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

The mass of magic, compressed back to a radius of only a few meters, exploded completely and vanished without a trace in the darkness.

"Did it... did it work?" Sakura Hanako's voice rang out in the darkness, and her heavy breathing revealed her exhaustion.

"It should be, but don't let your guard down." Mizuno Yu, bathed in the dim moonlight beside her, slowly descended on her Moon Bow. Beads of sweat rolled down the girl's face and disappeared into the darkness.

Although no one was injured, the pressure this battle put on the magical girls was unprecedented.

They seemed to be squeezing out the last drop of magic from their bodies, using all their strength to engage in this endurance contest with Hanzawa Kuriko.

Until the very last second before the magic ball exploded, no one knew whether Hanzawa Kuriko's magic would be completely depleted, or whether they would collapse first.

"Ha...ha...really, how can there be such terrifying magic? I really feel like I'm going to die, yes, I'm going to die!"

Yuuki Yukino's breathing was also quite heavy. Several consecutive battles seemed to be completely draining her. If she didn't complain a bit, she felt that she would suffocate before she was completely drained.

"careful!"

"Step back."

The voices of Koumori and Hyakki Senyou rang out simultaneously, accompanied by the clanging of metal.

The clash of the bass-shaped battle axe, the long katana, and the small daggers sparked a burst of light that illuminated the boundless darkness.

Then, darkness once again enveloped the girls' vision.

Yuuki Yukino couldn't help but gasp.

Having gone through several battles in a row, I was really exhausted. I finally had some time to rest, and the tension subsided a lot. In addition, I was a little distracted while talking to Mizuno Yu and the others, so I didn't notice anything.

If it weren't for Hong Moli and Bai Gui Qianyou simultaneously blocking that incredibly dangerous attack, she probably would have been hit squarely.

That's not the most important thing; getting hit seems completely harmless right now.

Yuuki Yukino only knows one magical girl with a wand shaped like a bass axe.

"You seem arrogant, but you only escaped with the help of your companions. As expected of you, Yuuki?"

The girl's provocative voice pierced the darkness and reached Yuuki Yukino's ears.

"Hanzawa...Kuriko..."

Yuuki Yui gritted her teeth and uttered the name of the magical girl she knew from her memories, the one who stood before her, who had once taken everything from her and indirectly led her to where she was today.

"Oh? You still remember me?"

The battle axe cleaved through the darkness, as if tearing open a giant stage curtain, revealing the true face of the magical girl to Yuuki Yukino and the other magical girls.

Hanzawa Kuriko is different now.

She is completely different now from the manic, ferocious woman who fought on instinct.

Hanzawa Kuriko's current tone, whether it was a mix of flippant jealousy or the disgust she conveyed, confirmed one thing for Yuuki Yuuki.

This guy is fully conscious now.

Moreover, the magic that exploded out at the end did not disappear into the air, but was completely absorbed into Hanzawa Kuriko's body.

A corrupted magical girl who possesses such immense magical power and a clear mind, even before being defeated, she was probably no weaker than Kuroba Reisei.

And then there's myself, who has lost all my magic.

It's a complete disaster.

"Surprised? I'm surprised too. It turns out that as long as I master that child's magic, these voices that are driving me crazy will disappear. If I had known this sooner, why didn't I do it sooner?"

Hanzawa Kuriko raised her eyebrows and opened her arms to the magical girls, as if announcing a great discovery to the world.

Sumireko Yumehara can directly manipulate those magical powers, and even though Eri Yuuki doesn't understand the principles behind it, she knows this.

Judging from Hanzawa Kuriko's words, it's obvious without even guessing that Hanzawa Kuriko, who devoured Yumehara Sumireko's soul, can also gain this part of her ability.

That's terrible.

In every sense of the word.

"What surprises me even more is that you're still alive. I thought you were dead. After all, I did a pretty good job, didn't I? I aimed at your house, bang—and then nothing was left."

Hanzawa Kuriko narrowed her eyes, but her gaze was fixed on Yuuki Yukino alone.

"Not only did you not die, but I was able to see you here. And, and you are also a magical girl. You are surrounded by so many companions again."

"So I'm really surprised! And it really has been so many years since we last met. The last time we met, I hugged you, don't you remember?"

Hanzawa Kuriko's voice, which seemed to have reached the peak of madness, suddenly calmed down. Her head drooped limply, then slowly rose again, and her calm gaze, as serene as the calm before a storm, fell once more on Yuuki Yukino.

"You really do look exactly like your sister, Xiao Yuan!"

I was exhausted from researching before, and Xiaoyuan's liberation was also largely based on Lovecraft's original text.

Although I originally planned to release it during the National Day holiday, researching and designing it took a lot of time.

Well, there's nothing else to say?

Anyway, goodnight?

Also, there's a 10,000-word update today, I hope you enjoy reading it?

Chapter 217 Curtain Call

"You really are exactly like your sister, Xiaoyuan."

Xiao Yuan.

Aside from Rei and Baqi, who are relatively close to her, the only people who would call Yuuki Eri that are her elders.

Although they are called elders, they are actually just family members from the past, uncles and aunts from the neighborhood, my older sister, and members of the bands that my sister brought along whom I had met a few times.

Even though memories of how she was born and grew up returned to Yuuki Yukino's mind, they weren't particularly clear.

After all, many years have passed, and it's only natural that memories will fade with time.

But for some reason, Yuuki Yuki remembers one particular day exceptionally clearly.

"Xiao Yuan! Xiao Yuan!"

It sounded like someone was calling my name.

Little Yuuki Yuuki pouted and looked around, but apart from her friends who were playing together in the park, she didn't see anyone else watching her.

Was I hallucinating?

As Yuuki Yuki was thinking, she was about to bury her head again when she heard the voice become even clearer.

"Xiao Yuan! Over here!"

The pink-haired girl carrying a musical instrument case shouted and waved to Yuuki Yukino from afar.

Yuuki Yui continued to look around, and finally saw the familiar figure calling her name at the edge of the small square.

Upon seeing the figure she missed so much, Yuuki Yukino's eyes lit up, and she scrambled to her feet from the ground.

"Xiao Li! Wait for me a minute!"

As Yuuki Yuka spoke, she paced anxiously in place, as if she were ready to rush out at any moment.

After finishing speaking, Yuuki Yukino, ignoring the dust on her clothes, eagerly abandoned her playmate and ran towards the girl.

"elder sister!"

The girl who had been waiting there for a long time seemed not to notice Yuuki's dirty clothes. She hugged Yuuki tightly and gently stroked Yuuki's head with her palm.

"Wow, I never expected that handsome Yuuki Tamaki would actually show such a sweet older sister expression." A girl carrying a guitar case, whom Yuuki Yuuki didn't recognize, deliberately covered her mouth and chuckled.

But Yuuki Yui didn't listen to anyone else. She just kept rubbing her soft little face against Yuuki Tamaki's cheek, her little hands wrapped tightly around Yuuki Tamaki's neck, and her feet jumping around restlessly on the ground.

"Sister, sister! Why haven't you come home for so long! I miss you so much! When are you coming back!"

"Well..." Yuuki Yui rubbed her nose with the hand that was holding her. "Let's talk about it later. My sister still has things to finish."

"Ah... how could this happen..." Yuuki Yukino suddenly became dejected.

"Alright, let's not talk about that. Your older sister brought some delicious food for you when she came to see you." Yuuki Tamaki rolled her eyes, let go of Yuuki Yuuki in her arms, and took a large package from another girl behind her. Yuuki Yuuki noticed it at first glance.

"Yes, yes, your sister always bullies me. You think we drummers are easy to bully? I've been carrying everything the whole way. But if Xiaoyuan lets me hug her later, I'll forgive your sister."

The girl following behind Yuuki Tamaki handed over the large bag in her hand and pinched Yuuki Yuuki's cheek as she did so.

"Oh dear, Aike doesn't need to carry an instrument." The girl, whose hands were also empty, waved her hand and then turned to Xiaoyuan: "Don't listen to her, let your older sister hug you first, okay, okay, Xiaoyuan?"

"Ryou, you didn't take anything either! All you do is bully Aika and Tamaki! Hmm... I want to hug them too."

"Hey, hey, hey! I'm just a delicate little keyboardist, what are you holding? And Nana, what are you hugging? Aren't you afraid Little Chestnut will get jealous?"

"Chestnut wouldn't be jealous of a child!"

At that moment, Yuuki Yuki was completely absorbed in the large bag of snacks that her sister had never seen before, and she didn't pay any attention to what others were saying. She just felt someone touching her head and face.

But Yuuki Yuuki was very happy because her older sister came to visit her, and she brought many older sisters with her. The older sisters all liked her very much, so she was very happy.

However, amidst her joy, she also noticed a girl standing silently at the back of the group, carrying her instrument as well.

She didn't move closer to him, but instead just clutched the instrument case bag tightly, looking at him with a gaze that Yuuki Yuuki couldn't understand.

Yuuki Yui tilted her head in confusion, staring at the girl as well. For a moment, she felt that the girl was more intriguing to her than the large bag of snacks in her hand.

Yuuki Yukino looked at the girl and blinked.

Yuuki Yukino, having reopened her eyes, looked ahead and saw the girl still standing in front of her.

The warmth and the girls' noise around them seemed to have never existed here, in this time and space.

All that could be felt was the chilly autumn wind blowing from who-knows-where, making Yuuki Yuki's haori flutter in the wind.

Only she, Hanzawa Kuriko, remained standing there, gripping the battle axe in her hand just as tightly as she had gripped the strap of the violin case back then.

"You recognized me?"

Yuuki Yukino raised her eyes to the girl opposite her and asked.

"I'm not so stupid as to not recognize the person I want to take revenge on," Hanzawa Kuriko snorted, dismissing Yuuki Yuuki's question with disdain. "But it doesn't matter. It's not too late to make up for what we couldn't do back then."

Yuuki Yuki felt a burning gaze, so intense it seemed to set her ablaze, burning until she was completely consumed.

It's pretty clear what Hanzawa Kuriko is planning.

However, even when faced with such a fierce gaze, Yuuki Yukino simply closed her eyes as before, ignoring it.

Yuuki Yukino's actions were naturally observed by Hanzawa Kuriko, but she did not show any annoyance at being deliberately ignored by Yuuki Yukino.