Chapter 287
Chu Yuanqing will be no exception.
Therefore, at most, she is a [Flower Bloom]!
Even so, it still seems unbelievable. How long has Chu Yuanqing participated in <Flash Dance>? How many times has she been on stage? How could she have already achieved [Flower Bloom]?
And...
Leaving aside the spiral sword that drew upon her own magic to construct it, the hundred-meter-tall Mercury Tree before them was entirely forged from her magic. Could a normal [Flower Bloom] Magical Girl possess such magical power?
Xie Qingyu somewhat understood why Charlotte had said that.
Chu Yuanqing was just like her, a genius with unconventional talents. Being in the same competition area as her, and even as her teammate, Xiao Xuan was a hundred times safer than the other contestants.
Xie Qingyu silently closed her parasol. Chu Yuanqing's spiral sword, judging by its stance alone, was enough to sweep away anything below [Full Bloom], perfectly meeting her expectations. She had undoubtedly "lost," and continuing would only be pointless and futile; why bother?
As for keeping her promise, all she cared about was her sister's safety.
Since this matter is no longer a concern, and Xiao Xuan dislikes me anyway, I'll just keep my promise.
"I promise, I will never again..."
Just as someone was about to make a frank declaration,
The Little Butterfly skillfully slapped her, silencing her in time, and then, trying to act like the villain, began to shout:
"Xiaoyu said this is just the beginning! Chu Yuanqing, you..."
Violet, halfway through her sentence, awkwardly interrupted, saying:
"No, that sounds too formal. Can I call you Qing Bao instead?"
The Pure White Witch nodded blankly, then saw the Little Butterfly opposite her continue happily:
"Yay, Qing Bao! Come on, give Xiaoyu a good beating! Xiaoyu's got a tough tongue. If we don't beat her into [Full Bloom], she won't admit you're so great even if she gets a good beating!"
Chu Yuanqing keenly sensed Xie Qingyu's thoughts. She understood that she could now dispel all the spells, let the battle end without a fight, ignore the entanglement between the two sisters, collect the disaster materials, and leave.
Can...
Are all the children in Violet Evergarden Magical Girl problem kids like this?
The Pure White Witch raised her golden eyes, and the spiral sword in her hand expanded infinitely with the infusion of magic. A raging hurricane, carrying lightning, expanded, shattering the air within its range and creating a terrifyingly high-temperature domain. Waves of light like angry dragons were forged in an instant.
The sky was engulfed by dazzling neon lights, and the light waves, which blended with the thunder of a hurricane, seemed to have passed through the rainbow bridge in mythology. They teleported to Xie Qingyu's head like a judgment, carrying the power to melt steel and destroy mountains, and pierced straight down!
The Little Butterfly was almost frightened to tears. It flashed into a streak of light and quickly hid in its owner's lantern, but was still struck on the wing by lightning, feeling very aggrieved.
Xie Qingyu didn't even have time to cast a complex spell before she was engulfed by the light waves that were dazzling on the outside, displaying rainbows, and filled with thunder and hurricanes inside. She was swept up by the kinetic energy that far surpassed the Slash Shadow Sword Qi, and cracks appeared in the passive force field. She subconsciously and actively poured magic power into it to repair it.
From the outside perspective,
Within the blazing Rainbow Light that plummeted like an angry dragon, the inner core transformed into a continuously burning purple meteor.
The meteor was blasted by the Spiral Magic Sword into the idyllic Salzburg. The lightning and hurricanes surrounding it were like divine punishment descending from the horizon, shattering everything below —Monk Mountain, the castle, the museum, the mountain elevator, and the cable car.
Xie Qingyu, transformed into a meteor, was continuously pushed and pulled by terrifying kinetic energy. In one go, she smashed various buildings built along the mountainside for seven or eight kilometers, sped from the mountain to the old town, and flattened three churches and a cemetery before the purple light symbolizing magical defense gradually intensified.
The girl's speed finally broke free from the speed of sound during the stalemate and returned to subsonic speed. Only then did she have the leisure to summon the sea of flowers constructed from violets, allowing these magical creations to help dissipate the force. She began to control the trajectory of her backward flight and used her parasol to ignite the Underworld Flame to dispel the remaining power of the Spiral Magic Sword.
From the perspective of the live stream, this scene appeared as light waves carrying her across the old town, with the roads along the way filled with violet petals, burying all the newly created ruins. The Underworld Flame and the remaining hurricane lightning continued to intertwine, like fireworks.
If the economic damage is ignored, the scene is breathtaking.
Inside the real castle,
Chu Wangshu was greatly shocked. She now understood why, when Qing Bao suggested moving to a larger place, Charlotte had directly created a replica of the entire Salzburg in Pocket Dimension.
If it were still Pocket Dimension the size of a castle, it would probably have been pierced through by the spiral sword by now.
The scariest thing is that the battle seems to have only just begun.
In other words, if Xiao Qing were to fight Xie Qingyu in real life, without deliberately holding back, she could destroy Salzburg in a very short time, leaving the hundreds of thousands of people inside no time to seek refuge.
"Magical Girl are scary."
This was the first time the Little Cotton-padded Jacket had witnessed such extraordinary majesty firsthand. She subconsciously uttered the same sentiment as the Social Anxiety Cat, and suddenly felt even more deeply about her Dad being a hero.
Without [Pure White], and with calamities allowed to descend unchecked, Magical Girl wouldn't be able to pull enemies into Pocket Dimension every time. And once the battle unfolds in reality, regardless of victory or defeat, it will only lead to tragedy.
So, her Dad might be even greater than she imagined.
Xie Qingxuan's eyes sparkled as she looked at Charlotte, and she tugged at her sleeve, saying earnestly:
"Here are two photos of Xiao Qing. Record them for me."
Miss Saintess immediately and happily agreed to this sure-fire deal.
Looking at the magnificent scene on the screen, Kiriwake Yayoi finally understood why Qing Bao could fill her up in just one second each time. She was even shocked that she had managed to drain the other's magic power last night, and belatedly began to feel guilty.
The Social Anxiety Cat was relieved that Qing Bao had a good temper and wasn't arrogant; otherwise, the moment she tricked him out of his first kiss, she would probably have been turned to ashes by the Spiral Sword, and the entire Zhelong Town would have been destroyed as well.
At the same time, Mortal Realm Barrier.
The purple meteor plowed through the old town to the Buck Bridge that connects to the new town, smashing the bridge, which was covered with love locks, and crashing into the shimmering salt river along with a large amount of construction debris, splashing out hundreds of tons of waves.
The next second, the Underworld Flame parted the sea like Moses parting the sea, creating a gap in the entire salt river.
Xie Qingyu, holding a parasol, stepped out. Her Magic Armor was intact and unwet from the river, as if she had never been injured. Only the Little Butterfly trembling in the lantern knew that if she hadn't traveled more than ten kilometers to shake off most of the kinetic energy damage, her Magic Armor would have been on the verge of collapse long ago.
Even so, his internal organs were severely damaged, and he was almost knocked out of the Full Bloom.
Xie Qingyu swallowed the sweet blood, looked up at the sky, her body was filled with magical energy, her pale face returned to normal, all her injuries were gone, and her surroundings were completely intact.
This is the [Witch] who has reached [Full Bloom].
Even without actively activating [Full Bloom], magic can passively heal injuries and even provide some resistance to previous attacks.
Chu Yuanqing's spiral sword broke through her defenses, but not completely, so the next attack would be even less likely to harm her. In terms of the outcome, it didn't have any particular significance.
But the problem is...
If we hadn't let her go easy on the water and allowed her spiral sword to absorb more magic, the situation would be completely different now.
Xie Qingyu was fully aware of this. She even began to suspect that the Spiral Magic Sword in Chu Yuanqing's hand could be classified as Forbidden Spell for a single target. Once the opponent reached its full potential, this thing might be able to break through several layers of the mirror world in one go, completely crushing the nightmare with its underhanded tactics.
Furthermore, considering that the Countermeasures Bureau's library is completely open to Captain-Class, yet she had never heard of this technique before, it is highly likely that it is part of the opponent's Destined Magic system, or even a self-created spell.
In fact, she was right.
The spells that Chu Yuanqing created perfectly matched the authority of his Destined Magic, [Pure White Aria].
[Pure White Aria] can recreate the power that was once possessed or even witnessed.
Therefore, whether it's a blessing like [Silver Mirror] that was once possessed, or Mythical Weapon like [Caladbolg] that was used in the past, they both fit well with the system of Destined Magic, and the difficulty of weaving them is not high.
Of course, this "not high" is relative to her actual abilities.
On the other hand, the unique authority of the Disaster God and the Laevateinn, which, when strengthened to its limit, naturally possesses the concepts of cause and effect, anchoring destiny, and even the entire mythology, cannot be replicated by magic.
At least that's the case for now.
Chu Yuanqing looked at the [Witch] who had risen from the Salt River and was soaring into the sky, and whispered thoughtfully:
"Has your injury fully healed? Although that fake, made with a little magic, only replicated one-thousandth of the power of the Spiral Magic Sword, the Captain-Class [Witch] is indeed a bit stronger than I imagined."
Xie Qingyu was clearly not taking it seriously, lacked fighting spirit, and was almost completely unprepared.
Under these circumstances, being struck from the sky by the Spiral Magic Sword and shoved across more than ten kilometers at supersonic speed could barely be considered as breaking through her defenses. This shows that she was ambushed during her battle with the Calamity Beasts, and taking a few attacks with greater power would not have been a big deal.
In other words, the tolerance for error is maximized.
This is far superior to the unsystematic warriors who only have blessings in the first playthrough.
In such an apocalypse, a tiny information gap or a minor accident could kill a comrade with powerful blessings, but the [Witch]'s nature Idealistic Being was enough to exempt her from most mistakes and maximize her resilience.
If we consider the world as a game, the second playthrough is undoubtedly an updated version, introducing a more systematic set of "classes".
Can...
"Too lax."
Chu Yuanqing lowered his eyes and whispered.
Even though she has faced Calamity Beasts and experienced many life-or-death battles, she still lives in Peaceful Era. Even as Captain-Class Magical Girl, she only has this level of combat awareness, so you can imagine how much the other [Witch] are capable of.
From my perspective, these Magical Girl are all immature children; they are more like idols who have learned magic than warriors.
The problem is that, as [Witch] with extraordinary powers, stepping onto the battlefield is inevitable. Continuing to treat them as children or simply idols is undoubtedly irresponsible towards their lives.
So...
--A trial is needed.
Chu Yuanqing gently touched the lantern on her chest, 9% of which was bathed in pure white light. With each breath, she absorbed the magic power coming from all over the world. The Spiral Magic Sword in her hand, its light dimmed, unleashed lightning amidst the roar of the hurricane, hurtling straight down towards the oncoming [Witch].
Xie Qingyu wasn't an idiot. Having acknowledged the threat, there was no reason for her to stubbornly endure the damage. She opened her parasol, and the Underworld Flame burst forth like a pillar of light, colliding head-on with the Heavenly Lightning of the Spiral Magic Sword.
The deafening roar of explosions echoed throughout the area.
The girl's pupils contracted slightly. She noticed that the flames hadn't burned away the heavenly lightning. Her expression turned serious. The Underworld Flame spread into the magic power, reshaping and burning in mid-air. Purple butterflies multiplied and expanded from within, transforming into a tide that devoured the lightning, rising upstream once more.
"Xiaoyu, stop conserving your magic power. Your opponent's magic manipulation is superior to yours, and their capacity is beyond your expectations. They'll even actively conceal their aura. Your perception is completely wrong. Just crush them!"
The Little Butterfly flitted about inside the lantern, helping to construct the spell while cheerfully cheering it on, but its heart was growing increasingly timid.
Although they only exchanged a few blows, Chu Yuanqing's Magic Control was too precise and too skillful. The Underworld Flame that Xiaoyu used just now was a calculated magical power, intended to neutralize that heavenly lightning, but it was countered instead.
In other words, technically speaking, they have already lost.
The feeling was less like fighting a newbie who had just become a [Witch] and more like sparring with Teacher Dream Weaver in a simulation training session; with equal magical power, there was absolutely no chance of winning.
Xie Qingyu didn't immediately admit defeat. If you have any spirit, there's no reason to avoid fighting under these circumstances. She didn't believe her opponent truly possessed the strength of a [Full Bloom], which was completely counterintuitive.
Therefore, as long as they stop throwing the game, winning shouldn't be difficult.
Xie Qingyu was surrounded by dark purple butterflies, completely obliterating any trace of her body. The surrounding winds blended perfectly, allowing her to unleash her full flight speed. Even moving at Mach, she left no trace or sound.
"Yes, that's it! Let's go all out and destroy Qing Bao's Mercury Tree first. As long as we have it, we'll be at a disadvantage if we fight the opponent with magic. Let's destroy it, and then use magic to break Qing Bao's Magic Armor!"
The Little Butterfly, like an external brain, diligently arranged its forces, carefully concealing the fluctuations on Xiaoyu's body, using multiple spells to make her charm, voice, magical aura, and spiritual wavelength all disappear.
Xie Qingyu's Destined Magic is related to butterflies, and she is more inclined to be a support and assassin. Among the Captain-Class, she is the type with relatively few direct attack methods. The Unlimited Spell "Butterfly Burial" that she used to destroy the Mirror World last time was a case of being usable, but used very clumsily.
Yes, her teammates can make up for this deficiency.
But what can you do when you're short-handed? Last time, I had to go on a mission alone.
But now it's different from being completely outmaneuvered by nightmares and having to outwit thin air.
Chu Yuanqing was right in front of her; there was no reason why she couldn't defeat him!
So why attack the Mercury Tree first?
The girl's thoughts flowed, withered butterflies entwined around her fingertips, transforming into flowing, intricate patterns that solidified into an illusory blade, upon which were attached 19 debuffs: poison, bewitching, intoxication, decay, slowing, wind-breaking...
Most importantly, it doesn't require piercing through Magic Armor or penetrating flesh; as long as it touches the opponent's magic, it can flow back into the opponent's magic, taking effect instantly and ending the battle.
But it was just a breath.
The Pure White Witch is almost within reach.
Before they could even get close, the other party seemed to have foreseen their arrival, looking down upon them with an aura of omnipotence. Her golden pupils were majestic and solemn, but what swallowed this beautiful color was a heat so intense it extinguished sunlight, comparable to the breath of a dragon from mythology— Spiral Magic Sword!
Volume 1: 273. Chu Yuanqing, who abandoned the bad habits of humankind, was like Demon King Chu Yuanqing. (5K)
Mirror Tree.
The hurricane and thunder converged in the Rainbow Light, like a magnificent kaleidoscope of colors, instantly covering an area with a diameter of 5 kilometers, engulfing the Magical Girl was in an invisible state with a saturation bombardment.
For a moment, Xie Qingyu's thoughts froze.
Chu Yuanqing's expression was serene. The Golden Sea in her eyes was too deep, like a lonely sun crown, burning with brilliant majesty. It was as if Emperor had been sitting in the deepest part of the world had stepped down from his throne and looked down at the world that once belonged to him, and for a moment he showed pity and loss.
Did I disappoint her?
In a daze, compared to the shock of having his true form revealed, and compared to the hurricane and thunder sweeping past his ears, this nonsensical thought, under the allure of the Pure White Witch reflected by the lantern, swayed his mind and filled his entire chest, utterly absurd and out of place.
"Expel."
Chu Yuanqing gave the order in a soft voice.
And so, the Mirror Tree standing in the sky returned to tranquility.
The rainbow light wave that struck again flickered and evaporated on the spot, disappearing in the blink of an eye ten kilometers away, infinitely pulling the [Witch] who was near the safe zone away, continuing to bombard her, and then crashing back into the devastated old town.
Looking at this scene, Chu Yuanqing made an objective assessment in his mind:
"A near-zero combat instinct, a fragile mind easily swayed by lanterns and magic, and poor decision-making and reactions."