Magic, Cannot Be Used (Sai)

(Ceruno)

Perhaps sensing our intention to escape, Miss Alpha summoned her mental world and used its domain to block our retreat.

The burned roads and houses have vanished, leaving only the huge, empty, stitched-together castle.

Whether the entire Witch Domain has changed is still unknown, but the space we inhabit is undoubtedly her domain.

Inside a room against the outer wall of the castle.

Phoneix gathered the trailing Fire Phosphor in front of him and advised:

"Ceruno, don't worry about her thoughts or feelings. Since she's standing in our way, she's our enemy... In the end, I can't appreciate a building that's been hastily swallowed and haphazardly pieced together like this. Since it's devoid of any beauty, let me destroy it!"

BBOOOOMM!!

The roar and flash of the Fire Phosphor Blast created a stunning visual impact. Even from a distance in the corridor, I could feel the heat and had to stretch out my Bubble Membrane to protect myself from the lingering effects of the shock.

"Hmm... did it work?"

"No, it failed."

Even with Phoneix's all-out directional blasting, they failed to breach the castle's outer walls, but instead created a crater in the floor beneath their feet.

Luckily, she could fly, so she didn't fall off the building.

"The internal partitions can be kicked open with a single kick, and the floor can be shattered, yet the outer wall remains completely undamaged... There's not only no door to the outside, but not even a window... Perhaps this outer wall is the barrier enveloping the domain?"

Because there are no doors or windows, it is very dark here, and the red lanterns hanging from the ceiling illuminate the way. However, the Fire Phosphor in the Phoneix also glows and can be used for lighting as long as it is not detonated.

Phoneix clicked its tongue in a huff.

"Is the only way out to get out of here to kill that guy?"

"Miss Alpha can easily recover from injuries within the Witch Domain. Unless we can instantly destroy her Simulacrum Factor, we have no chance of winning."

"If I bury my Fire Phosphor inside her, it will definitely shatter her."

"But the question is how to achieve this step."

Abandoning the pointless discussion, Phoniex, still wearing her Bunny Helmet, began searching for Alpha and Tiger Cub. As for Qianhua, she'd probably hide first and then find a chance to leave later.

The castle is quite large, but fortunately, it makes extensive use of Japanese shoji doors—a type of paper lattice door—so the short-wave infrared detection equipment on the helmet can penetrate the walls well, eliminating the need to check each room individually.

"Ah, finally found it."

I wandered around the same floor for ten minutes.

Phoneix stopped in front of a room.

She whispered, "Ceruno, that dangerous witch is here, alone... Should we make the first move?"

I shook my head and replied:

"No need, let's just go in."

Be careful.

"I know."

Although I wanted to call it a Japanese-style room, when I opened the door, I found that instead of expensive tatami mats, there were straw mats everywhere.

The walls were covered with various scroll-style oil paintings, which looked quite bizarre.

Alpha sat cross-legged in the center of the room, with a soft cushion beneath him and a low table in front of him, but Tiger Cub was nowhere to be seen.

"Miss Alpha."

Seeing us come in, she responded:

Did you arrive first?

Perhaps because the knife broke and she no longer uses it, her bare right arm was neatly tucked into her clothes, making her look very formal.

She said calmly, "You've probably noticed by now, haven't you? This castle has no exit. You have no way out except to defeat me. So let's continue our battle... to the death."

As Alpha said this, he stood up, gripping his wand.

"Miss Alpha ..."

There are things I want to say.

But when I opened my mouth, I didn't know what to say.

"So, this is our final conversation. Future Star Guardian, I will send you on your way in the guise of a witch... but this time it will hurt a little, so please bear with it."

There is no room for negotiation anymore.

He even said before that his knife was very fast and could finish me off before I even felt any pain...

They are people who are capable of communicating, yet they are completely unable to understand each other.

"Sorry, I can't die here yet."

Gripping my wand tightly, I desperately wanted to tell Alpha the thoughts surging in my heart.

"Miss Alpha! The righteous cause you speak of is nothing but barbaric aggression, an absolute mistake, an injustice! If it were merely a matter of survival, there would have been a better solution from the very beginning! It is precisely your indiscriminate military invasion that has made peaceful dialogue between the two worlds a distant dream!"

"... That's not something I need to consider."

"As a magical girl who protects this world, I will not fall here!"

If I die, no one can go out to get help, and the other magical girls and surviving civilians will also be in danger.

Alpha simply nodded, then raised his crimson wand toward me.

A simple action, yet it conveys a sense of immense danger...

This is bad.

Not only did my back feel numb, but even the hairs on my arms stood on end.

An ominous, profound, and dark magic surged within the gem, mingling with immense darkness and magical power. Unlike the neatly arranged ruby at the tip of my staff, Alpha's staff tip resembled an uncut rough stone. Although irregular, the power gathered within it was sure to cause considerable destructive force.

Is it finally coming?

What form will it take...? Alpha's magic...?

Boom--

In a daze, a huge noise came from below that made the entire castle shake. I thought it was Alpha's magic, but she herself held onto the low table below to keep her balance.

"Tsk!?"

"W-What's going on, Miss Alpha?"

"I don't know either."

Even witches can't fully grasp the situation within their own domain?

Boom--

Before they could recover from the first shock, another huge commotion came, this time even causing dust to fall from the wooden beams in the ceiling. But having learned from the first shock, they managed to stay upright.

"What is this?! Is it artillery fire?!"

This is Alpha's territory, but is the Old District still shrouded in the Witch Domain outside the city walls?

Is there any possibility?

Phoneix rubbed his temples and asked, "That loudmouth couldn't find the exit or anyone, so he started smashing the castle's load-bearing pillars."

Tiger Cub?!

Boom--

"This castle is the domain itself, it won't collapse... right?"

Although reluctant, Miss Alpha answered:

"Although it's a domain, the building structure is just a normal castle. If the load-bearing walls underneath are demolished, we will collapse."

It's a bit strange that we were just about to fight to the death, and then we suddenly had a normal conversation.

"Even the outer walls can't be damaged?"

"The outer wall is a barrier. Since you can't break the barrier of the Witch Domain, you can't break the outer wall here either."

Boom--

The commotion is getting bigger and bigger.

The commotion downstairs hadn't even died down when Alpha raised his wand at me again.

Should we still administer the medication in this situation?