Shallow-Tier Monster

The long-haired Magical Girl took Lan Yue from Xia Ya, then nodded and said:

"Thank you. I'm Magical Girl Ain. I'll come support you in a moment."

Xia Ya froze for a second, then broke into a smile.

"Alright. Then I'll leave the barrier protecting everyone to you."

Hearing Xia Ya's words, Ain hesitated before explaining:

"Um, I don't think that's what I meant..."

"Awooo—"

A wolf howl interrupted the girls' conversation. The wolf-headed Monster emerged once more. The black bodysuit it had been wearing over its upper body had vanished, exposing its thick fur. Its blast-charred head had fully recovered, and its wolfish eyes were fixed firmly on Xia Ya.

The transformed wolf-headed Monster was somewhat larger, radiating an even more overwhelming presence than before.

"Get out of here. I'll deal with this."

Xia Ya immediately assumed a fighting stance, facing the Monster without looking back.

Seeing this, the black-haired Magical Girl Ain hurried away while carrying the injured Lan Yue.

After placing Lan Yue somewhere safe and deploying a magic barrier, Ain looked toward the distant battlefield. Xia Ya and the Monster were already locked in fierce combat.

Xia Ya swung her staff, firing several orbs of light at the Monster.

Having suffered from the barrage of light bullets earlier, the wolf-headed Monster no longer dared to be careless. With nimble movements, it dodged every incoming light orb and rapidly closed in on Xia Ya.

In its eyes, since the Magical Girl before it relied on ranged attacks, once it got close enough, it would naturally be able to handle her with ease.

After dodging several more light orbs and closing the distance, the wolf-headed Monster seized an opening while the girl was casting. Its legs exploded with force as it roared, opened its jaws, and pounced.

It had thought that with such a rapid attack, the girl would be unable to react and would stand there stupidly until it knocked her down. Yet just as the Monster was about to touch her, she sidestepped and dodged away.

Before it even landed, the girl moved again. She spun in place, lifted her right leg, and drove a fierce spinning kick into its jaw.

"Awooo~"

It let out a miserable shriek like a dog whose tail had been stepped on. Xia Ya's powerful spinning kick dislocated its jaw, and it staggered before crashing to the ground, whimpering without end.

Even while fighting the transformed wolf-headed Monster alone, Xia Ya was not at a disadvantage in the slightest. Her Magic Armament was clearly a staff, yet she was equally formidable in close combat. Ain watched in utter amazement.

Magical Girl Xia Ya had only become active in the East District a few months ago. She had debuted less than a month before Ain and had seventy-eight thousand fans.

Although that was only somewhat higher than Ain's barely fifty thousand fans, the strength she displayed now was clearly on an entirely different level.

Even Ain and Lan Yue working together had been unable to defeat that Monster. It was an elite even among Surface Tier Monsters, yet Xia Ya dealt with it effortlessly.

"Her fans haven't even reached a hundred thousand, so how can the gap be this huge?"

Ain muttered to herself.

"Of course it is. Little Xia Ya is a child personally chosen by this fairy. Her talent is naturally plain for all to see."

A voice suddenly rang out beside Ain, startling her.

Ain turned her head and found a pink fairy with a pair of wings flying beside her.

"Y-you are?"

"I'm the fairy Har, Magical Girl Xia Ya's personal fairy."

The pink fairy put his hands on his hips, raised his chin proudly, and introduced himself.

"Personal fairy..."

Upon hearing that title, Ain's eyes widened.

Then it was no wonder. No wonder at all.

Generally speaking, a fairy did not sign contracts with only one Magical Girl. They were usually responsible for several, even over a dozen. Sometimes they debuted as a group, forming a small idol group.

As a result, the resources and effort a fairy invested into any single Magical Girl would be reduced, and they would not constantly remain at one Magical Girl's side.

For example, Lan Yue, Ain, and another Magical Girl from their class had all signed contracts under the same fairy. The fairy contracted with Ain had not come along for this battle.

A personal fairy, on the other hand, was one that had chosen a highly talented Magical Girl and signed a contract with that one Magical Girl alone.

"Fan count can indeed define a Magical Girl's strength, but magical aptitude remains an insurmountable mountain separating ordinary people from geniuses."

Har flew before the still-unconscious Lan Yue, raised a paw, and released a gentle glow. As he healed the girl's injuries, he spoke.

After hearing that, Ain lowered her head somewhat dejectedly.

"Still, little Xia Ya works incredibly hard."

Har suddenly said.

"You can see that she's a Magical Girl who uses a staff-type armament, right? Normally, the characteristics of a Magic Armament determine a Magical Girl's combat style. Yet little Xia Ya can fight that wolf-headed Monster at close range. You can imagine what kind of training that child goes through every day."

Ain raised her head and watched Xia Ya drive the wolf-headed Monster back step by step with punch after punch and kick after kick. She fell into thought.

"That child gets up at four in the morning every day to begin dance training. After school, she also goes out to hunt hidden Monsters. Day after day, that's how she gained such powerful combat ability. Magical aptitude has nothing to do with that domain, so there are still many ways to become stronger."

The dancing, singing, acting, and other idol training practiced by Magical Girl idols could genuinely improve their ability to fight Monsters. This was also the unique training method of the new generation of Magical Girls.

Ain listened blankly to fairy Har's explanation.

She did idol training too, but getting up at four in the morning to train was simply too outrageous.

"Look, the battle is about to be decided."

Har pointed toward the distant battle and spoke excitedly.

Xia Ya swung her staff and smashed it heavily into the Monster's head. Its entire body was driven into the ground, and the concrete beneath its feet cracked layer upon layer under the tremendous force.

The Monster lay on the ground. Xia Ya raised her staff, and countless particles of light gathered as she prepared to deliver the final blow.

Pfft!

A jet-black beam of energy instantly pierced through Xia Ya's body.

Xia Ya swayed several times before dropping to one knee. Blood dripped from her wound onto the ground.

Har's pointing finger had not even lowered. His whole body froze in midair, and he even forgot to flap his wings.

"X-Xia Ya!"

The pink fairy let out a piercing scream and frantically beat his wings, about to fly over.

"Don't come over."

Xia Ya, half-kneeling on the ground, suddenly raised a hand and stopped Har through telepathy.

Har halted in midair and hurriedly sent back through telepathy:

"Little Xia Ya, a-are you alright?"

"I'm fine. Only my right arm was injured. I'm not dying yet."

Xia Ya's face was somewhat pale. Her left hand covered the wound in her right arm as a pink light shone, healing the pierced limb.

She raised her head and looked in one direction.

A small figure draped in a black robe stood atop a high-rise building, looking down at everyone below.

Then it stepped forward. Its entire body dropped in free fall and crashed heavily onto the ground, kicking up countless clouds of dust.

When the figure emerged from the dust, both Magical Girls present stopped breathing for an instant.

Its black robe was tattered, its face covered by a mask etched with strange patterns, and the tangible black mist emanating from its body was incomparably cold and sinister.

"Magical Girl Xia Ya... Hehehe, you could be considered a rising star. Very good. I like hunting talented Magical Girls most of all."

The black-robed Monster turned toward Xia Ya and let out a sinister laugh.

Shallow Tier...

Xia Ya's expression tightened. She immediately judged the other party's strength; its aura was far above that of a Surface Tier Abyss Monster.

"You're the Monster that injured Feijing!"

From the distance, Ain suddenly shouted.