Tang Mo, who was diving downward, twitched her brows, then clenched her fists tightly.
Luo Linglan had also slipped out of control.
Heading over now would mean facing a one-on-four situation.
The odds of winning would be almost zero, but fortunately, there was still a chance.
Following the coordinates provided by Tang Nai, Tang Mo continued swimming through the depths, heading toward Su Mu’s dream.
Right now, the Witch wasn’t inside the dream.
If she could seize the opportunity to occupy it now, perhaps she could turn the situation around.
As for why Tang Nai had given her those coordinates…
She didn’t understand.
Maybe that person had, for the first time in ages, regained a shred of humanity, finally realizing just how mad her actions were?
But at this point, there was no other choice.
Tang Mo didn’t consider herself a good person, but she couldn’t just stand by and watch the brewing Witch disaster unfold—after all, she was trapped in the midst of it herself.
The Witch’s out-of-control authority would sweep through dreams like a restless flock of crows, scattering countless seeds of corruption, spreading like a plague into every corner.
Ordinary people who had never been touched by magic were powerless to resist such corruption; often, they became puppets enslaved by the Witch while they slept.
Those with strong willpower or latent potential would, carrying the seeds, walk another path—becoming Familiars.
The first batch of elder Familiars to be transformed were especially powerful; some even developed the ability to create their own subordinates.
Yet the cost of such power was a permanent, crippling dependence on Dark Magic Power.
Their insatiable predation eventually made them the first targets to be slain by Magical Girls—none survived to this day.
As for the relatively lucky ones, they were their descendants and vassals.
As the saying goes, my vassal’s vassal is not my vassal.
These vassals could almost escape the Witch’s influence, enjoying all the benefits that came with great power.
They styled themselves as extraordinary, but there was another, far more familiar title for them—Strange Person.
No matter what choices the Strange Persons made after advancing to B-rank, they had all been beasts chasing after Dark Magic Power at the start.
The terror and slaughter they brought could never be forgotten.
The Witch’s puppets, Familiars, and Strange Persons would suddenly appear all over the world after a single night’s sleep, harvesting the lives of those lost in peaceful dreams, causing tens of thousands of deaths and injuries.
By coincidence, in that era of rampant Witches, the strongest Familiar bore the surname Tang.
The descendants inherited this surname, inherited this bloodline, and naturally became the most powerful group of Strange Persons.
Of course, now they were no longer Strange Persons, but combatants who had once fought side-by-side with Magical Girls—extraordinaries charged with protecting the world and maintaining order.
They were responsible for keeping the Strange Persons in check, working together with Magical Girls…
Heh. That kind of pretentious talk could go to hell.
Tang Mo couldn’t utter such grand and dignified phrases, because she knew she hadn’t paid any price for these gains—every “extraordinary” was the same.
All the painful costs had been borne by the Magical Girls.
Then, the remaining Magical Girls would embark again on the cycle of corruption and destruction, while the extraordinary ones only needed to watch out for new Strange Persons emerging from the next Witch disaster.
There were already plenty of vested interests.
The world was only so big; there was no need for more people to share the spoils.
Still, Tang Mo wasn’t going to stop Irina out of this sort of thinking.
Her decision was, more than anything, because of Tang Nai.
Tang Nai was a Magical Girl.
That was the reason Magical Girls still had a voice in this day and age.
Of course, it wasn’t because her siblings and sisters were sentimental, but because her power made them afraid.
Was Tang Mo afraid of Tang Nai?
Maybe, but there were more tangled feelings than that—especially the lingering threads of kinship.
Before Tang Nai lost her emotions, their relationship hadn’t deteriorated to this degree.
Now, Tang Nai’s closeness just made her feel disgusted, because it was fake and forced—a puppet in Tang Nai’s skin, mimicking the “big sister” role from memory.
But when she found out Tang Nai had really managed to create a Witch, she instantly panicked.
Could it be that even that person’s last line had been crossed completely?
She couldn’t figure it out, but Tang Mo knew she had to stop Irina’s growth.
‘A Witch this strong was likely just a step away from losing control—there was no time left to hesitate.’
As she pondered, Tang Mo’s figure had already appeared on the threshold of Su Mu’s dream.
The fragile door of the rented room couldn’t possibly block her advance, yet the thin barrier somehow kept her from sensing what was inside the dream.
If she pushed open the door at that moment, she would see a childish-looking Su Mu, exhausted and resting on the bed.
But just as she was about to activate her magic, a hand suddenly landed on her shoulder.
With a shudder, Tang Mo turned back in shock.
It had been so long since anyone had gotten this close to her without her noticing, she was instantly filled with overwhelming anxiety.
“Who?”
In her mind, only Tang Nai could possibly do this.
But when she turned her head, she saw an unfamiliar woman with pink hair.
Well, not exactly unfamiliar—she had seen a very similar face before.
The same delicateness, the same softness, the same tempting charm.
The only difference was the calm, restrained aura about her.
Clearly, the woman before her was no longer a girl, but she was definitely related to Su Mu.
“Who are you?”
Tang Mo shook the woman’s hand off as if struck by lightning, warily backing away.
She absolutely didn’t dare underestimate anyone who could approach her so easily, nor did she dare attack recklessly.
But just as she was about to sense the woman’s magic, something even more incomprehensible happened.
She was clearly in a dream, yet she couldn’t feel any magic or authority at all—as if she were back at fifteen, before she awakened her abilities, turned once again into the most ordinary girl imaginable.
“My name is Su Ya, I am Su Mu’s mother. You’re looking for her, right? But she’s not available right now. How about I take you somewhere else for a while?”
Tang Mo was still trapped in the terror of losing her powers.
Before she could refuse, Su Ya had already grasped her wrist, cutting off any chance of escape.
“You know Su Mu, don’t you? Sorry to invite you along like this, but I can sense your hostility toward her—so let’s have a chat. I won’t hurt you.”
***
“How did it go?”
“It’s done, perfectly done.”
Lando grinned widely, baring her teeth, and shoved Luo Linglan into Ning Xi’s arms.
Then she ran toward Irina with eyes shining, like a little dog hoping for praise.
Irina raised an eyebrow as she looked at Lando.
‘Why do I get the feeling that what this little loli wants isn’t praise, but a pat on the head?’