Toyokawa Shoko doesn't want to become a witch

Page 470

"So what if she's like a doll? It's not the first time someone's called that." But Medien's next words sent a chill down Mu's spine.

"...It looks like it would break very easily."

"I am a human being, not a puppet." Mu paused for a moment, then continued forward.

“Oh…” Medine nodded and followed.

She seemed to have said it subconsciously, without any other meaning.

Was it just innocent childish talk, or was it an act of feigned innocence?

Mu turned his head and glanced at the girl following behind him.

Xiangzi hadn't witnessed Medine suddenly transform into her innocent and adorable self in front of everyone, so he probably didn't have such a strong feeling about it. But Mu had seen it with his own eyes, and now hearing these words, he felt terrified.

"..."

Mu silently turned around and pressed the elevator button.

================

"Is she Medine, or someone else?" Xiangzi sat on the bed, seemingly talking to himself, staring at the ceiling.

“She is not wrong.” A voice came from beside Xiangzi. “It’s just that you triggered her self-protection mechanism. Someone must have taught her to close off her consciousness and replace it with a ‘scapegoat’ to prevent her subconscious from being explored more deeply.”

"is that useful?"

"It will definitely work. At the very least, doing so will maximize the alertness of the subconscious mind, and at the same time, this scapegoat will act as a protective shell to shield her own subconscious mind."

“Now that you say so, I’m sure.” Xiangzi rolled his eyes at the suddenly appearing Qiu Bi. “But Delete, when are you going to change your habit of appearing and disappearing like a ghost?”

“Weren’t you talking to me?” Delete lifted his leg and scratched his ear. “Or were you really talking to yourself? I’m sorry, I misunderstood.”

“I did want to find you…” Xiangzi hugged his left knee, straightened his right leg on the bed, and turned his head to look at Delete. “But how did you get in? Does Kyubey also have the concept of dreaming? I thought you guys didn’t need to sleep.”

"The Dream House is essentially created by developing the power of the Seed of Lamentation. It can be cracked with a little research," Delete said. "Look, that green-haired guy came in with you too."

"Alina is probably asleep."

“No, she’s already dead,” Delete said with a perfectly normal expectation. “She was already a corpse when I crawled in.”

"What do you mean? Aren't magical girls supposed to be... wait a minute."

Xiangzi paused halfway through his sentence.

"You said Alina is dead, then what about her Soul Gem...?"

A magical girl's body will only "die" if the Soul Gem is far enough away or shatters. If Alina "died" for no apparent reason at an altitude of 10,000 meters, there is only one possibility.

“It’s broken,” Delete said.

Xiangzi's pupils suddenly shrank to their smallest size.

She suddenly raised the back of her hand and looked up at the witch's kiss floating above.

This was the first time she had noticed the pattern of the Witch's Kiss, which resembled a square canvas covered with intricate patterns that overflowed from the canvas.

Painting is Alina's magic.

"Delete, you mean the owner of this Witch's Kiss is—"

"—Just as you thought, it's her." Delete nodded. "It's not the witch she brought in, but she herself who became a witch."

"She willingly became a witch?!"

"If nothing unexpected happens, that's how it is." Delete nodded. "It's possible to intentionally become a witch, and it's very easy; you just need to maintain that thought for a while—although normal people wouldn't do that, because..."

“…This is suicide.” Xiangzi looked at him with incomprehension.

What made her so decisively give up her own life? And what was her purpose in becoming a witch? Was it merely to stop herself from stealing information from Medien's subconscious?

“Becoming a witch with a specific purpose allows you to tailor the witch’s nature to your desired effect; you’ve probably seen similar examples before,” Delete said. “Alina has very likely already become one with dreams.”

“Mu…” Xiangzi lowered his head.

Back in Kamihama, it was Mutsumi who willingly transformed into a witch, sacrificing her life to block Mami's self-destructive attack. Now, those who did the same have become their enemies.

Xiangzi looked at the witch's kiss on the back of his hand, his brows furrowing.

"Never mind that for now. Instead of worrying about Alina, we should think about what to do next." Xiangzi climbed out of bed and walked towards the door.

The witch's kiss on myself and Meow Dream will continue to send signals to the subconscious guard of the first layer of the dream, or to Alina's familiar. It is estimated that the pack of werewolves will catch up soon.

Now she's having Chu Hua get a carriage so that they can enter the next level of the dream while still moving.

The original plan was to proceed with the next phase in this safe house, but it's clearly too late now.

Xiangzi clutched his hair, his fingers tapping rhythmically as he rode the elevator down.

She suddenly heard a clap of thunder.

boom--!

The thunder was exceptionally clear even amidst the torrential rain; it could be heard even from a great distance.

However, the sound was slightly different.

When the thunder started, Xiangzi looked up at the window and found that there was no flash of lightning outside.

--"ah----!"

Just then, a scream came from downstairs.

Only then did Xiangzi realize that what he was hearing was not thunder at all, but gunshots.

"That's Medine's scream!"

Xiangzi broke out in a cold sweat.

The Tale of Reincarnation: The Path of Fall, the Road of No Return: Chapter 620 Not Yet at the Brink

The moment Xiangzi realized it was a gunshot, he knew something was wrong.

Before the elevator even landed, she quickly pulled open the gate and rushed from the walkway into the lobby. There, she saw a group of people surrounding the petite Medine, looking completely bewildered.

The rain outside seemed to have intensified, and water began to flood into the hall, making it feel like the sky was about to collapse.

Medine lay on the ground, emitting faint moans.

When Xiangzi came to Medien, what caught his eye was the crimson stain that was gradually spreading on her abdomen, with a small hole in the center of the crimson stain.

Although the hole was small, Xiangzi had been using guns for many years, so it was impossible for him not to know how much damage a bullet could cause to his body.

Mu was using his silk threads to treat her wounds urgently, but there was no anesthetic available, and Medine looked extremely pained.

“There was a gunman lying in ambush outside the window, and he fired when she passed by.” Miao Meng covered her head with a bitter expression. “Why would the subconscious guardian shoot its own owner? I don’t understand.”

"Because she'll wake up if she dies?" Hailing said.

“Impossible, he won’t wake up.” Xiangzi shook his head. “The sleeping pills we used were specially formulated strong sedatives. Apart from the way multiple dream layers fall simultaneously, the only way to wake up is to wait until the effects of the drug wear off. Even if you die in the dream during this period, you won’t wake up.”

More likely, it wasn't Medine's subconscious defense that fired the shot, but Alina's.

But before he could voice this thought, the conversation veered into another abyss that left Xiangzi feeling utterly devastated.

"What happens if you die?" Rebecca asked.

"..." Xiangzi looked at Medion's struggling appearance and took a deep breath. "The person who can fall into the deep dream and invent the dream house calls it 'Limbo'."

"Limbo?"

"The deep collective unconscious," Xiangzi explained simply.

She didn't actually want to explain this thing at all; it shouldn't have needed to be mentioned in the first place.

"What's in there?" Hai Ling continued to ask, her seemingly calm tone carrying a hint of interrogation.

"There is only primordial and infinite chaos, unless..."

"Unless?" Miao Meng raised an eyebrow.

"Unless one of the people sharing the dream has stayed in Limbo and left something there."

“You would specifically mention it unless someone has been there, could it be…” Hailing’s speech gradually slowed down.

She wanted Xiangzi to give the answer himself.

“It’s me, I used to be in there.” Xiangzi covered his head, his voice almost breaking down. “So there must be some messy stuff I left behind in Limbo.”

Limbo is the name given by Tae Hanazono, the inventor of the Dream House. In terms that Shoko is more familiar with, it is a deep barrier, but only Shoko knows this concept. She knows very well what lies at the deepest level of dreams.

Nirvana! That guy is still locked up inside! Why did this happen?!

How many more unexpected events are about to happen? Time was already running out after being marked by the Witch's Kiss, and now Medien has been shot by her own subconscious guard.

No, the subconscious would never do something to harm itself. The only person who could do such a thing is Alina. Is she trying to wake Medine from her dream this way, or does she have some other motive?

Regardless of what Alina was planning, Xiangzi admitted that she had achieved her goal.

Everything is now in complete chaos, and Xiangzi's mind is becoming increasingly confused.

"Xiangzi, how much more have you not told us?" Miaomeng asked, her eyes half-closed, with a hint of disappointment in her voice.

Xiangzi raised his left hand and grabbed his right upper arm.

Too many accidents happened too quickly, and she began to feel overwhelmed.

What else is there that she hasn't told everyone? Even she herself isn't quite sure now.

"I've told you everything that needed to be said! The deep barrier was originally a realm that there was absolutely no need to come into contact with!"

"Really? You've told me a lot, but you've never told us what's hidden in your subconscious." Miao Meng crossed her arms and looked at her scrutinizingly. "Who else but you knows what you're thinking right now?"

"Why did everyone suddenly become like this?" Chu Hua suddenly stepped in, standing between Miao Meng and Xiang Zi. "Stop arguing. Getting heated like this won't do anyone any good."

Xiangzi took a step back.

Miaomeng held her forehead and turned her head away.

“I really want to believe you, Xiangzi.” She lowered her voice. “I really want to help you, but only if you trust us. One-sided trust is very fragile.”

“I have already…”

I already trust you completely, and I've done everything I can.

I don't know why, but I just can't bring myself to say those words.

She didn't want to complain anymore; doing so would only make her seem incompetent.

Xiangzi had a bitter face and hung his head.

The sound of the downpour masked her slightly twitching breaths.

"The wound has been stitched up."

Mu spoke at the opportune moment, breaking the calm amidst the downpour.

"She can hold on for a while longer."

"How long?" Hailing asked.

"I don't know. This body is too young. Even if the bleeding is stopped, it will be difficult to last long."

"So, are we at our wits' end?" Rebecca, who had been watching the drama unfold for a while, finally spoke up. "It's all over, Game Ov?"

"Not yet." Xiangzi clenched his fists and gritted his teeth. "It's still a long way from being over."

She raised her head, her bright golden eyes filled with an overwhelming ferocity.

When people are driven to despair, they always want to destroy everything around them, but Xiangzi restrained himself, suppressing the urge to destroy everything.

They haven't reached a dead end yet.

She still has things she can do, so there's no need for her to complain or seek pity from others to comfort herself.

Be strong, Toyokawa Shoko. You've been through so much already, what else can possibly defeat you?

"Chuhua, is the carriage ready?" Xiangzi turned around and asked.

"Yes, just park it outside the main entrance." Chu Hua looked towards the entrance.

"Rebecca, did you get the Dream House on the top floor?"

“Here you go.” Rebecca lifted the leather briefcase in her hand and shook it. “This is it, isn’t it? The packaging even adapts to local customs.”

“Then we are far from despair,” Xiangzi said. “Let’s put Medine on the car and get ready to leave.”