Betelgeuse's Great Crater

(Miluno)

"I understand what happened! Hehe! My little sister is even younger than me! I'll take care of her!"

Xiaoling hugged the dark-skinned, white-haired girl and rubbed her cheek against hers. This affectionate gesture made the latter squint her eyes and reveal a comfortable, cat-like expression.

"Leave the task of Zodiacal to me!"

Xiaoling was also directly elevated to the mindset of a seventeen-year-old child, so the two would have more in common. Carrying the large and small bags prepared by "Achernar Mom", Xiaojie left the prison where she had grown up and officially went to the City School to report.

Although I say I grew up here, I only lived here for a few weeks.

Only after the two left did I ask:

"So, Anjie has seen the current Xiaojie? To put it bluntly, she's the real mother, isn't she?"

The stepmother, Achernar, replied sarcastically, "Of course I haven't seen her. That woman has gone mad. How could I let Xiaojie go see her?"

Just as she said, Anjie's mental state was very poor.

Although she was treated as a pawn by Sun Ji, she doesn't deserve sympathy; after all, she was a traitor.

"Then let's prepare to take action on our side as well."

When I said that, Ceruno stomped her feet in frustration.

Are you really planning to go alone?

"It's alright. Look, is there anything I haven't accomplished so far?"

"But it's always at the limit!"

It certainly hasn't been a smooth ride.

However, no matter the cost, as long as we ultimately win, it will not be a loss.

Conversely, even if one survives, what if the entire world falls into enemy hands...?

"Is it okay to pay any price?"

The little creature suddenly asked, "If giving your body to me could save the world, would you do it?"

Her tone was unusually serious.

If it were true, I might do that.

But something this tiny is at most a witch; saving the world is still out of the question, right?

What she can do, I can do too. Thinking about it that way, there's no need for me to give my body to her.

"You really underestimate me! But this witch is magnanimous; even if I become the dominant consciousness, I will not erase your existence! Don't worry!"

Despite her arrogant attitude, I couldn't resist hooking her chin with my index finger.

"W-what are you doing... Hmm, is this a reward? You think I'm a cat?!"

To be honest, if she weren't Witch Persona, that little thing would actually be quite endearing.

"Don't call me 'little thing,' call me Witch Miluno... Your Highness!"

Foreword retracted.

Let's find Base Body to remove her.

A Ghost.

The Ghost of a magical girl wanders in the sky on the Other Side.

Well, it was definitely in the air.

Having learned from my previous experience, I was smarter this time.

Since there are surveillance cameras on the street, I'll deploy a teleportation portal in mid-air and then land on the ground invisibly.

The streets were still the same, deserted.

This world is about to perish, and that's why they want to erode our world as quickly as possible to prolong their own existence.

But we won't sit idly by and wait to die. Even a rabbit will fight back with all its might against a dying lion...

Besides, I don't consider myself a rabbit.

Just like coming home, they easily arrived at the gate of the base under Fomalhaut's jurisdiction.

The pressure floor and foam launcher at the entrance are still there, but they're not activated. Even the Monster Soldiers we saw before are nowhere to be seen. Have I let my guard down since I haven't been here for over half a month?

No, Fomalhaut's character, there's no reason for him to make such a huge oversight.

This base was built to guard the Monster production line, but that production line was abandoned because of my actions and the appearance of the Magical Girl Soldiers. Does that mean... the entire base is now abandoned?

While Past sense logically, it still seems a bit strange.

The "Memory Tracking" feature encapsulated on the helmet was activated, and a faint red dot lit up on the goggles, extending eastward.

The last remaining memory is from about two days ago, when the base was emptied.

And to the east...

"What?!"

I found a rooftop to wish for, a base for Betelgeuse.

That heavily guarded, trap-filled, and sprawling fortress covering more than 100,000 square meters is now reduced to a massive spherical crater, barely revealing the extent of the explosion. There are no scorch marks, as if a piece of land had been erased from the sky.

It's quite shocking.

Annihilation Bomb, I think that's what it's called...

Perhaps its destructive range is not as great as that of nuclear weapons, but this thing can clean up much more thoroughly than nuclear weapons. The matter within its destructive range is completely wiped out, leaving nothing behind. If I had run any later, I would have disappeared along with Betelgeuse.

However, with only this one cylindrical world left, to still use such a destructive weapon shows that the "Supreme Council" really didn't leave themselves any way out.

"This thing can't go through a wormhole, it's okay."

The little thing is comforting, but I'm not at ease.

"No, it might not have worked before, but it can now."

Since Aldebaran can simulate Ceruno's magic using Artificial Crystal, she can also drop this Annihilation Bomb into our world and detonate it...

Just imagining it sends chills down my spine. I must warn SpiCa when I get back this time.

Those indistinguishable red dots passed Past through the spherical pit, continuing eastward. I didn't stop either, following the trail of longing eastward... To be honest, I can't really tell which way is which now.

And so, I walked for more than two hours.

Following those increasingly clear thoughts, they finally approached the third base—a medium-sized tower-like building.

Although it's called a tower, it's only about four or five stories high. But that height is quite conspicuous among the bungalows in this world, so it can be seen from afar when you climb out of the "Betelgeuse's Great Crater". The outer walls are glittering gold, very nouveau riche.

"Is that Aldebaran's lair?"

As I muttered this, the little thing came out.

"Oh! Witches and towers go quite well together, I want to get one someday!"

Does "after" mean after I'm replaced?

The world was still full of empty houses, and I didn't see a single living person along the way, not even those Monster Soldiers.

But as they approached Aldebaran's tower, Monster Soldiers began patrolling the streets...

No, calling it patrolling doesn't seem like much; it's more like disinfection.

They wore heavy, airtight protective suits and gas masks, spraying a colorless but shimmering mist around the tower.

The little thing also asked:

"Miluno, what exactly is this?"

That's a good question, but how would I know?

Aldebaran isn't one to waste time and effort. If it's poison gas, then this stuff is ineffective against my protective suit. But what if it's some kind of detection technology?

I didn't rush into the mist; instead, I stayed a little further away and observed it from a distance under a streetlamp.

"I have an idea."

What idea has the little guy come up with this time?

"These soldiers all wear the same protective suits; they're completely airtight and you can't tell the difference from the outside. Why don't we just get a suit and blend in?"