The Magical Girl’s Dilemma

No, I can’t let this calamity beast get over here!

Zijing hesitated for but a moment, with scarcely any time for further thought.

Her magic staff waved gently, sending several light projectiles directly towards the calamity beast’s vivid red eyes.

The assault did not end there; Zijing’s staff suddenly transformed into a dazzling, several-meter-long light sword, which she brought down with fierce momentum, cleaving towards the calamity beast’s head.

Confronted by these multiple attacks, the calamity beast roared, surprisingly raising its massive head to smash directly into the sharp blade, emitting a deafening screech.

“CRACK!”

A sound like shattering glass echoed, and the light sword broke apart.

Zijing was flung back by the immense recoil, performing a backflip to barely steady herself.

Upon inspecting the calamity beast’s head, it was astonishingly undamaged, not even a single mark left behind.

“How… how formidable! Truly worthy of being the professor’s secret weapon…”

Heidi Teresa, seemingly unprepared for such a sight, covered her mouth with a small hand, a hint of surprise gracing her pretty face.

“Hey, you’re saying I have no presence like this? Hmm…”

She frowned in distress, then puffed out her cheeks, raising her voice slightly.

“Wha—what do you mean! A mere magical girl is utterly insignificant against the might of our Empire! If you don’t wish to lose your life, it would be best to surrender obediently!”

Zijing paid no heed to Heidi Teresa’s words, for the calamity beast had already twisted its body slightly, its sharp claws descending with an unparalleled force of wind pressure.

Although Zijing had battled countless colossal calamity beasts, encountering a twisted, stitched-together entity like this was a first.

A casual sweep from it felt as if the very air had been severed, leaving her breathless.

Fighting in such a densely packed urban area, with towering buildings greatly reducing her evasive space, was particularly challenging.

She even had to be mindful not to let the monster damage the surrounding structures…

Confronted by the monster’s pounce, she could only brandish her magic staff once more, conjuring a purple light shield that flew from her hand.

At the same time, she ascended into the air again, narrowly evading the attack.

The claw shattered the light shield outright, then slammed violently into the adjacent building.

A deafening crash echoed, accompanied by an earth-shattering tremor, as the building’s windows shattered into countless shards, raining down onto the ground.

Zijing gritted her teeth.

While she didn’t know if the calamity beast before her possessed sentience, it was clear from their recent exchange that she had gained no advantage.

Her attacks were utterly incapable of breaching the calamity beast’s defenses, and its sheer physical might alone was proving to be a considerable headache.

Although her magical girl outfit offered some magical protection, she had no desire to test whether the beast’s attacks would exceed its limits.

Fortunately, despite the calamity beast having wings, its speed was not particularly high.

With her own agility, she could easily create distance between them, and then…

Zijing furrowed her brow, her gaze returning to the golden-haired girl still floating in mid-air.

‘If she truly is the controller of this calamity beast, then if I were to subdue her first, wouldn’t I be able to…?’

‘But this person has been babbling to thin air, their strength is unclear, and I don’t know if they’re hiding any trump cards.’

‘Right now, it doesn’t seem like they intend to make a move, but if I were to actively attack them, then…’

The young girl pressed her lips together, her small hand subtly tracing the pale purple pattern on her neck—a pattern whose once vibrant purple was now beginning to dim.

The color of the pattern indicated a magical girl’s mana reserves; when it faded or even darkened, it signified that her mana was nearly depleted.

Zijing cast another glance at Bai Muxue, who remained on the distant rooftop, then took a deep breath, as if having made a resolute decision.

Her magic staff held high, the magical girl’s aura suddenly surged.

Brilliant purple light erupted around her, and the delicate staff rapidly transformed into a uniquely shaped, light-colored longbow intricately carved with complex patterns.

“Wow, so powerful…”

Heidi Teresa, observing from the sidelines, felt the astonishing pressure.

A flicker of fear crossed her pretty face as she retreated several meters, seemingly preparing a defensive stance, afraid of being caught in the crossfire.

Even the calamity beast seemed to sense a degree of threat, lowering its massive head slightly and emitting a low growl, as if facing a formidable enemy.

Her slender fingers gently drew back the bowstring.

Purple light coalesced into a sharp arrow, which shot directly towards the calamity beast’s abdomen with such speed that it was almost a mere afterimage.

The calamity beast pounced forward, its dark, sharp claws striking directly at the incoming purple arrow.

Yet, the instant the claw tips touched the light arrow, it dispersed, transforming into dozens of smaller light arrows that simultaneously pierced several parts of the calamity beast’s head.

“ROAR—”

Layers of electric arcs, coiled around the purple light arrows, enveloped the calamity beast.

The pained creature howled, its body crackling with electricity, appearing paralyzed.

Zijing’s assault did not cease.

Seizing the moment of the calamity beast’s struggle, she drew the longbow into a full moon shape.

Purple light once again formed an arrow, crackling with electric arcs that writhed like dancing serpents, and shot directly into the calamity beast’s head.

Zijing pressed her advantage, the longbow transforming back into a light sword, which she thrust directly towards the calamity beast’s right eye.

Enraged by its struggles, the calamity beast furiously swung its sharp claws at the light sword.

This time, however, the light sword was not shattered.

Its slightly dimmed blade pierced directly through the calamity beast’s tough hide, drawing forth a gush of dark, black blood.

Zijing, too, was in a bad way.

Her slender figure was flung directly backward, tumbling several times through the air before she barely managed to regain her balance.

Before she could even catch her breath, the thoroughly enraged behemoth roared, flapping its enormous, elongated wings once more.

It soared into the sky, then, like a descending mountain, charged directly at Zijing.

Without hesitation, Zijing attempted to ascend again to dodge.

Yet, as her gaze shifted to the building behind her, she suddenly realized something, her pupils contracting slightly.

‘…Due to the impact of that last attack, I had unknowingly retreated back to the side of that very building.’

‘—The building where Bai Muxue was located.’

The petite young girl was still standing on the rooftop, seemingly with no intention of fleeing.

‘If I were to simply dodge, wouldn’t that mean she would…?’

Before the young girl could contemplate further, a thunderous “BOOM” erupted as the calamity beast’s massive body slammed directly into the building.

Dust billowed instantly, and the building let out a shrill shriek, as if the entire earth trembled.

Amidst the swirling dust, two slender figures were faintly discernible—especially the purple-clad figure shielding the other, whose entire body was streaked with disheveled grime, a faint trace of blood at the corner of her lips.

“Are you insane? Why didn’t you run???”

Zijing, not even sparing a glance for the calamity beast nearby, reached out to grab Bai Muxue’s shoulders, her voice sharp with a hint of uncontrolled fury:

“Do you have any idea how dangerous it is here?? Huh?”

“I…”

Bai Muxue, however, merely had a light dusting of dirt on her face, otherwise completely unharmed.

Confronted by the agitated magical girl before her, and the roaring behemoth in the distance,

the young girl simply winked playfully, a sly smile curving her lips:

“I just wanted to say…”

“You look quite cute in your magical girl outfit.”