Chapter 427 Magical Girl's Restaurant - Socially Anxious Witch in the Apocalypse

Si Wu hurriedly fled. As he ran, he tried to reclaim his powers and wield his laws, but to no avail. His divine laws were shackled, turning him into a mere mortal. Just moments ago, he could still channel some of them. Could it be the clothes? Si Wu glanced at the black clothing he wore, his expression fluctuating wildly. He had seen the fate of those who didn’t wear black. It was best to take one step at a time for now. He had encountered many bizarre deities in the Inner World, but nothing as terrifying as this. After escaping for a while, Si Wu sensed something was amiss. He was actually feeling hungry—very hungry. As a mighty god, Si Wu never imagined there would come a day he'd experience hunger. At this moment, the streets around him transformed into a dimly lit district under light rain, with shops lining both sides filled with indistinct, eerie figures. They were preparing fragrant wontons, sizzling takoyaki, roasting appetizing chicken and cakes... “Young man, have some fresh roast rabbit to fuel your journey.” “Crispy roast chicken, have a portion, it’s free.” “Wontons, do you want any?” “Hehe, you won't reach your destination without eating.” “Stop being stubborn; you’re just like we once were—collapsing from hunger by the roadside, eventually inheriting a shop like ours, haha…” What are these things? Si Wu looked at the shopkeepers with suspicion, their delicious food making his mouth water, increasing his hunger. But who dares eat in the eerie realm? Despite the hunger, Si Wu forced himself to press on. He was convinced it was an illusion. Conversely, if he ate these foods, he would never leave this place. As for what the shopkeepers truly were, Si Wu had no interest in probing; he wasn't planning to investigate. After all, the strange manifestations along the street in this bizarre realm were recognizably things from his life on Earth—this was the biggest flaw. Si Wu silently continued onward. “He refuses to eat. He’s doomed.” “Doomed…” “He must think we’re trying to harm him.” “No help for it, the usher died early; just watch. No matter how strong he was outside, he’ll soon collapse.” The shopkeepers muttered. Si Wu ignored them, quickening his pace. Yet, as he walked, his body felt increasingly famished, to the point where he felt he might revert to being a skin-and-bones abyssal form. This realization filled Si Wu with dread. Moreover, his body felt increasingly hollow, as though it wouldn’t be long before he collapsed. “How can this be?” Si Wu forced himself to stay alert, refusing to succumb. He’d never imagined such weakness. As he neared unconsciousness, an indistinct elder appeared beside him, offering him dried fish: “Eat this, hurry. You’ll need strength to escape—it’s coming.” What is 'it'? Si Wu didn’t know, only that the mention of it sparked immense fear in his heart. Compounded by his hunger, Si Wu couldn’t resist the food, accepting the dried fish. He had to admit—the taste was rather good. After just a little, he felt his strength return. “Don’t rush, there’s more fish. Eat slowly,” the elder said hauntingly. With his awareness rekindled, Si Wu spat out the fish he had just consumed, fleeing blindly into the distance. Behind him, the eldritch elder and shopkeepers, now in human guise, watched him silently, smiling. Where could the exit be in this macabre realm? Si Wu was lost. Worse, everything around him began transforming into something all too real. The change was terrifying. He saw corpses strewn across the ground, bleeding grotesquely, their appearances chillingly horrific. “Why did you eat their food? You must not eat it!” Suddenly, a person clad in red appeared before Si Wu: “The black clothes don’t suit you anymore—you’ve absorbed its essence. Keeping them will only hasten your discovery. Quickly, put on this red outfit.” Si Wu looked at the person in the red attire, unsure of whether to trust them. However, their words carried crucial information. The dried fish he ate was problematic. “Take the clothes. Once changed, follow the small path out of town. Remember, never look back, and don’t respond to anyone who calls to you—the ‘it’ is nearing.” The person in red looked nervously into the distance: “I don’t know what you were before or why you attract it, but you must escape. If you’re captured, none of us will survive.” “Oh no, its minions are approaching—I’ll distract them.” Handing over the clothes, the person in red picked up a brick and dashed off to the rear. Si Wu hesitated briefly before donning the red clothes and following the small path. The peculiar realm was far too terrifying, suppressing his law-based abilities; he had to find a solution. It was all because of that damned witch, Su Miao! The path was narrow, about six footsteps wide, surrounded by dense grass. Yet, somehow, the grass seemed to morph into dense tentacles, with a sanguine shadow beneath hinting at an indescribable presence searching for something. Si Wu noticed someone in the grass acknowledging their presence before decaying where they stood. Unviewable... Was it 'it'? Si Wu hastily hurried along, but the strange scenery repeatedly surfaced. He was appalled to find the path underfoot replaced by a road of bones, their skulls occasionally flaring with ghostly fire, staring at him intently. As they watched, the bony path began to bleed profusely, with the blood spreading out, turning into a road of blood. The further he went, the more grotesque and bizarre his surroundings became. After an indeterminate time, a familiar figure appeared ahead. It was a blue twin-tailed girl, holding a black cat-headed staff, waving and smiling slightly: “You don't need to run anymore, or be afraid. You’re already dead—didn’t you realize?” What?! Si Wu looked at the blue twin-tailed girl, then back at himself, noticing the familiar stars engulfing him. Su Miao’s attack. Not just himself—whatever that indescribable thing was, it too had been consumed by the fierce starfire. At that moment, Si Wu realized he’d become part of this bizarre realm. The blue twin-tailed girl, wielding her cute cat-headed staff, replayed the scene of Su Miao destroying the weird domain. In the void, Su Miao deployed multiple magical arrays, shattering divine sparks into them. Si Wu witnessed the true strength of the witch, Su Miao. Boom! The void darkened as a torrent of starlight burst forth. Amid it were countless laws, many indistinguishable even to him. Starlight bloomed through the bizarre realm, igniting and purifying the indescribable presences within. How terrifying must Su Miao’s power be? “Hahaha…” Si Wu let out a despondent laugh. He had endured a million years in the abyss, only to someday resurrect and seek vengeance across the astral oceans. Who would have thought he’d encounter a heavenly existence like Su Miao, engage such terrifying, indescribable entities in flight, and even require prompting to realize his own demise? How absurd it all was. “Thank you…” As Si Wu was on the verge of vanishing, he asked, “What’s your connection to Si Shu?” The blue twin-tailed girl tilted her head: “Oh, that little girl? She once ate at my shop and said she really liked my twin-tails.” Si Wu smiled bitterly, so that’s how it was. “Is this Su Miao’s doing?” “Yes.” “Thank you, for…” Si Wu’s being dissolved, scattered, and vanished. …… Hours earlier. Outside the bizarre realm, Su Miao was tossing offerings into a magic array, summoning directly. A demon god responded, and Su Miao promptly dragged it over. The demon god looked bewildered at the witch Su Miao: “W-what are you?” With a wave of her shimmering staff, Su Miao bound the demon god, piercing it with the God-slaying Silver Sword, extracting its divine spark, and casting the now weakened deity aside. “You, you, you…” “…” The demon god was too loud. Su Miao promptly sealed the demon god's mouth, along with its divine consciousness. Oh right... Remembering something, Su Miao used a Mage's Hand to shake down the demon god, causing a large pile of rare materials and odd trinkets to tumble out. She selected a few items to toss into the magic array, continuing her summoning. Ten seconds later, a malevolent deity responded to the call. The deity was preparing to project its presence for the rare offering. However, before its projection could coalesce, its true form was dragged over. The malevolent deity was utterly bewildered. What followed was the now-typical routine. The deity's divine essence was harvested, and its treasures were shaken out, tossed beside the bound demon god. The deity and demon god exchanged a teary glance, able only to harbor resentment against the witch's wicked acts. How could there be such an evil witch, tricking them with offerings? Using such high-grade offerings for trickery—what demon lord or deity could resist? Alas, it was too late to regret. Yet, before their regret fully took shape, they found some solace. For they witnessed the witch employing similar methods, luring one malevolent deity and demon lord after another. One by one, each had their divine essence and core removed, cast aside. "Ten should suffice." Su Miao blinked, ceasing her summoning. Continuing would risk attracting the attention of powerful beings. Turning to the captured demon lords and deities, Su Miao knew the reason for sparing them from death—they still had a final bit of usefulness. Releasing them was out of the question. Having already stripped them of their divine essence and cores, the enmity was too great. Their palpable malice left no doubt. "Your Highness, have mercy!" The first captured demon god desperately blinked her large doe-like eyes, hoping for mercy due to her gender. Su Miao ignored her pleas, waving her starry staff to dispatch the ten demon lords and deities into the strange realm. Devouring ten demon lords and deities should delight the bizarre realm. Digesting them should take a few dozen seconds, right? In that time, Su Miao adjusted her position, unfurled layer upon layer of magical arrays, zeroing in on the heart of the strange domain and Si Wu's location. She launched the demon lords' cores and deities' divine essences into the fray, concentrating them into pure destructive energy, compressing it to the utmost, then unleashing it explosively. Starry light erupted! Boom! A torrent of starlight pierced the strange realm. Concerned the realm harboring Si Wu was too formidable, Su Miao’s assault was more potent this time. The malicious intent from the ten demon lords and deities dissipated immediately. The strange realm ignited like dry grass, starfire burning brightly, a sight to behold. Horrifying tendrils attempted to counterattack against Su Miao, but their movements fueled the starfire’s intensity. Gradually, the strange realm was consumed, even Si Wu’s malice incinerated in the starlight. Time passed, leaving behind a kaleidoscopic bizarre core in the void. The core was as large as a basketball, dwarfing the main deity-level core acquired outside the Abyss. How powerful must the strange being inhabiting this domain have been to possess such a massive core? Su Miao collected the bizarre core, warily scanning the void. It seemed someone was there. She immediately gripped her starry staff, ready to strike the void at any moment. The newly acquired bizarre core could serve as an energy source. Though it might entail some wastefulness. "Don’t act!" The blue twin-tailed girl emerged, smiling slightly at Su Miao: “Su Miao, long time no see, meow?” Su Miao widened her eyes at the blue twin-tailed girl: “It’s you, Dry Chicken Rice Bowl!” “…” The blue twin-tailed girl blinked, tempted to strike, wary of causing harm. Realizing her error, Su Miao corrected, “No, it’s you, the one who gave me the *Alchemy* book, plus the prec—” Interrupting, the blue twin-tailed girl suggested, “Let’s talk somewhere else.” In an instant, Su Miao found herself inside a restaurant. The restaurant’s decor exuded a cute, girlish charm. Only then did she notice the name emblazoned on the wall: Magical Girl Café. Su Miao confirmed this had been the place she dined at before doomsday. “Take a seat, want something to eat?” The blue twin-tailed girl offered, “Dry Chicken Rice Bowl?” Instinctively, Su Miao nodded, “Sure.” The girl continued, “And a mixed fruit juice?” Su Miao replied, “Alright.” She had many questions, but the scene before her drew her in. In the kitchen, enchanting little fairies sprang from a fountain, cooking swiftly with magical arrays. It was dreamy, artistic, mesmerizing. Simply adorable. The blue twin-tailed girl placed the juice on the table, waving her hand: “Su Miao, the food will take a bit, meow, have some juice first.” “Thank you.” Without suspicion, Su Miao took a sip of the juice. Instantly, she felt her prior magical exertions replenished, and an eerie gray mist that had subtly clung to her was expelled and swiftly purified. (This chapter ends here.)