Cyber Era Witch
Chapter 389 - 349: The Rise of the Stars

Chapter 389: Chapter 349: The Rise of the Stars

The higher echelons of Ascension were so dazzling that Lady Farosa devoted herself to experiencing every detail of the path to godhood.

Unprecedented power filled her body and soul, so tremendous that it almost burst forth. In the eyes of the witches, she shone brightly like the morning glow upon a divine phoenix, invoking in their hearts an even stronger sense of reverence, elevating it to an unparalleled extent.

The Witch Goddess, naturally held absolute dominion over the witches.

Unable to meet the myriad rays of divine light with their fragile eyes, they could only step back slowly.

First, it was the physically weaker Miyazato Kazama, Shallow Dream, and Du Qianqian, followed by 101 and 102. Mizuiro Yoshioka wanted to gaze upon Lady Farosa’s divine might, but she couldn’t, so she hastily left.

Only Pan Ruiyi remained close by, staring at Lady Farosa’s figure.

If anyone could change the tragic fate of the witches in this cruel age, it would certainly be Lady Farosa. At this moment, Pan Ruiyi’s doubts were further erased, convinced that her choices had always been correct.

Bathed in divine light, Lady Farosa was filled with countless emotions.

She felt like a star placed at the center of the universe, constantly rising, emitting light, but it was a very complex process. She needed to carefully consume this new power and also struggle against the phantom personalities that had split off from herself.

In Farosa’s heart, over a dozen phantoms of herself intertwined and manifested.

The divine persona was the most noble among these phantom Farosas; she was indifferent, yet immensely charming, cloaked in black veils, sitting on a plain throne, with her hands laid flat upon her knees, her expression neither sad nor happy.

"The time has come," the Divine spoke, "My radiance is breathtaking. I am the convergence of all your forms, ultimately returning to me."

"You too will be killed, you are also a lamb to the slaughter," Mania stood at a corner, grinding teeth, with the Law of Slaughter in hand.

"We cannot convince each other, we have failed to self-manage," the corporate figure, dressed in a white uniform with a black tie said.

"Because of foolishness," the Scholar lay atop a pile of books.

"Because of arrogance," the Dominator stood in the darkness of a secret chamber.

"We have done good deeds," the Mother remembered the Young Witches.

"We have changed history," the God Slayer brandished a blade.

"Everyone is afraid of danger," the Child squatted on the ground.

"And everyone loves someone," the Lover’s eyes shimmered.

"You idiots, only one can be the sovereign," the Arrogant pointed out disdainfully, "Only one can become the Witch Goddess, and that is me."

"Meow," the little black cat licked its paws.

So scary! Look at these phantom personalities. Lady Farosa hid in the corners of her consciousness, secretly watching the mental fragments that had split from herself. If they discovered her – this "original will" – she would surely be the first to be slain. So, she had to act cautiously.

She had made a promise to Xu Yang; no matter what, she was to become herself.

This was the malicious aspect of the Seven Witches Ritual; not only were Farosa’s inherent mentalities divided, but other people’s impressions of Farosa also appeared. If she were to be overshadowed by the split phantom personalities, Farosa would lose herself.

Therefore, she had to be patient, gradually sorting and consuming them until there was only Farosa herself.

The cost of creating Divine Power was so high, but the rewards were infinite. Even the weakest demi-gods could wield divine powers that matched their nature, earning the worship and offerings of people. Once divine powers were substantially strengthened, they could rise to be Demigods, just like the Ancient Mystics.

Immortality, influencing space-time, foreseeing the future were all arcane domains that demigods could touch.

To become a true "deity," possessing supreme authority and endless knowledge, one must utilize the Throne of God, also known as the Ascension Machine, which now lay hidden within Farosa’s soul, specifically crafted for the Ancient Mystics.

Previously, due to insufficient strength, Lady Farosa dared not meet the Mystics for exchanges of interest. But once the Ascending God Ceremony was complete, and with enough power, she could use the Fragments of the Throne of God as chips to exchange for the materials and knowledge she needed.

But for now, she had to confront the phantom personalities properly.

Thankfully, Lady Farosa had continuously nurtured other impressions of herself, resulting in several phantoms appearing. Otherwise, only the powerful "Divine" persona would remain, which would consume her during the Ascension process, transforming into an inhuman existence devoid of any compassion.

Now she still had a chance. Lady Farosa’s mental state was extremely complex. Even the most fearsome "Divine" might not be able to definitively consume all the other phantom personalities.

What is the true self? How can one maintain the true self? Lady Farosa would have to discern these issues during this period and then completely detach from her mundane form to embark on a genuinely transcendent path.

Outside the glow of dawn, the witches gathered together, looking at each other, unable to fully comprehend Lady Farosa’s current situation, nor provide any assistance. They felt something being drawn from their own souls and attached to Lady Farosa, creating a link, making the connection between them even tighter.

"Come and build on Nangong Island," Pan Ruiyi saw that Lady Farosa had entered a deep meditative state and thus announced to the Little Witches, "We’ve already placed some building materials and supplies here before; it’s time to assemble them."

Transform Nangong Island into a true sanctuary!

"So, we build houses while waiting for Lady Farosa to recover?" 102 ran off.

"When she opens her eyes, she’ll see a brand new Nangong Island." Pan Ruiyi looked to the sky, suddenly excited, "The climate here is consistently pleasant, incredibly comfortable, perfect for a vacation island. Ah, this is the restorative retreat I’ve always dreamed of! An island in the Great Ocean!"

The witches dispersed, unpacking bundles of construction materials. Synthetic human workers had previously been deployed to reinforce part of it, but they had only laid the foundation. Now, they were set to unfold prefabricated buildings, transforming Nangong Island into an isolated garden isle.

Pan Ruiyi, carrying the Godslayer weapon for emergency use, was prepared to repel any Phase Demons that might breach the barrier created by the Sand of Stars. However, that was highly unlikely as Phase Demons seldom visited fully stabilized realms.

Is this the hard-earned blissful life? Miyazato Kazama silently felt grateful. She brought a lounge chair and tent to the beaches of Nangong Island, where the sea — not vast — gently swayed and lapped against the barrier at the edge of the world, spraying mist. The entire island, bounded like a film set, disrupted the sense of reality. If one concentrated, they could see the vast nothingness beyond the barrier.

"Seeing Lady Farosa like that makes it seem like everything that happened was worth it." Du Qianqian walked behind Miyazato Kazama.

"This is just the beginning," Miyazato Kazama didn’t look back but confirmed with a decisive tone, "We also need to grow quickly into higher-level witches. Empress-level swarming, Empress-level shape-shifting magic power... what will they turn into?"

With power, one could control everything. Du Qianqian thought to herself. But that will surely bring more envy, more enemies.

Fortunately, they now had Lady Farosa as a pillar of strength, a boss to strategize the big picture and Lord Lila to oversee everything. The future business was sure to expand further, going beyond a city or region, projecting influence globally.

From Du Qianqian’s position and understanding, she couldn’t yet see the full scope of the world’s structure but knew she had to be part of it, to seize the opportunities.

"The New Witch Council will make history," Du Qianqian murmured.

She could barely stay for a second longer on this isolated Nangong Island. She yearned to return to the real world, to revel in the supreme authority power provided, to use magic power for excess profits, to satisfy her vanity.

Unfortunately, that wasn’t an option. For now, she had to work diligently until Lady Farosa’s lengthy ritual was complete.

Meanwhile, 102 unfolded an automatic vegetable garden, her small shoulders carrying two large bags of nutrient soil, spreading them across the gridded frames of the vegetable beds.

The natural environment of Nangong Island was quite special; aside from the absence of rain, it was virtually an eternal temperate, winterless climate. So, as long as they took care of watering, they could cultivate crops for a self-sufficient sustainable base.

"In the future, the Little Witches can come here for spring outings," 102 scattered seeds in the vegetable garden, watered them, then placed the Golden Branch in the center to spread its natural power, "and they can play hide and seek here, leave things, we’ll even have our own rooms..."

looked worriedly at 102 who, eager to fit into the social environment, willingly worked hard to prove herself, inevitably causing strain. But 101 couldn’t voice her concerns; she could only try her best to help, hoping to alleviate some of the pressure on her sister.

Besides, since they temporarily couldn’t return to Shijin Mansion, there was another embarrassing issue...

looked at 102, then at herself. They always wore extremely tight black bodysuits, because that’s what they used to wear at the Black Fire Innovation lab.

However, as Children of Phantom Light, they were growing at three times the speed of normal humans. By now, they had shifted from a girlish figure to a more mature one, making their bodysuits too narrow at the bust and hips, uncomfortably tight, super stretched, and difficult to put into words. They didn’t feel it as much when moving around the Shijin Mansion, but now, as they frequently bent down to work, the inconvenience became apparent.

Is this the taste of growth? 101 thought to herself.

If they grew to be as tall and strong as Pan Ruiyi, that would be somewhat troubling.

Lady Farosa could invoke the Great Recovery Law, imbued with divine power, to restore herself and her sister to how they were years prior, which was convenient since a younger form offered more agility. But what if her sister wanted to keep her adult form? If she herself became small and weak, while her sister became... that.

Holding back her wandering thoughts, 101 calmed her mind and returned to the task of fortifying Nangong Island.

This would become one of their important sub-bases. If they could solve the issue with the portals, it would also serve as a sustainable backup refuge, with high strategic value.

Elsewhere, Xu Yang returned to the real world through a portal and immediately began contacting Lila. He suspected that Kanako in Zhonggui Town might be facing danger and needed to analyze the situation together.

"We need to keep an eye on the real-time situation in Zhonggui Town," Xu Yang said, "Kanako and Honma Noriko are still trapped there."

"The news media dare not approach in real-time," Lila was working remotely, only communicating from afar, "Xisheng Defense Company has announced that Honma Noriko has been turned into a non-human entity and is currently mobilizing troops to ’quell’ her."

"Bomb her own mother?" Xu Yang pondered, "If little Kanako is caught, she will likely be interrogated, then we, Farosa, and the connection to the ritual will all be ruthlessly exposed."

"Master, we must prepare for the worst," Lila reported, "If we’re involved in a large-scale corporate war, Nestor Corporation’s current 9000 employees will last only one week."

"... I hope you’re right, and they come back in one week," Xu Yang reflected, "Even if we’re discovered, we must negotiate first, slow down the worsening of the situation."

He accessed the network base closest to Zhonggui Town, busied himself for a while, and indeed made progress, capturing a small amount of battlefield broadcast communication.

Xu Yang discovered Xisheng Defense’s forces were attacking Zhonggui Town frantically. The entire village had been ravaged back and forth multiple times with heavy artillery, but they couldn’t advance, blocked by a Reality Manipulator.

"Nilu." Xu Yang uttered the name, "They mentioned Nilu; she is protecting Honma Noriko’s safety and easily controlling the battlefield."

"..." Lila paused, "She’s the one who killed me."