Fomalhaut

(Sun Yao)

"Dad?"

Auntie tapped her forehead and rubbed her temples, trying to sort out some thoughts.

"Your father said he was going to hold a high-level meeting, but he didn't return to the Association. In doing so, he has tied down both SpiCa and Sirius."

"Miss SpiCa will come after she realizes it, right?"

"She's probably already in the conference room. How could she suddenly leave at this hour? Besides, it would be too late by the time she arrives. What do you think your father did with the Heat Haze Star Crystal?"

I understand.

Miss SpiCa fell into her father's trap and was held hostage by a fake meeting.

Miluno asked, "... Prosecutor, can you track down Ceruno's father's whereabouts?"

"Of course, unless it's a sudden interruption of movement like teleportation, he'll definitely leave behind traceable memories while he's running away."

Lin Xi touched her cheek and stared at the ground.

"Come with me. Your father can't run fast carrying your mother. Let Xiao Heat Haze stay here for now; it's not safe for him to be with her."

After saying that, she left the operating room, chasing after the lingering "longing," but the hospital corridor was only dimly lit by floor lamps, not even as bright as Miss Falcon's braids, so we didn't run very fast.

After climbing two floors along the emergency exit, Auntie looked up through the gap between the stairs.

"We'll probably have to leave by helicopter from the top floor."

"A few minutes ago?"

"Just five minutes."

Very close.

That was around the time we first arrived at the hospital.

Miluno sighed, "They may have already left."

"Don't worry, even a helicopter can catch up. We're very close."

"What I'm worried about is how to deal with that witch's clone if I encounter it again... My magic power is exhausted, and I can no longer reverse time."

As she spoke, she touched the hourglass at her waist.

Miluno encountered a new witch clone on the dam and evolved into "Morning Star - Second Stage" (tentative name) during the battle. Not only did her Battle Dress change, but she also awakened a new magic that could reverse time.

However, that magic could only rewind the target's progress for a maximum of three minutes, which was significantly less powerful than the "Rewind" that Xiao Yi had used before... This one could only be considered a basic version of "Rewind".

"Is that a witch? She's too powerful; I can't help her at all."

Falcon's face was ashen.

Lacking practical experience, she suffered at the hands of the witch's clone.

"Even Miluno now couldn't defeat her... Judging from the situation back then, she couldn't withstand the enormous magical output of her own power, which is to say, her true strength far surpasses hers... The former magical girl has actually become the most dangerous enemy. I really don't know how to fight her."

Auntie chimed in, "That's why we have to block information about 'witches.' If the world knew about the existence of witches, the Association and the magical girls' positions would be overturned. Especially these past two days, the Association has already been caught in a media storm because of Heat Haze. If something like this happens again, the Association will really be in turmoil... Ah, the door is locked."

Auntie couldn't open the rooftop door.

"I'll do it."

Miluno raised her iron-trimmed military boots and kicked the locked door on the rooftop, sending the entire door and frame flying.

But the next second...

The door was shattered into pieces right before our eyes.

Miluno frowned immediately and clicked her tongue, saying, "Tsk, Invisible Blade... Is that guy Cao Cao?"

"That guy?"

I'm not quite sure, did this suddenly turn into a boss battle?

Falcon explained, "This is the witch I was talking about earlier, the one who fought us... and Miluno on the dam... She's very strong."

"The machine is different again, this time it has wings--- Ugh!"

Miluno only peeked out briefly before something unseen shaved off a small tuft of her bangs.

She shouted, "Ceruno, put protective films on everyone, then you take Anjie and get out of here first, don't let the bandages on her be removed."

Does this mean I should stay away from the battlefield? No way!

"I can help in the battle too. Auntie is a support-type magical girl, right? Let her take Miss Anjie away!"

I activated a Teleportation Halo in the stairwell, the other end of which led to the street next to the private clinic.

"Please go first, I want to fight too!"

This concerns me, so I have to stay.

My aunt wasn't being pretentious at all.

"Well, if I stay, I'll only be a hindrance... You all need to be careful. I'll contact the local magical girls as soon as possible to provide support and arrange for the surrounding residents to evacuate."

"Are there magical girls in A2 Area?" I asked.

Because of the upstream reservoir, this area is a vast forest and No-Man's Land. Only some fishing enthusiasts go there for fun, and wormholes rarely appear in uninhabited places.

Carrying Anjie on her shoulder with one hand, her aunt replied, "Little Ceruno, we're already in Zone B2, otherwise there wouldn't be any private clinics here... This is the old northern district of Skyreach City, which is managed by magical girls."

"Then I'll trouble you to contact her."

"If we make too much noise, she'll definitely come... but none of you can get hurt, understand?"

"Isn't that asking too much of someone?"

Unlike Betelgeuse, this witch prefers direct combat. However, even if we combined the magic of myself, Miluno, and Miss Falcon, we would still be far inferior to her. She could overwhelm us with her sheer aura.

Auntie passed through the Teleportation Halo and left.

The continuous teleportation has also drained my magic power considerably, and Falcon and Miluno are both in poor condition. To engage such a powerful witch in this state...

Call out--

The wind howled overhead, a corner of the stairwell collapsed, and the witch with steel wings hovered in the air, seemingly waiting for our retaliation.

"Wait, Miluno... she's not a machine clone!"

A white-haired Caucasian woman dressed in ice-blue armor, a chilling aura emanating from her, even her wings on her back were made of ice—I knew who she was.

"The Fomalhaut Seaheart Sword Ocean" - Fomalhaut

It's legendary.

"It's the real her! How did she get here? There haven't been any wormhole alerts during this time, have there?"

"We can't even handle the clones--"

The witch threw down a sword and planted it in front of Miluno.

It is longer than Miluno's combination sword, and has a guard at the top of the hilt, so it should be superior in performance.

Like the sword in her own hand, it appeared to be a sharp blade forged from ice.

"Pick it up and continue the duel."

Fomalhaut considered Miss Miluno his rival.

Behind her, in a corner of the rooftop, was her mother absorbing the Star Crystal.

And, of course, the father, who coldly watched everything.

It seems some means were used to allow the true form of the "Witch" Fomalhaut to arrive here without triggering a wormhole alert.

For example, they could use the guise of this experiment to deliberately open a wormhole here.

That would undoubtedly be a betrayal of humanity, an unforgivable and heinous crime.

But Dad went to such lengths for Mom.

As a child myself... should I really stop him?

If you find any typos or bugs, feel free to use the paragraph function to point them out. I'll correct them as soon as I see them!