SWNOVELXO Chapter 38 - Turning the tables
Fortunately, the blackout didn’t last long. Drawing on her sheer willpower, Bai Yu forced her eyes open and took in the situation before her—
She saw that YouYu had shielded her, dragging them both to the side of the road onto a patch of grass. Blood was dripping from his forehead, and behind him loomed a dark figure.
“!! YouYu?!”
Sensing something was wrong, Bai Yu gritted her teeth and quickly stood up, helping up YouYu, who looked to be in a very bad state, and said,
“Are you… are you okay?! Where else are you hurt besides your head…”
Bai Yu’s panic was evident, but she forced herself to stay calm as she began assessing his injuries.
However… when she finally took a closer look, her heart dropped. YouYu’s forehead had a large, gaping wound, and blood was pouring from it, much more severe than she had first thought.
Seeing YouYu’s condition, a wave of guilt and regret surged through Bai Yu. None of this would have happened if she hadn’t been so careless earlier.
“…Hold on, YouYu, I’ll get you out of here.”
“No, Magical Girl Blue Night, you no longer have that option.”
Just as Bai Yu was about to carry YouYu away, the dark figure—Night Demon, appeared before them, blocking their path.
“…”
Rage surged within Bai Yu the moment she saw Night Demon. Whether it was the first attack or the one just now, this beast was responsible for all of it. She had tried so hard to forget the tormenting pain it caused, but here it was, still chasing after her.
But… facing this agony, she no longer had the strength to ‘hate’. She couldn’t muster her full power anymore. All she could do was search for an opportunity to escape with YouYu.
Or… if Night Demon’s target was truly her, maybe YouYu could still survive.
Taking a deep breath, Bai Yu asked, “What do you want?! If you’re after me, then I’ll go with you!”
“No, Magical Girl Blue Night, killing you now would serve us no purpose.”
However, unexpectedly, the moment she asked the question, Night Demon instantly denied her.
Night Demon then turned its gaze to YouYu, who Bai Yu was carrying, and said:
“The one I want to kill… is the man on your back.”
“?!”
That’s right, from the very beginning, Night Demon had planned this: to inflict pain on someone close to Bai Yu, then force her back into that state of “suffering.” That was its fundamental purpose.
It originally intended to target WuYue, but it changed its mind after seeing YouYu carrying Bai Yu away.
After all, if it targeted WuYue, not only would there be a risk of failure, but it couldn’t kill her outright, which would diminish the shock and impact of its actions.
On the other hand, targeting YouYu… Aside from the fact that he had been acquainted with the magical girls and formed “friendships” with them, this ordinary person was of no real value—his death wouldn’t matter much.
…No, rather, now is the time to utilize his value.
That is, by using his death to bring Bai Yu’s strength to its former formidable level.
“…Why?!”
Just as she was about to ask, Bai Yu closed her mouth, realizing that questioning this inhuman being was pointless.
But… if its target really was YouYu, and if it really wanted to kill him, that would be disastrous!
If YouYu died because of her, not only would WuYue likely never forgive her, but she herself probably wouldn’t forgive herself either.
Thinking this, Bai Yu took a deep breath, intending to place YouYu down and fight. However, she then noticed that YouYu, who had been unconscious, seemed to have woken up.
Moreover, there was a strange glint in his eyes.
But Bai Yu didn’t notice this and, instead, said, agitated,
“YouYu?! You’re awake?! If you can, you need to escape right away! That guy’s target is you! I don’t know why it’s doing this, but…”
“But I will do everything in my power, even if it costs me my life, to protect you!”
“I don’t want… to repeat the same mistakes again!”
“But you…”
“I don’t matter! What’s important is you and WuYue! Isn’t it?! After all, to you, I’m just a stranger, right?! So, you don’t need to worry about me or mind me! Just get out of here, just leave!”
With a tone almost like an angry scolding, Bai Yu finished her words quickly and then sighed deeply. She channelled her mana and enveloped YouYu and, in an instant, ‘bounced’ him far away.
This was a technique she had used in the past to deal with enemies, but since it wouldn’t harm ordinary people, she had adapted it on the spot to serve as a means of escape.
…This was all she could do now.
And what she had to do next…
Was to use every ounce of her strength to fight Night Demon, this shadow from her past.
Even if… it might cost her life.
She had to keep fighting.
“……”
“Such self-sacrifice, Magical Girl Blue Night. Your spirit truly impresses me.”
Night Demon showed no surprise at YouYu’s departure and spoke slowly:
“However, his method of yours may not be of much use, as I still have many ways to make the things and people important to you disappear before you.”
“Until finally… you will realize that running away won’t solve anything.”
“Why do you still refuse to accept the desires of your heart?”
“……”
“If you want to fight, just fight, stop with the useless chatter!”
—
“It didn’t choose to continue pursuing me…”
“……”
“Such a pity. If only it had followed me, I might have had a chance to capture this puppet and reverse its memories…”
“Well, it doesn’t matter.”
“If it wants to use this method to draw me out, then try.”
YouYu watched Night Demon’s fierce attacks and thought to himself:
He would turn the tables and use its plan against it.