Chapter 147 : Despair (1)

The Magical Girl of [Stars] saw white starlight slowly approaching through her vision.

A color that didn’t exist in the world she came from.

Starlight that didn’t exist in the starlight of chaos where all colors were mixed was approaching.

“They’re coming.”

The Magical Girl of [Stars] watched the light rising along the orbit. Light approached the moon, beyond the realm of earth and even the sky. Following that light, the flame of despair stopped in the hearts of those born from fragments of stars, and a small hope began to burn again.

The Magical Girl of [Stars] couldn’t understand this.

Since everything living on this star was born from complete chaos, returning to one again was the natural order. True peace would be returning to the perfect world. Why were they prolonging the time of suffering?

What difference was there between living by receiving things from the star on its surface, and living as one with the star?

What the Magical Girl of [Stars] couldn’t understand.

The will of stars resonating with the Magical Girl of [Stars] also couldn’t understand it.

We were one from the beginning, and we’re just returning to complete oneness.

There’s only one predetermined result, so why cling to the process?

What meaning is there in the process to be so elated or dejected about it?

Why?

This world is destined to return to complete chaos anyway.

Distinguishing sky and earth, distinguishing each other, dividing everything into imperfect pieces.

What meaning could there possibly be in those actions?

It was incomprehensible.

However, the Magical Girl of [Stars] used the authority brought from a future where even the meaning of time and space had disappeared, according to the voice of the star that had asked for help across dimensions. The authority of a goddess born at the time when everything ended, equal to the goddess born at the time when everything began.

[Stars] Magical Girl’s Unique Skill

Eternal Return

Everything returns towards the predetermined flow.

Rewinding time from the fixed present.

An authority that can be brought from the purest world, the purest chaos.

The chaotic glass color possessed by the Magical Girl of [Stars] burned like the sun as she used the enormous authority. Indescribable chaotic starlight was surging over the quiet gray plain.

A light of ten thousand colors that made one’s mind dizzy just by looking at it.

Chaos

“…”

The Magical Girl of [Stars] fought in repeating time.

In the time flowing and returning again in this world, a 3-day battle that no one except one person could recognize had changed repeated. The battle returned again every time the Magical Girl of [Stars] was defeated, repeating countless times.

“…”

The white ark cutting through the sky and approaching the moon, magical girls fighting to determine the fate of the world. In that battle, the Magical Girl of [Stars] fought alone using every means.

Gradually learning the powers of magical girls through repeated battles.

Comparing with what had changed in the memories of destruction.

She fought on alone.

Once

The white magical girl using numerous authorities overwhelmingly defeats the dragon of destruction, the shadows of the three goddesses, and the Magical Girl of [Stars], coming on a massive ark navigating space with support from those left on the ground.

She easily overcame even the will of stars with power from infinite starlight containing everyone’s dreams.

As she was about to seal even the Magical Girl of [Stars] while sealing the main body of the throne settled on the moon’s surface and the wills of stars, it returned.

Twice

Concentrating all demons towards the path the white ark was approaching. Causing chaos by sending the shadows of the three goddesses to the small earth they cherish so they can’t help the ark. But they overcome everything after a close battle.

The shadows of goddesses summoned by the Magical Girl of [Stars] were powerful, but they were stopped by the numerous magical girls left on the ground, and couldn’t hold out long enough for the white magical girl to seal the will of stars.

“…”

Third, fourth, fifth time.

And the sixth return.

The Magical Girl of [Stars], who had experienced returns enough to make even the power of stars creak, looked back.

The star was in pain.

“Sorry, did I rewind too much?”

A strained voice is heard from the will of stars.

The dragon of destruction was struggling, surprised by the suddenly used power of the world.

“■■■■…”

It was now difficult to rewind the star’s time.

If the star’s time is rewound any further, it will consume even the power to return to complete chaos.

“It’s difficult fighting alone after all.”

In repeating time.

Among the memories of endlessly trying with changes, there were certainly effective attacks.

“The most effective was…”

The Magical Girl of [Stars] grew even stronger and made effective plans in repeating time.

The most effective plan among them was deception.

To make them believe it was already over.

To make them give up that they can’t resist fate..

The attack that made even the Magical Girl of [Hope] falter in the last sixth return. Her infinite starlight comes from human belief and dreams. That authority surpassing goddesses is created by molding more human dreams than any history.

‘Then what if we break human belief and dreams?’

She could no longer use Eternal Return on the world, but she could use it on some targets.

She could use it even on the memories of giant demons that had already fallen.

[Rise, demons of trials.]

Children whose missions were thwarted in the tyranny of changed fate.

Rise.

Whisper the language of deception so humans will give up.

* * *

Kohane, the Magical Girl of [Armor], was composing herself inside the armor. Her friends were all tense for the first time, completely cut off from Sumire, their reliable leader, and having to guard the empty spot of the Magical Girl of [Protection].

“Whew.”

The red sky she had seen so much that even her sense of time was numbed.

In the middle of Tokyo where everyone had hidden in shelters.

Boom!

Boom!

Kwang!

“Interception complete.”

Even now, Kohane was defending by deploying the awesome final form of her armor whenever small rifts opened. The flight-type armor that had grown so large it looked like a ship at a glance boasted an overwhelming size that could cover Tokyo Dome with just its shadow.

Help from friends

-After all, Kohane is the strongest in firepower.

-It’s an ability even my ‘jealousy’ can’t copy.

-Hoet, isn’t Kaede-chan’s ability to copy properly even rarer?

-Shut up.

Though Kohane alone couldn’t have made it, with the help of friends who shared their starlight even at the risk of the curse of struggle. She was able to create armor for just one battle.

Just one moment

Starlight on par with fully bloomed magical girls if for just one battlefield.

Giant armor

Armor to create the future for Kohane and Daichi.

“Nyuhuhu, in the final battle to prevent the world’s destruction… we can’t stop it if we’re afraid of mere curses.”

Now she doesn’t need to grow as a magical girl anymore.

Because her dream has already come true, because she will achieve her remaining dreams without the help of stars.

When defeating the fifth trial, she dreamed of spending the rest of her life taking care of her brother who had started finding stability in the psychiatric hospital, and running a plastic model shop with her friends. But this damn world wouldn’t simply allow even Kohane’s modest dream.

[Kohane! Suddenly a large number of black lion demons are surging in!]

[I’ll go towards Tokyo Bay.]

[Kaede-chan! Get on my back!! I’ll take you there!!]

Kohane was checking if she had missed any signals from Elysion Observatory, clicking her tongue at the sudden radio transmission. But no matter how much she looked, there were no rifts opening in the sky.

‘I intercepted them all.’

Urgent radio transmissions reached Kohane’s ears as she checked for any missed rifts.

[Notice from Elysion Observatory!! A huge demon has appeared in Shinjuku without a rift!!]

“Suddenly?!”

[It’s a giant lion demon! It’s advancing while dividing small lions from its body even now!]

“Magical Girl of [Armor] receiving! Kohane sortying!!”

The giant armor activating with a roar

A massive engine sound spreading around

Swoooosh―!!

The screen visible through the armor’s camera as it flew like a fighter jet towards Shinjuku resembled the scene of a trial she had seen before.

Black demons endlessly pouring out from a giant structure.

Though there were no reddish-brown magical girls and soldiers, the atmosphere was surprisingly similar to the trial.

But what shocked Kohane was something else.

[Abandoned… humans.]

[Return…]

[From the surface of the star… to the chaos of the star.]

[Come back.]

[Not death… but completeness.]

[Born from nothingness, return to nothingness.]

[Everything is nothingness.]

[Completeness lies in nothingness.]

[Stillness, quietness is completeness.]

The black lions were speaking in human language.

Instead of the terrible howls they always made, they were singing of determined fate in low voices.

They were whispering to humans that following predetermined fate was the natural order.