Infinite Journey: Dark Souls

No matter how uncomfortable she felt, Sand was right. Ribbon Flame could only remain silent.

"Get lost, you bastard who calls others graffiti and yourself a zombie. Don't try to mislead my sister. I believe she'll choose an open and aboveboard way to express her needs. Isn't that right, sister?"

Surprisingly, the witch didn't kick her while she was down. She shooed away the sand like flies, and waited with great interest for the ribbon flame's reply.

"...Why do you want me to say it?...It won't affect your operations, will it?"

In the end, Ribbon Flame, who would stop at nothing to achieve her goals in the endless cycle of reincarnation, still did not utter that plea.

"So, does Sister think that when we were clearly going to find Ash Sister and refused your request to fight the monsters, and that scene that made you so emotionally volatile, we were just joking around with nothing better to do?"

"..." That's what she thought.

"No, we're confirming our true objective. At the same time, this is a process of resolving to disregard the Survey Corps' duties for that objective! As soldiers, the mission is the highest priority; as members of the Survey Corps, wanting to see the old captain is perfectly reasonable. A conflict has arisen between our two roles; we must compromise one to achieve the other. So—"

Xiao Yan released Silk Ribbon Flame's hand, turned to face her, and the playful smile on her face vanished with seriousness.

"So we chose the second option and went against the first. The coldness and indifference we displayed in this process were not to oppress you, but rather to remind ourselves of the necessary attitude to avoid betraying our duty and choosing the wrong approach! We are not here to fight monsters—we have always emphasized this point. We are here to see Ashes—this is a desire that transcends the duties of soldiers!"

And there it was again—that unwavering confidence that the ribbon flame could never learn, a confidence that defied all uncertainty.

She bit her lip.

“There is a decisive difference between defeating monsters and seeing Sister Ash. We never confuse our purpose.”

A pause, Xiaoyan's resounding explanation pauses here.

The witch was serious, the mist was playful, and the magical girl remained silent. Ribbon Flame's lips were tightly clenched, unable to open.

"So, what about you?... Sister, do you simply want us to defeat the monster, or do you want us to help you retrieve—"

"That's enough! Just do your own thing!"

His lips finally parted, but what came out was not the answer Xiaoyan had expected.

She watched as the older sister shook off them and walked ahead alone.

PS: Yunxi: 744486102 Thanks to reader [Qianye Xianyun] for the monthly ticket~

Fate Fifty-Eight: An Ordinary Girl Wandering on the Battlefield

Let the ashes fight the monsters, and you can reclaim your magic power.

Ribbon Flame replayed her decision in her mind.

Defeating the monster and reclaiming her magic are absolutely linked. As long as the monster that stole her magic dies, she will definitely be able to reclaim it… in what form? Will the magic flow back automatically? No, she didn't want to think about such complicated things; she just needed to believe that defeating the monster would restore her magic. Because she didn't want to make requests of the Ashen Ones to pinpoint her exact goal.

When she questioned Ash's decision along with Mami, she had already made the biggest compromise possible.

How could I possibly ask her to do it again?

In those hundred-plus cycles, when did Homura Akemi ever beg for help? When was she so cowardly that she couldn't face it? When did she hesitate, afraid of being hurt again? She was enough on her own; she didn't need companions, only to use them. After using the ashes, she would immediately banish them from this world.

The world that Yuan created is enough for her to protect all by herself!

Even if it's any other Akemi Homura, if they dare to imprison Madoka, she will find them and kill them!

"May the flame of the heart burn forever, may the first fire never be extinguished! Ashes, charge!"

Against the backdrop of her thoughts, war was raging.

The march to exterminate the monsters had been underway for quite some time by this point. The Survey Corps approached the city center, engulfed in the thick miasma. Soon, they encountered the first wave of enemies blocking their path. They, or rather, they, were strangely familiar to the magical girls who had been traveling with Ash.

The battle between the center and the periphery is about to erupt.

However, the flames of war seemed to have nothing to do with Ribbon Flame. She simply hid far at the rear of the army, coldly watching Sayaka lead the magical girls to face the charge of the ashes.

She—no, it. Sayaka was undoubtedly a humanoid magical beast. Appearing before people in the form of the deceased, it naturally ignited the wrath of the widow. In an instant, faster than ashes, Kyoko thrust out her spear, its red magic and blue slash colliding fiercely.

The splashing magical sparks were reflected in the eye of the ribbon flame with a bang.

She found a safe spot in the ruins and hid inside.

After the first clash of the battle, the monster horde following Sayaka and the anthropomorphic monster disguised as a magical girl launched a concentrated barrage of beams.

Guns clashed and swords flew as magical girls battled against a backdrop of exploding long-range firepower. Chain spears swirled, thrusting and sweeping relentlessly, their sharp tips reflecting the flashes of explosions, creating a crimson wave. Ahead of the wave stretched a vast net woven of blue sabers, mirroring Sayaka's fighting style. The sabers fell from her cloaks, slashing one by one across the waves.

Kyoko had experienced this scene several times before, but the attack she missed came from the puppet-like monster.

The waves created by the chain gun swings thus became much more turbulent.

The flames of war completely washed away the monsters' disguises, revealing not only the leading monster Sayaka, but also many other familiar figures in Ribbon Flame's eyes. Monster Asami, Monster Kyoko; Asami faced herself, and the other monster was taken over by Ash. She coldly observed all of this, waiting to see the five-colored team assembled.

Gold, red, blue, purple, and pink—none of the five colors were gathered. The demonic beast Flame didn't emerge, nor did the demonic beast Orb, which might have enraged her. The beams of demonic beast fire and the ashes of firearms continued to ravage the city. In cold eyes, golden blades and deep purple magic cannons pierced a path leading directly to the city center.

She quickly ran out of the bunker, braving a hail of bullets, and rushed into the passage.

A bunch of green goblins were even faster than her. The goofy trio actually spotted the fleeting opportunity and commanded the goblins to charge in.

The passage was widened, widening into a gap. After she followed, the ashes pressed towards the monsters' position through this gap. In close combat, soldiers wielding swords, spears, and halberds instantly cut down the first rank of monsters. The thick miasma seemed to be forced by their momentum, dissipating in a short gap, revealing the hellish scene in the city center.

The magic bullets fired from flintlock muskets collided, flashing golden light illuminating the monster's ritual. The witch had not yet revealed herself, but her followers prostrated themselves amidst the shattered ruins, offering tribute to her. Black, spiderweb-like threads connected the followers; sensing the approaching battle, they charged relentlessly towards the golden-white and deep-purple figures.

Following the anthropomorphic magical beasts, magical beasts of cultivation, enlightenment, and nirvana have appeared. They are connected by threads and also possess unique shapes. Some resemble the dissected heads of dolls, while others are like magical girls with hanging clothes hangers, composed of magical beast images mixed with various fragmented imagery. Watching them clash with the ashes is like watching a fragmented movie, with scattered and chaotic memories.

The first line of defense was torn apart by the ashes, and more soldiers squeezed into the gap.

Ribbon Flame followed the horde of green goblins, letting them die as cannon fodder before her eyes. Once the ashes filled the buffer zone, she continued to follow them deeper into what was hell for ordinary people.

The five-color team will be assembled; the existence of Warcraft Circle has long been proven.

The spiderweb woven from black silk threads was their next obstacle. The other members of the Five Colors team lagged far behind, only the faint sounds of flintlock muskets firing and the glimpses of the tips of two chained spears could be seen. Mami initiated a close-quarters gunfight with the monster Mami, one spear clashing with a saber, the other meeting a flaming battle blade.

Chaotic yet orderly, the Ashes had not yet encountered any formidable enemies. The goblins were nearly exhausted, and the knights, orks, and even Patch in the vanguard had begun fighting. Soon, the old man in the Ashes completed his support of the breach, and Ribbon Flame was still able to advance with them without triggering combat.

She could now clearly see the golden-white blades and the deep purple witch. They slowed their advance as enormous braids emerged from beneath the spiderweb, tangling and hindering their progress. In a daze, the crimson mist bypassed the golden-white and deep purple, beginning to erode both the magical beasts and the braids.

It's coming soon, she knows. Soon she will see the giant magical beast, and the battle that will determine her magical power will soon begin.

A battle without her participation.

She walked. The gaping hole created by the ashes was covered with countless mournful Rubik's Cubes. They replaced the grains of sand, becoming the only carpet in the ruins. Their deep black color guided her path to hell.

She continued walking. Hordes of monsters fell, becoming part of the dark carpet. Occasionally, drops of blood dripped onto it, adding to the hellish atmosphere. The sounds of battle were deafening, but she walked on, step by step, knowing the pervasive miasma would eventually dissipate.

Behind the miasma, a gigantic witch made of braided pigtails appeared.

She was unaware that this witch represented the purple part of the five colors.

She didn't even know that she was a witch.

What colors will be created if Fate 59 weaves together all the black in the world?

Your own magic is right in front of you.

The ribbon flames moved.

She stared at the witch who had emerged from the miasma, the beast she had mistaken for, and walked on resolutely.

The ash's advance slowed further as more crimson spread along the path paved with the Lamenting Cube. The magical girl was fighting with a vengeance. Even as she approached the vanguard of the battle formation, the sounds of red and blue, gold and gold, ash and red fighting behind her were still deafening.

In contrast to the rear, the forward position was eerily quiet.

Everyone who witnessed the witch's form wondered if she was truly the giant monster in the legend.

Especially Zhi and Xiaoyan, who were at the forefront clearing the way, reached the root of the magical beast. The tangled braids chased and coiled around them, and while dodging and counterattacking, they constantly observed the imagery fused with the witch's body. A pink magical girl dress. What was beneath that highest crown foreshadowing something?

Silk Ribbon Flame naturally saw the dress as well.

She carefully dodged the goblin corpses that were thrown at her, and kicked away the Lamenting Cube that had rolled to her feet.

Her brows furrowed, a deep disgust rising within her, yet she couldn't deny that what she saw before her was a consequence of her own magic. Leaving aside everything else, the tangled braids alone were enough to show their close connection to Homura Akemi. Next were the doll heads strung together by black threads, arranged around the witch. Clearly, they resembled Homura Akemi.

But the pink dress is clearly Madoka Kaname's attire when she was a magical girl!

A barrage of beams from the monster swept past her, the energy ruffling her long hair. Like being directly under a spotlight, the light penetrated her hair but couldn't illuminate what lay behind her. Her wild, unruly hair danced wildly, her long shadow being dragged and pulled. The chaotic blackness cast by the light created a bizarre shadow play on the path stained with blood and Rubik's Cubes.

The shadow puppets symbolize her turbulent inner world, a world where she experiences the urgency of having her goal so close yet being unattainable.

"Lily, can you tell what that is?"

"I don't know the specifics! But there's no doubt that this thing is leaning towards the direction of witches!"

The volley ended quickly. Serving as a buffer between the ribbon flames and the monsters, the mixed vanguard of ash, mist, knights, orcs, and patch swept past the beam-firing monsters. They too entered the area of ​​tangled braids, and for a moment found themselves in trouble against the thick, agile, and powerful witch tentacles.

Ribbon Flame stood at the edge of the buffer zone, desperately wanting to shout for the two Ashes to hurry up and attack.

How can we kill her?

"Do you even need to ask? Just do what you've always done, and you'll be done with it!"

Little Flame at the forefront almost cried out her innermost thoughts. The Witch of This Shore's figure swelled dramatically, almost reaching the waist of the Braided Witch. New gray braids joined the battle. However, these new tentacle-like substances, carrying grains of sand leaking from the hourglass, drifted and scattered, withering upon contact. They spread along with the barrier of This Shore, the record spun, the cartridge fell, and the braids covered in sand weathered away and disappeared.

It seemed as if it had withered away completely over the ages.

The cloak billowed, and the golden and white fire lines supporting it pierced straight through the barrier of the sky, slashing directly towards the pink dress.

Silk Ribbon Flame's heart pounded; she desperately hoped that this slash she had woven would lead to the restoration of her magic.

but……

The world has turned gray.

Her heart, which had been pounding with anxiety, sank heavily.

At the moment time stopped, the Ash Soldiers charged relentlessly towards the monster; the red magical girl clashed her spear against Sayaka's saber, aiming straight for each other's throats; the massive flintlock muskets were bubbling with intense magic as they met muzzle to muzzle; another spear transformed into a chain, entangled and pulling against the battle blade; all the goblins were dead, and the trio was slowly accumulating wounds.

They stood frozen in the gray world, the charge halted as the monster unleashed another beam of light; the saber dodged the spear's attack and thrust straight for the throat; one of the giant muskets, its magic still boiling, pulled the trigger; the chain completely entangled the battle blade, flinging the tip towards the ashes; the wound continued to grow, but the trio froze in their motion during the pause.

Only the witch on this shore and the golden-white blade remained, still closing in on the very top of the braided pigtail.

The doll's head opened its eyes.

Countless heads, their structure bound together by black threads, formed a network around the braided body. The moment the eyes opened, the gray world seemed to darken for a moment, and then the overflowing blackness focused its fire from these countless eyes onto the golden-white blade.

Jin Bai's eyes were opened as well. The dazzling knife marks parted the blackness, like the tip of a brush cutting into ink, penetrating straight down.

【Weaving Stream Sword Drawing Technique - Chasing the Dawn】

Yet it was ultimately soaked in ink and emerged from the ink.

"Damn it! What is this black thing?! It's less like magic and more like a bottomless curse!"

A searing, excruciating pain mingled with the roar, as the darkness that had been pushed aside continued to press down. Jin Bai was forced back, and in that brief instant, not only Zhi, but everyone affected by the time stop, was plunged into crisis within the monotonous gray-white world.