blogombal Chapter 603 Gathering
Chapter 603 Gathering
What would Garuda look like in its physical form?
Su Tianqing had imagined countless possible forms of it—perhaps a colossal monster like Jormungandr that could dominate the entire city of Chengdu, or a miniaturized version resembling the dark winged beings in an underground labyrinth.
Until she witnessed the blazing, pitch-black object emerge from the shadows, her imagination was shattered by the sight, and Su Tianqing finally formed a concrete understanding of Garuda:
Its wings blotted out the sky, and its jet-black feathers burst into raging flames. The gray-black aura emanating from its wings swept across the entire mental world, and everything withered and died in that chaotic aura.
Even when faced with such a gigantic monster, the crimson figure remained standing, its magic surging and unleashing its full power, even creating the momentum to confront Garuda head-on!
"I've finally waited for you, Garuda."
Red Rose spoke softly, gripping her wand tightly. The starlight flowed around her, weaving into a dazzling, radiant glow.
Magical Girl Crimson Rose☆Shadow of the Stars
【………】
The behemoth looked down at the tiny, frail red-clad girl, its molten gold eyes revealing no emotion. It quickly shifted its gaze from the red rose to the group of people behind her, who were firmly protected by magic.
Hyacinth, Crimson Snow, Heart Moon Fox, and the eagle owl girl who trembled with fear as she looked up at the giant beast.
As Garuda's gaze swept over her, Chi Xue showed no fear whatsoever. Instead, she pulled up the hood of her magical costume, her blood-red cloak billowing like a sky full of stars. Her wand, transformed into a lever rifle, was slung over her shoulder with one hand as she stared directly into Garuda's molten gold eyes.
Magical Girl Crimson Snow☆Shadows of the Stars
Hyacinth was not to be outdone, and she also used Starry Shadow, which she hadn't really used in battle for a long time. The Greatsword Knight reappeared, and the two stood side by side with Red Rose. The three Starry Shadows formed a solid formation, blocking the way for Golden Fox and Eagle Owl Girl.
Su Tianqing felt that if she had a camera right now, she would immediately have her familiar capture this spectacular scene that was a rare sight in fifty years.
The world's first magical girl, a former veteran magical girl, and a shining new generation—three generations together—they would definitely grace the cover of this year's Magical Girls Generation annual magazine.
Garuda did not make any substantial move. It calmly watched the three Star Shadows in front of it. Its molten gold eyes seemed to narrow slightly. The shadow beneath its feet surged and churned, producing countless pitch-black human figures that pounced on Red Rose and the other two!
"Ha! Isn't this my chance to shine?"
Hyacinth grinned, grabbed her greatsword, and charged forward. The sky-blue greatsword encountered no resistance as it sliced through the shadow monsters, and in the blink of an eye, it cut the first wave of monsters that pounced on it in half.
For a moment, the sky-blue female knight forcefully halted the attack of the dark monsters, and even showed a faint tendency to reverse the tide and suppress them.
【……###】
Su Tianqing could clearly hear a cry that did not belong to this world.
Red Rose didn't react, nor did Crimson Snow and Hyacinth respond in the slightest. It was as if only he and the winged Sasha beside him heard this sharp cry from a distant place, like an ancient language beyond this world, howling out that ancient phrase:
Kill them.
The shadows rose like a tsunami.
Hyacinth shuddered in shock, her greatsword momentarily halting. A shadow monster seized the opening and struck her, but its head was pierced and shattered by a crimson magic bullet, scattering into countless shadows.
Chi Xue cocked the rifle, loaded a bullet, and aimed at every shadow monster that tried to pounce on Hyacinth's back and the gaps in the defense line. Each bullet could blow a shadow's head off.
But this was not a long-term solution—from the rising darkness, an overwhelming tide of shadows surged forth, and even the hyacinth could not withstand so many shadow minions.
These are all Garuda's retinue: shadows that gain physical form from darkness, existing only to obey Garuda's commands.
"This is too much!" Hyacinth exclaimed.
"Don't engage them head-on. I'll try to stall them, you guys get out of here!"
"Retreat? Where to retreat? This mental world has been locked down by Garuda, we can't leave here!" Chi Xue replied.
Red Rose frowned, but did not panic. Instead, she turned around and glanced at the golden fox girl who was with the winged Sasha behind her, and nodded gently.
Su Tianqing nodded in response.
Almost at the same moment Red Rose made her move, the thick, dense darkness surged down from the heart-shaped sky pierced by the giant egg, and more shadow minions were born from it, letting out their silent roars and howls as they rushed towards the girls.
Countless shadows, an overwhelming mass of black shadows, surged forth like locusts in a swarm.
What awaited them was an equally countless magical missiles, and a dazzling array of colorful magical rays woven into a dense net!
"Boom! Boom! Boom! Boom! Boom!"
The magical explosion burst into flames and roared in the air. Red Rose raised her wand high, and several magical cannon barriers around her had somehow gathered and formed, unleashing her terrifying firepower that she hadn't truly displayed in decades.
When it comes to firepower, people will definitely think of the Wheat Squad or the Starry Night of the Iris, whose terrifying firepower of magic cannons has left a deep impression on people.
But when it comes to truly maximizing "magical firepower," there is only one person in the world today.
"Crack!! Crack!!"
The magic cannon barrier erupted with a beam of magic more than a person's thickness, scattering into countless tiny rays in mid-air. The darkness surging from the sky was shattered by her single-handed firepower, and the attempt to relaunch the attack was also torn open by the hyacinth that had somehow rushed into the formation.
Chi Xue maintained her firing rhythm steadily, focusing on supporting Hyacinth, who was dancing with unparalleled swords in the Shadow Formation, while picking off any stragglers who tried to get close to Red Rose one by one.
One shot, one kill; Chi Xue has never missed a shot in over a decade.
But everyone knew that this was just Garuda's test. It had already manifested in physical form, but at this moment it sat firmly behind the shadow army, watching the continuous attacks launched by the army of followers with its molten gold eyes, without making any move.
It didn't even use any words of communication, as if everything was under its control.
Sasha watched from the rear as this battle unfolded with an overwhelming disparity in strength.
The girl's ear feathers stood on end, and sparks of anger ignited in her amber-colored raptor eyes, her wings trembling.
Sasha didn't know why she was so angry.
She would never forget those eyes that shone like molten gold; they were the ones that watched her every night, the ones that destroyed her life, the ones that devoured her beloved mother…
It was this thing that burned down the town where he had lived for over ten years, it was this thing that turned his life into a complete mess—
But what exactly does it want to do? It seems completely indifferent to all of this; its eyes are devoid of any emotion, and everything it cherishes and treasures is meaningless to it...
Garuda, who gave birth to his mother, has never paid any attention to him.
It sees itself merely as a pawn in the real world, as a useful anchor. In its eyes, it should become one of those mindless monsters that only know how to destroy, a "child" without a self.
You are not my mother.
Sasha spoke in a language that did not originate from any race in the world, as if the language had been engraved in her soul since birth, and she was born to master this ancient language.
She issued a declaration to the enormous fiery bird, making a rebellious declaration as the winged Sasha, vowing to destroy everything that her "mother" had given her.
I will destroy you.
I want revenge for my mother, and for my brothers and sisters!
Garuda moved.
Hyacinth's greatsword charge did not make it move, Crimson Snow's precise shooting did not sway it, and Red Rose's terrifying firepower did not make it unleash more Shadow Charge.
Sasha's rebellious declaration in front of it prompted it to make its first move since its appearance—the Shadow Giant Bird flapped its wings and took to the air, its wings surging forth to paint the sky a pitch-black darkness, even obscuring the high-hanging sun.
The giant, fiery bird, engulfed in flames, became the brightest presence in this mental world, even though it was black.
【####————】
Garuda let out a sharp, angry roar.
Sasha took a half step back in fright, momentarily stunned by the overwhelming scene, but the anger in her heart burned even more fiercely.
How dare you betray me?
You are my most cherished anchor, the offspring I have watched over the longest, everything you have is a gift from me, how dare you betray me at a time like this?
Su Tianqing seemed to understand Garuda's roar, and Sasha also understood it clearly.
【……good】
[Since that's the case, then I will burn you, you pathetic traitor, to ashes! I will destroy this sub-plane, and all your so-called wishes will vanish into thin air!]
The raging fire tore through the sky, burning the heavens.
Houses collapsed, buildings crumbled, and pure chaos and destruction descended upon this mental world. This is the existence "represented" by the astral behemoth Garuda—it is the embodiment of destruction.
Amidst the endless flames, more Shadow Familiars emerged from the darkness and fire. They resembled winged beings, flapping their scorching wings and launching yet another assault on the magical girl's fragile front.
"This...this is way too much..." Hyacinth said in alarm.
But she didn't retreat an inch. The sky-blue female knight gripped her greatsword and stared straight ahead, ready to meet the charge of the fiery shadows at any moment.
Golden light shone behind the girls.
Everyone, even Garuda, couldn't help but cast their gaze towards the brilliant golden light:
Xin Yuehu raised her golden wand, and another fox-girl in a golden dress appeared beside her. The two wands were crossed and raised high, pouring the dazzling light of stars into the complex magical barrier at their feet.
"Dandelion?!" Hyacinth exclaimed in surprise.
The golden-haired girl had no time to respond to the hyacinth's call. The two golden-haired fox girls joined forces again, unfolding the barrier beneath their feet into a massive magical halo.
The light almost overwhelmed Garuda's darkness, and at the center of that halo—the brilliant light of countless guardian stars burst forth, weaving together a sky full of stars!
【……Who are you?】
For the first time, Garuda's voice carried an emotion called "hesitation".
The golden light contained not only the surging magic of the star gods, but also a profound aura that seemed to emanate from the farthest reaches of the starry sky, a distant abyss that even endless starlight could not reach—
【…Borg Karakuen Ai…? Impossible, you can't be her, you're just one of the smallest of her countless favored ones!】
Garuda murmured a string of names whose exact meaning no one knew, but then denied his own mutterings a moment later, letting out an even angrier roar.
Kill them!
The burning shadows intensified their attacks, but Red Rose's magic was not to be outdone, and the intensity of her bombardment also surged, forcefully suppressing all the shadow minions that wanted to break through the defenses.
Hyacinth's fearless counter-charge and Akayuki's sniping also disrupted the familiars' attack formation, and for a moment nothing could get close to the massive magic unleashed by the two fox-girl magical girls.
Until the last wisp of magic was injected into the barrier, the unfolding of the magic could no longer be stopped. Only then did the two golden-haired fox girls look up at it without any fear.
"Take this, Garuda!" Heart Moon Fox shouted sternly.
"This was prepared especially for you!" Dandelion shouted angrily.
[Legendary Spell: Multidimensional Link]
Countless mental planes merged into one at this moment, and countless stars shone brightly on the horizon—
A pure white magic cannon tore through the sky, and countless spells rushed towards the burning shadows that filled the sky!
The girls grasped their guardian stars, answered the call, crossed the solid barriers between planes, and arrived at the battlefield from countless mental worlds!