Chapter 218: Is That So? Maybe. Perhaps So!!

Just now, when no one had noticed anything, that crimson girl seemed to have swung her sword.

Was it that single slash?

Her tone was light and casual, as if she were talking about the simplest thing in the world: "If you are the whole world... then all I need to do is use a slash that cuts through the world, right?"

"?!"

The Witch King's gaze locked completely onto her, a hint of confusion flickering in those eyes.

Then—

Those who had already closed their eyes, bracing for destruction, were jolted awake by the shocked cries and shaking of those beside them. They opened their eyes wide in disbelief.

Boom!!

At the top of that giant tree, which had been utterly dead and lifeless, a blinding burst of golden light suddenly exploded forth.

The irreversible Abyss corrosion seemed to have been hit by a rewind button. It began rapidly retreating from the crown of the tree downward, all the way back to the water's surface.

The thick, viscous black fog contracted frantically like a receding tide. The withered golden Sacred Tree was rapidly restoring itself. The Fragments of Hope in the sky regained their vitality, slowly rotating like stars.

And so, that gentle, serene golden radiance once again illuminated the entire dim, shadowy sky!

Even the Sacred Tree Barrier within Kazenari Town itself blazed with renewed brilliance!

Phoenix's jaw nearly hit the floor: "Huh?!"

Zihan and Tang Keren both broke into smiles that fit their respective personalities.

"Mengmengxiang!"

"I knew it!!"

Amber lifted her face from where it had been about to bury itself in her chest, blinking involuntarily. This time, she was genuinely stunned, looking like a confused young girl.

"...?!"

Meanwhile, Su Fang, lying powerless on the water's surface, had eyes only for that beautiful girl hovering in midair.

Looking at her most cherished, most beloved senior, she could barely suppress a smile, yet tears streamed down her cheeks.

"Senior Mengmengxiang..."

"As expected, you're just too amazing."

The red-haired girl was still holding the exact pose from her sword swing, her blade maintained in a horizontal slashing stance.

But now, she was finally smiling.

Bathed in the radiance of the Sacred Tree, it was a smile so beautiful it seemed capable of lighting up the entire world.

It wasn't the confidence from when she transformed, nor the adorable wink she gave when the transformation ended. Rather, it was the innocent, carefree smile of a child who had just received the best toy in the world.

She beamed radiantly, yet the words coming out of her mouth made no sense to anyone listening: "[Dragon Scale] [Ricochet] [Twin Shooting Stars]."

"That's how the incantation for that move should be chanted, right?"

You've got to say the spell words at least a little. Otherwise, it's like taking out a loan and never paying it back—your credit score's going to drop.

Midair.

The Witch King's severed body, split clean in two at the waist, instantly fused back together in a surge of black fog, as if nothing had ever happened.

But on that mask-like, expressionless face, an extremely obvious look of shock and gravity appeared for the very first time.

Not because of being cut in half. Not because of the Sacred Tree's revival, either.

It was something far more incomprehensible than any of that.

Something she could not understand... was rapidly devouring her Domain from within at the most fundamental source, bringing with it a searing heat she had never experienced in her entire existence. It was tearing her being apart and taking massive bites.

In just an instant, roughly one-tenth of her Domain had already been stolen, and it was still draining away at tremendous speed.

It was the red-haired girl before her who had done this!

She had seized control of the Sacred Tree, propping up its existence anew!

The Witch King's reaction was equally swift. She manipulated her Domain to halt the other's brazen thievery, then fixed her gaze on the girl with grave intensity.

—At this moment, in the eyes of this Witch King, Lin Guang was no longer a mere false existence. Instead, she resembled an incomprehensible foreign object, a BUG in the system itself!

"...Still don't get it?"

Lin Guang's crimson bangs had also regenerated perfectly. Her flawless, beautiful face held nothing but a relaxed smile as she said casually: "You wanted the fragment, so I gave it to you."

"Like it?"

The Witch King understood in an instant.

—It was that fragment!

At the very moment the connection had been severed, she had made her shadow absorb the fragment for her, allowing her Domain to reach perfect completeness.

But that should have had no effect whatsoever. If anything, it should have been walking right into a trap.

Theoretically speaking, no matter how tiny a fragment was, it was still a Fragment of Hope. It was the foundational authority of this world, something so great that ordinary people could never hope to touch it. Whoever refined it would indeed gain what was called "legitimacy," and thus, in theory, possess the possibility of seizing her Domain.

But... it all depended on the share!

Only 0.1%, one-thousandth of the Domain. Logically, the moment it was absorbed, it should have been overwhelmed instantly. How could it possibly turn around and rapidly erode her Domain instead?

If that was the case, then didn't it mean—

In that instant, this arrogant witch realized a terrifying truth.

As long as all the Domain of the world was united and controlled by a single existence, then the Witch King of prophecy would inevitably be born.

But... the prophecy only meant that this event would certainly come to pass.

It had never specified who that existence would be.

Theoretically, as long as one could refine and obtain all the Domain, any existence could become the true [Witch King] of prophecy.

For mortals, this should have been impossible. Only a being like her, whose former self was the Abyss Will within Utopia, could possibly achieve such a feat.

This Domain had originally been born because of her, after all.

Beyond that, only the shadow she had created using that original magical girl as a template had even a shred of hope to contend.

But she had already been laying her plans for three hundred years, driving that one step by step into despair, leaving no possibility of facing her again.

So how could such a sudden change arise from an ant she had never even deigned to look at directly?

But... it had already happened.

This red-haired girl before her, at this very moment, stood on the same path toward godhood as she did.

"So that's how it is... an ant dares to dream of replacing a god?"

In that instant, a flicker of deep thought passed through her eyes.

—Having acquired a humanoid form and adopted human thought processes, it seemed she had also gained a human-like mode of thinking that weighed benefits against risks.

But soon, she regained her composure. That lofty arrogance hadn't diminished in the slightest.

She looked down at Lin Guang from on high, her gaze tinged with pity and mockery. She slowly raised the phantom sword in her hand, and the black fog around her condensed into a tangible, crushing pressure.

"To have come this far, I must admit, even I feel like praising you."

The arrogant witch's voice was icy and resolute. "But I am the destined master of this world. This Domain was originally born for me."

"How could something so illusory ever hope to wield such great power?"

"The outcome cannot change, no matter what."

"..."

"Is that so..."

The red-haired girl still wore that brilliant smile that would leave everyone who knew her utterly dumbfounded, yet it appeared so beautiful in others' eyes, so intoxicating.

In Kazenari Town, whether it was the Previous Magical Girls or the spectators... many found their hearts swaying.

"Yeah."

The asymmetrical wings on her back spread wide, radiating a dazzling brilliance woven from firelight and starlight. Her beautiful face seemed to glow: "Maybe so!!"