Chapter 42: Journey to War

We began walking toward the Demon Kingdom. The tension in the air was heavy; every step felt heavier than the last. We tried to conserve our energy, but I decided I needed to talk to Mizu, Mizuki, Akane, and Rem before the battles began. I asked them if we could have a conversation, and they agreed.

“All right, Taiyaki, what is it? What’s on your mind? You seem really worried to ask for this,” Rem said, her concern clear.

“It’s just… if we survive this, what do you plan to do? I doubt we’ll still be Magical Girls after defeating the Demon Queen. Life doesn’t have to only be about being Magical Girls. I want to do other things too. I don’t know how you’ll take this, but I had to say it,” I admitted, troubled by what might come after all this.

“I know what you’re feeling,” Mizuki replied, trying to encourage me. “But for now, let’s focus on defeating the demons and their queen once and for all. If we’re alive afterward, then we’ll figure it out. It’s tough, but the people of the kingdom are depending on us.”

“Think of it this way,” Mizu added with a confident smile. “It will be hard and terrifying, but together we can do it. We’ve created the strongest method we have to wipe out all demons — I know it’ll work.”
But deep down, I knew she was already aware of the truth: that the two of us had prepared a kamikaze technique, a secret card to play if the Fusion didn’t work. A victory at the cost of our lives.

“Talking is fine, but are we sure the Fusion will really work? Are we ready?” Akane said, visibly frustrated.

“Well, we’ll have time to think about that later,” Rem said, scanning the surroundings.

After an hour of walking, we finally reached the Demon Kingdom. The atmosphere was dark, evil, and suffocating. We stayed alert, ready for ambushes. The ground was littered with rotting corpses; we knew demons were close. I breathed deeply to calm myself. I won’t die here. I won’t waste my life. I’ll fight with all my strength and kill every last demon in this cursed world.

And then it happened.

Several demons appeared, snarling, ready to kill and torture us. One of them sneered mockingly.
“Well, well… intruders trying to ruin our future empire. Why don’t we give them a proper welcome — killing them one by one? I want to taste girl flesh, and maybe grope a few of them too.” It was a large demon with horns and a spiked tail, stretching its claws toward us.

“Quick! Kill them as fast as you can! Don’t stop until not a single one is left!” Ranma shouted, pulling out her massive demon-slaying hammer.

The battlefield erupted into chaos. The air was filled with the clash of powers, weapons, and roars. We fought side by side, covering each other whenever one was attacked. For every demon that fell, ten more appeared. Teto, Ranma, Lilit, and two other girls — Kazane and Rino — joined forces to unleash a combined elemental attack. A great aura of multiple elements formed into a single colossal blast. With a mighty cry, they all shouted:

“Sacred Mega Massacre of the Goddess Aqua! May every demon in this land perish forever and never rise again!”

Beams of energy burst from their raised hands, scattering like divine lightning across the battlefield. The sky lit up as rays shot in every direction, burning through demons one after another. It was a breathtaking sight: every demon slain was a victory for humanity. The air grew lighter, as if their very presence had poisoned the land. The darkness began to fade, and hostile energy thinned. The screams of demons echoed everywhere, filled with pain, as if holy fire were consuming them.

I was thrilled — maybe this really could work. But I knew these weren’t the true threats. The real monsters were with their queen — Eien no Shi. She was the cause of all this suffering, and I hated her more than anything.

When the last demons turned to dust, the land itself seemed to transform: flowers bloomed, the sky brightened, though still tainted red. We pressed forward toward the Demon Queen’s castle. On the way, more demons appeared, but we cut them down with blasts of energy and weapon strikes. Akane pulled out her machine gun and mowed them down, leaving behind a trail of carnage. The land shifted, changing with every demon slain. We were almost there — almost at the Queen’s domain.

Finally, we reached the massive closed gates of the Demon Queen’s castle. And then we heard a woman’s voice.

“So, you finally arrived. I’ve been waiting for you… waiting to kill you once and for all. After I slaughter you, I’ll send my army to your kingdom to butcher your loved ones. Yes, I am the Demon Queen — Eien no Shi. I’ll make you suffer in hell before killing you, then I’ll take your souls so you can watch as I torment your precious ones. Especially you, Taiyaki. You’ll pay for killing that Ogre Demon Chief. He was one of my finest warriors, and with his death the ogres lost hope and killed themselves. For that, you’ll suffer. But no… it won’t be out here. That wouldn’t be any fun. I want to kill you inside my throne room. Come then, I’ll be waiting.”

The gates creaked open, revealing the castle’s dark interior. Before entering, we fused quickly — we couldn’t risk failing once inside. With all the teams combined, we were twelve Magical Girls. Sixty of us had set out to war.

And so we stepped into the Demon Queen’s castle, not knowing what awaited us inside…