Chapter 223: The Law of Circles

The sword pressure directly neutralized the black sword-qi torrent that the Pride Witch had just condensed.

The pitch-black witch was slammed like a meteor into the liquid magic power surface below, sending a towering column of water exploding upward.

A horrifying wound deep enough to show bone was carved across Her chest, her black light armor completely shattered.

[Domain: 43.96%→52.14%]

"No... how is this possible? This can't be!"

The witch scrambled out of the water in disgrace, her injuries once again restored.

But those originally inorganic black pupils were now filled with emotions She had believed Herself incapable of feeling.

Panic...

And fear.

Because over half of the Domain had already shifted!

This meant She was now at a disadvantage from every conceivable angle.

The red-haired girl didn't rush to press the attack. Instead, she slowly raised her left hand and gave a gentle wave through the air.

The next moment, crimson [Truth] danced and peeled away at her fingertips, instantly transforming into five radiant light butterflies as brilliant as rubies, which then fluttered lightly toward her companions not far away.

The flame butterflies landed on the shoulders of the five magical girls, and the moment they touched them, they transformed into a warm, fiery-red overcoat, gently draping itself over everyone in the Origin Space.

The girls, whose Full Bloom was on the verge of ending, suddenly felt that incomparably familiar magic power and sensation surging from within.

Tang Keren was the first to understand what had happened, her golden eyes blazing to life.

She also raised her hand, lifting it toward the sky.

"Hey hey, it's time for magical girl Tangtang's solo show again!"

The light fixtures in the sky blazed to life, and countless pink star-shaped barrages streaked across the air with long trailing tails, flying straight toward the witch.

She didn't even bother looking at these attacks She deemed utterly beneath Her notice, instead raising her blade once more and pointing it at the red-haired girl.

In Her understanding, those "false" existences could never possibly touch Her.

And yet...

The moment those barrages touched Her, She suddenly faltered.

Though they had weakened somewhat when breaking through the erasure force around Her, those star-shaped barrages didn't dissipate like before. Instead, they slammed solidly into Her body.

Then triggered a violent chain of explosions!

Boom boom boom—!

Pink and black magic power tore at each other in the explosions, each detonation like a star briefly flaring to life and dying out on the witch's body.

"Hmph!"

She furiously swiped away the surrounding barrages with a single sword stroke, only to find a purple figure already standing before Her.

Zihan's right eye radiated a magnificent molten gold, her expression wildly arrogant.

"I can see it, the fatal line of causality!"

"Finally, I can cut down your arrogant Pride!"

The massive scythe in her hand traced a fierce purple arc through the air.

The Pride Witch instinctively frowned and raised her sword to block, sending Zihan flying in an instant.

But a massive gash still flared across Her body, a huge bleeding wound carved into Her neck!

The wound automatically closed up again.

But at the same moment.

Click!

A terrifying azure beam of light struck the witch's head with pinpoint accuracy, its immense penetrating power blasting a hole clean through Her skull, front to back.

Su Fang had already set up her sniper scope from afar!

"Now it's my turn!"

Phoenix executed a backflip, her form transforming into a sacred fire bird mid-air. Her twin wings gave a mighty flap, and countless golden-red fire feathers shot forth like arrows, embedding themselves in the witch's body.

That sacred golden flame could heal and empower allies, but at this moment, it seared through the pitch-black spirit outfit formed from Abyss black fog on the witch's body.

"...Ugh!"

The black fog erupted wildly, smothering the flames.

The next instant.

Raging beasts of lightning, bone-chilling ice spears, razor-sharp wind blades...

The attacks of magical girls from ages past were perfectly reproduced, dazzling and lethal, hammering the Pride Witch in an unending barrage.

It was Amber, sitting on her broom.

She smiled as she opened the magic book in her hands, tearing out page after page without hesitation and casting them into the air.

Yet the black fog still surged forth violently, the terrifying sword-qi erasing every single attack.

"AAAAHHH!!"

The next moment, the pitch-black shadow charged howling toward the crimson figure in the sky.

Even after being beaten to such a miserable state, She still refused to spare a single glance at the magical girls She deemed worthless, instead fixing Her gaze squarely on Lin Guang.

Twin swords clashed once more, red and black entangled once again.

"Why! Why can you so easily take away my Domain!"

Her will transmitted at the moment of the blade crossing, carrying extreme unwillingness and incomprehension: "Was all of this calculated by you?!"

"Why?!"

Her sword light grew increasingly frenzied, yet the Domain share continued to decline steadily.

But by contrast, Lin Guang's gaze stung Her even more.

It was a look of contempt and arrogance, as if He couldn't be bothered to explain anything to Her.

I don't want to explain, because you're not worthy of hearing it.

The next moment, the red-haired girl didn't even look at Her. While swinging her sword, she swept her eyes around the surroundings.

She was looking at the others in the Origin Space, and even seemed to pierce through the endless void, seeing all the magical girls fighting desperately in Kazenari Town, as well as Mogong Ma and Su Jingyan.

Finally.

Her gaze came to rest on the Fragments of Hope at the summit of the Sacred Tree in the sky.

That was the crystallization of everyone's prayers and hopes.

Was it simple?

Perhaps, this final step really was unexpectedly simple.

But even if she told this arrogant witch, She could never understand.

To arrive at this seemingly self-evident destination...

How much effort, how much blood, how much cost had everyone trapped in this endless cycle paid?

If Su Jingyan hadn't held fast to the ideals in his heart from the very beginning, never letting them twist.

If Phoenix and Amber hadn't insisted on preserving everyone's memories, allowing this false world's history to inch forward bit by bit.

If the magical girls of generations past hadn't given their all to gather the Fragments of Hope, burning themselves out while leaving behind their marks.

If Airwen, as His creation and half-self, and equally the most important sacrifice of the ritual, hadn't proposed a contract to Her, making the witch, wary of a counterattack, miss the perfect opportunity to erase everyone.

If Tang Keren, Su Fang, and Zihan hadn't trusted him unconditionally, always and forever.

If the girl named Mengmengxiang, who never gave up, hadn't truly found the possibility hidden within the impossible.

If at the final critical moment, everyone in Kazenari Town, seemingly fake as they were, hadn't gathered their prayers together.

Then, even Lin Guang couldn't have grasped this possibility so infinitesimally small.

Countless seemingly meaningless little moments were, in truth, the convergence of too many small miracles.

Causality, cycles, hope, despair, truth, falsehood, pain, happiness, hatred.

And... love.

All of these converged together, transforming into the circular principle that stretched from the beginning of the cycle to its very end.

Wasn't this also a kind of [ritual]?