Starting as a Magical Girl, I Alone Shall Rule for Eternity

South China, in the basement beneath the villa courtyard.

The surveillance monitors flickered, transmitting screams.

"Vice President Jialan, save me..."

Shan Lan watched silently as another stronghold was destroyed.

The Magical Girl with her eyes closed slightly raised her head. Though her eyes remained shut, Jialan could clearly feel the other's gaze upon her.

When her lips moved slightly, it made Jialan's face turn ashen.

"You're next."

A sharp flash of mana passed by, and her crystal ball shattered in response.

Jialan swept everything off the table in one furious motion and threw it all away!

"Azure Cloud Sect!"

Xilan whispered beside her, "Vice President Shan Lan, they shouldn't be able to find us here..."

"They've already killed their way to South China, and you say they can't find us here!"

Jialan jabbed her finger hard against Xilan's head, "Weren't you the one who said Simo Tu would replace my position?"

With each jab, the back of Xilan's head slammed against the wall panel behind her, "Thud, thud, thud," almost knocking her senseless.

She was on the verge of tears, "Vice President Jialan, that... that was Simo Tu-sama's intention, not mine..."

"Then let him come! Replace my position! Let me see how he deals with these crazy girls!"

Jialan jabbed Xilan's forehead twice more, then placed her hands on her hips and took a deep breath.

Originally, the biggest gain from this operation was Simo Tu.

Things like props from the Mirror Kingdom, or the power within the Heart Image Remnant, weren't that important to the Witch Association.

What the Witch Association lacked was mid-level combat power capable of facing Magical Girls head-on. This was never a secret.

Simo Tu's power was clearly something that could be mass-produced. If they could obtain a controllable Disaster Beast transformation power,

it wouldn't be a dream for the Witch Association to rival the Disaster Control Bureau in the future.

Yet, after she rescued Xilan, this useless woman said she didn't know where Simo Tu was!

Then what the hell are you good for!

"Do you know how much risk I took to rescue you?"

"Simo Tu-sama has always been capricious, there's nothing I can do..." Xilan said with a tearful face, "In the end, he charged towards the highest level, and most likely fell into the Mirror World of the Mirror Kingdom..."

"Bullshit!" Jialan couldn't help but curse, "I know the Prince of the Mirror Kingdom. Do you think I wouldn't know if he went to the Mirror World? He vanished directly!"

Xilan's previously tearful face suddenly looked rather displeased, "Huh? You have dealings with the Mirror Kingdom?"

"Yes, what about it?"

"We are the Witch Association, how can we have dealings with the Mirror Kingdom? This is betrayal! For the sake of the Witch Association, for Simo Tu-sama, this absolutely cannot be allowed..."

Jialan slapped her hand against Xilan's forehead, "For the Witch Association, is it?"

"No, the Witch Association is meant to change the world..."

Grabbing a book from nearby, she rolled it up and smacked Xilan's face with it, "Change the world, is it?"

"Simo Tu-sama..."

Another smack on the head: "Simo Tu-sama, is it?"

Xilan covered her head, begging for mercy, "I was wrong, I was wrong, stop hitting me, Vice President Jialan!"

Finally venting her anger, Jialan snorted coldly and casually threw away the book in her hand.

She then gave Xilan another kick.

Twins is still more to my liking.

Ever since returning from the Heart Image Remnant, the Prince had been warning her that Twins was impure of heart, betraying him at the last moment, trying to steal his seed.

But in Jialan's view, this was exactly what a member of their Witch Association should be like. Stabbing an ally in the back at a critical moment was the style of the Witch Association.

Although she had also lost contact now, as the first Complete Witch to survive in Shion's hands, and with Simo Tu possibly dead, she was the only living legend left in the Witch Association.

Even she, Jialan, couldn't find where Twins was hiding, let alone the Azure Cloud Sect. Twins had probably already hidden away in some unknown place to save her life.

This decisiveness was something she quite admired.

She had sent Twins to lead the way, hoping to deliver a major blow to the Prince at the last moment.

Twins didn't disappoint her.

It was just a pity the Prince had a photographic memory, and the plan ultimately failed.

If the Mirror Kingdom opened up, it would be troublesome. The messages sent to the Disaster Control Bureau had gone unanswered, and Twins couldn't be relied on for now.

Now, with the Azure Cloud Sect going crazy everywhere, the Witch Association was thrown into a state of panic.

With the President not showing up, it seemed like the Witch Association might really be crushed by the Azure Cloud Sect.

Even the Disaster Control Bureau couldn't stop these maniacs despite great effort. Instead, they were taking down the Disaster Control Bureau along with them. It was simply unreasonable!

Jialan was also starting to get scared.

If this continued, even if she remained unharmed, all the Grief Seeds and Calamity Eggs accumulated during this period, even those precious experimental subjects, would be completely ruined...

"What boyfriend of Shion's, Jiang Si, who the hell knows who that is!"

Jialan grew angrier the more she thought about it, and gave Xilan another hard kick, making Xilan furious but not daring to speak up.

Simo Tu-sama, where are you, wuwuwu, Xilan is being bullied and walked all over.

If Simo Tu-sama were still here, how could Xilan have fallen to such a state!

"These Magical Girls have no professional ethics! Instead of studying hard and saving the world properly, what are they doing falling in love!"

Gnashing her teeth, she said, "Don't they still want to know about Simo Tu? You go, tell them Simo Tu has already died in the Heart Image Remnant. As for their Sect Master's boyfriend Jiang Si, we don't know."

Xilan pointed at herself dumbly, "Me?"

"Who else?"

Xilan immediately cried out, "Vice President Jialan, this is betrayal..."

Before Xilan could finish, Jialan raised her hand, making Xilan instinctively curl into a ball.

"If we don't tell them, we're the ones who'll die! When you're about to die, what do you care about betrayal or not? Go, now!"

Of course, Jialan soon regretted it.

Because after spreading the news, the Azure Cloud Sect became even more frenzied!

"Xilan, what have you done!"

.......

"The Azure Cloud Sect has gone mad."

In the hospital, Hongmian looked at the report, covering her forehead with her hand.

"From East China, they've almost killed their way to South China. They're about to dig up the very roots of the Witch Association. Their methods are too ruthless. Look at this, twelve experimental sites, all turned into ice sculptures, not a single survivor left!"

Beside her, Jintiao was watching a muted TV while peeling an apple for the unconscious Yingwei.

This was the Disaster Control Bureau Central Bureau's specialized Magical Girl hospital. Every Magical Girl, whether injured or sick, could come here for free treatment as long as they had official certification.

The hospital's construction was quite luxurious. Each Magical Girl had a large private room, fully equipped with all daily necessities. If a Magical Girl suffered lifelong aftereffects from battle, living here for the rest of her life wasn't a problem.

"After all, it's their Sect Master's boyfriend who's missing." Jincha spoke up in their defense, "It's normal for them to be anxious."

"But there's no need to take control of our Disaster Control Bureau branch offices!"

Hongmian was agitated, "Several branch offices have been paralyzed by them, we can't even contact them anymore. They're all helping them search for that person. Just because she lost one boyfriend, she wants to make an enemy of the whole world!"

"Calm down, calm down."

Jincha pressed Hongmian down, "Don't disturb Yingwei. And it's not just about boyfriend Jiang Si, aren't they also looking for the Witch Association's Simo Tu? If they can find him, it would help eliminate a hidden danger for us."

"Hmph."

Hongmian sat down angrily.

It wasn't unreasonable for her to be angry, as her own local Disaster Control Bureau had been taken over early on by the Azure Cloud Sect.

As a Disaster Control Bureau in a major city, it had a total of five Blooming Magical Girls. Yet, just because they refused the Azure Cloud Sect's request to help search for someone, the Bureau lost contact with the Central Bureau the very next day.

By the time contact was restored, the Disaster Control Bureau in Hongmian's hometown was already operating at full capacity to help the Azure Cloud Sect search for that person.

"That's why illegal organizations are dangerous."

Hongmian held her forehead, worried about whether her friends in her hometown's Disaster Control Bureau might have met with some mishap.

But now she couldn't leave the Central Bureau—currently, the Central Bureau had issued a ban, not allowing Magical Girls to leave without permission.

"If they can cause this much trouble just because they lost a boyfriend, if they're ever in a bad mood one day, won't they destroy the world? The only difference between them and the Witch Association is that they're usually safer."

"Weren't you also very worried when Qingying and Yingwei left?"

"I... that's not the same thing!"

Jincha patted Hongmian's head, "Alright, alright. This time the Azure Cloud Sect has indeed gone a bit too far. Let them search for now. After they calm down, we can discuss this matter slowly. There must be some restraint eventually."

"We're the official Magical Girl organization, yet we're just retreating like this..."

"Then you've also seen the power of that Magical Girl, Winter."

At these words, Hongmian quieted down.

The power to freeze the sea in an instant, change the climate, create wonders.

Most importantly, at that time, Winter was only a Seedling Magical Girl.

"Winter has already been observed being promoted to Blooming. Her current strength is probably even more terrifying than what you saw before entering the Heart Image Remnant. Currently, although the Azure Cloud Sect is somewhat disrespectful to the Disaster Control Bureau, they haven't actually harmed anyone."

Jincha smiled, "Then there's no need to make enemies with them. Bear with it a little. Having such a powerful ally in the future is a good thing for us."

"Who knows if they'll be an ally or a hindrance..."

Jincha stroked Yingwei's hair, her gaze showing a hint of excitement, "Yingwei's existence proves that Full Bloom is not an unsolvable problem. Cooperating with the Azure Cloud Sect might allow us to resolve the nightmare of Full Bloom."

"Qingying later secretly sent me a message," Hongmian said, "She discovered their problem, but didn't dare to speak about it at the Heart Image Remnant site."

"Qingying has really matured a lot. It really wasn't possible to talk about *them* there." Jincha lowered her voice again, "Not only that, we must also try to keep the Azure Cloud Sect's matters hidden as much as possible."

"Tch, they're going crazy against us, yet we still have to help them."

"This isn't a problem of 'us' versus 'them'," Jincha said softly, "This is for the sake of all Magical Girls. As long as everyone is still a Magical Girl, they are comrades, Hongmian."

"I know already," Hongmian snorted, "But even though they're going crazy, the Azure Cloud Sect still has a good sense of proportion. Otherwise, we wouldn't even be able to help if we wanted to."

"Yes, because everyone in the Azure Cloud Sect is a good child, and also very smart."

Saying this, Jincha still sighed, "I hope they find that person soon, and don't make too big of a mess."

As soon as she finished speaking, the muted East China local TV program playing on the wall opposite suddenly switched to breaking news, immediately capturing Jincha and Hongmian's attention.

Turning up the volume slightly, they saw the program host nervously giving way to a Magical Girl wearing a fox mask.

Then she spoke:

"To all members of the Disaster Control Bureau, the Witch Association, and free Magical Girls watching television, today I make things clear. Our Azure Cloud Sect has worked diligently to protect the society of East China, paying too great a price. However, the Witch Association's East China regional director, Simo Tu, has bullied us excessively. Taking advantage of our Sect's handling of the Heart Image Remnant, he actually abducted our Sect Master's boyfriend, Jiang Si..."

"...Hereby solemnly declare:"

"To the Jianghai Disaster Control Bureau, we declare!"

"To the Lixia Disaster Control Bureau, we declare!"

"To the Chengying Disaster Control Bureau, we declare!"

"To the Jixia Disaster Control Bureau, we declare!"

"To the Chenming Disaster Control Bureau, we declare!"

"To the Zengcheng Disaster Control Bureau, we declare!"

"To the Nanning Disaster Control Bureau, we declare!"

"To the East China and South China Witch Association, we declare!"

"To all free Magical Girls in East China and South China, we declare!"

"If you cannot provide information on the whereabouts of Simo Tu and Jiang Si! Our Sect will annihilate all Magical Girls and Witches outside our Sect in East China and South China!"

Hongmian turned around, dumbfounded, looking at Senior Jincha.

Jincha covered her face with her hand.

Girls in love, when they go crazy, are truly terrifying.

......

"Recently, the Azure Cloud Sect has declared that if the Disaster Control Bureau and the Witch Association cannot provide relevant information on Simo Tu and Jiang Si, they will annihilate all Magical Girls and Witches..."

Beihai, in Jiang Si's home.

Standing at the doorway, leaning against her own bedroom door, Keke looked at Teacher Shion before her.

She stood in a daze for a long time, only awakened by the sound of the news broadcast. Then she felt a wave of nausea, the food she had just eaten rising back up, feeling sick, her heart racing, finding it a bit hard to breathe, "How... how could he not be found?"

"Previously, the Heart Image Remnant was unstable, experiencing fluctuations. To prevent the Heart Image Remnant from affecting the surrounding cities, I went with everyone from the Azure Cloud Sect to Anyang to deal with the Heart Image Remnant."

Shion spoke word by word, trying to maintain her composure, but her increasingly fast speech betrayed her:

"Then, when the situation became critical, I entered the Heart Image Remnant to investigate. He followed me in. Later, when the Heart Image Remnant collapsed and we were separated, Jiang Si... went missing."

Shion murmured, somewhat disheartened, repeating it again, "Couldn't find him, anywhere."

Keke listened quietly, seeming distracted for a moment. Then, grasping the illogical part of the story, she tried hard to deny this explanation, "No, that's not right, is it? Jiang Si isn't a Magical Girl, why would he go to the Heart Image Remnant? He... he's just an ordinary person, he shouldn't have gone to such a dangerous place at all?"

It's impossible, just a few days ago, he had just come back, even went out with Teacher Shion, everyone was still fighting over the room opposite Big Brother...

How could he suddenly go to the Heart Image Remnant and then go missing?

Shion's lips moved slightly before she slowly replied, "I thought... it would be fine..."

Ah, that time with Jiang Ming too, when Teacher Shion went to deal with the Witch Association.

She specifically took Jiang Si along.

Previously, she said she was taking Jiang Si to a hotel for tutoring, but in reality, she was taking him on an adventure.

Keke bit her lip, images of Jiang Si's figure from just before he left flashing through her mind.

"He can definitely be found, right? Right?"

Shion remained silent for a long time, "I don't know."

"Hah."

Keke let out something like a laugh, but there was no mirth in her dazed pupils. After a long while, she said distractedly, "I don't understand."

"Teacher Shion, you're... the strongest, aren't you?"

Capable of anything, able to protect everyone, a Magical Girl.

"Why... couldn't you protect Jiang Si?"

If you liked him, shouldn't you have done your utmost to protect his safety? Shouldn't you have kept him from taking risks from the very beginning?

"Teacher Shion, you're Big Brother's lover, aren't you? Why would you let Big Brother go to such a dangerous place?"

Just like that, so lightly, so simply, you lost your lover?

"Why... Teacher Shion, Teacher Shion, can you tell me so nonchalantly that Big Brother is gone?"

Why, just why did it turn out like this...

Our relationship had just, just started to improve a little. I haven't... I haven't properly apologized to him, haven't made things clear with Big Brother about the past.

No response came, and there was no reason.

In the end, there was only Shion's meaningless reply, "I, didn't..."

"...I'm sorry."

A silence so long it was almost unbearable.

The news ended, the TV played pleasant evening music. A chill passed through the window, constantly assailing the two of them. Children outside cheered that it was snowing. Vehicles roared past, the sound of brakes skidding was piercing, until all the sounds entered the living room and were swallowed by the dead silence.

Keke took a step forward. Shion instinctively took a step back.

Keke, slightly shorter, made Shion unable to lift her head. Taking another step back, leaning against the wall, something fell.

It was the family portrait hanging beside the TV.

Shion looked down at that group photo. Keke's parents, Keke's brother, and Keke.

Only Keke...

When she tried to bend down to pick it up, she was a step too late.

The girl who picked up the family portrait gently wiped the dust off the photo.

"I... only have Big Brother."

A voice so weak it seemed transparent, yet it was piercingly sharp in the living room, "He's my only family left, Teacher Shion."

Clutching the violet-gold dress tightly, the luxurious dress became wrinkled and ugly in her hands. Snowflakes stuck to the window melted, turning into drops of water that slid down, leaving tear-like trails on the glass.

"I really... only have Big Brother... I have no... family left, Teacher Shion..."

More and more snowflakes fell on the window and melted, making the glass seem as if it was being washed by rain.

Blurred and hazy.

After a long time, she bit her lip and reached out, wanting to comfort the trembling Keke.

But her hand was pushed away coldly in mid-air.

"I hate you."

The girl sobbed, hugging the photo tightly.

"Shion."