Chapter 323: I Really Want to Eat His Pancreas |
"Why can't I become a Magical Girl?"
Muttering, Lu Ya looked up at the Magical Girl above her with a troubled expression.
The purple-haired Magical Girl—she had never seen such an appearance before.
Her overwhelming power had even left Lu Ya immobilized after absorbing the Fire Lotus.
The Incubators only urged her to transform, but Lu Ya simply could not understand how to transform.
She could not sense mana, and she could not produce a miracle.
No matter how hard she tried, it all seemed futile.
Before she could finish fretting, the purple-haired Magical Girl produced a long spear out of thin air and hurled it violently toward the village!
The spear tore through the air, slashing across the sky with a sharp boom!!
[C.T. Barrier], [Wind King Ward], [Ring of Resistance], [Seal Magic Eight-One: Rupture Sky], [Shield Spell], [Protective Energy], [Focus Aura], [Frost Armor], [Thorn Aura], [Mana Shield], [Shield Wall], [Tenacity], [No-Limit Magic], [Sunflower Shield], [Incubator Defense], [Cyclone Coiling Dragon Shield]…
Some Incubators even produced Miracle Seeds trying to transform.
Yet the purple-haired Magical Girl’s spear was like a venomous dragon surging from the sea—unstoppable!
The barrier shattered, shards of light scattering.
An Incubator that had just reached the transformation threshold had its invincibility frame ripped apart by the spear’s brute force!
The spear’s tip pierced its body, pinning it to the ground, and an invisible shockwave swept outward!
Dozens of Incubators disintegrated in an instant.
Another spear flew through without hindrance, aimed straight for Lu Ya’s face!
But the girl did not react. She merely raised her head slightly, her eyes carrying no fear, only admiration and longing as she gazed at the dazzling figure in the sky.
Such beauty...
such power.
All her confusion, all her doubt, all her unease—the source of them and every obstacle—were shattered by this meteor radiating with blazing light.
The power of a Magical Girl.
The ultimate answer from the Sea of Fantasy, the cosmic truth falling into the Atlantic!
"Why... why can't I do it..."
Mana surged, and her hair whipped wildly behind her.
The spear’s tip was nearly touching her, its scorching breath almost brushing her face, already grazing her soft eyelids.
At that moment.
The spear, carrying the weight of thunder, suddenly stopped.
As if time froze and space stiffened.
The spear tip hung motionless before her eyes, not even trembling!
Lu Ya blinked, rolling slightly onto her side, instinctively avoiding the knife-edged hostility. She looked up.
The purple-haired Magical Girl had descended before her faster than the spear, one hand gripping the shaft.
Motionless, like a mountain!
As if that destructive power were merely a tame toy in her hands.
"Why didn't you dodge?"
Her voice was cool and clear, not reproachful, only a simple question.
I didn’t react... Lu Ya thought, but she also knew that if Jiang Si were here, he certainly wouldn’t be satisfied with that answer—he might get bored and complain.
While she hesitated, trying to think of an entertaining response, the spear in Shion’s hand quietly dissolved into motes of light and vanished.
She seemed to have lost interest and turned to leave.
"Wa-wait!" Lu Ya hurried after her, "Little sister Magical Girl... I have something I want to ask you!"
"I'm older than you."
Lu Ya paused, looked at the barely-above-her-height figure, and awkwardly scratched her head: "Then... Magical Girl sister?"
"Just call me Shion."
"Miss Shion."
"Call me Shion."
Lu Ya didn’t know why Shion insisted on being called by name only, but she obediently nodded.
Her peripheral vision swept the surrounding Incubators who were dissolving slowly. One of them tried to get up, so Shion casually lifted her foot and stomped.
Crack.
Clean and decisive.
Lu Ya's eyelids twitched.
Although she didn't like these Incubators much, seeing them all wiped out so quickly left the white ground disturbingly clean. She felt a twinge of pity.
"Anything you need?"
When Shion finally spoke, Lu Ya hurried to her feet. "I... my name is Lu Ya."
"I know."
"I’m an apprentice Magical Girl, currently trying to become a Magical Girl."
No answer. Shion only looked at her.
Those purple eyes were like a flower blooming quietly in the dead of night, or fragments falling from a distant galaxy—so exquisite they hardly seemed human.
That flawless face even stirred a competitive instinct in Lu Ya for a moment.
She absolutely did not want Jiang Si to meet this girl...
But she quickly shook off the strange thought.
"Why do you want to become a Magical Girl?"
"I want the miracle that makes dreams come true." Lu Ya placed a hand on her chest and spoke earnestly, "I want to become a Magical Girl so I can meet the person I like."
She seemed to hear a tired sigh from the other.
It sounded familiar, making Lu Ya involuntarily think of Jiang Si.
When she used to pester him at school with all kinds of lame jokes,
Jiang Si would utter a similar sigh.
It really did sound like him...
But Jiang Si could never become a girl.
She looked again at the short but beautiful Magical Girl and felt a faint sting of jealousy rise.
If a girl like this fell for Jiang Si, Lu Ya thought she might truly be outmatched...
Shion glanced at the area around the village. "Magical Girls transform by relying on a strong personal reality."
Lu Ya nodded, her face flushed from absorbing the Fire Lotus, her body still a little hot. She took a deep breath to calm herself before she spoke sincerely again: "But the Incubators said my personal reality is very strong..."
"How did you come to a place like this?"
Lu Ya blinked, not expecting Shion to change the subject. After hesitating, she answered truthfully: "I was sleeping in a hospital. I fell asleep and suddenly woke up somewhere unfamiliar, met some friends, and then the Incubators found me and guided me here, saying that here I could find a way to make my dream come true."
"Were the friends you met Dream Incubators?"
Lu Ya nodded, somewhat surprised. "How did you know... They’re amazing. One of them even saved a world on the brink of collapse, forcefully restoring it and hatching a perfect dream for everyone..."
Having seen the Miracles with their own eyes next to those Magical Girls, Lu Ya couldn’t help but want to pursue it too.
If she could become a Magical Girl, she would be the person she admired.
"A strong personal reality is only part of it."
Shion tapped her toe on the ground and looked down. The Incubators’ corpses were burned away by purple flames. She resumed the topic:
"A Magical Girl must champion the people, understand the public, accept their wishes, and gather everyone’s wishes into her personal reality to create a miracle only she can bring. Didn’t the Incubators tell you that?"
"They only said my personal reality could make me the strongest Magical Girl..."
"What a bunch of trash."
Lu Ya immediately bowed her head, feeling as if she had been insulted too.
Even if that was true—after arriving here, the Incubators had indeed helped her and given her resources—
Lu Ya still had found no way to become a Magical Girl.
Let alone transform—she didn’t even have a Miracle Seed.
In fact, many Incubators had already stopped expecting her to become a Magical Girl...
"Come, why don’t you come to my tower for tea first? There’s a lot I want to ask you slowly..."
Fortunately Shion didn’t refuse. Lu Ya breathed a sigh of relief.
According to Jiang Si, this senior and guide might teach her things; if she established a good relationship, stepping onto the Great Dao would be much easier...
As they walked, the villagers all stared at them oddly, glowing faintly.
At the village entrance, some people even threw rotten cabbage and tomatoes.
Lu Ya, who had no mana, still heard the mean mutterings clearly.
"Idiot, fraud, moron..."
Just as she felt awkward, Shion strolled up to the taunting kids as if it were natural,
and with one palm sent a boy flying through the air, he even flipped twice!
The onlookers blinked. A young man immediately stepped forward, "The kids were just playing..."
Shion slapped him, sending him flying too. "I beat them for fun."
An elderly couple croaked, "Don’t get worked up over children..."
Shion slapped the two old people, spinning them like tops. "I’m a child too."
"You..."
Slap.
"I..."
Slap.
"Stop."
A chain of slaps.
She walked along, slapping everyone, rendering each face swollen.
Lu Ya watched stunned, both horrified and impressed by how fearless these villagers were. She blurted, "Uhh, our—"
Before she could finish, Shion instinctively swung a hand at Lu Ya. Lu Ya flinched!
She drew in her neck, but Shion stopped in time, only smacking her on the head.
"Sorry, got carried away. Nice feeling."
Lu Ya mumbled as she smiled through tears.
Then Shion asked, "Is this Konoha?"
Lu Ya froze. "Huh? How do you know Konoha?"
"I’ve heard people mention it."
Moments later Lu Ya’s eyes gleamed as she looked at the pretty Magical Girl, "The place where Konoha dances."
"The soul of bullying lives on."
As if they had matched a secret signal and found kin, Lu Ya showed a delighted smile, "You’re from the village too!"
"Not familiar."
Even so, Lu Ya felt a little closer and edged nearer. "We might be from the same hometown, you know, traditional things... change in odd ways..."
"In the new world’s math class, they taught that."
"Then, while I gaze at the moon above, can you recite it properly?"
Shion fell silent, like a cold wind sweeping across an empty field.
Lu Ya laughed and clapped her hands. "So you’re a cross-world traveler too!"
Shion sighed and uttered two words: "Idiot."
The "idiot" sounded so much like Jiang Si’s exasperated eye-roll that Lu Ya almost hallucinated.
Her earlier enthusiasm wilted. "Oh, whatever, it doesn’t matter..."
Back in the tower, they shut the door. The villagers with swollen faces resumed normal life, though mostly keeping away from the tower.
Inside, Lu Ya brewed tea and took out some baked sweets to share.
She saw Shion leaning by the window, watching the comings and goings, and curiously asked, "Are you heading to the World Tree?"
"Hmm. Do you know how to get to the World Tree?"
"No, but most Magical Girls who come here say they’re headed for the World Tree."
Lu Ya handed the teacup to Shion and watched the villagers below. "They say it’s in the Magic Kingdom, the destination for all Magical Girls... but few go lately."
"What do they do in the Magic Kingdom?"
"I don’t know, but like you, most go red-eyed at the sight of Incubators and get furious. They often slaughter a village’s Incubators before setting off to the Magic Kingdom... seems like revenge."
Shion fell into thought. Lu Ya then whispered, "Miss Shion... Shion."
Shion looked at her coldly. Lu Ya changed tone: "Do you know how to transform into a Magical Girl? I want to transform too."
Shion pointed at the people below who were throwing rotten eggs at the tower.
"How well do you understand these people? How well do you know their wishes?"
"Um..." Lu Ya scratched her head, embarrassed. "I’m not close to them, as you can tell."
"Even so, you must understand them."
Shion opened the window and poured the tea out.
The children who had planned to graffiti the tower below yelped and ran away, scalded.
"A Magical Girl cannot transform alone. Only when you can comprehend these idiots' wishes and accept them, embedding their wishes into your personal reality, can you call a miracle."
"Do you mean we must get along with them?"
"That’s how Magical Girls are."
When a villager yelled curses, Shion looked over, not moving. She merely lowered her gaze. Those eyes were cold as morning frost.
Killing intent and hostility were tucked lightly at the bottom of her pupils, flashing a thread of chill.
An oppressive weight suffocated the lane.
The village fell silent.
Some legs went weak and people slumped; faces swelled mysteriously; dampness appeared beneath some bodies.
Silence swallowed the street.
Using fear to snuff out the soul of endless bullying was efficient.
Lu Ya rubbed her aching temples. "Don’t you want that? I want to be a Magical Girl like you..."
"You can’t." Shion set down her teacup. "Also, I’m not a Magical Girl."
Only a cultivator.
She looked at Lu Ya and shook her head slightly.
Though that seemed strange coming from her.
Lu Ya's temperament wasn't the type to listen to everyone's wishes and sacrifice herself accordingly.
Even the most capricious Su burned herself for the wishes of all Chongxu people.
No matter how twisted or masked, when she stepped forward and stripped away the frenzy, her essence remained the freedom that people prayed for.
Thus everyone’s hopes naturally gathered around her alone.
Her unshakable personal reality responded softly and birthed a brilliant miracle.
This was why Chongxu had only one Magical Girl.
Su rambled nonsense and changed feelings from liking to loving in a breath.
Yet whether Shion or Jiang Si, once someone threatened Chongxu’s freedom, their turn from affection was more ferocious and decisive than any flirtation.
For that reason, Shion didn’t dislike Su. From the start, Chongxu’s only figure to catch her eye was that highly talented Magical Girl.
But entering the Azure Gate and taking true-transmission positions changed things.
Lu Ya lowered her eyelids, a faint dejection on her face. She said nothing more and walked over to a small machine.
It recorded projection videos of those who later met her.
Being with Shion didn’t make Lu Ya uncomfortable.
Sometimes while she busied herself recording videos or doing experiments about Magical Girls, Shion would quietly watch without interrupting.
When Lu Ya tuned the piano, Shion walked around the room and finally stood by her bookcase and flipped through Lu Ya’s books:
"Key Points for Chongxu’s Development," "Can’t Be a Magical Girl Without Money," "How Web Novels Guide Real-World Systems."
After skimming, Shion seemed surprised. "You wrote these?"
"Idly scribbled," Lu Ya said.
They were gifts she planned to give Jiang Si.
"This village is too backward, don’t you think?"
Lu Ya dabbed tea with her fingertip to wipe a smudge on the piano key. "Like a newbie village from an RPG. He wouldn’t like it at all."
Indeed, Shion disliked it.
Too Western, not cultivational enough.
Cultivation is the top-tier cool.
"Many places are inconvenient, so I plan to remodel the village. He’ll be surprised—maybe think web novels came true and smash it all up..." Lu Ya’s excitement mounted as she described her plan to make a theme park that Jiang Si would love, complete with mining plots and old-fashioned sect names like Nightwatchmen, Kṣitigarbha Bodhisattva, Divine Spirits List, Investiture List... "Chongxu’s name came from the Divine Spirits List."
Shion wasn’t particularly enthused, but mining wasn’t bad.
Lu Ya spread a blueprint and excitedly outlined her future plans. "Basically, a large amusement park—to make him happy, somewhere he can wreck and rebuild however he likes."
"Boring."
She wouldn’t smash Chongxu flat to rebuild it. The Saint Hall handles organized cultivation; Shion had cut ties long ago.
Her innermost intentions were inscrutable.
"Even if he never says it, I always thought he’d love a theme park based on web novels. In this, he’s like a child."
Shion sneered. Only an idiot like Lu Ya would confuse maturity for childishness.
"In any case."
Lu Ya’s tone dulled.
"If I can’t become a Magical Girl, none of this can happen. I must become a Magical Girl..."
Sitting at the piano, she played a melancholic tune. Though it should have been cheerful, she turned it sorrowful.
Shion listened and finally spoke without inflection, stating facts:
"Why are you using someone else’s heart?"
The piano didn’t stop, but one finger’s pressure changed, and a note went off key.
"Your so-called strong personal reality, it isn’t even yours," Shion said.
The hands on the piano halted.
The last note lingered a moment in the air, like a droplet unwilling to fall.
Lu Ya peeked from behind the piano, the smile still on her lips, but the squinting eyes devoid of joy, cold and a little fierce. "Huh, how can you tell?"
She tilted her head and swayed gently.
"Can Magical Girls do things like this? I envy them."
"It’s simple for me."
"I see." Lu Ya glanced at her chest, confirming the thing beating inside. "Is my thinking still far from Jiang Si’s personal reality?"
"Because you are different people."
Shion suddenly pressed a finger on a piano key; a screeching, off-pitch note sliced the tower’s silence.
"Then how exactly does one become the same person?"
Lu Ya rose from the bench.
A shiny small knife spun between her fingers, the blade tracing her fingertip again and again without drawing blood.
"No matter how much you imitate, even if you replace your organs with his, you still can't become him. That's unfair, isn't it?"
"Heart, kidneys, liver, lungs..." She whispered each organ’s name gently, as if showing off her treasures.
"How many must be replaced to become one with him?"
Shion watched expressionless. Her gaze flicked from the chest to other parts.
Stitched and pieced, eventually becoming a corpse-like existence.
"I want to have the same dreams as him, the same personal reality. I want to see the world through his eyes, know his thoughts, and become part of him.
"I want to empathize with him."
The girl smiled, gentle and radiant. "I want to be his one and only Magical Girl."
"Therefore."
Shion pronounced flatly, "You cannot become a Magical Girl."
......
Am I even still a Magical Girl?
Whenever Keke recalled the casualties Jiang Si caused in Chongxu, the staggering losses and the choking bloody mist,
she could not help but want to ask about it.
She didn't know if she had the courage to question Jiang Si about why he killed so many innocent people—she had always believed her brother and Teacher Shion were the same, only targeting those who deserved it.
But the storm Jiang Si unleashed couldn’t have filtered the righteous from the wicked...
She should have stopped him.
She should have confronted him.
At the very least, she should have rushed forward to face him.
But she hesitated—Jiang Si’s moves were too fast for Keke to react.
Alright, Keke admitted she was cowardly.
Even if she hadn’t reacted then, she could have asked Jiang Si afterwards.
Instead she zoned out for a long time.
Until White Fox dragged her away to Night Without Borders Plaza.
Those early days with the Saint Hall remaking Chongxu weren’t that hard. Most Chongxu people mechanically followed the Saint Hall’s rules.
Easy to manage—they claimed oversight, but orders alone kept the masses obedient.
Tame like domesticated sheep.
The more that was so, the heavier Keke’s guilt grew.
She could not sleep.
The more she came into contact with people, the clearer it became: Jiang Si had killed ordinary, wretched people who had suffered so much that they had lost even their temper.
Those numb Chongxu people told stories of relatives, children, parents, and friends who had died in that disaster.
Just a disaster.
No tears, no hatred—spoken plainly, not daring to weep.
That was unbearable.
Why...
Memories of daily life with Jiang Si made her feel suffocated.
That reliable, dependent figure colliding with the image of him shredding innocents into blood mist—these images intertwined.
If she did not question him, the sorrow and blood of the dead would chase her in dreams.
Even awake, the sticky remorse gnawed at her.
But if she questioned Jiang Si—
would they no longer be siblings?
Then she truly would have no family left.
So she pretended not to know, she pretended not to see...
If only she could manage that.
Tossing and turning, she climbed to the Saint Hall roof and picked up a mirror exchanged from the Main God Space.
The Little Profound Mirror.
For unknown reasons, it had the prefix "Little," but it used systems from the Mirror Kingdom.
Since the Mirror Kingdom’s fall, much of its tech spread to the Saint Hall with the Mirror Queen.
This Little Profound Mirror was one of them.
"Profound Mirror, Profound Mirror, Beihai Keke requests an audience, please..."
"Oh right, Xuan, Xuan Bright Method, Death's Decree Calming, homage to the Way, practice..."
The odd activation phrase roused the mirror system. It could answer any question, but each inquiry cost points.
The cost varied with the question’s complexity.
[Happy to serve. What do you need? This system will answer all your questions.]
She considered many things but changed her question at the last moment:
"System, can you explain why Magical Girls are born?"
[What happened? Why are all the idiots becoming Magical Girls lately?]
...Occasionally it answered with biting remarks, but at least it didn’t charge points.
"Nothing. I was just asking. No need to be so cruel..."
[To test your level, please answer a question.]
"Will I get points for a correct answer?"
[Of course.]
"Then ask."
[Absolute zero is -273.15°C. What should -273.16°C be called?]
"Below absolute zero temperature!"
[Wow, your knowledge ranks above eleven percent of the population—stop learning! If everyone learns this, the Saint Hall’s average IQ will spike and my database will need an upgrade...]
Ugh, treated like an idiot. Keke almost threw the mirror, but the system quickly stopped her.
[That was to relax you. Now ask the true question in your heart.]
The system's human-like chat made Keke sigh and finally whisper:
"I’m just curious why I could become a Magical Girl."
She had killed her parents and once arrogantly declared she wanted to use Magical Girl power to bring happiness to many and make up for the suffering her power caused.
But when she actually watched Jiang Si bring so much misfortune, she felt shaken and hesitant.
"I'm not qualified."
[Becoming a Magical Girl is a physical phenomenon. Like the dead cannot be revived, those already Magical Girls cannot be un-qualified. Dear user, this system has no psychological counseling. Please visit the Disaster Control Bureau’s psychological services.]
"...I shouldn’t have expected anything from you."
Keke pouted and sank into gloom.
She looked toward the higher entrances, thinking about violating Saint Hall rules to go up.
"Keke!"
A sudden call made her jump. She looked down.
In this transformed, antiquated Chongxu, she did not expect to see a familiar face—Li Yi stood in a courtyard below, eyes red. "Where did you disappear to? I looked everywhere. You left without a word and came to a place like this..."
She didn’t know what to say.
She didn’t want to stay at the Disaster Control Bureau, didn’t want to remain weak.
She wanted to grow strong and join the Saint Hall to protect Jiang Si.
But now that goal felt vague.
Jiang Si didn’t seem to need her protection.
Even transformed, Jiang Si’s power could match her, even surpass it.
"Yiyi, how did you get here..." she changed the subject.
"I met disciples from Azure Cloud Sect. They were kind and gave me a ticket to come."
Keke smiled bitterly. She truly didn’t understand what she was doing...
When Li Yi climbed up and sat beside her, she leaned tiredly on her friend. "Sorry, Yiyi. I was foolish and made messy choices."
"It’s okay." Though she had been on the verge of tears earlier, Li Yi comforted her, "Don’t run off again. We’re friends. Tell me first. We can decide together. If you want to leave the Disaster Control Bureau for the Saint Hall, bring me along."
"Isn’t that bad?"
"Hmph. With me there, it’ll be easier to return. I already resigned when I came. We go back together; the director won't refuse."
"What if the director thinks it's a double blessing?"
"You idiot Keke, we’re Beihai’s pillar. You’re the hope of Beihai. How could he think it's a double blessing! If Senior Peony resigned, maybe..."
Li Yi's tone wavered. "If he refuses, we’ll cry at the Disaster Control Bureau gate!"
"I won’t be that shameful."
"Come back with me." Li Yi urged earnestly. "Everyone’s waiting for you."
Keke nodded. She thought for a long time but did not tell Li Yi about Jiang Si.
Better not to destroy the image of her brother—at least for now.
"Okay."
She agreed and decided to find Teacher Shion.
Keke thought Shion could handle things better. Did Shion know similar truths when she hunted Jiang Si? Compared to Keke, Shion always made calm, correct judgments.
If Shion were to kill Jiang Si...
"Eh? Shion?"
Lost in thought about Shion, Li Yi’s voice snapped her back. Keke’s pupils widened.
A vast black mist churned in the sky—polluted magic swathed the world, blotting out the heavens!
Chongxu plunged into darkness; you couldn’t see your hand. Only one girl's silhouette remained clear on the horizon.
Shion descended from the pitch-black sky.
As if stepping down an inverted abyss, each step on an invisible staircase brought her toward the world.
The air froze.
Keke shot to her feet.
"Are you Keke?"
When Shion spoke, Keke noticed something off in her tone.
"Jiang Si’s sister, so that’s who you are?"
There was a strange emotion in her voice.
Hearing Jiang Si’s name, Li Yi stood, wary.
Keke pulled Li Yi behind her, sensing hostility in Shion’s voice. It was pure malice pointed straight at her.
That tone’s disgust and acid were barely concealed.
"Bloodlines are a cunning thing."
Black witchhood bled dark mist. Shion tilted her head, lips curving in a cold smile.
"Even without trying, you look so much like him—almost identical. Standing by him, seeing his world so easily..."
For some reason, none of the Saint Hall people appeared.
"Yiyi, you—"
She tried to send Li Yi away, but when she turned, Li Yi fell silently, wrapped in black mist.
Chongxu sank into dead silence.
Keke’s nerves tightened. She called out, "White Fox, Senior Hyacinth! Ruo Yun!"
No response. Above, Shion only stared coldly. "Don’t you think you make a lot of noise?"
Keke breathed deeply and quieted herself.
The Saint Hall members were probably all unconscious.
The black mist spreading around was corrupted mana—fatal to ordinary people.
She had to protect everyone.
Just meeting the girl in front of her made her hands and feet go numb.
But Keke knew this was not Teacher Shion.
She gritted her teeth. Under the corrupting mana, anger stirred.
She asked slowly, "Who are you?"
"I’d love you to call me sister-in-law, but that wouldn’t be pleasant." The dark Shion’s pupils glowed an eerie white. She extended a hand toward her. "So, never mind. I don’t like you."
It didn’t make Keke sad that she was disliked.
But hearing those words from a figure who looked like Teacher Shion still stabbed at her heart.
She instinctively reached for a Miracle Seed, but Chongxu had none.
Witch Shion said suddenly, "Hah, you still have the nerve to want to transform? You watched your brother massacre so many innocents and did nothing, even planning to give up on seeking justice for them?"
Cold as below absolute zero, the words froze Keke’s actions.
"Do you deserve to become a Magical Girl?"
"I..."
Before she finished, a finger pressed her forehead.
The touch was ice-cold, a world apart from the real Shion’s.
Witch Shion smiled faintly. "He hates indecisive people like you. Be glad you’re his sister."
Before she could finish, a "boom" rang out.
Keke shot like a fired shell, hurtling into the inky fog!
A sonic blast roared; the black mist billowed as she crashed, making a massive crater in the ground.
Dust and the crack of stones and beams filled the air. She realized she had smashed into an old courtyard.
The whole courtyard collapsed!
Keke staggered up, fists clenched, breathing hard as she looked around.
The blast had cleared some black mist; inside the wreckage there was no one.
It felt like the world had narrowed to just her.
No time to think. Despite searing pain, she lunged.
In the next instant, a terrifying mana spear pierced where she had been!
Its tip buried in the earth, the mana wildly oscillating.
Boom!
The spear exploded; the shockwave hurled the ruins skyward.
Keke was swept up by the blast and flung into the river outside.
Ice-cold water filled her mouth and lungs, stabbing to her marrow.
She clenched her fists.
Every bone sang in pain; every muscle felt torn.
The river was freezing.
"Just die quietly like this."
The witch’s offhand voice floated down, following the ripples into her ears and mind.
"Jiang Si doesn’t need a sister."
Doesn't need...
Doesn't need...?
The words struck like a torch, igniting something.
Anger rose before miracles did!
The river began to boil.
A fury hotter than fire!
From where Keke fell, the water surged as if boiling. Crimson mana spouted like lava from the riverbed!
Blazing light tore the blackness open; steam burst, thundering!
Witch Shion raised an eyebrow and reached out to block the crimson mana, then looked down.
In the steaming vapor, the dry riverbed emerged, revealing a huge hollow in the center!
Water poured back and evaporated into steam.
In the hollow, a red figure slowly stood up,
gasping, her body dry without a drop of water, hair plastered to her cheeks.
She looked ruffled and weak.
Only her eyes burned with undying flame!
To forcibly transform inside Chongxu...
Witch Shion’s eyes chilled further.
Yet that forcibly transformed Magical Girl began to speak as if she didn’t exist:
"I hesitated because my brother is my only family.
"I don’t want to lose him. Without him I’d be an orphan with nowhere to turn to relatives...
I’m scared he’ll abandon me, afraid he won’t need me anymore.
"But you’re right. Those killed by my brother had families who loved them. I can’t save them—but I also can’t ignore them.
"...I want to find reasons and evidence for brother. If I find none, I’ll be ready."
Even love and trust must respect facts.
"For those who died and lost their future—"
Blazing fire roared and swallowed Witch Shion.
But then it was pressed out.
Witch Shion put her hand down.
Keke raised her wand; half her body was pinned to the exposed riverbed!
A larger water pit formed around her. Flames burst and collided with the surrounding water, causing violent explosions, pouring every ounce of mana into the fray, but finally hurling Keke out of Witch Shion’s grip.
Flames still danced on her face; a resolute absence of doubt reflected there!
"—I will go with my brother to the grave."
As atonement.
Family should be together.
Even to die together.
If Jiang Si were beside her, she wouldn’t be scared.
That was Keke’s foolish best plan.
"Therefore, I cannot die here. I must find the truth!"
She clenched her wand. Crimson mana formed eight blazing tails behind her, tearing through the black fog!
The wand spun; eight magics rose from emptiness and converged in her palm, compressing into a blazing Lotus of Destruction, layers of petals each burning different hues.
She drew the bowstring; the Lotus became a fiery arrow in her fingers.
The bow trembled; the arrow aimed at the witch in the sky.
"For the dead, for my brother—I must defeat you!"
As she spoke, a heatwave swept like a tsunami, evaporating the river in an instant. Invisible mist shot high and rushed to blast apart the black fog over Chongxu!
The bow arced like a full moon; a rainbow-piercing force surged.
The eight-colored mana condensed at the arrowhead—an endless aura of destruction about to ignite Chongxu!
[Ruri Star One]!!
But just before she could release—
Witch Shion had already stepped before her.
So close she could feel breath and fragrance, cutting through heat to land on Keke’s cheek.
"Why not let it be you who dies for Jiang Si? If you really love him, you can atone alone and free your brother to live. Isn’t that what a sister should do?"
Her fingers slowly closed around the arrow about to explode.
"If it were me, I could do it."
She suddenly squeezed, and a massive blast erupted!
Eight-color flames tore out like ancient beasts breaking free, roaring upward!
The white-hot brilliance obliterated the black mist, illuminating Chongxu like daylight.
Layers of domes were pierced; rubble and broken beams fell through the shattered sky, yet the moment they touched the flames they silently melted!
It was as if the world itself trembled before her power.
Witch Shion stood at the blast's center, her cloak billowing.
Half her magical outfit was torn by the shockwave, revealing dark outlines beneath.
"You can become a Magical Girl not because you're stronger or more virtuous.
"Only because your luck is better, right? As Jiang Si's sister, anyone could become a Magical Girl."
Her voice remained calm to the point of despair.
"One person ascends, all benefit—a disgusting bloodline theory."
She grabbed Keke’s neck. "But if it’s not yours, it isn’t yours. Say that to them again, loudly."
She snapped her fingers.
Chongxu violently trembled.
Around the two, the ground rose and bricks stacked automatically, forming a colossal stage at once—
[Anchored Observation: Stage of Fate]!
Darkness retreated. Rings of seats emerged around the stage, rising and rising toward the sky!
Blinding lights. A gigantic screen, covering nearly Chongxu’s entire sky, floated above the stage.
It projected Keke, kneeling on the ground, humiliated and ragged.
In the lowest central stage, she was displayed like a bird in a cage.
The infinite seats filled with countless people—no Saint Hall among them—only Chongxu locals sat, eyes fixed forward.
They were the families who lost loved ones to Jiang Si’s rampage.
They sat compact and straight, their gazes hollow. Only occasional tremors revealed sorrow and despair numbed by long suffering.
No one looked at the stage center; a deep instinct told Chongxu people—
this is deadly!
Keke forgot how she stood.
"I am..."
She rose under the spotlight, panting, "I am..."
As her eyes swept the victim families, she saw tragedies:
a child clutching a torn toy;
an old man stooped, eyes clouded;
a woman with dried, dark blood-stained bandages.
All alone, without relatives.
A weight pressed at her throat, choking her voice.
"Tell everyone who you are."
The witch urged with a hint of malice.
"Say it, stage girl."
Keke closed her eyes, drew a deep breath, and steadied her resolve.
She opened her eyes, amplified her voice toward the crowd: "I am Jiang Si's sister—Jiang Keke!"
Her voice exploded across the empty stage.
For a moment there was silence, then an uproar!
Jiang Si’s name had already spread through Chongxu—the one who nearly destroyed it and killed countless people.
His sister stood there.
After the uproar, Chongxu settled into a suppressed stillness.
Then Witch Shion spoke.
"All admission is free."
In a heartbeat, every Chongxu resident returned to normal. Anger, numbness, grief—negative emotions like a tide—swept over Keke.
The corrupted mana gnawed at her crimson magical outfit like a thousand serpents.
The outfit hissed as if being corroded by acid.
"The murderer’s sister!"
"Return my father!"
"How dare she be so brazen!"
Keke's eyes shone with tears but she stood steady and continued: "I am a Magical Girl—please believe me..."
More insults and garbage rained down.
"How can you be a Magical Girl?"
"How dare you ask people to trust you!"
"The murderer’s sister is a murderer too!"
"An eye for an eye!"
"Seize her!"
Witch Shion did nothing but keep her distance,
letting Keke stand alone, spat upon.
Banana peels stuck to her head. Rotten eggs stained her. Her face was filthy, but the girl held firm and said, "I will find the truth and explain to everyone, and take responsibility..."
Abuse and rubbish increased.
Then the lights went out and the stage fell silent.
The humiliated girl stood filthy and weak, swaying like she might collapse.
Filthy water dripped loudly onto the stage.
"Are you crying?"
Witch Shion emerged from the dark and patted her shoulder, voice soft as consolation, "Don’t cry. What a set of pests—your brother merely killed their relatives and they lost their minds and treated you like this. You could have killed them all for them, right?
"You’ve suffered to fight for them beside me. Their relatives’ deaths aren’t your fault. You bore immense grievance to explain to them—how do you feel now? Can you still speak those words?"
Keke’s flames dimmed. She looked at the crowd, hearing the earlier sobs and insults ring in her ears.
Egg goo slid down her face. She wiped and wiped but could not clean it away.
"What did you do to them?"
She didn’t answer the witch’s question. She asked this instead.
"Uhh, we aren’t talking about that right now," the witch purred, twirling a strand of hair, then asked again,
"We’re discussing your feelings."
A long silence. The filthy girl gripped the Miracle Seed, "It hurts. It’s painful for what they suffered—I feel responsible."
Witch Shion touched her forehead. "I find your kindness unconvincing..."
"If my brother died like that..." Keke clutched her chest, "what makes me better than them? I’m just hurt about what might happen to me, not some saint."
The witch pondered and switched the lights on again.
The victim families in the crowd surged with anger again, their numb faces rekindled.
But the girl smiled radiantly, her dirty face bright like two stars.
Like a little sun rising in winter, "Everyone, it’s okay. I’ll save you!"
Rubbish continued to fly.
Hateful insults cut ears.
The damaged magical outfit trembled as more polluted mana poured into it—poisonous to magical girls.
Yet Keke’s mana boiled anew!
The Dream Core’s light glowed at her chest.
Two powers merged; two personal realities intertwined!
"Gray Embers Rekindled."
A gentle phrase accompanied by roaring flames that turned cold and sharp like a blade!
"With my broken body, become the blazing sun!"
The Magical Girl transformed again.
Full Bloom mana poured like magma, immediately engulfing the stage and audience!
Crimson light and blackness overwhelmed everything. Seats, lights, stage—all vanished in searing fire!
But it did not destroy.
The flames gently lifted the Chongxu people pulled forward and sent them to safety. Not a single person was harmed; all were taken away from danger.
Chongxu trembled.
The witch’s blackness tried to surge back, but the aura of the pure and tainted Magical Girl drove it back.
Layer after layer of dome was torn open by Keke’s power, yet every Chongxu person was safely wrapped in a crimson dome.
Her burning fist clashed with Witch Shion’s whip-like kick!
When the two forces collided, it was like two stars colliding, blindingly bright!
A massive shockwave swept outwards, crushing Chongxu layer by layer—bricks flew, earth cracked!
Yet all the debris and impact were kept from ordinary people by Keke’s power.
Amid the dust, the two were thrown back.
Keke stood firm and looked up.
The transformed Magical Girl seemed reborn. Her eyes, though now black, still burned with hot light.
Witch Shion muttered, "What are you?"
Then Keke loudly declared:
"Just a Magical Girl—Magical Girl Ruri—wanting to bring happiness to everyone, Magical Girl Ruri.
"—Remember that!"
"I still don’t like Magical Girls."
"Who are you! You’re not Teacher Shion!"
Witch Shion nodded coldly. "I am indeed not Shion."
"I am Lu Ya, master of 'Reality Manifested', creator of Chongxu."
Claiming to be Lu Ya, witch-Shion reached out and grabbed the air!
Chongxu compressed, and Ruri’s existence was erased like a virus from the world!!
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