Part 4 – Introduction
With a rattling sound, the two witches returned to the "underworld”. A loud roar echoed through the normally eerie silence of the Aradia Forest.
「Come out, Utsunes !」Lyka shouted.
「What is she doing?」a thick fog appeared around her again, and a figure appeared from behind it.
She is the one called Utsunes.
Utsunes appeared, her expression openly hostile, likely due to Lyka's disrespectful summons.
Before she could speak, Lyka grabbed him by the collar and shook him violently.
「You! You're the one who sold me out! 」said Lyka.
「What are you talking about? Get your hands off me! 」Utsunes peeled Lyka's hands away and yelled back, clearly not involved with "A.A.A."
「 Um, you know, that…」Lucie interjected, pointing towards the still-thick fog. In the next moment, she saw them: Angents Against Arcana soldiers, pouring in like a muddy stream.
「Take care of them, Utsunes.」Lyka said.
「What?!」
Lyka and Lucie quickly distanced themselves from the bewildered Utsunes. The "AAA" soldiers surrounded her, guns aimed.
The tattoo on the nape of her neck wriggled ominously as Utsunes' expression twisted. She exhaled loudly, her pale breath forming into a dragon-like shape that coiled around her.
「Time to go home, you little bastards.」
Part 4 – Chapter 1
「Will Utsunes be okay? 」 Lucie asked while running, her voice tinged, worried.
「Yeah, she'll be fine. Her magic is invincible as long as she's in that place. That's what her magic is all about」said Lyka.
「If it’s that kind of magic, so be it」thinks Lucie.
「Hey!」Utsunes emerged from the shadows, calling out to them. She seems to be ok.
「What the hell was that?」
Lyka gave a nasty smile to Utsunes, who was clearly in a bad mood.
「Of course you tried to set a trap for me.」says. Utsunes looked bewildered and sighed deeply「Come with me. 」
Suddenly, an even thicker fog enveloped them.
Before they knew it, Lyka, Lucie, and Utsunes found themselves in a small room resembling a cozy bar, with liquor bottles neatly arranged behind the bartender.
「This is a world I created. Everything follows my rules in here, even you」said Utsunes.
「I don't want to be told this or that about magic if you can't even control yourself.」, Lyka replied, spreading her hands mockingly.
「You bitch! I won't show mercy」
They stared each other down, the tension palpable, while Lucie stood awkwardly aside.
「Um, what the heck…」Unable to bear it anymore, Lucie broke the silence.
「Her magic is a bit unique.」Lyka began, but Utsunes cut her off.
「Shut up. It's not good for you to hang around with such a slut, child. If you're naive, you'll be fooled」said to Lucie.
「Being fooled…」Lucie’s voice trailed off. Lyka had attacked her, after all.
「My bad, my bad.」Lyka said, looking genuinely apologetic.
At first, she had suspected Lucie of fraudulently using Helen’s name and intended to get rid of her in the “front world” where it would be difficult to leave traces. However, seeing the research materials handwritten by Helen had convinced her that Lucie was truly Helen's daughter.
「Well… You saved my life. I don’t care now」Lucie muttered.
「Huh. Looks like the bitch and the little girl will never improve unless they die」Utsunes said, glaring stupidly.
「You're the one who's taking the piss. You sold us to the A.A.A.! 」Lyka accused, but Utsunes remained indifferent.
「I don't care. . I just don’t like people invading ‘my world」replied.
Apparently Utsunes has nothing relate with the AAA raid.
「After all, do you still want to go to the ‘Sacred Ruins”, Lucie?」Lyka asks. Lucie nodded quietly.
「Well. Let’s go to Gandennia’s」
Utsunes rolled his eyes even further at Lyka’s suggestion but relented.
「Well, that’s fine. I’ll send you on your way if you get the hell out of my world」
A dense fog enveloped them once more. Utsunes' voice echoed through it.
「Be careful. She's uglier than me, and most of all, she's a pain in the ass」
When the fog cleared, they stood before a large Western-style house. Lucie asked what Utsunes' warning meant.
Gandennia was a reclusive but renowned witch, known even to the uninformed Lucie. She had a reputation for being both understandable and philanthropic.
Lyka explained that Gandennia was the most knowledgeable about the mysteries of the ruins since Helen had disappeared. But she also warned:
「Watch out for her. She will erase everything she doesn’t like. If you let your guard down, you won’t be able to come back」
It was a dangerous advice.
Part 4 – Chapter 2
Upon visiting the Western-style house of Gandennia, they were greeted by a young lady from within.
「Oh well, we have lovely guests.」Gandennia said, smiling gently, a stark contrast to the typical image of a "witch".
Perhaps she’s more talkative than I expected, Lucie thought. She seems a gentle person, well-suited to her reputation as a philanthropist.
「Would you like tea?」Gandennia asked. With a blink, a servant appeared, ready to serve.
「No thank you. We just want to go the ruins. You know where is it, aren’t you? 」Lyka interjected, pushing Lucie aside and briefly explaining their needs.
「Oh, you're so impatient. Did you just say ruins? 」Gandennia ruminated over the word.「I’m sorry…」
Gandennia then explained the situation regarding the Sacred Ruins and the research related to them, particularly at the Ivory Tower, Laboratory of Witches. She explained that many witches, including Helen, had gone missing, making the topic taboo. With the recent intervention of AAA, she had handed over all her research materials to them.
Gandennia apologized to Lucie, but Lucie did not blame her. Instead, she felt humbled and trusted Gandennia, despite being in a tight spot.
「Well then, I guess we really have no choice but to go directly.」Lyka suggested. Lucie nodded.
「So… You girls really want to go?」
Gandennia confirmed. Lucie replied tersely:
「If that's the only way… 」
After expressing their gratitude, they left Gandennia's house. She saw them off with narrowed eyes as they walked towards the “Aradia Forest” once more.
By the time they arrived at “Aradia Forest”, the sun had set.
「If she could drop us off, I'd like her to come and pick us up too.」
Lyka made a lighthearted comment, but the next moment switched to "hunter's eye". Lyka remarked lightheartedly. But in the next moment, her demeanor changed to that of a hunter.
「Heads down!!」Lyka screamed, transforming into a wolf and dragging Lucie by the scruff into the bushes.
「Persistent dogs!」Lyka swore. Lucie began to prepare a synthetic spirit.
「Got you, witches.」a sharp voice called out as a blade struck. They narrowly avoided the slash, watching the attacker.
At that moment, Lyka and Lucie burst out laughing.
「Don't laugh! Get my body back!!」A strange-looking furball, resembling a cat, threatened them with a knife. Lucie remembered a movie featuring a threatening red panda.
「You've become quite cute.」
Lyka said with laughter, and Wu Xiaohu blatantly blushed and shouted:
「Get them!!!」
AAA agents appeared, showering them with heavy gunfire. Despite their situation, Wu Xiaohu didn’t seem to mind. Just as it seemed everything was over, a thick fog enveloped the area, and Lyka's motorcycle appeared as the fog dissipated.
「Is it Utsunes?!」Lyka muttered. There was no time to ponder; she jumped on the bike.
「Get on!」she commanded, quickly putting Lucie on the bike and starting it.
「Damn!」Wu Xiaohu, left behind, signaled a small combat drone, hanging onto it as it chased the witches.
「These guys are really persistent.」Lyka muttered, swatting at the drone like a fly.
「I won't let you get away!」Wu Xiaohu leaped from the drone, grabbing Lucie's back.
「Hey! Rip off that furball and throw it away! 」Lyka shouted, but Lucie hesitated due to the small, animal-like appearance of Wu Xiaohu.
The agility of Wu Xiaohu had become more refined in his new form. He moved from Lucie’s back to Lyka's neck as she drove.
「Shit!」Lyka reached out, trying to grab him, but failed. Lucie tried as well, but it was too late. The bike lost balance, crashing noisily.
「Ouch…」
Lucie lifted her heavy head, checking her surroundings.
「…Hey!……get……rid of…this! 」she heard Lyka's breathless voice.
Wu Xiaohu had a knife to Lyka's neck. Fresh blood flowed as the knife pierced her skin. The more blood that flowed, the more the light in Lyka's eyes faded. As her life slipped away, Wu Xiaohu began to regain his human form.
It’s bad. Really bad, Lucie thought, desperately searching for help.
「It’s back! My body is back!!」Wu Xiaohu gleefully increased pressure on his knife.
But then, the body of Wu Xiaohu exploded. Lucie had run over him with the bike. She managed to regain consciousness and rushed to Lyka, holding her bleeding neck
「Way to go! I’m fine」, Lyka reassured. The wound on her throat had healed, gills momentarily visible on her face.
「Axolotl?」Lucie muttered. Lyka didn’t answer, just started the engines of the motorbike.
「Jump in!」
「Where are we going?」Lucie asked,
「Gandennia’s place」Lyka said.
The motorbike broke through Gandennia's mansion gate, entering the hall. Gandennia watched, unperturbed.
「What’s going on here?」she asked.
「Why are we here? 」 Lucie also asked Lyka.
「Fools… This evil thing is seriously evil」Lyka spat.
Before Lucie could say anything, the stained glass in Gandennia's mansion exploded. AAA agents and Wu Xiaohu rushed in. Gandennia's servants confronted them, fully armed.
「The filthy witches are all here」 Wu Xiaohui muttered, holding up his knife.
Lucie turned to Gandennia.
「Did you invite them?」Gandennia remained silent
「Are you also the one who erased my mother and her research materials? 」Gandennia didn’t respond.「I want to believe in you. Can I trust you? 」
Gandennia opened her mouth wide, revealing a writhing tattoo on her tongue.
「Of course, trust me.」, she said.
Realizing Lyka had been right, Lucie tried to run, but the AAA agents were already in position. Gandennia's servants blocked her escape.
「Well, well…」“Well, well…” Gandennia ordered her forces, and AAA and her servants attacked simultaneously. AAA agents, usually lacking coordination, moved flawlessly. The light in their eyes was dim, as if they were under a spell.
「That’s her magic」 Lucie thought.
Lyka, pinned down by Wu Xiaohu again, grumbled.
「This guy is really persistent.!!」
Lucie, unable to fend off the attack alone, was captured quickly.
「Why you and your mother…」Gandennia said 「Why won’t you accept my charms? You should be obedient」
Gandennia’s face contorted as she ordered her forces to kill them if they don’t obey.
She beheaded her servants and AAA agents, her face turning ugly with rage.
Suddenly, a flash of light enveloped the AAA soldiers and Gandennia's servants, blowing them away. Lucie, on the defensive until now, activated her tattoo, unleashing her “tears magic.” Lyka fought freely, supported by her "flying tools."
But they were still outnumbered. Wu Xiaohu, even under a spell, remained a threat. His movements, though less agile, were still dangerous. Lyka clinched him, releasing her magical power in retaliation.
「You looked better in the outfit you wore earlier」said.
「What? No!」 Wu Xiaohu reverted to his strange form, regaining his senses.
「You did it again…」he said, but Lyka interrupted, throwing him towards the broken stained glass. He let out a scream as he flew away.
「Enough is enough!」Lyka threw Wu Xiaohu as hard as she could towards the broken stained glass.
Wu Xiaohu let out a scream and flew away.
Gandennia shouted:
「Witches are part of the world’s law! We must unite or be destroyed by companies. Why don’t you understand? Why do you and your mother risk the witch community for research? Under my rule, witches could prosper forever」
「Witches are seekers of knowledge. Your magic embodies your quest for knowledge. Witches aren’t governed. Your ‘crucifixion magic’ proves you can’t rule us」 Lucie answered.
「Kill them!"」said Gandennia, enraged, as an order to her forces.
A thick fog enveloped the palace, causing it to shake. Cracks appeared as a monstrous Gashadokuro emerged.
「You let your guard down, Gandennia」 the voice was Utsunes, appearing smiling.
Gandennia muttered her name, sending her forces to attack. The giant skeleton swung its arm, scattering her followers like toys.
「Thanks, girls. I got my baby back」 Utsunes said, turning to Gandennia. 「Now, release what’s sealed!」
She attacked Gandennia with the skeleton.
「If Utsunes is right, that would mean that Helen's research is ‘sealed’ too」, Lyka told Lucie,
Lucie nodded, understanding. But they needed to survive that battle first. Lucie activated her final "tear magic." Several artificial spirits formed a powerful formation, unleashing a super special move, Helios Tris Mageias. The attack blew up half the palace, wiping out most of AAA's soldiers and Gandennia’s followers.
Utsunes, flinching at the unexpected threat, disappeared into the fog. Gandennia, though damaged, stood up and approached them.
「They are all useless. I will kill them myself」said Gandennia. But before she could finish speaking, her head exploded into smithereens. The stunned group looked down in disbelief.
「Dirty witch!」A strange cat-like creature stood there, holding a shotgun with smoke curling from its muzzle.
「You've done a strange thing, witch. Get my body back!」the creature, now identified as Wu Xiaohu, demanded, pointing the shotgun at them. Despite his odd appearance, Lucie couldn't help but find him somewhat cute as he swung the shotgun around.
Lyka quickly stepped forward and kicked the shotgun away from Wu Xiaohu. He lunged at her, but she laughed and easily caught him, his attempts to thrash around in her arms proving futile.
「Remove your dirty hands off me, witch! Get my body back!」he shouted.
「Ahahahaha! I don’t know. I can't do anything other than the magic I cast on myself」, Lyka replied, her laughter only fueling Wu Xiaohu's frustration. He punched her with all his might, but it had no effect, and she continued laughing.
Suddenly, Wu Xiaohu pulled out a revolver and fired at Lyka’s face. She dodged the bullet but lost her balance and landed on her butt.
「Hey, you, idiot!」
「Can't be too careful, stupid cat.」
「Damn! Pawed hands don't work well!!」
The two begun to fight again.
「Captain! It’s the radio.」A surviving AAA soldier handed Wu Xiaohu a transceiver.
「Not now.」Wu Xiaohu shouted, but the communicator persisted.
「Um, it’s from director.」
Wu Xiaohu’s face froze. He picked up the radio, still pointing his gun at Lyka. The voice on the other end was low and male.
「Hello, director… yes, director… no… that’s… but… ok.」Wu Xiaohu turned the radio towards the witches and turned the volume up to the maximum.
「This has been a disaster for both of us. There was too much crossing the line. I truly apologize.」the voice said. 「We have decided to support you in this matter of Relics and Sacred Ruins.」
Before Wu Xiaohu could respond, the man continued:
「Language, Mr. Wu Xiaohu. Keep it for yourself.」Wu Xiaohu remained silent.
「What does that mean?」, Lyka asked.
「It means exactly what it sounds like. If you want to go somewhere, you can. Our company will no longer stand in your way. However, we ask that you give up the materials in our custody. I'm very sorry」the director replied, politely. 「Don't you trust me?"」
「No. Because, you know, we almost got killed... and my mom, you guys did something to her, right?」Lucie demanded, rising her voice.
「I swear we didn’t have anything to do with your mother’s disappearance. In fact, we were more like partners with her. We just don’t have the courage to venture willingly into the unknown.」the man continued「What do you say? If you share the ruins and all that you are about to learn, we will not stand in your way and will cooperate with you. I'll give you everything you want.」
Lyka whispered to Lucie:
「Don’t trust them. A.A.A. are all liars. At the very least, if we can get the research material here, we can get to the ruins.」
「Ok.」replied Lucie.
From the radio, the director sounded terribly disappointed,
「Oh dear.We are waiting for the time when you will trust us.」the man said「And then… as an apology and a sign of goodwill, we will prepare an excellent escort from our company. Please make use of them.」
Wu Xiaohu, stunned, barely registered these words.
「Mr. Wu Xiaohu, you should join them. That’s an order」the director instructed.
「That's ridiculous…」Wu Xiaohu began, but the man whispered something only Wu Xiaohu could hear:
「There is no way we can let them go completely unchecked. Eventually, we will manage the Sacred Relics and Ruins. So, keep your eyes on them. Besides, you can't perform your normal duties with that body. To break the magic, it would be more convenient to stay by the person who cast the spell.」, the director said, coldly.
「Then we shall leave. Witches, for once you are free to go wherever you wish. Good luck.」The radio shut down. The surviving A.A.A. quickly packed up and left, except Wu Xiaohu.
「Well… Shall we?」Lucie said.
「Yeah.」Lyka answered.
「First, we have to find my mother's research material in these ruins.」Lucie said.
「Some idiots kill without thinking. I don't know where it is.」Lyka replied.
Wu Xiaohu crossed his arms.
「Won’t you come with us?」Lyka called out from a distance
「No… no way…!」Wu Xiaohu muttered, seemingly to himself.
「Let’s leave him」said Lucie.
Wu Xiaohu threw his radio high into the sky.
「Goddamn it! Get my body back!!!」He ran toward them, shouting「I’m not a cat!!!」
「Oh, you need to buy some new clothes.」Lyka remarked.
「…Don't rip my clothes any more.」
「…you, dummy.」
