My Superpower Is Piloting Magical Girl Corpses?

Because of the eighteen cycles that couldn't enter the Sacred Tree's domain from the start, Lin Guang had only experienced sixty-one cycles in this world.

Beyond that, she knew nothing.

Not just Tang Keren, Su Fang, and Zihan—even the Phoenix was completely dizzy: "Wait, what are you two talking about?"

And at that moment, in everyone's line of sight.

Amber's expression had already turned just as grim as Lin Guang's, with no trace of a smile left.

—It seemed she had figured out the reason behind Lin Guang's question.

Thus, she sensed it… that almost spine-chilling feeling.

Tang Keren couldn't help but ask, "Wait, what exactly does this mean?"

Amber took a deep breath and spoke softly: "What Mengmengxiang means is..."

The Phoenix exclaimed in shock: "What?!"

By now, Lin Guang's expression had turned completely serious and grave as she stated firmly:

"Every time… at least for these sixty cycles that I remember, except for the last one when I didn't follow along, and the one before that when the Fragments of Hope were gathered, the world restarts within a minute after my death."

These words were uttered with absolute conviction, as if declaring some fundamental truth.

The Phoenix, Zihan, and Su Fang were all momentarily stunned.

Su Fang asked cautiously: "What's… wrong with that?"

Tang Keren furrowed her brows: "Are you saying that your death causes the world to restart? It can't be that simple, right?"

The Phoenix's expression turned deadly serious too, as if she understood something:

"What you mean is that when all active magical girls in a cycle die, it triggers the world's reset? That would indeed be a plausible explanation."

"But I don't think that's what you're trying to say."

"After all, you were still alive last time, yet the cycle still activated."

Zihan's eyes widened: "Mengmengxiang, are you saying… that your death triggers something, which then indirectly ends the cycle?"

Lin Guang slowly nodded.

"You all just said that before you could activate Full Bloom, Airwen would take the initiative to kill you all, to avoid unnecessary soul erosion, right?"

"Yes, wha—"

At that instant, Zihan's eyes suddenly flew wide open as she froze in place.

Then…

Under what circumstances, at what moment, would they become desperate enough to want Full Bloom?

Actually, there was only one condition.

That was when the Cherry-Haired Girl died right before their eyes, the surging emotions in their chests became unbearable.

Not a single exception.

Every time they wanted to Full Bloom, Airwen would intervene and forcibly stop them.

And in the cycles before Full Bloom was possible, as long as the Cherry-Haired Girl fell in battle, Airwen, due to her collapsing morale, would directly kill them all to avoid unnecessary internal strife and grief.

Lin Guang then looked back at the Phoenix: "You've known her for three hundred years. In your understanding, if Airwen killed all of us, what would she do next?"

"Her? She would—no, she would definitely commit suicide. After all, she couldn't bear to exist in a world without hope…"

But before she could finish, the Phoenix was completely frozen in place.

Those golden eyes were filled with utter disbelief.

As if endless memories were flashing through her mind—details that had gone unnoticed across three thousand three hundred and thirty-three cycles now seemed to part the mist that had covered them.

Then…

Just like Amber, she suddenly understood what the Cherry-Haired Girl before her was about to say.

And Lin Guang, as if delivering a verdict, softly uttered one sentence.

"The real core that determines whether a cycle restarts is probably…"

"Airwen's life and death."

In the dead silence, Lin Guang looked around.

The Phoenix and Amber.

Though they had existed as Permission-Holders in this world all along, because they stayed within the Sacred Tree, they weren't completely clear on the specific movements and actions of the magical girls investigating the Outer Realm.

Zihan, Tang Keren, and Su Fang.

They had no memories of past cycles, so they were insensitive to certain things each time.

Thus, due to this mismatch of information, a truth that should have been realized long ago… was overlooked for three hundred years, three thousand cycles.

Like a clumsy coincidence, or like some existence's carefully orchestrated setup from start to finish.

Lin Guang had died too early each time, likewise ignoring this fact initially.

But she had always faintly sensed that sense of dissonance.

Now, she had finally grasped it.

—In almost all cycle-themed works, the trigger point of the cycle is often the core and root of the entire story.

This matter is also recorded in "Puella Magi Madoka Magica"!

In other words, Airwen was the core of this infinite looping world.

However, the next moment.

Raising her volume to the max, the Phoenix, standing on a branch, suddenly became agitated and instinctively refuted this absurd conclusion: "Impossible!!"

"It could very well be that the death of the Prophecy Maiden chosen by the Sacred Tree triggered the cyc—"

She couldn't even finish that sentence herself.

Because if the Prophecy Maiden's death alone could restart the cycle, then Airwen would have discovered this in past cycles long ago, eliminating the need to kill Zihan and Tang Keren.

The Phoenix shifted her angle of attack: "Then how do you explain the times when the fragments were gathered?! That time, the Sacred Tree Barrier collapsed—"

Lin Guang tilted her head and said flatly: "If the Sacred Tree is breached, the Permission-Holders inside would die themselves… you just said that yourself."

The Phoenix choked instantly.

Panic appeared in her eyes in a flash.

The silver figure that was so familiar, one with whom she could entrust life and death and everything, suddenly became utterly alien.

"But… but… how is this possible?"

"Weren't I, Amber, and Airwen all L Corp executives who participated in this world's construction from the very beginning?!"

"If she's the core of the cycle, then why—"

At this moment, the Phoenix's mind was truly in chaos.

If this was true, then so many things became completely incomprehensible.

Airwen was the core of the entire cycle?!

Had she been deceiving everyone all along?!

But hadn't she always been like herself, just with a slight difference in ideology?

Her friendships with past magical girls, those memories in her computer that she swore to take out, their mutual guardianship over the years, the occasional smiles, the gradually closed-off heart, the surface estrangement paired with gentle care that silently watched from behind, and that resolve so firm it was unshakable…

Were all of these—

Fake?

In an instant.

An overwhelming sense of bewilderment, along with a dull ache from the depths of her soul, engulfed the Phoenix's small body.

Death was certainly terrifying.

But…

The truth she had just uncovered might be more frightening than death.

And just as the Phoenix finished speaking.

Among the three girls who were deeply confused, someone suddenly spoke up.

It was Su Fang.

"Three executives were responsible for constructing the world?"

The wine-red-haired girl repeated this sentence in a daze, then looked at Amber.

"I always thought the Phoenix said Miss Amber was a spy, so she wasn't considered one of the executives…"

Su Fang's puzzled voice rang out in the tea party room.

"But… if there were three from the start, then that's strange."

And in that instant.

A spine-tingling sensation crawled up the spine of everyone present.

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