Chapter 445
Liang Xiaoxiao nodded without saying a word. She could also fly, but it wasn't as convenient as the Magic Armor. It required the power of the Calamity Beasts's genes, which would inevitably show on her body, making it unsightly and indirectly ruining the performance.
Lin Bao'er said with distress:
"Just imagining it makes it seem difficult. Wouldn't teams with only half a person, or only one person successfully Lighting Up, be eliminated immediately?"
Liang Xiaoxiao thought for a moment and said:
"That means one person has to shoulder the balance and safety of the entire group, and the other teammates must also have a great deal of trust in them, otherwise it's impossible to concentrate on the performance."
In this situation, it's too difficult for one god to lead four "pits".
At the same time, aside from the normal performance, it is not easy to prevent the hatching of a thousand [Calamity Species].
It's important to understand that while the situation in the Simulation Battlefield is certainly more dangerous, the disaster-fighting forces guarding the stage are elite warriors with unwavering will and lofty beliefs. The intensity of the radiance they can project far exceeds that of ordinary spectators, greatly enhancing the power of the Shine Magic.
This time, there were no audience members, only mannequins!
This means that the strength of their Shine Magic depends entirely on the excellence of their stage presence and the level of magical power they unleash; there is no other assistance whatsoever.
Therefore, getting a passing grade is definitely harder than you initially imagined.
In contrast to the atmosphere of the other two teams, Pure White remained calm after soothing the irritated cat.
Kiriwake Yayoi's reason for not being worried is simple: once her [Perfect Law] was officially born, it formed an unreasonable conceptual defense, like AT Field, capable of repelling all powerful enemies and attacks that hinder the "stage".
After that, she integrated and combined her past [Flow State] abilities to form the first branch of her Destined Magic - Idol Domain.
For her, any element that interferes with, disturbs, or affects the idol's stage will be regarded as a "hater," forming a conceptual protective field. All her actions and behaviors related to the idol will tend to be perfect and will be magnificently corrected.
This is equivalent to rule-based or concept-based magic; ordinary methods simply cannot deal with the Idol Domain.
Let alone childish tricks like the stage tilting and falling, even if the World Government launches Tomahawk Missile at her stage, she can easily ignore these crises and complete her performance by using [Heart Forging] to reforge Ama-no-Habakiri.
The team's stage is also her stage.
Idol Domain, like the perfect correction of the past, can affect the entire stage and help all teammates. With her own strength, she can make the fancy challenges of <Flash Dance> seem insignificant.
Xie Qingxuan's thought process became even clearer. The [Wise King]'s ability to create Shining Knights had not yet been restored, but the effects of the laws remained. He had already trained himself to be exceptionally skilled, and could interfere with certain forms of matter and energy without even saying a word.
Therefore, no matter how outrageous the stage provided by Flashdance may be, it will be forcibly enslaved by the law and become subjects suppressed by tyranny. There is no need to worry.
If all else fails, she can simply shatter and obliterate the stage, then instantly recreate a dark, identical stage using magical energy, allowing the performance to continue.
Well, even the most embarrassing Tang Liuli can ignore these tests.
Soul Manipulation plus [Mask] = the power to distort reality. Using it in this kind of competition is no different from cheating, but who told her to be so timid and not be able to think straight for a moment?
Looking out the window, Chu Wangshu realized that after digesting the power of the [Child of Man], this kind of teaching level, which was limited to the new generation of Magical Girl, was no longer meaningful to her.
Even if the entire island is submerged by the Disaster Tide, it's just a matter of opening the Lotus Realm for a second and using the [Shadow Throne] to take everything away and devour it.
Rather, compared to trivial matters like the competition, her current perspective has expanded to the movements of the entire disaster group, focusing on the global crisis, the future of humanity, and a conspiracy on the level of Disaster God.
Chu Wangshu was filled with worry.
Having recently gained a deeper understanding of the [Child of Man] status, she now comprehends the language and rules of the swarm, allowing her to trace back to the signals the swarm had given her some time ago.
This signal is directed at the thirteen Disaster God.
In other words, [Pure White] has weakened to the point that it can allow a fleeting thought of theirs to break free from its constraints and meet and communicate in some mysterious dimension.
However, the self that usurped the power, status, and identity of the [Child of Man] did not respond, and was unable to enter the meme network of the disaster group, linking to the mysterious dimension that provides endless energy.
In this way, the other party will definitely guess that [the Child of Man] has had an accident, and it is inevitable that they will target themselves.
If she hadn't been properly educated from a young age, she might have already fled like some anime protagonists, trying to avoid burdening her companions and family, hoping that the Disaster God wouldn't harm innocent people when targeting her.
At present, although Little Moons did not go to extremes, she always felt like she had a thorn in her side, her mind was constantly tense, and almost every moment she was using Charlotte's <Shining Breathing Method> to temper her soul, increase her foundation, and further absorb the power and authority of that Disaster God.
Chu Wangshu had a clear understanding of the current situation.
If [Pure White] does not collapse, Disaster God is destined to be unable to descend in its true form, and the Apostles and Supreme Calamity Beast will have no chance to suddenly recover to their full strength and attack without warning.
Below this, there are very few factors that can threaten her, so there is absolutely no need to panic.
Therefore, her real advantage lies in this: as long as she develops and continues to grow in peace, she can transform into a towering tree and possess... the power to protect her family and friends!
September 20th, afternoon.
As the two major competition zones, Donghuang and Shengdi, began vying for their respective championships, the twelve forbidden zones that sealed off the Disaster God slowly stirred like infants in the womb, breathing in the air of freedom with unbridled joy.
Even if the seal is weakened little by little, for the Disaster God who was forced to regress to the embryonic stage, it is a gradual regaining of power and strength, no less than a slow evolution.
In fact, the concentration of calamity gas in the center of each restricted zone is rising exponentially, and a silent yet massive tsunami is then unleashed, only to be instantly swallowed up by the terrifying suction force, turning into collapsing particles and being sent into the ever-wriggling embryo.
They are hatching.
The only "good news" was that, in order to nourish themselves, the massive amount of calamity energy and its Dependents were swept back to the central region and transformed into nutrients for irrigation, preventing the Magical Girl stationed in the restricted area from encountering immediate crisis and giving the authorities an opportunity to urgently send additional personnel.
But the bad news is that the time for the Disaster God to revive and emerge from its shell is incredibly close, so close that the staff observing the data are having heart-pounding moments and suspecting that the end of the world has already arrived.
"We don't have much time left."
"Although I've said this countless times, this time... it's for real."
Astrid looked at the members of the council, ignoring the heavy atmosphere, and calmly said:
"I propose that after the Eastern Glory and Sacred Realm competitions conclude within a week, we should abandon the original follow-up plan and directly launch the final project of <Flash Dance>, activate the World-Class Spell, continue [Pure White], and rebuild the city walls to resist the disaster horde."
"Gentlemen, who agrees? Who disagrees?"
"This is a decision that will determine the fate of humanity; let's vote on it."
Afterwards, this council, which brought together the highest human rights, endured the most oppressive and longest two hours in its history. Through countless hypotheses, debates, clashes, entanglements, sighs, and discussions, the will of the people became the bond that led to their unanimous approval of Astrid's proposal.
Humanity has run out of time; they have no other choice.
Regardless of the odds, it's all about taking the risk.
Astrid somewhat dazed.
After all these years, I have finally reached this moment.
"Aili ..."
The girl took a deep breath, murmuring the name in her heart, then quickly sealed it away in the vast stream of information. She lowered her crimson eyes, savoring the feeling of this moment.
How wondrous! As Super AI sense of touch permeates the entire globe, as a ghost long since stripped of its humanity and self, leaving only its name behind, she actually sensed unease, sorrow, repression, and an indescribable... sense of relief.
The Primal Witch descended from the heights and stood in a corner of the conference room. Dressed in a soft, white Roman-style dress, her crimson eyes softened, and a rare smile appeared on her lips. She quietly looked at everyone and softly said:
"I will return to the Crimson Extreme Realm in a week."
"From this day forward, you and I are free."
After she finished speaking, she turned around, took a step, and disappeared, leaving behind the councilors who lingered.
Inside the parliament, some people made the sign of the cross, some stood up and bowed, some sighed softly, and some took off their military caps.
The gratitude I feel is too great to express in words.
But without his sacrifice, humanity might still be fighting amongst itself.
And everyone understands what returning to the Crimson Extreme Realm means to her.
Finally, swallowing their complex emotions, they bowed in unison and softly thanked them:
"The shining star of hope that still shines today, hailed as the primordial erudite Witch, Astrid Nyszt, if civilization continues, you will stand atop this monument, forever remembered by the world."
Volume 1: 421. Puella Magical Girl.
The next day.
Donghuang Federation, Sea Capital.
Yixing Jiayuan, Building 10, Room 1309.
It was early morning, and the master bedroom, which had the best natural light, was dimly lit. The gray cotton and linen curtains perfectly blocked the windows, and only the water-cooled screen in the computer on the desktop was playing a video of Little Sakura on a loop, emitting a faint glow along with the neon lines that flowed like a white galaxy.
The air conditioner was gently blowing cool air in noise reduction mode.
On the bedside table was a cell phone with a small shark-shaped soft case, next to which was Magical Girl figurine.
The girl's cherry-blossom hair flew in the wind, and she had wings on her back. She wore a sacred white dress, the lining of which resembled a deep universe, flowing with a colorful and dim sea of stars. She held Magic Wand as a bow, as if aiming it at the source of all the tragedies in the world, her eyes filled with sorrow yet determination.
Xu Ling was sleeping on her side, her serene face facing the figurine. In her arms was a small dinosaur doll squeezed by her breasts. Her fair and round thighs were covered by a thin blanket of down. Her sleeping posture didn't look very peaceful.
Upon closer inspection, the dark circles and fine lines under her eyes, which were concealed with concealer, have faded away without her noticing. The faint pimples, dullness, and acne on her skin have also disappeared, making her look like she's back in high school, even more radiant than before. Her whole face looks much prettier, as if the brightness and contrast have suddenly increased, and a filter called youth has been added.
Half an hour later, the girl who had been lying in bed woke up groggily. She fumbled for her phone, glanced at the time, turned off the alarm, got out of bed as usual, picked up the little dinosaur plushie that she had kicked to the floor at some point, tugged at the shoulder strap, and dozed off for a while.
Then, she drew back the curtains, letting the sunlight flood the entire room.
"Didn't sleep until the afternoon today, a great victory!"
Xu Ling felt unusually light and energetic today, as if her toes were walking on cotton. Her blood was full of vitality, which made her so diligent that she didn't go back to sleep after turning off her alarm clock.
The girl, reflecting on her own virtuous qualities, shuffled to the bathroom in her slippers to wash up.
So, a minute later, Pei Xiaotong, who was in the Living room with a long face, being supervised by her mother via video call while doing her summer homework, suddenly heard a piercing scream.
The young girl immediately stood up, grabbed her slippers, and rushed to the scene. Without even glancing at Xu Ling, she nervously scanned the bathroom and asked:
"What's wrong? What's wrong? Are there cockroaches? Ling Bao, don't be afraid, I'll lend you my slippers!"
After Pei Xiaotong finished speaking, she looked up at Xu Ling, paused for a moment in confusion, then reached out and pinched the other's soft cheek, saying:
"Why are you wearing no makeup right after waking up? Hmm, have you secretly practiced your makeup skills lately? It looks so natural."
The girl felt increasingly uneasy as she touched her cousin's lips, which still had toothpaste residue on them, and murmured:
"Wait a minute, you're brushing your teeth and not wearing lipstick, so your lips feel so much softer and smoother, and they're also much rosier."
Xu Ling slapped her cousin's hand away, picked up her water glass, gargled, spat out the toothpaste foam, washed her face with water, looked at herself in the mirror, and pondered in shock:
"Tong Bao, I might... have awakened superpowers!"
Pei Xiaotong was greatly shocked. She closed the door behind her and tried to grab the other woman's clothes, curious to see the changes in her cousin's body. Unfortunately, she was pushed out the door by the embarrassed and angry Xu Ling before she could even get halfway there, and was docked 50 yuan from her wages.
Half an hour later, Xu Ling, looking radiant after her shower, walked out of the bathroom and returned to the Living room. She put her hands on her hips, looked at her younger cousin who was being forced onto the sofa by her mother, miserably doing her homework, and said smugly:
"I can wear JK uniforms with you now!"
Pei Xiaotong: "?"
Okay, okay, so you didn't wear clothes with me before because you thought you were "too old"?
The little girl glanced at her mother in the WeChat video, then at the dreaded math problem, and at her cousin who seemed to have awakened superpowers. Unable to contain her curiosity any longer, she took a deep breath and, before her mother could look over, immediately put her phone into airplane mode.
The next second, the signal turned red, and the video call ended automatically.
"Yay! I'm free!"
Pei Xiaotong cheered loudly. She immediately rushed to her cousin, who had just finished showering and smelled wonderful, nuzzled her soft cheek, and excitedly asked:
"What kind of superpower is it? Is it getting three years younger every day? Immortality? Or the ability to control your endocrine system?"
While stopping the other person from groping her, Xu Ling complained:
"If I get three years younger every day, you won't even see me for a week!"
"And..."
Xu Ling hesitated for a moment, then pondered:
"I don't really know how to use this superpower; I only know it's called [Wish Technique]."
Upon hearing this, Pei Xiaotong immediately experienced PTSD. She took a half step back, looked at the other person warily, and said:
"Your superpower, could it be a product of [Calamity Wish] adapting to the network update?"
The little girl's eloquent analysis:
"First, they'll make you prettier, give you some small favors, and then use that to trick you into thinking you've truly awakened superpowers. Finally, you'll make a wish without any suspicion, becoming completely manipulated by the Calamity Beasts!"
Xu Ling felt a chill run down her spine.
Damn, she didn't think that far ahead at all! She made dozens of wishes while taking a shower! If what Tong Bao said is true, wouldn't she already owe him dozens of lives?
But on the other hand, she quickly breathed a sigh of relief and said happily:
"Great! I made dozens of wishes, and none of them have come true, which means this superpower definitely wasn't caused by the Calamity Beasts!"
Pei Xiaotong: "?"