Give children a little self-destruction shock to their worldview.

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Despite being utterly exhausted, Mayumi Haga did not lose her composure. She forced a smile, but she was simply too tired to do so.

"Or maybe I'm just someone who doesn't dream."

"Haga Mayumi's ranking dropped rapidly. On the activity board that recorded the scores, her name fell rapidly with a downward red arrow, all the way to the bottom."

Then, it stopped at the very last place.

I quit

the last one.

This means that if Mayumi Haga loses this final match, she will face elimination.

Lania did not leave, and the contestant she possessed was also at the bottom of the rankings. The final match was still between her and Mayumi Haga.

However, she won effortlessly just now, and barring any unforeseen circumstances, the result will likely remain the same this time.

Lania couldn't understand Shimha's thoughts. She didn't understand what practical significance these competition rules, besides targeting Mayumi Haga and causing her to lose repeatedly, had.

Seeing Mayumi Haga panting and looking utterly disheveled, even Rania felt a pang of pity.

In fact, this kind of situation is not uncommon for Mayumi Haga.

In Mayumi Haga's long life, such failures are just a drop in the ocean. She was not born perfect, and she has experienced many failures before she has finally made it to where she is today.

But this time it's a little different.

This time, it was a meticulously designed trial.

Knowing full well that Mayumi Haga's personality would make it difficult for her to gain the upper hand under such rules, they still insisted on changing the rules, making Mayumi Haga, who had finally gained some popularity, look so embarrassed in front of everyone.

Even Lania, who doesn't consider herself to have a good personality, doesn't think this can be considered a test.

This wasn't the first time she had seen Mayumi Haga struggle in defeat, but that didn't mean she could get used to it.

No matter how many times, Lania felt sad when she saw Mayumi Haga, that stubborn girl, determined to go down a dead-end path.

Give up.

"Ranya offered gentle persuasion."

"Can we take a short break?" This question wasn't just referring to the current situation; Narnia vaguely sensed that Mayumi Haga had other thoughts on the matter.

Based on their last meeting, Mayumi Haga does not agree with Shimha's approach.

Based on her personality, she should be willing to put up some resistance.

However, it's a real bow.

You have done enough.

Can't we take a break for a bit? Can't we, like everyone else, pause for a moment when faced with failure?

Why be so greedy?

Isn't accepting reality a required course for guardians? Why do we still get stuck on things that can't be accomplished? Despite the turmoil in her heart, Rania's emotions weren't as overwhelming as she had expected.

In fact, she already knew the answer to the question.

It's just because the person in front of her is [Haga Mayumi] that any seemingly absurd, seemingly hopeless, stubborn, and unyielding behavior becomes reasonable.

Because she is Mayumi Haga.

"I rarely dream, but after I came into this world..."

Everything changed.

"As the signal for the start of the final revue signaled, Mayumi Haga threw away the scrap metal in her hand."

The scrap metal crumbled into sand and dissipated into the air after it left her hand.

Mayumi Haga began to dream.

It started with a secret dream about the past.

Blood moon, skeletons, miasma, corpses strewn across the fields.

r8MIA Then there are those unforgettable friends, unforgettable melodies, and regrettable scenery.

"I am a person who lacks romanticism, so I cannot, like the people of this world, subconsciously construct a dream world."

"Haga Mayumi ripped off her tattered cloak, and her armor began to fall off as well."

"So all I have is reality."

"The reality is that, even though she was covered in thorns, the lonely Mayumi Haga gained a lot in this world."

Everything in this world is too dazzling, whether it's magical girls, weirdos, or just ordinary people trying to live their lives, they are all types that Mayumi Haga could never have encountered before.

It was so beautiful it seemed like an illusion, yet it was undeniably real.

Even the gods of this world are willing to lend her their power so she can indulge herself once in a while.

She didn't understand anything about brilliance or passion.

However, when the light shines on others, Mayumi Haga can also clearly see it.

Unreachable, therefore shining.

Yuga Mayumi was merely a faint, flickering flame beneath a sky full of stars.

Even so, I will continue to protect it.

"Since there is nothing that can be called a dream, then take the dreams of others into your own protection."

Mayumi Haga is a clumsy, stubborn, and single-minded person with no romantic sense; she is an anomaly in today's world.

Perhaps she was destined to face many difficulties, with her ideals shattered and her beliefs crumbling.

But Mayumi Haga will always try to live on, reflect on herself, and move forward with great strides.

Mayumi Haga is capable of rapid regeneration; death is always a rebirth for her.

The guardian uniform of Mayumi Haga was originally dark in color to make it easier to cover up bloodstains.

After the original Dark Guardian set was stripped away, it was replaced with a platinum color scheme.

These days, Mayumi Haga has been thinking a lot.

Thinking about the duties that were about to end, thinking about the future that was about to come, recalling the endless torment of the past, and those precious memories that supported me through the pain in the most desperate times, and the friends who had finally returned to my side.

I don't want to lose it.

Unwilling to give up.

Mayumi Haga was not born a machine called a guardian; she simply suppressed her emotions and tried to let reason prevail most of the time.

but.

The gods of this world told her that it was acceptable to be willful once in a while.

So... I'm not doing it anymore.

Accompanied by a crisp sound, as if something inside me was breaking, despite being physically exhausted, my mind began to become excited and light.

Power surged from her heart, and old dust was swept away from her body; Mayumi Haga began to feel warmth.

"...I knew it."

"Haga Mayumi raised her head, not meeting Rania's gaze, but looking towards the horizon, in the direction from which Shimha's gaze came.

Mayumi Haga smiled, but her words came out with a hint of gritted teeth and stubbornness, as if she were questioning and provoking her mother: "I don't want to lose."

"The golden core of the guardian shone brightly, and in Yuga Mayumi's hands, it stretched and took shape."

It was a longbow, simple in design, without any patterns, just a plain piece of wood.

With a gentle pluck of the bowstring, golden light converges upon it, forming a flowing arrow of light.

Release your fingers.

One blow, and the scoreboard shattered.

At the same time, the camera went completely dark.

The Gate to Another World

Mayumi Haga's actions caused a stir among the crowd.

"What? Why can't I see the screen all of a sudden?!"

"Not only did Mayumi Haga's screen go black, but the screens of other players also went black... Centered on Mayumi Haga, the surrounding screens quickly darkened and disappeared from everyone's sight in just a few breaths."

Because the match was broadcast live from the second game onwards, the incident caused by Mayumi Haga quickly spread to all the viewers watching the match.

At the same time, all the live streams became unwatchable.

This was undoubtedly a serious broadcasting incident.

However, people who are children to the world are naturally more relaxed.

Under normal circumstances, this incident would have caused a huge uproar, but Mayumi Haga quickly diverted attention from it.

It wasn't that Mayumi Haga herself appeared on the scene to explain, but rather that in the instant before the live stream was interrupted, many people captured Mayumi Haga's transformation from pitch black to pure white.

Although the specifics are unknown, viewers are happy to see a comeback from a desperate situation.

This is absolutely thrilling!

However, those who knew the inside story better, like Hitomi Tono, had more to worry about.

"We can't see Mayumi's scenes anymore..." Hitomi Tono said worriedly.

"Does this mean we're going to confront Himha directly?" She and Kagura Yu exchanged a glance, their eyes filled with deep worry.

After a while, the staff who were repairing the live streaming function came out and announced that today's match was suspended and would continue at a later date.

The other contestants also returned from the inner field one after another.

Most of the contestants looked puzzled, since they couldn't see the live stream and only knew that they were suddenly kicked out in the middle of the battle.

One second they were still locked in combat with their opponent, and the next second, accompanied by a crisp sound of the sky cracking, the ground suddenly shook violently, and the entire stage barrier began to collapse.

Before I could even panic, I was back at the competition venue, where a staff member suddenly appeared and informed me that the competition was suspended. When I asked when the competition would resume, I received no answer.

What exactly happened?

The contestants were all baffled.

As for the culprit, Mayumi Haga, she has never come forward.

Tono Hitomi and the others originally wanted to wait for Haga Mayumi to come out, but everyone else left one after another, and the competition venue became empty. They still couldn't wait for Haga Mayumi to return.

Although there was some expectation, after all, Mayumi Haga was going to face Shimha face to face. After smashing the scoreboard and Shimha's means of spying, no one else knew where she went.

Although at other times, Hitomi Tono and the others had great faith in Mayumi Haga's abilities, this time the situation was different.

Mayumi Haga may seem cold, but she is actually extremely loyal. This time, she is facing Shimha again, who has caused her great emotional turmoil. No matter how you look at it, it is hard to feel at ease.

Moreover, as a friend of Mayumi Haga, I can't just ignore her when she's in trouble.

"Aaaaaaahhhhhh—I can't wait any longer!" Hitomi Tono was the first to lose her temper. Seeing that there seemed to be no other staff members inside, she jumped down from the audience seats, intending to force her way in.

Normally, others would stop Hitomi Tono's reckless behavior, but now is not the time to sit here and wait.

"The staff have all left, let's go in and figure out how to get into the inner stage..." Kagura Yu said nervously.

"Little Snake should be able to handle this..." The group exchanged glances, all seeing the determination in each other's eyes, and tacitly walked backstage together.

However, when everyone opened the door leading to the inner stage, they found that things were somewhat unexpected.

Unauthorized personnel are not allowed to enter the backstage area of ​​the competition, so no one had ever been there; they only saw the contestants come out from the audience.

Although they only caught a few glances from afar, everyone was certain that the door wasn't originally like this.

The unremarkable wooden door, once opened, revealed not the backstage area, but an unfamiliar space.

Looking around, you can see small villages nestled among the mountains. The river divides the mountains in two, and houses and fields are scattered at the foot of the mountains, with traces of human activity faintly visible.

""strangeness…

. ...

Hitomi Tono stood in front of the door.

He stood frozen in place, still in the position of turning the doorknob.

Is this...another world? Why does this scenery seem so familiar...? I feel like I've seen it somewhere before...? Tohno Hitomi tried hard to recall, and finally, she remembered where she had seen this scene before: "...This isn't from Mayumi's dream..." Tohno Hitomi had seen this scene in Mayumi Haga's ink dream; this seemed to be her hometown.