Deep within the mountains, a pillar of radiant blue light shot into the sky.
It melted the ground beneath and set the forests ablaze.
Amidst the sea of fire, a girl walked through the haze of heat, her figure bathed in a vibrant orange glow.
In an area deadly enough to kill any carbon-based lifeform, she moved as if it were a calm field.
“Ellera!”
A furious roar rang out from beyond the flames, where a force of over a hundred people had surrounded the area.
Some wielded terrifying weapons that defied logic.
Some were enveloped in strange, glowing auras.
Some had bodies that no longer resembled humans.
And others shifted forms like gods, bending reality at will.
At the head of the group stood a man whose voice rang clear despite the inferno, his tone as cold and commanding as a divine decree.
“You’re breaking away from the organization like this—do you even understand what consequences await you?”
“……”
The girl halted in the fire and turned back, casting him a cold glance.
“Since when do you people get to decide whether I stay or go?”
“Then return the Divinity Particle. It doesn’t belong to you!”
“That thing was mine to begin with. The intel came from me, I was the one who stole it from the magical girl, and I’m the one most compatible with it. It was never yours to begin with.”
“Foolish!”
The leader shouted in frustration, trying desperately to hold her back.
“Lo… Ellera! Why now, of all times?! We’re in the fiercest part of the war against the magical girls! You’re our strongest asset—don’t you realize what a blow this is to the organization? Have you forgotten everything we’ve done for you?”
She paused, her voice calm after a moment’s silence.
“I have my reasons. And honestly, I’ve been fed up with how the organization’s been doing things lately.”
“You—! If that’s how it is, then don’t blame us for what comes next! Today, more than half of the Thirteen Seats are here. All of Unit Zero is present. Even you won’t walk away unscathed!”
A violent wind swept through, tilting the sea of fire. Those wielding strange weapons unleashed their full firepower toward the girl.
Boom! Boom! Boom! Boom! Boom! Boom!
The mountain forest erupted in another round of brutal slaughter.
Even if every magical girl in the southern region were to show up, they would be crushed without mercy.
Even the legendary Aurora Witch, Ellera—despite all the magical girls she had once defeated—faced certain death in a situation like this.
“Too slow.”
In the roaring torrent of energy, a blinding pink light overwhelmed every other color, like a star extinguishing in a flash across the heavens. Brief as it was, it felt eternal.
“There she is!” someone shouted.
A hundred meters away on the mountain peak, the girl now stood tall.
A veil of soft pink light—like a dreamlike silk ribbon—obscured her form.
“Pink light!? She’s mastered yet another ability!”
The leader’s heart sank.
Capturing Ellera just became exponentially harder.
Damn it!
Offense, defense, movement, awareness—every trait was already top-tier.
And now her final weakness, speed, had been compensated for.
Was there truly any way to defeat her?
“I don’t want this to spiral out of control. This is your last chance. If you still insist on standing in my way, I won’t hesitate to kill you—down to the last fighter.”
She turned to leave.
Behind the cover of pink light, no one could see her trembling hand.
“Wait!”
The leader tossed something toward her.
“Take this signal flare.”
She reached out with a wave of orange light, catching it mid-air.
“What’s it for?”
“If you ever find the ‘Box’—or any clue related to it—I want you to fire that flare. We have agents across the world who will respond instantly. When that day comes, everything between us will be wiped clean.”
“…Nothing else?”
“Nothing else.”
With those words, the pink light flared like a morning star.
When it faded, the girl was gone.
Only devastation remained in her wake.
Someone turned to the leader.
“Lord Yue, we’re just letting her go?”
Lord Yue shot him a cold look.
“Prepare to relocate the base. With all this chaos, we’ve likely been exposed.”
“Everyone remember this: nothing happened today. The Aurora Witch, Ellera, is on a secret mission and won’t appear again for a while. When she succeeds—that will be the moment we take the world.”
“Yes, sir!”
With mechanical precision, the hundred-strong force vanished within a minute.
Supplies were packed, personnel relocated, loose ends silenced.
Lord Yue stared off into the direction the girl had vanished.
Three thousand kilometers in a straight line—that was magical girl territory.
“Ellera… why did you choose this path? The Divinity Particle is still with you. Until we find the ‘Box,’ the organization won’t let this go.”
But reckoning would not come today.
The war for global dominance was nearing its climax, and their side currently held the advantage.
The magical girl alliance was weakening.
The higher-ups wouldn’t risk a direct confrontation with the powerful Aurora Witch now.
Perhaps Ellera knew that too—and that’s why she chose this moment to break away.
But when the dust settled and it came time to settle scores—would the organization still be able to find her?