Chapter 354 Starlight Bursts - Socially Anxious Witch in the Apocalypse

"Su Miao Sister, will Jiujiu encounter danger?" Watching the aircraft depart, Xia Xiao An asked worriedly. Su Miao shook her head. "Don't worry, she'll be fine. Let's just wait for news now." Xia Xiao An nodded, refraining from further questions. Back at the villa, Su Miao resumed her study of magic. During this period, she had unknowingly learned a great deal more about magic. It was time to systematically organize and optimize what she had learned. Many spells were initially researched to suit her early capabilities. As her strength increased, using these older spells seemed a bit cumbersome. For instance, in the past, casting a spell like the Purple Fireball would require a ten-day to half-month preparation. Now, Su Miao could conjure it up in mere seconds. This change was due to her increased magical power. So, could she summon the Purple Fireball even faster? After all, in combat, opponents typically wouldn't give much time for casting. Even slight delays could be disrupted or interrupted. While interrupting a common spell wasn't a big deal, interrupting some spells with extraordinary power could cause a backlash from the unleashed magic, posing extreme danger to the caster. This was why in the face of formidable enemies, Su Miao sometimes resorted to reforging silver swords. Reflecting on the battle at the Elder's ruins, Su Miao was highly intrigued by the application of arcane magic. While in an elegant state, she had used six consecutive Arcane Impacts to gather a large amount of magic quickly, then released Starlight Eruption. This was a new use that Su Miao hadn't thought of before. Moreover, she recalled that while casting Arcane Impact continuously, her body remained in an awakened state, boosting her magical recovery rate beyond imagination. Thus, Su Miao had enough magic to release Starlight Eruption despite the increased consumption from the Arcane Impacts. Without sufficient magic, Starlight Eruption would merely be a large-scale fireworks display, with limited destructive capability. No, to be precise, it wouldn't have much physical destructive power. However, against pure souls or spirit bodies, its destructive force remained terrifying. Realizing this, Su Miao understood why the golden divine phantasm dispersed so quickly. The essence of that divine phantasm was a soul—potentially a mere remnant. Taking the Starlight Eruption head-on was like dried brush meeting a petrol-fed blaze; it was inevitable that it would become ash in an instant. To date, Starlight Eruption was Su Miao's most powerful spell and also the one with the longest casting time. The destructive power of Starlight Eruption was wholly dependent on the amount of magic compressed into it. How much magic could be compressed depended on Su Miao's casting duration. The longer the casting time, the more magic could be compressed. Of course, all of this was contingent on what Su Miao could withstand. Arcane magic, awakening, Starlight Eruption—these could be interconnected in research, especially if Starlight Eruption could become an instant-cast spell in the future. Just imagining it was exhilarating! "The arcane state added after casting Arcane Impact is a research focus." Su Miao noted this in her magical journal. The state was stackable. The more it stacked, the stronger the awakening effect, enhancing the instant-casting potential, making it more powerful and alarming. However, currently, this state was limited to Arcane Impact. If any spell she used could grant this special bonus state, then whenever she wanted, she could instantly cast Starlight Eruption—an exciting thought indeed! Feeling energized, Su Miao immediately set to work on her research. Time seemed to fly, and three months passed without notice. Throughout this period, Su Miao was committed to achieving her goal, yet there remained a slight gap. So far, her studies continued to rely on the Arcane Impact to stack bonus states, enabling the instant release of Starlight Eruption. She managed to strengthen and speed up the processes involving Arcane Impact. For other spells, such as Magical Beam, Blue Flame Gun, Purple Flame Gun, Ice Arrow, Blue Fireball, and Purple Fireball, Su Miao reached some degree of success. After casting these spells, she could gain a special, stackable bonus magic state too. These bonus magic states also came with an awakening effect, albeit weaker. But having it was better than nothing. In pursuit of utilizing these linked magic bonuses, Su Miao developed a brand-new spell based on Starlight Eruption—Starlight Burst! Starlight Burst was essentially a toned-down version of Starlight Eruption, an optimized form of Magical Beam. The higher the bonus magic state stacks from the mentioned spells, the stronger the destructive power of the released Starlight Burst, without worries about insufficient magic reducing damage. Additionally, if Su Miao didn’t wish to stack magic states and wanted to cast Starlight Burst directly, she could do so with a little casting time. In battle, she would start with Starlight Burst. The opponent, seeing the casting cue, would likely register the casting time. The second time Su Miao cast Starlight Burst, they'd assume it required casting time again—but Su Miao could release an instant-cast Starlight Burst instead, creating a delightful surprise. Closing her magical journal, Su Miao stretched. Through the window, she looked at the outside world, noting that the sky had darkened once more. In the past three months, the sun and moon grew increasingly erratic. Earthquakes, gusting winds, tsunamis, extreme heat, floods, and bitter snowstorms occurred intermittently, posing a great threat. Survivors online described it aptly: "Earth has gone mad!" After drinking a glass of water, Su Miao withdrew her gaze. Just then, Xia Xiao An came to the second-floor living room, saying, "Su Miao Sister, Si Shu has sent news." ... What does it feel like to become a villainous BOSS? Is it this feeling now? Lin Jiujiu lay on her comfortable bed, staring at the starry-patterned ceiling with complicated emotions. Before Pei Xiaomiao brought her here, Lin Jiujiu used some of her study time to read novels. Some of those protagonists acquired major villain identities. Now, she found herself in a similar situation. The Twelve Si were perceived as ultimate villains in the network's eyes. And seeing the actions of the Twelve Si's members, after reading through their publicly available information, many deeds were indeed villainous. For instance, the previous Si Tian, Gan Pu, killing 140,000 people in the Yangshanji sanctuary was outright insane. Funny enough, seeing the name of the former Si Tian sparked a vague memory for Lin Jiujiu—one she couldn't quite grasp. Quickly, though, she became engrossed in other shocking reports. But from a different perspective, Su Miao Sister, who was known for leaving trails wherever she went, was called the Pink Demon by people. She even earned the title of field-world BOSS. However, she, Xia Xiao An, and Su Luoli, who followed Su Miao Sister, knew that Su Miao Sister always acted in self-defense. Those who died deserved their fate. Regardless of the Si Tian title, Lin Jiujiu believed she'd be a good person. Moreover, Pei Xiaomiao Sister once said, "The Twelve Si fundamentally operates as a cooperative organization, lacking a true leader. Alliances mark friends, opposition marks foes; everyone's goal is to unlock the inner world." "After unlocking the inner world, whether the Twelve Si remains intact is unimportant." "In essence, you're still you; you're the Si Tian or you may choose not to be." Lin Jiujiu felt she understood, though at the same time she didn't. Knock, knock, knock. There was a knock at the door. "Come in." Lin Jiujiu said. Secretary Tao Yujie entered with files. "Miss Lin, it's time for your studies!" Lin Jiujiu shot up from her bed. In Su Miao Sister’s home, every day was filled with endless learning and coursework. Now as the "villainous BOSS" Si Tian, she still couldn't escape this relentless study routine, which seemed a little ridiculous for a "villain." Pei Xiaomiao Sister made it clear that the lessons she was to learn in this period were critically important. If her academics faltered, during the Twelve Si's mission of unlocking the inner world, a slight lapse could cost her life. "Alright." Lin Jiujiu picked up the brush on her nightstand, passed it a few times through her hair, and followed Tao Yujie out of the room. Secretary Tao Yujie adjusted her glasses, guiding the way. Who would imagine the Twelve Si's Si Tian is such an adorable, obedient, and well-behaved young girl? [Ignore that obedient part.] Tao Yujie immediately dismissed such thoughts. Such thoughts were unwarranted; ultimately, she was just a secretary. No matter how cute, obedient, or well-behaved Lin Jiujiu seemed, she was still the Si Tian of the Twelve Si. Like Si Shu, who always appeared gentle, kind, and considerate in front of everyone—like the sweet, unguarded girl-next-door—only she and Si Di truly knew the real Si Shu. Later, Tao Yujie was assigned to work by Si Di's side, which allowed her to breathe a sigh of relief. Unexpectedly, Si Di was even more terrifying. Especially with his unpredictable special abilities, a single slip-up could result in death at his hands. Fortunately, she survived by being consistently cautious and meticulous. If she ever got careless, she wouldn't be far from death. She recalled what Si Shu had said when she was assigned a task: "Hmm, your mind has been well-trained. You can be a secretary by his side now." Tao Yujie hadn't understood the meaning behind those words until she returned alive and met Si Shu again. "This way, Miss Lin." With this thought crossing her mind, Tao Yujie led the way more carefully than ever. "Okay," Lin Jiujiu blinked and quickly followed behind. ... In the Twelve Si's grand library, Si Shu walked in cradling a book. "Xiaomiao Sister, anyone who didn't know better would think you were the librarian here," Si Shu remarked with a smile. When she smiled, her eyes resembled crescent moons, very beautiful. Pei Xiaomiao put down the book she was holding. "Su Cheng, what's up?" Si Shu replied, "I've noticed that some records about the Si Tian in the Twelve Si's database have been altered." Pei Xiaomiao asked, "Is there an issue with the remaining records?" Si Shu said, "No, not really." Some truths were deleted, others kept, yet the records remained factual; technically, there was no issue. But how could there not be an issue? The most crucial part of the records was missing—especially concerning how the second-generation Si Tian emerged. Pondering this, Si Shu considered more possibilities. For instance, the seamless transition of Lin Jiujiu inheriting the Si Tian powers—there was no way Pei Xiaomiao hadn't intervened in some way. This meant that the information Pei Xiaomiao initially uploaded was already edited. No one knew exactly what the first-generation Si Ming, Pei Xiaomiao, had done in the Yangshanji sanctuary. Si Shu pointed out, "Don't you think this is the best time for Lin Jiujiu to understand her past? She'll investigate sooner or later." Pei Xiaomiao responded, "We'll talk about the future when it comes." "Alright then, since you brought her back, it's your responsibility," Si Shu conceded. Pei Xiaomiao nodded. "Is Lin Jiujiu almost done with her courses?" "No surprises, she'll graduate today," Si Shu replied. "Okay, let's each get ready. Not everyone will want us to open the inner world," Pei Xiaomiao said. Si Shu laughed softly, "Don't worry, Xiaomiao Sister. Many of them aren't even human anymore. We just need to wait for news from Si Chen and Si Sui." Pei Xiaomiao nodded and continued reading. ... At the headquarters of the Twelve Si, inside the Stargazing Laboratory, numerous astronomers busily observed data and calculated results. Si Sui and Si Chen sat before a large screen, examining star trajectories beyond Earth and solar paths, alongside Earth's core conditions, to predict Earth's immediate future. They needed stable daylight and conditions to open the inner world. This venture into the unknown required utmost caution. "Hm?" Si Chen looked at the planetary changes on the big screen, eyes widening. At that moment, he received observational data from the astronomers. Comparing it, he said, "In two days, there will be a seven-day period of polar day with only mild natural disasters. We can open the inner world." He passed the data to Si Sui, who glanced at it and affirmed, "In two days, we'll open the inner world." This news was promptly disseminated to every member of the Twelve Si. Simultaneously, the message spread outward, raising alarms and heated discussions among various international ability-user organizations. The existence of this base—ostensibly the Twelve Si's headquarters—was leaked. "We must neutralize the Twelve Si's base; we absolutely cannot allow them to open the inner world." "This is an unknown, advanced world. Opening it could trigger even greater disasters on Earth." "Do you think the doomsday disasters on Earth are few and far between? Many perish unknowingly. The new world is our hope." "However, consider this: Have the Twelve Si ever done anything good since their appearance? They've only brought disaster to the world." "Who dares a nuclear strike, and I'll nuke them! Earth is already unstable. Do you want to trigger an earthquake with a nuclear strike?" "Don't think that issuing nuclear threats will prevent the Twelve Si from targeting your base." "Whoever dares to strike will become the world's enemy!" "…" (End of Chapter)