Chapter 132

After all… in those eroge RPGs, there are stories where the heroines clear the game completely pure, and even defeat the Cosmic Dark Emperor in the end.

"So, I became a partner to a Magical Girl." Qi Xing said softly, a self-deprecating smile appearing at the corner of his mouth.

"The kind of boy often found in anime who provides support for the Magical Girl. It lasted for about a year or so."

"Beating up the evil demons and villains causing trouble, helping people in need, finding lost kittens… That period of time really felt like a 'Magical Girl' anime."

"But this world is, after all, not a morning children's anime."

Tsukimiya Ran almost didn't dare to keep listening.

She knew—just standing before this grave, it was already destined that this memory could not have a happy ending.

"In 2017, the dark organization [Undead Village] launched the [Tokyo Conception] plan."

"They used long-term planning and preparation to cause the concentration of evil energy throughout Tokyo to skyrocket. Furthermore, they used [Personality Excretion Jelly] to fuse a large number of demons and defeated exorcists into one, turning them into an extremely huge, slime-like single-celled organism."

"At the time, the Onmyoryo's observations showed that this single-celled organism was very likely the fertilized egg of some mythical-grade Great Demon. Once it was truly born, the entire Tokyo would be devoured by it, and it might even expand further; the consequences would be unimaginable."

"However, no matter what attack hit it, it would regenerate at super-high speed."

Qi Xing sighed softly.

"At that time, everyone was already at their wit's end.

After all, you can't exactly use nuclear weapons in the center of Tokyo, right? Even the Americans wouldn't do something like that… would they?

"Magical Girl Miaoshan and I had already joined forces to defeat the leader of [Undead Village] at that time."

Qi Xing gazed at the grave, his tone slow, not turning back, but these words were clearly meant for Tsukimiya Ran behind him.

"That guy proposed that as long as we let him go, he could keep her and me safe, protect her family, friends, and even her school. Everyone she cared about."

—How about it? Do you want to kill me and have everyone die together, or let me go and let yourselves live?

"At that time, the whole internet was reading 'breaker of the inner world', a work by Eight-Tailed Cat, available in the uu library. I had almost agreed."

Speaking up to here, Qi Xing paused slightly; his expression didn't change, but there was a hint of amusement in it.

"But Miaoshan said—'If I use [Restoration] to revert this fertilized egg and all the evil energy in Tokyo, everyone can be saved, right?'"

"However, the price for doing so was that she would completely burn away her own life."

"I originally wanted to stop her, but instead, I was knocked down by her with a palm strike."

"The leader of [Undead Village] also said to her—'Death is equivalent to losing everything you have. Whether it's family, friends, or even your own future, it will all vanish like smoke. Comparing the entire strange world to the small part of the world you love, which side is more important?'"

"'You are just a child; even if you give up, no one would be able to blame you.'"

"—The outcome of this matter in the end, I shouldn't need to say, everyone already knows."

Qi Xing placed the milk candy in front of the grave and finally turned around to look at Tsukimiya Ran.

"Even now, I still feel that guy was right. Really, no one can blame a child for not being willing to sacrifice themselves to save the world."

"This is also why I have always disliked Magical Girls going to fight and sacrifice themselves."

"I still do my best to help Magical Girls even now, and I will still advise you all, hoping you won't fight anymore, won't do dangerous things, and will leave these matters to the adults."

Qi Xing's voice was calm as usual, yet exceptionally weighty.

"But if you insist on fighting, I won't force you to stop. Because that is not what I should truly be doing."

After he finished speaking, the scene fell into silence for a moment.

Tsukimiya Ran opened her mouth, but found she couldn't speak.

This heavy emotion was not sadness, because this was not a story of meaningless loss or failure, but a hymn of battle and sacrifice.

It was a story of a great hero sacrificing herself gloriously, allowing another hero to be born.

Beautiful things were passed down like a bond.

But it still felt like a raincloud pressing on the chest of a Magical Girl, unable to dissipate for a long time.

Even Elaine, who was already familiar with Qi Xing's past and had countless times reviewed his combat records and files as Master Leipu, couldn't help but be stunned.

Files are, after all, just text and data. No matter how detailed, they cannot compare to Qi Xing's calm and direct confession at this moment.

Once upon a time, Qi Xing was not a hero, nor had he ever thought about being one.

His past was lonely, cold, and could even be said to be selfish. He was incompatible with this world and had never intended to change it.

Until one day, a wonderful person told him: This world, besides darkness and absurdity, truly still has beautiful things.

Therefore, Tsukimiya Ran was silent for a long time, unable to organize appropriate words for a long while.

Until quite a while later, she finally asked cautiously: "Um… Master Leipu… could it be that Magical Girl Miaoshan was your first love?"

Qi Xing was speechless.

"…What on earth are you thinking about in that little head of yours? She was only twelve or thirteen back then! Good heavens! I am not a lolicon!"

Tsukimiya Ran blinked, somewhat confused: "But you were… only fifteen back then? That doesn't count as being a lolicon, right?"

Qi Xing: "…"

If one only looked at physical age, it seemed one couldn't refute that.

But counting psychological age, Qi Xing was at least twenty-five back then.

He dared to swear to his brother Jesus that he had never had such thoughts. It was too young, too criminal.

She was just his friend.

Precisely because they were "just friends," being taught such an important lesson by a middle school girl was why the matter left such a huge impact on Qi Xing's heart.

"Don't talk nonsense." Waving his hand, Qi Xing sighed, "Now that the grave sweeping is done, we should head to the Onmyoryo."

He raised his head and looked at the sky.

The weather today was really terrible; the sky was gloomy, the clouds hung low, and the sky looked quite ominous. There was neither wind nor rain, nor clear skies; it was a dark, overcast day, as if trapped by black clouds.

It was almost as if… something ominous was approaching.

—Suddenly, the corner of Qi Xing's eye caught something.

Not far away, right between the tree shadows at the end of this quiet cemetery.

He saw a figure standing there.

A person he was incredibly familiar with, yet who could not possibly appear here.

…wearing a pitch-black dharma robe.

"Hi, Qi Xing." She said, "It's been a long time~"

Volume 4: Evil Dharma Magic City Tokyo: 126: So great, thanks friend

Magical Girl Miaoshan.

Jinguji Komachi.

She stood there in an appearance almost exactly the same as eight years ago.

The only difference was that the dharma robe had been changed to black, and her eyes had turned blood-red.

Such a scene should not have appeared in reality.

A friend who had died eight years ago could not suddenly appear in front of you, smiling and waving at you.

For a moment, even Qi Xing's movements stopped; he seemed stunned.

Tsukimiya Ran and Elaine were also stunned into silence, unable to speak for a moment.

A person who had indeed died was now smiling and standing before their eyes; this was definitely not an illusion dreamt while taking a nap on the bed.

Is it really possible for the dead to be resurrected? Is it really possible for such a thing to happen?

Magical Girl Artemina's understanding of the supernatural world might be shallow, and she wouldn't dare to draw rash conclusions; but Elaine was different. Given her knowledge, her answer would certainly be—resurrecting the dead, in the modern world, is absolutely impossible.

In myths, aren't there spells that can resurrect the dead?

Indeed, the Mythological Era had resurrection magic. The story of Egypt's Isis was told before on the cruise ship; Greece's great mage Aeëtes could throw the dead into a cauldron and resurrect the deceased from the cooked bones. In ancient Irish and Norse myths and legends, there were similar miracles.

However, that was, after all, a matter of the "Mythological Era."

Many modern mages have wondered why the Mythological Era gradually headed toward an end after the Common Era, and why the once-glorious magic, artifacts, and exotic beasts gradually disappeared into the long river of history.

Elaine had once been unclear about this.

Until Samael appeared in the guise of a "Creator" and accompanied Qi Xing, she finally understood the historical secrets within it.

Why did the Mythological Era gradually fade away after the Common Era?

The answer was obvious—it was precisely because the dark Creator Samael had long been beaten into paralysis by brother Jesus, and even many Giant Spirits had been sealed…

Only then did this world gradually shed the glory of myths and enter the era of humans. The future would belong to the "humans" living here and now.

In the era of humans, people only have one life.

If the scene before them wasn't an illusion or deception, it was a demon transformation, or it was just necromancy. In the human world, there couldn't be such a good thing as "resurrection"…

—At least that was what Elaine thought.

Someone who would play such tricks on Master Leipu, transforming into his dead friend—the guy who would do and could do such a thing could only be harboring ill intentions.

Therefore, although Tsukimiya Ran couldn't help but be stunned for a moment, Elaine's first reaction was to issue a warning in a voice that was almost a wail: "Qi Xing! Don't fall for it! That cannot be real!"

However, Qi Xing did not respond to her immediately.

He just continued to look at Magical Girl Miaoshan standing not far away, quietly watching that familiar figure who was smiling and greeting him.

"Yo-ho, Qi Xing, long time no see~"

She smiled very lively, still with that familiar smile, bright and playful.

Not at all like a dead person, not at all like a fake.

"How have you been lately?"

The air seemed to freeze.

For a moment, Qi Xing did not answer, just stared at her silently.

The silence continued like this for quite a while.

After quite a while, the corners of Qi Xing's mouth finally curved up slowly, like a bitter smile held back for a long time: "…Not bad. Working hard, making progress, and I have goals."

"Ah, that's good."

Miaoshan carefully scrutinized Qi Xing's face, examining him very seriously, her eyes soft and bright.

After looking for a while like this, she finally sighed in relief, a hint of apology in her smile:

"Sorry, Qi Xing, I died."

"Although I don't regret it, because that was something someone had to do, I didn't expect… you would be in so much pain."

From appearing until now, having spoken a few sentences, for the first time, there was sorrow and apology in Miaoshan's voice.

"Perhaps, at that time, I shouldn't have held you down without authorization. But I also felt that if I didn't forcibly subdue you first, you might have tried to die with me."

"So, I am really sorry."

But Qi Xing just shook his head: "A hero who sacrificed herself to save countless lives is now apologizing to the person she saved and protected; what kind of sense does that make?—You did nothing wrong."

"At that time, I was indeed willing to die with you—after all, in this world, a world that requires a kind child to sacrifice herself to save, what value is there left for me to continue to live?"

Speaking up to here, Qi Xing chuckled lowly. There was a hint of self-deprecation in that laugh, and in the end, it turned into a soft sigh.