Chapter 397
Humanity has never known His upper limit, or His more specific power.
It is known that of the agents who initially explored the forbidden area, only half survived, which is already an extremely high survival rate. However, without exception, the other half of the agents all acted as spies for the Cult of Disaster Gods, betraying the Countermeasures Bureau in various ways.
In other words, this Disaster God can use love as a pretext to bewitch, dominate, and tame intelligent life.
Therefore, any Magical Girl stationed here basically use technological means to conduct remote observation from an extremely long distance. When auxiliary Calamity Beasts appear, they lure the enemy deep into their territory, thus prolonging the battle and avoiding risks.
However, at the moment the forbidden zone rioted, the range of the opponent's authority also expanded dozens of times. In the process of clearing out the Beast of Love —the subordinate disaster swarm—they covered their entire bodies with magic at all times, but they still fell victim to the spell.
Ji Qianju guessed that only Magical Girl had reached full bloom, whose mind was mature and complete, and who could be called a fully-fledged idealistic life, could resist the bewitching influence of Amor.
As for her teammates' performance when she was at full power, that's proof enough.
"Is there... really no way out?"
Ji Qianju sensed the increasingly compassionate [Amor] in her mind, some of her magic began to slip out of her control. Her lantern became tainted, and she could no longer even use [Great Full Bloom], her ultimate technique.
If this continues, all seven of them will be wiped out.
Meanwhile, on the coast of Oregon, at Cape Pepeatu, Thor's Well, the nascent form of a towering Titan was forming from a whirlpool, its overflowing, foul-smelling brass-colored blood polluting the sea and causing catastrophic mutations in a large number of marine organisms.
Nearly a hundred vortexes emerged from this forbidden zone. Apart from the largest and most terrifying Titan, which was about to break free of the vortex, most of the other vortexes contained advanced [Calamity Species] that were preparing to hatch. Once born, they would bring terrible disaster.
Meanwhile, near East Flow Island, the [Amaterasu] revives a special calamity group named after a god, and the radiating Disaster God authority plunges Magical Girl into a fierce battle.
In the Gamon Islands, where the [King of Salt] resides, the [Netherworld Butterfly] has reached its limit, crystallizing and ascending into the high sky, almost piercing through the atmosphere, destroying the ozone layer through salinization. Xie Qingyu has no choice but to prepare to activate [Great Full Bloom].
The tenth minute of the Disaster God riot.
The Pure White Witch's long, curled eyelashes trembled, and her eyelids slowly opened, revealing burning golden eyes. But before her daughter could happily rush into her arms, she grabbed Charlotte's arm.
No explanation or communication is needed.
Charlotte instantly understood Chu Yuanqing's meaning. She gave her Little Cotton-padded Jacket a reassuring look, gently stroked her head with her right hand, and with her left hand, she tore through the void, constructed a spell, and created a portal.
The next second, the two traversed thousands of mountains and valleys, arriving at the first battlefield.
Chu Yuanqing breathed in the heavens and earth, as if a god had descended. Her complete realm, which had not yet dissipated, caused a terrifying force of control to interfere with microscopic particles, radiating a magnificent majesty that shook the life magnetic field. She was like a flame that was about to be extinguished, just about to exert her last bit of heat before burning out completely.
With the first breath, the Bahamian Ocean, the Mirror Tree pierced through the Blue Hole, annihilating thousands of Beast of Love in one strike. The violent spiritual fire, accompanied by the [Pure White Aria], washed away [Amor's] authority, leading all the Magical Girl out of danger.
With the fourth breath, a tsunami even stronger than [Amaterasu]'s resurgence erupted on the border of East Flow Island. The scorching light and heat evaporated dozens of hectares of seawater. That single glance from those golden eyes left a deep impression on all the Witch.
In the seventh breath, the Well of Thor's nearly one hundred vortexes turned into microscopic dust. The flesh and blood of the towering Titan and a large amount of calamity energy were forcibly crushed back into the depths of the forbidden zone by the Spiral Magic Sword that was casually swung.
On the ninth breath, the Garmon Islands, along with tens of thousands of affiliated disaster groups and the towering salt pillar, collapsed. Radiant as the sun, it caused space to crumble, transforming into a shocking black and white attack that sent the [King of Salt] back to slumber.
At this point, the disaster-stricken people bowed their heads, and the seas and rivers were calmed.
Volume 1: 369. A future where everyone can be happy.
The salt crystal that forcibly distorted the concept of idealism and broke through the Unlimited Spell of Butterfly Burial was no longer as domineering as before, devouring magic power. It was like a soft and gentle drizzle falling from the clouds, gradually evaporating into wispy smoke.
Xie Qingyu slowly loosened her grip on the lantern, and the spell she had used to protect her teammates crumbled. She stared blankly at the void where the Pure White Witch had once lingered.
For a moment, my mind was filled with those burning, majestic golden eyes, and the shocking scene of crushing all the crises.
It was just a single strike.
This terrifying Disaster God, which had rendered an entire group of Magical Girl helpless and was about to threaten the world, was defeated and lost the will to resist. Amidst the roaring of black and white intertwining and swaying spectra, it frantically curled up and fled into the restricted area, restoring most of the Gamon Islands to normal.
--Martial God Skill.
Xie Qingyu didn't know how to express her feelings upon seeing this scene. She still remembered how many times she had tasted death during her week in Salzburg, in this unparalleled skill that surpassed the imagination of both humans and Witch.
At that time, I was also impressed by the ruthlessness and terror that Teacher Chu displayed in battle.
But compared to the punch delivered to the [King of Salt], all the past training experiences were like a gentle breeze, and upon closer examination, one could even taste a hint of tender expectation.
The girl regained her senses and breathed a sigh of relief. She looked at the Little Butterfly in the lantern, no longer trembling but full of joy and excitement. She then glanced back at her teammates, who were still bewildered and hadn't realized what had happened. Her heart was filled with relief.
Thankfully, Teacher Chu arrived quickly. Otherwise, even if she sacrificed Violet and used [Great Full Bloom], she wouldn't have been confident she could protect her teammates while suppressing [King of Salt].
Xie Qingyu comforted Ji Xintong and the other girls, high-fived the jubilant Little Butterfly, and then looked back at the still-burning flames above the restricted area, sighing with longing:
"Is this the profound, complete state that the teacher spoke of?"
"With true self, obsession, will, spirit, and soul, infinitely govern, sublimate, and integrate, forging a Light of the Soul, thereby leveraging the zero-point energy of the vacuum to achieve the miracle of recombining atoms in the void."
Xie Qingyu's face showed a hint of regret as she said this.
Even during that week, Teacher Chu told her all the secrets, concepts, paths to advancement, cultivation methods, and everything else about the God of War, and stated that for Magical Girl, the difficulty was countless times lower than for humans learning.
So far, however, she has not seen any hope of reaching the ultimate level; at most, she has improved the utilization rate, energy efficiency, and control over Magic Energy Particles.
To achieve such a feat without any magical power, solely through human will, perhaps... only Teacher Chu could accomplish it.
She is more suited to be called a martial goddess than Magical Girl.
Xie Qingyu collected her thoughts, clapped her hands, and said:
"Alright, the crisis is over. Let's return to the aircraft carrier for our patrol."
The Little Butterfly flew merrily to Ji Xintong's head and said happily:
"There shouldn't be any crisis for now, so everyone can relax and catch up on the movies you didn't finish watching last time."
Ji Xintong's tense emotions relaxed. She flew to the aircraft carrier deck that had not been affected by the storm, looked back at the bright blue sky, and was momentarily dazed, from the near end of the world to blue skies, white clouds, and calm seas.
When will this insane and absurd world, which seems poised to drown humanity in nothingness, finally come to an end?
Nobody knows the answer.
But...
The girl glanced at the adorable but tongue-tied captain beside her, and smiled with relief.
At least, their dreams for each other are not yet over.
No matter what, one must live with all one's might, then fight to the death, struggle to the death, sing to the death, and live to the last moment without regret. This is the answer [Netherworld Butterfly] gives to this question.
The Supreme Council.
Astrid looked at the rows of virtual figures around the round table, and sighed heavily:
"The crisis was averted; she did it in less than 10 seconds."
The entire room fell silent; they should be overjoyed, they should be celebrating.
The riot by the Disaster God was quelled, the restricted area collapsed inward, and the Magical Girl suffered no casualties—all of these are good things.
But this is contingent on ignoring the price that person paid.
The leader of the Great Xia Countermeasures Bureau said quietly:
"[Pure White] is still trembling; her injuries have worsened. Those 10 minutes of unconsciousness, and the 9 seconds she spent attacking after regaining consciousness, could very well make the situation even worse."
"Our time, humanity's time, will become even more precious."
"The planning for <Flash Dance> needs to be accelerated. The original plan of nine rounds of Public Performance and nine rounds of competition, even if reduced to only six rounds, is still not enough time. We don't have the leeway to push ourselves to the limit."
This was common knowledge among those present, but if they wanted to continue to speed up the pace of <Flash Dance>, it would inevitably raise another important question.
In other words, speeding up the pace will lower the success rate of the project.
The Talent Show "Shining Stage" was originally designed to cultivate a large number of Magical Girl, allowing them to gain global popularity and love as idols, and then, in the final stage, to cash in the most and complete the Savior Plan.
To put it bluntly, just like how Chu Yuanqing's fan base grew rapidly, he still needed episode after episode as a buffer. If you want to gain the audience's favor and convert them into more fans, you must make the audience invest their time.
Watching shows, looking at the Little Idol's materials, learning about her past, personality, and stage presence, then cheering for her, voting for her, and even creating derivative works—this immersive process is what generates the same level of affection in one's heart.
This is why Flashdance has hundreds of locations around the world, hundreds of shows to distribute viewers, and extensive promotion in the cities where it is located.
Because no one can satisfy the preferences of all audiences, and the amount of information a person can receive in a day is also limited.
Therefore, by defining the scope, targeting specific areas, using big data to push information, and proactively diverting the Little Idol to the general regions where idols can gain fans, we can maximize the overall brilliance that can be generated.
The only exception is the [lighthouse].
Charlotte and Chu Yuanqing are destined to shine globally, and their popularity will naturally surpass that of other idols.
These two individuals went from having nothing to having hundreds of millions of followers (the cumulative number worldwide) in less than four months, but they are still far from meeting the final requirements.
The official channels could certainly use push notifications and bombard the public with information to easily propel the two to billions of fans. However, the result of occupying media resources would be a sharp drop in the fan growth of other idols, making it a complete loss.
Previously, providing the two with a higher level of promotional resources and relying on shows and performances to attract fans was the optimal solution.
But if there isn't enough time, everything will naturally become empty talk.
In the Sea Capital, as magical energy trembled and rippled, a powerful shockwave formed above the apartment, and dark crevices spread and proliferated.
Charlotte quickly stepped out, glanced at the frail figure, pursed her lips, and instantly erased the unstable spatial magic behind her, entering a state of ethereal transformation, and traversing back to the old building.
Chu Yuanqing used nine seconds to suppress the four forbidden zones, but she used an even shorter time to teleport both sides to the corresponding areas.
For her, who had just given all her magic to Chu Yuanqing, this kind of long-distance spatial movement was clearly a serious overdraft.
If it weren't for the Demonic Path given to her by Little Sakura, which temporarily replenished her mana, she might not have had the strength to teleport home.
Despite being exhausted both mentally and physically, the moment I stepped through the door...
Charlotte had completely concealed her unusual behavior. She materialized behind her daughter, poked the child's cheek, and said with a smile, her eyes slightly upturned:
"Xiao Shu, we're back."
Chu Wangshu hurriedly turned around and saw her father, who was being held in her mother's arms in a princess carry, curled up like a small animal, his eyes quietly closed, already asleep. She asked Dad in a worried whisper:
"Dad, has he fallen asleep again?"
Charlotte glanced down at the sleeping face of the Pure White Witch. She could sense that the domineering spirit that had shone like the blazing sun and illuminated the universe had completely subsided, and the extremely Light of the Soul had become like falling ashes, exuding the coldness of something burned out.
Chu Yuanqing was now extremely weak, her lantern shattered and completely dimmed, returning to the gloomy state she had when she first transformed into Magical Girl, stumbling as she absorbed the nourishment brought by the power of will.
The only good news is that the curse of the Sea of Truth has returned to its normal rate of erosion, and the increasingly turbulent part has been temporarily intercepted by [Pure White] at the outside of the soul.
The bad news is that after this outburst, the opponent will not be able to reach the full realm again in the near future, nor will they be able to use Martial God Skill, and even whether they can use magic normally has become a problem.
Charlotte swallowed her worry and sorrow, affectionately touching her forehead to her daughter's, a smile that seemed both boastful and Proud, revealing a lovely and youthful charm as she frankly revealed part of the truth:
"Of course, your Dad just beat up four Disaster God in one go, he's completely exhausted, he definitely needs to rest for a while."
"But it's okay. At most, you'll just be a little weak for a while and won't be able to use magic for a while. Xiao Shu has grown up now and can protect Dad, right?"
Four Disaster God?
Chu Wangshu was a little confused. Hadn't her Dad only left less than a minute ago?
Upon hearing the last sentence, she didn't have time to think further; she nodded emphatically, her face serious, and said with utmost earnestness:
"I'm very strong now, and I can definitely protect Dad!"
I apologize for saying this, but the birth of Himawari Lantern Fairy, has given her the qualification for a [Great Full Bloom] ahead of time.
If it comes to a Great Full Bloom resort, the "Child of Man" blooming in its full glory will be enough to give her the power to protect her Dad.
Charlotte smiled and said:
"Well, let's let her get some rest today then?"
Chu Wangshu didn't object. She simply followed her mother and escorted the other person back to their room. Then, she stubbornly moved a chair over and sat down to read and do her homework, afraid that if she lost focus for even a moment, her Dad would disappear.
Charlotte found her daughter's behavior somewhat amusing, but mostly saddened.
To this day, she still cannot find a way to confront the Sea of Truth, and can only rely on illusory miracles. It seems that cherishing the present moment is the only thing she can do.
If she could, she would rather exchange her fate with Chu Yuanqing.
At least for Xiao Shu, it's just that she lost a mother who never appeared in her life, rather than losing Dad who accompanied her for 17 years and painstakingly raised her.
Time passed, until dusk was approaching.
Chu Yuanqing gradually recovered. She opened her eyes, the color of her pupils was dim, like solidified amber, her pink lips were pale, and her delicate face looked even more delicate and sickly. Even sitting up was extremely difficult.