Oriko Magica Sadness Prayer Chapter 24: To Protect My World
Not to be confused with Oriko Magica Chapter 7: To Protect My World.
Homura and Mami join up with Kyoko and Yuma to take on Oriko and Kirika within the school. They find the duo deep within the Witch's wards and, under Oriko's orders, Kirika fully transforms into a Witch to attack them alongside her. Mami wonders how it's possible for a Witch to ally with a magical girl, and Oriko's thoughts reveal that Kirika did not break and turn into a Witch but rather she turned herself into one per her wish to change for Oriko's sake, making it impossible for the Witch's instincts to take control of her. Oriko announces her plans to kill Madoka Kaname, the enemy of the world, of which Homura says she won't let happen while she's around. Kyoko tells Oriko to stop spouting such nonsense and lunges at her but Kirika's Witch guards her and begins fighting Kyoko while Homura faces off against Oriko. As Kirika's magic flows into her, Oriko asks Homura if she's going to leave her friends to their fate and Homura answers that she fights alone as her job is to protect Madoka. Oriko inwardly notes that perhaps the power she's gained from Kirika can counter Homura's time stopping magic and proceeds to attack her saying she can't defeat them. As they all fight, Yuma looks on and says they shouldn't be doing this. She almost gets hit by the Witch when Kyoko protects Yuma and urges her to run if she's scared. Yuma proclaims she's wrong as that everyone fighting is afraid and that because no one's working together they're going to die as she recalls how her abusive mother had fallen victim to a Witch. Mami and Kyoko struggle against the fight with Kirika's Witch as Yuma stands to fight and fix how scared everyone is.
Meanwhile Koito runs out of class to find Oriko when she bumps into Miyuki who asks her what's going on and Koito talks to her as they walk, talking about how she and Akira had noticed how strange Komaki acted back then and how Oriko didn't come to class today when she should've been there. She also notes how she's never had an unexcused absence and thought it was rather odd. Koito apologizes to Miyuki for not telling her anything as she was afraid her sister would get angry if she found out she told anyone. She admits she's still afraid even now given how she had gotten that image of Oriko sent to her and fears something will happen to her just like when she last talked to Akira. Miyuki calms her down and says she doesn't want to be left out again as while she wasn't very close to Oriko, she knows the feeling of when someone she knows could vanish forever. She asks Koito to allow her to join her as she doesn't want to be left in the dark, and if it turns out to be a terrible misunderstanding she'll laugh along with Oriko at how worried Koito was. Koito cries and allows Miyuki to come with her, but Miyuki stops and notes that they can't go to the train station in their uniforms as the police are still out there patrolling for the killer and says they might get detained by them. Koito worries about what to do as it's too far for them to go on foot when a voice calls out to them asking if they're from Shirome Academy. The girls at first mistaken the voice for a police officer attempting to detain them, but it's revealed to be Kimihide and his assistant who ask the girls if they know where Oriko is as they are also trying to get into contact with her but they're unable to get through to her via cell phone.
Back at the battle, Mami, Kyoko and Homura are knocked down by the strength of Oriko and Kirika's Witch. Yuma thinks about how if she's going to become a Witch anyway why doesn't she die right now, but she pushes them away saying that it'd be someday but not now. Oriko says the battle appears to be over and prepares to finish her work in order to make her wish come true and end her crimes when suddenly an attack hits Kirika's Witch and knocks her down. Oriko is surprised and questions how this happened when she notices Yuma has healed her team and begins fighting along with them. Oriko notes how she is the one who made Yuma a magical girl and fostered her transformation in an attempt to hide her own weaknesses and objectives and wonders if this is Yuma's retribution at work. She and Kirika's Witch are unable to fend them off and Oriko finds herself cornered as Homura tells her to give it up as she will soon turn into a Witch herself when she runs out of magic. Oriko refuses to give up and begins unleashing several of her orbs at them to keep them at bay. Kyoko attacks with her spear as she aims for Kirika's human body, but Oriko jumps in front of it to take the hit to her chest, surprising Kyoko as she doesn't understand why Oriko would protect the other girl's corpse. Injured and unable to use more magic, Oriko remains standing as Homura approaches her while pointing her gun at her soul gem. Oriko asks her if she's going to shoot and Homura replies that she will once Oriko gives her an answer as to why she started this fight. Oriko thinks about how she knows that Madoka was necessary to Homura's world and answers that she did this to protect her world, after which Homura shoots her soul gem. As Oriko dies, she meets Kirika in her thoughts who calls her dumb for her answer and offers her one last bit of her own strength to help her fulfill her wish. With the last of that power, Oriko fires a square projectile that impales Madoka in the chest, killing her just as she herself finally dies next to Kirika's body.
Kimihide and the girls arrive on the scene to find Oriko but find that the whole school appears to be empty as though everyone had just vanished out of thin air. Koito runs further in to investigate despite the other two trying to stop her. As Koito runs down the halls she calls for Oriko and berates herself for this happening again as she hates not being able to do anything. She inwardly calls for Komaki to help her and give her the strength to continue as Kimihide and Miyuki manage to catch up to Koito and calm her down. Suddenly two figures appear in the hallway before them asking for help, revealed to be Hitomi and Sayaka, the latter crying over Madoka. Kimihide tells Saegusa to send for the police and an ambulance immediately to help them as Koito and Miyuki try to comfort them.
A news report is released, detailing the incident that took place at Mitakihara Middle School with several people still unaccounted for and unable to confirm their safety, one being Madoka but her whereabouts could not be determined. The statements of the students at the scene are also largely unsupported by evidence and had been classified as a hallucination brought on by the situation that occurred. The media sensationalized the incident and others have offered their theories as to what happened, but no one knows the truth. Koito says to Yuma that of course they didn't, revealing herself to be a magical girl now fighting alongside Yuma, Kyoko and Mami, who are all preparing to take down Walpurgisnacht. Mami tells the girls she and Kyoko will be depending on them for backup and Kyoko tells them to not screw it up. Koito says they'll do their best and Yuma agrees when she suddenly frowns and Koito asks her what's wrong. Koito tells her that Walpurgisnacht is a lot more powerful an any other normal Witch and that they need to concentrate or they could end up dying. Yuma asks if what Oriko was trying to do before was right after all and Koito answers who can say as even knowing all they know it's hard for them to have a solid answer. Koito says that knowing her wish, motives, knowing she caused Komaki's death and her deception she still doesn't know if Oriko is an enemy she should hate or the savior of the world. Yuma suddenly says to Koito for them to save the town. While it's not as big as the world itself, Yuma thinks she understands a little of how Oriko felt at that time. Koito laughs as she agrees just as Mami and Kyoko begin the battle with Walpurgisnacht. During it all Koito thinks to herself about how the wishes of magical girls are filled with their sorrows and wonders if they will ever learn of Oriko's sorrows and wishes someday.
The next scene has Oriko and Kirika together having tea an at unspecified place, presumably an afterlife of some sort. Oriko greets an unknown figure that has come to visit them and she notes how this figure has certainly changed to her surprise. She says that with all that happened she wasn't able to speak to them but says that seeing them as they are now, she takes it to mean that they were able to set the world to rights. They say nothing and Oriko states that she wishes they wouldn't look at her that way as she knows she's made her mistakes, but it's thanks to that that she found what it is that she holds most precious to her. Both Oriko and Kirika face the figure before them, revealed to be Ultimate Madoka.