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

Rather, it is precisely because Yuuki Yukino discovered this unpleasant reality that she felt even more compelled to move forward.

Yuuki Yukino has already accomplished her first task upon arriving in this dreamlike realm: to investigate the surrounding environment. She has even learned about the fact that the memories of those who were once magical girls are accumulated here—a fact never mentioned in the game.

Next, we need to find Sumireko Yumehara as soon as possible.

Yuuki Yukino hasn't figured out why Yumehara Sumireko suddenly appeared in the real world and pulled everyone here, but it certainly wasn't a simple act of spite without any purpose.

Sumireko Yumehara had also told him that he shouldn't exist in this dream world. If Sumireko Yumehara wanted to get rid of this huge problem of his here, she would probably attack him directly.

In their brief exchange just now, Sumireko Yumehara had a slight edge, and it remains to be seen who will emerge victorious if the fight continues.

However, after Yumehara Sumireko said a few harsh words to herself, she disappeared. This unusual situation made Yuuki Yukino wonder if Yumehara Sumireko was doing this just to temporarily trap herself and then go and cause trouble for the other three who were swept away by the vortex.

Therefore, Yuuki Yukino must act quickly to find Yumehara Sumireko.

So the question is, where is the best place to look for it?

Although Yuuki Yui is quite sensitive to magic, she can't locate a person like a true vampire, relying solely on the residual scent of magic.

Moreover, the magic here is too chaotic. The air is filled with a complex mixture of the magic of countless magical girls, making it very difficult to distinguish the aura of a specific type of magic.

Moreover, the magical memories of the same magical girl can be embedded in every corner of the city as the foundation of the entire city, thus appearing in all directions. Even if Koumori came, she would probably be powerless to change this situation.

Although it's impossible to distinguish a specific magic power, you can still sense which side has a stronger magic power.

Any magical girl could identify the source of magic, but in places with exceptionally dense magic, the difficulty level is completely different from that in Moonsea City.

The chaotic magic here is like the difference between a lump of mud and a pool of clear water compared to that of Moonsea City; it will take Yuuki Yui some time to achieve the same level.

However, Yuuki Yuuki still managed to find it; in a certain direction, there was indeed a significantly higher concentration of magic than in other places.

But whether it was a trap she had set for herself, Yuuki Yukino couldn't tell.

Sumireko Yumehara can't stay in her transformed state forever, can she?

Even if it really is a trap, Yuuki Yuki has no other choice but to be fully prepared and take the plunge.

Yuuki Yukino continued forward, heading towards the direction where the magical energy was more concentrated.

The dreamlike feeling she experienced when she first entered this illusory realm now only gave Yuuki En a chilling feeling.

On the deserted streets, everything was built from memories that no longer belonged to the magical girls. Just thinking about this made Yuuki Yuuki feel that the starlight beneath her feet and the clouds in the sky had become ferocious.

The more you learn, the more terrifying it becomes.

But Yuuki Yuki's gains were not entirely terrifying.

Along the way, Yuuki Yuuki made a point of observing those wondrous buildings.

Those buildings gave Yuuki Yuuki a strong sense of déjà vu.

It wasn't that Yuuki Yuuki had seen these things somewhere before, but rather that the scene setup felt somewhat familiar to her.

It's like walking through a city in an online game. There are all sorts of buildings around, but you can't explore them all. Even if you manage to get into a building through a clever bug, you'll find that they're just empty shells for decoration.

That's how this neighborhood is. Although Yuuki Eri can directly touch the buildings and feel the same mixed magic within them, those buildings are completely empty.

They are just empty shells.

Although Yuuki Yuuki had not seen any other people or magical girls here, she was completely certain after touching these empty buildings.

There are no other residents here; in other words, it's impossible for anyone to live in this kind of building.

But why build something like this using those memories in a place where no one lives?

Unless Sumireko Yumehara, who built this place, is the kind of architecture enthusiast who wants this space to look more like a city.

Yes, Yuuki Yuki is certain that these things were created by Yumehara Sumireko.

The fact that Yuuki Yukino was able to walk here with her own body, rather than just having her consciousness exist in a dream, is enough to show that this place is indeed the blurred boundary between dreams and reality.

Such places are either completely empty, like the space where Genki Mashiro pulled herself in, which was spotless, with nothing but herself and the other person.

Or perhaps Sumireko Yumehara modified it, which is why the aesthetics here are so in line with Sumireko Yumehara's magical costume.

Of course, it's also possible that, like Mizuno Yu's special dream, it was constructed by Yumehara Sumireko's subconscious, meaning that this is Yumehara Sumireko's own dream.

This conjecture has some merit, but more of it is unreasonable.

For example, if Sumireko Yumehara were to capture all the magical girls and imprison them in her dream, wouldn't the dream end when she wakes up? Or does she not need to wake up? Or does she have a way to maintain the dream?

Or, why do bubbles of other magical girls' memories appear in Sumireko Yumehara's dreams?

While Yuuki Yukino's wildly imaginative thinking does help her discover things she wouldn't normally find, regardless of the truth, this is Yumehara Sumireko's territory, and Yuuki Yukino must always remain focused and vigilant.

The current situation that Yuuki Eri is in makes it even more important for her to remain vigilant.

As Yuuki Yuuki prepared to explore the interiors of those buildings to see if there were any new discoveries, she stepped onto her magic book, allowing herself to slowly fly through the air.

The speed of flight was much faster than traveling on foot, and in just a few minutes, Yuuki Yukari arrived at the end of the street from where she had fallen into the dream world.

The street seemed to be abruptly cut off at the end. On one side was a dreamlike city filled with clouds, bubbles, and starlight, while on the other side remained dark, just like the darkness that Yuuki Eri had initially felt when she fell into this space.

Is this the end of the dream world?

That shouldn't be the case.

The even stronger magical energy that Yuuki Yuki sensed must be in a more distant place, but there was no path beneath her feet.

Yuuki En suddenly had the illusion that she had run to the edge of the map, but the arrow indicating the target was still pointing forward.

This isn't a game. In games, there are invisible walls. Does this dream world also have them?

Yuuki Yui controlled her grimoire to move forward a few more meters until she was completely submerged in darkness.

Have we really entered darkness?

Of course! There's no such thing as an invisible wall in reality.

Besides, isn't it normal for hidden bosses to hide in hidden paths within hidden maps?

Well, although Sumireko Yumehara isn't exactly a hidden boss, Yuuki Yukino doesn't intend to treat such a serious matter like a game.

However, if she doesn't think about unrelated or even abstract things, Yuuki Yuki will definitely think about even more terrifying things while flying in the boundless darkness.

The streetlights grew smaller and smaller, becoming tiny dots smaller than a grain of rice, until they disappeared completely. All that remained around Yuuki Yuki was darkness.

Human beings' fear of the dark is instinctive.

Fear of the unknown, fear of loneliness, fear of losing one's goals—darkness is the embodiment of all human fears.

Walking alone in the darkness, even though Yuuki Yuuki flew, that feeling of confusion and helplessness was amplified without limit.

Along with this, Yuuki Yukino's senses were also amplified. She had never felt so quiet before. The sound of the wind as she flew, the rustling of pages turning, her breathing, and her heartbeat all surrounded her ears.

If she could banish the darkness, Yuuki Yukari might feel better, but she's not like Helica Tenrai, who can glow with lightning like an electric eel.

Even Helica's lightning might not be able to dispel such dense darkness.

No, I can't think about these things anymore.

The lines that formed the tentacles, emitting a faint purple glow, were the only thing that didn't fit into the darkness. Although they were far from enough to drive away the darkness, they did make Yuuki Yuki feel a little more at ease.

Yuuki Yukino gritted her teeth and flew even faster.

How long did you fly exactly? Ten minutes? Twenty minutes? Or even less?

Without a timekeeping device, Yuuki Yuki couldn't judge the exact speed at which time passed. Every second in the darkness felt incredibly long, and relying solely on physical sensation to judge time was simply unrealistic.

Fortunately, at the end of the darkness, some colors appeared that were different from the tentacles that were emitting a faint light at his feet.

That too is light, even if it is very far away, it is undoubtedly a ray of light that can pierce through the darkness.

I guessed right, there really was something there.

Even though Sumireko Yumehara is the master of this place, she is still a magical girl, an ordinary girl who is even a little childish.

Human beings have an innate aversion to darkness, and even Sumireko Yumehara is no exception.

She can't stay in the dark forever; there must be a base of operations here.

Otherwise, Yuki Eri felt her will was being severely tested after only a short time. If Yumehara Sumireko had been in such an environment for a long time, her mind would have been unable to withstand it, and she would have become abnormal.

Although Sumireko Yumehara doesn't seem like a normal person now, there are hardly any normal people among the Fallen Magical Girls.

The faint light grew larger as Yuuki Yuki approached, until it finally revealed its full form before her eyes.

Is this really where Sumireko Yumehara is hiding?

Looking at the street scene before her, so different from what she had seen when she fell into the dream world, Yuuki Yukino couldn't help but fall into deep doubt.

It's not that it's more bizarre, but rather that it's quite normal. Even Yuuki Yuuki, who is perfectly normal, wonders if she has traveled back to the real world.

This is just a neighborhood, a perfectly normal neighborhood in any city.

The only connection to what came before is that this place is also completely deserted.

Furthermore, this place was also created using the memories of magical girls as raw materials.

It seemed perfectly normal, but as soon as you stepped into this neighborhood, the chaotic magic that Yuuki Eki had initially sensed became even more intense.

Could this be Sumireko Yumehara's true heart, and the dreamlike scenes outside just a smokescreen, with this actually being her real base?

Yuuki En thought to herself, slowed down her flight considerably, and began to carefully examine the entire street beneath her feet.

At first glance, the neighborhood seemed fine, but it gave Yuuki Eri a very backward feeling.

It's not that it's old, but rather outdated. The buildings on the street look very new, as if they haven't been through much of the ravages of time, but the style of the buildings and the signs hanging on the shops don't seem like things that would appear in this era.

Even if Yuuki Yuuki has no recollection of the development of the other world, it must have been something from ten or eight years ago.

As they continued forward, Yuuki Yuki discovered that things weren't entirely as they had initially appeared.

The whole street was like two sets of toys of different styles pieced together. One shop on the street had film cameras and film rolls hanging in it, while the next shop had a poster of the Pokémon game that Yuuki Yuki played during the summer vacation on its door.

They shouldn't be from the same era, yet they're pieced together perfectly.

Although this place is the gap between dreams and reality, it seems to have inherited the disorder and chaos of dreams.

But doesn't this street look familiar?

Yuuki Yukino frowned slightly, feeling more and more that she seemed to have been here before.

Following the layout of the neighborhood and the route that first came to mind, Yuuki Eri began her journey.

really!

Yuuki Yukino saw the destination she had been looking for here; it was her home.