Inside the towering wall, the Beast Witch, transformed into a pangolin, continued to claw and dig at its structure. Earth and stone churned, dust billowed, twisting into a murky vortex. The sea of magical girls, standing atop the wall, leaped down, suspending themselves in the blizzard-swept air. Elemental light swirled around their forms as ten elemental spells erupted simultaneously—golden spikes of metal element shot forth, wooden vines coiled, earthen rock cones formed stone prisons, fire coalesced into blazing orbs, water manifested as surging tides, lightning struck from the thunder element, wind element conjured swirling vortexes, ice element solidified into sharp icicles, light element unleashed brilliant beams, and dark element summoned shadowy tentacles…
A pangolin, unlike a rhinoceros, was not blessed with thick, coarse hide. Streaming flames clung to her back, searing her flesh, while white lightning snaked across her scales. Chains of frost bound her ceaselessly digging limbs. Her scales charred and flaked away, blood gushing from the wounds. Yet, this only ignited the pangolin’s ferocity. She accelerated her digging, her sharp claws scraping and tearing at the bricks and stones, sending sparks flying in every direction.
Not far away, within the cloaking circle, the assembled witches held their breath, unable to make a move lest they expose themselves. All they could do was watch their comrade fight alone, tearing open the wall with her own flesh and blood. But soon, a dire realization dawned upon them: the towering wall was healing itself!
The passage, half-dug, began to twist and deform. Cracks shattered by the rhinoceros and pried open by sharp claws visibly writhed and sealed shut.
“This is bad…”
The witch, in her pangolin form, let out a roar, compelled to cease her excavation. She dragged her battered tail, continuously lashing at the healing sections. Fortunately, the newly regenerated wall was inherently fragile and could not yet withstand such assaults. Even if she was on the verge of being torn apart by elemental magic, she absolutely could not allow this wall to heal and seal itself. Bracing herself with one foreclaw for balance, she vigorously dug with the other, and with every scrape, blood dripped from her claw tips.
****
Meanwhile, Xia Naxin, embracing Ling Cheyin, streaked across the snowy plains as a beam of light, etching a starlit trail in the sky. Yet, the vast snowfield stretched endlessly, and ahead loomed that same obsidian high wall, spanning the horizon. However, Xia Naxin had just sensed a powerful tremor from the direction of the high wall. This clearly indicated something was breaching the wall from the outside.
It seemed their comrades from the Witches’ Coven had finally made their move. But wasn’t it far too slow? How long had it been since she crippled the Monan Fortress? Now, they were hemmed in: the high wall before them, Lingguang Yixian behind them, the Monan Fortress defenses to their left, and the sea of magical girls to their right.
Above, the circling black dragon, its breath illuminating the firmament, was controlled by that one Special Grade magical girl, the Dragon Rider. And the rumbling thunder… that was the Special Grade Thunder Controller, purple lightning weaving a plasma net through the clouds. Xia Naxin had nowhere left to run.
A moment later, a crimson streak of light whizzed past their ears, revealing Lina, her body drenched in blood. Behind her, a vast tide of pursuers surged forward, and the black dragon was already exhaling a torrent of dragon’s breath. The Special Grade Dragon Rider atop the dragon’s head glared furiously at the fleeing Lina. ‘This outsider, daring to cause trouble and then attempting to escape?’ Her furious shout was laced with contempt:
“You suicidal Bloodkin, today, your bones shall lie buried upon this snowfield…”
****
Seeing this, Ling Cheyin trembled as she clung to Xia Naxin, silently wishing, ‘Sister, where are you?’ Her voice quivered:
“W-what should we do? Should we wait for Sister to rescue us?”
However, Lina turned and approached, her crimson pupils almost dripping blood, her voice hoarse and savage:
“Blood… I need blood, or we will all perish.”
She had depleted her supply of blood vials; continuing to fight would only mean losing more blood, an unfavorable trade. Moreover, Lina had fought alone on the high wall for so long, having already given her utmost. She wasn’t about to sacrifice her life for Ling Qinghe. Reflecting now, the ‘sincerity’ had been far too meager. Thirty vials? That was hardly enough.
Hearing this, Ling Cheyin recoiled further into Xia Naxin’s embrace. She had no desire to have her blood drawn by a Bloodkin, fearing her body would become ‘defiled.’
“Alright…”
Xia Naxin hesitated for a moment before agreeing. Ling Qinghe had mentioned to her that such a temporary Bloodkin ‘ally’ could be trusted, albeit reluctantly. Losing a bit of blood was no big deal, as long as there was no intimate contact. Xia Naxin cut her palm, allowing the flowing blood to coagulate into a sphere, which she then floated through the air into Lina’s mouth.
Observing the rapidly approaching dragon’s breath, Xia Naxin let out a soft cry, erecting a hemispherical psychic barrier around the three of them. It exploded with a shower of sparks, melting the snow and sending up plumes of steam. Only then did it manage to stop the dragon’s breath.
After a moment, Lina regained some of her strength, licking the bloodstain from the corner of her lips. Just as Xia Naxin was about to discuss tactics with Lina, the Bloodkin, without a backward glance, transformed into a mist of blood and fled? No, that direction… she was heading straight towards Lingguang Yixian’s sword qi! Blood energy surged, clashing with the icy-blue sword qi. The next moment, the fierce sword qi cleaved through the blood mist. Lina, barehanded, seized Lingguang Yixian’s longsword, her palm slicing open on the blade’s edge, yet she seemed not to care.
“Lina!”
But Xia Naxin’s cry was drowned out by a dragon’s roar, accompanied by a ‘star shower’ of elemental magic. On the snowfield, Lina’s figure, fighting Lingguang Yixian alone, gradually diminished, becoming a blurry red speck. Now, it seemed they were truly about to be utterly surrounded. Moreover, the Special Grade Thunder Controller was leading her forces towards the outside of the wall; it was only a matter of time before they rooted out the witches there.
‘Why is this broken wall taking so long?’ Xia Naxin couldn’t help but inwardly complain. ‘With this kind of efficiency, they expect to complete the mission? What exactly is the organization thinking?’
****
On the other side, high above the snowfield, fierce sword qi and scarlet blood energy, like two solidified tides of fury, clashed with a resounding boom. Two afterimages intertwined as Lina spun with her spear, its tip thrusting towards Le Feiying’s sword light—
“Clang—”
The blood spear met the longsword, sparking brilliantly and illuminating the two women’s cold, resolute faces. Le Feiying used the force to leap back, holding her longsword horizontally before her chest. Drops of blood from its tip evaporated into white mist upon the ground. The sword’s spine reflected Lina’s blood-stained golden hair, and a cold question, imbued with killing intent, escaped her lips:
“Bloodkin?”
Lina’s blood-red eyes narrowed as she tossed her blood-matted golden hair, observing the woman before her. She was secretly astonished. How could there be sword cultivators from the Eastern World in the Northern World? Both sides found each other’s aura strange, yet they were certain they were both outsiders. At that moment, the sword’s edge hummed. Le Feiying flicked her wrist, holding her sword horizontally, pointing it at Lina’s throat. She said nothing, merely raising her sword stance slightly.
“Interesting.”
Lina’s tongue touched her canine teeth. Holding the blood-soaked long spear in one hand, she began to circle her opponent.
“Then let me taste if the blood of an Eastern sword cultivator still has that metallic tang.”
****
Xia Naxin’s side was now completely surrounded. She knew that even a slight movement, even a heavier breath, could invite a fatal blow; the black dragon had already fixed its gaze upon her. Her only option was to surrender. The black dragon landed, and the Special Grade Dragon Rider approached. With a wave of her hand, she immediately cast a binding spell on the two of them. Instantly, Xia Naxin and Ling Cheyin’s limbs were bound by visible magical shackles, and their mouths were sealed. The Dragon Rider then scrutinized them from her superior position.
“It’s clear you came prepared, even infiltrating the fortress…”
Having spoken, the Dragon Rider turned, about to summon her subordinates, and waved a hand. Just as she was about to utter the words ‘take them back…’—
Suddenly, an earth-shattering explosion ripped through the sky! Everyone looked towards the sound, only to see the towering border wall… erupt in a towering inferno, illuminating half the sky. With that immense boom, the high wall… had actually been breached? Amidst flying bricks and stones, the dust settled, revealing a gaping hole tens of meters in diameter, connecting to the world beyond the border. The howling north wind, carrying the aura from beyond the wall, rushed in, bringing with it the scent of ‘freedom.’
****
Meanwhile, inside the high wall’s passage, the pangolin collapsed, its form gradually shrinking… eventually transforming back into its human shape, drenched in blood. The Beast Witch tremblingly lifted her head, her fingers raking five bloody gouges into the rubble-strewn ground as she surveyed everything within the wall.
“S-succeeded?”
No, she clearly hadn’t dug through the wall yet… She had only heard a deafening blast, and the passage had suddenly exploded, the force of the impact overwhelming her. And for this, they had to thank the witch responsible for detonating the wall-breaking device—the skull pieced together from bones. This contraption was actually an explosive inside, though its destructive power wasn’t particularly great. At that time, the witches within the cloaking circle, after deliberation, decided to take a gamble and use the skull as a bomb. They couldn’t afford to worry about accidentally harming the Beast Witch. After all, the leading witch had sensed… a Special Grade approaching their location. And so, the high wall was indeed blown open.
But now, the Special Grade Thunder Controller had already arrived within the passage. Without a word, she raised her hand, unleashing a bolt of purple lightning that struck towards the injured Beast Witch. The Beast Witch instinctively rolled to evade, yet the electric current still grazed her shoulder. Immediately after, a cage of lightning descended. Imprisoned within, she knelt on the charred ground, trembling, completely incapacitated.
“Tell me, where are your accomplices?”
The Special Grade Thunder Controller stepped forward, ignoring the lightning cage. She yanked the Beast Witch’s short grey hair, while her other hand, clutching a thunder core, pressed it against the witch’s chest.
“If you don’t speak, then I’ll have to invite you to experience some ‘electrotherapy’… Try not to lose control of your bladder, alright?”
****
Within the cloaking circle, the eleven witches dared not make a move. The vicinity was swarming with magical girls, and the high wall… was still healing. Time was running out for them. They had considered trying to scale the high wall to enter the territory, but that was unrealistic. The Southern Border wasn’t just Monan Fortress. Moreover, the high wall could ‘heal’; it wasn’t an inanimate object. If they were to climb over it, the ‘Eyes of the High Wall’ would record their aura. But breaching the wall was a different matter. Of course, these experiences were hard-won by senior witches, one by one, through trial and error. According to their plan, they *had* to breach the wall; climbing over it was out of the question. At this moment, a delicate, petite witch tugged at the leading witch’s sleeve, too timid to make a sound, conveying her anxiety.
If the breach in the high wall were to heal, then… the mission would essentially be a failure! The leading witch could only raise a finger, signaling them to wait another minute, as the high wall’s healing process would take no more than two minutes.
****
Sixty seconds quietly slipped by, and the breach in the high wall was already halfway healed. Inside the passage, the Beast Witch, shocked to the point of incontinence, lay curled on the charred ground, her body wracked with convulsions. The foulness of her incontinence mixed with the electrocuted, scorched flesh, an utter humiliation. This Special Grade Thunder Controller seemed to rather enjoy electrocuting people, toying with the crackling lightning whip in her hand. Indeed, this was part of the interrogation process. A sickly smile played on her lips as she occasionally cracked her lightning whip, striking the Beast Witch’s trembling body.
“I’ll ask again… Where are your accomplices hiding? Tell me or not, tell me or not, tell me or not…”
The lightning whip cracked with increasing relish.
****
Meanwhile, Xia Naxin and Ling Cheyin were being escorted through the encirclement of magical girls. As for Lina, who knew where she had ended up fighting Le Feiying? Even though the high wall had been breached, the witches outside remained strangely silent. Xia Naxin wondered, ‘Are we truly going to fail?’ Such a bitter feeling of unwillingness. Of course, Xia Naxin could escape into the inner world at any moment, but she couldn’t bring herself to abandon Ling Cheyin, so she reluctantly stayed with her. Suddenly, Xia Naxin realized, ‘Where *was* Ling Qinghe?’ From what she knew of Ling Qinghe—this woman, who always planned flawlessly, would never stand idly by, not even when her own sister had been ‘captured.’ But when would the turning point finally arrive? Just as Xia Naxin still clung to hope.
Suddenly, two immense magical presences descended from the sky. Was that an emerald wood dragon, thousands of meters long? It burst forth from the clouds, its body winding, scales shimmering with the radiance of life. This dragon was wingless, more akin to a flood dragon. Perched atop its head was a woman in a green dress, standing barefoot, exuding an aura of vibrant life. Bound before her feet was a crimson silhouette—it was Lina! She had been captured?! Moreover, she was hog-tied, her mouth gagged with a special sealing orb. Lingguang Yixian was also flying by sword alongside the wood dragon. Besides her, next to the woman in green, stood a girl in a black dress, enveloped in an aura of chaos. Such an aura… these were two beings beyond Special Grade…
This was truly terrible. Now, it was truly over. Lina had fallen, she and the little witch were captured, and the breach in the high wall had been reoccupied by the magical girls. Could it be that the battle was truly decided, their defeat sealed? Then, an even more despairing sight unfolded: the Monan Fortress actually began to operate. The silent towers began to tremble, and a rumbling sound emanated forth.
Nearly ten minutes had passed since Xia Naxin crippled the core magic reactor. This was enough time for the fortress staff to switch to the backup core reactor.
“Ah, damn it~”
Xia Naxin sighed in unwilling resignation. There was truly no chance left now; all their efforts had been for naught. Soon, the beacon atop Monan Fortress flickered a few times. Seeing this, the Dragon Rider atop the black dragon’s head smiled in satisfaction. As long as the beacon lit up again, activating the ‘positioning system,’ they would surely locate all the ‘remaining forces’ hiding in the shadows and capture them alive. This would be a great achievement, and a transfer back inside the territory to become a city guardian seemed within reach! ‘Performance, here I come!’ she thought.
However, when the beacon lit up again, illuminating the pre-dawn darkness as bright as day, unexpectedly, all the magical girls present… were marked with ‘anomalous color’?! ‘What kind of joke is this? Monan Fortress is targeting friend and foe alike!’ Everyone exchanged bewildered glances, having never anticipated such a turn of events. Immediately after, the border magical girls noticed an elegant figure on the fortress.
Atop Monan Fortress, Ling Qinghe leaned against the edge of the spire, holding a walkie-talkie connected to the fortress’s broadcast system. She cleared her throat a few times.
“Ahem~ I say, no need for such expressions, looking at me like that… Now, it’s time to change the rules of the game.”
As her words fell, Monan Fortress’s attack system fully activated. Countless gun turrets, cannon platforms, and missile launchers all swiveled their barrels. Missile silos opened one after another, their tail flames illuminating half the sky. Those magic-guided weapons, originally aimed at the witches, now turned their muzzles towards the magical girls marked with ‘anomalous color’.