“I think it’s quite suitable,” Tang Nai said with a casual shrug before continuing her explanation.
“Originally, this process is very troublesome. To construct such a filtration system, one must deploy a sufficiently precise filter web. This not only consumes a large amount of Magic Power but is also difficult to reuse. Considering the filtration must be repeated at least dozens of times, the Magic Power I have on hand would certainly be insufficient to support it.”
“So you’re going to say ‘but’?” Su Mu asked, raising an eyebrow.
“Exactly. But my annoying younger sister has a very useful Authority, and she thoughtfully sent you back. This means we can reuse the same filter layer.”
Su Mu’s brows furrowed, her expression clouded with worry; she didn’t understand at all.
“Haven’t you realized it yet? Because her plan failed, she won’t stay long. She will return as soon as possible to avoid the erosion of her Authority. But you are different. If you don’t return to the future and continue living on this timeline, you will meet her again once you reach the point in time when you were sent away.”
In other words, Tang Mo would unknowingly send Su Mu back time and time again.
“That sounds ridiculous. Won’t she feel like something’s wrong? Besides, there’s no reason for her to send me back at all,” Su Mu said, curling her lip in doubt.
“Because she wants to rewrite parts of the past—your past. However, people from the future cannot interfere with the causality of those in the past. So, she pulled a trick and sent you back with her. That way, she could lay her hands on you.”
“Yet you remain completely unaffected. That has to do with you personally… I can only say it’s related to your Authority, but as for the specifics, even I don’t know. I imagine you must be curious—if you’re acting so recklessly, why can I interfere? Me? Really?”
Tang Nai lightly tapped Su Mu’s forehead, and the latter clutched her head, feeling a bit dazed.
“Furthermore, I will be much stronger than you. I’m not saying this to make you feel belittled; I just want to comfort you a little.”
“What kind of comfort is that!” Su Mu grumbled playfully, only to be met with a light tap on the head from Tang Nai.
“Don’t make a fuss. I can do this to a certain extent too. Don’t forget, the stronger the Authority, the more severe the backlash.”
“Oh… I haven’t felt anything,” Su Mu said, her eyes drifting as she tried to remember, only to be tapped by Tang Nai again.
“That’s not something for a C-rank like you to worry about right now. If you can successfully complete the filtration, then you won’t need to worry about the issues with your Authority.”
Tang Nai seemed to think of something.
Her grey eyes became ethereal, faintly reflecting a hint of longing.
“Just tell me what I need to do,” Su Mu said, sticking her tongue out.
For some reason, she felt that Tang Nai’s earlier attempts to make her relax were actually working.
This should have been a very stressful topic to discuss, but she didn’t feel nervous at all.
“It’s simple. First, you reach B-rank and awaken a portion of your Authority. Then, we can separate the pure parts of you from the dark parts. We will create one Witch Irina and one Magical Girl Su Mu.”
Tang Nai gestured with her slender fingers.
At that moment, Su Mu finally understood.
“Magical Girl Su Mu stays on the surface, constantly being sent back to the past, losing her memories, and gaining a new life. Meanwhile, every time Witch Irina reaches the end, she merges with the previous Irina. The version of her you saw has likely gone through this many times already.”
“Then… if I succeed, what happens to Irina?” Su Mu’s voice grew heavy, her words tinged with worry.
“She will probably fall into corruption very quickly,” Tang Nai replied after a moment of silence.
“I don’t want that.” Su Mu lowered her head, her face sinking into the shadows as she stared blankly at her toes.
Although they looked exactly the same, they were completely different inside.
Yet to Su Mu, Irina had always been an incredibly important person—someone who mattered even more than her own kin.
Irina was like her older sister, always shielding her from behind, enduring pain in her stead, and solving her problems.
She was like an omnipotent Doraemon, but far more empathetic.
Su Mu had always been curious about what kind of person Irina really was, or rather, what kind of person her other self was.
She had long since harbored her own guesses, but at this moment, she only felt a suffocating tightness in her chest.
‘You call her a witch, but she is clearly such a good person…’
As the mysterious veil surrounding Irina was stripped away, Su Mu felt an unbearable ache in her heart.
“I understand your reluctance, but it’s obvious you’ve already reached the final step of the plan.” Tang Nai spread her hands, looking quite helpless.
“Every previous version of you chose separation before the filtration was complete. Yet you are refusing. This means a turning point has arrived. You are likely just one step away from the goal.”
“I suspect the past versions of her weren’t as lucky as you—she didn’t get to cause a stir online. The Combat Division has always kept an eye on similar matters. The reason you’ve succeeded so smoothly this time is because I looked after you in advance. As for her, I’m afraid things were very difficult… In the worst-case scenario, she might not have even had a choice. To survive, she might have had to hurt anyone.”
Tang Nai paused before adding, “For most Strange People, this is unavoidable.”
Not to mention, Ye Wanqing had once said that Irina was a famous Great Witch.
The Dark Magic Power surging within her was like an ocean, capable of even swallowing Edma’s Longflame.
Su Mu did not wish to dwell on the source of that power.
Su Mu remained silent, but her tightly clenched fists betrayed her inner turmoil.
Why would Irina choose separation?
Because she wanted to cut away those painful memories.
It was just like those people online who, after picking the wrong side, quickly tried to distance themselves to avoid being cursed at…
But was this the same thing?
Su Mu was gentle and sensitive; she could empathize with the grief of others.
Calling her a saint wouldn’t be an exaggeration.
After undergoing filtration many times, she had approached perfection.
If a Strange Person reached B-rank after hurting many people and then tried to cut themselves off from their past self using the excuse “I had no choice,” would Su Mu understand such a person?
The answer was a definite no.
But Irina was different.
Perhaps anyone else had the right to criticize Irina—after all, she must have hurt countless people—but Su Mu alone had no right, and she would never judge her.
It was simple: because everything Irina did, she did for Su Mu.
“You don’t need to know all that. You only need to know that whenever you need protection, just silently recite ‘I am the Genius Girl Irina’ in your heart.”
Su Mu’s head remained lowered, a profound sense of helplessness washing over her.
Her upper lip felt as heavy as if it were filled with mercury, making it impossible to speak.
Tang Nai’s tone, however, was exceptionally relaxed, as if she were an outsider—a bystander seeing clearly—offering the most rational analysis.
Perhaps she wasn’t wrong, but to Su Mu, it was nothing more than repulsive noise.
“I don’t want to.”
Hearing Su Mu repeat herself, Tang Nai fell silent for a short while.
A moment later, she composed her thoughts and spoke calmly, “I have no intention of forcing you. I only hope you understand that your refusal is a great betrayal of Irina’s efforts.”
“Heh, you make it sound so easy…” Su Mu gave a self-deprecating laugh.
Right, hadn’t Tang Nai always been like this?
Just as she said herself, she had almost no emotions left.
Besides, it was unfair to demand that others feel the same way in such matters.
Why should she make someone else carry the burden of her tragedy?
But Su Mu still felt oppressed.
Looking at Tang Nai’s face, which remained as calm as a still lake, she couldn’t help but feel a flicker of irritation and grievance.
She couldn’t convince herself no matter what.
‘Why is that?’
‘Maybe I want Tang Nai to understand me. Maybe I don’t hate her as much as I say I do. Instead, I’ve subconsciously started to see her as someone important. That’s why, at a time like this, I want her to support me.’
‘She’s also been waiting for the birth of a perfect magical girl. She needs my help to escape the troubles of her Authority. If she wasn’t lying, if she loses control, at least a lot of people will die…’
‘It’s so annoying. I just want to bury my head and not think about it. When did things become like this?’
Su Mu held her head, occasionally plucking out a few pink strands of hair that fell beside her cheeks.
Tang Nai suddenly broke the silence, “If you want to go back on your word, you can do so at any time… It’s funny. To the current me, I haven’t known you for very long, but seeing you so conflicted… never mind.”
Su Mu abruptly raised her head.
Her eyes had turned slightly red at some point.
Perhaps because the resilient parts of her had been filtered out, she was always more fragile than expected.
“Actually, I understand this dilemma better than anyone. Do you want to hear about my experience? Just take it as a bit of entertainment.”
“Yes,” Su Mu nodded.
“How should I put it…” Tang Nai tilted her head.
Even though she called it a terrible experience, there was no trace of sadness on her face.
“Simply put, my father was always the person who treated me best in the world. Even now, that hasn’t changed. For certain reasons—you know how it goes—he became very bad. He became the Demon King. Everyone wanted to kill him, but I was the only one who didn’t have the right to, because he was still my wonderful father. But in the end, I had to kill him with my own hands.”
Tang Nai’s gaze lowered.
Her silver-grey eyelashes trembled imperceptibly for an instant, like a butterfly trapped in a cocoon, making a final struggle in its dying moments.
“Since that day, I have lived in a nightmare. Every night, I dream of the moment I killed him. But if I hadn’t killed him, my seniors and my friends would have been the ones to die…”
“Hey, Su Mu, this is a predestined nightmare. All I can do is follow my intuition and walk toward one end of the nightmare or the other.”