Everyone Here Is Trash

Deep in the residential complex, on the balcony of an apartment building.

A Red Traitor stood at the railing, looking down over the complex.

"Left, right, left—sound off!"

"Left, right, left—sound off!"

In an open area below, several hundred Defectors in black protective suits jogged in neat formation.

They shouted their cadence in unison and moved in lockstep. The sight was both eerie and ridiculous.

A sickly smile hung on the Red Traitor's lips. His voice was dreamy.

"Just thinking about hundreds of those stylish little things bobbing up and down while they jog... It's too cute, I say♡."

"And the New Year's almost here. We'll get to hear Brother Hua go 'oh-ho, oh-ho, yeah, ee-yeah, ee-yeah' again. He's so lewd every year, I can hardly stand it♡."

Behind him stood a strange figure radiating a bone-chilling aura.

The figure wore a gray cloak and a hideous mask that concealed his face.

He held a walkie-talkie. He was the one who had taken the call.

After hearing the security guard's report, the Yin-Soul Monster frowned deeply and said in an icy voice,

"Of all times, it had to be now!"

"The Red-Clothed Vengeful Soul I'm creating is almost complete!"

He looked up at the Red Traitor, his voice allowing no argument.

"Go stop that magical girl. Don't let her ruin my plans!"

"???"

The Red Traitor's smile vanished at once.

He turned toward the Yin-Soul Monster, reluctance and shock written across his face.

"Huh? Me?"

He usually preferred to slack off. Why would he want to go out and fight?

The Yin-Soul Monster shot him a cold glance.

"What? You don't want to?"

The Red Traitor shuddered and hurriedly lowered his head, not daring to argue.

"I wouldn't dare... I'll go right now, I say."

He turned and walked toward the stairs, one reluctant step at a time.

After the Red Traitor left, the Yin-Soul Monster slowly turned and paced back into the room.

The ceiling fan in the bedroom was still turning lazily, creaking as it went.

Beneath its blades hung a deathly pale figure: the corpse of a woman dressed in red.

Her eyes were wide open, their cloudy pupils filled with a hatred that chilled the heart.

Her tongue protruded far from her mouth, and the ligature mark around her neck was deep enough to expose bone. The gruesome sight made the blood run cold.

The Yin-Soul Monster walked beneath the corpse and tilted his head back slightly, a sinister sneer curling his lips.

He reached out and brushed his fingertips across her cold cheek, speaking with smug, seductive persuasion.

"Tsk, tsk. What fine material!"

"With this much resentment, nourished by all the miasma in this room, you'll become a powerful Red-Clothed Vengeful Soul before long."

He lowered his voice, lending it a bewitching allure.

"You might even... reach the level of a Red-clad Ghost King!"

"Once your Ghost Domain unfolds, all of A City will become your hunting ground."

"Those magical girls will be nothing but helpless prey before you!"

"Think of that bastard who deceived you. That faithless man who abandoned you."

The Yin-Soul Monster's voice grew more persuasive.

"Don't you want revenge? Don't you want him to taste the pain you endured?"

"Just obey my orders from now on, and I'll give you power—enough to crush every enemy beneath your feet!"

As his words faded, a faint red glimmer of hatred suddenly flashed deep in the motionless corpse's eyes.

It vanished so quickly it might have been an illusion, but the Yin-Soul Monster caught it.

His smile widened, and he chuckled darkly.

"Good, good... I see you're tempted."

"Don't worry. Soon, you'll have the power to destroy heaven and earth!"

Meanwhile, in the complex's plaza.

The short, fat man led Molly to the center of the plaza. Looking at the Black Defectors jogging in neat formation, he forced a stiff smile.

He was about to find an excuse to stall when a wave of synchronized footsteps sounded behind them.

Molly whipped around, her pupils contracting.

The Red Traitor who had left earlier was strolling at the front.

Behind him came several hundred Defectors in black protective suits. Each carried an electric baton, their eyes vicious as they swiftly surrounded Molly and the short, fat man.

Defectors also packed every exit from the plaza.

There was no escape!

The smile vanished from the short, fat man's face, replaced by sheer terror.

Only then did he realize he had been expendable from the start!

The Red Traitor stopped and looked down at Molly, a mocking smile on his lips.

"A magical girl? Tsk, tsk. You're pretty, I'll give you that. Too bad there's no escaping today."

He waved a hand, his tone arrogant.

"If you know what's good for you, surrender!"

"Since you're so pretty, we might go easy on you. You might even suffer a little less."

Molly looked at the dense ring of Defectors, then at the short, fat man trembling beside her. Her gaze turned icy.

She had fallen for another trap!

From the moment she followed the short, fat man into this complex, she had been walking into a carefully laid trap!

Shing!

Broken Sword left its sheath in a flash of cold light.

Before the short, fat man could react, Molly turned her wrist and swept the blade across his neck.

He froze, eyes bulging, a choking rasp escaping his mouth.

Then he dissolved into a wisp of black smoke, leaving only an empty black protective suit.

With him dealt with, Molly held Broken Sword with its tip angled toward the ground, her silver hair whipping in the wind.

She looked up at the Defectors surrounding her and gave a cold smile.

"You think you can beat me just because there are more of you?"

"All I have to say is this: every last one of you is trash."

"Arrogant fool!"

The Red Traitor roared.

"Get her! Kill her!"

At his command, several hundred Black Defectors surged forward like a tide.

Their electric batons crackled as they swung them, a dark mass bearing down on Molly.

Molly's eyes sharpened. Rather than retreat, she charged in.

She pushed Fourth-Tier Basic Swordsmanship to its limit, flitting through the crowd like a ghost.

"Argh!"

Broken Sword flashed silver. Every stroke carried a fierce gust, and screams rose wherever it passed.

One Black Defector brought an electric baton down at her. Molly slipped aside, turned her wrist, and cut his throat.

Another Defector attacked from behind. She sprang into the air and swung her sword backward, cleaving him in two.

What terrified the Defectors even more was Molly's absurd vitality.

Whenever a stray baton struck her, electricity crackled across her body, but it only made her pause for an instant.

Any wound that appeared healed before their eyes.

That was the recovery ability of the third tier of Warrior's Breathing Technique!

"H-how is that possible?!"

A Black Defector stared at the wounds rapidly healing on Molly's body, scared out of his wits.

"What kind of monster is she?!"

Molly ignored him and fought harder with every passing moment.

She wove through the crowd, Broken Sword lashing out like a raging storm. Every strike claimed another life.

Fewer and fewer Black Defectors remained. Bodies piled up across the ground.

The stench of blood mingled with miasma, spreading over the entire plaza.

"!!!"

Watching the carnage, the Red Traitor had lost every trace of his mocking smile. Shock and a hint of fear filled his face instead.

He had never imagined this delicate-looking magical girl could be so formidable!

Outnumbered a hundred to one, she was still winning!