Chapter 7: The Return of Azure Star

The voice imbued Gu Qianqian with an unprecedented sense of tranquility.

Though she heard it for the first time, it resonated with a profound familiarity.

It seemed as if, in the distant past, during her tender years, a similar voice had once soothed her to sleep.

****

Meanwhile, the Grievous Vine plunged into utter disarray.

How could that man, his soul once brimming with trauma and his very being radiating despair, suddenly metamorphose into such an immensely powerful magical girl?

‘Aren’t magical girls exclusively female?’

“Impossible, how could you possibly be a magical girl!”

The Grievous Vine roared with fury, unleashing dozens of massive vines that lashed out at Azure Star.

Azure Star effortlessly evaded the assault, then carefully placed Gu Qianqian in a secure corner.

She pivoted, lifted a hand, and with a delicate gesture, clenched it towards the countless vines that surged once more.

“Crack!”

The very space before the vines fractured instantly, like a shattered mirror.

They plunged into the spatial rifts, only to emerge from the other side an instant later.

Consequently, the vines’ own attack was redirected, surging back towards the Grievous Vine itself.

It had no time to react, and the air filled with the incessant, crisp sounds of snapping.

The Grievous Vine, which had appeared invincible moments ago, was in the blink of an eye, whipped into numerous segments by its own tendrils, its viscous sap spattering across the ground.

This act ignited its full wrath.

From the monster’s core, countless crimson eyes flickered open, unleashing rays capable of inflicting mental corruption, each beam a vow to vanquish the detestable woman before it.

Yet, Azure Star moved with an unperturbed elegance, as if strolling through a garden.

Her movements appeared languid, but with an astonishing precision, she flawlessly evaded every single beam.

The light shafts whizzed past the very edge of her garment, failing to graze even a single strand of her hair.

She even found the presence of mind to address Gu Qianqian, who stood transfixed not far away.

“Qianqian.”

Her voice, though not loud, cut through the din of the chaotic battlefield, reaching Gu Qianqian’s ears with startling clarity.

“Your ‘Coronal Spear’ has only mimicked your mother’s form, yet it utterly lacks her true spirit.”

Azure Star spoke, her movements still fluidly evading attacks.

“Her spear’s essence lies in the ultimate compression and release of energy, focusing all might into a singular point at the tip, rendering it utterly indestructible.”

“Whereas you,” her tone sharpened with unsparing severity, “have merely molded magic crudely into the semblance of a spear.”

“Your power is scattered, riddled with countless vulnerabilities; you cannot even sever a single vine from such a paltry foe.”

“What you exhibit is not combat; it is nothing more than a gaudy, ineffectual display.”

Gu Qianqian felt as though a bolt of lightning had struck her.

Her most revered idol had not only discerned all her shortcomings with a single glance but had also, with brutal candor, highlighted the vast, unbridgeable gulf separating her own abilities from her mother’s.

It was then, for the first time, that she comprehended the utter superficiality and absurdity of her understanding.

The techniques she had once held in such high esteem were, in the discerning eyes of a true master, nothing short of a travesty.

“As for this creature,” Azure Star paused, her cerulean eyes fixing upon the monster, “it constantly shifts its core within its body, and most conventional attacks are simply absorbed by its thick hide.”

“Therefore…”

Azure Star extended a slender, pale index finger, drawing an imperceptible line in the air towards the monster.

An unseen blade sliced open the creature’s massive form.

Yet, a peculiar sight unfolded.

The monster appeared unharmed; the fissure was merely a two-dimensional incision, a simple “opening” of the Grievous Vine that then carved a direct spatial tunnel to its core within the creature’s very being.

“Simply extract it.”

As her words concluded, Azure Star’s hand reached through the air, piercing the rift.

The core, which pulsed within the monster’s depths, emanating a putrid aura, was forcibly torn from its lodging, then crushed to dust within Azure Star’s grasp.

“No—!”

The Grievous Vine let out its final, desperate shriek.

With the disappearance of its core, its enormous body began to shrivel with astonishing speed, ultimately crumbling into black ash that, caught by a whisper of the night wind, dissipated into nothingness.

****

Just then, several GSA helicopters descended with a roar, touching down on the campus perimeter.

The cabin doors hissed open.

Qin Lan, leading an elite squad and accompanied by a novice magical girl, breached the energy shield and surged into the campus.

They arrived precisely in time to witness the astonishing spectacle.

Qin Lan’s gaze fell upon the silver-haired girl who stood regally in the plaza’s heart.

Her signature spatial manipulation was the legendary ability exclusively attributed to “Azure Star.”

Textbooks detailed it with absolute clarity.

Beside her, the younger magical girl stammered, utterly dumbfounded.

“Sq-Squad Leader Qin… could that truly be the legendary Azure Star?”

Qin Lan offered no reply.

Her fingers, clenched around her weapon, had turned stark white from the intensity of her grip.

A legend from the Golden Age, a myth long believed to have faded into oblivion…

She had truly returned!

In the heart of the plaza, Azure Star slowly turned.

Her cerulean eyes, shimmering like a cosmic sea, traversed hundreds of meters, settling with pinpoint precision upon Qin Lan.

Qin Lan felt her breath seize in her chest.

Forcing herself to regain composure, she was about to approach, ready to initiate standard GSA protocols for negotiation.

Yet, Azure Star spoke first.

“Qin Lan.”

“Seventeen years, and you have aged.”

Qin Lan could no longer hold back; tears cascaded down her face, unchecked.

“Why… why did you simply vanish without a word, gone for seventeen years? Do you know what I…”

The remainder of her plea was swallowed by a choked sob.

Azure Star—no, Gu Qing, concealed within Azure Star’s form—secretly acknowledged the precariousness of the situation.

His immediate instinct was to make a swift exit.

Yet, witnessing the woman before him, on the verge of being consumed by her tears, he found he could not bring himself to be so callous.

She was, after all, an old battle companion.

Steeling himself, he took a step forward and enveloped Qin Lan in an embrace.

A familiar, sweet scent permeated his nostrils, yet it caused Gu Qing a subtle discomfort.

He spoke, his voice imbued with the gentle cadence characteristic of “Azure Star.”

“I have returned, and this time, I shall not depart again.”

Swiftly, he leaned closer to Qin Lan’s ear, uttering words audible only to the two of them.

“This is not the place for such a conversation. Let us find a moment to speak privately.”

This was both a gesture of solace and a strategic delay.

With that, his gaze drifted towards Gu Qianqian, who was being carefully placed on a stretcher by GSA medical personnel in the distance.

“I implore you, please ensure her well-being.”

Before Qin Lan could offer any further response, Azure Star shimmered, creating a ripple of space around her, then dissolved into myriad specks of starlight, vanishing from sight.

Only a contingent of utterly bewildered GSA operatives remained.

****

Less than half a day after the incident, the world erupted into a frenzy.

[Holy hell! Azure Star! She’s alive!]

[Not a doctored photo, not AI-generated; the GSA has indirectly confirmed it.]

[In my lifetime, my youth has returned! I hereby declare today my lucky day!]

[Hey, upstairs, how old are you? Were you even born during the Golden Age? Don’t try to ride the coattails.]

[I don’t care; my dad’s her fan. My dad cried, and I cried too—this is legacy!]

Across the internet, every social media platform, news client, and short video site was utterly inundated with the three words “Azure Star.”

Servers buckled and crashed repeatedly.

A prominent blogger known as “Magical Girl Intel Princess,” an influencer with tens of millions of followers dedicated solely to magical girl news, even launched a live broadcast.