Chapter 14: The Desperate Battle

A normal person’s body is like a blank sheet of paper, able to be contained by the tree veins and living in the world below. But the black mud is the dark essence that flows from the tree veins; it has been born solely to contaminate, and it yearns for everything of the creatures above.

Fortunately, the Holy Relics protect the magic girl’s true form during times of crisis. With Mona’s Holy Relic, the Luminous Shadow, which has healing properties, the contamination is barely slowed, and Mona’s life is maintained.

Any life that is touched by the black mud, even if only a little, will be pulled into the abyss. This includes magic girls as well, even the once strongest magic girl, White Rose, who was corrupted by the black mud due to a gap in her spirit, allowing it to take control of her body during her victory.

In the end, it was White Rose’s mentor and surrogate mother, the magic girl Dragon Flower, who used her burning life to create a flaming giant sword, helping her find her way back.

That was the only battle White Rose did not want to win, and it taught her the true meaning of being a magic girl.

She had already lost a loved one once and did not want to lose another!

Ira reached out to pull the black mud out, but it slipped through her fingers like an eel. According to logic, with Ira’s Dark Maid body, she should be able to control the black mud like Leila. However, without the distinctive abyssal magic marks, she cannot command the black mud as a superior being.

Once again, the black mud slipped from her grasp, and its contamination speed increased, burrowing into Mona’s body more frequently.

Seeing her little sister’s pained expression and her body slowly being corrupted, Ira was momentarily at a loss. She tried to take out the Holy Relic, Gungnir, closing her eyes and with a sobbing voice, hoping to activate it, yearning for a response and praying for a miracle.

‘Gungnir, please.’

But the broken and faded Gungnir, like a plastic toy, only had its cracks widen.

‘What do I do? What should I do?’

The heavy rain poured down on Ira, and her tears mixed with the rainwater, sliding down her cheeks. The rain grew heavier, and despite being summer, it felt colder than winter.

Yaya jumped onto Ira’s head, trying to shield her from the wind and rain with its small body.

Ira knelt on the ground, the mud and stones sticking to her knees, only to be washed away by the rain. If I were still a magic girl, I could purify these black muds. Even as the Blood Maid I was five years ago, I could still control the black mud and keep it away from my little sister’s body.

But if Ira uses the Blood Maid’s power, she will surely be contaminated by the black mud. It doesn’t matter if she returns to the darkness, but can she guarantee that her once fallen self won’t harm her little sister?

As the Blood Maid, Ira didn’t care about anyone except her sister Leila.

‘Hah~’

Now, in this in-between state, she looks truly ugly.

Ira hugged Mona, trying to share some of her pain. She tilted her head, letting the rain wash over her face, as if trying to wash away her self-deprecation.

Like drowning, watching the light fade from her eyes, finally consumed by darkness.

Death in either case, no hope…

‘Ira, I can transform into a magic girl now! And here’s a secret: my brother is the strongest magic girl, White Rose! He’s the one I admire most, and he’s definitely out there on a secret mission, and he’ll come back for me eventually.’

‘My brother is the undefeated, strongest magic girl after all!’

The rain was cold, but Ira’s heart was colder.

‘Don’t worry, my dear little sister. Sister has planted a seed in your heart, and it can help you resist the black mud’s corruption for three minutes.’

Sister Leila’s teasing voice echoed in her mind, like a lifeline thrown to a drowning person.

It can help me resist the black mud’s corruption for three minutes…

She took deep breaths, her dim eyes regaining some color.

There’s no time to doubt whether Leila’s words are true or not. She had to make a decision.

Ira punched herself in the face, sending her cowardice and hesitation flying along with her tears.

There’s nothing left to hesitate about.

If it fails, then so be it. The worst outcome is that we’ll both lose ourselves and meet again in the abyss.

Besides, I am the strongest magic girl, White Rose, in my little sister’s eyes!

‘Yaya!’

Ira called out to the mechanical bat in the rain, and it seemed to sense her, flying down and landing on her hand.

‘Second Master, are you sure you want to do this?’

‘I’m putting the personality unique to White Rose into the gun barrel, all for protecting the most important person in my life!’

Ira looked at Yaya, ready in her hand, and Mona, growing weaker in her arms.

This is the only, the only hope left.

A drowning person grasping at straws.

Even if I might end up sinking into darkness, I absolutely do not want to lose my most important person again, like in the past!

This is using the Dark Maid’s power to save my sister, only this once, the very last time!

This doesn’t count as crossing the line, and it absolutely doesn’t mean submitting to my sister Leila, that old witch!

Ira comforted herself with these words, then gripped Yaya, pressing it against her wrist, where there was a tiny black dot.

Yaya took the opportunity to open its wide mouth and bite the black dot. The bloody magic marks reappeared on Ira’s body, particularly noticeable on her upper half, barely covered by her bodice.

They flickered on Ira’s body, like a calamity spreading from her, countless black muds spreading from her feet, the ominous red clouds in the sky, and the falling rain turning into terrifying blood rain. The livestock in the village were startled awake, frantically bellowing and crashing into doors, trying to get as far from Ira as possible.

At the same time, magic girls around the world felt a sense of unease, those sleeping woke up from their dreams, and those fighting the corpse beasts and black mud paused, turning to look towards Ira with trembling bodies.

Especially the two new magic girls in the Pure Soul Village, their heads seemed to be struck, and they fainted before they could react.

Countless corpse beasts hidden on the surface world knelt, their bodies uncontrollably bowing to the distant Blood Maid.

Not far from the Pure Soul Village, in a provincial city’s school, a woman correcting homework in the teacher’s dormitory suddenly felt a familiar aura, then rushed to open the dormitory door, staring in the direction of the Pure Soul Village.

‘Captain!’

Deep in the abyss, Leila seemed to sense something, eagerly sitting on her throne, looking up at the world above.

‘Welcome back to this world, my dear sister~’

Ira brought it in front of her eyes, and Yaya’s body instantly transformed into a mask, firmly fitting into Ira’s eye sockets.

‘Transform!’