Toyokawa Shoko doesn't want to become a witch

Miao Meng hasn't felt "pain" in a long time; she's always kept it completely blocked.

Why? Why would I suddenly feel a sharp pain for no reason?

She pulled open her collar.

The pain originates in the clavicle area.

The witch left a kiss on her collarbone.

The Tale of Nirvana: Maintaining One's True Self: Chapter 59 Speculations about Nirvana

The long, bladed whip tore through the air and lashed out at Xiangzi.

But Chu Hua grabbed her halfway there.

Chu Hua gripped the bladed whip, pulled it forcefully in her direction, then raised her foot and stepped on the back of Miao Meng, who was flying in mid-air.

Bang.

Miao Meng felt a knife-like gaze licking at her back. No, that wasn't a gaze at all. Sanjiao Chuhua was really holding a knife and scraping at her back!

Xiangzi walked up to Miaomeng and looked down at her.

Miao Meng struggled to lift her head and glared at Xiangzi, who was looking down at her.

"You witch! I knew you were a witch!"

This is the second time today that Miaomeng has gotten so anxious that she's jumped up and down.

When did this thing appear on her? It's a witch's kiss! It means she's been marked by a witch, and there's no escaping it!

Who is the only witch around here? It's Nirvana, whose barrier is as big as a reed field. Having the witch's kiss planted on your body means you've been marked by Nirvana.

Toyokawa Shoko is a witch.

She was tricked by the witch!

She's been ruined by the witch her whole life!

Xiangzi slowly squatted down in front of Miaomeng, his body blocking the sunlight and his face buried in the shadow.

“I am not a witch, I don’t want to be seen as a witch, and I certainly don’t want to actually become a witch,” she said.

"Pooh!"

"I can tell you what happened, and then you can decide whether to stay or leave."

"roll!"

"I won't force you to help me."

"Do you think I'd believe that?!" Meow Dream roared.

Xiangzi shook his head.

"Then what are you talking about?! Why don't you just have your dog shatter my Soul Gem and bury it somewhere out there!"

"really?"

Xiangzi actually asked back very seriously.

"Are you really willing to die in some unknown, nameless corner?"

"..."

Miaomeng was rendered silent by her earnestness.

"...Yes, I almost killed you twice. I admit I have a grudge against you."

"Now you're satisfied? My life is in your hands, and you still want to ask me what I want?"

"Are you insulting me?"

"No, you're very capable to be able to bring such a big safe out of there."

Xiangzi said.

"I'm serious, I need to ask you for another favor."

Xiangzi gestured to Chuhua, signaling her to let go of Miaomeng, and then sat down next to Miaomeng.

Miao Meng looked at her and the obedient Chu Hua with a puzzled expression, turned over, and rubbed her numb arm.

"I feel like I understand you less and less." Miao Meng smirked. "What exactly do you want?"

“The Witch’s Kiss has nothing to do with me,” Xiangzi explained. “I came to you this time more to verify my thoughts. After seeing Amoris’s head turn into your appearance, I was completely certain.”

"It was Amoris who planted the witch's kiss, and it established some kind of connection with you, which is why the witch's kiss appeared on you."

"What do you mean?"

"Chu Hua also has the same mark on her body."

Chu Hua pulled open the back of her clothes, revealing a witch's kiss just like Miao Meng's.

Miaomeng silently watched the witch's kiss on the back of Chuhua's neck.

"That was the leader of another territory, a familiar named Doloris. Chu Hua killed it, and it took on Chu Hua's appearance."

“There are five familiars like Dolores and Amoris in total.”

"So what if there are five familiars?"

“I suspect that Nirvana doesn’t exist at all,” Xiangzi said calmly, stating his conjecture.

Miao Meng raised an eyebrow.

"Aren't you surprised? They have the ability to create such a large barrier and possess so many familiars, yet they have never shown themselves. The only ones we can find are these five most unique leader familiars."

"Even if the barrier is its incubation nest, we should still be able to find something, right?"

"But the truth is, I searched the entire city and found no clues related to Nirvana, let alone the 'I' you mentioned before..."

"So?" Meow Dream shrugged. "Are your conclusions based on guesswork?"

"When there are absolutely no clues, this is probably the only way: use the existing clues to make inferences, and then verify those inferences through practice, step by step, to get closer to the so-called truth."

Xiangzi said.

"In any case, Amoris's transformation into your appearance confirms part of the speculation."

"The familiar will learn to kill it... no, to be precise, to perfect itself by learning from the person who poses the greatest threat to it."

Xiangzi pointed to Chuhua.

"Hatsuka is very good at fighting in groups and poses the greatest threat to Doloris, so Doloris became her image."

Xiangzi then pointed to Miaomeng.

“You are the only one who could steal Amoris’s head. It considered you the greatest threat to it, so it learned from you and became your likeness.”

"ask you a question."

This time, it was Chu Hua who spoke.

"Are you two-handed?"

Miaomeng nodded.

“Amoris is also a double-edged sword, no, it should be said that Amoris gradually became a double-edged sword in the process of fighting me,” Chu Hua said. “Doloris didn’t know ‘Hundred Faces’ at first, but it learned it after becoming the White Queen.”

"According to you, why are these familiars learning from people who can pose a threat to them?"

"For Nirvana."

Xiangzi said.

"We speculate that Nirvana is currently in some kind of incubation stage and has no ability to resist, so she created five familiars and cut herself into pieces and put them into the bodies of the five familiars."

Xiangzi looked up at the "cocoon" that represented Oblivionis.

“Killing any one of them will reset the barrier, thus Nirvana can guarantee that he will never die.”

“Until Nirvana is fully hatched, it will be able to master the power wielded by the five familiars.”

"Then Nirvana isn't invincible anymore." Meow Dream spread her hands. "What else can you guys do besides wait for it to hatch?"

"No, it's not invincible."

Xiangzi said.

"The time reset is initiated by the familiars. As long as one familiar survives, they can restart time within the barrier."

"Moreover, killing familiars can also help Nirvana hatch," Meow Dream added.

"That's right, to help Nirvana hatch, but on the other hand."

"Once five familiars are killed at the same time, the barrier cannot be reset."

“Nirvana cuts himself into pieces and distributes them across five familiars, so when the five familiars die... Nirvana will also die.”

Miao Meng already understood what she wanted to say.

After going around in circles for most of the day, Xiangzi had actually been explaining her ultimate goal.

If, as Xiangzi said, Nirvana also dies when all five familiars die at the same time, then Xiangzi's behavior, motives, and goals are crystal clear.

She wanted to kill Nirvana.

The Tale of Nirvana: Maintaining One's True Nature: Chapter 60

They followed Xiangzi and wandered around Amoris's territory again.

Just as Xiangzi said, things have really changed here.

The bank had become an impenetrable steel fortress; she circled around but couldn't find any leaks related to the ventilation openings.

After that, Amoris also made a brief appearance, patrolling her territory, and was spotted by Meowmon using her binoculars.

The low-cut, bright red dress revealed most of her cleavage, which was the same color as the dress, and she walked with a swaying gait along a straight line, looking both flirtatious and affected.

Most importantly, it now has a brain.

Wearing Miaomeng's face, it wandered around like a model walking a catwalk, which made Miaomeng go up and tear that face to shreds.

Miaomeng crouched on the edge of a tall building.

Why was she so unlucky to get caught up in this mess?

Meeting Xiangzi was truly a misfortune.

Xiangzi sat on the edge of the high-rise building, carefully considering his next plan.

Her plan was actually quite simple: find five people who could kill the familiars individually, and eliminate all five familiars at the same time, so that Nirvana could no longer reset the barrier.

As for being copied and learned by the familiar, Xiangzi believes that it was just that he chose the right person.

Only when the right person is chosen will the familiar feel threatened and be forced to evolve to defend itself.

Two weeks have passed, and after winning over Miaomeng, it's time to contact the people Chuhua recommended to deal with Timoris.

Including Mortis, who has already pre-selected...

If all goes well, two weeks should be enough time for her to carry out the entire plan.

Miao Meng turned her head to look at Xiangzi's thoughtful face, and as if possessed, she raised her hand and touched the Witch's Kiss on her collarbone with her fingertips.

The fancy patterns seem to be on a different layer from my skin, but I still feel a slight stinging sensation when I touch them.

It was very mild, about the same as a mosquito bite.

But Miao Meng hasn't felt pain for a very, very long time.

"Hey, I'm telling you, are you really going to carry out this plan?" Miaomeng asked Xiangzi.

Xiangzi's plan is quite simple to explain: find five magical girls who can kill familiars single-handedly, and minimize the experience that familiars can learn.

Then agree on a time to kill them simultaneously.

It sounds simple, but it's difficult to do.

"Ah."

Xiangzi nodded.