Chapter 191: The Witch King’s Prophecy

In that instant.

All four of them realized it at the same time.

—If that speculation was true.

Airwen’s death represented the sole condition for restarting this world’s cycle.

Then what did it mean—from the initial two-month cycles to the increasingly shorter restarts later on?

It likely meant.

That the hope and light within her heart were being gradually worn away by the endless cycles.

She grew more and more weary of everything in this world.

That was why... each time, her time alive grew shorter and shorter.

And this time, barely after the cycle had begun, it already seemed like everything was coming to an end.

Could it be that—

The four magical girls wore varied expressions as they stared at that silver-black silhouette.

"And now, I have awakened, and I know it too."

"This world, this 【Utopia】... from start to finish, there is no hope in it, nor any meaning."

The next moment, Su Fang’s cry rang out too: "Hope does exist!"

"Sister Amber and Phoenix are out there fighting the demon beasts with all their strength, and our seniors are battling desperately to protect this city!"

"Sister Airwen, don’t give up, just like you taught us before—"

"..."

In the face of Su Fang’s plea, Airwen fell silent.

For a long, long moment. Then, she suddenly laughed.

"Ha... haha... hahahahahahahahaha!!"

In that self-mocking laughter... it wasn’t just Lin Guang—everyone could hear an indescribable sense of self-blame and sorrow.

The surging black fog had already climbed to a quarter of the tree trunk.

Airwen stopped her bitter laughter, suddenly lifting her head to gaze at the sky above the Sacred Tree’s crown, where the Fragments of Hope were spiraling, and spoke softly.

"Perhaps, out there in the outside world, miracles really can happen."

"But in this world alone, they are impossible."

"Because all of this was designed from the start."

She suddenly spoke, bringing up the topic everyone had tacitly avoided.

In an extremely mocking tone.

"That’s right, you already know, don’t you?"

"The so-called L Corp executive named 【Airwen】 never existed from the beginning."

"She was merely a fabrication, crafted by the Abyss’s will through a contaminated Soul Gem and Su Jingyan’s hands, mimicking a magical girl who once existed in the past... a thing that only seemed real."

"A phantom and echo that should never have developed self-awareness, nor should it have existed in the first place..."

"Her very existence and birth were a malicious lie—a lie that fooled even herself."

"Nothing more."

At that moment, Tang Keren pressed her lips together.

Zihan’s face tightened.

Su Fang’s eyes widened.

And Lin Guang only felt the gem on her chest grow hotter, as if something deep within her soul was about to awaken.

To calmly admit that she was a fabricated artificial being and tell them this truth... what was going through Airwen’s mind right now?

But no one could see the expression beneath her mask; all they could see was her shoulders trembling slightly.

She murmured, "Her birth wasn’t some unconscious mistake by Su Jingyan, nor was her rebellion the common 【Non-Human Sapient Crisis】 that the outside world has seen."

"All of this was arranged by some unseen force, a destined fate."

"?! "*4

Arranged...?

"The reason Su Jingyan designed the Prophecy Maiden system was that, when he first read the information from this world, he heard a prophecy echoing within this Soul Gem."

"Most of the content was lost due to the world’s interference... but it left a vague impression in his subconscious, which is why he designed this world’s original Main Storyline."

She recited softly, "In the illusory world, the 【Witch King】 awaits birth."

Her voice echoed hauntingly in this origin realm space.

"After 3,000 cycles, regain the heartbeat."

"After 300 cycles, regain consciousness."

"After 30 cycles, regain power."

"Three cycles after she regains her power, the Witch King, representing 【Pride】, will descend upon this world."

"What kind of nonsense is that..."

Tang Keren’s eyes were wide, her sweet voice trembling slightly. "Are you saying the prophecy is about to come true?"

"Tangtang, your guess is not wrong." Zihan bit her lip, her right hand gripping the scythe also trembling faintly. "According to what Amber and Phoenix said, this is the three thousand three hundred and thirty-third cycle of the 【Utopia】 world."

"...That sort of thing has to be some kind of man-made conspiracy!"

A flicker of blue light flashed in Su Fang’s eyes as she shouted, "Even if it does happen, it’s just a coincidence!"

But at that moment.

Only Lin Guang’s eyes were wide open, the flame in them blazing wildly.

She vaguely sensed some hollow yet terrifying will lurking behind it all.

Her own arrival was supposed to be an accident facilitated by the 【Strongest Hero System】, something definitely not within the calculations of the Abyss or the one behind the scenes.

Being able to lead everyone so quickly to defeat Su Jingyan was entirely due to her free will, her own efforts.

Yet now, this prophecy had still been fulfilled with precision.

Not once more, not once less.

Whether she was there or not... this world’s trajectory might not have changed much.

This meant that something like a law of causality or a supreme will existed in this world, and it had silently included Lin Guang in its scope.

It seemed that from the very first time she entered this world, the river of fate had already swept her up.

This world of Eternal Recurrence was an unending torrent of causality that no one could halt.

Something’s will was planning all of this.

Behind Airwen, the black fog continued to rise and churn, dimming the Sacred Tree’s radiance bit by bit.

"You came here seeking the truth, didn’t you?"

"Then now you know it all. The unity of all authority, the merging of the Abyss and the Sacred Tree’s power, regaining all strength—that is the condition for the Witch King’s birth."

"‘Airwen’ is the shared origin and final end of both the Abyss and the Sacred Tree."

"Harboring the Sacred Tree’s authority, yet also the true ruler of the Abyss, which is why she has always been involved in gathering the Fragments of Hope."

She looked down at the reflection of that dead giant tree.

"That also means... that without your knowledge, for every fraction of the Sacred Tree’s power that was restored, the Abyss’s erosion deepened by an equal measure."

"Everything was under ‘my’ control."

"!!!"

In that instant, everyone’s eyes flew wide open.

Airwen said softly, "There will be no next cycle for this world. Everything will end here."