Chapter 214

Chapter 214: The Mercury Sword, a Beam of Light Shining Upon Vienna

In the center of the inner city trench avenue.

The angel on the Black Death memorial wept black tears. Some held spears, others held instruments, and some carried books. The awakened feathers trembled, like metal scraping against each other, moving the heavy bodies as they rushed down.

At the base of the column, the double-headed eagle emblem, the double-tailed lion emblem, and the red and white striped cross emblem were all etched on three sides, stained from gold to dark chaos, entwined with a disaster aura that seemed to twist past oaths, turning them into carriers of disease.

At that moment, the bystanders, who had been lost in the beauty of the Pure White Witch, were so shocked by this scene that their minds went blank, staring at the bizarre image that seemed to signal the end of the world.

Some people were so startled that they didn’t even care when their phones fell to the ground, turning to run away.

Some people still doubted it was a form of performance art, yet they continued to hold up their phones to take pictures.

Suddenly, various loud sounds echoed until the emperor stepped over the stone fence, swinging his sword in a sweeping arc that tore through the air, aiming to strike down the blonde girl with the camera. The coldness pierced through the peaceful atmosphere, spreading out to declare that this was not a game.

Chu Yuanqing predicted the others’ movements as if she controlled the flames that once burned the world, using gentle magic to seamlessly create a spell she was using for the first time. Just as the emperor’s stone sword came crashing down, she successfully cast her magic.

Thus, her magic wove into a mirror, using sunlight as a medium, instantly reflecting in front of the girl to form a fluid shield as heavy as mercury. When it was struck, it rippled like a lake, wonderfully spreading the force outward, causing the nearby road to crack and sink.

Afterward, the mercury-like fluid wrapped around the girl completely, like the four "Water Walking Balls" behind the Pure White Witch, and leaped into the air, carrying her to the safest place within her sensory range.

— Self-Created Spell: Silver Mirror.

Chu Yuanqing theoretically did not understand magic; she should only be able to extend spells like Flower of the Soul and the optimized version of Magic Clone. But as long as she understood the essence of magic equaled wishes, creating her own magic was not a difficult thing.

Especially under the premise of having many blessings and powers, she only needed to make a wish on a lantern to make adjustments, allowing her to use abilities she had seen, mastered, and understood before to recreate them with magic.

Of course, with her amount of magic power, she could only transform some weaker blessings into magical versions.

The Pure White Witch looked around. There were more than ten monsters that had come to life from the memorial column. The worst part was that there were many people nearby. If they didn’t evacuate quickly, the number of casualties could easily be over a hundred. She warned,

"It’s very dangerous here. Everyone, please leave."

After giving the warning, she realized this was not the old times. People reacted in many different ways and were not alert at all. So, she decided to use her magic. After rescuing a few people with [Silver Mirror], she immediately created dozens of mercury balls to move the nearby people a kilometer away, quickly clearing the area.

Now, the square was silent, and only a few people remained in the nearby buildings.

Chu Wang Shu was astonished. She blankly poked the soft, icy magic shield with her little hand, feeling like she was in a dream. Just moments ago, everyone was talking about how nice the weather in Vienna was and discussing what to have for lunch, and then suddenly Little Qing had transformed into something sparkling and super bright, with different eye and hair colors and clothes.

It was simply…

It was just like "Magical Girl Delaina!"

And even more adorable, brighter, and more magical than the magical girl played by Liuli!

The cute girl’s eyes sparkled, and the gem inside her soul spun around. Her body was immersed in the warm magic of the Pure White Witch, filling her with a sense of safety. Looking at the outside world felt like watching a Hollywood movie from the first-person view, and she felt a little bit of excitement and anticipation in her heart.

Could she be like those characters in cartoons who break their friends’ spells and become magical girls, getting caught up in the fight between good and evil, and slowly transforming into a magical girl?

No, no, now is not the time to think about these things. The problem is… Little Qing is so small and looks so fragile. Can she really defeat monsters that look like stone gargoyles?

Chu Wang Shu felt nervous, but when she looked at her teammates trapped in the transparent magical spheres, remembering what had happened before, she felt that it might not be so serious after all.

Because Little Qing actively led them this far, it means she must be confident she can defeat these bad creatures. Otherwise, just like with others, she would have used magic to send them away to another place.

Chu Yuanqing recalled the magic she used to escort the crowd by the roadside and formed it into a slender and delicate mercury sword, with a spiral handle and engraved with intricate patterns, looking as beautiful as a ceremonial item, effortlessly creating elegant sword flowers.

Although her identity as a magical girl was exposed, she did not want to reveal that she was Chu Yuanying in front of "Dazzling Stage" just yet.

Therefore, magical abilities like "Killer of the Boiling Flame," which have special effects and powerful moves, are considered banned and must not be used unless absolutely necessary.

In this situation, it is best for her fighting style, weapons, and magic to be different from her usual self.

The girl’s expression was calm as she stepped forward, dodging the feathers falling from the angel, sidestepping the emperor with his raised sword. She leaned forward, slashed in a gentle arc like moonlight, and beheaded a stone priest, then, like in a dance, she stood on her toes and turned to face the approaching Holy Father, Holy Spirit, and Holy Child.

Chu Yuanqing could not show her true swordsmanship, but she could use magic to move her body against the laws of motion, dancing gracefully through the gaps of all the openings, and then strike with her mercury sword in simple cuts, thrusts, and jabs.

This would only make her seem a little calm, not too excessive.

The Pure White Witch raised her mercury sword like a noble lady performing at a ball, moving with precise and elegant steps, her swaying dress was also so graceful. Her hair was as soft as snow in the mountains, shining in the sunlight, and her long eyelashes lifted, revealing calm golden eyes.

The girl danced gracefully among the dozens of swift stone monsters, wielding her mercury sword six hundred times in one minute, at a steady speed of ten strikes per second, keeping a rhythm as pleasing as playing the piano.

In the next moment,

Chu Yuanqing weaved through all the stone monsters, like an elusive dream, standing in a place where the light broke through the clouds. She turned her head to look at the little idols and gave them a comforting smile. Then, she extended her slender finger and gently tapped the mercury sword, producing a clear and pleasant sound.

Thus, it felt like a grand conclusion.

Angels, pastors, priests, Holy Father, Holy Child, Holy Spirit, emperor…

The creatures that had come to life from the memorial columns froze for a moment. The scars from their swords flickered, and mercurial magic flowed from them, resonating with the remaining scars. Countless rays of light burst forth, bending, colliding, refracting, spinning, and dancing under the pull of the resonance.

At that moment, the area became a kingdom of light. The sound of broken mirrors echoed continuously, intertwining to create a beautiful melody, which perfectly played the prelude of the dance song practiced yesterday.

The Pure White Witch turned around and stood still; in the area where the statue was, only ashes remained.

[Silver Mirror] is a fairly ordinary blessing, but it has many uses.

The most crucial skill is to leave a [Mirror Reflection] mark during battle, causing the wounds to reflect a piercing light. When used on multiple targets, it can create a realm of infinite reflective light, making the originally cold mirror light even more intense, ultimately resulting in devastating high-temperature damage.

Under these circumstances, the mercury sword is merely a tool for casting spells, and it can easily become flashy yet impractical.

Because these statues possess the ability to rapidly recover, she marked [Mirror Reflection] hundreds of times with the mercury sword and then made them explode all at once, creating a layered destructive force.

Leaving no bones behind is the most efficient way to defeat enemies.

Chu Yuanqing looked at this scene and felt a deep emotion.

Compared to the strange costs of blessings, magic is truly convenient.

For example, [Silver Mirror], if such a blessing is used for a long time at high intensity, the lungs and other organs will gradually become like mirrors. Without any other blessings to help, it will eventually become life-threatening.

But with magic, it only takes a little bit of magical power, and not even a paper crane jar is needed. With a few breaths, you can fully restore your wish power just by lighting a lamp.

At that moment, the four little idols trapped in the magical sphere looked on with sparkling eyes.

Honey Qing is so handsome!

The mercury sword is so beautiful!

The battle flows like clouds and water!

And… she can even use her sword to play music?

The green-eyed cat suddenly admired herself for stealing Honey Qing’s first kiss. She wasn’t cut into pieces, surely it’s because she was just too cute, right?

A mist spread in Xie Qingxuan’s eyes as she completely forgot the large memories she had just recalled. She looked at the Pure White Witch’s long and beautiful fingers, remembering the shyness from that night when she stirred inside, compared to the current cool and elegant battle stance, it made her feel very shy.

The golden retriever’s belly felt warm, she pursed her lips, her eyes shining brighter. She started to look forward to Mana Regeneration Day tonight. Little Qing’s mercury sword seemed to be both soft and hard, and it would surely be more exciting than before, right?

Kirimi Miyuki was especially dreamy. She finally understood why Honey Qing learned to dance so quickly. With such graceful and beautiful swordplay, and perfectly controlled steps, along with incredible reflexes, learning any sport was so easy.

And that beautiful and precious mercury magic had a very young lady vibe!

If I became a magical girl in the future, could I ask Honey Qing to learn this too?

The more Little Sakura thought about it, the more excited she became. The pink in her eyes grew more vibrant, and the excitement around her surged like waves. After evolving once, the "Perfect Interpretation Method" started to unconsciously mimic the other’s tricks, but due to too little magic, it failed before long.

Chu Wang Shu was very excited. She wasn’t silly; she had smartly realized that the monster they had encountered on stage during the second performance was real, but Honey Qing had solved it with magic.

So, maybe this appearance with white hair and golden eyes was Honey Qing’s true form?

At that moment, the cute girl was no longer scared. She had only realized there was a monster before, not knowing about her childhood idol—Magical Girl Delaina. When her beloved Chu Yuanqing merged with her idol, the surprise completely drowned out the fear of the unknown world.

Hmm, she even had the space to start feeling shy.

Because Chu Yuanqing, with her white hair and golden eyes, felt more like a mother to herself.

Oh, what a pity, Little Qing is not only an amazing idol now, but also a mysterious magical girl. No matter how much I try to show my dad a better side, he can’t find such an excellent Little Qing to be his mother.

The cute daughter’s moment of disappointment quickly passed, and she saw the Pure White Witch in a beautiful dress smiling at her. She waved excitedly, like a thrilled fan.

Chu Yuanqing didn’t break their magical barrier. She glanced at the disaster aura that quietly retracted, as if she were trying to suppress the memorial pillar from being reborn in a filthy form. Her emotions surged with her will, forcefully suppressing it for a few seconds, while she threw her mercury sword high into the air.

This finely crafted weapon, made from one of the shrine maiden’s old works, melted and expanded into a massive amount of mercury, soaring over a hundred meters into the sky. Centered around the memorial pillar, it quickly formed a curtain that fell all around, weaving into a birdcage before the disaster aura could escape.

Slash, slash.

The terrifying emotional wave, burning like fire, combined with the never-ending mercury magic, forcibly restrained the disaster aura that was strong enough to form a pillar, keeping it imprisoned without any way to escape.

A large amount of disaster aura tried to surge out through the gaps of the birdcage, but at the moment they collided, they found only transparent mirror surfaces. No matter how they corroded, invaded, exploded, or attacked, the flowing mercury magic continuously replaced it, leaving no way to escape.

Chu Yuanqing made a judgment in her heart.

This is probably a Grade C to Grade B disaster beast, but unlike a nightmare, it is just newly hatched and extremely weak.

From the way the living statue operates, its ability is not a rough and straightforward attack type, but rather a special category that quickly snowballs after developing, which is why it cannot escape this silver birdcage.

However, if it were to be let loose, it would not be long before the ancient buildings of Vienna would awaken into large armies of stone statues, assuming its abilities are as guessed; otherwise, it would just become more troublesome.

For example, she had once seen a Supreme Disaster Beast that had similar skills.

If the other party activates this Black Plague memorial pillar, they can trace back the Black Plague and, using history as a pivot, carve out a separate space and time. Unless they choose to repeat that disaster and let a certain number of people die again, they would be forever lost inside.

This belongs to a very difficult type of rules to crack.

Of course, there is also the possibility of directly tracing back to the Black Plague, allowing this disease, which humanity has overcome, to reappear with its unresolved horrors from that history, belonging to a terrifying concept-type.

However, this beast clearly isn’t one of those; otherwise, all the people around would have already died before Chu Yuanqing arrived.

Chu Yuanqing patiently waits. She does not want to reveal more magic. There is light bouncing back and forth inside the birdcage, continuously splitting and twisting into countless intertwining strands of light, cutting and crushing the disaster aura, leaving scars on this ancient plague pillar.

This magic can work together with the skill of [Mirror Reflection]. Enemies inside will eventually be hit, and even if they are not marked, the birdcage itself will continue to gather [Mirror Reflection] marks.

The longer they stay, the harder it is to escape.

Because touching the mirror will trigger an explosion of overlapping marks.

At the same time, when the marks reach the limit on the birdcage, a beam of light will be created that is focused, penetrating, and damaging.

Meanwhile, the dark clouds in the sky have cleared, and in the distance, the armed forces are arriving late. These special soldiers, who are dedicated to disaster relief, are aware of the [witch]’s presence. Upon hearing the news, they begin to guide the crowd to safety while others take notes and prepare to assist.

Tang Liuli watched this scene, feeling nervous for a moment.

Does the government know about the magical girls? Will Little Qing be captured and treated badly by the troops?

Although the officials should know, they are not in Daxia right now, and not even in the Donghong Federation. Maybe Little Qing isn’t part of this area’s organization and might get bullied while trying to do good!

The green-eyed cat became alert. She began to imagine various scenarios, already picturing herself wandering the world with Honey Qing, quitting the "Dazzling Stage," shocking Daxia, revealing the truth to the world, becoming a magical girl, and slowly solving the mystery to finally defeat the big boss in an epic journey.

Chu Yuanqing also noticed the arrival of the officials. She was not worried at all; in fact, she felt quite relieved that these troops were only three minutes behind her.

Although those three minutes meant that most of the people within a few hundred meters of the plague pillar would be slaughtered, it was still impressive that they managed to keep the disaster contained here, rather than letting it spread throughout Vienna or even Austria.

It seemed that Dream Weaver Rabbit was not lying. During the 17 years that [pure white] suppressed the disaster, humans had indeed made many efforts and preparations to protect their homes.

Among them, the [witch] was the most crucial part, but it was certainly not the entire solution.

Chu Yuanqing looked up at the silver mirror birdcage. The disaster beast hiding in the plague pillar finally could not hold back any longer. It seemed to regard this artifact as its true self, and with a cracking sound, it revealed its true form.

It was a monster resembling a chimera. It combined nearly all the elements from the sculptures on the plague pillar— a lion’s body made of stone, flesh, and black fog; eagle feathers that appeared to be layered like scales; six pairs of wings that came from angels; and three heads, each representing the Holy Child, Holy Father, and Holy Spirit.

It was hard to imagine what terrifying forms it could take if it were to reactivate several more groups of sculptures.

Chu Yuanqing would not give it the chance to escape.

As soon as this disaster beast appeared, it was engulfed in the mirror’s light, becoming covered in wounds. Its pupils were cold, showing no anger or fear, as it sprayed out poison that represented disease from its enormous mouth, like a powerful acid, which almost instantly pierced through the birdcage’s walls.

At the same time, its six wings pushed hard, like a griffin from a myth, trying to break free from all bonds, soaring over the barriers of the cage and flying into the blue sky.

"Click."

Chu Yuanqing snapped her fingers, and before the birdcage shattered, it triggered the [Mirror Reflection] mark, the booming noise nearly tearing apart eardrums, the hot light spreading grandly, and then gathering into a pillar in the rising mercury, as if it would break through the clouds, flashing above the entire city of Vienna for several heartbeats.

In the end, the ashes of the disaster beast’s bones, after the brilliance flowed back into the mercury, also became a resource, reshaping into a mercury-made, one-hundred-meter-tall pillar dedicated to the Black Plague.

Those sculptures looked lifelike, shining even more brightly in the sunlight, and the three sides at the base of the pillar, engraved with Latin vows to bless the people, were perfectly restored, as if symbolizing everlasting peace.