Toyokawa Shoko doesn't want to become a witch

Finding the entrance to the barrier was one of the intelligence agents' jobs. They were responsible for locating the barrier, exploring the situation inside, and then summarizing the information and uploading it to the assembly.

There are many witches who are good at hiding themselves, like Money. If Money didn't still have the desire to hunt, probably no one would have discovered that barrier in the alley by now.

Do Yuki and the others really know nothing?

Xiangzi definitely doesn't think so.

Roselia couldn't possibly have done nothing during those two weeks, given that she was so confident in giving herself two weeks.

Finding the entrance is only a matter of time.

They already knew that the existence of the barrier was related to them, and by following their own clues, it was only a matter of time before they found the entrance.

Roselia had been monitoring them from the very moment they entered.

As they entered from the outside, Xiangzi and her companions found themselves in the city center square. Projected goldfish and clouds floated in the sky, surrounded by tall buildings. Under the blue sky and white clouds, the projected goldfish seemed to be swimming in the water.

Time inside the barrier is independent of time outside the barrier; Xiangzi always enters at exactly 8:00 AM.

The time she spends inside the barrier will also pass after she returns to the real world.

There are no loopholes to exploit. The barrier of Nirvana is not some magical little room with independent time; it's more like a roguelike game that restarts every time you enter. Entering the barrier is like turning on your computer and clicking "Start Game" on the main game screen.

The most eye-catching thing is a pure white building, with a single large character hanging directly above the main entrance: 【Cocoon】.

Only by looking up can one barely make out that the white building is shaped like a pair of wrapped wings.

"Welcome to the barrier of Nirvana, or perhaps my barrier." Xiangzi opened his arms to welcome them.

"What do you mean by... your barrier?" Chu Hua asked.

"Literally," Xiangzi said calmly, carrying his hunting rifle. "Nirvana is me, and I am Nirvana."

Chu Hua stood frozen in place, her mouth opening and closing.

“A reasonable guess is that the appearance of the witch’s barrier coincides with the time when the records disappeared, and Xiangzi, you don’t have any memories of the same period. Based on the limited information available, you are the creature most closely related to the barrier.” Kyubey hovered at Xiangzi’s feet, raised his head, and looked at Xiangzi. “But I really can’t find any pheromones related to witches on you, not even those of familiars.”

"So it's just a possibility," Xiangzi shrugged. "I don't even know what I am right now."

She rubbed her shoulder, which was still a little numb after firing the gun.

"Two weeks..."

Xiangzi glanced at the cocoon and sighed.

"Come with me, I'll take you to our destination today."

Walking down the lifeless street with Hatsuka and Kyubey, ghosts with Xs on their heads kept passing by. There were quite a few people on the street, but whether it was Hatsuka, Kyubey, or Kyubey, they would just pass right through them when they touched them.

Chu Hua followed Xiangzi with a solemn expression, and the group went around to the tram stop directly below the city center square.

Xiangzi took out a pill, put it in his mouth, and swallowed it with his saliva.

"What is the purpose of bringing us in?" Cupid asked, "especially me."

"You're the first magical girl to have maintained effective communication after learning our true identities."

“You still have some self-awareness,” Xiangzi glanced at it. “I need strength.”

"What is the purpose of needing power?"

"Find the answer." Xiangzi stated his goal simply and clearly.

"The answer to what?"

"Do I even need to ask?" Xiangzi sighed. "Of course it's about what happened that night. You want to know too, don't you?"

The night in the pine forest was like a fishbone stuck in Xiangzi's throat. Regardless of the outcome, she wanted to know what she had done that night when she didn't have the courage to pull the trigger.

Even if she eventually discovers that she really is a witch, she will not hesitate.

“The missing record is an operational incident, and we do need to understand it.” Qubi jumped onto the roadside railing, keeping his eye level with Xiangzi’s. “I understand. Because of temporary shared interests, you’re planning to seek my help? This is beyond your comprehension in terms of rationality and madness. From your perspective, what you’re doing is tantamount to inviting a wolf into the house.”

Xiangzi led them to the tram station and waited quietly for the next tram to arrive.

“You like to speak from my perspective so much now.” Xiangzi glanced at it.

"Because you are of great research value."

There were many ghosts with X marks on their faces waiting for the train on the platform. Xiangzi led Chuhua to a spot in line.

The ghosts were quite polite and gave them some space.

Chu Hua didn't ask Xiangzi and the others where they were going. She followed silently. She didn't speak, and Xiangzi wasn't the type to start conversations. Apart from squeezing into the empty tram with Ghost, there was no other sound along the way.

After a few stops, the tram emerged from underground and came to a wide-open sea.

The city structure within the barrier is exactly the same as that of the Reed Plains. The bays of the Reed Plains and the city of Nirvana are also present, and the terrain and landforms are almost a one-to-one replica.

Even the entrance is in the same location, except that in the real world, it is a park in the city center with a huge pine forest, while in the barrier it becomes a city center square.

The moment the tram reached the sea, Chu Hua's eyes finally brightened.

Below the cross-sea bridge was the monorail that Xiangzi and her friends were riding, and above it was the road for cars. Chu Hua's purple eyes reflected the shimmering seawater and the sparkling glass of the buildings under the sunlight.

"How beautiful! Skyscrapers that are much taller than the Reed Plain... And that white building, is that the 'Cocoon' building we just saw?"

"Yes, that's the 'Cocoon,' one of the familiars' lairs."

"The lair of familiars?" Chu Hua blinked.

"The barrier of Nirvana is as large as the reed plain. The five familiars have their own fixed activity space, and the building in the very center of their activity space is their lair."

“It looks like you have a lot of information,” Cupid said.

"I've been investigating this place for almost a month."

“Then wouldn’t that mean from…” Chu Hua frowned.

If it really was a month, Xiangzi would have started investigating this place the day after Chu Hua rescued her.

“I’ll come whenever I have free time after that day.”

No wonder Xiangzi often spends the whole day out even though he doesn't have to go to work.

Chu Hua thought to herself.

"The place we're going to is another familiar's lair, called Dolores."

“Sadness?” Chu Hua recognized the word.

Xiangzi glanced at her with slight surprise and nodded:

"sad."

......

The tram stopped across the bay, and Xiangzi got off with Chuhua.

After exiting the station, Chu Hua could see a building with a unique appearance, just like the "cocoon," as soon as she looked up. It was also pure white, but unlike the feather-like texture of the "cocoon," this building had a texture more like ivory, with a matte finish.

The building is shaped like a chess piece magnified dozens of times. The white chess piece is a pawn, and the building's name is the same as its appearance: "Pawn".

“We’ve arrived,” Xiangzi said. “This is Dolores’ territory, and also the weakest point in the defenses of the familiar territory.”

"Defense? Will these familiars even make a move?"

"Of course, besides patrolling, I'll show myself immediately if I'm threatened," Xiangzi said.

"But they will absolutely not take the initiative?"

"Ah."

“…What a strange witch.” Chu Hua looked up at the building. “Generally, a witch’s barrier is a trap she creates to lure her prey in, like a pitcher plant. Once you fall into a witch’s barrier, you’ll face the witch’s prey. But this barrier…”

"It showed no aggression, and didn't even have any external bait. It was extremely closed off, and seemed to be protecting something rather than luring prey in."

Xiangzi picked up where Chuhua left off, and she saw the same thoughts in Chuhua's eyes.

"It seems you've noticed too."

The Tale of Nirvana: Maintaining One's True Self: Chapter 38 - A Hundred Aspects

"What does Xiangzi want me to do?"

"Help me test Dolores. My own strength is too weak to get inside the 'soldier.' If it's you, Chu Hua, it shouldn't be a problem."

Xiangzi led Chuhua to a small shop opposite the main gate of "Bing", took out his phone, and opened a map.

"In the reed plains, this location corresponds to here."

Xiangzi pointed to a place on the map.

"This is the headquarters of a large public relations firm."

“I know that Honeycomb hired this PR firm. What does the architecture in the real world have to do with the barrier?” Chu Hua asked.

Xiangzi shook his head.

“It’s hard to say. Within the barrier of Nirvana, Dolores is in charge of security.” She sat in a street-side café, looking at the buildings across the street. “Are security and public relations similar?”

"Both are hired to protect a person or thing," Chu Hua said. "Public relations protects the target through information, while security protects them directly through physical means."

"Hmm...not a bad idea."

"But if it's security, why is the 'soldier' ​​the weakest point in the defense?" Chu Hua frowned as he looked at the map. "That doesn't make sense."

"Because security will send troops to the territories of other familiars." Xiangzi pointed to the pure white ivory soldiers standing guard at the door. "See? You can see those ivory soldiers in the other four buildings."

“I understand now. Their mission isn’t to protect themselves, but to protect others, which is why their headquarters’ defenses are the weakest.” Chu Hua sighed, resting her chin on her hand. “Is this the way witches think?”

"That's not entirely true. There are a considerable number of ghosts in other places—I can blend in, or they're completely empty. This is the only building I can't enter; it's full of Stormtroopers, and there's no way to slip through."

Xiangzi moved across another picture.

“This is the structural diagram of the PR building. Based on my previous speculation, I guess the interior space might be similar.” Xiangzi pointed to the top of the diagram. “The top floor, this is the boss’s office.”

"Many companies that own detached buildings design it this way."

“Yes, so we’ll assume Dolores is on the top floor and proceed accordingly.”

"Approximately what level of danger do the familiars and their subordinate familiars possess?" Chu Hua pointed to the white soldiers at the door, "those little white guys."

"Doloris is weak. Like other Stormtroopers, it is a 'soldier' ​​and its main role is to act as the brain of the Stormtroopers, directing and coordinating their actions. The strength of each Stormtrooper is roughly equivalent to that of a Hard-level witch's familiar."

"Since you have soldiers, what about horses, elephants, chariots, queens, and even a king?"

"There is no king; I guess the king is Nirvana."

"So you mean the remaining, higher-level units still exist?"

"Not at headquarters."

"..."

Chu Hua was silent for a moment, then nodded and stood up.

"Okay, I see."

The ring engraved with inscriptions on the middle finger of her left hand has turned into a gold ornament, and the soul gem with a purple core shines over Chu Hua's entire body.

When the light faded, Hatsuka, in her magical girl form, appeared before Shoko.

Holding a one-handed sword with a blade about sixty centimeters long in her right hand, and a small round shield with exquisite carvings fixed to her left arm, Chu Hua's temperament suddenly became fierce, combined with her overall black-based clothing.

Xiangzi subconsciously wanted to take out the Soul Gem to transform, but the empty feeling in her left middle finger reminded her that she was no longer a magical girl.

“…I almost forgot.” Xiangzi took the hunting rifle from his back and released the safety. “Break through from the front, I’ll assist you.”

"it is good."

Chu Hua twirled her sword beautifully and charged towards the white soldiers at the door.

As mentioned before, Nirvana's barrier is a dead city. The numerous ghosts with X symbols on their faces are not familiars at all; they are a phenomenon within the barrier.

Many witch barriers exhibit the same phenomenon of mimicking humans; this is a lure used by witches to entice humans into their traps.

Go further up, and you'll find familiars.

There are many different kinds of familiars. Some witches have very few familiars, while others have many. The number of familiars is not necessarily related to the witch's danger level. Some powerful witches still only have a few or even just one familiar, while there are witches who don't even have any familiars.

Generally speaking, familiars can be divided into regular soldiers, elites, and leaders.

The common soldiers are numerous but weak, winning by sheer numbers; the leaders are few but concentrated, winning by quality; the elites are somewhere in between, possessing both quantity and quality, and are the most troublesome familiars.

A powerful witch often possesses all types of familiars. The process of hunting magical girls is like conquering a high-difficulty dungeon in an MMORPG game. You have to face a huge number of mobs at the same time, as well as highly threatening elites mixed in with the mobs. In the process of finding the witch, you will also encounter bosses at different stages until you enter the final room and face the final boss - the witch.