Chapter 341: A Wild Final Boss Appears!
"So you know her?"
On Iris's delicate face, there was a hint of surprise.
Witch Shion recognized in an instant that this wasn't the real Iris.
Because the real Iris's voice sounded like her left eye and right eye couldn't focus at the same time—one listen and you could tell her mind was empty, that she loved drinking honey water the most.
But the voice of this "Iris" before her sounded as if it had been sharpened.
Not exactly smart, but you could at least sense there was something in her head.
However, Iris's Personal Reality, which even surpassed Su La's, left a deep impression on Shion.
"Rival."
Shion casually spoke the term that Iris had always used to define their relationship.
In reality, she hadn't figured out what their relationship was supposed to be now.
Friends?
Not familiar at all.
Colleagues?
Not really that either.
Strangers?
Their relationship wasn't quite strangers, nor was it acquaintances—they had only met once.
So, without a clear anchor for their relationship, Shion's mind immediately went to the term "rival" that Iris often used, and it slipped out.
After saying it, she felt it might not be quite appropriate, but since it was already out, there was no reason to take it back.
Besides, explaining would be too troublesome, so she let it be.
That Iris revealed a slightly subtle expression and asked again, "Rival?"
"Something like that."
"That's a bit unbelievable." Iris looked Witch Shion up and down. "No matter how I look at it, you're much stronger than her now."
Her tone generally suggested she couldn't understand why Shion would call Iris a rival.
Witch Shion didn't want to explain too much and simply countered, "Rather than that, why are you, as the Eschaton Beast, showing yourself in this form?"
So Iris stood up, as if to show herself off, spinning around in the flower patch. Petals danced, rippling around her like a dream. "Don't you think she's beautiful?"
Was this Eschaton Beast a face-connoisseur too?
Shion took a closer look. Iris's appearance was indeed pretty.
But there were far too many pretty Magical Girls.
Just as the life philosophy of a certain web novel protagonist went:
It is ugly women that create beauties, it is fools that elevate the wise, it is cowardice that highlights strength, it is the masses that save all the gods and Buddhas.
Among Magical Girls, where ugliness was almost nonexistent, so-called beauty and prettiness were worth nothing.
Something everyone had couldn't constitute a merit.
"Just average."
Iris sighed. "It's truly a pity that you can't appreciate her beauty."
"Appearance is one of her less outstanding qualities." Shion casually tried to sit down in the flower patch.
The flowers around them were clearly not ordinary flowers.
When she sat down, countless wails seemed to emerge from the petals. All the flowers swayed together, a fierce wind arose, and the entire flower patch turned into a surging wave, trying to expel her from the garden!
But Shion's expression didn't change as she released surging magical power at the same time.
She forcibly suppressed the thousands upon thousands of roaring grudges and anger, sitting firmly in the flower patch!
That Iris revealed a slightly subtle expression and asked again, "Rival?"
It was as if light flickered in her eyes.
"Do you also want to sit above all beings?"
Shion was silent for a moment, then nodded. "You've got a bit of glaucoma."
Shion suddenly spoke out of nowhere.
Iris subconsciously touched her own eyes, her expression pensive for a long time, as if she didn't understand what Shion meant.
"Glaucoma? That sounds nice." She even took it as a compliment, then Iris said somewhat nostalgically, "The first time I saw her, I thought her eyes were very beautiful—just like you said, glaucoma, very impressive."
Shion never expected this entity had actually fought with Iris.
Although she never doubted Iris's potential, she truly never thought that one day Iris would be able to face the Eschaton Beast.
Because everything she had observed and felt from their conversation so far made Shion utterly convinced.
This Eschaton Beast was the strongest opponent she had ever encountered, even making her feel a hint of crisis.
Ever since gaining the power of a Magical Girl, Shion hadn't felt a sense of crisis for a very long time.
Although the journey had been full of hardships and dangers, like walking on a tightrope, most enemies posed little pressure to Shion.
But the Eschaton Beast before her.
From the moment it had only revealed one eye, Shion knew.
It was different.
Unlike those outwardly strong but inwardly weak opponents, the Eschaton Beast might truly be a worthy opponent, one that deserved her all-out effort.
The Eschaton Beast didn't mind Shion's unconcealed, fervent battle intent and simply said, "For a very, very long time, I've been wandering around, traveling from world to world, searching for something that can defeat me."
"That bored?"
In response to Witch Shion's question, Iris wore a weary smile. "Yeah, I'm that bored. Were you born the strongest, or did you become the strongest later on, beautiful miss?"
"My name is Shion."
"I see. Another beautiful name that rivals Iris's. Not only are your looks equally beautiful, but your names are also just as lovely." Iris kept elevating Iris. "You two really are worthy rivals."
Shion felt that this entity before her might actually be Iris.
Disguised as the Eschaton Beast here...
But she just dismissed that thought. Iris couldn't possibly be like this.
Most importantly, this entity didn't have Iris's strong Personal Reality. For Shion, who could see souls, the difference between the two was far too great.
It felt more like she had been tainted by Iris.
Who would have thought a Lower Cultivator could taint an Upper Cultivator? Iris was not to be underestimated.
Then, that vast Polluted Magic made Shion marvel again.
The entity before her was the Dao Ancestor of Disaster Beasts, the origin of Polluted Magic. Shion could even sense that
All the Polluted Magic in this world came from her.
Those Polluted Magics transformed from human negative emotions were merely a few scattered fragments that had fallen from her.
Those faint, barely perceptible auras radiated from her, then settled, turning into power akin to the world's essence, omnipresent.
It wasn't that human negative emotions transformed into Polluted Magic.
Rather, human negative emotions activated the Polluted Magic that had dissipated from her, thereby acquiring that power.
That made sense; the "emotion-to-energy" conversion never seemed energy-conserving.
Mainly, Polluted Magic wasn't a miracle like Magical Girls; it still had to obey basic physical laws.
So Shion curiously asked, "If you don't mind me asking, what tier are you?"
Iris tilted her head, looking curious. "What tier?"
"Are you at the universal level? Or the multiversal level? Infinite is generally not allowed in battleboarding discussions, and you can't use true infinity to scale to the universal level, because mathematically, true infinity is still an outlier. True infinity doesn't equal the 'infinite' in battleboarding. 'Infinite' in battleboarding rankings is generally considered as an ordinary universe..."
After a long silence, Iris honestly said, "I don't understand."
"Can't help it, we need to be rigorous about power levels." As Shion spoke, her momentum somehow rose above the other's, like a teacher explaining the specific settings. "Universal level means being able to destroy an infinitely sized universe in one hit. Multiversal level means being able to destroy a multiverse in one hit. Of course, there's also high universal level, being able to destroy a multiverse over time, with varying durations. Then there's complex multiversal, describing a magnitude that can be expressed as many times the universal level..."
Iris tilted her head, and countless eyeballs appeared in the sky, blinking while flickering with the appearances of infinite worlds. "I can't figure it out. You can look for yourself—these are all the worlds I have destroyed."
It felt a bit like taking out a treasured collection for appraisal, and she even looked at Shion with anticipation.
Shion stroked her chin, counting seriously. "Hmm, unfortunately, it looks like it doesn't reach the level of the infinite hierarchy."
Iris, however, didn't find it regrettable and was just slightly surprised. "Is an existence at the infinite hierarchy level stronger than me?"
"Pretty much. At best, you're at the high universal level, because you can't destroy this many universes in one hit, right?"
The Eschaton Beast nodded at Shion's evaluation and confirmation. "I need to personally visit different universes and spend some time to completely devour them."
So Shion suddenly clapped her hands. "Then that's it, high universal level. Not bad. With this strength, you might surpass the Great Emperor and be called a Mountain."
Although she didn't understand, Iris could still hear the praise and admiration in the other's tone.
So the Eschaton Beast also smiled and nodded. "It seems I really am quite impressive. But I'm curious, for those slightly weaker than universal level, or slightly weaker than multiversal level, can we use terms like 'low universal' or 'low multiversal'?"
On one hand, Shion was slightly surprised that the other understood so quickly; on the other hand, she laughed at how far off the other's understanding was.
"'Low universal' and 'low multiversal' are pure nonsense. The standard for universal level is destroying one infinitely sized universe in one hit, and the same goes for multiversal level. Since the minimum standard is given, where do 'low universal' or 'low multiversal' come from? I think it's more 'low intelligence'."
After being mocked, the Eschaton Beast wasn't angry and just asked, "So the highest level is the infinite hierarchy?"
"Infinity is divided into multiple types: 3 points for multiple infinites, 3.5 for double infinity, 4 for extremely large numbers, 4.5 for partial properties of infinity or large numbers, at least greater than 10^100. 5 points correspond to natural numbers or similar..."
"How rigorous."
"Power levels are mathematics." Shion said seriously. "Mathematicians, physicists, and even philosophers throughout history have invented various concepts and formulas for battleboarders. The history of humanity is the history of power scaling."
So Iris thought for a moment. "By this standard, even at Miss Iris's strongest, she never reached the universal level. But her performance was still quite remarkable."
Finally, pulling the topic away from power level classification, Iris waved her hand, and they moved from the garden to a world full of scars.
They walked above the world, surveying everything.
Terrifying Polluted Magic flooded the universe, with erosion and destruction from Polluted Magic everywhere.
Every creature in the universe bowed before it, and no one could stand in its presence.
Except for one.
A green Magical Girl, her Magical Outfit tattered and covered in wounds.
The last Magical Girl the Eschaton Beast faced.
Actually, it wasn't just a single encounter.
The moment the Eschaton Beast descended, Iris had already blocked its path.
"I am the world's strongest Magical Girl, Lady Iris!"
The first time she heard it, that arrogant voice still carried a hint of childishness, a bluster born of ignorance fresh out in the world.
Back then, she still had many companions by her side.
Calling herself the world's strongest Magical Girl was more like showing off, a loud declaration of her own power.
But even so, such a high-profile Iris still gave immense courage and reassurance to those Magical Girls who could barely stand before the Eschaton Beast.
In the end, though, she lost.
Not dying was just pure luck.
It reminded Shion of her first fight with Iris.
Except compared to Shion, the Eschaton Beast was clearly more cruel—or perhaps not cruel, but simply crushed many other Magical Girls as a casual afterthought.
Jincha, Camellia, Hongmian, Mochi, Chixing, Changyue, Xiaoxiao, Zimo...
Having failed to protect anyone, Iris fell miserably to the ground.
No different from countless other ants.
"You have always been the world's weakest Magical Girl, Iris!"
The seventh time, Iris made a comeback, facing the Eschaton Beast again. By then, the Eschaton Beast hadn't yet devoured many Magical Girls and worlds.
With her injuries barely healed and some power restored, Iris didn't hesitate to block the Eschaton Beast's path once more.
Qingluan was by her side, actually filled with fear and unease, almost suffocating under the pressure of the Eschaton Beast's aura.
So Iris smiled radiantly, pulling Qingluan's hand, and declared so.
The ignorant arrogance in her tone had mostly faded by then; it was more like she was forcing herself to believe it.
This time, she didn't die because Iris erupted with unimaginable power for the first time.
A massive black hole devoured the Eschaton Beast, sending both Iris and the Beast to the void.
But the result of unleashing such tremendous power wasn't what saved her. Rather, it made the Eschaton Beast develop a strong interest in her, so when it returned from the void, it brought Iris back as well.
But when Iris woke up, everything before her was still a mess.
She hadn't protected anything. The Eschaton Beast had still destroyed everything she had protected.
Qingluan's broken corpse lay plainly before her.
"I really am the strongest after all."
The third time, Iris came alone before the Eschaton Beast, carrying the hopes of many and the wills of the dead, yet she could still smile.
No one could guide her, no one could comfort her.
When the end of the world came, everyone was already doing their utmost just to survive.
Iris was the only sun, constantly guiding others, comforting others.
The confident and powerful Magical Girl redeemed everyone in the doomsday.
Dispelling their despair and pain.
Until the last second before destruction, everyone was filled with hope and peace of mind.
But unfortunately, even miracles have their limits.
Going all out with her gravity Full Bloom, even surpassing reality, ultimately couldn't harm the Eschaton Beast in the slightest.
Before the desperate reality, Iris, who eventually disappeared, showed no pain or despair either.
She merely, with a final brilliant strike, touched the pupil of the Eschaton Beast.
Shaking its heart.
The Eschaton Beast stood beside Shion, watching together the past cycles, where, no matter how many times, the Magical Girl Iris would always optimistically and confidently face her, challenging her with immense mental strength.
Countless pupils containing countless worlds all showed obsession and longing.
"Don't you think she's beautiful? That form, surpassing the so-called multiverse hierarchy, a spirit capable of giving birth to a monster's heart. No matter how many times, it captivates me endlessly."
Shion looked at Iris, who had never changed, always the same, and nodded. "Iris is indeed very strong."
"Hehe, I knew you would understand."
Far away, within Jiang Si's body, the Emperor and the Little Black Dragon, who could also see the Eschaton Beast through Witch Shion's vision, looked at each other in shock.
They never expected Shion to hold Iris in such high regard, and that Eschaton Beast, which never seemed simple, also favored Iris so much...
"She isn't really the world's darling, is she?"
Hearing the Little Black Dragon's sigh, the Emperor shook his head. "It's her own strength that makes Shion and the Eschaton Beast take notice. After all, to make them remember you, you have to use your own power."
Then he smiled. "Maybe we can tell Iris about this later. She'll definitely be happy."
"No, no, no. I think she'll just laugh loudly and say she was always this strong..."
"Better not, then."
"Yeah, her confidence is already sky-high. If she knew the two strongest beings in the world both acknowledged her, she'd probably float straight up to the heavens..."
As the two conversed, in the new world, Beihai, personally shaped by Tiyana.
One of Jiang Si's arms was chopped off.
"Getting stronger and stronger, Tiyana."
The Emperor and the Little Black Dragon's attention was drawn back from the Eschaton Beast, watching Tiyana gradually grow stronger, both feeling a bit uneasy.
"Can we keep going like this?"
"Boss, Dad, why haven't you transformed yet?"
While the conversation between Witch Shion and the Eschaton Beast echoed in the void, the battle between Jiang Si and Tiyana had already leveled Beihai to the ground.
Tiyana had also gone from initial probing to becoming bolder, her power rising step by step. Her body continuously mutated as it adapted to the Eschaton Beast's gift.
When she finally pushed her power to a level capable of crushing continents, the first real wound finally appeared on Jiang Si's body.
His left arm, which he couldn't dodge in time, was severed at the shoulder. Blood sprayed from the wound, igniting in the extreme cold and turning to ash along with the severed arm.
But Jiang Si's expression didn't waver in the slightest. He still maintained his human form, his breathing even calm, as if losing an arm was nothing more than a trivial matter.
Springing up, his single arm smashed fiercely onto Tiyana's body!
In his mind, he was still mulling over the distinctions in power levels to explain to the Eschaton Beast.
Tiyana's body, plummeting into the depths of the continent, continued to grow stronger and mutate. The process of adapting to the Eschaton Beast's power was neither short nor simple.
When the mutation was finally complete, that once elegant body completely collapsed and reorganized, transforming into a chaotic ferocious beast.
Countless eyes opened across its body, each pupil reflecting a different magical aura. Several pairs of white wings pierced through its back, each feather as lustrous and sharp as scales.
Three serpentine heads burst from its neck, but their scales had become sacred, smooth feathers, making them appear even more eerie.
Then, the three snake heads bit down simultaneously!
Jiang Si pushed out with his single arm, forcefully holding up the three massive jaws capable of crushing mountains.
But the snake fangs pierced his skin, sinking into his flesh, and an excess of Polluted Magic rushed in like venom through the wounds.
Then, Jiang Si looked up. His gaze pierced through the deep throats of the three snake mouths, staring straight at the massive eyeball hidden within. It was a round, innocent, yet terrifyingly powerful moe-anime-style pupil.
Power began to gather in the pupil.
Thousand-Pinweed's flames, Bai Mei's Sword Energy, and Bingtang's magic.
In an instant, they engulfed Jiang Si's yet-untranformed body!
The planet of the new world also vanished in that single strike!
...
On the other side, Witch Shion was still strolling among the stars with the Eschaton Beast, watching past challengers.
"Were you born the strongest, or did you become the strongest later?"
The Eschaton Beast didn't wait for Shion's answer and simply continued, "Going from weak to strongest step by step must be a wonderful thing, right?"
Shion pondered for a long time. "Not necessarily."
"Is that so? Yeah, maybe that's how it is."
Iris said, "I envy Iris's happiness and long for her strength. Because I was born the strongest, I can never find an opponent, never lose, cannot understand weakness, and without understanding weakness, I can never know what strength is. So I constantly wander around, searching for something that can defeat me."
The Eschaton Beast turned its head, looking at Shion. "And you? Have you ever lost?"
"Once, I was chased and beaten by three thugs."
Shion didn't mind mentioning her past shame. "When I wasn't strong yet, failure was a common occurrence."
"So, can you tell me? What exactly are strength and weakness? Someone like you, who was once weak and is now strong, must surely know, right?"
Shion didn't rush to answer this question. Instead, she asked, "What's up with the household body outside?"
The scene around them changed again.
Jiang Keke was in the garden, standing opposite the Eschaton Beast.
"Are you talking about her?" A hint of annoyance appeared in the Eschaton Beast's pupils. "An annoying one. Nothing much. Let's go back to the earlier question."
"A boring question."
After a moment of silence, disappointment grew in the Eschaton Beast's pupils.
All the scenes disappeared, and the two returned to the garden.
Iris leaned down to look. In one of the eyeballs, the battle between Jiang Si and Tiyana appeared.
Tiyana was biting Jiang Si fiercely, almost devouring him.
The massive three-headed beast seemed about to burst the entire universe; just shifting its body caused cracks to appear in the eyeball.
One pupil of the Eschaton Beast was a world.
Tiyana had dragged Jiang Si into a desolate world devoured by the Eschaton Beast, recreating the new world and Chongxu within it.
Understanding this, Shion no longer asked and simply said:
"Even if I told you the answer, it would be meaningless. Because many things in this world cannot be understood through words alone."
Shion lost all interest in the battle within the Eschaton Beast's pupil. She just plucked a flower.
Perhaps "pluck" wasn't the right word.
She forced it off, like tearing off a person's arm. Petals splattered, like blood!
"Some things must be experienced personally to be understood."
Within the Eschaton Beast's pupil, Jiang Si, who had been gnawed at by Tiyana, suddenly burst with brilliant golden light!
Then, Jiang Si's body also began to expand, mutating into a giant beast, just like Tiyana.
The golden Calamity Dragon's body was almost indistinguishable from Tiyana's beast, except its scales were a dazzling gold, and its dragon head was incomparably more majestic than Tiyana's snake heads!
The Golden Calamity Dragon King!
It had been a long time since he used it, but he had always retained the ability to transform into the Golden Calamity Dragon King, especially after obtaining the second heart.
The overall strength of the Golden Calamity Dragon King had taken another step up.
Two colossal beasts, born from primordial chaos, merely entangled, nearly causing the Eschaton Beast's pupil to shed tears of blood.
Fine cracks also began to appear on the eyeball.
"Want to give it a try?"
The Golden Calamity Dragon King firmly stepped on the three-headed snake's shoulders, its massive golden dragon wings covering the universe. Its claws tore the white wings off the beast!
Tiyana was not to be outdone. The three snake heads coiled around the Golden Calamity Dragon King's neck, biting and spraying various sword energies and magic at the dragon king.
A hint of bloodlust flickered in the Golden Calamity Dragon King's eyes. It bit down on one of the snake heads.
Yanking the long, feather-covered neck, it ferociously tore it off!
Blood sprayed out, forming a blood-red galaxy waterfall!
Feathers flew everywhere, each one like a fallen star. The Golden Calamity Dragon King chewed on the still-moving snake head, golden light gathering in its dragon maw.
The Eschaton Beast Iris, who had been casually chatting with Shion, finally focused her gaze on that eye.
As the Golden Calamity Dragon King's power emanated, the tears of blood flowing from that eye gradually turned into scorching gold.
Like golden magma, churning and dripping down.
Every tear melted the flowers in the garden.
Countless pupils, filled with curiosity and abnormality, looked at the eye that had become the battlefield for the Golden Calamity Dragon King and the three-headed snake.
"Try what?"
But in the end, the Eschaton Beast still asked her this question.
The eye containing the Golden Calamity Dragon King and the three-headed snake suddenly stopped shedding tears. Everything froze.
In the battlefield, the Golden Calamity Dragon King, holding a snake head in its mouth, had its golden breath gathered and ready. The fierce snake head, at ultra-close range, was rendered exceptionally dazzling by the golden breath. Its pupils, nostrils, mouth, ears—all the openings of that head—were overflowing and leaking golden light.
Until the Golden Calamity Dragon King, stepping on the three-headed snake's body, used its claws to forcibly pry open one of the snake mouths.
The golden breath passed through the snake head in the dragon's mouth and poured completely into the other snake head that the Golden Calamity Dragon King had pried open!
It was like a deep, intense serpentine kiss!
Both snake heads exploded simultaneously in the golden breath!
The eyeball finally completely cracked, then slowly closed. Only golden blood continued to flow, until it nearly accumulated into a small golden lake in the garden.
The Eschaton Beast slightly nodded, turning its head. Over there, Shion casually tossed the flower she had plucked to it.
"Try experiencing failure for yourself. Get to know weakness."
Then Shion reached out her hand toward it. "Come and fight me."