Chapter 150: Heavenly Sin
Chapter 150: Heavenly Sin
As everyone knows, there were no paths in this world originally; once enough fighting happens, paths emerge.
In ancient times, Moses parted the Red Sea with his bare hands; today, Shion shatters space with her two fists.
Mùjǐn remembered there was a subject in the university funded by the Disaster Control Bureau called Magical Research.
This subject studied the formation principles of Magical Girls' magic and its developmental possibilities. Mùjǐn had taken it before; her graduation thesis was about the optimized utilization of magic.
Because back then, the biggest problem for Magical Girls was their very limited mana reserves.
Even when reaching the Blooming rank, the amount of mana everyone could store was still quite limited.
And mana recovery was an even greater challenge. After using up mana during a transformation in the current round, the time required to naturally recover enough mana to cast a single spell was extremely long, basically impossible to wait out during combat.
It was far better to cancel the transformation and then transform again to refresh the state, as the mana would also refill to full.
It's just that the safety issue during non-transformation time was a huge hidden danger.
Of course, after extensive research and optimization—to which Mùjǐn herself contributed significantly—most Magical Girls nowadays are not as strapped for resources during battle.As long as they join the Disaster Control Bureau for basic training—or even just search for related content online—the research reports on optimized mana usage for Magical Girls are publicly available and easy to find.
According to the Bureau's statement, this is also to protect the safety of freelance Magical Girls.
At the very least, small optimized moves like the ordinary mana cannon have greatly reduced mana consumption.
Nowadays, Blooming-rank Magical Girls have long achieved magic freedom.
Not to mention the South China system Magical Girls, which focus on even lower consumption and feature card-based magic construction.
Someone like Qingluán, who can cast dozens of cards in one go without stopping, won't run out of mana either. As long as the cards aren't all used, her endurance and consecutive battle capabilities are super strong.
Logically speaking, a Blooming-rank Magical Girl's mana is sufficient to handle several battles. Later on, many Magical Girls also made substantial progress in their mana reserves.
When Mùjǐn later stepped into Full Bloom, the amount of mana she controlled far exceeded her Blooming period. She once thought that level of mana was the peak.
No one's mana could surpass her at that time, and even if someone did, it couldn't surpass by much.
Until she saw the current Shion.
Mana seemed cheaper than tap water, freely flowing out wave after wave. Even Mùjǐn, who had long grown numb, was still slightly shocked watching it.
Was Shion actually holding back when releasing mana before?
The amount of mana she previously displayed was already more exaggerated than Mùjǐn's Full Bloom state, yet that wasn't even her limit!
As far as the eye could see, everything was basically purple. Bright mana filled every corner of the space; even the tiniest fold in the space was infused and filled with mana!
And within this directionless spatial tunnel, she continuously tore through space to investigate the conditions of other spaces.
Even with such a massive mana output, more than Mùjǐn's eyes could follow.
That person could still achieve precise control over every single point.
She's no longer human.
No, she's no longer a Magical Girl!
She finally understood why Winter said to just go straight.
Because there was no obstruction in the space ahead; as long as they bombarded it wildly with mana, they could blast out a path...
Mùjǐn didn't know how long they spent in the spatial tunnel, because Shion dragged her along flying the whole time. The distorted surroundings caused her to lose her sense of time, and the piercing purple light along the way made her involuntarily close her eyes.
Until she heard Shion sigh softly:
"The mortal realm has become filthy again."
When she opened her eyes, she saw Shion punch a gray-white Magical Girl right in the face ahead!
Mùjǐn was startled:
"Hey hey hey! Wait, wait! We haven't even found out if she's good or bad yet! That's a Magical Girl!"
She saw Shion slowly step out of the spatial rift. The rift behind her rapidly healed, and the purple mana that filled the sky gradually dispersed.
She just looked down, gazing at the gray-white Magical Girl who had fallen into the sea, and slowly said, "Daring to block the Emperor's path, you court death."
As soon as the words fell, the gray-white Magical Girl suddenly burst out from the seabed. A massive amount of seawater exploded, crashing toward the shore like a tsunami!
Standing in mid-air, more and more mana continuously surged from the gray-white Magical Girl's body.
"Requesting liberation of the final strike."
"Request successful."
"Full power liberation."
Shion tilted her head, staring at the gray-white Magical Girl for a long time.
That voice... is it Mirror Kingdom technology?
But it seems somewhat different.
This shell is purely constructed from mana, and the Magical Outfit is also quite standard.
It's just that there's no transformer inside.
As the gray-white Magical Girl raised her Magic Wand, the wand frantically transformed. A large amount of machinery reconfigured the wand into a massive cannon barrel.
The glass reflecting on it did indeed look very much like a Mirror Kingdom creation.
"Annihilation execution!"
"Final Art, Number Ten: Withered Flowers."
Mana condensed into a line inside the cannon barrel.
After extreme compression of a massive amount of mana, it was about to blast forth!
Peony was greatly startled and immediately shouted, "Be careful!"
Because from her [Wand Eye], she saw the terrifying power of that line!
However, Zhu Lu beside her just tugged at her, "Don't worry, she's Shion."
Peony was taken aback for a moment, then looked back at her friend.
Although she had quietly reminded her, Zhu Lu wasn't looking at her. Her gaze was fixed tightly on the purple figure in the sky.
With a touch of reverence and admiration...
She looked completely like a devoted fan.
Even though she used to hate her own fans bothering her the most, now she's become the very type of person she used to despise...
Although Shion is indeed very beautiful, there's no need to stare so intently, right? Weren't you just worried about me?
Look at me more, I'm right here.
Feeling a bit sour inside, she saw Shion in the sky suddenly snap her fingers.
The crisp snap echoed over the sea, and space trembled slightly.
However, it was just a slight tremor, not enough to create a rift.
It was her fair, slender fingers pressing against the point where space had trembled.
With a sudden exertion!
She forcibly crushed the space!
Before the slender mana line could shoot over, Shion grabbed the edge of the shattered space and hurled it toward the gray-white Magical Girl like a javelin!
The unstoppable, terrifying force violently tore the originally small spatial rift, causing it to spread and expand like a crazed serpent, directly colliding with the gray-white Magical Girl's Final Art!
The massive explosion that followed blasted the seawater into a towering tsunami. Peony, caught off guard, was directly sent flying. She struggled for a while before barely stabilizing herself.
She gave Zhu Lu a somewhat resentful look.
I'm supposed to be your teammate!
We're still in the middle of a fight, yet this girl is so focused on watching Shion that she didn't even notice I got caught in the blast!
Is she that infatuated? She won't even glance at me! Those comforting words she said earlier clearly weren't sincere!
Thinking with some resentment, she waited until the seawater ahead cleared and her vision gradually sharpened.
Then she saw a massive spatial rift, stretching from in front of Shion's hand all the way to the waist of the gray-white Magical Girl.
This person... literally tore open a spatial rift to use as a weapon.
She directly bisected that Peak Blooming Great Perfection gray-white Magical Girl at the waist.
"Minor deity of the mortal realm."
Shion took a step forward to stand before the gray-white Magical Girl, extending her small hand to slap the other's head.
Purple flames instantly engulfed the gray-white Magical Girl who still wanted to resist, "You did your best."
Quote from "Thriller Paradise."
Then, with her hands behind her back, the purple figure stood proudly under the vast sky, "Being able to witness my spatial power, your death is not in vain."
"What spatial power, my ass! That's pure brute force!"
Behind Shion, a red-haired Magical Girl was shouting excitedly, "That's not how spatial power is supposed to be used! Give it back to me! Return my Mental Landscape! If the juniors see this, they'll misunderstand my ability!"
"This move is called Spatial Slash."
"Where's the slash? Wasn't it pure hand-tearing?"
"Too noisy."
"You weren't this cold when you asked me for spatial power back then. You were so patient and gentle. Now that you've tricked it out of me, you're impatient with me..."
Peony's jaw dropped as she stared at the red-haired Magical Girl muttering beside Shion. After a long while.
She finally couldn't hold back, her eyes reddening as she cried out:
"An Shiyu!"
......
Peony rushed over, hugged An Shiyu, and began wailing loudly. This reminded Shion of that Kingfisher senior from before.
Back then, she believed Magical Girls didn't cultivate their Dao Heart, which hindered their cultivation.
But later, as she learned more about Magical Girls, she came to understand that this path of ultimate emotion and nature also aligned with them.
It's just a matter of choosing which path to walk; the Great Dao of the world is not a single road.
However, judging from this trip to the Great Emperor's Forbidden Zone, most who follow the path of ultimate emotion and nature end up as roadside casualties. After all, it's easy to accidentally fall into inner demons, unable to even pass the first trial of the Heart Image Remnant.
It would be very difficult to seek the Great Dao this way.
Throughout the entire Forbidden Zone of Life, she didn't see many Magical Girls, only that one and that other one. That one's Dao Heart was actually pretty good, but her strength was too weak, her ambitions soaring higher than the sky while her fate was thinner than paper—a typical Destructive Army fate. She'll likely face great calamity in the future and will also find it hard to achieve the Dao.
Starting with a gathering of elites at the secret realm entrance, ending with enjoying the opportunities alone in the grand hall—this is an unavoidable part of web novels...
"Sect Master..."
While Peony was hugging An Shiyu and crying, Zhu Lu flew to Shion's side, took a deep breath, and said, "Everyone in the Azure Cloud Sect has been looking for you. During this time, everyone has been very... worried about you."
"Oh." Shion thought for a moment and asked, "Has the college entrance exam passed?"
Zhu Lu was stunned, not expecting the Sect Master to ask this, "Not yet."
"That's good."
For a moment, she was speechless. Does the Sect Master also need to take the college entrance exam?
Come to think of it, Zhu Lu herself hadn't taken the exam yet...
Coughing lightly, Zhu Lu continued, "That gray-white Magical Girl was blocking your return just now. Peony and I spent a lot of effort to stop her. Thankfully, it didn't affect your return."
"Mm."
Taking a breath, Zhu Lu looked at that beautiful face again, her heartbeat accelerating slightly.
The image of Jiang Si flashed through her mind.
A boy, slightly younger than her, he was.
But, but she couldn't help it, she whispered again, "We... we did pretty well, right?"
Shion nodded slightly, "Well done."
Thus, Zhu Lu clenched her fists, her heart leaping with joy.
On one hand, she felt the shame of wanting praise from a boy younger than her; on the other, she felt the joy of receiving recognition from someone she admired.
The thought of Shion patting her head and praising her for a job well done did cross her mind.
But Zhu Lu ultimately didn't dare to actually ask for that.
Moreover, just imagining Jiang Si patting her head and praising her...
She wanted to throw herself into the sea to cool off.
"You've already passed the inner sect test, right?"
Zhu Lu was momentarily stunned, then immediately nodded, "Yes, I've passed."
"You can consider the honorary true-transmission position."
The water-blue Magical Girl showed a rare expression of joy, "I'll work hard!"
Just as she wanted to continue chatting with the Sect Master a bit more, a chill emanated from the small hill on the shore.
Zhu Lu shivered, immediately bowed, "I have matters to attend to, so I'll take my leave now, Sect Master."
"Go ahead."
She turned and flew toward Peony, who was still crying. Her originally joyful, cheerful expression stiffened into its habitual sternness as she approached her friend.
With a somewhat harsh tone, she pinched Peony's cheek, coldly telling her to quiet down.
But in the end, she couldn't help but smile gently, hugging Peony to comfort her a few words.
Then her gaze occasionally stole glances toward Shion.
The air suddenly turned several degrees colder, and snowflakes began to drift from the sky.
The sea surface beneath their feet began to freeze.
Shion landed on the hill by the shore. Winter was standing there quietly.
Only when she arrived did Winter slowly walk over, then habitually held up an umbrella for her.
"Did something happen? This time, you were a bit late."
The icy girl's words seemed to melt the snowflakes. As she leaned in slightly, their arms touched, transmitting body warmth and a slight tremor—whether from cold or something else.
"Yes, there was some trouble obtaining the Forbidden Zone's legacy." Shion informed Winter about the Mirror Kingdom information from the Heart Image Remnant, concluding, "The Mirror Kingdom in South China has grand ambitions. They've meddled in our sect's subordinate secret realm. Though they are far, they must be punished."
"Okay." Winter tidied her clothes and hair as she spoke, brushing off the snowflakes that had fallen on her, "Because you were gone for too long, and the soul lamp in the Illusory Moon Cavern Dwelling went out, everyone was very worried. That girl Yumo cried several times. Qinghua stopped slacking off too, working through the night to create many Puppets, searching everywhere for your traces..."
After recounting the efforts of the true-transmission disciples, Winter took a slight breath. Holding the umbrella with one hand, she grasped Shion's little finger with the other, gently squeezing it, "Next time, please notify us in advance. Don't disappear without a word for so long."
The heavy snow froze the waves. Everything was silent, only the heartbeat was so clear.
Accompanying each breath, each flow of blood.
When close, the tangible warmth of body temperature and soft skin.
Made all unease and fatigue vanish completely.
"Oh." However, Shion didn't take it to heart, just continued, "I also found the Mirror Kingdom's research on Full Bloom, but I can't understand the Mirror Kingdom's language. Help me find someone who understands it, so we can clarify the Full Bloom situation."
"Okay." Winter agreed to Shion's request as usual, completely, "We've captured quite a few personnel related to the Mirror Kingdom. Finding someone who understands their writing shouldn't be difficult."
"I also obtained the Mental Landscape of a Full Bloom Magical Girl. Although I found a way to use it, it's still a bit rough."
Winter then asked with a smile, "That's amazing. How did you obtain it?"
"That Full Bloom Magical Girl Mùjǐn said that just by going on a date, one could reconstruct the Mental Landscape." Shion didn't hide anything, "After teaching her what a date is following the previous procedure, I obtained this opportunity. Fortunately, I had prior experience, otherwise I might have missed it."
The smile slowly faded. Winter tilted her head slightly and glanced at An Shiyu over there, "Oh, is that so?"
"Yes. However, although I've mastered spatial power, I've only just broken through to the initial Dou Zong level, entering the early Dou Zong stage. To use it proficiently will likely still require some time. If I want to emulate the deeds of the ancestral Emperor Jiu and open an independent space, I'll need to wait for the Dao Seed to grow further."
"Perhaps having An Shiyu come to the Azure Cloud Sect would be more convenient."
Saying this, Shion looked toward An Shiyu.
The girl, who was comforting her useless senior Peony, seemed to quickly sense Shion's gaze and was about to look up.
The white umbrella tilted slightly, blocking the line of sight.
Separating Shion's and An Shiyu's gazes, Winter still wore a faint smile, "That's not allowed."
Shion looked at her somewhat puzzled, "Why?"
"Because, she is a Disaster Control Bureau Magical Girl."
"But..."
"Anyway, no."
Shion nodded, "Alright."
In such matters, listening to Winter is never wrong.
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