Even the Magical Girl Hyacinth, who possessed the most information among those present, felt bombarded by information after entering the Fallen Zone, with endless new situations emerging. If this chaos continued, it wouldn't work—there had to be a thread connecting all these elements.
Could the increasing number of intelligent Disaster Beasts be related to that unspeakable center of the Fallen Zone?
Speculation was useless.
She should report their safety, having promised to check in with the netizens after entering the Fallen Zone, but had been delayed too long by repeated Disaster Beast encounters.
While most people were asleep, Hibiscus edited the materials accumulated so far, starting from the second meeting with headquarters, encompassing the battle between Kale and Protea, as well as dividing forces to undertake respective missions...
After uploading the video, there might be details she had overlooked.
After publishing, Hibiscus meditated on the beach for three hours, serving as both guard duty and rest. The night passed peacefully.
Sure enough, upon reopening the comments, countless exclamations mixed with emoticons met her eyes: "This time the timespan wasn't long but the information density was huge, so the Fallen Zone recapture war should be very turbulent," "Simply fighting from start to finish, not giving a moment to breathe, exhilarating," "The budget can no longer describe it, packed full of content by the poster," "The above comment is divine," and so on.
Everyone had been eagerly anticipating this.
Put yourself in their shoes—the Fallen Zone was one of the major story arcs in the original "Magic Girl of Light" series, probably connecting many events, naturally drawing attention, though it also meant high expectations.
Hibiscus didn't want to have titles like "ruining childhood," "terrible adaptation," or "inferior fan creation." Being criticized didn't matter—the key was it would reduce intelligence sources.
Fortunately, judging from current feedback, most everyone gave positive reviews:
【The special effects were insufficient for Kale and Protea's battle, but it truly fits their fighting styles】
【No winner though】
【Top-tier battles rarely decide victory immediately—normal operation. A world where everyone has high HP, high defense, and high recovery is indeed very passionate. If it can't be broken, just keep fighting. I love watching Magical Girls battle】
【But Pharmacist's micro-expressions when hinting at exposing Boss Mu were too perfect—top-tier acting, not a bit of live-action awkwardness, but more impactful instead】
【First time watching? OP can always find absolutely perfect actors, but the most similar has to be Hyacinth】
【Too bad this is a new worldline without darkened Boss Mu, belonging to white Hyacinth if-line. Can't see the Time Priestess. Very novel yet incomplete, so poster, could you cosplay it?】
【Me cosplaying another version of myself, huh】
【Actually no need to deliberately distinguish. White Hyacinth was too soft, Time Priestess too harsh—current Boss Mu is best】
【The Battle of Los Angeles, the North-South Pole raid campaigns—which achievement isn't stronger than the original? Literary and martial prowess, attracting talent, simply carried the entire Magical Girl species by herself】
【Everyone working together brought out the intelligence attributes that late-game accounts should have ahead of schedule. Though I don't know where this simulated worldline's Planet Gaia is heading, Hyacinth is destined for eternal fame. The magic revival trend cannot be reversed. Henceforth Magical Girls will become mainstream, and related civilizations absolutely cannot avoid the topic of Hyacinth—whether you become demon or buddha, the imprint left is enough to withstand time's erosion】
Reading this lengthy discourse, even Hibiscus felt embarrassed.
Too exaggerated.
Because the Light fans always carried a filter and unconsciously thought from longer-term perspectives, as if everyone had unlimited potential, but this path was very dangerous.
If she suffered major failure, losing everything was possible. This sense of crisis constantly spurred her on.
The mountaintop was high, the foothold narrow.
But regardless, Hibiscus was still very happy with everyone's evaluation, at least recognizing her work all along, happily witnessing Salvation Church's growth to this point—also a result of joint creation.
She took the opportunity to ask: "Hope everyone pays more attention to the high-tier Disaster Beast battles afterward. I feel they seem to understand strategy better. Does this intelligence have regional correlation?"
Taking this chance, Hibiscus raised her doubts while making deductions.
Whether the deductions were accurate or not, as long as some cognition was formed, it was enough to weaken part of the Knowledge Poison. Having figured out this routine, she began to apply it actively. Otherwise, ending up bleeding all over the room like last time was too tragic—she'd definitely be scolded by Nan Zhiyi. A little injury didn't matter, being scolded was fine too, but mainly Dandelion's heartbroken, pitying expression was unbearable.
She quickly continued watching precious hints:
【Correct】
【Disaster Beast intelligence ratio increases indeed closely related to the Fallen Zone's special ecosystem】
【Can't give further explanation, but just remember one point @Hyacinth: intelligent subspecies Disaster Beasts are about to be born in the Fallen Zone depths—humanoid, highly intelligent, very strong. Best to take a detour. These late-game monsters are definitely nine-deaths-one-life if you dare engage, be extremely careful. They emerge from Planet Gaia's magic environment itself and can manipulate its rules—don't fight them】
【Hearing you say this, won't it be too dangerous】
【Timing-wise, there's still time before Disaster Beast intelligent subspecies birth, but souls might manifest first and could be wandering in the Fallen Zone center—must be guarded against】
Hibiscus memorized these key points.
As intelligence updated, it indeed became increasingly dangerous, so Fallen Zone operations won through quick decisive battles—long nights bring many dreams.
However, her questions weren't completely explained, because the Water Monster's attack and Light Anemone's quick retreat didn't conform to the rule of high-tier Disaster Beasts in the Fallen Zone rejecting low-magic environments. To put it bluntly, they were more finicky than Disaster Beast swarms, preferring not to go out if possible, actually unwilling to bother with humans.
Given the fierce competition in the Fallen Zone depths, once you left you might get your home ransacked, so you had to hide it from your fellow species. At this point, netizens helped her ask.
【I want to rewatch this Water Monster surprise attack section. There's one doubt: why could they easily reach environments unsuitable for themselves? Though I must admit, this segment had great special effects】
【Should be Disaster Beasts that abandoned cluster core forces, only carrying weak individuals as temporary supplements to dilute low-magic influence—going back and forth would be fine】
【Simple and crude enough】
【Operating in the Fallen Zone, you must consider what new tricks powerful Disaster Beasts can pull with their minions】
【Don't you all want to discuss the video content more? Holy shit, this multi-battlefield team fight was too strong, all special effects concentrated together. Damn, I think the poster has more budget than the original, especially Protea, Dandelion, and Light Anemone's successive ultimate exchanges—simply burning money, exhilarating】
【With Hyacinth's command, we'd immediately rally to make you the new official】
【Wait, how did the Church gain another Growth Stage member while I wasn't following updates? Compared to original timeline, the ceiling refresh is too frequent and high】
Too fast?
Hibiscus thought it strange that netizens considered the Church's upgrades slow, since organizational Magical Girls' growth all had traceable paths.
While she pondered, some voices hoped for daily content to fill gaps.
Seeing this, she obliged, conveniently publishing some usual training records, photos, and magic theory classes. Originally trivial matters didn't need uploading, but since everyone requested it, she'd share some.
"...As everyone can see, the Church has actually been popularizing magic-related knowledge while developing abilities, especially requiring daily practice of fundamentals."
Actually, this also benefited from the system having established the Three Elements Training Method, teaching members to achieve twice the results with half the effort. Though this part couldn't be shared with outsiders, it could all be considered successful Church operations. After all, supernatural power was the foundation of existence—everyone's trump card for overtaking, otherwise how could they deserve the New Allied Forces' respectful treatment and willingness to cooperate?
Originally, Hibiscus thought this daily content was boring, but unexpectedly everyone welcomed it enthusiastically:
【Love watching, bring more】
【Like following Kirara's daily anime, love this atmosphere】
【You really got it right—indeed, if Magical Girls research magic with each other, they can definitely develop new skills】
【Don't forget the highest-weighted variable: the user themselves. In Salvation Church's atmosphere, the possibility of going berserk is minimized, letting members accept self-cultivation energy—less sharing, more growth. For Magical Girls who rely on idealistic power to strengthen, it's perfectly suited】
【Compatibility leads to strength, mutual adaptation, mutual influence—this is Magic Girl of Light logic】
【Most potentially talented mid-tier Magical Girls' data Boss Mu knows, telling them growth routes in advance can avoid many detours, equivalent to accelerated growth】
【Magic Science +10】
【If you only treat Salvation Church as a fun activity group, that underestimates it too much. This point the military sees clearly: they're a military academy. And completely using practical training, 100% battlefield-oriented】
【Your description makes me realize that actually, the original's small Magical Girl Organizations were just playing around】
【Appear for laughs, ultimately become experience packs】
【Believe me, you'll see more and more originally transparent Magical Girls suddenly shine brilliantly—this is fan creation's supplementary meaning】
【Got it, actually they're secretly leveling under pressure monster Captain Jin's leadership, then amazing everyone】
【Accumulation, meeting at the peak】
【This time it's observer confusion, participant clarity. Notice that under Salvation Church's operations, they'll eventually cultivate a monster monopolizing partial supernatural power—officials have no choice but to cooperate. Siege is impossible now—they tried, useless】
【No wonder Hyacinth was confident before battle that just expressing slight cooperation willingness would get generous terms from headquarters—calculated perfectly】
【The base construction protection mission is explanation enough】
【Fundamentally speaking, organized, scaled, and highly influential forces in early-mid period were just Management Bureau, Obelisk, and Zodiac Palace. Later Management Bureau should be considered replaced by the Church, or rather occupying the ecological niche that belonged to her, then beginning to unify the Magical Girl power landscape】
What?
In information Hibiscus had received before, the Management Bureau weathered storms but stood firm, especially encompassing Jin Yulu, Jin Ruochu, Anri Sakagami, the Ruan sisters, and other capable former Five-Leaf Clover members. They had baseline guarantees no matter what. Most importantly, the inheritance was unbroken, progressing orderly from Elsa's first generation, Jin Yulu's second generation, to Anri Sakagami's third generation... Could there be details she didn't know?
Wait, from several clips, the Church had indeed dealt Management Bureau heavy blows, perhaps causing them to fall into decline, not to mention being in the open always invited criticism.
If she had to hypothesize, when the extremely radical yet powerful Church rose up, it would inevitably cause the Management Bureau's decline.
Now the logic was clear.
She simply asked: "Could it be that the Management Bureau can no longer support the situation in later periods? Because of some war?"
After all, even Hibiscus could hardly imagine such a cross-factional super behemoth collapsing overnight—there had to be a turning point event. This wasn't strange, since from Jin Yulu's usual style, she wasn't good at management either.
【Speaking of Management Bureau's decline process, you should have guessed most of it—mercenary war involvement, Holy Relic suppression, etc., but the key battle was in the Fallen Zone】
【Mid-story Management Bureau received orders to conduct Fallen Zone depths operations and unluckily ran into intelligent subspecies Disaster Beasts】
【Hearing this, I can guarantee they're finished】
【That's right, they lost an Ancient Holy Relic and some Magical Girls at the time, causing heavy damage to the human faction. It wasn't Management Bureau's weakness, but a pyrrhic victory that made the power balance no longer so disparate. When the New Allied Forces faced their Waterloo moment, they were challenged on all sides, ultimately sliding all the way to collapse】
【The first to notice this was the Time Priestess, who boldly launched an assault on Management Bureau headquarters, essentially stepping on the official organization to establish prestige】
【That part—I'll never forget the disappearance of White Hyacinth, it infuriated me】
【Unforgettable regret】
【Think about it carefully and you'll understand—how could Management Bureau, constantly fighting everywhere, compare to those organizations that kept their strength hidden? It was those idiots above who wanted to have it both ways, being wary while cultivating, ultimately unable to retain fresh blood. Moreover, the Ancient Holy Relics were always watching from the shadows, considering Magical Girls part of the key. If not for Protea's military deterrence, they would have started causing trouble long ago. Of course, later when relic power erosion made them go crazy, it didn't matter anyway】
【Holy City Association uses religious narrative to establish organizational structure—fanatical and obsessive, unsuited for current times, bound to cause problems eventually. Sure enough, it disappointed in a way that didn't disappoint】
Hearing about this mysterious organization, Hibiscus immediately thought of Nan Zhiyi's recent inquiries.
With all members being Ancient Holy Relics, their mechanisms were very advantageous, especially suited for a world where intelligence warfare was mainstream. After all, they naturally carried high-concentration Knowledge Poison shielding against reconnaissance while counter-attacking—truly leading by far.
If Nan Zhiyi continued investigating, wouldn't there be danger? Better to gather more intelligence herself.
Should she take the risk?
After pondering, Hibiscus changed her approach and asked: "Intelligence mentioned Holy City Association seeks a relic that can help them transcend—does it actually exist?"
This seemingly simple question actually contained two deductions: First, the target was a physical entity rather than vague description. Second, the relic could definitely be controlled by her.
Clearly the Light fans familiar with Knowledge Poison and various counter-reconnaissance mechanics understood better. First came several replies saying "good question," then silence—they should be considering how to safely give hints. Truly worthy of the Light fan think tank, like playing text adventure games, enjoying themselves immensely.
【The answer is it exists, but hasn't appeared yet】
Buzz!
Impactful pain in her mind made Hibiscus's body soften, but she recovered somewhat the next moment. Touching her nose tip, blood was indeed flowing, but fortunately she could bear it—much better than last time.
She quickly continued watching the precious hints:
【Though the poster asked very carefully and should have prepared for Knowledge Poison, can't reveal too much. Of course, you should already understand—at least short-term, Holy City Association won't cause any disturbances】
【In comparison, their other pursuit is more practical: immortality or peaceful death】
【What does this mean? I don't understand much besides Magical Girl mechanics】
【Then you should learn about it—quite interesting, because relic qualified user advancement actually tends toward a path of "returning to Knowledge Poison," one of Magic Girl of Light's upgrade routes, pure enough and close to the core. The deeper one sinks, the stronger they become, same principle as Magical Girls' obsessive idealistic strengthening, but whether what gets stronger in this process is "you" or a "mad monster" is another matter entirely】
【So resisting the cost becomes crucial—must find methods to alleviate erosion, and the resulting extended lifespan is a bonus】
【Why is Kale fine?】
【Because truly serious erosion starts from deep fusion, and Soul Possessor as slow-growth magic happens to have powerful mechanisms—just remote control is fine】
【So "Pharmacist" can exert maximum magic output among Ancient Holy Relics? You have insurance after all】
【Right, this also let her smoothly join Holy City Association, though of course the higher-ups aren't stupid either, always feeling something's off so they never let Kale understand core mechanisms, at most exchanging her healing origin. Thanks to this, Ancient Holy Relic mortality rates significantly delayed】
【So that's how it is—connects now. So Magical Girls began intervening and influencing Holy Relics very early】
【Magic Girl of Light has Knowledge Poison so everyone hides as much as possible. According to Ranger organization's saying, "awaiting reunion in the rainy season"—anyway, after magic revival you can do whatever, time stands with the supernatural】
It indeed made sense.
The reason Hibiscus maintained distance from Kale was wariness of Holy City Association behind her—turns out this person actually didn't have deep understanding either, knowing very limited intelligence.
She had wanted to probe indirectly, but now it seemed easy to alert the enemy.
Who doesn't have deep secrets these days? For instance, everyone in Salvation Church top to bottom only presented Magical Girl images, actively operating until now without revealing flaws. How many people wracked their brains trying to investigate something concrete, all returning empty-handed without exception. Other organizations could hide as they pleased—it didn't affect her actions anyway.
If hostilities arose, Hibiscus wouldn't mind clashing to protect her companions. After all, the real foundation was Salvation Church organization.
Additionally, Josh easily revealing information to Nan Zhiyi also represented the military's attitude—they actually couldn't control Holy City Association at all.
The silver-haired girl stood by the window, looking from Hermit Island's hillside to see Kale helping with busy construction among the figures—comparable to a super engineering team.
Sensing the gaze, she turned and waved. Hibiscus nodded in response.
Her previous speculation about "how Kale's nature could approve of the original Salvation Church route" wasn't profound. According to netizen explanations, Management Bureau only fell on hard times later—the situation changed completely. The principle was simpler: in chaotic times, extremism often gained followers. Those who lost heart were willing to elevate the Time Priestess to the throne, each taking what they needed to create a brand new world.
Of course, everything done now had already avoided many tragedies. Otherwise, the New Allied Forces' recapture war at the original timeline would definitely suffer heavy losses.
Just then, comments entered a new topic:
【Speaking of which, from the two consecutive encounter battles with Water Monster and Light Anemone, the military seems too weak—dragging them down. Salvation Church members tank damage, Growth Stage Magical Girls provide output—what did they do?】
【If you're gonna talk like that, then we can't have this conversation】
【Note the background—entering the Fallen Zone core circle is the No. 2 lineup, the Church is actually the main force. Most official top combat power was allocated to No. 1 lineup】
【I feel this fleet's combat power totals eight measures, Kale takes one stone, everyone else combined owes two measures】
【Actually not that serious. The key is from performance perspective, ordinary Holy Relics can't catch everyone's eye anymore. Plus, starting from codename Holy Relics, they're not easily mobilized so it seems like the military is weak. But don't forget the most important point: the world has four major theaters, headquarters must consider overall coordination and allocate forces, putting out fires everywhere. In contrast, the Church always brings 100% lineup to overwhelm opponents every time—enemies suffer in silence】
【That's true】
【Laughing to death, Salvation Church's every deployment belongs to going all-out, full formation smashing forward—who wouldn't be scared? Absolute numerical advantage in local battlefields is truly powerful, so they don't even think of hostility】
【Boss Mu's personality is too steady, sailing Hermit Island to fight everywhere without giving you chances. Just with so many Magical Girls in iron wall formation, security is maxed】
【Don't celebrate too early—better confirm No. 1 lineup's progress】
【@Hyacinth, is there detailed progress on New Allied Forces' current operations? Advance warning: there will be high-tier Disaster Beasts directly charging into outer zones to fight using the method we just mentioned, possibly even hegemons—they're actively attacking】
【I hated these guys most when playing the game—especially high attack desire, drawing aggro from far away】
Hibiscus didn't dare delay.
Now that both sides were allied, they shared glory and loss. If losses were too great, it would affect the big picture and might even make the Church take blame.
She specifically contacted Josh to inquire about current battlefield developments on the other side. Nighttime communication left the latter slightly stunned, raising full alert to share all intelligence.
Continuing from before, though No. 1 lineup's assault on the final 10% outer zones encountered unexpected resistance, the military still pressed forward despite losses, advancing to 65% clearance. During this, they encountered 5 boss Disaster Beasts and 21 Vanguard Disaster Beasts—like poking a hornet's nest. According to frontline commander Dorothy's message: high-tier Disaster Beast auras observed.
Worthy of battle-tested elite forces, already taking precautions.
Besides this, Josh even provided a map and related military briefings—treating you like family, since with prophet-level intelligence capability, what should be known would be known anyway. This indeed facilitated Hibiscus, who after reviewing once, relayed it to the eager Light fan think tank.
"How is it?"
As allies, naturally worried about the other battlefield collapsing, which would definitely affect themselves—everyone was grasshoppers on the same rope.
【No. 1 lineup's losses compared to original are okay, slightly better, but there's still a tough battle ahead】