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

Sakuragawa Nana turned her head back and watched as her band members and Shirogane Rei discussed something that wasn't very informative but was full of dreams about the future. She nodded in agreement.

"Yes, Tianyin is right. Everyone just needs to keep moving forward in their own way."

As Sakuragawa Nana spoke, she once again cast her gaze toward the distant horizon.

"If every day could be as peaceful as today, that would be wonderful."

As soon as the girl finished speaking, a ripple of magic spread out from the distant horizon, like a pebble thrown into a calm, still lake. Anyone who wasn't a magical girl with a sensory problem could feel this ever-expanding ripple passing over their head.

Sakura Nana's brows furrowed slightly, still unaware of what had happened, but the magic instilled in her an instinctive sense of unease.

She might not have seen it clearly, but some pedestrians in the center of Moonsea City were able to witness the strange sight above their heads.

"Look, what's that overhead? Is it a big screen projection?"

Riko Serizawa, lazily carrying her schoolbag, nudged the disciplinary committee member who was walking home with her with her elbow, then raised her chin towards the sky.

The accompanying disciplinary committee member followed Riko Serizawa's gaze and looked up at the sky. The sky, which was almost completely dark, was illuminated only by a few neon lights. Apart from that, she did not find anything that Riko Serizawa had mentioned.

"What?" the disciplinary committee member asked, looking down.

"There seemed to be something just now, but it disappeared all of a sudden. I must have seen something!" Riko Serizawa scratched her head in confusion, put her arms down from behind her head, and looked around in bewilderment.

She had just clearly seen something open in the darkness of the sky, like a wild beast hiding in the shadows opening its gaping maw.

"Never mind." After searching for a few seconds, Riko Serizawa gave up: "Maybe I'm just seeing things?"

Just then, not only Riko Serizawa, but also the disciplinary committee member next to her, and countless passersby below, saw an extremely dim point of light expanding horizontally, like a pencil drawing on the sky, the faint light stretching continuously above their heads.

What is this?

"I don't know? Fireworks? Or someone flying a kite? Maybe it's a drone?"

People were talking about it, but no one could verify the identity of that ray of light.

Immediately afterwards, the line, whose exact length was too short to be discerned, opened up, as if a small slit had been cut in a piece of paper with a utility knife, and then the paper had been twisted to open the previously tightly sealed tear.

Just like Riko Serizawa felt, it seemed as if some wild beast had opened its mouth full of sharp teeth, and an ominous premonition arose spontaneously.

However, most passersby did not feel that way. There are many strange things in Moonsea City, but not every one of them can be associated with magical girls and danger.

People raised their phones, flashes went off everywhere, and beeps from video recorders filled the crowd. Many wanted to record the bizarre sight they were witnessing.

What began as a thin, almost negligible ray of light gradually evolved into a circle. Inside the circle, something seemed to be rippling, and even though it was very dim, people could still see a faint halo within it.

As time went by, the circle became more and more perfect, like another dim full moon appearing in the sky.

An untimely voice rang out amidst the noisy crowd:

"Do you think this might not be a performance or projection, but rather a magical girl?"

Although most passersby couldn't hear the sound clearly, there was a brief moment of silence near the source of the sound.

Having just experienced that incident a little over a month ago, the residents of Moonsea City are already somewhat afraid of magical girls. If this is the start of another upheaval, it would be quite...

"It's moving! It's moving!"

Another shout rang out, almost to the point of breaking his voice, but this time even more people heard it.

The distorted circle became even brighter, as if the brightness of a desk lamp had been increased several levels, making it slightly dazzling to those who looked directly at it.

Something seems off. Weren't there two circles just now? Shouldn't there be only one lonely circle?

But the number of halos in the sky...

Another halo appeared out of thin air, no longer slowly evolving into another line of light, but existing there as if its position had never changed.

The aperture was multiplying, appearing out of thin air in a way that no one could explain, layer upon layer, instantly covering the entire sky.

……

In Moonsea City, at the Sacred Longevity Academy.

"Owner!"

Standing next to Seishin, Kuroba Rise's shoulders trembled slightly, her face filled with disbelief, and her voice trembled involuntarily.

"Hmm." Sheng Shiyin nodded with difficulty, feeling that her throat had become as dry as a desert, and she desperately needed a mouthful of water to soothe her throat and suppress her hoarseness.

Saint Shion has experienced this magic that feels both familiar and strange.

It's inside my own body, on that day I don't want to remember.

"That woman, she's back."

……

In an unremarkable little noodle shop, a young girl in overalls was holding a bowl of ramen, slurping the noodles and broth together into her mouth with her chopsticks.

But the bowl of noodles in front of another girl, about the same age and dressed in workout clothes, sitting opposite the girl, remained untouched. The girl asked, with a slightly anxious but barely restrained tone, "Are you even listening to me?"

"Hmm. I heard you." The girl in overalls put down her bowl, revealing the black magic patterns swirling in her eyes and a red highlight on her forehead: "You're that nun from some church, you fought me before, but we lost. And now, you want me to help you fulfill a promise? A vow? More or less."

“That’s right, Lampa, as the most special corrupted magical girl, I think it’s most suitable for me to seek you out if I want to become stronger.” Kenmochi straightened the front of his tracksuit and said seriously.

"That seems to be the case, but I have to go to work. I don't have time to be your sparring partner. Besides, what will happen after you get stronger?" Laughter Mountain picked up the fruit-flavored beer on the table, gestured to Kenmochi, and then tilted his head back and poured a big gulp into his mouth.

“Once I become stronger, I will be able to handle the crises that Moonsea City may encounter next,” Kenchi replied.

"I didn't expect you to like this city so much. Hiccup. Actually, I like it too, but I only thought about getting stronger because I wanted to deal with the crisis in Moonsea City..." Rongshan Deng closed his eyes tightly, hunched his shoulders, swallowed the cold carbonated drink in his mouth, and let out a comfortable sigh: "If the crisis you're referring to is her, it seems like there's no time for you to get stronger."

"Her?" Kenchi paused for a moment, then his gaze sharpened as he met the slightly drunken eyes of the man with the expected look.

Kenchi's gaze seemed to pierce through the walls of the noodle shop, through the steel jungle of Moonsea City, and settle on the countless small domains—or rather, portals—that emanated distorted magic in the air above Moonsea City.

……

Moonsea City, city center.

"It looks like something came out? I'm not seeing things, am I?! There shouldn't be anything!"

A primary school student jumped up and down, pointing her finger directly at the numerous teleportation portals that weren't large but were densely packed above their heads, talking loudly to the people around her, like a child showing off their treasure.

Before the elementary school student could finish speaking, someone silently pinched his arm, instantly extinguishing his excited expression. He turned his head back, looking aggrieved at the person who had just teased him.

This was no joke; she saw her mother's face, filled with shock and fear, clearly telling her not to meddle.

But her mother's face was not turned towards her.

She was looking at the portal in mid-air, watching claws and limbs of various colors and shapes squeeze out of it.

The child was terrified; she had never seen anything like it before.

The monsters, whose shapes defy description, appeared like a dark cloud, and then night fell upon the city's sky, like an impending downpour, like a living catastrophe, about to indiscriminately descend upon everyone who looked up at the sky.

They don't let out terrifying roars, nor do they display any signs of power; they don't even exhibit any conventional facial expressions or emotions.

They are there, they will arrive in such an ordinary way, cause such ordinary destruction, and so ordinaryly sever the future of Moonsea City.

The little child didn't understand any of this; she only felt powerless, her legs buckled, and she fell downwards, but her mother caught her steadily.

But she knew that in the very center of the countless open portals, the girl who slowly descended from the first portal, as beautiful and captivating as the stamen of a flower, the girl who firmly captured everyone's attention, was the very calamity itself.

In the entire Moonsea City, probably no one is unaware of this girl's name.

She was born as brilliant as cherry blossoms in spring, she brought decay as gentle as the autumn breeze, she ignited the flames of war as blazing as the summer sun, and she covered the tomb with the last handful of frozen earth as frost and snow in winter.

From an unknown little magical girl to a wicked magical girl feared by all, until today, that touch of pink, like the whisper of a demon, has blossomed in Moonsea City in its final splendor.

Chapter 277 Running Wild Amidst Rampant Fear

"Ha...haa...haa..."

Despite breathing heavily, Nishio Reki continued running. Not being good at sports, she ran with all her might towards the place she knew best.

Amidst the chaos of the city, screams drifted past Nishio Reki's ears, yet they did not deter her for a moment. Flames exploded above her head, but they could not stop her advance.

No matter what the crisis or the obstacles, they don't matter. I have to get to that place. Even if I have no strength left, I still have to do what I can.

Running, running, the building was now almost in sight.

That's Yuuki Yukino's house. Whenever Nishio Koki comes here, nine times out of ten he's looking for Yuuki Yukino.

But this time was different; this time, Nishio Reki's target was the girl next door to Yuuki Yuki.

Although Nishio Reki no longer possesses the powers of a magical girl, and the wand she holds is broken, even if Nishio Reki really wanted to travel back in time like her past self, she couldn't do it.

But the scene before her was very familiar to Nishio Reki; she had witnessed it firsthand in her memories. Although there were some differences, they were essentially the same.

Yuuki Yukino has returned, with her power and her body, now corrupted by that power, becoming a calamity that spreads despair throughout Tsukimi City.

She descended from the portals that filled the sky, accompanied by various monsters that Nisio Reki had seen before or had never seen before. Together, they spread naked malice to every corner of Moonsea City from the skies above Moonsea City.

When Nishio Reki learned that Yuuki Yuuki had returned to Tsukimi City, she had a gut feeling.

Yes, she knew. She knew exactly why Yuuki Yui had returned.

Lin Jiezi, or rather, the primordial power that Lin Jiezi possesses but cannot truly use, Yuki En will definitely do this in order to make her power closer to perfection, and will definitely go to that place.

It's such a coincidence that Yuuki Yukino returned to Tsukimi City from Hoshimi City at the same time all the magical girls left Tsukimi City. It's just too much of a coincidence.

Unless all of this was part of Yuuki Yuki's plan, she only returned to Yuehai City by seizing this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity.

In this way, the magical girls who knew the truth would be unable to return here, let alone stop Yuuki Yuuki.

Therefore... it must be Lin Jiezi!

Since I said I would stay in Yuehai City, I must do what I can!

Nishio Reki immediately dialed Hayashi Keiko's number and, carrying his belongings, began running frantically towards Yuuki Yukino's house.

She considered taking the bus, but buses were no longer allowed in the chaotic city, and taxis were out of the question. Not to mention whether taxis were even operating at all, the chaos alone made Nishio Reki realize that such an idea was a pipe dream.

So she could only run, running wildly through the streets and alleys of Moonsea City, past the rampaging monsters, past the turbulent crowds, and past the sight that Yuuki Eri might notice.

Finally, she saw it. Lin Jiezi was hiding in the grass, using a bed sheet to cover her body, wriggling like a colorful caterpillar.

Yuuki Yukino might be able to sense Hayashi Keiko's magic, but that's not a reason for Nishio Reki not to move with Hayashi Keiko—if Hayashi Keiko were alone, Yuuki Yukino would have found her very quickly.

Monsters brought by Yuuki Yuki are everywhere, but Yuuki Yuki herself is nowhere to be found. This is an opportunity for Nishio Reki, and her only opportunity. She must seize this opportunity and take Hayashi Mustard away.

"Lin, are you alright?"

Nishio Reki grabbed the bed sheet that Hayashi Keiko was draped over herself. Looking at Hayashi Keiko's face, which was covered in tears from fright, he couldn't help but feel a little amused and exasperated.

Fortunately, Nishio Reki obediently found a place to hide, which allowed him to meet with him.

"I, I, I..." Lin Jiezi sniffed hard, shaking her head like a rattle drum, unable to utter a complete sentence for a long time.