I Became a Spirit in Date A Live, but I Refuse to Date

Oh my God, what's going on now? Can someone explain this to me?

Lingmeng stared at the girls in front of her. They had their Gatling guns trained on her in perfect unison, their eyes full of murderous intent. Cold sweat ran down her back.

"Captain, there's no information on this Spirit in our records."

One of the girls saluted the woman before her and delivered her report.

The woman addressed as captain gave a quiet acknowledgment, then called out to the others, "Don't make a move yet! She may be an unregistered Spirit. Until we know what she can do, do not attack her!"

"Yes, ma'am!" the girls answered in unison, like a proper military unit.

They belonged to the Japan Ground Self-Defense Force's Special Unit, commonly known as AST—the Anti-Spirit Team. It had been established with one principal objective: eliminate Spirits by force.

Its members rushed to the scene as soon as a Spacequake occurred. Equipped with Combat Realize Units, or CR-Units, they fought the source of the Spacequake: the Spirit. More than human but not quite monsters, they could be called modern-day magicians.

The reason they were here was obvious. They had come to eliminate a Spirit. And who was that Spirit? None other than Lingmeng, who stood there utterly bewildered.

Wait, did I hear that right? Are these people speaking Japanese?

Lingmeng froze when she heard the AST members talking. A moment later, it clicked.

Damn, I got sent straight to another country? Good thing I watch so much anime that I've picked up most of the language. Otherwise, I wouldn't understand a word they're saying! But what was all that about a "Spirit" and "unregistered"? What does any of it mean? Forget it. The important thing is, we can talk to each other, right?

Lingmeng forced a strained smile and addressed the AST members.

"Um... ladies, could you put down the swords and guns first? Having all of those pointed at me is making me pretty nervous."

Lingmeng had thought they would lower their guns once they heard her. Instead, they held their positions and acted as if she had said nothing.

"Uh... it's fine if you don't want to put them down, but could you at least tell me why you've surrounded me?"

The silence grew awkward, and Lingmeng spoke with a nervous smile.

"..."

The AST members remained silent. None of them answered her.

Then the captain spoke.

"Everyone! We've received authorization from command. Commence the attack!"

"Yes, Captain! Open fire!"

Their answers rang out, and the murderous intent in their eyes intensified.

"Huh? What are you—" Before Lingmeng could finish, a barrage of gunfire thundered through the city.

Magic-infused bullets hurtled toward her at a rate of hundreds per second. The air filled with the smell of gunpowder.

After more than ten minutes of bombardment, the girls finally ceased fire. Their gun barrels glowed faintly red from the sustained shooting.

Dust swirled everywhere, obscuring Lingmeng at the center of the barrage. None of the AST members could tell whether she was alive or dead.

"Command, we have fired on the target."

After glancing ahead, the AST captain raised her radio and reported the situation in detail.

"Well? Is she dead?"

One member turned to another with the question.

"I don't know, but don't let your guard down. She's a Spirit! In a way, she's a greater threat than a nuclear bomb!"

The girl shook her head. She had no idea either.

After that, nobody spoke. All their attention was fixed on the spot where they had shot Lingmeng.

As the dust slowly cleared, they saw what they had expected: the girl still stood perfectly straight, without so much as a scratch.

"Uh... this might sound like I'm mocking you, but I don't think your attacks did anything to me."

Lingmeng looked herself over. There wasn't a trace of the bombardment on her clothes or body. She touched her cheek and spoke with an awkward expression.

"Hah..."

The AST members drew sharp breaths and tightened their grips on their weapons.

Elemental Spirit and Astral Dress: Senban

"As expected of a Spirit. I can't believe she came through an attack like that without a scratch. She's a monster."

One AST member stared nervously at Lingmeng, who looked as though nothing had happened.

Cold sweat beaded on the other members' foreheads too.

As for why Lingmeng was completely unhurt, the answer lay some ten minutes earlier.

What the hell? Why did they open fire without warning? I'm dead, I'm so dead!

Lingmeng stared at the hundreds of bullets flying toward her and screamed inwardly.

Just then, a familiar voice rang out—

"Za Warudo!"

When Lingmeng opened her eyes again, every bullet had stopped in midair. The AST members were motionless too. It was as if time itself had stopped.

"Huh? What happened? Did time stop? Was that me?"

Lingmeng looked around excitedly.

"In your dreams. I did all of this."

The familiar voice spoke again, but Lingmeng couldn't find its owner anywhere.

"Xier Ya, get your ass out here! Damn it, are you the one who made me look like this? And what happened to the strongest race you promised me? If you'd come even a moment later, I would've been shot full of holes! Explain yourself, or I swear I'll haunt you after I die!"

Lingmeng shouted furiously at the empty air. She knew the voice belonged to Xier Ya.

"Oh, don't get hung up on the details. I came to save you, didn't I?"

There wasn't a hint of guilt in Xier Ya's voice. If anything, she sounded amused.

"I want to punch you so badly right now! 😠"

"Ahem. Calm down. You can't put all the blame on me for turning into a girl. Your new race has only females, so when you were reborn, you could only become one."

"...If I'd known, I would've refused. I'd rather die than become a girl." Lingmeng felt as though Xier Ya had tricked her. "Then explain why I'm so weak. Didn't you turn me into the strongest race?"

"Oh, that! I did turn you into the strongest race in this world, but I forgot you used to be a shut-in. You don't know how to fight or use your powers. So being this weak is mostly on you."

Lingmeng felt embarrassed as she listened. After all that, the problem was that she simply didn't know how to use her abilities.

"So what do I do now?"

"Don't worry! I'm a helpful goddess—scratch that. I actually came to give you the knowledge you need to fight and use your abilities."

"So, basically, you're here to give me a cheat?"

Lingmeng summed up Xier Ya's meaning.

"You could put it that way."

A finger snap sounded. In an instant, knowledge of basic combat techniques and her own abilities flooded Lingmeng's mind.

"All right, I've done what I came to do. The rest is up to you. I probably won't come see you like this again, so enjoy your wonderful second life! Bye!"

"Please replace 'wonderful' with 'miserable,' thanks!"

Lingmeng protested, but no one answered her.

She raised a hand toward the sky. A golden staff shaped like a trident and engraved with beautiful patterns appeared in her grasp. At the same time, seven rainbow-colored crystals materialized behind her, floating in a fan-shaped array.

"Elemental Spirit!"

Thanks to the knowledge that had just appeared in her mind, Lingmeng now had a rough understanding of her abilities.

The staff in her hand was called Elemental Spirit. It was her Angel, something like a weapon.

The outfit she wore was called Astral Dress: Senban. It was something like her shield.

Together, they were her strongest spear and strongest shield.

Lingmeng looked at the people still frozen before her and muttered, "Stopped time, huh? I should be able to undo it with my powers now, right?"

She swept Elemental Spirit through the air. Time began to flow again. The AST girls continued firing, and the bullets suspended in midair resumed their flight.

But Lingmeng no longer feared the bullets. She formed a barrier of spiritual power in front of herself, and every bullet that struck it vanished instantly, like an egg thrown against a rock.

So Lingmeng stood there and took the bombardment for more than ten minutes, until the AST members finally stopped shooting.

The Angel That Commands the Elements (Part One)

"Ahem. Ladies, I think you should put down your weapons so we can talk calmly. I'm sure this is all a terrible misunderstanding." Lingmeng composed herself and continued politely, "I'm usually a very reasonable person, and I'm sure we can get along. How about you let me leave now, and I'll forgive what you just did?"

"Target confirmed alive! All members, follow my orders! Units Two, Three, and Four, take to the air and provide suppressing fire. Everyone else, follow me into close combat!"

Ignoring Lingmeng, the AST captain issued her orders with practiced calm.

"Yes, Captain!"

The girls' response was almost a shout. They swiftly formed up and took their assigned positions, ready to strike. The captain drew a light sword from her back and charged at Lingmeng.

"Charge!"

Lingmeng watched the spirited girls rush toward her and felt a headache coming on. She had only wanted to talk and see whether they could settle this peacefully, but they had ignored every word.

"Sigh. I only held back because I didn't want to hurt you. If you insist on fighting, I'll oblige!"

Lingmeng pointed Elemental Spirit at the girls and struck what she hoped was a heroic pose.

Bang, bang, bang, bang, bang, bang...

Gunfire erupted again. Lingmeng looked up at the incoming bullets, but her earlier fear and panic were gone. Now she felt calm—and perhaps a little dismissive.

"I already told you, didn't I? Those won't work on me!"

With a light sweep of Elemental Spirit, Lingmeng summoned a mass of blistering flame above her. The bullets melted into molten metal before they even touched it.

She sent the flames toward the girls who were firing. They tried to flee, but the flames moved too fast and reached them before they could get away.

The instant the flames reached the girls, they engulfed them.

"Aah!"

Screams rang out from within the fire.

But when the flames dispersed, the girls discovered they had no obvious injuries. Instead, the heat had destroyed their armor and weapons.

Their lives were in no danger, but without their equipment, they could no longer fight.

She controls fire? Is that her ability?

The captain glanced at the molten metal on the ground, trying to work out Lingmeng's power. She didn't understand why the Spirit had spared her soldiers, but there was no time to dwell on it.

I can block most of the damage with a Territory!

With that thought, the captain activated her Territory and shaped it into a protective barrier.

"Die, Spirit!"

The captain reached Lingmeng first. She leaped into the air and swung her light sword down at Lingmeng's head.

Wham!

The ground surged upward without warning, forming a solid earthen shield that blocked the blow for Lingmeng.

"What?" The captain stared at the shield of earth in shock.

Wasn't she using fire just now? How can she use earth too? I need to get away from her!

The captain realized the danger and tried to retreat, but it was too late. Lingmeng dismissed the shield, raised Elemental Spirit, and thrust it toward her stomach—

Crack! The captain's Territory shattered instantly, as fragile as glass.

Lingmeng did not drive Elemental Spirit into the captain's stomach. She only touched her with it.

"Bye-bye!"