Rebelling Against the King / War Isn't Far Away

"Little Lan! Are you alright, Little Lan?"

Despite Yaochuan Guang's shocked and worried expression, Lantian Zhu remained calm, but his eyes were far from tranquil. "Is this really a technique that can be used in battle? Used in battle?"

While expressing his doubts, Lantian Zhu, who had rolled onto the floor, propped himself up on the sofa and tried to get up.

But it's completely impossible.

Finally Lantian Zhu could only sit on the floor, resting his hands on the sofa, taking deep breaths and trying to calm his pounding heart... His heart was beating very hard.

"Does... do it hurt that much?"

Yaochuan Guang asked this question, then hesitantly touched Little Lan, before dragging Lantian Zhu, who was as limp as a squid, to the sofa to lie down.

However, she didn't know that Lantian Zhu's reaction at this moment was actually much less than Hong's reaction before... Lantian Zhu had a great talent for enduring pain.

Well, this doesn't mean that Lantian Zhu felt less pain than others.

She was just ruthless enough to herself... After all, Lantian Zhu's childhood and upbringing were quite legendary and filled with setbacks.

Lantian Zhu's heart had long been scorched and riddled with holes by the flames of revenge. Even as it was gradually repaired, the burning memories remained.

Having long been accustomed to the flames of karma, one will no longer fear the flames.

That's how it should be.

Unfortunately...

"It's not just simple pain."

As Lantian Zhu spoke, she quickly regained her composure, leaving Hong, who had previously attempted the technique, somewhat terrified.

Lantian Zhu, panting, explained, "The burden... my body is creaking, and my heart is riddled with holes."

If this technique is used as a primary means of combat, even if one can get used to it, their heart might break down one day.

The collapse of the Mana-Supplying Organ will cause the body to disintegrate along with them.

Even if she could be saved, she wouldn't be able to become a magical girl.

"Ah, looks like I need to start exercising."

As Lantian Zhu said this, amidst the strange looks from the others, he stretched and sighed, "But it really was useless, wasn't it?"

Of course it's useless. The magical girl wants to train her body to prevent excessive power from putting a strain on it... That's a bit of an overthinking thing.

Do you think you're Kamen Rider?

Therefore, this technique can probably only be used occasionally.

By consciously allowing enough cooling-off time, the burden on the body can be minimized... It's roughly equivalent to staying up all night and picking at your fingers forty-nine times.

It was bad, but not bad enough to cause my heart to burst.

Or you could simply treat it as a trump card.

But for some reason, Cong Yu had a feeling that things weren't going well... Perhaps bringing the spellbook home with Hong wasn't a good choice.

For some reason, Cong Yu had a feeling that Lantian Zhu would eventually overdraw his power by constantly using this technique, and then die in his arms.

Just like how the red one will eventually sink to the bottom of the sea.

A gun that appears in the first act will be fired in the third act... and then pierce through the chest of a major character.

However, it's also possible that Lantian Zhu stubbornly refused to use the technique, and then watched as his companions said something like "Ultraman" or "little monster" before dying.

Hmm... Lantian Zhu probably isn't that bad.

Rather than holding back the spell, Cong Yu felt she would use it without hesitation... use it wildly, use it aggressively, use it indiscriminately, use it whenever she wanted.

He killed himself.

.

After all, that's the impression Lantian Zhu gives off... He usually has a calm and unhurried expression, but when it comes to the crucial moment, he just goes all out.

Explode! Explode! Explode!

Sprint! Sprint! Charge!!!

Chapter 509 Rebellion Against the King

"Quack!!!!"

"Ughhhh!!!"

Early in the morning, the eerie howls emanating from the Seaside hotel echoed into the surrounding rooms...

Fortunately, hotels, for reasons that those in the know understand, have top-notch soundproofing.

The girl's screams did not disturb anyone's sleep.

"..."

"Goo... Are you kidding me?"

A magical girl was clutching the bedsheets tightly, while the other three stood silently by... and under the bed was a (phantom) convulsing.

It was an expressionless, non-conscious phantom of the screaming magical girl on the bed.

"Twice...?"

As she said this, Eileen Grenault glanced at her companion who had just released [Source Severance - Radiance] to unleash the excess Positive Magic she had stored up.

The "Radiance" of burying positive magic into the earth is precisely such a sacrificial ritual used to resolve burdens.

Once it's buried in the earth, the world can no longer reclaim it.

And naturally, the more of these batteries that can store and release Positive Magic, the better...

However, [Source Severance - Radiance] is not an inexpensive technique that everyone can learn. Even if someone can learn it, they may not be willing to endure the pain and costs of using it... In many cases, it is not necessary.

And that's why they need to obtain a "Replica Phantom".

Since we can't rely on others, let's leave it to them "themselves"...

"I didn't expect... that the sensation of the illusory image could be shared with the original body? But judging from that team's experimental report, it shouldn't be like that."

As Eileen Grenor said this, she pondered for a moment before reaching out and pressing down on her companion who had first learned the Phantom Image Technique.

After the experiment, she was convulsing on the bed, sweating profusely all over the sheets... It's hard to say whether it was just sweat.

The pain brought on by the illusion was many times greater, causing his companions, who should have been used to pain, to completely lose control... no, it can't be said that they were used to it.

The excruciating pain required to undertake the "Source Severance" mission is something neither humans nor magical girls can endure.

I can only describe it as numbness.

But clearly, the exponentially increased pain completely shattered this numbness... well, it both "shattered" and "pierced" it.

Just like an electric current piercing through the air, the feeling of pain, accompanied by nerve electrical signals, is transmitted to the brain through the physical body and magical organs.

Then, his companion on the bed suddenly stiffened and fell unconscious... and countless cracks suddenly appeared on his body.

Crimson blood flowed continuously downwards as if gushing from a hollow.

"Semaiebo?!"

Amidst her gasps, Erin Grenouille glanced at the magical girl known as "Semaiebo," who had fallen into shock. She immediately prepared to eliminate Semaiebo's Replica Phantom first... otherwise, her heart might really explode.

It's one thing if the heart simply shatters physically, but the worst part is... the magical system will suffer an irreversible conceptual breakdown.

Because, in essence, the principle of this technique is to transform "oneself" into a converging chamber that carries "the Positive Magic that should have returned".

Even someone as powerful as Miss Chi You only stored the "Negative Magic that should have returned" within the Li Township...

Store it in the body?

Then, to bury it alive with an explosion?

Only a madman would be so cruel to himself.

And just as Erin Grenault was about to kill the phantom...

Semaiebo, lying on the bed, slowly woke up, and the bleeding from her wounds stopped as she regained consciousness.

Even a magical girl needs time to fully heal her wounds.

"..."

"..." In the silence, Semaiebo pursed her bitten lip, her body trembling and her eyes bloodshot. "It's alright, it was just fake pain."

As she said this, Semaiebo clenched her fists. "All that's being transmitted is pain, not burden... That's feasible, as long as you can endure the pain."

In other words, the body doesn't break down twice as much; only the pain felt is doubled, to the point that even a magical girl would go into shock.

Even magical girls who wouldn't react much to pain from a shattered head or a punctured heart would fall into a coma due to the effects of this technique.

Thinking about this, Eileen Grenouille was unexpectedly curious. What would it feel like to "double the pain"?

To put it bluntly, can pain really be objectively quantified?

With this in mind, the remaining three exchanged glances.

Then they continued learning the Phantom Image Technique... However, for some reason, everyone was hoping they wouldn't be able to learn them.

Unfortunately, all four of them are undoubtedly geniuses among magical girls... Perhaps this is a case of survivor bias.

Those of them who are capable of learning [Source Severance · Radiance] have a very low probability of mastering "Replica Phantom".

Not small...

While very few members of the entire Purge Squad could learn Replica Phantom, the four of them tragically managed to.

"..."

"..." Next, screams and groans of pain echoed from the hotel in Wind City Seaside.

That sound was so inhuman that it startled the passing service staff who immediately turned on the radio... It was terrifying.

Hmm, it might become the eleventh most haunted story in Wind City.

But setting aside the ghost stories, by the afternoon...

Two of the four magical girls have stopped screaming and are even able to arrange for several of their phantoms to intercept Positive Magic while bleeding profusely from their bodies.

By evening, all four of them had adjusted.

He was even able to control the illusory image to activate [Source Severance - Radiance] while trembling as he cleaned up the blood in the room, which had become somewhat like "stagnant water".

"Haha, that's great... In that case, when we use 'double' 'Radiance' in the future, we probably won't feel any pain at all."

A magical girl smiled wryly... but given her education, she probably wouldn't understand what a "threshold" is.

"Hmm... well, it's about time to move on to the next step."

As Erin Grenor said this, she took a deep breath and fixed her gaze on her companion named "Semaiebo".

This was a plan that had been prepared long ago...

First, they accumulate strength; then they leave behind contingency plans and compromise options; finally...

"Yes, I'm going to stop the war."

As she said this, Semaiebo's legs became so weak that she could barely stand, trembling as if she had suffered from rheumatism.

But the voice was surprisingly firm.

"The Monster King's meaningless war is one that humanity should not participate in; this long-standing fallacy should come to an end..."

"Um... if Eileen and I die, then I'll have to leave the rest of the plan to you, Siqin, and the newcomer."

"..." Upon hearing her words, the newly joined magical girl opened her mouth amidst excruciating pain, wanting to ask them what they were going to do... but she couldn't control her vocal cords.

Eileen Grenouille looked out at the night sky.

"The Anti-King..."

"Naturally, we must rebel against the evil king."

Chapter 510 War is Not Far Away

This is a peaceful era... Since the end of the last world war, humanity has been at peace with one another for a long time.

Yes, humans and humans.