What was this...?

The thought barely crossed Yhwach's mind when the shadow piercing her slender calf erupted, blooming like a flower, tearing through the wound. In an instant, dozens of fine gashes shredded her leg nearly to pieces.

With startling reflexes, the girl severed her own calf with a hand chop, her form retreating like a shadow over ten meters away.

Her Sankt Bogen, already formed, aimed at the shadowed ground.

Massive Reishi arrows, thicker than spears, shot forth.

"Splurt! Splurt! splurt-"

The arrows pierced the shadowed earth, their tips striking something alive, spraying foul, deep purple blood that ignited into raging flames.

A vine-like beast lurking in the shadows let out a piercing screech.

What is this thing?!

Yhwach's golden eyes chilled, her severed leg reweaving itself with a sharp command.

But without her 'Almighty,' expending so much Soul King power was a heavy burden. Sweat soaked her disheveled black hair, her cat tail tensing further.

Then, as if realizing something, she whipped her head toward the Reishi fire pillar.

Wait! Could it be...

She turned sharply.

The Reishi fire pillar split under a shadow-like blade, revealing Makoto at its core.

Makoto hovered in midair, cloaked in a mantle of pure shadow.

Between reality and illusion, his face seemed faintly unreal.

"...Power?" he said. "You still don't understand, Yhwach."

With a casual tug, he tore off his half-sleeved haori, revealing the black Shihakushō beneath.

But as Yhwach followed his voice, her gaze froze.

Inky blackness flowed from his body, spreading behind him into a vast, smoky shadow.

It was as if hundreds, thousands, of indescribable, horrific tentacles encircled him.

Writhing, clawing.

Yhwach's eyes locked on the shadowy streams, her pupils constricting.

Those nameless tentacles were the creatures she'd just killed in the ground's shadows.

But this number... how many were there?!

Makoto seemed buried in deep shadow, his tone as warm as ever: "As the Abyss Archduke, having a few hundred monsters lurking in the abyss's shadows isn't too outlandish, is it?"

As his words fell, the tentacles around him coiled like dense, flowing ribbons, manifesting behind him in a relentless cascade.

Yhwach's eyes widened.

Countless shadows shot toward the girl.

Hundreds, thousands of tentacles formed a tide, threatening to drown the sky.

Yhwach's instincts screamed. "Double Heilig Pfeil!"

Behind her Reishi cross on the crimson earth, a far grander cross rose, as if to pierce the dim, scarlet sky. Guided by Soul King power, Reishi condensed into countless spear-like Heilig Pfeil.

As the black cloud descended, innumerable Heilig Pfeil surged upward under Yhwach's command.

At the first clash, her Heilig Pfeil was devoured by the flowing black mist.

Her eyes widened in disbelief. "Impossible!"

"Can't comprehend it?" Makoto's voice grew colder. "I told you from the start: the moment you entered this world, our Reiatsu became equal."

Yhwach froze, realization dawning.

Across the clashing Heilig Pfeil and abyssal creatures, Makoto's voice pierced directly into her heart.

"All your techniques, swordsmanship, archery, these basic combat forms taught to all Quincies are nearly useless against an opponent of equal standing."

"They're just Reishi condensed and manipulated into shape or state."

"That's why most low-tier Quincies fall swiftly against Shinigami of the same level."

"Only Sternritter with unique 'rules' can face Shinigami head-on."

"Your unimaginable Reiatsu has always masked this weakness."

"But when someone reaches your dimension, your frail, cowardly nature is laid bare."

"Yhwach!"

As Makoto's voice fell, his eyes flared with grim black light.

The shrieking black tentacles surged toward the arrow rain with ferocious speed, like a flood breaching a dam, swallowing all light before Yhwach in an instant, unleashing deafening explosions.

Countless abyssal shadows roared, their piercing cries wrapping around the girl, unrelenting.

Yhwach's skin prickled, her fluffy tail stiffening, ears standing upright.

How could this be?!

Her golden slit pupils reflected the holy domain consumed by black shadows, fear mounting.

A 'rule' that could override Soul King power, how could it exist?

Wait.

Could it be...

In a flash, memories and images surged through Yhwach's mind. Questions unanswered by her 'Almighty' connected, her gaze toward Makoto turning dangerously sharp.

She blurted, "You're a son of the Soul King too?!"

As her words fell, her frail form was engulfed by a tidal wave of shadows, roaring like a sinister wind.

Hurricanes howled.

Yhwach and her Double Heilig Pfeil shuddered, swallowed by endless shadows.

Makoto stood in the air, looking down: "The only one blindly worshipping that helpless figure... has always been you, Yhwach."

Makoto's light words struck a nerve Yhwach could not tolerate, piercing the deepest shadows of her heart.

Amid the howling shadows, sharp metallic clangs erupted.

Clang! Clang! Clang!

The reishi sword, wreathed in blue light, danced chaotically, slicing through the shadows, tearing apart the darkness.

The girl's petite form skimmed the ground, black hair streaming, her dress billowing in the fierce wind. Her pale legs strode forward, charging at Makoto with deadly resolve.

"Makoto!!!" Her childish cry pierced the sky.

Her blade shredded the shadowy tentacles, fragmenting them into countless tainted shards.

Burning fire blazed in her eyes.

Born the Soul King's child, Yhwach's arrogance as the world's center was matched by her lifelong curse of facing death's specter.

She crowned herself a god to escape that fear, yearning for a primordial state, neither life nor death, free of such terror.

But no one could question her title!

Makoto's words were an insult!

"Self-Bestowal: Infinite Restoration!"

"Self-Bestowal: Strength!"

"Self-Bestowal: Speed!"

A surge of Soul King power flooded her frail body, amplifying her taut form several times over.

Yet, under the [Melee Magical Girl Constitution (Passive)], she forcibly stabilized this 'unbreakable' state.

Her power skyrocketed!

The slender magical girl pierced through obstacles at a speed beyond perception, her blade trailing ribbon-like light, slashing toward Makoto with a howl.

Compared to her speed, Makoto's senses lagged. Only when she entered the [Sokushinteigi]'s automatic activation did his focused pupils catch her.

His body couldn't react, his wrist barely pressing down his blade.

"Clang! Boom!"

A faint metallic clash and a deafening explosion rang out simultaneously.

Makoto's tall frame broke the sound barrier, propelled backward under rippling shockwaves, skimming the ground like a stone, bouncing dozens of meters away.

As he flew, the abyssal shadows defending him reacted too late to Yhwach's swift strike.

Undeterred, Yhwach pursued, her speed outpacing his flight. Her delicate fingers reached for his face, her reishi sword raised high, slashing down.

Her cat tail stretched taut in midair.

"Rumble!"

Dust billowed, the earth cracked.

Makoto reacted, Oharai Gougi barely blocking the beheading strike. His body rolled, feet digging into the ground like mud, carving long furrows.

Blood surged from his mouth.

She still had this level of strength?

Makoto stared at the frail, black-haired cat-eared girl, his shock rivaling his physical pain.

He didn't know these 'Soul King powers' were Yhwach's reserve for her fated battle with Yamamoto.

With her Almighty sealed, her Soul King power was finite, only restorable by breaking the seal and reclaiming her 'daddy's' power.

But Yhwach, hair rising, glared fiercely at the man.

No hesitation.

Kill him!

Even if it meant facing her 'fated death,' she wouldn't die humiliated by this pervert who insulted her 'daddy'!

Yhwach steeled herself.

Before she could swing again, Makoto chuckled, as if relieved, wiping blood from his lips. "Good thing I didn't cross the line."

Yhwach paused, confused.

Makoto smiled. "You didn't think I was just spouting nonsense to provoke you, did you?"

Soft 'hiss' sounds rose from the ground behind her.

Black shadow obelisks, over four meters tall, surged from the earth, encircling Makoto and Yhwach, spanning hundreds of meters.

Yhwach sensed danger as the abyssal obelisks rose, instinctively charging toward the circle's edge.

But Makoto, having warned her, was prepared.

"Splurt!"

Formless shadows extended from her previously severed leg, piercing her flesh, anchoring into the ground.

Like chains on her ankle, Yhwach was pinned, crashing heavily to the earth.

"Damn it! What's this?!" Her furious cry rang out, her glare fixed on Makoto, blood at his lips.

"Despicable cur!!"

Makoto didn't respond.

Her outraged cry seemed like praise, a smile spreading across his face.

From the ground beneath her, countless black shadows surged, severed by her reishi sword yet relentlessly binding her.

Given a bit more time, she could break free...

But as Yhwach thought this, her blade faltered, fingers weakening.

Poison?

Noticing the pulsating, pipe-like tendrils in the shadows piercing her, she realized something and shouted, "Self-Bestowal: Detoxify!"

"Detoxify!"

Yet, the deep relaxation spreading through her body persisted.

Until it consumed her.

No, this wasn't right...

Her vision blurred, Makoto's face doubling.

He wasn't poisoning her?!

In that moment, an unprecedented terror gripped Yhwach.

Of course!

This was an unmatched pervert!

Her delicate, adorable body, soft cat ears, and tiny tail, weren't they crafted for his twisted desires?

Had she known the Father of Quincy could face such violation...

"No, don't..." Her voice slowed, hoarse, her vocal muscles failing. "Not that... If you're capable, kill me!"

Makoto kept a safe distance, smiling calmly. "No matter how you plead, it's useless, Yhwach."

"Someone as cunning as you must still have countless trump cards, like before."

"In a direct fight, I'd struggle to win. You might even turn the tables."

"So, I'll break you mentally first."

Yhwach froze, staring blankly.

Behind her, five massive black tentacles rose silently from the ground, coiling around her.

She erupted with terrifying strength, tearing free from the shadows, sprinting desperately to escape the obelisk circle.

But the entire ground was laced with abyssal shadows. Spikes and tendrils pierced her before she could move.

"Makoto!!!" Her hoarse cry echoed. "I won't let you-guh!"

Her voice cut off seconds later.

Silenced.

Makoto stood calmly, watching the shadows envelop Yhwach's body, binding, covering, piercing.

At the obelisk circle's center, they formed a massive, impenetrable black cocoon.

In this dark hell, the pitiful magical girl would endure the abyss's hospitality at thousands of times normal speed, until her very personality was erased.

Makoto gazed at the cocoon, whispering, "This script is called Magical Girl Hell Transformation."

"A rare chance."

"You'd better savor it."

***

Hi guys, I hope you're all doing well! I want to share that I'm currently working on a new project related to Lord of Mysteries.

If you're interested, feel free to visit my profile and start reading. Below is a brief summary:

[Lord of Mysteries: Incarnation of Chaos]

Have you ever wondered what would happen if someone from a Lovecraftian world got isekai'd into another world built on Lovecraftian themes? Well, it's absolute chaos.

Meet Alaric, a human(questionably) survivor of the madness and chaos caused by a certain crawling chaos, who, thanks to the kindness of a certain bubble daddy, got isekai'd into the "fake it till you make it" world.

What will he do in this strange new world? Climb the ladder of power to become that impossible god unless you're just a pawn of a certain russian priest or a certain goth mommy?

Or become a cheshire cat, leaping onto the 4D chessboard to disrupt the schemes and mind games of these bizarre folks?

For Alaric, it's not a tough choice. But before he picks either path, he must, of course, uphold the time-honored tradition of isekai'd victims(questionably) that forms the foundation of this world.

What's that tradition?

Keeping a diary.

---

[Alaric's Transmigration Diary]

[Day 1: I encountered Amon. Used a special technique to summon a projection of the Ancient Sun God, who personally delivered a heavy slap to Amon. Hope Amon appreciates this weighty paternal affection.]

[Day 2: I received an invitation from the Aurora Order. Told them I want it all... looks, brains, and combat prowess... and invited them to join my newly founded Joker Club.]

[Day 3: I met Leonard and acknowledged Gramps Pallez. Declined Leonard's enthusiastic suggestion for the old man to move in with me, as I'd rather not have a old man critiquing my every move, even in private moments.]

[Day 4: I told Klein I plan to pray to a deity named The Fool. Watched his eyes widen in shock and kindly offered him some eye drops.]

[Day 5: I listened to Medici perform a two-hour comedy routine. Suggested he go professional and invited him to share a meal.]

.

.

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[Day 666: I fully absorbed a certain crawling chaos fragment within me. From now on, I am the Fifth Pillar.]