The battle ended.
Time resumed.
Thousands of bullets are fired outward at once, flames bursting in every direction.
Chu Ming's blood boiled.
But in the end—
Homura still lost.
She was tightly bound by Mami's ribbons.
"Why did you attack Bebe?" Mami asked again.
"She's a witch! The enemy of magical girls! Remember!" Homura cried out in despair.
"I don't know anything about witches. Our enemies… are wraiths, aren't they?"
The moment Mami said that—
Both Homura and countless viewers in front of their screens reacted.
That's right.
In the reconstructed world created by Madoka, curses manifested as wraiths.
Mami, did you remember too?
"Then… what exactly are Nightmares?"
At the critical moment when Mami hesitated—
Sayaka rushed in and rescued Homura.
And Bebe—
Transformed into an adorable young girl.
?
["What the hell is this plot, old sadist?!"] Chu Ming's pupils shook.
It wasn't explicitly stated.
But that little girl—
Had to be the original magical girl form of the Dessert Witch before her despair and fall.
Sayaka brought Homura to a secluded place.
And their conversation began.
From the dialogue, it was clear—
Sayaka knew about Madoka.
She knew about the Law of Cycles.
She knew about witches.
She knew Homura knew the truth.
And she knew Homura suspected they were trapped inside a witch's labyrinth—and was trying to find the witch to save everyone.
Through their exchange, Homura also realized something was wrong.
If such a powerful witch existed—
Why would she only imprison everyone and do nothing else?
And what about Sayaka?
What about Madoka?
"If you find the witch who created this labyrinth, what will you do? Kill her?" Sayaka asked with a smile.
"Of course."
"Just because she's a witch? Tell me—does that automatically make it unforgivable?"
Sayaka flicked her sword through the shallow water on the ground.
The scene was breathtaking.
The composition. The framing. The effects.
On the water's surface stood a beautiful girl.
But in the reflection—
The terrifying form of the Mermaid Witch appeared.
["Old sadist… what kind of grand scheme are you plotting?"]
The information density in those few shots was overwhelming.
Almost too much for Chu Ming to process.
But one thing was almost certain—
Sayaka was a witch.
And she retained her original memories.
And perhaps—
The witch who created the labyrinth wasn't necessarily Homura's enemy.
The background music shifted.
Homura's eyes changed.
"Mami and Kyoko never deduced the existence of witches. Of course they didn't. They don't even know witches ever existed—because in this universe, witches no longer exist."
"There are three beings here who shouldn't exist. The witch who created this labyrinth. Bebe, who remains a witch. And you, who knows about witches. Are you really Sayaka Miki?"
The music turned.
Homura's gaze sharpened.
Sayaka smiled calmly.
Chu Ming didn't fully understand—
But he was inexplicably excited.
["There's actually a fourth,"] he thought. ["Madoka herself. She shouldn't exist here either."]
But then he realized—
Homura was deliberately avoiding that possibility.
She didn't dare accept that Madoka might be fake.
Homura activated her time magic.
In that instant—
Sayaka transformed into the massive Mermaid Witch—
Frozen inside stopped time.
Chu Ming's blood surged.
Didn't understand it.
Didn't matter.
It was incredible.
What's the truth?
Old sadist, reveal it already!
But just as Homura touched the Mermaid Witch—
It vanished.
The story continued.
Sayaka reunited with Madoka, confirming she was truly the girl she remembered.
She cried.
She embraced Madoka.
Chu Ming felt tears well up in his own eyes.
Then—
Homura left.
Her eyes were resolute.
She walked to a bus stop.
Placed her Soul Gem there.
And stepped onto the bus.
At first, Chu Ming didn't understand.
What was she doing?
If her Soul Gem moved more than 100 meters away—
She would die.
Unless—
A sudden thought struck him.
Magical girls die when separated from their Soul Gems.
But what if—
Wasn't she a magical girl anymore?
A being who once was—
But no longer was.
The witch who cast the labyrinth over Mitakihara.
The witch who only trapped everyone—
Without harming them.
No way.
As the bus drove farther from the Soul Gem—
Homura remained unaffected.
Chu Ming's heart sank.
The world began to change.
The sky tore open.
Meteors rained down upon the city.
People on the streets twisted into familiars.
The entire city—
The entire world—
Began to collapse and disintegrate.
Homura returned to where she had left her Soul Gem.
Church bells rang through the city.
The atmosphere grew eerie.
Despairing.
The city ignited in flames—
Like the apocalypse.
A new BGM began.
Chu Ming's lips trembled.
He already knew the worst possibility.
Homura knelt on the ground.
Tears in her eyes.
She fired a shot—
Shattering her own Soul Gem.
And remained unharmed.
Her voice trembled.
"Which means… I'm no longer even a magical girl?"
"Why? Why did I… When did I become a witch?"
The ending theme played.
Goosebumps erupted across Chu Ming's skin.
Homura—
Was the witch who created the labyrinth.
She had already fallen into despair.
Already reached the end of a magical girl.
Old sadist—
You've started again, haven't you?
Episode 8 was the perfect ending.
What are you doing in Episode 10?
You had a healing conclusion—
And now you're steering it back into depression?
Are you sick or something? If you're sick, go get treated—stop relapsing every time!
The two most popular characters—
Madoka ascended as a conceptual god.
And now you're turning Homura into a witch?
Are you retconning your own setting?
Episode 8 clearly stated that Madoka would save magical girls at the moment of their end.
So how can Homura become a witch like this—and not even realize it?
And what about Sayaka?
What about the Madoka inside the labyrinth?
Old sadist—
Are you sure this won't destroy your masterpiece?
That night—
The forums exploded.
Episode 9 had been fine. Confusing, but joyful. Seeing the five reunited was enough.
But Episode 10?
What kind of development was this?
The story already had a perfect ending—
And now you create an arc just to make Homura a witch?
Are you deliberately tormenting us?
[Old sadist, go die!]
[Why did I ever trust him?]
[Poor Homura… She became a witch and didn't even know?]
[My blood pressure is through the roof.]
[I genuinely cannot comprehend the sadist's brain. Does he ever consider how we feel watching this?]
[I can't sleep again. The finale is next week. Is a happy ending even possible?]
[I don't know. I'm panicking.]
[So when he said we'd witness the birth of a "devil"… he meant Homura becoming a witch?]
[Cliffhanger dog, go to hell! Ending it here again—do you have any morality?!]
[Old sadist, next week is your last chance to fix this. Or you're losing a loyal fan like me.]
[No! I don't want to see Homura become a witch!]
That night—
Even in his sleep, Su Yan received an influx of emotional value from fans across the Xia Nation.
When he woke up the next morning—
Even he was startled.
He admitted—
Splitting 'Rebellion Story' into three episodes and cutting each one at such critical points was slightly inhumane.
But for ratings—
A little manipulation was necessary.
Curse him as they might—
By noon, the ratings were announced.
Episode 10 of 'Puella Magi Madoka Magica':
5.91%.
The first time breaking toward 6% had been incredibly difficult.
But after accumulating a reputation from multiple works—
Su Yan now had a massive base of loyal viewers with high expectations.
Reaching this level again was no longer as daunting.
Whether the finale next week could surpass 'Tokyo Love Story''s record—
Was still uncertain.
But this performance—
It was more than worthy of Madoka.
He exhaled softly.
After a long time away from acting—
Su Yan stood in the dressing room, wearing dazzling golden armor.
His previously calm expression shifted—
Into arrogance.
When he stepped onto the set—
Everyone's eyes lit up.
So this—
Was the proud, invincible, golden king from Su Yan's script?
With that look—
Once this drama aired—
Wouldn't countless fangirls lose their minds?