With Bai Jin and Bai Zhi safely positioned behind her, Qi Yue’an could finally unleash her full strength against the demon.
Already weakened by their previous skirmish, the demon now presented a pathetic sight, its form riddled with an increasing number of gaping holes, and one of its once-extendable limbs was conspicuously missing.
Aided by the twin streams of ranged fire, Qi Yue’an effortlessly closed the distance, her sword flashing in a brilliant arc as it cleaved into the demon’s core.
“Ah—”
A shriek, eerily human-like, tore from its maw; it attempted to release more rats to distract her, but flames swiftly traced the wound, spreading into the very holes designed for summoning, furiously burning the freshly conjured rats and some deeper, more fundamental essence as fuel.
“Hiss—”
Accompanied by a strange, sizzling sound, thick smoke began to billow from its body; the plastic demon could no longer focus on counterattacking, instead flailing wildly at its surroundings.
Its sole remaining arm clawed and hammered at itself, the agony on its face almost solidifying into a tangible form.
“Relax, pain is normal.
I’ll end your suffering in an instant.”
Qi Yue’an herself was somewhat taken aback by the remarkable efficacy of her attack, and the words slipped from her lips without warning, though no one nearby was in a mood to laugh at her dark jest.
Upon hearing her, a faint, almost human-like rage seemed to flicker across the demon’s face, but then it truly ceased its frantic movements.
It moved its arm as if in a plea for a swift execution.
Recalling Xiyin’s conjecture from before they entered this basement, a flicker of regret and pity entered Qi Yue’an’s gaze as she looked at it.
“My apologies, that joke was a bit much.”
With that, as if to show respect, she channeled her full power into her sword, its tip stretching high enough to touch the ceiling, before she swung it down with a single hand.
“Boom—”
With a sound reminiscent of a plastic shell shattering, the surrounding environment instantly reverted to an ordinary parking lot, and all traces of the brutal battle vanished without a trace.
Qi Yue’an’s greatsword shrank back to its original size, the violet-black flames of envy quietly extinguishing.
She let out a soft breath, then turned to walk towards the other three.
Xiyin had already set down Bai Jin, meticulously checking her for any apparent injuries.
Though Bai Jin’s complexion remained pallid, the stubbornness in her crimson eyes had not diminished in the slightest; she struggled to stand steady, seemingly unwilling to appear too vulnerable before strangers.
Just as Qi Yue’an was about to inquire about Xiyin’s condition, Bai Zhi, the flaxen-haired archer, was the first to approach.
Despite her exhaustion, her magic depleted, and traces of weakness still clinging to her face, her eyes sparkled with a newfound light, the previous gloom that had suggested a readiness for death completely gone.
Qi Yue’an inexplicably felt a chill run down her spine, as if she knew from their very first meeting that this was a type of person she was ill-equipped to handle.
“This… hero!
Thank you so much just now!”
Bai Zhi’s voice was far more lively than anticipated; she clasped her hands together, a warm smile gracing her face, and leaned closer.
“Little sister, you’re incredibly strong!
The way you swept me through the siege earlier was so cool!
My heart was pounding; you’re truly a hero descended from the heavens~
This life-saving grace is impossible to repay, so how about I offer myself in return?”
She winked, her tone laden with obvious, playful teasing.
Qi Yue’an was momentarily stunned by this declaration; she quickly recoiled from the other woman’s encroaching movement, her silver eyes widening slightly.
To be honest, she hadn’t given it much thought earlier; she had only come because Xiyin seemed intent on saving them.
As someone who rarely even engaged in normal conversation, she utterly lacked experience in dealing with such forward individuals.
‘Oh… it seems it’s not even an ‘individual’ anymore.’
“Sis! What are you talking about?!”
Before a bewildered Qi Yue’an could respond, Bai Jin, the little knight beside them, erupted like a cat whose tail had been trodden on, squeezing herself between the two.
Although she was even shorter than Qi Yue’an, she valiantly puffed out her chest, attempting to project an air of authority.
“I’m the strongest Radiant Knight!
It’s my duty to protect you, I… I don’t need anyone else’s help… and I certainly won’t let you have my sister!”
Bai Jin’s words were filled with a stubborn defiance and the territorial possessiveness of a small, feisty guardian, making her appear utterly adorable.
This left Qi Yue’an feeling as if she had somehow become the protagonist of some cutesy, ‘moe’ light novel.
She instinctively glanced at Xiyin, only to find her maintaining a serious demeanor, as if scanning for danger, yet her eyes kept darting back to steal glances.
Looking at her face, Qi Yue’an couldn’t help but recall the expression Xiyin wore when she accidentally saw her reading Yuri light novels on her phone late at night during their two days of sleeping on the floor at her place—it was precisely the same.
Bai Zhi watched the scene unfold, and far from toning it down, she became even more playful.
She deliberately put on a stern face and, in an exaggerated, elder-like tone, declared,
“Xiao Jin, don’t be so rude!
How can you speak to your Uncle Qi like that?”
“Uncle… Uncle Qi?!”
This address utterly stunned Qi Yue’an; she couldn’t help but blurt it out, her mind momentarily crashing.
‘Am I really that old? I haven’t even graduated university yet, have I?’
‘Wait, how did she know…’
Seeing Qi Yue’an in her rare, momentarily frozen state, Bai Zhi burst into laughter, while Xiyin, familiar with internet memes, turned her head away, trying to conceal her amusement.
Just as Qi Yue’an seemed on the verge of shutting down and rebooting from cognitive overload, Xiyin finally spoke, interrupting them.
“Alright, Miss Bai Zhi, please stop joking around.”
She stepped forward, giving Qi Yue’an a slight nod.
“An’an merely did what was necessary.”
She then looked at Bai Zhi and Bai Jin.
“It’s good that you two are alright.”
Qi Yue’an finally found her voice, her tone returning to its usual calm, and pointed at Xiyin.
“I only helped because Xiyin seemed to want to save them…”
“Oh~ So her name is…”
“Enough.”
She simply stated the facts, attributing the credit to Xiyin, who had made the decision.
Seeing that Bai Zhi was about to say something else, Xiyin skillfully steered the conversation back to more pressing matters.
“The battle is over; it’s not advisable to linger here.
What are your plans… from now on?
Do you live nearby?”
At the mention of this, the previously spirited Bai Jin wilted slightly, as if recalling some troublesome matter, yet she also seemed to think it was no big deal.
“A place to live? That kind of thing… we don’t have one at all!”
She spread her hands, asserting it as if it were something to be proud of.
Bai Zhi sighed, ruffling her sister’s hair, the playful expression on her face replaced by a touch of weary reality and helplessness.
“To be precise, we’re nomadic.
Xiao Jin and I… our ‘identities’ ran into some trouble.”
“About a month after becoming magical girls, some of our identification documents were invalidated due to legal declarations of death.
We’re essentially… undocumented now?
We can’t rent normally, nor can we find jobs to earn money.”
She paused, then added,
“Our daily expenses primarily come from the occasional rewards given by ordinary people we save from demon attacks, out of gratitude… but it’s not stable.”
She also revealed that she had just finished her college entrance exams, while Bai Jin had just graduated middle school.
Upon hearing this, Qi Yue’an became pensive.
She glanced at Xiyin, who, because her original rental apartment wasn’t under her name and she wished to avoid further contact with her already twisted and flawed interpersonal relationships, was temporarily without a place to stay.
Then, she looked at the two sisters before her, who, despite their considerable strength, clearly lacked basic living security.
A proposition naturally formed in her mind.
“Since none of us have anywhere to go,”
Xiyin’s voice was calm, yet it carried a reassuring strength, her pale blue eyes sweeping over the three of them.
“And we all possess power, needing to face the same enemies…”
She paused briefly, then clearly put forth her suggestion,
“Why don’t the four of us form a magical girl team, act together.
And… live together.”
“I agree!”
Bai Zhi was the first to raise her hand.
She had been trying her utmost to survive with Bai Jin in this city, and now that a turning point had finally arrived, she had to seize it.
“Though it’s suspicious, if Sis is going, I’ll reluctantly join.
Don’t you dare hold me back, you common… Mmph… What are you doing?”
Bai Jin crossed her arms, but her words were cut short when Xiyin, finally unable to resist, gently patted her head.
All three of them turned to look at Qi Yue’an, seemingly awaiting her answer.
Seeing the genuine earnestness in their eyes, Qi Yue’an felt a momentary daze.
Companionship and a sense of belonging… she had once yearned for them, but those people had repeatedly trampled upon her dignity and emotions.
Ever since Lin Xiao left her two years ago, the time within her heart had felt frozen, leaving her to shiver behind a mask of failure, living a solitary, painful existence like a clumsy actor.
Those vulgar, crude nicknames, those mocking laughs that always shadowed her like a clown, constantly stabbed at her already dead heart.
On that day, she had truly wanted to surrender everything to her other self, but that self had told her she could seek something of her own.
“Then… for a lifetime…”
“Can we be a team for a lifetime?”
Qi Yue’an spoke with unwavering determination, and everyone who heard her words froze, feeling as if the gravity beneath their feet had suddenly intensified severalfold.
“Huh?!” (Bai Jin)
“This… if it’s with our benefactor… then yes~” (Bai Zhi)
“An’an… Alright, I’ll protect you!” (Xiyin)
“Well… if you need me that much, it depends on your performance…” (Bai Jin)