The light ebbed away, Vivi standing as the light of her transformation dissipated. Her outfit had changed, affected by her succubus powers. The once simple white dress gained a few new flares, including a pink trim at its base, the lower tulle skirt dangling around her mid thigh gaining a deep pink shade, matching her bows. The bows at her shoulders had gotten even longer, falling around her to her elbow, and her gloves gained a new purple trim. A new matching purple corset with pink trim gave the outfit a new sense of definition as if to infuse the allure of her new found succubus nature. Her pink choker gained a new heart shaped ornament which matched the upside-down earrings she now wore. Finally, at the top of her head now rested a simple silver tiara of curling hearts, a single red gem resting at its center.
Vivi exhaled, her now deep red shoes clacking on the ground as she landed, red bows that now topped them swaying slightly at the movement. She opened her eyes, revealing bright ruby red eyes, which quickly seemed to infect her face with their intense redness. She squirmed as did her best to practice her breathing. Erika stood by her side, gently grounding her with a touch, Vivi passing a small nod to her in thanks. She next summoned her refashioned trusty tool, the once short wand growing into a longer scepter, adorned with a red heart matching the center heart of her tiara, a new set of pale white wings like her own flaring out at the base of the heart.
“You’re doing good Vivi,” Lilith reassured her. “I know it’s a lot to manage, but you’re getting better.”
Vivi took a deep breath. As she calmed down her eye shifting to a bright pink. “I think I’ve got it now.”
“Well, you’ve certainly got my attention,” Erika purred, causing Vivi’s eyes to flash red much like her cheeks.
“E-Eri!!!”
“Come now sweetie. You do have to be prepared for that kind of thing,” Cheryl chuckled.
“N-no one is gonna f-flirt with me during c-combat!” Vivi protested.
“Hmm… I don’t know, Zeus might,” Erika noted. “Perving on girls is like his whole MO in legends.”
“Ewww...” Vivi’s eyes reverted to pink.
“Buuuut, what would you do if a hottie like Tia flirted with you,” Lilith teased.
“Lily...” Tiamat grumbled.
“Oh, I’m just trying to prove a point. Well sweetie?”
Vivi stared at the floor, her eyes and cheeks reddening again. “There, there, cutiepie. I won’t feel bad if you flirt with any hot goddesses. Just be sure to include me, okay?” Erika teased as she adoringly pet Vivi.
“O-okay...” Vivi murmured.
“I love you,” Erika giggled.
“Like mother like daughter,” Cheryl giggled. “Reminds me of when your mom and I hooked up.”
“M-Mama!!!” Vivi complained. The group laughed.
As Vivi continued training, Lilith noticed Mary enter the Living Room and gesture to her. She followed her into the hallway. “Is something wrong sweetie?”
“Just… I wanted to talk for a moment.” Mary looked at Vivi. “Her training seems to be going well.”
“Well, between Cheryl and Erika, she’s had a lot to work with,” Lilith chuckled. “She’s improving very quickly. We’ll be working on having her manage both my and Athena’s blessings together later.”
“That’s… good...”
“Mary?”
Mary sighed. “I’m just worried.” Lilith frowned.
“Sweetie, I’m sorry for getting her get caught up in all of this. I should’ve talked with you first. Things were moving so fast and-”
“Mom, it’s okay. Well… maybe that’s not fully true. I’m definitely upset, but I understand. Someone has to stop him, and Vivi and her friends might be the only ones who can stop him outside of other deities. I understand all of that… It still hurts though.”
“Mary...”
“I know better than anyone how strong she is. Watching her grow since she came out… it’s been a lot, but she’s become such an amazing person these past several months.,” Mary said with a serene smile. “But even if she was the most amazing person in the world, I’d still worry about her. I want her to be safe. She’s only just started living her life, and I want her to live it the best she can.”
“I do too. I want all of you to...”
“Mom… can I just say one thing?”
“Of course, sweetie. Always.”
“I know it’s selfish of me to ask this. I know that you have your own duties and you want to see things through in a way you think is right, but… please if something happens, please protect her for me. I don’t want her getting hurt. I don’t want to lose my daughter again.”
“Mary, you know she’ll be fine, and...”
“It’s not just Zeus. It’s the military too.” Mary grimaced. “I’ve seen what they do to people.” Lilith winced in pain as she recalled Mary crying. A letter on the table informing her of one of her closet friends in school dying in the line of duty. That and the others who returned home and became unrepentant bastards to her after their service. “Please, Mom, protect her.”
“Mary… I...”
* * *
“So, as you can see,” Isis said as she pointed to illusion of the golem, “as they are defeated, they seek to repair themselves by pulling in other sources of mana and material. Naturally, this means they have a built in measure to fuse together and form larger and more complicated golems.”
“I see,” Roth grumbled. “So we can’t take them down with conventional weaponry. So, how do we?”
“There are four ways to defeat them. I’ll list them from most practical to least. First, you can destroy the mana core, causing the golem to collapse altogether, the trick is finding it. Second, you can absorb the magical core or mana which will have the same effect. Technically, this is the best option, but absorption magic of that caliber can be tricky to set up, I’ll see if I can assist in something on that. Third is the total destruction of the body. While it may sound simple, as long as any of the body remains and the mana core remains, it can till perpetuate itself, thus I don’t advise it. Finally, is to disrupt the flow of mana from the caster. Golems are created to serve a master, if that master dies, they lose all integrity and collapse.”
“And that’s impractical?” General Tombs grumbled.
“It is Odin. While we are intending to defeat him, I suspect that he won’t cease the spell willingly. Meaning we will need to isolate his mana flow.”
“And what if we were to kill him?”
Roth sighed.
“General Tombs.” Isis stared at the military general. “While I understand your desire for a direct method, it is impractical. Your men will have a difficult time doing that if that’s what you desire.”
“Then have them Prism Rangers do it!”
“General, they’re called the Prism Girls,” Roth corrected him yet again after a long trend of such incorrect names.
“Whatever! Have them kill him!”
“Sir, they’re civilians! They neither have the right nor duty to kill someone,” Roth stated.
“Then conscript them!”
“You don’t have the power to do that, sir.”
“Oh, I’ll have the power to alright. I’ll...”
Isis smacked the table with her hand, the metal table making an audacious ring. “Allow me to make one thing clear. You will not be conscripting our priestesses. We are here to help, but we are not your war hounds. Furthermore, none of those girls have the interest nor desire to murder anyone, whether it be prudent or not. You will make due with the options I provided you.”
“How dare you! I am the leading officer of this operation!”
“No! You are a petulant fool who wishes to pull innocent women into your power tripping scheme!”
As the two continued to bicker, Lilith and the other goddesses arrived to witness the argument. While the others listened and tried to argue with the General, the only thing on Lilith’s mind were Mary’s words. She took a deep breath and left the tent. She approached the border of the camp, hearing the gunfire in the distance, keenly aware of the battle going on in the plumes of dust not too far away.
Her stomach churned as Mary’s voice continued to echo in her mind. Her pleas for help, and that haunting phrase. ‘Are you still my Mom?’ She took a deep breath and chose to act on her decision. A decision that happened long before they left. Perhaps one she made once she understood the inevitability of this day. She willed her wings to her side, with a single flap, growing large enough to carry her far away.
“You’re going, aren’t you?” a familiar voice called out.
Lilith turned to face the Shinto sun goddess, Amaterasu who had a forlorn look on her face.
“Ami… Please, don’t try to stop me. I… I need to do this.”
“I won’t, but… I have to ask. You were planning this all along, weren’t you, Lilith?” Ami asked.
“Heh, you caught me.” Lilith smiled softly. “I am a demoness you know. Duplicity is what I’m known for.”
“Lilith...”
“She’s my granddaughter, Ami. I can’t just let her and her friends go out there without me when I can help them. I want them to take hold of their own destiny. As a goddess, that’s what I want, but...” Lilith sighed. “The part of me that’s Mary’s mother and Vivi’s grandmother, the human part of me can’t accept that. I didn’t mean to lie, but...”
“Well, I guess we’re all just a collection of deceitful women then, aren’t we?” Ceridwen stated as she revealed herself, Tiamat, Hori and Isis behind her. “I don’t think any of us really accepted it deep down. Right, Sue?”
“Sue?” Ami turned to her sister as she emerged behind the others. “Don’t tell me...”
Sue sighed. “I’m sorry. I intended not to intervene, honest. But after meeting Chi and hearing her struggles during the trial, seeing Vivi stand up for herself, and heck, even just living as a human girl too, I… I got attached.” She gripped her arm. “I don’t want them to fight on their own like that. It wouldn’t be fair.”
“Hey, you got a better reason than I do. I’m just interested in seeing what our little firebrands will do first hand,” Hori laughed.
Isis sighed. “Which is why you won’t be going,” Isis scolded Hori who chuckled awkwardly. “I’m with Ami on all of this. I understand why you all wish to intervene, and truthfully I cannot muster an argument to try and stop you. Even Riri ran off for her own personal reasons. We’ll hang stay back here and support the operation from here. And that includes you, dear,” she said staring at her daughter, Hori sticking out her tongue in protest.
“You don’t hold back, do you Isis?” Tiamat chuckled. “For me, I just want to help those girls after everything they did for me. Besides, screwing over Zeus after what he put me through would make me pretty happy. And what kind of partner would I be if I didn’t help Lilith.”
“Tia…” Lilith smiled.
Ami sighed. “You’re all so frustrating, you know that? Lilith and Riri I understand, but the rest of you?” She shook her head. “But, I can’t deny that I understand. To be honest, I want to go with all of you, but like Isis, I’ll be staying here. But you all have to promise me, after this, that’s it. We stop Zeus, seal his and his allies’ powers, and then we empower humans to handle things on their own terms. Understood?”
“Understood,” Lilith assented, the other goddesses adding in their own nods and confirmations.
“And sis,” Ami looked at Sue, “I’ll be waiting for you.”
“Thank you, sister.” Sue nodded. “Alright. I’m going to go after Chi and Carmen. I imagine the rest of you will chase the others?”
“Of course, and good luck out there, Sue.” Lilith smiled. “And thank you.” Sue nodded. She faced the growing dust clouds and looked for her priestess’s mana. She grinned as she flew off into the battlefield.
* * *
Riri charged forward, lightning crackling in her grip. She threw herself forward towards the god, her hammer held high and then slammed it down. The hammer met stone, pockets of air striking and igniting, an explosion launching her back. She grimaced as the golem lurched back, its shattered hand falling before Odin. The god chuckled as he remained unscathed from her assault.
“Chi!” Carmen called out as the thunder goddess stumbled to her feet..
“On it!” Ichika crossed her arms, her mirror floating before her, glowing with power. Frost began to cover the golem, encasing the fifteen foot behemoth in a prison of ice. In an instant, other smaller golems gathered around it and began striking the ice in an attempt to liberate their gigantic kin, only to be met by a blast of lightning, courtesy of Carmen. She huffed and puffed as the golems crumbled into dust.
In the next instant, yet more golems began to rise up from the earth, Odin sneering with satisfaction as the three girls scrambled to huddle together, once again forced into a corner. It had practically become a routine by now. The women would shatter the golems, then just as an opening would reveal itself, and Riri would throw herself to strike their master, her own father with as much fury as determination. And instantly, the opening would close, the golems reforming themselves into a larger beast. Chi and Carmen would try to handle them as Riri would stumble into recovery.
Frustratingly, they’d attempted to change their plan each time. Fake out Odin with a bolt from behind, create a smokescreen, entrap him in ice, create an arena of ice to keep the golems at bay. And each one seemed to result in failure until this attempt when Riri threw herself out of boiling frustration.
“We need to figure out a better solution!” Carmen declared.
“I’m running out of ideas,” Ichika admitted.
“And I’m too damn predictable,” Riri complained, causing the other two to frown in her direction. “Dammit, if only I were smarter.”
“Intellect was wasted upon you, boy,” Odin scoffed. Riri glared at him, her blood boiling. “Perhaps, if you surrender and capture those girls, I’ll make things right. You can be by my side again, proudly showing off your muscles as you boast of your conquests. You don’t have to waste your time on thinking and feeling. Just look at where its gotten you.” Riri winced at his words. She naturally rejected them, but she was losing steam. She’d been misusing her power, she knew it. She was lacking mass and finesse, things her memories told her she once had. She shook her head in rejection.
“I’m never submitting to you again!” Riri yelled.
“Oh, and how will you stop me?”
“What do you…?” Riri began to question as her mind suddenly felt fuzzy.
“Riri!” Carmen shouted as she caught her goddess. She could only grimace as a grotesque feeling filled her. “That bastard… Hold on Riri.” She channeled lightning into her palm and then placed it upon her goddess’s belly. Odin glared at the magical girl with disdain.
“Carm, what’s going on!?” Ichika questioned as she focused on keeping the golems at bay.
“I think that bastard is using his runes to mess with Riri’s mind and body.”
“Carm, what are you...” Riri looked at her as she gasped for breath.
“It’s subtle, but I can tell. Your body’s been bulking up as we’ve been fighting.”
“I’ve been...” She gripped her head. “I’m also losing myself to my rage, aren’t I?” She gripped the earth, the ground trembling and cracking in her grasp, much to her anguish. “I was so sad earlier, but now… I just feel so angry and pissed off. It’s not fair! I don’t want to be like this! No matter what I do, I’m just doing what he wants!”
“Yeah… That bastard, he planned all of this,” Riri grimaced at Carmen’s wrods. “But it’s okay, we’ll stop him.”
“Oh? And how do you intend to do that?” Odin chuckled. “Before long, my son will stand with me again, and then what? Do you really think you can defeat two gods of our caliber with those meager powers?”
“Magical girls never give up on our friends!” Carmen declared.
“That’s right!” Ichika shouted. “Even if you manage to take her away, we’ll still bring her home to where she belongs!”
“Chi. Carm.” Riri whimpered.
“Such hollow platitudes mean nothing before my power. You arrogantly defy your superiors, and treat us as if we are some feeble creatures of equal standing to you. Such disrespect comes with a great punishment.” Odin grinned. “But don’t worry. I’m not so cruel as to kill you. Perhaps you can become our maids once we complete our conquests.”
“You disgusting...” Carmen snapped, only for her body to be dragged to the ground. “W-what!?”
“I have gone easy on you so my son could clear his head. But since you’ve ruined my good efforts, I may as well get this over with,” he stated as he advanced towards the girls. Riri’s eyes widened as he approached his hand glowing with blueish-purple light. He opened his hand, Riri’s gaze transfixed by the glowing rune, the light of the area seemingly quelched rune’s might. “My son, speak your name and reclaim your birthright.”
“Get your hands off her you bastard!” Carmen shouted. Riri trembled as her body became enveloped in light.
“Speak, my son.”
“My… name...” her voice shook, an alien tone invading it, “is...”
“Riri!” Carmen screamed.
“Thor… Odins-” The air ruptured, a horrible shriek tearing through it. Light flooded the plains as the ritual took hold. And then finally the light dissipated, leaving their battle ground under a cover of darkness.
Carmen stared at Riri’s glowing body in horror, terrified of what might emerge. As the light faded, the short Latina slumped on the ground, returned to her compact yet powerful form in a dazed. “Riri!”
“W-what…?” Riri questioned, her arms clutching at her chest as if to catch some deep invisible discomfort. “What happened?” She looked up, her mouth opening wide with shock.
Odin’s eye twitched. His arm trembled, yet his hand was still. His eye opened wide with rage as his hand broke free, shattering a case of ice and then crushing the icicle that had speared his hand. He glared upon the yuki-onna who returned his agonized rage with smug confidence.
“You! How dare you!” Odin roared. He shook his head, attempting to take control of his anger. He would deal with the ice woman later. First he had to suppress her and restart his… He looked at Riri and stared at her with confusion. Ichika had stalled his plans, but only that. And yet, his spell seemed to be completely undone. “How…?” he questioned. It didn’t add up. Why did the spell fall apart? How did the yuki-onna resist him in the first place? Why had the light of the spell dimmed? He shirked back as another realization took hold. Where did this darkness come from?
“Oh, so you’ve started to realize?” a woman chuckled. Odin, Riri and Carmen followed the voice to see Sue descending upon them, a sphere of purple energy in her hand.
“You! What have you done!?” Odin demanded.
“What a curiosity, wouldn’t you agree? The glow of your runes is so vital to your craft. How fitting that it should fade into nothingness under a blanket of night.”
Riri stared at Sue in awe as a realization took hold. “That’s right. Our magic still requires mana. If you were to put it to rest...” Riri chuckled and turned to face her father, rising with confidence once more. “It’s over, Odin! Even the Allfather can’t contend with the goddess of the moon!”
“Boy, how dare you-”
“My name is Riri!” the young woman declared. “Riri Odinson Garcia! I am a woman! I am your daughter! I am the Goddess of Thunder!” She grinned. “Now, rejoice, great Allfather, for I shall fulfill your will, and succeed you!”
“You petulant… how dare you...” Odin trembled with anger as his hand clawed at his voice, enraged by the words lodged in his throat.
“You will never misgender her again!” Sue declared.
Odin scoffed. “If that’s how you want it then fine!” He curled his hand, a blazing red light emanating from it. He thrust his hand into the air. And immediately, the golems surrounding them roared back to life, the light stilled by Sue’s darkness reigniting with fury. The girls readied themselves for battle as the golems roars began to blend and fuse. The golems blew apart, their stones flying past Odin. The golems encased in ice erupted from their prisons, their bodes unfurling into a mountain of stone gathering to form a titanic sized creature, nearly half a dozen stories tall. Unlike the other golems it was far thicker, its limbs thicker, a second pair emerging below its torso, its body firmly planted into the ground.
“This again!?” Carmen complained.
“Here it comes!” Ichika shouted as the titanic hurled a punch at them, a plume of dust erupting from the ground as it landed. As the dust settled, the two pairs of magical girls and goddesses slid toward a rocky outcropping atop a layer of ice. “How do we take that thing down!?”
“It’s too strong for me to sap its mana like the smaller ones,” Sue stated. She flinched as Riri pulled her to the side, a javelin of light jutting out from where she stood before vanishing. The pair looked up to see Odin scoffing at them from the air. “Dirty bastard is trying to overwhelm us!”
“That’s his style, unfortunately,” Riri groaned. “Hate to say it, but we need more firepower. Any damage we do to the big guy will just be healed by Odin. And it’ll just keep protecting him.”
“So, what, we need something that can blow up a monster the size of a department store!?” Carmen stared down the monster. “Seriously. That’s too much, even for Riri and I!”
“Oh, reconsidering surrender?” Odin grinned. “Unfortunately for you, the offer’s no longer on the table.” He gestured at the monstrous golem, which raised another fist, the girls readying themselves to come up with a plan.
The fist accelerated through the sky. It sped up faster and faster until it flew over the girls and crashed in the plain beside them, much to their and Odin’s shock.
“W-what…!?” Odin scanned the area, his eyes landing upon a plum of dust coming from the ground to his side. His eyes widened as a woman with long crimson hair and fierce blue eyes emerged, her white dress fluttered in the wind, yet held firmly upon her body by brilliant gold armor. Behind her, she dragged a large red spear. “Y-you…!?”
“Odin! I’ve come to settle things!” the woman exclaimed.
* * *
“WISP!” Vivi called out. She immediately willed her magic to her feet, and spun herself toward the ground to pursue the young fairy. As the chimera and Wisp shrank into the distance, Vivi was halted, a gentle grip holding her back. She turned to face it to see… “Grandma?”
“I’m glad we caught up to you.” Lilith smiled.
“What are you doing here?” Vivi looked to the side, noticing Tiamat and Hori joining with Melody and Annie. “What’s going on?”
Lilith chuckled. “I couldn’t let my granddaughter fight on her own, could I?”
“B-but… what about humanity choosing the future for ourselves?”
“We all still want that, but it’s also not fair to you to have to fight all on your own. Besides… I maybe a goddess now, but I’m still your grandmother. And I want to be there for you and protect you. Besides, I promised Mary I’d be there for you.”
“Mom...”
“We’ve all gained divinity, but we all still have things we wish to protect,” Tiamat added. “If we just leave you to fight for yourselves now, how would that be any different from abandoning you in your time of need?”
“Grandma… Tiamat… I don’t know what to say. I… thank you.” Vivi smiled. “But… right now. We need to go find Wisp, she...”
“Don’t worry about her,” Tiamat said cooly. “That girl is stronger than you’d think. And besides, she has her own goddess to protect her. The rest of us still have a job to do.”
“I hate to leave the girl down there, but Tia is right,” said Lilith. “Zeus is getting close to Fort Newton. If we don’t hurry, he’ll get to the portal before we catch up.”
“I...” Vivi frowned as she glanced down at the forest, her mind lingering on Wisp.
“She’s your sister, right?” Tiamat asked. “You trust her, don’t you?”
Vivi sighed and smiled. “I wonder. Is this what Leah feels like when I have to go off?” She chuckled lightly. “I really want to go after her, but… you’re both right. I… just hope she’s safe down there.”
“Of course, she will be.” Lilith said as she hugged her granddaughter, Tiamat then hugging them both. “Now, are you ready?”
“Y-yeah...” Vivi looked down at the forest one last time. She looked over at Annie and Melody, the pair smiling and nodding. She smiled and nodded back. “Good luck sis. You can do it! I believe in you!” She took a final deep breath. “Let’s go!”
* * *
Ceridwen gazed upon the beast as it snarled, pulling its claw upon the shrub that had ensnared it. The beast inhaled, a dim glow emanating from its shadowy jaw. The goddess grinned as she tossed her palm forward. As if on command, a blade of grass beneath the beast grew and changed, the tip growing an orange bulb atop of it which lifted far off the ground. As the bulb rose to the beast’s mouth, the bulb clenched, a yellow glob shooting from it into the beast’s mouth, causing it to gag. The beast grumbled and snarled as it choked down on the sappy surprise.
“That should keep you preoccupied for a moment. Now then, where is my little priestess?”
“Miss Cerrywen!” Wisp exclaimed as she fluttered over to the goddess. “You came!” she giggled excitedly.
“You don’t seem too surprised,” Ceridwen chuckled. “I hope you weren’t expecting me.”
“Of course!” Wisp grinned. “I did my best to try and calm her down while I waited. Didn’t I do a good job?”
“Her?” she repeated Wisp looking at her expectantly. “I see. You did very well, dear. But please remember next time that I wasn’t supposed to be helping you. We aren’t necessarily like the nice goddesses in your stories.”
“But you’d never abandon us like that. Plus, I know you talked with Mommy about protecting me.”
“Huh? You…?”
“Mhmm! I hope you get along! I want both of my mommies to be happy!”
Ceridwen chuckled. “Goodness. I can’t pull one over on you, can I, dear? Well, I’m glad I have your blessing for winning over your mom.”
Just then the beast’s snarls flared up as it belched flames. “Oh no!” Wisp shrieked.
“Dear, hold on to me,” Ceridwen instructed, the small fairy tucking herself away in the fluffy collar of the goddess’s robe. The goddess brought a small vial of shimmering water to her lips and drank it. Then as the beast turned its attention towards her, the flames beginning to fan out, she blew, a spout of water coming from her lips and forming a wave of water which crashed through the woods, erasing the flames. The beast shook itself, water splattering off its dark gloomy fur. It looked back up, the goddess gone.
Meanwhile, behind it, the goddess stood upon a branch observing it. “Interesting, I’m not quite certain what deity she is. Have you managed to gather any clues, sweetie?”
“Umm… Could it be that one big puppy? Cerbus? She has long pointy ears like the one in that movie.”
“Cerberus? Hmm,” Ceridwen mulled the idea in her head. “She doesn’t have three heads, but that could always be a quirk of reincarnation. She does breathe fire, but that wasn’t something they could do before without help, and they were more of a magical beast rather than a deity. Could still be possible. Is that what you were thinking?”
“A little, but I was also thinking about that black stuff it keeps spreading,” Wisp said as she pointed at a dark glob on a nearby tree. “That stuff won’t kill the trees, right?”
“Good catch, Wisp. I hadn’t noticed that,” Ceridwen stated. “Don’t worry though, it’s dark magic, but it’s not associated with death or anything.”
“You can tell from here?” Wisp asked in amazement.
“Certainly.” Ceridwen nodded. “My knowledge may not be quite as great as Isis, but I can tell what kind of magic something is by the energy it gives off. And I’m certain now, that creature isn’t Cerberus. They’re something more primal.” She smirked. “Speaking of Isis, our little friend resembles her.”
“She does?”
“Yes,” she chuckled. “I’d wondered where you’d turn up, Seth.”