Yukieda never believed her status or life was any more precious than others'.
Countless soldiers had fallen one after another, sacrificing themselves to stop the monster before her.
Now, it was simply her turn.
If anything, she’d already been granted a second life—a bonus stretch added to her original days.
She should be content.
Next time, she really needed to write a will before heading out.
A sudden thought struck her: Had those fallen soldiers prepared theirs?
Without a word, Borel urged the Demon forward, launching a swift assault on Yukieda—her only goal: escape.
Above, the crystallization of human intellect still haunted her memory. Last time’s devastation was vivid. If it struck again, it wouldn’t be just “two shots.”
But Yukieda only needed to delay her a moment.
Fighter jets moved unimaginably fast.
To everyone’s surprise, only one plane streaked overhead, ejected something, and vanished.
Leaving behind a bewildered Yukieda and Borel.
“Reinforcements~ are~ here~!”
A lively voice echoed through the night.
A fiery red figure burst through the clouds like a meteor, plummeting earthward.
That voice…?
Slightly familiar—Yukieda recognized it instantly.
BOOM!
Impact cratered the ground.
The girl had a single red ponytail, cradling a red-tasseled spear taller than herself.
Yukieda remembered: Beni Kazama, guardian of Yasaka City.
Beni leaped from the crater, scanning the ruins—shattered buildings, scarred earth, burning vehicles, scattered limbs.
“Hmph. This dire?”
Meanwhile.
Another Magical Girl.
Borel shifted her gaze back to Yukieda, who was sprinting vertically up the Demon’s body against the wind.
A flick of magic power knocked her off. Yet Yukieda bounced back relentlessly, sticky as candy.
She hadn’t fired a single magic bullet since.
Borel knew: Yukieda was saving her last drop of magic power for a final strike.
Against two? Borel wasn’t confident. Her recovery was incomplete.
She’d lost all will to fight. She needed to leave.
Yukieda grew frantic. “Don’t go! You can’t run!”
Drained exhaustion weighed her down.
Magic power wasn’t optional—superhuman mobility, her defensive costume, the weapon conduit—all constantly drained her.
Truthfully, even if she attacked now, she doubted her magic could finish Borel.
“You coward! Worthless! Scaredy-cat!”
Borel shot her a cold glance. Did she think she was fleeing out of fear?
“Ignore her, Yatsugawa. Head east.”
She patted the Demon lightly, expression blank.
The towering Demon crouched to sprint.
Just as Yukieda hesitated—should she unleash her last magic?—a crimson bolt shot past her head and buried itself in the Demon’s leg.
Both legs severed cleanly. The Demon collapsed, shaking the earth.
Yukieda’s eyes widened.
Another Magical Girl? They felt like different breeds.
*Tap.* A soft landing.
“Phew… Exhausted… That move drained me…”
Yukieda turned. Beni panted heavily, tongue out, meeting her gaze.
“We meet again, cute junior. Even messier than last time.”
“Senior! Not the time! Let’s take down Borel!” Yukieda’s voice trembled with urgency.
“Got it. Heard the situation en route. Two enemies—one each?”
“Deal!”
Yukieda gripped her Western spear and lunged.
Beni yanked her back.
“‘Deal’? You’re out of magic! Charging in is suicide!”
Before Yukieda could reply: “Remember how Magical Girls replenish magic fast?”
In an instant, Beni cupped her head and pressed their lips together.
Yukieda froze. Soft lips… a beautiful girl… why?
*Slap!*
Stinging pain. Yukieda covered her cheek, stunned.
Beni glared. “What are you doing?! Hurry! A Magical Girl’s bodily fluids are magic-rich—suck like you suck your boyfriend’s thing!”
Yukieda nodded sharply, pulled Beni close amid her gasp.
Lips met. She swallowed deeply.
No disgust—only warmth flooding her limbs.
Unseen, her torn costume mended like wildfire.
Unnoticed, Beni in her arms nearly rolled her eyes back.
*Pop.*
They parted.
Beni’s ponytail blazed brighter. She stumbled back, shooting Yukieda a terrified look.
White and red figures leaped upward, coiling like dragons toward the fallen Demon.
Mid-leap, Beni grumbled: “You look so innocent… why so skilled?”
“Practiced lots with my lover!”
“You little pervert.”
Beni muttered, feeling cheated. *I’ve never even kissed my partner…*
No time for chatter. They landed on the Demon’s spine, racing toward its head.
Borel, perched on its shoulder, sensed doom.
“Yatsugawa, protect me!”
The giant swung a massive hand to block them.
*Swish!* A crimson arc sliced its palm. Beni burst from the wound; Yukieda leaped from her shoulder, Western spear glowing.
“Ah!”
Borel instinctively raised a shield—then remembered: useless against her.
Too close to dodge.
A shrill scream.
Clutching her vanished right arm, Borel tumbled off.
*Core not in the shoulder.*
Yukieda dove after her, spear in hand.
Wounded, the Demon thrashed wildly—agile beyond its size, desperate to crush the white figure.
Crimson lightning zipped up its arm. Beni drove her spear deep. Blood sprayed.
“Your opponent is me, Demon,” she whispered in its ear.
The giant roared, swatting at the flea on its back.
Hearing the clash, Borel fled, clutching her arm.
Terrified.
*I’ll die. I’ll die. I’ll die.*
She hadn’t lived enough. She’d just found love.
*Don’t want to die.*
That Magical Girl feared nothing—willing to trade wounds.
Yukieda’s golden eyes screamed it.
Once timid as a quail… now? Unfathomable.
She scurried through ruins like a groundhog—daring not ride the wind, too conspicuous.
Physical loss meant little. True terror? Yukieda bypassed her magic defense.
Logically… shouldn’t she have exhausted her magic first?
Why “true damage”?
*Something’s wrong with her magic—*
*Whizz.*
Her thigh went numb.
A sensation forgotten since becoming a Witch.
She collapsed before a filthy puddle. Moonlight revealed the white silhouette behind her.
“You damn thing! Think I fear you?!”
Humiliated, Borel gathered magic to strike back.
*Wait—I can’t defend, but I can kill her first!*
BOOM!
Consciousness vanished.
*What happened?*
Her head was gone.
“Wait!”
Vanished again.
“Please wait!”
Before Borel could gather magic, Yukieda blew her head off.
Body spasmed. Magic dissipated.
“I won’t gather magic! Wait!”
No magic fluctuation. Yukieda hesitated—then fired. Head gone again.
*No. Dramas always have heroes counterattacked here.*
Borel’s headless body convulsed, tearing open. Yukieda found a pure black gem nestled in her abdomen.
*This?*
Small, yet pulsing with raw power.
The Witch’s core. Even held, Yukieda felt its thread to the twitching flesh below.
Hidden *here*? Borel wasn’t tall—every impact must’ve jostled it.
Touching life’s source directly?
How perverted.
As Yukieda clutched it, Borel’s head abruptly regenerated—a sight Yukieda would always find eerie.
Terror filled Borel’s eyes. Zero resistance left.
“Wait! I have something important to say!”
“Mm.” Yukieda nodded solemnly. Brilliant white light erupted as she crushed the gem. Deep within, a string snapped.
“Speak.”
