The story continued.
All five magical girls set out together—their target was the Nightmare of their good friend, Hitomi Shizuki.
And the method to eliminate the Nightmare?
The five of them sat around a table and sang.
After an absurdly comical musical sequence ended—
Shao Shichang gave up.
His brain shut down.
There was simply no way to connect the first eight episodes with this one.
It felt like a parallel world—different settings, different lives.
But the problem was, Madoka had already become a god. No matter which parallel world it was, her existence should have been transcendent. So what exactly was this Madoka in Episode 9 doing? What kind of twisted idea was Su Yan cooking up now?
["Forget it. Empty your mind."]
On screen, the sun rose. The five magical girls stood atop a hill, watching the sunrise together.
Shao Shichang was willing to call it the most beautiful and healing scene in the entire series.
The story moved forward. Homura Akemi lived alongside the others, dispelling Nightmares every day. The five of them lived happily together.
But—
She sensed something was off.
Homura pulled Sakura Kyoko aside, wanting to verify whether her suspicions were correct.
The two boarded a bus, attempting to leave the city.
But—
They couldn't get out.
Mitakihara was a city that allowed entry—but no exit.
Fragments of memory began awakening within Homura.
She untied her braided hair, letting her long black hair fall freely.
She remembered.
She remembered her past with Madoka.
And Madoka's choice—to become a conceptual god to save magical girls.
"However, I forgot. No—I was forced to forget. Someone tampered with our memories, trying to deceive us. In this false Mitakihara."
Shao Shichang's eyes widened.
Wait—
Could the story connect like this?
So all the earlier warmth and happiness were fake?
The five of them were trapped inside this fabricated Mitakihara?
No—please. I just watched such a heartwarming scene.
That was fake, too?
What are you doing, Su Yan?
This false Mitakihara—
Was it actually a witch's labyrinth?
The camera cut to the Desert Witch Bebe, sitting beside Mami Tomoe and nibbling on cheese.
A brand-new ending theme began to play.
At that moment, Shao Shichang felt like someone had dragged him off the toilet halfway through.
First came stunned silence.
Then endless fury.
Old thief—who ends an episode like this?!
What exactly is the plot? What is the setting?
What happens next?
At least fill in one of the holes! Episode 9 dug nothing but pits from start to finish—not a single clear clue!
That night, ZhongxiaNet's comment section exploded.
This was nothing like what everyone had imagined.
After Madoka became a god, wasn't the story supposed to be over?
Now it clearly wasn't.
There existed an unknown witch who had manifested an entire city as her labyrinth—trapping Homura, the four magical girls of Mitakihara, and even the already-deified Madoka within it.
Who was it?
A being like that existed in this series?
Why hadn't there been even the slightest hint in the previous eight episodes?
[This episode completely confused me.]
[The development in Episode 9 is amazing, but I'm worried! What if the ending collapses?]
[It looks great so far, but I have no idea how they're going to resolve this. Someone capable of trapping god-Madoka inside a witch's labyrinth? That's ridiculous. If such a being really exists, the first eight episodes become a joke.]
[There are still two episodes left. Be patient. I have a feeling this might ascend to god-tier!]
[Exactly! Su Yan is moving away from a depressive ending. In Episode 8, everyone got a good ending—except Madoka and Sayaka. Maybe this arc is setting something up.]
[If something can manifest conceptual Madoka inside a labyrinth, maybe it can also turn her back from a god into a human. Just wait two weeks. I trust Su Yan.]
[Trust my ass! I can't sleep now. This cliffhanger is torture.]
[Another week because of this cut. Pain.]
[Death to all cliffhanger authors!]
[I actually believed those rumors online that Episodes 9, 10, and 11 would be flashbacks for Sakura Kyoko, Mami Tomoe, and Sayaka. This completely blindsided me.]
[The sadist's imagination is insane! I thought Episode 8 was already a perfect ending, and he still managed to create something new.]
[I just hope he can wrap this up properly. The first eight episodes were too godlike. I'm afraid the final three might drag down the reputation of 'Puella Magi Madoka Magica'.]
[Does this show have a chance of surpassing 'Tokyo Love Story' in ratings? Last week it hit 5.7%. Can it break 5.8% this week?]
[Hard to say. Depends on the upcoming episodes.]
[I think 'Puella Magi Madoka Magica' is better than 'Tokyo Love Story'. Why are the ratings still so much lower?]
[That's just audience taste. My grandpa watches 'Tokyo Love Story' with great enthusiasm. But he can't sit through 'Puella Magi Madoka Magica'. Meanwhile, my son and daughter follow it every week. It's not about better or worse—it's about audience size.]
[Actually, when 'Tokyo Love Story' reached Episode 9, its ratings weren't that high either. It only broke 6% in the later episodes. It all depends on the quality of Madoka's final two episodes. If they surpass Episode 8, breaking past 'Tokyo Love Story' isn't impossible. Still… the chances are slim.]
[You think 6% ratings grow on trees? Su Yan's strong, sure, but not every work can surpass the last. That's too exaggerated.]
[There's still a chance. The only issue is that the sadist's kind of lazy. At a time like this, he should appear on more variety shows and hold fan meet-ups! It's been almost half a month—no media interaction at all.]
[He's swamped in Tokyo. It's already June—promotion for '5 Centimeters per Second' is about to scale up. 'We Made a Beautiful Bouquet' too. The two films combined have over 400 million invested in production and marketing. Then there's casting for 'Fate/Zero' and the 'Rurouni Kenshin' movie. Where would he find time for fan meetings?]
[Whoa—bro, how do you know all that? None of this info is public!]
[Don't ask. Either he works at Su Yan's company, or he's related to someone who does. Most people wouldn't dare spread internal information online. Even if Su Yan is known as a good-tempered boss, leaking crew info would at least get you internal criticism.]
[Su Yan really feels different from before. Back when he left Sakura TV, there were rumors that during 'Your Lie in April', staff wages were delayed by a month. Now he's throwing around four or five hundred million like it's nothing.]
[He's topped the Xia Nation drama charts for three consecutive years. If he couldn't afford that kind of money, the industry would already be finished.]
[Let him earn it. At least when the old thief makes money, he produces quality dramas—not like other stations that rake in profits and then churn out garbage shows to scam viewers. Makes my eyes hurt.]
Late at night, after reading through the forum comments about himself and 'Puella Magi Madoka Magica', Su Yan smiled faintly.
Before going to bed, he posted a message under his own account:
[Over the next two weeks, welcome the descent of "the devil."]
He didn't like spoilers, but giving fans some anticipation and talking points was necessary.
Back in his previous life, after finishing the main series of 'Puella Magi Madoka Magica', he had also wondered—would the movie sequel, 'Rebellion Story', ruin the original characterizations? Would it retcon the plot just for money?
The truth proved—
Yes, it was made to earn money.
But it also elevated the original story to a new level.
Su Yan's rare post instantly re-energized fans who had nearly drifted to sleep.
After a full night's rest, Su Yan was awakened by sunlight streaming through the window.
Tokyo wasn't like the mainland—the sky brightened around four or five in the morning.
Today, he didn't sleep in.
Last week, they had worked overtime to finalize supporting roles for 'Fate/Zero'.
Today and tomorrow were dedicated to auditions for Saber.
Su Yan quickly washed up, changed into a black suit, trimmed his beard slightly, and looked refreshed and sharp.
He left home, drove out, and arrived at the audition venue half an hour later.
In the waiting hall outside the audition room, at least several dozen people were already seated, studying the brief script of barely more than ten lines in their hands.
They were either mixed-race women of the Xia Nation and Western heritage, or foreign actresses building careers in the Xia Nation's entertainment industry.
Their Western features were highly distinctive.
All of them were extremely young and beautiful.
After all, Su Yan's casting requirements had clearly stated: over 24 years old need not apply.
And none of them were signed artists.
Either independent actors or current performing arts students.
"Good morning, Teacher Su Yan!"
"Good morning, Teacher Su Yan."
"Teacher Su Yan, you've worked hard."