The Failed Rescue

(Miluno)

Xiao Yi rubbed her forehead, squatted down to examine the witches I had bound hand and foot, and pulled out a small twig from behind her back, poking at Betelgeuse's belly to make the latter's wriggling frame rate even higher.

"Aldebaran moved SpiCa away at the last minute, and then because of the missile attack, you came back first with these three witches?"

I said helplessly:

"I had no choice. If I didn't leave, I would be bombed. Besides, I had to bring a few people back first; at least we couldn't afford to lose out since we were few in number."

And who could have imagined that Betelgeuse's base would be attacked by missiles!

Is another high-ranking official willing to sacrifice the lives of three witches to eliminate me?

"But, Miluno..."

During a video call with the Control Tower, Yin Wei sighed, rubbing her forehead, "The previous witch containment all required SpiCa's 'Mental Overlay.' Apart from a few cooperative and well-behaved witches, the rest were in a state of suspended animation. If SpiCa doesn't return, those witches who were forced into suspended animation might wake up and cause chaos."

"We have a way to reduce the harm these witches pose; we just need to turn them back into magical girls."

Jaeger is not at the Control Tower today.

However, I believe her case can be used as a standard for harmlessly disposing of witches.

"Wait a minute, Miluno!"

Time flows more slowly on the "The Other Side" than on this side.

Although I didn't stay there for very long, Ceruno has already returned.

"How's the Extinction situation?" I asked.

The fool put on a serious face and said, "Miss Extinction has already confessed! There was no conflict, she admitted it readily, and Xiaoling is innocent too..."

"Understood, as long as there's no resistance."

I don't want to waste my breath on this. Regardless of whether Extinction pleads guilty or not, SpiCa couldn't be saved. Her case will be left to the law.

But Ceruno said, "Please let me speak with Betelgeuse and the others. Is this seemingly intelligent magical girl Betelgeuse?"

Peace negotiations? She was still thinking about such naive things...

They mistook someone else for someone else.

"No, her name is Viktorika. The one wriggling around like a maggot on the side is the real Betelgeuse, a coward."

Feeling insulted, Betelgeuse writhed even more violently, emitting moaning and groaning sounds.

"She's so tiny, I didn't expect you could capture her... Anyway, I need to talk to the other witches! We'll talk about the Magical Girlification thing later!"

I asked:

What are you planning to say to them?

She answered in a very serious tone:

"I hope that witches can become a bridge connecting the two worlds!"

This idiot, how can he still be so naive? Has he been given some kind of mind-altering potion by Extinction?

"Impossible."

Minister Hefi received a hardcover novel from the unconscious Viktorika. She brushed aside the fiery red bangs that covered one eye and casually flipped through a few pages.

He continued, "War has long since reached a point of no return. Even if the peace you desire arrives, the angry populace will not accept the outcome. Twelve years of war have already sown the seeds of hatred in the hearts of a generation, and have led to the shattering of countless families..."

What she said wasn't some profound truth.

Many people find it psychologically difficult to reconcile with the Other Side.

But in my view, it stems not only from years of hatred, but also from a fear of power.

Ordinary people have no way to fight against Monster, and this powerlessness only deepens their hatred for Monster.

How can one peacefully reconcile with a monster that can tear oneself apart at will?

Are you kidding me? That's impossible!

Such peace cannot bring them a sense of security; only when "the Other Side" is completely destroyed can the people sleep soundly...

"But witches are different from those Monsters. Perhaps they have personalities that belong to Monster, but they also have the characteristics and memories of magical girls! They don't just belong to 'the Other Side'..."

As Ceruno grew more and more agitated, she suddenly embraced Betelgeuse, wanting to forgive its mistakes with Betelgeuse full heart.

Perhaps startled by this sudden action, Betelgeuse stopped struggling.

"... I believe that she also has a part of this world within her. Isn't her hatred for SpiCa also stemming from the anger of being abandoned?"

Upon closer inspection, it wasn't that they weren't struggling, but rather that they couldn't struggle.

I reminded her, "Ceruno, Betelgeuse is about to suffocate because of you."

"Ah?"

Betelgeuse, shaking its head and blowing bubbles, almost became the first witch to die from a breast attack.

"Ceruno, do whatever you want, I won't stop you, but I won't easily change my opinion of witches. They are our enemies, and if they act like obedient little angels, then I'll have to question their motives."

Achernar and Jaeger performed well, but I still can't completely trust them.

Even though they may look similar to magical girls, their personalities are the same as those of the Monster mass-produced for fighting and invasion.

The only difference is that the Monster's Base Body is that of Monster;

The witch's Base Body is a magical girl; her personality and memories are merely secondary attributes.

Having seen that production line for the Monster, I understood that the Monster and witches were merely weapons of invasion from "that will," and the so-called "Supreme Council" was nothing more than managers naturally chosen from among the pawns.

If we truly want to end this war, there is no path to peace; we must eliminate that invisible ruler.

But that's easier said than done.

We can't even handle His subordinates.

Xiao Yi found an empty classroom for Ceruno.

She then moved all three witches Past, and while waiting for the Book Witch and the Bat Witch to awaken, she first removed Betelgeuse's armor.

"..."

Just moments ago, it was leaping and splashing like a Magikarp, but now that it can speak, it remains silent.

Ceruno reminded him:

"You can talk now."

"..."

But Betelgeuse remained silent, with a panicked expression that seemed to say, "Don't come any closer!"

To be honest, her face wasn't cute; it could even be described as alluring and seductive, but it wasn't my type.

Ceruno didn't understand why, so I had to explain, "She's an introverted homebody, even more socially awkward than before."

Some people...

On the internet, ah, they engage in heated debates with scholars and battles across the vast wilderness.

But when it came to reality, ah, he was timid and couldn't utter a single word.

This is the case with Betelgeuse.

She was fearless and trash-talking when she hid behind the machine's clone, but when I found the real her, she couldn't utter a single word.

Ceruno asked:

"What about her robot clone? Wasn't she quite talkative before?"

I had no choice but to continue explaining:

"She needs a special device to operate her mechanical clone, and since the real body is in our hands, even if we add Witch Domain to her mechanical clone, she probably wouldn't dare utter a single word."

"Hmm, a total internet addict?"

Those whom Ceruno calls "useless" are probably truly beyond saving.

"Then let's correct this personality trait first!"

Ceruno suddenly became motivated.

"What do you want to do? She's the assassin who's always wanted to kill you, you know?"

I tried many times, but never succeeded.

Was it because it was so humiliating that the higher-ups on "the Other Side" disregarded her life and used missiles?

Ceruno replied:

"I want to turn her back into a magical girl, and then hand her over to Nagare and Achernar to discipline."

"Huh? Them?"

I wonder if this idiot said that on purpose.

After all, Betelgeuse and those two also had a grudge.