Chapter 404
"Xiaoyu, don't be afraid, we won't lose! This time, we'll not only protect Qing Bao, but also kill the bad guy who killed Xiaowan!"
The Little Butterfly showed no fear whatsoever, and did not tremble at all.
In her simple and adorable mind, if Chu Yuanqing hadn't arrived yesterday, she would have already re-merged with Xie Qingyu and disappeared as the price of [Great Full Bloom]. Sacrificing herself for the other party was only natural.
Not to mention, this time the enemy is Beelzebub, the Apostle of Gluttony!
The reason Su Wan died was because of Beelzebub's flesh and blood. It not only mutated and eroded her body, but also twisted her mind with the power of gluttony, causing her to eat Xu Yan, which directly led to her mental breakdown and the subsequent tragedy.
Killing all those brainwashed believers is not enough; the true revenge must be taken by killing Beelzebub, the source of this evil.
In a sense, Violet was born because of Beelzebub. In her eyes, if she could use her own death to let Xiaoyu kill her enemy with her own hands and return to her original self, it would be a worthwhile deal, a matter of cause and effect.
Xie Qingyu, however, did not think so. Her reluctance to lose Violet was the same as her reluctance to lose her teammates.
Even so, there is no reason to back down.
The girl quickly composed herself, and before Ji Qianju and Iris could even offer words of comfort, she continued to ask:
"What about the other two prophetic poems?"
Ji Qianju stretched out her palm, and the illusory book of prophecy fluttered, distorting the colors in the coffee shop and instantly weaving together two poems, titled "Facing a Wall" and "Loneliness."
Xie Qingyu remained silent for a moment, then calmly assessed the situation and said:
"Judging from your prophetic poem, the Countermeasures Bureau made the right choice in sending us."
Violet had finished her ice cream cone. She burrowed into the round water sphere in Iris's palm, washed off the ice cream, and perched on the little girl's head, cheerfully saying:
"That's right. The situation is still this bad even with our presence, which means that without our help, Sea Capital would definitely face an even more terrifying future."
After the Little Butterfly finished speaking, she said indignantly:
"Teacher Dream Weaver was right. Those bad guys definitely want to harm Qing Bao. Qing Bao can't use magic right now, so we must protect Qing Bao."
--Chu Yuanqing has been targeted.
This is the core reason why the Countermeasures Bureau dispatched this galactic battleship. The whereabouts of Beelzebub, the Beast of Love, and the Third Performance are not as important as the Pure White Witch, who was just appointed General Captain and is recuperating in the Sea Capital.
The Supreme Council would rather risk another uprising in the four forbidden zones, or even the release of the Disaster God, than allow this former Savior, the current General Captain and [Lighthouse], to suffer any further injury.
Therefore, the core mission of this team is not to protect Sea Capital and the Public Performance venue, but to do these things while protecting Chu Yuanqing.
Iris refused to eat the parfait. Her face serious, she nodded with a tense yet earnest expression:
"Sister Xiaoyu, Violet, Sister Ji, don't be afraid, everyone. Iris will protect you."
As soon as the little girl spoke, she received affectionate pats from the two older girls, which slightly eased the tense atmosphere.
Ji Qianju analyzed:
"The phrase 'Facing a wall' is easy to understand; it refers to the many obstacles ahead that won't easily thwart Beelzebub's plot."
"But the meaning of 'loneliness' is not so easy to understand."
Xie Qingyu seemed to be deep in thought, and said:
"This is a poem by Nietzsche, right? Do you think it represents a specific person, or some kind of image?"
Iris softly recited a section of it:
And you stand there, pale and lifeless—
Cursed to wander in winter,
Like a wisp of smoke,
Always facing the air conditioning.
After the little girl finished reading, she looked up at the remaining bit of parfait in the cup, which had completely dissolved, and asked:
"If it refers to a specific person, who do you think it could be?"
Ji Qianju did not hesitate, she said:
"If it refers to a person, then it is most likely Chu Yuanqing."
"Because if it weren't for an image, prophetic poems couldn't express our emotions. Even if we encounter misfortune, we would, like Xiaoyu, speak frankly about withering and death."
"Currently, the only person with the authority to interfere in the overall future situation on a personal level is the newly appointed General Captain — Chu Yuanqing."
Iris thought hard, and she said:
"Sister Chu is indeed very lonely. Her teammates have all temporarily returned to Ideal Country, and Sister Charlotte also has to go back to Vienna tomorrow to prepare for the Public Performance. She'll be all alone then."
"So, does this mean we should never be separated from Sister Chu, because she will be in danger if we are separated?"
Xie Qingyu -yu nodded and said:
"That's possible, but we originally planned to stay with Teacher Chu and take turns looking after him, so there must be another reason."
Ji Qianju didn't offer much opinion. Her prophetic poem wasn't absolutely accurate; otherwise, it would be a skill that locked onto cause and effect. What was valuable were the clues, and the fact that the prophetic poem itself could be stored as a "Fruit of Relief."
Iris thought for a moment and said:
"Why don't we call Sister Chu first? We haven't told her we're coming to stay at her place yet."
At the same time,
An old residential area near the coffee shop.
While the Saintess Maiden was cooking in the kitchen, Chu Yuanqing slowly tried to get off the wheelchair. She strained her toes, bent her knees, and tensed her calf muscles, but suddenly spasmed during the process, causing a sharp pain and losing her strength.
--It failed.
The Pure White Witch experienced this fact firsthand. She sat in her wheelchair, her expression calm, devoid of sorrow or joy, only slightly dazed.
For many years, I seemed to have never felt such powerlessness.
The [immortality] that once sustained her as she shouldered the expectations of many and walked step by step toward the end, ultimately withered like a flower, unable to bloom again.
The girl's curled eyelashes drooped, scattering the shimmering light and concealing the emotions in her eyes, as if she were hiding many secrets.
For some inexplicable reason, in the hallucination, countless dark arms wrapped around limbs, waist, the whole body, and even the face, obscuring the brightly lit scene and bringing a heavy sense of drowsiness.
Chu Yuanqing was used to it. She closed her eyes and her consciousness began to sink.
The cacophony of sounds was incessant, accompanied by the accompaniment of old movies and human voices. In the midst of the dark ocean waves, someone was playing a broken piano, its dilapidated yet shrill notes piercing the entire scene, dividing the world into countless petals.
Vague, clear, magical, shouldn't have happened, something that has happened before...
In a daze, she remembered many things.
One after another, the corpses of those boys who died in the Sky City, in the Black Tide, in the sea of people, in an embrace, on the ruins, and in front of the Disaster God piled up like mountains.
As nothingness spreads,
These traces, these past events, these remains, are all being devoured and swallowed up, divided up by vultures known as the Sea of Truth.
The images in my memory are fragmented, dim, and chaotic, like shattered stained-glass windows, gradually blurring the lines between reality and illusion.
Chu Yuanqing was immersed in the illusion. For a moment, in the chaotic blankness, she felt a happiness of being relieved of all burdens. That sense of peace was like a swamp pulling at her consciousness, making her sink little by little, down.
The seawater no longer pierced flesh, heart, mouth, or nose; it slowly froze and transformed into a piercing blade. The world began to become bright, warm, and kind, carrying away and dissolving all worries, loneliness, sorrow, and burdens.
In my memory, everything—important, unimportant, caring, indifferent—is slowly fading away. But there is no sorrow, nor is there any need for sorrow. They are like petals falling into the dust, bringing nourishment, giving new life, and paving the way for the future.
Seventeen years of continuous pain, torment, and despair... all vanished in an instant, leaving a feeling of emptiness that overwhelmed my heart, dragging me down, until finally, a long and caring embrace.
In my sleep, someone sings softly.
--And you stand there, pale and lifeless.
--Cursed to wander in winter,
--Like a wisp of smoke,
--Always facing the cold air in the air.
In reality, the girl fell asleep peacefully.
The afternoon sun bathed her in golden light, imbuing her delicate and fragile face with a sense of tranquility and happiness, like a bright oil painting.
The phone on my lap kept vibrating, its melodious and cheerful ringtone lingering in the room for a minute, but it was never answered before it automatically disconnected.
The void transforms into a heavy medium, making external sounds seem distant and inaccessible.
Strangely, the soft, light footsteps echoed clearly in my mind, Charlotte's cheerful voice, her exceptionally lively trailing notes, piercing through countless obstacles and lingering in my ears:
"Xiao Qing, are you asleep?"
Chu Yuanqing's consciousness, which had been falling, suddenly returned. Like a traveler who had found an anchor in a desolate universe, she returned to this body.
The girl wearily opened her eyes, and what came into view was the Saintess squatting in front of her, seemingly struggling with whether or not to make a funny face. She vaguely called out the other's name:
Charlotte.
"I am here."
Charlotte's eyes were upturned at the corners, and she smiled warmly. She gently cupped the Pure White Witch's face in her hands, as if wanting the other to feel her warmth more.
The girl's clear eyes seemed to have shed the blue icy hues of the magazine; she seemed oblivious to everything, yet also as if she knew everything. Her smile was radiant, just like in the many years past, gently repeating:
"I am here."
Chu Yuanqing hesitated for a long time before slowly and timidly approaching the other person, like a child sensing the cold, and carefully embracing them. Her eyelashes drooped, and she uttered a single "hmm" through her nasal voice.
Charlotte didn't ask what had happened; she just hugged him and chattered on and on as usual.
One minute she'd say, "Iris called you but you didn't answer. You need to call back later, otherwise the child might feel like she's being disliked."
One minute she's saying, "The oven in the kitchen has too few functions; I'll buy a new one right away. I'm going to show off my culinary skills tonight."
Charlotte always had so many things to say, which made people feel nostalgic and at ease.
For a moment, she felt as if she had returned to the orphanage in the City of Doomsday, sitting on the roof with the other person, listening to the trivial chatter that the room couldn't contain, and counting the bright stars together.
Fortunately.
The Pure White Witch smiled and whispered to herself.
Fortunately, it wasn't you I forgot this time.
It was me.
Book 1: 377. The Silver Law, Valkyrie, Dim.
The Republic.
Saint Roland, deep within the halls of the Academy.
The Tower of Mirrors, with its endless, shimmering, Silver Mirror- like branches reflecting each other, and its verdant, azure dome coming into view, she gazed up at this colossal spectacle, and murmured almost in a sigh:
"No matter how many times I watch it, Dad's magic is always beautiful."
Chu Wangshu collapsed wearily into the mist formed by the white horse. Her chest was pierced by the Mercury Sword, and bright red blood gushed out like a waterfall. Yet, despite the intense pain, she curled her lips into a happy smile.
The Pure White Witch's skirt and hair fluttered in the wind. Her lowered golden eyes held no superfluous emotion as she silently gazed down at the figure. Her chest, stretched taut by the thin fabric, was now pierced by an incomprehensible power, leaving a small, empty space.
This body, constructed from Magic Element, is irreversibly collapsing and crumbling, silently disintegrating into fine silver powder that dissipates with the wind.
--[The Final Blessing]: When swords are drawn, the power of Funeral Procession will be briefly revived for you.
This counter-damage skill, originating from Charlotte, allowed her to defeat one of Chu Yuanqing's clones in normal mode during her first challenge.
This was her 18th attempt.
Therefore, she was not happy because of this.
Chu Wangshu coughed violently. Deep within her heart, silver threads wove words carrying wondrous power, which were then engraved into her flesh and genes, forcibly breaking through the biological limits of death.
--Sequence 2: The Silver Law
This power, originating from the depths of the [Child of Man], was finally revived amidst yearning and crisis, coalescing into a powerful magic that establishes rules through one's own will.
Now, she wove laws with the Silver Law, mimicking a portion of [Full Bloom], causing sunflower petals to replace the lost flesh and blood, collapsing inward to repair itself, and recovering from its injuries in a few breaths.
Then, the thin mist behind them dissipated, and in its place appeared a Valkyrie riding a white horse. She wore a silver helmet with bird wings and a blood-red battle robe. The spear and shield she held seemed to be formed from light, shining brightly.
--Sequence 1: Valkyrie.
Valkyrie Valkyrie of Norse mythology. Legend has it that they are the personification of mist or clouds, and the magic of the [Child of Man] can summon this Valkyrie who can turn into mist at any time.
Although not weak, it's not very effective against his Dad's clone.
Chu Wangshu was not discouraged. She could vaguely sense that these spells with their own sequences possessed incredible potential and would evolve as she progressed. Perhaps one day she would be able to summon an entire Valhalla.
"Valkyrie, descent of spirits."