The top floor of the mall is dominated by a huge circular room in the center, which is very beautiful.

It's like an outdoor garden with high walls and most of the floor is made up of a mix of grass, flower beds, and stone paths. Small hedges and marble half-walls, sporadic benches and tables provide space for people to relax and enjoy the scenery. The room is littered with dozens of statues, all of which are different magical girls in heroic poses. The glass dome on the ceiling of the room adds to the atmosphere, and I'm sure the room will look otherworldly on a starry night.

A large aquamarine crystal rises from the floor in the middle of the room. It is twenty feet tall and wide like a bus at the bottom, and then tapers to a point at the top. The edges of the crystal take on a natural, asymmetrical look. Plus the glass domed ceiling, which sparkles.

In fact, it just shimmered under the various lights hanging around the room, and although the crystal was already distracting, I didn't need it to reflect more light while fighting.

I looked around the room again. It's easy to take the area from the few damned people guarding it, but it's also stressful. Selina walked ahead of me to the main security room and closed the security door to the room, except for one that she only opened slightly.

The door slid shut from both ends of the wall, leaving a narrow opening from which I could shoot out when they came at me.

In that battle, I cleared the way to the shielded station by a few thousand, and eliminated several spell patrols while gathering the supplies needed, and I eliminated twelve more spells. Five Troll Hounds, three Forsaken Ghouls, two giant cave wasps, and two new types I've never seen before.

The first is the Dragon Jet, a hedgehog-looking creature covered in thorns, with four long, serrated tails and a turtle-like head. At the end of each tail are a dozen long, finger-length tendrils that Selene told me used to pull out and throw away the spines growing out of their backs.

I didn't experience it because I ambushed and killed the monster before it spun around and faced me, earning me twenty points.

The second new curse I encountered was a small flogger. It is a thoracic cavity with wings and a tail with blades at the end. It reminds me of manta rays, except that there are bone spurs underneath the body.

Apparently, it likes to dive to bomb its prey and whip it with its bladed tail on those who fly by.

The whip bat had been in the shielded station room, and when it came at me, I shot it down from behind the door. With one hit, the bullet shredded the flesh of one wing, rendering it immobile. After I dealt with the rest of the curses that rushed to the door, I went to finish it and gained fifteen points.

I scored a total of 125 points. I want every second to be ready for the battle that is coming.

War...

I shuddered, and Selina glanced up at me from the bench we were sitting on. The center of the room is slightly raised, and the crystal is not a shielding station, it is just a defensive barrier. The crystal should be very durable and able to withstand all but the strongest curses.

[Any questions?] Selina asked me, and I shook my head.

"No...... I'm just thinking...... Do you think we can really hold out for five minutes? ”

The stump of my left arm was itchy and I resisted the urge to scratch.

"But is the Cursed wise to break through our open doors?" I asked, trying to distract myself. "So far, they don't look that smart. Why didn't they just attack the gate? ”

Ants in one's pants. There was a pressure in my chest that wouldn't go away whenever I looked at Selina. The situation has been getting worse since we started our mandate, and it's getting worse and worse by the minute. I know I have to say something, but ...... I'm not sure what I can say. In any case, not to make things better.

This means that there is only one option left.

"Selene," I whispered. "I ...... I'm sorry. You're stuck here with me, and...... You are also dead. ”

Serena's head slammed into me, her body froze and I restrained myself from flinching. She stared at me for a long time, and I felt like I was having trouble breathing. The pressure in the air felt exactly the same as it was before I left the shelter, when Officer Wu and Sergeant O'Malley helped me fill all the empty magazines with the ammunition I had purchased.

Atmosphere...... It's suffocating.

When I saw Serena's tail begin to resume its gentle wagging, I took a deep breath and prepared myself. Whatever Selina wants to say, I'll listen. After all, she's bound to me.

Instead, she got me, a dark magical girl who couldn't even use star shifting.

The one assigned to me was her worst luck.

So I looked down at the floor, hunched over, knowing in my heart that I had doomed her. I owe her so much.

[I want to say two things,] Serena began, her voice calm and strangely analytical. [First, even if you die, there is a good chance that I will survive. 】

I looked up in shock and met Selena's gaze with wide eyes.

[I am a magical construct located in your soul gem.] If you die, one last unexpected thing happens. I will first manifest a physical form within me with your soul gem. From there, I'll have an hour to get another source of mana to sustain myself. ]

I was relieved. No, it's more powerful than simple relief. Inside of me, I felt the throbbing wounds of guilt and shame just closed. I've only known Celine for a whole day and she has helped me in such a kind and patient way...... She has always supported me.

I stammered and took a deep breath and felt my muscles relax and all the accumulated tension left my body.

[The second thing I want to say," Celine continued, drawing my attention back to her, [is that I don't want to be with other magical girls right now, even if it means my death is inevitable.] In these few short hours we have been together, you have been the embodiment of selflessness and courage. You fight with all your heart, and I'm proud to call myself your demons. I don't regret it, Mai Kuroki. ]

Warmth welled up in my chest and made my cheeks red. I tried to say something, to tell her that nothing I did was so special, that anyone who was given the same power as me would do the same thing. Instead, I can only make vague, incoherent noises.

[Anyway,] Selene continued, [Don't give up, Mai. There is hope. Once the five minutes are over and the shield is restarted, all you have to do is run. Escape through the opposite door we opened and run into the elevator. I'll stay behind and close the door to prevent the cursed from following me. The elevator doors are reinforced, and even if they try to pry them open, you can run to another floor and hide. It's a good plan. ]

I took a deep breath and a feeling of fear echoed through me, and I violently pressed it down.

I knew with certainty: what I did would save lives.

This will save Lily's life, as well as the lives of all her friends. Enough to keep me going.

I just hope that's enough.

"Is there anything else we can do to prepare?" I asked, looking back at the towering crystal.

Not.

As I focused on my thoughts, I heard a small ringing sound. I decided that I would upgrade to Agile. Of course, it won't do much, but I need everything I can to get an advantage.

[Looks like this worked.] Apart from these measures, I believe there is little we can do in the remaining minutes. ]

After a few minutes...... I swallowed the anxiety that crept up my throat. As time goes by, it becomes harder and harder to ignore this. I need to distract myself......

"What was that electricity just now?" I suddenly realized the thought and stammered as I asked. "The purple-black lightning in my hand? You say it has something to do with my emotions? ”

[yes.] You may have noticed E

o

Something similar happened, and when he was aroused, a green light appeared around him and his eyes glowed. This is a side effect of being able to use magic. Essentially, magic is a given form that is both metaphysical and conceptual. Emotions themselves have strong roots in both areas, and they are intimately linked to magic. Because of this, when a person is emotional, it is easy to let his mana and magic power fluctuate and leak. This usually causes magical girls' eyes to begin to glow, and sometimes what is known as an auditory explosion. Depending on the magical girl and how much they use magic, it can take on different appearances. However, apparitions in general are just a glow, especially when Guardians are trying to control their mana leaks. ]

"Glowing eyes...... Energetic? I asked.

[Indeed,] Selina nodded, her tail wagging excitedly.

"Okay......" I said as I nodded, digesting all the information. But back to that...... Something that bursts of hearing. Why is my lightning bolt purple and black and not a normal glow? ”

[This is most likely related to the fact that you are a dark magic girl.] You already have a unique magic book as well as special aspects. ]

I swallowed the bile that had accumulated in my throat.

"Selene......" I began, but I fell silent as her tail swung violently.

[Wheat.] I know you're prepared for the worst, but I ask you not to give up hope. ]

"Hopefully......" I whispered. I...... I don't know if I can do it. ”

[Don't underestimate hope, Mai," Selina whispered, her voice soft as a cloud. [This is one of the most essential emotions of a magical girl, you are a magical girl, sometimes, it only takes a little hope to turn magic into a miracle. ]

Before I could react, the light fell on us.

I jumped to my feet in surprise and looked up through the glass dome as the flare began to shoot into the night sky, shining like colorful stars. Red, blue, green, yellow, white, pink, and purple. Hundreds of stars flew into the night sky and shone on us, their light reflecting off the crystals to form a rainbow of colors that painted the entire room in a rainbow of colors. I looked up in surprise for a moment, and then the shock vanished.

"Selene?" I asked, my hand clenching tighter.

[Those are emergency flares from the Starlight Spell," Selina whispered,

。 [This is a common spell and Guardians use it in an emergency.] It emits a flare of light into the sky and can even pass through solid surfaces unhindered. They need support. …]

"What?" I asked, nervously shifting my weight, and Selina fell silent. "What does this mean? E

o

Is it trying to tell us something? ”

[I...... No, I don't think so,] Selina shook her head. [I think...... I think what the Acadia Guardians are trying to say is that even if you're alone, they'll stand with you. There must have been an alarm about your death wishes. Even if you're alone, they'll still stand with you. They know what you're doing, and you're honored by it. ]

I winked at the light, and a numbing warmth spread over me.

Is that...... No, they don't even know me. Why do they care? I'm just a nameless girl, why would they do such a beautiful thing?

One of the green stars disappeared in the blink of an eye, and the others disappeared with it. The return of the night sky was particularly striking in the darkness, and without the additional light reflected by the crystals, the room suddenly became dark.

"Hmm......" I licked my lips. This looks more like a message. ”

[I'm afraid we don't have time.] We only had fifteen minutes to run around, which was only possible if we fired directly without Anasema on the road. Even though we took the elevator down, I doubted we would ever be back in time. We never scouted the area around the first floor elevator group, so we had to move carefully to get to the shelter...... No. I just don't think we have time. Much depends on whether there is a clear path and how many cursers there are. ]

I bit my lip lightly and nodded. Selina was right. It was just over twenty minutes before the power went off at the third-floor shelter, and it took five minutes for the shelter to restart. It just wasn't enough time, and I and everyone in the shelter risked our lives.

"Miasma?" I frowned.

[yes.] Long explanationLong story short, miasma is negative mana, which is an integral part of the damned, and it is difficult for them to survive without it. The encroachment zone is a bubble of miasma, and the more curses or stronger they are, the more miasma there is. It has side effects such as interfering with long-range magic. ]

[Anyway...... It's time. ]

That's it, I know how it turned out.

I don't want to die.

But I don't want hundreds of people to die.

I kept going, and my mental defenses went back to place.

On the side near the crystal, just in front of the staircase leading to the garden area of the room, there is a pedestal made of smooth marble. It was a little over half my height and was a perfect cylinder jutting out of the floor with a sloping oval at the top. I walked to the pedestal, as Selena had commanded, clamped the gun under my left armpit, and put my hand on it.

Glowing blue lines suddenly appeared, crisscrossing and crisscrossing with a low humming sound coming from nowhere. After a while, a holographic screen appeared in front of me, showing various menus, readings, and alarms. I looked at it for a moment, hesitating.

[For a moment.] I'll highlight the right option through your HUD. ]

After a second, one of the buttons seemed to glow, and I pressed my finger on it. To my surprise, the hologram was actually made of a physical substance, making it easy for me to press various options, and finally I received a message with a capital letter.

Are you sure you want to restart the Reality Hardening Shielding Station?

I stared at the message for a moment, swallowing the tension in my throat.

[We found it, Mai,] Selene assured me, her voice full of complete certainty. [We're ready.] All that remains is to put the plan into action. ]

I nodded. She was right. There is no point in hesitating any longer.

I pressed the button.