Toyokawa Shoko doesn't want to become a witch

Wearing heavy armor and twice the size of an ordinary soldier, the "knight," or "horse," charged at Hailing with a beastly roar, wielding a greatsword, and slashed down at her head.

Hailing braked suddenly, took a few centimeters back with her right foot, and leaned her body and hands to the right, narrowly avoiding the swinging greatsword. The returning blade then swung back towards the knight's neck with a "whoosh."

The flash of the blade traced a full moon around Hailing.

Pfft——!

The sound of carbon dioxide spraying out as the soda bottle was opened with two shakes rang out. It turned out that Hailing's sword, while beheading the knight, also severed another familiar that was stabbing at her from the side.

In the blink of an eye, another familiar pounced on her, stepping over the severed head of the knight—the familiar had barely left its companion's corpse when it was cleaved in two by the blade, armor and all—it turned out that after Hailing swung her crescent-shaped horizontal slash, she used the momentum to bring the blade above her head, and before the familiar could strike her, she cleaved its head open with a ruthless vertical slash.

Before the horizontal slash had faded, the vertical slash drew another bright silver light, forming a beautiful cross with the previous horizontal slash.

The demon's split head and hands hung limply, its legs supporting its powerless body. After Hailing stepped on its chest and pulled out the blade embedded in its skull, it collapsed to the ground with a thud.

"call--"

By this point, the surrounding area was mostly empty.

The scattered familiars around them could no longer pose an obstacle.

They stopped their attack, dropped their weapons, and created a vacuum zone of several meters with the sea bells.

"Can familiars also feel fear?"

Hailing carried a katana in her right hand and held the scabbard with her left. Her eyes, like those of a demon, coldly swept over the familiars surrounding her, who dared not step forward.

The path to the next level is now open.

She joined the team because of her promise to Xiangzi.

However, this battle was not just for Xiangzi.

This familiar named Timoris, wearing her face, made such a cowardly move as fighting outnumbered while hiding behind the scenes.

She would use her sword and her actions to show it.

"Timoris, you are not worthy to use my face."

==========

At 10:10 a.m., in the old city center park of Luweiyuan, the cocoon.

Shortly after the countdown began, all four except Xiangzi went to where they were supposed to go, leaving only Xiangzi behind.

Of course, since both the cocoon and Oblivionis (herself) were here, she couldn't possibly go anywhere else.

Xiangzi raised his hand, looked at his palm, and smiled self-deprecatingly.

The door to the cocoon was open to her; all she had to do was walk in and begin to complete her assigned part.

The rest of the plan is best kept secret from her alone.

But before that...

Xiangzi turned around, leaning against the open gate, and spoke to the figure standing in the square, no more than twenty meters away from her.

"Yukina-senpai, how have you been lately?"

The Tale of Nirvana: Keeping Your True Self: Chapter 138 Making a Wish

There was only one person who came, and she was carrying a scythe. She didn't look like a magical girl, but rather like a beautiful grim reaper.

Yushina appeared before Xiangzi once again, carrying a murderous aura that was almost tangible.

"You're really not dead."

If Yuki's eyes could kill, Shoko would have already torn her to pieces.

"Of course, I'm not someone who gives up so easily," Xiangzi said with a soft laugh, his hands behind his back.

"You did all of this, didn't you?"

"If I said no, would you believe me?"

"What reason do I have to believe you again?"

“Then I think we don’t need to talk anymore. Ineffective communication doesn’t count as communication.” Xiangzi tilted his head. “It’s not a good feeling to not have the initiative in your own hands, is it?”

"you--!"

“I know how unpleasant this feeling is; I’ve been living under a similar fear for a long time.”

"What the hell are you?!"

"..."

What am I?

Upon hearing this question, Xiangzi glanced sadly at the sky, took a step back, and crossed the boundary line of the gate.

She lowered her eyes and looked at Yukina intently.

"After everything is over, I will tell you who I am...".

Boom————

The design of the cocoon's main gate is similar to that of the entire building, resembling a pair of wings. When closed, they are like wings folded together, and when open, they spread out like wings in flight.

The gate, which opened like wings, seemed to grow out of Xiangzi's back, and slowly closed.

Yuki was more than ten meters away from Xiangzi.

For her, this distance was fleeting; no matter how slowly the door closed, she was confident she could close it before it was completely shut.

Boom!

An even more deafening sound rang out.

Just as Yukina was about to leave, she looked up in the direction from which the sound came.

A huge crack appeared in the sky, like shattered glass, with the fissures spreading in all directions.

"Has the barrier become even more integrated with reality...?" Xiangzi squinted.

The incubation of Nirvana has accelerated, and the overlap between the barrier and reality has deepened. It is estimated that now any magical girl will be pulled towards the side of the barrier. They can no longer see ordinary people; all they see are phenomena of the barrier and witches' familiars.

Perhaps right now, somewhere, a magical girl finds herself unable to speak to her parents and friends anymore, as the ghosts who were once her parents speak in witch script that she can't understand at all.

Perhaps right now, somewhere, a weak witch has crawled out of the little world she used to protect herself. Her limited thinking ability can't help her understand what's happening, but she can sense that the threats around her have diminished and food has become easier to catch.

Perhaps right now, somewhere...

Suddenly, a dark purple color appeared at the edge of my field of vision.

It was a purplish-black fireball, which the enraged Yushina hurled at Xiangzi.

The fireball struck the wing gate, igniting a raging fire, but it didn't reach Xiangzi, who was hiding behind it.

"What did you do?!"

"Would you believe me if I said I didn't do anything?!" Xiangzi hid behind the closing door. "Anyway, you wouldn't believe me no matter what I say, so why should I tell you!"

"You—come out here!"

A moment's hesitation caused Yuki to miss her chance to go in.

when--!

The sickle slammed into the wing-shaped gate and got caught in the wings. By then, the gate was so tightly closed that it was impossible for a person to squeeze through.

Yushina's entire body was engulfed in blackish-purple flames, and scorching heat waves assaulted Xiangzi.

Unfortunately, the heat of the flames alone is not enough.

Xiangzi had retreated to a safe distance behind the door. Seeing that the crack in the door had narrowed to a size that Yukina could not possibly enter, she stopped closing the door, turned her head, and looked at Yukina, who was staring at her with angry eyes.

Xiangzi felt as if those eyes had pierced through him, but at the same time, they ignited a fire that had been burning in his heart.

"I'm not coming out!"

Xiangzi roared back.

"I still have things to do!"

"A witch, talking about 'her own affairs' all the time, how ridiculous."

Yukina was reduced to a silhouette in the black flames, and Shoko could only see her golden eyes, which were the same as his own.

“Listen up, Toyokawa Shoko, hiding behind the door won’t help.”

Yushina stretched out her hand through the crack in the door and pointed at her.

"I'll open this door and come in to find you. You wait behind the door."

Those were truly eyes like those of a demon.

Xiangzi thought of it.

"Don't make it sound like I'm the villain," Xiangzi suddenly said, deflated and slumping his shoulders helplessly.

She took out her phone and glanced at the time.

"How does Yuki-senpai plan to open this door? Will you burn it through with your flames? That would be truly remarkable."

boom----!

The flames outside the door grew even stronger, and the heat they generated made Xiangzi, who was hiding more than ten meters away behind the door, feel unbearably hot.

Feeling the still intense heat, Xiangzi took a few steps back and sighed.

"I'm not being sarcastic. This door has stumped us for a whole week, maybe longer. If Yuki-senpai had just burned it through with brute force..."

She glanced at the winged gate that was indeed slowly melting.

I couldn't help but marvel inwardly.

"Perhaps it would have been better to have you come and settle this matter in the first place."

“But this is my own business. Senior Yuki said I was hiding behind the door.”

Xiangzi clenched his fist.

"I'm not hiding in the back. After this, it's a battle that belongs only to me, and no one can help me."

She looked intently at the flame outside the door.

Xiangzi waved the countdown on his phone, which showed about thirty minutes remaining.

"Even if the senior is very powerful, it's impossible for him to burn through it in half an hour."

Yukina's pupils suddenly contracted.

Xiangzi curled the corners of his mouth.

She felt she should be laughing.

But whether it was a bitter laugh, a relieved laugh, a resolute laugh, or something else, Xiangzi didn't know.

Maybe both.

She waved her hand at the narrow crack in the door, which was now almost completely closed.

"Although I've gone over time, I will end everything as promised, Yuuki-senpai."

Boom!

The wing-shaped gate closed completely, keeping the heatwave out.

Even so, Xiangzi could still feel the intense heat outside the door, like a black sun, through the door panel.

She inhaled the still-hot air deeply into her lungs, and coughed violently a few times after being burned.

"Now it's completely quiet."

Xiangzi held his knees.

"Now I can go do what I need to do."

She straightened up, stretched, patted her cheeks, and loosened her wrists.

It was as if they were just going on a spring outing.

"Kyubi, are you there?"

Xiangzi said.