Chapter 236: The Coming New World

Click.

The security door of the next room opened at the same time.

An elderly woman wearing black-framed reading glasses stepped out, carrying a bag of household trash.

"Oh my, if it isn't Mengmengxiang."

The old woman paused, and a doting smile immediately spread across her face.

"I haven't seen you for a few days. I was worried something might have happened to you."

The girl said softly, "I went out with some friends for a few days."

"Such a pretty girl, you really should make more friends. Heading to school today? How come you're not carrying your schoolbag?"

"I have some things to take care of today, so I asked for leave."

The two walked down the stairs together along the stairwell.

The old woman kept chattering about everyday things, mentioning the rising vegetable prices at the market, then complaining about the weather, while the girl mostly listened quietly.

Before long, they parted ways at the fork in the residential area, and the cherry-haired girl headed toward the city center.

It really was an utterly ordinary day, with gentle winds and a bright sun, no different from those peaceful days throughout the three thousand-plus cycles in Kazenari Town's past.

The world was at peace, the barrier was open, but life still had to go on.

Office workers hurried toward the subway station, and students walked to school in groups.

People often turned their heads at the girl's stunning appearance, yet not a single person recognized that this girl passing by was actually the magical girl they had once seen in the sky.

As if some power were silently concealing her.

She walked with steady steps toward the city center.

Finally.

She came to a stop in front of the Happiness Peace Committee building.

Whoosh.

The automatic doors slid open to both sides.

The moment Lin Guang stepped into the lobby, she heard the sound of approaching footsteps.

Before long, the girls' figures appeared before her.

Su Fang, Tang Keren, Zihan, Phoenix, Amber... and Airwen in her phantom form.

Her sakura-red eyes swept across everyone, pausing for a moment.

She hadn't told anyone she was coming today. Last night, she'd only said she was going home to sort things out.

Yet right now.

Everyone was still gathered here.

"Senior Mengmengxiang!"

Su Fang, wearing the silver gem pendant, lunged forward and threw herself into the girl's arms, rubbing against her vigorously.

"Hey hey, isn't that a bit much?"

Tang Keren twirled a strand of her black ponytail around her finger, sounding a little jealous. "It's only been one day apart, do you have to be like this?"

"Kukuku."

Zihan covered her eyes and ruthlessly exposed her secret. "Who was it that kept muttering about Mengmengxiang this, Mengmengxiang that, every single day?"

"Zihan!" Tang Keren flushed with embarrassment and anger. "As if you weren't doing the same thing!!"

"I have never denied it."

The black-haired girl clicked her tongue, her cheeks slightly red. "This young lady is just too excited for the new world!"

"I've been eating so much these past few days that I've gained weight, and since there's no fighting to do, I can't even stand to look at myself in the shower! Hurry up and give me a body that doesn't gain weight!"

Phoenix, perched on Amber's shoulder, casually remarked, "It's because your self-control is too poor."

Then she got pinched hard by Tang Keren.

"Gugu gaga!"

Amber smiled softly as she watched the cherry-haired girl.

"What a coincidence today, everyone's here."

She shook her head again. "No... magical girl intuition is very accurate. Looking at this, it's probably not a coincidence at all."

"So, Mengmengxiang."

She slowly asked, "The reason you came here, is it because—"

"Do you even need to ask?"

Zihan crossed her arms over her chest, a smirk curling at her lips. "Today is the moment destiny is reshaped!"

"The gate to the new world is also ready to open!"

At this instant.

Everyone turned their gaze toward the cherry-haired girl.

Their eyes held different expressions, but only anticipation and excitement nearly overflowing from them.

A new world without pain, without sorrow, only happiness...

Was it finally about to be born?

"..."

The girl paused briefly.

Then, she nodded.

"Yeah."

Under everyone's gaze, the cherry-haired girl walked step by step to the "Lucky Tree," raised her right hand, and gently pressed it against the branches.

As if a resonance occurred.

Soft, pure golden light suddenly radiated from Lin Guang's body and the Sacred Tree's avatar simultaneously.

Whoosh.

A strange, almost imperceptible wave spread outward from the Happiness Peace Committee as the center, silently rippling across all of Kazenari Town.

Cars wobbled to the side of the road, drivers slumping over their steering wheels, letting out deep, steady breaths.

People walking on the pedestrian street, customers about to check out at convenience stores, students copying notes in classrooms...

Including the previous magical girls, everyone felt a warm, comfortable drowsiness at that moment.

They found nearby benches, patches of grass, or desks, and obediently closed their eyes.

The entire city fell into an incredibly serene slumber in an instant.

The next moment, intense golden radiance erupted from Lin Guang at the center of the lobby and the entire Sacred Tree, devouring every shadow in the hall in an instant.

A dizziness that lasted who knows how long.

Perhaps a few seconds, perhaps a few minutes.

The magical girls suddenly blinked and regained their vision.

What met their eyes was a world of brilliant, resplendent light.

And they were currently standing at the foot of the familiar, colossal golden Sacred Tree.

The Sacred Tree towered into the sky, its canopy spreading wide, its leaves lush and thick, carrying an indescribable divinity.

Everyone showed an expression of sudden realization.

Without a doubt.

This was exactly the Origin Space they had entered before, the origin point of the entire world, or rather, the control console.

At this moment, the figure of the cherry-haired girl came into view.

She was standing beneath the tree, her right hand pressed against the enormous trunk, her long hair drifting as if moved by an unseen wind, countless sparks of light falling from her hair tips and merging into the golden radiance.

Whoosh.

The two resonated in a rhythmic harmony, the boundless magic power in the Origin Space vibrating as if breathing with them.

Following that came the trembling of the entire world.

A grand rumbling sound, growing from distant to near.

Boom, boom, boom, boom, boom, boom, boom.

The colossal Sacred Tree began to rain down golden specks, as if bestowing blessings upon this world.

As if in the next moment, everything was about to be reborn under this power.

"So beautiful."

Su Fang whispered softly.

Tang Keren reached out and caught a falling golden speck. The light flickered twice in her palm before scattering into fine stardust.

She stared at her palm, where a trace of warmth still lingered, and the corners of her mouth curved up. "It feels like a dream."

Zihan hugged her arms to her chest, her eyes sparkling. "It's finally coming, the ultimate moment when all things return to one!"

Phoenix crouched on Amber's shoulder, filled with deep emotion. "So that means, the new world is coming soon, right?"