This was a deadly mission.
Zhou Huanan was in the suburbs outside the city, overseeing his subordinates as they set up the lighting device. He waited for the moment he would flip the switch, projecting Banjao’s colossal emblem into the sky, thereby luring Magical Girl Grey Moon to their location.
So the mission brief stated.
‘A mission to lure Magical Girl Grey Moon,’ they called it.
Any discerning individual knew that if they truly intended to deal with Magical Girl Grey Moon, the proper approach would be to confront her within the city, where numerous hostages would restrict her abilities.
Instead, the mission location had been chosen far outside the city, in a desolate, uninhabited area.
Who was this magical girl supposed to lure, and what purpose would they serve?
“Oh, Doctor, my dear…”
Zhou Huanan gazed up at the sky, shaking his head with a faint smile. In his left hand, he held the activated button; in his right, his phone displayed Liu Li’s last message—a transfer of half a million that had now grayed out, having expired.
“I’m sorry…”
The young man sent the girl a message: “I like you.” He then switched his phone screen to the collar’s control interface. Just as his subordinate behind him announced, “We’re ready to proceed.”
Zhou Huanan simultaneously pressed the button, deactivating the restrictions on Magical Girl Grey Moon’s collar. Despite having the chance to enslave a magical girl, a power others would covet, he showed no hesitation.
With Liu Li nowhere to be found, and his own life potentially hanging in the balance.
If anyone could stop Magical Girl Violet.
Then it could only be Grey Moon.
He mused that once Magical Girl Violet arrived, even if she didn’t kill him, the cunning Magical Girl Grey Moon might. A shiver of amusement ran through him at the thought.
Still, to experience being bitten by Magical Girl Grey Moon…
Even dying by her hand would be worth it!
Zhou Huanan stood before the colossal Banjao hologram, towering over two hundred meters high.
He felt no regret whatsoever.
****
Banjao Base.
On the surveillance monitors.
Violet was on the verge of completely defeating Emerald Magical Girl, and both Berserker and Fortress, the two Great Demons, were about to cheer. Yet, just before Violet struck the final blow, she suddenly spotted the Banjao holographic icon appearing in the distance.
A look of tortured struggle crossed her face. She ignored Emerald Magical Girl, who was almost defenseless, and flew towards the Banjao icon.
Emerald Magical Girl, left alone, immediately collapsed to her knees, unable to stand.
Before the screens, a Great Demon completely lost their composure at the sight.
“It was him all along! Playing these games!
Magical girls killing magical girls—that’s the most entertaining part, isn’t it?!”
In the darkened room, Berserker, the shortest and most bloodthirsty of the Three Great Demons of Apocalypse, scratched his scalp furiously. He pointed at the screen, which had shifted to show Zhou Huanan standing in the foreground, and bellowed.
“Sword King! Look! Banjao—are they really carrying out a ‘magical’ mission at a time like this?”
“What kind of game are they playing with me, you bastards!!”
“These humans are so cunning! They’ve clearly intentionally drawn Magical Girl Violet away from the city. Doesn’t that make the probability of a demon attack even lower?”
“Humans are utterly untrustworthy!”
Berserker raged in the room, refusing to believe the Sword King could consider humans as allies. Even Fortress, who usually defended the Sword King, now nodded, agreeing with Berserker’s assessment.
The Sword King simply rose, slinging the massive greatsword from his back.
Just as Berserker and Fortress saw a glimmer of hope, believing the Sword King was finally coming around.
The Sword King’s gaze fell upon the screen, specifically on Captain 19. He remembered the captain well, recognizing him as a capable individual. He then spoke.
“I will go and kill Magical Girl Violet.
I cannot stand by and watch an ally be slaughtered.”
“I have had enough,” the Sword King declared, drawing his greatsword and preparing to leave.
“Sword King!!!”
No matter how Berserker and Fortress cried out, they couldn’t stop the Sword King. He ripped open the door and stormed out, terrifying the maids waiting in the room. Berserker and Fortress exchanged glances.
Fortress urgently prompted Berserker, knowing he might be the only one capable of catching up to the Sword King.
“Berserker, you’re the only one we can rely on now. We can’t let the other magical girls know we’re here.”
“Do you think I don’t know that?!”
Berserker looked even more anxious than Fortress. The Sword King was a figure who greatly valued allies, and while Berserker himself benefited from this, the Sword King would occasionally extend this camaraderie to individuals outside the Great Demon ranks.
“Honestly, he’s utterly unreasonable!!”
Berserker ground his teeth, glaring at the frightened maids in the room.
Mere humans were inconsequential, yet the Sword King simply couldn’t grasp this fact.
He even trusted humans enough to use the armor and weapons they forged for him!
Berserker’s words conveyed extreme urgency, yet his mind remained calm. He verbally agreed to Fortress’s request to pursue the Sword King, but in reality, he was brimming with schemes.
Sword King, the Great Demon.
Having lived for nearly a millennium, his title as Sword King was one he had earned through countless battles within the Great Demons’ social circles.
Even among the Great Demons, he was considered an elite warrior.
After arriving in the human world, he had remained unrivaled for eighty years, suffering only one defeat over two decades ago to the golden powerhouse among magical girls, Magical Girl Empress Yellow.
Beyond that, he had no equal; his sword had truly claimed countless heads.
The heads of innumerable magical girls.
If such a formidable being were to act on his own accord, no one could possibly dissuade him.
More important than the futile attempt to reason with the Sword King.
Berserker glanced at the screen, where Emerald Magical Girl still lay unconscious, kneeling on the ground.
He bared his teeth in a grin, then slipped out through the now-shattered doorway.
‘Magical girl blood,’ he mused, ‘it’s been quite a while since I last tasted it.’
****
“Hm?”
At that moment, Magical Girl Grey Moon was in a hotel, carrying out the orders Zhou Huanan had given her. No matter how fierce the battle raged outside.
Magical Girl Grey Moon could only sit on the bed, her opulent, sacred gown fanned out around her like a caged princess from ancient times. Though she could rage inwardly, she was forbidden to leave the room.
She could only gaze out the window with a heavy heart, watching the world outside descend into chaos.
Just as her impatience reached its peak.
A crisp *click* echoed through the room.
Magical Girl Grey Moon’s collar dropped from her neck. Grey Moon stared at the leather collar she had once fastened herself, now resting in her palm. Her pupils contracted, and she held nothing back.
Her high heels struck the window frame, and she instantly accelerated, soaring into the blue sky.
Having previously worn a limiter, Grey Moon’s magical power was now unleashed. Furthermore, an additional core within her body provided an almost limitless supply of magic.
The sheer force of Magical Girl Grey Moon’s high heel pushing off the window frame generated an enormous shockwave.
It nearly brought the entire hotel crumbling down, creating a sound as loud as an earthquake. The resulting sonic boom assaulted the ears of nearby residents, and the stirred-up dust covered half the street.
A silver light, like a comet, streaked across the sky.
With but a single glance.
Grey Moon pinpointed her direction; the colossal Banjao holographic projection in the sky was unmistakable.
She didn’t understand why Zhou Huanan’s collar had inexplicably fallen from her neck.
‘Could it be a collar that detaches automatically after its master dies?’
The mere thought ignited a crimson glow in Magical Girl Grey Moon’s scarlet eyes. It wasn’t long before she arrived at the scene, spotting Zhou Huanan standing before the colossal projection.
She also saw Violet reaching out towards Zhou Huanan.
Even if her opponent was a magical girl—no, precisely *because* her opponent was another magical girl.
Her actions caused Grey Moon even greater urgency. She didn’t even spare a thought for the fully armored Great Demon who had arrived at the scene at the same time.
She used her single, lifelong flash ability.
Grey Moon lowered her head, raising her small round shield, and appeared before Zhou Huanan, blocking a black greatsword that materialized from seemingly nowhere.
A massive fiery impact struck Grey Moon’s delicate face.
It instantly stained her delicate face with the metallic tang of blood, and scattered scorch marks speckled her silver hair.
She paid it no mind, her eyes glowing with a fierce red light.
Grey Moon snatched out with her backhand.
She seized Violet’s face, a face still showing a dazed expression, eyes sparkling with hearts, and breath misting from her lips.
“What are you doing?”
Grey Moon ignored the Great Demon in full black plate armor, wielding a greatsword. Instead, with a voice so cold and ruthless it felt like plummeting into an icy abyss, she gripped Violet tightly, her hand squeezing Violet’s skull with formidable strength. Her right hand hung loosely by her side.
A bloodstained skull hand-axe materialized within her white lace glove.
Unlike its initial appearance.
This time, the axe’s craftsmanship was far more refined. Many of its original jagged edges had softened into nascent flower buds, and its blade had been meticulously sharpened.
A powerful gust of air erupted from Grey Moon’s feet, lifting the hem of her sacred gown.
For a moment.
Even the Sword King, an elite Great Demon who had endured countless battles, dared not make a move against Grey Moon.
‘Such immense power—’
Even the half-crazed Violet swallowed hard, recovering from her delirious stupor. The hearts vanished from her eyes, replaced only by confusion.
She blinked in confusion, staring at Grey Moon.
As if she genuinely couldn’t comprehend why Grey Moon would stop her.
Then, in the next instant.
Violet, utilizing some unknown ability, vanished from Grey Moon’s grasp and reappeared on the ground a hundred meters away.
Grey Moon stared at her suddenly empty hand, realizing Violet hadn’t broken free by sheer force.
A low growl escaped her lips.
Grey Moon, Sword King, Violet.
The three figures on the field still formed a stable triangle. None made the first move, each waiting for the other two to reveal a weakness.
Zhou Huanan, standing behind the petite Magical Girl Grey Moon, swallowed hard. He had initially planned to activate his invisibility and escape.
But at some point, his hand had been taken by the magical girl’s shield-wielding left hand.
‘Huh?’
Zhou Huanan frowned, realizing something was amiss. He tried to pull his hand from Grey Moon’s grasp, but no matter how hard he struggled, the girl remained utterly still, as if her feet were anchored with steel rebar.
“No, wait!”
Zhou Huanan found himself in a predicament, trying to break free from Grey Moon’s hold but unable to.
Seeing this, Magical Girl Violet pouted, growing annoyed.
“Let him go!!!”