Is it only magical girls?

Qingyin stared at the screen, her mouth slightly agape, and uttered a sound: "Huh?"

"Just tell me whether you're together or not."

Chapter 76 (Seventy-Five): I want to merge with Xingmei!

After the ground-based summons failed to have any effect, another summon capable of attacking from the air appeared during the live stream. This was a summon that Farstar had used before: the Spirit Raven.

The spirit crows were much smarter than the previous summoned beasts. These spirit crows cautiously approached, trying to find the best attack position. As they got closer, they would take one step forward and two steps back, using all sorts of feints to get closer. Some would fight each other and throw one of them at the other, some would hop and jump forward, turn around and retreat, and some would lie on the ground and roll around to get closer.

Of course, there are a few crows who have absolutely no interest in the witch and are only interested in their companions' butts.

"The crows are so cute."

But the witch was a bloodless, tearless statue; she didn't understand the crows' cuteness. She turned any crows that dared to approach into a gooey, alien mass with many crow heads. So the remaining crows never came near again, all hiding outside the witch's attack range, attempting to launch sonic attacks at her with their grating cries.

This had no effect on the witch, but it seemed to work on the summoner, Guillaume, who chose to cancel the summoning of the raven.

Soon, Qingyin received a message on her phone. When she clicked on the message, she saw an image. It was an aerial view of the city, with a huge circle drawn around the witch as the center. Clearly, the area within the circle was the witch's attack range.

Ye Liu asked, "Can Yuanxing attack from outside this range?"

"it should be OK."

"I wonder how much of an effect an attack made outside this range would retain? Should we give it a try?"

Although he couldn't see Nami, Yoru still turned to his phone: "What do you think, Nami-senpai? How about we let Farstar attack and see what happens?"

[Wait a moment, let me ask my companion if she can launch an attack from outside this range.]

Soon, a message came through: "[I want to merge with Xingmei!!!]"

Nami, confused: [Huh?]

"Huh?" Ye Liu asked, puzzled.

[I mean, I want to use the magic cannon with Xingmei, then let the magic cannons intertwine and unleash a spiraling, super explosive, sky-piercing punch cannon.]

【Huh?】 Nami still didn't understand, but she gave up: 【I don't understand what Eve is saying, but as a ranged attacker, Farstar should be able to understand.】

"I don't quite understand either, but it's a combined attack, right? I'll go over with M and Yiwu (2R) to help."

[Yay! We're about to combine!]

It was truly incomprehensible why this senior was so excited about launching a joint magic cannon attack, but Yuanxing greeted her companions and prepared to head to the witch's location. She had originally planned to go alone, but Lingling silently followed. Lingling wanted to go with Yuanxing; it was the norm for Lingling to be wherever Yuanxing was. So Yeliu also chose to go, thus turning it into a group action.

Eve was the senior I'd met before, dressed like a robot, but her current attire was completely different. She wore a cheongsam with black sleeves, shoulders, and neck, the rest white. Ink stains on the white cheongsam bloomed like flowers, resembling a scene of a hundred flowers vying for spring's favor. It was so gorgeous it was unlike ordinary clothing, so vibrant it didn't seem like something a magical girl would wear.

Yuanxing asked curiously, "Senior, are you on your way to a blind date?"

"To be precise, I'm currently on a blind date."

Yuanxing looked around curiously, but couldn't find anyone who might be her blind date. She boldly guessed that Eve was on a blind date when she heard about the witch and rushed over. It has to be said, being a magical girl is really tough; whether it's class, exams, or a blind date, you have to rush to the scene immediately. Thinking about it that way, it's quite normal for Crimson World-chan to want to retire.

That being said...

The cheongsam is so beautiful!

Let Sister Hong wear this next time!

Nami looked at the other members of the Nine Qi Flow (Nine;) One (Three) Eight Lu Yuanxing Team: "You're all here? What? Planning to have a rehearsal battle right away?"

Ye Liu asked, "You guys are really fast! It feels like we just arrived in MoMoMo and you've already started investigating the witch?"

"Yes, when you left the witch's place, Sister Hongshi asked us to come over. We were singing karaoke nearby, so we came right away."

Huh? But didn't Eve-senpai say she was on a blind date?

A small question mark flashed through Ye Liu's mind.

Before her question could even form, Eve waved to Farstar, signaling him to follow her to the cordon.

Outside the witch's attack range, a warning line has been marked with red arcs. According to the information obtained by the crow, as long as the warning line is not crossed, the witch will not launch a spontaneous attack.

However, attacking outside the warning line is a different matter. Considering that the witch might launch a counterattack, Nami set up several layers of defensive magic outside the warning line and also set up an emergency teleportation magic circle in case of emergency.

After making the necessary preparations, Yuanxing set up her wand and slowly gathered magic power. This time, with ample time and a single target, she chose a configuration that would maximize her attack power.

Eve was the same; the wand she used to attack was a mechanical hand cannon. She wore the hand cannon on her hand, pretending that her right hand was a mechanical arm capable of releasing various spells, and that these mechanical arms, along with the distant stars, gathered magical power.

The two fired their magic cannons at the exact same time, and after being fired, they were pulled together by each other, forming a spiral beam of light. The two magic cannons influenced and interfered with each other, vying for power, making the magic surge more and more, and the speed of the bombardment faster, like a drill trying to smash through the witch statue.

Eve exclaimed excitedly, "Great! I've merged with Star Girl!"

Yuanxing didn't understand her excitement, and simply said, "The fusion magic was released very successfully. I wonder how effective it will be."

Just before the magic cannon was about to hit the witch statue, the witch finally made a move. The head of the statue was slightly raised and quickly rotated, turning the other head directly towards the attacking magic cannon and singing: Give it back to me!

Aside from that loud chant, the witch did nothing else, but the magic cannon mysteriously disappeared.

"The Magic Cannon has been moved?"

Farstar couldn't sense the magic cannon he had released at all. Rather than saying the magic cannon had been transferred away, it was more like the magic cannon had never existed in the first place.

"Give me back this wish" should be Yuuka's wish. Judging from her actions, her wish is to return to the time before Lanlan, so she either changed the time or deleted the time when the magic cannon was released. In this light, Yuuka's wish is completely opposite to Lanlan's; she wants to erase Lanlan, but Lanlan wants the three of them to be together forever.

In other words...

Once Lanlan is dealt with, the trinity of witches will no longer exist, right? The witch will immediately split into three independent witches, making it extremely easy to deal with them then.

Chapter 77 Seventy-Six: Even Death Would Be Worth It!

Jieyu's ability manifests as time reversal, meaning her inner desires are also related to time. Yuanxing guesses she wants to go back to the past, to the past without Lanlan. In that case, her desires are completely opposite to Lanlan's, and theoretically, they cannot coexist.

If we look at it from another angle, perhaps the witch's true form is Lanlan, and Yuu and Emi are familiars captured by her wishes, but they can still use her witch abilities.

Yuanxing shared this conjecture with Nami, who thought it made a lot of sense. However, everything would have to wait until the data was collected and analyzed by computer before making any decisions.

The witch still possesses one last, unknown special ability, but this unknown ability remains unclear no matter how it is tested. The summoned beast attack failed to trigger, the ranged magic cannon attack failed to trigger, and the one-on-one melee attack failed to trigger. Hui Mei's desires remain unknown, which also means that the special ability she gained by transforming into a witch is still unknown.

Since the third ability could not be tested, we had no choice but to retreat, even though we were somewhat reluctant.

When the magical girls finished their test and came to their senses, they found a circle of ordinary citizens surrounding the police cordon, and several of them had taken out tents! Why were they taking out tents? What were they going to do?

Yuanxing glanced at the crowd and noticed the nurse she had met during the day. She decided to land and said, "Thank you for your help during the day. What are you doing here? It's dangerous. It's better to stay away."

"You still remember me!"

The nurse let out a piercing scream, grabbing her colleague's hand and shaking it violently: "She remembers me! She remembers me!!!"

"Of course I remember you; you helped me before."

Yuanxing then pointed to the tents: "What are those tents?"

The nurse's companion chimed in, "Let's get ready to watch the final battle between the magical girl and the colossal monster from the best spot."

"You!" The nurse punched her colleague a few times, "Why did you interrupt me!"

Her companion remained silent, sticking her tongue out at her forcefully, clearly pleased with her quick answer.

Yuanxing asked, puzzled, "But this is dangerous! Why did you have to run over here?"

"The news just said that it's safe as long as you're outside the cordon, so I thought I'd definitely have to come and observe." The nurse was well-prepared this time and started talking non-stop like pouring out beans: "I didn't expect to find that many people thought the same thing when I came, and they were even better prepared and brought their own tents. They're really despicable guys. But luckily, I'm one step ahead and brought my own tent too."

"As for the danger, it doesn't matter at all. Being able to watch magical girls defeat super-large monsters up close is worth it even if I die."

Huh? If you're so brave, why don't you become a magical girl?

The news report said: It's safe outside the cordon.

The citizen thought: The cordon is safe, so I'm going to go and see what's going on.

These citizens have a very unconventional way of thinking, but it's best to mind your own business and Yuanxing doesn't intend to say anything more.

"Then you'll have to wait. The action plan is still being developed, and it will be at least a few more days before the actual operation begins."

The nurse nodded vigorously, like a pecking motion.

"Then I'll be going now, I still need to go back for a combat meeting."

The distant star slowly flew away from the crowd, and then you could faintly hear the nurse's excited voice.

While flying in mid-air, Yuanxing suddenly felt a gaze fixed on her. She looked up sharply and met the gaze of the person staring at her. The person staring at her was the little girl who had previously been the number one among the magical girls under the Magical Girls of the Magical Girls' Association in defeating small monsters. This little girl was looking down at her from a high place on a skyscraper. Based on her magical girl sixth sense, she felt that the little girl harbored deep hostility towards her.

Yuanxing did not stop her journey home. She turned back, and the little girl also looked away. The feeling of being watched disappeared.

Yuanxing thought back and confirmed that she didn't have any friends who suddenly moved away when she was a child, nor did she have any childhood sweetheart promises with anyone other than her senior. She didn't know the other person at all, had no memory of her, and this was the first time they had met. She guessed that the other person had mistaken her for someone else, which was why they were looking at her, otherwise they wouldn't have looked away after making eye contact.

When Yuanxing entered the MomoMo, what she first saw was not the usual coffee shop, but the war room. In the conference room, in addition to Yuanxing's team and Nami's team, there were several other teams. She even saw Taoying and Huayi.

Why are you all here?

Yuanxing had many problems, but after seeing Hongshi in a maid outfit, she forgot all those unimportant things: "I'm wearing a maid outfit today too! Just seeing Hongshi-nee in a maid outfit is worth dying for!"

Hong Shi glanced at him sideways and said irritably, "Don't die. The change of clothes is to motivate you so that you can do more work. If you die, you won't be able to work."

"Hey hey hey."

Yuanxing chuckled a few times, found her seat, and sat down with her companions to watch the video playing on the command center screen. The operations room was filled with teams of magical girls, including a red-haired woman who was giving explanations; it felt like being in school. However, the subject of this lesson was rather dangerous—twisted monsters created by witches, enough to drive anyone who looked at them to a frenzy.

Crimson World, holding a pointer, tapped the screen repeatedly as she explained: "The ability to merge everything that is close together is very strong. I think that this desire, after sublimation, will be distorted into wanting to become one of the omnipotent, that is, to become a god. But in reality, this ability is not only not strong, but rather a bit weak. According to Nami's team's research, even if they are not acting alone, as long as the distance is more than ten meters, the witch's power will not work."

The previous witch, Lingling's mother, used the desire to enhance performance to turn humans into familiars, making them her loyal fans. This ability had almost no range limitations, and the witch herself could resurrect infinitely; she alone was enough to destroy all of humanity. But this witch has no intention of taking any action, her influence is extremely limited, and breaking her ability is easy.

Is there any reason for such a huge difference in power between the two witches?

“It’s illogical for a witch to be so weak,” Crimson World said. “You all saw the power the witch possessed before. If that witch hadn’t had her true nature broken, she could have resurrected indefinitely, returning no matter how many times she was defeated. This witch should have been the same. If the emotion that comes with becoming a witch is truly the feeling of ‘everyone being together,’ then the witch’s ability should be to indiscriminately devour all creatures that come near her, making them one with her. But clearly, that’s not the case now.”

Nami asked, "Does Crimson World think the witch is hiding her power? Is she pretending to be weak so that when the magical girls are careless and attack her, she can wipe them all out in one fell swoop, thus defeating the powerful enemy and quickly becoming the complete one?"

"That's what I can't understand. A witch can't possibly be as weak as she appears now. But the possibility of a fishing tactic should also be zero. If a witch had that kind of cunning, she wouldn't have driven herself to such a dead end in the first place. Witches aren't bad kids, they're just stupid kids."

Chapter 78 Seventy-Seven: Waiting, and Holding onto Hope

Yuanxing raised her hand and shook it vigorously, trying hard to get Hongshi's attention.

Hongshi certainly saw her, but this wasn't a classroom, so there was no need to raise your hand to answer questions; you could just say what you wanted to say. Therefore, Hongshi chose to ignore her.

Yuanxing persisted, desperately trying to straighten her back and stretch her arms as far as possible in order to get Hongshi's attention.

It wasn't just Hongshi who noticed her; everyone in the command room saw her trying to raise her hand. They were all young girls; everyone knew each other well, and no one would be foolish enough to tell Yuanxing that she didn't need to raise her hand to speak.

So everyone in the command room became quiet and silent, watching Yuanxing act silly by himself.

Lingling raised her hand and joined in the same antics as Yuanxing. When Lingling started, Yeliu naturally followed suit, and then Miyu and Qingyin joined in to avoid embarrassing their captain. Antics are contagious; after Qingyin joined in, Nami joined in, and then her teammates started antics, until finally everyone in the command room was doing it.

Apart from floral dresses.

Hanae refused to raise her hands in such a group setting. This kind of collective display of power and boasting of capital was too lewd. As a magical girl who had just transferred from Paradise, she could not accept such public, collective lewdness.

Faced with the raised hand in front of him, Hong Shi had no choice but to succumb to reality, no matter how unwilling he was: "Fine, Yuanxing, you answer this question."

“Okay, teacher.” Yuanxing stood up: “Regarding this issue, I have a brand new idea! This witch is a trinity, and we have never discovered her third ability. We have tried to find out her third ability for a long time, but we have not found it.”

"Are you trying to say that the abilities are incompatible, which is why they held us back?"

"No, I'm not saying the abilities are incompatible. I'm saying this is Huimei's ability. When I left, Huimei was perfectly normal. She was calm and composed, fighting to protect Lanlan and her own home. Her desires at that time must have been positive; her sublimated emotion was selflessness, perhaps a vow to protect, or perhaps waiting for redemption. But this theory greatly limits the witch. The reason the witch didn't move wasn't because she didn't want to, but because she couldn't, because Huimei's desires forbade her to move. The witch's abilities are limited because Huimei's desires restrict her abilities."

“No, it’s not about vowing to protect, it’s about waiting for redemption.” Yuanxing felt she had completely understood the situation. She believed that her ability to deduce the reason was: “The reason the witch is standing still is because she is waiting. Huimei doesn’t like her friends doing bad things, even if they are bullied, even if they are not in control of themselves, that is, becoming witches. So she chose to wait, to wait for her trusted magical girl colleagues to save her.”

Yuanxing's speculation sounded quite reasonable and was a credible one, sparking a flurry of discussion. (The remaining text appears to be unrelated and possibly machine-generated gibberish.)

Crimson World was quite satisfied with this; she especially disliked the atmosphere from before, and found the current relaxed atmosphere much more comfortable. Although Crimson World considered magical girls her job, and running MagicGirls was also part of her job, there was a difference between "occasionally working overtime for everyone" and "everyone should die for me."

"Yuanxing's speculation does open up a new way of thinking, but do you really understand what your speculation represents?"

Yuanxing tilted his head, clearly not understanding.

Kurogane answered her question: "This means that magical girls can control the emotions they want to elevate, thereby affecting their witch transformation. And the influence can be deepened. In other words, magical girls can influence, control, and dominate their own witch transformation. Witch transformation may become the power of magical girls in the future."

"Master, this cake is too big for me to eat."

“We should boldly envision the future,” Hong Shi casually offered a glimpse, without elaborating on the topic: “Next, we will input the future star’s predictions into the computer and use it to conduct a simulated war according to her ideas. Let’s see if it makes sense.”

Hongshi had already come to believe what Yuanxing had said.

Suzune's mother is weak as a magical girl, and precisely because she is weak, her resentment is stronger, and her control over her emotions is weaker, making the witch she transforms into even more troublesome. Emi and Yuu are quite excellent as magical girls, even among the top magical girls belonging to Paradise, which is why the witches they transform into are weak.

Based on this, it is boldly argued that the stronger a magical girl is, the stronger her self-control is, and the weaker a witch is; conversely, the weaker a magical girl is, the weaker her self-control is, and the stronger a witch is.

Based on Yuanxing's speculation, the computer's calculations make victory easy. Moreover, the computer believes that Yuanxing's deduction is very reasonable, and the possibility that the witch is too weak is more than 90% as Yuanxing guessed.

Hongshi felt things were almost settled: "Things are much simpler than expected. All we need to do is fight as usual, and then—"

"Objection! Master! I have something else to say!"

Why didn't you raise your hand this time?

"That kind of thing isn't important. What's important is that I just solved a major problem, which should count as a meritorious service, right? Since it is a meritorious service, I want a reward!"