Pochi-chan, I used to be a princess.

[The next moment, time stood still, the witch's barrier stopped moving, and the witch also remained motionless.]

[Nakano Azusa asked in shock: "Who is this guy?"]

Akiyama Mio pulls Nakano Azusa out and says, "If you let go of my hand, time will stop for you too. Be careful."

Nakano Azusa followed behind, excitedly asking, "What's going on?! What's going on with that witch?"

Akiyama Mio said calmly, "You saw the last of the thing called Tainanaka Ritsu, didn't you?"

[Nakano Azusa asked: "Do you want to escape?"]

Akiyama Mio said, "If you don't want to, throw away that unnecessary burden and kill the witch now, if you can."

[Nakano Azusa said angrily: "Stop joking!"]

Akiyama Mio said calmly, "You're just holding us back right now. Retreat for now."

A white light appeared in front of them. Mio Akiyama pulled Azusa Nakano and jumped into the white light, arriving in the real world.

Hirasawa Yui walks along the road, searching for Ritsu Tainaka. Akiyama Mio and Nakano Azusa walk in front of her. Ritsu Tainaka, held in Nakano Azusa's arms, appears in Hirasawa Yui's sight.

Hirasawa Yui hurried over and saw Tianzhong Ritsu lying in Nakano Azusa's arms, eyes closed, motionless. She asked nervously, "Ritsu, what's wrong with Ritsu? Hey, where's the Soul Gem? What happened to Ritsu?"

Akiyama Mio said calmly, "After her Soul Gem transformed into a Seed of Sorrow, it gave birth to a witch and disappeared."

Hirasawa Yui's strength was drained away by Akiyama Mio's words. She knelt on the ground and asked in disbelief, "You're kidding, right?"

Akiyama Mio summons the Soul Gem and says, "It's true. That's the final secret of the Soul Gem. When the gem is completely tainted and turns pitch black, we will become seeds of sorrow and be reborn as witches. This is the inevitable fate of those who become magical girls."

Hirasawa Yui asked, unable to accept it: "You're lying, right? Hey!"

Akiyama Mio didn't answer. A train passed by, making a loud rumbling sound.

Hirasawa Yui, who received no answer, knelt on the ground and said in great sorrow, "How could this happen? Why... Xiaolu wanted to protect everyone from the witch and become a righteous partner. That's why she became a magical girl, but..."

Akiyama Mio calmly said, "Because she also carries the curse corresponding to that wish, she will live on cursing others for saving them."

Nakano Azusa put down Taichung Ritsu's body, turned around, grabbed Akiyama Mio by the collar, and angrily said, "Who do you think you are? Is telling us the truth so great? Why can you say it so proudly? This guy is Ritsu's... Ritsu's best friend!"

Hirasawa Yui lay on top of Taichu Ritsu's body, crying sadly.

Akiyama Mio lowered her eyes, looked at Hirasawa Yui, and said indifferently, "Now you finally understand, right? What does the entity of the thing you longed for look like? Since you've brought the body back with you, please treat it with care. If you leave it lying around without paying attention, it will become very troublesome later."

Akiyama Mio pushed Nakano Azusa's arm away, and her cold words made Nakano Azusa furious: "Are you still human?"

Akiyama Mio said calmly, "Of course not. You too."

Hirasawa Yui wiped her tears and said sadly, "Mio is also Ritsu's best friend! Mio, who grew up together, is the one who is most sad, right?"

Nakano Azusa looked at Akiyama Mio with guilt: "Mio-senpai, I'm sorry."

Akiyama Mio shook her head: "It's not your fault. If I had told everyone the truth from the beginning..."

Akiyama Mio was stunned for a moment.

Maybe, it’s useless?

At this moment, Akiyama Mio understood what the self in the picture meant when he said he had witnessed too many deaths to count.

It was like going back in time again and again, witnessing the deaths of friends again and again.

Akiyama Mio's heart was gripped, intense sadness surged into her brain, and she couldn't help but shed tears.

Chapter 125: The Hypocritical Kyubey

[Hirazawa's house, second floor, bedroom.]

Hirasawa Yui hugged her legs and sat on the bed in a depressed mood.

Kyubey's shadow appears at the window: "Can you come in? I need to talk."

Hirasawa Yui said listlessly, "You're still alive."

[Quppy's body moved in from outside and squatted on the bedside table.]

Hirasawa Yui lowered her head and asked, "Is everything Xiao Mio said true?"

Kyubey said calmly, "There are no mistakes that need to be corrected."

Hirasawa Yui raised her head, her eyes blank as she asked, "So you made magical girls so that everyone could become witches..."

Kyubey said, "I hope you don't misunderstand. We harbor no ill will towards humanity. Everything we do is to prolong the life of the universe. Madoka, do you know the term entropy? A simple analogy is that the heat gained from burning trees is not equal to the labor expended in growing them. Energy is lost when it changes form, and the overall energy of the universe is constantly decreasing in one direction. Therefore, we seek energy unconstrained by the laws of thermodynamics. That's how we find the magical power of magical girls."

Hirasawa Yui asked: "What on earth are you..."

Kyubey continued, "Our civilization has developed technology to transform the emotions of intelligent life forms into energy. Unfortunately, we ourselves lack emotions. Therefore, we investigated the various races in this universe and found you humans. Considering the number of humans and their reproductive capacity, the emotional energy generated by a single individual far exceeds the energy required for the birth and growth of that individual. Your souls are sufficient to become a source of energy to overturn entropy. The most efficient way to extract this energy is through the transformation of hope and despair in adolescent girls. As your souls, now Soul Gems, burn into seeds of sorrow, they release enormous amounts of energy. It is our mission as incubators to recover this energy."

Hirasawa Yui asked sadly, "Are we expendable? Do you want us to die for you?"

Kyubey replied, "Do you know how many civilizations are gathering in this universe, and how much energy is consumed in an instant? You humans will one day leave this planet and join our ranks. When that time comes, handing you over to a depleted universe will be very troublesome, right? In the long run, this should be a beneficial trade-off for you."

Hirasawa Yui retorted, "Don't be ridiculous! Tsumugi died and Ritsu-chan became like that just because of some inexplicable reason. That's too much! Too cruel!"

Kyubey said, "We signed this contract with your consent. Is that considered conscientious enough?"

Hirasawa Yui angrily said, "Everyone has just been deceived!"

Kyubey said calmly, "We cannot understand the act of deception itself. When we regret a mistake made due to a difference in understanding, for some reason we become resentful of others."

Hirasawa Yui said: "I can't follow what you're saying. I don't agree with it at all."

Kyubey said, "You humans are the true standard of values. It's hard for us to understand. There are already 69 billion of you, and your numbers are increasing by 4 every 10 seconds. Why would you make such a fuss over the life or death of a single individual?"

Hirasawa Yui said: "If you think that way, then you are indeed our enemy."

Kyubey said, "I wanted to explain myself to you, to make you understand how wonderful things will come from your sacrifice, but it seems my efforts were in vain."

Hirasawa Yui said: "That's natural, right?"

Kyubey said, "Xiaowei, one day, you will become the greatest magical girl, and then the most evil witch. Then we will have unprecedented amounts of energy. If you ever want to die for the universe, just tell me anytime. I'll be waiting."

The amount of information was so overwhelming that the audience was speechless.

Such a simple theme as magical girls actually involves the survival of the universe?

Hikigaya Hachiman couldn't help but utter a curse word: "Bullshit!"

Yuigahama Yui and Yukinoshita Yukino both looked at Hikigaya Hachiman, and Yuigahama Yui asked, "Dunjia, do you think Kyubey is lying?"

Yukinoshita Yukino said: "Kyubi did lie, but when it comes to extending the life of the universe, there should be no deception."

Yuigahama Yui's eyes were confused and she couldn't understand for a moment.

Yukinoshita Yukino explained, "Deliberately omitting important clauses when signing a contract and only explaining them afterward is a form of fraud. If Kyubey truly couldn't understand deception, he wouldn't have omitted it intentionally. He knew exactly how the magical girls would react, so he chose to omit it intentionally. He's fully aware of his deception."

Yuigahama Yui suddenly realized.

Hikigaya Hachiman said with disgust: "Whether it's cheating or not, it's meaningless now. Kyubey's rhetoric is bullshit from beginning to end. He used the exhaustion of the universe in countless billions of years as an excuse to lure the magical girls as fuel, and yet he still has such a righteous attitude. It's simply a piece of shit!"

Yukinoshita Yukino said coldly, "Kyuubi are essentially alien plunderers. No matter how noble and righteous the banner they claim to be, all they actually do is plunder Earth's resources. To put it another way, it's like declaring that a country will one day run out of food, so they take away all the food from a certain city to ensure that people won't starve to death. The result is a long famine, and they watch countless people starve to death."

Hikigaya Hachiman sneered: "Come to think of it, a similar thing actually happened on Earth."

What a great reason! But how many people can it fool?

Except for a small number of middle school boys, who would think that the reasons given by Kyubey are legitimate?

The hypocritical Kewpie, who acted like a savior and did things for Adolf, made the audience feel nauseous.

In the light music club, Yamanaka Sawako placed her palms on the table, and her serious expression finally looked a bit like a teacher.

Yamanaka Sawako said seriously, "Nothing is right, and it means forcing others to sacrifice themselves. Xiaowei, Xiaomiao, Tsumugi, and Azusa, listen carefully. What Kyubey said is complete nonsense! It's no different from a scam!"

Hirasawa Yui complained: "There's no need for Xiao Zuohe to emphasize this kind of thing."

Even she understood that some aliens, because other aliens were consuming the resources of the universe, used humans on Earth as consumables to make up for the consumption of the universe by other aliens. This was outrageous.

Chapter 126 Last Week

In order to find a way to save Taichu Ritsu, Nakano Azusa takes Hirasawa Yui into the witch's barrier.

[Nakano Azusa transforms into a magical girl, holding a spear, and says to Hirasawa Yui, "Listen carefully, do as we've agreed."]

Hirasawa Yui agreed without hesitation: "Yes... Yes!"

The witch transformed from Ritsu Tainaka's soul resembled a deformed monster, raising her hands high to direct the rhythm of the gray musical notes. Hirasawa Yui made up her mind and shouted to the witch, "Ritsu, it's me, Yui, Yui! Can you hear me? Can you recognize my voice?"

[The witch was provoked and grabbed the wheel-shaped weapon.]

Nakano Azusa immediately stood in front of Hirasawa Yui, creating a protective layer to protect Hirasawa Yui: "Don't retreat, keep calling!"

Hirasawa Yui clasped her hands to her chest and called out to Ritsu Tainaka's soul: "Ritsu! Stop! Please remember that Ritsu should also hate things like this! Ritsu is supposed to be a partner of justice, right? Hey! Please, go back to your original Ritsu!"

Nakano Azusa fights the witch alone, swinging his spear back and forth in one hand, deflecting the witch's attacks: "Even if you don't listen to advice, you should stop, Ritsu!"

[Nakano Azusa only defended and did not attack. The witch had no such intentions. Her frantic attack suppressed Nakano Azusa in just a moment, and even injured him.]

Nakano Azusa's body was already staggering, but she was still holding on. "Is this revenge for what happened earlier? We started out fighting each other, and I told you you were too naive. But then, no matter how hard I tried to beat you, you always stood up again, didn't you? You're furious, right? You can't forgive me at all, right? I understand. If this satisfies you, then wake up quickly!"

A large amount of blood flowed out of Nakano Azusa's body. If the magical girl wasn't a corpse controlled by a soul, she would have died from such severe injuries.

Tian Zhongli couldn't help shedding tears: "Azusa-nyan!"

They were enemies at the beginning, but in the end it was Zi Miao who fought the hardest for her.

Tian Zhongli wiped her tears and was deeply moved: "As expected, Azusa is the best!"

Tian Zhongcong handed Tian Zhongcong Ritsu a tissue and said like a little adult, "Is that sister also a good friend of mine? If you have time, please invite her to our house."

[Nakano Azusa falls down with a serious injury, and Hirasawa Yui is caught by the witch. Seeing this, Nakano Azusa desperately stands up, cuts the witch's arm, and destroys the ground, causing all three of them to fall into the ground.]

Akiyama Mio finally appeared, hugged Hirasawa Yui and fell to the ground. Then, Nakano Azusa and the spear also fell to the ground.

Akiyama Mio turned back to look at Nakano Azusa, only to see the spear vanish into magic power: "Azusa?"

Nakano Azusa stood up and said hello to Akiyama Mio. "Hey, I'll leave the child to me. I'll let her be silly with me."

Akiyama Mio raised her hand, but Nakano Azusa placed a barrier between them. "You believe in fighting without obstacles, don't you? That's right. Just defend the one thing you want to protect to the end. Why? I should have done that until now."

Nakano Azusa removed the Soul Gem from her hair, cradling it in both hands. Nakano Azusa knelt on the ground and said to Akiyama Mio behind her, "Let's go. I'll take care of this guy."

Azusa Nakano released a massive amount of magical energy, burning like a flame. A spear broke through the ground and rose in front of him. "Don't worry, Xiaolu. It must be lonely being alone. Okay, let me accompany you on the journey, Xiaolu."

[Nakano Azusa kissed her Soul Gem, and it flew forward, shattering the ruby that symbolized Nakano Azusa's soul.]

[Nakano Azusa picked up the spear, and a huge amount of magic power that shook the witch's barrier burst out from her body.

[Instantly, a dazzling red light enveloped the witch's barrier.]

In the white space, Akiyama Mio lowered her head and sat on a chair. She asked, "Is there really any hope for Nakano Azusa to rescue Xiaoli?"

Kyubey squatted on the ground and said calmly, "How could that be? Of course it's impossible."

Akiyama Mio asked, "Then why didn't you stop her?"

Kyubey said, "If it's a pointless sacrifice, I would certainly stop it. However, her departure this time is very significant. Now you'll be the only magical girl who can face Witch Night. Of course, you stand no chance alone. To protect this city, Xiaowei has no choice but to become a magical girl."

Akiyama Mio raised her head and said firmly, "I won't let you succeed, absolutely!"

Seeing this scene, Tian Zhongli made a grinding sound and looked extremely angry: "Mio, this guy, first Xiaohe and then Xiaowei, he doesn't care about me at all!"

Taino Satoshi grumbled, "Isn't it because you knew you couldn't save your sister, so you didn't want to sacrifice yourself in vain? After all, there's still Yui-senpai and this city that need protecting. Speaking of which, Mio-san has been trying to stop you from becoming a magical girl from the very beginning, right? After you became a magical girl, Mio-san was also trying to prevent you from becoming a witch."

Tian Zhongli glared at his stinky little brother: "Since you are my childhood friend, you should work harder! Even the school girl I just met is working so hard!"

Tian Zhongcong shook his head helplessly. His sister was always so willful and irrational.

In the school office, Akiyama Mio was bent over, panting. Standing in front of her, Ritsu Tainaka asked in surprise, "Hey! Disbanded?"

Yamanaka Sawako sat at her desk and answered Tainanaka Ritsu's question: "To be more precise, we're on the verge of disbanding. All of last year's members have graduated, and if we don't have four new members joining within this month, we'll disband."

[Taizhong Ritsu said dejectedly, "So there's no one in the music room."]

At this moment, Hirasawa Yui walked in from the doorway and called out to Yamanaka Sawako, "Teacher!"

Yamanaka Sawako turned around and replied, "Yes, I'll be there right away."

After saying that, Yamanaka Sawako stood up, closed her computer, and said to Tainanaka Ritsu, "Sorry, I have to go to my music class. Go for it, light music club."