Chapter 43: A witch is not a magical girl

Waving goodbye, Yao Bai parted with everyone.

It had been ages since she’d gathered with them at the Flower Shop—today was a day worth cherishing.

Of course, her mood would’ve been better if she hadn’t spotted the Greed Witch across the street.

Greed had a small cloth bag slung over her arm, wearing a light-colored short skirt and sheer, flesh-toned black stockings.

Her cropped T-shirt showed off her navel, her high ponytail swung, and delicate, hollow diamond gold earrings glinted in the sunlight.

Greed waved her right hand from across the road, flashing a brilliant smile.

Yao Bai retracted her step onto the crosswalk, pretending not to see, and turned to walk the other way.

Greed’s smile froze, and she hurriedly dashed onto the crosswalk to catch Yao Bai.

But she forgot about the speeding cars on the road.

As she stepped onto the crosswalk, a car zoomed out, slamming into Greed and sending her flying.

She tumbled from the crosswalk to the roadside, crashing into a parked car before stopping.

Greed clutched her bumped head, but even after being flung dozens of meters, her gaze never left Yao Bai.

Ignoring the driver and any blame, all she wanted was to catch Yao Bai and demand answers.

Why didn’t she respond to her greeting? Why walk the other way?

Rubbing her head, Greed ran toward Yao Bai, leaving onlookers of the accident stunned.

“Mommy, look! A superwoman!”

“…”

Greed darted across the street, and Yao Bai, sensing trouble, started running.

The two chased through the streets like a bickering couple.

“Yao!”

At that call, Yao Bai, like a startled cat, sprinted even faster.

Her only thought was to get away from Greed as fast as possible!

Every time she met Greed, she got bullied.

Being powerless in Greed’s hands, at her mercy, felt awful.

She absolutely wouldn’t fall into Greed’s clutches!

Suddenly, a blonde woman with blue eyes appeared, her expression odd.

Meeting Yao Bai’s gaze, her calm face turned manic.

“You carry Augustus’s aura—I’ve found you!”

Augustus?

Before Yao Bai could react, thin, nearly invisible threads shot from the woman’s fingers, pinning Yao Bai in place.

The sudden event caught everyone off guard.

Greed instinctively raised her fingertip, aiming a magic blast at the stranger, but she hesitated.

Every witch has a life-protection mechanism.

In mortal danger, their magic ring unleashes all their power, neutralizing threats.

This makes witches nearly immortal.

Unless witches fight each other, they’re destined to be eternal from birth.

But Yao Bai hadn’t fully merged with Pride’s authority, so she couldn’t achieve eternal life yet—only wield Pride’s power temporarily.

Greed was curious: what kind of crimson flower would Pride’s power bloom into if Yao Bai faced mortal danger?

Under Greed’s watch, Lilith approached Yao Bai.

“Augustus, Augustus, my Augustus died by your hand.”

Yao Bai, frozen mid-run, showed no panic.

Instead, she looked at the woman with confusion.

If she knew Augustus and that Yao Bai killed her, Lilith should know Yao Bai was the Pride Witch.

Facing a witch alone was beyond foolish—it was suicide.

“Your calm look tells me you’re wondering why I’d dare face you alone.”

“Others might be fools, but I’m not.”

“A newborn Pride Witch is just an ordinary woman. Control her before she transforms, and everything’s in my grasp.”

Lilith had thoroughly investigated the Pride Witch through Augustus’s death—her power was undeniable.

But every newborn witch has a weakness.

They can’t stay in witch form constantly; they have a “juvenile phase.”

In this phase, they rely on a transformation item—the magic ring—to awaken their witch authority.

Restrain them before they transform, and everything stays under control.

Lilith was highly sensitive to auras—even a fleeting encounter let her sense them.

Using this, she’d tracked down many magical girls’ true identities, striking before they could transform.

“You say you’re not a fool?”

Yao Bai shot back, her eyes gleaming with a look reserved for idiots.

“To me, you don’t just seem like a fool—you’re a fool rushing to die.”

“You dare insult me, woman? I’ve got you now, and if I want—” Lilith faltered.

In an instant, Yao Bai broke free of Lilith’s prized puppet threads, her blood-red pupils reflecting Lilith’s terrified face.

“What do you want?”

“How… how is this possible!”

Yao Bai grabbed Lilith’s neck with one hand, lifting her off the ground into the air.

“Nothing’s impossible. The moment you targeted me, you were already dead.”

“In your final moments, let me remind you: don’t compare witches to magical girls.”

Yao Bai’s words shocked and terrified Lilith.

“Puppeteer Lilith, Tarot Society member.”

“Always with Conductor Augustus, killed two magical girls together.”

“Was it those two kills that gave you the confidence to challenge me?”

Yao Bai’s body surged with witch magic, her appearance shifting toward Pride’s form.

“You know me?”

Lilith’s voice trembled; in Pride’s blood-red pupils, she saw an endless ocean of surging magic.

Like an abyss swallowing her, stealing her breath.

After killing Augustus, Yao Bai, besides staying home, had asked Little White to dig into Augustus’s identity.

She got info on Augustus, including details about a woman named Lilith.

Augustus, Tarot Society member, titled “Conductor.”

Lilith, Tarot Society member, titled “Puppeteer.”

Both excelled at controlling magic for attacks, usually working as a duo.

When Lilith mentioned Augustus, Yao Bai knew she was the Puppeteer Lilith.