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

Yuuki Yukino was unable to transform, and the primordial power that Yumehara Sumireko and Hanzawa Kuriko had acquired was negligible.

According to Mashiro Urouge, the person who possessed the original power did not actually exist in this timeline.

This timeline should have remained frozen in time forever, but because Mashiro Gorgen possessed the red thread left to her by Enishi Yuuki, it was able to extend based on the existence of that insignificant red thread.

Indeed, the only thing on this timeline that still carries the essence of the primordial era is that insignificant red thread.

Since that red thread can support a world, there is no other possibility besides possessing the power left behind by the original person.

Yuuki Yuuki still possesses the original power, but on a completely different timeline.

"Through the red thread left to me by Yuuki En, I was able to piece together what had become of the timeline where the primordial power was located, but I doubt you would want to know what kind of terrible state it was in, right?"

As Genken Mashiro spoke, he casually tossed the red thread he had been carrying in his wallet for a long time toward Yuuki Yuuki.

“Yuki Yui, I have to say, you won, you won completely. When you handed it to me, you told me: This thing should be used at the moment when I think I can successfully achieve my wish. So tell me, how am I supposed to use it in this timeline that doesn’t even exist in the beginning? So, it’s useless, here you go.”

That's the whole story.

The true evil exists in a timeline that the girls cannot access, and the world in that timeline has become so utterly devastated that there is absolutely no possibility of salvation.

Now, this is the real dead end.

Anyway, it's going to end soon, so what's a little extra? (whispering)

Chapter 312 A Crossroads

Several days after their meeting with Mashiro Gyoken, the girls were in a relatively low mood.

Yuuki Yuuki finally got into her dream university, and everyone finally has a bright future. If this kind of life could continue, it would be nice.

However, the timeline they live in cannot be considered a parallel timeline; it is merely a possibility hanging precariously on a tightrope, a possibility that their continued life could be extinguished at any moment.

The discussion about this matter has lasted for a very long time. Some people believe that Yuehai City can no longer withstand any more turmoil, and that pretending to know nothing and continuing to live is the happiest way. However, others believe that a life that is not real cannot bring satisfaction, especially since this hypocritical life could end at any time.

However, even though the two sides hold opposing opinions, it is merely a matter of attitude towards the future. One side is more pessimistic, while the other side believes that we should be content with the status quo.

After all, no matter how hard the girls tried, they couldn't influence events on the other timeline; they could only watch helplessly.

This situation ended one day when Yuuki Yuki suddenly realized something.

"I suddenly understand why my other self entrusted Yog-Sothoth's wand to Urouge Mashiro, and why Urouge Mashiro gave that thing to me."

After Yuuki Yuki gathered all the magical girls she could, her first words were something that this girl, no matter how close she was to Yuuki Yuki, had never heard Yuuki Yuki say before.

Under the urging gazes of the girls, Yuuki Yukino finally continued speaking.

"Yog-Sothoth's power is the power of time and space. If one possesses this wand, it is possible to stop time or even reverse it."

When Yuuki Yukino said those words, many people already understood what she was thinking.

The first person to speak was Nishio Reki.

"Xiao Yuan, are you planning to use this wand to send yourself back to a certain point in time? And then do what I did before, in order to save that timeline that is beyond saving?"

Immediately afterwards, Inuyama Tomoe also spoke up.

"But, before, whether it was you or Nishio Arata, you were able to travel through time thanks to the wand of the original magical girl, weren't you? Now that wand is gone, and the original power is gone too. My M'Sh's abilities are almost the same as Yog-Sothoth's. I almost lost my life trying to stop those few seconds to create an opportunity for Nishio Arata. Now you want to travel through time using Yog-Sothoth? That's a bit..."

These two questions already represent the thoughts of the vast majority of girls. Everyone probably knows how difficult it would be to travel through time. Moreover, the possibility of being able to do this is extremely slim, especially since they are only in a state that is not even a timeline.

Moreover, even if time travel were successfully achieved, that timeline would inevitably come to a standstill, which would be no different from simply destroying the entire world.

If Yuuki Eri did nothing, she would have survived for much longer. It's like a terminally ill patient choosing between going straight to the operating room to ensure their survival or choosing to prolong their life until the near future. It's an extremely difficult choice.

"And another thing," Tenrai Herika couldn't help but interject at the end, "Even if someone manages to travel back in time, how would they possibly defeat Yuuki Yukinari, who possesses primordial power? And how would they choose such a person?"

This last question is quite pointed: if this is a choice between going into the operating room or not, then the final outcome will depend on the success rate of the surgery.

If the surgery is almost certain to succeed, then probably no one would choose to prolong their life; conversely, no one would choose a choice that is bound to fail.

After the three people had shared their thoughts, the room fell into a deathly silence.

In the silence, Yuuki Yukino's gaze swept over everyone within sight, making the girls, who hadn't actually done anything wrong, feel inexplicably guilty.

Yuuki Yukina's breathing was exceptionally clear in the silence, and then she slowly opened her mouth.

“You’re right. Sending someone back to the past is extremely difficult, and we only have one chance. Even if someone does go back, she might not be able to fight the other me. Although it’s a bit of boasting, the other me might not be weaker than the previous Mashiro.”

Whispers gradually filled the room, and Yuuki Yukino heard every word clearly, but she made no comment.

As the discussion gradually subsided, Yuuki once again scanned the entire room with her gaze.

"But what I need to do is much more than that. Sending someone back to the past? If it were that simple to change everything, that would be too good to be true."

As Yuuki Yuen spoke, she slowly extended her hand, and the red thread of Yuuki Kensuke began to extend in her hand, dancing slowly like a fish.

"What I want is for everyone, everyone who has been with me through both sadness and joy, for this city to be able to go back to the past, back to the beginning before all the disasters even started."

"That's...that's too greedy. You're not just trying to travel through time, you're trying to reverse it." Hong Moli, who had remained silent until now, started stammering as she spoke, marveling at Yuuki Yuuki's insane idea.

Her idea could represent most people to some extent, but strangely, everyone just thought Yuuki Eri's idea was greedy and audacious, but no one thought it was unattainable.

But there are also calm people, such as Mizuno Yu.

"Reversing time would be far more difficult than traveling through time, both in terms of the magic power consumed and the physical burden, right? And... this involves moving the entire world, how exactly are you going to do it?"

“That’s right, we’ve even called you all here, so you definitely can’t have done it on your own, right?” Sheng Shiyin retorted.

Yuuki Yui and Seishin can't be considered enemies, but their relationship is certainly not good enough for them to be able to share a room at will, unless the situation has become so serious that they have no choice but to unite.

Or perhaps Yuuki Yukino's plan requires them to succeed.

Yuuki Yui nodded: "That's right, Seishion is absolutely right. This is something we can't accomplish on our own, but it's not impossible."

"Then what is the method?" Kuroba asked.

"In this case, because we are a possibility that could be shattered at any moment, our future is uncertain. But precisely because we only live within a possibility, our weight is actually much lighter than we think."

Yuuki Yukino's words were simple, but no matter how light the weight was, it was equivalent to carrying the weight of the entire world.

Even though everyone knew about this, no one interrupted Yuuki Yukino, and instead listened to her continue speaking.

"So, if we take the possibility we are in and the red line in my hand as a fuse and burn it, we can go against the current, going against the current with the constantly shattering possibilities, until we reach the starting point where the possibilities began. In this way, we are all just like having a very long dream, but in our hands we hold a brand new future."

These words were somewhat difficult to understand, but after a while, Nishio Reki slowly stood up and asked in a slightly trembling voice.

"Xiaoyuan, I think I understand what you mean, but I also feel like I don't quite grasp it. Maybe what you said was too bizarre and too terrifying, so my brain instinctively refuses to understand it..."

Baqi interrupted Nishio Reki abruptly: "Haven't you been saying all that? It's all meaningless. Let me do it. Yuan, do you mean that as long as the world we live in is destroyed, we can use the power of Yog-Sothoth and the red thread as a beacon to go back to the moment when the divergence began?"

Yuuki Yui remained silent and nodded gently.

However, the meaning behind Yuuki Enishi's seemingly casual gesture is a bit exaggerated.

It's not just a little, it's extremely exaggerated.

Yuuki Yukino so casually planned to destroy a world, and it was the world they lived in.

Once Yuuki Yuki's idea is supported, there will truly only be one chance left: either success or everything will be destroyed.

“Yes.” Seeing that everyone was silent, Yuuki Yui repeated Baqi’s words as if she wanted to break through the last unspoken understanding between them, in her own way: “We will destroy our current possibilities in exchange for one possible chance. If we succeed, we can take back our future, but if we fail, we will have nothing.”

Still no one spoke; this choice was far too heavy.

But Yuuki Yukino added another chip to everyone's shoulders.

"This is not something I can decide alone, nor is it something I can do alone. That's why I need to discuss it with you and ask for your help."

"Let's choose: do we continue our lives, which could be destroyed at any moment—though I don't know what will happen to us after all the possibilities are exhausted, maybe everything will suddenly come to a standstill, or it could be a scene even more tragic than the end of the world; or do we choose to work together to reclaim our future?"

Chapter 313 The Stars Pass Away, Rising Again (A Glimpse of Light Amidst the Embers)

Yuuki Yui merely proposed a possibility, or rather, a feasible idea. Although she must have had a certain inclination since she brought up this possibility, she did not explicitly express her inclination.

"I'm just offering you a completely new possibility, and if we do that, we might be able to save the future."

After leaving those words, Yuuki Yuki left alone, without even taking her closest friends, Inuyama Tomoe and the other two.

The three of them did not catch up with Yuuki Yukino's retreating figure, but simply stayed where they were, lost in thought along with the other girls.

Yuuki Yukino's intention was very clear: the plan would only be implemented if everyone unanimously agreed to it.

Yes, it was unanimously approved; not even one person's objection was acceptable.

Of course, this "everyone" is limited to magical girls. If this news were to spread to ordinary people, one can imagine the uproar it would cause.

Even Yuuki Tamaki and Minato Nana were unaware of this matter; Yuuki Yuki and Hanzawa Kuriko had done an excellent job of keeping it a secret.

This is different from when we fought alongside everyone against Yuuki Enishi. Back then, we could act on sheer passion, but not now. Absolutely not.

Everyone is thinking about their own future, the future of Moonsea City, and whether they truly want a life of fleeting pretense or a return to reality.

This reflection lasted for many days, and then nearly a month passed in the blink of an eye.

During this time, Yuuki Yuuki herself never mentioned that incident again, and time passed quietly.

No new magical girls were born, and the old, corrupted magical girls found it difficult to cause trouble. After witnessing Yuuki Yuki and her companions, they knew that even if they did cause trouble, they wouldn't have the power to turn the tide.

The girls' arguments didn't stop. It wasn't just Yuuki Yuki's friends, but also the nuns of the sanctuary, and those unknown magical girls awakened by Asahimi. Everyone had different ideas, and everyone was stubbornly sticking to their own opinions.

This was perhaps the hardest time to reach a consensus, with arguments, quarrels, and even a series of battles sparked by differing opinions.

While it's rare for corrupted magical girls to cause trouble, that doesn't mean no one does. Some corrupted magical girls have already begun to let things drift when they realize that the world they live in is about to turn into nothingness.

In this false world, it seems that nothing else remains but destruction, which can interpret the thoughts of these girls who have fallen into darkness.

However, each instance of destruction was not very significant. Their lack of power was an established fact. Even if some people possessed the power of divine liberation, they were no match for the nuns of the Holy Temple, not to mention the presence of the Rainbow Society.

No one knows how much time is left; it could be the next second, or it could be a future they will never see before they die.

Everyone may face death, and this world may also come to an end. But just like a child who learns for the first time that everyone is going to die, that fear and confusion is always gradually eroding the hearts of young girls.

But no matter what happened, Yuuki Yuki remained silent, silently waiting for the final outcome.

Finally, this day has arrived.

……

"It's really great to see you all gathered here."

Wearing the uniform of Tsukishima City, Yuuki Yuuki stood on the rooftop, looking at the dozens of magical girls densely packed in front of her.

Yuuki Yukino thought for a long time about which outfit would be more suitable for her, but in the end she chose the school uniform that made her feel at ease.

There were many magical girls standing in front of Yuuki Yuuki, but they were roughly divided into several groups.

The two main groups are: one led by members of the Rainbow Society who once fought alongside Yuuki Eri and a few others, and the other led by Sister Saintine.