Chapter 956: Change

Inside the Witch Barrier, Sayaka was confronting the Witch of Boxes.

The Witch of Boxes' familiars let out strange hisses and charged toward Sayaka. Sayaka gripped the Command Sword in her hand, her figure turning into a streak of blue light as she rushed toward the familiars.

The blue stream of light instantly tore through the Witch of Boxes' familiars and charged toward the Witch of Boxes herself. Just at this moment, the screen of the Witch of Boxes suddenly displayed an image of Kamijou Kyousuke.

Seeing this image, Sayaka's figure faltered, and the Command Sword in her hand stopped abruptly in front of the Witch of Boxes. The Witch of Boxes' counterattack landed on Sayaka instantly, blasting her away.

"Ouch, ouch, ouch..." Sayaka, who had been slammed onto the ground, couldn't help but let out a groan.

"Sayaka..." Kaname Madoka hurriedly ran toward Sayaka.

"Don't worry, I'm fine! A partner of justice wouldn't be defeated so easily!" Sayaka stood up, and the wounds on her body began to disappear rapidly, as if the previous injuries had never appeared at all.

The Witch of Boxes let out a mocking sound and lunged at Sayaka once again, while the image on the screen kept changing, revealing Kamijou Kyousuke's figure in the hospital.

"If it were before, this kind of recording might have worked on me, but now, this sort of thing has absolutely no effect on me!" Sayaka let out a roar, stomped her right foot on the ground, and charged out once again.

"Hum—" Countless Command Swords emerged from her side and then shot violently toward the Witch of Boxes.

The familiars surrounding the Witch of Boxes were instantly pinned to the ground by the Command Swords, and even the Witch of Boxes herself had several wounds torn into her body by the blades.

Just as the Witch of Boxes dodged the attack of the Command Swords, Sayaka had already lunged in front of her, the Command Sword in her hand releasing terrifying power as it pierced heavily into the Witch of Boxes' body. The sharp blade instantly ran through the Witch of Boxes' body, the tip protruding from behind the television.

Powerful magic was released from the Command Sword, instantly tearing the Witch of Boxes' body apart. The Witch of Boxes let out a shrill shriek, after which her form immediately began to disintegrate, then slowly vanished into the Void.

However, no one noticed that at the moment the Witch of Boxes shattered, time seemed to pause for a brief instant.

As the Witch of Boxes disappeared, the Witch Barrier also began to collapse. Sayaka looked at the people lying all over the ground, couldn't help but scratch her head, and gave a silly grin at Kaname Madoka in front of her.

"It looks like this place has been taken care of." Akemi Homura's figure appeared on the scene.

"Hey, transfer student, you're way too slow!" Seeing Akemi Homura, who had only just arrived, Sayaka couldn't help but complain.

Akemi Homura did not reply, but instead cast her gaze upon Sayaka's Soul Gem.

Looking at the Soul Gem that was still shining with a brilliant light, Akemi Homura couldn't help but let out a soft breath. One had to know that this was Sayaka's first time fighting a Witch, and she shouldn't know how to reduce magic consumption, so the drain should have been quite large. If it were a Soul Gem from before, it would inevitably have been stained with a bit of impurity, but looking at Sayaka's Soul Gem now, no traces of impurity had appeared; clearly, what Lingyun said before was true.

"It seems there are some things I don't need to worry about too much. However, Sayaka's situation still needs to be carefully considered; after all, the matter of Kamijou Kyousuke is truly too big a blow for Sayaka." Akemi Homura's gaze fell upon Sayaka, a hint of contemplation flashing in her eyes.

After all, in many previous Cycles, Sayaka's breakdown always started with the matter of Kamijou Kyousuke. Also, the Soul Gem was a huge problem; if Sayaka were to find out that she could no longer be considered a complete human, there was no telling what kind of out-of-control things she might do.

"Looks like your skills as a beginner are pretty good!" Sakura Kyoko also appeared on the battlefield.

"Hmph, that goes without saying!" Sayaka deactivated her Magical Girl form, put her hands on her hips, her face full of a smug expression.

"You did a beautiful job!" Tomoe Mami walked out, clapping her hands.

"Did you guys know I was fighting here?" Hearing Tomoe Mami say this, Sayaka knew that Tomoe Mami and the others must have arrived long ago.

"Yes, when we arrived at this place, we saw you showing off your skills, Sayaka, and we didn't have any intention of interfering." Lingyun walked out from the shadows, carrying Momoe Nagisa.

"Teacher, what about the people here?" Kaname Madoka said, looking at the people lying on the ground.

"Don't worry, these people are only temporarily unconscious because of the Witch's power; as long as some time passes, they will be able to wake up." Lingyun put down Momoe Nagisa, checked the people lying on the ground, and said softly.

"So that's how it is, then I'm relieved." Hearing Lingyun say this, Kaname Madoka also let out a slight sigh of relief.

"Alright, today's first real battle for Sayaka can be considered a complete victory; why don't we go to Teacher's home to celebrate!" Lingyun said with a smile.

"Sounds good!" Sakura Kyoko was the first to agree.

In Lingyun's home, a group of girls was immersed in an ocean of joy.

Fighting against Witches was dangerous; in the past, after a battle with a Witch ended, one could only transform back into an ordinary girl and quietly return home. When one would die in a battle against a Witch was always an unknown, let alone celebrating. But after Lingyun appeared, this sort of thing seemed to have changed; they could hold gatherings after fighting Witches, which was something they couldn't even have imagined before.

"Mm, this kind of life is exactly what I want most!" Sakura Kyoko put a piece of cake into her mouth, a happy expression appearing on her face.

"Will there be any problem with me participating in a gathering like this?" Kaname Madoka asked.

"Of course it doesn't matter, no matter what, Madoka, you are our friend!" Sayaka hugged her and said with a grin.

"Is this what the orthodox plot of a Magical Girl looks like!" Looking at the group of girls in front of him with faces overflowing with smiles, Lingyun nodded slightly.

Afterward, Lingyun saw a very interesting scene: Sakura Kyoko and Sayaka had somehow started bickering, and a strange atmosphere seemed to permeate between the two.

"As expected, Sayaka belongs to Sakura Kyoko; as for Kamijou Kyousuke or whatever, he should just get out of the way!" Lingyun set down the cake from the tray, looking at the two of them with a beaming smile.