MHGA Chapter 365 – The Winged Lion and the Magical Girls
After Kairo Retsu left a deep gash in the Witch with his Great Sword, he quickly assessed its strength.
It could be killed, and for the current Hunters, it wasn't considered overpowered.
In fact, its level made Kairo feel a little emotional.
After all, putting aside Muzan Kibutsuji—who was a bit disgraceful as a final boss—every final monster Kairo had hunted so far had been…
A demon composed of pure magical energy with an insatiable hunger to devour the world—known as the Pale-Hoofed Kirin.
The source of the rampant Frenzy Virus, the Shagaru Magala as the Master of Cycles…
Especially Shagaru Magala, who rendered the Hunters' upgraded strength practically meaningless.
But this was different now.
As the Witch's Familiars began to shriek and launch themselves at Kairo Retsu after sensing its injury, they found themselves utterly ineffective.
Completely clad in armor forged from monster materials, the Familiars couldn't even pierce Kairo's defenses.
He casually reached out and crushed those crawling on him into dust.
Under his helmet, Kairo Retsu smiled brightly.
Fighting this Witch felt just like entering a Low-Rank zone in full High-Rank gear—a pure stats stomp.
"I need to capture it quickly before Mami Tomoe reacts."
Kairo hurried into action, preparing to capture the Witch while the Winged Lion distracted Mami Tomoe.
At that moment, Mami Tomoe stared at the Winged Lion in front of her, bewildered.
Though it resembled a lion cub, it bore wings on its back.
Not only that, it wore a very clear anthropomorphic expression…
"Hello, magical girl." The Winged Lion smiled at Mami, then turned its head toward Sayaka, whom Mami was protecting behind her, and gave an equally radiant smile. "And you too, hello."
"It—it talks?!" Sayaka was dumbfounded. She grabbed Mami. "Senpai, is this… another Kyubey?"
"No, this isn't Kyubey," Mami replied warily, eyeing the Winged Lion. "All Kyubeys look identical. I've never seen anything like this one."
"In a sense, I'm somewhat similar to Kyubey," the Winged Lion replied leisurely. "I am the Winged Lion—a mass of magic… Mmm, you both carry a scent that greatly attracts me."
"Scent?!" Sayaka pointed her baseball bat at the Winged Lion.
"Yes, that scent… of ideals, hope… all kinds of positive emotions mingled together." The Winged Lion sniffed the air, a mildly intoxicated expression on its face. "It's the kind of emotional thought from which life is born—my favorite."
"But now I see… I see."
The Winged Lion studied Mami carefully, then smiled. "I mean no harm. I was simply drawn by your emotions… Magical girl, may I take a look at your Soul Gem?"
"You…" Mami hesitated as she looked at the Winged Lion.
She couldn't yet tell whether it was friend or foe. But… if it only wanted to look at her Soul Gem, that should be fine, right?
At this point, still unaware that the Soul Gem was a magical girl's actual soul, Mami considered the situation. Seeing that the Witch—thoroughly suppressed by Kairo—wasn't an immediate threat, she squatted down and held out her Soul Gem in her palm for the Winged Lion to see.
"Why do you want to see this?" she asked cautiously.
She truly didn't sense hostility from the Winged Lion. That was why she had dared to let it see her Soul Gem.
The Winged Lion gazed at the light yellow Soul Gem for a moment, then without hesitation extended its head and licked it.
The instant its tongue touched the Soul Gem, a strange sensation rippled through Mami's consciousness.
It didn't feel like something physical—it came from a deeper place… as if her soul had been licked. The sudden and bizarre sensation left Mami stunned for a moment.
Sayaka, thinking Mami had been attacked, instinctively swung her bat at the Winged Lion. But the creature nimbly dodged her strike.
"Wait, I mean you no harm."
The Winged Lion stared straight at the two girls. "Magical girl, you should be able to feel the change."
"…?!"
As Mami came back to her senses from the strange soul-tingling sensation, she was shocked to find that her magic had recovered—without even using a Grief Seed. Even the taint covering her Soul Gem had completely vanished.
"The impurity's gone? And also…"
Mami found it hard to comprehend what had just happened.
The Winged Lion, meanwhile, continued to gaze at her.
From the beginning, it had been trying to understand what exactly a magical girl was.
Mami's soul had indeed been extracted and crystallized into that light yellow Soul Gem.
The filth on it clearly reflected the negative emotions festering within Mami's heart.
When magic ran out, or the negative emotions overwhelmed the Soul Gem's limits, the magical girl would transform into a Witch. The Soul Gem would become a Grief Seed.
So… the Winged Lion had eaten the negative emotions within Mami's Soul Gem and injected a portion of its own essence to replenish her magic.
"Apologies, I didn't mean to frighten you." The Winged Lion said, "Your Soul Gem is now very healthy. I cleared away the impurity and restored your magic."
"In exchange… could you hand this Witch over to us?"
"This…" Mami hesitated. Sayaka asked with confusion, "What do you want the Witch for? Aren't Witches dangerous to people?"
At that very moment—
Kairo Retsu, having thoroughly demolished the Rose Garden Witch's Familiars, had now severely wounded its main body.
Without hesitation, he hurled two Paralysis Capture Spheres and followed up with a rising slash, sending the Witch crashing into the trap.
Seeing that the Witch hadn't been destroyed, but instead subdued by some strange method, made Mami pause.
"If the Witch remains alive, it could still hurt other civilians. You all…"
"What exactly do you want to do with it?"
Like this story Leave a review ; it would really help me out a lot.
Want to Read Ahead in Advance?
Join my Patreon!
+75 Chapters
Support me in
Patreon.com/BestElysium