SWNOVELXO Chapter 39 - Prepared
“Cough!”
Covering the wound that was oozing blood, Bai Yu half-kneeled on the ground, her consciousness gradually fading.
Sure enough, the reality was as it always was: the so-called miracles did not exist. Although she believed she had some use, her power was still insignificant when faced with such immense force.
Since Night Demon had started to get serious, Bai Yu had known that her past efforts were in vain. After all, Night Demon had mastered its power and fought long before she did.
Thus, in terms of using her abilities or choosing tactical strategies, she was no match for this “veteran.”
The gap in experience was just too great.
“Is this where it ends, Magical Girl Blue Night?”
Looking at Bai Yu’s dishevelled appearance, the Night Demon said coldly,
“Your inability to take control and utilize the power within you is detrimental to me.”
“If you continue down this path, you might die, or someone else might die because of you.”
“And then… that ‘someone else.'”
“If you don’t want her to die…”
“……”
“You should know who I’m talking about.”
Night Demon raised its right fist high as it spoke, igniting black flames.
These flames were the beginning of everything and the origin of despair.
Staring at the black flames, Bai Yu’s mind was filled with countless thoughts. Finally, she could only let out a long sigh.
In the beginning, she had indeed been filled with intense hatred and had desperately wanted—wanted to kill all her enemies, all those responsible for these atrocities.
But… Ever since a failed choice led to the death of her only family, her father, she no longer had the courage or inclination to pursue revenge.
Because of her recklessness and the “hatred” in her heart, those around her, her closest family, had died because of her.
She didn’t want to see such things happen again, so she cut off all contact with others.
Later… later, she met another magical girl, Firebird, also known as WuYue, and YouYu, who lived with her.
When she first encountered them… due to her proposal being rejected, she had been sulking alone because she didn’t understand, and she was afraid of repeating the same events.
However… after they reached out to her and started talking, she began to remember her old life.
Thus, she entertained a glimmer of hope:
If the people she befriended and the “friends” she knew were all capable of dealing with and fighting against threats, would her final outcome be different?
So, with this thought in mind, she moved from initial rejection to a more tentative and accepting interaction.
But… reality proved her wrong. It didn’t matter who the people around her were.
Anyone who became acquainted with her would eventually suffer because of her.
However… this time, it could be considered a stroke of luck amidst misfortune.
At least she was the only one who would die…
“……”
“Tch.”
With a sigh, YouYu, who had been “discovered,” reluctantly stepped out from behind the wall and looked at Night Demon.
Then, he said in a flat tone,
“To be honest… I can’t imagine why you’d come after me…”
“But if this is what it takes to make you stop, then so be it.”
“……YouYu?!”
Upon hearing the voice, Bai Yu, who had been resigning herself to her fate, suddenly opened her eyes wide and saw YouYu, who had a white bandage wrapped around his forehead. She tried to stand up in a panic but found she couldn’t muster any strength.
Why… is he here now? Wasn’t he supposed to have already escaped?
At this moment… wasn’t she supposed to be dead?
“You… why didn’t you run?! Why didn’t you leave?! Why… did you come back?!”
In an instant, the urge to berate him, the words of anger and frustration, surged from Bai Yu’s heart like a flood. She was deeply confused and enraged, wondering why he had returned instead of leaving as she had hoped!
Why… was he here, just like the last time, just like the final image of her loved ones she had seen before their deaths?
“To keep you from dying… Hah, it’s that simple.”
With a sigh and under Bai Yu’s watchful gaze, YouYu approached her, trying to appear calm. He then helped her to the side, positioning himself in front of her as a shield.
He then faced the Night Demon without turning around and asked,
“Hey, according to what you said, if I die, you’ll let Bai Yu go, right?”
“……”
After a moment of silence, the Night Demon replied,
“Yes, as long as you die here and now.”
“Alright.”
Nodding, to further probe Night Demon’s intentions, YouYu pondered for a moment, then said,
“Can I at least say a few last words? Since I’m going to die anyway, I’d like to leave without regrets.”
“……”
“Fine, you have three minutes.”
Although the Night Demon knew that YouYu’s request was merely buying time, but on second thought, if YouYu were to die in front of the magical girl Blue Night after delivering his final words, it might yield a better outcome.
So, after some thought, it agreed to YouYu’s request to leave his last words.
After all, It wouldn’t be too long, and besides the verbal agreement, it had already set a standard in its mind.
“……YouYu! You…!”
“Shh! I know exactly what you’re thinking! I’m not naive enough to believe it would easily let you go, so I’ve prepared some backup plans.”
Seeing Bai Yu becoming anxious and trying to speak, YouYu quickly interrupted her:
“Earlier… I already contacted WuYue. Although I didn’t have high hopes since she was in the middle of a battle, she managed to get back to me and said she would be on her way soon.”
“So, what we need to do is hold out until then… Trust me, I won’t let you die so easily.”
Hearing YouYu’s words, Bai Yu fell silent for a moment before asking with suppressed anger,
“……And what if you can’t manage it?”
“What if you die?”
“What if your plan doesn’t work at all?!”
As she spoke, Bai Yu grew increasingly agitated.
“What you’re doing is just your own way of trying to ‘save’ me, fulfilling your own selfish desires! You haven’t considered anything else! Have you thought about what will happen if you die? Have you thought about what will happen to WuYue if you die? Tell me!”
“……”
After a moment of silence, YouYu turned to look at her and said,
“I’ve long considered these things and discussed them with WuYue.”
“……Once, after she became a magical girl, I asked her a question: Would she risk her life to save a complete stranger, even if it meant facing death?”
“Her answer was yes.”
“Then she asked me if I would hate her for doing that.”
“My answer was—no.”
“Because I am the same kind of person as she is.”
“……”
“So, In that regard—”
“Both she and I have long been prepared.”