Chapter 139

The witch laughed eerily.

From Inie’s body overflowed something dark, enveloping her.

It was so dense and deep that merely watching it felt like being swallowed whole.

“This is… ah. So this is what you mean when you say she harbors such a thing within her… And yet, she remains on the other side?”

Rinne could only tremble.

She could use healing magic. That is to say, because Rinne bore hatred towards the world, she was the one who understood Inie’s condition the most within this group.

“What exactly is that?”

“Loathing. Lamentation. Resentment. Hatred. Whatever you call it, it’s a mass of negative emotions. And more than likely, it’s powerful enough to possess self-awareness. –I see. Though it seems impossible, if that’s the case, then it might be possible without resulting in a dual personality. But even so, at that age…”

Whether they should hear or not.

While Lockwert pondered over this, the battle was about to begin.

In addition to the black sword, Inie produced a red sword in her left hand and dashed forward at a speed invisible to the naked eye.

This wasn’t a battle between magical girls but rather a slaughter between monsters.

Swords embedded within the barrier danced with every swing, and the ground cracked with every step.

The battle, which seemed endless, shifted when Inie took distance.

Why did she take distance?

The reason was clear to anyone who watched.

“Monster transformation, huh. Even though it was what Shengxi desired, it seems things don’t go as planned.”

Damage-wise, Inie probably had it worse.

However, if the battle continued as it was, Inie would have been the victor.

That is, assuming Inie could continue fighting as she was.

“Huh… Did I win…?”

The two, still holding their swords, stood motionless.

The previous clamor turned into an eerie silence where even the sound of the wind couldn’t be heard.

It happened during an unfortunate blink from Lockwert.

“Eh?”

In the time it took for a blink, Inie and Shengxi had swapped positions, and the delayed sounds reached them.

“What just happened?”

“I’m not sure. But it seems… Inie…”

Unable to comprehend what occurred due to her lack of combat expertise, Rinne asked Rozanne.

Even Rozanne couldn’t clearly discern what happened but, upon seeing Inie’s broken sword tip, hesitated in her words.

Inie’s broken blade tip pierced the ground, her sword slipped from her hand, and she fell to her knees.

“Did she win…?”

“It appears so, but… ”

Shengxi, who already seemed to be transforming back into a monster, stood faintly smiling.

There was no trace of melancholy in her demeanor; nothing suggested an uncontrollable rampage from her monster transformation.

“I’ve had my fill. It was a good fight where I gave it my all. I have no regrets.”

“That’s right. However, it seems to be a draw this time.”

“Haha… Then… in the next life…”

Shengxi, who appeared victorious, turned to dust while standing and disappeared.

Though Shengxi died first, thus technically making Inie the winner, Inie herself was battered beyond repair and reverted to a white mage before collapsing.

“That doesn’t look survivable.”

“Yes. It seems like a mutual kill. Though the parties involved seemed satisfied, this counts as our victory.”

There was hardly any sorrow over Shengxi’s death.

This battle was what she desired, and there was no one to criticize it.

However, Inie’s death meant the world’s destruction was certain.

Notreless muttered, “What a boring outcome,” regarding this fact.

The demon contracted with Inie had detached itself and was desperately calling out, but Inie didn’t stir, and her blood pooled around her.

Her exposed limbs through her robe were discolored, indicating how recklessly she had pushed herself.

“What do we do? Should we kill the demon while we can?”

“There’s an order to wait, so let’s do that. There are also some intriguing matters to consider.”

If Inie were truly dead, would the demon be calling out like this?

Moreover, an unidentified magical girl had infiltrated the barrier.

Marin, the novice magical girl who reached Enhanced Form, somehow entered the barrier. No one among the annihilationists knew how she managed it.

Despite her presence, Rinne held onto hope for a miracle akin to Mastidizaya’s.

The unconscious Inie was approached by the magical girl who had infiltrated the barrier.

“Magical Girl Marin, huh? A rookie who’s already reached Enhanced Form. How did she get inside the barrier?”

No one among the annihilationists knew the answer.

However, the mere existence of someone capable of this made Rinne feel slightly uneasy.

It was unclear why Marin was sent instead of a higher-ranked fighter, but she shouldn’t be able to do anything for Inie since Inie was beyond saving.

Startled by Inie’s state, Marin hesitated upon meeting the demon but resolved after a single word from it.

That word shocked Rinne and the others.

“What do you mean the contract hasn’t been severed?”

“I’m not sure. The records say it breaks upon death, so we’d need to ask the witch for clarification.”

From every angle, Inie appeared dead.

Even if alive, only a magical girl of Jeanne’s caliber could possibly heal her.

Furthermore, an army of monsters was approaching Inie.

Neither Marin’s determination nor the demon’s wishes mattered now.

On other monitors, SS-rank minions began attacking cities, causing damage.

As time passed, casualties mounted, and Marin started getting overwhelmed.

Inie remained unresponsive, having lost a fatal amount of blood.

“Tired of waiting. What is that witch up to?”

All that was left was to await destruction.

Finding the situation dull, Notreless thought.

“Who knows? We don’t even know where she is. If you’re bored, you can return to your room.”

Still, they couldn’t leave just yet…

Within minutes, monsters would swarm Inie’s corpse and devour it.

There was no harm in waiting until then.

At that moment…

A cocoon of light enveloped Inie.

Like a chrysalis, it was absorbed into Inie and vanished.

When the cocoon disappeared, Inie stood up.

Not only had she survived, but she appeared fully healed.

The conference room fell silent, filled only with the sound from the monitor.

But the surprises didn’t end there.

“Number 0 – The Fool. Number 15 – The Devil. Simultaneous release.”

This was an impossible occurrence, marked as unknown and impossible in the witch’s records.

The crystal orb as the weapon of The Fool and the scythe of The Devil.

Her attire transformed entirely, revealing her new form.

“Hehe… Hahaha! Who would have thought?”

Someone’s laughter echoed in the conference room.

“You could have at least said hello since you showed up?”

“Fufu, sorry about that. Honestly, I never expected someone this foolish to appear. She really knows how to entertain us. But…”

Normally, releasing one Arcana puts immense strain on the body.

Releasing two would double that load, likely causing the body to explode instantly upon activation.

Hosting abilities equivalent to two Arcanas in one person was already extraordinary.

The witch hadn’t anticipated a magical girl capable of such feats.

“How interesting. Let’s see how far borrowed power can take her?”

After teleporting, Inie appeared above a city.

With a single magical strike, she reduced approaching monsters to dust and healed all magical girls and civilians in the entire city with one spell.

At this point, her capabilities far exceeded those of an ordinary magical girl, leaving the witch laughing.

Even her magic alone was extraordinary, yet she effortlessly felled SS-rank monsters with a single enlarged scythe swing.

She continued defeating monsters and saving magical girls and civilians alike.

“What’s going on?”

Suddenly appearing in the conference room, the witch laughed cheerfully, making it difficult to interrupt her observation of the monitors.

Everyone looked to Rinne, urging her to handle the situation, and eventually, Rinne addressed the witch.

“Oh, sorry. I got carried away seeing such unconventional behavior from a magical girl.”

The witch returned to her seat, catching her breath.

“To cut to the chase, what Inie is doing is pure suicide—normally, her body wouldn’t survive the moment she activated it, exploding instantly.”

“The records stated it was impossible too. Yet, Inie is actually doing it and has been fighting for quite some time?”

Arcana powers have a time limit.

This varies by individual but generally lasts around five minutes, influenced by both physical and mental strain.

Yet, Inie acted as if none of these limitations mattered.

“Yes. I don’t know why such suicidal actions are succeeding, but I suspect her lover is involved.”

The sudden mention of Arcana’s lover puzzled Rinne, given that no figure had appeared.

“I once saw her lover use something similar to that light cocoon long ago. Still, healing Inie in that state should have been impossible… What exactly resides within her?”

“Based on what you’ve said, does that mean Inie isn’t just contracted with a demon but also with her lover?”

If true, Inie would host three extraordinary powers: Arcana, Demon, and Lover.

“Yes, it seems so. Unlike The Fool, it’s a multiple contract. If my suspicions are correct, she hosted her lover before the demon. Truly, she’s a unique magical girl.”

The witch laughed again as most of the monsters were defeated during their conversation.

Inie single-handedly eliminated over a million monsters and dozens of SS-rank ones.

Though there were fatalities, almost no one was injured.

Her figure was nothing short of turning despair into hope, winter into spring.

“This is getting fun. It was worth the wait.”

The usually calm witch’s unusual behavior created tension in the conference room.

This operation, orchestrated by human hands, might be the worst event in human history.

Yet, the mastermind witch cared little about the event, laughing like a love-struck maiden under her hood.

Perhaps she was already planning the next move in her mind.

Despite her unsettling nature, even the witch was amused by Inie’s post-battle shrinkage.

“Alright, let’s proceed with the meeting for the next plan.”

The laughter subsided, and they refocused.

What impossible trial would they devise next for Inie?

Such a meeting commenced.

And then, one chair disappeared.