Suzune Magica Chapter 16

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Suzune stands holding Tsubaki's good-luck charm, strength and resolve on her face despite the tears from earlier. Her sword has taken on a new form as she charges the power she received from Tsubaki. The ink familiars shoot out at Suzune from books floating in the sky as Suzune unleashes her "Cherry blossom flame" attack. Multiple beams of fire shoot out at the familiars, destroying them as Suzune leaps up to slash down at Kagari's witch form. The witch's form is cut in half, but not destroyed as it begins to regenerate and form itself whole again. Suzune realizes that the witch she had been slashing it is not its actual body, rather the book it stands on is actually the witch's true form. She leaps up to slash at it once more, but the witch opens its jaws and spits out large amounts of swirling ink, enveloping Suzune is the same inky blob from earlier. Inside, Suzune comes upon Kagari's human form roughly made from the same swirling ink as the creature. Before she can react, tendrils of ink wrap themselves around parts of her body, Suzune's head filling with Kagari's darkness and sorrow. She forces the ink off of her, and tells the Kagari humanoid that although she was unable to stop the magical girl system, she is ready to end this chain of events. She harnesses her power and asks Tsubaki to lend her strength one last time as she plunges her sword deep into the heart of the ink witch. The book explodes with energy and disappears, leaving Suzune and Matsuri lying on the ground. Matsuri doesn't awaken and Suzune is saddened to think she failed to save her as well before noticing Kagari's grief seed laying on the ground nearby. Kyubey appears to inform Suzune that both her and Matsuri's soul gem are at their limits and even if Suzune were to use the last grief seed to save Matsuri, Matsuri may still end up being pushed to the edge over losing Kagari and Suzune and become a witch anyways.

The scene changes and Matsuri wakes up in bed in her room. Her window is open and she wonders out loud where Suzune is. Suzune is seen beat up and barely alive, walking down an alley and leaning against a wall for support. Matsuri catches up to Suzune, but Suzune tells her she shouldn't have come and should forget about her. Matsuri says she could never do that because Suzune is her precious friend. Suzune summons a circle of magic with Kagari's butterfly in the center, telling Matsuri she can make her forget it, but would rather not have to use it. Her soul gem at its limit, black energy crackles around Suzune, causing her to cry out in pain. Matsuri cries as she cradles Suzune in her arms, not wanting to forget her friends, Arisa, Kagari, Tsubaki and especially Suzune. Suzune asks Matsuri to promise to continue living to the very end regardless of what happens and asks if she'll be her friend despite doing things she can never make up for. Matsuri cries, promising to always be her friend as Suzune crushes her own soul gem.

Time has passed, and Kyubey is impressed with how well Matsuri is holding up under such despair. Matsuri stands alone on the school rooftop and tells Kyubey that she is not well but despite this she will continue to not give up no matter what happens. Kyubey laments the great amounts of energy Matsuri would have yielded before sensing a witch nearby. Matsuri ties Tsubaki's good-luck charm to her hair before heading out.