Justice Descends in Pink and White

A faint glow rose from the girl's body as she charged at the monster again, her eyes full of determination. This time, she would not run away.

"I'm here to save you!"

As if trying to encourage herself, Shan Que shouted and threw a punch at the monster.

The monster, still trying to grab Zhou Mo, staggered from the girl's punch. It turned around, its bloodshot eyes fixed tightly on her.

Already enraged at having been toyed with, the monster immediately switched targets. Spreading its massive arms, it lunged at the girl.

"Huh?"

Seeing the monster suddenly turn its attention to her, she froze for a moment. Then, when she saw it about to attack, she instinctively covered her head, turned around, and ran.

"N-No, don't chase me!"

The girl cried out in fear as she fled.

"..."

Finally getting a moment to catch her breath, Zhou Mo stood to the side and watched the magical girl flee in a panic from the monster, utterly speechless.

"Hey! You don't have to face an enemy you can't defeat alone."

"So ask for backup!"

Zhou Mo cupped her hands around her mouth and shouted at the girl.

"Huh? Right!"

Hearing Zhou Mo's words, Shan Que, who had been circling around the monster—or rather, being chased by it—finally realized she had that option. She immediately pulled out her phone and tapped the support request.

Though she looked rather pathetic, the girl's fighting spirit had ultimately been reignited.

The man in the trench coat sighed helplessly at the sight, but then he smiled again.

"Fine. Once hope has been lit, snuffing it out again may bring an even more exquisite despair."

The man raised one hand, and a dark glint flashed across his palm.

On the battlefield, the monster, which had been blindly chasing and attacking the girl, suddenly froze. Slowly, it turned around and faced Zhou Mo.

"What's going on?"

Looking at the monster facing her, Zhou Mo suddenly felt as though something about its aura had changed. It seemed more intelligent.

The monster no longer showed any sign of madness. Instead, it broke into a run straight toward Zhou Mo.

Seeing the monster charge directly at her, Zhou Mo tried the same trick again, intending to take advantage of its inability to turn nimbly mid-charge and dodge aside.

However, as she moved to the side and they passed each other, one of the monster's huge hands struck from the side, slapping straight at her.

"No!"

Shan Que, behind the monster, had only just realized it was no longer chasing her. She only had time to stretch out one hand.

Bang!

Zhou Mo could not withstand the blow. Her entire body was sent flying like a cannonball, smashing through the glass door of a store behind her and vanishing inside without another sound.

The change had come too quickly. The magical girl had no time to stop it and could only watch as Zhou Mo was sent flying by the monster.

Zhou Mo was just an ordinary person. There was no way she could survive that attack.

The girl stared blankly at the scene, then involuntarily sank to her knees.

She had finally gathered her resolve, only to be pathetically chased around by the monster—and even get that girl killed.

"Am I really qualified to be a magical girl?"

The girl muttered to herself, her lips trembling.

"Probably not."

The faint light that had just ignited in her eyes dimmed once more.

"Tsk, tsk. How pitiful. Such a brave person, gone so easily. Do you know why?"

The trench-coated man's voice came from behind the girl, filled with mockery.

"Because you're too weak. You couldn't protect her at all. You never should have become a magical girl."

Hearing those words, the girl's entire body trembled.

He slowly approached, placing one hand on her shoulder. Leaning down, he whispered into her ear:

"Do you want revenge? For that girl, and for yourself."

The girl ignored him, merely lowering her head in silence as her body continued to tremble slightly.

At that moment, a hand in a black glove appeared before her eyes, holding a black spherical object in its palm.

The spherical object was a lump of black flesh. Countless strands of flesh, like muscle fibers, writhed and tangled together, constantly pulsing in the palm and radiating something ominous.

The girl looked at it, and her consciousness suddenly grew hazy.

"Grab it, and you'll gain power. Power enough to kill that monster."

The man's voice sounded by her ear again, carrying a strange enchantment.

In her daze, the girl tremblingly raised her hand, about to touch the lump of flesh before her.

Inside the dim store, a pile of collapsed shelves suddenly shifted, and a hand emerged from within.

Then, someone crawled out from beneath them.

"Hiss, that hurt."

Zhou Mo sat atop the wreckage of shelves and looked around.

Because of the monster's appearance, everyone in the store had long since fled. She was the only one left inside.

"If your body hadn't been strengthened somewhat by awakening as a magical girl, that blow would have either killed you or crippled you."

Rabi appeared atop a shelf, looking down at Zhou Mo.

"So you finally showed yourself, Rabi."

Zhou Mo looked up at Rabi and said through gritted teeth.

Then she struggled to her feet and dusted herself off.

"I did that on purpose."

After being thrown into the store by the monster, she had happened to land somewhere with no one watching. Since that magical girl had already sent out a support request, she could transform now.

Without hesitating any longer, Zhou Mo immediately raised one hand diagonally in front of herself, striking a transformation-like pose.

"Trans—form"

Boom!

Just as she was about to move, a pink-and-white beam of light suddenly descended from the sky. A thunderous crash rang out, and the ground beneath her feet shook.

Zhou Mo's mouth hung slightly open as she remained in her transformation pose.

She saw a familiar pink-and-white figure.

A few minutes earlier

In the stairwell of a nearby building leading to the rooftop, the pink fairy clung tightly to An Xia's arm, forcibly holding her back.

It earnestly tried to persuade her:

"You really can't go this time, Little An Xia. When you interfered in the battle between those two magical girls yesterday, you already broke the rules. I pleaded with the higher-ups as hard as I could, and since it was your first offense, you avoided punishment. But if it happens again so soon, the company will definitely count both incidents together. You could be banned from activities!"

With one hand tightly held by the fairy, An Xia shook her head after listening.

"I don't understand."

"Why does such a rule exist? Shouldn't magical girls work together to eliminate monsters?"

The pink fairy weakly explained:

"Well, um... because of the nature of the idol profession, magical girls are also competitors. It's for the standardization of magical girl idols, too."

An Xia fell silent for a moment without moving. Har slightly loosened both hands, but the instant it did, An Xia suddenly moved again, startling it into grabbing her once more.

The two remained deadlocked for a moment. Then An Xia's phone suddenly received a nearby support request.

After picking up her phone and taking a look, An Xia met the fairy's eyes. Har immediately let go.

Without hesitation, An Xia rushed toward the rooftop at once.

A flash of pink-and-white light passed by. Having completed her transformation, the girl leaped from the rooftop and entered the scene just as Shan Que was about to touch the strange lump of flesh.

The violent crash from in front of her jolted Shan Que awake from her muddled thoughts. She looked ahead in confusion and saw a pink-and-white figure emerge from the spreading dust.

With her back to Shan Que, the pink-and-white magical girl raised a wand in her hand and pointed it at the monster.

"Magical Girl Xia Ya, here to provide support. Monster, prepare to face judgment!"