Saya knew she didn’t have long. While her basic sensory abilities were not the same as what they once were, the coming enemy’s devas were so strong that it was evident they would reach the big central field within a couple of minutes. Fully healing the brats around her for that time was out of the question, so she decided to do the best she could to patch them up to a reasonable extent while giving them instructions.

First up were the Martians, quite a few of them being awake already, but her attention was focused on Nepalo, who also looked at her when he felt her eyes on him.

(Saya) ‘-Nepalo, take your class and get out of here. (as expected, he and his classmates were as surprised by her words as Hikaru, Seiren and Tokura who were closer to her) Find Hock and Gorudora and go.’

(Nepalo) ‘-Just what are you saying all of a sudden?!’

(Saya) ‘-I don’t know if you can tell, but Ukris is coming.’

(Tokura) ‘-So those powerful devas I feel … that’s Ukris Nightsong?! Who the hell is she even?!!’

(Saya) ‘-Someone you’d be better off not meeting.’

(Nepalo) ‘-This is bullshit! We agreed we would fight her together!!’

Saya could tell just be the expression on the Martian King’s face her voice exuded unparalleled dominance when she spoke again.

(Saya) ‘-Hock and Gorudora are alone and beaten-up out there and in case she goes after them first, they’ll be dead within a second!!! This is an order, not a request! Think about revenge later!!! Go and save your friends now!!!’

(Seiren) ‘-Yeah, the further away they are from us, the better.’

The Earthling trio became the focus of attention for the fiery mom now, Nepalo seeming quite displeased with the order he was given, but carrying it out anyway along with his group.

(Saya) ‘-You three are going to have to go as well, Seiren.’

Hikaru didn’t even let his mother say another word after she finished her first sentence, his outrage being greater than Nepalo’s about a hundredfold.

(Hikaru) ‘-You can send the others away if you want, but I’m staying right here. I’m not leaving you alone with a monster like that!!’

(Saya) ‘-Your wounds are far from healed, Hikaru, and they’re quite severe as well. What good will you be against someone like Ukris?’

The violent nurse hoped criticizing her son’s current state would temper his stubbornness and make him agree with her, but she should’ve known better considering she was dealing with a Summerbolt.

(Hikaru) ‘-I can at least act as bait or something. Whatever happens, I’m not leaving you alone.’

(Saya) ‘-She’s not like the bullies you’ve faced until now, boy. (she pushed him away) Now stop arguing and go. I barely healed you a bit and don’t want to beat you up again to make you leave.’

(Hikaru) ‘-And what makes you so qualified to fight her?! Just the fact you’re not wounded?! You’ve been healing so many people for a while and said you were healing our class, too, before you came here, so …’

(Saya) ‘-I’ve fought her before. (the shock from that reveal silenced both her son and Seiren and Tokura, Mrs. Summerbolt looking away as the very mention of her past clash with Mrs. Nightsong triggered a painful response in her mind) I know what she’s capable of better than anyone else and that’s why I’ll face her.’

(Tokura) ‘-But if you’ve fought before, doesn’t that mean she’ll know what you can do as well?’

Saya smiled softly as her eyes singled out her son amid the three hot heads.

(Saya) ‘-I wasn’t a mother the last time we fought, so if nothing else, I have a newfound drive that will surprise her.’

(Hikaru) ‘-I still can’t …’

(Saya) ‘-Giving me a run for my money in terms of stubbornness already, Hikaru. (she sighed) Fine. The others were rather tired when I left them and although their opponents are weaker, there’s a lot of them. Go and help them finish things up and come back here together after that. I’ll hold Ukris off in the mean time.’

(Seiren) ‘-But Yuki’s there along with the rest of the class and the other Summerbolts, as well. I’m sure they’ll be able to take down any enemy they face and since Ulura’s mother emits such power, they’ll definitely sense her and come here to back us up. Won’t it be better for all of us to stay and help you hold her off?’

(Hikaru) ‘-I actually find the pervert’s idea reasonable this time. That’s a much better option.’

(Saya) ‘-No, it’s not. Not for me. The purpose of this is to also put as much distance between you guys and Ukris as possible. Just in case.’

A crack of thunder was heard in the sky then and its source was a purple lightning bolt. Every hair on the body of the solar empress stood on end. She could only imagine what the source of the fear she felt did to the children around her. But the head of the Summerbolt family couldn’t falter in front of her son and the others. So she managed another smile, pouring all the fake confidence she had in it.

(Saya) ‘-Go. All of you. Now.’

Tokura got up first, helping Seiren do the same and as they reached to help Hikaru, he took his mother’s hand, the seriousness in his eyes when they met hers being almost frightening. It was as if he was the dominant force of the two now and such a thing had never happened before.

(Hikaru) ‘-If I find you beaten-up and bloodied when I come back here, I’ll beat you up even worse, you annoying hag. You got that?’

The mother couldn’t help but clutch her son’s hand tighter after those words. She knew full well she wasn’t going to be able to keep the promise she was about to make. More than that, now that the enemy was here, she was really afraid. And wanted to run away to avoid facing her at all. She didn’t even want to see her.

But Saya Summerbolt was going to stay and meet her doom all the same.

(Saya) ‘-I’ve got old scores to settle with her, so I won’t let myself get beaten. Don’t hurry too much, though, or you may get caught up in the initial destruction.’

She let go of the mad genius’ hand counter to every instinct screaming at her and let him run off along with the pervert and the pseudoknight, the violent nurse getting up in the mean time and stepping forward, having turned her back to the trio now.

The next crack of thunder which hit so close that it illuminated the whole ruined field made drops of cold sweat drip down from Saya’s forehead. Ukris’ very aura made the air feel colder than usual, the sky – darker and the world all around – much less hopeful.

Her panic's height was reached when a silhouette with bat-like wings coming out of its back and horns sticking out of its skull descended on the field with the menacing grace and unnerving slowness of a predator closing in on its prey.

Ukris Nightsong stepped on the shattered earth not ten meters away from the solar empress, revealing an outfit similar to her daughter’s and a smile that was more terrifying than anything Ulura would ever be capable of.

(Ukris) ‘-You sent the sheep away before the wolf could greet them?’

Her voice hadn’t lost its feel that rivaled the cold and supremacy of her deva’s aura one bit. Only the weakened Saya found herself fearing it more than ever before, squinting her eyes from the strenuous color of the lightning bolts that still cut through the sky.

(Saya) ‘-Always were one for theatrics, weren’t you, Ukris? Can you cut the whole lightning show out already? It’s really making my eyes hurt.’

(Ukris) ‘-I didn’t come here to make you comfortable. And what good is an increased deva output if you can’t put on a show with it? (all the lightning in the heavens disappeared with a light gesture from her) But breaking you while you’re focused will probably bring me more pleasure, so I’ll cut you some slack.’

(Saya) ‘-Thanks for being so understanding for a change.’

(Ukris) ‘-Consider it my final gift to you before killing you. I’m very generous, as you’re well aware.’

(Saya) ‘-Yep, especially when it comes to murderous intent.’

(Ukris) ‘-I don’t know what intent you’re talking about. What you’re feeling is simply the inevitable doom of everyone in this park drawing closer.’

(Saya) ‘-The whole stunt your allies pulled here was your idea, I take it?’

(Ukris) ‘-It was Rale’s idea, actually.’

(Saya) ‘-I’m surprised you listened to your husband. I doubt that’s happened since the day he barely convinced you to bear him a child.’

(Ukris) ‘-Like I said, I’m generous.’

The intensity of her aura increased. The moment she was going to strike was now very near. And all Hikaru’s mother could do in response was to steel herself to handle the pain she was about to feel as best as she could.

(Saya) ‘-That succubus sealed in you finally sucked whatever’s left of your soul that you decided to do something so stupid? I thought sleeping in devil’s trumpet poison every day was supposed to keep your sanity intact.’

(Ukris) ‘-Says the woman who needs as many hours of sunlight as possible to keep Merutera’s covenant from poisoning her with her own blood. And who squanders her gift by working as a simple nurse.’

(Saya) ‘-What gift would that be?’

(Ukris) ‘-Killing, of course. That’s what we do best.’

(Saya) ‘-I haven’t heard about you killing someone in a long time, so I don’t think you’re one to talk.’

(Ukris) ‘-Oh, I haven’t stopped killing people. I’ve just been more discrete about it compared to before. (black bubbles started forming all over her body, out of every bubble coming out a black laser) Hiding my true nature has become really frustrating lately, though, so I was actually hoping to be called for back-up today. (the black lasers weren’t moving in a straight fashion like Ulura’s, but twisted and turned in a tentacle-like manner, each laser splitting into more) Let’s have our long overdue rematch, now, Solar Empress, shall we?’

The black laser tentacles shot themselves at Saya, who blew out a solar-flame roar to incinerate them, some of those tentacles managing to twist in such a way that they went around their attacker, striking her from behind. The roar was turned into a wall of flames as Hikaru’s mother quickly turned, managing to somehow save herself from suffering any damage this time around.

With Ukris no longer having to deal with the roar she was met with earlier, however, she had managed to teleport right above Mrs. Summerbolt, wrapping herself in her bat wings and enveloping them in black lasers while falling down. The flame wall’s focus now became stopping the winged laser drill from reaching its creator, Saya not being able to hold it off for long in her current condition.

The drill pierced through the fire eventually, the violent nurse only being able to dodge it by jumping to the side as it hit the ground and left a smoke-covered hole in it. She knew full well that was only delaying the inevitable as dodging Mrs. Nightsong’s initial attack didn’t mean the same would happen with the next one.

A new set of black laser tentacles came out of the drill as the wings of Ulura’s mother moved away to reveal the leader of all enemy forces in Nebula again, this time the tentacles moving with a higher speed. Bursts of bright yellow flames destroyed some of them while others were pushed back, but a few of them still managed to make contact with Saya, cutting her a few times.

She immediately felt light-headed from the loss of blood that followed, instinctively teleporting some distance away from her foe, Ukris clearly enjoying the sight of this by her grin whose vastness was matched only by how unnerving it looked.

(Ukris) ‘-Oh, there we are. I managed to draw first blood! You might want to use the Bloodless Covenant now, I think.’

Hikaru’s mother would use it without a second’s hesitation if she could, but the technique’s effect had worn off. Attempting to use in at this point was only going to tire her out more without producing any result. All the damage she would suffer from here on would bleed and there was nothing she could do but bear with the consequences that came with that.

(Saya) ‘-You … were you deliberately using only your black lasers until now? Because you were waiting for me to use the Bloodless Covenant to go all-out?’

(Ukris) ‘-I bit obvious, I suppose, but I just want this rematch to go by the book with each side progressively revealing more and more of their abilities until we reach the climax. (she narrowed her eyes) After all, there won’t be a chance for a third fight between us.’

While barely being able to stand on her feet, Saya managed to smile with great confidence at her opponent again.

(Saya) ‘-I would hope so. I’ve grown really tired of having to deal with you, Nightsong.’

(Ukris) ‘-Use the Bloodless Covenant if you want to get rid of me faster, then. (Saya didn’t respond to the black-haired empress’ request in any way, this seeming to annoy Ulura’s mother) I won’t ask again. And I won’t give you any more chances.’

(Saya) ‘-Just get on with it.’

Ukris sighed, summoning a number of purple lightning bolts from the sky, sending all of them at Saya while at the same time she flew toward her, having clad her wings in black lasers that made them appear pitch-black.

(Ukris) ‘-You’ve really disappointed me, Saya. I expected much, much more from you for our reunion. (an equal number of solar flame minisuns was clashed with the lightning bolts, the two attacks cancelling each other out as Ukris got to her target) But drawing this out any further simply due to nostalgia is pointless.’

Mrs. Nightsong tried to cut the Solar Empress with her wings, dodged by using teleportation that sent Mrs. Summerbolt to the back of her enemy, swinging to hit her in the head. The speed of the fiery mom’s attack was so slow that the pseudosuccubus managed to both predict and dodge it with minimal effort, only her cheek being grazed by the flames as she partially turned around. At the same time, however, she had managed to turn around fast enough to use her wings again, this time successfully slashing Saya’s stomach with a blood-spraying swing.

This made Hikaru’s mother fall to her knees immediately, apart from the monstrous pain that came from her newest wound feeling her strength waning and her mind becoming foggier with each drop of blood that exited the cut in her stomach. All Ukris needed to do now was deliver a finishing blow, but strangely, she didn’t do that. The violent nurse doubted it was because she had chosen to spare her.

Ulura’s mother took to the sky, sending a black laser beam with purple lightning swirling around it toward the clouds, all of them becoming much darker very soon. As the villainess’ particular type of lightning began ripping apart the sky that had now fallen under her control, rain started falling from the clouds. Black rain.

Only too late did Saya realize what it was. The black drops were actually concentrated laser shots, enveloped in electricity and by the looks of it, all of Nebula had been reached by this. It was Ukris’ technique – ‘Black Sky’s Melody of Torrents’.

It was logical that she could use something like that with her current output, but given that there were other Nightsong family members within the park, Saya had never thought she would go so far.

The pseudosuccubus proved once again her madness was not to be underestimated, the head of the Summerbolt family thinking of a way to stop her while creating a shield of bright yellow flames around herself. As futile as it seemed, she decided to try and reason with the black-haired empress.

(Saya) ‘-Ukris, stop this!!! Your family … they’ll die as well if you use that!!!’

The bat-winged lady descended closer to her prey again, when she came near enough, Saya seeing as cold a gaze as she ever knew existed on Mrs. Nightsong’s face.

(Ukris) ‘-I can tell even from here both of them were defeated and this battle was a test for Rale and Ulura as well. They failed. The punishment for that is death with no chance of resurrection. As will happen with all the members of your family and every other useless soul in this park. (Saya could no longer maintain the surrounding shield, the black rain coming through it and piercing her multiple times) The hour of reckoning has come for you all and I have been chosen to pass judgment.’