Even if you're a corrupted magical girl, you still have to try to redeem yourself.

The golden warhammer shone with an unprecedented brilliance in the girl's hands, like a radiant sun rising in the darkness, bright enough to eclipse the crimson moon.

"Those little rascals who only dare to sneak out on Halloween don't deserve to see the sun rise tomorrow!"

This scene with the blond, short guy was rewritten and revised many times, and I feel that this is a better way to handle it.

It's been a while since I've been here, so I'm looking for some suggestions and opinions!

Chapter Fifty-Eight: A New Bud Sprouting from the Soil

"A little rascal who only dares to sneak out on Halloween doesn't deserve to see the sun rise tomorrow, does he?"

The golden warhammer swung through the air in a brilliant golden arc before landing steadily on Helica's shoulder.

Helica bent her knees, slowly lowering her center of gravity, like a small animal poised to pounce.

But Helica is not a little animal with baby teeth that can only make cute little bites.

Crackling lightning pounded the surrounding air, making the space around Herika appear illusory.

It could be a few seconds later, or even the next second, when those lightning bolts strike the girls confronting Helica.

The breakdown of negotiations with Helica was to be expected.

Neither Hong Moli nor Bai Gui Qianyou were surprised by this outcome.

Before embarking on this dangerous mission, Koumori and Hyakki Senyu listened to Yuuki Yuuki forcefully give an extremely detailed explanation of Tenrai Helica's personality traits.

As frontline executors, they directly face the risks of battle, so it's reasonable for Yuuki Yukino to do so. Even if her explanation is tedious and somewhat annoying, it's an indispensable step.

"Remember this: your safety is the top priority. Even if I fail to achieve my goal, or even if my true intentions are exposed, do not put yourselves in danger."

Yuki Yui emphasized this repeatedly, to the point that it was almost tiresome to listen to.

Considering the current situation, they realized that Yuuki Yuki's words were the final key point of this operation.

When the situation gets out of their control, don't hesitate, retreat immediately.

Now that Helica is able to suppress Koumori while her true name is released, if they continue fighting, they will indeed encounter unknown dangers—this is the kind of situation that Yuuki En described as being beyond their control.

"What do you think of her saying that about us?" Hyakki Chiyu turned her head and gave Hong Moli a calm look.

Herlica narrowed her eyes slightly. Every move the other party made was under her surveillance. If they made any move, she would immediately bring down the hammer of punishment on their heads.

Helica couldn't understand whether there was any meaning behind Hyakki Chiyou's gaze, and she couldn't even tell if it was just an ordinary glance.

However, this will not affect the final result.

She wouldn't let these villains who colluded with Yuuki Eki and attacked her get away with it.

“But Yuuki Yui reminded us that if unexpected situations arise, we should prioritize our own safety,” Hong Moli replied.

In case of an unexpected situation, Yuuki Eri's reminders to her two juniors were perfectly reasonable in order to protect their safety.

However, Yuuki Yuuki miscalculated one thing: she had asked two corrupted magical girls for help, and even if they were on her side, they were still true corrupted magical girls.

The pride, or arrogance, of the fallen magical girls cannot allow them to be challenged by a magical girl who cannot even control the liberation of a god.

Moreover, Yuuki En had asked him to put pressure on the other party and try to use absolute strength to force the "yellow-haired dwarf" that his older sister had mentioned to regain that power.

Even if this is just an excuse for them to act boldly and without fear.

Furthermore, the most fundamental reason is their absolute confidence in their own abilities.

"But you will protect me." Bai Gui Qianyou placed her hand on her chest, on the spot where the black magic mark was.

The gray-black magic patterns shone through the magic armor, magnifying in the air and faintly illuminating the darkness.

Helica's pupils contracted; it was a signal of divine liberation, and also the start of war.

More than one black magic pattern lit up, and a scarlet mark bloomed in response.

Hong Moli raised her head slightly and stepped forward to stand side by side with Bai Gui Qian You.

"of course."

Beneath the rising red moon, a cacophony of magic burned fiercely.

Amidst the extinguished magic, the corrupted magical girl, radiating a dangerous aura far surpassing her previous presence, stepped out from the scattered embers.

The little vampire was displaying a form that Helica had seen before, the same form that had overwhelmed her and Mizuno Yu on that beach, leaving them unable to retaliate.

The only difference is that back then, Koumori didn't hold that huge katana several meters long, nor did she have anything that sent chills down her spine like she does now.

The gray flowers blooming beside her like a courtesan—aside from a fleeting glimpse during the battle on the day of the festival, Helica had never witnessed the girl's battle.

Although the little ghost was hiding behind the little vampire, it didn't mean she was powerless. On the contrary, the magic emanating from her was no weaker than that of the blond vampire.

"Just you? Only one magical girl capable of divine release?"

A dark red blade flashed through the night, leaving a deep trench beside Helica, like a shocking scar branded onto the barren mountain.

Wow, that was fast.

Herlica's pupils contracted sharply.

Hong Moli slowly withdrew her long sword, which was dragging on the ground, raised her head, and her bat-shaped eyes were filled with disdain.

"If you can do it, why don't you give it a try?"

The clear moonlight, and the cool magic of the moonlight, shot straight into the sky behind Helica. A huge bow in the shape of a crescent moon slowly rose into the night sky, standing in opposition to the reappearing red moon.

"Only one magical girl capable of divine release?"

Unexpectedly, the girl spoke up.

It swirled with a magic no less powerful than the flowing moonlight, creating ripples in layers.

The magic wasn't strong, but it constantly demonstrated its presence.

Gentler than moonlight, more refreshing than a breeze, like a new bud sprouting among withered branches, quietly blooming under the new moon, telling the new story of life. [8th Father Lin*]

How can I describe it?

Like the new buds of spring, like the veins of leaves in summer, like the harvest of autumn, like the slumber under the winter snow awaiting new life.

Branches sprout, green leaves grow, and the nested rings of the tree depict the colors of life.

That ancient wind of life brought about a miraculous rebirth and dispelled the shadow of death.

"Tsk."

Sensing the magical power that rivaled his own, Hyakki Chiyu let out a displeased sigh.

……

"As you all know, magical girls are most likely to receive a response when they are pushed to their limits but also harbor strong desires. For example, when you became a corrupted magical girl, that was the case, wasn't it?"

In the video, Yuuki Yuuki asked a question.

"Yes, that's right. In other words, what we need to do is to use absolute force to push that blond dwarf to her limit, and then make her unleash that power, right?" Hong Moli nodded, making a precise summary.

"Yes, that's it. If possible, the closer we push her to her limit, the more desperate she becomes, the greater the chance she'll gain new power. But this is just a guess, so it doesn't matter if we fail."

Yuuki En gave Hong Moli a thumbs-up in approval of her deduction.

"That's why this task needs to be assigned to you. Only magical girls like you, who are not very familiar with them but have the ability to completely suppress them, will be able to make her wholeheartedly develop the desire to go further."

……

That's exactly what they wanted to do: as Yuuki Yuki suggested, to guide Tenrai Herika to the ability of divine liberation, and then finish their work perfectly before Herika could perform divine liberation.

Yuuki Eri's idea was entirely correct; under such pressure, the desires that arise would indeed receive a response from Him.

However, the target audience was wrong.

From beginning to end, both Hong Moli and Bai Gui Qianyou overlooked an important issue.

Pressure, despair, limits... they have bestowed upon that magical girl, who was so weak and insignificant that she had never been valued by them.

That small branch by the roadside has grown into a towering tree that they can no longer ignore, even though it was out of their sight.

"Night is falling, wild beasts howl, owls wail, like the roots of trees digging deep into the soil."

"The rising sun brings a gentle breeze across the fields, a drop of morning dew on a leaf vein, the wild beasts fall silent, and then I hear the first bird flap its wings."

"In the silent forest, I weave a long skirt with leaves, I string vines into a necklace, I bring sweet dew to moisten your parched throat, I use my life to soothe the scars of last night for you."

"As the whispers of the forest foretell, I will bear abundant fruit. So it is today, and so it will be tomorrow."

The girl with purplish-pink hair stepped on the vines sprouting from the withered branches and slowly rose into the air.

The ancient-looking long dress, as if it had traveled through the Aegean Sea and received the robes of the gods, tightened around her, revealing the girl's arms and legs that were previously hidden by the dress.

If it were the previous magical costumes, it would be difficult to describe the elaborate decorations that were only worn in ancient civilizations.

Sakura Hanako's current magical outfit can be described in one word by everyone.

Nurse uniform.

A small nurse's cap, a tight-fitting light-colored nurse's dress, and a giant syringe with a green caduceus symbol, even larger than the previous wand—as big as Sakura Hanako herself.

Without a doubt, that was the power of divine liberation.

Hong Moli had witnessed too many divine liberations, including her own and Chiyu's power, Tomoe's military uniform and gun blade, Yuuki Yuuki's giant ball of thread when she used the God of Bonds, Kuroba's twelve-winged black angel after death, and Mizuno Yuu's Moon Bow before her eyes.

No one could be weaker than the divine liberation of this purple-pink-haired girl before them.

This is weakness in the literal sense; there is no powerful magic released, no ominous aura, and no indication that such a posture possesses any fighting ability.

This made Hong Moli somewhat doubtful: Is this really the liberation of the gods?

But she noticed the subtle changes in Qianyou's emotions.

I also sensed Qianyou's apprehension about the god's liberation.

"Qianyou?" Hong Moli whispered the name of the person beside her.

"That woman, kill her."

"Hmm?" Hong Moli was slightly taken aback.

"Kill her at all costs, if possible." A familiar shadow flashed in Bai Gui Qianyou's eyes, which had remained expressionless throughout.

That gaze was familiar to Hong Moli, but seeing it in Bai Gui Qianyou's eyes made her feel incredibly unfamiliar.

That was the creator of the shadows in her life that she didn't want to talk about much, a woman named Kuroba Reise, who would only reveal herself when ordering her to do some shady tasks.

That was the manifestation of the deepest malice in the heart of the corrupted magical girl.