Chapter 397

As soon as Chen Xiaoxia finished speaking, her figure flew backward and crashed into the sea.

Yu Muqiu froze, then let out a worried exclamation:

"Xiaoxia--!!"

However, before Yu Muqiu could check on Chen Xiaoxia's condition, the Witch Lesos's cold voice rang out:

"Are you sure you've got something wrong?"

Her gaze fell upon the Magical Girls before her, her voice growing increasingly cold:

"Do you think this is just a simple friendly match? That it's over once one side wins?"

"If that's truly your belief, then I'm starting to doubt whether you even have the potential to eliminate the Demons."

"Let me tell you, this isn't a friendly spar, nor is it a 'test.' It's just my one-sided examination of you. In fact, if someone weren't watching right now, I would have turned you all into Witch already!"

As Lesos spoke, watching Chen Xiaoxia rise from the seabed back into the sky, she continued:

"So don't treat me like one of your own, and don't think you can yell at me like you do at that guy. The weak have no right to point fingers at the strong."

The Witch's azure eyes were filled with murderous intent.

If someone hadn't actually been watching, she probably would have already killed the Magical Girls.

After all, the Magical Girls under the Sky Screen really disappointed her.

Lesos was initially quite satisfied with the performance of the Magical Girls in the Sky Screen.

She felt that if the Magical Girls below the Sky Screen could really do what they did Sky Screen, then it wouldn't be unreasonable for Lesos to risk her life against the Demon King for them and for their Shine future.

But now... Yu Muqiu and the others' performance really disappointed her.

The higher the expectations, the greater the disappointment.

Lesos came to this world prepared for the possibility of perishing together with the Demon Lord, and that's why she agreed to put Yu Muqiu and the others through a 'test'.

But what are Yu Muqiu and the others doing now?

Is she too gentle? Or is it that Xiao Bai is too gentle?

Both are possible.

But the most crucial reason lies with Yu Muqiu and her group themselves!

They probably didn't really consider Lesos an enemy, nor did they truly believe this battle was a fight to the death!

Or perhaps... they know they might unlock Shining 2, so they've become complacent, thinking they can unlock it no matter what?

Regardless of the reason, Lesos was now very disappointed. She even began to doubt whether the two people inside and outside the Sky Screen were the same person.

"That constant chatter... it's so annoying!!!"

Just as Lesos was feeling disappointed, Chen Xiaoxia suddenly stood in front of Yu Muqiu and shouted at Lesos:

"It's just the Shining 2 form!! We'll show it to you!!! So... don't insult Xiao Qiu anymore!!!"

"Hmph, it seems you really don't learn your lesson—"

The Witch Lesos snapped her fingers again, and the magical light struck Chen Xiaoxia's body once more.

To the Witch's surprise, although Chen Xiaoxia's body was retreating, she actually managed to block her casual attack!

With the giant sword held horizontally in front of her, Chen Xiaoxia shifted her body in mid-air, gritting her teeth and desperately blocking the Witch's casual attack.

Once the Witch's attack had completely dissipated, Chen Xiaoxia returned to Yu Muqiu's side, grinning at the Witch:

"It seems... if I want to do it, I can still do it..."

"That's interesting."

The Witch's eyelids twitched, showing a slight interest. She snapped her fingers again, and more magical rays flew out, heading towards Chen Xiaoxia.

These magical rays are more powerful than before, and given their density, if they were to strike Chen Xiaoxia, it would definitely not be a pleasant experience.

Chen Xiaoxia's life might even be in danger!

But Chen Xiaoxia showed no intention of dodging. She turned to look at Yu Muqiu, whose eyes were red and about to cry, and smiled brightly, saying:

"Really, Xiao Qiu, don't show that kind of expression in front of the enemy. So what if we can't activate Shining 2? It's nothing!"

"Since you can't activate it, then I'll do it! You've always protected me, both in the Sky Screen and in reality, so now... it's my turn to protect you!!"

Boom!!!

A surge of violent magic rose from Chen Xiaoxia's body, and the Power of Hope connected to the Magic Network was instantly merged into the Emotion Seed by the blue-haired Magical Girls.

Chen Xiaoxia's aura intensified, and her form underwent further changes. Facing the Witch, she roared:

"And I... will absolutely not allow anyone to insult my dearest friend! Nor will I stand idly by and watch my dearest friend be bullied!"

Magic erupted and surged, and a Shining Star bloomed in the sky!

At this moment, Chen Xiaoxia activated her Shining 2 form even earlier than Xiao Qiu!!

Volume 4 <Magic Autumn> Theatrical Edition and Season 3: Chapter 430 The Witch's Dissatisfaction

The 'test' ended with Chen Xiaoxia becoming Shining Star.

The Witch left this world somewhat satisfied. As for whether she was going to fight the Demon King or do something else, Yu Muqiu and the others didn't know.

The Magical Girls returned to their island base, somewhat dejected, to rest.

"Xiao Qiu..."

Back on the island, Chen Xiaoxia wanted to comfort Yu Muqiu.

Yu Muqiu turned to Chen Xiaoxia with a bright smile and said:

"Congratulations, Xiaoxia! You're really amazing, even more amazing than I am now..."

Yu Muqiu's voice trailed off considerably towards the end.

"Xiao Qiu, it's not like that, I..."

Chen Xiaoxia wanted to say that she didn't intentionally want to activate the Shining 2 form, but saying it like that felt a bit off, so she didn't know how to continue her sentence halfway through.

Yu Muqiu stepped forward and took Chen Xiaoxia's hands, saying very seriously and sincerely:

"I know, I know everything, Xiaoxia. It's my fault for letting you... and Miss Lesos down. It's all my fault, you did nothing wrong, especially Xiaoxia, you're a hero today."

Yu Muqiu reached out and patted Xiaoxia's shoulder, just like Chen Xiaoxia used to pat her shoulder, and smiled brightly.

"Thanks to you, Miss Lesos finally agreed to help. You need to be more confident, Xiaoxia!"

"..."

Yu Muqiu's slightly forced smile left Chen Xiaoxia speechless for a moment.

Perhaps realizing his smile was forced, Yu Muqiu immediately turned away from his companions after saying that, and continued:

"This... this kind of thing deserves a celebration, but... I suddenly remembered there are some things I haven't done yet, so... so I'll leave the arrangements for the celebration banquet to you all. I'll... be back soon..."

As Yu Muqiu finished speaking, his voice trembled slightly.

Before Xiaoxia and Xiao Chun could call her back, she ran into the camp and disappeared in the blink of an eye.

Staring blankly at Yu Muqiu's retreating figure, Chen Xiaoxia felt quite at a loss. She stiffly turned to Xiao Chun, who hadn't said much from beginning to end, and nervously asked:

"Did I... did I upset Xiao Qiu? She... she should be alright, right...?"

"Don't worry, Xiao Qiu isn't petty. She just... wants to be alone for a little while. Don't bother her."

Xiao Chun answered calmly, then said to Chen Xiaoxia, "Go and call everyone out. After all, Xiao Qiu is right. You were able to successfully unlock your advanced form, and this is something to celebrate. Go and set up the venue."

After Xiao Chun finished speaking, she Youyou walked towards the camp.

But before entering the camp, she looked up at the sky.

High in the distant sky, a silver-haired Witch and a silver-haired Magical Girls stood side by side.

The two of them witnessed what was happening below.

The silver-haired Magical Girls remained silent, while the Witch floated in the air as if reclining, letting out a soft hum:

"You've protected them too well."

"It's the Sky Screen..."

"Ask yourself honestly, is it really because of the Sky Screen?"

The Witch floated up to Xiao Bai and whispered, "You know, you could have done better. For example, you could have used those Aurora Society Demons to train them, or you could have used the dream world built by the Magic Network to put them in a more cruel environment."

"You were clearly capable of doing all of this, but you did nothing."

"... I have trained them."

"Ha, that kind of soft, limp training?" The Witch scoffed mercilessly. "What's the difference between that kind of training and playing house?"

"Admit it, Xiao Bai... no, Fang Ming, you spoil them too much, to the point that you won't even let them suffer a little bit."

Xiao Bai remained silent, unable to refute.

The Witch pointed downwards and continued:

"Given the extent of your doting, I even suspect that you didn't kill them when you helped them activate their Shining Form. That's why they're 'fearless' now."

The Witch floated beside Xiao Bai and said:

"'I'm sure I can unlock the new form.' 'I'm sure I can defeat the enemy.' 'This is all just a test for me.' 'I just need to pass the test to successfully unlock the new form...' Heh."

"Clearly, your past treatment of them has made them treat everything like a game, where 'there are rewards for completing the game' and 'you can level up by defeating enemies'... It is with similar ideas that they have been hesitant to take that step."

The Witch's seductive voice vanished, replaced by a cold and calm tone as she spoke to Xiao Bai beside her:

"Reality isn't a game. Defeating an enemy doesn't guarantee a level up, and an explosive power doesn't necessarily mean you'll master a new form. That's the real reality, and you've never let them face that reality..."

"That's enough." Xiao Bai glanced at the Witch: "... Regardless, Xiaoxia has already unlocked her new form, hasn't she?"

"Hehe, that's really lucky."

The Witch suddenly turned sarcastic. "It seems that from now on, when facing Demons, all I need to do is shout things like 'Ah, don't insult my friend!' or 'I'll show you my power!' to easily activate my new form, drive the Demons away, and everyone'll be happy..."

Before Xiao Bai could react after the Witch finished speaking, she suddenly shouted:

"Are you kidding me?!"

A brief silence fell over the air. The Witch's emotions suddenly became unstable. She stared at Xiao Bai, her azure pupils filled with an incomprehensible anger.

Xiao Bai.

The Witch also watched Xiao Bai.

Lesos's breathing quickened slightly, and after a while, she calmed down, regaining her usual alluring demeanor, and said to Xiao Bai:

"I'm sorry, I lost my composure just now."

A brief silence fell over the air once again.

After a while, Xiao Bai whispered to Lesos:

"Magical Girls, aren't they a profession that relies on the Emotion Seed to fight? Relying on emotional outbursts to increase their magical power is a common tactic used by Magical Girls, right? You, who used to be Magical Girls, should understand this very well."

"Hmph, I never said that the method of unleashing powerful emotions is wrong," the Witch sneered. "But, do you really think that the Emotional Force generated during an outburst just suddenly appears?"

"The ebb and flow of emotions, one's understanding of the world, the determination to destroy the Demons, the harmony between one's own Emotional Force, and the will to protect what is important to one's own..."

"It is precisely because of this gradual accumulation over time that Magical Girls are able to unleash their true power when the time is right, but what do you think—"

The Witch pointed to the small island below and questioned Xiao Bai, "Is Yu Muqiu's current accumulation sufficient?"

"It's not just her; within your protective circle, do all these Magical Girls have enough emotional buildup?"

"Looking at them like this, how can you expect me to fight the Demon King with peace of mind? Do you think I'm some kind of saint, that after seeing your 'performance,' I'll willingly sacrifice my 'escape plan' accumulated over a thousand years to seal the Demon King and the Four Commanders?"

Xiao Bai understood the Witch's implied meaning, and she turned her head to ask:

"So you mean you won't make a move right now?"

"No," the Witch replied immediately, coldly stating, "If they remain as they are now, I can assure you that they will never reach the heights they possess in the Sky Screen, much less destroy the Demon King."

"I won't bet on them. If you really want me to go all in and fight the Demon Lord, then you'll need to offer more."

"... for example?"

"I don't care about anyone else, but I want to see Yu Muqiu and Murong Xiaochun enter their Shining 2 forms with my own eyes, otherwise..."

The Witch turned around, and her figure suddenly disappeared from Xiao Bai's side, leaving only the lingering echo of her last words in the air.