Give children a little self-destruction shock to their worldview.

—Her guardian core has finally been found.

Hidden in the center of the brain, a golden core, like a gemstone, was now being removed along with the brain tissue.

Then it was swallowed without hesitation.

Mayumi Haga briefly lost consciousness.

Main Text: Chapter Eighty-Six: The Head of the Water Demon Megraine

Magical girl Sky Blue is gathering helpers.

Mayumi Haga told her that she needed to use the Reflection Space and asked her to go to Ayasa Terasaki to activate it.

It's true that the Reflection Space can activate automatically, but the previously added rules failed to locate the hidden Megaran, so Mayumi Haga needs to use herself as a coordinate to locate the enemy.

The new rules for the Reflection Space require manual activation by the doctor and will take at least ten minutes.

Because Azumi moves faster than Mayumi Haga, and Mayumi Haga planned to delay the villain for ten minutes by herself, this task was assigned to her.

It seems that the guardian lady and this time's enemy know each other.

Tianlan realized this.

Mayumi Haga knew the enemy's personality quite well, and also knew that the enemy used poison.

Who exactly is Miss Guardian?

The guardian lady informed them about the calamity and warned them to be cautious when dealing with the strange visitors from another world.

However, at the same time, the Guardian also got to know the enemy from the other world... at least to the point of having a certain level of personal relationship.

Tenran and Yuga Mayumi were not familiar with each other and did not know much about each other's past.

Could it be a good person who betrayed the villains, reformed himself, and decided to join the side of justice?

That's what she thought.

Thinking about it this way, the other person's seemingly cold attitude and unsociable personality can be explained.

After all, he was a villain not long ago, so he might not be used to being with magical girls yet.

Of course, this is just her own guess. Only when the Guardian herself tells the truth can we know the whole story.

Although that mouth that is always tightly closed may never have the chance to reveal its true feelings.

Actually, Tianlan wasn't that curious.

But getting back to the main point, there's something even more important.

Within these ten minutes, she is trying her best to gather people who can help, and through telepathic communication that has spread to the widest possible range, she is making a request to all the magical girls in Miracle City, hoping that someone can help her stabilize the situation.

After all, according to Mayumi Haga, the enemy has poisoned the water, and the toxins have spread to an unknown location, so it is necessary to carefully define the affected area.

This project cannot be completed by her alone; it requires the assistance of another magical girl.

Despite being called the entire Miracle City, only Magical Girl Iris can actually help at the moment.

Use tracking magic to trace the toxins in the water, use the power of magic to define the general area where the toxins have spread, and then apply a magical mark so that the doctor can use area magic to remove them.

The magical girls need to complete this task within ten minutes and prepare to enter the reflection space for battle. They must defeat the enemy within thirty minutes, preventing them from detonating the poison immediately upon leaving the reflection space.

Adding to the fact that Mayumi Haga was responsible for delaying part of the enemy's plan, this scheme actually seems somewhat inappropriate no matter how you look at it.

There are too many links that require trust, and manpower and time are not very abundant. In the best-case scenario, it would be best to complete it smoothly, but if even one link falls behind, it will lead to the final failure.

But the magical girls still chose to trust their comrades.

Mayumi Haga was somewhat skeptical about the success rate of this plan, but for her, delaying Megarane was not that difficult.

Furthermore, once the reflection space is activated, isolating the opponent from the toxin and preventing it from detonating, she can eliminate the opponent in her own way.

Just wait.

[Wait, wait a minute! You mean, you're letting Miss Guardian face the enemy alone?!] Even though the plan was already in place, a voice suddenly appeared in the channel after the explanation was finished.

That was a deep red color that appeared to be inexplicably terrified.

[That was the Guardian's own choice... after all, only she can do it right now.] Sky Blue explained, completely bewildered by Crimson's overreaction.

Even if they are in a romantic relationship, it's not right to protest at this point that the other person shouldn't be assigned such dangerous tasks... This was the Guardian's own choice.

Isn't this overprotection?

Furthermore, since the Guardian is clearly an adult, why should Crimson be the one protecting her?

Sky Blue didn't answer, but another voice came through the channel: [Don't worry too much, Crimson. Isn't Miss Guardian very good at fighting?]

Iris recalled the opponent's fighting style and felt that she should be more careful.

This enemy doesn't seem to be the type that corroded your face like last time. As long as Miss Guardian is careful, she should be fine.

She knows what she's doing.

[...] Crimson was a little unsure how to explain.

She had seen Mayumi Haga's less-than-lethal fighting style and knew that because she could regenerate and heal herself, she didn't care much about her body.

She was worried that Mayumi Haga might get hurt.

What she was worried about was that Mayumi Haga would again recklessly cause herself pain.

Those wounds will heal without a trace in the blink of an eye, but the pain endured will push the other person to a more distant place.

Crimson was terrified of such things.

But at this moment, unable to transform, she could only wait.

Waiting for the reflection space to descend, waiting for everything to end.

Crimson fell silent, and Sky Blue did not continue arguing with the other party.

.................................................. .................................................. ......................

The reflection space finally descended.

The moment the world shattered, separating the enemy from the magical girl, Tianlan rushed anxiously into the abandoned aquarium.

Mayumi Haga has delayed long enough; she must provide reinforcements immediately.

The loud sound of water rushing against the ground, and the crisp sound of glass breaking.

After the overflowing water tank was broken, the water that gushed out raised the water level on the ground by several tens of centimeters, and Tian Lan felt that the water was already slightly above her knees.

After turning a corner, she subconsciously looked toward the exhibition hall from which the sound came.

All that could be seen was the guardian lady, soaking wet and dressed in tattered clothes, kneeling on the ground in a disheveled state, supporting herself with her hands on the ground, coughing violently because she had swallowed too much water.

Beneath her, some orange substance was rapidly melting, and its outline could be vaguely discerned as a headless, disemboweled human figure.

In the blink of an eye, that terrifying outline appeared.

In her right hand, Mayumi Haga held a small knife, while a blue gem the size of a head lay quietly beside her left hand.

Rather, it's more accurate to say that the gemstone was sculpted into the likeness of a bewitching long-haired woman, with her eyes closed and a serene smile on her face.

—The head of the water nymph Megaranie hides a blessing for her friend.

Chapter 87: The Song That Resounded in My Dream

The battle between the guardians and the water demons ended in victory for the guardians.

As the guardian cut open the water demon's abdomen, the excruciating pain caused the water demon to shatter the glass. The two of them stumbled back to the ground, their postures initially overlapping in a bizarre way, until the guardian struggled to crawl out—only a dozen seconds had passed.

"Cut off my head," the woman, barely breathing, said to Mayumi Haga. "Take...your spoils."

Her body was practically ripped apart; even the formidable vitality of the aquatic race couldn't stop the life force from draining from her mangled form. The calamity hadn't granted her sufficient regenerative abilities, and such severe injuries led to her demise.

Mayumi Haga's lungs were filled with a large amount of water, and she couldn't stop coughing. She didn't know whose blood it was mixed with, but the bloody water coughed up from her throat, her face was wet, and her eyes were red and tearing from the filthy water.

Her entire body was covered in blood and bits of flesh, and there was even a piece of intestine left; she looked absolutely horrifying.

Mayumi Haga drew her most handy dagger. She used to love using this dagger, and it possessed the [Sharpness] property, allowing it to easily slice through anyone's body.

She pressed the dagger against Megaran's neck, but did not move immediately.

“Goodbye, Megaran.” Her voice was strained as she squeezed it out of her throat.

The blue-haired aquatic creature had nothing more to say at this moment.

She gazed at Mayumi Haga's face with a mixture of pity and relief; at this moment, the Guardian's face finally showed the familiar softness.

Despite being covered in blood, Megrana still managed to capture the sadness she desired in that face.

She closed her eyes, and the corners of her lips turned up slightly.

"I'm sorry, Mayumi."

“…Mmm.” Mayumi Haga’s response trembled slightly.

Then, Yuga Mamiya began to exert force in his hand.

She gently cradled Megaran's head, her fingers running through his wet hair to touch the aquatic creature's cold cheek.

In fact, Mayumi Haga's hands were colder than the other person's body temperature.

The blade smoothly severed her friend's head, and Mayumi Haga felt as if the dagger in her hand was churning inside her own body.

Even though her body had fully recovered, she still felt nauseous.

No matter how many times, she could never get used to it.

She was never the type to cut off her prey's head and hang it on the wall to show off. After all, Megaran was not a guardian and did not have a core that could survive even if the body was lost. Cutting off the other person's head only meant one thing: causing the other person's death.

In this world without the river of life... no, Megaran, already a kin of calamity, could not possibly survive, nor could his soul be reincarnated.

But she must kill Megaranie herself.

It's better for her to be the one to do it, rather than the magical girls who will never be tainted by blood.

Anyway, it's not the first time.

As Mayumi Haga thought of this, a heavy, dull pain came from her chest, as if she had lost all her strength. She supported her body with her hands and coughed forcefully to adjust her lung condition.

The regeneration happened too quickly, especially since it occurred inside Megaranie's womb, where the environment was somewhat harsh, and some parts of her body hadn't fully healed...

Just as Mayumi Haga was making post-battle adjustments, she noticed that the head in her hand felt different.

Almost instantly, the still-warm head turned into an icy blue crystal.

Mayumi Haga realized something and looked up. Sure enough, Megaran's body had turned into orange juice, and the magical girl Tenran, whom she had only recently met, was staring blankly in their direction.

The other person seemed not to have realized what had happened, and just stared blankly at Mayumi Haga.

"...You...you took care of them all? What about the enemy?" — That was what Tianlan originally wanted to ask.

After all, Mayumi Haga was tasked with delaying the enemy, but now there's no sign of them, and it seems she's been through a fierce battle.

And the atmosphere was strange... If she wasn't mistaken, something that had been placed on the ground suddenly melted.

Could it be a trap set by the Orange Juice Monster?

Tianlan looked at the puddles on the ground, which were mixed with something that looked like orange juice. Yuga Mayumi shouldn't have magic, so this stuff must have been created by the Orange Juice Monster...?

No, that's not right.

Tianlan instinctively sensed that something was wrong.

The atmosphere was too ominous. Looking at Mayumi Haga's face, which was even more empty than before, she didn't know how to start a conversation.

Magic is the power of the heart.

If the magic that usually wafts through the air is like a chattering little rascal, then now, in this small, dark place, the magical elements are inexplicably silent.

Tianlan could sense this, so she didn't ask about the enemy.

She asked rather cautiously, "...Did you cry?"

From her perspective, all the other lights in the aquarium appeared dim, except for the bright light behind Mayumi Haga, which enclosed Mayumi Haga, who had not yet gotten up from the ground, while the surrounding area was unusually dark.

Mayumi Haga's white hair clung damply to the sides of her face, the water streaks resembling tear tracks, and her eyes were frighteningly red.

She sat up and hugged the blue crystal to her chest.

"..." Mayumi Haga did not answer, but turned her head to face the front and saw that Megaran's expression was fixed on a calm and serene smile.

She didn't actually shed tears, but water dripped onto Megraña's head instead.

Tick, tick.