The Ensnared Beast and the Tricky Ally

“Swish! Swish!”

Several beams of light preemptively struck, halting the man-wolf calamity beast’s sudden assault. Two chubby Dandelion babies had materialized beside Saint Lily, launching their attacks at the beast.

Seizing the opportunity, Saint Lily swiftly retreated to a safe distance. Her staff spun rapidly, bestowing a protective enchantment.

The bleeding wounds ceased, glowing with a faint luminescence.

The man-wolf calamity beast opened its massive maw, exhaling a pillar of crimson light. One of the Dandelion babies met it head-on, unfurling a barrier of white fluff that filled the air.

Its vision obscured, the beast roared, unleashing several consecutive scarlet breaths. Yet, these attacks vanished as if a clay ox had entered the sea, leaving not a single ripple.

‘Escape? Absolutely impossible!’

Its nose twitched, sniffing the air, and a fierce glint appeared in its eyes.

“What are you thinking, Saint? I’m buying you time, and you’re actually sealing off the barrier? How much power do you even have left?!”

“But it wouldn’t be good if the calamity spread. Dandelion, please go request backup,” Saint Lily said weakly, rubbing her face.

She felt a little embarrassed by Dandelion’s words, which conveyed a sense of ‘disappointment that one cannot meet expectations.’ “I should be able to hold out until reinforcements arrive. While I may not excel at offense, I do have some experience with defense.”

“You… don’t get hurt, and don’t do anything foolish. I’ll bring people to reinforce you immediately.”

As the telepathic communication ended, a blood-red claw mark tore through the barrier, only to be met by the Lily Seal Shield.

Saint Lily added another layer of Stone Guard enchantment.

She held firm against the assault.

The remaining Dandelion babies landed several precise beams of light on the man-wolf calamity beast. They merely sparked a faint flicker of fire on its dark, metallic fur, which quickly died out.

The man-wolf scoffed at this, growing even more enraged by the memory of how such attacks had startled it before.

Its inherent intelligence allowed it to ignore the Dandelion babies’ interference. It lunged at Saint Lily, delivering a barrage of slashes with such speed that they seemed to tear through space itself.

*Bang!*

The next moment, Saint Lily was unsurprisingly sent flying.

However, the instant she was struck, two halos formed around her: the Lightfooted Guard and the Life Guard. The Lightfooted Guard not only reduced her landing damage but also enhanced her agility and speed.

The Life Guard would instantly mend her injuries upon impact. Thus, Saint Lily didn’t hesitate; she turned and fled, creating a significant distance between herself and the beast.

“Roar!”

How could this not be perceived as mockery? The man-wolf grew even more furious! It sprinted to give chase, but its opponent’s speed was far from slow!

All its ranged attacks were blocked by the Lily Seal Shield. The prey was right within reach, yet it couldn’t be caught—a truly maddening situation.

Saint Lily executed a sharp turn. Caught off guard, the man-wolf couldn’t stop in time and *thumped* straight into an invisible wall.

“Roar?”

The man-wolf batted at it, its expression one of disbelief. It then tried again and again, with frantic desperation.

‘No matter how much force I use, it won’t break?’

‘I… I… I’ve not only been toyed with by my prey, but I’ve also been trapped in a cage?’

Realizing something was amiss, it decided to flee. It needed to escape this cage.

****

Red Spider Lily touched the invisible wall, patting her chest in relief. ‘Good thing I rushed in; otherwise, I would’ve crashed into it.’

“This is a barrier,” Su Xiaoqian stated, having flown a circle to observe it.

“I feel like I’ve heard of this somewhere?”

“Saint Lily.”

“Right.”

At Su Xiaoqian’s mention, Red Spider Lily instantly recalled.

‘So, this scent of blood, the injured person, is it from her?’

‘And isn’t this quite a coincidence?’

‘After all, even though we haven’t met face-to-face, there’s already a history between us.’

As she pondered, she noticed someone approaching. The person looked at her, first startled, then their expression turned to panic.

Red Spider Lily made no reaction. The other person had already rushed over, grabbed her hand, and started running with her.

****

Saint Lily felt a slight headache. “Apologies, you might not understand the situation with me dragging you along. You… you recognize me, right? I’m Saint Lily, the captain of the ‘Lucky Garden’ superpower team.”

“Mm, I suppose so?” Red Spider Lily blinked, then nodded.

“Alright, that makes things much easier to explain. Simply put, I’m currently fighting a calamity beast. To prevent the disaster from spreading, I erected a barrier, trapping both it and myself inside.”

“You must have accidentally wandered in when the barrier was fully raised, but I can’t dispel it right now,” she explained. “Reinforcements should arrive very soon. In the meantime, I will do my best to protect you.”

“Oh~ really?” Red Spider Lily looked at her. “You’re not going to use me as bait, are you? So you can make your own escape~”

“Eh?”

It was the first time Saint Lily had heard such a question; the mere thought that someone would conceive of such a plan struck her as incredible.

“How could I? Our responsibility is to protect ordinary citizens,” Saint Lily replied truthfully.

“But I saw it~”

“Once, a few magical girls just like you, in their zeal to attack a calamity beast, ended up blowing away nearby civilians~”

“Ugh… how could there be magical girls like that?” Saint Lily exclaimed in shock. “Power should exist for protection. Otherwise, wouldn’t that make them no different from villainous ability users?”

‘……’

Red Spider Lily watched her. ‘But the ability users I mentioned… they were your subordinates~’

‘The leader doesn’t know anything about it?’

‘Is that even possible?’

For some reason, a mischievous streak appeared in her, despite her original intention of doing good. Suddenly, she let out a soft cry and stumbled forward, collapsing.

“Uh, what’s wrong?”

“I think I twisted my ankle.” Red Spider Lily knelt on the ground, putting on a pitiful display of enduring pain. “Saint Lily, run quickly! I’ll only drag you down like this. I think I hear something… is the calamity beast coming? It’s getting closer, hurry, don’t worry about…”

“Eh?” Red Spider Lily’s careful expression faltered as Saint Lily suddenly swept her into a princess carry.

“You’re clearly so scared, yet you’re telling others to abandon you?” Saint Lily smiled at her. “There’s no need to worry. The world might not be as wonderful as you imagine, but it’s not entirely terrible either. A small setback isn’t enough reason for us to give up hope.”

“!”

“Rather, a magical girl is someone who brings hope to people! I won’t abandon you, so promise me, don’t give up on yourself first!”

‘……’

“Hide well, you’ll be fine. Based on what happened before, it won’t attack the wall, and it won’t see you.”

Saint Lily waved her staff, conjuring a barrier, and earnestly instructed Red Spider Lily, who was hiding under a slide. Then, she smiled again. “It’s alright. Tomorrow, you’ll definitely be resting comfortably in bed. It’s a future full of hope; your life won’t end here!”

Hearing the wolf’s howl, Saint Lily cast a beam of light towards another direction, then rushed towards it herself. ‘Is she trying to lure the calamity beast away from here?’

‘……’

Red Spider Lily watched, stunned.

“Oh~ Host, that big sister is so nice~” Su Xiaoqian finally spoke up.

“Fake. She just says pretty words, but in reality, she still left me here alone and ran off.”

‘……’

“Host, if you can’t find a reason, don’t force it~”

“Ah~ You don’t believe me~” Red Spider Lily pointed a finger at Su Xiaoqian. “Hmph, there’s nothing for it then. I’ll just have to show you, so you can learn the truth.”

“A tsundere host~”

“Hm?”

“I meant ‘proud,’ yes, proudly speaking!”

“Hmph~”

Red Spider Lily drew a cut, and blood trickled down. From the soft earth, vibrant red Red Spider Lilies continuously grew and spread, and she moved forward through the blossoming flowers. The barrier set by the other party seemed invisible, allowing her to pass right through it.

‘If she’s genuine, helping her wouldn’t be so bad.’