Shion, a freelance magical girl who had suddenly appeared in BH City three years ago.
At first, she had simply hunted Calamity Beasts, refusing to communicate with anyone and operating alone, occasionally accompanied by a blue magical girl.
Neither the Witch Association nor the Disaster Countermeasures Bureau had actually paid her any mind.
Every city had one or two magical girls operating independently. It was nothing unusual.
Until Shion established the Azure Cloud Sect together with Winter Lord.
For the Disaster Countermeasures Bureau, practically all new magical girls had been monopolized by the Azure Cloud Sect ever since. It was an immense headache, but direct clashes were actually rare.
After all, their main business was eliminating Calamity Beasts.
But the Witch Association was a different story.
In truth, the Witch Association's business only conflicted with the Disaster Countermeasures Bureau's, not the Azure Cloud Sect's.
Because even a little investigation would reveal that the Azure Cloud Sect did not eliminate Calamity Beasts for the city's safety. They hunted Calamity Beasts purely for Grief Seeds.
But the Azure Cloud Sect's appetite was too big!
Just as their recruitment of new magical girls left the Disaster Countermeasures Bureau with no one to recruit, Calamity Beasts alone could not satisfy their demand for Grief Seeds, so they set their sights directly on the Witch Association.
They hunted not only Calamity Beasts but also the Witch Association, snatching Grief Seeds straight from its hands.
Over these past few years, the Witch Association had suffered far more grievances than the Disaster Countermeasures Bureau.
At least the Disaster Countermeasures Bureau could join forces with the government to brand the Azure Cloud Sect an illegal organization, launch public opinion campaigns, and condemn it.
The Witch Association had to swallow its own shattered teeth. When one outlaw robbed another, there was nowhere to seek justice.
And Shion, as the magical girl who had hunted down the most Witch Association members, had another title within the association: the Witch Executioner.
Not a single Witch Association member who fell into her hands had ever returned alive.
Whenever they encountered her, Witch Association members were permitted to abandon their missions and retreat without it counting as a mission failure.
To put it plainly, the Witch Association was now secretly stealing Full Blossom-level Miracle Seeds to find a way to deal with Shion. Otherwise, its plans for BH City could not get off the ground at all...
"A male transformer...?"
Already stunned senseless by Shion's appearance alone, Du Juan was shaken beyond measure when she realized this.
Who could have imagined that the older brother of a newly initiated official magical girl was the leader of BH City's illegal organization, the Azure Cloud Sect?
Leaving aside everything wrong with those identities, the gender requirement for magical girls had always been rigid. There had never been a male one.
If she could have imagined this, she would never have accepted this mission, even if it killed her!
Not to mention, because she had never considered that Jiang Si could transform, she had spent an enormous amount of magic on him!
"Let's begin our proper battle."
Du Juan turned and ran!
What a joke! What a joke!
Who wanted to fight Shion?!
Shion was Jiang Si, possibly the first male magical girl transformer in history! Once she brought back such important information, her standing would surely rise like a boat with the tide!
The question was whether she could get back alive...
Shion's skirt shimmered purple. She bent slightly and gave a light leap.
Terrifying wind pressure instantly uprooted the surrounding trees!
Dust and rubble rose behind her, and the piercing shriek of her passage caught up with Du Juan a second later!
Compared with her untransformed state, Shion's movements were lighter and more nimble, seemingly lacking that terrifying explosive force.
Yet when a casual kick struck her stomach, Du Juan-whose defenses a full-strength blow in human form had failed to breach, merely knocking her back slightly-
Instantly shot straight out like a cannonball!
Dozens of thick tree trunks snapped along her path. The pitch-black magical girl tumbled across the ground, gouging out a terrifyingly long, deep furrow!
Du Juan plunged her wand into the ground, countless magical tentacles desperately clutching the earth, before she barely managed to cancel out the impact.
Not daring to hesitate, without a single thought of fighting back, she simply turned and flew madly toward the outskirts!
"Captain!"
The captain's presence was nearby! If she could just hold out until the captain came! If she could just find him!
The route out of the city lay right before her, and the captain's presence was drawing closer and closer. In that instant, Du Juan felt as though time had slowed, everything in the world turning sluggish.
The captain was only a short distance away, yet no matter what, she could not get closer. All she could clearly feel was a small, soft hand gently touching her forehead.
Then it slammed her down toward the road!
An enormous amount of pitch-black magic shielded her face, scraping violently against the asphalt with a teeth-grating screech. Black magic scattered like sparks from a cutting machine!
She scraped along for hundreds of meters, forcibly exhausting every last bit of her magic!
"Ah!"
She screamed, completely incapable of thought now, only swinging her wand to retaliate on instinct.
Yet her opponent simply threw a punch while holding her head down.
The wand and the right arm holding it broke at the same time!
Without the protection of her magic, the pitch-black magical girl's cheek was finally pressed directly against the asphalt, scraping out a dark, deep trail.
In stark contrast to her lovely appearance, Shion's fighting style was brutal and wild.
No one had ever seen her wand.
She was an exceedingly rare close-combat magical girl.
Unlike ordinary magical girls who normally fought at range using magical power and spells, Shion relied solely on the terrifying strength within that petite body to crush her opponents up close, simply and directly...
Half of Du Juan's face had been ground smooth. No blood flowed out, only a steady stream of pitch-black magic.
The magical outfit on her body also slowly melted and dripped off her like asphalt.
Shion released her and picked up the Miracle Seed she had dropped.
The rotten seed was already covered in cracks, utterly worthless.
She casually crushed it, and it scattered into specks of starlight.
A corrupted Incubator appeared in the air, smiling in relief.
After expressing its thanks to her, it slowly vanished.
Generally speaking, even if a normal magical girl suffered fatal injuries, those wounds would not affect her actual body once she undid her transformation.
But Du Juan was clearly not a normal magical girl.
All the magic used for her transformation came from Grief Seeds. She had merely poured the magic of a Grief Seed into a Miracle Seed to transform.
As a result, she was closer to a Calamity Beast than a magical girl.
Although her injuries would not be fully reproduced on her actual body, the pain, exhaustion, and effects of those injuries would still act on it.
Although her face was intact, Du Juan still clutched it tightly with her left hand, while her right arm hung limp and motionless.
Shion's expression remained indifferent. Purple magic simply gathered in her right hand, forming a spear that settled into her grasp.
The girl raised the spear, taller than herself, and aimed it at the woman who had already lost her power.
"Captain..."
Du Juan moaned shakily, "Save me..."
"Stop!"
Two furious voices rang out from the east and from above!
Only when Peony's support arrived did Yinlian and Keke finally break through the interference of the strange gale.
"The Azure Cloud Sect has made its move. Contact Rose and have her ready to provide support at any time!"
As Yinlian rushed out, she issued orders to the Disaster Countermeasures Bureau while using her petals to probe and clear the way ahead.
She did not want to be caught in another trap.
Keke sat on her broom one body length behind Yinlian. The red magic around her had already begun to fade, no longer as vigorous as before, and her face was filled with exhaustion.
That gale had scattered her magic so badly that she had nearly been unable to maintain her transformation.
After finally breaking out of the wind, she could not help asking, "Was that gale controlled by an Azure Cloud Sect magical girl?"
"One of the Azure Cloud Sect's core members, codename Dandelion."
Yinlian's face was serious, her voice tense. "Her ability is controlling wind, and her control is extremely precise. She's a New Sprout-level magical girl. You must be careful. She isn't someone you can handle."
"The same level as you, Captain?"
"Yes..."
After hesitating, Yinlian still did not say that she had actually fought Dandelion several times and had never won.
They were both New Sprout-level magical girls, yet the gap between them was far from small, especially in the precision of their magical control.
Dandelion's control could be called downright appalling, to the point that she could seize control of Yinlian's petals.
"If there's danger later, head back to the Disaster Countermeasures Bureau immediately."
She had originally thought they would only be dealing with Witch Association members, so she had naturally been confident there would be no danger. But now, it seemed the Azure Cloud Sect had probably intervened too.
After all, those people kept the closest watch on the Witch Association. It was no surprise that they would act.
The situation was somewhat chaotic. There was never any harm in being cautious.
"Okay, I'll be careful."
Keke was actually quite a well-behaved girl. The longer Yinlian spent with her, the more she realized it.
Well-behaved, obedient, and even very considerate of others, never willing to cause anyone trouble.
Only when facing her older brother did Keke show a little harshness and rebellion.
So the poor relationship between these siblings was mostly Jiang Si's fault after all...
Worried that Jiang Si might be in danger, she quickened her pace.
Then, in the distant outskirts originally filled with corrupted magic, a vast surge of purple energy suddenly rose!
Keke and Yinlian both froze for a moment, and then several shades of delighted surprise immediately appeared on Keke's face.
"It's Teacher Shion!"
As she spoke, she actually overtook Yinlian and rushed ahead. Yinlian hurried after her. "Wait, Keke! Be careful!"
When they drew near, the devastated scene made Yinlian suck in a cold breath.
Trees knocked every which way lay everywhere, each trunk so thick it would take three or four people to encircle it. The ground looked as though it had been plowed, its uneven furrows still burning with residual magic.
Dust rose everywhere, obscuring their vision. Farther ahead, they could see that even the asphalt road had been severed across the middle, the enormous trench riddled with corrupted magic.
And in the middle of the road, Shion was raising a spear, aiming it at the woman lying on the ground.
"Stop!"
Yinlian immediately shouted. To her surprise, a shout of protest came from above as well.
"Stop!"
But there was no time to think. Shion was already about to bring down her spear. Every petal around Yinlian rose together, swirling as they rushed toward Shion!
Above, a bolt of lightning also abruptly struck down!
A gentle breeze brushed through the pitch-black night.
Yinlian's movements faltered. The petals dancing through the air were drawn by the breeze, all flying toward the sky.
A white magical girl stood in front of Shion. Without a word, she traced a circle in the air with her finger, and an unusual wind blew countless petals back toward Yinlian.
Yinlian immediately stepped in front of Keke, but just as the petals approached them, they lost their strength and drifted to the ground.
At the same time, the lightning descending from above was blocked by an exquisitely beautiful ice-crystal flower.
A blue magical girl flew above Shion, holding up an enormous ice-crystal flower with one hand. Although the lightning blasted part of it apart, the petals immediately grew back and continued expanding.
Before long, the blue magical girl cupped delicate ice-crystal petals in her hands and blew toward the sky.
Cold surged upward, and the gathered thunderclouds instantly froze.
"Even Winter Lord is here!"
After murmuring this, Yinlian immediately looked back at Shion, whom the two were protecting.
Dandelion blocked this side, while Winter Lord guarded above. Just the two of them were like walls of bronze and iron.
No one could interfere with Shion in the middle of the road.
Thus, the enormous purple spear in her hand shot toward the woman without the slightest pause!
Magic burned furiously. Without even letting out a scream, the woman turned to ash in the magical flames.
Yinlian immediately reached out to cover Keke's eyes, turning her own head away, unable to bear the sight.
Utterly cruel!
"Du Juan!"
Another anguished cry came from above. "Azure Cloud Sect! You and I cannot coexist!"
That shout instead left Yinlian, who had been about to rebuke them, with no chance to speak.
The blue magical girl, Winter Lord, floated lightly down from the sky and expertly dusted Shion off. "Yes, yes, we know. Hurry up and come, then. You seem pretty impatient yourself, so how about today? Show yourself right now. Let's not waste time. How about settling your grudge on the spot?"
The voice that had been roaring in fury fell completely silent.
And so the Azure Cloud Sect's attention naturally fell on Yinlian's side.
"The Disaster Countermeasures Bureau will arrest all of you sooner or later."
Gripping her wand, Yinlian tensed all over. While firmly delivering the official line, she reminded Keke in a low voice, "Get ready to run, Keke."
Keke only looked hesitantly at Shion.
After Winter Lord dusted her off, the purple magical girl's gaze passed over Yinlian and fixed directly on her.
It made Keke's heart pound.
Teacher Shion really did kill people...
Yet she could not muster any fear.
"You've grown stronger."
After staring at her for a while, Shion spoke indifferently. "Emotional outbursts can bring enormous amounts of magic. In extreme circumstances, they can let magical girls surpass themselves. But relying on such an unstable method to grow stronger will weaken your control over magic, just like the person beside you."
Yinlian's face instantly flushed red. "I haven't!"
"You have, you have. Yinlian loses to me every time precisely because her magical control is so crude." Dandelion twisted the knife at just the right moment.
Yinlian was instantly left speechless. She merely bit her lip in frustration and glared hatefully at Dandelion.
Suddenly criticized, Keke was also somewhat at a loss. She said in a fluster, "I'm sorry..."
"Still, getting stronger is a good thing. You can practice the rest slowly."
Shion's tone softened a little. "For a beginner, you did well."
Keke, who had been somewhat at a loss, froze for a moment. Before she could come back to her senses, Winter Lord smiled and waved at her, said "Bye-bye," then skipped away beside Shion in high spirits. All along the way, Winter Lord kept trying to reach out and touch Shion's cheek, only for Shion to slap the hand away without even looking.
Meanwhile, Dandelion hugged her wand, watching them cautiously as she backed away. Only after confirming that neither of them intended to attack did she turn and jog after Winter Lord and Shion.
"You saw that, didn't you!" Only once they were far away did Yinlian speak in a low voice. "I wasn't lying to you. She really does kill people-even magical girls!"
Keke was still gazing dazedly in the direction Shion had left, then replied without thinking, "Miss Shion must have her reasons, right?"
Yinlian immediately covered her forehead. "That's murder. Snap out of it, Keke..."
But, but she praised me for getting stronger. She said I did well.
With that thought in her heart, for a moment, she felt as though she had eaten a piece of candy.
Sweet, and warm, too.
"Don't you go getting bewitched too... forget it, let's talk when we get back. First, have Rose come clean up the scene. We have to deal with their mess every time. That damn Azure Cloud Sect."
As she spoke, Yinlian suddenly felt she had forgotten something. Only when police sirens sounded nearby did she slap her thigh:
"Wait, I almost forgot. Didn't we come out to look for Jiang Si?"
Beside her, Keke, who was still savoring the moment, also froze briefly, then muttered distractedly, "Oh, right. Where's Jiang Si..."