In a luxurious mansion, Okino Reiko sat before the television, her heart pounding with excitement.
Finally, she could watch the final episode of Puella Magi Madoka Magica. She had fallen completely in love with this animation, which had exploded with intensity in the third episode and maintained its divine quality in every episode since.
She had even spent 160,000 yen on Yahoo Auctions to acquire a reproduction copy of the Puella Magi Madoka Magica - Lin Zhiyan's Chief Animation Director's Corrections Collection.
A reproduction, not even the original. For any other animation, she wouldn't have paid a thousand yen, but for this one, she was willing to pay any price, regardless of its true worth.
After all, she loved this animation so much she couldn't bear to let someone else snatch it away.
On the screen, the plot seamlessly transitioned from Episode 11.
"Homura, I'm sorry. I'm going to become a magical girl," the Main Character said with a smile at Homura Akemi.
Homura Akemi's face instantly paled with panic.
The Main Character explained, "I finally understand. I've finally found the wish I want to fulfill. So, I'm going to use my life for it."
"No! If you do that... if you do that, then... what was it all for...?" Homura Akemi's tears burst forth, unable to be held back any longer, streaming down her cheeks.
She sobbed quietly, her body trembling slightly.
The Main Character stepped forward to comfort her, and only after Homura Akemi stopped crying did she say, "Trust me, I won't let all your efforts up to this point be in vain."
After comforting her, she stood up and turned to face Kyubey.
"With your power to become a nexus of fate across countless worlds, you can grant any wish, no matter how grand, can't you?"
Kyubey quickly made a rough calculation before asking, "Then, Madoka Kaname, what is your wish in exchange for your soul?"
"I..."
The Main Character half-turned to face Kyubey, took a deep breath, and declared in an unwavering tone, "I want to eliminate all Witches before they are born—all Witches in every universe, past and future. I want to do it myself..."
"Hmm..."
Kyubey blinked, slightly surprised.
As the Main Character made her wish, a white light began to emanate from her chest, growing increasingly blinding.
"This prayer... If this prayer is granted, it will transcend mere time manipulation. It will be an act of rebellion against the very laws of causality." Kyubey was genuinely shocked this time. "You... you really intend to become a God?"
"Gods and all that don't matter. To everyone who has fought Witches up to this day, to all the magical girls who once believed in the magic of hope—I don't want them to cry. I want them to keep smiling until the very end. The rules that stand in my way, I will break them! I will change them! This is my prayer, my wish."
The Main Character was enveloped in a blinding white light, her hair and clothes fluttering as if in a strong wind. She quickly turned to Kyubey and said, "Come, make it come true! Incubator."
The light spread across her body until the entire screen was consumed by a single, blinding white glow.
The title card for Puella Magi Madoka Magica appeared, the word "Magic" in the title looking as awkward and out of place as "cowardice." I wondered who was responsible for that design.
Immediately following was the title of the final episode: "My Best Friend."
Before the finale aired, many had debated the ending, speculating about what wish Madoka would make. But no one had anticipated such a grand wish—to become a God herself.
Okino Reiko was certainly no exception. When the wish was revealed, she felt her scalp tingle.
Finally, I understood why the animation was called Puella Magi Madoka Magica. I finally understood why Madoka didn't become a magical girl until the final episode. She had been saving her ultimate move all along—to become a God!
The episodes from six to eleven were all breathtaking, and the final episode proved just as stunning. Truly worthy of its status as a generational masterpiece and the most god-tier anime of the 21st century.
On television, the opening sequence was absent. After the title of the final episode appeared, the scene shifted to the Main Character at Senior Mami's house, sharing tea and cake with Mami and Kyoko. They discussed the wish she had just made.
It was unclear whether this was a scene from her imagination or from another world.
Through Mami's explanation, the Main Character's wish was revealed to be terrifyingly destructive. It would prevent her from maintaining her individuality, trapping her forever as the concept of a destructive Witch, fixed in the fabric of the universe.
The Main Character acknowledged this, and both Kyoko and Senior Mami expressed their support for her wish.
A flash of white light, then a transition back to reality.
The Main Character had finally become a magical girl. Clad in a pink dress, a red ribbon tied in her hair, and wielding a scepter-like weapon, she emitted a blinding white light that Homura Akemi couldn't bear to look at directly.
In the distance, the Walpurgisnight laughed with a sinister, distorted grin.
The Main Character's weapon transformed into a bow, with a pink string of condensed energy materializing.
She raised the bow toward the sky, drew the string taut, and aimed.
A magnificent magic circle materialized in the sky.
She shot an arrow at the circle, activating it.
The oppressive gloom that had shrouded the entire sky instantly vanished, transforming into a clear, bright sky filled with blue skies and white clouds.
From the magic circle, countless tiny arrows shot out in all directions, even traversing space and time to reach the magical girls on the verge of becoming Witches.
Before their Soul Gems could become corrupted, the Main Character had already claimed them.
At the same time, she gently addressed them:
"I will never let your prayers end in despair. You will not curse or harm anyone. All the karmic consequences, I will bear them myself. So please, believe in yourselves until the very end."
Having accepted the karmic consequences from across different timelines, she hadn't forgotten the Walpurgisnacht before her.
"It's... enough. There's no need to resent anyone anymore, no need to curse anyone. Before you become that way, let me take you."
A powerful force, radiating pink light, struck the Walpurgisnacht, then transformed into a crisscrossing network of white light.
The white light spread outward, its pink afterglow so intense that even Homura Akemi in the distance had trouble opening her eyes.
The scene quickly shifted.
Homura Akemi found herself transported to a bizarre, desolate place.
Above her, the sky was pitch-black, leaving her utterly bewildered. "Where is this...?"
"Based on the new laws Madoka brought forth, the universe has been reorganized."
A voice, seemingly Kyubey's, echoed through the void. "Ah, you're a user of time and space magic as well, aren't you? Then let's witness this together: the final fate of Madoka Kaname."
Something like a black comet streaked across the cosmic expanse, hurtling straight toward Earth.
"That is the Soul Gem born from her prayer. Do you know the price of such a grand wish? The equal amount of despair Madoka must bear. To balance the hope that created a universe, she also brought forth despair capable of ending one." The voice, identical to Kyubey's, continued its explanation.
The black "comet" transformed into a terrifying Witch, engulfing the entire Earth and even contaminating vast surrounding regions.
The Witch's eerie, despair-filled laughter—"Heh heh hah hah"—filled the air. The blackened surface of the Earth seemed to writhe with foulness.
Homura Akemi covered her face with her hand, her body trembling slightly, unable to bear watching any longer.
But just then, the Main Character's voice rang out: "No, it's alright. My wish is to eliminate all Witches."
Within the cosmos, the Main Character's form materialized.
Her attire evolved once more: a light, flowing princess dress, her long hair billowing, faint wings emerging from her back, and her eye color shifting.
She had truly transformed from a magical girl into a God.
"If that wish is truly granted, I'll never have to despair again!" she declared with unwavering resolve. Then, she drew her bow, nocked an arrow, and fired it toward Earth.
Boom!
A nuclear-like explosion illuminated the entire universe with blinding white light.
The scene shifted to a bizarre, dreamlike space.
The same voice as Kyubey's echoed again: "Madoka, in this way, your life will neither begin nor end. The proof of your existence on this world, and the memories of it, will vanish without a trace. Your existence will be transferred to a higher realm, ultimately existing only as a concept. No one will be able to perceive you, nor will you be able to interfere with anyone. You will no longer be a part of this universe."
"What is that? Is this the ending Madoka wanted? Will she truly be rewarded this way? Don't make me laugh!"
Homura Akemi covered her face, weeping uncontrollably. "This... this is worse than death... It's too cruel... too cruel..."
Her voice grew increasingly shrill until she was reduced to a choked sob.
But soon, the Main Character's figure appeared behind Homura Akemi, placing a hand on her shoulder and shaking her head. "No, that's not it, Homura."
Hearing this, Homura Akemi quickly turned around to face her.
The Main Character continued:
"Now, I can see everything—the past, the future, every universe that might have existed, and every universe that might one day come to be. All of it."
"So I know everything now. In countless timelines, you've been striving for me, everything... weeping countless times, bearing countless scars, yet still... still fighting for me..."
"I never realized. I'm sorry. I'm so sorry."
Memories of their time together flashed through Homura's mind, and she couldn't help but bury her face in the Main Character's chest and sob.
The Main Character held Homura close, pressing her face against Homura's head. "Because I've become who I am now, I can finally see the real you. I didn't realize I had such an important friend. I'm so glad, Homura. Thank you. You're my best friend."
Homura looked up at the Main Character, tears flying from her eyes. "So... are you going to stay like this forever? With no way back, separated from the people you love most, forever alone in this place?"
"I'm not alone," the Main Character smiled. "Everyone, everyone is always with me. From now on, I'll exist no matter when or where. So even if you can't see or hear me, I'll still be right beside you, Homura."
The Main Character smiled. "You even followed me to this place, Homura. Maybe... maybe even if we go back to the original world, you won't forget me."
She untied her red hair ribbon and handed it to Homura Akemi. "It's alright, everything will be alright. Just believe in it, because magical girls can make dreams and hopes come true."
With that, she withdrew her hand and her figure gradually faded into the distance. "If there's even a sliver of it, maybe true miracles do exist, right?"
"Madoka, don't go!" Homura Akemi reached out, her voice filled with reluctance.
But the Main Character didn't stop. "I'm sorry, I have to go get everyone. Someday, we'll meet again, Homura. Until then, this is just a temporary farewell."
She smiled faintly as she spoke, then her figure dissolved into white light and vanished completely.
"Madoka!"
Homura Akemi shouted, but soon her own figure began to retreat, fading into nothingness.
Since all Witches had been eliminated before their birth, Senior Mami and Kyoko would never encounter Witches again. In this reality, they would naturally never die at the hands of Witches. Only Sayaka, whose corruption was self-inflicted, remained beyond saving—a burden the Main Character had to carry.
Homura Akemi came to her senses after the battle, standing beside two magical girls: Senior Mami and Kyoko.
"Where's Sayaka? Hey, what happened to Sayaka?" Kyoko asked, her voice tinged with panic.
"She's gone. The Law of Cycles guided her away," Senior Mami replied, her expression somber and dejected. "Miki-san used all her strength in that final attack."
Kyoko clenched her fist and slammed it against a nearby steel pipe, her body trembling slightly. "Idiot! To just disappear like that because of some guy she fell for?"
She choked back tears. "Idiot! We finally became friends..."
"That's the fate of a magical girl," Senior Mami said with a sigh. "We should have understood that when we gained this power. The cause and effect of pursuing hope—before it curses the world, we can only disappear like that."
Homura's memory, however, remained fixed on the moment she parted with the Main Character.
She looked down at the red ribbon in her hand, held it close to her chest, and choked out, "Madoka..."
"Huh?"
Senior and Kyoko couldn't help but look at Homura Akemi.
"Akemi-san, Madoka is..."
"Who?"
Neither of them had any memory of the Main Character.
Even her parents couldn't remember having such a daughter, and only her very young brother had a faint recollection, though not much.
Later, Homura Akemi proactively told Kyubey about the situation, but he suspected it was just a dream.
In this new world, magical girls no longer fought Witches. Instead, they battled demonic beasts.
On nights thick with miasma, the demonic beasts emerged one after another.
Homura Akemi, with Kyubey by her side, leaped from a tall building, preparing to fight the demonic beasts. As she fell, her inner monologue played:
"Even though this is a hopeless world where only sorrow and hatred repeat, this was still the place that child wanted to protect."
"I will remember this. I will never forget."
"So... I will continue to fight!"
Her weapon transformed into a bow. She drew the string taut and fired an arrow. The OP song played again, this time as the ED, with the OP song playing as the ED.
But there was a post-credits scene after the ED.
In a dimly lit, desolate land, Homura Akemi could be seen in the distance.
Text appeared on the screen:
"Never forget
that somewhere
someone will fight for you forever
— as long as you remember her
you will never be alone"
At the same time, Homura Akemi took a step toward the demonic beast.
Behind her, a pair of massive black wings suddenly unfurled, stretching outward.
"Go get 'em," a voice said—it might have been Homura's hallucination, or a voice from her memories, as the Main Character herself was nowhere to be seen.
Homura smiled, then, under the demonic beast's assault, leaped into the air to engage it in battle.
The screen went black, and the animation's story came to an end.
In front of the television, Okino Reiko let out a long sigh after watching the entire final episode, followed by a sense of emptiness.
The earlier episodes had been full of divine twists, and the final one was no exception.
If only this epoch-making masterpiece could continue forever, she thought.
There might never be another animation this brilliant again. The thought left her feeling hollow inside.
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