Chapter 454
[King of Salt] Forbidden Zone, withered purple butterflies pile up all over the sky, the drum kit buried by salt in the cold daytime, the sound of the guitar still resonates, like the proclamation of the goddess of vengeance, roaring against the incomprehensible divine authority.
Xie Qingyu's chest was pierced by a salt crystal spear, pinning her to the salt mountain in the sea that had been transformed into a wilderness. Gone were the chirping Little Butterfly, the noisy drummer, the bassist who secretly loved her, the keyboardist who liked to tell corny jokes, and the lead singer who least wanted to die.
How strange! I felt neither lonely nor sad.
"How stupid! Why would anyone be idiots fighting over [Sange]?"
Deep within their souls, Ji Xintong, Lin Yujin, Qin Yueyi, and Bai Ran, the four Lantern Gem, have turned into countless specks of dust, like shattered planets, orbiting the violet with gravitational pull.
That single [Great Full Bloom] and [Sange] stacked beyond the boundaries, expanding to an infinitely close limit to the [Sea] realm, was like a cosmic storm pouring into their shattered bodies, desperately singing their final song.
Xie Qingyu continued playing as if no one was around. She could hear the piano, organ, and synthesized sounds flowing from the keyboard, the deep yet distinct roar of the bass, the familiar singing that ravaged her heart, and the increasingly grand and passionate drumbeats.
This is the final "Netherworld Butterfly," and also the final... [Nemesis of Love].
At this moment, the vast, ant-like Salt Dependents, the towering, giant-like Apostles spreading salt and snow storms, and the [King of Salt] slowly breaking free from his embryo and gradually hatching, without exception, were all pierced and linked by the Revenge Symphony, sucking their power and flesh, and locked in this sea area that had become Salt Continent.
Time passed slowly.
The girl's breathing gradually weakened, the violets at the wound withered, her azure eyes, once as blue as the sea, dimmed and died, a final smile lingered on her lips, the guitar in her arms collapsed and disappeared, and her fingertips no longer played.
But that rebellious, tragic, passionate, and lonely rock song still resonates high between heaven and earth, as if it embodies their desires, making death unable to stop this vengeful melody.
Even in the first playthrough, this is an incredible feat. Theoretically, the Disaster God can salt the concept, but it is like Jesus nailed to the cross, and no matter how much the calamity energy is replenished in a collapsing manner, it is of no use.
As for the cost...
In the Supreme Council, the chilling battle reports echoed:
"Xie Qingyu, Ji Xintong, Lin Yujin, Qin Yueyi, Bai Ran, a total of five members of [Netherworld Butterfly], all perished in the battle of [Sange]."
Astrid closed her eyes. She had long understood that most Magical Girl stationed in the forbidden zone would meet the same fate. Perhaps her humanity had not been completely extinguished, because when she heard these tragic news, images of those children affectionately calling her "teacher" would still flash through her mind.
But those tender memories could not change the ongoing flames of war. As time passed, more and more tragic news began to arrive from the battlefields of the Twelve Forbidden Zones:
"The Fairy Tale Witch, Dorothea, has fallen in battle."
"The Night Witch, Florence, has fallen in battle."
"The Relief Witch, Ji Qianju, died in battle."
"The Witch Hunter, Xie Yilan, has fallen in battle."
"The Dragon Witch, Iris, has fallen in battle."
The cold words on the battle reports represent the loss of one vibrant life after another.
Everyone at the meeting looked sad and their hearts were heavy.
These top-ranking Captain-Class Witch in the world are ensuring the success of the <Flash Dance> project, relentlessly marching towards their own destruction, using the miracles brought by [Sange] to suppress one Disaster God after another.
The only saving grace was that their sacrifice was not in vain. Even in the forbidden zone where everyone perished, the Magical Girl's unwavering will before their deaths allowed them to continue one miraculous spell after another, locking the Disaster God within its designated area.
Currently, despite numerous disruptions, the first step of the Savior Plan has reached its conclusion. It is expected that within just 10 minutes, the project will officially move to the next phase: clearing the global disaster clusters, further sealing off the Disaster God, and preventing further tragedies.
Astrid retrieved the footage, glancing one last time at the nun in the small town. Her eyes were upturned, revealing a smile, and her pink lips parted as if she were saying something, as if bidding farewell.
The next second, the girl's slender figure vanished like a bubble, and a wisp of her soul merged completely into the [Celestial Instrument] beneath the Crimson Extreme Realm, awaiting the arrival of the stars.
In the Holy United States, on the Sky Stage, Charlotte, knowing that the second step was about to begin, took the initiative to dismiss several teammates who were gradually becoming overwhelmed, and let them join the disaster relief efforts in a nearby city.
Now, on the vast stage, only the Doomsday Diva remains.
On the other side, in the Donghuang Federation, the Sky Stage is growing ever larger.
In order to combat the panic, despair, sorrow, and other impurities mixed with brilliance that permeate all of humanity, Soul Manipulation and Idol Domain have been forced to become permanent skills, continuously consuming magical energy and bringing a huge burden.
How much time has passed exactly?
What has become of the outside world?
Will this World-Class Spell be successfully cast?
Too many distracting thoughts swirled around them, but with the help of Kiriwake Yayoi, they regained their focus in the Idol Domain and continued to immerse themselves in the endlessly rotating stage.
Suddenly, the dome trembled violently, and the azure background, like decaying wall plaster, seemed to have become two-dimensional, shaking off and revealing a deep and terrifying shadow beneath. The gravity of the entire planet began to distort, the ocean and the earth's crust began to writhe, and the Sky Stage cracked.
Chu Wangshu looked up in disbelief.
At this moment, the power and status belonging to the [Child of Man], like a dragon returning to the sea, instantly rise in rank and continuously recover towards its peak.
The girl's pupils dilated in shock, and she hastily activated the Lotus Realm.
However, it was to no avail. The stagnation of local spacetime could at most protect the surrounding area for a moment, but it could not fundamentally dismantle or prevent the spread of this phenomenon.
Because when it was born, it was already anchored to the entire planet!
"How is that possible...?"
"Is this the Entropy of Chaos?"
The Entropy of Chaos is equivalent to cancer cells in the mother sea (the Sea of Truth); wherever it goes, it becomes the end of all things in the universe and the primordial chaos of the cosmos.
The Shadows of Many Realms were thus born.
Therefore, in theory, when a large number of Shadows of Many Realms converge, that is, when a large number of calamities gather in one place, there is a probability that this terrifying world-ending phenomenon will occur.
Chu Wangshu absorbed some of the memories of the [Child of Man] and knew that the calamity that descended upon their homeland was among the best of the Shadows of Many Realms. At the peak of their power, the thirteen Disaster God could indeed have actively triggered such a Great Cataclysm.
However, it is obvious that they have been suppressed by [Pure White] for 17 years, and the current world-class Shining Technique has severed most of the link between power and authority, so the local disaster groups are simply powerless to trigger an attack of this scale.
So...
Even if it seems impossible, what remains is still the truth.
That is, after realizing the crisis brought about by the World-Class Spell, the other twelve Disaster God directly abandoned their plan to monopolize their homeland and chose to call upon other Shadows of the World to help them break free from their constraints!
But why? Didn't the Disaster Group want to possess her exclusively? In that dream of the future, the Disaster Group clearly preferred to die rather than suffer even the slightest damage as the vessel of the Supreme Lord.
Chu Wangshu couldn't understand it and began to feel lost.
It's now impossible to trace the root cause of the disaster. The first step of the <FlashDance> project has failed, and there's no hope for the success of subsequent plans.
If failure is inevitable, should she remain on this Sky Stage, facing ultimate destruction, and continue dancing?
It's important to understand that if they continue, they will be facing the Shadows of Many Realms, whose strength is unknown and who is at his peak, and the calamities that have not yet been fully suppressed in their homeland. This is destined to be a war with a huge disparity in strength, and no hope of victory in sight.
It could even be said that such persistence is utterly meaningless, nothing more than a foolish moth drawn to a flame.
But...
"If we all give up, what will happen to the rest of us?"
The voice fell upon the frozen and faded world of the Lotus Realm, like a gentle spring breeze, touching the hearts of everyone.
Kiriwake Yayoi turned her head and looked at them, her cherry-pink eyes gentle, devoid of fear or regret, filled only with a burning hope, perseverance, and passion. She spoke the thoughts of everyone present, earnestly saying:
"We had already anticipated the worst-case scenario."
"But even so, we agreed to give 1000% and present an even better stage to the world than before, didn't we?"
"And now, it's time to unleash that 1000%!"
Tang Liuli looked at Little Sakura, whose face was beaming with smiles, with a slightly admiring gaze, as if she were looking at a hot-blooded idiot. She helplessly placed her small hand on Xiaoyinghua's outstretched palm and said with a somewhat serious expression:
"I won't mess up in a situation like this, and... I have to step up my game even for the sake of my fans who have always supported me, so count me in."
Xie Qingxuan was silent for a moment. As if sensing something instinctively, her platinum eyelashes lowered, and she reached out to touch Liuli's small hand, whispering:
"I told... my sister that I would win today's match."
"Therefore, no matter what happens, I will not run away."
Seeing the reactions of her junior colleagues, Chu Wangshu was infected by their determination and enthusiasm. The fog and gloom in her heart dissipated, and she smiled with great encouragement. Feeling somewhat ashamed, she placed her hand on theirs and said with renewed vigor:
"Yes, Yayoi is right. No one has ever said that the stage can't defeat the Entropy of Chaos. Even if there's a crisis that threatens to destroy the world, we must sing loudly until the very last moment!"
After saying that, he separated his hands.
The Little Idol, beaming with pride, swiftly returned to their original positions.
The next moment, the Lotus Realm shattered, and the entropy of Entropy of Chaos slowly collapsed like a black hole enveloping the world. But as the song spread, the Shining Torrent, like fireworks, was manipulated and guided, condensing into a towering pillar of light that pierced through the thick clouds and clashed with it!
The great battle has officially begun.
P. S.: The ending still has about 10,000 words left to write. I originally wanted to post it all at once, but too many people have been urging me to finish, so I'm posting what I've finished now first.
P. S.: Well, the reason I'm writing so slowly is threefold: firstly, I had a fever for a few days; secondly, I experienced writer's block; and thirdly, I was slacking off (referring to binge-watching GBC). Please forgive me!
Volume 1: Final Chapter - The Shining City (Part 2)
Supreme Council.
The Super AI precisely projects the battle reports onto the round table according to priority:
"The collapse rate of [Pure White] has increased again, the integrity rate of the Spatial curvature has fallen below 70%, the global disaster index has increased by 3289 times in an instant, and it is estimated that a tide covering the earth's surface will form in 37 seconds, which will have an immeasurable negative impact on the battle."
"Warning! Warning! Five world-destroying energy reactions have appeared. After wavelength verification, the enemy is suspected to be a Disaster God. Aether Satellite of the space defense line have been destroyed!"
"[Dragon Court] activated, requesting highest authority, bypassing dimensional blockade, through the Star Orders, the Psionic Engine is unlocked, the Aether Throne is charging and launching... The outer dimension has collapsed and been severed, the magical rings have formed a barrier, estimated to hinder the intrusion for 79 seconds..."
"The Entropy of Chaos is spreading. [The Lighthouse] and Pure White are guiding the collected brilliance to maintain balance. The Sea of Stars is beginning to collapse inward, and the Crimson Extreme Realm is showing signs of melting. There are 92 seconds left before all defenses collapse and the planet's gravity goes out of control. The world is estimated to be destroyed in 271 seconds."
"A second warning: the web woven by the Shining Cluster (Human Concept) has been breached by [The End]. Based on data analysis, the success rate of the [Shining City] plan is less than 0.0001%. We strongly recommend activating the Kindling Project and, referring to the Mother Sea theory, initiating a mass migration."
This devastating news overwhelmed their souls like a nightmare, delivering a heavy blow to everyone. However, this group of elites, carefully selected from all of humanity, managed to adjust their mindset in just a few breaths and rejected the AI's proposal.
The Kindling Project includes an ark and a giant instrument that can theoretically travel through space.
But whether it was the Ark or the migration of the entire race, after scientists studied and summarized the Mother Sea theory based on the massive amount of information provided by Chu Wangshu, it was all rendered useless.
The ark built by the Human Alliance can carry millions of people and travel at the speed of light through the cold, desolate depths of space. The space gate, which incorporates research on ether, also has a very high probability of safely escaping the Milky Way.
But...
The so-called world, universe, and heaven and earth are merely cells that are constantly being created and destroyed in the Sea of Truth, like the sizzling bubbles in a carbonated drink when shaken.
The Entropy of Chaos is now eroding the entire "bubble." The reason it first appears on the outer side of the planet is not because the universe is too small, but because the concept of star clusters is actively lurking, using the Sea of Stars as its shell, causing the universe outside the Earth-Moon system to be a false object.
Therefore, what it appears to be tearing apart is the atmosphere and sky, but in reality, it is the barrier of the Sea of Stars. Whether one travels on the Ark or through space, one cannot escape this "bubble," just like children playing house, which is meaningless.
In fact, even if human civilization were given another 17 years, it would be impossible to fully explore the "bubble," let alone get rid of it, jump into "soda," and find and enter the next "bubble" that won't immediately burst.
These high-ranking decision-makers all understood that desertion was impossible; now it was either wait to die or continue fighting—there was no third option.
Furthermore, after learning about the disaster swarm from Chu Wangshu, the Human Alliance had already considered the worst-case scenario, including the disaster swarm's "calling on friends and allies." With this mental preparation, the higher-ups became more resilient and less easily overwhelmed by despair.
At present, some people are encouraging the spirit:
"That shimmering net wasn't broken, it was merely pierced. The foundation of the Shining City still stands, and humanity still has hope!"
"Besides... even those children haven't given up, how can we possibly give up the fight?"
A member of parliament calmly issued the order:
"Dream Weaver, based on the current situation, formulate a branch plan for the Shining City, immediately arrange all possibilities, and transmit all information to those Magical Girl who have not yet given up."
A research institute director who had once been in charge of the Spark Project tapped his knuckles on the table and made a decisive statement:
"Since we're leaving no way out, let's use all of humanity's last reserves to buy those children as much time as possible."
"Noah's Ark is activated, and together with [Dragon Court], the battle lines are dragged into space. The Gate of Intersection is transported to the outer realms and forcibly activated using Aether Fuel, inducing the Great Cataclysm at a critical moment."
As soon as the words were spoken, the Lingering Fire project leaders also realized the various self-destructive uses of these resources and issued orders to Dream Weaver to coordinate as quickly as possible and resolutely implement the "closing the door and beating the dog" policy.
Those newly arrived disaster groups will inevitably be at their peak, and once they enter the war zone, the two Sky Stage will no longer have the power to wage war.
In other words, humanity's only hope of victory lies in suppressing, killing, or even turning the swarms that have been suppressed on their homeland for 17 years by [Pure White] and have just been locked up by Magical Girl at the cost of their lives with [Sange], before the new swarms arrive, so as to sustain the war through war.
Otherwise, extinction of the race and the shattering of the stars would be an irreversible fate.
Seventy seconds passed, and these powerful figures, who were well-versed in humanity's top secrets, made their final decision with the utmost efficiency. They risked everything, channeling all the knowledge and experience they had accumulated over the past 17 years in combating disaster groups into their guns and unleashing it all.
At this moment, everyone fell into an unusual silence.