The Supershark has gone mad!

When the villain’s second form from the script actually appeared before them, they were utterly defenseless.

His attacks seemed restrained, yet they carried enough force to send them flying dozens of meters and knock them unconscious.

Even those with belts were instantly forced out of their transformations and left comatose.

He had faked his defeat on purpose, all to close the distance and… take a hostage.

[Overclocked Acceleration!] Huoli would not give her opponent the chance.

She had saved this precious skill during the earlier fight precisely to guard against such tricks, and now she had no choice but to use it.

[Overclocked Acceleration.] Activating his own acceleration, Gast casually grabbed an unknown magical girl standing nearby.

Huoli, thinking he would use her as a shield, prepared to retreat, but then she realized that wasn’t his plan at all.

Gast’s hand closed around the gem on the girl’s chest and, with a [CRACK], crushed it.

Instantly, the broken armor, as if alive, spat out black webs like a spider, capturing the shattered magical particles and absorbing them into Gast’s body.

“What!” She was utterly shocked by what she saw, but the rapidly approaching Huoli had already slashed with her blade.

[CLANG!!] A clash of metal rang out, but this time, the flaming sword failed to overwhelm its opponent as it had before.

A jet-black blade had appeared in Gast’s palm, chaotic dark power surging from it.

Upon impact, not only did it remain undamaged, but black, tentacle-like energy began to wrap around Miss Huoli’s sword.

“Damn it!” She immediately withdrew her blade and created distance as time returned to normal.

The magical girl whose core had been shattered was tossed aside, her hair and appearance reverting to their original state as she fell unconscious.

But more pressing than her condition was the current crisis.

Gast’s armor began to heal itself as if it were alive, and a strange new plug-in appeared on his belt.

[SR-Rank Armament Plug-in—Essence-Plucking Demon Sword.]

An ominous, evil weapon.

The moment it was drawn from his palm, dark energy erupted, and a massive, jet-black arm-guard fused to his right arm.

A skull mask on the shoulder pauldron roared as the armament completed, its terrifying cry echoing like a mournful wail.

As a transformation belt enthusiast, Ah Xin had seen that weapon before.

Its prototype was a demon-slaying sword forged from an ancient demon-sealing cauldron.

After being converted into a belt plug-in and undergoing significant enhancement and modification, it became an armed blade capable of drawing and absorbing magical power.

It was as if it had a life of its own, using the absorbed magic for itself—a weapon seemingly born to counter magical girls.

After all, just from that brief clash, Miss Huoli’s own blade had been corroded by the dark power.

She was left holding a broken hilt, while half the blade remained, slowly being devoured by the demon sword to become part of its power.

“A wound of this level costs 25% of my charge… but if my calculations are correct, and I absorb my target, a loss of this magnitude is trivial.”

Even with the power he had absorbed from the idol magical girl and the broken sword, it wasn’t enough to restore even 5% of his charge.

“Five uses of Overclocked Acceleration! What are you!”

Normally, a level 5 belt allowed for a maximum of three accelerations per day.

He had just used his fifth.

This completely defied convention.

“It’s simple. Do you know why I was able to counter that big lug, even though he used his ultimate attack first?”

‘Was it the activation speed of his ultimate?’

No!

A more terrifying and direct possibility surfaced in his mind, a truth he had vaguely sensed from Gast’s earlier movements.

“Because my Overclocked Acceleration is superior to his! This is the power of a level 5.5 belt, something beyond level 5.”

[BOOM!]

The ground shattered.

His explosive forward dash pulverized the pavement beneath his feet.

This was not the spec of a normal belt; it could finish off a user with an SR plug-in even without a plug-in of its own, and even stand against Huoli’s top-tier configuration!

And now, with the demon sword in hand, he was like a tiger with wings!

A fierce assault rushed toward her, but Miss Huoli did not back down.

Clutching the Heavenly Flame Blade generated by her belt, she pushed her body with both her magic and the power of her second plug-in, Raging Flame Burst, to rapidly increase her explosive power and meet his attack head-on.

[CLANG!!!]

The force of the impact was so powerful that even the drones in the air were buffeted.

They began to retreat as the police drones moved forward.

She had blocked it, but with immense difficulty, using almost all her strength.

The disparity in power still forced Miss Huoli back a step.

What unsettled her even more was that with just the blades clashing, the Heavenly Flame Blade seemed to briefly become a conduit, allowing Gast to slowly absorb a portion of her magic.

[BANG! BANG! BANG! BANG!]

Electromagnetic capture nets were deployed!

Taking advantage of the brief opening as their blades clashed, the police drones provided support.

Even if he cut through the electrified nets with his sword, it would waste time, and with shots coming from all directions, he had nowhere to run.

But it was useless.

It might have posed a threat to a level 3 or 4 belt user, but against Gast, who was now far beyond level 5, it was laughable.

With just a glare, the black energy erupting from his body instantly transformed into countless blades, destroying all the nets in mid-air and then hunting down and destroying the drones themselves!

Sparks flew like fireworks.

“This is Huoli. Requesting backup.”

[Understood. The nearest A-rank or higher hero will arrive in 10 minutes.]

“Damn it…”

“Ten minutes. That’s plenty of time.”

He lunged, blade flashing!

Huoli could only switch from offense to defense, determined to hold him here no matter what!

She had to hold out for ten minutes!

Stronger heroes or military reinforcements beyond the special police could arrive by then.

And even if they didn’t, the bosses of Sea City, god-like beings who each possessed a level 6 belt, would surely decide the outcome if they intervened!

‘I have to hold on! I absolutely cannot lose!’

With firm resolve, she unleashed her full power.

Her entire body surged with magic, her belt’s energy roaring to life!

Raging flames roared like a dragon as she once again gathered her strength for an ultimate attack!

“Alright then. Ultimate against ultimate,” he said calmly, but a terrifying and ferocious pressure erupted from him!

[Ultimate Flame: Annihilation Slash!]

[Demon Seal: Eternal Annihilation!]

As they closed in on each other, they both activated Overclocked Acceleration simultaneously.

In a clash of ultimate moves, neither could afford to let the other gain the upper hand.

They collided with their greatest power and fastest speed!

‘So strong! They’re just too strong!’

The impact from the collision of these two immense powers was far more violent than the one-sided execution from before.

The exploding energy obliterated everything in the vicinity.

Nearby streetlights and vehicles were lifted into the air and disintegrated under the expanding wave of energy.

Amid the blinding light and furious winds, the drones attempting a rescue found it difficult to operate, nearly being blown away.

Just as the expanding energy was about to swallow the clueless idol heroes, a white figure suddenly appeared and saved them!

Magical Girl Xiaoxin, who could only watch the clash of titans with envy, had not fled.

Instead, she was doing what little she could!

Our protagonist was now supporting the unconscious heroes, handing them off to a nearby drone for evacuation.

With no way to fight at this level, she could only act as a medic.

This was undoubtedly a foolish choice, not least because Gast’s target was her.

Ah Xin was making a mistake no magical girl would ever make: [Remaining on the battlefield for a risky rescue when lacking the strength to fight!]

If a magical girl’s original body dies once, even if she is revived through scientific means, she will permanently lose her magical powers.

Furthermore, Ah Xin was just an ordinary person with no insurance and no support system.

If he really died once, that would be the end.

These glamorous idol heroes were different.

Even if they died, they had ‘Rebirth Insurance.’

They could be revived using the gene banks stored by their companies.

With a bit more money for a new belt and body modifications, they could be back on the job.

No one was coming to help.

Even the few remaining drones were urging Ah Xin to retreat first.

But looking at the fallen idol heroes and the fleeing reporters and crowds, Magical Girl Xiaoxin’s resolve hardened, her eyes becoming firm.

She had figured everything out and knew what she had to do!

As expected of our protagonist! Such selfless spirit!

Even in the face of mortal danger, she holds onto her basic human decency!

How noble! How heroic!

Let us now listen in on his righteous and kind inner thoughts!

‘That’s right! If I help these idol heroes, I’ll get lots of opportunities for screen time in the future! And then I’ll definitely make a lot of money, hehe~ (≧∀≦)♪’

…Huh?

‘After all, reconstructing a body and customizing a new set of equipment or getting limb modifications must cost a fortune. By saving them now, I’m basically saving them a huge amount of money. They’ll have to repay me later, right?~ How much will it be? ٩( ‘ω’ )و Five thousand? Ten thousand? Fifty thousand?! Or maybe even 500,000 is possible!?’

The more he thought about it, the more wonderful it seemed.

Though his expression remained unchanged, his heart was blooming with joy.

‘Just finish this one job, and I’ll make a fortune! Just finish this one job, and I can live the good life! Goodbye to this cheap rental! Goodbye to my jerk boss! So!!’

‘Go for it, Miss Huoli! All my hopes are riding on you! ヾ(*Ő౪Ő*)’

‘A beautiful future! It’s about to begin!! (*｀▽´*)’

[CRACK!!]

A blade shattered! The broken piece flew through the air.

The victor had been decided.

Only one had the right to remain standing!

In his vision, one figure stood, sword in hand, power receding, while the other was sent flying.

Spinning through the air, landing, tumbling, crashing into a wall—a perfectly executed defeat.

“In the end, you were just one step behind, little girl.”

The Heavenly Flame Blade was broken in two.

The ultimate attack that had once grievously wounded Gast was now powerless against the Essence-Plucking Demon Sword.

The broken blade shattered, and it wasn’t just the sword that broke—her armor exploded along with it!

“Ugh!” Pain shot through her body, ejecting both plug-ins from her belt.

Her transformation was forcibly canceled, leaving her in a tattered magical girl dress, the gem on her chest cracked from the powerful blow.

The invincible Miss Huoli had fallen.

Gast, in contrast, stood with his armor completely unscathed.

The damage to his demon sword was merely a small chip on the blade, something a little infusion of magic could easily repair.

‘It’s over. This is really bad.’

After handing the last person to the drone, it seemed to understand the situation on the field and fled for its life, completely ignoring Magical Girl Xiaoxin.

“Th-this…”

“To waste your chance to escape just to save this corporate trash… you truly are a fool.”

“Ha… haha, well, you see, Senior Gast, I’m actually a fan of yours.”

“A cliché and pathetic way to beg for your life.”

“No, it’s not like that.”

As she spoke, Magical Girl Xiaoxin struck a pose—the same pose she had practiced countless times in front of the TV as a child, dreaming of becoming a hero.

It was embarrassing.

As she grew up through elementary, middle, high school, and college, the people around her matured.

For the sake of their studies and future careers, many abandoned their so-called heroic dreams, pursuing more realistic goals, preparing for survival and competition.

But these seemingly ridiculous movements, born from admiration, were etched into her mind from childhood, impossible to forget.

“Justice! Super strength! The invincible heart of dreams, gathering all the light of hope into one! The hero everyone looks up to! Transform! Belt Rider—Gast!”

It was just an imitation, and performed by Magical Girl Xiaoxin’s body, it looked a little clumsy and cute.

At 26 years old, acting like a five or six-year-old child was somewhat shameful, but it was still far better than being a magical girl.

He stopped.

For a moment, his murderous aura seemed to weaken, but it quickly returned, followed by a dry, rasping laugh.

“Ha… haha…”

“Hahahahahahahahaha!”

‘Is he mocking me?’

Magical Girl Xiaoxin didn’t know.

She couldn’t read the expression under his mask, but a sense of pain was transmitted to her.

She dropped the imitation transformation pose and summoned her wand.

“Heh, it’s been a long time since I’ve laughed like that. I didn’t think an old man like me still had such feelings left.”

His laughter died down.

Instead of heading straight for Magical Girl Xiaoxin, he raised his sword and pointed it at Huoli.

“Don’t be impatient, Magical Girl Xiaoxin. You’re next.”

A terrible premonition welled up in her heart.

If the mere shockwave from the demon sword could cause such massive damage to a magical girl, how could the grievously injured Huoli possibly withstand a direct hit?

She couldn’t.

As if seeing the outcome seconds in the future, Magical Girl Xiaoxin immediately got up and ran.

The elite hero, the undefeated legend—Huoli—was now like a lamb to the slaughter, her body twitching, unable to resist or even move, tears streaming uncontrollably from the corners of her eyes.