Chapter 559
His breath was almost cracked, and the air was thick with the smell of blood.
But she answered in that voice:
"I have no intention of becoming king, so naturally I don't know. Besides, to be honest... I haven't seen such a thing in you."
The girl continued her disrespectful remarks, which seemed to stem from some genuine feeling, yet the Queen remained unperturbed, simply listening as the girl continued—
"However... I know what Magic girl should have and what she should do."
"To save those who deserve saving, to fulfill the hopes of all, and to avert all misfortune."
Even if you never taught me anything.
"But I did learn this lesson from this country in the end."
What an absurd and childish response, isn't it?
Subsequently, the Magic girl Thousand Sins finally severed the last angelic shadow blocking her way, cleared away all obstacles, and returned to the initial situation.
The clear sky seemed strangely beautiful at this time, and the girl's pale face, even stained with blood, remained as radiant and captivating as the twilight.
Despite being exhausted from the previous battles, Thousand Sins never considered giving up.
"That's what you think."
Even after seeing Thousand Sins approach her again, Queen Al White remained curious about his thoughts.
After hearing Thousand Sins's words, who knows what His Majesty thought?
"Unfortunately, your voice has not yet reached anyone else."
"It seems you are not qualified to be king."
The Queen looked at the nobles of R'lyeh and finally uttered this only sigh.
Thousand Sins was not surprised to hear those words.
Suddenly, the Queen felt a strange ripple once again.
The strings of time were plucked silently.
Thousand Sins tried to cast the time-stopping Magic once more.
Naturally, this time no one stopped her from unleashing a sky full of angels, and the distance between the two was sufficient.
The girl didn't sense any sign that her Magic was being stopped. The light in the sky had faded, and a large area was dyed a negative color by mercury. Time for the Magic girls on the ground had been slowed down to almost stand still.
However, Thousand Sins witnessed a scene that puzzled her.
Before anyone knew it, a longsword had reappeared in the Queen's hand, and she raised it.
---In the darkness of night, just before touching the sky where the Queen resided, the sword slashed lightly.
Even in fear, Thousand Sins did not close her eyes, after all, that could lead to her death. But in the end, Thousand Sins felt her vision suddenly darken, and suddenly many things disappeared, as if someone had casually turned off the lights.
What... happened?
There was no sound, no terrifying noise, and Thousand Sins wasn't even hit.
However, Thousand Sins found it very strange.
"..."
When did she turn around?
With limbs no longer bound by gravity, they are unaware of their direction and cannot find where they should fall.
When Thousand Sins looked up, she saw that the earth, in a broken state, was somehow hanging upside down above her head, blocking out the sky. However, she did not feel that she was about to fall towards that earth.
That's really strange.
Everything else seemed unimportant, because everything suddenly became chaotic. The fragments of the earth that should have fallen were suspended in the air, just like her, lost and directionless.
No, it seems like it's not her who's turned upside down.
Thousand Sins seemed to realize something, and when she did, she was speechless.
---is the world.
The world was turned upside down by that single sword strike.
The original earth has been completely shattered and turned upside down into the sky, losing its own weight.
And the sky is falling downwards.
When Thousand Sins finally came to his senses, in the almost still moment, he looked at the other things around him.
It wasn't just the sky and the earth that were severed and turned upside down.
The night brought by her Time Magic permeating the world was also severed. At the junction of heaven and earth, there seemed to be an endless line that divided the empty sky in two, presenting a stark contrast of black and white, like a simple drawing of still day and night.
That single sword strike severed heaven and earth, day and night, yin and yang.
Even time itself is imprisoned in a state of stagnation.
The world seemed to freeze in place. Thousand Sins tried to pull himself together, only to find that time was actually passing incredibly slowly.
Even "worlds apart" is not enough to describe it.
True power is enough to define the existence of heaven and earth.
Everything is in chaos.
In the upside-down world, everything seemed like a still, distorted painting, while the pure and innocent woman, sword in hand, approached the unbalanced Thousand Sins step by step with noble composure.
Thousand Sins has not given up; he has regained his balance and even wants to fight back.
Before that, the Queen had already swung her sword down.
This time, Thousand Sins was still powerless to resist, and she was sent flying by the sword.
During the fall, everything passed by quickly, yet Thousand Sins's mind was still able to function, to think about what had happened and what to do next.
In truth, she didn't know what to do, or perhaps she knew that it would all be in vain from beginning to end.
The gap is too big.
But that's not important at all.
Thousand Sins was so exhausted that her body felt so heavy that she couldn't even feel her own existence. Her whole body ached as if it were burning, but as Magic girl, she could endure all this pain.
The Magic girl will not give up hope until she loses consciousness.
During the fall, Thousand Sins regained her balance once again and prepared to fight again, but before she knew it, Thousand Sins Queen's figure had reappeared beside her and was slashing at her.
This time, she resisted, but it was all in vain.
As the intense light flashed again, Thousand Sins felt his consciousness almost snap, and his world spun around him.
Should we give up?
She fainted just like that. Anyway, she had already tried her best. Although she had just made a boast, as Her Majesty the Queen said, she did not actually have the power to convince everyone.
Finally, she fell into a floating boulder, her blood rising upwards like raindrops flowing backwards.
After struggling several times, Thousand Sins tried to get up again and then grabbed Cross Nail next to him.
The beautiful, melodious voice of a woman floated into my ears---
What has kept you going all this way?
Queen Al White seemed to have no intention of stopping her offensive; after all, that's how holy duels are—as long as the opponent still has the will to fight, it won't end.
However, this time she did not immediately launch an attack, but wanted to hear Thousand Sins's answer.
"You're the one who... it seems you're always talking about what other nobles think..."
Thousand Sins's arm trembled violently from the excruciating pain, but he still gripped his weapon tightly and struggled to stand up:
"As Queen, what are your own thoughts? You seem to never tell me whether your judgments are right or wrong."
"Always so enigmatic..."
The girl's voice was low and weak, like a lone boat on a stormy sea, yet still not lost its way.
And so, the daughter and her unfamiliar mother faced each other, gazing at one another.
"I no longer need to judge right and wrong, nor do I need to be Queen. However, you have never truly seen Lily's true feelings, have you? That blindness has led to the mistakes we have made today."
"This story is no longer my concern; it's up to you to decide."
"The Magic girls of R'lyeh have also given their answer, and you have heard it."
"Then why do you want the answer from me?"
In this shattered world, Thousand Sins seems to still be able to hear the voices of other distant Witch, even... their innermost thoughts.
Why is that?
I've heard that the Witch Lilith can hear those kinds of sounds.
The Magic girls continued to watch this scene, and her voice was naturally heard by the Witch as well.
---A sneer at her foolish and presumptuous words.
---The fear and unease that the calamity of the Overlord is about to strike again.
---An expectation of extending its claws into another world.
Anxiety, anger, hatred, contempt...
Greed, courage, longing...
Perhaps it wasn't all malice; there was genuine concern for R'lyeh. Thousand Sins was well aware of this, but even so, it still led her to reject those people.
Of all the voices, the Queen probably found it very difficult to hear the one belonging to the Thousand Sins.
However, suddenly, Thousand Sins heard a different voice.
A slightly hesitant and confused voice among the Witch ---
"I think... if it really turns out like she said, it wouldn't be so bad."
"I hope no one gets hurt because of this..."
Like a raindrop falling from the sky, it is quickly submerged by the vast ocean tide, without a sound or a trace, disappearing without a trace, unnoticed by anyone.
That wasn't about approval, support, or encouragement; it was simply an expression of admiration and expectation.
But Thousand Sins were incurred because of that...
The duel was drawing to a close. The Queen raised her pure white sword of judgment high, without any grand display or harsh criticism.
It simply and matter-of-factly states:
"In their view, their decision was a last resort for the sake of the Magic girls and the Kingdom's future, and there was nothing wrong with that."
And so, the sword fell.
Even without the previous dazzling and holy radiance, this single sword strike was more undeniable and heavier than any previous attack, making it impossible to resist.
Even Magic girls more powerful than Thousand Sins wouldn't have a chance to withstand this attack.
However, all everyone heard was a chilling sound.
-----Bang.
The Cross-shaped Great Nail slammed into the Queen's sword, its force trembling, yet it allowed no retreat whatsoever, and the Queen's sword was unable to advance any further.
"----That's not Magic girl."
The girl denied the Queen's words.
"That's a bit too far-fetched..."
The Queen seemed to think it was pointless, but was interrupted before she could finish.
"I haven't fallen yet!"
"Rather than the misfortune of someone inevitably dying, I must do something; I want a happy ending for everyone!"
If she fails to reach her destination, she will continue, no matter how badly she looks.
"If I am too naive and innocent, if my vision is blinded by experience, if I fail to consider the big picture and thus lose sight of the bigger picture for the sake of small gains."
"Then please correct my error and tell me what you believe to be correct."
If not, my blade will keep advancing until it pierces through your veil of falsehood!