> Well this'll be fun.
> Time stop and set up a barrier of knives to pelt her with.
> After that, make with the stabbing.
>You grin a feral, twisted grin. "Yeah."
>
Time Sign, Silver Acute 360. Barrier.
>Buriallusion, Phantomic Killer in Night Mist, Time Two.>"Let's."
>She doesn't bother letting you even touch her this time. Her wings and tails provide an impenetrable barrier, and even with your abilities you can only manage to sneak in a thrown knife every oppurtunity. The helicopters have an easier time of it, but not much.
>You can't do anything to her...no. If those wings and that tail stand in your way, then just get rid of them.
>Concentrate your power into your knife. If it isn't sharp enough...make it.
>You blur away and reappear right above a wing, which protects her from the hail of bullets above. Before she can react, you bring your hand down, knife gleaming silver all the while.
>This barrier stands in your way. It stands in the way of you keeping those two girls safe. It stands in the way of their happiness.
>A massive gash tears itself into the energy construct. Her eyes widen at the damage, but you're already gone.
>The next wing. Then the next, then the last. Then her tail, then start over.
>Scars. Scar her. Wound her. Kill her.
>This is the only path that will allow you victory.
>"Why you-!"
>She swings her arms. Three wings dive in from the side, all tapered to deadly points.
>One less than four. Then...
>You dodge the attack and attack without thinking at the fourth wing. As you suspected.
>It severs and disappears into aether. Her eyes widen. "How-?"
>Her tail is swinging in to intercept you, but you're already gone.
>If you can repeat this, then, certainly, you can-!
>"Enough."
>A burst of power erupts from her like an explosion, consuming everything around her in a wave of destruction. You're thrown back, into the steel street railing, and cough out a sputter of blood. The soldiers are scattered across the floor, the hummer flipped on to its side. Her wings have disappeared.
>"Dear me...I suppose playing this game with you humans has grown troublesome enough. Do you really think I wouldn't have taken into account an extremely fast combatant or long range support into account, Clock-keeper? To me...you're just not strong enough. I've had dozens of years of combat experience. Hundreds, even. You don't even register. You expect me to conform to the standards of your 'final boss'? Who has a weakness to exploit, despite overwhelming power? Please. I've long since disposed of my weaknesses. Amusing your fantasy wasn't even funny."
>"I enjoyed toying with you, you know. Messing up your every day life. Turning you into some kind of night protector of the town, then tearing out your foundation from below you. I enjoyed watching you cry and squirm. It was...delicious. But now you're just boring me."
>McHarl, the brave bastard, gets up with pistol in hand and starts firing. But the bullets just...bounce off. Disappear entirely. Her 'wings' earlier were a purposeful weakening then...?
>Regardless, slowly, one by one, the soldiers all get up while you're still catching your breath.
>With everything they have, every single last bullet, they try to attack her.
>She frowns at the last ditch attempt to stop her. "Allow me to show you how pointless this is."
>The High Lady raises her hand.
>
Thump.>You hit the floor, crushed under some invisible force. McHarl and the rest of the ground troops join you seconds later. The helicopters swerve out of control and out of sight. Distant crashes are heard seconds later. You try to move, but it's...it's impossible. Even if you were to stop time, this unbearable presence would just hold you down.
>No...
>She lazily extends a finger in the direction of a man and spears him on the spot, claw-tendril extending instantaneously. Then another. Another. All of them, one by one with maddening slowness.
>No...
>The High Lady raises an eyebrow as McHarl stands strong, despite the foot wide tentacle going straight through him. He grabs onto it, even, and tries to cut it off with his knife. She smiles and moves her hand ever so slightly.
>
Thud.>The captain lies right in front of you, bleeding out and unmoving.
>She slices open the hummer right in front of your eyes and retrieves the two girls, still without moving. They don't fight back. They can't. The High Lady's method of retrieval made sure of it.
>Held there right above her, with all four limbs impaled, Dayna and Luna can do nothing. She gives you one final look before casually slicing open a rip in reality with her other hand, as if it didn't even matter.
>You grit your teeth as she walks through it.
>Weak. Weak.
>Weak. So. Weak.
>You were always weak, even now.
>You can't even save your friends.
>You can't even protect the people who helped you.
>You can't even stop this one thing from happening.
>But there is one thing you
can stop.
>You rise, inch by inch. Your bones cry out in agony at the strain, but you don't care.
>Everything has been taken from you. Your home. Your friends. Your innocence. Your clean, unmarred hands.
>The timer clicks down to 0, signalling the end of your power. But...no. You won't let it end. You'll keep time stopped for as long as you need.
>Even if it's only here, in this world, you can do something.
>This...this is your world.>Illusion World: Mackenzie's World.
You can't stop her, not with how wounded you are...but...but...
If you left this world behind...if you threw away everything you've ever taken for granted, then...
You could follow them. You could follow them into that world.
The thought is crushing. All of them are. The sudden realization that you really have nothing left to leave in this one. The fear of the unknown. What would happened if you followed? How would you even start? Would you survive the transit?
But...but if it's for them...then...then?
