Chapter 440

"Where to go next... what to do..."

The light in her eyes grew increasingly unfocused and cold.

In fact, Phantom Wind has stopped thinking about it seriously altogether.

She was simply acting on instinct, wanting to escape with Haihara.

Suddenly, Phantom Wind felt the person he was holding tremble slightly.

It looks like Haihara is about to wake up.

In the Snowfield, white snowflakes drifted down, and the girl in Phantom Wind's arms had fair skin with a rosy glow, like an ethereal princess in a dream.

The girl, who looked about twelve or thirteen years old, trembled slightly with her long, aloof eyelashes.

For Phantom Wind, his family member, who had just been seriously ill, has finally regained some consciousness.

But this did not make her happy.

She looked uneasily at Haihara in her arms:

"Mother?"

Phantom Wind asked the twelve or thirteen-year-old child as if seeking reassurance.

However, what she saw was a pair of bewildered, confused, and unfamiliar eyes staring at her, completely unaware of what was happening.

The child who woke up, Haihara Lily Chou, didn't understand why she was being held in someone's arms.

Moreover, the other person seemed to be in great discomfort due to the high fever, and their listless eyes showed great unease.

However, she seemed to know what she should do.

Then, as if searching for something, the child looked around.

But looking around, there were no familiar figures, only complete strangers.

"I feel so awful... Where am I?"

Haihara stared blankly at the only person in front of her.

"... Who are you?"

This seems to be another question that cannot be answered.

Phantom Wind stared at Haihara silently, saying nothing. Her bright red pupils were perhaps a little frightening at that moment.

After sensing that Haihara was trying to break free from his arms, Phantom Wind carefully put Haihara down to avoid hurting her while in a bad state and unable to control his strength.

"Careful."

She said it instinctively.

Phantom Wind was still holding Haihara's hand and supporting her, but Haihara was still swaying when she stood up again.

The little girl had no choice but to rely on the Phantom Wind.

Her damp, cool hair pressed against Phantom Wind's body, Phantom Wind felt that she was very gentle and fragile.

Like the other affected citizens, Ai Haihara's eyes were weary and hazy, as if she were searching for something.

"It's so cold," she whispered, but the Magic Power protective barrier created by the Phantom Wind hadn't broken, so there was no cold air; it was just a physical sensation.

"How strange, why am I here... I need to go home..."

She had a strong feeling inside her that she wanted to go home.

I want to go somewhere where I don't have to think about anything, back to a place I know and love.

But when she looked up at the stranger leading her, where was he taking her?

It's really upsetting.

Her whole body felt like it didn't belong to her; her bones and blood felt heavy, and her head felt like it was filled with stones, burning hot. Her senses kept telling her she was cold one moment and hot the next.

Just then, someone appeared in her field of vision.

Phantom Wind's body froze once again.

"It's no use running away anywhere, after all, we both live in such a small world, Miss Phantom Wind."

When she came to her senses, everything around her was obscured and blocked by strange vines that had burst forth from the Snowfield, blocking her path.

Phantom Wind numbly turned around and looked at the Flower Demon King who had inexplicably appeared in front of her.

As expected, the Flower Demon King caught up with them.

There's no time to think about it anymore.

In her current state... can she defeat her opponent?

There was no chance.

The only option was to continue fleeing.

However, just as she was about to take Haihara's hand and run away again, the little girl tried to break free of her grip on Haibara's hand, which she hadn't dared to hold tightly.

Phantom Wind was taken aback.

"... Eh?"

This scene was unfolding right before her eyes.

She had become a member of the children's family, and having just broken free from their grasp, she didn't look at herself anymore. Instead, she looked towards the Demon King's side, and then, in the opposite direction, tried to walk towards Tachibana.

The child didn't manage to walk very far, but in Phantom Wind's eyes, this moment stretched out very long and far.

The vast snow fog turned everything gray and white, and even the figure of Tachibana in the distance became blurred.

However, there is no doubt that what is happening before our eyes is not an illusion.

Not only that, the little girl, who remembered nothing, looked at the smiling woman in the distance, as if she mistook her for someone familiar, and said in an innocent tone:

"--Mom, take me home."

Chapter 195 Thus, the world was shrouded in gloom.

The world was noisy, with the sounds of wind, people, and all sorts of noise mixed together, which was a little annoying to Phantom Wind.

But when the little girl broke free of her hand and ran towards the woman in the distance, her whole world fell silent, and everything seemed insignificant.

Even a fleeting moment can be stretched out infinitely.

For a moment, Phantom Wind thought he had touched his throat and shouted.

But in reality, it doesn't.

She was completely blank, her mind a void. She didn't dwell on whether Tachibana had played some trick on her; all that remained in her mind when the child left her was the thought that the child had left her.

Why would you think that way?

Why do I feel so lost?

Phantom Wind wasn't actually distracted for long, perhaps only a breath or two, but that was enough to be fatal.

The next moment, from the ground separating her from Haihara, jet-black demonic vines burst forth, transforming into an impenetrable barrier that swiftly swallowed Haihara's figure from her sight.

Everything happened in the blink of an eye.

The moment Phantom Wind stretched out his hand, the vines changed direction and all rushed towards Phantom Wind like a rolling tide, trying to Phantom Wind and pull him away. In the blink of an eye, the space where Phantom Wind was located was completely devoid of light.

The vines lashed at Phantom Wind like whips, striking her bones with immense pressure, before quickly transforming into chains that coiled around her arms, legs, and neck.

Then, they began trying to twist off the Phantom Wind's neck.

The next moment, from the darkness, wind blades tore apart the attacking vines, and the corrosive liquid in the vines sprayed out like blood, but was then completely blown away by the fierce wind.

In an instant, the wind sounded like thunder.

However, the Phantom Wind that broke through it appeared completely silent.

This time, unlike before, she didn't say anything to Tachibana, the culprit behind all this.

She simply reached out, wanting to grab Haihara, who shouldn't have strayed too far from her.

The view gradually became clear.

The Magic girl's crimson eyes reflected Haihara's image once more.

The other person was still facing away from him, so his face was not visible.

Even though the other person's pace is so slow to me, they are still getting further away.

Like a dream.

Phantom Wind is truly incomprehensible.

Before she could react, reality struck her as she ran toward her mother. She reached out, trying to grasp the familiar hand, but just as she was about to touch it, Tachibana, as if playing a prank, lashed her hand with a vine whip, slapping it away.

She extended her other hand.

But this time, the resurrected demonic vines behind her flew over in an instant, wrapped around her wrist, and pulled her backward.

Her body suddenly felt suspended in mid-air and weightless.

"..."

Phantom Wind seemed to make a sound from his throat.

It was as if she was choking, but she held it in herself, and her pupils, which had been lifeless lately, were now gleaming with a faint light.

Time moves slowly for the fastest Magic girl.

Every second felt incredibly long.

But something still relentlessly pursued her in every stretched-out moment, pulling her back to the harsh reality.

She was like a horse trying to break free of its reins.

But the reins were now binding her tightly, and were getting tighter and tighter.

In her current form, she is completely incapable of fighting the Demon King.

However, if he used the Fang form, there would be no way he could protect Haihara, let alone escape with Haihara.

Or is it that... that one won't work either...?

Before she knew it, vines and thorns had entangled her hands and feet. Every time she tried to struggle, the thorns would cut her flesh and draw blood.

Amidst the long, foggy night, the white-covered view finally refocused, and in the swirling snow, the woman and Haihara's figures finally became clear again.

But by then, things were completely different.

Beside the little girl, a woman had gently placed a hand on her thin shoulder, like a mother caring for and protecting her child. Little Haihara leaned against the woman and stopped looking at Phantom Wind.

Only the child's black hair, ruffled by the wind, fluttered wildly.

In the midst of complete silence, sound finally reappeared.

"Were you scared? Are you cold? Don't worry, we'll be home soon."

Tachibana comforted the child she was holding.

She gently let Haihara lean on her arm, but in reality, she was blocking Haihara's view of what was behind her.

Now, Ai Haihara has come to Tachibana's side.

Phantom Wind, on the other hand, was entangled and burdened by the vines. No matter how many he tried to cut, more would entangle him.

She hadn't had a chance to speak.

But now, time, which had been slowing down, has finally started flowing again in Phantom Wind's eyes.

Her hoarse voice rose again.

By the time I realized what was happening, warm tears were already streaming down my face.

"Give it back to me!"

The girl shouted at Tachibana.

"Give it back to me! Give it back to me! Give it back to me!"

That was like the shouting of a willful child.

But these were the only thoughts in Phantom Wind's mind right now.