Did Homura just... freeze time? Naoto didn't know if it was an ability of the girl's or merely a product of the dream, but he took note of it anyway.

"Ah!" He quickly ducked to avoid being splattered with the ink the injured creature was spraying as he charged his ray gun. Who knew what might be in it? It turned out Naoto's instinct was validated, as the ink began eating away at the portions of the walls that it had touched, revealing what looked like a black abyss beyond.

The monster seemed to have realized that its last attack had failed. With a cacophonous cry, it spat out a thick cloud of chalk dust that made it impossible to see. Coughing, Naoto shot into the nearly solid cloud, his gun producing a strong gust.