Infinite Journey: Dark Souls

Asami, sleeping in the middle, was fine; her sleeping posture was as dignified as her young lady demeanor, nestled steadily behind Ribbon Flame. Unfortunately, it was the dignified upperclassman who was panting, and the reason for the panting was Kyoko's terrible sleeping posture.

The red-haired girl probably rolled into Mami's arms, one of her legs straddling her senior and draped over the ribbon flame. Kyoko was half asleep, occasionally smacking her lips or fidgeting with her head. Her head rubbed against Mami's chest, one leg swinging back and forth, rubbing against an unpleasant spot. This caused her senior to make uncomfortable noises.

Well, it might actually be very comfortable, who knows?

Silk Flame, who wasn't asleep, glanced at her senior's flushed skin and came to this conclusion.

However, no matter how erotic the scene behind her was, it had nothing to do with her.

She slapped away Xingzi's mischievous leg and curled up, hugging her knees. She pondered her conclusions and considered her future course of action—to figure out what to do before confidently doing it—she understood the correct thinking pattern, but was troubled by another problem.

Needless to say, her top priority was to reclaim her magic.

However, as she began to think about what to do, she discovered that she was completely unable to fight against the giant monster on her own.

She had previously ignored this problem. She didn't even know how she had so confidently assumed she could handle a giant magical beast. Perhaps she was simply driven by the bitterness of defeat, acting impulsively and recklessly. If it weren't for the kidnapping incident, she might already be on her way to find another giant magical beast.

Thinking about the kidnapping, Mami and Ash discussed the information revealed in the incident before going to sleep. Ash apparently connected the anthropomorphic monster with the monster that attacked the stadium, and thought that the one that appeared in the shape of a circle… Heh, she sneered… that the monster that appeared in the shape of a circle was actually also an anthropomorphic monster.

Furthermore, their appearance is all related to their lost magic.

Does this mean that I have more enemies to deal with?

She tightened her grip on her knees.

The same problem remains: without magic, how will she deal with these magical beasts? Make her own bombs? Steal some firearms? And then what? She lost to giant magical beasts even when she still had the longbow, so can these weapons really be effective? Even if they are, how many are needed? What tactics need to be devised?

"Think clearly about what to do, and then do it with confidence." But how easy is it to gain that confidence?

If it weren't for Zhi's superb swordsmanship, how could she have confidently slashed at the ribbon flame?

If strength cannot support self-confidence, does she have to follow that young man's example, accept possible failure, and then face the consequences of failure?

She can't turn back time to change the outcome. But she also can't bear the thought of failure.

Last time, my magic was taken away after my failure; if I fail again this time...

Will she survive?

Fate/stay night 51: The Reunion of Ashes and Mist is not a good game.

Is he able to come back?

Soft whispers flowed through my heart and into my ears.

The ribbon flame, which had been lost in its own thoughts, suddenly emerged from under the covers.

She hadn't misheard; a voice echoed her own question in the silent hall. The voice was low, overflowing with sorrow and worry. Her gaze swept across the room, and in no time, she found the sleepless couple among the neatly arranged bunks. The emergency lights flickered, and the strong mother, usually so resilient, was no longer the woman she was during the day.

The mother nestled in the father's arms. They, who should have had two children, were now worried about their missing son, having lost their daughter. They were unaware even of their daughter's disappearance.

Ribbon Flame bit her lip.

She was well aware of the fact that the circle had disappeared.

It's not just the part about becoming a god, but also the part about being imprisoned.

Yes, regaining magical power is far from her goal. What exactly is going on with what Homura said about "Madoka being imprisoned by Homura Akemi"? She'll have to find out.

Her teeth ground against her lower lip, almost breaking the mucous membrane, and she tasted her own blood. She instinctively walked towards her parents, probably wanting to comfort them. Or perhaps, she simply sought comfort herself. After all, it's quite normal for people who can't sleep at night to huddle together and lick their wounds, isn't it?

The footsteps that had been moving stopped.

Because someone else got closer to the parents than she did.

They are ashes that do not need sleep, guardians who can move quickly even when hidden in the dim emergency lights.

The young leader who had spoken with him approached with another young man. Aside from the snoring, she could clearly hear their comforting whispers. They were nothing more than assurances that "we will definitely find Tatsuya," and the only thing that could soothe her anxieties was a cup of hot soup.

They've probably encountered this scenario many times before: hot soup stored in a thermos.

There were plenty of supplies, and the necessary items were prepared.

The footsteps that had been moving were pulled back.

She pulled up her blanket and wrapped herself up tightly.

The way she hugged herself was even tighter and smaller than before.

So even with such a big movement, Mami, who was right next to her, only groaned twice before falling into a deep sleep.

The night stretches out in the thoughts of the sleepless.

————————————————————————————————————————

My head is foggy; this is clearly a side effect of insomnia.

Ribbon Flame wasn't even sure if she'd fallen asleep last night; she only felt jumbled thoughts swirling in her mind, tossing and turning, when suddenly a cacophony of sounds interrupted her. The sound was both near and far. Rubbing her eyes, she finally discerned that the sound source consisted of two parts. One part came from beside her, or more precisely, from behind her, the sound of someone getting up.

Another part of the brain, far away and malfunctioning, only arrives at conclusions that may come from outside the stadium.

"Ah, Xiaomei, you're awake too? You must have heard the noise outside. I'm going to go check it out, want to come with me?"

Mami's low gasp replaced the nearby noises, and her clear words brought her mind a little clearer.

She opened her eyes and slowly sat up. Deep dark circles were visible under her eyes.

"Didn't you sleep well last night? I'm sorry, my sleeping posture was terrible, did it disturb you?"

Silk Ribbon Flame didn't say anything, but just glanced at Xingzi, who was sleeping in a spread-eagle position in the next bunk, and shook her head.

"...Ahem, let's not talk about this anymore, let's go out and take a look together."

Following her gaze to Kyoko's appearance, Mami, feeling her own aching body, concluded that Ribbon Flame hadn't slept well—a completely wrong conclusion. As the true victim of Kyoko's sleeping posture, she reluctantly changed the subject, first tidying her own clothes and heading towards the hall's exit.

They slept fully clothed last night, so they didn't need to change.

Silk Ribbon Flame smoothed out the hem of her clothes and followed her out.

During their brief conversation, the commotion outside the stadium continued. Aside from those sleeping like logs, some citizens in the lobby had been awakened. They had barely begun their operation when a considerable amount of ashes poured in from various passageways. They tried to calm the citizens while simultaneously preventing them from investigating.

A sliver of morning light shone into the hall through the passageway they entered and exited.

Following closely behind Mami, Ribbon Flame caught a glimpse of Ash secretly casting some kind of spell out of the corner of her eye.

Several figures were positioned in the four corners of the hall, shaking bell-like objects. She could sense a peculiar power spreading outwards, a fluctuation somewhat similar to magic. And shortly after it spread, the entire hall became considerably quieter. She guessed it was some kind of barrier, blocking out the noise from outside.

Such measures can restore a harmonious morning for ordinary people without affecting their activities.

Mami and her companions passed through the ashes and arrived outside the stadium.

As soon as they left the exit gate, it was as if they had stepped from a silent world into a noisy one.

A fight broke out outside. The scene was quite dramatic. Looking at the two large, alien figures, Ribbon Flame had no doubt that if the ones guarding Ash were slow, the magical girl's carefully concealed inner world would be revealed to ordinary people in just a few seconds. Even she was somewhat surprised, because the figure fighting the flesh-and-blood monster made her very uncomfortable.

A record-like shrine maiden hat, and grayish-white braids extending from a wide cloak. The constantly inverted hourglass at her chest foreshadowed her otherworldly identity, and the bizarre art style confirmed her suspicions. In a way, this could be considered one of Homura Akemi's fates. The witch's fighting posture evoked a painful resonance within her.

The greyish-white braids and the fleshy monster's arms were locked in a struggle, and the two massive alien beings seemed to possess even more bizarre attack methods. Yet, they adopted a childish head-butting stance, attempting to overwhelm each other with sheer brute force. This resulted in a grand battle scene possessing a playful atmosphere.

This relieved Mami, who had been worried.

"Kidnapper! Give Xiaoda back to us right now!"

"No way! He'll be my first member of my race in this other world!"

"I won't allow Xiaoda to become as disgusting as you!"

"I'm just an exception; the elegant aristocracy is the true form of a vampire!"

"What vampires! They're just walking corpses, ghouls!"

"Who gives you the right to talk to me like that? You bizarrely dressed witch!"

"I don't care! I won't hand Xiaoda over to you!"

"I don't care! Xiaoda will never give it back to you!"

After letting out a sigh of relief, the senior student and Ribbon Flame were both in a state of bewilderment and amusement.

It seems that these two monsters, who are both bizarre and grotesque, are so childish when they argue.

PS: Yunxi: 744486102 Thanks to reader [Infinite Elf Radius] for the monthly ticket~

The cast of the 52 Destiny Plays is basically all present.

Weaving, with hands outstretched, sighed at the sight of the two giant monsters frolicking like children.

Her Ash army has recently been infiltrated by a bunch of strange characters. There's the round Onion, the excited Greenskin, the cunning Patch, and a small green guy just as cunning. The strange thing is this group of small guys, because the Ash have seen the others to varying degrees in previous missions.

Not to mention the Onion Knight anxiously standing beside Origami. During the conquest of the Cathedral of the Deep, the Survey Corps members had also encountered the Greenskins and Patches. One certain chuunibyou teenager had even fought them, and now he looked at the Greenskins with a mixture of eager anticipation and anticipation.

As for the strange goblins, they're more like Patch's lackeys than Oak's underlings.

This motley crew of mixed races surrounded the two large monsters, wanting to break them up but not knowing where to begin.

To be fair, no matter how inhuman the Ork's previous race was, he still appeared in the World of the Flame as Ash. And the goblins born from his blood (strictly speaking, spores) are also considered Ash. To summarize, including the witch over there, who also belongs to the Ash faction, doesn't the current situation look like a bunch of Ash forcefully surrounding the Mist (sand)?

Hmm, the Queen of the Corpses is so pitiful.

"Ugh! Skinless flesh and blood, surrender now!"

"Eek! Ugly graffiti, withdraw now!"

Well, the sand, which was currently locked in a head-on collision with Xiaoyan, was completely unaware of this.

However, the scene of this enthusiastic onlookers wasn't serious at all. More than trying to break up the fight, Ash, who had been busy all night, treated this spectacle as a rare moment of rest and entertainment. They seemed determined to watch until the very last minute, adding a touch of merriment to the otherwise desolate city.

Asami approached with the ribbon flame, and the senior who had sensed the atmosphere of the scene was no longer as anxious as before to find out what was going on.

On the contrary, Ribbon Flame looked like it was deeply disturbed.

Was it because she saw the bizarre ending of herself after becoming a witch? Or was she once again shocked by the appearance of the sand god of rebirth? Or was she wary of the goblin, such a lewd creature? Or was she worried about Tatsuya, who was caught up in the battle while protecting the sand?

All of the above guesses are incorrect.

She was provoked because Ash had actually completed the mission.

Yes, even though Tatsuya can't be said to be under the protection of the Ashes yet, the sand holding him captive can no longer escape the encirclement. Besides, her battle with Homura was truly just a matter of emotions. The quest to retrieve Tatsuya can be considered complete.

Was it achieved in this playful and joyful atmosphere?

Silk Ribbon Flame found it hard to accept; how could they succeed with such an attitude?

And yet, she, who was earnestly trying to accomplish something, kept hitting roadblocks? ...She refused to acknowledge the meticulous and serious side of the Ashen Ones during their missions. She also refused to acknowledge the overflowing confidence they displayed. She simply felt a deep resentment at the jubilant ending. Resentment that she hadn't found a way to regain her magic, even falling short of the jubilant Ashen Ones.