Silence.
Alone, she sat atop the ruined King’s Throne, the world already burned to ashes.
Xing Luo stared at her own hands in terror. When she came back to her senses, she realized she had already destroyed this world.
“What… have I done!?”
She looked around in panic. Blood gathered into rivers, monstrous beasts gnawed at the corpses of the dead, flames raged atop the ruins, and the whole scene was lifeless and bleak.
Slaughter in the name of justice spared neither rich nor poor, neither strong nor weak; it was nothing but equal destruction—this power brought only evil.
Could it be that she was truly the evil one they called the Witch of All Evil?
Xing Luo collapsed from the King’s Throne onto her knees, her sins already overwhelming her. Without a doubt, she was the Demon of Destruction, the Oathbreaker who had betrayed her original intentions.
“I am guilty. Being a magical girl is my original sin…”
She approached a massive cross—this cross was actually an enlarged version of Qixing’s cross necklace.
She knelt before the cross, praying for God’s forgiveness.
No matter how hard she prayed, the mysterious girl who was called “God” by Xinyu in her earlier dream did not appear.
Her voice vanished into the endless darkness. No one would hear her confession.
“Please… someone save me…”
Emptiness. Loneliness. In this dead, silent world, she was left completely alone.
“Stand up, there is no need to kneel.”
Xing Luo looked up and saw a kindly nun.
“God is right here. He is in the deepest dreams of every magical girl; every dream is a revelation He bestows upon us.” The nun made the sign of the cross towards the cross.
“He is the God of us magical girls, and He will bring us Salvation. When He descends to the mortal world, all suffering will disappear, and our magical girls’ original sins will be erased.”
The nun took Xing Luo’s hand and lifted her from the bloodstained ground.
“No matter how great your sins, as long as you confess to the God of magical girls, you can receive Salvation. Come, pray with me.”
Xing Luo was silent. Now, aside from praying as the nun said, there was nothing else she could do.
Word by word, the nun prayed devoutly, asking the God for blessings. Xing Luo followed her, imitating her prayers.
Will this really set me free from my sins? Xing Luo wondered.
The world she had once destroyed began to flourish again beneath Xing Luo’s prayers.
The sun rose, illuminating the scorched earth filled with ruins.
Vines curled around the shattered walls, and the corpses turned into nourishment for the land, making flowers bloom once more among the rubble.
“So this is the Salvation brought by confession to the God…”
She looked around, and the nun had already vanished.
Could she have been a Messenger of God?
Xing Luo felt joy; she had been recognized by the God, and her sins had been erased…
But still, it was so lonely.
No matter how lush and green this land became, not a single human remained with whom she could speak. It felt as though something was missing.
Xing Luo wandered aimlessly.
She picked fragrant flowers at random, and with a thought, she could turn them into garlands and wear them atop her head.
She walked along a path paved with smooth flagstones, dense forests lining either side. Strange, mysterious creatures flitted among the trees—fantastical beings Xing Luo had never seen before.
There were also animals she recognized: birds soaring through the sky, perching in the woods and singing joyfully.
She came upon a stone tablet standing in the grass, with words she could understand carved upon it:
“Only by holding reverence for God in your heart and actively taking responsibility for the sins of reality, can you leave the illusion and step toward the true paradise.”
Xing Luo looked at the inscription in confusion: “Isn’t this reality? It’s so beautiful…”
The fragrance of the flowers, the feel of the earth, the song of the birds—everything was so real it made her never want to leave.
“No, this isn’t a dream, this is reality!” Xing Luo said angrily.
With a snap of her fingers, she destroyed the stone tablet before her.
As long as she erased anything discordant, nothing could interfere with this perfect Utopia.
How wonderful it was here… no biting cold, no scheming hearts, no cruel death, only the eternal scent of lilies.
But… where did those distant, painful memories come from?
“God, can you answer my questions?”
There was no answer, and Xing Luo could only give up on questioning the God.
Xing Luo continued her journey, walking far and wide. Every time she reached the edge of her vision, she discovered new, unseen wonders, immersing herself in them.
Each time she arrived in a new place, she would pause briefly to savor the fragrance of the flowers there.
Sparrows would alight on her shoulders to rest, the breeze would lift the hem of her splendid dress, and the sunlight would bestow a golden halo upon her.
“Perhaps I don’t need anyone else’s company. This world is perfect—even if there are some flaws, I can fix them myself.”
Xing Luo raised her hand and, with her power, built a magnificent palace that rose up in an open field.
Step by step, she entered the palace adorned with stars. In the center of the grand hall stood a brand-new King’s Throne.
Just like that, sitting upon the new throne, Xing Luo declared herself the ruler of this empty world.
“But still, something is missing… Is there something I’m supposed to do?”
[Seek the truth, pursue justice.]
These words appeared before her eyes.
“The truth? Justice? Don’t I already possess them? I have already destroyed everything—my own sins, and even justice itself. Isn’t this the truth…”
[You are a magical girl, do not forget.]
“I am… a magical girl? No, magical girls bear original sin, but I have already erased my sins. I am no longer a magical girl.”
[Do you still remember your real name? Yang Nini!]
“My name? Isn’t it just Xing Luo? Yang Nini… who is that?”
[You have not committed any sin, and you need not seek Salvation! Don’t run away, come back just as you are!]
“No… No, I am guilty, but my sins have already been taken by the God…”
Xing Luo fell into deep doubt.
“Do I really belong here?”
Unseen corners of the dream began to collapse, falling into the abyss of her consciousness.
[Xing Luo! Wake up! Don’t lose yourself in your dream!]
“Who are you?”
When she looked up again, all around her, save for the small patch of land beneath her, had been devoured by deep darkness.
She had lost everything in this Utopia, left only with a lonely throne.
“It’s so dark, so lonely… Who will take me away… Or maybe this is where I belong? Maybe this darkness is my true home…”
She lowered her head, unwilling to look at the crumbling dream. She wanted to fall into sleep and ignore this world forever.
A pair of hands gently lifted her head.
A girl stood before her, gazing at her with gentle eyes.
The girl firmly grasped Xing Luo’s bewildered hand and pulled her from the dream.
“Qixing… Sister?”
Xing Luo’s slumbering memories were awakened by Qixing’s touch.
“Are you here to save me…”
Qixing held her tightly, embracing her in her arms.
“I don’t want to lose anyone ever again.” Qixing said firmly.
Xing Luo hugged her tightly in return.
“Give all your false guilt to me. You will always be free!”
Yan Dong was dead.
In the final moments of her life, Qixing stayed by her side.
Pushing the wheelchair, Qixing brought her to the highest seat in the Songcheng Assembly Hall.
“Ah, I really miss the first time I stood here.” Yan Dong said wistfully.
“From now on, it’ll be me standing here, Lady Yan Dong. I will carry on your will.”
Qixing looked at the empty hall, imagining it filled with a sea of people.
“Haha… hahaha!” For some reason, Yan Dong began to laugh.
“Lady Yan Dong?”
“You… come closer.”
Qixing knelt down beside her.
“I entrust everything to you… Qixing, you must shoulder not only responsibility, but also the guilt behind it.”
Qixing pondered deeply on the meaning behind Yan Dong’s words.
“You must think not only of your magical girl sisters, but also of humanity’s future. Sometimes, for that goal, you must bear… necessary evil—for the sake of those who shouldn’t have to bear it, so that they may live freely.”
Once more, Yan Dong traced characters onto her palm.
Qixing used all her strength to understand, in these final moments before death—this was the last message left by Yan Dong’s life.
At last, she understood what she was writing. She wrote:
“I love you.”
“All necessary evils—let me bear them alone!”
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