"How pathetic! Speaking of which, Megalo's anti-magic methods are truly disappointing. A small trick that isn't even magic almost instantly killed them both, speechless."
Kurumi, having received information from her clone, was speechless as she complained to the two (dog). One was a powerful undead zombie, the other a hellhound guarding the underworld. Ayumi aside, you, a truly communicative A-rank Megalo, couldn't even evade something like that. It seems the underworld is too peaceful!
"Thank you so much, Lord, for your rescue. I didn't expect the opponent to be so strong."
The dog head had a look of shame, kneeling before Kurumi in a dogeza style, looking as if it wanted to die from embarrassment, which made Kurumi not want to say any more reproaching words.
"Looking at the opponent's attire, it's very similar to a Magical Girl. Could it be…?"
At this moment, the silent Ayumi suddenly spoke. She had been too flustered at the time. When both of them were instantly paralyzed, the amulet Kurumi had given them suddenly burned, and control of their bodies instantly returned. The opponent's fatal blade missed. Just as the opponent was about to continue to cut off their heads…
'Kurumi' suddenly appeared, forcing back the enemy behind them. There was no light in the house, it was very dark. With the faint moonlight, Ayumi could only glimpse the opponent's back, but the unusual clothes and figure confirmed that the opponent was a young girl. Connecting the dots, Ayumi finally made a smart guess.
"In that case, we can call Ellie El. After all, she is a Magical Girl's teacher."
"Are you calling me?"
"Uh! Never mind, I won't talk about you. Please use the door next time, thank you."
Just as she mentioned her, she didn't expect her to teleport into the courtyard. Kurumi said to Ellie El speechlessly, but seeing her smiling expression, she probably would do it again next time.
"How much of our conversation did you hear?"
"I only heard you say my name. What a coincidence!"
"Indeed, a coincidence, but I still need to tell you about these matters."
It took Kurumi ten minutes to tell Ellie El about Ayumi's experience. The ashamed hellhound, after asking Yuu for permission, went back, seemingly to train.
"I see. So, Ayumi-san, could you briefly describe the opponent's attire?"
"Yes! The opponent was holding a samurai sword and wearing what seemed to be a formal dress. As for the color, it was too dark to see clearly."
"Alright, I understand."
Ellie El smiled and interrupted Ayumi, who still wanted to speak. It seemed she already knew who it was.
"It should be Kyoko-chan, who recently lost contact. It seems something led her astray. What an unexpected turn!"
Taking a sip of the tea in her hand, Ellie El said nonchalantly, an attitude that made Ayumi a little angry.
"That's your student! How can you be so irresponsible?"
"Although what you said is reasonable, I have hundreds of millions of students, so I'm quite helpless."
"Several…several hundred million."
Ayumi, startled by the number, said with a touch of exaggeration.
"Alright, now is not the time to discuss this. The most important thing is how to catch her. Once we catch her and interrogate her, won't all the mysteries be solved?"
Kurumi looked at the two who were getting off-topic and reminded them helplessly.
"That's right! How exactly can we catch her?"
"If that's the case, I do have an idea."
Ayumi said, troubled, but Ellie El suddenly blurted out that sentence, seemingly having been prepared all along.
"Tell me about it."
This was something not in the original work, Kurumi said, suddenly interested.
"This method might require Ayumi-san's cooperation."
Hearing Ellie El's words, everyone present turned their eyes to Ayumi.
"Why are you all looking at me with such eyes?"
Looking at their 'unfriendly' gazes, Ayumi retreated to the corner, trembling and hugging her adorable self, feeling utterly cute.
"Yamete!"
While Kurumi and the others were plotting to capture a certain yandere girl who often wielded a katana to cut people, on the other side, Athena's mind was in a complete mess.
She silently looked at the two corpses before her: one was Medusa's, the other was Perseus, who was tightly embracing Medusa. Upon learning that Athena couldn't save her beloved, she resolutely chose suicide. She plunged her sword into her own chest and died with a smile, holding Medusa.
This emotion caused Athena, who had lacked love since childhood, to feel an unspeakable sensation in her heart, stirring her powerfully beating divine heart with a sharp pain.
"Is this what humans often call love, Mother Goddess?"
Taking out a miniature statue of Zeus, Athena caressed it with a bewildered expression. Looking at her Mother Goddess's statue, her heart twinged. She had never experienced this feeling before; it was more unbearable than killing her.
Clutching her well-developed chest, Athena flew to a secluded spot and saw a beautiful, green-haired goddess with a very intellectual demeanor, playing a lyre, seemingly expressing her longing for someone far away, somewhere unknown.
"Excuse me, do you know what love is? What does it feel like? Why would someone be willing to give up their life for it?"
Athena knew this goddess. She seemed to be the only aunt who harbored no hostility towards her, her mother's sister. They had met many times, and Athena had learned a lot from her. But today's matter seemed to stump Demeter as well. She stopped playing and stared at Athena for a few minutes.
"Love, it is formless and colorless, present everywhere, and comes in many forms."
Looking at Athena, Demeter not only recalled her first meeting with the child but also wondered why she suddenly felt a fondness, as if the child were her own. So, she secretly communicated with the child often, chatting and imparting knowledge, without her elder sisters knowing. Sometimes she felt deeply emotional, thinking how wonderful it would be if this child were hers and Zeus's. But alas, reality is always reality.
"But we gods prefer to call it a disease, a contagious disease, and once infected, no one can save you. It will slowly occupy your mind, make you long, and cause you extreme pain."
As she spoke, Demeter smiled painfully. Hadn't she herself contracted this disease? No, all five of them, her sisters, had contracted a disease called Zeus. And as time passed, this disease deepened. The longing in their hearts turned into invisible knives, carving at their souls, causing them immense pain every day.
Even that great grandmother probably couldn't escape the fate of being tormented!
"Disease?"
"Yes, it is a disease, a disease that can even infect emotionless gods."
Athena looked at Demeter blankly. She was learning about this for the first time.
"I see you are quite ill, Athena. Take care of yourself."
With that, Demeter vanished before Athena. Today, she had another flare-up of her illness. She could only painfully suppress her longing, otherwise, the mad yearning would drive her insane.
"Am I… ill?"
Athena sat blankly in the spot where Demeter had been, clutching the statue of Zeus to her chest. She gazed blankly at the distant mountains, sitting there lost in thought.
"Mother Goddess, Athena misses you so much. Where are you?"
Clutching the statue of Zeus tightly, Athena painfully covered her chest. It felt as if something was cutting at her heart. Tears streamed down from her purple eyes from the pain, and she choked out Zeus's name, like an abandoned, crying child, a sight that tugged at the heartstrings.
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