Painful Yet Pleasurable
"I'm coming," Li Xuan said with a wicked grin as he looked at the immobile Qi Mo.
"What are you trying to do?" Hearing the malice in Li Xuan's laughter, Qi Mo could not help but feel afraid.
"Anyway, it won't be anything good." Li Xuan walked behind the Flesh Wall and looked at the lower half of Qi Mo's body hanging from it. Under his careful control, she hung at just the right height for the tips of her shoes to touch the ground. In other words, if she did not want to entrust her full weight to the disgusting Flesh Wall, she had to stand on tiptoe and support herself.
That position was naturally exhausting. Besides that, standing on tiptoe tensed the muscles in her legs and heightened her body's sensitivity.
Li Xuan gently lifted Qi Mo's gorgeous skirt, used a tentacle to remove the petticoat beneath it, then tore off a triangular piece of cloth within the mysterious domain. He raised a large hand and heavily slapped her two plump rear lights.
With a crisp smack, Qi Mo cried out in pain. Yet Li Xuan had no intention of showing her any mercy. More slaps quickly landed on her rear, producing a series of clear smacks.
The thought that those loud sounds came from her own body made Qi Mo feel utterly ashamed, wishing she could find a crack in the ground to crawl into. But her waist was tightly trapped, and no amount of struggling helped.
"Hey, stop hitting me! I said stop hitting me! What's the point of doing this? If you just want magical creatures as subordinates, then hurry up and make me drink that potion!" Qi Mo could not help shouting.
"If you walked into a music classroom and saw a beautiful piano, would you try playing it a little?" Li Xuan asked.
"Huh? Probably, though I don't really understand music." Qi Mo found his abrupt question baffling, but still answered him.
"By the same logic, seeing such a beautiful skin drum, it's only natural that I'd want to give it a few pats." Li Xuan smiled and twisted several thin tentacles together before fiercely lashing Qi Mo once.
"Ahwooo!!!" Qi Mo let out a scream. His previous question had caused her already-tensed muscles to relax, and she had not mentally prepared herself for pain. The sudden agony made her cry come out off-key, and a dark red welt immediately appeared across the skin drum.
"My, my, that looks a little serious. Let me apply some pain-relieving medicine." Smiling, Li Xuan took out a small bottle of Fallen Blood and used a soft-bristled brush to slowly and evenly apply it around the welt.
The soft bristles swept across her one by one. The battered skin drum had not yet recovered from the pain, creating an itchy, painful sensation. Yet neither the pain nor the itch was particularly intense, faintly stimulating Qi Mo's body and mind. Sometimes, while applying it, Li Xuan would mischievously whip her with a tentacle without warning, or switch to a feather brush, making her itch unbearably.
The two sensations intertwined over and over within the same body, making Qi Mo feel as though she were serving a temperamental monarch whose thunder and rain could never be predicted.
Her vision was restricted, leaving her unable to predict what would happen to her next. Her hands were restrained, robbing her of the ability to stop any of it. Qi Mo felt like a sail-less, rudderless boat, able only to drift with the current and submit to fate's mockery.
"Hold on a little longer. I'm almost done," Li Xuan said as he brushed on the final drop of Fallen Blood. He watched the bright red liquid gradually seep into her skin. Though the dose was probably insufficient to make a magical girl undergo Demonfall, it was enough for her to experience that wonderful sensation.
"Enough! How far are you going to humiliate me? I came here for Xiao Rou! If you're only using me for your amusement, I'd rather die than accept this!" Qi Mo finally seemed unable to endure any longer. She clenched her fists and spoke fiercely. In her mind, being spanked was punishment for children who had done wrong. Being punished despite having committed no offense already made her feel terribly wronged. Besides, she was already a graceful young woman. Everyone around her treated her with respect, and even those her age saw her as a dependable older sister. Yet someone like her was being subjected to a child's punishment. The humiliation was unbearable to Qi Mo.
"I know you're anxious, but don't be so anxious. Everything I've done was actually to transfer the Evil Energy from Xu Rou onto you. If you don't believe me, feel it for yourself. Aren't you gradually becoming strange? You can't even tell pain from pleasure anymore, can you?" Li Xuan asked.
"This... so it was meant to transfer it?" Qi Mo froze. She closed her eyes and carefully sensed herself for a while, discovering that her sensations really had become confused. Though her skin drum still burned with pain, an unusual pleasure was mixed into it. There also seemed to be a faint Evil Energy aura on her body.
"That's right. If this continues, Xu Rou will completely return to normal. Until the process is finished, you must endure it properly and absolutely cannot lose consciousness. Otherwise, the transfer will fail, and I won't be able to undo it," Li Xuan warned seriously.
"Can this really restore Xiao Rou?" Qi Mo asked doubtfully.
"Heh heh. Whether you believe it or not doesn't matter. Even if it fails, I won't lose anything." Li Xuan sneered and fiercely lashed Qi Mo with a tentacle.
[Defeat CG Unlocked: SP Play (I)] [CG Elements: Movement Restriction & Sensory Confusion] [Experience +3] [Current Experience: 1/30] [Level increased to lv3] [Evil Energy level increased to: Grade C+] [New skill unlocked: Mind Interference] [Mind Interference: The skill holder may consume Evil Energy to affect another person's mind. The effect depends on level and the target's willpower.]
The system notification finally arrived. Satisfied, Li Xuan withdrew his tentacles and walked around to the front of the Flesh Wall.
Qi Mo's eyes had rolled back, her lips hung open, and her tongue lolled out, leaving her face twisted beyond recognition. Tears and saliva ran everywhere, making a complete mess of her cheeks. Yet she still retained the last trace of consciousness and had not fully passed out.
"What a good girl. Though I can't really give Xu Rou back to you, I can make you fall to my side instead." As he spoke, Li Xuan took out the final bottle of Fallen Blood, gently pried open Qi Mo's lips with his index and middle fingers, and prepared to feed it to her.
At that moment, he suddenly noticed Qi Mo's lips moving as if she were saying something.
Curious, Li Xuan bent down and brought his ear close. Qi Mo chanted in a voice so faint it was almost inaudible, "Foam, disperse into the light."
In an instant, countless tiny bubbles condensed in the air. They gathered into bubbles the size of fingernails, forming rings around Li Xuan's wrists, ankles, and neck. Like shackles, they connected him to the floor and walls, restricting his body so completely that he could not move.
At the same time, the Hunting Radar finally sounded its alarm:
[Magical girl detected nearby] [Distance: 50 meters, 45 meters, 39 meters...] [Detailed information can be displayed after visual lock-on]
"!!" The instant he realized something was wrong, Li Xuan instinctively tried to retreat. However, the bubble shackles were far sturdier than he had imagined. Even the brute force of his tentacles could not break free, and having the Flesh Wall slowly absorb the magic power to undo them seemed too late.
"It seems... checkmate," Qi Mo said, looking at the flustered Li Xuan with a weak smile.
She Couldn't Come Back, But You Could Go There
"Qi Mo! You set me up!" Li Xuan blurted out a certain famous line without thinking.
"Same to you. I made quite a great sacrifice on my end as well." Qi Mo remained restrained within the Flesh Wall, but her expression had relaxed considerably. Clearly, she had planned this long ago, waiting until he lowered his guard before casting sealing magic at the closest possible range.
"Qi Mo! Are you okay?!"
A lively voice came from outside. Bouncing red twin tails streaked into the warehouse in a trail of fire, and the magical creatures guarding the entrance were burned to ashes before they could even fight back.
"Wu Yan! You came just in time!" Qi Mo replied excitedly.
"Damn it, was I too absorbed in the play and ignored the Hunting Radar?" Li Xuan hurriedly summoned the Fireproof Tentacles he had used against Wu Yan before. Unexpectedly, Wu Yan did not attack with flames this time. Instead, she charged straight at him, wrapped her arms around him from behind, and hooked her long legs around his waist.
"Oh-ho! Is this move called Little Tree Entwining Roots?" The soft sensation against his back pleased Li Xuan greatly. But he knew it was not the time to enjoy it, so he hurriedly had Fireproof Tentacles press tightly against Wu Yan's body from every direction.
"You recognize these, right? If you use fire, you'll get hurt too," Li Xuan reminded her.
"Of course I recognize them. But at this distance, you'll die too," Wu Yan said in an almost cold tone.
Li Xuan frowned. He could hear madness in that cold voice—a madness that cared neither for the enemy's life nor her own.
"You want to die together?"
"Of course not. This is part of the deal too. Xu Rou may only be a magical creature subordinate to you, but she is an important sister to us. My demand is simple: turn Xiao Rou back, and I'll let you go. Otherwise, we die together. One life for one life," Wu Yan threatened.
"It's two lives for one. If you use that move at this distance, Qi Mo will die too," Li Xuan reminded her.
"I'll reduce Judgment's range to the minimum. Then only the two of us will die. If I make a mistake, that's fine too. Qi Mo had already prepared to atone with her life anyway. It would be a fitting death." Wu Yan's voice remained cold. It seemed she had already resolved to die.
"So you already understand what she did?" Li Xuan stalled for time through conversation while considering his options. It was already too late to force Wu Yan away with the Fireproof Tentacles. It seemed he would have to rely on the newly acquired skill to resolve the crisis.
"Qi Mo confessed everything to me. I can't forgive her crimes, but I respect her resolve to atone with her life. By the way, I'm completely straight. I have no feelings for Xu Rou beyond friendship. How was I supposed to know she had all those messy thoughts?" Wu Yan complained as she glanced at Qi Mo, who lowered her head shamefully and refused to meet her eyes.
"Interesting..." Li Xuan gave a dismissive smile, but inwardly he was puzzled. When did Qi Mo come up with a plan like this? I monitored her movements whenever I had time, but I never noticed anything unusual. Did she plan it while I was asleep? If so, has she already discovered the Hunting Radar's ability?
"Interesting my ass! I'm giving you one minute to answer, or I'd rather die together with you!" Perhaps recalling the humiliation she had suffered in this warehouse, Wu Yan became agitated as well.
[Target's emotional fluctuations detected as severe. Mental resistance coefficient decreased by 55%.]
When Li Xuan locked onto Wu Yan with Mind Interference, the system gave him this notification.
"Figures. Simple-minded people are easy targets." Li Xuan smiled and launched the skill at Wu Yan without hesitation.
[Interference successful] [Additional effect: Mild hypnosis] [Duration: 30 seconds]
"Yan, your legs are holding too tightly." Li Xuan turned his head and spoke to Wu Yan, who was clinging to him, in a gentle tone as if addressing a lover.
"Oh..." Wu Yan relaxed her legs in a daze. Tentacles immediately took advantage of the opening, yanking her off Li Xuan and suspending her in midair with several Fireproof Tentacles. Her legs were pulled straight into a full split.
"Damn it! What happened..." Wu Yan was shocked and furious. She had already resolved to die, yet for some reason, she had loosened her legs. Now the Fireproof Tentacles had trapped her again. Even if she used Judgment immediately, she could no longer strike Li Xuan effectively.
"Who knows? Maybe you missed my technique so much that you subconsciously couldn't bear to kill me?" Li Xuan grinned wickedly.
"Pah! How can you even say something so shameless?! You bastard! Give Xiao Rou back! Or else... or else..." Wu Yan could not help recalling how she had been tickled here until her body went limp, and her cheeks flushed red.
"Or else what can you do?" Li Xuan reached out and patted Wu Yan's cheek. She immediately tried to bite him, but Li Xuan had expected it and dodged.
"Hmph..." Wu Yan had no answer and could only glare furiously at Li Xuan.
"After planning this far, I still can't atone for my sins? I really am... useless..." Seeing Wu Yan subdued as well, Qi Mo watched her tiny spark of hope vanish. She could not help crying in pain, and the bubble shackles around Li Xuan came undone.
"Good girl, you actually still have a chance to reconcile with Xu Rou." Li Xuan put away his creepy old-man grin and gently stepped forward to stroke Qi Mo's head.
"Really? You're really willing to let Xiao Rou go?" Qi Mo raised her head in disbelief.
"Of course not. And Xu Rou has already become a magical creature. Even I can't turn her back."
"Then it's still the same..."
"If she can't come back, why don't you go there instead? Or is your love for Xiao Rou not worth giving up your human identity?" Li Xuan tempted her with a magnetic voice.
"But..."
"I won't force you. I'll only give you a chance to choose. But you only get one chance, so think carefully about your life." As Li Xuan spoke, he had the Flesh Wall retract and let Qi Mo down. Then he took out a small wineglass and activated Fallen Blood.
After his Evil Energy had risen to Grade C+, Li Xuan discovered that activating Fallen Blood no longer left him feeling completely drained in an instant. The gap between Grade D+ and Grade C+ was apparently far greater than he had imagined.
"Qi Mo! Don't let him deceive you! We're magical girls who represent love and hope! How can we submit to magical creatures?!" Seeing Qi Mo's dazed expression, Wu Yan shouted anxiously.
After hearing her, Qi Mo's unfocused eyes became hesitant. Xu Rou was the love of her life, and she could never give her up. Yet her powerful sense of responsibility would not allow her to abandon her identity as a magical girl. At that moment, she wished she could split herself in two and make both choices at once. But the cruel reality forced her to choose only one.
"Qi Mo, I'll only say one thing—Xu Rou drank water from this cup when she got up this morning." As he spoke, Li Xuan casually stuffed a tentacle into Wu Yan's throat, preventing her from speaking and interfering again.
I'm Not a Magical Girl Anymore!
Qi Mo's body trembled. She had collected several cups that Xu Rou had used herself. Indirect kissing was exciting, but hardly rare for her.
But Li Xuan had deliberately—or perhaps unintentionally—mentioned that this was the cup Xu Rou had used when she got up. That meant he had been present when Xu Rou woke up. Thinking further, it was easy to conclude that he had already shared a bed with the Xu Rou she deeply loved. What exactly had he done with Xu Rou over these three days? Had the Demonfallen Xu Rou already willingly let him do whatever he wanted?
Qi Mo did not want to think any further, but her thoughts slipped beyond her control and ran wild. Images and dialogue even filled themselves in automatically. Imagining Xu Rou, whom she had secretly loved for nearly ten years, entwined with him made Qi Mo's heart ache terribly.
All this time, she had been afraid of losing the chance to remain friends, so she had never dared confess. To ease the long-suppressed desire in her heart, she could only commit one irreverent act after another. Perhaps feeding on fantasy day after day had carried her further and further from the real Xu Rou. By the time she realized Xu Rou might already belong to someone else, excitement overwhelmed the pain instead, and saliva began to gather at both corners of her mouth.
As for her responsibility as a magical girl, she had completely forgotten it by then.
"Yan, I'm sorry... From my brief life as a magical girl, I learned only one thing: the more carefully people scheme, the more likely they are to fall into unexpected trouble and lose everything in the end. Unless one surpasses magical girls..."
Qi Mo raised her head and looked at Wu Yan, who was suspended in midair by tentacles.
"Qi Mo, what are you talking about?!" Wu Yan forced the tentacle in her mouth aside with her tongue.
"I'm not a magical girl anymore, Wu Yan!" Qi Mo made up her mind, raised the cup filled with corruption, and drained the bright red liquid in one gulp.
[Fallen Blood activation successful] [Individual Qi Mo undergoing Demonfall] [Demonfall progress: 42%, 98%, 100%] [Individual Qi Mo has completed Demonfall]
Qi Mo transformed into a magical creature almost instantly. Her cake dress and wand turned dark gold, the yellow gemstone around her neck shattered on the spot, and the three chains on her collar hung empty before her, as though waiting for someone to lead them.
"No! This can't be real!" Feeling the Evil Energy aura on Qi Mo, Wu Yan closed her eyes in pain.
Though she often seemed closer to Xu Rou and frequently found Qi Mo meddlesome enough to argue with her, Qi Mo actually held a more important place in Wu Yan's heart.
Qinghe High School was one of the city's top key high schools. Wu Yan had always been physically gifted but simple-minded, and her grades were average. She had only been admitted through her status as a dance-specialty student. At a high school filled with academic prodigies, she was often looked down on and even isolated because of that identity. Back then, Qi Mo, who had been the class monitor, had stepped forward to help her. She brought the quiet Xu Rou along to tutor Wu Yan, eat lunch with her, study with her, and gossip with her.
Among girls, who one socialized with mattered greatly. Once everyone saw that Qi Mo, the class monitor, and Xu Rou, the famously icy beauty, were both close to Wu Yan, no one dared isolate her anymore. Later, during school performances, Qi Mo persuaded the school to give Wu Yan a chance to perform onstage. Wu Yan quickly gained popularity, made many friends, and became increasingly cheerful. Even her path toward becoming a magical girl had been inspired by Qi Mo.
Yet now, this older sister who had changed her life had fallen into demonhood after only a few words. That pain was even worse than when Xu Rou had swung an axe at her.
"So this is what Demonfall feels like? It doesn't seem as different as I imagined," Qi Mo said with a lost expression.
"You accepted your own Demonfall, so naturally it doesn't feel like much. Xu Rou fought desperately against that power at the time, which is why the contrast before and after her Demonfall was so much stronger. She's nearby. Do you want to see her?" Li Xuan asked.
"No. I still don't know how to face her. Master—I can call you that, right? Please give me some time to adjust. Don't make me meet Xu Rou immediately." Qi Mo lowered her head. It was clear that the guilt in her heart had not diminished because of her Demonfall.
"Then I'll allow you to choose a few of Xu Rou's personal belongings as gifts to celebrate your new life." Li Xuan smiled.
"Really? Thank you so much, Master! I'm already tired of those old casting materials. If possible, I want something fresh." Qi Mo's eyes lit up. It seemed that after Demonfall, she no longer hid her desires in the slightest.
"Of course. I'll have her take them off and give them to you later." As he spoke, Li Xuan gently stroked Qi Mo's blond hair.
From the perspective of a chess piece, Qi Mo was far more valuable than Xu Rou. Leaving aside her highly practical Sealing Type magic, the strategies in her head alone made her qualified to serve as an excellent adviser. Thus, Li Xuan felt it was necessary to win her over appropriately.
"Ah, Master! I really made the right choice. Staying by your side is so wonderful." Qi Mo rubbed against Li Xuan's arm like a puppy, her face full of satisfaction.
In contrast, Wu Yan, hanging in midair, looked absolutely terrible.
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