NOVEL NEXT Chapter 68 - Ouja reappeared
“Boom!”
WuYue’s fist collided with ‘YouYu’s’ body, and an explosive pillar of flames surged upward from their point of impact, stretching over ten meters into the sky. The sheer heat distorted the air, creating a fierce and captivating spectacle.
“…She actually did it?”
Night Demon, observing the rising flames, felt a flicker of surprise. This situation was diverging from what It had anticipated. By Its calculations, WuYue wasn’t supposed to have the resolve to strike ‘YouYu’ yet. If she succeeded, however, Its next plans would be in jeopardy.
“Though…”
Night Demon slipped Its hand into Its chest, pulling out a smooth, black sphere. Examining it, It thought:
“Even though she acted, the damage she dealt doesn’t seem particularly strong.”
To prevent YouYu from being killed outright, Night Demon had prepared ahead. From the moment YouYu had transformed into a Negative Beast, It had discreetly cloaked him in the sphere’s protective power. Judging by the intensity of WuYue’s previous attack, the shield should have at least shown some signs of wear. But if it remained intact, that could only mean…
“She must have held back.”
Realizing this, Night Demon turned Its gaze from the sphere back to the now-fading flames, revealing the scene before them: WuYue’s fist still pressed against YouYu’s chest.
Both stood frozen for what felt like an eternity, their figures locked in place, neither making a move.
“Did she… manage it?”
Just as Night Demon pondered whether Its assumptions were wrong and prepared to intervene, YouYu suddenly let out a sharp hiss.
“Shhh—!”
“Bang!”
Without warning, YouYu lashed out, a vine snapping toward WuYue. She barely registered the movement before it slammed into her.
“?! Why are you Still…?”
WuYue’s eyes widened in shock, her hands rising defensively, yet this strike felt far stronger than any previous. What should have merely pushed her back instead sent her flying nearly ten meters.
“Boom!”
“Ugh!”
She crashed into a nearby tree, the impact forcing a pained gasp from her.
Watching this unfold, Night Demon finally understood the situation.
“…I see now, magical girl.”
It murmured as It observed WuYue struggling to her feet, determination flickering in her eyes.
“Though you’ve resolved yourself to end him, you lack the conviction to follow through. You know what you must do, yet deep within, you still resist it.”
“That’s why your attack faltered.”
“And, because of that hesitation… your strength is weakened.”
“In that case, looking at things as they stand, the battle’s outcome is already clear.”
“…Perhaps you’re right; maybe I still lack that conviction.”
Taking a deep breath, WuYue steadied her stance and retorted.
“But no matter what, I’ll keep fighting!”
“If I can’t… kill YouYu myself…”
“Then I’ll just break his arms and legs, cut off his ability to attack!”
She admitted that she had resolved to end YouYu, but she hadn’t yet reached the level of conviction it would take to kill him with her own hands. Since she couldn’t bring herself to end his life, she’d settle for the next best thing.
She’d sever all his means of attack, ensuring he couldn’t hurt anyone else!
Then… once Bai Yu arrived, she’d ask her—she’d let her be the one to kill ‘YouYu’.
“…”
“Your response is… really out of my expectation, magical girl.”
Night Demon observed her eyes, now hardening with determination, and felt a flicker of confusion.
“Isn’t he someone important to you? The fact that you are still able to strike without mercy… I truly didn’t expect that.”
“It’s precisely because he’s important to me that I can’t forget the promise we made back then!”
“If he’s turned into a Negative Beast, then it’s up to me to stop him!”
“Now… is the time for me to fulfill that promise!”
With those words, WuYue channeled mana into her body again, focusing it on her right fist. She leaped forward and swung, driving her fist toward YouYu’s chest.
This time, her strike held no hesitation—just fierce resolve! The moment her fist connected with the dark shield surrounding him, cracks sped across Night Demon’s black sphere.
WuYue continued her relentless assault, punch after punch, each driving more fractures through the sphere.
“…”
It was clear now—WuYue was fully committed to stopping YouYu.
If this dragged on any longer… she just might succeed in killing him. And that wasn’t an outcome Night Demon wanted.
Plus, if things continued, the blocked magical girl, Blue Night, might arrive here soon, too.
“Better end this quickly.”
With that, Night Demon raised the black sphere and launched it skyward.
“Szzzz—”
In an instant, the three massive ants around WuYue disintegrated into black mist, sucked into the sphere. Once that was done, the sphere floated back down, sinking into Night Demon’s body.
Feeling the surge of strength coursing through, Night Demon lifted Its head, locked Its gaze onto WuYue, and raised one finger.
Then…
“Whoosh!”
A black-purple energy sphere shot from Night Demon’s fingertip. The instant it neared WuYue, it detonated in a massive explosion!
“Ugh!”
The blast, bolstered by immense Negative energy, was overwhelmingly powerful! Caught off guard, WuYue was blown backward, rolling across the ground several times before she finally stopped.
In the aftermath, her transformation dissipated, and her phone tumbled from her pocket, displaying a missed call.
“Cough, cough!”
YouYu, too, had been struck by the blast, leaving his body battered and in shreds.
“With all your focus on fighting this thing, your spirit has nearly reached its limit.”
“After my attack… there’s no way you’re getting up again. I told you from the beginning, the outcome of this battle was already decided.”
Looking down at the collapsed WuYue, her transformation undone and her consciousness barely hanging on, Night Demon shook Its head.
Then, Night Demon withdrew the black sphere from its body, letting it hover just above ‘YouYu’s’ head.
For now, It needed to take YouYu with It. The plan hadn’t gone as expected, so Night Demon intended to take him back, modify him, and then use him against the magical girls again.
Hmm… Perhaps It could have him mimic YouYu’s voice and speech patterns? That might be quite effective.
With this approach, it should also make things more—
‘Crack!’
But before It could finish the thought, a sudden, icy glint appeared out of nowhere, flashing right before Its eyes!
In the next instant, the black sphere above YouYu’s head was split in two, slashed diagonally, and shattered to pieces!
“…?!”
Night Demon stared in shock at the scene, quickly realizing something was amiss. It whipped around, frantically scanning for the source of this unexpected attack!
There, emerging from WuYue’s phone that had fallen to the ground—a figure, or more precisely, a black-and-white serpent, seemed to unfurl as if it had grown from within.
“So, you’ve decided to show up now…”
Night Demon eyed the creature warily.
“…Ouja.”