“Num—Numbered Monster?!”
Blazing Flame stared wide-eyed in disbelief, unable to accept that a Magic Girl, after losing control, could actually turn into the very enemy they despised most.
What a cruel irony this was.
If that was true, didn’t it mean that among the Shadow Beasts they were destined to eliminate, there was once a Magic Girl?
Just the thought of having to deal a fatal blow to someone who had once been a Magic Girl made Blazing Flame clench her teeth, her body trembling slightly, unable to bear imagining such a wretched scene.
“Don’t worry. The vast majority of Natural-born Numbered Beasts have already been wiped out in time by other Magic Girls. The damage was severe, but at least they didn’t cause even greater destruction after going berserk,” Pandora comforted her.
“…The vast majority? Does that mean there are still some Natural-born Numbered Beasts left?” Blazing Flame frowned, catching onto the crucial words in Pandora’s explanation.
“Yeah, after one Magic Girl turned into a Numbered Monster, she disappeared without a trace. Back when I was wandering, I sensed her presence, but never found where she was,” Pandora replied.
“…Hey, Pandora. Can I ask you something?”
After hearing Pandora’s explanation, Blazing Flame fell silent for several seconds, then slowly spoke, posing her question.
A conjecture had formed in her mind—a theory about Magic Girls and Shadow Beasts.
“Go ahead.”
“Magic Girls and Shadow Beasts, at their core, are the same kind of being, aren’t they?”
“…Yes. The power you all possess is essentially the same. Both grow stronger by absorbing negative emotions, acquiring greater strength that way. The only difference is that Magic Girls have an upper limit to what they can endure, while Shadow Beasts do not.”
“As I thought…”
With Pandora’s explanation, everything became clear in Blazing Flame’s mind; the doubts that had built up before were suddenly resolved in that moment.
But with that, she also felt entirely at ease.
So their powers were the same at their core—there was nothing so terrible about that.
She had become a Magic Girl and accepted this forbidden power for no other reason than to protect the people she wished to protect.
Family, teachers, friends, acquaintances or strangers, even ordinary citizens with no relation to her at all…
She just wanted them to be free from the threat of monsters, to live their days in peace.
Now, her companions—the Magic Girls who protected City A alongside her—were in danger as well, perhaps even on the verge of becoming the monsters she despised most.
She absolutely would not allow such a thing to happen.
As friends who had fought side by side, she could not turn a blind eye to this.
“I’m going in, Pandora.” Blazing Flame looked toward the distant White Warehouse and spoke softly, “Once I come back out, remember to tell me the whereabouts of the Nightmare Monster.”
“…Good luck.”
“Mm, thank you.”
Blazing Flame smiled, pulled out a red card, and gently pressed it against her Greatsword.
A red starlight descended from the sky, merging with the Greatsword.
Blazing, silent flames enveloped her, burning against her body.
Blazing Flame felt the warmth of the fire, exhaled deeply, then reached out to grip the gun-shield before her.
She gazed toward the distant White Warehouse, raising her brow slightly, as if sensing the crisis unfolding within.
A few quick steps later, the red-haired girl stood at the warehouse door, calm and composed, without a trace of fear.
“B—Blazing Flame?!”
Just then, a flustered girl floated out from inside, catching sight of Blazing Flame standing at the door and exclaiming in surprise.
It was Meteor.
“…Yes, it’s me.”
Blazing Flame glanced at Meteor, whose body was covered in wounds, and nodded slightly before stepping forward, entering the White Warehouse.
“Wait! Blazing Flame! Don’t go in!” Meteor hurriedly tried to stop her, “Sapphire’s gone crazy! If you rush in, she’ll attack you!”
“It’s fine, trust me.”
Blazing Flame didn’t look back. She left behind only a light, casual reply, entering the White Warehouse without pause, leaving only a hazy silhouette for Meteor.
Meteor was stunned, completely unprepared for Blazing Flame’s decision.
“…You must win, Blazing Flame.”
Meteor murmured softly, silently praying for her in her heart.
……
The moment she entered the White Warehouse, Blazing Flame’s first sensation was suffocation.
Deep blue-black fog completely shrouded the hall, making visibility almost nonexistent.
Even the oxygen in the air was extremely thin, as if it had been deliberately siphoned away somewhere.
Fortunately, as a Magic Girl, Blazing Flame didn’t need to rely on oxygen to live—she merely felt a little uncomfortable in such an environment.
She continued on, heading toward the main hall, where the blue-black mist grew thicker and visibility dropped even further.
By the time she reached the area near the hall, Blazing Flame couldn’t see anything at all.
The only thing that reassured her was that there were still sounds of normal human breathing in the hall, and the air didn’t carry an overly strong smell of blood.
It seemed Sapphire hadn’t been fully transformed into a Shadow Beast yet.
Just as Blazing Flame had this thought, she suddenly felt as if her body was sinking into a mire, even the act of lifting her leg becoming sluggish.
And right ahead of her, a dazzling sapphire-blue light suddenly flashed.
Without thinking, Blazing Flame instantly ramped up her magical power, dodging to the side.
In the next second, a pillar of sapphire-blue light engulfed where she had just been standing, its destructive force shattering the nearby wall and even the tiles on the ground to rubble.
Blazing Flame narrowed her eyes, a theory about Sapphire’s current abilities forming in her mind.
No wonder Pandora had told her to come in using Boost Form.
With Sapphire’s method of first slowing then attacking, if she had come in using Basic Form, dodging would have been almost impossible.
“Haa… haa… Get out! Or you’ll die here.”
Sapphire, who had launched the attack, roared toward Blazing Flame’s position. There was none of her usual calm or tranquility in her voice—she sounded more like a monster wearing human skin.
Blazing Flame, having identified her location, looked toward her and spoke slowly.
“Give it up, Sapphire. Don’t let hatred and anger cloud your heart.”
“Haa… haa… Shut up! And die!”
With another furious roar, Sapphire unleashed her new ability again.
This time, Blazing Flame felt her entire body freeze in place, even the simple act of bending a finger becoming unbearably slow.
The sapphire-blue light appeared once more, this time without even a hint of warning, crashing straight toward Blazing Flame’s location.
In the blink of an eye, even the dust where Blazing Flame had stood vanished without a trace.
“…I will never die!”
“If you take someone’s life, you can never turn back!”
Blazing Flame roared, flashing to Sapphire’s side and launching her attack at her.
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