Run Circles, Mi

(Miluno)

Mono is manipulating the body.

And all I could do was watch her run away.

Keep running, but don't run too fast, or it'll be bad if this guy crosses the center line.

"Black Pool"... I don't know if we can still call it that... The enormous Black Mud was like a living tsunami, constantly churning behind us.

Its movements may seem slow, but because of its enormous size, it is actually very fast.

Mono didn't dare to slack off at all, and kept muttering to himself.

"Don't order me around! If you're so capable, run after me! No matter how good your stamina is, there's a limit to how fast you can run!"

No.

You handed yourself over halfway through the run; what if you fell? Let's keep running laps!

"You're so mean!"

Not having to move my body saves some trouble, but I'm still panting because of the long robe.

Although my physical abilities are comparable to a humanoid Gundam, the feeling of my lungs about to burst after running at full speed for a long time and a long distance is still there, and Mono's stamina is also constantly being depleted...

He couldn't even last ten minutes? Is this all Demigod is capable of?

"Don't make it sound so easy, I was running with all my might!"

Mono's complaint.

Of course I understand.

If we rely too much on Time Acceleration, the displayed time will slow down, making the chase seem exceptionally long for us. Therefore, Mono didn't accelerate too much, relying more on his excellent physical abilities and the "Black Pool" to carry out the chase.

I just feel...

It was reassuring that Mono had regained her senses; after not hearing her voice for a while, I always felt like something was missing.

"You're quite arrogant, aren't you?"

Enough with the fuss! Seriously, can't you even eat this thing?

"Big fish can eat small fish, but small fish can't eat big fish! I can't eat it right now!"

So it really won't work?

This thing clearly looks like a lump of stage two Black Mud; shouldn't it be lower level than yours?

It's like the Black Mud that Aldebaran dumped in the Old District, only it looks thicker and stickier.

"No, that's not true! Don't be fooled by its appearance. It's an aggregate of the same stage as me, Azura, and the 'Great Hand.' We are all part of the 'Great Will'... all qualified to become new systems. However, it was given a special mission by the 'Great Will,' so it didn't maintain its human form."

Even though he was out of breath, Mono still managed to explain to me.

But this thing is actually part of the "Great Will"?

Mono is mostly the heart, and the "Great Hand" goes without saying, so what is this in front of us?

Blood?

Or the uterus?

Its mission is to stay in the Breeding Facility and act as a production machine; chasing after it would be considered dereliction of duty, wouldn't it?

Mono muttered softly:

"Who knows? Maybe... the 'Guardian' I ate was its offspring."

Guardian? Offspring?

If all creatures born from the Black Pool are considered its offspring, then the same applies to the Base Body these witches and Monster. However, when crushing and devouring these "children," this colossal "mother" showed no hesitation, absorbing them all into her body like sesame seeds...

Its relentless pursuit of Mono might also be motivated by a desire to devour her?

"Miluno, do you remember that dream? After the light of the 'Great Will' went out, the Primordial Monster flew out of the dark well. The darkness at that time, where nothing could be seen, didn't it resemble the Black Pool filled with black mist? I guess it was the earliest Proxy Unit that was born, but it failed to become the system that replaced the 'Great Will'. Instead, the 'Great Will' gave it the mission of producing machines."

Black Pool was the original Proxy Unit.

She is also the strongest enemy to date; with her enormous and exaggerated size, even the "Great Hand" is probably no match for her.

However, it seemed to lack intelligence, at least not demonstrating any intellectual capacity for communication; despite its immense Dark Energy, its behavior was quite brutal.

Thankfully, I didn't fall into the Black Pool, otherwise I would have ended up as takeout.

What should we do?

Mono asked this, but it seems we have no other option but to keep running.

Suddenly, a bubble shield spread out in the Central District.

It's Ceruno.

The magical girl front is under great pressure. The most troublesome thing is those spacecraft that are constantly spraying Magic Suppressant over the City School. Although some are dispersed by the wind, the concentration on the ground can still weaken the magical girl's magic efficiency and reduce our already weak combat power.

But Ceruno's bubbles can block these.

Mono! Just circle around this bubble and drive away any enemies that try to get close!

"I know! You're just a ghost now, so stop pointing fingers!"

Impatient with my gesturing, she grumbled incessantly, but she did begin to adjust her course. Before, she had been consciously avoiding enemies in her path, but now Mono was heading straight for the enemy lines.

Before the panicked Monster and witches could react, they would be crushed by their "Big Mom"...

Ha! This is much more efficient than doing it ourselves!

"But we still can't do anything about her, can we?"

Boom--

A series of heavy bombs swept in from the outer edge of Betelgeuse's Great Crater, whistling as they crashed into the bubble's surface and exploded in black flames.

Because it was so close to the bubbles, the sudden high temperature and gust of wind almost blew Mono away, and even made Ceruno's bubbles dim considerably.

"If ground troops with combined arms capabilities can't advance, they just use heavy artillery fire to bombard the ground... Aren't they afraid of blowing up their own mothers?"

Despite the curses and swears, heavy firepower alone couldn't possibly destroy this formless aggregate.

"Miluno! Ceruno- chan can't keep up like this!"

Of course I know the situation is bad.

However, if we leave, the witches and Monster surrounding the Central District will also threaten Ceruno's protective shield. In comparison, simply enduring ranged fire is already the best outcome.

"I hope Ceruno can hold on..." Mono muttered to himself.

As they prayed, another barrage of artillery fire slammed into the bubble shield.

This time, the bubbles looked even dimmer.

"... Hey, you really couldn't hold on, could you?"

It certainly looks bad, but we don't have enough manpower available...

What are Sirius and the others doing at a time like this? Why can't we see any other magical girls on the surface?

Another round of artillery fire came.

Before that, a Light Flow descended from the wormhole overhead, illuminating Ceruno in the center of the City School. In an instant, the bubble shield was also stained with the same color, but the falling cannons did not leave the slightest ripple on it.

"Terra, this is the power of the Earth Crystal."

Has the reopened wormhole allowed Ceruno to reconnect with that will?

But Sirius said that using the power of that Crystal would bring Ceruno closer and closer to Terra, eventually absorbing her completely and making her a patch on the "Earth" system.

That won't do.

I absolutely cannot let Ceruno face such a sacrifice.

"They don't want to either!"

It seems that Mono and I share some similar views on certain matters.

But what should we do?