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

In response, the only thing Nishio Reki could do at the moment was to respond to Asahimi's painful but not as resentful and venomous gaze as he had imagined by stabbing his wand even deeper.

"Goo-"

Asahimi's teeth pierced deep into her lower lip, a drop of blood and the blood flowing from her shoulder dripping down her skin in a similar trajectory. More tentacles were still surging from her tightly clenched fists, but they were immediately eliminated by Herika and Sumireko Yumehara.

The opponent was the wielder of the Three Pillars of the Magic Wand and the original bishop of St. Yuu Academy. Nishio Reki dared not relax in the slightest, and ordinary execution of magical girls was even less safe.

Therefore, Nishio Reki must eliminate the threat completely, just like his two other comrades who fought alongside him. However, the one he needs to deal with is not the surging tentacles, but Asahi himself.

Nishio Reki switched his wand to both hands, mustered all his strength, and inserted the sharp object a little deeper, bringing his face closer to Asahimi's.

Something suddenly lit up in Asahimi's eyes.

That was the radiance of hope.

Having been forced into this desperate situation, how could this guy possibly...

Immediately afterwards, Nishio Reki discovered that what shone in Asahiya's pupils was not only hope, but also the radiance reflected behind him.

Unbeknownst to Nishio Reki, an astonishing scene unfolded.

A line, only as thick as an arm, stretched from the distant sky to the ground, appearing there abruptly like a zipper.

When did it appear, and what is its purpose? These thoughts raced through Nishio Reki's mind.

Such a jumble of thoughts was cleared away by a single sentence from Mashiro Gorgen.

"That direction... is the direction where Mashiro Gorogen fell."

All of Nishio Reki's doubts vanished, not because Yumehara Sumireko had given her a tranquilizer, but because the situation, coupled with Asahi Mi's gaze, only meant one thing.

Things have taken a turn for the worst.

Asahi Miyabi's efforts to intercept him, how he helped Yuuki Eri escape her predicament, how he sent her to the battlefield where Urouge Mashiro was, and how he witnessed them shooting down Urouge Mashiro—all of these efforts lost their original purpose with the appearance of that inexplicable thin line.

No, there's one more thing: at least for now, I still have control over Asahimi.

That last bit of achievement vanished because of Nishio Reki's brief moment of distraction.

Numerous tentacles emerged from every corner beneath Asahimi's clothes, growing wildly around him.

She still has energy to spare.

She feigned helplessness, secretly accumulating power for this moment when all three were distracted.

By the time Nishio Reki realized it, it was already too late.

Asahimi recoiled, and the sharp weapon embedded in her shoulder made an even bigger gash in her body with her movement. The tip of the halberd cut through her skin and muscle, but Asahimi also regained her freedom.

The wildly growing tentacles concealed Asahimi's whereabouts, and by the time Helica's thunderstorm swept them away, their mission was already complete.

Asahimi had already appeared several meters away. Sweat from the pain plastered her messy hair to her skin. The hand protecting the wound on her shoulder was stained dark red. Her knee was trembling, as if supporting her body was already her limit.

Although Asahimi didn't look well, she did escape danger.

Behind Asahimi, the huge thin line actually parted to both sides like a zipper that had been pulled open.

The girls had all witnessed the rifts in space and had entered the dream world through various means.

But the magic flowing from that rift was something they had never seen before.

Cold, warm, damp, dry, terrifying, blissful... it would be extremely naive to use any adjective to describe its prosperity.

In short, it gives a bad impression; it's extremely terrible.

The magic was like suddenly opening a window on an ordinary winter night, letting the cold wind rush into the room, causing the moisture in the air to condense into tiny ice particles, thus creating wisps of pale mist in front of the window.

But not everyone has never experienced such magic.

Watching the falling Genki Mashiro forcefully dig her fingernails into the space, the force of her fall tearing a crack in the air. Even though Genki Mashiro's fingers could not withstand the violent force of direct contact with the spatial rift and would become bloody and mangled, she did not let go. Baqi felt a chill run down her spine.

But the mixed magic flowing from the crack that had been forcibly torn open by Mashiro made Baqi shudder even more.

Compared to what she perceives, Mashiro's madness may really be insignificant.

Even in the fusion state of Musisha, Baqi's voice still had a noticeable vibrato.

"Xiao Yuan... what is this magic...?"

Yuuki Yui wanted to answer Baqi's question. She had thought of the same thing as Baqi, but no matter what she said, it all came out as blank as a piece of paper, unable to express her truest thoughts and the great shock in her heart.

Not only did Baqi experience this magic briefly, but Yuuki Yuuki also immersed herself in it for a long time.

Just a short time ago, right here.

The magic emanating from there was exactly the same as the complex magic that had previously filled the Dream Realm.

No, that's not how you should say it. Comparing it to the magic in the Dreamland is giving the Dreamland too much credit.

Whether it's the amount of magic stored, the complexity of the magic, or the discomfort it brings to Yuuki Eri, the Dreamland is completely incomparable to it.

“There…there is…”

Sumireko Yumehara's eyes seemed lifeless, and her bloodless lips moved slightly. Even Herika Tenrai, standing next to her, could hear the constant chattering of her teeth.

From the very beginning, Sumireko Yumehara seemed off.

"Yumehara Sumireko, calm down, calm down!" Helica grabbed Yumehara Sumireko's shoulder and shook her violently. "Calm down! Listen to me properly. What is that? You know, right? If you know, then tell me!"

Yumehara Sumireko was shaken several times and seemed to regain some of her consciousness.

She glanced out of the corner of her eye at the ever-expanding crack in the air, at the magic constantly overflowing from it, and her pale lips opened and closed a few more times, giving Herika an answer that was both unbelievable and somewhat regrettable in an extremely dry voice.

"That is... the core of all magical girls' power, the beginning and end of all magical girls, something that ordinary magical girls could never reach in their entire lives!"

Chapter 206 Going Against the Current in the Black Rain

At this very moment, in Moonsea City.

The situation in Moonsea City has gradually stabilized. Although arguments about disasters and magical girls still break out from time to time, everyone has a burning desire to vent after just experiencing such an event.

Unless the remarks are too extreme or escalate into physical conflict, the staff responsible for maintaining order will choose to turn a blind eye. In this situation where everyone is exhausted, maintaining the most basic stability is enough.

At the highest point of Moonsea City, on Moonsea Tower, magical girls are sitting atop it, temporarily recovering their magical power and allowing their highly tense minds, which have been strained by a series of battles, to relax a little.

So much happened that night that many girls might need a very long time to sort it out, but not now.

The situation in Yuehai City has stabilized for the time being, but no one knows what the situation is like on the other side of the battlefield, which they cannot access. The only thing they can do now is wait.

We await good news, we await a change in the situation, and we await the moment when we might need them again before we can immediately deploy them.

Sakura Hanako flew down from below, stepping on the petals and leaves to land on the fence. The emerald green leaves beneath her feet transformed into steps, sending her back to the ground.

"I have done my best to treat the seriously injured. At least no one nearby should be in mortal danger. But I can't help with the rest. I'll leave it to the doctors."

Mizuno Yu nodded slightly: "You've worked hard, Sakura."

Aside from Sakura Hanako's healing abilities, most of the other magical girls' abilities are of little use in the current situation, so staying put and conserving magic power is a good option.

"Not at all, it was you who really worked hard, senior. You put in a lot of effort when we were cleaning up those strange things."

"Don't be shy, sit down and rest for a while. By the way, did you find anything else?"

"No, not at all. If the seniors came out, everyone should have been able to sense it."

As Sakura Hanako said this, she glanced at Koumari beside her.

Hong Moli was still immersed in the unusual magic she had just sensed, her mind filled with thoughts of its origin and function, and she remained silent.

While waiting with Mizuno Yu at a high point in Tsukimi City, Hyakki Chiyu listened to the conversation between the two and noticed the gaze cast by Sakura Hanako. Seemingly growing even more impatient, she lowered her voice and complained to Koumori next to her.

"My older sister and the others have been gone for so long, why haven't we heard from them yet?"

Hearing Hyakki Chiyuu speaking to her, Koumori temporarily put aside her thoughts, moved closer to Chiyuu, and used the warmth of her own face to warm Chiyuu's face, which was frozen cold in the night.

"If they come out of the dream world, they will definitely notify us immediately. Let's wait a little longer. They must not have resolved their problems yet."

“I know everything Mari said.” Qianyou shrugged and leaned against Hong Mari, whispering to her, “I’m a little worried about them. Mari knows what kind of person Genki Mashiro is.”

"Since they've already decided to go, then you can rest assured about them. Even if you don't trust your older sister that much, you should at least trust me, right?" Hong Moli patted Bai Gui Qianyou's shoulder from behind and smoothed her long gray hair.

Hyakki Chiyu nodded obediently, then asked in an even softer voice, "Can't Mari still sense their magic?"

“It probably won’t work.” Hong Moli closed her eyes, and Bai Gui Qianyou knew that she was trying once again to sense the magic power floating in the air.

After a moment, Hong Moli slowly opened her eyes and said with even greater certainty, "No, I still can't sense it. The magic in the entire Moonsea City is too tainted now. My first impression is that it's like the dark filth that we've suppressed. In this environment, I can't sense anything."

"So that's how it is. Then what is the source of that filthy magic? Is it all from this black mud?"

"Yeah, I think so, I..."

Hong Moli was about to explain further about Qian You when she stopped talking. The color drained from her face rapidly, and she turned pale as if she had seen something extremely terrifying. Her mouth opened even wider, but she quickly clenched her teeth and closed it tightly.

"Mari? What's wrong with you!" Qianyou, who was standing next to Hong Mari, immediately grabbed Hong Mari's hand and was startled.

Those hands were very cold, which was especially noticeable and unusual in this warm spring season.

Hong Moli swallowed hard, her breathing suddenly becoming heavy, as if she wanted to say something, but she couldn't give Qianyou an answer for a long time.

But it doesn't matter; what Hong Moli has to answer is no longer so important.

The answer to the question is now clearly displayed on Qianyou's face.

At the same moment that Hong Moli showed an unusual expression, the black mud on the ground began to move again.

As if something had given them life, they began to rise and fall like breathing out of nowhere. The black, tar-like liquid churned with each breath, growing louder and louder until it began to boil.

Small clumps of black mud scattered in every corner were screeching, with sharp spikes protruding from their surfaces, like tiny hedgehogs lurking menacingly in the corners.

"Huh—Eek!! They moved! Why are they moving again?!"

The passerby, who had just been arguing about whether magical girls should exist, inadvertently noticed the changes around him. The aggressive passerby suddenly deflated like a punctured balloon, pointed at a clump of black mud that was constantly approaching, and let out a piercing scream.

But Black Mud didn't care what the woman said or did; it just wriggled past the screaming woman.

They are indifferent to everyone on the road, they just go about their business, buzzing like bees, acting like a unique species following their own logic.

The post-disaster order began to crumble again amid the seemingly dangerous but ultimately harmless activities of the black mud, and people who had just slowed down started running again.

The order that had been painstakingly stabilized was once again pushed to the brink of collapse.

In a secluded corner, an elderly woman with a wrinkled face opened her sleepy eyes and looked at the unusual activity around her.

"Ah... ah ah..."

The old woman's eyes widened, and her withered hands began to tremble.

She raised her hands high, her hunched body standing straight, as if she were worshipping something.