Praedari Magica: The Hunters of Magic

by Blazorna Ibara

The government is secretly aware of the existence of witches and magical girls, and are seen as threats. To eliminate both, Welkin was formed. They send out those who hunt Magical Girl and Witch alike without magic. For better or worse, the Praedari have joined the Incubator's cycle. OC-centric for now. rated M for language, violence and mild adult themes. SYOC Open

5. Defying the Cycle

OC Disclaimer : The following OC's who debut this chapter don't belong to me.

Praedari Rho belongs to Persival

Praedari Omega belongs to reven228

Note: Due to the length of this chapter, I have left a little checkpoint of sorts in the middle of it for readers on PC's that can be used to pick up where they left off if they want to take a break. To utilize it, press "Control" and "F" together and type in ~Checkpoint~ . Now, enjoy the story.

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~Praedari- Xi~

The reinforced doors closed once I left the Armory. I looked down at the grief seed that Digamma entrusted me with. Before dismissing me, he told the reason why I needed it. I was to test out a new weapon that would draw from the energy that was dormant within it. I placed the grief seed into a pouch before pressing the button to allow my helmet to be removed.

Once the helmet was off, I shook my head, allowing my long black hair to fall down. My ruby red eyes focused upon the reflection of one of the windows, allowing me to look at myself. I then removed my gauntlets before moving my hand up to a choker with a silver speaker in the front of my throat. I removed the voice modifier and sighed in my normal, female voice.

"What is Digamma thinking?" I asked myself out loud. "How can I seduce Alpha?"

~Praedari Alpha~

I smirked as the redheaded Kyouko devoured the strawberry cheesecake gleefully. It was obvious by her enjoyment that she didn't have that kind of sweet that much. I waited until she swallowed before I spoke up. The two of us were inside a restaurant that was open all the time.

"Glad to see you're enjoying that, Sakura-san. I told you that it was good." I told her.

Kyoko turned her attention towards me with a frown.

"I'm grateful you're paying for this, but what is it that you wanted to ask me specifically?" she asked.

I closed my eyes for a moment to let out a sigh before opening them.

"Lately there's been a lot of magical girls appearing in the town I'm from." I started.

"That's because it's unclaimed by anyone." Kyouko interjected with a glare. "Heard rumors of these guys in black who hunt both witches and magical girls alike in that place."

"Guess word did spread after all…" I said before sighing once again.

"So you are involved with them." Kyouko said as her eyes narrowed while getting ready to bolt at any moment. "That explains how you know so many things about magical girls."

"Hang on! I'll explain everything!" I cried out. "I got no ulterior motive, I just want to talk!"

Kyouko sighed and relented before she relaxed a little.

"You better be telling the truth, otherwise I'm going to make you pay." she warned me.

I nodded before smiling a little in relief.

"Do you have any family?" I asked.

The redhead averted her gaze and fell silent for a moment.

"No…" she said softly while frowning.

I could tell that I shouldn't press on that subject any further by the hurt look the girl had on her face.

I cleared my throat to snap her out of her train of thought before continuing.

"Do you have some kind of guardian then?" I asked, causing Kyouko to look at me once more. "You must have them worried by being out this late."

"I'm on my own." she said bluntly before she looked back down at her half-eaten cheesecake .

I was starting to wonder if she was homeless.

"You have anywhere to sleep?" I pressed. "Surely you can't be homeless."

"I manage. I am a magical girl after all." Kyouko said nonchalantly while waving her hand like it wasn't anything serious.

"I see. Let me tell you something." I said while lowering my voice into a whisper. "The magical girls that I live with have nowhere else to call home. I took them in."

Kyouko had a serious look on her face while looking right into my eyes.

"You do know that there are so many witches. That means not enough grief seeds to share with everybody." she stated.

"I am very much aware of that." I admitted. "However, where I am from is basically a smorgasbord for magical girls. It can easily sustain up to ten more of them easily."

The redhead's eyes widened upon hearing that piece of information before narrowing in skepticism.

"That is too good to be true..." she said.

"Is this town some kind of magical girl magnet?" I countered.

"What do you mean exactly?" the redhead asked.

"I heard from other magical girls I've met that this town is housing four magical girls." I explained. "Though from comparing the numbers of unexplained disappearances and suicides of this town to mine, It's believed that there are only enough witches to sustain two magical girls comfortably, though it's able to handle three for a short period of time without diminishing the witch population. Surely you must have been having increased difficulty trying to find witches."

Kyouko looked at me incredulously.

"You can figure out that kind of stuff?" she asked.

I nodded with a growing smirk on my face.

"Sakura-san, there's more than enough room for you to come with me." I said. "In fact, if any of the other magical girls in this town are like yourself, they can come along too."

Kyouko fell silent as she processed what I just said. She crossed her arms while closing her eyes

"Is there any catch to this?" she asked while opening one of her eyes.

"Yeah, and it's one you wouldn't be too thrilled about." I said before sighing. "The organization that I work for is striving for the elimination of the threat that witches and magical girls possess to the public."

"Hold up, what do you mean by magical girls being a threat?" Kyouko asked.

"There have been cases where a magical girl used her magic to bring harm upon innocent people. I know most of you only look out for yourselves, but the worst thing that can happen is one of you being a serial killer that is able to escape the police with no difficulty at all. I know this because of this one magical girl from Canada who is exactly that."

Kyouko stared at me incredulously.

"Guess that thought never crossed your mind that someone could do something like that." I said. " I know how killers think. That's because I've worked with them for a long time."

The redhead looked at me, not sure if she was in danger or not. Now was the time for me to drive the point home to her.

"You see, if you're left unattended in an area that is under a Praedari's jurisdiction, they will hunt you down and kill you. This is where the trade off comes in. " I said before showing her my armband. "However, I can ensure your safety if you entrust your soul gem to me. You can still be able to use your magic freely, and it'll no longer be your weak spot as I'll be protecting it with this armband."

Kyouko now had a conflicted look on her face as she listened to me.

"Why are you doing this?" she asked. "What do you have to gain from this? Besides having my soul gem to keep me hostage?"

"You'll not be a damn hostage." I said while slamming my fist onto the table, startling the redhead. "Listen, I am trying to find a weak point in Kyubey's malicious system. Something that can be used to destroy or exploit it for humanity's gain."

The redhead frowned upon hearing that last part.

"What's the point?" she asked. "Doing something for another's sake only bites you in the ass."

"That's the goal. Kyubey has this system set up for exactly just that. It's his goal to bring every magical girl into despair." I stated.

"Why would he do that?" she asked.

It was my turn to fall silent. She had no clue about the dark truth about what the bastard was really after.

"So… how much do you know about soul gems and witches?" I asked.

"I know that the soul gem is the source of my magic and it was created from my wish being granted." Kyoko said. "As for witches, they hatch from grief seeds and can drop one as well. That and they eat humans."

I sighed before shaking my head.

"You're in the dark… Oblivious about where a lot of witches are coming from, and why the damned rock is a shackle." I said solemnly. "Not surprised that Kyubey kept it a secret from you."

"What are you talking about?" she asked me.

If I told her the truth, she could either accept the truth

"Before I tell you, I will warn you that this knowledge will only bring despair for you. This isn't going to be something easy for you to accept, and it will change how you view things. You might commit suicide if you can't handle any guilt that forms." I said.

Kyouko's face became firm, obviously prepared for what I had to say.

"One last thing Sakura-san. Please remember that I will take responsibility for what happens next. I won't judge you, and accept you for who you are." I said in a reassuring manner. "Are you willing to learn the truths that Kyubey kept secret from you?"

"Lay it on me, I've already went through hell already." Kyouko said without hesitation.

I smiled upon hearing the tone of her voice. She obviously has a strong will, one that will be able to handle all of this and not cave in. She wasn't afraid one bit.

I nodded in acknowledgement before I began to speak.

---

Defying the Cycle

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~The Civilis~

Once again, I stood in the ruined city that was flooded with blood and corpses. The scenery was very similar like that last dream I had but what was happening was entirely different.

A boy that was around my age with red eyes and black hair stood in front a large group of many people dressed in those black uniforms. The boy was wearing the same kind of uniform but was white with a mantle that was held in place with a gold brooch with a black sphere that had some kind of black mist swirling around inside it. I noticed that he had the same blue armband as the one who spoke , but the black jewels were all shining brilliantly and of different colors.

Standing next to the boy were several people of his age or younger, but only two others were male. All were prepared for battle, all but one were carrying weapons.

From the crowd of black men came an old man with his arms behind his back.

"I must say, you've amassed quite the force there. To have effectively wiped out all the combined forces of Welkin's Eligere and their Praedari with only a small collection of Puella Magi and five traitors. Then again, you have perhaps the strongest Puella Magi to ever exist." the old man said with a smirk. "However, you've failed to keep us from capturing the Harbinger."

The boy clenched his fists while growling.

"Listen here, you old fart. You lied to me. You used us all as just tools, not once truly caring about our wellbeing. You left me for dead… but the thing I will never forgive you for is killing members of my… no… OUR family!" he yelled in complete fury, barely keeping his cool. "DAMN IT HOMURA! WHY DO YOU SIDE WITH THAT BASTARD?!"

A young girl with long black hair and a cold, expressionless face stepped from amongst the black men, standing right next to the old man.

"Because you're in the way of my goal." the girl said bluntly.

"I told you I can keep her safe for you!" the boy said. "We are concerned about you. Hell, Madoka is worried about you most of all!"

"You put her at risk." the girl that was called Homura said before holding up a handgun.

It was then that I noticed a familiar face step forward.

"So, you plan to kill us like you did with Sayaka?" Kyouko asked while she stepped to the boy's side with a spear resting on her shoulder with a piece of pocky in her mouth. " Or are you going to sacrifice us to that monster?"

"I will remove any and all threats…" the stoic girl said. "I do not care about the state of this world, so long as my objectives are met."

" We promised Madoka to rescue you from the Praedari… but I don't know if that promise can be kept now." Kyouko said solemnly.

Another girl came forward, this one dressed like a race queen with large mechanical gauntlets and wheeled boots, for lack of better words. Her eyes were hidden behind a visor.

"We are all fighting to break this cycle… Just like you have been!" she said. "That includes preventing Madoka from becoming a magical girl…"

Homura remained silent as she pointed the gun at the magical girl.

"By waging an impossible rebellion?" she asked.

"It's not impossible. Himari is proof of that!" the boy replied as he focused upon the young girl. "There is a way to end this… a way to erase all the pain and suffering everyone has went through. How many times have we talked like this, Homura? How many more times will you subjugate yourself to seeing the same people die over and over again?"

"As many times as necessary…" Homura replied before pulling the trigger, shooting the race queen right through her head. She immediately crumpled to the ground, dead before her face went into the bloody water.

"ANZU!" Kyouko cried out in shock before turning her attention towards Homura. Tears began forming in her eyes as the jewel on her chest slowly began to turn black.

"Damn you Homura…" she cursed as the tears ran down her face. "First Sayaka, then Mami-sempai and now her! Do you enjoy ruining any hope I have for happiness?!"

The boy wrapped her arms around the redhead to comfort her. The redhead immediately turned around and buried her face into his chest while hugging him. The boy then gently pushed Kyouko back so that he could look at her in the face.

"I'm still here…" the boy said before he was interrupted by another gunshot.

Kyoko's face was revealed to be frozen in horrified shock as the boy fell to the ground face first near her feet, her face covered in his splattered blood.

"SHOTARO!" several girls cried out in disbelief before the rest of Kyouko's group charged forward, thirsting for the enemy's blood. The redhead only slumped to her knees, her eyes empty and lifeless while her face showing her distraught as her spear fell out of her grasp, disappearing into the scarlet liquid. She slowly looked over at the boy's corpse. She crawled over towards it desperately. She then turned it over and wrapped her arms around the neck.

Amongst the fighting, I watched Homura slowly walk over towards the traumatized Kyouko as she held onto the boy's corpse.

"I'm sorry, but he had to be eliminated…" she said in a cold tone before pointing the gun at Kyouko's head. "Do you wish to join him in the afterlife, Kyouko?"

"…Yes…" the redhead said in a defeated manner. She didn't look up, her attention solely focused upon the corpse's face. She carefully set the head down and laid next to him, wrapping her arms around him. She closed her eyes and remained perfectly still.

Without another word, or hesitation, Homura killed Kyouko in the same manner as she did with the boy that the redhead was resting beside. Soon after that, the expressionless girl just vanished into thin air instantly. I walked over towards the two corpses, one was a boy and the other was of a girl that willingly be murdered, only to reunite with him once again…

How close were they? Were they lovers? Was he some kind of brother figure that Kyoko held dear? I would never know. Looking up from the corpses, I watched many of both sides die at each other's hands.

Why were they killing each other? Was this some kind of war?

"So…we finally meet…" I heard a voice said from behind me.

I twisted around and my eyes widened upon the sight before me.

It was a girl wearing a black robe that was unfamiliar to me with the hood raised, preventing me from seeing her face.

"Listen, what you have been witnessing in these dreams are events that are both the past and future." the stranger explained.

"Past and future?" I asked in confusion.

"I don't have time to explain that." the cloaked figure grabbed me by my shoulders with a serious look on her face. "Listen. You must force Homura to leave this time, stop your sister and thwart Welkin's plans, or else this insidious play will keep repeating."

"My sister? Welkin? What are you talking about?!" I asked.

"Dive deeper into the cycle of despair, but do not get close to anyone, especially Kyouko. It's the only way to succeed."

~Witch - Lamia~

The arms that groped me retreated back into my chest, though I felt nothing moving through my body. I swung my tail, connecting with something physical. Without looking, I quickly coiled my tail around it and lifted it into the air before slamming it as hard as possible into the ground.

"I never understand why you enjoy getting hurt so much…" The Praedari said with a sigh before he charged forward.

I felt whatever I had coil disappear from my grasp, but I didn't have time to focus on that. I immediately swung my tail full force and it connected with the boy, grinning when I heard the telltale sounds of bones breaking. The Praedari screamed in pain as he was sent flying. I went after him, keeping up my rising pressure. Just as he collapsed to the ground, I once again swung my tail, this time in a downward motion to his knees.

"This is what you get for underestimating me, Praedari!" I cried out.

However, part of my tail was sent flying as a blade from above severing it.

"Sorry, but I can't let you hurt Tenki any more." the female voice from earlier said.

I hissed in pain while looking at the bloody stump of where a good fourth of my tail was now missing. I looked around, trying to find any trace of my attacker.

I chuckled as I realized what she was doing. The way this magical girl making her presence known, yet was keeping herself hidden from view. She was trying to rile me up.

"I am going to stop here" I announced. I looked at the Praedari and shook my head. "I have other matters to attend to than to deal with you."

I saw the magical girl appearing before me in a flash of light.

She had her straight auburn hair in a ponytail that reached her shoulders. Her large green eyes were focused entirely upon me. She had pale skin with freckles, and I could tell that she obviously was not of this nation.

She was wearing a white sleeveless shirt with a pink heart shaped breastplate over it. She also had a pink skirt that was very short in length, with matching stockings that come just high enough that a little skin was exposed from below the skirt. Upon a closer look, I noticed that her pink soul gem was located in the center of her breast plate. As for her breasts themselves, If I had to take a guess, I'd say it's a C cup…

I found the girl to be innocent, even naive looking, except for her weapon. For lack of better words, it was a big ass meat cleaver… Emphasis on big there, as the blade alone was easily as long as she was tall.

"Tenki! You said this witch would fight us until either of us were dead!" the foreign girl cried out in disappointment. She tossed the weapon to the side as she approached me.

I watched the magical girl walk over towards the Praedari before she grabbed him by the front of his uniform and lifted him up completely off the ground with no difficulty with just one hand.

"OWOWOWOWOWOWOWOW! I HAVE BROKEN RIBS HERE, BITCH!" the Praedari cried out in agony.

The girl frowned and gently set the man on his feet.

As I examined the magical girl, I felt that urge forming in the back of my mind. I involuntarily licked my lips as a smirk on my face as I recalled the girl's reply to the offer I made to the Praedari. Could she be willing to carry my eggs?

~Puella Magi- Cutter Jyo~

Sekai stopped in place to look up when the figure's shadow flew over her head. The ebony snow began to fall even more as I focused my gaze upon the source of the shadow. It had to have been a witch, as I felt a strong presence coming from it. I tightened my grip on my scythe before inhaling deeply.

"I'M DOWN HERE!" I screamed as loud as possible to get its attention.

The witch descended quickly before landing next to me. I was surprised just how humanlike she was, with only wings , a tail, and eyes that were black where the whites would've been. She was wearing a white bikini top with matching hot pants. She towered above me at what had to have been two meters high.

"What do you want from me?" she repli- OH MY GOD THE WITCH JUST SPOKE!

I was unable to reply, utterly stunned by what just happened.

Sekai obviously was doing the same, as she was making unintelligent sounds.

The talking witch only frowned before flapping her wings to take off into the sky, leaving us both staring in silence as she flew off without another word.

What the hell is going on here?

And why do I feel like that very question has been asked already?

Sekai came over her stupor and slapped me silly to get me back to my senses.

"We have to go after her." she said before running in the direction the witch went.

~Witch-Lamia~

I slowly approached the magical girl as lust began to take root in my mind. I want to make her mine. However, I stopped when I saw a shadow coming from something above. I looked up to see that it was Sentire Valere. I growled before rising up slowly as high as possible as the black snow began to fall. I heard her roar before divebombing straight into me. I braced myself, being able to keep myself standing while my body was screaming in pain from the force from the attack.

"I FOUND YOU!" the dragon cried out in rage before punching me in the face. "I AM NOT LETTING YOU HURT ANYONE ELSE!"

I shoved her off of me and spat out the teeth that were knocked out. That was a mood killer.

"Damn you… After you refused my offer, you just had to try killing me huh?" I said in anger. "First Praedari and magical girls, and now you! I came here only to find a new comrade… but I changed my mind…"

I looked over at the magical girl as she and the Praedari watched in silence, though in her case, it was of innocent curiosity. I made up my mind, I am going to make her one of my mates.

"Just so you know, that magical girl is a murderer, I know you can smell human blood on her hands like I can. " I added. "But could you do me the favor and let me have that magical girl?"

Sentire Valere turned her gaze over towards the foreigner as her blue eyes slowly turned brilliant red.

She spread her wings out while unleashing a primal roar.

There was one thing that I had learned about her is that she will drop what she was doing to kill anyone who has brought harm to anyone, and killers really rile her up. I learned this out when I was running from her the other day, only for her to stop pursuing me when I went past a local thug who just finished beating a homeless guy to death. Even though I was close by, she opted to deal with him instead of myself. The bastard's head popped like a water balloon after she tore his arms and legs into countless pieces. It is apparently hardwired in her brain to protect others who can't defend themselves.

"Tsk. Looks like she's bent on killing you." I said to the foreign magical girl. "What do you plan on doing?"

I noticed the Praedari reach up to press something on the side for several moments. Still, I didn't get a reply when I saw the incoming tail.

~Puella Magi-Sakura Kyouko~

I slammed my fists onto my table in anger while gritting my teeth.

"I can't believe that bastard…" I said furiously. "Why would he do that?!"

"My guess it was to make the offer more appealing." Shotaro guessed before he looked at me with a serious face. "Do not blame yourself for whatever happened to you. It wasn't your fault."

"How do you know all this?!" I demanded.

"This info was compiled from what I learned from all the discussions I had with other magical girls." He stated before sighing softly. "What are you going to do now?"

"I'll make that furball pay for what he did." I said.

"Calm down for a moment, Sakura-san." Shotaro said. "There isn't anything you can do by yourself."

"I am calm!" I snapped back while raising my voice. "You don't know what I went through!"

"You're right, I don't know a single fucking thing." the boy said while slamming his fist on the table. " But just shut the fuck up and listen to me for a moment!"

I glared at him before wrapping my arms around my chest while growling a bit. He wants to say something to me? Fine, I'll humor him a little. Doesn't mean I'll like it thought.

The boy closed his eyes slightly and took a deep breath before exhaling slowly.

"I can tell by your reaction that something really personal happened to you. Most likely your wish led to something bad happing to a family member or someone really close." He said. "And I bet you want to make Kyubey suffer for what he's done to you."

Damn… He hit it right on the head. But still… Why is he telling me this?

"Incubators are incapable of understanding how we feel." he continued. "And don't do anything reckless. Doing that is exactly what he wants you to do!"

"Then what the hell should I do?! Forgive him?!" I said in anger while pounding the table once more.

"Don't let the bastard have his way." the black haired boy said with a smirk. " What he wants is for you all to become witches."

I blinked in mild confusion when I saw him smirk.

"Remember what I told you. In Kyubey's eyes, you are only cattle." he continued.

I growled as I recalled that particular memory. It pisses me off that is how that furball views me.

"However, he is also underestimating us."

I looked up at Shotaro, curious by what he just said.

"Humanity has the capability of logic as well, which is solely how that fuzz ball works." he continued. "Our emotions are a hindrance on occasion, giving Kyubey the advantage. However, they actually lead us to try things that go against logic, and those methods do work."

"Where are you getting with all this?" I asked while calming down a bit.

"I told you that I am looking for ways to either destroy, or manipulate Kyubey's system for humanity's gain." he replied before sighing. "However, it's something that I can't do alone. And you won't be able make the bastard pay. I need as much help as possible to make this happen. Plus, if you think about it, destroying this system or hijacking it would be more satisfying than just grinding his furry little ass into paste."

I mulled over what I just heard. He had a point that I couldn't make Kyubey suffer for what his "system" did to me and my family. The bastard will never understand my pain and sadness. What he will understand is that we are more than mere cattle if we screw over his plans.

"Now to bring to what I wanted to ask you." Shotaro said while leaning forward. "Do you think its actually possible to thwart the furball?"

"I don't know honestly." I said before smirking a little. " But you got me curious with this plan of yours. After learning all that crap, Kyubey needs to be taught a lesson."

"I'm with you there." the older boy admitted before leaning forward a bit more. "You know… You're pretty cute with that smirk."

I blushed deeply before slapping his cheek hard enough to have him hit the wall face first. I had to admit, the way he was saying all that helped me calm down a lot Now that I was calm enough to think about it, I was originally just going to track down Kyubey and kill him as many times as possible with my magic. However that wouldn't work in the end, as that would've led to me becoming a witch. Which is what the damn bastard wants to begin with.

I then heard a weird ringtone of a cellphone just as Shotaro pulled out from the wall, his cheek covered by a red handprint. He immediately pulled out the cell and answered it.

"Moshi moshi." He said before falling silent.

A few seconds passed before his eyes widened in shock.

"Get everyone over there, Izumi. I'll be there as soon as possible." he instructed to the other person in shock.

"What's going on?" I asked.

"I got a serious problem. It's witch related." he replied. "A comrade of mine signaled an alert for immediate backup. That's only done whenever we either encounter a very strong witch or there are multiple ones in the same area. Care to come? I'll let you use any grief seeds I have."

"Works for me." I said. "Just don't slow me down."

"Fair enough." Shotaro admitted.

"You go on ahead of me!" I cried out.

"What's wrong, Sakura-san?"

"I don't waste food!" I cried out before grabbing my cheesecake. I would rather get a box, but I was in a hurry.

Shotaro chuckled and nodded.

"Fair enough." he said.

~Puella Magi- Akemi Homura~

I allowed time to resume when I was outside again, pushing past the pain I was experiencing from the feathers that were imbedded within my back. The witch however was circling above me, patiently waiting for my strength to give out.

This one wasn't like the others… In addition to being unaffected by my magic, it was intelligent. Enough so that it actually pretended to be a normal one, and even faked being frozen in time like everything else, only to strike when I approached it so that it was in range of my handgun. It also solely targeted me when there were helpless humans around for it to feast upon.

I started feeling weak from my injuries. It aimed for my back, but yet it hadn't fired any towards my head for a kill shot. I looked up and growled. It kept out of range for accurate shots, yet was too fast for a RPG. The fact my magic is useless against it doesn't help either. I don't know if I can trick it into taking one of my bombs…

Dammit… I need to protect Madoka… But do I need to reset so soon? It has only been a few days since I went out of that hospital.

It was then that I saw a figure in a peculiar black outfit walking casually towards me. On his right arm was a dark gray armband. I looked at his hands and narrowed my eyes upon seeing the submachine gun he held in hand. Who was this person? Is he going to shoot me?

The black figure looked up and pointed the gun up. What was he doing? Only magical girls and those who can become them could see witches…

The clicking of the safety being deactivated made me instinctively pull out a handgun from my shield, pointing it at the figure.

"Don't get in my way, bitch." he warned me before opening fire.

The witch screeched in shock as the bullets struck it. I stood in disbelief as the figure stopped as the armband began glowing. In a flash of light, the submachine gun was replaced with an RPG.

"COME ON MOTHERFUCKER!" he cried out before sending the warhead in the witch's direction.

The first time I thought it was a warning shot, but this second attack proved that he was focused on the witch. I saw this was my chance to escape, leaving the witch to this man. However, that changed when a bullet caught me off guard by getting me in the shoulder. I looked up to see the man holding a pistol towards me.

"I don't think so bitch." he said. "Either you fight or die. Which is it?"

I grimaced while holding my newest injury with my free arm.

Who is this guy?

How was he bringing up those weapons like that? Was it magic? No… that's impossible. Men are incapable of using magic.

There are so many inconsistencies already, and now there's this.

~Praedari-Nu~

The four of us looked around once the roar stopped. The two magical girls prepped for battle while I put a hand onto Himari's shoulder.

"Listen, if there's a witch nearby, we need to run. You're a civilian and I don't have any knives I can use." I told her.

"What about them?" she asked, looking over at the magical girls.

Anzu smirked as she once again wore what she had on earlier.

"Don't worry about us. We can handle a single witch." she boasted while using a thumb to push up her visor, allowing me to get a peek at her eyes. "Anyway, once we deal with it, we should properly introduce ourselves."

As if on cue, a giant plush like feline leaped into view, landing not far from us.

Unlike the familiars, which were cute despite how scared I am of them, this one was just flat out scary. It had long yellow sabre like teeth while its skin was composed of patches of black fur and pieces of fabric, all barely held together like some half assed sewing project with raw muscle exposed in the spots. Its paws had black talons that were curved and razor sharp.

It was also wearing a red collar with a large bell on it as well as a matching bow at the tip of its tail. Its eyes were mismatched, the right being a glowing red orb from a fur patch while the left was a red button that was sewn on the fabric side.

This had to have been the witch.

"Wow that's one fucked up kitty…" Akiza muttered in disgust.

The feline eyed us all cautiously. However, it immediately leaped over us and the ring of black acid, running deeper into the labyrinth.

Himari immediately turned her attention to the left, in which the rest of us followed suit.

"This is most interesting." Kyubey said as he came into view. " To think there were so many people in one place."

"YOU!" Anzu cried out while clenching her fists.

"What do you want Kyubey?" Akiza asked calmly. "I told you specifically that we were to never see you again."

"I have not come for you, I came here to speak with Nobunaga Himari." the furball said.

"I won't let you!" I cried out while stepping out in front of the idol protectively. The two magical girls followed suit.

"Oh… you can hear me as well?" Kyubey questioned while looking at me with his blank face.

"So what if I can?" I asked. "I won't let you get a civilian involved on my watch."

"I see from your outfit you're one of those Praedari." the thing noted as it came forward.

Ripper-chan hissed while baring its teeth towards the white creature. Kyubey only looked at it in silence briefly before speaking up.

"I see that she is here too…" he said. "What was she going by now? Cutter Jyo was it?"

I was about to respond when Himari stepped forward , gently pushing me to the side. I looked at her face, seeing a look of determination on it.

"Let me speak to him." she requested. "I want to hear what he has to say."

"Don't do it." Akiza warned her. "He will lie to you."

"I don't lie." Kyubey replied. "There is nothing to gain by doing that."

"But you don't tell the full truth either." I added.

"What makes you say that?" the damn fuzz ball asked while tilting its head.

"I have my sources." I said while looking at Himari.

Kyubey didn't reply, instead turning his attention towards the idol.

"Should we go someplace a little more private to talk?" he asked.

"If you want to talk to me, here works just fine." Himari said firmly.

I couldn't help but smile underneath my helmet. I turned my attention towards Anzu and Akiza, who were both frowning.

"Listen, you two go after the witch, I'll stay here and make sure Kyubey doesn't get what he wants." I reassured them.

The magical girls both looked at each other before looking at me.

"Alright, but if you fail, we won't forgive you." Anzu warned me.

I nodded in acknowledgement before turning my attention back towards Kyubey.

~Praedari-Alpha~

I looked around while Kyouko came out of the restaurant while putting the last of her cheesecake into her mouth. I had to admit, for a girl her age, she was really cute. Plus I couldn't help but admire that spirit of hers. She was able to handle what I told her. I met some who broke down after learning that the soul gems acted as a shackle and that something bad happens to every magical girl, depending on the wish. Still, I was surprised that I was able to calm her down like I did. It was weird, she looked like she wouldn't listen to reason at all… but yet she did… Why?

I looked down at my armband, which was devoid of any soul gems. I left them back home, not wanting to cause the girls to enter their death state while I was away. I wondered what this armband could do, as I was never told by the Chief what it could do exactly when I received it.

"What's the hold up?" Kyouko asked, snapping me out of my train of thought.

"Sorry, I was just thinking about something." I answered. "Let's get going."

"Where too?" the redhead asked.

"The place where the Himari! Concert was held at." I informed with a frown.

"That place? I know the way, so follow me." she said before taking off.

I followed suit, all the while pulling out a pair of shades from my pocket and put them on. Though it was night. I always carried these in case of an emergency. The lenses were made of the same material as the visors that the helmets of the Praedari uniform have, allowing me to see any familiars or witches.

It sucked that I didn't bring any guns along, but at least I had a switchblade knife on me.

As we ran off, I saw from the corner of my eye a girl around Kyouko's age with lime green hair in pigtails. She waved at me with a knowing smirk on her face, causing me to stop in place.

Before I got a good look at the girl, a group of people walked in front of her, blocking my view. When they left, she was gone.

~Welkin-Eligere~

I soared through the night sky, enjoying the liberation from gravity's pull. I tilted my head up slowly while ascending higher and higher towards the clouds. I then adjusted my emerald green wings, banking to the left while enjoying the view of the city below.

Flying at night was one of the few things I enjoyed. I felt like I belonged in the air.

I slowed my speed, aiming to land on a nearby rooftop. I glided downwards in a spiral, gradually decelerating until I safely landed on my feet. My wings then dispersed in a flash of light before returning to the emerald armband that they normally were when I was on the ground.

If Sampi's data is correct, then this town is where her quarry is to show up in two weeks time.

I wonder what is going to happen next, but no matter what, I don't think it's good. Even though we Eligere are all part of Welkin, not all of us are on the same page on everything. We all have our own plans and ambitions.

I wonder why the Triumvirate summoned me here. I openly stated that I would personally kill Digamma if I ever was in the same room with him again, and that was after I stabbed him in the gut in the last gathering of the Eligere.

I hated all this. Welkin is just as bad as that Kyubey.

I looked over my shoulder to see a teenage girl with green hair.

"Digamma's not someone we can just leave to his own devices." I said in English. "The same can be said about Welkin as a whole." .

"You never told me why you despise the very organization you work for." the girl replied in the same tongue.

"It's because what my partner told me that made me see the truth." I explained. "'We Praedari are ensnared in our own cycle of despair.'"

"Yeah… basically those three are sending many people to their deaths, and reward the ones who kill everything in their way. Those who are forced to be part of it only find despair if they form camaraderie or feelings towards their partner." she replied.

"I hope you didn't use your magic just now." I said.

The girl smiled.

"I didn't, so don't worry. I did use it on those two back at the restaurant. One of them was Digamma's Alpha."

"Which type?" I questioned.

"I think it'll be more enjoyable to watch it unfold without telling anyone." the green haired girl said mischievously.

The power to change one's personality and mood. It was scary because I have seen it in action before.

To be able to make the remorseless remorseful, the bravest into spineless cowards, bitter enemies into lovers…

What scared me even more was how little I knew of this girl in the first place. I don't even know her name in the first place.

~Praedari Delta~

I growled while looking at Alpha's pets, who haven't transformed yet. I wasn't here to babysit or wait around. I looked at the music venue that the alert came from. There were reports of multiple witches in the area, which is a rare occasion. Protocol states that if we were to encounter such a phenomena, we were to report it immediately. Locations like that are called hives amongst the Praedari, though there's no official term for it.

I pointed my rifle at the oldest of the three with one hand.

"Hey, mind telling me again why I need to wait with you?" I threatened.

Izumi only looked at me calmly before sighing.

"I know you won't kill me. You know just how protective Sho-kun is." she said without any trace of fear. "Anyway, we were instructed to wait until he showed up, as said by your superior. Remember?"

I clicked my tongue and lowered my gun. That magical girls never cease to piss me off.

I wished I could've been partnered with someone more bloodthirsty, like Omega.

A young member of the yakuza who joined the Praedari just so he can fully enjoy himself. Now he was someone I could work with happily. He kills indiscriminately, and only respects those who stand up to him when the gun's in their face. Plus his ability is perfect for him. Arsenal, the ability to store any number of weapons he wants and summon them with a single thought.

Arsenal, Barrier, Perceive, Flare, Conceal, Ensnare, Sprint, Flight… The abilities are as diverse as there are ways to die. I wonder who had the strongest ability of all the Praedari I knew about.

I must stop letting my mind wonder now. I need to focus on my mission once Alpha fucking appears.

~Witch-Lamia~

I flew backwards as Sentire Valere's tail slammed into my lower abdomen. At the same time, she used her wings to block the magical girl's attack. I landed and rolled a little bit before stopping. In a flash of light, the auburn girl appeared behind me before swinging her weapon down on my tail.

The blade phased through my skin, but I screamed in pain when I felt the blade severing my spine there. Immediately, all feeling of the lower half my tail was gone. I would able to regenerate quickly if the damage is superficial or a limb was severed completely… But not like this… I can't regenerate if there isn't any room if I'm connected to the dead weight. That was phasing magic she just used!

I felt panic starting to form in my mind. This magical girl has the means to truly leave me at her mercy…

A roar snapped me to my senses when Sentire Valere came forward, driving her fist into the magical girl's stomach. The auburn foreigner flew into the side of a building, phasing into it like a ghost. I watched the girl's face turn into once of enjoyment before vanishing. She deliberately took the hit and enjoyed it! Was she some kind of masochist?!

I moved as fast as I could, despite that my paralyzed end of the tail slowed me down. I couldn't restrain that magical girl with my ribbons, as she'd just go through them.

However, before I could make it far, I was greeted with the appearance of the witch that ruled this labrynth. It roared at me before I smiled when I looked into its red eye as it slowly approached me. I guess she doesn't see me as a threat due to my current situation. The witch was focused on Sentire Valere and the injured Praedari, who was keeping his distance. It was cautious… a trait not typical for a regular witch. I see… It looks like she has potential.

I opened my mouth and moved as fast as possible, sinking my fangs into the left foreleg just before it realized what happened. . The beast roared before swatting me away with its right paw. It didn't matter, I managed to inject my venom just in time, even though I unintentionally tore of a bit of her flesh with my mouth.

It was then that I saw the others show up. Two more magical girls appear from the same direction that the witch came from the same direction the witch came from, one white and one red. I then turned to the way Sentire Valere came from, seeing two black figures, one a magical girl, and the other a Praedari.

The draconic girl roared as she looked all around her. To her, there were enemies all around her, which was true.

"Wow… I didn't think there were so many others besides us in here." the black magical girl mused.

"I could say the same." I replied, gaining all the newcomers' attention.

At that moment, that masochist appeared and began groping my breasts.

"hey, I found your girlfriend." the new Praedari said while pointing towards me.

"I AM NOTHING LIKE THAT SLUT!" the black magical girl screeched while blushing furiously. "HOW MANY TIMES DO I NEED TO TELL YOU I AM NOT A LESBIAN!"

The feline witch roared, bringing all undivided attention upon itself.

The new Praedari went over towards the injured one while the black magical girl bounced her scythe against her shoulder.

"Heh, I think I just hit the jackpot." she said eagerly while turning her back towards me and the masochist. "I, Cutter Jyo, shall be taking all your grief seeds and soul gems, ladies."

I noticed the foreign magical girl teleport . She appeared beside the black girl, attempting to do a surprise attack by bringing her cleaver down. Without looking, the one who called herself Cutter Jyo lazily tilted her scythe slightly to block the attack.

"Really? I saw that coming." she said lazily.

She then turned her attention towards the foreigner. The auburn had a carefree smile as Jyo poised her scythe for attack.

" Let's make this fun. I'll give you my soul gem if you can hurt me within five minutes." she offered without any trace of fear in her voice. "I'll even let you take a free shot to be fair. I won't even warp from this spot."

I could tell that she was planning to toy with Jyo. Even without teleporting , she would be untouchable through her phasing magic.

The black magical girl only grinned maniacally before bringing her scythe down at an angle.

The foreigner's eyes widened in horrified shock as the scythe blade swiftly sliced both her legs as Jyo's grin only grew when the blood spattered across her face. The auburn collapsed to the ground next to her severed limbs, staring at the girl in black in disbelief.

"H-How could you hurt me?" she asked. "I-I was intangible!"

Jyo grabbed one of the legs and tilted her head back while holding the severed limb up. She opened her mouth and squeezed some of the blood out into her awaiting maw. After a few seconds, she callously tossed the limb onto its owner's chest. She swallowed the crimson fluid and smacked her lips in satisfaction.

She then turned her attention towards the witch, which was surprisingly standing there, as if watching the gory spectacle. However, it wasn't acting in pain at the moment. I guess it would take a while for the venom to run its course for this one to see any noticeable reactions.

"I am the perfect hunter." Jyo announced before stomping her foot onto the Auburn's chest, forcing the air out of her. "My magic adapts to become the perfect countermeasure of the magical girl I see as my prey."

A fireball flew past the psycho's face, causing her to turn her attention towards where it came from.

"LEAVE HER ALONE!" I heard the injured Praedari cry out towards Jyo. However as soon as he screamed, he immediately gasped in pain before holding his side.

"Oh… Was she with you?" the psychopath asked in slight surprise.

"Hey! You can't fight, you're injured, right?" the other Praedari asked before turning towards Jyo. "And you. What the fuck are you thinking attack others like that?! Ever thought that they could be with Praedari as well?!"

I turned my attention to the others. The other two magical girls were mortified by what they saw, the witch was still the same, and all that was left was the reawakened witch. She had a reaction that I didn't expect.

Sentire Valere was holding her head in pain. Obviously her instincts to kill were clashing against her desire to protect at this display. A killer she was set on killing being attacked by another. Protect one evil from another.

I smirked upon realizing this piece of information. That kind of inner conflict leaves her vulnerable, which is something I should keep in mind.

Despite being crippled now, I admit that this night has been most interesting so far.

"Okay. The freaky kitty is all mine." Jyo announced. "If anyone of you decide to interfere, I'll slice your fucking faces off."

---

~Checkpoint~

---

~Praedari-Alpha~

"We can save some time going through this place." Kyouko said before opening a box of pocky from who knows where as she ran.

I followed her into a lot that held an abandoned lot with a rundown warehouse on the premise.

However, I heard gunfire from nearby before seeing an explosion in the sky, causing both of us to stop. Through my shades, I could make out the image of some kind of bird that didn't appear outside of the lenses, the telltale sign of it being a witch or familiar, and judging by the size of it from where we stood, it was big.

However, the most alarming thing was that it was outside, not within a labyrinth.

"Sakura-san, did you just see that bird?" I asked.

The redhead held out her hand, her ring transforming into a soul gem that was flashing brightly.

"No doubt about it. It's a witch." she said with a frown.

"I am going to take a quick look." I said before I saw Kyouko shake her head.

"I don't think they'd let you." she said before pointing.

I looked in the direction she was pointing and I groaned when I saw the many swords and guns that were drawn by none other than yakuza thugs. Most criminal organizations were decimated in areas controlled by Praedari, except for one. I came to this town because it was one of those controlled sectors. The fact yakuza were around here meant only one person was in charge.

"Omega…" I muttered bitterly.

Of all the Praedari…Why did it have to be him?! A teenage yakuza who genuinely ENJOYS being a fucking Praedari.

"I don't have time to deal with you fuckers…" I said in a threatening manner.

"You shouldn't have come here to begin with then." one of the thugs countered.

I turned my attention towards my companion.

"This is going to get really messy. Run and find shelter immediately." I instructed her.

"I'm not afraid of these bastards." she said while biting into a piece of pocky. "As I've said, I've already been through hell."

I frowned as Kyouko changed into her magical girl outfit. The transformation caught the goons off guard, allowing me to close in on the gunman and drove my knife into his head from the chin.

"You're all going to regret stopping us while going the afterlife." I said coldly before extracting my knife and taking the handgun from the corpse as it collapsed.

Magical girls can be reasoned with, and their trust is genuine. Yet you can't reason with yakuza unless you have a lot of money, and even then, you still can't fully trust them. Scum like these guys must be put down. I didn't want to kill if I can help it, but life has taught me at a young age that one of the laws of the criminal underworld is either kill or be killed. I learned that while training to become a Praedari.

I knew exactly what they would do to Kyouko if they got their hands on her.

"Listen, this is your last chance to run. If you don't, you can't live here anymore." I warned the magical girl before using my newly acquired gun to pick off a few of the other gunmen. "These guys are yakuza, and they're not idiots either. They WILL find you if you get involved."

A sword from one of the yakuza members pierced me through the left shoulder, causing me to scream in pain before I fired several times into his face. I staggered backwards as the remaining Yakuza closed in mercilessly. I tried firing my gun, only to find out that it was now empty. I must've emptied it when I fired into that last guy…

Before the criminals made their move, a series of peculiar red chains emerged from the ground, creating something that resembled a chain linked fence before my eyes.

"WHAT THE HELL?!" one of the remaining gunmen say in shock.

"I don't know why I feel like this." Kyouko said as she walked up to my side. "We only just met, but I feel like I need to help out…"

~Welkin - Digamma~

"The power to forcibly capture magical girls, that's one of the abilities of Enslave he isn't aware about." Sampi said with a smirk.

I nodded before saying, "I wanted to make sure Alpha wouldn't become corrupted by the power Enslave brings. Which is why he has no idea about how it's used outside of the original Ensnare."

My fellow Eligere smirked as she looked at the countless armbands that were displayed within the Armory.

"However, that armband can do so much more." she pointed out. "It can theoretically harness witches as well, as many are once magical girls."

I frowned before falling silent.

"However, there's more to it than just that." Sampi continued. "One can't exactly order around mindless beasts. No, the armband would change them into something that could."

My muscles became tense as I realized what she wanted now with Enslave. Why she was after the Harbinger.

She wanted to turn it into a weapon she could control.

"That is the true power of that armband." Sampi said as she grew more and more excited. "To amass an obedient army of anything you wanted as your soldiers, and it will also turn beasts into beings that can understand any order you give them."

"Do you have any proof about anything about that actually happening?" I asked, testing to see if she knew what I was hoping was still secret.

"Heh, of course there is evidence." She said before pointing a finger at me. "The proof of this is the witch Lamia. Though ever since your Alpha received your armband, she's been running rampant since her leash is no longer there, right?"

I growled while clenching my fists.

Damn that Sampi…

I brought her here in hopes of using her for my own means.

However, she has the upper hand here…

~Puella Magi- Sakura Kyouko~

"Sakura-san…" Shotaro said in genuine surprise when he looked at me. It took me a moment to realize that I encased us in what looked like a cage.

"So…I guess you made up your mind." the red eyed boy continued softly. "We're in this together from now on…"

To be honest, I don't know what drove me to protect him. It was like some invisible force told me to do it. Why would I help out someone like that? I was only looking out for…

My head immediately throbbed in pain, forcing me to grimace while bringing a hand up to my forehead. Damn it…I feel like my head's splitting in two. I slumped to my knees while the pain intensified.

"Are you alright?" Shotaro asked as he knelt beside me.

"I should ask you the same thing." I said before I saw him smile.

"Been through much worse." he replied before his eyes widened. "GET DOWN!"

He placed himself on top of me just before gunfire rang out across the night sky. I heard bullets ricochet off my makeshift barrier but I couldn't see a thing as Shotaro used himself as a shield. After what felt like an eternity, the cease of gunfire came with a loud screech followed by screaming and a loud thud.

"Well… that takes care of those guys…" I heard Shotaro say grimly.

I felt him get off of my body before I rose to my feet. I momentarily blushed when I looked at his face before turning my attention in the same direction as he was looking. The body of a large bird like witch laid on top of the crushed bodies of those yakuza with the ground partially depressed. It remained silent and still as if it is dead.

"What's this, another magical bitch?" I heard a boy's voice say. "Wonder if you have balls like that other one."

"Are you a Praedari?" I heard Shotaro speak up. "What is your call sign?"

"Praedari Omega." the new voice responded. "And who the fuck are you?"

"Praedari Alpha, I patrol Sector Q-13." Shotaro said firmly.

"Oh? So you're the shit who is rumored to love those magical sluts." the one called Omega said callously.

But what exactly are Praemari or whatever they're called? Still, this guy is an asshole.

"They're not sluts." Shotaro snapped in anger. "Where are you, you bastard?"

Stepping from behind the witch's corpse was a man dressed completely in black. From how he looked, he appeared like a Rider. However, what caught my attention was the smoking bazooka he was carrying on his shoulder.

"I'm right here, fucker." the man said.

~Puella Magi- Cutter Jyo~

I screamed as I swung my scythe at the witch's face. The monster's head immediately split open, revealing that the inside was some kind of stuffing, the grotesque plushy opened its mouth to roar as I stepped backwards.

So far I had no interference from the other magical girls, Praedari, or that weird snake girl.

I frowned as the cut I gave began to close as white stitches began to appear where the "wound" was to keep it closed.

My adaptation magic was easier to use with magical girls compared to witches. With witches, I must learn how they fight first so that I can adapt accordingly. But still, I actually liked that disadvantage against these enemies. It kept things interesting and fun.

I admit, when that foreign magical challenged me to hurt her like that, I could tell from the look of her eyes that she has killed humans as well for fun. However, she retained that innocent glint that someone who doesn't know better has. It pisses me off when I remember that look on her face.

I would've killed her right their, but I decided I should let it sink in that she shouldn't try to provoke strangers like that. You never know when you will meet someone who is superior than yourself.

She looked like she kills without realizing the consequences. I kill to provoke and entice. I kill magical girls to ensure that witches keep existing so that I can keep hunting them. To ensure my life keeps its purpose. To make me truly feel alive. To alleviate myself of absolute boredom. And to keep doing that, I have grown to enjoy every gory minute of it, as well. Cause and Effect. To see what happens in response to every helpless life I take, that has became one of my favorite pastimes when alone. That and to see what my actions reap.

I grinned as the feline swiped at me with its claws. I leaped back just before the attack was close enough, landing next to the amputated auburn.

"Wonder if I should feed you to the kitty." I mused to the girl while grinning in excitement. "I wonder how your Praedari friend would react."

She only looked at me in silence, her eyes dulled. Her mind was partially shut down to block out the pain.

Damn… I need her to be fully aware if I want her to learn anything.

Without another word, I quickly kicked my foot into one of the bloody stumps. The girl screamed in pain as life returned to her eyes. I turned away from the crippled magical girl towards the witch that slowly approached me in silence.

What is with these witches? The feline only retaliates briefly whenever I attack first, otherwise it just watches. I turned my attention towards the snake-human hybrid witch. . This one was able to talk, and kept its distance. The dragon one was acting like it was suffering for some reason. All witches I've ever encountered before these three were highly aggressive, especially once attacked.

I instinctively swung my scythe, cutting off the clumsily swung tail of the snake witch. However, when I looked at her face, she was showing genuine glee.

"Thank you for that, Jyo-chan." the witch said in gratitude. "Now I can recover properly."

Damn… She must have wanted that to happen.

Before I could react, the snake lunged forward towards the feline and sunk her fangs again. The plushy roared in pain as it raked its claws against the attacker's back, causing bloody gashes to appear. After a few seconds, the snake removed herself and began laughing.

"That should speed up your awakening!" she said in excitement.

The feline started to growl weakly as its red eye began drooping. It shook its head before taking a step forward.

What the hell?

At that moment, the red magical girl bolted forward and slammed one of her oversized fists into the cat's face, causing it to compress from it. The snake lunged forward, coiling what was left of her tail around the legs before grabbing the magical girl by the throat.

"I WON'T LET YOU INTERFERE!" she screamed as the two of them fell to the ground.

Meanwhile the witch began to growl weakly as it staggered. Its red eye began glowing as the black fur began to peel off, revealing patches of fabric underneath, causing the witch to become more like a stuffed animal with every passing second. It then opened its mouth and roared loudly before charging towards the Praedari.

~Praedari-Mu~

I held up my hand swiftly, creating a barrier just before the witch got any closer.

The witch began slashing against the invisible wall relentlessly with its claws while roaring continuously. The saliva from its mouth slowly turned into a sickly yellow froth.

"What the hell is with this thing?!" I cried out as I started to hear the barrier starting cracking from the constant force the witch was putting with every swipe.

I turned my attention towards my injured comrade, who was leaning against the wall of the plush building for support.

"Hey, who are you exactly? I'm Mu." I introduced myself quickly.

"Pi." he said quickly as I erected another barrier just as the first shattered. "Did you come… because of my alert?"

"I was already in here when you sent it out." I replied. "For the record, I honestly didn't expect any of this happening."

"Same here, bitch." Pi admitted in a casual manner.

"Don't call me 'bitch', you bastard." I warned in a low tone of voice.

"Sorry, I didn't mean any disrespect with that. Force of habit." the injured Praedari explained.

"Alright, as long as you weren't serious about that." I said before looking over towards Jyo.

"ANY TIME NOW YOU PSYCHO!" I screamed out.

Jyo chuckled and charged forward, her scythe ready to strike. However, just as I saw her prepare to attack, a blast of cold air swirled around the witch, ice forming all over its body. It spread all across its body, slowly transforming the giant plushie into a motionless statue.

"I don't think so!" the white magical girl cried out with an hand held out.

Jyo stopped and growled.

"I TOLD YOU NOT TO INTERFERE!" she screamed before turning direction.

The white magical girl's eyes widened in shock as the psycho closed in. She quickly erected a wall of ice to protect herself. However I heard the maniacal laughter from Jyo as she swung her scythe into the ice, the blade embedded deeply into it.

"Did you not hear me, bitch? My magic adapts to counter whoever is my prey." she taunted as the curved blade started to glow a brilliant red. As it glowed, I saw steam starting to rise as the weapon began to melt the ice.

"JYO!" I cried out.

"BACK OFF, SHE ISN'T WITH ANY PRAEDARI, SO SHE'S FAIR GAME!" the psycho screeched back in response. She then screamed as she pulled her scythe as hard as possible, cutting through the frozen barrier with no difficulty.

"I-I am…w-with one." the white magical girl said fearfully as Jyo slowly rose her scythe up, poised to end the other's life at any moment.

"Who?" Jyo said darkly.

"P-Praedari N-Nu." She said. "

The psycho growled before swinging her scythe into the nearby building.

"DAMMIT!" she screamed. "THIS FUCKING SUCKS!"

The black magical girl glared at the white one in silence soon after before turning around to leave.

"I'm leaving… this is pointless to continue." she said in annoyance just as she extracted her weapon without looking behind her back. "The witch is yours, bitch."

With that, Jyo walked off with her weapon over her shoulder, leaving us all to deal with the frozen plushy and snake that was still coiled around the red magical girl.

"What the hell was that all about?" the snake asked incredulously.

Took the words right out of my mouth.

I understand her frustration about not killing any magical girls working with Praedari, but to just leave us with a magical girl who had her legs cut off and a guy with what looked like broken ribs?

~Civilis- Nobunaga Himari~

I fell silent as I mulled over what I just learned.

This white creature that's called Kyubey wanted to form a contract with me. In exchange, he'd grant me any wish I wanted. He told me that I could be free from the wretched life I despised so much. However, my companion pressed the furball for further details at points that sounded either too good to be true or were obviously omitted. She pointed out the exclusion of details such as soul gems and the negative repercussions of the wish.

Kyubey tried to evade answering some of these questions, but when I said that I wouldn't give him an answer unless he told me every important fact, both good and bad, the furball gave it directly. Whether it was reluctantly or not was impossible to tell.

I now knew the gist of things. That my wish isn't free, and that I could only move within a hundred meter radius of the soul gem. I also learned that I was to eventually become a witch once I become a magical girl. The white creature even admitted that all this was for some kind of system to combat universal entropy, whatever that was.

My mind went back to the wish. The way Kyubey said it, I could easily wish that my parents were dead or become a god. I only wanted one thing my whole life, which is to be free of my living hell forever. However, I didn't want to waste a wish on something so trivial like that. Besides, I want to do that on my own, with my own two hands. I won't even let death or becoming a witch stop me from doing that.

Wait a minute… Any wish I wanted… Not let death or becoming a witch stop me… Could wish to be a god if I wanted. Consequences to go with that wish… with that… only emotional pain, which I am no stranger too already… I don't want to die…

I see… That could actually work…

"I made up my mind." I spoke up, breaking my silence.

"What is it?" Kyubey asked. "What is your wish?"

"Please don't do this." Mu pleaded while holding my shoulders. "You don't need to sell your soul to this monster! You know what is going to happen once you make that contract!"

I smirked before putting my own hand onto the Praedari's shoulder.

"I'm going to exploit that loophole." I replied. "I figured out something."

"Loophole?" she asked in confusion.

"Just trust me." I reassured her. "And I'm sorry, but I can't pass up this opportunity."

"Interesting, what is this loophole that you've mentioned?" Kyubey asked, curious in my words.

"Here's my wish. I want to become a magical girl that will never die. And by 'die', I mean by any action, reaction, or consequence that I see fitting of that term. That includes becoming a witch or my soul gem being destroyed, assuming that it leads to death as well."

"That kind of wish won't be of much use to me." Kyubey said.

"Can you grant that wish?" I asked.

"It is doable, however, is that what you really want? You won't know the repercussions for something like that." the furball explained, presumably to discourage me. "The same can be said for myself. As I'm incapable of seeing into the future."

"Himari-chan… are you sure about this?" I heard the Praedari ask me with uncertainty. I nodded without any conviction.

Kyubey fell silent as I pointed at him.

"Grant my wish, you little bastard!" I demanded. "You want me to be a magical girl, so that's my one and only wish."

"Very well…" Kyubey said before I felt a sharp pain from my chest, as if something was being ripped out from deep within. "At least this won't be a total loss."

I screamed in pain as I saw a light blue light coming from my chest. I grimaced in pain before slumping to my hands and knees as the light came out entirely.

"Your wish has been granted. However, are you sure you won't regret this?" Kyubey asked.

"I don't care what happens," I said as I saw the light dim, revealing what looked like a small Faberge egg made of a single deep sapphire blue gem. "I have been living in despair my whole life to begin with. I'll welcome anything that can let me escape that hell."

"I see. Anyway, your wish has overturned entropy." Kyubey said. "Due to the nature of your wish, I honestly have no idea what will happen since nobody really did a thorough wish like this before. However, I can assure you that based on the nature of your wish, your magic won't be offensive at all."

"Fine with me, as long as I won't die, I don't care." I replied.

"So… what are you going to do now?" Nu asked.

"I want to try my magic out." I replied with a smirk. "I have to fight these witches right? Since there's one here already, I figure, why not fight that cat we saw earlier?"

"Are you crazy?" she asked me.

"You heard my wish. Just think for a moment and you'll understand." I explained.

I picked up my soul gem before rising to my feet. Time to find out what I'm capable of now. And from that, figure out how to take back my life.

~Witch-Lamia~

I watched the black magical vanish from view, unknowingly lowering my guard at the moment. I learned this out when the magical girl I had coiled around got an arm free and grabbed my face with it. I tried to pry the limb off but with no avail. I felt my skull starting to give way from under the pressure, causing me to let out muffled screams of pain.

"Let go of me and I'll do the same." my captor-slash-prisoner said.

I immediately oblige without saying a word. As I started to uncoil, the pressure began to ease, but still held firmly. Once I completely removed myself, the magical girl let go of my face before rolling away from me.

Damn, external damage to my flesh was a simple fix. Limb regeneration only takes a few days at max, but bone fractures take a while to recover from if it's to my head. That and I have already lost a good portion of my tail has left me at a severe disadvantage.

I turned my attention towards the frozen witch. I opened my mouth to speak to it, only this time in a tongue no magical girl could understand. The language that only those who I awaken can understand.

"PaTCeC Ro FTiGH uP DNa HaDeT KeWa!" I ordered. With each syllable, black archaic runes that spelled out my words materialized in a spiral around me.

I saw the ice starting to crack slightly as I spoke. I knew it, this witch had the potential as well. However, her awakening has been taking longer than usual. It was like she was resisting it. I was then grabbed by the throat by a large red hand.

"What did you do, snake?!" the red magical girl demanded.

"Basically told her to get serious." I replied with a smirk just as the feline plushy broke free of her icy prison with a resounding roar.

~Praedari-Alpha~

"So, what the fuck do you want me to do with you, Alpha?" Omega asked callously.

I saw Kyouko immediately snarl at the remark about her. I placed my hand on her shoulder while shaking my head. She looked at me in annoyance before sighing softly.

"She is with me, Omega. We have no quarrel with you here. We are just passing through to where a hive is located." I replied calmly.

"A hive? That's something you don't hear often." the masked Praedari said in amusement. "Still, if you ask me, just let it be."

"W-What do you mean?" I asked, startled by his comment.

"It'll be fucking boring if we wipe out all the witches around." Omega explained in an annoyed manner. "Life's a shit load more entertaining when there's something to do."

"Damn it." I said while clenching my fists. "Don't you get it?! The magical girls are in this deadly cycle that needs to be stopped!"

"Hmm? A cycle you say?" Omega questioned in slight curiosity. In a flash of light, his weapon was replaced with two handguns. Desert eagles, if I'm not mistaken. "So, are you saying that witches are created by this so called cycle you mentioned?"

"That's right!" I confirmed. "If we can work together with the magical girls, we can definitely find out someway to make witches extinct!"

Omega aimed both guns and opened fire upon me, causing me to immediately duck.

"I can't fucking believe this bullshit you're blabbering about." he said in disgust. "Can't you imagine where the fuck we'd be if there were no witches to hunt? How shitty life will be?"

"This isn't a fucking game!" I protested.

"You're wrong there, shithead." the Preadari interjected while twirling his guns with his finger triggers. "All Praedari are killers who enjoy this death game we're a part of, whether you know it or not. Do you get a thrill when you beat the shitty odds and kill something that can kill you with a single strike? What about the bloodshed? Admit it, you can't imagine life without any of this!"

"Doesn't the Yakuza give you enough excitement?" I asked, trying my best to remain calm.

"I love being a Praedari, it's way more exciting than it was when I was in the yakuza." Omega said after chuckling briefly. "There is no greater thrill than engaging in fucking death matches every goddamn night as the underdog and coming out on top."

"I don't want that kind of life." I countered. "I WILL stop the cycle."

Omega fell silent before aiming his guns once again.

"You're starting to piss me off, shithead." he said before kicking a handgun belonging to one of the dead yakuza over towards me. "Pick it up and kill that little bitch since that's what protocol says. Otherwise, I'll do it for you."

I reached through an opening and grabbed the gun. I looked at Kyouko, who was looking at me with a mix of fear and confusion.

"Don't worry, Sakura-san. I am not letting anything happen to you." I reassured her in a soft tone before priming the gun to fire.

I had three options.

I let Kyouko die and live. Kill Omega and become a fugitive.

It was those or the third option. I vowed never to kill a magical girl after meeting Izumi, and I couldn't risk dragging Kyouko and the other magical girls down with me for something like that.

With a smirk, I aimed the gun in Omega's direction.

"I told you before that my friends and I are trying to stop Kyubey's cycle. But I don't think I officially asked you, Sakura-san. " I spoke to the young redhead. "Care to join us? I think I can hook you up with an apartment."

Kyouko looked at me with confusion before a small smirk formed on her face.

"I'll think about it. " she said. "But first, we need to deal with this bastard first."

"We don't need to." I said before pulling the trigger.

The bullet missed Omega completely.

"I can't believe your aim is so shitty." the Praedari said in disbelief. "How the fuck are you a Praedari?

"Who said I was aiming at you?" I retorted.

Omega looked towards me before a loud screech filled the air.

"Get ready to run." I told the redhead.

I tell you, that witch was obviously very pissed when I shot it in the back. It was pretty clever to pretend it was dead, but there was one thing that gave it away. The corpses of witches always disintegrate whenever they're truly dead. This one didn't do that.

The witch screeched before turning its attention towards Omega, who began firing at it with his two guns. I turned on the safety of the gun and stuck it into the back of my pants.

"Come on!" I told Kyouko before grabbing her by the wrist. The barrier receded before I led her away from the two while they were focused on each other. I briefly leaned down to scoop up a sword while on the move.

I laughed when the redhead stopped to briefly flip off the unknowing Omega. I followed her lead and did the same. We both looked at each other and nodded.

"SEE YA LATER, MOTHERFUCKER/ASSHOLE!" We taunted loudly to Omega before running off.

Okay, the last part wasn't in сomplete synch, but who gives a fuck about that? That was quite satisfying to be honest.

~Praedari-Xi~

The Shirokage. A run down, seedy bar that criminals, mainly yakuza, once patronized. It was now the bar of choice for most male Praedari. Whenever one comes here, it's mainly to brag about their latest success or to have a good time.

I remained silent when I kicked the door open. Everyone who was inside fell silent as I walked down the stairs towards the bar. I was still in uniform, with my helmet and voice changer on.

"Rare to see you here at this time, Xing." one of the Praedari patrons said mirthfully.

Xing… a nickname that they call me here. I didn't know where it came from, but it stuck. I wasn't the most popular due to my position as Digamma's hunter. Then again, they didn't know that I was a girl to begin with.

"Have I told you not to speak to me unless it's important?" I questioned in a dark, low tone. "This is MY bar you know."

The Praedari raised his hands up in mock surrender.

"Have you heard the report from that faggot with that slutty magical girl? They stumbled into a fucking hive." he explained. "He called out to any available Praedari for back up."

I ran straight towards him before belting him in the jaw, knocking him to the ground.

"What have I told you about language in this establishment?" I chided before grabbing him by the shirt and hoisting him up to his feet. "Do you remember what happened to the former Beta when he pissed me off?"

The Praedari gulped before nodding furiously.

"I really am on a short fuse right now, so make sure you mind your manners. Okay?" I asked before letting go of the shirt.

The moron immediately bolted, fleeing for his life. Not surprising, he did see me beat the former Beta to an mere millimeter of his life. I had to use tactics like this, in order to keep everything in line.

Excluding Digamma and the higher ups, there wasn't much of a chain of command amongst us. Even the Praedari who are designated as the leader of the pair or occasional group have any real power in the form of a rank. The ones who follow obey solely to ensure their own survival.

Without some kind of order here, constant brawls would've been the least of my problems

"Anyway, where is this hive located exactly?" I asked the entire crowd."

"Sector R-19. Also, there's been explosions reported at Sector S-19, where Omega patrols. " One of the uniformed Praedari replied. I turned towards him and noticed that slung behind his shoulder was a crossbow, a peculiar weapon to use these days when guns are available. Then again, some shoot better with bows than with fire arms.

"Why is this relevant to the hive?" I asked.

"It was only two clicks away from the hive." the Praedari explained in a cold tone.

"Thanks, though can I ask who you are? I haven't seen you here before." I asked.

"Katsuo Hara." the Praedari introduced himself. "I used to be with the police, but I'm now Praedari Rho."

"From the police? That's something you don't hear a lot of these days." I mused. "Anyway, I better go off to confirm this hive's existence. Interested in coming along, Rho?"

"I'll have to decline, I have just completed a mission and I'm low on bolts." the masked Praedari refused.

I nodded before turning my attention towards the patrons.

"Listen here, I will be coming back. If this place is trashed when I return, I will hunt each and every single one of you down and kill you. " I threatened before taking one of my clawed fingers and scraped it against the brick wall, the tips scoring into the masonry with little difficulty. "GOT IT?!"

A series of vigorous nodding and "Yes, Sir!" were the replies to my threat, except for Rho, who remained calm, as if unfazed by it.

I turned around and went up the stairs, leaving the patrons behind.

~Praedari- Alpha~

Kyouko, still transformed, led the way once again, leading towards our destination.

"Kind of pisses me off that I didn't go after that witch we left behind. " she grumbled before taking a bite out of her pocky. Seriously, where does she stash that stuff?

"Relax, I'll make sure you get a grief seed." I reassured her.

"We're almost there." she said, pointing to what looked like a large music venue. Nearby was a woman clad in black with a rifle and three younger girls.

Delta immediately turned and aimed her gun at the two of us.

"HOLD IT!" she barked, causing Kyouko and myself to stop immediately. "Who are you two?"

"Stand down Delta!" I spoke up, "It's me, Alpha!"

The Praedari growled and lowered her gun.

"About fucking time you showed up." She said in annoyance. "And I see you picked up another one…"

"Did anyone bring my suit?" I asked.

"It's in my car." Delta replied while pointing to a SUV.

I nodded before looking at Izumi.

"Izumi, mind if you do introductions for me? I need to change." I asked.

"Fine…" She replied while pouting a bit.

"Thanks." I said before running towards the vehicle to change.

~Puella Magi- Sakura Kyouko ~

I watched Shotaro run off before turning my attention towards the other four.

"So, who are you three?" I asked the three girls who were unmasked.

"I'm Izumi." the one with pale skin and blonde hair introduced herself before pointing to the slightly nervous pinkette. "This is Enoshima Fuuko." Izumi then pointed to the brunette "And she's Itou Nozomi."

"Sakura Kyouko." I said with a simple wave before finishing the piece of pocky I had.

"Judging by your outfit, you're a magical girl." Izumi said. "Just so you know, the three of us are just like you."

In a flash of light, Izumi transformed, revealing that she was in fact a magical girl as well. I couldn't help but look at the gold ring on her top that housed a blue gem. It was obviously where her soul gem was located.

Nozomi was the next to transform.

Her outfit was of a pleated bright green miniskirt and a matching tubetop that exposed her midriff. Her hands wore a pair of black fingerless gloves while her feet were wearing shoes. A green beret was worn at an angle due to her ponytail. Around her neck was a choker with a silver tag hanging from it. Embedded in that tag was a green star shaped jewel.

The brunette smirked before holding out her hands, summoning a metallic gauntlet with spiked knuckles.

"So, what do you think?" she asked.

"We should be conserving our magic, Nozi-chan." Fuuko said in a worried manner.

Nozomi clicked her tongue before pointing towards me.

"Listen, if you're going to work with us, you better know what you're getting into." she said.

"Sakamichi already gave me the gist of things." I said before turning my attention towards the masked woman.

"The fuck do you want with me, bitch?" She asked.

"Excluding Sakamichi, are all you damn Pray Mari grade A assholes?" I questioned.

"Don't fuck with me, you little brat." the older woman threatened while pointing her rifle towards me. "And it's Praedari. Get it right."

"Fine." I said with a frown. "But you remind me of that damn Omega I met earlier."

The Praema- I mean Praedari- fell silent after that while lowering her gun.

"Hold on, you encountered Omega?" she asked. From the tone of her voice, it sounded like she wanted blood. "What happened to him?"

"Delta, please calm down." Izumi pleaded, trying to maintain the peace. "We're all on the same team here, right?"

"Piss off blondie!" Delta snapped.

"What's with the extra bitchiness today? On your period or something?" Nozomi asked callously.

"Itou-san, don't say such things!" Izumi said while waving her arms frantically " "We need to work together, everyone."

"Work together? Why should I even listen to you magical tramps to begin with?!" Delta spat before raising her gun again, this time towards the blonde magical girl. "I'm supposed to be KILLING you, not babysitting your candy asses!"

"I'll kill you if you hurt any one of the girls, Narumi." Shotaro said as he came out of the SUV, wearing the same black jumpsuit that Omega was wearing.

Strapped to his back were three large guns, but I couldn't tell exactly what they were but I saw the blade he picked up earlier fastened to his belt. Held in his hand however was a rifle aimed straight towards the head of the other Praedari. Without lowering his gun, he brought his hand up to his helmet to press a button.

"Praedari Pi, or anyone else in range, this is Alpha. Come in." he announced.

He fell silent as if listening to something.

"Yeah, it's me, Usagi, Sekai. What's going on? Any confirmation on Pi?"

Silence once again.

"What is going on?" I asked.

"Radio." Izumi replied.

"Okay, we're coming in, keep them safe untill Izumi gets to them. Alpha out. "

"Sounds like it's bad." Nozomi said with a frown.

"Yeah." Alpha said with a nod. "Three witches, with two that seem to be abnormals for their kind. In addition to Pi, Praedari Mu and Nu are already in there. They're the twins with bodies like gravure models, compared to Delta."

"Are you implying that I'm fat?" Delta asked darkly.

"No, bigger breasts." Alpha replied bluntly before continuing. "Anyway Pi is injured with what appears to be broken bones, while Jeri Mandeni has both legs amputated thanks to a serial killer called Cutter Jyo, who's a magical girl working with Nu and Mu. Also, Jyo has a tamed familiar under her control. That and the presence of an idol and unfamiliar magical girls."

"Care to simplify that?" I asked.

"Five Praedari, which amongst them are mercenary and a homosexual boxer, a tamed familiar that looks like a stuffed rabbit, an unknown amount of magical girls, including those present here, should point out that two are confirmed psychopaths. We are facing against three witches, a dragon like girl, a snake that is apparently immortal, and a berserk one that looks like a fucked up cat plush. In the crossfire is an idol."

Memories of those two bizarre witches came to my mind. I couldn't help but smirk a little. Last time I didn't want to take any chances, but this time, I wasn't alone. Still, I don't… Ugh, why am I getting a headache again? I shook head to clear my mind, and to alleviate the headache, which surprisingly worked.

"An idol, two psychos, Gravure twins, a gay boxer, a mercenary, a bunch of unfamiliar magical girls, a living plushy, you and myself against a snake bitch that just won't die, overprotective dragon-girl, and rampaging plushy… I can work with that." I said to Shotaro.

"Alright, Once everyone's ready, we're going in." he announced as he began walking towards the music venue's entrance.

"Sho-chan, wait! " Izumi cried out, causing the boy to stop.

"What is it Izumi?" Shotaro asked before the blonde pointed to her soul gem.

"Should you take our soul gems?" she asked.

"Remember how close you were last time to becoming completely black?" he asked, his tone heavy in worriment towards the girl. "I can't risk that with you again. I won't do it unless it's absolutely necessary for your survival."

"Sho-chan…" Izumi said, taken back by what she just heard.

"Enoshima-san, you better change." the lone male said before he resumed walking.

"R-Right!" the pinkette said before she was engulfed in light.

The magical girl outfit was nothing like I expected. What she wore was a strapless white top that had her shoulders completely exposed, while wearing a matching miniskirt. This was partially concealed by a cape that was tattered at the end, also white, but with red highlights. The cape hung around her neck by a gold clasp that had a diamond shaped gem that resembled a pearl in coloration.

Oh her head was a white witch's hat with the pointed end bent at an angle. By witch here, I mean the ones one would think of riding on broomsticks and all that crap. Completing her all white outfit were pointed boots that reached her knees, and gloves with oversized cuffs.

"Okay, let's get going everyone." Shotaro announced. "I'll explain the plan as we go."

Izumi was the first to follow, then Fuuko and Nozomi. I was next after them, leaving the bitch of a Praedari to take the rear.

I don't know what to expect, except for one thing.

This is going to be one fight I'm not going to forget.

In the distance, I heard the shouting of a familiar voice, followed by several explosions.

"Dammit!" I cursed loudly.

I wasn't the only one who noticed that. Everybody apparently paused when the explosions occurred.

"Sakamichi." I said.

"I heard the screaming as well." Shotaro said bitterly.

"Who is it Sho-kun?" Izumi asked.

"Omega…" he replied before he turned around. "Izumi, I need you to heal Jeri and Pi once you reach them. I'll take care of this uninvited guest. Everyone, watch each other's backs."

"You go with your little harem." Delta said. "I'll deal with Omega."

Shotaro remained silent for a moment before nodding.

"Fine, but make sure he doesn't interfere." he said. "Let's go, ladies!"

Delta ran in the opposite direction as the rest of us.

I had a really bad feeling about when those two meeting up.

~Puella Magi~

I sighed as I watched from the balcony, watching the countless people moving about down below. I wonder how many times I've been watching this now. The door opened, alerting that I wasn't alone.

Turning around, I smiled.

"Welcome home, Master Caruso."

A boy who stood taller than me only nodded in response. As usual, he was wearing his favorite black hoodie, with the hood up, as well as the black pants and boots, complete with that studded belt. I think he either idolizes a certain western superhero that much or just loves black that much. Though I have seen what he looked like underneath.

He had raven black hair that was kept under ear's length. His chin sported a small stubble with a moustache that was barely noticeable. His skin was fair tone wise, but there were two distinguishing things that stand out though. The first were his eyes. They were golden in coloration, and can be unsettling if you look at them for a long period of time. I know this from first hand experience and seeing the same thing happen to others. The second was that scar on his face. It was a line straight from his right eyebrow to the left corner of his mouth, crossing over the bridge of his nose. I don't know where he got it. My guess it is from his line of work.

"Are you hungry?" I asked.

He nodded in response.

"Anything you're in the mood for?" I continued.

Master Caruso shook his head.

"Very well, I'll start preparations then." I said while bowing before I walked inside.

Dante Caruso, also known as Praedari Epsilon. He may look like a degenerate, and is really cynical, but he does care for us magical girls. Especially when he is supposed to kill us.

I closed the door behind me, only to smirk at what I planned to cook for him.

If there's one thing I know about my "handler", its that he can't handle his liquor. Besides, I like the drunk Caruso over the normal one. More talkative. The challenge is to slip the booze in without him realizing it.

~Praedari-Nu~

"Why did you become a magical girl?" I asked Himari once Shotaro-sensei ended his transmission.

The idol looked over her shoulder with a frown.

"To escape the life I am trapped in." she replied.

"How exactly?" I pressed.

She fell silent for a moment while looking forward again.

"I guess it'll be by killing my parents." she said.

I froze on the spot right there.

"A-Are you serious?!" I blurted.

Himari stopped as well before slowly turning around to face me.

"You don't know the hell I've been through." she said in anger while glaring towards me. "They dictate my every move, what I can and can't do, starve me for days when I do something that they don't like. They won't even let me decide if I want to go to college or not. All they care about is the money that I make as an idol. " she said. "THEY FUCKING SAID THAT TO ME!"

I was shocked by what I'm hearing.

"Why didn't you just wish for them to be killed?" I asked without thinking.

"That would've been a waste to use my wish for that." Himari said. "I decided to wish for something that only I could benefit from. Something that nobody could use me to gain, including Kyubey."

I was surprised. She really thought this out in such a short time. But what was that loophole she mentioned that was exploited?

"Listen, I am not driven by revenge." Himari's voice began to soften now. "I plan to make use of what I've gained to help you guys out afterwards."

"Really?" I asked.

"My parents are relentless in hunting me down, and they have gotten away with murder several times before. The ones they killed were those who tried to either stand up to them for me or I was becoming close with that were not part of their schedule for me…" she explained before clenching her fists. "The only way to escape them for good is to kill them. If not, they'll just put an even tighter leash on me when they catch me again."

I fell silent before walking up towards Himari.

"I don't think you should do it, even if they are fucking monsters." I suggested. " It'll leave a feeling that you'd never forget for as long as you live."

"How about I kill them for you?" Jyo asked as she came into view. "While it's not as high profile as you would be, my reputation would definitely rise if I kill the parents of a famous idol. That way, your hands are clean, and the police won't be out for your cute ass."

"Jyo?! Where's Sekai-nee?!" I cried out.

"She's dealing with the witches, don't worry, she's not alone. Some magical girls are with her. They said they knew you."

"Oh, Anzu-san and Akiza-san, yeah I know them." I spoke up before shaking my head. " Anyway, back up is coming in as we speak. We need to meet up with them."

"I see… Is it by chance that Shotaro you and your sister keep gushing about?" Jyo asked.

"It is him." I acknowledged before letting out a giggle at the sudden elation when I thought that I was going to meet him again.

"Anything I should know about, so that I don't screw up again?" Jyo asked. "I…accidentally cut off the legs of this one magical girl without knowing she was working with a Praedari. Don't worry, I made sure that the blood loss wouldn't be fatal with some delayed magic. Like to make the fun last as long as possible."

"Yeah, he has a group of magical girls with him, so if you encounter any, don't attack them." I said before pointing towards the psycho. "And you better pray that a magical girl called Izumi reaches the one you injured in time. Otherwise you've got more than just the police on your ass."

"Good point. Guess I shouldn't have ditched then." Jyo muttered before sighing.

"Anyway, could you possibly lead us to the others?" Himari asked.

The black magical girl crossed her arms and pondered for a moment before smirking.

"Fine with me. Just remember, you're still my souvenir, so stay out of the crossfire, even if you're a magical girl now." she replied before pointing towards me.

"I just have one question for little miss Praedari though before we go. If push comes to shove, would you become a magical girl to protect those dear to you, even if it befalls a large amount of despair? Answer to me like I'm Kyubey."

"I will accept my despair if it means protecting them from you, Incubator." I replied instantly.

"Straight to the point without hesitation. Impressive" Jyo said with a smirk before running off. "C'mon, we have to move it!"

"Why ?" I asked.

"It's a witch!" was the reply.

Himari and I looked at each other before looking behind our backs when we heard a loud screech. I immediately screamed upon what I saw.

Q: What is scarier than those rabbit familiars with rows of razor sharp teeth?

A: A giant white witch version of one that has tattered ears and its body covered in bloodstains, complete with a combination of those rabbit incisors being as long as swords and just as sharp with rows of shark teeth behind them. The stitching of the lips did little to keep the mouth from opening either.

Screaming like a banshee still, I bolted immediately with Himari following close behind.

WHY DID IT HAVE TO BE A FUCKING RABBIT FROM HELL?!

---

"Just how many witches are there?!"

"So, are you really against me or not, Sentire Valere?"

"Where am I?"

"Nya?"

"Why do you fight exactly?"

"God… I'm fucking tired of hearing all this cooperation bullshit of yours, Alpha."

"WHY WON'T SHE JUST DIE?!"

"What do you plan to do by all this Lamia?"

"You're not like me at all!"

"Kill Alpha? Count me in."

"Who do you stand with?"

"Humans are the real monsters. I fight solely to survive!"

"It's been a long time…"

"THAT IS AN ORDER!"

"Stigma..."

What was once as clear as night and day are starting to blur with the opposite, making it difficult to tell what is right or wrong. The defining lines are even harder to see when driven by powerful emotions or ideals. But still, once a goal is in sight, one must push forward.

Next time: Am I the Monster?

"Allow me to show you why I am the executioner."

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I really was in the zone this time. Debated about splitting the chapter up, but it would have killed the flow that was going on there in my opinion if I did. Hope this wasn't a problem.

Anyway, Regarding Lamia's language. I wish that I could have actually used a font for the witch runes for the words instead of garbling it up like that, but I don't think they'd appear on the website. I want to play a little game with those interested. What Lamia spoke wasn't not some random jargon. I'm interested if anyone can figure out what she really said. Nothing to lose or gain here. Just a little fun. If anyone asks for a translation instead, I will comply.

Well, I hope you enjoyed this chapter, and hope to see you next time.