Burning Falcon

(Ceruno)

The location where the witch invasion occurred is...

Europe.

Belarus.

Minsk.

A historically significant trading center.

Above the magnificent church with its white walls and gold ornaments, the Witch Domain has unfolded.

Arriving too late, but if we want to infiltrate from the outside...

"Heat Haze, Falcon! My bubble can merge into the Witch Domain barrier, so take me and crash right in!"

"No need for two names, just call me Phoenix. I am the divine bird born from the sun!!"

The phoenix image originates from the ancient Egyptian sunbird, a firebird said to be the size of a falcon with glowing feathers all over its body. This is fitting for the name Falcon and also matches the radiant hair they have after merging.

Magical Girl Phoenix?

It sounds cooler than "Celius"...

Yes, Miss Sirius lent me her power, and I will take control of her consciousness.

"Then Phoenix, let's go!"

Her hands gripped my waist from behind, encasing me in a Radiance bubble designed for fluid dynamics, and we plunged down into the Witch Domain.

Pfft

It didn't feel like anything was shattered; rather, it felt like falling into the sea.

"They're in!"

Phoenix was puzzled.

"Is this... the church we were in earlier?"

This was the first time she had ever seen the scene within the Witch Domain.

"Yes, the Witch Domain changes according to the witch's own state of mind."

But why does this place feel more like heaven?

A white palace above the clouds, with a huge, sacred cross standing tall on a high platform.

The men, women, and children who were originally inside the church were now all shackled and kneeling in the shadow of the cross.

And the witch...

"Celius! Over there!"

Dressed in a pure white nun's habit, yet adorned with numerous golden crosses, the black-haired witch looked like a messenger of God.

Phoenix asked:

"Oh ho! Is that the witch?"

"Yes, I can sense the powerful Dark Energy within her."

"But she was too close to the people, and it was difficult for my Fire Phosphor to avoid hurting them."

"I can protect the people!"

"Alright, you go down first! Watch me take her to heaven!"

Phoenix placed me on the platform and then charged alone towards the Cross Witch.

I hadn't even raised the gun in my hand yet...

"God says, you have sinned."

It was a soft murmur, yet it possessed an extremely strong penetrating power.

This is a witch's magic.

Upon hearing this voice, his body felt as if it were filled with lead, unusually heavy, and he collapsed to his knees without resistance...

Were those kneeling people also victims of this tactic?

Phoenix also fell from the air onto the platform, its wing-like cape fluttering twice, but unable to take flight.

"Word Spirit magic? That's outrageous!"

With a deafening roar, Phoenix soared into the sky once more, using the force of the explosion to propel herself upwards. She then barely managed to spread her wings and glide over the crowd toward the bewildered witch.

"God said, 'Let there be wind.'"

Phoenix, which had originally risen with the help of the blast, was blown off the platform by a sudden gust of wind just as it was about to pounce on the witch, and fell into the surrounding clouds.

Oh no!

The witch's words will affect reality.

However, there are certainly limitations, such as...

She barely managed to lift the Ruby Gunstaff in her hand; the tip of the spear gleamed, and a soundproof membrane coated the witch's body.

She said something, but nothing happened.

Sure enough, her magic only takes effect when her voice is heard... but the effects of being under her spell won't be removed, and my body remains heavy.

The witch took a cross from her chest, weighed it in her hand, and the cross suddenly enlarged.

She dragged the cross through the crowd and walked slowly toward me.

Are they offensive weapons?

Having merged with Miss Sirius, I could even withstand the sword energy of Fomalhaut, so how could the witch's enraged attack possibly break through my defensive bubble?

Clang--

The cross slammed into my bubble, making a sound like metal clashing, and the witch was jolted awake, shaking her hand.

"Ceruno!"

Phoenix rose again from beneath the clouds, the resurrection effect on her gone, and scattered a trail of shimmering magical phosphorescent powder around me.

"Just because you carry a crucifix doesn't mean you're a priest! Witches should be burned at the stake all the time!"

The witch's body began to burn; she had distanced herself from the crowd to deal with me, which gave Phoenix the opportunity.

But this is Witch Domain.

"This guy, can't he be burned to death?"

I explained:

"Witches heal quickly within their domain. If we can't deliver a decisive blow, we should at least extract the darkness from her body and turn her back into a magical girl."

"Then what should we do?"

"I'll filter it, you use brute force to pull her out."

The Bubble Membrane gathered on the witch's body, shrinking into a single point... Huh?

"Wait! Like Pawa, she's a witch created by a high-level Monster. The darkness within her is tangible... it's a high-purity Simulacrum Factor!"

Phoenix asked:

"Pawa? Who's that?"

That's right, she was unaware of what happened these past few days.

But if the Simulacrum Factor is extracted, not only will the chest explode, but the body will also lose consciousness, which is almost the same as dying.

Unlike the previous witches, there is no way to save the witch who was transformed by the Monster.

"I can't simply extract the darkness from her body!"

Upon hearing this, Phoenix began to gain altitude in the air.

"Then let me deliver the fatal blow! Ceruno! Protect the people!"

Phoenix, diving vertically, truly resembles a burning firebird.

The massive amount of Fire Phosphor behind her spiraled and contracted into a line, eventually transforming into a towering pillar of exploding fire centered on her and the witch.

--BurningRainRush!--

The flames burst forth with the Radiance of the sun, and I had to reduce the light transmittance of the bubbles to avoid blinding them.

This astonishing power, had it not transformed into "Celius," would likely have been reduced to ashes by the nuclear explosion.

The Cross Witch lost consciousness; her entire body was burned to charcoal by Phoenix, and her gold ornaments were nearly melted. However, being in the Witch Domain, she was not completely dead, but recovery would take a considerable amount of time.

Did you win?

Phoenix stood in the fire as if nothing had happened, his face beaming with excitement.

She was quite pleased with her newfound power.

Flames and explosions couldn't harm her; her long, glowing hair fluttered in the heat, and her fire magic was remarkably effective. She truly looked like a superhero.

She proved with her actions that Dual-Core Magical Girl is capable of fighting against this new threat of Artificial Witch.

Perhaps because the witch lost consciousness, the magical effects on me had dissipated, which allowed me to get up from the ground.

"The battle is over, now it's my turn to do my job!"

I raised my staff and began to gather the Dark Energy of the Witch Domain, eventually condensing the darkness of the entire domain into a square Black Crystal.

Sending the Crystal outside the domain caused the Witch Domain to lose its support of darkness and completely collapse.