Starting with magical girls, I'll reign supreme for eternity.

Chapter 97 This moment is the time of death
There are no magical girls in this world.

An Shiyu knew about this when she was very young.

Because when she was in Beihai, no matter how many times she prayed, her illness never improved.

Her presence never seemed to bring any happiness or joy.

Magical girl anime was popular in Beihai for a period of time.

A miracle that can grant any wish, a hero who can save everyone.

However, that was fake.

She decided she would never believe in magical girls again.

She was six years old that year.

Until she left Beihai, she had never heard of or seen any real magical girl.

To seek treatment for her illness, her parents took a bus from Beihai to Hulin City.

Then they were involved in a terrible car accident on the road.

That car accident killed many people.

An Shiyu also lost hearing in her right ear due to the car accident, and was left with a somewhat unsightly scar on her neck.

As a result, my mother was hospitalized and became hemiplegic, and my father lost his job not long after.

The family, which was doing quite well before, suddenly found itself in dire straits.

She was still sent to the neighboring city of Hulin.

At the hospital, her parents held her hands and gently told her to listen to the doctor and not to run around.

They're just going to a very far place and won't be back for a long time.

However, An Shiyu never got to see her parents again.

We waited from winter to spring, and from spring to summer.

The girl's small wish was never fulfilled.

Whether it's hoping that their illness will get better.

I still hope my parents can come back to visit me.

Unfulfilled desires will only wither away, until they are swept away by the river of time.

It became an endless despair.

Because this world is just so dull and ordinary.

An Shiyu is very lucky.

After leaving the hospital, a kind person arranged for her to enter a welfare home.

Although there were no signs of improvement in the condition, there were also no signs of it worsening.

And so the days went by, one after another.

She rarely initiates conversations with people and has never considered making friends with anyone.

Because sooner or later, I will die.

But there was a girl in the orphanage who always liked to pester her.

Because he always liked to ramble on and on, and could talk nonstop when he started, everyone at the orphanage called him Sparrow.

Sparrow was not popular in the orphanage because of her chatter; no one wanted to play with her.

Only An Shiyu wouldn't chase her away, so whenever she had free time, she would sit next to her and talk about all sorts of things.

The most talked-about topic is actually magical girls.

Magical girls are so dazzling and beautiful, like princesses.

A radiant girl, performing miracles, defeating all monsters...

She really, really loves magical girls and always fantasizes about their existence.

That was something An Shiyu had given up on long ago.

Because what she said was so annoying, An Shiyu asked her one day:

"Do you want to be a magical girl?"

Unexpectedly, the sparrow told her, "I, I can't become a magical girl."

"I'm not pretty, I'm not strong, and I'm afraid of pain and monsters..."

What monsters are there in Hulin City?
An Shiyu found it all quite amusing that Sparrow had seriously considered the matter.

If you admire that kind of person, then you must want to become that kind of person.

A dazzling magical girl who can grant other people's dreams.

She longed to become a magical girl, but felt too inferior to realize she couldn't.

Of course, An Shiyu herself had long since outgrown the days of dreaming about magical girls.

So, the boys from the orphanage, because of the sparrows, ran up to her and said, "When magical girls don't even exist."

An Shiyu just smiled.

Whether it was mocking herself or trying to attract her attention, An Shiyu didn't care about this matter anymore.

The wish she wanted to fulfill had long since vanished.

Even if a real magical girl came to her, she wouldn't know how to make a wish.

Miracles are only for those who have no desires.

Tiny and insignificant.

She simply waited quietly for her death.

Like a completely unrelated outsider, watching everything that happens in the world.

Until the world abandoned her.

She was twelve years old that year.

If possible, living a peaceful life until death would be the best thing.

However, the world never allowed her life to be too easy.

It's been like this since birth.

She had grown accustomed to the unexpected events that always occurred. The orphanage soon followed suit as well.

A group of strangers arrived, and although no one knew why, the familiar staff members were all dismissed.

They didn't know where they were taken.

The activity space was moved underground.

Then, as time went on, everyone was trapped underground and could never get out.

They were locked in the basement, with guards at the door; anyone who approached would be driven back.

Without exception, the children who wanted to venture out learned a lesson.

A child who stole a key almost opened the door and was taken to a very far place.

When she returned, she stopped speaking and just kept crying.

Since then, no one has dared to venture out again.

Not long after, the other boys were sent away one after another, and no one knew what became of them.

All those who remained were girls.

The life was bleak, filled with boring waiting and interrogation every day, as well as physical tests.

Occasionally, they would draw blood and then take me to do some activities.

An Shiyu didn't care.

For someone already waiting to die, all changes are nothing more than meaningless ripples.

But the sparrow was very scared.

She always starts crying very easily, reminiscing about the days when she was in the orphanage, when no one bothered her.

An Shiyu wasn't good at comforting people; she just stood by quietly, listening to the sparrow cry and occasionally wiping away her tears.

In fact, An Shiyu had some despicable thoughts in her heart.

Because you only feel lonely when you are waiting to die.

But in such an environment, there is a group of people who, like themselves, are waiting to die.

It makes you feel at ease.

I no longer feel lonely or afraid.

With such despicable thoughts, even if magical girls really existed, they would never appear in front of him.

Even if a miracle occurs, it would never be for oneself.

Although there are no miracles in this world.

After an unknown amount of time, a woman came into the basement.

She was a very ruthless woman named Scorpio. She liked to play chess and would often play with children. When she smiled, her eyes would narrow, like a venomous snake, as she sized them up.

Since then, life has become even more difficult.

Whether it's excessive exercise or corporal punishment without any sense of severity, it's all somewhat difficult to adapt to.

Occasionally, medications administered for medical treatment may cause some uncomfortable reactions.

An Shiyu often loses consciousness as a result.

But the food started to improve, and they also started giving out toys and snacks.

Later, a blood-red cross was drawn on everyone's forehead.

Lessons learned are often unpredictable, and reasons are hard to find.

It's probably just to keep them in a state of fear and unease.

Even An Shiyu began to feel stressed and exhausted.

However, she knew that her death was not far off, and all the pain and torment would eventually end soon.

But sparrows are not.

Every day and night, the sparrow would huddle beside her legs, clinging to An Shiyu as if she were drowning and desperately holding onto a piece of driftwood.

She cried out about her pain, lamenting that she could no longer go on.

Despite her own injuries, An Shiyu comforted her and eased her pain until she fell asleep.

The dark and hopeless life seemed to have no end in sight.

The children licked each other's wounds, persisting without knowing their purpose.

If only miracles truly existed in this world...

One day—An Shiyu didn't know which day it was.

Because she couldn't tell the time.

That day, Scorpio came in from outside. She gathered them all together and lined them up. Scorpio was a respectable person; she didn't like bullying children.

"Let's play chess, children, I want to play chess today."

They were playing Go, but few of the children knew how to play Go.

"The loser goes to the witch's laboratory on their own."

Once inside that witch's laboratory, you will be constantly corroded by something that looks like poison gas.

It's painful and agonizing; one wrong move and you could die inside.

No one is without fear.

"Cry? Crying takes time. If you're not going to hurry, then go inside."

The children in front were thrown into the witch's laboratory, and a series of shrill and piercing screams echoed from them.

All the children were shivering, and some were sobbing softly.

"next."

However, the voice ahead, like a death knell, never stopped.

The second girl seemed to know a little, but after a short while, her face turned deathly pale.

Scorpio is clearly not just good at Go; her skills are excellent.

When the last stone fell, the two girls started crying, "Give me another chance..."

"next."

They were thrown into the witch's laboratory, where even more shrill cries rang out.

An Shiyu felt that Sparrow was leaning almost entirely against her, and could no longer stand.

There are no miracles in this world.

No matter how miserable, no matter how desperate the situation.

"next."

The sound pounding in her heart made it almost impossible for An Shiyu to breathe.

She was just an observer.

As someone who is about to die, there is nothing to do but quietly wait for death.

Miracles never smiled upon her, so they won't smile upon anyone else; death and despair are equal...

"Next!"

As the sparrow was being pulled over, An Shiyu stopped it.

She took a deep, deep breath.

The sparrow, its face streaked with tears, simply gazed at her and called her name.

The world is cold and cruel; it only brings disappointment and pain.

But even so.

She also wanted to create small miracles for others.

Even if I could, I would never have it...

"Can I go first?"

Scorpio smiled and looked her over, then nodded, "Okay."

She sat by the chessboard, closed her eyes, and recalled Scorpio's moves.

An Shiyu can play Go because there are very few things she can do in a life where she is always sick.

She can only communicate and play with others by learning things that others like.

There are many elderly people playing Go in the hospital.

Although she wasn't particularly skilled, she was very good at memorizing chess scores.

What I need to do is guide the situation little by little, leading the game to the point where I just recorded the scene.

Then, through devised countermeasures, they can defeat the opponent.

The smile on Scorpio's face gradually began to disappear.

Until the very last piece, An Shiyu held it, but hesitated to put it down.

Scorpio's tightly furrowed brows relaxed slightly, and he even clapped his hands.

He praised her, saying, "It's okay, make your move. You won. You played beautifully."

An Shiyu breathed a slight sigh of relief, but also lowered her head, "Thank you, thank you, sir."

"next."

When Scorpio's subordinates were about to go and pull the sparrow, An Shiyu remained sitting there, not moving.

Scorpio tilted his head and looked at her. "What are you doing?"

"I think I'll play another game and take her place."

Holding a chess piece and gently tapping the board, Scorpio said with amusement, "Do you think you can keep winning?"

"I just want to take her place."

"Oh, so if you lose, you go to the lab and she leaves, right?"

Scorpio waved his hand.

The children who had been thrown into the witch's laboratory were dragged out and found lying on the ground, unconscious. It was unclear whether they were dead or alive. Their bodies were covered with black marks and hideous wounds.

An Shiyu trembled slightly, her hands almost unable to hold the chess pieces.

She looked back and saw that, apart from the sparrow, the other children behind her were also looking at her with fear and pleading.

A tiny hope and a tiny miracle.

But he still sat opposite Scorpio, breathing slightly labored, and said, "I want to play three more games with you."

"it is good."

Three rounds is the limit.

Aside from the game just now, she only remembered three games. After finishing those three games, she would have no more moves left.

No one can save it.

An Shiyu doesn't want to die now.

She doesn't want to die.

This game lasted longer.

In order to prevent the opponent from seeing any flaws, An Shiyu disrupted some of the chess moves in the early stages, but this caused her own memory to become distorted.

Fortunately, the final touches were successfully completed without any major incidents.

"Let the sparrow go back."

At Scorpio's command, the poor little girl was sent back.

However, before An Shiyu could catch her breath, Scorpio immediately started the next game.

Scorpio's keen insight into the game far exceeded An Shiyu's expectations. By the middle game, the opponent had already noticed something amiss and quickly began to disrupt the game's flow. In the closing stages, Scorpio repeatedly defied An Shiyu's expectations.

In the end, they only won by half a point.

"Not bad, you won again."

Scorpio smiled and lit a cigarette for himself, then waved his hand, telling another child to go back, "There's only one left."

However, An Shiyu's clothes were already soaked with sweat, and her breathing became rapid.

After the final game began, every move became extremely slow and hesitant.

When you gently place a chess piece down, there's always a sense of uncertainty about whether you can take it back.

However, Scorpio didn't wait for her to think at all. Every move he made was a heavy slam on the chessboard. Later on, just one move was enough to make An Shiyu tremble involuntarily.

Before long, the black pieces had established a decisive advantage, resembling a venomous snake that had come to life and was tightly coiled around An Shiyu on the chessboard.

He licked her pupils patiently and playfully, as if he might bite them off at any moment.

"Oh!"

More children were dragged out of the witch's laboratory, this time with limbs missing.

Blood splattered continuously as they were dragged, even splashing onto An Shiyu's body.

She held the white piece, her hand hovering in the air, trembling uncontrollably. It was the last move, a dead end, and she couldn't bring herself to place it. Her face was deathly pale, and sweat poured down her face.

"What's wrong? Can't you play a game if you haven't memorized the chess manual?" Scorpio's voice was gentle as he fiddled with the Seed of Sorrow on the blood-red cross on his forehead. "This won't do."

Miracles never happen.

Even if you give it your all, you only bring about that small miracle for someone else.

In the end, it was all in vain and worthless.

She didn't know if she felt fear or regret.

After an unknown amount of time and a long struggle, the hand that had been frozen in mid-air finally gave way.

The blood, already turning black, dripped down his fingertips, mixed with sweat, and the chess piece was about to fall onto the chessboard, which had no way forward.

Scorpio's smile grew even brighter.

The smile was immediately torn away.

There was no warning, nor was there any particularly significant commotion.

And just like that, abruptly and silently, it split in the middle.

The seed of sorrow embedded between the eyebrows fell, the jet-black seed landing on a lean, veined, jet-black palm.

As the woman fell, the boy wearing the fox mask stood opposite her, holding the bloody Seed of Lamentation in his hand. He struck the weak point of the black pieces, instantly swallowing up a large area of ​​them.

One son slays a dragon.

Checkmate.

An Shiyu stared blankly at the chessboard, then looked up and slightly opened her mouth to look at the boy wearing the fox mask.

There are no miracles in this world.

That's how it should be, that's how it should be...

"Why don't you transform?"

It wasn't until the boy spoke that the girl looked down and realized that she was unknowingly holding a green seed in her hand.

She held the seeds, sobbing uncontrollably.

That was the first time a miracle had smiled upon An Shiyu.

She was just fourteen years old that day.

She became a magical girl.

(End of this chapter)