Infinite Journey: Dark Souls

Cut one magic bullet, and more magic bullets will fly in; cut one ribbon, and more ribbons will wrap around you.

On the white shirt of Takihara Middle School student, blood began to smear the pure white. There were always some who slipped through the net, passing through the blade's interception, and leaving holes in the flesh and blood of the student's uniform.

Just as there are fish that slip through the net among the magic bullets, there will naturally be fish that slip through the net among the ribbons; her feet were already entangled in the ribbons, and she struggled to move her feet amidst the slashing, gradually becoming unable to move in the barrage of bullets, and could only desperately increase the speed of her slashes to reduce the number of magic bullets hitting her body.

Excessive use caused blood to seep from the corners of her eyes. From the very beginning of the battle, Zhi's eyes had not blinked. She simply stared straight ahead, mechanically analyzing the loopholes in the bullet patterns, as if looking at her own powerless self.

What exactly is ashes? She, who was once carefree, asked the idle wolf granny in the sacrificial site.

At that time, the wolf grandmother only gave her a vague concept and told her that before finding the kindling to ignite her inner fire, even if she knew it, she would not have a deep understanding of it. She would only be a remnant of herself, a broken body that should have died but could still light a fire.

After arriving in this world, Xiaoyan's changes reminded her of Granny Wolf's warning. What was the difference between the black flames when she went berserk and the deep purple flames after her berserk state? In essence, it was simply that she had truly seen her own true self.

What Xiaoyan truly wants is for Xiaoyuan to stay by her side forever, regardless of whether Xiaoyuan is already with someone else or whether Xiaoyuan knows her. As long as she is the real Xiaoyuan, she will not hesitate to take her away and keep her by her side, and then think about how to prevent her from leaving again.

So Homura truly ignited her own flame, shedding everything from her past as a magical girl, becoming an ashes burning for herself, rather than the ashes left after she burned herself, and thus began to fight for her true self.

Even though her somewhat twisted nature had mixed darkness into her inner fire, she, burning with deep purple flames, was the true ashes.

So, what about weaving?

She kept saying that she was free of all attachments, simply because her life had always been intertwined with Shiki's. She had become accustomed to having someone pulling her life forward; or rather, she was simply forced to live in Shiki's life, and naturally regarded Shiki as her entire life.

That's why she felt that Shiki's happiness was her dream; that's why she decided to let Mikiko Kurogiri carry on Shiki's happiness.

This happiness was neither given by her nor created by her. She felt superfluous in this happiness, so she did not hesitate to sacrifice herself and leave the happiness to Shi.

From then on, Shiki had a Canaan-like hole in her heart that needed to be filled. So, for Oori, who had perished and was fortunate enough to become the ashes left by Shiki, wasn't there an even bigger void left in her heart because she had been taken from Shiki?

As long as this enormous hole is not filled, she will remain the burnt-out version of herself, simply because there is nothing left to burn in her heart.

Until that day, when Ori felt empty inside, she met the magical girl Ash. From the first time they looked into each other's eyes, Ori knew that Ash was completely different from her. Her heart was already full, and what was brewing inside had even begun to ferment.

In that instant, an overwhelming sense of envy arose in her heart; she envied those who could carry a full heart and walk their own path.

So she waited by the campfire, just to observe how this ash, so different from herself, would survive in this world filled with death, yet incapable of dying.

As expected, she passed the Trial of Ashes. In order to be able to greet her at the bonfire in the Inquisition as soon as she passed the trial, Zhi had actually walked back and forth between the two bonfires many times, and each time he happened to catch her when she returned to the bonfire.

This time was no exception. She had just defeated the Ash Judge when Zhi arrived at the campfire. However, the conversation that followed surprised Zhi.

This is a girl who is constantly cycling through failures; she had never even tasted the joy of success before. She once asked Zhi what it felt like to achieve her wish, and then said to herself that it was probably a very, very satisfying feeling, a satisfaction bordering on emptiness. It was only because she tasted the joy of success for the first time, only because she had tried, she had done it, and she believed she could do it again.

At this moment, Zhi realized that people whose hearts are full are actually more likely to stumble forward because of what fills their hearts. They don't set out to fill their hearts, but rather they have to act because their hearts are full of things.

To be honest, seeing them so battered and bruised made Zhi feel exceptionally radiant, because she was a pitiful creature who didn't even know why she was moving forward.

So she decided to follow the girl and see what kind of scenery lay ahead on her path, and perhaps even, if possible, protect the smile she saw in that fleeting moment.

So she made a vow with her, and Zhi stubbornly defined herself as her knight in the vow. This was Zhi's willfulness, but also Zhi's past that she could not let go of. In the end, she, who was born for another person, would always live for another person.

She made the oath as the Knight of the Sun, and perhaps at that time, she also wanted to be like the sun, forever shining on this stumbling girl.

The vision reflected in her demonic eyes was already somewhat blurred, and the mechanical swinging of her arms hardly required any thought from her brain. That's why she was able to recall so many past memories in this battle that she initiated unilaterally, but whose enemy was not her opponent.

Ah, I remember now, the feeling when we made that vow.

I remember now, the feeling of wearing the Sun Badge.

She didn't want to be a sword or a shield. She even knew long ago that with her empty heart, how could she possibly grow up compared to Xiaoyan, who had clear goals? What she ultimately wanted to do was fill her own Canaan Cave. She also wanted to try how to move forward as an independent individual, even if the method was to find someone else to hold in her heart again. She still wanted to use her own radiance to warm the person she held in her heart.

Golden ribbons wrapped around her body, and magical bullets pierced through her flesh. Even as the ribbons tightened and she became more and more wounded, her sword-wielding continued without pause, as if Mami's attacks were not intensifying but rather remaining at the same level.

This feeling is selfish, isn't it? In the end, I've always been thinking about myself, while Xiaoyan, her princess, just happened to give her a ride on her journey to find her true self.

However, being able to be selfish once also means that you have finally become an independent individual, right?

So, finally, something can burn out of the deep hole in my heart?

The intensity of the attacks continued to increase, but Mami, who had been hitting a fixed target, began to bear the pressure. Something was transforming within her ribbons, and the eyes of the person she had been unwilling to look into now shone with fear.

Something was churning inside Mami. She had a feeling that this young lady, who was completely different from her yet had similar traits, was about to surpass her and reach a level that Mami couldn't catch up with.

The feeling of being abandoned again, mixed with intense jealousy, suddenly surged into her heart. Her magic poured out wildly, and the ever-increasing ribbons completely wrapped the figure into a mummy.

That wasn't all. A huge musket appeared in her hand, the witch's ultimate move capable of ending something in one blow, aimed at her previously designated backup companion.

A torrent of magic erupted from the massive muzzle, more like a cannonball than a gunshot, the golden magic seemingly capable of annihilating everything, and rushed straight toward the mummy she had enveloped.

Something caught fire, warm, like sunlight.

PS: Yunxi: A super long chapter of 7444861024000 words! Please bombard me with recommendation votes!

Destiny 24: Homura Akemi and Homura Akemi

Something caught fire, warm, like sunlight.

Xiaoyan felt that the connection between Zhi and her had been severed, as if the burns that remained on Zhi's body, almost forming a witch's kiss, had been washed away.

In a fleeting glimpse amidst the barrage of rockets, Iori, completely wrapped up like a mummy by Mami, was about to be swallowed up by the torrent of magic.

In an instant, she felt something, but only out of the corner of her eye did she catch a glimpse of arrogance leaping out of the shadows, taking over her dual pistols and shooting down the rockets that were about to hit her.

She desperately wanted to rush to Zhi and rescue her from the torrent of magic, but another fleeting thought startled her and made her stop in her tracks—she was actually more terrified of losing contact with Zhi than of the fact that Zhi was going to be killed, as if she was worried that there would never be anyone who would be able to give her one hundred percent of their life again.

What an arrogant thought! Has she always seen Zhi as her possession, rather than an equal companion? Has she not helped Zhi dispel the burns, simply to mark her with her own mark? Did she rush here not to save her, but only because her possession might be lost?

Xiaoyan couldn't understand. She had always devoted herself to things related to Xiaoyuan, and she never knew how to treat someone who had always selflessly dedicated herself to her.

The familiar took over the battle from her master, and she showed no restraint whatsoever. Driven by nothing but arrogance, she immediately unleashed a mindless attack that perfectly reflected her true nature, relentlessly unleashing deep purple flame magic bullets that shot down all of Flame's rockets, thus regaining the upper hand in the barrage battle.

The torrent of magic engulfed Zhi's figure. She stared blankly at Xiao Yan over there, only feeling a faint blade of light flash across her vision, as gentle as the morning sun.

The glint of light was so inconspicuous in the torrent, but after it passed, the attack that could have killed the witch in one fell swoop was cut off by the light.

Yes, it was abruptly cut off. The magic, along with the giant musket in Mami's hand, instantly turned into countless specks of light, drifting and swirling, as if a light snow was falling on the riverbank.

A figure emerged from the snow, wearing a bright red kimono, carrying a gleaming katana, sporting neat short hair, and sporting a hearty smile.

Golden flames flickered around Zhi, making her feel warm like the sunlight.

She seemed to notice Xiaoyan's gaze, turned her head slightly, and winked at her.

Xiao Yan saw that her magic eyes changed color. The various brilliant colors that used to shimmer in her eyes disappeared, replaced by pure white and beautiful gold. The feeling of her holding the knife also changed. She finally gave people the feeling of someone holding a knife, instead of being as sharp as a dagger as before, as long as she gripped the hilt.

She charged towards Mami, who was stunned for a moment after her confident attack was once again neutralized. In a panic, she summoned her ribbons and musket again and unleashed a barrage of fire at the running Ash.

The knife is still the same knife, but the murderer has turned to ashes. Although the essence of the two has changed, Zhi's combat ability has not suddenly improved.

Her speed didn't increase, her reaction time didn't increase, the ribbons could still entangle her, and the magic bullets could still hit her.

However, she maintained complete control over the rhythm of the battle.

Without increasing speed, she moved with more elusive footwork, always managing to land Mami's attacks where her katana slashes were smoothest; without increasing reaction speed, her blade strikes were continuous, always managing to cut through the magic bullets at the easiest point to connect with the next strike.

Saying she cuts it open is not quite accurate, because with each swing of her blade, whatever is struck, whether it's a ribbon or a magic bullet, is reduced to light fragments and completely obliterated.

Therefore, unlike the previous painful battles, where she could only cut the ribbons but not stop them from stretching, and could only cut the magic bullets but not avoid their impact.

Now that everything has been removed, it will no longer be an obstacle to her progress. The distance between her and Mami is rapidly closing, while Mami, whose trump card move has failed and whose mind has been shaken, becomes increasingly disorganized in her attacks and more perfunctory in her magic as Mami gets closer.

Xiaoyan turned her head back, no longer looking at the battle whose outcome was already clear, but instead focusing on her opponent.

Her arrogant and reckless attack, which disregarded all costs, temporarily suppressed Flame's barrage of rockets. However, after Flame strategically switched weapons, used machine guns for suppressive fire, and then filled the gaps with grenades, she was eventually driven back in terror.

However, it at least completely attracted Flame's attention, preventing her master from being bombarded with comments while she was in a daze.

She suddenly lost interest in the fight. To put it bluntly, it was just a battle between two people who refused to admit their twisted inner selves, using the guise of challenging themselves to eliminate those who disagreed with them.

Or the statement about eliminating dissidents is also incorrect, because they are actually the same person. In short, the core of the struggle seems to be Xiaoyuan. After fighting for so long, she has also realized that what they want more is to eliminate this eyesore in front of them.

Do I really hate myself that much?

Probably. At least when it came to dealing with the issue of weaving, my own behavior was so arrogant that even I couldn't stand it.

Arrogance suddenly returned to her shadow, while a violent explosion occurred in the distance.

"Witch, you've finally shown your true colors! You've even summoned your familiar! What excuse do you have left?"

"Ugh, this is really unbearable to watch. When did I start avoiding a problem to this extent?"

Suppressive machine gun fire, coupled with the grenades, forced Zida into a minefield laid by Yan. He narrowly escaped the explosion and immediately darted back into his master's shadow.

"Escape? Well said. When will you finally admit you're a witch?"

"So what if you admit you can summon familiars? So what if you admit you're a witch? You want to kill me anyway, right? You hate me so much you want to kill me, right? Then what's the point of talking? Just come and kill me!"

I still loathe him. Just looking at that face that looks exactly like mine makes me want to kill him. How can someone like that be worthy of being by Xiaoyuan's side? It's the right choice for me to take his place.

Twisted thoughts churned in her mind again, and an overwhelming killing intent made her unconsciously want to take out a knife and stab them. However, after glancing at Ash's companions once more, she lost her interest in fighting again.

Zhi had already rushed to Mami's side. Facing an enemy who had lost the will to fight, she swiftly disarmed the enemy and knocked Mami unconscious.

That hearty smile is practically cheating! To have to display double the ugliness in front of your companions while fighting each other, that must be pretty shameful, right?

To be honest, I only wanted to take Madoka away, and I only came here to save Ori. Now that Ori doesn't need to be rescued, why should I continue fighting her? Although it has been confirmed that she is the witch who created the fake Mitakihara, she doesn't even realize it herself. Taking Madoka away while she's not paying attention is the easiest way.

After much thought, Xiaoyan herself reduced her fighting spirit, but would Yan give up so easily?

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

Why not just attack directly?

The guy on the other side is right. Whether she's a witch or not doesn't matter. As long as she still cares about Madoka, I'll eliminate her no matter what.

Wiping her face blackened by gunpowder, she threw away another MG-42 general-purpose machine gun with an overheated barrel. She checked the remaining ammunition in her shield, and upon seeing the Tomahawk cruise missile, she felt an urge to throw it out and wipe out the witch in one fell swoop.

Anyway, this Mitakihara is fake, so it doesn't matter if it's blown up, right?

But stopping time has no effect on them; if it were to detonate at this distance, I wouldn't be able to escape either.

Somewhat regretfully abandoning the idea, she still planned to use conventional tactics to eliminate the witch in front of her.

Mami has also been taken down. We need to consider the one called Ryougi in our tactics as well. If it's a one-against-two situation, we'll need to use some auxiliary tactical tools.

While thinking about her tactics, she pulled out the FN Minimi light machine gun, still dragging the ammunition belt directly from her shield. She aimed this weapon, which was slightly inferior to the cloth shredder but was still an excellent squad firepower weapon, at Xiaoyan.

However, the opposing side seemed to have suddenly lost their will to fight, and even started looking around erratically, appearing to be on the verge of retreating.

How could I let her leave like that? If stopping time weren't ineffective against them, I wouldn't have gone to so much trouble. So now that I can't stop them from leaving by stopping time, am I just going to provoke them with words again?

"Heh, you told me to come and fight, but now you're trying to run away. Since you've lost the will to fight, why don't you open the barrier and let us leave?"

"I wish I could. If I could control the barrier, I would have thrown you troublesome guys out long ago."

"As a witch, you can't even control your own barrier. You're really a failure."