Chapter 337
"What if it erupts in another week, or even a month? The reason [Calamity Wish] didn't do that is because [Lighthouse] discovered its existence and learned its rules!"
"That's why [the Calamity Wish] was forced to choose this time to erupt."
"In other words, it must possess wisdom. The results that the Golden Lamp discovered were deliberately revealed to us by it. Its goal was to make us hesitant to act, thereby buying us more time!"
Astrid agreed:
"[Calamity Wish] could have easily avoided setting up an outer wall and expanded the pillar of light, increasing its potential number of wishers dozens of times over. It didn't do that because if it did, we would publicly expose the harm of making such wishes."
"But once we stop making wishes, we have time to use various methods to purify the people and prevent the rule of [Calamity Wish] from invading, which is actually a loss for it."
"I suspect that [Calamity Wish] is now targeting the people inside the dark outer wall. It deliberately created such a commotion to cause panic, likely trying to use a life-threatening crisis to induce the people inside to make a large-scale wish."
Astrid didn't continue, but everyone present understood what she meant.
At present, the number of people who actually made wishes to [Calamity Wish] and had their wishes fulfilled is no more than ten thousand; otherwise, too many unusual death cases would have already attracted attention.
But...
The "Calamity Wish" has now involved nearly six million people. If we exclude the small number of people who have already made wishes and are being used as anchors, the remaining people are the easiest to exploit.
Imagine it.
Normally speaking, everyone's wishes are varied and unpredictable. For a weak, rule-based Calamity Beasts to complete a business order would definitely require a lot of effort and time.
For example, Luna's wish was to meet Charlotte and get her autograph, which she accomplished in just a day and a half through various coincidences.
The key to this simple wish was that she was in Austria and happened to be there during Charlotte's birthday celebration.
But what if Luna isn't in Austria? Would she still have to fly there? And if she doesn't have a visa, would she have to apply for one? Modifying data and forging visas risks being exposed to Dream Weaver.
In short, fulfilling a wish is a very troublesome matter. It is believed that most of the orders from this Calamity Beasts involved paying "penalties" and not reaping all the benefits.
But things are different now.
The practice of "Calamity Wish" is like a kidnapper holding a knife to your neck and asking you what your wish is.
In this situation, if you don't make a wish, you die; but if you wish to live, it only needs to remove the knife to complete the run—a speedrun experience-farming method.
Therefore, with every passing second, [Calamity Wish] will become stronger. If it were to harvest the wishes of millions of people all at once, it could very well reach the A-Class complete state, or even the S-level, and become a true world-destroying calamity.
At that time, those shrouded in the pillar of disaster will not be millions, but hundreds of millions, billions, or even tens of billions.
Someone sighed:
"There are only two options now. One is to directly use the Aether Satellite— [Fuxi]—to anchor each region and simultaneously launch kinetic weapons containing Aetherial Substance to destroy all 46 pillars of calamity light at a speed that humans cannot react to."
"In this way, the concentrated Aetherial Substance can cleanse the calamity, and [the Calamity Wish] will also lose its resources due to the death of all people, thus failing to achieve its original plan."
"But the cost is that it severely damages the government's credibility, and it's only a temporary solution; missiles can't kill the Calamity Wish, and it will inevitably return sooner or later."
Astrid said calmly:
"Moreover, the [Calamity Wish]'s wish-granting mechanism is based on the soul. While missiles can kill the millions of kidnapped people, they cannot destroy their souls immediately."
"Therefore, doing so might actually unite the wishes of all the people, which is exactly what [the Calamity Wish] wants."
The man agreed upon hearing this.
"That is indeed a possibility, but we cannot afford to take that risk."
"Then what's the worst-case scenario: directly smashing the outer wall with force, ignoring the damage from the backflow of disaster energy, and carrying out a forced rescue?"
Astrid calmly said:
"Too slow. Based on the information we have, we know that even without making a wish, as long as one is tainted by a [Calamity Wish], it has a way of triggering tragedy."
"If I were it, by creating illusions and turning rescuers into monsters, combined with the environment inside the pillar of light, I could achieve the same mechanism of making wishes, fulfilling desires, and reaping rewards."
"Sending nearly six million people out and then cleansing them of the trace amounts of calamity energy would take far too long. In that time, it would be enough for it to get what it wants, so it can only resort to a blitzkrieg."
The minister of the Eastern Empire Countermeasures Bureau slammed his fist on the table and said:
"Then only the second option remains: dispatch 46 teams of Magical Girl to the vicinity of the 46 pillars of calamity light to urgently set up a stage and filming studio."
"Then, have them remove their Magic Armor, change into their stage outfits, and start live streaming for their respective fan groups, igniting their idol spirit and creating Shine Magic on stage! It's time to let the so-called calamity witness the brilliance of the <Flash Dance> project!"
The words had faded.
The proposal was passed unanimously within ten seconds.
The stage creates miracles, idols save the world.
This is the path that the upper-level council has chosen to accept and decide to practice after countless verifications and explorations.
[Calamity Wish]?
Humanity is not so fragile as to be easily defeated by a Calamity Beasts that is not fully developed.
The goal of <Flash Dance> is to suppress the Thirteen Forbidden Lands, build a glorious city comparable to [Pure White], and take over from the old one to deal with the current [Calamity Wish], without having to use the still-developing reserve actors. The current [Witch] also have enough Idol Power!
However... unless absolutely necessary, the higher-ups are indeed unwilling to make such a big move, letting the Cult of Disaster Gods know that the idol stage possesses such terrifying power.
This would expose the true motives behind the Flash Dance project, completely contradicting their initial decision to have Magical Girl take the stage to withstand pressure and overshadow the Flash Dance Little Idol. This would inevitably introduce many unstable elements into the final Savior Plan.
Moreover, the 46 [Witch] teams that went on stage were essentially revealing their identities to the enemy. Their families and friends would become weaknesses that the enemy could exploit, and the risks involved were too great; a single misstep could lead to tragedy.
If possible, the higher-ups would truly prefer to sacrifice these 5.8 million people to delay the appearance of the Shine Magic for several months. However, rule-based calamities are too overpowered, and allowing them to grow unchecked will only cause more losses.
As a result, one transfer order after another was quickly issued.
Donghuang, Sea Capital, Hongkou District.
The night was enchanting, but the dark aura of disaster, like a dome, separated the inside from the outside into two worlds.
Golden Lamp raised her eyes to look into the distance. The pillar of calamity reached the heavens, and the outer wall acted like a thick filter, blurring the flickering neon lights inside. She bit into the hard candy in her mouth, withdrew her detection magic, suppressed the unease in her heart, and sighed:
"What a troublesome and disgusting design. Breaking even one corner will cause the whole thing to collapse, just like tempered glass. I hope future Calamity Beasts won't all have this level of intelligence?"
The girl has a slender face with a beautiful nose and heart-shaped lips, making her stand out among idols. When her orange eyes narrow, she looks like an angry cat. Her Magic Armor is a vibrant bright yellow, giving her a cute yet mature aura.
The [Witch] sat on the edge of the bridge, next to the river reflecting the neon lights of the Sea Capital, its surface shimmering. Beside her were several equally good-looking teammates.
"Then we can only hope that more monsters emerge from the younger generation, so we can retire as soon as possible."
The speaker was a girl with a languid tone who couldn't help but yawn as she spoke. She was sitting on her own small stool, her fingertips twirling a paintbrush through her sleeve as she painted on the canvas in front of her.
This [Witch] has her hair braided into double braids, and half-rimmed silver-rimmed glasses perched on her high nose. She also wears a white cloak over her Magic Armor to protect her from paint, giving her an intellectual yet decadent artistic beauty.
Golden Lamp turned her head and asked:
"Pansy, how long do you estimate it will take you to finish painting them?"
The Pansy uttered a complaint like that of a corporate slave:
"The drawing should be finished by the time the captain arrives."
"But Little Orange, I'm so tired. Even if it's just a framework, covering the entire outer wall of the disaster aura is just too much magic power."
"I heard from Teacher Dream Weaver that kisses between [Witch] can restore mana. Little Orange, could you sacrifice yourself and give me some mana back?"
A # mark practically popped out of Golden Lamp's forehead. Embarrassed and annoyed, she walked over and forcefully tapped Pansy on the head, ignoring the other's sobs and the amusement of her teammates, and said:
"Idiot, I already told you that you can only use your code name when you're transformed!"
"Besides, even if Dream Weaver isn't lying, according to her, kissing to restore magic only works if both parties are in love."
Pansy's paintbrush never stopped, her lazy little face showing no change in expression, as if her earlier pain was all an act. She muttered listlessly:
"Oh, what a pity. It's the same as the nickname, and it sounds better than 'Golden Lamp.' Little Orange, sometimes being a little softer and cuter would be more endearing, and the fans would really love that."
"Moreover, after this performance, our identities will be public knowledge, and the only meaning of using code names will be cosplay."
After he finished speaking, everyone fell silent.
Iris pursed her lips, her pigtails tied with purple ribbons, and a silly, adorable smile appeared on her youthful face as she said, trying to liven things up:
"It's okay. This way, we'll be heroes in the eyes of the people! Dad, Dad, and the rest of our family will be so proud of us!"
Dandelion was a beautiful, bookish, elegant, and skillful young woman. She smiled and encouraged him:
"Have you read online novels? People usually call this kind of plot 'the unsung hero is exposed,' which is a thrilling point that readers love to read. We've essentially gotten the chance to be the protagonist, so we can't be discouraged!"
Rosemary was rather quiet; her beauty carried a sharp edge, like a drawn dagger, perfectly complementing her jellyfish-like layered short hair. The overall atmosphere was dashing. She nodded and said:
"This is something Magical Girl have to face sooner or later. From the moment I went through the training camp and chose to sign the contract, I was already prepared for it."
"The Countermeasures Bureau will gradually expose the existence of Magical Girl, and our comrades who have remained unknown since their deaths will be able to reclaim their original honors."
Golden Lamp remained silent. Everyone was right, but they all avoided the key point.
Even if the Countermeasures Bureau exposes the existence of Magical Girl, it will not proactively reveal their identities.
This can be seen from the fact that the Magic Armor has been improved to include [cognitive impairment].
Because there's no benefit to being exposed.
Heroes? If the price of being a hero is that one's family and relatives live in constant fear, always at risk of being targeted and attacked by Calamity Beasts and cultists, then probably not many people would be willing to become one.
Although the Countermeasures Bureau will guarantee the safety of their families, just look at [Calamity Wish] and you'll know that using the power of the Calamity Beasts to kill an ordinary person is incredibly easy.
Meanwhile, before the <Flash Dance> project succeeds or the organization needs it, it will be difficult for them to hold fan meetings, let alone perform on stages with large audiences. Their idol persona can only be shown online.
Even so, she felt no resentment, anger, injustice, or fear.
Because...
"Someone has to do it, so why can't that person be us?"
Golden Lamp looked at everyone, a playful smile playing on her lips. Her orange eyes shone brightly, as if she were carrying a burning ideal, and she spoke frankly and confidently:
"I don't care whether exposing my identity is fair or not."
"Because I believe that the other 45 selected teams will not back down either."
"So, what we should be thinking about now is how to perform at an even higher level on stage later."
Rosemary smiled and nodded, saying:
"Dream Weaver Teacher is already gathering the audience at Sea Capital. The live stream will start in half an hour. Shall we show Seraphim's style as always?"
As soon as he finished speaking, the shipping container that had been airdropped from afar slowly landed, and when it opened naturally, it turned out to be a small changing room.
So, apart from Pansy, who was still drawing with her little face down, the other [Witch] all went in, took off their Magic Armor, changed into stage outfits, and transformed into top idols with an average of over 100 million fans across the internet.
Meanwhile, similar things were happening around the rest of the world near other pillars of apocalyptic light.
The Magical Girl are now gradually taking their places.
With the help of the Human Alliance, the audience and stage arrangements were resolved one by one using their financial resources and advanced technology. It was expected that everything would be completed within half an hour, allowing all forty-six stages to open simultaneously, and using Shine Magic to defeat [Calamity Wish].
On the other side, in St. Austria, Saint Wolfgang.
The town was still enveloped in the joyous atmosphere of the celebration.
The sky was a clear, deep blue, and the bright sunshine bathed the verdant mountains. The red steam train slowly carried passengers, taking them on a tour of the beautiful scenery of Saint Wolfgang and overlooking the bustling sailing competition in the distance.
While it's good news, the current situation is truly strange.
This town is the only known case in the world where, despite the existence of numerous victims whose wishes were denied or even granted, no ominous beams of light descended upon it.
Mirror Tree, Astrid frowned and asked:
"Even [the Calamity Wish] bullies the weak and fears the strong?"
Chu Yuanqing dispelled the [Killing Karma of Annihilation] and canceled the magic reversal. She glanced disdainfully at the wisp of calamity she held in her hand and calmly corrected him:
"No, it simply weighs the pros and cons."
"Saint Wolfgang has few people and is protected by Charlotte's blessing. It also measured part of my magical power through Luna. It would be a waste of its power on me if it had nothing better to do."
Astrid fell silent.
Indeed, from the perspective of human interests, trying to attack Saint Wolfgang would be a very foolish act. With a vortex of disaster energy of the level of Sea Capital, it would be crushed back into the atmosphere by Charlotte and Chu Yuanqing as soon as it landed.
Even if it were ten times stronger, it wouldn't be an exception.
Yes, that's the confidence you get after seeing the Martial God Skill.
The Super AI humbly seeks guidance:
"You know what the meeting was about. Do you have any suggestions for dealing with [Calamity Wish]?"
The Pure White Witch casually removed her light gray gradient dress, changing back into the outfit Charlotte had chosen for her. She looked at Astrid, her golden eyes brimming with amusement, and said with certainty and seriousness:
"Don't worry, humanity will overcome this calamity."
"Astrid, I have a favor to ask you. I have 10 minutes before my commercial performance. Please try to bring as many audience members as possible into the town. They don't necessarily need to come in, but the closer to here, the better."