her was absolute. She looked past me, down at the stadium where my girls were tending to their defeated opponents, her expression one of mild curiosity. Then her gaze shifted, landing on me. Her red eyes seemed to look right through me, past my flesh, past my thoughts, at the Gem against my chest. "So," she said, her voice calm and casual. "You're the one causing all the fun. And you are the corruption. I've been looking for you for a long, long time." She took one step forward. An immense, crushing pressure washed over me, a pressure of pure, conceptual power. "RUN!" Gemgem's voice shrieked in my soul. "HOST, YOU MUST RUN! THAT IS NOT A MAGICAL GIRL! THAT IS AN ANOMALY! A PARADOX! SHE IS" The voice in my head didn't fade. It was cut off immediately, as if it were deleted. The ancient, powerful entity that had been my constant companion was gone, replaced by a sudden, deafening silence.