Monster Hunter Gathering

"I happened to discover this witch, so I seduced her into entering the barrier and got rid of her," Nie Chiwu sighed and said, "This Seed of Sorrow was once the soul gem of a certain magical girl."

"..." Homura Akemi was silent for a moment while holding the Seed of Sorrow. "Why are you giving this Seed of Sorrow to me?"

"Leave it to you as a backup."

Nie Chiwu told Homura Akemi bluntly: "A magical girl who becomes a witch is no longer the same person she was before."

"After Kyubey obtained the energy generated by the transition from hope to despair, the soul within the Soul Gem perished."

"So let's make the best use of it." Nie Chiwu waved his hand: "This should be the last thing these witches can achieve."

"I thought you would be obsessed with the fact that they were once magical girls." Homura Akemi put the Seed of Sorrow into the shield space in her left hand without refusing.

"A hunter's hunting is to use everything he can, otherwise how can he face those monsters?" Nie Chiwu grinned: "Hey!"

"By the way, how about those peripherals I gave you? Where did you put them? In the shield space? Or..." As Nie Chiwu said this to Homura Akemi, he noticed the small round bracelet on Homura's wrist. "It seems like you really like these peripherals. I'm glad you like them. I bought them with great difficulty."

"I've also ordered a Madoka figurine from my place. If you want one, I'll give it to you later." Nie Chiwu snapped his fingers and said, "Put it in the room when the time comes! Hoo! Long live the Principle of the Circle!"

"..." Homura Akemi stared at Nie Chiwu for a long moment before speaking, "What you said always gives me a sense of unreality. It makes me feel very clearly that you and we are indeed not from the same world."

"I just hope you feel better." Nie Chiwu grinned at Homura Akemi. "A cheerful atmosphere helps to reduce negative emotions. I feel the same way about you, Madoka, the other characters in the story, and all the magical girls in this world. I hope you can escape the fate of being a magical girl."

"Besides." Nie Chiwu narrowed his eyes and smiled, rubbing his hands towards Homura Akemi: "Don't you like Madoka very much? So... do you want a Madoka action figure?"

"..." Homura Akemi was silent for a while, then she turned her gaze slightly away, looked at the dust in the corner, and nodded: "If it's okay, thank you."

"You're welcome." Nie Chiwu smiled brightly after hearing Homura Akemi's answer. "That's fine. Desire is the side of hope. As long as there are things you want to do, there will always be a glimmer of hope in your heart."

"Let's talk about the important things."

Homura Akemi interrupted Nie Chiwu and said, "I agree to your previous proposal."

"I am willing to cooperate with you, and I am also willing to try to become the Master of the Maze as you said."

"How decisive."

Nie Chiwu nodded. "Then come with me. At the very least... I want you to understand what kind of contract you're about to sign."

"Then first..."

Nie Chiwu raised a finger: "Please start to imagine what pure infinity is like."

----------------

"Are you... sure you want to join us in exterminating the witch?" Tomoe Mami glanced hesitantly at Tachibana Hibiki and Uno Saki. "Even though you're 'magical girls' from another world (doubtful), witches are still very dangerous opponents..."

"It's okay!" Hibiki made a strong gesture. "We brought a lot of recovery medicine! And Sayaka will be coming with us, right? It's better for us to help protect her!"

"It should be fine, right?" Although Unosaki lacked confidence, she still followed the others.

After all, in terms of actual age, she was the oldest among the people present, so there was no reason to retreat...

"I will protect you!" Unosaki clenched her fists.

This time when she went out, she brought her magic wand (physical) with her.

Although she doesn't have any other output except physical output, since Homura Akemi can destroy the witch with thermal weapons, she should be able to get rid of the witch by beating her after she transforms... probably!

However, the few people did not notice that on the distant building, there was a red figure looking at the four people standing together, holding an apple in his hand, biting it and frowning.

Chapter 375 Infinity Itself

"What do you think infinity is?"

Nie Chiwu took Homura Akemi with him and randomly found a family restaurant on the street in Mitakihara City. After finding a seat in the corner and ordering two set meals, he asked Homura Akemi.

Homura Akemi thought for a moment and shook her head without answering Nie Chiwu's question.

Nie Chiwu started explaining to Homura Akemi directly.

"What I'm going to talk about next is the infinite magic power itself that comes from another dimension."

Nie Chiwu tapped his fingers lightly on the table. "Just like air, like water, like the very substance that makes up objects, magic in that world exists similarly."

"Magic is just magic, but infinity is also pure infinity. The people of that world began to utilize magic and study various ways to use it."

"But as time passed, magic coincidentally came into contact with the appetite of life, and then... the devil was born."

Nie Chiwu spread out his hands and began to tell Homura Akemi what had happened since the birth of the devil.

Homura Akemi became increasingly silent as she listened to this.

It was not until Nie Chiwu said that after the devil gave the Lord of the Labyrinth unlimited magic power to help them realize their wishes, it would devour all of the Lord of the Labyrinth's desires, turning the Lord of the Labyrinth into an empty shell without even the desire to live, that Homura Akemi finally spoke.

"Infinite magic power... is it really infinite magic power?"

Homura Akemi looked straight into Nie Chiwu's eyes.

"……Yes."

Nie Chiwu gave Homura Akemi a positive answer: "For the devil, infinity is pure infinity. It will sacrifice almost anything for its appetite. It is for this reason that the identity of the Labyrinth Master is so addictive."

"As long as you know how to use that boundless and infinite magic power, as long as your desire is strong enough, even the rules can be overturned by infinite magic power." Nie Chiwu spread his hands: "Because it is boundless and infinite, it is true and pure infinity."

"So that's it..."

Homura Akemi took a deep breath, lowered her head in thought, then raised her head: "I understand."

"As long as... I pay the price, then before the devil eats up my desires, I can use my unlimited magic power to do whatever I want, right?"

"Then let's sign the contract." Homura's eyes were filled with determination and a resolute determination: "Let me become the master of the maze, even if... all my feelings for Madoka are devoured by the devil, it doesn't matter."

"I'm ready." Homura lowered her head. "If this cycle of reincarnation can only end if Madoka gives up everything, then it would be better for me to..."

"what?"

Nie Chiwu tilted his head: "No need."

"Listen to me, those old, illegal, and irregular Labyrinth Master Contracts have long been severely cracked down on."

Nie Chiwu spread his hands and said, "I haven't finished yet. The demon has been recruited by the hunter."

"While your determination is truly brilliant, we Hunters are an upright and humanitarian organization. How could we possibly allow you to sign a contract that would involve sacrifice?"

Nie Chiwu quickly explained to Homura Akemi's dazed expression how the demon had been found to be vulnerable due to his uncontrollable appetite and was brought into the gathering.

"A demon possessing the power of unrestrained desire is a demon, but once it truly masters its own desires... it becomes a truly omnipotent god." Nie Chiwu glanced at Homura Akemi and said, "Uh... were you planning to sacrifice yourself just now? But now that you've signed a contract with the demon, it won't eat us into empty shells anymore..."

Homura Akemi took a deep breath.

For some reason, Nie Chiwu always felt that the body of Homura Akemi opposite him suddenly flashed, as if time had just stopped.

Homura Akemi smoothed the hair beside her ears, then stared at Nie Chiwu intently: "Why didn't you explain this important matter clearly at the beginning?"

"Because it's very important." Nie Chiwu's eyes widened. "Look at the NPCs in the game. They also talk about many important worldviews. And as the leader of the hunters, I need to let you know how dangerous this monster that transcends nature is. And..."

"so!"

Homura Akemi interrupted Nie Chiwu forcefully: "Even if I become the master of the maze, there won't be any problems."

"Yes, except for the fact that you need to feed the winged lion on a regular basis and use your emotions as snacks, the winged lion will come back to the gathering to eat on its own!" Nie Chiwu rubbed his nose, a look of pride on his face. "Grandma Cat prepares cat food for the winged lion every day. Now the winged lion basically just lies in our gathering, eating and waiting to die. He's so happy."

Homura Akemi took a deep breath to suppress her anger, but she suddenly noticed something.

"The winged lion you're talking about, is it a little golden lion about this size?" Homura Akemi remembered the strange winged lion that suddenly appeared and licked away her negative emotions.

"Yes, yes, you've seen it." Nie Chiwu said happily: "That's easy to say. When do you think we can sign the contract?"

"I now feel like you're one of those door-to-door salesmen who sells strange products at people's doorsteps." Homura Akemi felt that in the last few reincarnations, except for the matter with Madoka, she had never experienced such emotional fluctuations as today.

"You're making me feel like that little lion can't really solve the problem." Homura Akemi took a deep breath and said, "Even though I hate Kyubey, Kyubey really isn't that easy to solve."

"You still don't understand what infinity is." Nie Chiwu sighed, "Let me tell you this."

"I've been a maze master before, and I've experienced the feeling of mastering unlimited magical power."

"The Winged Lion is a god bound by desire. He is called a demon because he cannot control his desires."

"It is pure infinity, and the only thing that limits its infinity is... desire."

"Everything the Labyrinth Master can do does not depend on the Winged Lion, but on the ability of the Labyrinth Master himself."

"That's why I found you, hoping that you can become the master of the maze." Nie Chiwu looked straight at Homura Akemi: "I believe in your potential."

"...I understand." Homura Akemi nodded: "But what else do you want to do? What about the two girls following Mami and Sayaka..."

"Also, how do you plan to deal with the Heavenly Dragon and the Chaos Black Dragon you mentioned?"

"I want you to tell me your plan now." Homura Akemi said, "And you need my ability, what do you want to do with it?"

"I need time." Nie Chiwu took a deep breath, "Time to install those mechanical devices."

"And your time stop can give us... the most ample time to prepare!"

Chapter 376 Preparation

After talking with Homura Akemi, Nie Chiwu prepared to take Homura Akemi to see what he was talking about.

However, it was at this time that Nie Chiwu discovered something very embarrassing.

He just ordered two set meals at this family restaurant.

He originally wanted to treat Homura Akemi, but when it came time to pay the bill, he instinctively took out his cell phone and opened the blue game editor, and Nie Chiwu's hand suddenly froze in mid-air.

Finally, with Homura Akemi looking helpless and speechless, she paid for the meal.

And Homura Akemi began to reflect in her heart... Is Nie Chiwu really a reliable person?

"Uh, I forgot... Next time I must remember to bring different amounts of money for different worlds..." Nie Chiwu scratched his head embarrassedly. "Anyway, you should know where Witch Night will first appear, right?"

Under the leadership of Homura Akemi, Nie Chiwu quickly arrived at the location where Witch Night was said to appear.

That was the bank of a river in Mitakihara City. According to Homura Akemi, Witch Night would definitely occur in this place without exception.

"...It doesn't look like there's anything special here." Nie Chiwu looked around in this direction. There were no people by the river at this point. Nie Chiwu also began to think about what large equipment could be installed here.

"When Witch Night appears, abnormal weather will occur in Mitakihara City. The appearance of Witch Night will cause abnormal weather in reality."

Homura Akemi said, "You should know that too."

"Well, I still know this information."

Nie Chiwu squatted down and tapped the concrete floor with his hand. "According to the weapons you originally planned, and based on what you saw happening in the plot, what do you think of the strength of Witch Night?"

"..." Although Homura Akemi didn't want to admit it, the energy she "borrowed" by stopping time would not cause any substantial harm to Witch Night in the future.

Arrow launchers, grenades, mortars, bombs, surface-to-ship missiles... Homura Akemi has almost gathered all the firepower she can, but still can't get rid of Witch Night.

"Can you guys come up with more effective firepower than in the plot?" Homura Akemi asked.

"Then at least we can show you what... Monster Hunter Materials and Monster Hunter Technology are." Nie Chiwu stood up. "But before that, let's do an experiment."

"Experiment?" Homura frowned, a little confused. "What experiment?"

"Collect some combat data against witches," Nie Chiwu said, standing by the railing by the river. "There's someone who's perfect for testing this."

"?" Homura Akemi's confusion only lasted for a few tens of seconds, because she saw a man in the sky grabbing a pterosaur with a single-handed claw, and falling directly in this direction.

Unlike Nie Chiwu who fell directly before, he landed very normally, wearing an adventurer's armor, a green cloak, and a simple shield attached to his arm.

"Already prepared."

As one of the few reliable members among the hunters, Naofumi Iwaya spoke with a serious face. At the same time as he spoke, the winged lion emerged from his cloak, then stood on his shoulder and greeted Homura Akemi.

"We meet again." The winged lion looked at Homura Akemi with a smile.

"Xiao Yan, here are some ropes." Nie Chiwu had already taken out two ropes without knowing when. He tied one to his belt and threw the other to Iwaya Naofumi: "Next, we are going to borrow your ability."

"?Now?"

Homura Akemi was confused for a moment, but after Naofumi Iwaya threw one end of the rope to her, she took the rope in her hand.

People who are connected to each other can also enter the time stop, but Homura Akemi doesn't know what Naofumi Iwatani and Nie Chiwu want to do here.

"Let's start, Winged Lion." Nie Chiwu took a fighting stance.

The winged lion jumped off Naofumi Iwaya's body and walked on the still flowing river as if it were flat ground.

Under Homura's somewhat horrified gaze, the winged lion spat out something that Homura was very familiar with from its mouth - a seed of sorrow.

"Then I will start to forge a witch." As the winged lion spoke, endless magic power began to gather in front of the winged lion, and with the seed of sorrow as the core, it began to gradually form a materialized body.

The witch's barrier unfolded directly as the magic power formed, and almost instantly enveloped Nie Chiwu, Homura Akemi and others.