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

If you transform, the magic power of the corrupted magical girl emanating from your body will easily attract the attention of enemies and Yuuki Yuki, so it's best to just go in directly.

Baqi secretly made up her mind and prepared to find a way to safely crawl into the cave without transforming.

However, just as Baqi was about to stick one leg into the hole to test it out, a voice behind her stopped her.

"Inuyama-kun, what are you doing here?"

This voice hadn't been heard in Baqi for a long time, but such a distinctive voice was hard to forget once heard.

Baqi slowly and naturally withdrew the leg she had stepped out, took a few steps back in the direction of the sound, creating a distance of less than a meter between herself and the large hole in front of her, and then turned around very slowly.

Just as Baqi had expected, a black-haired girl wearing a long, warm coat over her Yuehai Middle School uniform was standing in the direction she had come from, looking at her with a puzzled expression.

The girl's position was right in the middle of the maze's passage. You could only squeeze through to the left or right with difficulty. Although it wasn't completely impossible for anyone to pass, most of the path was blocked by the girl's body.

"Kuroba-kun, may I ask what you're doing here again?" Inuyama Tomoe's eyes crinkled into a smile, and a gentle curve appeared at the corner of her mouth as she softly called out the other person's name.

From the very beginning, Baqi felt that the place was too quiet, like a well-laid trap waiting for innocent prey to fall into it.

It didn't take long for the other person to catch up after I entered the school and then the maze.

Not only did they follow, but they also deliberately blocked my way, which doesn't seem like a coincidence.

Ahead was a huge void, and behind it was the path blocked by the body of Kuroba Reisei. If it were an ordinary person, there would be no way to avoid it.

Given Kuroba Rei's personality, she's capable of openly causing chaos in the festival crowd, so she definitely wouldn't mind getting rid of all the students who saw it, silencing them forever.

"I saw Inuyama-kun come straight here as soon as he entered the school, and I was a little curious, so I followed him. Where is Inuyama-kun? It seems he hasn't answered my question yet?"

Kuroba Reisei also closed his eyes, his every move displaying the usual etiquette of the Holy Ancient Academy.

But what she said didn't sound very polite to Baqi.

Baqi could immediately tell that Kuroba Reincarnation wasn't speaking to her as "Kuroba-kun," but rather questioning her as the "Student Council President."

But Baqi is almost immune to such provocations.

She knew very well what kind of annoying personality Kuroba Reisei had, and Tenrai Helica's provocations were much more direct than Kuroba Reisei's, and far less hypocritical.

Although Baqi still felt very awkward looking at Kuroba Reisei like this, and really wanted to shoot Kuroba Reisei in the face, now was not the time to break off relations with Kuroba Reisei.

Baqi still wore a very peaceful smile on her face. She turned around and looked at the huge hole behind her in front of Hei Yu Laisheng, then tilted her head away.

"I heard there was some unusual noise nearby last night, so I came to check it out out of curiosity, and I actually found some really unusual things."

"Inuyama-kun has such good grades, is he also the type with a strong sense of curiosity?" Kuroba Laisei responded with a forced smile, undoubtedly another provocation.

Whether it's Kuroba's excessive arrogance, his unwillingness to let her go, or his attempt to provoke her and expose her true colors, Baqi has no intention of falling for it.

"Curiosity is a kind of thirst for knowledge. As students of St. Yuu Academy, we have received the best education, so we should be constantly seeking knowledge and making progress, don't you think? Kuroba-kun?"

Hearing Baqi's answer, Kuroba Rise secretly curled the corner of her mouth. This little gesture was especially noticeable to Inuyama Baqi, who was staring intently at the other person.

Then, Kuroba Laisei took another breath and slowly exhaled through his nostrils, as if sighing, or as if indicating that his patience was almost exhausted.

"I agree with what Inuyama-kun said, but was Inuyama-kun doing something dangerous just now? Excessive curiosity can bring danger to yourself."

This isn't a provocation, it's a threat, isn't it?

If you don't have any other thoughts, you can just listen to it and let it pass.

But now that Baki really wants to know what's going on in that empty sanctuary, the whole sentence sounds completely different.

Baqi had no intention of responding to Kuroba Reincarnation's question at all, and instead asked an obvious one.

"Is Kuroba the student council president?"

"Yes, why did Inuyama-san suddenly ask such an obvious question?" Kuroba Rise's smile gradually faded, leaving one wondering what she was thinking.

"He came to remind me because he was worried I would be in danger. As expected, Kuroba is really suited to be a leader."

The same subtle irony, hidden beneath Inuyama Tomoe's standard young lady smile, left Kuroba Kisei speechless for a moment.

Baqi's counterattack against Kuroba Reise is not over yet. Although she does not intend to directly confront Kuroba Reise, testing him is a good option.

In reality, Kuroba Laishi fell at the hands of Seishin, who also vowed to herself that if she defeated Kuroba Laishi, she would hand over the student council president position to her.

Although Seishion kept saying that the student council president was only trying to maintain the stability of Seishi-Yū Academy, Baqi felt that things were not that simple.

Saint Shion knew she had a lot of grievances against Kuroba Reisei and her, yet she still made herself the so-called student council president. This position of student council president may also have hidden ulterior motives.

As for whether Kuroba Rebirth knew about these things, and how much he knew, Baqi felt she needed to find a way to get it out of him.

Moreover, even if I were to actually enter the Grand Cathedral, all I would likely see is the Grand Cathedral itself. At most, I could record a video or take a picture and search for clues inside. That might not be as efficient as directly contacting Black Feather Reincarnation.

Of course, if Kuroba Reisei gets impatient, it's not impossible to beat him up until he confesses.

Baqi's gentle smile remained unchanged.

"But Kuroba-kun, look, with such a lot of damage, wouldn't it be too inefficient to just remind everyone one by one? Shouldn't we put up a warning sign to prevent people from accidentally getting into danger?"

“Indeed, I will take Inuyama-san’s suggestion.” Kuroba Kiyo nodded slightly, her gaze fixed on Inuyama Tomoe.

I've already said that, but the other party isn't responding.

Baqi thought that her seemingly pointless suggestion would elicit a more pronounced reaction from Kuroba Rebirth.

Since Kuroba Laishi is able to remain calm, it is necessary for me to add fuel to the fire.

"However, Kuroba-kun doesn't seem very surprised to see such a huge amount of destruction? And there should still be space below, right? Does Kuroba-kun know what's going on here?"

This is an extremely dangerous attempt. Whether it will be seen as provocation or a normal question born of ignorance depends on how Kuroba Raisesei judges it.

"Yes, I know." Kuroba Rise nodded: "There was a small accident at school yesterday, which is not convenient to tell ordinary classmates. It's better if Inuyama-kun doesn't want to be curious."

Has she taken the bait? Or is the other party trying to lure her in?

"Then what about this big, dark room? I've been at Saint Eternal Academy for so long, and I didn't even know it had a basement?" Baqi asked again.

"Since Inuyama-kun is so curious, why don't you go in and take a look?" Kuroba Kisei laughed again, but the laugh was very unnatural.

That smile alone made Baqi feel very uncomfortable.

Without a doubt, this is a trap.

"But isn't it dangerous here? Are we just going to jump down like that?"

Baqi looked at the hole in the ground again, a hesitant look on her face.

"Of course we can't just jump in. What are you talking about, Inuyama-kun?" Kuroba Rise laughed. "I know where the entrance is. It's a place that nobody except the student council members knows about."

Kuroba Reisei was already doubting himself; in fact, the other party had been doubting him ever since he entered the labyrinth.

Both sides were testing each other, but neither gave anything away.

Kuroba Reisen may be arrogant, but if she were a complete idiot, she wouldn't have climbed to her current position.

Since he had no weaknesses, Kuroba would create opportunities for himself to reveal them.

If I were willing to take the risk, I would definitely grant Kuroba's request for reincarnation.

But Baqi has no intention of playing that risky role.

"I think I'll pass. Curiosity is important, but my safety is more important. Can't you just tell me directly, Kuroba-kun?"

Fine, since Kuroba Reincarnation wants me to take the bait so badly, can't I just play hard to get?

If Kuroba wants to let me go in the afterlife, this is the best opportunity.

If Kuroba's reincarnation never intended to let him go from the very beginning...

"It's alright. I'm sure Inuyama-kun will be interested in what's inside. We've come all this way, wouldn't it be a waste of our trip if we didn't come and take a look?"

As Kuroba Laisheng spoke, he shifted his body, making the space behind him even more concealed, clearly not intending to let Baqi leave just like that.

Kuroba's subtext was also clear: Since you dare to show up here, are you going to leave empty-handed?

Even though neither side explicitly stated their intentions, they were only a step away from revealing the truth.

"Since that's what you say, Kuroba-kun... then alright."

Baqi pretended to hesitate for a moment, but in the end she agreed to Hei Yu's request, or rather, his threat, for the next life.

Chapter 158 Proof

"How strong will the enemies in the dream be? I think that's a good question, and it should be very helpful for our next move."

Yuuki Yui sat atop the tower, where the cold wind howled, gazing at the city gradually illuminating below the Moon Sea Tower. Her fingers traced something on the rough ground as she spoke to the three people who had just successfully escaped the dream of Heavenly Thunder Helica.

"-(4 So far, all we have experienced are the three dreams of Hyakki Senyou, Mizuno Yu, and Tenrai Helica. In these three dreams, all the tough battles I, or rather all the battles we have encountered, have been internal struggles with real magical girls."

As Yuuki Yukino spoke, she drew three circles on the dust at the top of the tower with her finger, using them as a blackboard to teach the magical girls.

"Me, Helica Tenrai, and Tomoe Inuyama, besides waiting for Mizuno Yu to wake up and reminding her of these trivial matters in Mizuno Yu's dream, what bothers us the most is the battle before Mizuno Yu wakes up."

The magical girls all nodded in agreement, unanimously agreeing that the battle against Mizuno Yu, who had been freed from the gods, was indeed exceptionally difficult. If it weren't for Tomoe's presence, the outcome might have been uncertain.

"It was the same in Tenrai Herika's dream. My friend and I blocked Lin Jiezi, Baqi faced off against Yumehara Sumireko, and finally Tenrai Herika fought against me, who went mad after coming into contact with Lin Jiezi. That was the real threat."

There's nothing to dispute about this; it's something that just happened, and everyone remembers it clearly.

Even the injuries Nishio Reki sustained while trying to stop Hayashi Mustard haven't healed yet, so he certainly won't be forgotten so quickly.

The magical girls nodded again, waiting for Yuuki Yukino to continue.

"Looking at the other battles that required us to transform, let's not even talk about the battlefield in Mizuno Yumu's dream. It looks like there are a lot of soldiers, which is very intimidating, but in fact, I ended the battle with just my Night Howler."

"Not to mention Kuroba Rei from Hundred Ghosts and Thousand Dreams, she's not a normal magical girl at all. She can even use the techniques of Urouge Mashiro, and even so, she's ridiculously weak."

"The real problem is in Helica's dream, but the fighting power of Miyashita Mia and Tsukimi Rie there is a bit weak, even if they haven't mastered the God Release. But they're still better than that fake Kuroba Rei."

"Furthermore, the magic power we expend in battles in our dreams is somehow reflected in our real bodies. I suspect that Sumireko Yumehara is the same way."

"That's why I thought of a paradox: if there really is an omnipotent God, could it create a boulder that it cannot lift itself?"

"What I'm talking about isn't the paradox itself, but whether Sumireko Yumehara or the master of dreams can truly create an enemy that even they cannot defeat, an enemy that possesses immense magic and power even in dreams."

"Of course not, otherwise we would be even more powerless in the dream, and Sumireko Yumehara would not personally cause us trouble."

"Therefore, I believe that in each dream, our real enemies should be our own unconscious selves and Sumireko Yumehara, rather than the phantoms of those magical girls that were created."

……

"By the way, do you remember what Yuuki Yukina said in reality before we were dragged into the dream by that awful Sumireko Yumehara? About just how strong those fake magical girls in the dream really are?"

When Tenrai Herika, who came to inform Inuyama Tomoe that the next step was to explore the Great Hollow Sanctuary beneath the St. Yuu Academy, suddenly mentioned something that Yuuki Yuuki had said before.

"Of course, I remember everything Xiaoyuan said very clearly. What's wrong?" Baqi asked Helica's intentions. Helica wasn't the type to chat idly with her, so there must be something else behind her saying this.