Chapter 587
Volume Four Does This Count as a Magical Girl??: Chapter 94 Love, World, and Magic Girl
It all started thousands of years ago, with a black plague, a stubborn disease that spread and took root in people's hearts, like a deeply buried seed, nourished by the greed and malice in people's hearts, until it sprouted and blossomed.
People in the past were once swallowed by this despair and darkness, swallowing the evil they themselves had sown, witnessing how the fruit of wisdom brought destruction and calamity that wiped out everything.
However, was this a chance misfortune that occurred thousands of years ago, or an inevitability that has existed since the birth of desire itself?
Monster represent both desire and regret in people's hearts.
To satisfy insatiable greed and to unleash the malice they cannot suppress, people nurture these desires, shaping them into their own ugly mental constructs.
People have always thought so.
But it seems there's more to it than that.
Beautiful Crystal also emerged from these Monsters, embodying human wishes and dreams, and radiating a dazzling light capable of achieving miracles.
Some people refer to desire as wish.
Before regret arises, it is because of the yearning for happiness.
Ugliness and beauty—human beings are inherently contradictory yet beautiful creations, possessing both sides of the same coin.
From the ashes of that catastrophe that once wiped out everything, Feather Wing people to embrace happiness were also born.
Magic, miracles, dreams.
With this incredible power, it seems that any ideal world can be realized, an unimaginable utopia without suffering and darkness becomes within reach because of the existence of Magic Power.
He Fang the world goes next depends solely on the choices made by those who hold the key and the Feather Wing.
Thousands of years ago, Alchemist and kings were ultimately overwhelmed and destroyed by their own greed and desires.
The four Sage's Stones, which were meant to bring miracles and hope, ultimately became the source of evil that brought thousands of years of suffering.
Four girls sacrificed for a ritual, people who died from the Monster Disease, the destruction brought by the Monster, and Magic girls burdened with the destiny of battle.
All the misfortunes are now beyond explanation.
If we cannot avert all misfortune, if we cannot resolve all regrets, if we cannot resurrect all departed souls.
What should replace it?
What kind of Magic can truly reclaim those colors that have forever faded and disappeared?
"Magic?"
In a soft, pure white light, Kirishima Ai repeated Haihara's words in a daze.
Now, for some reason, she felt inexplicably relaxed, and looking at Teacher Haihara, she felt an incredible sense of peace.
But... what exactly does the Magic that makes the world bloom with flowers mean?
"Literally, it's a beautiful and interesting Magic. Casting it doesn't require all the Magic Power in the world; only four Devil King Crystal are needed as a medium."
Haihara spoke with unusual gentleness and patience.
Although his tone and expression remained somewhat cold and indifferent, they were no longer as icy and chilling as when he was the Overlord.
"Huh? Only four Devil King Crystal are needed? Then why didn't you activate this Magic from the beginning, teacher..."
Kirishima Ai a confused kitten, stroked the side of her neck in bewilderment, speaking her mind as always and asking questions when she didn't understand.
If four Devil King Crystal are enough to activate it, why bother pretending to do something bad and fighting them?
Upon hearing this, Haihara gave Kirishima Ai a helpless look, glancing at her with pity.
"Of course, as I just said, the Overlord's obsession within the Devil King Crystal has not been purified. If it is not cleaned up using the correct methods, it will erupt again, bringing about a disaster similar to that of thousands of years ago."
"Incidentally, I also can't smoothly cast the Magic I want."
"Your reading comprehension is still as bad as ever, Kirishima."
Even now, Haihara still can't understand why Kirishima Ai, who does quite well in all other subjects, only gets such terrible grades in her Japanese literature class.
This has led her to reflect on it now.
A faint blush rose on Kirishima Ai's cheeks. Her gaze flickered for a moment before she decided to change the subject.
"So... so really, it's this problem again. You never actually intended to cast Magic to resurrect everyone; you only wanted to cast this next Magic from the very beginning, right? I was absolutely right."
After all, it's really hard to imagine that Teacher Haihara would want to do something so outrageous.
Unlike before when Overlord, Haihara, she nodded naturally and smiled gently.
"Unfortunately, I don't have such lofty ambitions."
"Even if the Overlord once sincerely longed to resurrect everyone, to me, the happiness of everyone is too far away."
She did not have the same enormous and greedy desires as Lilith.
Even though there are many regrets in the world, she can naturally accept this reality.
Therefore, when she recalls the sins and responsibilities she committed as Overlord, and when she holds this power and miracle that is enough to change the world, even she has to think carefully.
This miraculous fruit, born from misfortune and regret, in the nine-year-old Bach, what kind of ending should this story have?
"Therefore, it doesn't involve any complicated, grand, or lofty ideals; it's just a small, good thing."
"Come and see this final Magic with me, shall we, Kirishima?"
Although there are still many things I don't understand.
However, when the woman reached out her hand, she also extended her hand, and finally, together they held the Devil King Crystal, slowly bringing them together in their palms.
These Crystal were the beginning of everything.
It is both an unfortunate bitter fruit and a symbol of a miracle.
They nourish suffering, but also bring hope.
They originate from desire, and also from wishes.
It is the scars left by all the ugly past, and all the longing and hope for a better future.
But for Lilith, these Crystal contain countless voices from the past, and traces left by the unfortunate deceased.
What exactly does that mean?
Suddenly, Kirishima Ai felt an incomparably warm sensation in her hands, not just the temperature of a woman's hands, but a calming, luminous warmth.
She saw her and Haihara's hands illuminated together by light, a light so brilliant and vibrant, so clear and pure, more varied and incredible than any color she had ever seen, yet she felt no trace of grime or filth.
Unlike the pure white of the Genesis Crystal, which is untouched by human desires.
She could see countless people's hearts, countless hopes and desires, in these dazzling lights.
This seems to be the image of the human heart, the light that shines forth from people's desires.
That's incredible.
She was so captivated by the beautiful light that she lingered there, momentarily lost in thought.
Then, the world of the heart, which had originally been filled only with white light, faded away, and the light of the miracle, born from people's wishes, was also born in reality, filling the two intersecting worlds outside the heart.
For a moment, the world seemed to stand still from the chaos and gloom. Everyone was drawn to the light and subconsciously looked up, their eyes reflecting the indescribably beautiful scene.
The gloomy world seemed to suddenly regain its color. The incredibly deep and dense gloom that had previously obscured both worlds was now dispelled by this light, just as the long night was about to end and the dawn was rising from the end of the night.
Yes, everyone saw it.
Every corner of the world, even those obscured by heavy ruins, even those whose eyes had once lost their sight, were illuminated in this instant, allowing them to gaze at the boundless sky.
Everyone in the world finds that their souls seem to have been cleansed somewhat by this light, becoming calm and peaceful.
The scars that should have remained forever have healed.
The illness that had plagued the body for countless years seemed to vanish in an instant, and the body, tormented by the disease, was freed from its heavy shackles.
Miracles happened one after another.
The Magic girls who were fighting, some of them were covered in wounds and bleeding profusely, but after being bathed in this warm light, all their wounds were healed by the abundant Magic Power.
They were all incredulous, unable to understand what was happening, yet their hearts were overflowing with an instinctive happiness.
It sounds like... the sound and feeling of Crystal?
The same radiance also emanates from their Crystal.
Then, they discovered that the Monster before them were shrinking and disappearing in large numbers, but they had not all vanished. Instead, from the remaining beautiful Crystal, a delicate and exquisite flower bloomed.
The Monster transformed into... a flower.
It seems there's no need to continue fighting.
Just as the story came to an end, a fairy tale came to a carefree close. In the world where people live, one after another, bright flowers bloomed, turning the originally gloomy world into a colorful and enchanting place, like a dream.
The world blossoms like a flower, and its fragrance drifts on the gentle breeze to every distant place.
Just like a certain Witch from the past, who traveled to every place.
Wherever she went, miracles bloomed everywhere. Rain irrigated the parched earth, and the withered wasteland blossomed with seas of flowers. Polluted swamps and rivers became clear again, and people's souls were cleansed, and sometimes their disputes ceased.
Asuka with pure white Feather Wing flew in flocks towards the distant horizon, chasing the rising sun.
In the vast Universe, countless stars twinkle and shimmer, like tears about to fall, carrying people's wishes and longings.
Thousands of years later, in today's world, all desires and misfortunes seem to have been conceived and blossomed into this beautiful picture at this moment, becoming a miracle that seems Eternity in an instant.
All the Monster Disease in the world, and not just Monster Disease, but at this very moment, all the misfortunes in the world that can still be averted, are saved by miracles.
A Magic girl from R'lyeh realized that someone had cast an unimaginable Magic.
It healed illness, injury, and disability.
Misfortune blossomed into flowers.
----A miracle named "Flowers, Flowers, Birds, Wind, and Moon".
Although it only concerns this moment, misfortune may happen again in the future, and people may have new desires and evil thoughts afterward.
But what people see now is a miracle, light, and hope.
"The Monster... has turned into light?"
A Magic girl noticed something even more incredible.
Their Crystal, and the Crystal of the Monster, all emitted light, turning into brilliant specks of light that gathered towards the distant horizon, the very center of the fiercest battle between the two worlds.
Countless points of light, as numerous as stars, converged there, making it impossible to understand what else was being done.
The scene shifts back to Kirishima Ai, and naturally, Kirishima Ai too sees the points of light. Moreover, only she can discern that the sheer number of these points seems excessive, exceeding anyone's expectations.
All she could understand was that these points of light came from all the Crystal in the two worlds of Earth R'lyeh.
But what exactly are they?
She asked again, not understanding:
"Teacher, what are these?"
Haihara seemed to be confirming the location of the points of light.
As she gazed at the lights, she seemed to be searching for something, but she didn't seem to find it. Finally, she gave up and turned to answer Kirishima Ai's question:
"Perhaps... 'soul'?"
If what we'd seen before was unbelievable enough, then this time Kirishima Ai was completely stunned.
She tilted her head:
"Soul?"
These... all of them?
And this time, Haihara patiently discussed it:
"Deep within the Crystal, those voices born from people's regrets contain their longing, memories, and desires."
"During my childhood, when people I cared about left me, I always wondered if souls really exist? If they do, will those people ever come back?"
"But, just like in a vast sea of flowers, I can't find the one that belongs to Luna."
"Finding even the fragments of those departed souls is like finding a needle in a haystack."
"Until I became the Overlord, deep within the Crystal, I heard those vanished voices once more."
So, they've always been here.