Intimidation

After becoming Meng Shan’s assistant, Ran Jiuyi had used her position to review every single battle the “Three Little Ones” had fought since their debut.

Not once had they failed. Every battle had been won with ease; they hadn’t faced a single grueling struggle.

On one hand, this was good—it proved they were more than capable of handling the monsters in this city. On the other hand, it was a disaster. Having known nothing but overwhelming victory, they likely didn’t understand how to fight an enemy stronger than themselves. They didn’t understand the iron will required to face a powerful foe, nor did they understand the visceral terror that comes with absolute defeat.

Today, Ran Jiuyi had given them a proper lesson, allowing them to experience the bitter taste of failure to the fullest.

But it wasn’t enough. Ran Jiuyi felt she needed to add a bit more “flavor” to the experience—perhaps she should let them feel the sensation of being on the brink of death.

However, glancing at Cheng Ya, whose body was already growing cold on the ground, Ran Jiuyi dismissed the thought.

Better not. Today isn’t the best time for a lecture, and these things are better handled step-by-step. Besides, I still have to deal with Cheng Ya’s situation. I’ll just stick to scaring them a little for now.

She touched her face. The wounds inflicted by the trio earlier had completely healed. This was fortunate; if she tried to intimidate them with half of her face melted off, she might actually scare them to death.

“Do you know why you lost so miserably?” Ran Jiuyi asked. “It’s because you didn’t investigate my abilities beforehand.”

“Honestly, I have a bit of a reputation. Digging up my files is easy, especially for Magical Girls like you. If you really wanted to, you could have pulled up a massive stack of data on me.”

“It’s a shame you didn’t. After fighting me once, you still didn’t gather intel before our second encounter. Among all the enemies I’ve met, you three are the first to be so… careless.”

As Ran Jiuyi spoke, Yi Ziling and Bai He’an—much like Jiang Yunshu before them—felt the strength drain from their bodies. They collapsed limply to the ground.

“What… did you… do?” Bai He’an asked, her voice faint. For some reason, her internal mana was still abundant, yet her body couldn’t muster an ounce of strength.

“What did I do? What a terrible question. It’s so terrible that if you had researched me, you wouldn’t even have to ask. But fine, since you want to know, I’ll explain my ability.”

With that, Ran Jiuyi snatched one of the wandering needles out of the air. “I call these ‘Erosion Needles.’ As you can see, I can create and control them at will. You’ve already experienced their power in combat.”

“They have a special property: upon impact, they leave an ‘Erosion Point’ on the enemy’s body—the thorn-like pattern you see on yourselves.”

“Through these points, I can drain your life force—or give it. These marks stack, too. The more Erosion Points you have, the faster I can siphon your life away.”

By now, the trio lacked the strength even to speak. But seeing the dazed, confused looks in their eyes, Ran Jiuyi understood their unspoken question: What is life force?

She shook her head helplessly. Their ignorance of basic concepts was alarming. Hadn’t Meng Shan told them? No, knowing their style, Meng Shan probably had told them, and they had simply forgotten.

“Sigh, I’ll be the ‘good guy’ here and explain it to you.”

“So-called life force is the vitality possessed by a living being. You can simply think of it as ‘physical strength.'”

“Different species have different levels of life force. For example, a human is stronger than an ant. Different humans vary too—young people are usually stronger than the elderly, the fit are stronger than the weak, and Magical Girls are naturally stronger than ordinary humans.”

Of course, this wasn’t an absolute rule. Ran Jiuyi had seen Magical Girls with lower life force than ordinary civilians before.

“Life force is what supports the consumption of all your physical activities in daily life and combat—movement, healing, everything.”

“You might not have noticed, but even when using mana-consuming abilities, you still need a small amount of life force as support. That’s why your abilities failed once I drained the vast majority of your life force.”

Glancing at the gel-encased Jiang Yunshu, she added, “However, for abilities that have already been activated and don’t require maintenance, there is no effect.”

“Don’t worry. As long as your bodily functions are normal, life force recovers very quickly, especially for Magical Girls with superhuman physiques like yours.”

With that, Ran Jiuyi ceased the siphoning.

Instantly, the trio felt the crushing weakness recede significantly. Strength began to flow back into their limbs. It seemed that in just a few more moments, they would be able to stand.

Snap!

With a flick of her fingers, Ran Jiuyi restarted the absorption. The paralyzing weakness returned instantly.

“Just like that sensation,” she continued, “you recovered quite a bit in a very short time. But remember the condition: as long as your bodily functions are normal.“

“I only need to increase the output slightly, and an excessive drain will destroy those functions entirely. Though, that would make your bodies shrivel up and look quite hideous, so I won’t do that.”

Ran Jiuyi clapped her hands. “Now that I’ve explained it clearly… how should I handle you?”

She walked slowly to Bai He’an, tilting the girl’s chin up to force her to look into her eyes. The bravery Bai He’an had shown during the fight had vanished, replaced by panic and dread.

Ran Jiuyi didn’t like that look, especially not in the eyes of a Magical Girl.

“What do you think I should do? Should I skin you alive and let you die slowly?”

“Or perhaps I should break every single one of your ribs. My technique is very good; I can avoid hitting your lungs. Combined with a Magical Girl’s legendary vitality, I can keep you alive for quite a while—long enough for you to savor every bit of the agony. Trust me, it is very, very painful.”

Naturally, she was only playing a part. Ran Jiuyi had no real taste for torture. However, her acting was impeccable; she perfectly projected the chilling, twisted aura of a true villain.

From the way Bai He’an’s pupils trembled, Ran Jiuyi knew the act was working.

“So, tell me, which do you prefer?” Ran Jiuyi stared into her eyes. “Actually, since you’ve never experienced either, let me give you a demonstration first.”

She dragged Jiang Yunshu and Yi Ziling over to Bai He’an. “It’s clear you’re the leader of this trio. Therefore, you have the right to decide what kind of ‘treatment’ your comrades receive.”

“First, the skinning. I know your eyes can still move, so you can use them to choose. Whichever side you look at, that’s the person I’ll skin.”

“You might wonder what happens if you don’t look at either. Will I skin you instead, like a cliché villain? Don’t even think about it. If you don’t choose, I’ll simply skin both of them.”

“And don’t think it ends there. I’ll heal one of them and proceed to the next ‘demonstration.’ I’ll make you choose again for the rib-breaking. If you still don’t pick, I’ll break the ribs of both.”

Ran Jiuyi waved an Erosion Needle in front of Bai He’an’s eyes. “Don’t think I lack healing abilities. I can drain life force, I can give it, and I can even convert mana into it. For Magical Girls like you, as long as it’s not a fatal blow that kills you on the spot, I can fix it.”

Discussing such horrific punishments, Ran Jiuyi’s tone remained as casual as if she were talking about dinner, like she was performing a trivial task. “Alright, I’ve said my piece. Give me your choice.”

Choice? Bai He’an’s mind was a complete blank. How was she supposed to choose? How could she choose to have her precious friends tortured?

All three options were unacceptable. She couldn’t bear to see either of her friends suffer, let alone be the one to decide it.

What if… I take it all myself? That thought swirled in Bai He’an’s head. She couldn’t speak, but if she rolled her eyes up and down, maybe Ran Jiuyi would understand.

Yes! I’ll do that! Bai He’an steeled her resolve. She would rather endure any amount of torture herself than let her friends suffer.

In the gap of Bai He’an’s hesitation, Ran Jiuyi observed the eyes of the other two girls. As expected, they were filled with bone-deep terror.

Ran Jiuyi sighed inwardly. At the end of the day, these three were just children who hadn’t grown up. Those terrified eyes reminded her of her own former, cowardly self.

She remembered six years ago. Just like them, she had been scouted by the government after awakening as a Magical Girl and sent to fight monsters and evil organizations. She, too, had been caught off guard by a powerful enemy. The same terror, the same helplessness.

Those who become Magical Girls possess something within them that exceeds the norm. But even if they have extraordinary power, Ran Jiuyi didn’t believe that was a justification for making children—minors—fight these wars.

Whatever. I’ll finish this play first. I’ll worry about the complicated stuff later.