Lancer remembered that in the "original story," Walpurgisnacht was one-shotted by Madoka-kami's ultimate move. This highlighted the importance of a frame of reference; how could an enemy that the entire five-member magical girl squad couldn't defeat even when surviving be solved so easily?
The spreading black mist eroded the land, and the entire city seemed plunged into midnight. Realizing the "gear" was the true body, Lancer charged straight for it, only to be drenched head-on by the mist. He didn't hesitate, leaping across broken buildings to continue his sprint toward the target.
In battle, turning your back on the enemy is always the stupidest choice. Even knowing the mist was abnormal, he had no intention of changing tactics. The only thing he adjusted was his breathing—switching from long, deep breaths to holding his breath entirely. However, the mist seemed to have no physical form; even with his breathing sealed, it continued to seep into his body.
Lancer, who had been squinting up at Walpurgisnacht, suddenly snapped his eyes wide.
The mist wasn't lethal in a physical sense. Rather, it was the accumulated negative emotions of the magical girls Walpurgisnacht had stored and the cities she had destroyed.
Rage, jealousy, suspicion, hysteria...
A massive amount of negative emotions were mixed together, but the most prevalent was despair.
The despair of magical girls before falling into Witches, mixed with the despair of ordinary people facing an unstoppable natural disaster—this was the source of Walpurgisnacht's power.
Every Witch has a representative power; Walpurgisnacht's was "Helplessness."
An average person facing this overwhelming wave of negativity would be crushed, losing all will to live. Unfortunately, her target this time was a man whose will to survive was so strong he had crawled back from the abyss of death more than once by sheer grit.
Lancer greatest internal scar went without saying—the death of those he protected had once turned him into a walking corpse. But he had long since moved past that.
What had happened, happened. Instead of wallowing in self-pity, he had put all his energy into making amends. At the time, what he should have done was search for a way to "resurrect" them! If he couldn't find it, then he would travel through time to change it!
Ordinary people couldn't do it, but he could!
So he would never give up! Giving up meant the end!
And the end meant all his efforts would be for nothing, and the people and things he protected would be exposed to danger!
So he would absolutely—never give up!
The earring hanging from his ear began to flash with a brilliant blue light as Lancer completely broke free from the control of the "negative emotions."
If "Soul Gems" were cursed tools driven by the souls of girls, then what the Law of Cycles had given Lancer and his companions were seeds representing "Hope."
A brilliant blue aura completely enveloped Lancer, and he became like a pale blue comet cutting through the "night" created by negative emotions.
"So beautiful..."
Currently, 99.99% of the people in the city were hiding in shelters. Everyone lucky enough to see that pale blue comet piercing the "night" couldn't help but let out a similar sigh of wonder.
As "it" struck the target, the brilliant blue light instantly illuminated the entire sky. Inside the bounded field, Kyoko and Mami were momentarily stunned.
"Is it over?"
The question was asked as if to someone else, yet also like a self-answered prayer. They clearly weren't expecting an answer, yet a voice spoke up anyway.
"Yes, it's over. Walpurgisnacht has been killed. But this planet is still doomed. The 'negative emotions' accumulated over thousands of years will spread across the entire world, and everyone touched by it will be completely controlled by it and start killing each other. Madoka Kaname, you are the only one who can save the world now. No matter how strong that man is, he cannot stop the spread of 'negative emotions'..."
Even now, Kyubey had not given up on enticing Madoka. Faced with this shocking information, Madoka indeed fell into a dilemma. she had begun to waver; after all, sacrificing herself to save the world seemed to be the only choice left.
But just as she was about to speak—
Pshht!
Accompanied by the sound of a balloon being pricked, a blood-red spear pierced through his body. Kyubey looked behind him, trembling.
"You... why... are you here..."
Along with his trembling voice, everyone saw the spear that had pierced his body at some point, and they also noticed a massive "Gap" that had appeared behind him. The gap was bizarre, and even had strange ribbons tied to its ends with a touch of dark humor.
Lancer voice drifted out as the gap expanded.
"A man can't ever say he can't do it!"
As Lancer voice fell, the group finally saw him clearly. Everyone froze, for Lancer looked incredibly eerie.
His entire body was wrapped in blue energy, but his physical form was dyed blood-red, and a single horn had sprouted from his forehead.
"Is that an 'Oni'?"
Sayaka Miki couldn't help but ask. Lancer glanced at her and nodded.
"Correct, an 'Oni.' You should remember what I said before, right?"
Lancer hint made everyone pause, but Homura was the first to realize what he meant.
"The Night Parade of a Hundred Demons?"
"Exactly! The Night Parade! Chimi-Moryo—I am the Lord of Spirits! A mere bit of 'malice' shall become my 'food'! Kyoko, take the three of them and leave. Continue to protect them so Kyubey doesn't get his way. Mami, even though the civilians are in shelters, please go check on them. As for this place, leave it to me for now!"
Hearing Lancer "order," Kyoko muttered, "Don't tell me what to do," but she obediently picked up her weapon and warily scanned the surroundings. Mami nodded to the group and hurried off into the distance.
As the five of them moved, Lancer began to slowly close the "Gap." But at that moment—
"Mr. Lancer!"
For some reason, Madoka suddenly called out to him. Lancer paused, and then—
"Mr. Lancer, we believe in you!"
Looking at the slightly serious expression on the girl who usually looked so gentle, Lancer smiled and nodded, though he couldn't help but sigh inwardly.
'Such a sensitive girl. Did she actually notice?'
But on the surface, he maintained his dignified and confident expression, making a promise to her.
"Let me treat you to BBQ when I get back. I have great confidence in Tiger's skills~"
With that, the "Gap" closed completely. Madoka let out a sigh of relief; at least Lancer seemed quite confident.
But in reality, was it really as simple as he made it sound?