Infinite Journey: Dark Souls

The next moment, the same flames emanated from the familiar girl's body, and at the point where their weapons clashed, a tremendous force was simultaneously released, separating the two who were locked in combat.

"what happened?"

Her deep black eyes seemed to devour the sunlight, turning it into her own fuel. Xiao Yan stared at her hands in astonishment. She felt that in that instant, her magic had completely vanished. Now, she truly felt as if she were burning, and as long as the flame in her heart hadn't been extinguished, she seemed able to keep fighting.

However, before she could figure out this change, the familiar girl, who had also been defeated, skipped and hopped to the exit of the arcade, waving at her incessantly.

Upon discovering that Homura was staring intently at her hands, the familiar girl angrily threw the enormous knitting needle at her.

The sound of wind blew over, and Xiao Yan, who had just been awakened, barely had the thought of blocking when she controlled her hand and put the hammer and spear against it, just enough to flick the yarn needle away.

She was stunned again. The feeling just now was very strange. She felt that her strength, agility, and reaction speed had not changed at all, but at that moment, all the resources she could use were mobilized, just like the state of mind, body, and skill that is often described in novels.

Seeing that Xiaoyan had fallen into her own world again, she was waving her arms angrily, but the weapon she was holding had already been thrown away. She looked around and found Zhi standing by watching.

"Hey! What are you doing? Wait, wait! I'm not a flying device!"

Without saying a word, she rushed over and picked Zhi up. Because she hadn't kept up with the situation and was arrogant without any malice, Zhi didn't open her demonic eye and was caught red-handed.

Zida took a few steps back, assumed a standard javelin-throwing stance, and hurled Zhi away with all his might.

Xiaoyan glanced at Zhi's face, which was growing larger in her eyes, and decided to use her to test the feeling from earlier. So, without dodging or avoiding, just as Zhi's face was about to collide with her chest, she turned to the side and stepped aside, placing one hand on Zhi's waist. As she turned, she tightened her grip and scooped Zhi up.

"Ughh ...

Zhi felt Xiaoyan's chest suddenly part, and then the world spun around her. When she could see clearly again, she was facing the exit of the arcade, with Xiaoyan holding her in her arms.

"So that's what they call 'ashes'."

Xiaoyan had a general understanding of her own changes, and she couldn't help but think of the Fire Keeper and some of the things that a certain late servant had said.

This time, she didn't fall into deep thought. Instead, she casually let go of her arm and, amidst Zhi's cry of pain as she fell to the ground, walked towards the arcade's door.

"Hey, are you really a familiar?"

Nodding.

"Are you kidding me? What kind of familiar doesn't use magic, but fire?"

He tilted his head, looking puzzled.

"Ha—never mind, what were you trying to show us just now?"

He suddenly raised his head, looking as if he had just realized something.

Da grabbed Xiaoyan's arm and rushed out of the arcade.

"Weave! Hurry up and catch up!"

"Yes, yes, Your Highness, you really know how to make things difficult for people."

She scrambled to her feet, straightened her school uniform, and ran toward the exit.

As if passing through a deep purple membrane, that strange sense of loneliness suddenly vanished, and noise and clamor entered their ears, as if they had stepped back into the world.

However, neither Homura nor Orihime delved into this feeling, simply because under the cover of night, a battle beyond their—no, it should be said that it was beyond Orihime's imagination—was about to unfold.

"What...is this a witch? But is this scene...a joke?"

The entire sky was covered as if by a large carpet woven from all sorts of colorful fabrics, obscuring the night sky and revealing only patches of various colors and stripes.

In the distance, a tall building is surrounded by pillar-shaped lights, and the building itself is like a modified stage. Some white silhouettes are dancing ballet or practicing martial arts on the stage curtain.

Above the stage, there seemed to be a giant piano, and a large-headed puppet wearing a doll headdress with a big mouth was playing a somewhat depressing melody with the help of two strange, greenish-blue hands with colorful spots.

【HOMULILLY】

The Dream of the Sheep Child

In the distance, two figures whose hair color could only be discerned jumped onto the power tower directly in front of the tall building. One had short blue hair, and the other had a high red ponytail. Both were wearing Mitakihara's school uniform. They chatted in front of the nightmare without any sense of urgency and even exchanged pokeys.

This audacious act, seemingly oblivious to nightmares, naturally angered the strange doll. Suddenly, she spat out a bunch of pillow-shaped projectiles from the large mouth of her headdress, and this seemingly playful attack actually caused a violent explosion at the top of the power tower.

"Xiaoyan... is this the kind of thing you used to deal with?"

"It's roughly the same, but I can tell you definitively that this thing is definitely not a witch. Because the only witch I've ever seen who could pull the entire city of Mitakihara into a barrier is the culprit behind my countless reincarnations—the witch of the stage equipment, WALPURGIS NIGHT!"

【？？？？？】

PS: Yunxi: The content in 【】 is research on Madoka Magica, and all information comes from the Madoka Magica Baidu Tieba forum.

PS1: Thank you to reader [Magical Girl Homura Akemi] for the donation and monthly pass!

Five Feasts of Destiny

What exactly is combat?

Are the two sides in the conflict abandoning all other options and reducing the way to resolve the dispute to mutual harm through physical means?

Is it a one-sided escape, an unwillingness to communicate or understand, just to raise a fist, resort to violence, and vent malice?

Or perhaps this is itself a form of communication; when fists clash, wills collide, and blood and sweat mix, the distance between hearts is instantly shortened, transforming physical harm into a clash of beliefs?

So, is what's happening right now really a battle?

Zhi really didn't understand.

On the street outside the arcade, she, Homura, and the familiar girl were watching the battle between Nightmare and Magical Girl.

This looks more like a dance party, but at a dance party, you don't just break a wine glass or scrape your knee if you accidentally bump into something.

As previously mentioned, the Nightmare's attack was almost like a joke. This puppet-like creature, seemingly interrupted in its performance, recklessly overturned its own stage. It pulled out a violin and slammed it hard onto the piano keys formed from the skyscraper, causing the entire building to expand and explode amidst the deep, shattering sound of the piano breaking. The ripples of vibration even spread throughout the entire block, turning the ground into a surging wave.

Its opponent, a magical girl who is said to be fighting against the witch to prevent her from spreading despair, also entered the battlefield with a gorgeous dance.

Figure skating is as classical and elegant as ballet.

【MAMI】

Passionate and unrestrained, like a folk dance performed at a carnival party.

The high-difficulty Thomas Flair showcases the individuality of street dance.

【SAYAKA】

"What is this? There should be limits to being willful! Aren't they supposed to save the city? What are they trying to achieve with these ridiculous dance moves?"

Zhi Zhen really couldn't understand when battle, this kind of naked clash between the will of individuals and the interests of groups, the most blatant conflict between opposing forces, could be expressed in such an artistic form.

Even a serial killer who fights for the sake of killing knows that a person can only kill one "person" in their lifetime. Therefore, when she truly unleashes her killing intent, her battles are also burdened with the weight of life.

"This is ridiculous! Every battle a magical girl fights represents another step closer to despair... The ones I know would never turn a battle into a leisurely ball. This nightmare, this barrier, that Homura Akemi... Is this really 'my' world?"

The scene of this battle was something that Homura was completely unfamiliar with. The sense of incongruity that permeated everything made her, who had just emerged from the shadows, once again doubt the world she was in.

She stared intently at her other self, and a certain unrealistic hope rose in her heart again. If this Akemi Homura showed even the slightest incongruity, wouldn't that prove that she was a "fake"?

A purple figure also entered the arena.

Flame, carrying his soul gem, moved somewhat clumsily as he ran and jumped, like an athlete holding a sacred flame.

[Things to overcome] [We're so bored]

Running to the very end, jumping to the very end, she struck a hurdle pose, instantly leaping over the black street scene, or perhaps the silhouette of a girl, and donning a magical girl's battle suit.

I want to commit suicide.

She held up the purplish-glowing Soul Gem with both hands, and in the very end, the gem embedded itself in the back of her left hand. A clockwork-like background flashed by, and she entered the battlefield.

They would praise this death.

Another dance by Homura Akemi has ended, but Homura is rubbing her head with a headache.

What exactly did I see in that instant? Was it dance? No, it was simply a collection of countless symbolic meanings.

She couldn't sense the three people at first, but as her real self, Yan's dance allowed Xiao Yan to glimpse a large amount of information, which was then flooded into her mind, making it impossible for her to discern the true meaning of the information.

Homura was overwhelmed by the information overload; Ori closed her eyes and pressed her temples, trying to escape from this unreal battle scene; only the familiar girl was arrogant, watching Madoka Kaname enter with great interest.

This is a shadow play—in the eyes of the familiar girl, the pink-haired girl has always been a silhouette. She wears her own soul gem, and her silhouettes hold hands and form a continuous whole. During the dance, Madoka Kaname, dressed in a magical girl outfit, jumps out of the screen and completes her transformation.

She clapped her hands, seemingly confused but impressed, only to find that the two people around her were not appreciating the beautiful shadow puppet show at all. In a fit of anger, she kicked them both, sending them flying from the center of the street to the entrance of the arcade.

A massive airship cruised through the sky, and beneath it, searchlights, seemingly illuminating this farcical dance performance, swept across the street.

"What are you doing now?"

The familiar girl also avoided the light. She ran behind Homura, stood at attention, smiled, and didn't say a word.

After all that commotion, Homura put the jumbled information behind her. Her painstaking analysis had only led to one conclusion: that "Akatsuki Homura" was indeed Akatsuki Homura.

Therefore, the "Madoka Kaname" here will also be Madoka Kaname. Once that's confirmed, that's enough. Next, we need to find a way to get Madoka's Soul Gem and body, and finally leave this ambiguous "Hamai Homura's world".

That's right, this is the determination Homura made. After experiencing the pain of seeing another version of herself, she finally understood... or rather, she always understood that her wish was to "reunite with Madoka." So the key is only Madoka. Whether there is another version of herself or not is not important, because that is also Homura Akemi. As long as Madoka is brought back to the World of Fire, then "Ashes Homura Akemi" will replace "Magical Girl Homura Akemi" and become the only bond of "Ashes Madoka Kaname".

Isn't it only natural to take your own things back?

Homura's attention was once again drawn away from the battle in front of her. She rested her chin on her hand, thinking about how to snatch Madoka away from the other four magical girls, including "herself," given that her own fighting strength was severely lacking.

Although I've been denying the fighting style of my "comrades" in this world, I have to admit that Homura and Ori, as ashes, are completely incomparable to those who can treat this kind of battle as a game. Not to mention the upperclassman who seems to be in great shape right now, even my other self, once she activates time stop, wouldn't be able to touch her unless something is connected to her...

As Xiaoyan was pondering this, the battle on the other side had fully commenced. The explosion caused by Nightmare smashing the stage instantly stirred up countless white clouds in the city, and the distorted streets gradually guided this explosion towards the entire city.

"Xiaoyuan, Senior Ba!"

"OK!"

Amidst the chaotic white cloud, Homura cried out, and Mami Tomoe, understanding her intention, flicked out a yellow magical ribbon that flew through the white cloud, connecting with Madoka and Homura respectively.

"Please, Homura."

The connection was established. Flame fell into a cloud of air, the shield on its left arm opened, and clockwork-like gears meshed together, finally locking with a click.

The next moment, the whole world turned gray in the eyes of the three of them, and everything except them froze.

"Huh? What's going on? Everything's frozen... Is this Homura Akemi's ability?"

However, none of them saw that in a corner of the city, there were three other figures who were also able to move. Zhi opened her magic eye and observed the world where time had stopped in amazement. The wound on her shoulder, which had been burned by the black fire of the rampaging Xiao Yan, was now glowing with a deep purple flame.

The blonde familiar girl curiously poked at a white cloud of gas that was floating by. Each time she poked it, the cloud would move from stillness to movement, and then return to stillness after she removed her hand. This gave her a new toy, and she poked the cloud around.

"Tsk, even if we exclude the others, Madoka's abilities as a magical girl are not weak. If we have to forcibly take her away, controlling her will be a problem."

Xiaoyan, the only one who didn't notice this change, was still deep in thought about her previous plan. She was so familiar with this scene that she subconsciously ignored the changes happening around her.

The three fighting the nightmare were not so relaxed. In the world where time had stopped, Madoka and Mami each unleashed their abilities, merging their bow and flintlock musket attacks into a single arrow infused with golden and pink magic. Before it struck the building that had been blasted into a cloud of white smoke, it was also affected by Flame's power and frozen in place.