diymy Chapter 19, Redemption?
Chapter 19, Redemption?
Rose sat on a bench in the garden, lost in thought.
This is a lush garden, with green grass and clusters of flowers, but the imposing presence of the towering black stone fortress outside the low shrubs gives the atmosphere a gloomy feel.
"That demon..."
She closed her eyes and recalled his brief self-introduction, his indifferent yet unsettling gaze, silently pondering that name in her heart.
"Cheng Chen".
Rose had been keeping an eye on Eira since the first day the black magical girl appeared in the city.
Watching her run rampant from the shadows, accumulating knowledge bit by bit—her personality, her desires, her goals… Before provoking her today, Thorn Rose had already rehearsed it a thousand times in her mind.
The accident should not have happened.
After the crackdown is over, this incident will only be a minor episode.
The impulsive and delinquent magical girl was punished by the association for her actions, and no one cared about her thoughts or stance.
Rose's tightly closed eyelids suddenly trembled.
According to the plan we initially rehearsed with the teacher—that's how it should have been.
As the judge of the Kaleidoscope Prison, Teikou may be pedantic, but he is by no means stupid.
The ordinary magical girls come into contact with and learn about the three magical kingdoms, while the visitors from those kingdoms also learn about them.
From Dingguang's perspective, "Magical Girl Hiiro" is an existence that cannot be ignored. Her strength and influence are at the top among ordinary magical girls, yet she has become a profession that the country does not understand, such as "company boss".
Eya is an employee of the other party and also the target chosen to participate in the "Witch Trial".
By inducing Eya to make a mistake and then involving Hiyori, [Kaleidoscope Prison] can figure out her style and stance by observing her methods of handling the incident.
In this impromptu hearing, the Magical Girls Association was using them, but weren't they also using the Magical Girls Association?
Logically, there shouldn't have been any changes, but unexpected events occurred one after another.
The footsteps approached from afar, and Rose opened her eyes.
Arbitrator Dingguang walked out of the main gate of the Black Fortress, and the puppet soldiers guarding the city lined up in two rows on the left and right, giving a neat salute.
She waved over, and Rose got up and moved closer.
"Let's stop here for now and go."
Dingguang turned around and took the lead.
"The outcome of this mission wasn't perfect, but we managed to reach a conclusion." She kept her eyes straight ahead. "Don't worry too much, just do it the same as usual."
"Yes, teacher."
The rose, with its head slightly lowered, stared at the former's heels, following closely behind.
"We are not the main force in fighting calamity beasts and demons. Threats identified as 'calamity elements' will naturally be handled by the Nightingale's House... The demon lord, who disappeared a few years ago, has reappeared at this time, which is not something we should be worried about."
"Yes."
"Even with the protection of the Demon Lord, you can only have temporary peace. That magical girl has lost her chance to transform. She will eventually have to take responsibility for the sins she bears. You don't need to care about her... Your personal grudge with her will be judged in a fair trial."
"understood."
Rose answered absentmindedly.
Dingguang suddenly stopped in her tracks, and Cimei almost bumped into her back.
After slamming on the brakes to regain her balance, she heard her teacher suddenly say to her in an extremely solemn tone:
"Rose of the Wild".
The rose gazed at the fixed light.
Through those pupils, which were very similar in pattern and color to her own, she saw another version of herself, exactly like her.
"Do not shrink back out of fear, nor lose confidence because of a small threat. Whether it is a monster or a demon, you are the arbiter of the Kaleidoscope Prison, and also my disciple."
"…I see."
Rose avoided Dingguang's gaze and answered in a low voice.
"Only by atoning for one's sins can one find peace."
"Go back. You must have other things to do in the mortal world. Magic is not everything in life, and you can't neglect the rest either."
At this moment, the two had reached the outermost edge of the black fortress of the [Kaleidoscope Prison], a high platform suspended in the sea of clouds.
The entire fortress was concealed by massive rain clouds, hiding its very existence.
Dingguang stopped where he was and waved to Cimei.
The latter walked to the edge of the platform, turned around and nodded slightly, then leaned back, letting himself fall into the thick clouds.
All that could be heard was the howling of the wind.
Dingguang's calm expression finally changed. She tremblingly raised her hand, and a jet-black magic power still clung to her skin like a malignant tumor, colliding with her own platinum magic power and annihilating each other.
"Evil Lord..."
Sweat dripped from her forehead; she was not as relaxed as she appeared in front of her disciples.
Take a few deep breaths, focus your gaze, and close your eyes.
A beam of moonlight shone through a gap in the rain clouds, and her body disintegrated inch by inch along with the light, turning into a handful of platinum dust that dissipated in the wind.
……
Yan Xi left the company and walked alone on the road.
It takes an hour and a half by subway, then twenty-five minutes by bicycle, and finally walking from Yinfu Entertainment Center to her home. Only when the towering steel forest completely disappears from sight can one vaguely see that ruin-like old street.
It sounds like a waste of time.
She could actually transform and fly back, but to avoid being targeted, she chose to commute to work as usual.
The magical color of a magical girl is fixed, almost equivalent to identification. There have been cases where someone photographed the flight path of a particular magical girl, used triangulation to analyze her home address, and then tracked her down.
The company has always attached great importance to these kinds of safety issues, and has conducted many similar training courses.
Therefore, most trainees receive commuting subsidies provided by the company, take a taxi or bus to the company, and then transform and come out from the magical girl-exclusive lounge.
Yan Xi could also choose to take a taxi, but the place where she lived was too remote.
Cities all over the world have places that have been destroyed by magical girls fighting enemies, and not every destroyed place can be quickly rebuilt.
These areas become crime hotspots where scoundrels thrive, and even if you try to hail a taxi, you might not find a driver willing to accept your fare.
After exiting the subway station, I walked two more streets in a direction away from the city.
The high-rise buildings gradually disappeared, and the surrounding area became low-rise brick residential buildings.
The roadside was littered with garbage and grime that was hard to discern, and flies and mosquitoes swarmed under the dim streetlights.
It's hard to find shared bikes on the outskirts of remote cities, so Yanxi usually has to walk home.
As she passed a dark alleyway, she suddenly stopped in her tracks.
The alleyway echoed with a woman's sobs and the angry shouts of several men punching and kicking.
"No...no..."
After hearing the woman's pleas for mercy, Yan Xi frowned and turned to walk into the alley.
"stop."
Upon seeing someone approaching, the men stopped their beating and turned to look at them.
Someone saw that she was a young girl living alone and wanted to make some flirtatious remarks, but was stopped before he could speak and was told to step back.
A burly man stepped out from among the men, wearing only a vest that revealed his tattoos and muscles: "Xiao Yan, this is none of your business. Go home now."
"Brother Liu Xing."
Yan Xi recognized the man as her neighbor who lived on the same street.
A few years ago, Liu Xing gathered a group of people and pledged allegiance to the local gang. They set up an underground casino, similar to a card room, in a neighborhood on the outskirts of the city. Although it was not a legitimate business, it helped many of the neighbors, and everyone turned a blind eye to it.
In this almost forgotten place outside the bustling city, people will do anything to survive.
Yan Xi did not leave, but instead glanced at the woman slumped on the ground:
"Does Aunt Qian owe you money?"
The other person was the same person who had borrowed money from her family yesterday before leaving. Qian Zhen was also a resident of the street. If there hadn't been a reason, Liu Xing wouldn't have attacked her like this.
"Ugh."
Liu Xing sighed, told the men to leave, and then grabbed Qian Zhen and led her to the street outside.
He lit a cigarette and slowly said, "Sister Qian owed our gambling den almost 100,000 yuan before. I saw that she was alone with her child, so I never urged her to pay back the debt. I just forbade her from gambling in the gambling den."
"But the gambling den isn't just my place; the other patrons don't have that problem. She came again today, I don't know where she borrowed the money from. She lost everything while I wasn't there and even owes someone 50,000."
"She said she had money and that I could pay it back as long as I went with her. But I knew it was all nonsense. I helped her pay off the money she owed others, and beating her up was just to teach her a lesson."
Yan Xi's eyes turned cold, and Qian Zhen, who was sitting on the ground sobbing, lowered her head and avoided her gaze.
She then asked Liu Xing, "Where's Yinyin?"
"I asked the other guys to keep an eye on things. They should have been here just now... Oh, here they come."
Liu Xing pointed to the side, and looking in that direction, a girl who looked about twelve or thirteen years old was walking towards them.
She helped her mother up and whispered a thank you to Liu Xing.
"Take your mother home to rest."
Liu Xing wouldn't take his anger out on the child. He turned to Yan Xi and said, "Xiao Yan, I know your grandma is kind-hearted. If she borrowed money from your family, try to get it back as soon as possible. Otherwise, who knows when it will be gambled away and you won't even see a ripple of it."
After saying that, he waved his hand, turned around, and went back into the card room.
Yan Xi's face was as cold as ice: "What about the money my grandmother borrowed from you yesterday?"
"Already...already..."
Qian Zhen stammered, and it goes without saying where she was going.
Yan Xi's face was very ugly. She wanted to get angry, but because there were children around, she forcibly suppressed it: "You said that my grandma lent you money because you wanted to pay for Yin Yin's surgery. You also swore that you would not gamble."
"Whoa!"
Qian Zhen reached out and hugged Yan Xi's leg, pleading, "This is the last time, Xiao Yan, I know I was wrong, please help me!"
Yan Xi dodged, her expression unchanged: "There won't be a next time. Brother Liu Xing said you still have money. Pay back whatever my grandma lent you right now."
"Could you give me an extension...?"
Before Qian Zhen could finish speaking, Yan Xi interrupted her.
"no."
"But I don't have that much money."
Qian Zhen looked distressed, but her daughter Qian Yinyin chimed in, "We have money."
Qian Yinyin's expression remained calm, unaffected by her gambling mother: "My mother owes Grandma Yan a total of 137,000 yuan. Sister Yan, don't worry, my mother and I will go get the money now and pay you back immediately."
Yan Xi's brows relaxed, then furrowed again.
"I'll go with you."
……