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Chapter 560 The Grand Lancer at the Takihara Pyramid

“I said…in that case, Saosha, why don’t you take on a disciple as well?”

That day, Jacques said this to that guy who was as stubborn as Sheen, and maybe even more difficult to deal with.

"Just like what your teacher did to you when you were a kid... Although it's impossible to do that in chaotic times, following in Oga's footsteps now isn't so bad, is it?"

General Saosa is a guy who lacks love. Peeling off his arrogant "Holy Emperor" facade and exposing his true self will probably be even more difficult than defeating him head-on.

For a fleeting moment, Jagi thought that because of his casual suggestion, Saoisa would be enraged and attack him with a ferocity comparable to that of a demon.

"Heh...a disciple?"

In order to surpass the Big Dipper and maintain the status of the Southern Dipper Phoenix Fist as the strongest, the inheritance ceremony of the Southern Dipper Phoenix Fist has become a tragic tradition in which disciples risk their lives to surpass their masters.

In other words, Jia Ji would consider himself an invincible general, willingly believing that he alone could never surpass the Beidou lineage in his lifetime, and could only continue that ceremony, welcoming the fate of being surpassed by his own disciple.

In an instant, silence reigned over the scene.

However, Saosa's expression was a pure and calm smile without any gloom... a childlike expression, without the unreasonable anger he usually displayed.

️

The girl is training to climb stone steps.

This is a common sight for students majoring in physical education.

However, what was unusual was that the girl was carrying a sacred stone that resembled the top of a giant pyramid on her back.

"How is this possible?! Why must we train like this?!"

The girl with a scarlet ponytail and a black bow shouted, as if it were the most natural thing in the world, through gritted teeth.

Fortunately, she always went her own way and was all alone, so this exaggerated scene was not seen by ordinary people, otherwise it would have shocked them to the point of dizziness.

Even for a magical girl's physical strength, this level of training was extremely intense, almost bordering on torture. However, she wasn't doing it willingly, because…

An immortal bird lives inside her body.

In her heart, a phoenix engulfed in flames roared fiercely.

"Hahaha, that's hilarious! Even if it's a talented phoenix chick, if it can't spread its wings and fly high, it will fall to the ground..."

The man who forcibly controlled her body to train within the girl's mind was none other than the Holy Emperor Saosa!

Although he claimed to have no interest in "love" other than ruling, and remained unmoved even after learning of the girls' blood-soaked battles, it was clear to everyone that...

——This is a lie.

However, these are just words of bravado and stubbornness.

...There was one of them.

Each of the five magical girls could touch the hearts of these fighters, but there was only one whose way of life, style of doing things, and fighting style... every aspect of her attracted Saosa's attention and was imprinted in his mind.

"Just like a pumpkin."

"Pumpkin? Why use a vegetable as a metaphor? Are you some kind of frozen demon...?"

"Because you are hard, strong, and heavy, you won't break even if you hit a rock! And you are the perfect combination of a 'strong outer shell' and a 'sweet filling'!"

"Hey! What are you talking about!"

Xingzi's cheeks were burning. She really wanted to complete the Phoenix's inheritance on the spot and use a gun to stab a thousand holes in this evil guest who had forcibly moved into her spiritual bed and unilaterally declared that he had taken her as his disciple.

Unfortunately, her stubborn resistance was nothing more than an ant to the powerful general.

"Ha...ha...ha...there's one more thing..."

During her training to climb the stone steps, the girl, carrying a massive stone from a pyramid that was ten times her own size, was panting heavily.

"Heh... What's wrong, kid? Even if you're exhausted, don't expect me to be merciful to you~~"

Saosa controlled Apricot's right hand, picked up the apple she always carried and waved it around, as if he might crush it at any moment.

"Stop! Are you a child?! Taking my apple hostage is despicable!!"

Because Anzu's family was very poor before she became a magical girl, and they even had to divide an apple into four portions to share with her sisters, she absolutely cannot allow others to waste food, let alone be manipulated into wasting it, which is an unforgivable act.

The girl's resistance immediately escalated, and she kicked him fiercely with her mental power, but—

"Hahaha!! Ineffective!! No one can defeat me!!"

The Holy Emperor stood firm despite the attack, letting out a gleeful and irritating laugh.

“I never knew the warmth of my parents before I was old enough to understand.”

"I practice spirituality and strive for survival every day!"

"While you're dating, playing sports, and enjoying school life!"

"I practiced boxing until I vomited blood and collapsed."

"While you're eating fast food and desserts and chatting on your way home from school!"

"I was eating rock-hard bread with my teacher!!"

"Thinking back to that time, this level of pain is not even as bad as being bitten by a mosquito!"

Seeing this young girl reminded Saosa of his master, Oga, who had died before his eyes, his body instantly losing warmth in the cold rain, and his words before his death...

He might stubbornly insist, "It's just because I had no other choice," but in reality, the moment he saw her, he knew she was the one for him.

Saosa believed that only Sakura Kyoko—

It must be taught personally by oneself.

This is a story about a girl who, because of her own mistakes that led to the deaths of her family, abandoned love and gentleness, decided to become an egoist, and vowed never to use magic to interfere in other people's lives again, only using magic for herself.

"I will not pity or sympathize with her, and I probably won't be kind to her out of pity. Someone like her is just an ordinary girl, no, nothing special."

The Holy Emperor would never regard her as a pitiful person, nor as someone whose life was more difficult or inferior than others. In a world where cases of losing family members were as numerous as hairs on a cow, such a thing was not worth the proud general's attention.

Because they didn't feel sorry for her, they wouldn't look down on her, and they would never consider Kyoko's life a "pitiful life." Instead, they saw her fighting talent and considered her future a "promising future."

“You…” Upon hearing Saosa reveal his past, Kyoko unconsciously stopped resisting and instead looked at the blond muscle man with pity and sympathy. If he had such a difficult childhood, he might have developed such an annoying personality.

"Well, you've had a tough time too... You haven't even had any good food. I'm so sorry to have you..."

Kyoko carefully comforted him, saying that this blond man, who looked twice her age and size, must have had a very pitiful past.

It feels like the positions of both sides have suddenly reversed.

"Stop nagging! I haven't given you permission to stop yet! Keep running! Don't stop!"

Saosa's expression froze, then he revealed a terrifying sneer in a fit of rage.

He was probably the scariest adult Kyoko had ever met.

"W-What is it? Don't make such a scary face. And what's the point of carrying this thing...?"

They are in Japan now, not Egypt, so it's impossible for them to find a holy stele like the top of a pyramid. Therefore, this thing was even directly generated using the power of the Apricot Soul Gem.

Training while carrying the giant stone monument might enhance physical strength for humans, but considering that the Soul Gem is the true form of a magical girl, then it only has one effect—

"When I was twelve, I practiced with my master the technique of slicing through a giant stone pillar with my bare hands... Back then, I injured my hand because of my half-baked boxing skills. I wasn't decisive enough, lacked the necessary momentum, my technique wasn't mature enough, and I didn't have the required speed and power..."

"If you don't transfer 100% of the impact to the target of your destruction, the reaction force will return to your wrist and fist. If you don't deliver all the damage to your opponent, you will break yourself. Lifting the monument is precisely to increase your concentration..."

“You may seem strong now, but that’s just squandering your talent. Your blind, self-centered actions are trying to throw your abilities into the gutter. I can’t watch anymore, that’s all.”

Upon hearing such merciless words, Xingzi's previous sympathy vanished instantly, replaced by a surge of anger, her phoenix-like arrogance rising dramatically.

She had always relied on her own methods to get where she was, so how could she allow this guy to spout nonsense and casually belittle the fighting skills she relied on for survival?

She kept poking and prodding with her mental spear.

Strong-willed, belligerent, and egoistic, yet possessing certain attractive qualities.

In some ways, he is exactly the same as the man who called himself the Holy Emperor.

"Hmph... What a naughty brat... I was a bit more well-behaved when Teacher Oga found me... Haha! But that's fine! No backing down, no surrender, no remorse! Let's perfectly unleash the Phoenix's power!"

"What nonsense! What are you talking about?!"

It was through his determination to teach Sakura Kyoko that Saosa gradually came to understand the feelings of his teacher from that day. He now fully understood why his teacher, who had returned to heaven, always tried to stop his foolish actions.

“My master, Oga. I suppose he also gave up love after experiencing the same sorrow as me. Because of the ironclad responsibility of passing down the Nanto Phoenix Fist to surpass Hokuto, he also killed his most beloved master.”

Oga should have had a similar experience to Saosa... that is, he was taken in by the previous successor, learned the Southern Phoenix Fist, and then completed the ritual of killing his master.

He certainly didn't know why his master attacked him, nor did he know why he had to kill his master, so he went berserk... sometimes even getting stained with blood.

Afterwards, he learned of the Phoenix Fist's destiny of being passed down to a single heir, and finally... Oga understood his master's true meaning and felt sorrow and regret.

...He did not initially take in Saoisa out of love.

He picked up the young general and smiled gently to avoid frightening him, but Oga was desperately suppressing his twisted heart.

He thought to himself that it didn't matter if he was just imitating his master. He wanted to atone for trampling on his master's will. This was the only thought that Oga had when he began his training.

As the days of training passed, Oga's feelings for Saosa gradually changed... At this point, there's no need to say more.

—If I had to say just one thing…

That is, it wasn't just Saosa who was saved by those loving, sun-like, gentle times; Oga was saved as well.

Saosa also wanted to pass on what he had learned from his teacher to the disciples he recognized.

It's not too late. Although he has given up that and missed many things, it is not unchangeable. Just as he boasted that he had given up love, he still yearned for his master's love. Although Kyoko seems cold, she is by no means a heartless or loveless person.

He... wanted to see what the future would hold for Sakura Kyoko, whom he had changed!

"Get out of here right now!"

It seems that Kyoko doesn't really want to see him.

The Phoenix-shaped battle aura blasted towards the Holy Emperor.

"Hahaha! Next up is tile-breaking training!!!"

"Nandou Blast Star Wave Nandou Blast Star Wave Nandou Blast Star Wave!"

"Stop! Stop! Aaaaaaah!"

️

(Hmph, did Jagi anticipate this situation and say that on purpose? What a terrifying fellow…)
When the Holy Emperor recalled Jagi's words that day, it was probably more than just a casual remark.

Meanwhile, magical girl Sakura Kyoko continues her journey under the guidance of the Holy Emperor, heading from her territory of Kazamino City towards Mitakihara City.

Without Kyubey's notification, magical girls who have already divided up their territories generally do not trespass into the cities of other magical girls, otherwise they may be regarded as intruders.

(It's alright! It was agreed upon!)
(That's not what I'm worried about!)
As a magical girl, Sakura Kyoko and Mitakihara's Tomoe Mami were old friends, or more specifically, they had a mentor-student relationship.

She once learned from Mami how to search for and fight witches, and they even formed a team together. However, due to family changes, they broke off their relationship and have not reconciled since.

Although she was somewhat resistant to Saosa's command, after a few days of getting to know him, she had to admit that this man was much stronger than she had thought, so Kyoko could only come here with a slight sense of apprehension.

Of course, during this process, Cupid tried to stop her several times, but he failed and left without even being able to retrieve the body.

"Something's wrong!"

Even more bizarrely, when she arrived at Mitakihara, she was not greeted by Mami Tomoe or any other magical girl, but by a girl named Madoka Kaname.

Kyoko went with her for the time being.

Something's definitely not right!

Following Madoka to Mami's upscale apartment where she lived alone, and pushing open the door, Sakura Kyoko's mind suddenly flashed with a thought upon seeing the scene inside—

"Oops!"

"Mami, Mami seems to have turned into a big bad guy!"

(End of this chapter)