Regarding the fact that my best friend is a magical girl

Therefore, when the magical girls who regained their powers began to operate in teams again, a new world witch hunt began.

Don't let the witches fall one after another; their actions are like beams of hope, dispelling the darkness that weighs on people's heads...

Although the situation has not improved, at least it has not continued to worsen.

“Just now, Tokyo, Japan, disappeared from the map,” Miss Terra reported.

The ever-accumulating black mud crushed the sky, silently pouring out despair, and flooding a megacity like a flood.

amount……

It seems that despair still exists.

"Can we handle this if things continue like this?"

Seruno was worried, but this time it was her agent who was trying to persuade her.

"Idiot, don't underestimate humans."

"Everyone, I have some good news."

Miss Terra has brought some rare good news.

"Perhaps Seruno's speech had an effect, or perhaps the magical girls' struggle inspired people. In any case... the number of magical girls with halos is increasing, and the number of people determined to resist is also increasing."

Hmm, perhaps there's also a little selfish motive involved—wanting to obtain the Star Crystal?

But overall, it brought positive returns.

Magical girls are heroes.

The significance of heroes is not necessarily to save the world with their own strength; they are more like symbols, banners, and beacons, awakening the rebellious will buried in everyone's heart.

"Mumbai, India, has largely disappeared from the map."

Darkness continues to erode this world.

“These megacities are densely populated and not so easy to evacuate. We have to find a way to stop the black mud from flowing down... The destruction on a regional scale is comparable to that of a nuclear weapon, and the casualties are too severe.”

Hearing this, Miss Terra explained, "At the moment the sky tears open, we will try our best to take the consciousness offline..."

"Can you save everyone?" I asked.

"No, only the vast majority."

The vast majority of people will be saved.

Conversely, it means that "a small number of people will sacrifice themselves."

Even a small fraction of the population in a city of this size is a terrifying number.

Since being consumed by despair turns one into a witch, then every rupture in the night sky means the birth of hundreds of thousands, or even millions, of witches.

"Is there any possibility of reversing the witch transformation?" I asked.

“Not at the moment,” Miss Terra replied.

Even so, Seruno did not choose to have people withdraw from the New World.

No one will blame her.

Surrendering will only make things worse; only by fighting to the end is there any hope.

Before we knew it...

This has become the consensus of the vast majority of people.

Chapter 498 Michelle's Standards

(Cerunno)

If it were me in the past, I might have already taken back everyone's consciousness.

My desire to save everyone hasn't changed; it's just that I've added a layer of reflection.

If I did that, perhaps no one would be sacrificed in the short term...

But the "virtual" will collapse. After Michelle absorbs Miluno, the plug, she will still erode along the "reality" and face the danger of destruction.

Once you back down, there is no turning back; only by fighting to the end can you have a glimmer of hope.

Everyone understands this principle, so no one blames me.

But with so many victims, I cannot feel at peace with myself...

"Cities on the verge of collapse should begin evacuation ahead of schedule."

Given the processing efficiency of Earth's crystals, even a one-second advance warning could save hundreds of thousands of lives. We must monitor the skies of every city in the world and make predictions before they break apart...

This could save many people.

"Mother--"

The little one sitting next to me seemed to sense something as well. The tiny glimmers of light I fed her didn't transform into anything; instead, she started squirming restlessly.

I couldn't touch her, but Aldebaran suddenly hugged her tightly.

"Little one, if you want to save your mom and dad, you must surpass the other you... The light must be transformed, and the extracted darkness must also be absorbed. Grow up quickly to become stronger."

However, Aldebaran's admonition was of no use.

"Mom—mu—"

Michelle, being at the level of an amoeba, simply lacks the intelligence to understand language.

The pronunciation of "Mom" is like a dog's "woof woof," but her bark isn't because she has deep feelings for Miluno; she calls everyone "Mom."

Its appearance hasn't improved at all; it's even worse than a shadow soldier. It's a sticky, unstable humanoid outline, and of course, it doesn't have any facial features.

Azura sometimes loses her physical form, but she is clearly much smarter than this little guy.

Based on past experience, the more darkness these "dark creatures" possess, the more intelligent they become, and the more defined their physical features become, eventually growing from shadows into "dark offspring."

The intelligence that Michelle displayed made me doubt that she even had any crystals in her body...

"Aldebaran, is there very little darkness within her?"

Eating non-stop for so long should have resulted in quite a lot of food consumption.

"That depends on who you compare it to. Compared to Mono and Azura, it's already quite a lot."

Aldebaran's answer confused me even more, but thankfully she didn't hide anything and continued to explain.

"Ultimately, it comes down to the different levels of consciousness. Michelle descended as a god, you know. You should understand what I mean, right?"

Michelle, born from chaos and darkness, was created as the administrator of the new world.

Unlike Milno, who was chosen as an agent by the Heart of Light, and me, who was kidnapped by the Earth Crystal and became part of a unified consciousness, this child was born to become a god.

"At the current rate, how long will it take for him to grow to the point where he can understand what we're saying?"

For such a simple calculation, Miss Terra would give the answer directly.

"By continuously absorbing darkness and converting it into faint light, she will reach the intelligence of a three- or four-year-old in about half a month. If she has memories, she will be able to engage in simple communication. At that time, she should be able to replace Michelle, who is the leader... if her size does not continue to grow."

Two weeks?!

The whole world is filled with despair, so it's impossible for things not to grow, right?

Although it's a bit unfair to say this to everyone still fighting, in two weeks, the New World may have been completely wiped out.

"Could you go even faster? I want to minimize the casualties as much as possible."

As if waiting for me to ask, Aldebaran replied directly, "Yes, I do have a plan."

But her smiling expression was somewhat eerie.

"Those frozen witches, aren't they just ready-made food?"

Eat a person alive?

------

Aldebaran returned to the New World.

"Our world is in imminent danger, and we researchers should also find a way out."

She gathered a group of outstanding scientists to the second laboratory, including Professor Stratos, researchers from Enheria and the Zodiac, and ancient remnants who possessed advanced technology.

It's like bringing together all the people who have mastered cutting-edge technology in this era.

The dark things Michelle is eating now are just snacks at best. Aldebaran plans to use the witch he captured to "cook" a feast for Michelle.

Although I know she wants to do this, I don't know how she intends to do it. For witches, darkness is the oxygen they need to survive. I don't know what she plans to do with these witches...

The skies above the Second Research Institute were relatively calm.

Because it's on Naboo Island, which is sparsely populated and surrounded by the Pacific Ocean, there's no danger of the sky collapsing in that area.

But the situation is different on the nearby island of Hawaii.

Although the total population is not large, the population density is extremely high. Over a million people live on the 1,500 square kilometer island of Oahu. The sky seems to be collapsing as if it is being held up by a sharp needle, and it looks like it could break at any moment.

If something happens in Hawaii, it will inevitably affect Naboo Island, and then that prison will also be affected...

"Hmm, I see. They transformed the captured witches into human jinchūriki who absorb darkness, and then transferred them all to Michelle in the real world as nourishment..."

Stratos understood Aldebaran's plan, and the latter flattered him with a smile, saying, "That's right, Director Stratos, you're an expert in bio-modification! Even I have to learn from you, so you were the first person I thought of!"

"Well, since you've put it that way, then this old man will give it a try!"

Flattery is indeed very effective with professors.

She opened her wrists, extending numerous fine tentacles.

“I’ll help too; leave the equipment preparation to me.”

Miss Jaeger continued to serve as the professor's assistant, and the two were inseparable.

Aldebaran continued, "You haven't obtained the Star Crystal yet, have you? Then use the prison as a testing ground, and have Enheria's agent act as security, so that any accidents can be suppressed in time."

New star crystals kept falling from the sky, creating an atmosphere of generous giveaways, yet the research team didn't receive a single crystal...

Are scientists all too rational?

"Sorry, sorry, we're too late! Is there any work we can do?"