The Infinite World of Weapon Girls

Zuo Shi surprisingly has very little screen time; he's probably still in prison studying philosophy and messing around with Billy. Although his wristwatch was confiscated, the news of the mission's failure clearly appears in his already chaotic mind.

Midge was surprisingly left out as well. And what role did she play in the whole series...? We'll probably do a summary and reflection at the end of the next volume. (Orz)

……

[Temporary base - an apartment]

In the morning, Tina finally woke up.

Zhai Nan had been waiting nearby, showing great concern and asking about her well-being, paying special attention to her injuries.

When she realized how messy and unsightly she looked, Tina asked about the clothes he had bought earlier.

Then Zhai Nan quickly took all sorts of cute cosplay outfits and casual wear from the closet and placed them on the bed.

She casually picked out a set, then silently walked into the bathroom.

Although it's a smart robot and can even clean the refrigerator intelligently (one of them broke, but there are many spares, essentially an unlimited refrigerator system!), Tina is in a special mood today, so she plans to take a good bath.

She filled the tub with warm water, removed her combat uniform and skirt, which were stained with blood and dust, and took off her black combat boots. Then she lifted her snow-white, jade-like ankles, and her pearly toes touched the water's surface first. Once she found the temperature to be suitable, she gently immersed her entire round, white jade-like calf into the bathtub.

Once Tina was completely submerged in the water, she removed her headband, letting her snow-white hair cascade over her shoulders and float on the surface. Tina felt a blankness in her mind, as if she had forgotten many things. So, she lowered her head and submerged herself completely, including her head, underwater.

She opened her large eyes in the water, her red pupils like two flawless gems.

Because that way, even if you shed tears, you won't notice.

But... why am I crying?

Why would I, someone who rarely experiences emotions, shed tears?

The Reincarnation watch has excellent water resistance; even when submerged in warm water, it still vibrates gently with a buzzing sound.

[WARNING: Main quest failed. 12 years of lifespan will be deducted. All reincarnators will be sent back to the Reincarnation Capital in 24 hours!]

"..."

Failure... no, was it a success?

so good.

'The real Tina,' I did it...

My mood inexplicably improved.

[You have received a gift from another reincarnator (anonymous). Please check your account.]

"..."

Just as she was about to check what the gift was, a teardrop-shaped blue gemstone refracted colorful waves of light in the water beneath the girl's small collarbone.

[The world of "Miss Kobayashi's Dragon Maid" has ended: You have obtained the orange epic item - Heart of the Sea Dragon *1]

Tina reached out her small hand and gripped the pendant tightly, thinking to herself that this was not just a simple object to her. What would happen to Elma if she left...?

[You have completed the hidden quest "The Sea Dragon Girl Will Only Marry You"]

Rewards: (Permanent) Marine life affinity +5%, (Permanent) Sea Dragon lineage affinity +30%, 500 Reincarnation Points

Tina: "..."

[You have completed the hidden quest "Thor's Longing"]

Reward: (Permanent) Chaos Dragon Clan Friendship +20%, 600 Reincarnation Points

"..."

You have completed the hidden quest "Perfect Ending".

Reward: 1000 Reincarnation Points

"..."

Tina finally changed her opinion a little about this so-called cycle of reincarnation. It turns out that good people aren't necessarily unrewarded.

Although the main quest contradicted the anime's ending from the very beginning, if the 'real Tina' hadn't appeared to guide him, and if he had remained unmoved by Kanna's pleas at that time, Thor would have lost the battle against the Emperor of the End and then met the predetermined fate of the 'God'.

However, although the perfect ending brings rich rewards, the 12-year lifespan, the price for disobeying the Supreme God, is the cruelest warning. This must be the will of the Supreme God...

Opening the information panel and seeing herself now with an 18-year lifespan, Tina suddenly realized something, and a terrible shadow flashed through her mind.

------

Half an hour later, Tina changed into a complete shrine maiden outfit in the bathroom, including putting on cute shrine maiden shoes, before opening the bathroom door and coming out.

Although it's a cosplay outfit, since it's a winter anime convention item, the shrine maiden costume is designed to be very warm and practical. The upper body is a dark witch outfit in the Lolita style, with a bright red rose pinned to the chest. The lower body is a knee-length black skirt, revealing a small section of fair and tender calves. Beautiful silver hair is draped over the shoulders and behind. Although the loli girl's expression is calm, she is still extremely alluring.

Huh...? Dressed like this, it really feels a bit strange.

but

It seems that someone is no longer visible.

Tina froze upon entering the bedroom. Before her were the familiar, tidy bed, the familiar computer, and the familiar PSP. There was also a completely unfamiliar kendama, presumably belonging to someone else, but the person was nowhere to be seen.

She only saw

Even without turning on that special light, she could see.

A pure white soul, about the size of a fist, floated in this empty room.

Pure and unblemished, like a lost nature sprite, it floated silently in mid-air... hovering before Tina's eyes, radiating a faint silvery-white glow.

Zhai...Nan...?

Tina's deepest fears and worries ultimately came true.

Something seemed to suddenly choke her throat, and the girl let out a choked sob, like a small animal whimpering. Her body trembled, and she almost collapsed.

Then she noticed a note floating on the open laptop.

With a bewildered expression and a guilty conscience, she felt she couldn't help but look. Finally, she shuffled to the table, picked up the note, and read—

Hey, there are some things I'm afraid I'll have to say soon, so…

(blank)

……

(blank)

...

After the word "therefore," there is no further text, just blank space. It's unclear whether it's because there wasn't enough time to write, or because the writer couldn't bring themselves to write.

Tina pursed her lips slightly, a bitter smile appearing at the corner of her mouth. The beautifully written note, devoid of any follow-up and resembling a prank, grew increasingly blurry in her vision.

Ming

You didn't say anything...

【Ta44 Goodbye Tina】

Kanna confessed to Thor what she had said to Tina that day.

Adding to the final words of the End Emperor before she left, and the corroboration from Fafnir and Alcoa, it is now virtually certain that the human girl the End Emperor spoke of, whom she would never have the chance to see one last time... was Tina.

For her sake, Thor went to assassinate Tina, the Emperor of the End, and Tina truly succeeded. With that cursed bullet, she turned the tide of the battle, allowing Thor to win this gamble that would determine her and Kobayashi's future.

but……!!

Tina... she's really gone? Thor simply couldn't believe it—

Hey, now that I can finally protect and accompany Kobayashi forever, shouldn't I be happy? Why... can't I be happy at all? Instead, tears are welling up in my eyes.

Because of a moment of anger, he not only wronged Tina but also deeply hurt her. Logically speaking, shouldn't she hate him to death? Why did he still face the overwhelmingly powerful End Emperor for her sake...?

Thanks to Kanna's secret tip-off, Kobayashi also understood the cause and effect of the matter. He was first surprised by Tina's hidden strength, and then he deeply understood Thor's inner confusion and self-blame.

Of course, Kobayashi was also grateful for Tina's actions, and when he heard that the girl might perish at the hands of the End Emperor, the sadness that welled up in his heart was no less than that of Thor.

"Thor..." Kobayashi's voice brought her back to her senses slightly, although her gaze remained blank and confused.

"Do whatever you want." Kobayashi smiled and reached out to tidy her messy hair. "...Because what Tohru wants to do is what I want to do. So, please, Tohru."

The dazed look in his eyes began to clear, revealing joy and gratitude. The bright light in his vertical pupils was as dazzling as the dawn. Thor nodded slightly and tried to smile as well.

Without a sound, Thor leaped into the air. Before Kobayashi and Kanna's eyes, a green light flashed and reappeared. Accompanied by a mournful dragon's roar echoing across the boundless wilderness, a giant dragon soared into the sky. Thor opened the 'door', and then his figure was swallowed up by the dark 'door'.

Thor returned to the Land of Chaos and met the Emperor of the End once again. When she asked him questions, the Emperor of the End told her without hesitation where the 'human girl' had died.

"Under the dragon's breath, nothing remains; you no longer need to search."

Thor seemed not to hear, and tirelessly flapped his wings and took to the air again, flying swiftly towards the place the Emperor of the End had mentioned.

Of course, Thor was just pretending not to hear. The phrase "no trace of her remains" was very likely true, but she simply refused to believe it. No matter what… she refused to believe that the girl who had once smiled so sweetly at her had vanished completely from both worlds.

After flying for an unknown amount of time, Thor finally saw a very conspicuous abyss stretching across the land. He quickly slowed down and landed on the ground with a leap.

The air was still thick with the smell of gunpowder and the lingering scent of magic. Not only in the abyss, but also beside it lay a desolate landscape, with countless charred shell casings, traces of magical explosions still visible, and what was once a wilderness plain now ravaged into hills, ravines, meteorite craters, and other landforms.

The golden vertical pupils were filled with majesty and indescribable nobility. At the dragon's feet, a huge green magic circle, tens of meters in diameter, appeared.

Despite the heavy losses in the previous battle, she was still squeezing out the last bit of magic power within her. The light from the magic circle burst forth in a ring, rapidly sweeping in all directions, probing for any possible signs of life.

From the initial ten kilometers, to twenty kilometers, fifty kilometers... until finally covering a radius of one hundred kilometers, Thor had exhausted his last bit of magic, but apart from desolation and death, he sensed no other trace of life.

Half an hour later, the enormous green magic circle beneath the dragon's limbs dimmed rapidly. Due to the excessive depletion of magic power, Thor's mental strength was almost at its limit.

After a mournful dragon roar, dust filled the sky. The dragon, struggling with its last strength, flapped its wings once more and took flight, plunging headlong into the abyss's fissure.

However, what was considered enormous only by human eyes was too narrow for a true dragon to even contain its body. Thus, when the dragon plunged in, its forequarters became stuck below the abyss, while the other half remained trapped outside.

No matter how hard the dragon tried, how desperately it wanted to fly to the bottom of the abyss to explore, its massive, bloated body remained stuck there. No matter how much Thor struggled and roared, its wings flapping wildly amidst the flying debris, the dragon's body wouldn't descend much further.

Yes, it forgot; the dragon had forgotten how to become human.

It was single-mindedly determined to fly down, to the deepest part of the abyss, to find any trace of that person's existence.

Because his image is constantly on my mind, those moments we shared have become the most painful memories, like the sharpest knife cutting into my flesh, torturing my already wounded and shattered heart.