When one speaks of the magical girl genre, the common perception often conjures images of glamorous and adorable fantasies, nocturnal heroes safeguarding cities, or even the tragic yet artistic dark destinies that have emerged in recent years. Yet, the scene unfolding before their eyes revealed a far more brutal reality than any of those preconceptions: magical girls, being human, were inevitably drawn into humanity’s most hideous yet most epic creation—war.
“Charge!”
At that single command, countless maidens, radiant and pure as blossoms, surged forward like a ravenous pack of wolves. Amidst the shimmer of magic and the roar of engines, a myriad of weapons materialized in their hands. Forming into squads, they advanced in concert with armored vehicle units, while on the opposing front, the Demonkin had already taken their positions.
“Prepare to meet the enemy, everyone! The Lixing Shrine is behind us; we have no retreat!”
The Demonkin commander roared, as the grotesque Demonkin soldiers retrieved individual weapons from their supply crates. Magic-energy point-defense cannons began to charge, and a volley of artillery fire, targeting the enemy’s high-value assets, was the first to strike.
“Boom, boom, boom—”
Magic-energy decay technology instantly converted the magical power stored within the shells into raw thermal and kinetic energy, which mercilessly slammed into the aerial units and ground armor of the Global Emergency Organization. For a moment, flashes of fire illuminated the vast sky, and casualties began to mount on the battlefield. Then, countless unmanned and manned hover-aircraft swarmed out like bees, pouncing upon the flying magical girls, who were momentarily disoriented by the bombardment.
“Everyone, be careful!!”
Magical Girl Qiuye shouted a warning, her eyes already bloodshot. Though her squad comprised veterans with over a year of experience, having participated in several clean-up operations against roaming Demonkin and their strongholds, they were no longer as fearful of such bloody spectacles. Yet, witnessing a comrade struck by artillery fire and reduced to mangled flesh was an impact that was undeniably profound for her.
“They’re deploying aerial units! Watch out for artillery fire! Don’t let those monsters get into formation!”
Having delivered her warning, and shielded by dozens of magic-infused arrows from her last remaining comrade, her form transformed into a streak of light, surging directly towards the ascending aircraft.
While the high-tier Demonkin were formidable adversaries, the physical bodies of ordinary low-tier intelligent Demonkin were comparatively frail next to magical girls. Their greatest advantage lay in their home-turf technology and equipment.
Her primary ability, conveniently, was to transmute her body into pure magical energy, making it exceedingly difficult for ordinary physical attacks to strike her when she was prepared.
With a powerful thrust of her spear, she forcefully impaled herself into the interior of an airship, initiating yet another boarding action with a stark disparity in power.
Such scenarios were commonplace on the battlefield, and it was precisely due to this immense disparity in individual combat prowess that, even with the Lixing Shrine’s vastly superior firepower, the Global Emergency Organization still managed to forcefully push through.
“The enemy has breached the fire net; request deployment of the familiar legion!”
With the commander’s assent, in front of the first defensive wall, a torrent of grotesquely varied monsters instantly surged from the trenches. These were familiars, which, strictly speaking, were not living organisms, but rather extensions of Demonkin power, often serving as reconnaissance units and vanguard forces.
The magical girls’ squad-based assault, however, now revealed its inherent flaws. Despite their formidable individual and squad capabilities, which made their offensive power incredibly sharp, their inter-squad coordination relied heavily on the rear commander’s directives, and they lacked any fixed positions or battle lines.
Ground and aerial familiars swarmed out in overwhelming numbers, obscuring the sky and land. Though individually weak, their species were incredibly diverse and complete, and their coordination was as tight-knit as a beehive. Under the brutal fighting, an overly aggressive squad was subjected to concentrated fire and encirclement, eventually exposing a vulnerability and being sniped by a high-tier Demonkin’s magic rifle from a vantage point, marking the first instance of a squad’s complete annihilation.
From that moment onward, the battlefield, which had previously seen a relentless advance, transformed into a brutal meat grinder. Numerous Demonkin, armed with individual magic-energy rifles, mingled among the swarming familiars, clashing fiercely with the magical girls on the other side, who piloted a handful of tanks and helicopters or wielded their unique weapons.
High ground positions were captured and recaptured. Explosions, roars, wails, and even the heart-wrenching cries of young girls echoed incessantly, collectively painting a scene of living hell.
Similar scenes began to unfold across other parts of the world, as the entire shadowed world was dragged into a savage inferno. A conflict that future generations would come to call—the First Magic War.
****
Meanwhile, on a mountain peak overlooking the Lixing Shrine battlefield, three black and crimson intertwined thorns stood quietly erect.
“Those hounds aren’t much, are they? Struggling so much just to take the first position.”
Vic observed all of this. As a wild magical girl, she had no obligation to participate in this war, yet at this moment, she was peering through a sniper scope at the distance. The thorns concealed her figure, and the cold glint of her muzzle was aimed directly at the fray, clearly betraying any pretense of non-involvement.
“Calm down, Vic. Neither side’s high-tier units have entered the fray yet. We shouldn’t be the first to stick our necks out, not for a mere commission that would make us fools.”
Shasha spoke calmly. A field emanating from her magic staff concealed their figures, achieving perfect static invisibility in conjunction with Vic’s inherent thorny camouflage.
On the other side, the magical girls, through the combined assault of five vehicle units and several magical girl squads, had already reached the city’s gates. The main cannons of their tanks were charging, and powerful armaments, reverse-engineered from Lixing Shrine technology, were aimed at the firing points on the city walls.
Yet, at this precise moment, the figures of several second-tier Demonkin and one third-tier Demonkin burst forth from within. Several long spikes instantly annihilated the tanks below, and Demonkin soldiers, accompanied by the screeching of familiars, immediately launched a counter-charge. The fierce offensive instantly morphed into a distorted battle of offense and defense—
On the distant mountain peak, Vic, who had been waiting, did not react with anger at the failure of that offensive. Instead, a cruel smile spread across her lips.
“How pitiful. Today, it’s your turn for misfortune.”
She pulled the trigger, and a bullet, imbued with destructive properties, instantly shot forth at an incomprehensible speed. The pupils of the leading third-tier Demonkin contracted, as a terrifying legend, whispered among the Demonkin, suddenly flashed through his mind.
Yet, it was already too late. The bullet effortlessly pierced his defenses, tore through his proud flesh, and then, suddenly, emitted heat capable of annihilating all it touched—
****
“Boom—”
The battle had already reached a fever pitch. Countless flames of envy blossomed across the giant, bloated monster’s body. From its maw issued a wail unlike any human sound, as it strained with all its might to move in this direction, each fragment torn from its form either becoming another iteration of itself or rejoining the whole.
Whether the newly separated fragments or the irregularly distributed eyes on the colossal monster’s body, they wept ceaselessly, only for their tears to evaporate into nothingness amidst the wretched flames.
Even having absorbed a considerable amount of the foul energy from the corridors, even having assimilated all the emotional ‘selves,’ the disparity remained insurmountable. How could a solitary, incomplete ‘Qi Yue’an’ hope to contend against the countless ‘Qi Yues’ accumulated over endless cycles of reincarnation?
As more and more of her essence drained away, her consciousness grew increasingly clear, yet her precious memories and emotions began to blur.
“Xiao… why… Xiao…!”
Her body was burning, her memories were burning. She recalled the ceaseless rain on the bridge, and the warm embrace that had pulled her back just before she was about to leap from it.
“Don’t leave… don’t hate me…”
She saw Lin Xiao standing guard, his nascent power coalescing into a red sword. The absurd things she had done while lost to madness now surfaced vividly in her mind.
“Why… why do all of you look at me like that…”
She remembered just days ago, her first arrival here, meeting them all to achieve his goal.
“It hurts so much… please… stop…”
Qi Yue’an wept, her body gradually reverting to human form, yet the burns covering her rendered her unrecognizable.
“I’m sorry… I’m sorry…”
The insane shell peeled away layer by layer. She embodied all the emotions of that deceased girl, including the obsessive and malicious, but also a vulnerable, pitiable side.
“I don’t want to die again… I don’t want to live anymore…”
Her vocal cords were burned through, her cooked and peeling skin clung to her flesh. The chaotic emotions that had fallen away were driven back by the flames of envy, temporarily unable to return to her, but she knew they would eventually resurface, and she would once again experience death, only to be reborn in that sordid place.
“Please…”
Her wretched state caused many of the girls to involuntarily halt their attacks. Their pupils contracted, as they now clearly understood that she was also the most vital part of Qi Yue’an.
Once again, she was on the verge of defeat, cruelly stripped of everything, leaving only pitiful and ugly despair. Perhaps… this was the most fundamental emotion within the heart of Qi Yue’an herself.
“Wait!”
Qi Li called out, yet Lin Xiao was beyond caring. He rushed directly towards her. No matter what happened, seeing Qi Yue’an, seeing someone important to him in such a state, he could not remain calm.
“Xiao… Xiao…”
Her voice began to lose strength, and she weakly crawled towards him, her eyes filled with terror, helplessness, and profound despair.
That was the expression he knew best, the one that most closely matched the ‘her’ in his memories. She was never some fearless, yandere-like figure, nor a cold, empty machine; she was merely an ordinary… girl in need of salvation.
He knew well the agony of having one’s soul directly scorched by such flames, but he also hesitated. The terrifying forms he had encountered before were still vivid in his mind; this could very well be a trap.
He pointed the blood-colored sword at her. The girl slumped to the ground, her eyes wide, then lowered her head.
As the surrounding attacks ceased, the points of light once again began to converge on her body. Her rotting flesh, burned skin, and even the clothes on her body repaired and healed.
This time, however, the clothes she wore were no longer her previous pajamas, but the pristine white wedding dress, identical to the one she wore at the moment of her death.
One drop, two drops; droplets of water soaked her gown, but these were no longer blood-tears of resentment and obsession, but genuine tears, signifying profound sorrow.
Qi Yue’an looked up, her lusterless eyes meeting his. She trembled as she extended her hand, only this time, it touched the blade of his sword.
“Xiao…”
It was an unknown number of times she had called his name, her voice laden with weariness, as if she had finally given up something, or perhaps was pleading.
The thing he feared most had, after all, arrived. He had never feared Qi Yue’an’s twisted emotions, nor any obstacles or dangers that stood before him; he even strove to resist predetermined fate.
But this time, what he saw was such a desperate longing for release, an abandonment identical to that day on the bridge… and a plea.
“Soon, I’ll surely become like that again, into a form you dislike… So please, for my sake, kill me.”
She aimed the sword at the spot on her chest where the soul gem fragment resided. The power of ‘Qi Yue’an’ could not accomplish it, but Lin Xiao, the sole outsider, absolutely could.
Her slender fingers were once again cut. Lin Xiao could not bring himself to strike, nor dared to pull the sword away. His voice trembled as he tried to say something, but in the next instant, her figure fell forward. Another Qi Yue’an, the other half of ‘her,’ stepped on her back, completing this difficult choice for him. Qi Yue’an’s eyes widened, clearly unprepared for this sudden attack.
“Hehe… this is for the best.”
Qi Yue’an let out a bitter laugh, her figure dissolving into a cluster of light particles, finally merging into Lin Xiao. Feeling these emotions so clearly, even through a veil, he finally understood what he needed to do.