Looking at the Black-robed Believer who was shouting at her, Blazing Flame’s heart sank.
She hadn’t expected the White-robed Youth to be able to let the transformed humans maintain their sanity.
‘It seems things are a bit tricky…’
“With you looking like that, do you even deserve to call yourself human?”
Realizing the severity of the situation, Blazing Flame did not hesitate.
She immediately charged at that Black-robed Believer, knocking him to the ground with one blow of her Blazing Warhammer, then followed up with another blow to eliminate him.
After that Black-robed Believer vanished, the black-and-white Energy Ball descended from the sky again, attempting to land on another Black-robed Believer.
Having learned her lesson, Blazing Flame naturally wouldn’t give it a second chance.
She immediately flew into the air, gripped her Blazing Warhammer, and smashed it heavily toward the Energy Ball.
However, to Blazing Flame’s shock, her attack — which could kill a Mist-person on the spot — actually had no effect on the black-and-white Energy Ball.
She clearly saw her Blazing Warhammer pass through the ball.
Then, she watched as the black-and-white Energy Ball instantly vanished and descended onto one of the Black-robed Believers who had just scrambled up from the ground.
After a brief tremor, another Black-robed Believer regained consciousness and roared at Blazing Flame.
“Magical Girl Scorching Flame! You are beyond saving! You aren’t a Guardian of Humanity at all! Why are you stopping us humans from marching toward a supreme future?”
“Those who turn into monsters have no right to tell me what to do.”
Blazing Flame couldn’t even be bothered to listen to these people’s extremist rhetoric, let alone consider its validity.
Perhaps the White-robed Youth really was right; perhaps his method really could create a happy and beautiful world.
However, she would never acknowledge those who turned into Tentacle Monsters as humans.
Descending from the air, Blazing Flame once again swung her Blazing Warhammer to kill the Black-robed Believers crawling up from the ground.
Then, she charged toward the White-robed Youth who had lost one arm, her aim fixed directly on his heart.
The White-robed Youth smiled as he watched Blazing Flame charge toward him. He actively met the strike, dying at Blazing Flame’s hands without a hint of concern.
“You really are stubborn.”
But this time, he didn’t wait to crawl back up from the ground at the entrance of the Church.
The White-robed Youth revived from the body of a Black-robed Believer.
Black-and-white Magic Power flowed within him, and his aura was clearly dozens of times stronger than before.
“Since that’s the case, I’ll have to use my full power to stop you and throw you out of the Church.”
“After all, you are still fighting to protect our fragile compatriots. I have no right to kill you as I please.”
The youth smiled and launched an attack against Blazing Flame for the first time.
Dozens of tentacles flew out from his back, rushing straight for Blazing Flame.
Seeing this, Blazing Flame immediately poured Magic Power into her Thermal Field.
She turned and swung her Blazing Warhammer at the White-robed Youth’s body, attempting to kill him on the spot.
The White-robed Youth still chose to take the hit head-on, allowing Blazing Flame to shatter his body just so his fist could strike her.
The tentacles appearing behind him were completely purified within just five seconds, leaving only his seemingly insignificant fist to slowly swing forward.
Looking at the youth’s struggling appearance, Blazing Flame had intended to take the blow directly.
But for some reason, when she saw his indifferent expression and his clenched fist, she suddenly felt a sense of panic.
Her body’s instincts prompted Blazing Flame to sidestep, dodging the seemingly light punch.
Unable to stop himself, the White-robed Youth shook his head helplessly and slammed his fist into the mural of the Church.
In the next second, the mural that had been firmly fixed to the wall shattered into pieces. Countless glass shards and stone debris poured down like an avalanche.
The entire Church began to tremble under the White-robed Youth’s punch. Even the ground Blazing Flame stood on shook as if an earthquake had struck.
Only after over ten seconds did the entire Church regain its calm.
But at this moment, the foundation of this massive church had become unstable due to the White-robed Youth’s single punch.
“How disappointing. I thought you were the kind of person who was very proud and full of self-confidence, so I thought I’d use this punch to knock you unconscious on the spot.”
The White-robed Youth turned his head toward Blazing Flame. “Now it seems you are quite cautious.”
“Did you use those tentacles to modify your body?”
Blazing Flame ignored the youth’s praise. Instead, she asked him the doubt in her heart.
Seeing Blazing Flame directly name the source of his power, the White-robed Youth did not hide it and nodded readily.
“Your observation is truly excellent. That’s right. I did indeed use these cute little fellows to modify my body so that I could use even greater power.”
“…Why didn’t you use the Magic Power in your body?” Blazing Flame looked at him coldly and questioned.
“With your control over Magic Power, you should have been able to strengthen your body with it and land that carefully prepared punch on me, right?”
“Please don’t be angry. There is, of course, a reason why I didn’t use the Magic Power in my body.”
Seemingly sensing Blazing Flame’s dissatisfaction with him not using his full power, the White-robed Youth smiled gently and explained.
Hearing his statement, Blazing Flame’s brows twitched slightly as she asked, “What reason?”
“Haha, that is naturally because I am human,” the White-robed Youth explained with a smile.
“Even now, you still think this version of yourself — which is neither human nor ghost — is what you call a human?”
“Of course. Ever since humans first mastered fire, they have constantly used tools to live better, think better, and kill others better. These tentacles you speak of are nothing more than a type of tool.”
“Tools? These are clearly organs that only monsters possess. You actually think these disgusting organs are tools?”
“Why wouldn’t they be tools? I’ve simply replaced my body with a type of artificial organ and uploaded my consciousness into a world similar to a virtual network. Why would you think I’m not human, Miss Zhiyan?”
The White-robed Youth jumped down from the air. Tentacles on the Church floor continuously flew toward his body, repairing his broken frame until it was whole again.
Blazing Flame looked at his calm expression and the way he believed so firmly in himself, and she asked him once more.
“If a person’s flesh is replaced bit by bit by this damn stuff until they turn into an out-and-out monster, what right do they have to still be human!”
“By their soul, Miss Zhiyan!”
The White-robed Youth withdrew the smile from his face, offering the most direct rebuttal to the question that struck at the core of his philosophy.
He tossed his white robe onto the broken rubble, revealing a body that was surrounded by layers of tentacles yet pulsed as if it were alive.
“As long as that person still identifies as human, feels that they are still themselves, and believes they can still do what they could always do, then they are undoubtedly human!”
“Exactly. But humans aren’t existences like you, a madman! Humans have their own dignity and pride! Someone like you, who replaces their own organs with tentacles — you aren’t human at all!”
“If that’s what you think, then I shall answer your question with the ultimate human technique!”
The White-robed Youth did not continue to argue.
His expression was calm as he relaxed his body and jogged forward. While twisting his body, he threw that same slow and deadly punch toward Blazing Flame’s heart.
Blazing Flame took a deep breath. Looking at that chaotic punch, she immediately poured the Magic Power from her body into the Blazing Warhammer in her hands, choosing to meet the White-robed Youth’s strike with absolute power.