“Xingyue…?”
King Jin, lying on the ground and unable to rise, smiled faintly.
There was no need to look with his eyes. Just by sensing this immense magical power that no one could replicate, he knew her identity.
The situation was finally no longer so hopeless.
Kraken questioned, “Xingyue? Rumors are spreading outside that you were captured by Herrera. People even went to confirm it with their own eyes. For you to appear here now, does it mean Herrera is one of your accomplices?”
“Accomplice is the wrong word; I was simply riding the momentum of the situation.”
Xingyue waved her hand to cast healing magic on Xingyu and the others, but this could only pull them back from the brink of death. Complete recovery was impossible.
She added, “It seems you don’t trust Herrera very much.”
“Hmph. To plot such a thing, how could we pin our hopes entirely on whether ‘someone’ will appear? Even if you have come out now, you cannot turn the tide!”
Kraken’s eyes were bloodshot. Things had reached a point where there was no turning back. If they missed this opportunity, they would never have another chance to get the box!
However, Kraken took a moment to look at the Gluttonous Colossus, its heart filled with doubt.
Even the previously valiant Gluttonous Colossus had no subsequent movements after seeing Xingyue. Otherwise, Kraken wouldn’t have bothered wasting words with her.
“Xingyue… we will cast the Zeroth-Tier Magic…”
Xingyu stumbled as she climbed up from the ground, but Xingyue rejected her.
“Your physical conditions cannot support Zeroth-Tier Magic at all. Before you can even construct it, you will collapse.”
“Then at least, you must take this thing and leave.”
The box must never fall into the hands of the enemy. Even if they all died, it would be fine as long as Xingyue alone escaped.
Xingyu firmly believed that Xingyue could do it—she absolutely would.
“…Indeed, they cannot be allowed to have it,” Xingyue whispered.
“Empty talk!”
Kraken could no longer endure. The aura of a peak Dragon-class monster crashed head-on against Xingyue, creating an immense sense of oppression.
It had to be said that she was truly the number one person among the magical girls. Facing a top-tier existence like a peak Dragon-class, she did not appear weak at all. This was something no other magical girl could achieve.
“You all join in too!” Kraken roared at the accompanying Dragon-class dimensional beasts.
The longer they stalled, the more disadvantaged they would become. If another of the Ten Seats arrived, they truly might be able to cast Zeroth-Tier Magic.
No one wanted to face Zeroth-Tier Magic.
Luminous-grade beings were the same.
That was simply not something a living creature could contend with.
Thus, the Gluttonous Colossus stopped watching. Its Luminous-grade combat power erupted. Even someone as strong as Xingyue retreated repeatedly before this overwhelming momentum.
“Kill her! Get the box!”
They were completely frantic.
Fortunately, Xingyu and the others had barely recovered some of their strength. Overtaxing their bodies, they coordinated with Xingyue to cast a large-scale linked magic. Though they were in a pathetic state, they actually managed to hold their ground for a time.
However, they still couldn’t find an opportunity to escape with the box.
Just then—
The sound of sea tides surged in the surroundings.
“Do they still have trump cards left?” A bitter smile touched the corner of Ji Yue’s mouth.
The sound of the tides this time was more urgent and more turbulent than the previous two times. The sky reflected the phantom image of the depths of the Boundary Sea. A large number of withered tree-like pilgrims vaguely emerged, and countless evil spirits lurked within. The churning waves almost condensed into solid form to wash down.
Seeing that they couldn’t quickly take down Xingyue, the person hiding behind the scenes could no longer stay hidden and finally sacrificed their greatest trump card.
Ancient Artifact Nirvana!
Like the box, it was a mysterious object originating from the Boundary Sea. It was controlled by Wansui and others who were still hiding in the shadows. Although they couldn’t unleash one hundred percent of the artifact’s power with their wisdom, it was still terrifying.
The tide was still gathering momentum, and Wansui’s questioning voice echoed from within it.
“Xingyue, why bother? A superpower poured the strength of its entire nation and failed to produce even the slightest result. Even if we get the box, we might end up like you, making no progress for a long time. It would be better to save this strength to deal with the Black Candle Colossus. It is your greatest current threat.”
Xingyue nodded, attempting to find their true location.
“I don’t plan to participate in the subjugation of the Black Candle Colossus.”
“…”
Everyone was shocked by her answer.
They all thought she was just bluffing.
Wansui went silent for a moment before voicing the doubt in his heart.
“Xingyue, you missed the Black Candle Colossus subjugation four years ago, and because of that, you lost several close companions. You also missed the recent Black Prison Colossus subjugation. Now, various places are suffering the pains of war, your comrades are being sacrificed, and the people you want to protect are dying. Yet you did not hesitate to cause a scandal about being captured by Herrera, causing the morale of the entire Magic League to plummet. You even declared you would abandon the Black Candle Colossus subjugation a second time. What exactly is your intent?”
Hearing this, Xingyu, Liyun, King Jin, and Ji Yue all looked at Xingyue.
They also wanted to know the answer.
Any magical girl in the world would want to know this answer.
The dignified First Seat, the spiritual pillar of the masses, repeatedly absent during the subjugation of great enemies—what was she trying to do?
Without knowing this answer, a weight would always remain in their hearts.
***
“Whew…”
Xingyue took a deep breath.
There was no trace of hesitation in her eyes.
“Because I know that compared to those two Luminous-grade beasts without self-awareness, you intelligent fellows are the root cause.”
“…What if we seal the Black Prison Colossus? What if we seal the Black Candle Colossus? In a few years or a decade, you will make a comeback. If I don’t lure you out to wipe you all out in one fell swoop, this world will not know a single day of peace.”
“For that, you are willing to watch your comrades be sacrificed and the people you protect die, just to hide behind the scenes and lay this trap?”
Xingyue shook her head. “It’s not a question of whether it’s worth it, but whether it should be done.”
Wansui spoke with immense sarcasm, “What a sharp-tongued magical girl. Even if you speak with such high-sounding righteousness, it doesn’t change the fact that you ignored the deaths of your comrades and the deaths of the common people. Your sophistry is useless!”
“This isn’t sophistry. It is a declaration of my determination.”
…
In Xingyue’s usually holy and bright eyes, a chilling and terrifying killing intent actually emerged. She seemed like a completely different person.
“Do you think I’ve paid such a high price just to let you leave alive?”
Kraken and the others felt an unexplainable chill in their hearts.
“What boastful talk! Although we don’t know what you’re planning, what use is it for you to come out now? Can you alone contend with so many of us?”
“Why waste more words? Kill her!”
“Waste your precious energy on us, and when the Black Candle Colossus lands, you’ll only be able to watch powerlessly as it destroys your home. This country will also face collapse! Even if you really save the box, you will be utter losers, completely confusing the fundamental with the incidental!”
Facing their rebukes, Xingyue stopped wasting words and said, “As long as I deal with you before the Black Candle Colossus lands, there is still a chance.”
The sound of the tides became deafeningly loud. The chanting of the pilgrims and the evil spirits hidden in the tide all showed their heads. The sense of horror hidden within caused even the Gluttonous Colossus to tighten its expression solemnly.
The situation was so desperate that it allowed for no hope.
“Xingyue, today, even if you have heaven-defying abilities, there is only death!”
…
The Gluttonous Colossus, Kraken, and the others launched their most violent killing strike toward Xingyue at the same time.
A more powerful lineup than this would never appear again.
Xingyue whispered softly, “It seems this is everyone… Let’s begin.”
A faint white light emerged from her right hand.
Against the collective attack of so many people, this tiny glimmer wasn’t even worth as much as a firefly’s light.
However, in an instant, the faint white light violently exploded into a brilliant radiance, displaying a power that seemed to transcend mortality. Kraken and the others, who were charging aggressively, immediately felt an instinctive shiver.
Their scalps went numb!
At that moment, the Gluttonous Colossus discovered something.
An astonishing light shot from its eyes, and it let out a world-shaking roar: “So, the one who snatched this thing from me back then was actually you!”