Ch 237: When heroes gather, what could possibly go wrong?

While Anew had not been told about the vicious features of the suit she had been forced to wear, it had not taken long for her to learn about them from practical experience.

She had been exploring the room she had been locked in, shaking her head in disgust at the books on the shelf. Titles such as "The princess turned into a plaything by a tentacle monster", "Submitting to my boss", "In service of the incubus king", "Captive of the biker gang" or "Female adventurer turned into a seedbed" left little doubt about their perverted content.

And the illustrations!

Anew had blushed as she opened one of them at random and seen a few of the images. A naked woman kneeling in front of a man, her upper body wrapped in white ropes. The same woman wearing a headband with cat ears and a fake tail, leashed and walking on all four. Another illustration of her wearing a black latex bodysuit, blindfolded and her mouth filled with a red ball gag, being taken from behind. And so on.

And it was then that the bodysuit started to torment her. Anew had collapsed in shock as she suddenly felt things sliding against her skin, in particular on her breasts and crotch.

She had done everything she could think of to try to remove the suit, but nothing had worked.

It had been days since then, torturous days of being teased almost constantly. Days spent in a sexual haze as the suit kept her horny. And she had started to learn a few things about the suit.

As long as Anew didn't do anything, the suit would tease her, but the tentacles would move slowly, almost lazily, not giving her any release, and not letting her forget its presence even for an instant.

Before long, she became desperate enough to start touching herself. Even is she suspected he was watching her, even if she really didn't want to give him a spectacle or show him that his torture was working, she couldn't endure it. She needed to cum, needed the release, and then the suit rewarded her, plunging a thick tentacle in her pussy while another teased her anus without quite entering it, and more played with her breasts.

And she experienced strong orgasms, unlike anything she had known before.

Whenever she picked up a book or watched one of the equally perverted movies or animations, the suit's stimulation increased. But not enough to cum, and she invariably wound up masturbating again.

She now did it several times every day. She knew she was growing addicted to the physical pleasure, but she couldn't help herself.

The only times of relative peace she had were when she sat near the window and looked outside. She concluded that she was on the fifth or sixth floor of a massive building, whose size she could only estimate by looking at its shadow as the sun turned, but who seemed about similar in size to the other palaces in the distance. When she sat there, watching the many maids come and go or relax in the garden or the beach beyond it, the suit barely moved.

At least for a while. Then it seemed to want to make up for it and brought her to touch herself furiously.

The maids had seen her, of course. But aside from occasionally greeting her with a wave and a nod, they didn't try to release her. The only person who visited her was her so-called Master.

And as if thinking about him had summoned him, she heard the door unlock and quickly shoved the book she had been reading under the pillow, trying to calm her breathing.

The door opened, and he entered, smiling softly, a platter holding some food and drink in hand.

"Hi, Anew. How are you doing today?"

"How long are you going to keep me captive?" asked Anew, not wanting to play his game. As before, he didn't get angry and only showed amusement, as if she was a little girl, too young to be expected to be polite, and whose outbursts were just adorable.

She hated that so much that she wanted to see him angry for a change.

"Until you accept your fate and beg me to brand you as my sex slave, and to adorn your pretty throat with a permanent slave collar. Then, after I make you fully satisfied, I will give you a few maid uniforms, and you will be free to leave the room and socialize with your new sisters."

"…How are Meyrin and Luna?" sighed Anew.

She had asked previously, and he had told her what he was doing to them.

"Meyrin is doing well. Just like you, her progress is satisfactory. You will likely both be ready for the second part of your training within a week."

Anew tried to kill him with her glare. She really did, but it didn't work. The intense embarrassment she felt didn't help. Her cheeks felt like they were burning.

The man set the platter on the desk and retrieved the empty water bottles, plates and utensils from her previous meal.

"What second part?"

"You aren't going to like it, pet." smirked the man she hated so much.

"The first part is about immersing you in sexual pleasure, and making you want more. There's always the possibility that you would give in then, but I am not counting on it. The second part will involve bondage, a chastity belt, and some sensory deprivation. You won't get to cum nearly as often as you do now, so I suggest you make use of the time you have left while you can."

Anew gulped in fear. Her current predicament was already bad enough. If the possibility to bring herself some relief was taken from her as well, it would quickly become intolerable!

"…And Luna?" asked Anew, already knowing that she wouldn't like the answer.

"She's actually a natural masochist, I suspect." grinned the man. "At the rate she's going, she will earn her maid uniform before you do."

"Impossible. It must be because of what you have done to her. She can't like being whipped!" denied Anew, wanting to defend her friend's honor.

"Believe what you want." shrugged the man. "I didn't come to taunt you, but to deliver some news. You must be wondering what happened to your world. We raided that place. Your fellow innovado were offered a chance to surrender. A handful accepted but were immediately shot by those who wanted to fight to the end. What a bunch of fanatics. They are all dead."

Anew sighed, her head lowered. He might be feeding her misinformation to crush her hopes, but after seeing how decisive he was, and considering the power of the ten Gundams acting together, it wouldn't make sense of them not attacking as soon as she revealed their location.

A few tears fell from her eyes. She didn’t have any affection for Revive, but a few of the others were her friends.

Noah gave her a tissue and remained silent for a few minutes. She didn't know it, but he might do her a favor later on and resurrect a few of the Innovado, but she would have to earn it.

"On a more positive note, and after I teleported to a bunch of politicians and showed I was both able and willing to kill them painfully if they didn't cooperate, your world is now ruled by a provisional council of five people. Princess Marina Ismail from Kataron, Major Kati Mannequin from the just abolished A-Laws, Colonel Sergei Smirnov from the former Human Reform League, Aria, the one piloting the black and red Gundam you surely know about, and one of the Misaka Sisters have taken charge. This war is finally over."

"…The Misaka Sisters?"

"You have seen many of them in the garden. The clone girls. And no, I am not the one who did the cloning. We just saved them and offered them a family. Since they all have their minds linked, they will be able to take turns without any issue."

"Hundreds more of the Sisters have started visiting the many hospitals, healing war amputees and such. Celestial Being's reputation will be majorly improved among the public over the next few months."

"Well, I'll leave you alone now. Do yourself a favor and give in soon. Or don't, your choice." said Noah, leaving the room and locking the door behind him.

After a while, Anew shook herself and started eating. The food had grown cold but was still delicious. The one good point of her captivity.

Filling her stomach made her feel better, and by this point, her body had once again reached the point where she needed relief.

She fished the book she had been reading from under the pillow and opened it at the page where an illustration of the heroine, some female exorcist wearing a tight gray and black rubber combat bodysuit, had been defeated and partially embedded into a wall of demonic flesh. Her limbs held securely inside while a number of tentacles ending with toothless mouths explored her torso and crotch, smearing her face and latex-wrapped body with a mucus that looked suspiciously like semen.

She stared at the picture, her left hand rubbing between her legs. The suit responded to her touch by extending and retracting a tentacle in her pussy, while another formed and slowly entered her back passage, and the first of many moans escaped her lips.

She wasn't aware of it, but Noah periodically used Promise to check on her and Meyrin and saw her staring at the illustration. He smiled, deciding that he would give her a nice dream later. he then returned his attention to Lunamaria.

…

As it turned out, the Headmistress's idea of testing Chisato and Takina in West Genetics' simulation room turned out to be… an expensive mistake.

The two girls, Chisato in particular, fought one of the giant automatons imitating Novas, and wrecked it in short order.

The automatons were covered with a thick layer of smart memory-form metal meant to take blows from Volt weapons. Shallow damage would disappear in minutes, while damage from stronger blows would require some time. It some cases, the armor parts were damaged beyond self-repair. They would be removed and recast. But it was rare for the automaton's inner frame to require repairs.

The automatons were equipped with holographic projectors to look like various types of Novas and project fake appendages. They were rather expensive devices, and the school only possessed three of them.

She had forgotten to explain this to Chisato and Takina, and the girls had not pulled their punches. Before the Headmistress realized her mistake and shouted for them to stop, it was too late, and one automaton was damaged beyond repair.

At least, the recording had been enough to convince the higher-ups that they really wanted their Pandoras to learn Magecraft indeed, and the two girls had just undergone testing for Stigmata compatibility.

She sighed again as she considered the amount of paperwork she would need to do in order to have the automaton replaced and the remains of the destroyed one properly processed, when someone knocked on the door.

"Enter." said Margaret with a crisp voice.

Scarlet Ohara, the school's assigned Stigmata researcher, entered, holding some papers in her right hand.

She unceremoniously sat on one of the chairs facing the desk without waiting to be invited. She and the Headmistress were old acquaintances, and they often vented their frustrations to each other in private.

"The results are in, Margaret." said Scarlett with a strange expression, handing the papers to the Headmistress. "100%. Both of them."

"…Really?" asked the Headmistress, frowning at the numbers on the sheets. "Maybe there is something to their claims about being sent by a Goddess after all."

Before they appeared, there was only one person who had perfect compatibility with the Stigmatas. Kazuha Aoi, the granddaughter of Dr Gengo Aoi.

"Or maybe their compatibility is something related to wherever they came from." added Scarlett, one hand brushing away a strand of her long mauve hair.

"How many Stigmata are you going to implant into them? Kazuha Aoi got twenty, but that is partially due to her grandfather."

"They both told me that two each would be enough, and they would not gain any benefit from getting more. They plan to exchange one between each other and be each other's Limiter."

"But Pandoras can't be Limiters." frowned the Headmistress.

"That's what I told them, and they replied that they are not actual Pandoras in the first place, and that their Goddess has allowed them to break the rules. They mentioned that only one man is allowed to have a relationship with them or something. And after seeing their compatibility results, I'm inclined to be open-minded about it."

"They are such troublemakers, the two of them..." groaned Margaret. "I have received from Chevalier the list of students they will teach Magecraft to, and there are Pandoras coming from all over the world. There are a number of them whose profiles even I can't access. Probably those E-Pandoras or Valkyries that Chisato mentioned. And if that wasn't enough, Dr Aoi managed to secure two spots for more of his relatives, on top of having Kazuha and Chiffon take part."

"If they are similar in caliber to Kazuha and Chiffon, we shouldn't complain." smiled Scarlett.

If Kazuha was a newcomer, having yet to face a real Nova in battle despite showing very promising performances, Chiffon, the current president of the student council and nicknamed the Unmatched Smiling Monster, was considered the strongest Pandora alive.

"I'm not worried about them. I am worried that six of those who are coming are ranked first in their respective countries."

"Ouch. I see the issue." winced Scarlet. "Gathering girls with big egos, a habit for violence, and easy access to blades. What could possibly go wrong? I'll make sure the infirmary is ready."

"Exactly. I think I will pray to Chisato's and Takina's Goddess that they don't kill each other, and that they don't do it in front of Chiffon. Or limbs will fly." said Margeret, causing Scarlett to chuckle.

"I can completely see her unarm them and then scold them gently and ask them to be nice."

Scarlett's smile then disappeared, and she sighed.

"…Actually, Margeret, since some of them will enlist to your school, I have to come clean about something. I know about the E-Pandora project. I am its lead researcher."

"You are?" asked the Headmistress, an eyebrow raised. "…At least this explains your frequent travels. What can you tell me about it?"

"Nothing too specific or technical. Its purpose is to enhance the girls who tried to enroll but didn't make the cut due to insufficient Stigmata compatibility, using various chemicals, and possibly develop a combat stimulant to make current Pandoras stronger as well."

"Did you succeed?" asked Margaret, interested.

"Partially." sighed Scarlett. "The E-Pandoras are stronger than they were, but still not strong enough to be deployed in battle."

"How would they compare with normal Pandoras?"

"Compared to West Genetics' students, they would still be in the bottom half. And the drugs have unpleasant secondary effects. Nothing life-threatening so far, but I do not dare increase the dosages or try to augment the potency until I can suppress those."

"I had to really push to get Amelia and Jina included in the class, and even then, I got the impression Chevalier accepted more out of curiosity than because they believed that the girls would be able to compete with the others."

"I see. Thank you for telling me." nodded Margaret.

"I heard a few things about the Valkyries, too." said Scarlett. "This doesn't get out of this office, okay?"

Margaret nodded, and Scarlett lowered her voice as if she was afraid to be heard.

"This is Dr Aoi's current big project. I heard that he and Seiga Heavy Industries managed to create a new type of Stigmata, one that isn't implanted on a woman's body, but on equipment. Those Stigmatas are supposedly disposable, like batteries or ammo clips, but I heard the first tests already proved that the weapons and clothes the user can produce with them are stronger than the average Pandora's Volt weapon and armor in pandora mode."

"Impressive." breathed Margaret. "If this is true, it would be the future of Pandoras. Stigmata compatibility wouldn't be an issue if there is no implantation in the first place, and…"

"It's not all good, though." shrugged Scarlett. "Without Stigmatas to support their bodies, Those Valkyries of his have difficulties executing high-G maneuvers, and they won't be able to heal from wounds nearly as easily."

"And before you ask, existing Pandoras can't use Valkyrie equipment. The one attempt they made resulted in the Pandora going berserk and causing several fatalities before she was killed. The Stigmatas on her back had apparently grown into long horns or spikes by the time they put her down. It's because of that incident that I heard about this project."

"…I guess Pandoras won't just become obsolete overnight."

"They won't. Even if this Goddess of theirs makes it so that Novas don't appear anymore, well… you know how we humans are. Without an external threat to unify us…"

"…we will turn on each other." sighed the Headmistress.

"Yes. And I don't see Chevalier just fading away and releasing their grip on power without a fight. They're already doing some shady stuff behind the scenes to undermine Dr Aoi, despite everything he's done for humanity."

"Yes. And we should stop his conversation right now. I do not think the office is bugged, but this is going into dangerous territory." frowned Margaret.

"...You're right. So what are you going to do exactly with Takina and Chisato? I'm already fond of them. If you had seen Chisato's face when I was about to take her blood sample! She was shaking so much, you'd think I was holding a hot iron. She almost ran out of the infirmary when we were done."

"I hope her squeamishness won't be an issue in combat."

"It won't. I asked Takina about her reaction, and she told me that Chisato didn't fear bullets or blades because she could just dodge them. She's very good at that, apparently, thanks to her almost supernatural kinesthetic sense. Takina has seen Chisato being injured several times, and the girl just grit her teeth and doesn't complain until after the fight is over. Then she complains with a vengeance."

"That is good to hear." nodded Margaret. "To answer your question, I will count on you to give them their Stigmatas this afternoon, and they will have two free days to start meeting some of the Pandoras who will learn Magecraft and familiarize themselves with the campus. By Friday, the students should be fully assembled. They will spend most of their time teaching Magecraft, but they will also follow the Pandora combat course to learn how to use their Stigmatas."

"Let's hope they all get along." wistfully said Scarlett.

…

Major Seijirou Magatsu was in a very foul mood.

It had started with this disastrous attack on the enemy Masters on Hokabe Street, ending in abject failure, with civilians running in a panic and two dozen dead soldiers lying on the streets.

The Holy Church had not been happy about this, and they had scrambled to hypnotize the many witnesses and make them forget what they saw. They just barely managed to contain the mess, although vague rumors of something supernatural happening would still spread.

The Overseer told the Major in no uncertain terms that if he tried to murder his adversaries again in broad daylight, both the Church and the Mage Association would mobilize to kill him and all of his subordinates.

And the Priest had barely left when the situation went from bad, to worse.

Nobunaga, that damned thing that should never have forgotten she was just a tool and a mana construct, not the real Oda Nobunaga, had returned, only answering his request for a report with a contemptuous glare full of killing intent.

Seeing her eyes, he knew right here and then that if he insisted, she would shoot him.

She had taken her Master's hand and dragged her away, telling her she wanted ice cream.

Magatsu knew it was only a pretext as Nobunaga didn't need to take Kaname with her for that, but another death glare stopped him. All he could do was having six of his most loyal soldiers escort them.

She would be back once Nobunaga was done sulking over her defeat. No matter how strong she was, she couldn't be in more than a single place at any given time, and she knew she needed the Imperial Japanese Army to defend her home country and take over the world.

Then he saw Major Reiter across the courtyard, loading several suitcases into a car's trunk. He had wanted to confront her next to know if Assassin really was dead, or simply needed time to recover from his injuries. Her leaving now was evidence that her Servant was gone.

That left him with Caster, Maxwell's Demon, who was an infinite source of energy but couldn't fight, and Berserker, currently imprisoned in the basement while the few Magus of the IJA were about done creating the armor that would keep him obedient to his orders, but also give him an overwhelming advantage in battle.

Major Reiter saw him watching her, nodded, and got in the car, sitting in the rear. The German chauffeur moved to get behind the wheel, but was stopped when Magatsu signaled his soldiers, and they pointed their rifles at the car.

The nazi officer may have lost her Servant, and his alliance with her country was now useless, but there was still something she could give him. Her Command Seals.

The blonde woman seemed to realize her predicament, and she slowly got out of the car and walked to him, watching him warily.

"The Fuhrer will not be happy with you if you harm me." warned Reiter.

"I am aware. Which is why I hope you won't make it necessary. We do not need things to become unpleasant." warned Magatsu.

Reiter had really wanted to leave unnoticed, so she could transmit her last two Command Seals to her superior, who had the Gert Kreiger Lancers as his Servants.

But it looked like this outcome wasn't in the cards, and she sighed.

"Fine, you win. I will give them to you."

"Your cooperation is much appreciated." nodded Magatsu.

And before she could transmit them, all hell broke loose.

…

Tsukumo followed the human blender known as Okita as she tore into one soldier after another, who moved as if she was playing that "The floor is lava" game, and delivered one swift, accurate and instantly lethal thrust or slash to any soldier threatening her Master.

Despite herself, she felt a modicum of sympathy for them. Those soldiers were throwing themselves at her without flinching, yelling at each other about protecting the Major.

She wouldn't have been surprised if they had been brainwashed with Magecraft, to be so willing to lay down their lives for him.

Saika was following them, instantly killing anyone who looked like they were going to make a kamikaze charge with grenades. Her Master, Tiné, was in a nearby building, keeping an eye on the bounded field that silenced the screams and gunshots coming from the base.

Sakura and Medusa were attacking the base from the south gate, cutting off their retreat.

They didn't intend to leave any survivors today.

They were making a beeline toward Magatsu, using the information Nobunaga had given them on the base's layout, and after they turned a corner, they saw him, surrounded by many soldiers.

At last, she was about to have her vengeance.

The soldiers opened fire with their pistols, but Okita defended her Master, using her blade to deflect the bullets.

Tuskumo threw at the group the three small vials she held between the fingers of her right hand. They hit some of the soldiers and exploded on contact, spreading blue flames that wouldn't be extinguished easily, and five soldiers screamed in pain and terror as they fell, rolling on the ground to try to smother the fire.

"You leave me no choice!" screamed Magatsu, raising his left hand and showing his Command Seals. "Berserker! Come protect your Master!"

A second later, a tall man covered in steel gray armor and yielding a huge spear appeared. The armor wasn't a medieval one like knights in Europe wore in battle, but rather a futuristic one, with five orange, glowing cores on his stomach, shoulders and elbows, and black cables visible on his sides. It made him look like a robot.

The spear, too, wasn't normal. It was oversized and had spearheads on both ends, one significantly bigger than the other.

"Oh? Looks like everyone's having fun! Should have called me earlier, Master!" said Berserker.

Saika manifested a grenade launcher and pointed it toward the sky, then fired a special grenade, one that left a small cloud of red smoke behind. It was a signal they had agreed upon for requesting Medusa's presence.

It would likely be overkill as herself and Okita weren't weak, but, to quote something Noah had once said to Sakura, overkill is the best kind of kill.

The second grenade she launched was aimed straight at Berserker, and he slashed with his spear to cut the grenade in half, making it explode a meter for him. The shockwave made him take a step back but had no other visible effect.

"Interesting!" exclaimed Berserker, just before Okita reached him, her blade flashing and he blocked the first blow just barely in time with the shaft of his spear.

Since Okita was now busy, Saika turned her attention to the remaining soldiers, wanting to kill them before they could take shots at Tsukumo, who was taking cover.

Okita's exceptional swordsmanship and fighting style wasn't something Berserker could block completely, and he quickly received two wounds on his left thigh and right arm. But as he forced Okita back, the cores on his armor shone briefly, and his injuries healed in a second.

As Akeno and Noah had warned them, the Magus if the IJA had managed to connect Berserker to one of the world's leylines, giving him an unlimited mana supply and making him functionally immortal.

"That's great!" happily shouted Berserker. "With this, I can fight endlessly!"

"Berserker! Kill them!" Shouted Magatsu, diving behind a car for cover.

His position was still very precarious. The Magus of the IJA might have just barely managed to finish in time, but Berserker was still a Servant, and connected to the Leyline or not, the Throne of Heroes would still recall him eventually if his Master died.

Tsukumo felt grateful to Saika and Okita for not killing Magatsu, despite being more than capable of doing so. They had agreed to let her kill him, unless circumstances made that impossible.

Okita was darting in and out of range of Berserker's spear, monopolizing his attention, when Medusa suddenly appeared behind him, stabbing the rear core of his armor with the two weapons she yielded, sharp metal stakes linked to chains ending with larger rings.

Berserker tried to use the rear spearhead of his own weapon to stab her as he turned, but Medusa was both stronger and much faster, and she blocked his spear with one hand as she stabbed more of the cores of his body in quick succession, breaking them. When the last core shattered, his connection to the leyline was severed.

No matter what, turning his back on Okita was a mistake, and as he tried to fend off Medusa, Okita landed on his back, her sword piercing his neck and emerging from the left side of his throat. Before he could even feel the pain, Okita pushed to the right as she retracted her sword, turning the initial thrust into a slash, and severing Berserk's spine and most of his neck. Only a few strips of flesh and skin still connected his head to his body.

Berserker collapsed, not regenerating this time, and his body disintegrated into motes of mana, leaving an empty armor behind him.

The base had fallen almost silent now, with all soldiers having been killed. Tsukumo slowly walked to circle around the car Magatsu was using to hide, Okita preceding her.

She could hear his panicked panting.

When she saw him, he lifted his pistol and fired. Okita  once again blocked the bullets without difficulty, and for a few seconds, only the clicking sound of Magatsu trying to fire his now empty gun broke the silence.

"Do you know who I am, Major Magatsu?" asked Tsukumo with a flat tone, taking two more vials from her pocket.

"No? We can negotiate! I'll give you my Command Seals and retire from the War."

"I am Tsukumo Fujimiya." said Tsukumo, and she saw the flash of recognition in his eyes.

"Impossible! They all died!"

"You missed one." cut in Tsukumo. "And just like you killed my family and burned my home, you, too, can burn."

She threw the vials at him, deliberately aiming for his legs and stomach. She didn't want his death to be too quick.

Magatsu screamed as the flames spread over most of his body, and Tsukumo watched.

When he finally fell silent and stopped moving, she sighed, and turned away. Sakura was there, smiling gently.

"It's finally done." sighed Tsukumo. "But I feel… It's not as satisfying as I thought it would be."

"That's a natural reaction." smiled Sakura. "You'll probably feel a bit empty for a while, but you only need to find yourself a new purpose to fill the void. And working to save the world, that isn't a bad one, right?"

"...Right." nodded Tsukumo.

"You did well, Master." nodded Okita.

"Now let's join the others. We still need to introduce ourselves to Kaname, recover the Holy Grail, and deal with the Demonic Pillar."

"And what do we do about this lady?" asked Ryouma, pointing to a woman with light purple, shoulder-length hair, and wearing a black uniform that wasn't Japanese in design. She had been hiding behind a crate during the whole fight.

Seeing that she had been discovered, the woman stood and gulped.

"Isn't that the nazi officer who controlled Assassin?" asked Tsukumo.

"Seems like it."

"…I am Major Angela Reiter, of the German Third Reich." said the woman with a short hesitation. "I am not a threat to you. And if you want my Command Seals, I am willing to give them up."

"…You decide, Sakura. I don't care either way." said Tsukumo.

"I guess having more Command Seals couldn't hurt." shrugged Sakura. "But I can't stomach letting a nazi go free. So, how about this, Major Reiter? I am willing to spare your life, if you agree to become our servant. And I warn you in advance, I do not like nazis. You will be on the very bottom of the totem pole, and you will have to work hard and for a long time to convince me you have reformed yourself and receive better treatment."

"…I accept. I will serve you." replied the Major, and Sakura scoffed inside, her lie detection ability triggering. The Major would bolt at the first opportunity. Too bad for her, she would have to wait forever for it, and Sakura would have a suitable toy to relieve her sadistic urges.

"Are you going to make me sign a Geass?" asked the Major after giving Sakura her Command Seals.

"That won't be necessary. Do not move." smiled Sakura, walking behind Angela and engraving a Stop rune on her nape.

"Assassin, please prepare her." said Sakura, taking out her Sanctuary. "She is getting the full Bad Girl Treatment."

"Yes, Master." nodded Medusa before she and the apprehensive nazi disappeared inside.

"Bad Girl Treatment?" asked Tsukumo.

"That is something that Noah came up with." nodded Sakura with a smile. "He thinks that even the worst villainous women are more useful doing some good actions to make up for their crimes, than being dead."

"But they first need to be broken down. You do not want to know the details, but suffice it to say that by the time we are done with her, Angela Reiter will be a very different person, and very eager to demonstrate her obedience."

"And are there many of those among his maids?" frowned Tsukumo. She wasn't squeamish, but this subject didn't make her comfortable either, and she felt reluctant at the idea of associating with former villains.

"As far as I'm aware, none to date required the full treatment. There are some who would have killed anyone in their way and felt nothing about it, but someone like a nazi? She is likely the first. No matter what, all former villains are bound by Soul Contracts and can't do anything they think Noah would disapprove of."

Tsukumo nodded and followed Sakura toward the ruined base's southern exit, wondering what kind of torture that woman would be subjected to. Part of her insisted that, maybe, it was better for her not to know.

…

[The first Stigmata have been assimilated. You gained 20 Strength, Agility and Endurance. You gained the skill Lesser Regeneration (passive). You have unlocked the possibility to learn how to manifest a Volt Weapon and Volt Texture. After assimilating Takina's second Stigmata, you will gain the skill Freezing Field.]

[Thanks, System-kun.] grinned Chisato, happy that the procedure was over.

Implanting the two Stigmata on her back, along her spine had been less painful than anticipated, with Dr Ohara using local anesthesia. More needles, but Chisato was thankful for once. It had still been a weird experience to feel hair-thin tendrils spread from the marble-sized, rhombus-shaped stones now embedded on her skin, extending and connecting to her spine.

[But those stones on my back aren't great. Can I remove them later?]

[They will be completely absorbed after you and Takina exchange your Stigmatas, without leaving any scar behind.]

[Nice.]

Dr Ohara had told them they needed to wait at least two weeks before one of the two could be safely removed, then sent them on their way.

And now, shortly after the bell rang, signaling the end of classes for the day, they were walking around the Campus, familiarizing themselves with its layout, and trying not to mind the stares as students left their classrooms to go to the dormitories or just hand around in the open spaces.

"I don't know if it's that we aren't wearing uniforms or if rumors have already spread, but I feel like a panda in a zoo." grumbled Takina. Giving side glances to the groups of students, male and female, staring at them.

"Yeah. It wouldn't be so bad if they actually came to talk to us. It's not like we're going to bite."

"Things will be better once we start teaching some of them. We'll have no issue making friends then." replied Takina.

"Yes. Still, this campus is pretty nice, right? There's plenty of greenery. Hey, that's Ticy." smiled Chisato, watching a small group of three Pandoras and two Limiters walking out of a building. One of Ticy's companions spotted them, spoke a few words, and the five of them walked over to them.

The one leading them was an attractive, smiling brunette with shoulder-length hair, and bangs tied with a small white ribbon near her right ear. One peculiarity was that she had her eyes closed, but didn't seem to have any trouble perceiving her surroundings. The second Pandora Chisato and Takina hadn't met yet had waist-long, wavy blonde hair and blue eyes. The two Limiters walking behind them had short and long black hair, respectively.

"Greetings." said the brunette. "I am Chiffon Fairchild, the Student Council President. I wish to thank you for helping against those three Novas. Without you, we would have taken casualties."

"You're welcome. I am Chisato Nishikigi, and my partner is Takina Inoue." grinned Chisato, and Takina nodded with a smile. "We're glad some people are willing to come talk to us, instead of just staring."

Chiffon chuckled.

"Yes, I got my fair share of stares as well when I first joined West Genetics. Thankfully, it won't last long, once they get used to your presence. Let me introduce to you Elizabeth Mably, the Student Council vice president."

"It's a pleasure to meet you." smiled the blonde Pandora. "And please let me add my own thanks to Chiffon's."

"Likewise." smiled Takina. "But we really didn't do much that is worthy of thanks. Considering the advantages we received as subordinates of a Deity, killing those things wasn't hard. Rather, I think you Pandoras and Limiters are more worthy of praise, since those encounters are more dangerous to you, but you still face them anyway."

"Eh. We could keep praising each other, but I should first finish the introductions. You already know Ticy." said Chiffon, and they exchanged a nod in greeting before Chiffon gestured to the man with short black hair, then the other. "This is Eugene, my Limiter, and Andre, Elizabeth's Limiter."

"A pleasure to meet you all." smiled Chisato and Takina as the two Limiters made elegant bows, a fist on their hearts.

"I assume that at least some of you will participate in the Magecraft lessons we will start giving in two days." said Takina.

"That is correct." nodded Chiffon, her polite smile never leaving her face.

That smile gave a strange feeling to Chisato and Takina due to their lie detection ability. They could feel that it was a facade to some extent, but only to some extent. Like the smile of a campaigning politician. But they didn't perceive any hostility behind it, and Chiffon's words of thanks had been heartfelt.

"I received a copy of the list, and Elizabeth, Ticy and I are part of it." continued Chiffon. "You will teach no less than fifty people, so I hope you are full of energy!"

"We are!" grinned Chisato. "Although the prerequisite to use Magecraft is to have Magic Circuits, so the first thing we'll have to do is engrave them on each of you, and that will take a few hours for each student. So the first real lesson will only start once everyone has them."

"Magic Circuits?" asked Ticy.

"Yes, like those." smiled Chisato, circulating her mana to make her magic circuits visible, her skin from the neck down displaying patterns of glowing blue light.

"I do not remember seeing those Magic Circuits on you when you fought the Novas." frowned Ticy. "No, wait, I did see them on your right arm, Takina, just before you did that thing that destroyed the second one."

"That's because we weren't circulating our mana strongly enough to make them appear otherwise." nodded Takina. "Most of what we used back then, like Chisato's sword, walking in the air, healing the injured and our reaction speed, are part of the package every Agent of the Goddess receives in exchange for their loyalty. We can't teach you those, unless you are willing to join our ranks."

"We can and will, however, teach you Magecraft, which include body strengthening, the black magic projectiles you saw me use, an inferior version of healing, and many other things you will find useful, for both combat and casual use."

"I see." nodded Chiffon. "And those magic circuits won't interfere with our Pandora abilities?"

"Only to the extent that using both at the same time with require training, since circulating your mana will be yet another thing to manage while in the heat of battle." replied Takina. "And there is a possibility that you will fall unconscious for a few hours if you use Magecraft too much and run out of mana, but you will feel it before you reach your limit. You won't just drop without warning."

"That would have been an severe issue, if this was a risk." nodded Chiffon.

"From what I've seen of the Pandoras and Novas, mana exhaustion won't be a problem." shrugged Takina. "This kind of battle tends to be a sprint, not a marathon, and all students should have enough mana to use Magecraft at their maximum output for at least a few minutes."

Elizabeth and Chiffon nodded, but Ticy frowned as she thought about something else.

"There's going to be an issue with engraving Magic Circuits. The Untouchable Queen." pointed out Ticy, and the postures of Elizabeth and Chiffon stiffened.

"Should we ask the Headmistress to remove her from the class?" asked Elizabeth.

"We can't." replied Chiffon. "Her father is too influent, it would cause trouble if she was excluded. Maybe I should knock her out and tie her up before Chisato-san and Takina-san do their thing."

"The Untouchable Queen?" asked Chisato.

"Satellizer L Bridget, our most problematic student." sighed Elizabeth. "She was the strongest second year in East Genetics before she transferred here due to… behavior issues. She is quiet and keeps to herself most of the time and her talent is exceptional. But the instant someone touches her even accidentally, she will turn berserk and send the other party into the infirmary with serious injuries. We locked her in detention several times, but that didn't fix her attitude."

"Is she perhaps an extreme germaphobe?" asked Chisato.

"Germaphobia wouldn't explain such an intense reaction, Chisato."  frowned Takina, thinking hard. "A true germaphobe would recoil in disgust, not start a fight, with the physical contact and body fluid projections it may involve, saliva or blood."

Then a possibility came to her mind.

"If she goes violent at any physical contact, the only thing I can think of is some unresolved trauma in her past. A very severe one. Do you know if she might perhaps have been …sexually assaulted before?"

Chisato's eyes widened as she realized that Takina's theory could indeed result in those symptoms.

"I do not know. I considered this possibility before, but we never asked her." frowned Elizabeth. "That is too personal. And since her family is the largest donor to Chevalier, throwing around a potential accusation like this could have… repercussions."

"Yosh, I'm going to meet her." decided Chisato with a grin. "Today. Do you know where we might find her?"

"You remember the part when I said she can go violent, right?" retorted Elizabeth. "It would be troublesome if you were to end up injured before you are even officially a student."

"Don't worry about us, we're strong, and we heal fast. And that's assuming we touch her in hte first place." shrugged Takina. "Seeing her now might be a good idea. If this is really what I suspect, helping her will take a lot of time, so the sooner we start, the better."

"Yes. Let's become friends with the lone, troublesome student and straighten her out." nodded Chisato.

Elizabeth and Chiffon exchanged a look, and Elizabeth sighed.

"If she follows her habitual pattern, she will be in a place where there are few people around, like her room or a rooftop. She reads a lot, and considering the pleasant weather we're having, rooftops is where I would start searching. Ticy, would you mind escorting them, please? The President and I still have duties to attend to."

"Yes. I'll make sure things do not get out of hand." nodded Ticy.

"Thank you." grinned Chisato.

"Well then, as Elizabeth said, we still have some chores to do." nodded Chiffon. "I look forward to chatting more with you both. I would love to hear about the worlds that exist beyond our reality. Can I invite you to tea this week-end?"

"That would be great! Just give us the time and location, and we'll come." smiled Chisato, and Takina nodded.

After saying goodbye, Chiffon, Elizebeth and their Limiters walked away.

"Well then, we should start with the female dormitory. It has benches on the rooftop." suggested Ticy, and the girls got on their way.

"Hey, Ticy." asked Chisato in a low voice.

"Yes, Chisato-san?"

"Please call me Chisato. Chisato-san feels stuffy, and I want us to be friends."

"Yes, same for me, please." nodded Takina.

"Fine, Chisato, Takina." said Ticy with a slight blush. She was shy by nature, and felt a little embarrassed. "Did you want to ask something?"

"Yes. Forgive me if I'm being a little insensitive, but you remember that we can heal just about anything, right? If President Chiffon is blind, we should be able to solve it easily."

"Ah, she isn't blind." smiled Ticy as she shook her head. "But thank you for volunteering your help. Chiffon keeps her eyes closed because her pupils are…. unusual. But she can easily live while keeping them closed, as you noticed. And no, I do not know how she does it."

"Wow. She's like a super expert from a shonen anime, then." giggled Chisato.

"…I have seen her open her eyes only once. When some Pandoras did something unforgivable. When she opens them, and she stops smiling, that's when she goes truly serious. That incident caused five Pandoras to almost lose their lives, and three of them were expelled. Please do not ask for details. I won't tell without her permission."

"We won't ask." nodded Takina. "I have a good first impression of her. Of all of you, actually."

"Thank you." smiled Ticy.

As they talked, they had climbed to the rooftop and opened the door, revealing an open space with a few wooden benches and potted plants. There wasn't anyone there.

"No luck. Hey, Takina, rather than climb the stairs of each building, how about we just use Shunpo and… look, Takina, Ticy!"

Takina looked in the direction Chisato urgently pointed to, and her eyes narrowed at the scene she saw on another rooftop, about 200 meters away. A Pandora with long, dark blue hair was standing, with six small floating objects surrounding her. Takina had a hard time seeing at this distance, but they looked like daggers.

However, it wasn't her that was causing Takina to grow alarmed. Three men were standing beside the Pandora, pointing their right hands toward another girl lying on the ground while a fourth man straddled the girl, and while she wasn't moving, the man grabbed the front of her clothes and started tearing them apart.

"Those fuckers!" growled Chisato, jumping and creating a light foothold to propel herself forward.

"We're going!" called out Takina, grabbing Ticy in a princess carry before she could react and following Chisato.

They crossed the distance between the two rooftops in barely two seconds, and when Takina let Ticy down, Chisato was already at work.

She had started by kicking the man straddling the girl away with enough strength to break a few ribs, then materialized her gun to shoot low-powered energy bullets, hitting each of the three men watching in their right thighs and making them collapse with cries of pain. The girl screamed in mixed anger and outrage and attacked with her six flying daggers, but Chisato simply evaded them or blocked them with a light knife and used Shunpo to appear near the girl, punching her stomach and making her fold over and collapse.

Chisato was pondering whether or not to fire a shot at the Pandora's thigh as well, when a roar of absolute rage and fury sounded behind her, and even she shivered.

…

Satellizer had been reading on the rooftop, appreciating the quiet after a day of class and feeling the gentle breeze and the warm sun on her skin, when she heard several people walking closer.

She sighed, thinking that, of course, good things never lasted, and steeled herself for another volley of thinly veiled jabs.

"Satellizer L Bridget, right?" asked the Pandora with long blue hair, followed by her harem of four Limiters. "I am Miyabi Kannazuki, a third year. I heard you caused quite the commotion yesterday."

Satellizer frowned, remembering the incident in question. Her self-proclaimed rival, Ganessa Roland, had challenged her in a duel for the title of strongest sophomore. Satellizer didn't care for titles and had bluntly told her no, but Ganessa was stubborn and had initiated the fight anyway.

She wound up unconscious on the floor, with her Volt texture half torn apart and exposing one of her breasts and a collection of bruises and shallow cuts, while Satellizer walked away with only some tears in her own Volt Texture that she quickly repaired.

"This is none of your business." replied Satellizer with a sharp tone.

"Eh? Is that how a second year should speak to a senior? It seems like the rumors were correct, you really need to learn some humility." said Miyabi with narrowed eyes.

Satellizer shook her head and stood wordlessly, wanting to leave before the situation escalated further, but Miyabi moved to block her way.

"You're not leaving until you apologize, second year."

"Get out of my way." replied Satellizer with a flat tone, one that promised violence. She removed her glasses and put them in her pocket.

"No. And you should kneel on the ground while your senior uses her precious time to discipline…"

As she spoke, Miyabi shoved Satellizer back, wanting to make her fall on her butt, and confident that the rumors about her strength were overblown. There was no way a second year could defeat a third year, and she looked forward to teaching this upstart a lesson.

She was surprised when Satellizer materialized her Volt Weapon and used Accel turn to move faster than the eye could see, moving into her back.

Second year students weren't supposed to know how to use Accel turn yet.

Still, Miyabi was a competent Pandora, and she in turn used Accel Turn to evade, manifesting her six flying daggers as she did and using them to attack Satellizer from different directions, only taking care to not aim at anything vital.

Satellizer managed to block them all with her Volt Weapon and used Accel turn again to attack Miyabi. The latter was a little slow to react, and Satellizer managed to cut her cheek with the tip of her sword.

Miyabi, apparently in shock, fell to her knees as she touched her cut cheek, seeing blood on her fingers. The injury wasn't deep and would heal in less than a day, not leaving any scar behind, but the humiliation she felt, to have her face, something she was very prideful about, defiled by an upstart, broke something inside her, and a sinister laugh escaped her lips.

"How exciting. It really is exciting!"

Satellizer forcibly restrained her anger and stepped back, wanting to leave things at that, when suddenly, she couldn't move her body anymore.

Miyabi had gestured to her four Limiters, and they used their Freezing Fields on her.

Satellizer could have resisted one, maybe two of them, but four was too much.

Miyabi stood, a mad expression on her face.

"I am going to kill you, you laidback little sophomore bitch. I'll let you taste every last bit of shame and humiliation this world has to offer!"

Four flying knifes struck Satellizer's forearms and shoulders and made her fall on her back. The wounds weren't deep, but painful enough that she cried in pain, and she still couldn't move.

"As long as you are restrained by my Limiters, you can't move." spat Miyabi. "Now, repeat after me. 'Words cannot express how truly sorry I am for attacking you, Miyabi-sama'. I will accept no apology without at least that much sincerity."

"Go to Hell." replied Satellizer with a hateful glare.

"You are the one in Hell right now. William, strip her, and don't be gentle about it."

"Yes, Miyabi-sama." nodded one of her Limiters, a lustful expression on his face as he moved closer to the fallen blonde Pandora.

True terror gripped Satellizer's heart, and she became frantic in her struggle, but she could barely move her limbs a few inches. The flashbacks returned, memories of the ordeal that had almost broken her, and both panic and fury filled her to the point she couldn't even scream.

Right then, she wasn't just fighting that evil Pandora and her Limiters, she was also fighting him, as the memories superimposed themselves with what was happening to her in the present.

The evil man straddling her tore open her dress, revealing her bra, and the way he looked at her breasts repulsed her beyond words. Miyabi laughed as the man smirked, and he was about to grab her breasts, when suddenly, he was off her, kicked away.

She was dimly aware that a girl had suddenly appeared and helped her, and heard several gunshots, but when the Freezing Field suddenly disappeared, the fear disappeared, leaving place only to blind fury.

She could move, the one who was the source of her torment was collapsing on the tiles of the rooftop, and nothing else mattered. With a roar containing all the rage she hadn't been able to let out previously, she jumped on Miyabi, straddling her, and punched her face. And punched again. And Again.

After the sixth punch, Miyabi weakly lifted her arms to protect her face.

"F-Forgive me." croaked Miyabi, her face bloody. "I won't attack you again. So please…"

Satellizer lifted both hands and materialized her Volt weapon again, holding it with both hands and with its tip pointing down. Miyabi's eyes widened in fear.

But before Satellizer could bring the weapon down, golden chains appeared around her arms, gently but firmly dragging her away.

"That's enough. I understand your feelings, but this is going a bit too far." urged the blonde girl.

Satellizer glared malevolently at her, but remembering that she was the person who had helped her… she reluctantly nodded and relaxed, letting her Volt weapon dematerialize. She sighed as the golden chains disappeared, and the blonde girl suddenly held a black robe, handing it to her without a word as she looked away.

This reminded Satellizer of her damaged clothes, and she blushed as she accepted the robe gratefully and quickly put it on. It would take her a few moments to repair her damaged dress.

Then she heard the moans of pain from the four Limiters, and felt again an almost overwhelming urge to punch them to death. She just barely resisted it.

"What the hell happened here." demanded Ticy, placing herself between Satellizer and Miyabi.

"Let's go this way." suggested the blonde girl, pointing to the most distant corner of the rooftop. "You need a bit of distance, or I fear you'll kill those scums."

Satellizer nodded slowly and followed her.

"I am Chisato Nishikigi, by the way. It's nice to meet you. Am I correct in assuming that you are Satellizer L Bridget?"

"…Yes." sighed Satellizer, trying to regulate her emotions, and expecting the girl to recoil in fear.

And wait, wasn't she one of the two foreigners who were supposed to teach Pandoras about some new way to attack Novas from a distance? She had heard many Pandoras and Limiters speak about it, but since no one dared approach her, she couldn't ask for more details. All she really knew was that her father had arranged for her to attend some special class that would make her stronger, and two foreigner girls claiming to be from a mirror Earth were going to do the teaching.

But with her reputation, and the lack of control she had just displayed, she was likely going to be kicked out of the special class. They wouldn't want to associate with someone capable of trying to stab a surrendering Pandora.

"Let's be friends!" grinned Chisato.