Chapter 4: The puppet show is about to begin!

The Greedy Witch left the coffee shop, and the pressure in Bai Yao’s heart vanished completely.
‘This is a witch? She even knew my identity and that I’m no longer Iris.’ Bai Yao murmured, watching the Greedy Witch’s retreating figure.
Facing a witch alone was too nerve-wracking.
In just the time it took to have coffee, Bai Yao’s back was completely soaked with sweat.
Looking at the spider lily in her right hand, Bai Yao wanted to throw it away.
But on second thought, she feared the Greedy Witch would find out if she discarded it.
If she angered her, many people might die.
Bai Yao gripped the spider lily’s half-meter-long stem, studying the blood-red flower as she walked home.
The flower was beautiful, carrying an indescribable fragrance.
If it hadn’t been given by the Greedy Witch, Bai Yao would have happily brought it home.
She’d prepare a clean vase and display it as decoration.
Boom!
Thunder suddenly roared in the sky.
The dazzling sunlight quickly dimmed.
The clear sky from moments ago turned dark, thick clouds covering it entirely.
Rain began to fall, pattering down.
Large raindrops mercilessly pelted Bai Yao’s body.
In mere seconds, half her body was drenched before she could take shelter under an eave.
She watched the rain in the air and the countless water droplets splashing on the ground.
Bai Yao took out her phone to call a ride home.
After all, she was now a multimillionaire; no need to skimp on small expenses.
Her phone’s top left corner showed an X, and Bai Yao froze.
She toggled airplane mode on and off, but the usual trick to refresh the network didn’t work this time.
“Why’s there suddenly no signal? How am I supposed to get a ride? My little sister’s about to get home from school, and I need to cook dinner.”
Bai Yao grumbled with a hint of resentment, resigned to waiting for the rain to stop before leaving.
But the rain showed no sign of letting up, not even slowing down.
With her phone suddenly losing signal, Bai Yao had a bad feeling.
Could it be a pollution entity interfering with signals?
Boom!
A bolt of lightning struck from afar, shattering everything in its path along the ground.
The lightning was only ten meters from Bai Yao, her heart racing.
She looked into the distance, where a pollution entity covered in lightning was wreaking havoc on the city.
Bai Yao instinctively ran toward the pollution entity, shouting.
“Pure and flawless Iris, heed my call, let holy light bloom within me!”
The expected transformation didn’t happen; her chant failed to summon any magic.
She suddenly remembered she was no longer a magical girl, her transformation item reclaimed by Xiao Bai.
She was now just an ordinary, powerless woman!
Yet the desire to protect everyone drove her into the storm, toward the incident’s location.
She tried contacting her two friends along the way, but it was no use.
No signal!
“Dmn it!”
Unable to reach the magical girls, Bai Yao could only observe from nearby.
Countless people died under the pollution entity’s lightning.
The storm carried the stench of blood, the ground quickly stained red.
Screams filled the air as people ran like headless flies in the rain.
No one had a clear escape route, only knowing there was danger and they needed to get away.
But they weren’t watching where they went—some paths were deadly!
Bai Yao couldn’t wait any longer; she had to do something.
She shouted at the top of her lungs.
“Everyone, run this way! The ground over there’s collapsed—it’s a dead end!”
Bai Yao rushed into the pollution entity’s attack range, directing people toward the path she came from.
Her piercing shouts cut through the rain, guiding everyone to safety.
People began fleeing along the safe route, but many couldn’t escape in time.
They were mercilessly killed by the pollution entity’s lightning.
“Get out of the way! I have elderly to care for at home, let me go first!”
“Why are you pushing me? Who doesn’t have someone to care for!”
“Hurry, the lightning’s coming down!”
Bai Yao was practically screaming, but it was too late.
The pollution entity unleashed a charged bolt of lightning!
Boom!
The lightning struck, instantly obliterating everyone arguing in its path.
The shockwave collapsed nearby buildings, sending people flying like kites with cut strings.
Bai Yao was thrown far, tumbling across the ground a dozen times before stopping.
Her body was covered in bloodstains, lying on the ground, unable to move.
“Dmn it… why… why was my status stripped at a time like this… If I still had my power, I’d definitely…”
Bai Yao murmured weakly, her gaze falling on the blood-red spider lily she still clutched.
‘Whether you like it or not, I hope you’ll keep it. Perhaps, when you face a problem, calling on it might give you the strength to solve it.’
The Greedy Witch’s lazy yet faintly gentle voice echoed in Bai Yao’s mind.
Spider lily… problem… call… power…
“Ah!” Bai Yao summoned her willpower and shouted, “If what you said is true, then grant me power!”
Witch or magical girl, it didn’t matter.
Bai Yao only wanted power now—she wanted to protect everyone!
Even if it meant becoming a witch, she’d have no regrets!
The spider lily burst into dark red flames, stirring Bai Yao’s body to move slowly.
Gasping, she felt immense magic flowing from the spider lily.
Her eyes held disbelief, but considering it came from the Greedy Witch, it made sense.
Bai Yao instinctively shouted a transformation chant unique to witches.
“O spider lily walking alone in indifference, heed my will, let karmic flames burn away falsehoods!”
Bai Yao raised the spider lily to the sky with both hands, its burning flames falling onto her body.
A dark red witch emerged from the flames, her eyes nearly devoid of emotion, her face filled with indifference.
Bai Yao spread her arms, eyes slightly closed, her body slowly rising into the air.
She gently held the spider lily in her right hand, her hands swaying like a conductor’s.
Listen!
The roaring thunder.
Listen!
The screams filled with despair.
Listen!
This heart still beating.
Bai Yao slowly opened her eyes, her waving hands coming to a stop.
The immense magic made her feel incredibly at ease.
A smile played on her indifferent face; she was savoring this power.
This power, unlike a magical girl’s, belonged solely to a witch!
The lightning continued to ravage the city, but now Bai Yao didn’t want this chaos to end too soon.
The thought had barely formed before she dismissed it.
She wasn’t here for fun—she was here to protect everyone.
“Stop.” Bai Yao’s red lips parted slightly.
Her voice, devoid of any emotion, abruptly reached everyone’s ears.
The massive pollution entity stopped its destruction, and the fleeing people froze in place.
This puppet show, belonging solely to Bai Yao, was about to begin.