novelraw Chapter 203: This Is the Magical Girls' Victory
Chapter 203: This Is the Magical Girls' Victory
For Jiang Si, ever since the destruction of the Curse Realm, returning to fighting with his flesh-and-blood body after such a long time felt pretty good.
With pure physical combat he could of course exert dominance, after all Jialan was only at Peak Blooming, not even at full Perfection.
And his own physical body had now reached the Triple Flawless-Body Limit Peak Perfection, comparable to Peak Blooming, perhaps even stronger!
Compared to before, his body had unquestionably undergone another qualitative leap.
The reason for this dramatic advancement, naturally, came from the Emperor’s curse.
That curse continuously supplied his body with power, catapulting his physique to its present level. The Emperor’s immortal foundation provided a terrifyingly vast supplement.
When building an immortal foundation, devouring elites, the efficiency of the Purple-Gold Demonic Path is obvious. No wonder many cultivators in the Profound Mirror Realm fell because of it.
Such demonic methods must be denounced and used with caution!
The curse, however, which evolved from Polluted Magic, did not contain either Polluted Magic or Pure Mana; it was an altogether new kind of power.
This power originated from within him — from the Throne of the God of Apocalypse and Slaughter that the Emperor gifted him. It meant his flesh had become a Mental Landscape capable of overriding the world’s rules, innately carrying rules approaching a full Mental-Landscape grade.And since mana is the personal reality manifested by the heavens and earth, during contact with him it was forcefully subsumed into the full-scale Mental-Landscape rules.
Naturally, this allowed his body to break through mana boundaries, rendering physical damage as truly real damage. After all, now everyone was standing on the same starting line.
This was something Jiang Si himself had only just realized.
After obtaining the curse’s power, this was the first time he had fought Magical Girls using only his body.
Spinning the top with his hand gave him a clearer sense of the changes to his body and a better understanding of what the curse did.
Unlike Polluted Magic or Pure Mana, which required activation and control,
the Emperor’s curse adjusted his body continuously without any need for control.
It perpetually stayed in its best possible state.
Before having the curse, whether he borrowed corrupted magic or Pure Mana,
his body would in fact enter fatigue.
Yes, even Jiang Si could become tired.
Even with endless training, overworked muscles still hit their limits.
But most of the time, Jiang Si would transform before reaching that limit, refreshing his state.
Now he no longer needed to transform to refresh himself.
The Emperor’s curse ensured his body could remain at optimal condition indefinitely, neither increasing nor decreasing, self-contained — it could be called a
death cycle!
To call this a perfected saintly body would not be an exaggeration.
No doubt his current physique might even rival the Great Emperor,
though that didn’t guarantee victory.
After all, the value of the Celestial Mark remained overwhelmingly high.
At the very least, he could not imagine how to defeat Mujin by physical means alone without utilizing Mujin’s Dao Seed.
Beside him, Xilan had already roused Jialan.
Xilan had pocketed the Miracle Seed, naturally, to prevent any tricks.
“Dream Cores are artifacts that strengthen personal reality and are produced from Magical Girls’ battles, but why Dream Cores appear is still a mystery.”
Awakened, Jialan was surprisingly cooperative, immediately vomiting out all the intel she knew.
She raised both hands to show she wouldn’t resist. “Around three years ago the Disaster Control Bureau observed fragments produced during duels among South China Magical Girls merging into an aggregate called the Dream Core, so they began collecting and studying it.”
“But up to now, no cause has been found. Except in South China, Magical Girls in other regions will not produce such personal-reality aggregates even when colliding. Only South China yields Dream Cores.”
Jiang Si countered with a question: “Only South China?”
“That’s right.” Jialan shrugged. “South China is like that. All sorts of strange things happen here, you can experience all manner of miracles, so it’s called the vanguard zone...”
“After all, many old worlds—”
The always-silent Yun Ke finally spoke up.
She had shaken off her earlier shock and had the nerve to interrupt Jialan’s spiel.
In the past she never would have dared.
But now, thanks to Simo Tu’s savage beating that had completely shattered Jialan’s image in her mind,
especially Jialan’s last childish posture of whining when she couldn’t win,
Yun Ke’s rose-colored filter was shattered.
If she’s like that, what is there left to fear?
I am Simo Tu-sama’s second-ranked general!
“So many old worlds dumped things in South China; some old worlds even wiped out and still screwed South China over. It’s no surprise some things exist here but not elsewhere. This land carries too much...”
“When did I ask you to start speaking, Yun Ke?”
“Have you not realized your situation yet, Jialan?” Yun Ke looked at Xilan and Simo Tu, malice rising, and poked Jialan’s forehead with her finger. “Quit pretending. You pretend and...”
Unexpectedly, Xilan grabbed her finger, nearly bending it.
“In front of Simo Tu-sama, only I can be arrogant, understand? Also, Simo Tu-sama is asking questions. Why are you interrupting? No manners at all. How did you get so big without learning workplace rules?”
Yun Ke’s face turned green in an instant.
You really have the nerve to say that!
You, who only flatters and sneers, can’t even hold a single job and you lecture me about workplace rules!
When I was working, you didn’t even know where you were rolling around!
But once she glanced at Simo Tu, she swallowed her retort and anger.
She lowered her head in forced submission, silent.
Shan Lan chuckled.
Xilan cared most about hierarchy and status.
She of course would not be polite to someone beneath her or show them respect.
But Yun Ke was different. Yun Ke had seniority and a position Xilan didn’t.
As vice president, Jialan could take insults from Xilan while relying on Simo Tu.
But if Yun Ke dared that, she’d be the one getting scolded.
Because that would be a challenge to Xilan’s standing.
Simo Tu obviously only needed one good dog — if you wag your tail to Xilan in front of her, that’s courting death.
That’s why Jialan dared to look down on Yun Ke in this situation.
Little girl, you’re still naive about human world politics. Learn slowly.
“Dream Cores are generally useless. Even if you collect them, they vanish quickly. But a person from an old world suddenly appeared claiming they could use Dream Cores to create Full Bloom.”
Xilan and Yun Ke both shot upright.
Only Simo Tu’s expression didn’t change.
Well, mostly because the Calamity Dragon’s current state made his face expressionless anyway.
“The Disaster Control Bureau somehow learned of this and contacted me.”
Xilan frowned. “The Disaster Control Bureau?”
Jialan, seeing the situation calm, sat down. “Yes, the Disaster Control Bureau. We don’t know how they obtained the info, but they found me and asked me to approach those old-world people and hand over the Dream Cores.”
“That’s betrayal, Jialan.”
“It was cooperation. The Disaster Control Bureau is interested in a new method of Full Bloom, and so are we.”
As she spoke, a nearby building suddenly collapsed with a rumble, sending up a cloud of dust.
Everyone looked toward Simo Tu.
After that intense battle, most of the damage had come from him.
Luckily Jialan had lost quickly; most of the destruction was concentrated around the lakeside grand park, where Jialan had leapt to confront Simo Tu’s transformed building.
Other buildings suffered less damage; the collapsed one now was a different tower.
“What I want is the Dream Core’s location.”
The Calamity Dragon’s voice was muffled. “I’m not interested in what they plan to do with Dream Cores.”
“Give me the coordinates of the old world that stole the Dream Core.”
“I only have the coordinates for their mirror-space passages.”
Currently the spatial tracking was basically Mirror Kingdom technology. Jiang Si glanced at the coordinates, then flicked his tail and took off.
Though he couldn’t interpret them, if he sent the coordinates to Bingtang, she would tell him where to go.
The Azure Cloud Sect already possessed substantial Mirror Kingdom intel; there was no need to worry.
He only had to charge forward.
Xilan immediately hugged a dragon leg. “Boss! I want to go with you! I swear to follow Simo Tu-sama to the death!”
Jiang Si ignored her and let her cling to his leg as he flew into the sky.
But before they were halfway up, shouts sounded all around:
“Found it! Here!”
Colorful magic lights blossomed from all directions!
Xilan gaped at the gorgeous magical lights rising around them, spreading across the night sky in an instant until it was full.
They were all Magical Girls!
“South China’s Magical Girls are really united.”
Below, Jialan murmured.
Yun Ke’s face was iron-gray.
Now she didn’t dare cling to Xilan’s leg the way Xilan embraced Simo Tu — with so many Magical Girls targeting Simo Tu, charging up there would be suicide.
But could they run away?
Yun Ke glanced back.
Behind them were also countless Magical Girls!
There were simply too many South China Magical Girls!
Especially after the competition had just finished; likely most Magical Girls from nearby cities were present.
Those Magical Girls formed a brilliance like stars in the night, densely surrounding the entire Guangzhou.
When the various radiances of mana covered Guangzhou, all the Magical Girls saw the city’s miserable state
and their expressions turned to anger and fervor.
“How dare they treat Guangzhou like this!”
“We will never let you go!”
“Die, Disaster Beast!”
With the sounds of cards being inserted, the mana of thousands of Magical Girls nearly fused into one!
Mana resonance.
In disaster-prone South China the Magical Girls understood their individual limits.
No matter how hard they fought, personal power had its ceiling.
So they needed everyone’s strength.
When everyone’s resolve resonated and their desire to protect South China merged,
personal realities would undergo intense synchronization!
Finally, they reached a state of mana resonance.
Over a thousand Magical Girls resonating — in raw magical power it far exceeded Peak Blooming; even an S-level Disaster Beast could be shaken!
One Magical Girl absorbed all that mana and inserted a card.
[Stellar Mark Descends: Eternal Ring of the Sevenfold Star Crown.]
Seven beams of starlight suddenly fell from the sky, covering the Calamity Dragon!
Jiang Si felt an immobility he had trouble overcoming.
Even opening his wings was difficult, and Xilan, clinging to his leg, nearly tumbled off.
Jiang Si’s dragon claws automatically grabbed Xilan.
The seven beams not only bound his body, they also suppressed the Polluted Magic inside him.
If Xilan didn’t transform she’d fall and either die or be left catatonic and captured by the Disaster Control Bureau, and rescuing her would be troublesome.
Jiang Si flapped his wings again.
Like chains, the starry light prison began to fracture inch by inch within a fearsome black aura!
He increased his Polluted Magic to its limit to smash through the starry light cage head-on.
“It’s trying to break free!”
“Seal it!”
[Stellar Mark Descends: Gate of Hell.]
A hand burst from the ground and grabbed the dragon’s rear claw!
It tried to pull him down into the earth!
The Calamity Dragon even sensed peril.
He looked down: the hand did not come from the soil but from a magic circle — Magical Girls could use such eerie magic too.
As the rear claw was seized, the starry light cage closed again.
Both the giant hand and the starry prison, wielding mana above Peak Blooming, actually affected the Calamity Dragon, trapping it for the moment.
As the dragon tried to rise,
the magic circle below transformed into a massive portal.
Before the Calamity Dragon reacted, the portal opened and swiftly swept it upward, swallowing the dragon whole!
Yun Ke’s mouth hung open.
Wait, isn’t the Gate of Hell supposed to pull others in? Why is it flying up and eating people itself!
And so fast — who could dodge that!
As the Gate of Hell suddenly closed, Yun Ke hadn’t finished panicking when a shrill chorus sounded nearby:
“Aaah! Magical Girls are strongest! Magical Girls are the best!”
“My car! My house I just bought, boohoo...”
“There’s insurance compensation, don’t be afraid, the Disaster Control Bureau won’t abandon Guangzhou!”
“Ting, that Disaster Beast just used the chance when the Magical Girls weren’t bullying us to get struck down — good riddance!”
Yun Ke nearly sat down in fright; she scanned around.
Guangzhou, which had been silent like a grave, suddenly swelled with residents.
People in South China had grown accustomed to disasters.
When danger approached they kept silent in Safe Rooms until Magical Girls arrived.
Sometimes they wouldn’t even come out when a Magical Girl arrived, because Magical Girls could fail.
So people only acted after seeing the Magical Girls win.
Now that thousands of Magical Girls had sealed the Calamity Dragon into the Gate of Hell, it couldn’t come back out.
In other words, the Magical Girls had won.
Many residents excitedly waved at the Magical Girls.
“Stop staring.”
While Yun Ke was dazed, Jialan grabbed her collar. “Time to run.”
Jialan looked at the thousand Magical Girls overhead and frowned as a few began to notice their location.
Simo Tu, you amateur!
You spin tops like a pro when fighting me, but as soon as outside Magical Girls show up, you’re sealed in under ten minutes.
Though South China’s mana resonance is truly hard to deal with, that’s not why you lost so badly!
At least have some dignity!
“Thanks everyone for your support and cheers. But the danger is not yet over. Please return to the Safe Rooms in an orderly fashion and wait for Disaster Control Bureau rescue. Please be careful...”
While the lead black-clad Magical Girl who had used resonance to seal the Calamity Dragon urged people to return,
a low murmur suddenly spread into everyone’s ears.
“Second bloodburst.”
The Gate of Hell, which had been waning, suddenly reappeared!
The black-clad Magical Girl’s pupils constricted. “Reinforce—”
Before she finished, a thick golden radiance poured from the Gate’s crack!
The gold soaked the Gate, turning the pitch-black, evil Gate to a shining gold, like a gate to some paradise!
The Gate of Hell had once been an ability of an S-level Disaster Beast; beyond it lay a corrupt space created by that S-level beast.
This move was one of the last trump cards South China’s Magical Girls inherited — the kind of ultimate ace that made any old world tremble!
Now the once-unfailing Gate of Hell was not only sanctified in gleaming gold but riddled with cracks!
Just as the black-clad girl tried to again draw resonance mana and use a card,
a magnificent Golden Calamity Dragon King blasted out from the Gate of Hell!
The Calamity Dragon returned to the world, like a true Lord of Hell!
The immense dragon’s every scale shone golden, radiating light; even its pupils burned like molten red gold!
Flying into the sky it resembled a golden sun!
All the Magical Girls’ starlike mana paled in comparison.
The dazzling sun outshone the countless stars!
As the golden sun continued to expand, the boundless night brightened.
All of South China was suddenly as bright as daytime!
But the black-clad Magical Girl refused to give up, shouting to steady the shaken Magical Girls: “Everyone, don’t panic, resonance!”
Then fine golden flecks began to fall from the sky.
The still-resonating Magical Girls looked up in confusion.
The golden flecks landed on each Magical Girl like stardust.
Accompanied by a deep roar that wiped across South China from the Golden Calamity Dragon King,
every Magical Girl’s magical outfit instantly exploded!
Like a hundred-day firecracker display, thousands of Magical Girls burst outward in showers of colored sparks.
The sky was filled with continuous explosions and cries from the Magical Girls, shrouding Guangzhou!
Residents who had been cheering stiffened. Some smiles froze as they watched many Magical Girls plummet like dumplings from the sky.
After hitting the ground, their transformations were completely undone.
Some even fell into the lake, struggling and nearly drowning.
If not for nearby Magical Girls, many would have died.
The expressions on everyone’s faces shifted from joyous marvel to terror and despair in under half a minute, as the sunlike Golden Calamity Dragon King reared up and roared down.
Everyone except the Magical Girls was frightened into collapse.
Some people started crying, some wet themselves on the spot.
The Golden Calamity Dragon King descended slightly as if to continue destroying Guangzhou.
Then a girl in a black school uniform stood on a high rooftop.
Yun Ke had seen clearly — this black-uniformed girl had led the mana resonance before but could no longer transform. Facing the terrifying Golden Calamity Dragon King, she stood on the rooftop with her arms spread as if to shield everyone behind her.
She stared at the Golden Calamity Dragon King with a serious face:
“You are not allowed to bully everyone!”
The Golden Calamity Dragon King lowered its head; its massive pupil, like a moon, fixed on her, and it let out a roar that nearly blew her away!
The girl clutched the railing to avoid being blown off.
A normal girl in transformation cooldown, even without mana, how could she stand before the Golden Calamity Dragon King!
Yet the black-uniform girl then stooped to pick up a stone.
She hurled it straight at the dragon’s pupil!
Of course it did nothing — the pebble turned to dust on the pupil.
Yun Ke and Jialan gaped.
Whose Magical Girl is this? So reckless with her life?
The girl picked up another stone. “Go away! If you don’t, I’ll keep throwing at you!”
Guangzhou fell into dead silence.
Everyone watched the giant Golden Calamity Dragon King and the girl who refused to retreat, half terrified and half astonished.
The Dragon King inhaled and snorted; the black-clad girl was tossed aside, rolling in a somersault.
She fell hard.
As an untrained ordinary girl, that tumble was severe — her leg might even be broken.
Yet she didn’t scream; she forced herself up, clutching her pathetic little stones and stared at the Golden Calamity Dragon King.
“I—I really threw it!”
Her voice trembled, but she threw the stone with all her might.
A heavy chill seized everyone’s hearts.
The Golden Calamity Dragon King would surely kill her!
But the monstrous Golden Calamity Dragon King actually drew back a little,
dodging the pebble.
The black-uniform girl trembled all over, too afraid to throw another stone yet unwilling to retreat, staring up at the calamity that could crush her.
Trying to keep a brave, intimidating posture, but her pupils betrayed a hint of timidity.
“S-sorry.”
She still apologized.
“But I really can’t let you hurt everyone...”
Then the Golden Calamity Dragon King slowly retreated
and turned to fly away.
The girl in the black uniform stood there, trembling, clutching her stones until the dragon was out of sight, then collapsed to the ground and gasped for breath.
She turned her face, drenched in sweat, looked at the dead-quiet crowd below, and forced a smile:
“E-everyone, it’s okay now.”
“Woooooo!” When the Magical Girls announced safety, people finally drew long breaths and some even shouted at the top of their lungs, filled with relief and joy at surviving.
This time, it was the Magical Girls’ victory!
Probably.
“Wait, what about me?”
Amid the cheering, Yun Ke, alone, watched the Magical Girls around her regain their transformations and began to cry.
“Simo Tu-sama, come back! I haven’t boarded yet!”