Lancer felt like he had just experienced one of the most bizarre things in the world.
First, he "crossed through worlds," and then he "crossed through time."
Why was Lancer so sure he had crossed through time? It was simple. Although he didn't know which specific point in time he had just been at, there was no doubt that Madoka Kaname had already become "Goddess Madoka."
However, his mission was to "Stop Walpurgisnacht," which meant his current time should be before that. As for how he actually traveled through time, the only explanation was "Homura Akemi," because in Lancer memory, she was the only magical girl with "time" abilities. As for whether "Goddess Madoka" had similar powers, Lancer wasn't quite sure.
However, he was more inclined to believe Homura Akemi had done all this. Why? Simply put, that was Homura Akemi wish. But then again, he didn't think it was entirely because of her, since the "Mission Item" in his hand was the "Gift of the Law of Cycles"—meaning it was something sent by Madoka Kaname.
'So, it's the shared wish of both of them...'
Lancer experiences could be called "colorful." His heart had long since learned how to keep itself calm. So, even though he had just gone through something an ordinary person couldn't even imagine, he was able to quickly cool down and perform an analysis after confirming the surrounding situation.
Unfortunately, the known information wasn't much, and he couldn't analyze anything useful. Finally, he took out the so-called "Gift of the Law of Cycles."
Three egg-shaped... gems?
Wait! This thing looks a bit familiar?!
Could it be————
「Gift of the Law of Cycles
Rank: A
Description: A replica of the 'Soul Gem' created by the Incubators, made by the 'Law of Cycles.' While the effect isn't as powerful as the original, it doesn't require the transfer of the soul, nor can it be corrupted.
Usage Requirement: To prevent excessive interference with space-time, it cannot be used by people of this world.」
Rank A equipment. It could be said to be on the same level as the highest-ranked gear on Lancer person. Normally, he would be absolutely ecstatic, but thinking about the world he was in, Lancer involuntarily shivered.
And because of its special usage requirement, the people who could use it were basically locked in: Olga Marie, Rei, and himself...
Olga Marie, seeing Lancer face turn red then pale, cautiously approached his side.
"What's wrong with you?"
Unlike Lancer, Olga Marie—who was experiencing this many things for the first time—was still in an unstable mental state and seemed quite nervous. But just then, she saw Lancer shove something into her hand.
"Why are you giving me this?"
Olga Marie didn't quite understand the current situation.
"Just inject your magical energy into it."
Lancer felt that rather than a simple explanation, it was easier to illustrate with "facts." Olga Marie felt that Lancer probably wouldn't screw her over, so she directly injected her magical energy. Suddenly, a flash of intense light occurred. When the light vanished, the grey formal wear she had been wearing was gone, replaced by a grey dress covered in lace trim, and a long staff had appeared in her hand.
"What is this?!!"
As a woman, Olga Marie naturally didn't hate flashy clothes, but there was a limit. The light, airy feeling on her body right now made her extremely uncomfortable; after all, if she were to wear something, it would definitely be a more mature evening gown type.
When she looked over to the other side with a blushing face, she saw Lancer, wearing sunglasses, with a face full of————disappointment?
If she was already annoyed, she was even more pissed now, to the point where she wanted to punch Lancer right in that face of his.
"I knew a real transformation couldn't actually last a minute, and this damn holy light makes it so you can't see anything..."
You have to realize that Lancer had anticipated there might be holy light, so he'd put on sunglasses beforehand. Who knew they would be useless? It must be some kind of special magic.
However, while Olga Marie face was flush from Lancer words, his next sentence almost snapped her already taut nerves.
"Magical girls really are better as elementary or middle schoolers. High schoolers are barely acceptable at a stretch, but... sigh~"
"Whack~!"
Following the sigh, something inside Olga Marie head snapped, and she decisively swung the staff in her hand toward Lancer. Unfortunately, Lancer easily dodged it.
Then, Lancer took the opportunity to set down the briefcase he was carrying in his right hand and held out his right hand toward Olga Marie. Instantly, she froze in place.
It wasn't that Lancer had used some special spell; it was simply because Lancer looked deadly serious. Sensing reflexively that there might be a problem nearby, Olga Marie had to suppress her annoyance and shame, gripping her staff and warily watching the surroundings.
"Zero,' wake up."
Lancer, opening the case, called out to the inside. Immediately, Zero—who had been "sleeping" or "hibernating" in the case—propped herself up with her arms and sat up. She first rubbed her eyes, looked around the area, and then reached her hand out toward Lancer...
Of course, this definitely wasn't her acting spoiled. It was simply because she was asking Lancer for food. After handing her a piece of jerky for her to munch on, Lancer also took out a "gem" and handed it to her. Not quite understanding, she looked at it for a moment and then————swallowed it.
Instantly, Lancer expression became extremely bizarre. Although this "gem" could be summoned at any time after signing the contract—just like Olga Marie did—swallowing it was truly something that left one not knowing how to react.
Olga Marie had also processed what happened by then. She looked at Lancer with a face full of horror. You have to understand, Zero previous entrance was nothing like this.
Even without looking at Olga Marie face, Lancer could roughly guess what she was imagining.
"Let me clarify beforehand: I'm not some scumbag with weird fetishes. 'Zero' isn't human; she herself is a weapon I use. It's not that I don't allow her out of the box, it's just that she has zero interest in anything other than 'gourmet food.'"
As Lancer voice fell, a change began on Zero as well. Similarly, after the "holy light" ended, Rei was wearing a————onesie?
Yes, the kind of onesie you'd put on a child. However, considering Zero herself had a loli or rather a toddler-sized physique, it was actually quite fitting. But the shape of the onesie wasn't a common cat, dog, or even a hamster. Instead, it was something a bit eerie. An ordinary person probably couldn't even tell what it was, but Lancer felt it looked somewhat similar to the "One-Eyed Owl" he knew?
'Is it because Zero body was made using materials from the Owl?'
Lancer couldn't figure out exactly what was going on, so he simply stopped overthinking it. Finally, he looked at the last "gem" in his hand with a serious expression and decisively————gave up!
He was afraid he'd go blind...!!