A Sky Full of Demonic Stars

As Lily City grew increasingly prosperous, the combined effects of industrial exhaust and light pollution had long made it difficult to glimpse stars in areas near the city center.

Yet tonight, in this sky that usually hung like a pitch-black curtain, they beheld stars as numerous as grains of sand.

Was this merely good fortune?

No…

“Izha! What’s your detection range?” Nelly suddenly recalled a possibility, her voice trembling as she addressed the blue-haired girl.

“Below the clouds, above the ground, because demons typically only appear in those areas.”

“Hey, Captain, the stars are getting brighter.”

Chloe had been admiring the rare beauty of the starry sky when, suddenly, a single star began to flicker. Its light grew increasingly brilliant, and then, like a chain reaction, other stars also started to twinkle, creating a truly magnificent spectacle.

Upon hearing this, the other three simultaneously lifted their gazes to the night sky. The myriad stars shimmered like fireflies swarming within a deep, dense forest. This wondrous sight left both Izha and Aurora gasping in astonishment, unable to articulate their awe.

As Chloe witnessed this scene, she even felt an urge to press her palms together and wish for a beautiful future.

Only Nelly, her face now stark white, stood rigid for a moment before pulling out her phone to call headquarters, her arm trembling slightly.

“Watch Squad? What’s your status?”

“Numerous demons detected in Residential Area A! Requesting reinforcements!”

The frantic voice immediately drew the attention of the three squad members. Chloe, whose hands were still clasped together, looked at Nelly with a puzzled expression.

Before she could even utter a question, Nelly had already issued a command. “Chloe! Shoot at the stars in the sky! Izha, prepare your defenses, and Aurora, be ready for close-quarters combat at any moment!”

Concurrently, Nelly herself drew two short swords, assuming a stance as if facing a formidable enemy.

Upon hearing their captain’s command, the three immediately grasped the situation. Though momentarily shocked, they quickly composed themselves.

These stars… are all demons, then…

Chloe’s breathing grew heavier as she retrieved her Demon-Slaying Bow from beneath her skirt. Assuming a stable firing stance, she channeled magic power into the bowstring.

A volley of luminous arrows appeared, fanning out before streaking towards the sky like startled hares. Arrow after arrow materialized in quick succession, with barely any pause between volleys. A powerful barrage of firepower poured forth like a meteor shower.

Inside a distant house, a little girl sat on the carpet, playing with her doll. She glanced casually out the window, her eyes instantly widening into perfect circles.

“Mommy! A shooting star hit another shooting star!”

Visually, Chloe’s arrows, imbued with demon-slaying power, trailed countless long golden streaks as they collided with the sources of light plummeting from above the clouds.

“Captain… is this what a Tier-One Magical Girl is truly capable of…?” Aurora’s lips twitched slightly as she asked Nelly, a hint of disbelief in her voice.

“Perhaps this is the true power of demon-slaying magic…”

In that instant, Nelly understood why the commander held Chloe in such high regard. Typically, a Tier-One Magical Girl’s attacks struggled to inflict significant damage on even moderately strong demons. However, the arrows unleashed by the girl before them possessed a power that even a Tier-Four Magical Girl would find hard to match.

While Chloe’s arrows might lack the precision of a Tier-Four Magical Girl’s, a direct hit would almost certainly incinerate the target into a fireball, reducing it to ash before it even reached the ground.

Yet, Chloe alone would still find it difficult to withstand such an onslaught. The usually pitch-black night sky was now filled with ‘starlight’. Light, pouring down like a torrential rain, tore through the darkness, riddling the gloomy clouds with countless holes.

A ‘meteor shower’ resembling divine retribution was unleashed anew.

It now filled everyone’s vision.

‘I… I can’t hold on much longer…’

Chloe was already drenched in sweat, her golden hair plastered to her face, which was flushed bright red.

It was too much. Though the demon-slaying power unleashed potent attacks, her Tier-One magic capacity was inherently limited. Moreover, the dark energy within her had been steadily eroding her magic power reserves for an extended period. In a mere dozen seconds, Chloe distinctly felt her magic power rapidly approaching its limit.

“Jujutsu! Is the distance sufficient?”

“Sufficient.” Izha murmured under her breath, as concentric rune arrays spun in her hands.

The falling stars in the sky were instantly gripped by an invisible force. Their descent slowed significantly, with some of the smaller lights even bursting open, scattering blue-violet stardust. Her specialty lay in long-range, large-scale manipulation, making her particularly adept at handling such situations.

“Headquarters has detected a large number of demon fluctuations, mostly Tier-Three. Reinforcements will arrive soon. Watch Squad, I recommend you take cover and await backup…”

“Understood, we will temporarily delay their assault!”

“Watch Squad…”

Nelly ended the call, her brows deeply furrowed. If they did nothing, a massive number of demons would plummet directly into the residential area. The sheer impact damage alone would cause immeasurable casualties, not to mention the wanton destruction that would follow their descent…

With the strength of the four of them, they could still minimize this loss.

However…

The magic power fueling Chloe’s arrows was on the verge of exhaustion, her previous volley of multiple arrows now reduced to more precise, magic-conserving single rapid shots.

Jujutsu could slow the demons’ descent, but some of the more powerful individuals had noticed their conspicuous ‘anti-air position’ and were now rapidly charging towards them.

“Beware!”

From the flank, a demon that had already landed, possessing no significant magic power, sought to ambush the Magical Girl who had shot down many of its kin, utilizing the cover of night. Chloe the archer’s formidable sensory abilities had been greatly diminished by her depleted magic power.

By the time she detected the attack, evasion was nearly impossible, her golden eyes reflecting the rapidly approaching mass of dense black energy.

Just as she was about to be struck, a red figure flashed past. Accompanied by a massive, dull thud, the black energy was shattered into fragments in the very next second.

“Focus on your shooting; I’ll protect you.”

Aurora, nicknamed Red Fist, her red hair billowing in the air due to inertia, resembled a flowing crimson banner.

“Mm…”

After nodding, Chloe refocused her attention on the sky. Drawing her bow, aiming, firing, she continued her relentless hunt, round after round.

A sense of being part of a team blossomed within her. At the heart of their formation, Chloe experienced the presence of a solid backing for the very first time.

This must be the strength of a team. There were no dazzling displays from a lone hero, only a tightly knit, unyielding team.

She remembered how this straightforward red-haired girl had caused her much distress during their first meeting. Yet now, they stood as back-to-back comrades, fighting the enemy together.

“Some demons are already active on the ground; I’ll go deal with them…”

“Captain, take care.” Chloe paused her firing briefly, calling out to Nelly.

“Mm.”

With that, Nelly flicked her short swords and prepared to sprint straight down, using the wall as her path.