Chapter 76: The Weight of Carnelian’s Justice

This is a tale from a somewhat distant past, a story that unfolded twenty years ago.

At that time, a fourteen-year-old girl became a Magical Girl, adopting the name ‘Carnelian.’

Magical Girl Carnelian wielded the power to manipulate flames, embodying love, justice, and peace. With her fiery might, she incinerated all evil in the world, garnering immense attention from the moment she first appeared.

“Rao Ling, where did you go again today? Didn’t we agree to study together? Are you sure your grades are alright?”

Ye Feng, a young boy, questioned his childhood friend. “Auntie asked me to tutor you properly. At this rate, I’m afraid it’ll be difficult for you to get into a key provincial high school. Exams are next year, after all.”

The girl, having just become Magical Girl Carnelian, bristled at his words.

“What’s the use of studying anyway? In the end, it’s just graduating, finding a job, and becoming an ordinary person, just like my parents. I want to be different from them!”

Ye Feng seemed surprised, but quickly countered, “But if you want to achieve something truly different, then you should strive even harder to study and read diligently. Knowledge and cultivation might not immediately serve your goals, but they will become your solid foundation.”

Finding his words irritating, Rao Ling immediately retorted, “You’re just a middle schooler yourself, saying such things! You sound so profound! How can you prove any of it? Stop acting like such a good little boy!”

A rift, it seemed, was forming between the childhood friends.

Ye Feng merely shook his head. He did not continue to persuade her, but still waited for the girl named Rao Ling in the library every day after school, as per their parents’ wishes.

Carnelian, meanwhile, seemed to grow increasingly busy. Even when no monsters appeared, she was keen to soar through the skies of Sunny City, diligently “patrolling the streets.”

People lauded her as a responsible Magical Girl. Some even compiled charts and data, meticulously detailing how Sunny City’s crime rate had plummeted, how monsters were suppressed, and how it had transformed into an ideal city since Magical Girl Carnelian’s emergence.

She reveled in the praise, believing herself to be accomplishing great deeds, living as a figure of immense importance.

The public’s accolades and affirmation were indeed her glorious achievements. As she grew more powerful, she saw it as the very embodiment of love and justice. The positive energy of the world converged upon her, and she truly believed she would become a symbol of peace, much like a dove.

Perhaps one day, people would associate Carnelian with the meaning of love, justice, and peace, just as diamonds symbolize love.

Of course, Ye Feng had once told her that diamonds didn’t inherently mean love; such stories existed because someone wanted people to pay exorbitant prices for them.

But at the time, she hadn’t quite agreed with Ye Feng’s assertion. Ultimately, she believed it was because people yearned for an unwavering, eternal love.

They simply projected this longing onto an object, and that object became the diamond.

Moreover, Ye Feng didn’t seem to grasp what she was trying to convey back then.

One could say the initial sellers of diamonds were clever, attaching humanity’s yearning for eternal love to the stone. Yet, this didn’t negate humanity’s intrinsic desire for such lasting affection.

Precisely because of this, Carnelian could become the embodiment of humanity’s yearning for peace, a true symbol of it.

She was determined to transform this meaning into a tangible reality!

Therefore, she had no time to waste on trivial matters like studying or exams. She would not live a normal life. Carnelian would continue to operate as a Magical Girl until her last breath, dedicated to upholding Carnelian’s justice—for this was the truly great endeavor!

Since becoming a Magical Girl, she had saved countless lives!

She and Ye Feng were no longer on the same path!

****

As she defeated yet another monster, its mastermind emerged from the shadows.

“So you are the so-called ‘New Era Leader’? Are you finally done hiding? Are you prepared to die by my flames?”

The man, who called himself the “New Era Leader” and was at the forefront of monster modification, revealed a chilling smile. “Magical Girl Carnelian… you are indeed noble and great. However… would you care to see who this monster you just defeated truly is?”

As Carnelian’s gaze shifted, falling upon the defeated monster, still burning with residual flames, its true form finally became visible as the monstrous power within it dissipated.

“Ye Feng!!!”

Carnelian let out an unprecedented wail of anguish.

The New Era Leader seemed utterly delighted by her reaction. “He is my most satisfying creation, having almost completely assimilated the monster’s power, even retaining a degree of sanity. Didn’t you notice that during your confrontation, he never truly attacked you?”

At this, a feigned sadness crossed his face. “To realize that his childhood friend had become a Magical Girl, he willingly sought out power like mine to stay by her side. Even when impacted by my negative energy, he maintained his reason. Who can deny this is powerful proof of human emotion resisting negative energy? With him as theoretical evidence, I foresee the possibility of perfect monsters…”

Then, he could no longer suppress his laughter.

He laughed with unbridled arrogance and abandon. “Hahaha~ Aren’t you wondering why I’m here? Because my mission is complete! With his transformation finalized, I have already ushered in a new era! My research findings have been sent to every scientist in the world. Even if governments confiscate and seal them away, I believe true scientists will not abandon this research. My will has been continued, and a new era will begin because of my work!

“Carnelian! Feel honored! You are a witness to this new era! The new era is born precisely because of this young man’s love for you! And as the leader of this new era, I must die! For humanity is imperfect! Only a dead leader can be a true leader, one who can be mythologized endlessly! Carnelian! You must hate me, right? You must be in pain? Come! Kill me! I am the ultimate culprit!”

Carnelian did, indeed, kill him.

Flames instantly pierced his body, reducing him to cinders.

She paid no heed to such things. She had never held back against monsters.

Arrest them? Kill them?

Monsters lucky enough to survive would be arrested; those who weren’t would naturally die by her hand. Why should she show mercy to monsters?

Monsters…

She suddenly recalled that during her battle with the monster before her, it hadn’t caused any destruction.

She didn’t even know if this monster, transformed from Ye Feng, had ever truly caused destruction. In fact, many monsters weren’t voluntary transformations but were captured by individuals like the New Era Leader, forcibly fused with monstrous entities, and, under the intense negative energy shock, became eccentric monsters.

From this perspective, were monsters also victims?

If viewed as ordinary people who had been captured, how innocent were they?

They were inexplicably taken, forcibly transformed, their bodies and minds utterly destroyed, only to be mercilessly killed by an arriving Magical Girl… If that person had been her, what would she have thought, what would she have done?

“Ye Feng! Why?!”

She couldn’t comprehend it. Ye Feng hadn’t been captured; he had sought out the New Era Leader and willingly undergone the transformation. That man was dead now, and she didn’t know if his words were true. But if so, *why*?

Ye Feng slowly opened his eyes. “Jing Ling, if you wish to become a symbol of justice, a representative of peace… then you must read more books… You must consider things from different perspectives, to understand, to suffer, to make choices.”

His voice was weak, simple, yet profound. “Simply eradicating darkness is easy, but it is not enough to represent peace and justice. If you only wish to be an ordinary Magical Girl, that is fine. But if you aspire to be a greater existence, you must observe more, understand more emotions…”

“The emotions of the populace, of Magical Girls, of officials, even of mad scientists, monsters, and monstrous entities themselves… you must understand them all. Then, you must struggle, choose, and truly grasp the meaning of your actions before you can be called great—this is an arduous path…”

He reached out, caressing Carnelian’s face. “I knew, even when you first became a Magical Girl, that you were drifting further and further from me. I couldn’t help you, so I could only fulfill your ideal. I originally wanted to tell you that even monsters aren’t beyond redemption… but… perhaps, doing it this way might touch your heart more deeply?”

Ye Feng’s breath grew progressively weaker. His body, once fused with monstrous power, could no longer sustain his life without that energy.

Carnelian desperately injected positive energy into his body, but it felt as if he were a leaking balloon. No matter what she did, his life force continued to dissipate.

“No… I don’t want this…”

Regarding that battle, the external news reported that Magical Girl Carnelian had been gravely wounded but successfully defeated the monster.

A year later, Magical Girl Carnelian reappeared in the public eye.

But there was a significant difference—

Magical Girl Carnelian was accompanied by an infant.

It was from this moment that Magical Girl Carnelian began to retreat to the sidelines, becoming an instructor for other Magical Girls.

Some speculated about the details of that battle.

However, for a Magical Girl who was no longer as active, the topic quickly faded, especially with new Magical Girls emerging. Carnelian always kept the child by her side.

The child’s name was Ye Liuyun.

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