Raising magical girls, and leave them with eternal regret?!

“…This is?!”

Bai Yu’s gaze locked onto the sword in WuYue’s hand and the overwhelming aura surrounding her. She swallowed nervously, rubbed her eyes, and looked again to confirm what she was seeing.

“Why does WuYue suddenly have so much mana?”

While Ouja might not notice the details, as a fellow magical girl, Bai Yu could clearly see the shift. The amount of mana emanating from WuYue was vastly greater than before.

To illustrate: if WuYue’s previous mana was like a stagnant pool of water, then now it was a fountain, endlessly surging.

This was something Bai Yu had never encountered before. She couldn’t comprehend what had happened to WuYue to bring about such a transformation.

But one thing was certain…

“Maybe… just maybe, WuYue can defeat Ouja now!”

With that thought, Bai Yu forced herself to her feet, clutching her bruised stomach. She cast her gaze toward the now-serious Ouja, searching for an opening to strike.

“Whoa, whoa—honestly, you’re surprising me far more than I expected, Magical Girl Firebird.”

“How do I put it? While this outcome was something I anticipated, it’s clearly gone a bit beyond my control… So, I have a proposal: how about we end this fight here? What do you think?”

For the first time, there was a trace of unease in Ouja’s voice. He gripped his sword tightly as he retreated, speaking cautiously.

WuYue, of course, noticed his change in demeanor.

At that moment, for the first time since their encounter, Ouja seemed to harbor thoughts of backing down. The sight of him retreating only strengthened her resolve.

Before he could slip away, WuYue called out to him with a loud, commanding voice:

“If you release YouYu right now, I might consider letting you leave.”

“But if you refuse, I’ll have no choice but to cut off your hands and feet and keep you here myself!”

With those words, WuYue slashed her sword, sending a blazing orb flying toward Ouja’s retreating form. It crashed behind him, igniting into a wall of roaring flames that blocked his escape route.

“Your power grows, and so does your arrogance, huh?”

“Seems I’ve got no way out now…”

“If I don’t fight you here and now, Firebird, I suppose things will only get worse.”

Ouja sighed as he glanced back at the towering wall of fire. For a brief moment, he conveniently “forgot” he could teleport, then raised his sword, now engulfed in black, white, and gray flames.

Seeing his predictable response, WuYue wasted no time. With a single step, she closed the distance between them at a speed far beyond his expectations.

“…!!”

Before Ouja could react, WuYue was already upon him. Realizing the danger too late, his eyes widened in alarm, and he hurriedly raised his sword to block her strike.

But with her newfound strength, bolstered by overwhelming mana, Ouja’s sluggish defenses were meaningless. With a simple thrust, she drove him back, forcing his legs into the ground.

Ouja, caught off guard and immobilized, exposed a fatal opening. WuYue’s gaze sharpened as she shifted her attack. With an upward slash, her flaming sword carved a fiery diagonal across his chest.

“Urgh!”

Ouja let out a pained cry as he was flung backward, a searing “one(一）” shaped burn smoldering across his chest. He clutched at the wound, gasping for breath, and staggered to his feet. Staring at the steadily advancing WuYue, his voice turned sour.

“As expected… Every time something like this happens, you unreasonable magical girls always manage to unleash this kind of power. And of course, it just has to be when I’m involved.”

“Are you really intent on fighting me to the bitter end, Firebird? If so, let me warn you—you won’t have a good ending…”

“…Why do you talk so much nonsense?!”

Frowning deeply, WuYue was no longer willing to waste time battling Ouja. Gripping her sword tightly, she dashed forward once more. This time, she swung the blade vertically, using its flat side to strike Ouja and send him crashing into a square boulder nearby.

Her decision was clear—render Ouja incapable of action and force him to reveal YouYu’s whereabouts. She couldn’t afford further delays. The sooner she dealt with him, the sooner she could reunite with YouYu!

“…”

Watching WuYue’s relentless approach and Bai Yu poised nearby, waiting for the right moment to strike, Ouja fell into silence. He didn’t counter or dodge; instead, he gazed upward, sighing deeply.

It wasn’t a sigh of regret but one of relief—as though his task was nearing its end.

This plan had only one step left.

And now, it was time to conclude everything.

“I didn’t really want to use this move.”

Ouja muttered, staggering to his feet and tossing aside the sword in his right hand with feigned helplessness. “But it seems I have no choice now.”

“What are you planning?!”

WuYue’s instincts screamed danger. Without hesitation, she channeled the sword’s mana to envelop herself in a protective barrier, preparing for any sudden attack.

However, Ouja didn’t strike. Instead, he raised his left hand and directed it at a nearby mirror leaning against the boulder.

“Shua—clang!”

In the next moment, a long, spinning black object emerged from the rippling surface of the mirror and affixed itself to Ouja’s left arm.

Upon closer inspection, WuYue realized the object was the head of a mechanical black serpent—crafted with an unsettling metallic sheen.

Ouja gazed at the serpent’s head now mounted on his arm, expression unreadable. In his other hand, a black-purple flame ignited, revealing a card imprinted with… Mamba.

“Possession combat. Your request is granted, Mamba.”

Taking a deep breath, Ouja slid the card into the serpent’s mouth, then clamped its jaws shut.

The moment he did, black and purple flames erupted around him, surging violently. Behind him, the phantom of a massive serpent began to materialize, its form slowly becoming corporeal.

Witnessing this transformation, WuYue and Bai Yu froze in shock.

The presence emanating from the serpent was unmistakable—it carried the overwhelming aura of those sinister cardes.

But this was on an entirely different level—far more formidable.

“What am I planning…? Let me make it clear for you, Magical Girls.”

As he merged completely with the serpent, he continued, “I’ve grown tired of your refusal to accept defeat gracefully. It’s irritated me to no end.”

“So now, I’m resorting to… unconventional measures.”

With those words, the fusion completed.

“Boom!”

“Ah!”

Golden and violet flames burst forth in an explosion, scorching the area. As the smoke cleared, the figure that emerged was no longer the Ouja they had fought before.

Before them stood a knight clad in gold and violet armor—a being that embodied menace and power, far removed from the “Ouja” they once knew.

“Finally wearing a proper armor…”

“Allow me to introduce my current form” 

“Ouja: Survive Form.”

(Tl: Original translation is something like King Snake form, but the author said we can also see it as Ouja Survive.)