Chapter 576
Volume Four Does This Count as a Magical Girl??: Chapter 87 The Short-Lived Flower
The final, decisive Magic didn't result in anything Flowers, Birds, Wind, and Moon, but rather in Banyuan.
All the previous battles seemed to have been merely to create an opportunity for Banyuan to make contact with him and to cast the Magic Moon Ripple.
She couldn't see any offensive effect from this Magic, and given the abilities of the Banyuan, Lilith didn't think the opponent could possibly harm her.
What are you going to do?
Lilith looked up again at the world before her, which resembled a repressive, drowsy dream at sunset, everything bathed in the fading twilight, cold and dim.
The endless corridors, whose length is unknown, and whether they have an exit or an end, are surrounded by seemingly chaotic yet orderly staircases. All the paths lead to different doors, just as there are countless rooms here.
She knew where she was.
The World of the Heart, the deepest reflection of people's hearts, and in this world, each room corresponds to a memory and a piece of the past.
Lilith had conceived of this Magic in her childhood, wanting to see the true feelings of herself and others, but everything in this world was quite complicated and difficult to understand, and no matter what she did, she could not find the room she was looking for.
Later, that Magic was placed inside the Paired Wings Magic Wand.
He reappeared before her in this form.
And now, this world is connected to her heart and Kirishima Ai's.
Lilith showed no expression, simply walking forward, her cold footsteps echoing through the labyrinthine world of corridors, one step at a time, as if taking a leisurely stroll.
She wasn't curious about the surrounding corridors, staircases, or doors.
After walking for a long time, Lilith saw the figure of a girl at the end of a dark abyss ahead.
It's like a cold, lifeless drama performed by only two people.
In this dark, silent world, there were only two figures illuminated by the light, as if they were the only two people left in the world.
One is the Demon King in the story, with cold, snake-like pupils and jet-black Feather Wing.
But who is the other one?
There was no trace of this Magic girl in any of the past stories, and no one believed that she could defeat the Demon King.
Lilith finally looked at the Banyuan.
"So, what's the point?"
Everything she had done before was to bring her into this world, but now, Thousand Sins is gone too. Only she and Banyuan are here, and with Banyuan's power, there is no way they can defeat Overlord.
No matter what miracles occur, it's impossible.
Because she holds in her hands the source of all the wonders of the world.
What Banyuan possesses is merely a small miracle from a few Magic girls in Maple Plain City.
Banyuan, however, wore a calm and lighthearted expression:
"This is the World of the Heart and yours, teacher."
"As long as I can keep going, this world will continue to exist, and you, teacher, will be trapped in this world forever."
The girl seemed confident.
"However, the outside world won't change much. Even if you confine me for days, months, or years, what can such a long period of time change?"
Lilith tilted her head slightly.
In terms of spirit, Banyuan couldn't possibly last longer than her, and besides that, Lilith had many other ways to escape from this world. In any case, she couldn't see the meaning of this Magic.
Banyuan had already thought of the answer---
"To convince you."
"During this time, no matter how many times or how long, I will find a way to change your mind. I will find out your true thoughts and the truth behind everything you've done."
"A few days should be enough time for me to get to know you a little better, right?"
Everything seems to have returned to its original starting point.
Kirishima Ai wants to stop Lilith and make her change her mind.
Right here in this World of the Heart.
Even if we don't succeed in the end, I will still use this world to continue fighting with you.
"We will sink deeper and deeper into this spiritual world, getting closer and closer to our true selves."
"The power of others will diminish."
In the end, only you and I are left.
"How about it?"
The girl gave a very bright smile.
Kirishima Ai rarely smiles, only occasionally revealing a slightly shy smile; most of the time, she has an awkward and distant expression.
So that smile reminded Lilith of someone else more than Kirishima Ai.
Currently, both Lilith and Banyuan have four Crystal.
It was indeed a fair fight.
For a moment, the world fell silent. Lilith's face was shrouded in shadow, only her deep purple eyes gleaming coldly in the darkness.
When she raised her eyes again and looked at Banyuan, her gaze turned into a cold, condescending look.
A woman's low, cold voice emerged from the silent world.
"... How ridiculous and boring."
She suppressed the disgust in her voice, her snake-like eyes almost closed, and her cold-faced features also revealed an impatient expression.
Lilith reached out and grasped the Lost Paradise Twilight.
Clearly, she didn't want to hear any persuasion and chose the latter: to fight in this world.
In this World of the Heart, all Magic is unusable, yet the Overlord still surpasses the Banyuan in all other abilities.
So, Banyuan did not back down and picked up the two Feather Wing swords.
Next, as Banyuan said, it will be a battle to see whose spirit can endure longer.
On the black-and-white, silent stage devoid of any other colors, the lights for the two figures drew near, converging to illuminate their clashing blades. This time, there was no dazzling Magic, only an endless duel.
The scythe of dusk lashed out with a trail of eerie light, colliding with Feather Wing to create a cold, deep, yet fleeting symphony.
In the interplay of light and dance, the ray of light in the dark world flickers, sometimes revealing each other's faces, sometimes sinking together into the deep, silent darkness.
At the very beginning, the Banyuan was no match for the Overlord.
Several times she was completely overwhelmed, looking disheveled and embarrassed, but she still managed to keep up with the pace and her breathing gradually calmed down.
As they fought, the darkness beneath their feet began to collapse, turning from solid ground into void. Thus, in the midst of their battle, the two fell together.
Even Lilith couldn't defy the laws of this world; after all, in a sense, this was Magic she herself had created.
She sank into darkness, her consciousness drifting into a dream.
Even with eyes still open, what is before one's eyes is not real.
After that, the Banyuan Lilith's view disappeared, replaced by darkness that left her all alone.
She stepped into the World of the Heart.
Everything here seemed so secluded, nothing could be seen, there was no one else, the only thing one could feel was a kind of cold that was hard to describe, the surroundings were very empty, making one feel as if there was nothing at all.
She didn't move; she just stood there.
Because it came from her own heart, she couldn't muster any wariness, and everything naturally made her relax.
Is this Banyuan wanted to do?
Afterwards, Lilith got lost in this empty world for a while until she saw another figure in the darkness.
Her build was similar to Kirishima Ai's, and she initially mistook her for the other person.
But as she got closer, she saw a more refined and elegant young woman, with a quiet, night-like quality, a beautiful and delicate face, and a Purple Butterfly Hair Clip in her jet-black hair.
Kuroki Yuka.
Why are you here?
Just as she was puzzled, the girl reached out her hand. It was a pale, slender hand. Naturally, they had held hands before, but now was not the time for that.
However, faced with the bewildering darkness all around, Lilith finally took Kuroki Yuka's hand.
Kuroki Yuka smiled happily, just like usual.
Then, Lilith let the other person lead the way, heading in the opposite direction.
Lilith awoke from that dream when the other's figure was once again swallowed by darkness, and in the blink of an eye, she was back in the battle with Banyuan.
They delved into the deeper layers of the soul.
We have lost even more power.
But the same applies to the Banyuan.
At this moment, Banyuan said again----
"Come back."
The girl's serene and untainted eyes made Lilith feel a little irritated.
Repeating foolish things won't change my mind.
She responded coldly, then raised her Scythe again and slashed heavily at the Banyuan.
The Banyuan away by the impact of the attack, crashing to the ground and rolling several times in a sorry state, its bones making a sound as if it couldn't withstand the pressure.
Cold footsteps approached, and the Overlord walked toward the Banyuan was trying to stand up.
You're denying my wish.
"It negated what I was going to do."
"So, Kirishima Ai, do you also believe that your existence is wrong?"
Lilith's voice echoed through the deep corridor, so clear that Banyuan was startled.
She looked up and saw Lilith's face.
The memories that came to mind at that moment were neither about Teacher Haihara nor about Ms. Lily.
The memory of that face is in the recollections of a girl named Silver Feather.
That Witch, as cold as frost and as sluggish and quiet as a snake, was always an enigma.
The Overlord slowly raised his Scythe with one hand, calmly suspending it high above the Banyuan.
"Your life, once known as Silver Feather, ended in the blink of an eye, didn't it?"
Nothing was left behind.
"They passed away silently, before their Feather Wing were fully grown, and they never got to witness themselves soaring through the sky on their own wings."
"However, because of this miracle, you have regained a complete life."
"If that's the case, why deny the miracle of bringing everyone back from the dead?"
To this day, the miracle that the Overlord sought to achieve has only been realized by two people.
Overlord Lilith, and Kirishima Ai.
Her words made Kirishima Ai realize once again that she might indeed be the girl adopted by Lilith had passed away at a young age.
That certainly seems to be the case.
If she were truly Silver Feather, she should have long since passed away hundreds of years ago, and should not have been able to have her own life again, nor would she have had the opportunity to experience everything she is experiencing now.
Her life should have been nothing at all long ago.
Why then should we consider the actions of the Overlord to be wrong?
As the Scythe slicing through the cold void with a sharp sound, fell toward the Banyuan, the next echo was the sound of hard metal colliding.
"---Bang!"
The Scissor Blades formed from the Broken Wing trembled continuously, yet they never fell again.