She was being hunted down, so she became a magical girl.

"Mom, why can we eat, but so many people in Hezhi City starve to death?"

"Honey, it's because they haven't found jobs."

Does having a job guarantee you food?

"Not everyone is like that. Some people work seven jobs at the same time and still starve to death on the assembly line."

"Then why didn't my mom, dad, or me starve to death?"

—"Because Mom and Dad are the most amazing employees of Tianyi Group. Although working at Tianyi Group is tough, it provides room and board, so no full-time employee will starve to death."

"When I grow up, I'm going to make everyone work for Tianyi Group, so that no one will starve!"

Why did I suddenly remember something I said when I was a child?

Her brain tissue had been completely removed of the ineffective parts, and her memories had been safely stored in the magic core along with her soul. Logically speaking, she shouldn't have recalled her past memories for no reason.

Ah, she remembered.

This is a revolving lantern display before death.

"I have given you the command of 'rest,' and you will soon fall into eternal sleep."

"If you have any last words, say them now, although I won't relay them for you."

Xu Ting said to Zhan Ye.

The latter actually opened its mouth and said in a barely audible voice:

"What's your... code name?"

She didn't want to die without even knowing the name of the person who killed her.

Xu Ting turned her head and looked at the pitch-black night sky.

Just a short while ago, her wings briefly illuminated it, but in an instant it returned to its original state, with no light visible.

My code name is—

"【Mysterious Heaven Painting】".

"Magical Girl Xuan Tianhui".

Redrawing this mysterious sky is what she needs to do next.

Moreover, "Xuantianhui" and "Xutinghao" share the same initials in pinyin, which undoubtedly makes the code name more legitimate.

A ball of red and black magical light emanated from Zhan Ye's body.

It instinctively drifted toward Xu Ting, the only magical girl present.

But halfway there, it stubbornly stopped and drifted away in place.

Zhanye has lost all hope of survival.

Xu Ting extended his magic into her remains, but found no trace of the magic core.

"It's finally over."

Xu Ting said this in a calm tone.

Then, her body began to tremble, the trembling becoming more and more intense, until finally she couldn't hold back and burst into unrestrained laughter.

"Hahaha, hahahahaha!"

"I'm the winner, it's me!"

"Slaying Karma, Polar Day, Starry Night Servant, you all wanted to kill me, but in the end, none of you succeeded!"

She didn't stop laughing until she was breathless, and then she returned to her normal state.

She checked Zhan Ye's body one last time, then slowly walked up the mountain.

She soon returned to the temple.

The mute monk seemed to have anticipated her arrival, so he stood in front of the temple gate holding a string of prayer beads, waiting for Xu Ting to arrive.

"Do you know what that blonde girl did?"

The monk nodded.

Did she leave any message for the people who came?

The monk pointed to his throat, then looked at Xu Ting's head.

Indeed, with Xiao Ling around, how could Shao Hua possibly let a mute monk relay messages?

"Do you have any advice for my future path?"

The monk clasped his hands together and bowed to her.

Then, he took out a copy of the Ksitigarbha Bodhisattva Sutra from his sleeve and handed it to Xu Ting.

"I will not become a Buddha until hell is empty; I will not attain enlightenment until all sentient beings are liberated." Xu Ting said, "Is that what you wanted to tell me?"

The monk neither agreed nor disagreed.

After bidding farewell to the monks, Xu Ting returned to the barrier.

This time, she had truly reached the Ascension level; she didn't need the crow's help, and she could enter the barrier using the token.

We need to act quickly.

Shaohua's body can be buried on the spot in the temple, and that monk should have no complaints.

Then, the spirit of the artifact must also take the will and notebook inside the small tower with it, as these are extremely precious items.

"Crow, hang in there a little longer," Xu Ting said in the team chat.

"Once I've packed my things, you can leave."

......

The blinding daylight illuminated the street, followed by an extreme cold that penetrated to the bone.

This attack was far more powerful than the one that destroyed the airship.

But the polar day that launched this attack showed an extremely unwilling expression.

"I really didn't expect this..."

A meter-thick ice spike pierced through the giant machine in front.

"...In this city of Hell..."

The halo behind him spun once, and the frozen buildings turned into shattered ice.

"...And there are evil god apostles of your caliber."

She withdrew her magic, coughed up a mouthful of blood, and stared at the being before her with hatred.

The polar day spoke up: "What an ugly face—"

"——Witch."

The figure standing at the end of the street tilted its head at her.

She had already sent a report to the Tower of Babel while the polar day was in dire straits, but reinforcements have yet to arrive.

Clearly, either the report wasn't sent out, or reinforcements couldn't get in.

Within this "witch's barrier," both scenarios are possible.

"Witch, after all this fighting, you still won't reveal your true form and kill me as a monster?"

"Polar Day" said.

The witch remained silent in the face of her provocation.

Her face was constantly changing; her pupils, eye sockets, nose, lips, skin, and ears all took different forms every second, and it was clear that her features did not belong to the same person at any given moment.

Clearly, this is the physical mutation of this witch. Even without activating her full witch form, she is still significantly different from a normal magical girl.

The witch raised her right hand again, preparing to create new servants and launch the next attack.

"We can leave now."

But the sound of crows rang in her ears.

Without hesitation, the witch broke free from the barrier and returned to the real world.

Upon returning to the area of ​​Hezhi City, she transformed back into her beautiful face and excitedly spoke to the crows, unseen by others:

"How was it, Lord Black Phoenix? I didn't disappoint that prince, did I?"

"She doesn't even know you exist, how could she be disappointed?" the crow said helplessly. "I never imagined that I would one day have to seek the help of a witch."

The witch was disappointed for a moment, but quickly recovered her spirits:

"What's the big deal? You want that prince to reach the pinnacle, and I also hope that prince will achieve great things. Our goals are aligned!"

The crow shook its head:

"Completely different."

"I want her to become the strongest magical girl, but you, all of you, only want her to become the strongest witch, right?"

"Am I right, Miss Witch who calls herself 'Mimosa'?"

The mimosa plant reveals a charming smile.

"I think... there's not much difference between the two."

Seeing the crow's expression grow increasingly cold, the mimosa quickly tried to salvage the situation:

"However, Lord Black Phoenix, please rest assured, I am absolutely, positively loyal to that prince!"

"I belong to her in life, and I will belong to her in death!"

"I've had my eye on that prince since birth!"

"If the Star Goddess were to issue a divine decree ordering you to kill her, what would you choose?" the raven asked.

Faced with this pointed question, the mimosa gave her answer—

"Aren't the current Starry Sky Divine Servants... issuing nothing but forged imperial edicts?"