Unlimited Ambition

“That’s true, but so what?” Sayaka retorted.

“Back then, Cupid had told me before that even for the sake of others, it might not end well. It might even be worse than it is now. But I didn’t listen to him at all.”

"..." Sayaka lowered her gaze slightly, and indeed recalled that I had said something similar to her before.

“But it doesn’t matter now—I’ve made up my mind. Since the power of magical girls brings disaster when used for others, I’ll just forget all that and live only for myself from now on.” Kyoko said these very dangerous words with great cheerfulness. Sayaka, however, seemed slightly disapproving.

"If you're only doing this for yourself, then why bother with me?" Sayaka retorted. "And besides, these apples of yours, weren't they stolen?"

"..." Kyoko was slightly surprised. It was supposed to be a life-or-death battle, so who would care about such a small thing?

However, she still gave an answer: "No, it's not for you or anything like that." After chuckling a few times, Kyoko said, "Actually, these things, and reminding you of things, are just incidental."

"Oh? So, what is it that you really want to say?" Sayaka asked, a little puzzled and curious.

“Chuby—or rather, Wright, as you call him, this is the only thing I have left. I won’t allow anyone to take him away from me, not the blond one, and not you either.”

At this point, Kyoko's emotions suddenly became uncontrollable. She, who usually cherished food so much, suddenly crushed the apple in her hand into tiny pieces.

Sayaka was slightly taken aback: "You...yours? And that blonde one...is that the girl named Asami? Wasn't she killed by the witch?"

Kyoko paused for a moment, then realized that in her excitement, she had blurted out things she shouldn't have. But since she had already spoken, and unlike me, she didn't possess the ability to alter other people's memories, she could only regret it.

"Don't ask so many questions about things you shouldn't know," Xingzi Leng said.

“As expected, someone like you…” Sayaka snorted coldly, then turned around: “Don’t worry, I’ll take care of myself. Besides, I’m not like you.”

At that moment, Sayaka, who was completely unfamiliar with Mami, didn't feel anything too deeply; at most, she just reaffirmed her belief that "the girl named Kyoko is a bad person." However, I, who was eavesdropping nearby, was slightly taken aback.

"It was... Kyoko who killed Mami? How could that be? Back then, it was Charlotte who did it..." This kind of development was something I, who had experienced countless reincarnations, had never encountered before. It was through the principle of inheriting through thought. Madoka's power was growing stronger, and she was increasingly resistant to forming a contract with me. Sayaka's sorrow was growing stronger, and her resistance to setbacks in love was decreasing. And then there's Homura Akemi, although she, like me, couldn't be entirely considered a person from this timeline. However, she wasn't me; she possessed power beyond the constraints of different planes. So, she was definitely affected in some way as well.

Or to put it another way, they're becoming increasingly easy to fool, or to put it more bluntly, they're becoming increasingly foolish.

As for Kyoko and Mami, they were simpler. As my attachment to them deepened, their feelings for me also grew stronger.

The effects of love are mutual.

I gave a wry smile, then took out the soul gem of Mami that I always wore from my neck and kissed it gently.

Even though you know it's wrong, your body makes that choice involuntarily...

Chapter Twenty-Seven: Anyway, it wasn't the first time.

Sayaka was confused, extremely confused. If what Kyoko said was true, then she and Wright should indeed be together. Because her relationship with Wright had gone beyond ordinary love or dependence. Sayaka felt that her previous so-called first love was utterly childish and laughable.

However, also because of what Kyoko said, Sayaka felt she shouldn't be with Light. It was too dangerous. If Light wasn't careful, Kyoko might kill him and then take him out to sea on the nice boat. Or maybe she'd chop him up and make dumplings for him.

So... what should she do? Should she tell Light what happened? Or would Light even believe her? Or would Light, in turn, believe Kyoko? After all, she and Kyoko had known each other for much longer, and had been through a lot together. Their relationship was also much closer than Sayaka's. Seeing how close Kyoko and Light had been before, Light hadn't denied it. It seemed they had reached, approached, or even surpassed the level of a typical couple.

Sayaka felt very confused. The little bit of affection she had for Wright—no, it should be said, a lot of affection—was now something she didn't know how to express.

The Soul Gem thus became slightly tainted.

"This won't do, Sayaka... Are you still upset about that man?"

So, during the time when the supervisor calmed down, Sayaka's training remained distracted. This made me a little worried: "Tomorrow we'll be officially on patrol; is she really okay in this state?"

"It's fine. I'm just a little unaccustomed to not being able to eat Wright's cooking, so I didn't sleep well for the past few days. I just need to rest for another night, and I'll be fine," Sayaka said, pretending to be nonchalant.

"Is that so... Should I call Kyoko over so the two of you can work together and look out for each other?" I asked.

"No need!" Sayaka blurted out, then immediately realized she'd gotten a little too excited. She laughed to cover it up, then said, "It's my first time fighting, after all. Let me show off a little; I can handle it all by myself."

"Don't push yourself too hard." I still looked a little worried, and then said, "Then, concentrate on training."

"Yes! Please guide me, Wright-sensei." After saying this, Sayaka finally focused her attention and began to practice seriously. Of course, as mentioned before, some physical contact was inevitable during the practice. This made Sayaka feel both shy and slightly happy.

And just like that, the afternoon passed quickly. Eating, sleeping. Sayaka seemed to be getting used to this kind of life.

Right now, I'm lying in bed, tossing and turning, unable to sleep. Now that I've trained Sayaka, what should I do next? I've already agreed to go to America with Kyoko. But in a few days, Witch's Night will be here… Will Sayaka and Homura Akemi really be able to stop it?

Not likely.

Although recent television reports have frequently covered the unexplained terrorist attacks on US military bases in Japan, resulting in the loss of a large amount of weaponry, unless it's a nuclear-level weapon, it's unlikely to be of any use. After all, it's a witch conjured up by that madman. Modern weapons can't handle her.

However, I don't really have the right to tell Homura Akemi about this. Tch.

The next day, Sayaka got up very early, but I was still lying in bed, unable to get up because I hadn't had enough sleep.

"Wright, you lazybones, wake up!" After washing up, Sayaka, perhaps feeling hungry but not seeing me bring out food as usual, walked to my door, a little puzzled. She knocked, but there was no response. Then she pushed the door slightly, only to find that I hadn't locked it at all.

"Seriously, this guy is so careless," Sayaka said, a wicked smile creeping across her face.

"Then let's play a little trick on him."

With that thought in mind, Sayaka opened my room door and tiptoed inside. Then she saw me asleep.

I was slightly mesmerized. Sayaka, in a daze, had already walked to my side, then squatted down, staring at my sleeping face in a daze.

"Honestly... She seems like an adult during the day, but when she's asleep, she's like a child." Sayaka sighed, then reached out as if to touch her, but ultimately didn't... Then, her body involuntarily leaned forward, forward... and then she closed her eyes.

"Hey, don't do weird things while others are sleeping." After that, I felt I had had enough fun, so I suddenly opened my eyes and said this to Sayaka with a slight dissatisfaction.

"Whoa!!!" Then, startled, Sayaka lost her balance, fell backward, and landed hard on her bottom.

"Ouch, ouch, ouch..." Sayaka said while clutching her buttocks.

"But speaking of which, Sayaka, were you trying to ambush me just now?" I said, rolling out of bed and half-jokingly.

"How could that be? Don't get so cocky just because you're a little bit handsome," Sayaka protested, her face flushed.

"Oh... really?" Since I'm quite familiar with Sayaka now, I figured I could try some of the more outrageous things. Like this...

I copied what Sayaka had just done, brushed my bangs aside, closed my eyes, and pouted slightly as I leaned in little by little.

"Oh no, oh no, oh no..." Sayaka closed her eyes, a mix of surprise, curiosity, and anticipation swirling in her mind. Then she thought again: We already kissed when I signed the contract, so it wasn't exactly my first kiss, right? With that thought, Sayaka felt perfectly at ease. However, this made me a little embarrassed.

Let's forget about it. While eating Sayaka wouldn't be a big deal at this point, it would hinder the next step of the strategy.

For example, round face, round face, and so on.

Chapter Twenty-Eight: Hunting Demons

The war began at that moment. Sayaka felt a little relieved after killing several creatures that looked like legendary demons.

"Well, these monsters don't seem like much of a threat. They're pretty weak." Sayaka said this after watching the few low-level cowardly demons being cut down and then vanishing into thin air.

"Don't be careless. These guys are just the lowest-level demons, the smallest of the small fry among monsters. The powerful ones haven't appeared yet," I said to Sayaka from the side.

"But then again, Wright, why don't you have any fighting ability at all, yet you're not afraid at all?" Sayaka said, casually swinging her sword as she walked forward. She clearly didn't take my words to heart.

That's true... This guy is a little too optimistic.

As I thought this, I observed the barrier.

"A total of twenty-five Blood Demons, sixteen Terrorclaw Monsters, one hundred Fear Demons, one hundred Claw Demons, eight Hellhounds, and one Bloodthirsty Berserker... a standard little demon army... I used to love this kind of army configuration. Letting a little idiot like Sayaka practice on them is really a waste of their potential." I sighed, shaking my head, and said, "Because, the curse is two-way. That is to say, I can't attack any other living beings. At the same time, other living beings can't harm me in any way, let alone kill me. Besides, monsters are pragmatic in a sense. So they don't really want to bother with someone like me who's completely powerless."

"I see." Sayaka nodded. Then she saw several three-headed wolfhounds, each larger than a typical Siberian tiger, suddenly jump out in front of her. She finally became a little more serious.

"Hellhounds...the accomplices and pets of those devils." I seized the opportunity to fulfill my duty as narrator, introducing the newly introduced actors to Sayaka.

Of course, judging from Sayaka's expression, she didn't seem to take what I said to heart. She just charged forward, swords in hand, yelling "Aaaaaah!!!!" She looked every bit the berserker.

"I told her these past few days when I was teaching her that she had to use her brain in battle," I muttered to myself, covering my eyes with a slight sigh. At the same time, I thought to myself that I needed to teach Sayaka a lesson, at least to let her know her place. She wasn't some insignificant magical girl who could run rampant.

After that, Sayaka easily killed several groups of Fearful Demons and several Terrorclaw Monsters. Judging from the smiling face on her face, she probably really considered this kind of battle an easy and enjoyable thing.

Really...

"Really, it's nothing, Wright. You're really overthinking things." Sayaka turned around and said this to me with a grin as she continued walking.

Is that really so? I chuckled softly, then lightly tapped my finger behind my back—the entire barrier instantly underwent a dramatic change. The hellish magic reached saturation in a flash, and all the demons that had been dormant awoke in an instant…

And just like that, the demons, who were supposed to charge out one by one according to the script, all rushed out at once. The Claw Demons stretched out their claws, which were several sizes larger, and charged wildly. At the same time, the Blood Demons spread their wings and rose into the sky. Instantly, the hellish magic power in the entire barrier rose to a new level. Finally, a bloodthirsty berserker as tall as a five-story building emerged from the huge inverted six-pointed star. The huge, bulldozer-like axe in its hand seemed capable of easily cutting a building, a tree, or even a magical girl in two.

What alarmed Sayaka even more was that the eyes of that bloodthirsty madman were not those of an ordinary demon, but rather gleamed with an extremely high level of intelligence.

In other words, the other party is also a sentient being.

"hateful……"

Although she heard me say behind her, "Be careful! If things get tough, retreat!" Sayaka still insisted on being brave. She gritted her teeth and charged anyway.

So—be careful!

Then, the blood demons flying in the sky reached out and threw out crimson magic bullets. Sayaka also jumped up, dodging left and right while slashing her sword at the largest bloodthirsty demon—but was then shocked by the bloodthirsty demon's terrifying strength. Although her sword was magically formed and therefore unharmed, her body was thrown backward like a kite with a broken string, crashing heavily into the barrier wall.

“I taught you yesterday how to deal with opponents of this size! Think about it, Sayaka!” I shouted to Sayaka.

"I understand!" After this incident, Sayaka felt as if all the bones in her body were broken. But she still gritted her teeth and persevered.

This time, Sayaka changed her strategy, cleverly circling around using various magic and physical techniques while continuously reducing the number of enemy soldiers. This frustrated and frustrated the bloodthirsty demon, leaving him helpless. Finally, the impatient demon revealed a weakness, which Sayaka seized upon and delivered a devastating blow—a gigantic longsword slashing towards the bloodthirsty demon. The demon was completely unable to dodge in that instant. He could only slightly tilt his body, narrowly avoiding a fatal blow. Even so, an arm was severed. Black, foul-smelling blood gushed high into the air.

"Don't let your guard down! The enemy still has the ability to continue fighting!" I continued to remind them.

"Understood!" Sayaka nodded, leaping to dodge the opponent's attack, and then killing several more Claw Demons. Finally, with a wave of her hand, a barrage of magic swords rained down from the sky, killing all the cannon fodder and inflicting some damage on the Bloodthirsty Berserker. And so, little by little, through long-range magical bombardment and dodging, the Bloodthirsty Berserker finally collapsed, unwilling to accept defeat.

“We won! If this were an RPG, you could level up after defeating the boss, right?” Sayaka said, raising her longsword high.

"I'm sorry, this isn't an RPG. If you want to level up, go back and practice hard," I said. "Also, that's it for today's patrol. Go back and do some serious reflection. You've used up quite a bit of magic, so just stay quiet for the next few days."

"Ah."

Chapter Twenty-Nine: The Shadow Witch

Of course, accidents usually happen when you're letting your guard down. It seems like the same thing happened now. Just as Sayaka and I were preparing to leave the barrier and go home, the accident predictably occurred.

—The atmosphere of the entire barrier changed instantly. The barrier, which was originally bizarre and seemed to be created by a non-mainstream anime designer, turned into a strange black and white color, like an old photograph. At the same time, Sayaka was surprised to find that I and myself seemed to have been stained with a layer of black ink. Only the original outlines could be seen, and the rest could not be seen at all.

"What, what's going on? Why did the barrier turn out like this, Light?!" Sayaka asked, a little nervously.

"...A witch, yes, a witch." I said very solemnly, "A witch was attracted by the aura emanating from the previous monsters."

"Then what should we do? Continue fighting her?" Sayaka asked.

“No. We’re retreating,” I replied.

"What?! You're just going to run away without doing anything? But if we leave the witch alone, won't innocent people become victims?" Saya protested loudly.

"Be rational!" I shouted. "You must ensure your own safety before eliminating the enemy—you've used up too much magic power in the previous battle. And witches are stronger than ordinary monsters; risking your life like this is too dangerous."

While Sayaka's intelligence was slightly lower, she wasn't completely deaf to advice. She could naturally sense that the sudden appearance of the witch, who drooped like a tree and remained completely still, exerted far more pressure on her than the previous bloodthirsty madwoman. If a fight were to break out, Sayaka felt that even at her peak, with her magic undiminished, the outcome would be a 50/50 chance against her.