Hex seems to be hanging back, though she has an intense expression on her face, and a small sword - or long dagger - held lightly in one hand - and then she starts calling out what are, apparently, counter-spells - mostly harassing Zero; she seems to think the Intoner is a bigger threat than Eliese.

Fine by her, she has her hands full jockeying for space here.

She does have some power to burn, though, so let's get rid of these pesky arena walls with a softly spoken "Audient Shockwave," in contrast to its booming effects. She might hope the sheer noise would briefly overpower the background music, but that's certainly too much to ask

Nope! The music isn't really obeying classic physics.

The colliseum though is, and it crumbles with a strong enough blow. 

Zero starts driving the giant asshole crab away from Five; this seems to reduce Five's strength - 

And Zero drops her Intoner mode suddenly, starts dodging a lot more since she's far less invulnerable - 

And Five's Intoner mode drops at the exact same moment.

Aha.

And now that Eliese is, for the moment, ahead in power, she takes the opportunity to spit out the curse at Five.

Five stumbles.

And Hex turns her attacks on Eliese! 

But her magic's drawn from Five's, so if Eliese can keep up the curse long enough...

It's not something she needs to maintain after she's finished invoking it. Hex has missed her chance already.

The heavy music in the air becomes discordant, panicked, and then fades in jagged bursts. And when Five finally collapses, so too does the demon she summoned.

Hex collapses to her knees. 

Seems like a victory. How is Zero doing?

Annoyed, mostly, but her assortment of minor wounds are healing without Five's magic in the equation. "That worked, kind of," she tells Eliese. "The flower retreated from her."

"Less than ideal, but not entirely unexpected."

"It's the same outcome as killing her, so."

"Fair."

"...Is she still breathing?"

"Good question." Let's find out. Eliese approaches the fallen clone.

She is, though shallowly, and she seems unconscious. 

"Alive," Eliese says. "For now."

"Fuck  you," Hex somehow gasps out, dragging herself to her feet with her sword in hand. "Fuck you straight to hell! What did you do to her?!"

"Burned out the parasite."

"Where the fuck is her magic?!"

"It seems she has been deprived of that privilege."

"It would have fucking killed her sooner or later, Hex - and you. So shut the fuck up with the whining."

"Like you care."