Running Away (Part 2)

(Bai Ziye)

After taking down the entire patrol team, I returned to my original spot and caught Anjie safely.

"If it can still be this agile at 38x speed, then bursting at 40x or more shouldn't be a problem, right?"

The Enhancer was very effective, even exceeding its effectiveness before inhibition.

It's not hard to understand why Ceruno was able to filter out the darkness before. Besides her own confidence, Barbara's potion also played a key role. This potion can bring a huge boost in a short time. If you don't consider the side effects, it can practically be a standard tactical potion for magical girls...

However, the side effects of this potion were too severe.

After that Ceruno, I was electrocuted for almost a week. I don't know if there will be any permanent aftereffects. Although I drank an improved potion, I still can't guarantee there won't be any lasting effects...

But now, this is the only force we can rely on.

Whoosh--whoosh--

An invisible chill surged from the passage behind him, and pale frost spread along the four walls, mixed with the cold rage of the Fomalhaut.

"Damn it..."

She had clearly fully recovered. I picked up Anjie and continued sprinting towards the room containing the Wormhole Device, but a familiar humanoid figure wearing a black hood blocked the doorway...

Betelgeuse?

Wrong!

I managed to brake just in time, and the wall on the left suddenly exploded. Countless steel balls flew past my eyes and embedded themselves deeply in the wall on the other side... Some even entered my body, but I managed to withstand it thanks to my magical girl physique.

"Tsk..."

The cloaked figure in front of me was merely bait to attract my attention.

The real killer move is this shrapnel!

This is definitely Betelgeuse's style. If my intuition hadn't been accurate, I probably would have been riddled with holes by those massive steel balls.

The most critical issue was that the process of the shotgun shells flying past me took a long time, which was enough time for Fomalhaut to get much closer.

But is it alright to use this weapon within one's own base?

Bang--bang--

A slow, drawn-out gunshot rang out.

Before the smoke and dust had settled, Betelgeuse launched a series of shots from behind the breached wall.

I deployed Teleportation Halo in front of me, with the exit behind me, directly transferring Betelgeuse's firepower to Fomalhaut, who was catching up. At the same time, I used the Teleportation Halo as a shield, braving the firepower as I charged towards the hall behind which Wormhole Device was set up.

A Monster was about to go inside; it seemed to be... a product of the Star-Nosed Mole?

What it is doesn't matter.

"Sorry! I've already booked this bus!"

Before I could even show a surprised expression, I kicked the mole Monster away from the wormhole, and it crashed into the wall, instantly losing consciousness... or perhaps it's dead.

The Monster operating the Wormhole Device seemed to want to shut it down, but before he could turn around and operate it, I had already rushed in with Anjie in my arms.

Too slow!

No one can gain the upper hand over me!

The scene inside the wormhole remained distorted, like a wrung-out colorful towel.

"Huh? Awoo!"

Anjie, who had been quiet the whole way, started nibbling at my head and trying to twist my neck.

"This idiot! Don't disturb him... wait?!"

Looking back, we saw the passage behind us rapidly collapsing; the passage on the 'The Other Side' had closed, and we might be trapped and killed between the worlds.

So that's what she wanted me to notice.

"Tsk, a little bit of hard work, then we're going to sprint!"

ﾚ(ﾟ∀ﾟ)ﾍC≡=─

They rushed out before the wormhole disappeared.

My feet touched the ground, and before me lay a bustling, unfamiliar city.

The electronic billboards and signs were barely legible with the square characters of the Goryeo Kingdom, and they were lit up with holographic beacons and sounding wormhole alarms, but there was no one in sight.

Except for one magical girl.

They must be here to fight the Monster.

Dressed fashionably but carrying an unconventional chainsaw, she squinted at me and gestured a couple of times before realizing I wasn't some Monster.

Then, speaking in a Korean language I couldn't understand, they helped take Anjie, who was bleeding from all seven orifices, to get treatment.

Everything inside the wormhole becomes fragile. In order to escape from the collapse, I had to accelerate myself and Anjie, but this itself also caused damage.

Let alone Anjie, I myself was unsteady on my feet, and I had several wounds on my body.

So the Korea magical girl put me on a stretcher and then transferred me to a local medical facility.

After a series of examinations and emergency treatments, he was placed in a ward.

Although I escaped from "the Other Side," I was still a little scared. Everything seemed easy, but in reality, any accident could have trapped me on the Other Side.

Fortunately, the magical girls in big cities are generally quite powerful, so they are safe for now.

This time, I took advantage of Fomalhaut's honesty and also owed a lot to Aldebaran's planning; otherwise, I wouldn't have known the location of the Wormhole Device or when it would be activated.

In addition, the side effects of the Enhancer began to take hold, and I ultimately could not escape the fate of losing my magic.

Exhausted, I closed my eyes and drifted off to sleep...

"Miluno!"

... No wonder I couldn't fall asleep.

The hospital room door was kicked open, and Sirius, wearing sunglasses, rushed in with her sleeves rolled up. She grabbed my collar and asked, "What kind of individual heroism are you playing, you little brat!"

She thought I had gone to rescue Anjie all by myself.

"I said... I wanted to go to Kenya to see the African savanna, but the magic glitched and I ended up on the 'The Other Side,' so I brought Anjie back with me... Do you believe that?"

She yelled, "What a load of rubbish!"

Too...

This is indeed a bit outrageous. It's hard to say whether Aldebaran is friend or foe. She did help me this time, but the previous casualties weren't just numbers. Even if she shifts all the blame to Father Ceruno, it doesn't change the fact that she's an accomplice.

"Sigh, let's talk about it when we get back."

I tried to sit up in bed, but I was too weak to do so.

Sirius blinked, and she saw through the Crystal inside my body.

"Did you drink any Enhancer?" she asked.

"Faced with attacks from both Fomalhaut and Betelgeuse, how could we survive without going all out?"

Besides, I've angered Fomalhaut.

"Generally speaking, even if you use all your strength, you shouldn't survive, right?"

Sirius pushed me back onto the bed and covered me with the blanket again.

"Your injuries are quite serious. Don't go to school for the next few days. The Busan Branch has excellent facilities and advanced medical care. Let them give you a thorough check-up; it won't hurt. As for the school... come back in a few days."

Do I have to lie here for so long?

I replied, "No need, I'll recover from this minor injury quickly."

"I doubt it. You're underestimating the potion's side effects."

"No, at least let me go back to my dorm to recover, okay?"

Sirius stared at me for a long time before finally giving in.

"Okay, so you really hate kimchi that much, or are you just itching to see your beloved Ceruno?"

"No, I don't dislike kimchi."

They only denied the first part of the statement.

Then...

Her face flushed slightly under Sirius's amused gaze.