Infinite Journey: Dark Souls

This time she didn't hesitate any longer, immediately bypassing Sayaka and running out of the factory alley.

She had just left Sayaka's likely tracking range when time stopped and then stopped again, and even after she had run a long way, time never stopped again.

It's now almost certain that Zhi was discovered. The two time stops were not long, and after the two, he stopped using time stops. Either he had already killed his opponent, or his opponent was completely unaffected by time stops. So, maintaining time stop would only be a waste of his ability.

If it were a witch, two brief time stops wouldn't be enough to kill her, especially since that person is a witch herself. So it could only be that she encountered something that time stops couldn't affect.

Ah, that idiot Zhi, why did she have to run into another "me" of all times? And she even started a war with the other one. Does that mean that guy has been eyeing Zhi for a long time?

Various thoughts raced through Xiaoyan's mind at that moment. She even considered abandoning Zhi and going back to risk being discovered by QB, just to take Xiaoyuan away.

Anyway, Ash won't die, and wasn't my goal in coming to this world Madoka? Ori will understand me; isn't she my knight? She should be willing to exchange her death for my wish, right? Besides, what would happen if I faced another version of myself now? It's still unknown. Shouldn't I abandon her no matter how I look at it?

Should she go to rescue Zhi, or not? The two options kept swirling in her mind.

But she never stopped running. Although she wasn't sure where the weaving was, the direction she was heading was definitely not where Xiaoyuan could possibly be.

Her subconscious had already made the decision for her, and after a fierce internal struggle, she still did not change it.

Ugh, whatever, I'll only forgive her if that guy, Zhi, helps me tie Xiaoyuan up again!

She immediately put aside the dilemma of whether to save him or not, and focused on how to find Zhi.

Suddenly, arrogance leaped out of her shadow again. She overtook Xiaoyan, ran ahead, and waved, signaling her to follow.

"Do you know where that guy Zhi is?"

Nodding.

"How did you know that?"

He pointed to the deep purple flames burning on her body.

The obvious clue made her realize that the reason Zhi could move in the world where time had stopped was thanks to the wounds she had inflicted on Zhi during her initial rampage. This meant that her flames might have already eroded Zhi, and this erosion could now serve as a mark between them.

It's just like Witch's Kiss!

What have I become? Am I really just ashes?

Behind every truth lies a host of questions, but the restless Xiao Yan no longer wanted to think about them. She gently activated her flames and immediately felt a resonance of power on the other side of the city.

"You have to hold on, Zhi! I brought you into this world, and I will bring you back to it intact in the end!"

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"Your Highness, it's not that I don't want to answer, it's just that I really don't know!"

Zhi said she was about to reach her limit, simply because Yan on the other side was not playing by the rules. She directly categorized Zhi as a witch based on the presumption of guilt. Isn't this just telling Zhi in broad daylight, "I suspect you, and although I don't have any evidence, I will interrogate you to find out the evidence?"

"And it's not that I don't know who the witch is, it's that I've never even seen what a witch is!"

The trigger was pulled, and it was clear that the firing pin of the Colt M1911 had been raised, ready to fall and ignite the primer of the bullet at any moment.

"You don't know? If you have nothing to do with witches, then how come you have athletic abilities that rival those of magical girls?"

"I do possess extraordinary power! But what does having extraordinary power have to do with whether I've ever seen a witch? In short, I don't know what a witch is! And I have absolutely no connection to witches!"

On this point, Zhi Ke had a clear conscience. She stared straight into those purple pupils, suppressing the bitterness welling up from the bottom of her heart, and adopted the same honest attitude as when she faced Xiao Yan.

The eyes are the windows to the soul. In those firm pupils, Yan clearly saw her own reflection, or perhaps not herself, because she knew that only when facing Xiaoyuan would she show a smile like that reflection on her lips.

Her finger released the trigger, and the firing pin returned to its original position. Flame's heart churned, and her inner voice told her that what she had said was true.

So the clues have gone cold again. If the origami has no connection with the witch, then the only remaining possibility is the snack witch.

Wait a minute. Although she has nothing to do with witches, I rushed back here because of that lingering fear caused by losing the most important thing. Her identity is questionable no matter what, and just because she's not a witch doesn't mean she won't be a threat to Madoka.

Zhi Gang breathed a sigh of relief, but his heart jumped into his throat again after Colt's firing pin was raised.

"You've passed the first question. Now, the second question: Are you guys trying to take advantage of Madoka Kaname?"

How did they jump from the witch's question to Madoka's question? Orihime said she still couldn't follow Homura's train of thought. Moreover, although the suspicion was accurate, it was just too unreasonable. All her actions today had only led her to Mami's route, and she hadn't gotten involved with Madoka at all!

"Of course not! I only just met Xiaoyuan today! Why would I have any designs on her?"

The way they called out "Little Round" was so affectionate that Flame almost flinched and fired her gun.

"Xiaoyuan? Hehe, you said it was the first day you met her, so why would you call her by that nickname?"

Zhi wanted to slap herself. It was all her fault for imagining how she should get along with Xiaoyuan if she were really tied up in the World of Fire. Now she had just blurted out Xiaoyan's nickname. She had to think of a way to cover it up!

"Look, isn't that what you all call her? So I thought, if she becomes a magical girl in the future, this is a more affectionate way to call her!"

Her eyes darted around, and compared to her previous open and honest attitude, Zhi was now incredibly suspicious.

"Dare you look me in the eye and repeat what you just said?!"

Suddenly, Yan brought her face close to Zhi's, and the aura that was exactly the same as Xiao Yan's washed over her, making Zhi even more flustered.

"I've been with Mami all night! Even if someone did something bad to Madoka, I have an alibi!"

Zhi simply gave up and closed her eyes, adopting an attitude of escaping reality and letting others do as they pleased.

She straightened up again, her expression turning completely cold. Since this guy wasn't going to confess properly, Yan wouldn't let this threat continue. Even if he really had nothing to do with the palpitations she had tonight, she decided it was better to kill the innocent than let the guilty go free!

This time, the trigger was truly pulled, and Zhi resignedly closed her eyes, starting to plan how to apologize to Xiao Yan when she returned to the World of Fire.

However, the .0.45 ACP bullet once again pierced the ground, and Zhi, who should have been killed, was instead pulled to the other side of the river by a yellow ribbon.

"Xiaomei, although I don't know what you suspect about Ryougi, she's right about one thing: she's been staying with me all night. So you have no reason to kill her before you can produce more evidence!"

Wearing a yellow hunting outfit and a yellow top hat, with fluffy white tufts of hair, Mami Tomoe, the senior of the magical girl from Takihara, stood elegantly on a street lamp across the street, sternly questioning Homura Akemi, who was preparing to kill her comrade.

Zhi was so moved she almost cried—no, she was already crying. With teary eyes, she looked at the senior who had saved her from the bullet at the last second, and words of gratitude poured out of her.

"Mami, you are simply an angel! Although I want to describe your greatness with the sun right now, that is my belief, and I can only leave it to my princess. However, the brightness and beauty of the moon are more worthy of you at this moment, so I will use the moon to express my praise! Praise the moon! Praise Tomoe Mami! ... Ugh gurgle."

The yellow silk ribbon wrapped around Zhi's feet and lifting her upside down suddenly dropped. Zhi, who had just uttered words of praise, immediately fell into the river, swallowed a mouthful of water, and was then tightly bound by the ribbon again before being pulled up once more.

"Oh dear, I can understand Ryougi's joy at escaping death, and I'm glad you used the moon to praise me. But as a young lady, please be a little more reserved. Besides, I think we still have a lot to talk about later—what do you say? Akemi, how about you leave the communication to me? I'll definitely get her to give you a satisfactory answer."

Mami's last words were spoken to Homura on the other side of the river, but how could Homura allow the owner of the Snack Witch to interfere at this moment?

"I regret to decline."

"It seems there's no other way. I won't let you kill Ryougi. The power of magical girls should be used in the right way. I never advocate this kind of infighting."

He waved his hand in front of him, and a row of exquisite flintlock muskets aimed at the flame.

"But if someone breaks the rules first, I don't mind teaching her a lesson!"

PS: Yunxi: 744486102 is earnestly asking for votes~

Destiny Twenty Magical Girls and Magical Girls

In the alleyway of the factory, Sayaka was staring at the puddles in front of her, deep in thought.

She was a little confused about how Xiaoyan left, because the two of them, who had already entered a communication rhythm, had let their guard down, and she hadn't seen Xiaoyan activate her shield at all.

But Xiaoyan just disappeared without any warning.

She even keenly sensed that for a moment, Xiaoyan's expression and movements were inconsistent; one moment she was listening attentively to her, and the next she had a blank expression as if she had discovered something.

Did someone take her away?

However, only another Homura Akemi possesses the ability to stop time, but this Homura should never have had any contact with the Homura Akemi she knows, who is also the target of this rescue.

So I still don't understand.

"Ugh! My head hurts so much! I hate mental work!"

Her contemplative posture was immediately broken; she clutched her head and scratched her hair, looking as if she refused to think.

Black foam drifted from the other side of the city. As it passed through this alley, it seemed to spot Sayaka with a headache. Beibei turned in mid-air and transformed back into a doll, appearing before Sayaka.

"Oh, it's Beibei."

Bebe, who had transformed from a bubble into a small doll, danced and gesticulated in front of Sayaka, uttering words that humans couldn't understand, as if reporting something to Sayaka.

"Hmm, huh? Ryougi and Homura Akemi ran into each other? They fought, and then Mami-senpai rushed over?"

Sayaka could understand Bebe's language, and the information Bebe brought her only made things more complicated for her.

"Ugh! They're all such a handful! What's wrong with Homura Akemi enjoying her happy life? What's wrong with the other Homura Akemi staying in her own timeline? What's wrong with Ryougi being in love with the other Homura Akemi in another timeline? Why are they all chasing after the truth and trying to possess Madoka!"

"Oh... Sayaka, were you calling me just now?"

"Oh! Madoka, you're here? You brought QB with you too!"

"Yeah, I heard sounds of fighting over here, so I came over. Are you and Xiaoyan fighting?"

Holding QB, who was still wrapped in a white cloak, the pink-haired girl also came to this alley.

"Um... Oh! We were actually fighting those guys that Homura fought at the department store!"

"Really?... I have a feeling you're hiding a lot from me."

"Well, let's not talk about that. Anyway, you can just throw this bag away. There's no need to keep carrying it around."

"Speaking of which! Why can't you open your cloak, Sayaka? Kyubey looks uncomfortable inside."

"So QB needs to be dealt with directly~ Come on, Beibei, open your mouth~"

Sayaka took the QB, which had been wrapped in Madoka's cloak, from Madoka's arms and handed it to Bebe's head, gesturing for her to swallow it.

Beibei shook her head decisively.

"Hey! Beibei's here too? If that's the case, then Mami-senpai..."

"My senior encountered some issues, and Beibei came to inform us. We'll go over together in a bit. Xiaoyuan, wait a moment. I'll have Beibei deliver a message to Mami."

Seeing that Beibei refused the food that would upset her stomach, Sayaka grabbed her by the neck and, without waiting for her to struggle, led her aside and began to speak to her in a low voice.

“The situation has changed. Homura Akemi has regained some of her memories and has started investigating the witch matter. It’s estimated that she won’t be long before she fully understands the truth. We need to be prepared for her to break Kyubey’s ‘Interference and Obscuring Field’ after she becomes a witch.”

Before revealing the crucial information, she twisted her cloak tightly, twisting it until the creature inside stopped moving, before finally finishing her instructions to Beibei.

"Also, I've discovered another Homura Akemi, who's likely with Ryougi Shiki. They're after Madoka. Even though they're not magical girls, we still need to be careful. So, I'll go check out the place where Ryougi and Homura clashed later. Go find Kyoko and bring her along, just in case. The more fighting power, the better... Also, take care of this thing while you're at it."

Seeing that Beibei nodded, Sayaka handed her the cloak that was wrapped around the corpse of a certain creature, and watched her turn into bubbles and disappear into the distance.

"Sorry to keep you waiting, Xiaoyuan~ Let's go meet up with our senior now~"

"Sigh... Sayaka, can't you really tell me what happened? Today, Homura... she makes me feel a strange sadness, as if we haven't seen each other for a long time..."

"..."