Chapter 193
Volume 1: Chapter 185. Laevateinn, who has been slain once again, what is your relationship with [Pure White]?
Mirror Sea Capital.
The building's glass facade shattered like sparks, raining down in a torrent. The shattered glass reflected the city's neon lights, swirling around billboards scattered along the street, splashing up large amounts of blood and mud.
Xie Qingyu drew her steel-slicing Tang Saber from under the parasol. Like a pretty girl cosplaying at a comic convention, she moved her wrist lightly and freely, creating flashy but impractical sword flowers. The Underworld Flame clung to the blade, evaporating any water droplets it touched. With the flow of the sword flowers, she flicked out one fiery snake after another.
These fire serpents swam around the [Witch] like loyal guards, sometimes devouring the remains of the surrounding Calamity Beasts and transforming them into puppets belonging to her, and sometimes swelling into roaring, furious dragons, forcefully repelling powerful enemies. They grew noisier with the heavy rain, and instead burned even more fiercely.
The Little Butterfly said anxiously:
"Xiaoyu, what should we do? Your magic is almost depleted, we can't afford to waste any more time."
Xie Qingyu didn't look disheveled at all. She was entangled in the magic spell constructed by the Underworld Flame in the rain, and mysterious water mist rose around her. Her graceful movements as she slew her enemies were full of elegance.
Unfortunately, this is only the surface.
Three minutes ago, this [Witch] was not only attacked by a tidal wave of Calamity Beasts, but also had to face the entire city of mutated citizens.
In the end, in order to finish the battle quickly, find the Nightmare's true form, and rush back to the venue, she simply used 90% of her magic power to unleash her trump card, a city-destroying, Unlimited Spell.
--[Butterfly Burial].
And so, the entire Mirror Sea Capital, amidst a sea of butterflies blooming like violets, sank into beautiful bubbles, ushering in silent annihilation.
Although the mirror Sea Capital is only about one-twentieth the size of the real Sea Capital, and its edges are still ethereal chaotic regions, destroying even half of it would trigger a devastating chain reaction, its power is still terrifying.
But the result was that the Sea Capital was reset as if time had reversed.
Xie Qingyu realized she had gambled on the wrong way to pass the level, and had to do what the fool did: use the remaining 10% of her magic power to fight her way out in the most meticulous way possible. During this time, she suffered no less than dozens of fatal injuries, relying entirely on the characteristics of [Full Bloom] to tough it out.
But once the magic power is truly depleted, severing limbs or decapitating would be disastrous.
Normally, this is unlikely to happen.
Because Magical Girl, being beings of pure consciousness, recover their magic in a rather illogical way. They can basically recover magic instantly simply by relying on their thoughts and emotions. For example, sadness, pain, anger, joy, and love—the corresponding emotions that arise in their hearts can be converted into a certain amount of magic.
However, this method has some limitations.
Simply put, the more Flower Language symbolizes your own personality, the faster your magic will recover. Conversely, if you express emotions that contradict your own Flower Language symbolism, your magic will recover more slowly and in smaller quantities.
If things go too far, side effects may occur.
For example, the Flower Language symbolizes courage, yet it uses fear to nourish the Soul Flower and produce magic.
If you do too much, it will weaken the blessing of the Flower Language. If it accumulates to a certain extent, those that are not in full bloom will not be able to reach full bloom, and those that are in full bloom will lose the qualification to open the [Full Bloom] stage. Even... the Lantern Gem will gradually dim and will no longer be able to construct Magic Armor.
In other words, [Witch] is disqualified and can only officially retire.
Xie Qingyu was in a similar situation. At first, she was able to quickly recover her magic power by using her love and care for her younger sister, her sense of responsibility to protect the younger generation, and her sense of mission to inform the higher-ups of [Pure White]. However, as time passed, suspicion, fear, and even hatred for the nightmare began to grow.
Is Xuan Bao still safe?
-- Dream Weaver Teacher, haven't you discovered the nightmare yet?
How many innocent civilians and players did Nightmare kill during this time?
These doubts gradually arose, countless assumptions swirled in the mind, and unease grew. Guilt, anxiety, and a sense of powerlessness spread uncontrollably, driving the situation into a vicious cycle.
Xie Qingyu understood that she had to make a final decision while she still had a choice. She took a deep breath, her mind heavy with worry, and said earnestly:
"I'm sorry, Violet."
"I want to use [Great Full Bloom]."
--[Great Full Bloom].
If [Full Bloom] represents a Magical Girl reaching the end of her life cycle, then [Great Full Bloom] is clearly a special state that breaks the conventional cycle and transcends the limits.
In this state, the [Witch] will undergo a transformation in magical properties, activation of magical spells, advancement in magical power level, a constant [Full Bloom], and even a series of other amplifications, ascending to another level.
But no one will easily pay that price.
At the very least, it was inevitable that a being like Violet, born from a lantern, would remain dormant for several years after the [Great Full Bloom] was activated, or even die altogether.
The Little Butterfly, seemingly oblivious, flew out of the brooch and chirped comfortingly:
"What's there to be sorry about? The one suffering the most is clearly Xiaoyu herself, so you're not allowed to be sad. This pain is definitely worthwhile. I believe you can protect Xuan Bao and those younger ones!"
As soon as he finished speaking, the brooch reversed its shape, transforming into a watch, and then into a purple Lantern Gem.
The so-called "Great Full Bloom" requires the Magical Girl to crush the lantern with her own hands.
Xie Qingyu felt a suffocating tightness in her chest, as if swords were piercing her heart, producing a resounding sound of despair. Raindrops fell into her azure pupils, reflecting the neon lights of the city and the tears on the horizon. She discarded her umbrella sword, and with a devout and sorrowful expression, held the violet in her hands, closing her eyes for a final farewell.
"Violet, actually... to me, you're already family, just like Xuan Bao."
"When I get back, Xintong and I will pray for you, and we'll pour coconut milk tea, put pork ribs from Qiaotou on your grave every day, and make fruit salad."
The sudden rain on the horizon stopped, and pure white light shone in.
As Xie Qingyu spoke, she was about to crush the Lantern Gem with tears welling up in her eyes.
Violet, quick-witted as ever, realized something was wrong and instantly transformed back into Little Butterfly. It dodged the girl's dangerous attempt to close her hands, then slapped her face several times with its wings before carefree and joyfully shouting:
"Silly Xiaoyu, don't pinch me! The Nightmare's Domain shattered by itself!"
Xie Qingyu blinked in confusion, then realized she had landed back above the venue. She looked towards the stage with an extremely gentle, pure white light that seemed to speak of the beauty of the world, as well as the many nightmare sub-bodies that were running wildly like stray dogs. She was greatly shocked.
What's going on? Could this be the surprise that Dream Weaver teacher was talking about?
What kind of junior can defeat a high- Calamity Beasts with Shine Magic before even making their debut?!
Xie Qingyu's mind was in chaos. Bathed in the radiance of the Pure White Witch's radiation, most of her negative emotions were dispelled. She glanced in the direction the nightmare had fled, hesitating whether to give chase.
At this moment, Dream Weaver in the sky above the venue reverted to its mascot form. It looked towards the suddenly appearing [Witch] and said:
"Xiaoyu, your sister is alright. No one was injured at the venue. I'm here, so go and chase after her without worry."
Xie Qingyu had no more worries after hearing this. Her depleted magical power was rapidly restored, and she sped through the blue sky at supersonic speed. She retaliated by unleashing magical power through her umbrella, creating dozens of Magic Cannons that struck the nightmare's offspring, but she noticed other anomalies along the way.
Those cultists, who were as difficult to catch as rats, seemed to sacrifice themselves for righteousness at this moment, all of them voluntarily acting as shields for the nightmare, appearing outside the venue and launching a suicidal charge. Almost every one of them was like a human bomb, exploding like fireworks under the suppression of firearms.
What's truly troublesome are the Calamity Beasts of insect-like monsters lurking within their flesh and blood, as numerous as locusts, harder than steel, and as fast as hummingbirds. They transform into black clouds as the fireworks explode, surging in with unstoppable force, forcing Xie Qingyu to retreat and defend.
It's obvious that the reason the authorities couldn't find the cultists and Calamity Beasts before wasn't because they were particularly skilled at hiding, but because Nightmare had hidden them all away until now, when they needed meat shields, and only then were they released all at once to buy time.
On the other side, in the audience seats below the stage.
Xu Ling looked bewildered, her eyes brimming with tears. It was as if she had been blessed by the gods, her nightmares cleansed of their damage. The shocking and world-shaking scenes in her memory gradually blurred in the divine light, and when she tried to recall them, she couldn't remember what had happened.
The girl simply raised her light stick in a silly and cute way, tilted her head back, and stared unblinkingly at the stage in the distance.
Chu Yuanqing's pupils seemed to hold a golden sea, her pure white hair surpassing even a wedding dress, swaying gently in the breeze and shimmering with a transparent quality in the light. The way she smiled at him was breathtaking, beautiful like a fairy tale, yet fragile like a drowning goddess.
In that instant, the [Pure White Aria] was so gentle that it sealed away all related memories for the audience, leaving only their emotion and joy for the stage, plunging the entire venue into a strange silence, which then erupted into a roaring clamor after a few seconds of silence.
Chu Yuanqing's golden eyes faded, her white hair turned black, and her Pure White Witch persona lasted only a few seconds in the eyes of the audience, as if it were an Easter egg specially set up by the official team using projection effects.
It is precisely this fleeting, breathtaking beauty, like the ephemeral bloom of a night-blooming cereus, that makes it so unforgettable.
People always love regrets. Just like a yellow rose blooming in a sea of flowers, no matter how beautiful, is not eye-catching. Only when it withers alone in a rainy alley can it be called beautiful, just like the first love of youth, a thrill that only exists once.
Thus, the smile of the Pure White Witch, like an immortal treasure in the sea, was dazzling and timeless in an instant, unleashing a positive emotion even stronger than before.
Chu Yuanqing's magic power was quickly digested and restored, and the overflowing part continued to nourish the budding magic in her soul, allowing a nascent magic to complete its final weaving. She took a deep breath, grabbed a few still dazed Little Idol, and quickly returned to the backstage to hand over to another team.
The Public Performance miraculously proceeded as planned.
Chu Yuanqing returned to the Waiting Room, smiled apologetically at the girls who wanted to ask questions, said he needed to rest for a while, closed his eyes, and focused all his attention on the Magic Clone in the audience.
Although the crisis surrounding the Public Performance was initially resolved, preventing harm to the daughter and the Little Idol, it also created more potential problems.
The most straightforward explanation is an identity crisis.
If the golden eyes and white hair could be explained by the mutation of completing [Lighting Up], then directly using [Pure White Aria] to crush the Nightmare is really too much and it's hard not to think too much.
Therefore, she had to shift the blame and clean up the mess left by the [Witch] outside.
Thus, Chu Yuanqing, who was located in the corner of the audience, disappeared from the sight of the Dream Weaver Rabbit.
--Magic Clone, dispelled.
The next second, this weathered yet handsome man, cold as steel, teleported outside the venue.
--Magic Clone, deployed.
Chu Yuanqing stood before the swarming Calamity Beasts, with the incessant roar of gunfire behind him and Xie Qingyu preparing to defend above. He remained unharmed, like a ghost, calmly gazing into the distance, locking onto the nightmare in the distance.
When Xie Qingyu saw this, she was about to question her when Little Butterfly, who had sensed something in advance, covered her mouth with her body in fear.
The Witch's Supernatural Senses simultaneously issued a warning, allowing her to immediately perceive the other party's continuously expanding presence, as massive as a mountain, comparable to the oppressive power of a domain, and an ancient, epic atmosphere reminiscent of a desolate spring and a collapsing temple.
How wondrous! Just meeting this person is like stumbling upon forgotten ruins, experiencing a bygone era unknown to anyone, and listening to a lament written in blood and fire by the fireplace.
--[Echoes of the Past].
The silvery-white magic, like burning moonlight, stirred up time that didn't exist in this Worldline, tearing away fragments of the past and merging them into this Magic Clone.
This forgotten Savior seemed to have returned to the past in a daze.
His soul was scorched in flames, his flesh was corroded by the [King of Salt], the mark of the [Old Testament] was engraved in his eyes, the [Solar Era] transformed into a heart like a furnace, the branches of [Ymir] pierced through his cells and bones, and he was blessed by the powers of many Disaster God, paying 13 kinds of price with the blessing of [immortality].
Chu Yuanqing actually missed these long-lost pains, but like the power of return, these pains were also exceptionally faint, like a hazy and illusory shadow. When they were poured into the false body, they did not cause much of a ripple before subsiding.
"Only three seconds?"
The man looked up into the distance, his decadence and ordinariness gone, like magma melting in glass, piercing through the false shell. Steel-like authority flowed into his body, and with each breath he could see the world, his senses extended to half of the Sea Capital, and the power he had lost returned to one in a million.
But that's not enough.
Thus, following [Echoes of the Past], the newly born magic was activated.
--[The Killing Karma of Annihilation].
The next instant, an extremely terrifying killing intent, like the radiance that swallowed the world, burned to the limit of vision, choked the swaying time, causing Xie Qingyu in the air, the soldiers behind her, the Calamity Beasts of monstrous bees in front of her, and the dozens or hundreds of nightmare sub-bodies that had escaped to ten kilometers away, all to freeze in a deathly silence.
--Effect 1: Your killing intent can lock onto any target, inflicting shock, fear, or dizziness.
At the same time, the silvery-white magic infused into the body began to reverse its nature, transforming from cold, gentle, and holy into scorching, destructive, and furious.
A fiery red to jet black color was seen burning fiercely from within.
It was just like the flames of Laevateinn, as if time had truly reversed, returning to the moment of the conquest of the Disaster God. She was, as always, fueled by the will that supported the backbone of civilization.
Thus, after 17 years, the flame of hope was rekindled in the soul, shining brightly and magnificently.
--Effect 2: Your anger, sorrow, despair, and pain can nourish the Soul Flower, serving as fuel for the burning fire of the heart, temporarily altering the nature of your magic.
"There's only one chance."
Chu Yuanqing's hand clenched loosely, and hazy, dark shadows fell from the fire. Amidst the crackling and burning sounds, the roar of clashing steel and clanging swords echoed, and one sword shadow after another was forged from this. In the instant they descended, they merged and expanded into the flaming sword that Surtr once held.
--Effect 3: The killing karma you create in accordance with your true nature can infinitely amplify your killing intent and inner fire. When the killing karma accumulates to the extreme, you can use all your magic power to forge the Annihilation King Sword with the killing karma and inner fire, which will kill the enemy.
At this moment, the boy from 17 years ago seemed to have traveled through time and space, looking back and raising his sword against the present.
"Laevateinn."
With a thunderous roar, the intense heat spread through the Vacuum Domain, and the massive blade swirled in a circular arc, its shadows overlapping and magnifying, like a lone figure beneath the flames, engulfing the gloom of the entire venue. In an instant, everyone could hear the crackling sound of the burning bonfire.
Xie Qingyu looked back and saw that the dozens of Nightmare Sub-bodies ten kilometers away had all burned to ashes in the fiery clouds on the horizon. This Calamity Beasts, which was dangerous enough to overthrow a main city, was like a pencil drawing erased by an eraser, not even leaving a trace of its calamity, and had completely evaporated and disappeared.
The girl was shocked, but she quickly came to her senses and looked towards where Chu Yuanqing was.
The place was now completely empty. If it weren't for the lingering warmth in the air and the soul-illuminating warmth unique to fire, she wouldn't have believed that a single person had ever been there.
Xie Qingyu landed silently. She activated her spell to scout the venue, and after receiving the expected result of finding nothing, she looked at the gradually fading sunset and murmured:
"Violet, that... that's not the power of a [Witch], is it?"
The Little Butterfly chirped:
"I didn't smell any magic, but that guy was super handsome! There were flames in his eyes, it felt both safe and dangerous, it was really strange."
At the same time.
The Dream Weaver Rabbit took in the entire scene, its crimson eyes reflecting a vast amount of data. It murmured:
"Chu Wangshu's father, Chu Yuanqing."
"A person who didn't exist 17 years ago, yet 17 years later, using power other than that of a [Witch], easily wiped out a high-risk Calamity Beasts. Was the nightmare in front of the stage just now also him cooperating with Chu Yuanqing's Shine Magic?"
"What exactly is your relationship with [Pure White]?"