Light-Devouring

“From now on, your name is ‘Xue’.”

“Understood, Mistress. What would you like me to do?”

“Don’t call me ‘Mistress.’ Call me Youyou.

Let me ask first—how much do you understand about the human world?”

“Litia taught me before.”

“That’s good.”

Luo You let out a breath of relief.

At the very least, she wouldn’t have to start from zero.

Her gaze dropped slightly—

Xue’s appearance had inherited Litia’s gentleness, albeit in a smaller, more delicate form.

Yet she radiated the same serene presence, her bright eyes full of spirit, exuding a natural affinity and charm.

“Maybe I should have you be Zining’s mom… no—forget I said that.”

A beat later, she realized just how outrageous that thought was.

That would be very inappropriate.

A person can’t—shouldn’t—do that.

What was really worth worrying about, though, was Xue’s resemblance to Litia.

If they crossed paths with a magical girl who knew Litia, recognition was nearly inevitable.

How would she explain that?

Suddenly being handed such a troublesome creature, Luo You hadn’t figured out how to handle it yet.

Just dealing with her daughter was already enough of a headache—

And now she’d just found out that her daughter’s “aunt” was, in fact, one of her former heavy weapons.

The chaos never ended.

As she walked and mulled over how to arrange things, her next step suddenly felt… wrong.

Like she had stepped into a completely different realm.

Her head snapped up.

Ahead, in the midst of the swirling snow, stood a figure out of a Western myth—

A grim reaper cloaked in black, his tall hooded robe obscuring all but a skeletal, withered arm.

He wasn’t large.

And yet the pressure he exuded surged like a tidal wave.

“Oh my… little brother, are you sightseeing here too?”

Luo You instantly pulled Xue behind her.

Three Lives, Ten Directions unfurled like sacred ground.

She raised her battle readiness to its peak, facing the unknown with caution.

The pressure this figure gave her—

It exceeded even what she’d felt from the strongest magical girl of the past: Xingyue.

“……”

The figure said nothing.

But the entire environment shifted with its presence.

As if… inhaling.

Snow, wind, trees—all pulled toward it, aligning in eerie synchronization.

As the force reached its zenith, the entire world seemed to hold its breath.

Existence itself felt like a decision it could erase with a mere thought.

Luo You felt an inexplicable tension, like she was sitting in the front seat of a bus hurtling down the highway at 180 km/h.

It wasn’t just the air pressure—

If this thing crashed into anything… she was going to be the first to die.

And then—

A simple movement.

It opened its mouth.

“—!!”

Luo You’s eyes flew open.

The snow between them shattered, exploding under the pressure.

The ground below cracked violently.

Billowing snow and smoke swallowed the world in white.

But all of this—

All the destruction—

Once it entered Three Lives, Ten Directions, it fell silent.

The sacred ground absorbed it, dissolved it, rendered it null.

No matter how fearsome the force outside, it became meaningless once inside this boundary.

Yet Luo You, standing within the sacred ground, still felt the immensity of that force.

Her pupils shrank involuntarily.

Three Lives, Ten Directions—

A technique that had carried her through countless battles.

It absorbed all kinetic, thermal, and even magical energy within a set range, then allowed her to re-channel it however she wished.

Its flaw:

She could not absorb energy again until the first absorption was released.

And she couldn’t absorb forever—

Two seconds.

That was the maximum duration for a single cycle.

Even with those limits, it was still an absurdly powerful skill.

Combined with her Deep Blue Shock, she could bring down entire mountain ranges.

But right now—

Not even a full second had passed, and the energy she had absorbed was already approaching the limit of what she could handle.

“What kind of monster is this…?”

She muttered under her breath.

Her will surged, and Three Lives, Ten Directions transformed into a golden longsword in her grasp.

Like a celestial maiden, she slashed forward.

Golden light shattered barriers.

The blade swept horizontally—

A radiant arc that split the heavens in two.

The snow-filled sky was torn apart, clouds ruptured, and freezing wind poured in from the rift.

“A creature from the Sea of Realms…

So you’re the one who broke through the Sea Gate!”

With just one exchange, Luo You had a rough grasp of the enemy’s identity.

What she’d seen with her own eyes just now—

Matched perfectly with the footage circulating online.

The only difference?

She was no longer watching from a third-person view.

This entity’s goal was likely Xue.

Both came from the Sea of Realms—it was too much of a coincidence.

Having neutralized the enemy’s first attack, Luo You assessed the situation carefully.

If what she just faced was only 50–70% of the figure’s power—

Then she would have to use her ultimate weapon: Innocence White.

If she summoned Spirit-Coral of Null, this place would turn into a forbidden zone for all magical beings.

Litia, still hiding in the Canglan Ruins, might vanish completely.

“I bear no ill will.

I merely wanted to know who you were.”

The figure finally spoke.

But his words only deepened Luo You’s frown.

If she’d been just an average combatant—

She’d have been dead already.

“Acting completely on whim…

You really are lawless.”

“You are strong.

I look forward to seeing you again.”

The figure vanished without a trace.

Luo You didn’t try to stop him.

She could already predict—

The coming days in the human world were going to be very eventful.

That thing…

There was no force capable of restraining it.

“Xue, are you okay?”

“Mm… mm!”

Xue clutched the hem of Luo You’s coat, trembling.

Her voice was shaking even more.

“That… might have been Light-Devourer!”

“Light-Devourer-class dimensional beast?

Are you sure?”

“I… I think so!

I once had power like that too…

But I don’t remember that time clearly…”

Luo You narrowed her eyes, staring in the direction the figure had vanished.

She had just learned from Litia that Light-Devourer-class beasts lost all reason, becoming feral monsters.

And yet that intel had already been proven wrong.

“Light-Devourers are immortal and indestructible.

You can only seal them by identifying their weakness.

But if they retain intelligence…

Then that’s a major problem.”

In the distant sky, several helicopters approached—

Their designs sleek and futuristic, red and green tailflames trailing behind them.

The Magical Alliance had detected the disturbance.

And given the earlier breach at the Sea Gate, the reinforcements were likely elite.

There was a high chance a Ten Seat would be among them.

“Xue, we’re leaving.

Hold on tight.”

Three Lives, Ten Directions shrank, wrapping tightly around Xue.

A shimmer of pink light pulsed across Luo You’s body.

And in the next instant—

They vanished.

Two minutes later—

A massive star-ring appeared in the sky, enveloping the entire Canglan Ruins.

Its output surged to maximum.

“Search complete.

No dimensional beast signatures detected.”

A helicopter hovered over a vast crater in the snowy field—

The very spot where Luo You and the figure had clashed.

“Thank you all for your hard work.

Sorry, but we’ll need to work overtime.

Please seal off this entire area.”

A girl leapt from the helicopter—

Her presence like a dreamy ocean breeze, shimmering with ethereal light.

She descended into the crater, brushing the snow aside in search of traces.

She quickly found the location where Luo You had stood.

Faint footprints remained, barely visible in the snow.

The girl knelt slowly.

Her right hand gently traced the footprints.

A smile bloomed unconsciously on her face.

“No doubt about it…

It’s her.

Still so small and adorable.”

At that moment, a magical girl approached respectfully.

She wore the badge of the Ten Seat Council on her shoulder.

And yet before this girl, her eyes were filled with both tension… and admiration.

“Lady Xingyue—

According to surveillance, the creature that breached the Sea Gate definitely came here.

We don’t yet know who it fought,

But we’ll confirm both parties’ identities as soon as possible!”