Strong Enemy

"Yes, I am indeed Bai Jingxuan, but the details of this matter are rather complicated and difficult to explain clearly right now."

Completely unaware of Tian Sheng's thoughts, Bai Jingxuan, while struggling to control the direction of the flight, answered his question concisely, "To put it simply, it's because we encountered Fairy, right?"

"Fairy?"

Tian Sheng blinked, then turned to look at Moko, who was flying to the side. "You mean this thing?"

"What do you mean by 'this thing'? Are all human Mage as rude as you?"

Hearing his form of address, Moko said with some displeasure, "I am the Seeder, the Seeder! To you, I am a great figure from the Kingdom!"

Tian Sheng was equally puzzled by the term "Seeder," but Bai Jingxuan continued to explain, and he finally understood its meaning, saying with a hint of realization, "So, this Fairy is the messenger responsible for selecting magical girls, and has actually already approached you?"

After a moment's thought, he quickly made several connections. "Could what happened in the courtyard today...?"

"Hmm, I don't know why, but it seems like they're after me."

Upon hearing this, Bai Jingxuan lowered her gaze, somewhat disappointed, and said, "Perhaps I've dragged everyone at the orphanage down with me."

"Hey! What are you talking about? There's no such thing as being implicated in this kind of thing. Even without you, they're still a bunch of scoundrels, just turning to harm others. You're the victim; there's no need for you to psychologically take on their crimes."

Tian Sheng didn't seem to care much and made an excuse for her, saying, "Let's not talk about such pointless topics. But your magic... I don't know if it's just my imagination, but I feel that after coming into contact with this magic, my injuries heal faster than when I use Spell Formula. Did you do something?"

He had suffered a fatal penetrating wound in the battle, and even using healing Spell Formula could only keep him alive. However, since being rescued by Bai Jingxuan, he felt that the wound was gradually becoming less painful.

Even now, when you gently press the wound, no more blood comes out.

"I don't know, I didn't do anything."

Bai Jingxuan was also very confused about this, and could only shake her head. After a while, she seemed to remember something and looked at the Fairy beside her. "Moko know?"

Moko know.

The Fairy whose name was mentioned really wanted to answer like this.

As a half-baked Seeder, it only knows a little about magical girls, otherwise it wouldn't need to rely on Larkspur to teach them.

Bai Jingxuan's magic seems to have the ability to heal others. Whether this is a special case or a common phenomenon; whether it is a good thing or a bad thing; or even whether it is recorded in the history of the Kingdom, it knows nothing about such things and naturally cannot say anything.

"Well, how should I put it..."

However, considering that he needed to maintain a reliable image in front of Bai Jingxuan, Moko only rack his brains and think, "I remember reading about this in a book before. There should be precedents, but it is indeed very special."

This answer sounds serious, but it's also ambiguous; we'll have to find out more about it later.

In any case, neither Lin Xiaolu nor Xia Liang's magic showed this trait, so Bai Jingxuan's situation must be quite special. As for whether there is any precedent, if there is, then it matches its claim; if not, then it can be said to be a misinterpretation. In short, the right of interpretation is in its hands.

"What kind of book is it?" Bai Jingxuan was very interested in the topic of books, and when she heard that it was recorded in a book, she asked a follow-up question.

"I'll let you see it later!"

Fearing being exposed, Moko forcefully changed the subject. "Anyway, now is not the time to talk about this. Let's try to get out of the barrier first! That way, I can call for reinforcements!"

It silently planned to wait until the Inspector summoned and ask her if she knew anything about it.

Bai Jingxuan Tian Sheng clearly still had questions, but there was no time to chat anymore, because soon the group arrived at the edge of the neighborhood where the orphanage was located, behind the barrier.

Reaching the familiar spot, Moko flew over and pressed the buttons, but found his claws still wouldn't extend. He immediately waved his arms and called out, "Over here, over here!"

Bai Jingxuan slowly descended from the sky, nodded, and then helped Tian Sheng to the edge of the barrier.

After being helped to his designated spot, Tian Sheng reached out to sense the intensity and flow of the barrier's magic. He closed his eyes and pondered for a moment before gently patting Bai Jingxuan's shoulder.

"That's enough, let me stand by myself."

After flying for a while under Bai Jingxuan's magical influence, his injuries had improved considerably. Although the wounds were still painful, they were no longer fatal; he was merely still quite weak.

Bai Jingxuan was slightly worried, but she obediently let go of his hand and stood aside. Seeing that Tian Sheng seemed to be able to move on his own, she relaxed a little, but still kept an eye on his condition to prevent him from suddenly falling.

Tian Sheng stood still, took a few deep breaths, then looked up at the barrier in front of him and began to observe its structure.

"In a moment, listen to me. Use your magic to attack the designated points and disrupt its operating structure. Then I will take the opportunity to remove the barrier."

He raised his hand, pointing to several locations on the barrier. "In order, it should be 30 degrees to the left of your position, then above..."

"In terms of the order of attack, first you, then that damned Fairy, and finally the disobedient Sacrificial Child."

Almost simultaneously, a voice came from behind them, interrupting Tian Sheng's words.

Upon hearing this, the group turned around in surprise, only to see a man dressed in black robes slowly walking from the nearby wall, his face somber, yet still bearing an enigmatic smile.

"I'm sorry, I really admire your efforts in this process, and I really don't want them to go to waste, but if you continue like this, my own efforts will be wasted. Oh, no, thanks to that damned Fairy over there, they've already been wasted."

Strangely, even though he was the only one who came, his words were full of contempt for the two people and the demon in front of him.

Unlike the other black-robed figures Bai Jingxuan had encountered before, this man not only exuded an unpleasant sense of superiority in his speech, but his black robe was also unusual, featuring strange and sinister patterns outlined in gold, which made people feel uneasy just looking at it.

Instinctively raising her wand to shield Moko Tian Sheng behind her, Bai Jingxuan asked warily, "Are you the one who trapped everyone here?"

"Everyone? Oh, you mean the people in this orphanage?"

Upon hearing this, the man stopped and shook his head. "No, child, I must tell you, you seem to have misunderstood something. The 'everyone' you speak of has no value to me. From the very beginning, all I've been looking for is you."

Bai Jingxuan gripped her magic wand slightly. "Why?"

"Why? Do you need to ask me that? Don't you know yourself that your so-called strange illness, the strange illness that cannot be diagnosed and cured by modern medicine, is it really just an illness?"

The man in the black robe grinned, making no attempt to hide his true feelings, and said, "You are special, child. Your 'illness' has never been a bad thing; rather, it's proof that you are different and have been chosen."

"The reason is actually very simple: it wasn't a physical problem to begin with, but rather a problem stemming from your soul, your magic."

"A child like you is born to be chosen by God. You are different from others: you have a stronger soul and more special magic, so strong that it is completely incompatible with your physical body, which your body cannot withstand."

In other words, your body is like a truck that's been overloaded with too much cargo.

"An overloaded truck has much more difficulty accelerating and braking, and even steering becomes more difficult, making it easy to lose control. Your body is the same; in addition, you don't know how to use your own strength, which is why you've developed a condition where you can't even control your own body."

"So, I've come. I've come to free you from this predicament."

"The Lord has chosen you, such special Sacrificial Child, whose mission is to return to His embrace and contribute to His return to the world."

After saying that, he extended his hand to Bai Jingxuan: "Now, can you feel my kindness, child?"

"Don't listen to him, he's talking nonsense."

Looking weak, Tian Sheng pressed down on Bai Jingxuan's shoulders from behind. "He puts on a nice tone, but in reality, his so-called 'contribution' is just a sacrifice, using living people to sacrifice to some so-called evil god. This guy is probably some kind of heretical believer from who-knows-where."

"A heretic?" Upon hearing Tian Sheng's words, the man's eyes widened, as if he had heard something very unexpected.

"Hahaha! You mediocre people, you can't even remember the glory you deserve, yet you dare to call us heretics?"

He first burst into laughter, then his face suddenly darkened. He raised his hand and said in an incredibly deep voice, "Don't make me laugh, you stupid pig."

"Careful!"

Seeing the man's posture, Moko immediately spoke up to remind him.

Of course, even without her reminder, Bai Jingxuan had already realized what the man was about to do. Almost instinctively, she turned around, used her flying ability to suddenly push Tian Sheng away, and dodged to the side.

At the same time, a pattern seemed to suddenly light up from the man's raised sleeve, and a twisted sphere with a radius of several meters, formed by magic, suddenly appeared in Tian Sheng's original position.

If Bai Jingxuan had reacted quickly enough, Tian Sheng would probably have been hit by this sudden attack.

"Shadow Vortex?"

Tian Sheng, who had fallen to the ground, turned his head in astonishment, looking at the sphere that resembled a Spell Formula: "No, this size, this speed and power... It's impossible, even the Controller Stage shouldn't have such magic power!"

On the other side, after helping Tian Sheng dodge the man's attack, Bai Jingxuan immediately grasped the current situation and began her counterattack.

Her use of magic was still somewhat rusty, and she was worried that using Mana Release at this moment would backfire, so she decided to continue close combat. Using magic to strengthen her body, she closed in and swung her wand directly at the man.

She had used this method to deal with those men in black robes in previous battles.

Magical girls possess physical abilities far exceeding those of ordinary people, and with the added enhancement of magical power, a blunt force strike alone, if left uncontrolled, is enough to easily kill someone.

If Bai Jingxuan dared to hold back against ordinary men in black robes, she dared not be careless in the slightest against the strange man before her. Even though she was unwilling to kill, she still used all her strength in case he used some strange methods.

"Clang"!

However, her attack was blocked by the man.

He didn't even use a magic Spell Formula; he simply raised his hand and blocked her attack, which was enhanced with magic power.

"How is this possible... that a human could actually withstand a magical girl with their bare body?"

Moko, standing to the side, was also stunned, even momentarily confused. "Even if Xiao Xuan is just a newcomer who has just transformed, she shouldn't be like this. No, this is too strange. Am I dreaming?"

"Humans are inferior to magical girls? Ha!"

The man scoffed, "That's true, it's an undeniable fact. But it doesn't apply to me."

With a forceful push of his arm, a tremendous power surged through Bai Jingxuan's wand, causing her to stumble backward several steps.

"How could this be... such strength." She looked at the man in front of her in astonishment, somewhat incredulous.

Although she had only recently acquired the powers of a magical girl, she had some understanding of her transformed abilities. After all, the black-robed figures she had encountered before were likely normal adults, and their power was nothing compared to Bai Jingxuan's.

However, the man in front of her was completely different. Bai Jingxuan had a feeling that even though she was already a magical girl, the struggle just now was like a child facing a ferocious beast.

Even if her small size and light weight are factors, that is not a reason why her attacks were ineffective.

This man's strength is on a completely different level from that of a normal human, making one wonder if he is even human.

"What's wrong? Your prized magical girl powers aren't working, are you panicking?"

The man twisted his neck and grinned, saying, "'The power of magical girls is above all else'? I've heard that phrase so many times it's calloused. How rebellious, how blasphemous..."

He raised his hand, and purplish-black magic gathered in his palm. "Let me teach you a lesson. The superiority or inferiority of power has nothing to do with status."

As he acted, the same purplish-black magic spheres as before suddenly appeared; however, this time, their numbers were countless. Countless spheres gathered around Bai Jingxuan Tian Sheng, and before they could react, they exploded violently.

"Watch out!"

Bai Jingxuan subconsciously tried to use her magic to repel the spheres, but found it completely ineffective: the man's magic was far stronger than the other black-robed men, even stronger than hers. Not only could he not dissolve the structure of his Spell Formula, but her magic was even being penetrated in reverse, and the Spell Formula quickly struck her side.

In a moment of urgency, Bai Jingxuan made a quick decision, immediately kicking her legs. A large amount of magic power propelled her into the air, allowing her to leap and dodge, once again taking Tian Sheng aside.

This time, however, before she even landed, she saw the man move. He leaned to the side, lifted his leg, and with a few large strides, rushed towards her landing spot.

You will be caught during landing.

Bai Jingxuan understood the other party's intention and immediately tried to adjust her flight direction, but it was too late, and she was punched in the chest by the man.

Thump!

As if struck by a gigantic object, Bai Jingxuan flew straight out and crashed heavily into the barrier not far away.

The violent impact made her feel as if all the air in her lungs had been squeezed out. The pain made her feel as if her whole body was in the throes of an attack, and she had no other sensations, not even the ability to scream.

"Cough cough... vomit..."

As if her body were falling apart, Bai Jingxuan slid off the barrier, knelt on the ground, and coughed painfully.

On the other side, Tian Sheng was not directly attacked by the man, but he was also injured by the Shadow Vortex of shadows around him. After falling to the ground, he was unable to get up for a while.

"Xiao Xuan!" Moko was standing nearby, saw that Bai Jingxuan was seriously injured and called out anxiously.

The three that had come to the barrier were now reduced to just the creature itself, and the call caught the man's attention.

With a slight sway, he grabbed Moko's wing with one hand and pinched its head with the other.

"Aaaaaaah!"

Moko screamed in terror as his head was grabbed, but he couldn't escape the man's grasp.

"You inexplicably sneaked in here, and inexplicably turned someone else's pre-arranged Sacrificial Child into a magical girl. You've really given me a great gift."

Holding Moko's head firmly, the man revealed a sinister smile, "You False Royal Court really are like dogs that can't change their nature, always repeating such disgusting acts."

"We searched every city in the entire southwestern Eastern Hua Prefecture over the past year, and only recently found such a suitable Sacrificial Child in this city. We were already acting at the fastest speed possible, even risking being caught by the Investigation Institute of the False Royal Court to arrest him, but you still beat us to it."

"Hahaha! Haha... tsk, it's really not funny at all."

"Fairy, oh Fairy, how could you so easily destroy all my efforts?"

His voice was strained, his grip tightening. "A ridiculous appearance, inexplicable motives, illogical behavior—you're just like a pathetic clown. Why should I let something like you ruin all the hard work I've put in?"

"Feeling the pain? Next, I'll crush your head, extract your Mana Source from this ridiculous doll-like body, and then use it as a medium to refine Spell Formula, so you'll spend the rest of your life in my hands making up for this foolish loss."

"Um... uh..."

Moko, whose head was being pinched, struggled as if trying to say something.

"Oh? Do you have any last words?"

The man raised an eyebrow slightly and loosened his grip a little. "If you can offer some interesting confession, I might be able to let you die a little more painlessly."

Moko took a couple of breaths to catch his breath.

It stared at the man for a moment, then suddenly shouted, "Xiao Xuan! If you can't beat him, run!"

The shout reached Bai Jingxuan, who was standing by the barrier, causing her to slightly open her eyes from her pain.

The man paused slightly in his movements.

Then, as if he had heard something quite amusing, his smile grew even more ruthless, "Run? Don't worry, none of you will escape."

"Whether it's that foolish pig, you, or that disobedient Sacrificial Child, how dare you mock me like this! You will all pay the price for your actions!"

Having said that, he tightened his grip again, intending to kill Moko instantly.

At this critical moment, his actions were interrupted once again.

It wasn't Tian Sheng, whose injuries had worsened, nor Bai Jingxuan, who was lying on the side, but rather a beam of Hibiscus Purple Mana Beam that suddenly shot from the sky and struck his wrist directly.

"What the hell?"

Subconsciously relaxing his strength, the man quickly retreated, dodging the Mana Beam. Somewhat surprised, he looked in the direction from which it had come, only to see two figures floating in the air not far away.

Upon closer inspection, it becomes clear that they are two young girls.

Before he could properly identify the person, purple Mana Beam rained down from the sky like rifles, forcing him to retreat repeatedly. During this time, a figure landed from the side and helped Bai Jingxuan, who had been kneeling on the ground, to her feet.

"Are you alright?" the visitor asked with concern.

"Cough cough, I'm fine, but Moko and Uncle Tian, they're in danger."

Bai Jingxuan endured the pain and forced herself to look up, but froze when she saw the attire of the people who had approached her. "You are...?"

The newcomer did not reply, but silently stood up, her golden hair fluttering and her light blue skirt sweeping past Bai Jingxuan.

"How did you get in here again?" the man nearby roared, somewhat angrily. "Why do you keep ruining my plans? What is that woman with the Claw Mark doing?"

The two girls did not answer his question.

"Harming civilians, bullying the elderly and children, taking advantage of the strong to oppress the weak, committing all sorts of evil deeds, inflicting terror on vulnerable groups, and arbitrarily violating city laws for personal gain—all of this must end here!"

The girl standing in front of Bai Jingxuan stood tall and proud, shouting, "Magical Girl, White Rose!"

Another person descended from the air amidst the cover of gunfire and stood beside her. "Magical Girl, Little Brocade!"

Then, the two said in unison, "Now, your evil deeds will be judged!"

It's time for another book recommendation from my friend. This time it's <Tokyo Romance>, a slice-of-life romance novel set in Tokyo. The author's writing style is generally reliable, so you might want to give it a try if you're interested.