Within Altair faction, aside from the commander herself, the most troublesome member was undoubtedly the newest summoned creation—Tokisaki Kurumi.
While in terms of raw power and potential, the infinitely evolving Altair held an unquestionable advantage, Kurumi ability to create clones was even more troublesome than Altair Holopsicon.
At the same time, everyone in Meteora faction understood one critical truth:
The more time passed, the stronger Tokisaki Kurumi became.
If she were allowed to store enough time, Kurumi threat level would far surpass Altair.
This fact was best understood by none other than Natsumi Kyouno, who had once played the role of Tokisaki Kurumi herself.
Whether for support or offense, Kurumi was top-tier in both aspects.
Altair decision to summon her as an ally could only be described as a direct counter to Natsumi Kyouno.
One Altair was already troublesome enough.
If they had to deal with both Altair and Tokisaki Kurumi, Meteora side would stand no chance.
Therefore, they had to first eliminate Kurumi greatest advantage—
Her shadow space, where she stored her clones.
It didn't matter how many clones she had created so far.
If she couldn't release them, it would be the same as having none.
The plan was to use the sealing master's key—[Unlocker]—to forcibly seal off the shadow space.
Even Tokisaki Kurumi would be powerless against that.
"So this was your plan, huh?"
While dodging attacks from Yuuya Mirokuji and his spirit companion Itabane, Kurumi spoke casually:
"Transforming yourself into Meteora and sealing my shadow space with a surprise attack. Quite a clever strategy."
Once her shadow was sealed, not only would the shadow space be inaccessible, but even City of Devouring Time could no longer be used.
Her threat level had essentially been cut in half.
Yet Kurumi expression remained calm, as if Natsumi Kyouno effort had no impact whatsoever.
And that was only natural.
"We can't let her use the Twelfth Bullet!"
Now back to her original appearance, Natsumi Kyouno shouted toward Mirokuji and rushed in Kurumi direction.
Sealing the shadow was only step one.
The far more crucial second step—
Was to prevent Kurumi from using Zafkiel, her time-manipulating weapon.
As long as she still had Zafkiel, she could use the Twelfth Bullet to return to the past at any time, undoing all the effort they had put into catching her off guard.
"Don't order me around!"
Of course, Mirokuji had studied the reports too. He needed no further reminders.
He once again engaged Kurumi in close combat, even at the risk of injury, just to deny her the chance to load a time-manipulating bullet.
Mirokuji wasn't weak—in fact, with the powerful cursed entity Hangaku behind him, it was hard for most people to best him in a one-on-one.
However, the fundamentally gap in base stats was an insurmountable gulf.
In just a few exchanges, Mirokuji had already taken multiple hits from Kurumi spiritual bullets.
If not for the enhancements applied to all members before the operation—especially the buffs granted by the real Meteora—he would've already been out of commission.
"Gabriel!"
Noticing how Kurumi was deliberately creating distance between herself and Natsumi Kyouno while keeping Mirokuji occupied, Natsumi wasted no time and summoned Miku Izayoi angel, Gabriel.
A massive golden pipe organ manifested behind her.
As spiritual energy surged into it, the instrument began to play on its own.
Low, thunder-like drums echoed from afar.
Soaring strings followed like fluttering battle banners.
Brass instruments joined, blaring a rallying cry like warriors heading to war.
It was a march.
The musical power merged with Mirokuji's body.
His veins bulged, muscles tightened, and his blood surged.
Speed, strength, reflexes—all were boosted in an instant.
And not just Mirokuji.
With the march's spread, Selesia—who was fighting Blitz—and Mamika Koushu—dueling Aletstria—
All felt themselves supercharged.
Even Natsumi Kyouno herself was empowered.
"Raphael!"
Maintaining her distance, Natsumi switched to another angel—
She summoned the most versatile long-range angel among the ten, Raphael.
Sure, she could have gone for something more brute-force like Michael,
But as a spirit, Natsumi Kyouno was not built for close combat.
Her character setting didn't allow for it, and her training had focused on maximizing her unique skillset.
If she suddenly started swinging a sword up close, it would actually seem suspicious.
"Zafkiel!"
While shouting, she changed Raphael's form.Dozens of floating cannons, shaped like wings of light, assembled around her.
With the march's buff and Raphael's instant teleportation ability,
Natsumi blinked into position behind Mirokuji and Kurumi.
"Light Saber Formation!"
The cannons reshaped into laser-emitting units.
Dozens of targeting lines locked onto Kurumi from every angle.
Kurumi eyes sharpened.
Behind her, the massive Roman numeral clock—the phantom of Zafkiel—materialized once more.
"One..."
Just as the Roman numeral I began to darken into a bullet,
Mirokuji thrust his blade forward, interrupting the casting.
Kurumi face flickered with irritation.
She dodged the strike and retaliated with a spiritual bullet directly to Mirokuji's chest.
Though enhanced by the march, the damage he'd taken was too much.
That final shot was the last straw.
He coughed up a mouthful of blood—and collapsed.
But it was worth it.
Missing the timing to use the First Bullet, which granted instant movement,
And with her shadow space sealed, Kurumi had no way to escape.
Boom!
Dozens of laser cannons fired in perfect unison.
The beams wove a net of light, leaving no room for escape.
Her Astral Dress, classified as the lowest-grade Type C, couldn't fully defend against the barrage.
And without her teleport ability or her shadows, she had no escape route.
Kurumi was forced to take the full brunt of the assault.
Her defenses shattered—
She was left tattered and heavily wounded.
"Twelve..."
Despite surviving the barrage, she was now out of options.
Mirokuji was unconscious, and finally—
She had the window to activate Zafkiel.
Kurumi lips moved to chant the Twelfth Bullet.
Her plan: travel back three minutes and undo all the damage she'd just taken.
She only needed a sliver of spiritual energy to do it.
But there was no way Natsumi Kyouno would let her succeed.
"Zafkiel!"
Once again using instant teleportation, Natsumi Kyouno appeared directly behind Tokisaki Kurumi. Her Angel of Annihilation transformed into a beam of light and fused together, appearing in her hand in the form of Key of Unsealing.
The wand, shaped like a key, pointed at Zafkiel—the giant clock behind Tokisaki Kurumi—and without hesitation, Natsumi Kyouno activated the power of [Close].
In the next moment, the massive Roman clock suddenly shuddered, and its ticking second, minute, and hour hands came to a stop.
Even the Twelfth Bullet that was just about to take shape halted at the final moment under the power of the Key of Unsealing.
"Success!"
A look of delight appeared on Natsumi Kyouno face.
The other creations, who had divided some attention to keep track of this battle, all showed expressions of excitement.
Zafkiel being sealed meant that Tokisaki Kurumi had completely lost her greatest trump card.
The Shadow Space, the City Devouring Time, Zafkiel—her three aces were now unusable. Her power was reduced to less than one-tenth of its original strength.
All they had to do next was eliminate Altair, and they would be able to rescue this world from the crisis of annihilation.
However, just then, Tokisaki Kurumi suddenly turned her head.
Seeing the increasingly pronounced smile at the corner of her mouth, Natsumi Kyouno was momTachibanarily stunned.
That kind of smile, as if she had been waiting for this moment all along, filled her heart with a vague sense of danger.
Did she have another hidden trump card?
Or was Altair about to make her move?
Thoughts raced through her mind as Natsumi Kyouno instinctively tried to pull away, wanting to use the instant teleportation ability of the Angel of Annihilation: Light Wings to escape to a safe place.
But Tokisaki Kurumi left hand suddenly grabbed her right arm.
"Key of Unsealing!"
At that moment, Tokisaki Kurumi shouted, and the frozen Zafkiel turned into light, transforming into a wand shaped like a key.
Due to their close proximity—and with herself being grabbed—Natsumi Kyouno had no way to dodge.
Before she could even figure out what was happening, she could only watch helplessly as the tip of the wand pressed against her chest, and an irresistible sense of constraint swept through her entire body.
"[Close]!"
In an instant, Natsumi Kyouno lost all of her power.
The spirit energy flowing through her body seemed to turn to stone. No matter how she tried to call upon it, there was no response at all.
The Angel of Annihilation that had just been forming also collapsed due to the lack of continued spirit energy and vanished beside her.
Even her Divine Spirit Armor suffered the same fate.
At that moment, she felt like a bird stripped of its wings, helplessly plummeting from the sky.
[Death]
That was the word that surfaced in her mind.
She was going to die.
Without the protection of spirit energy, she was now nothing more than an ordinary human girl.
Falling from such a height, the only outcome would be being smashed into a bloody pulp.
"Little Nana——!"
Mamika Kirameki pupils contracted rapidly. Without a moment's hesitation, she stopped fighting Alicetaria and rushed toward Natsumi Kyouno.
Her heart leapt to her throat as she sped toward her with the fastest speed of her life.
But due to the earlier chase, Natsumi Kyouno was already too far from the original battlefield. There was no way she could make it in time.
Just as endless panic was about to swallow her whole, a sharp, thunderous neigh rang out beside her.
In the next instant, she felt a violent gust of wind sweep past her, scraping her skin raw.
From the white horse's side, two dreamlike wings unfurled, and it shot like an arrow toward the falling Natsumi Kyouno.
At the very last second, the horse's eyes flashed with divine light, conjuring a rising current of air that gently caught Natsumi Kyouno and safely set her down on the ground.
Everyone stared in shock at Alicetaria. No one had expected her to do something like this.
Even Alicetaria herself looked stunned, staring at her own mount.
"…As expected, Alicetaria."
Tokisaki Kurumi gaze grew heavy, her tone icy. "You are just like Mamika… a creation that doesn't belong here."
"Let me explain!"
Alicetaria swallowed hard and forced herself to explain: "If I said it was my mount acting on its own, would you believe me?"
"…Do you take me for a three-year-old child?"
Tokisaki Kurumi eye twitched, and the Key of Unsealing in her hand transformed into the Angel of Wrath: Cannon Form, aiming directly at Alicetaria.
An intense blaze gathered within it, forming a purgatorial fire capable of evaporating everything.
"Magical Scatter Flash Bomb!"
Just as the Angel of Wrath was charging up, the belatedly arriving Mamika Kirameki launched her ultimate skill first.
Faced with a full-powered magical girl's finishing move, Tokisaki Kurumi was forced to redirect the cannon blast.
BOOM————————!
The explosion lit up the entire area. Even from another corner of the city, one could see the surreal blend of dreamy pink and searing red flames intertwining.
Seeing Mamika Kirameki and Selesia approaching, then glancing at the now-defected Alicetaria, Tokisaki Kurumi expression darkened.
Taking a direct hit from the Angel of Annihilation: Light Blade earlier, she had suffered serious injuries.
Blitz had already been defeated, Alicetaria appeared to have betrayed her, Mamika Kirameki and Selesia were still almost at full strength, and even the severely injured Miraiin Yuya could still command the Blaster units.
Most importantly, Meteora and Rui Kanoya still hadn't shown up…
The situation was extremely unfavorable for her.
Right now, retreat was the only option.
"This grudge—I'll pay you back double next time!"
Gritting her teeth, Tokisaki Kurumi retracted her angel, gave Natsumi Kyouno a vicious glare, then quickly flew into a dense warehouse, vanishing into the darkness.
"Don't think this means you've won!"