Magical Girls Exposed!

"This was my territory because I said it was, and you crossed the line. I suggest you go back as soon as possible, otherwise..."

Xiao Bai spun her scythe, and the chains trailing behind it clinked brightly with the motion.

Chen Xiaoxia grew even angrier. At the critical moment, Yu Muqiu stepped forward and said:

"D-Don't fight! Xiaoxia, Xiao Bai! Can't we talk this out? We all became magical girls to eliminate Nightmare Seeds and protect humanity. I'm sure we all believe in the same things, so... as long as we talk properly..."

Hope shone in Yu Muqiu's eyes. The magic she wielded came from her "love" and "hope."

That was why she always tried to see the best in everything. She believed Xiao Bai was a good person and that Xiao Bai shared the same ideals as them.

She believed that if they sat down and talked properly, there would be no knot they could not untangle.

But unfortunately, Xiao Bai did not appreciate it.

"There's nothing to discuss. I don't want to see you in Rock City again. You should go back."

Xiao Bai brushed her long silver-white hair with her left hand and turned to leave.

Chen Xiaoxia could no longer endure Xiao Bai's arrogance. Veins bulged on her forehead as she picked up her greatsword with a cold smile and assumed a fighting stance.

"Xiao Qiu tried to talk nicely, but you wouldn't listen... Then let's fight! I want to see just how strong you are, daring to order us out with such a big mouth!"

The moment Chen Xiaoxia finished speaking, she stomped her right foot and charged toward Xiao Bai!

The ground cracked beneath Chen Xiaoxia's movement. In an instant, she crossed more than ten meters and arrived before Xiao Bai!

Clang!!

The scythe collided with the greatsword as Chen Xiaoxia pressed down on Xiao Bai with all her strength.

Xiao Bai's expression turned even colder. Staring intently at Chen Xiaoxia's face, she said in an icy voice:

"Looks like... it's time to let you know the difference between you and me."

Clatter—

Chains shot out from the void, enveloping all three girls in the blink of an eye. Vast magic power began to form a barrier, and within a single second, the three of them appeared in a projection of the real world.

Magic Barrier!]

(Fight!!)

(I knew this day would come when I watched the OP, but... they're really fighting!)

(Fight, fight! I love watching girls fight!)

(To be fair, I don't think Xiaoxia can beat Xiao Bai.)

(Yeah, Xiao Bai really looks strong.)

"Hehe... I almost lost back then..."

Fang Ming was grateful that the comments thought so highly of him.

But in truth, when he had still been a novice magical girl, Fang Ming had genuinely been no match for Chen Xiaoxia and Yu Muqiu in terms of raw strength.

Perhaps that was not quite right. In a one-on-one fight, Fang Ming feared neither of them, but if the two joined forces, his chances of losing would actually be quite high.

After all, Fang Ming had not experienced many battles. As for total magic power, if he had not sacrificed his other skills to increase it, he might have possessed even less magic power than Yu Muqiu.

Under those circumstances, the reason he had ultimately defeated Chen Xiaoxia and Yu Muqiu was largely because they were unfamiliar with his magic and lacked combat experience.

Against Fang Ming, who had mastered several martial arts and possessed fighting skills in his original body, it was only natural for them to lose.

Even so, Fang Ming had only won by a narrow margin. He wondered how the Sky Screen would portray it.

[With the scene changed, the magical girls no longer needed to hold anything back. Magic power surged around Chen Xiaoxia, blue energy wrapping around her and granting her even greater strength.

Chen Xiaoxia's magic was "Enhancement." She could enhance her body or her weapons, and after becoming familiar with her magic, she could also increase the degree of enhancement in a specific area.

For instance, at that moment, she enhanced the strength of the greatsword in her hand, using even more overwhelming force to suppress Xiao Bai beneath her.

"Hmph."

Knowing she could not match Chen Xiaoxia in strength, Xiao Bai did not continue their contest of power. She took a step back and left Chen Xiaoxia's attack range.

Boom!!

The greatsword smashed into the ground, kicking up dust that obscured the two figures. The clattering of chains came from within the smoke, followed by the ringing clash of weapons.

"Xiao Bai! Xiaoxia!! Stop it!!"

Yu Muqiu watched anxiously from the side. She did not want to see her companions fighting. Though Xiao Bai had only appeared a few times, she was also a magical girl, and Yu Muqiu had long regarded her as a companion.

Now that her companions had turned their blades on one another, Yu Muqiu was the most anxious of all.

"Xiao Qiu! Don't say another word! Today, I'm definitely teaching her a lesson! I'll make her understand that we're not to be messed with either!"

"Heh, anyone can talk big, but—"

As the dust settled, Xiao Bai and Xiaoxia appeared before Yu Muqiu. With Xiao Bai's cold laugh, the scythe in her hand hooked Chen Xiaoxia's greatsword.

Then, borrowing Chen Xiaoxia's force against her, Xiao Bai threw Chen Xiaoxia off balance.

In just an instant, an opening appeared in Chen Xiaoxia's defenses.

Xiao Bai mercilessly seized that opening and viciously kicked Chen Xiaoxia in the waist and abdomen!

Bang!!

Chen Xiaoxia was sent flying, and only then did Xiao Bai's next words reach her.

"—you need the strength to back it up."

"Xiaoxia!!"

Seeing Chen Xiaoxia knocked away by Xiao Bai, Yu Muqiu's pupils trembled. Without thinking, she stepped in front of Xiao Bai.

"Xiao Bai, stop!"

"Stop? I wasn't the one who attacked first."

Xiao Bai spun her scythe and gave Yu Muqiu a deep look before saying, "But... that idiot's actions have reminded me. Rather than trying to stop you with words, it would be better to take action directly."

"Huh?"

Yu Muqiu froze upon hearing Xiao Bai's words, as if she did not understand what Xiao Bai meant.

But in the next moment, Yu Muqiu understood the meaning behind Xiao Bai's words.

Behind Xiao Bai, countless chains emerged from the void. Then, like cannonballs, they crashed toward Yu Muqiu!

This was Xiao Bai's greatest specialty.

Chain Magic!]

Budget Burning

[Xiao Bai's magic was simple.

A scythe and some chains. Normally, she should have been a combat-oriented magical girl like Chen Xiaoxia, yet at times she could create chains that filled the sky and release them without limit.

Yu Muqiu had not met Xiao Bai many times and did not know much about her magic. But based on what she knew so far, Yu Muqiu quickly came up with a response.

Yu Muqiu waved the heart-shaped magic wand in her hand, its tip set with a ruby.

She used Light Magic to condense a smooth barrier in the air, wrapping herself within it. At the same time, she flew into the sky and shouted at Xiao Bai:

"Xiao Bai! We don't mean any harm!"

"Sorry, I do."

Xiao Bai's cold voice rang out. Countless chains descended at an angle from above like missiles raining from the sky, pursuing Yu Muqiu.

Chen Xiaoxia, who had been knocked away by Xiao Bai, straightened herself and swung her greatsword as she charged at Xiao Bai.

As she launched her charge toward Xiao Bai, Chen Xiaoxia shouted:

"There's no use talking to her! We fight her and let her know we're stronger than her! Then she'll listen to us!"

"Hmph. That is, provided you really are stronger than me."

Xiao Bai gave no ground. Countless chains, like twisting, winding serpents, closed in on Chen Xiaoxia.

At the same time, even more chains formed a cage, tightly imprisoning Yu Muqiu, who was protected by her Light Magic barrier!

If you do not intend to come out, then do not come out at all!]

(Where's Xiao Chun?! Xiao Chun, save them!)

(Did Xiao Chun get so caught up in her private time with her cousin that she forgot about this...? [Sad])

(Where's Nino?! What are you doing?! Why are you just watching?!)

(Fight, fight! This is exactly what we want to see—girls fighting!)

As the magical girls descended into a brawl, the comments instantly increased.

Many people hoped the matter could still end peacefully, but just as many chaos lovers appeared, enjoying the sight of beautiful girls fighting.

Fang Ming did not particularly like fighting, but he had to admit that the Sky Screen's camerawork and its completely realistic special effects were truly eye-catching.

At the beginning, Xiao Bai and Xiaoxia's "sparring match" had been a rapid exchange of attacks. Later, when Xiao Bai fought Yu Muqiu, the camera switched to a distant shot, revealing countless chains behind Xiao Bai. It was like a golden Archer unleashing the Gate of Babylon.

When Chen Xiaoxia rushed forward, it became a continuous long take without a single camera cut.

If this world really was nothing more than an anime, and the Sky Screen was broadcasting a completed anime production, then the production quality was truly exceptional.

It deserved to be called "budget burning."

[Under Xiao Bai's offensive, Chen Xiaoxia gradually grasped some patterns and began evading with greater ease.

Yu Muqiu also finally understood that if she could not make Xiao Bai calm down and listen to them, they would never be able to sit together and talk properly.

So... Yu Muqiu no longer hesitated. Looking at the chains binding her barrier, she took a deep breath and gripped her wand tightly with both hands. Layer upon layer of magic circles appeared before her.

"Xiao Bai... I'll make you understand that we aren't the weaklings you claim we are! We have the power to deal with Nightmare Seeds too!"

As Yu Muqiu's doubts rose, rings of light appeared atop the magic circles.

The rings formed a circular shape like the muzzle of a cannon, with Yu Muqiu holding her wand at its rear.

Magic power gathered within it, and a powerful attack seemed ready to strike at any moment.

Xiao Bai frowned at the sight.

She had never seen Yu Muqiu use a Magic Cannon, but at that moment, the other girl's movements and the magic power she was gathering made one thing abundantly clear: Yu Muqiu was preparing a finishing move!

Watching someone prepare a finishing move without interrupting them was something only a classic villain would do.

Xiao Bai did not consider herself a villain. Therefore, as Yu Muqiu prepared her ultimate attack, Xiao Bai's figure flashed as she raced along the chains toward Yu Muqiu.

But halfway there, Chen Xiaoxia's greatsword flew directly toward her. The enormous blade carried Chen Xiaoxia's body like a falling meteor as it smashed toward Xiao Bai!

"Your opponent—"

Chen Xiaoxia's greatsword was only a step away from Xiao Bai. Then Chen Xiaoxia let out an angry roar:

"—IS ME!!!"

Clang!!!

Chen Xiaoxia's greatsword was blocked by Xiao Bai's scythe, but the scythe was immediately knocked aside. Clearly, Xiao Bai's magic did not lie in physical strength—at least, she was not as strong as Chen Xiaoxia's enhanced body.

But Xiao Bai's expression did not change. As she watched Chen Xiaoxia put everything into that desperate strike, an unsettling smile instead appeared on her face.

Chen Xiaoxia's attack patterns were far too easy to read.

Straightforward and fearless, she never took any detours apart from evading attacks.

She might have been a qualified knight, a qualified warrior, but she was not a qualified magical girl.

At the very least, she had failed to notice the traps Xiao Bai had left around them.

Snap—

With a light snap of her fingers, several points of light abruptly appeared around Chen Xiaoxia. Then, accompanied by the clattering of chains, countless chains poured out of the space surrounding her.

It was as if they had always existed there. When Chen Xiaoxia approached Xiao Bai, they shot out from the points of light.

The chains passed beneath Chen Xiaoxia's arms and through the gaps between her legs, finding every opening on her body and leaving no room to spare as they locked her in midair!

"Wha—!?"

Seeing herself tightly bound in place, with her greatsword only a step away from Xiao Bai's body, Chen Xiaoxia could not help widening her eyes.

This was a trap?!