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

She saw not only the movements of the molten mountain lantern, but also the deeper meaning behind each of its actions.

Lava Lamp's moves are all so simple, but the power contained within them, the destructive force they can achieve, and the speed and precision of each swing are all impeccable.

Whether this is an instinct generated by Lava Lantern herself or whether she can accurately calculate the amount of force she should use for each attack is probably unknown to anyone but herself. But this kind of skillful control over the use of every bit of her strength is probably something that no magical girl can achieve.

In the simplest terms, it's about efficiency and conversion rate. If an ordinary magical girl can reach 60% or 70% after training, and someone like Kurenai or Yuuki Yuuki, who is particularly good at control, can reach 90%, then Lampa might reach 98% or 99%, or even infinitely close to 100%.

This is something that can only be seen by observing Lava Lantern's relentless battle. Many magical girls believe that if they were to become Lava Lantern's opponent, they would be exhausted just thinking about how to deal with her next attack, and would not have the extra energy to think about anything else.

The secret to the power of the Lava Mountain Lamp lies in this seemingly insignificant detail.

Boom boom boom boom.

The molten blades continuously scorched the air within the wall of fire, triggering a series of explosions that, while not large in scale, were incredibly destructive, causing even the girls watching to break out in a cold sweat.

The weaker magical girls were already having difficulty breathing, as if they were about to be crushed by the escaping magic.

However, the pressure on Yuuki Yuki, who was fighting against Lava Lantern, was not as intense. Although she also looked solemn and her black shadows and the sword marks of Lava Lantern were locked in a struggle, it was clear that the pressure from Lava Lantern was not as great as expected.

"Captain, has this woman become even stronger?" Tano Shiba, one of the Sisters of the Sanctuary, turned to ask Kenchi beside her.

“I don’t know.” Jian Chi shook his head: “She has always been very strong. In our previous view, she was the undisputed pinnacle. Those of us who spend our whole lives climbing can’t possibly see how high the summit really is.”

The appearance of the Lava Mountain Lamp brought hope to the girls, as if this woman, who had been invincible from the beginning, could create a miracle once again.

It's not about creating miracles; the mountaintop that no one can see is not necessarily weaker than the Primordial Darkness that they once truly defeated.

Perhaps it's only natural that Lava Lantern would defeat any enemy that stands in her way; this is the blind faith the girls have in her.

The same applies to Rongshan Deng himself.

From childhood to adulthood, Rongshan Deng was just an ordinary person, yet someone almost impossible for anyone to surpass.

Physical fitness, mental ability, academic performance—it seems that in everything that can be compared, Rongshan Deng can easily achieve what others cannot obtain even with their best efforts.

Such people are usually called geniuses.

So when she entered the best university with top grades, and then tore that acceptance letter to shreds, everyone thought she was not only a genius, but also a complete madwoman.

"Because it's so boring." That's what Loriya Den said at the time: "University, work, marriage, and then just end my life like that, it's so boring. Isn't there more worthwhile things to do in this world?"

And so, a working-class warrior was born: someone who would spend his earnings on pachinko, watch wrestling matches while drinking ice-cold beer every day, and change jobs every few days.

However, most people have forgotten over time how excellent Lava Mountain Lamp was, and it still is.

But almost every magical girl who has ever crossed paths with Lava Lantern knows that there is only one secret to Lava Lantern's strength—she knows she is very strong.

"Ha! Again! Again! Harder! Harder! That's it! That's what I want! An opponent that lets me go all out! An opponent who can withstand my full power!"

The flames of destruction set the sky ablaze, and flowing lava was scattered across the land. The defenses created by Azathoth were destroyed time and again, only to be rebuilt time and again.

"Fight back! Keep fighting! Come and fight me! Let me taste the bitterness of defeat!"

The pink-haired girl remained silent, using the power of Azathoth to construct a new and more ferocious defense. However, the chaotic spacetime turbulence could barely stop the unstoppable blade.

"If this continues, it might actually work!" Hong Moli clenched her fist, unexpectedly revealing a hint of excitement.

However, Yuuki Yuki, who had been watching the battle closely, gently shook her head.

It's over.

The flaming sword, now several times its original size, cleaved down, tearing through layers of defense as easily as a utility knife slices through a sheet of paper—shattered space, overlapping wands, coiled tentacles, and strange patches of color…

Layer by layer, it turned to ashes in the flames. The blade had landed just centimeters above the pink-haired girl's head. As the girl dodged, her pink hair, which had been flying everywhere, also turned to ashes in the flames.

But the giant sword stopped just a few centimeters away, and the pink-haired girl's pupils, which had shrunk to their smallest size, reflected the scene of the flames on the giant sword suddenly going out.

Not only the flames on the giant sword, but also the fire wall surrounding it, created by the lava lamps, flickered and vanished like candles scattered by a breeze. The drifting sparks quickly died out in the air, and the clear air dispersed the sulfur and the scent of destruction.

Lava Lantern's body swayed slightly, and blood seeped from her demonic armor.

"How is this possible? Lava Mountain Lantern...lost?"

"I didn't see when the attack happened at all!"

"No, there's no sign of time stopping. How did the other Xiaoyuan manage to do that?"

Yuuki Yui took a shallow breath of the gradually refreshing air, then slowly exhaled, biting her lower lip and sighing.

Lava Lantern staggered a few steps, putting distance between herself and the pink-haired girl on the other side. The giant sword that had been burning fiercely in her hand turned into embers, which were scattered by the fresh wind.

With disbelief, Lava Lantern raised his slightly trembling, blood-stained hand, then slowly raised his head, looking at the pink-haired girl fighting him with an even more incredulous gaze.

The pink-haired girl breathed a sigh of relief, then asked softly.

"Isn't that strange?"

Her voice was extremely tired, devoid of the joy of victory or the mockery of the loser; she simply asked the question in a flat tone.

Rongshan Deng propped herself up with her bloodied legs, her eyes now conveying her question.

The pink-haired girl shook her head: "You are very strong. In terms of the power of the wand alone, even I, who wields Azathoth, would have a hard time defeating you. However, you are too strong, stronger than you imagine yourself to be, so strong that you don't even realize that your body doesn't allow you to use your power like this."

Lava Lantern's every move has approached the maximum conversion rate, which is the limit that magical girls can reach.

But what if she crosses that line?

In machine terms, it's called overload.

In the words of magical girls, it's called surpassing the limit.

Many magical girls have reached that state of pushing their limits in life-threatening situations.

Rie Tsukimi and Masari Koumi, who were driven to the brink of despair by Yuuki Yuki or Mashiro Gyoken and learned God Release; Hanako Sakura, who fought on Halloween Night; Herika Tenrai, who reversed the fall from grace in the confrontation with the berserk Yuuki Yuki—no, the other Yuuki Yuki Yuki who is currently fighting against the Lava Lantern; and Reki Nishio, who just completed becoming a magical girl, releasing his true name, and releasing his God Release in an instant, and finally killed the Primordial Darkness.

But surpassing the limit only lasts for a fleeting moment.

While constantly pushing oneself to the limit under normal conditions can be incredibly destructive, the body simply cannot withstand it.

The pink-haired girl said softly, "Lava Lantern, you didn't lose. You lost the limit of a magical girl."

Lava Mountain Lantern held her neck and moved it from side to side, and she could hear her bones and muscles groaning in pain.

Stop with the nice talk.

Lava Lantern wanted to take a step, but her stiff muscles wouldn't allow her to make such a simple movement.

It was as if, apart from her own vocal cords, her body no longer belonged to her.

"If you can't even break through the limit, then you've lost."

These words seemed to have exhausted the last bit of strength in Rongshan Deng's body, and she felt a sudden dizziness before her eyes.

After a dull thud, Lava Lamp looked up at the sky, so distant and unreachable amidst the intertwining of embers and sparks.

This feeling is something I've never experienced before.

Chapter 318 End

Whether it's success or failure, the fact remains that Lava Lamp couldn't stop its other self.

From now on, Yuuki Yuuki can only rely on her other companions and herself.

Yuuki Yukino slowly began to gather magical power, preparing to defend against the next attack.

If the other person were another version of myself, I would definitely do the same.

However, Yuuki Yuki felt nothing. Her body was now a blank, like a machine with only a battery but no main body, and she could do nothing.

No, I can't transform! I simply can't transform!

Is it because Nyarlathotep, no, because the complete Azathoth was stripped away?

With trembling hands, Yuuki Yukino rolled up a corner of her clothes, exposing the skin of her abdomen to the air.

She felt her hands shaking even more violently, and not only her hands, but even her neck became incredibly stiff.

She has to make a judgment.

As if using all her strength, Yuuki Yukino lowered her head.

Sure enough, she saw nothing but smooth skin.

The places on his body where the black magic markings should have been branded were now empty.

what……

What does it feel like?

Whether it's clearing my name or getting rid of the black magic mark, isn't this what I've always wanted to do?

It wouldn't be an exaggeration to say that it was one's own wish, would it?

Now it's happened, completely and utterly, just like that, so suddenly, so simply.

But why don't I feel happy at all?

Honestly, isn't it a bit too late to realize this wish at this time?

Yuuki Yukino seemed to have exhausted all her remaining strength in that moment, and collapsed to the ground.

But time has not, and will never, stop because of this.

“Next…” the pink-haired girl said lightly, walking around the fallen Lava Lamp and slowly towards the group of girls.

There wasn't a trace of joy in the girl's voice as she spoke; there was nothing at all.

The closer one gets to success, the more cautious Yuki Yuki becomes, to prevent failure.

Therefore, even if something unexpected happens, Yuuki Yuki will still be the one who ultimately wins.

Therefore, this is especially true of the girl who has a mindset almost exactly the same as Yuuki Yuuki.

pat.

The girl's heel left a final thud on the ground, and the surrounding air seemed to freeze, making it incredibly difficult and heavy for the girls to breathe.

"You're the ones."

As soon as the girl finished speaking, it was like the starting gun for a 100-meter race; everyone sprang into action.

At the same moment everyone moved, a pressure as overwhelming as a landslide or tsunami came equally to everyone, easily blowing away their gathered magic as easily as scattering a dandelion.

"How could this happen!" Saint Shion complained, the flame on the scythe flickering violently, as if it might go out at any moment.

Helica didn't care who was speaking and coldly replied, "Is there any need to think about it? She has no need to hide her strength now; controlling all of us who are exhausted is enough."

"If you have the strength to speak, protect Xiaoyuan first! Don't let her take Xiaoyuan's body again!"