“W-Wait! Stop…!” Sapphire cried out.
Bang!
But unfortunately, it was all too late.
The Dream Demon Shadow Beast looked at Sapphire with cold eyes, manipulating that Official Personnel to pull the trigger.
A bullet shot out from the pitch-black barrel, flying at terrifying speed straight toward its target’s head.
In less than a second, a living soul would be lost to this deadly weapon.
Sapphire stretched her hand forward, trying to stop this tragedy from unfolding before her eyes, but her hand fell powerlessly.
She failed.
She failed she failed she failed she failed she failed she failed…
She had vowed that after becoming a Magic Girl, A City would never shed another tear, but now, faced with the enemy’s threat, she hesitated once more—allowing an innocent life to be lost right in front of her.
No, this isn’t how it’s supposed to be, this isn’t how it’s supposed to be, this isn’t how it’s supposed to be!
These people have their own Family, they are pillars at home, irreplaceable loved ones to others.
They should die of illness, or of old age, not be slain by a Monster like an Shadow Beast.
They cannot die like this; their deaths must not reach their homes, or else someone else will shed tears, be wounded, and spend a lifetime trying to fill that damned regret…
Of all those in A City wounded by Family tragedy, let her alone be enough!
As for everyone else in A City, they should be able to spend the rest of their lives peacefully with their loved ones!
Don’t die, don’t die, don’t die!
Please…
Don’t, don’t die in front of me because of something so pointless…
Don’t die…
Crystal Tears slid down both sides of Sapphire’s face, falling straight to the ground with a soft drip, drip.
The black-haired girl sobbed silently, her body trembling ever so slightly; everything before her eyes slowly blurred without her even noticing.
She lowered her head in resignation, letting go of her right hand.
The Waterdrop-shaped Blue Gem fell with a soft “clink” onto the ground, losing the luster and radiance it once had.
Unable to stop death from unfolding before her, Sapphire weakly closed her eyes, giving up all her hopes and dreams.
Her usual calm and decisiveness faded away, leaving her heart to be consumed by regret and sorrow.
As negative emotions shrouded Sapphire’s heart, boundless blue-black mist suddenly appeared in the hall, enveloping everyone present.
A Clockface Magic Array emerged behind Sapphire, spinning on its own without any command, slowly turning clockwise along the clockface.
Only this time, the clock’s hands moved extremely slowly, as if hindered by some invisible force, forced to slow down.
“Eh? This is…?”
The Dice floating in midair stared at the scene before its eyes, suddenly realizing something.
It gasped in shock, never expecting to witness such a rare moment firsthand.
—————
Meanwhile, elsewhere, Blazing Flame, who had been pursuing the Nightmare Monster’s trail, suddenly stopped, gazing in shock toward the Satellite City in the south of A City.
Even without investigating, Blazing Flame could sense the density of this time’s Magical Power Source was utterly astonishing—comparable to the previous Ugly Giant Egg.
But why… why did this Magical Power Source feel so familiar to her this time?
Was it just her imagination?
The Monster currently causing havoc in A City should be that annoying Nightmare Monster, right?
“Hey, Pandora.” Blazing Flame asked, “Can you sense the Magical Power Source in the south of A City? There’s something strange about its aura.”
“Of course I can. Who do you think I am—hm?”
Pandora lifted her head proudly, as if this were nothing worth mentioning, but then, she suddenly froze, staring hard in the direction of A City’s southern area.
“What’s wrong? Why do you look so shocked?” Blazing Flame asked in confusion.
“…Blazing Flame! Forget the Dream Demon Shadow Beast, forget any lingering magical aura! Go to the south of A City immediately! Don’t waste a single second! Do you hear me?!”
Pandora shouted angrily at Blazing Flame, her face showing a panic unlike anything Blazing Flame had ever seen.
After all this time with this little fox, it was Blazing Flame’s first time seeing her this terrified.
“Ah…okay, no problem.”
Although Blazing Flame didn’t understand why Pandora was so agitated, even giving her a direct order, she’d been planning to check things out anyway, so she didn’t argue—though she did find Pandora’s attitude a little odd.
After moving her body a bit, Blazing Flame immediately changed course and flew toward the Satellite City in the south of A City.
Pandora, perched on Blazing Flame’s shoulder, looked anxiously at the source of the Magical Power Source, reminding her, “Blazing Flame! Remember to switch to propulsion mode ahead of time—don’t charge in with your basic form or you’ll die.”
“I’ll die? No way. Just that Dream Demon Shadow Beast—how could I possibly…”
“It’s not the Dream Demon Shadow Beast! It’s someone else!”
Pandora cut Blazing Flame off sharply, turning her gaze elsewhere as she explained the reason behind her warning.
“…Blazing Flame, one of the Magic Girls in A City has suffered an Emotion Outburst. Now, only you have the power to stop her.”
“E-Emotion Outburst?” Blazing Flame exclaimed.
“Yeah. Just as even ordinary people have moments of losing control and falling into madness, Magic Girls who transform from humans can also have Emotion Outbursts, though it’s extremely rare.” Pandora nodded slightly as she explained.
“This…” Blazing Flame was stunned.
She had never imagined that beneath the glamorous appearance of a Magic Girl, there could be such unexpected risks.
If that’s the case, why had she never seen any mention of this in the records or documents?
What is actually happening…?
“Even those Magic Girls with far greater moral standards than others, who believe unwaveringly in love and peace, have all witnessed things that disgusted and frustrated them, yet they were powerless to change.”
“All those terrible events and unavoidable accidents only pile up in their hearts, eventually becoming a deadly powder keg.”
“And the instant that powder keg is ignited, the nightmare of an entire city is born.”
Pandora looked at Blazing Flame, who was now flying forward in a daze, explaining the consequences of an Emotion Outburst.
Blazing Flame bit her lip, hearing the deeper meaning in Pandora’s words, and gathered her courage to ask, “…What do you mean?”
Pandora was silent for several seconds, then spoke to Blazing Flame, word by word.
“If this Magic Girl in the midst of an Emotion Outburst continues like this, once she absorbs all the negative emotions in her heart, she’ll irreversibly become the most dangerous enemy Magic Girls have ever faced.”
“In other words, a Natural-born Numbered Beast.”