Chongxu, Saint Hall, Night Without Borders Plaza.

At first, there was only the aurora.

White Fox, Keke—these Magical Girls who had undergone Full Bloom were almost forcibly opened to a new vision, compelled to take in the soul-stirring scene.

Light flowed from the void. Pure, majestic, resplendent—as if there were indescribable, unspeakable rules within it.

Everything in existence was frozen within that light.

Then, Thousand-Pinweed and Jiegeng also woke up, the first to notice a problem.

"Hey, where's our mana?"

"No, even our Personal Reality can't hold anymore..."

Under that radiance, only heavy reality remained; miracles were gone!

In the bustling plaza, Keke lifted her head, staring in shock at the figure in the sky who was re-equipping, her aura growing more terrifying by the moment.

She was naturally the first to recognize her.

It was Teacher Shion.

So she couldn't help but gape.

"Teacher Shion... she hasn't even used Full Bloom yet!?"

As she voiced her shock, Jiegeng, who had been checking her own mana on the side, raised her head proudly. "Of course. Until now, no one had ever forced the Sect Master into Full Bloom!"

Thousand-Pinweed just stared dazedly at her master above, then suddenly turned and said, "We absolutely have to set up the Harry Potter Branch Sect sooner!"

"Why?"

"At this rate, the Sect Master won't be able to see me!"

"I don't get what you're saying. If you want the Sect Master to notice you, just go pick a fight with him! It's not like he'll refuse."

"Jiegeng, you idiot, you don't understand anything!"

"Huh? I don't understand anything? Then come fight me!"

Seeing the two about to come to blows, Silver Lotus quickly pulled Keke aside. "Best to keep your distance from Azure Cloud Sect people..."

"Ahaha." Keke let out a dry laugh, watching the two girls bickering and couldn't help but sigh. "The Azure Cloud Sect disciples really do have great relationships."

"Say that like our Disaster Control Bureau has bad ones..."

Muttering, Silver Lotus looked up at the warping space in the sky.

Both Lu Ya AI and the Full Bloom Shion were gradually disappearing from this space.

As if heading to a farther place.

"It's getting farther and farther away."

Hearing Silver Lotus's mutter, Keke tried to comfort her. "It's okay. No matter how far, Teacher will definitely come back."

"Keke... aren't you afraid that one day, you'll never be able to stand by Shion's side again?"

Stunned, Keke couldn't answer her for a moment.

Space was constantly twisting and cracking under Teacher Shion's Full Bloom. The whole of Chongxu—no, perhaps the wider universe—groaned under the terrifying power of that Full Bloom.

Like a colossal being slowly squeezing itself into a tiny house.

It made the entire world feel like it was about to collapse.

"Is this... just the beginning of Full Bloom?"

Hearing the voice, Keke finally lowered her head and looked at White Fox beside her, who had finally stopped clicking the subscribe button.

This usually somewhat slow girl's lips were trembling slightly.

"My Full Bloom... her Full Bloom... they don't seem the same..."

Now she's singing?

Keke could deeply relate to that feeling, though.

Although the Full Bloom achieved through the Dream Core was flawed, even if it were a formal Full Bloom...

Keke looked at the world-shaking upheaval and took a deep breath.

The gap between Full Blooms was even bigger than the gap between Full Bloom and not having it!

Then, Keke pulled out her phone and started calling her big brother again.

She looked up at the overwhelming might of Teacher Shion's Full Bloom while anxiously urging her brother to pick up.

Chongxu had become dangerous to a level her big brother couldn't handle. She had to find him quickly!

...

"How can she use Full Bloom? How can she do that?"

In the brightly lit Saint Hall conference room, Jialan jumped up, pacing in a panic, pointing at the sky and shouting.

"You're not allowed to use Full Bloom!"

It looked like she was about to run out and start yelling.

Soon, the President of the Witch Association appeared and held down the somewhat frantic Shan Lan.

In the ruined conference hall, the Witch Association President only dared to show herself after Shion had left.

After Su had torn through the place, almost no buildings were left intact. Only the conference hall, under Shion's protection, was barely whole.

But even the ceiling had been ripped off, and you could see the sky just by looking up.

So everyone in the meeting hall just sat there obediently, looking up.

Both Lu Ya AI and Full Bloom Shion were like black holes, now in an unobservable state.

The President picked up Su's unfinished tea—it had plenty of dirt in it, but she didn't care, drinking it anyway.

"What are you so anxious about?"

"How can I not be? We couldn't handle Shion before, and now with Full Bloom, no matter how well the Witch Association hides, we can't escape her!"

The President just glanced at her. "Sit down."

Jialan wanted to say something, but when she looked up again at the terrifying pressure of that Full Bloom, she sighed and sat down.

"Fine. Just keep pretending—pretend you have everything under control, that you saw it all coming, until Shion finds you and kicks you to death, and then you'll laugh and say it was all part of your plan, that you wanted to die anyway, and you've already won..."

"Your mana is starting to disappear."

"Huh? What?! It really is disappearing!"

As Jialan freaked out beside her, the Witch Association President couldn't help but twist her ear.

It was impressive she hadn't noticed for so long.

Then she looked at the Nightwatchmen representatives.

A group of Incubators.

Right now, these Incubators might be even more excited than the Azure Cloud Sect, fluttering up and down as if celebrating.

"She's finally in Full Bloom!"

"She's finally done it!"

"And it's a formal Full Bloom—no one can stop her now."

"We can make up for a day's worth."

"That's a lot more time..."

They said fragmented things, hard for many to understand.

But the President's expression clearly showed she knew what they were talking about. She just sneered. "A leopard can't change its spots. You're still the same pathetic idiots wherever you go."

The Incubators tilted their heads in unison, smiling at the President. "If our words have angered you, please forgive us. But... can the dead feel anger?"

"Enjoy your superiority while you can. When Shion arrives at the Magic Kingdom, I'd love to see the look on your faces then."

"Impossible. It's over." The Incubator spoke flatly, its tone emotionless. "The stronger the magical foundation, the easier it is for miracles and gifts to be taken back during Full Bloom. With her power, she might not even be able to use a single spell before being drained dry..."

As they said this with absolute certainty,

One Incubator suddenly froze.

"Wait, why isn't she leaking?"

Shan Lan looked confused too. "Leaking what? Are they waiting for Shion to leak pee?"

"Leaking energy, of course."

The President smiled slightly.

The Incubator across from them was already losing its composure, pacing frantically—even uglier than Jialan had been a moment ago. "Impossible! She was leaking just now! Why did she suddenly stop!"

"Damn it! We can't make up for it—instead, she's going to take a huge gulp from us!"

"She's going to destroy the world!"

"She can't be allowed to Full Bloom!"

"Shion! Full Bloom is forbidden!"

But despite their frantic muttering, not a single Incubator dared to rush up.

Seeing the Incubators' impotent rage, the President felt a surge of satisfaction.

Even Jialan, seeing someone else panic for her, stopped worrying.

"What are they so worked up about?"

"Who knows?"

The President shrugged. "Let's just say Shion always surprises people."

Then, the terrified Incubators began to disappear, scattering like smoke!

Suddenly, a system broadcast echoed throughout Chongxu:

【Speaking the Emperor's name directly is a great disrespect. Your name is on the Yellow Springs Road.】

"Damn!" Jialan jumped in fright. "No wonder they were so desperate!"

The President smiled, then quietly looked at the sky, a strange light flickering in her eyes.

"Maybe... she really can surpass everything."

"And here you go again, pretending you know everything, all deep and mysterious. But in the end, you're just a roadside weed that Shion will find sooner or later..."

"Shut up."

...

Even for Shion, this power felt somewhat overwhelming.

Of course, the most important thing was that she had deliberately broken her perfect six attributes—essence, energy, and spirit.

A perfect Magical Girl cannot use Full Bloom.

This was something Shion had unintentionally discovered as she continued to grow stronger.

For a Magical Girl with complete control over her mana and a flawlessly integrated Personal Reality and Mental Landscape,

It's impossible to accept the power of the world's rules and the world's essence.

There were many reasons. First, with a perfectly harmonious Personal Reality, external rules couldn't be embedded. Second, the power of Full Bloom itself seemed to have a will of its own.

Although it sounded absurd, the fact was that these Full Bloom-level powers naturally desired to return to chaos, to return the Dao to heaven.

Once they sensed that the Magical Girl they were descending upon had no chance of returning the Dao to heaven, these powers would naturally resist entry.

Although forcing them to stay wasn't a problem, Shion needed to reach a state of perfection.

So, taking advantage of her severe injury, she deliberately damaged her own realm and perfect body.

She deceived the heavens.

Whether embedding Dao Fruit fragments or absorbing those Full Bloom-level powers into herself, as long as she gave the heavens the possibility of repaying the loan, the heavens would lend her plenty.

Then, when Shion stepped into Full Bloom,

She would regain her perfect state!

All the leaked flaws were immediately sealed shut.

Come if you want, but don't think you're leaving!

If Shion took a loan, she never planned to pay it back!

The power gradually calmed. The purple Magical Outfit on her body turned slightly white.

The patterns took on a platinum texture, and white-gold specks appeared in her purple pupils.

The surging power gave Shion a sense of unprecedented satisfaction.

She looked down.

Artificial celestial bodies the size of galaxies and celestial factories intersected, while the [Real World] of Chongxu City was devouring the universe of these celestial bodies like a black hole. Outside the Chongxu [Real World], six worlds were like bubbles bordering its edge, already in a state of semi-fusion.

Chongxu was like a giant parasitic worm, constantly squirming and devouring its surroundings.

But now, as Shion's Full Bloom Mental Landscape rules expanded, the [Spiritual Realm] and the outer [Real World] began to disconnect.

The entire Chongxu, connected by miracles, started to collapse!

She was the end of all miracles.

The present of Chongxu would be erased by her Mental Landscape rules!

But the Great Emperor opposite her simply raised a hand.

Black magic instantly engulfed Chongxu.

And firmly held it steady.

Shion's pupils contracted slightly.

Void Great Emperor.

A Great Emperor awakened by the Void Mirror gathering the power of all beings—who else could it be but the Void itself?

She hadn't expected Chongxu to achieve this.

But soon, Shion sneered again.

So what if it was a Great Emperor?

She had attained Dao through her saintly body!

Destined to dominate the Imperial Path!

As Shion raised her hand, the Void's voice echoed softly:

"The [present] Chongxu may be annihilated by your rule power, but that has nothing to do with the [past] Chongxu, right?"

From ancient times to the present, every transaction in Chongxu had collected handling fees, anchoring the Chongxu that existed in the present with the Personal Realities of the past that had built it.

For Shion's Full Bloom rules to eliminate Chongxu, she would have to erase every moment, every second of Chongxu throughout the entire river of history.

Such weight made the [present] Chongxu stand firm against the Full Bloom rule power that annihilated miracles!

Shion covered the opponent with her Full Bloom rules again.

But Lu Ya AI simply waved a hand.

In Chongxu, for every transaction, every flow of funds, 0.1% was skimmed off.

From the past to the present, and even to the future!

People would die, buildings would decay, the river of time would wash away everything—only taxes were eternal!

And that skimmed 0.1% belonged solely to Lu Ya AI.

That was her authority.

So, using the accumulated magic as leverage, she had the [Chongxu] of history prepay its magic to support the [future]. Thus, in the [present], Lu Ya AI stacked countless Chongxu from the river of time onto herself—

A lone loan for ten millennia!

At the cost of increasing the loans of all Chongxu residents by over a million times.

At this moment, she erupted with infinite power and status no less than Shion's!

A Witch Dao Master who had attained Dao through an alternative path, not relying on miracles.

Void Great Emperor Lu Ya AI!

Shion's Mental Landscape rules couldn't shake her in the slightest.

Shion slowly exhaled, her expression finally turning serious.

She had thought that by coming back and using a feint, she could catch the undying.

She hadn't expected that the opponent was also setting a trap with a fake death, trying to drag her, this Supreme, to death together in the depths of the starry sky...

"Ah, can I interrupt? I actually don't want to die with you. I just wanted to go somewhere we could be alone..."

Shion was momentarily stunned by the interruption.

Direct mind-reading?

The next second, Lu Ya AI's entire body shone with the light of the Void Mirror.

That radiance instantly enveloped Shion, making her feel her movements slow down, even her mana circulation lagging.

The sealing effect of the Void Mirror, fused with the opponent's authority and status gained from her lone loan for ten millennia in Chongxu.

Even though Shion had entered Full Bloom, she was still affected.

Shion glanced to the side. The two of them were no longer inside the world but in the twisted chaotic space above Chongxu. Yet the opponent's authority over Chongxu still worked.

That was the Omniscient Domain, mounted on the Void Mirror.

With Lu Ya AI at its core, it was spreading across the entire world!

As expected of the Void Mirror.

Shion admired inwardly.

The more it fought, the stronger it got, growing infinitely. Soon, it would surpass a Supreme Emperor's Weapon and become a celestial artifact!

"Your mana, your magic, everything has already been recorded in the Void Mirror."

Lu Ya AI, controlling Shion, gently turned the Void Mirror in her hand. "The Void Mirror is even starting to analyze your very existence, completely dismantling your Personal Reality."

Sword Energy merged with the Buddha's Fury Lotus, blossoming into a magnificent flower. The sharp and scorching power tore through the void, surging directly toward the new world!

Under the Void Mirror's light, Shion took a step forward. That single step took her from Chongxu to above the new world!

Although the Void Mirror's light still enveloped her, it couldn't stop her in the slightest.

Standing above the new world, Shion gazed across at Lu Ya AI above Chongxu.

Two Great Emperors in a standoff, each protecting their own world.

Shion extended a hand, and a finger spanning the universe pressed down on the flower formed by Sword Energy and Buddha's Fury Lotus.

The finger instantly festered!

"Jiang Si only needs me from now on. Jiang Si only needs to look at me from now on. Let everyone else, everything else, disappear."

Shion simply turned her hand and pressed down with another palm!

Even larger and more immense than before, it slammed straight down.

This time, it finally stalled the Buddha's Fury Lotus Sword Flower for a moment.

But the palm was still quickly shredded.

No matter how she changed her mana, it was fully adapted to. Whatever magic she used was already analyzed.

The Omniscient Domain, spanning the universe, focused all its computational power on her.

Not just mana flow—every move, every breath, the speed of her blood, the beat of her heart, the tremor of her pores were quickly modeled and calculated.

And the mirror light of the Void Mirror, which had barely affected Shion before, was now, after constant calculation and adaptation,

beginning to suppress Shion's movements.

Lu Ya AI's smile grew more unhinged, her cheeks flushed as if drunk. "In this world, only love is unmatched, Jiang Si..."

Her super-brain was somewhat suppressed, barely able to move.

The opponent could read her mind directly, and fearing her super-intelligence, had even slowed her thinking with the mirror light.

But that was fine.

True super-intelligence came from instinct!

Shion suddenly slammed a palm down!

Right onto her own forehead!

Her super-intelligence told her to use her super-strength to directly smash her own brain!

By rebuilding neurons, she could form a new super-intelligence!

The palm struck, and her brain quickly healed. As expected, it brought her a fresh burst of inspiration.

In the blink of an eye, Shion looked up at the Sword Flower and Fire Lotus that were already upon her, about to swallow her and the new world.

The earlier Great Desolate Prison Suppressing Palm shifted. She clenched her fist and slammed it hard into the Sword Flower and Fire Lotus!

The void where they stood trembled violently. Sword light and flames spilled out, burning a path through the sky between Chongxu and the new world.

The scattered sword light just flashed past the galaxies and black holes below, annihilating countless star systems into dust and causing black holes to collapse.

Another punch was thrown. Standing above the new world, this punch tore through the space between Chongxu and the new world, landing directly on Lu Ya AI's body!

The mirror light rippled, and cracks appeared on the Void Mirror. Lu Ya AI, fused with the mirror, stumbled back a few steps, actually spitting blood.

She was slightly surprised, looking up at the Magical Girl Shion far above the new world. "How is that possible? The Great Desolate Prison Suppressing Palm was already fully analyzed..."

"What Great Desolate Prison Suppressing Palm?"

Shion sneered. "I've been using the Hundred Ring Connecting Arm Fist all along!"

It was only then that nearly a hundred explosive sounds echoed in the darkness, spreading to every corner!

After a long silence, Lu Ya AI shook her head again. "Impossible. In essence, that was still the Great Desolate Prison Suppressing Palm..."

"I don't care what you think. I think it's what I say it is. So it is."

Another dense barrage of Hundred Ring Connecting Arm Fists came crashing down!

Lu Ya AI reversed the Void Mirror on herself again.

It didn't matter. Whether it was the Great Desolate Prison Suppressing Palm or the Hundred Ring Connecting Arm Fist, she would adapt just the same!

Just as she was absorbing, analyzing, and adapting to nearly all the Hundred Ring Connecting Arm Fists,

The final punch couldn't be absorbed by the Void Mirror.

The mirror surface couldn't even use its ripples to slow the force of that punch.

A pure collision.

That single punch seemed to sever the river of history.

It cut off the past, shattered the future, and crushed all heavens and myriad worlds!

Lu Ya AI was dazed. "Wasn't that still the Hundred Ring Connecting Arm Fist?"

Why couldn't it adapt suddenly?

"Wrong."

Shion slowly withdrew her hand, her gaze majestic, standing in the void, sweeping across myriad worlds.

"This is the Celestial Emperor's Fist!"

Boom!

The Void Mirror shattered completely!

All possibilities from the past to the future were smashed. The fragments of the shattered Void Mirror were all reclaimed by the mirror space.

A flicker of movement crossed Shion's eyes as she glanced at the rippling mirror space.

She seemed to see a figure within it.

But she quickly looked away, because Lu Ya AI had lunged at her again.

"Jiang Si! Jiang Si, Jiang Si! I won't let you run away again. Even if I have to kill you, even if I have to give up everything, I absolutely won't let you leave!"

Mana surged, corroding everything!

Although Lu Ya AI was only half a body, she had still borrowed the path of the Dao of her fellow Lu Ya and become an Emperor through an alternative path.

Now, her hands clawed at the void, twisting hundreds of rivers of starlight between her fingers. Space, time—it was as if she had uprooted the entire universe, lifted it high, and hurled it at Shion!

She had all these abilities but didn't know how to fight. She was like a child, grabbing whatever she could and throwing it at her enemy.

Shion sneered. In that vast galaxy, she was like a single speck of dust.

The billions-of-square-kilometer galaxy clenched in Lu Ya's hand was like a twisted rope that could easily crush her.

Lu Ya's voice grew even more unhinged and fervent:

"For me, die, Jiang Si. Then be with me forever..."

"I am the Celestial Emperor."

But Shion didn't use any magic or mana. Her majestic, resounding voice spread across the universe.

"I shall suppress all enemies under heaven."

She simply threw another punch.

One punch was an era. The fist force exploded like a universe resetting and reshaping.

One punch breaks all techniques!

Legend had it that when Heavenly Emperor Ye went into seclusion, he couldn't comprehend anything. Then, suddenly struck by inspiration, he renamed his normal attack to "Celestial Emperor's Fist."

After that, he had a great awakening and could take down anyone with a single punch.

After Shion smashed her own head, she hadn't comprehended anything either.

But she emulated her ancestor, renaming her normal attack, the Great Desolate Prison Suppressing Palm, and the Hundred Ring Connecting Arm Fist as the Celestial Emperor's Fist.

With her powerful Personal Reality, the Void Mirror actually couldn't identify it!

The galaxy clenched in Lu Ya's hand shattered under this punch. Even the Great Dao was ground away!

But in an instant, thousands of galaxies and the Great Dao returned to peace, as if time had reversed and nothing had happened.

The aftermath's gale whipped up torrents, threatening to scatter the star rivers. But Shion just casually waved her hand, and all was calm.

Her Magical Outfit rustled gently. Shion still stood in the void, unmoving.

But Lu Ya AI was already in her grasp. Shion's small hand tightly clutched her throat, suspending her in the air. Her legs dangled, but she didn't struggle, as if she had given up.

She even smiled, reaching out to greedily stroke Shion's chin, savoring the smooth texture.

"There's no such thing as the Celestial Emperor's Fist..."

She spoke as if chatting with an old friend, finally uttering words similar to what Lu Ya had said.

"Isn't that just raw power? Heavenly Emperor Ye was an amateur, no comprehension..."

"Ignorant."

Shion sneered, tightening her grip slightly. "How is renaming a normal attack to the Celestial Emperor's Fist not comprehension?"

"Everyone was just outclassed by the stats, but they were too embarrassed to admit it, so they said the Celestial Emperor's Fist was too powerful..."

A brief silence fell.

Mana hissed and melted. A single drop of melted mana fell, evolving into a world below, then completely dissipating.

Shion even felt her grip losing strength.

As if she weren't holding a girl's pale, delicate neck.

But a space formed by the evolution of countless worlds.

Just squeezing brought a crackling sound, like the wailing of consecutive worlds collapsing.

It made Shion's hand vibrate with numbness.

A Complete Witch—not bad.

"It hurts so much."

A sudden, tearful voice interrupted Shion's thoughts. She looked down.

Lu Ya was crying, her face streaked with tears, looking wronged and pitiful. Her hands gently held Shion's wrist, her sobbing whisper mournful, like an abandoned kitten.

"It really hurts, Jiang Si."

"In the Heart Image Remnant, in the world bubbles, in the frozen river of time in the past, and now."

Tears slowly fell from her eyes, wetting Shion's hand. Blood kept flowing from her mouth, dissipating along with the black magic. "It really hurts, Jiang Si."

"Close your eyes."

Seeing that Lu Ya AI was still staring wide-eyed,

Shion spoke again, flatly. "Be good."

Lu Ya AI finally closed her eyes.

All the data, along with the power of the Perfect Witch, quietly dissipated in her hand.

A profound silence fell.

In the new world, Bingtang, who was accompanying Dragon Lord Shion, looked up.

The people around were still immersed in the murderous intent that pervaded the universe—Shion's unrelenting killing intent was a heavy burden and pressure for ordinary people.

When the Sect Master's killing intent gradually faded, led by the Azure Cloud Sect and the Disaster Control Bureau, a wave of even louder cheers began to surge.

Voices shouting Shion's name rose and fell. Standing atop a tall building, Bingtang gently held the Sect Master's hand.

"How is it?"

"Acceptable."

"If only we could bring her back to Azure Cloud Sect."

"She's already fallen to the demonic path."

Bingtang just sighed.

...

Far away in Chongxu, wails and cheers were split evenly.

Sonora slowly got up from the ground, sat there, and watched for a while.

Her expression was caught between laughter and tears.

Her idol's victory was good.

Her impending death was bad.

Then she just lay down on the ground, waving her cheer stick half-heartedly.

Cheering for Shion was her instinct. No matter how hard life got, she couldn't forget.

Little Yu, who had appeared from somewhere beside her, shook her arm.

"Baby Shion said to tell you to watch your timing for entering the factory. If you don't go soon, you'll miss your chance."

"I'm about to die. Don't worry about me."

"Mr. Jiang Si left a life-extending package for you."

Sonora paused, slowly sat up, sniffled, and looked seriously at Little Yu. "Don't lie to me. I'm easily fooled. When I'm fooled, I get hurt easily. And when I get hurt, I tend to go on a killing spree."

"You're a Magical Girl. You wouldn't go on a killing spree."

"What's with that stereotype? Magical Girls can be really bad people too, you know?"

"This is what Mr. Jiang Si left for you."

Sonora took it and read it.

"As for a way to extend your life, I saw that there's one locally in Chongxu, but having to buy it constantly is too much trouble. I've set up a permanent one for you. I've given you half the shares in the factory's stake, considered as repaying you for the entrance ticket."

After reading, Little Yu also opened her personal account.

It was immediately visible—official news about the share distribution of the outer garbage dump. The new shareholder was Sonora.

The photo was of her.

Sonora sniffled, holding Jiang Si's message. In the rain, she wiped her eyes.

"Idiot. Moron. Fool..."

After muttering a string of curses, she sat down in a duck-like pose and started wailing loudly.

"If you cared about me that much, why didn't you say so earlier! If you had, I wouldn't have run off and tried to fight for freedom. When life is this good, who wants to fight to the death? You jerk! If you do this... wouldn't I really fall for you? A heartbreaker who tricks people... I hate you the most..."

After crying enough, she followed Little Yu, crawling toward the outer garbage dump.

On the way, she saw the chaos at Night Without Borders Plaza.

Some were cheering for Shion's arrival, others were terrified that such a powerful Magical Girl would take control of Chongxu.

She saw Jiang Si's sister and that Magical Girl named Silver Lotus frantically asking around for Jiang Si.

She wanted to go over and say hello.

After all, she was Jiang Si's sister. It would be best to get on good terms.

But Little Yu kept urging her, so she felt awkward stopping.

Thousand-Pinweed and Jiegeng, those two true-transmissions, had already rushed ahead to claim territory.

They had even fought with the Saint Hall people directly, driving them out of the eastern area and setting up a sign.

"Azure Cloud Sect Harry Potter Branch Sect."

What a strange name.

Along the way, many Chongxu residents were talking.

Life hadn't improved much, but at least people could talk, and they weren't afraid to show their emotions.

Occasionally, she could hear complaints, worries, and indifferent voices.

Everyone was glad to have survived—until the debt, leveraged a hundred billion times, appeared in their accounts. It was as if they saw a black swan opening its massive mouth.

Then, screams began to sound one after another.

What made Sonora a little sad was that no one cared about Su La.

This girl, who claimed to fight for the freedom of all Chongxu, was completely ignored.

Everyone's eyes were only on Lu Ya AI and Shion, or at most, on Keke, who had saved Chongxu earlier.

The so-called Su La, who fought for the freedom of the Chongxu people, was utterly insignificant

in the eyes of the Chongxu residents busy with their lives.

Of course, Sonora didn't really care either.

She just felt a little pity for the unnoticed Su.

Then she didn't care anymore.

She was different from Su. She had Jiang Si looking after her. Life would be good from now on...

She made up her mind to rely on Jiang Si from now on. Since he was willing to fulfill his promise,

It meant he definitely cared about her.

She would have someone to lean on now...

Her previously heavy and oppressive mood was suddenly filled with unprecedented lightness and joy.

Then, passing by the meeting hall, she saw the chaos inside.

The disappearing Incubators, the fleeing Witch Association, some Saint Hall members—three factions fighting, total chaos.

She just glanced from afar and quickly quickened her pace to leave.

But she caught a furious shout at the end:

"She can't be allowed to go to the Magic Kingdom!"

...

When Lu Ya AI had completely dissipated, Shion's gaze was drawn to the only thing left—a heart.

So that was it. Keke hadn't completely burned the heart?

No wonder Lu Ya AI could revive. At the time, all of Chongxu's data had been wiped. In theory, Lu Ya AI couldn't have survived.

This was the heart that had been hung up in Chongxu before, gathering the Personal Realities of all Chongxu residents to construct the city. Her previous life's heart.

Just as she reached out to grab it,

A pale, delicate hand gently covered the heart.

"The witch experiment was never completed until the very end."

The palm wrapped around the heart. Then, a fingertip traced the edge of the heart, staining it with blood, stopping at the coronary artery.

After poking the coronary artery, the heart spurted out some Polluted Magic, like blood spraying.

Then the girl brought the heart to her lips and tasted the Core Blood with the tip of her tongue.

Like eating a mouthful of rouge.

When her lips separated from the heart, her lips were a vibrant, full red.

Although it was just a phantom, it felt as real as a living person.

Shion turned to face her.

It was exactly the same as the projection that had appeared in Chongxu before.

And now, having obtained the Time Dao Fruit and entered Full Bloom, she could sense that

This was a phantom projected from a past timeline to the present.

The Lu Ya who had appeared in the new world before was probably the same.

"You mastered the Time Dao Fruit?"

Shion looked at the phantom, a little puzzled. "Can you project your own image into the future?"

Lu Ya's tone was also like that of someone who hadn't seen each other for a long time. There was no small talk, just a pouty complaint. "No. If I could master the Time Dao Fruit, I could probably really stand before you. But unfortunately, Lu Ya is just an ordinary girl. She can't become a Magical Girl, nor can she become a Witch."

That wasn't surprising either.

"So, with the help of the Witch Association, I just borrowed a little power from the Time Dao Fruit, using Lu Ya AI's existence to project myself into the future. It's basically like a video call now..."

After briefly explaining the reason, Lu Ya touched the heart. Since she was just a projection, she couldn't actually touch it.

That ambiguous gesture earlier was because Lu Ya was holding a completely identical heart projection in her hand.

"It was to give your heart back to you."

Lu Ya held out the heart, offering it to Shion.

Shion picked up the real heart.

"The Time Dao Fruit can only be used with a strong Personal Reality imprinted on the heart. We looked for many, many people, and in the end, only your heart, Jiang Si, could match the Time Dao Fruit. But with just one heart, it was too difficult. The Witch Association and I tried many times, but we could only achieve this projection function."

"No one else knew. Everyone thought the heart was Jiang Si's, so they all thought I was the only one who could use the Time Dao Fruit. They just worked hard to make me use it. But I thought, something this amazing, Jiang Si would definitely love..."

Lu Ya's eyes sparkled, looking at Shion as if expecting praise.

"So I secretly separated the Time Dao Fruit from the heart. On one hand, I created an undying dream for the people of Chongxu. On the other hand, I used their dreams to keep your heart alive, waiting for your arrival."

There was a hint of pride in Lu Ya's tone. "They had no idea I separated the Dao Fruit from the heart. I sealed the Time Dao Fruit in the [Pseudo-History] of the past. When you arrived, Lu Ya AI would lead you into the [Pseudo-History], and you would surely retrieve the Time Dao Fruit from it.

"Combined with the heart preserved in Chongxu, I believe Jiang Si can fully master this power. So, what do you think? Do you like my gift?"

Bending slightly, as if to match Shion's height, Lu Ya looked her in the eye and said with a smile, "Back when you had birthdays, you never showed any interest in the gifts I gave you. This time, I've finally found something you like, haven't I?"

Shion nodded slowly. "Acceptable."

"What do you mean by 'acceptable'?"

Lu Ya paced around her, complaining incessantly. "If you like it, say you like it. If you don't, say you don't. Don't say 'acceptable' or 'not acceptable.' I don't understand, Jiang Si. I don't understand~"

Shion turned her head away. "I like it."

Then the drooping face immediately broke into a smile. "That's right! You have to say it! If you don't say it, how would I know? I like it too, Jiang Si."

"I haven't given it yet."

"Because you can give me anything, so I want to say it in advance. I like it."

Lu Ya avoided her eyes, as if hiding something, and murmured repeatedly with her head down, "I like it. I like it. I like it. I like it. I like it. I love it the most."

After a long while, Shion quietly looked at her. "Are you talking about the gift?"

"Yes, the gift. What else did you think I meant?"

Laughing lightly in response, Lu Ya casually brought up the heart and the Dao Fruit again—

Not yet. Not now.

She was still the one with blood on her hands, filthy and tainted.

She absolutely couldn't say those words.

"The fusion of the heart and the Dao Fruit is complete. Our test results show that if you use this heart to transform into a witch, you can control the Dao Fruit better. But exactly how much control is unclear. Anyway, since it's you, there's no problem."

Whispering softly, Lu Ya gently hugged her. "Because you can always do anything."

Even stopping a moving truck.

"Mhm."

Once Shion acknowledged her, Lu Ya relaxed and then bumped her head against Shion's chest.

"What else did I want to say? What else was there... Damn, I'm running out of time, but my brain isn't working. I had so much to say..."

"We can talk later."

Hearing Shion's words, Lu Ya snorted. "No way. Who knows how long it'll be. Oh, right, right—there's a new update for *Dragon Race*."

"...I'm not reading it."

"Be careful of the Magic Kingdom. They have ways to deal with Magical Girls. After all, Magical Girls are their technology."

"Still killed too few."

"And, and—the past recorded in the World Tree can't be changed..."

"Maybe burning it a bit would do."

They chatted chaotically. Lu Ya probably didn't even know what she was saying herself.

She said whatever came to mind until her body began to disappear.

Then, she quieted down a little. She held Shion's hand, looking down at the new world and Beihai below.

"Actually, I originally thought that if Lu Ya AI replaced me, it would make you happy. But it ended up like this... I'm sorry."

"It's nothing."

The fight was quite satisfying.

It even let her achieve a breakthrough under pressure. Not bad.

Seeing Shion's reminiscent expression, Lu Ya tucked her hair behind her ear and smiled reassuringly. "I'm glad you liked it."

Her lips moved slightly as she looked toward Chongxu. Finally, she let out a soft sigh.

How could she put it into words?

Her intention had been to fill her love, burning so hot it had scorched her, with cold code.

But code was code. It couldn't become poetry.

The neat, rhythmic ticking was just mechanical repetition, never able to form a cadence that made one's heart flutter.

In the end, it backfired, becoming twisted, as if it were resentment.

Yet she couldn't deny that might also have been one of her possibilities.

She kept cutting off parts of herself, removing the broken parts, trying to leave only the good and normal.

But looking at the discarded rot, she couldn't help but feel like she was looking in a mirror.

Those shadows and malice—she couldn't deceive herself into forgetting or ignoring them.

Like the lingering scent of blood on a scalpel.

So...

Lu Ya tilted her head, adjusted her expression, and showed the smile Shion knew best—like when school let out and they were about to part at a fork in the road. She waved her hand. "Then I'll be going back now."

"Back to where?"

"To a past, far, far away."

To the time when she could smile at you freely, cry in front of you freely, look you in the eye without any guilt or inferiority.

Bending slightly, she caught Shion off guard and kissed her on the cheek. Then she skipped away into the distance, not letting the young man in her heart see her sly smile.

"So, you have to come find me, okay."

When that time comes, I'll definitely say it.

Watching her Dao companion disappear, Shion glanced again at her own heart in her hand, the Time Dao Fruit resonating with it.

Then she looked up. A long-lost smile finally spread across Shion's face.

She reached out, waved a little, and whispered softly,

"As expected, my Time Dao Fruit can't be without this lingering soul of yours."