Chapter 384: Little Shu, Do You Want to Save Dad?

On the stage.

Chu Wang Shu was in excellent form. Her skirt fluttered as she turned, casting a glance back at the audience. The light pink tint at the corners of her eyes exuded a captivating charm.

The girl’s dance steps were crisp and swift, displaying graceful coordination amid the undulating melody. Her delicate movements also sparked a sense of youthful liveliness and adorableness.

The initial [Heart Flow]—[Scaly Light Tides]—after awakening the [Son of Mankind], transformed into a radiant ocean of golden brilliance, linking each teammate’s steps and empowering them with stronger, clearer support.

This was an outstanding performance. Whether it was Xie Qingxuan with her Demon King-like dominance, Kirimi Miyuki meticulously perfecting every detail through passion and determination to elevate the stage to perfection, or Tang Liuli whose singing skills grew increasingly refined, imbuing the music with vitality, they all transcended the limitations of the dance itself through their intertwined [Heart Flow].

Rather than saying this team was performing a dance,

it was more accurate to say they were using this medium to display their own charm and elevate it to the utmost, capturing the audience’s attention and resonance with a dazzling brilliance.

The audience below, the increasingly inconspicuous judges, the Dream Weaver Rabbit acting as mascot, and the other small idols in the waiting room all seemed to ascend together with the rising climax of the stage, breathing and resonating in unison with those on stage, moving in the same rhythm.

Ultimately, both onstage and off, they were swept up by an ever-louder wave of sound, light, and emotion, witnessing the final powerful note drop. As the emotions gradually ebbed away, they watched the performance of this team conclude, lingering in reverie and unable to free themselves for a long time.

For Shining Magic, idols and stages are the best soil and foundation. Witnessing a performance created with full dedication by four “Fully Blooming” level witches is a profound blessing in every sense.

This was not only an emotional delight but also a spiritual cleansing beneficial to physical health. It could even grant the audience a dazzling buff lasting months, slightly resisting the invasion of disaster aura—truly priceless in the literal sense.

Though ordinary fans like Xu Ling and Pei Xiaotong could not guess many of the detailed truths, after experiencing it firsthand, the audience still sensed positive changes in spirit and body, filled with heartfelt admiration.

Well, now there was no doubt that Honey Qing’s teammates were magical girls.

Such extraordinary infectious power and surreal effects—once the magic was known—who could still explain it merely by idol charisma?

The thirty thousand people at the live performance, regardless of whether they were fans of the idols onstage, were wholeheartedly impressed by this stage, giving their highest respect and applause. Fans, filtering through their passionate lenses, naturally reacted even more exaggeratedly.

“Waaah, Honey Moon is amazing!”

“Little Sakura, Mommy loves you!”

“I’m so touched! Honey Xuan and her teammates are getting closer. I’ve never seen such harmony on stage; the team spirit is blazing!”

“Oh no, I can’t help but ship the entire group!”

“Is this the last song? Can they sing one more?”

Chu Wang Shu’s adorable face was flushed, bright eyes looking toward the audience below. Her breathing was rapid; delicate beads of sweat trickled down her neck in the heat, her chest rising and falling.

Even after becoming a magical girl, her body had changed drastically. But releasing Shining Magic and using [Heart Flow] intensely onstage still drained her magic and emotions, causing fatigue much like when she was a normal idol.

The little girl felt somewhat dizzy now, even though she had toured multiple times with everyone in the Ideal State and faced even larger audiences.

However, facing a genuine mass of supportive fans in three public performances brought many differences in mentality, nervousness, and meaning.

“We succeeded.”

“We really did it!”

“My fans should be happy for me, right? Is Dad really watching me?”

The girl, facing the chorus of cheers, had her mind filled with these tumultuous thoughts. Her breath became quick and free, and she couldn’t help but smile happily.

In her view, at the edge of the stage, everyone’s spirit still lingered. Sister Miyuki brimmed with vitality, like the cherry blossom pink of spring; Sister Xie radiated dominance and charisma, looking exceptionally cool in black; and Liuli was serene and pure, shining transparently in emerald green.

Strangely, Liuli’s presence felt especially profound. Even though the stage had ended, the wave of emotion intensified and spread, burning brighter.

Chu Wang Shu looked down in confusion but, in a daze, she heard the voice of this talented child star softly rise, gently singing an old song beside her ear:

“When I was young I’d listen to the radio.”

“Waiting for my favorite songs.”

“When they played, I’d sing along.”

Before she could think much, the scene before her eyes became stained with ink spots, and with an abstract writhing, the audience seats, the sky, the roar of voices, the smells, everything in her senses twisted and inverted, falling into a spiral.

Deep in her soul, twelve sets of mysterious sequences shone brightly, the blooming sunflowers looked even more dazzling, and the passage of time was held still by an enigmatic authority. Nearby, Xie Qingxuan, Tang Liuli, Kirimi Miyuki, and even the thirty thousand spectators in the venue—all of them froze motionless, the colors and sounds fading away.

Chu Wang Shu’s consciousness was dragged deeper; she could no longer hear Liuli’s singing. In a daze, she arrived at a chaotic starry sea, vast and empty, cold and silent—completely different from the smoky, bustling central stage just moments ago.

—Where is this?

But before she could ask aloud, a familiar little creature leapt into her arms.

“Little Shu, this is your consciousness space!”

The little girl instinctively stroked the sunflower, and halfway through, she realized that her Lantern Elf had spoken. She blinked in surprise and confusion, her heart filled with puzzlement.

The sunflower lifted its head; its pupils were densely packed with seeds, obscured by a golden radiance along the edges. Its gaze was gentle and adorable, as if deliberately imitating Chu Yuanqing’s eyes, inadvertently adding intimacy and making it more trustworthy.

The Lantern Elf wagged its tail and said seriously:

“Little Shu, do you want to save Daddy?”

Chu Wang Shu’s pupils trembled.

Lantern Elves are born from the soul fragments of magical girls. Based on references like violets and forget-me-nots and according to the historical records of the Countermeasures Bureau, they are the most trusted companions of magical girls.

This widely accepted common knowledge made her first reaction not to doubt Sunflower’s words but to recall today’s calm performance and Chu Yuanqing’s frail body sitting in the wheelchair.

The little girl forced down her anxiety; she maintained the basic rationality and said calmly:

“The Countermeasures Bureau values Daddy’s safety a lot and sent many seniors to protect him. Mommy is also beside him, so Daddy will be fine.”

“I need to go back first; otherwise, if I faint at the arena and Daddy and the fans see it, it will definitely cause a lot of unnecessary worry.”

As Chu Wang Shu spoke, she looked up at the starry sky. She felt that she had unknowingly gained control over this space. Just as her common sense told her, Sunflower was only a Lantern Elf and did not have power or authority beyond her own.

Therefore, whenever she wished, she could return at any time and later master the skill to separate her spirit and reach the consciousness space.

“No need to rush. Time outside has been frozen for a single breath, but the world in the thinking space is still. So, no matter how long Little Shu and I talk here, no one will notice.”

Sunflower said this as the halo wrapped around its tail shimmered, and a rift appeared in the vast depths of space, filled with radiant light reflecting the scene of the performance. It looked seriously at the visibly shocked little girl and said:

“This is the power of the ‘Son of Mankind,’ one of the sequences Little Shu has not yet awakened.”

“And because of this, I have become so clever and have the chance to help Little Shu reverse the tragedy.”

Time paused? Unawakened sequences? Reverse tragedy?

After her father’s self-detonation, Chu Wang Shu’s little mind had increased processing speed significantly. She looked at the scene within the rift, digesting it like food, instinctively comprehending the use of this authority and sharing Sunflower’s experience.

Then, this real and vivid experience made her realize that this scene was not some illusion.

So…

What Sunflower said was true. Time outside really had stopped, and the sequence she had yet to awaken truly involved the authority over time and space.

Only, for some unknown reason, the early awakening at this moment also seemingly gave her Lantern Elf the memory of the “future.”

In other words, Daddy being in danger was also true!

The sunflower looked at the confused girl, its tail swaying. A series of cracks opened, passing through the Fairy Witch and The Last Diva’s cover, reaching the outside of the doodle world and broadcasting the true scenes of Sea City one by one.

“Yggdrasil, Seraph, Plague Lord, Guanyin, Beelzebub, Tartarus, Takeminakata… and the seven bishops of the Church of the Gods.”

This Lantern Elf, in sync with the images, counted and explained one by one. It said sadly:

“No one expected the Disaster group to launch an all-out attack so soon.”

“Right now, outside, only Sister Little Yu, Elise, Mama Charlotte, and Fairy Witch are struggling to hold on. Sea City is full of death and injury and will soon become ruins.”

Chu Wang Shu wanted to question if this was a lie, but with each opening of a crack, her consciousness seemed to travel to the outside world, witnessing the city of her past life being destroyed and seeing the predecessors among the magical girls risk their lives.

For a moment, the pride, joy, and satisfaction from offering a perfect stage for the performance all vanished. Strong feelings of anxiety, helplessness, anger, and confusion blocked her chest, leaving her speechless.

This was the harsh reality.

No one was the main character. “Son of Mankind” might give the hope of protecting family and driving away the Disaster group, but reality was not a script. No enemy would wait for you to truly grow up and fulfill those hopes.

This was the current situation: the twelve apostles and the Supreme Disaster Beasts were working together with the attacks of the seven bishops. Even if she were to fully bloom right now, it would not change the overall situation or save her hometown, where she had lived for 17 years.

The sunflower sighed:

“Mama Charlotte, along with the Fairy Witch, hid the true performance site in magic, making it so that this place could not sense the real changes from the outside world, turning it into a temporary sanctuary.”

“But according to our vision of the future, in 13 minutes and 17 seconds, the Fairy Witch will be killed, along with Sister Little Yu and Elise, who will be forcefully [Scatterflowers], along with the remaining bishops and the three Supreme Disaster Beasts.”

Chu Wang Shu stared blankly. As the sunflower spoke, the same images appeared in her mind.

Dorothy lay in the ruins, her shimmering eyes dull, her honey-colored hair scattered like dry grass, her youthful face covered in dust and blood. The remains of her small body were trampled into mush by the World Python, falling like a meteor.

The Lantern Gem, whose original color could not be seen, was also turned to dust along with the tattered fairy tale book, crushed in the swirling blood rain, tearing apart all that was beautiful.

This unfamiliar young idol from Redstone Country, who was still not yet an adult.

This senior, who silently protected everyone and was cute and cheerful in the memories of the advertisements, whom she did not have time to get to know.

This Fairy Witch, known for her great reputation in the Countermeasures Bureau, praised in the magic forum for being reliable, powerful, and having a sweet smile, would, in 13 minutes, become a part of this scene, reduced to swirling blood and mud.

Chu Wang Shu’s mind was in chaos, her fingertips felt cold; she did not know how to react and was too scared to face the memories being sent to her. She was afraid… afraid to confront the death of someone familiar.

Even with Sister Little Yu, who was not very close to her, she did not have the courage to witness the other’s death; it was too terrifying and absurd, as if those once familiar things had been smashed to pieces by a heavy hammer.

Chu Wang Shu did not dare to leave this consciousness space; she felt a deep fear in her subconscious. She feared that if time continued to flow, the tragedies would unfold before her eyes and become irreversible despair.

The sunflower, however, did not stop, continuing to reveal the cruel reality:

“After that, losing the fairy tale country and the performance venue of the Decorate Phantasm magic will return to reality, and Mama Charlotte will face the nine Supreme Disaster Beasts alone.”

“Your mother, Chu Yuanqing, who once killed thirteen Calamity Gods, saved the world, saved endless parallel universes, organized everything, and has been the savior who has kept the Disaster group at bay until now, will burn the last light for you, your father, and many others, completely consuming it.”

“At this point, death is welcomed by the void.”

Chu Wang Shu’s mind went blank; after many days, she remembered the dream of her mother standing on the ground, burning everything, dying alone.

So, there were signs from the beginning, right?

As soon as the Disaster group launched their final attack, her mother was destined to die in this performance.

From start to finish, she never grew up or had the chance to protect her mother.

The seeds in the sunflower’s eyes moved closely together; it tilted its head, looked at the girl, and softly repeated the very first question:

“Little Shu, do you want to save your mother?”