Ordinary people’s ‘superpowers’

Luo You’s entire body turned semi-transparent, her hair shimmering with ripples of pink light.

Bang!

A blinding burst of brilliant pink light exploded on the spot, streaked with a trace of golden afterglow.

It tore through the frigid, frost-laden snowstorm and shot straight toward a rampaging ghost-tier dimensional beast.

The sheer, world-crushing force of the impact was so immense that it felt as if the entire Jiuming Sea region had erupted, sending shockwaves rolling in every direction.

Boom—

A city thoroughfare, dozens of meters wide, was instantly bisected.

The ghost-tier beast didn’t even have time to resist before it disintegrated into dust.

And then—

The process repeated.

Again and again.

Except for the lone dragon-tier beast, every dimensional invader in Jiuming Sea was annihilated—without even a trace of ash remaining.

Barely half a minute had passed.

The divine figure that had descended like a god of judgment returned to her original spot, wreathed in the radiant light of annihilation.

“You’ve gotta be… kidding, right?” Liyun stared at her in disbelief.

“That’s it? It’s already over?”

“Mm. It’s over.” Luo You nodded calmly.

Of course, the faster Luo You handled the threat, the more lives would be saved. That was a good thing.

Liyun, however, couldn’t help but feel cheated.

She’d paid the “price” of filming three days of those kinds of short videos with Herrera—

And what she got in return lasted… only thirty seconds?

“How did you even do that?”

“It’s simple,” Luo You shrugged, her tone casual.

“I use the kinetic energy from my high-speed movement, then convert and discharge it through Three Lives, Ten Directions. That lets me chain-kill enemies without slowing down.”

In truth, it was a technique she’d only recently developed.

The momentum generated at such extreme speeds was terrifying—

It’d be a waste not to harness it.

Since taking on Herrera’s form, Luo You had been gradually unraveling the true nature of her Speed Authority.

The pink glow granted her instant, blinding acceleration—

And just as easily, brought her to a dead stop, defying all laws of physics.

To the outside observer, it might seem like her body was inhumanly durable—capable of withstanding impossible stress.

But that wasn’t the case.

If the pink light were a metaphorical high-speed starship,

Then her movements were simply her riding it—

Disembarking once she reached her destination.

That was all.

While the ship was moving, she herself generated no kinetic force.

Now flip that logic—

If she jumped ship mid-flight,

The resulting inertia would generate colossal kinetic energy.

That energy could then be absorbed and weaponized.

The pink light couldn’t protect her from that.

Only Three Lives, Ten Directions could absorb that momentum.

Otherwise, she’d splatter on the ground like a fly on a windshield.

So in short—

Luo You was dangerous, and her new technique was terrifyingly efficient.

Liyun, however, was devastated.

She’d sworn to make Herrera her pet—

But now, seeing Herrera’s true power again, she couldn’t see any hope.

Still…

“If you could wipe them out that easily, then what about my sister—”

“Nope. Dame.”

“That dragon-tier beast is something you and your sister have to handle.”

“Me?! There’s no way!” Liyun protested, not losing her grip on reality just because a few citizens had been saved.

She knew that if she blindly joined the battlefield where her sister was fighting, she’d only drag her down.

“That’s a dragon-tier dimensional beast! One misstep and I’ll be blown to pieces!”

“You can do it,” Luo You replied, cryptically.

“I told you before, didn’t I? There are things you can do as an ordinary human.

Things that don’t require anyone’s help—things only you can do.”

“You’ve probably seen it before. In your daily life… or in manga.”

“…Can you be more specific?” Liyun was nearly in tears.

She was willing to do anything if it meant helping her sister.

Luo You sighed, reluctantly elaborating.

“Sometimes, ordinary people can accomplish what magical girls can’t.

As for how… it could be through actions, or through words.”

Liyun froze.

Was she saying… she should cheer her sister on?

No way. That would just be a distraction, right?

Her sister was fighting a monster. Even the smallest noise could break her focus.

“That might be true for others, but not for you.”

“Remember what I said? That day she came to see me, she begged me to help you pull yourself together.

I didn’t agree… but still.”

“Then why now…?”

“Because I made a promise to another magical girl.” Luo You chuckled darkly.

“Next time, I’ll make her film a short movie too. You’ll see.”

A black aura flared around her, thick with resentment.

It sent shivers down Liyun’s spine.

Luo You had found a new goal.

To utterly conquer Xingyu.

To make her willingly submit, filmed and humiliated, never to rise again.

Quickly, she shook off the distraction and patted Liyun’s shoulder.

“If your sister cares about you this much, why would she be upset if you cheered her on?”

“……”

“Really? I can?”

Liyun looked at the figure locked in battle with the dimensional beast—her sister, barely holding on.

Her heart overflowed with unspoken words.

All she needed… was to call out with everything she had.

‘It hurts so much…

So tired…

Feels like my body’s being torn apart.’

“……”

How long had it been?

No matter what—

She couldn’t let this thing reach the mainland.

There weren’t enough magical girls there to stop it.

So many people would die.

What had she just seen?

What was Herrera doing with her sister on that rooftop?

Why was Liyun even there…?

Oh, right. Xingyu had mentioned someone contacted Herrera on her behalf.

So maybe… Herrera was just trying to guide her sister?

But something didn’t feel right.

No matter how many times she dealt with that woman—

She could never predict what Herrera would do next.

More and more of Xingyu’s thoughts were consumed by Liyun and Herrera.

If not, her will to fight would shatter completely.

Her eyes dulled, indifferent to life or death.

Her body moved mechanically.

For the first time, her duty as a magical girl felt like torture.

[I just want this to end…

If only Liyun were fighting by my side—

This thing wouldn’t even be a threat.]

[Liyun…]

“Big Sis…!”

Was that… a voice?

Probably her sister, shouting from afar.

She couldn’t hear it clearly, and there was no way she could abandon the battlefield just to listen.

She ignored it.

“Big Sis—!!”

?!

The voice was suddenly right next to her.

Xingyu’s eyes widened.

In a brief lull in the battle, she glanced to the side.

And saw—

Her sister, Liyun, standing on a rooftop, hands cupped around her mouth like a megaphone, shouting at the top of her lungs.

“Big Sis—!!”

Eyes tightly shut.

Face flushed red.

Every ounce of strength poured into her voice.

Even… a little embarrassing.

“All the dimensional beasts in the city have been defeated!

So——!!!

Don’t give up, Big Sis!!! You can do it!!!”