“Wow! How incredible!”
Alisa, mimicking Shana, brought the floating object before her to her mouth and consumed it.
“Shana, are you alright? Don’t scare your sister.”
Shavier approached Shana, her face etched with worry over any potential ill effects on Shana’s body.
“I’m perfectly fine.”
Shana shook her head. She felt no discomfort; on the contrary, she felt significantly stronger.
“Wow!”
Alisa, too, underwent a transformation after absorbing the sacred white light.
Golden-red flames and golden-yellow electrical currents erupted from Alisa’s body. The electricity pulsed and coursed throughout her entire being.
“I feel like I’ve grown considerably stronger.”
Alisa proudly demonstrated her newfound abilities to everyone present.
“This… can it really make you stronger?”
Windy Feron cautiously extended a hand, gently touching the sacred white light.
Jeanne D’Arc and Shavier, without a moment’s hesitation, each snatched up the sacred white light before them and swallowed it whole.
Within Jeanne D’Arc, three internal attributes evolved: a golden-white halo, dark red flames, and golden-red flames.
Shavier, mirroring Jeanne, gained a golden-white halo and a deep green aura of nature. Beneath her feet, lush flora miraculously sprouted and spread outwards, a truly astonishing display of power.
Witnessing the transformations of the others, Windy Feron hesitated no longer. Yet, upon her own awakening, a strange phenomenon occurred: her body began to slowly melt, as if turning to liquid.
This terrified her instantly.
“Wh-what… what’s happening?! I’m so scared!”
Windy Feron collapsed onto the ground, utterly panicked as she watched the puddles form around her. Had the ethereal figure not explained, she might have completely broken down.
“It’s a rare water attribute physique,” the ethereal figure explained. “You can control your body to become liquid. Simply calm yourself and visualize your true form in your mind.”
Windy Feron followed the ethereal figure’s instructions. Her body ceased its liquefaction, returning to its normal state. Only the lingering puddles on the ground served as proof of the bizarre event.
“Since you’ve all done so, I shall try my hand as well.”
Luoge East picked up the sacred white light and swallowed it directly.
However, no transformation occurred in Luoge East after she absorbed the sacred white light, leaving the ethereal figure utterly perplexed.
“Ah, I see. I understand now.”
Luoge East smiled.
Luoge East had not remained unchanged; rather, her transformation was simply not obvious.
She had been born without awakening any conventional attributes, instead possessing a singular special attribute. Until this very day, no other attributes had manifested, but now, a shift had finally occurred.
“I have awakened the Holy attribute.”
The ethereal figure instantly grasped the meaning of Luoge East’s words.
The Holy attribute — it was the most mysterious attribute known to history.
Legends recounted that gods possessed the Holy attribute. It demonstrated a strong compatibility with special attributes, yet an inherent resistance towards ordinary ones, refusing to coexist with them.
“You are destined to become a legend of this era,” the ethereal figure declared. “You are only the second human I have ever encountered to possess the Holy attribute.”
The ethereal figure moved before Luoge East, raising a hand to gently caress her cheek.
“Indeed, that is my great honor.”
“Come, sign a contract with me and become a Magical Girl!”
The ethereal figure transformed into a white tanuki, a golden ring adorning its tail. It looked up at Luoge East.
“A Magical Girl? What is that?”
“That person instructed me to await a human possessing the Holy attribute, then to form a magical contract with them to become a Magical Girl.”
It didn’t fully comprehend what a Magical Girl was, yet it harbored no doubt that the person wouldn’t deceive it.
“As long as you sign the contract with me, you will become my master and gain my powers.”
It continued its explanation.
“Then I agree,” Luoge East replied. “I am quite curious about what this ‘Magical Girl’ entails.”
“Contract: construct, manifest.”
“I, Sacred Flame, hereby forge a contract with the destined one… to become a Magical Girl.”
The entire altar transformed into a grand magic array, with the Sacred Flame Divine Stone serving as its crucial core for activation.
“Is that… all?”
The ritual concluded swiftly, its process remarkably simple. The Sacred Flame Divine Stone transformed into a small gem, automatically embedding itself into Luoge East’s harp.
“Yes, it’s finished,” Sacred Flame confirmed. “That person told me so. And you must silently chant ‘transform’ in your mind.”
Half-skeptical, Luoge East followed Sacred Flame’s instruction, attempting to silently chant ‘transform’ within her thoughts.
However, as Luoge East silently uttered those two words, her original pink-and-white songstress gown abruptly changed. It became a pure white magical battle suit, its skirt trailing cosmic patterns, and a pair of white wings unfurled from her back.
All the girls gazed on, utterly mesmerized.
“What is this?!” Jeanne D’Arc exclaimed.
“It’s beautiful,” Shavier breathed.
“I want one so badly!” Alisa declared.
“Me too,” Windy Feron chimed in.
Shana remained speechless.
“I feel an unending surge of magic within me,” Luoge East mused, “and I rather like this new appearance.”
Luoge East was utterly delighted with her current form, especially the magnificent outfit.
“Here, take this,” Sacred Flame said. “That person said it was for you.”
Sacred Flame held a rolled-up parchment scroll in its mouth.
“Oh~ a lucky girl, aren’t we~ Excited?”
As Luoge East took the scroll from Sacred Flame, it unfurled automatically. Before them, a holographic Young Man materialized.
“Brother!?”
Jeanne D’Arc gasped in astonishment upon seeing the Young Man.
“Long time no see, Master.”
Sacred Flame turned and knelt before the Young Man.
“Little sister, have you mistaken me for someone else?” the Young Man asked. “As much as I’d love to know you, I genuinely don’t.”
The Young Man gazed earnestly at Jeanne D’Arc, his eyes scanning her up and down before a lewd smile spread across his face.
“Thank you immensely for your generosity,” Luoge East said, “I am very fond of it.”
Luoge East curtsied, her knees slightly bent, as she delicately lifted the sides of her skirt and bowed to the Young Man.
“Hahaha~ This is the outfit of my absolute favorite character, isn’t it splendid?”
The Young Man was clearly pleased with Luoge East’s attire, nodding his head to express his immense approval.
“May I ask you a few questions?”
“Ask away,” he replied. “However, my thought-form cannot persist indefinitely.”
“What kind of being are you, exactly?”
“Well, even if I told you, you wouldn’t understand.”
“I believe your existence surpasses even that of the gods.”
“Hehe~ You’re truly a clever girl. It almost feels like you can read minds.”
“Thank you for the compliment.”
“And you possess humility. Quite commendable.”
The Young Man’s voice echoed directly in Luoge East’s mind: ‘But being too clever isn’t always a good thing.’
“Please forgive me.”
“Well, it doesn’t really matter. I have high hopes for you, and I trust you won’t disappoint me.”
“I will not disappoint you.”
During her brief exchange with the Young Man, Luoge East sensed an aura emanating from him. It was a power that this world, and even other dimensions, could not hope to rival.
“Then…”
Just as the Young Man prepared to bid farewell, Jeanne D’Arc called out to him.
“Wait, please wait!”
“Do you have a question for me too?”
“Yes, if I may?”
“Of course! I never refuse the requests of cute girls.”
“Thank you. I want to know what your relationship is with my brother.”
“Your brother?”
“Yes. You look very much like my brother, and even your aura is identical.”
“How interesting,” he mused. “Since you say I resemble your brother, would you mind returning this to him? Please.”
In the blink of an eye, with a snap of the Young Man’s fingers, three items appeared in Jeanne D’Arc’s hand: a rhomboid magic cube, a seed, and a golden key.
“What are these?”
Jeanne D’Arc was intensely curious about the objects in her hand, and not just her; the other girls were equally intrigued.
“Just give these to him a year from now,” the Young Man instructed, “and tell him they’re from someone named Zero.”
“Oh, right, I forgot to mention,” he added, “this place will collapse in less than three minutes. Good luck to you all.”
After delivering his final instructions, the Young Man’s body dissolved into shimmering motes of light, vanishing before their eyes.
“What did he just say?”
Alisa hadn’t heard the Young Man’s final words at all, her gaze fixed entirely on the items in Jeanne D’Arc’s hand.
“Master has set it up so that five minutes after I awaken—that is, the moment you were granted power—this altar will explode,” Sacred Flame explained. “It will then release whatever was suppressed beneath it.”
Sacred Flame sprang forward to elaborate.
“What?!”
The girls were stunned, an unsettling feeling that they had been tricked washing over them. While each had gained new attributes, an unknown danger lurked just beyond.
“I think it would be best to evacuate quickly,” Sacred Flame urged. “I can already sense that whatever is at the very bottom of the altar has awakened.”
Sacred Flame darted behind them, pointing towards the exit.
“I am quite curious,” Luoge East said, “what lies beneath the altar?”
Luoge East, having dispelled her Magical Girl form, turned her head to look at Sacred Flame.
“Master sealed an ancient nightmare beast beneath the altar,” Sacred Flame revealed.
Sacred Flame hesitated, wondering if it should refuse to answer. Yet, the question had come from its master, leaving it no choice but to respond.
“What is that?”
Aside from Luoge East, none of the others understood what an ancient nightmare beast was. Luoge East, however, knew, and a cold sweat broke out on her face.
“We must hurry, no! We *must* leave here immediately,” Luoge East commanded, “and send out a distress call to all kingdoms and empires.”
Suddenly burdened by a profound sense of urgency and dread, Luoge East knew she could not waste another moment. If the ancient nightmare beast were allowed to roam unchecked across the European continent, the worst outcome would be the destruction of a significant portion of its life and vitality.