Tentacle Monster...?! (Two-in-One)

Witch Barrier: Siren:

After entering the Witch Barrier, Hell gently opened her eyes. A familiar sensation came over her: sure enough, she had been banished to the frontier again.

The newly born witch had subconsciously tossed the greatest threat to her, Hell, as far from the core as possible.

The vast aquarium had now become a paradise for aquatic life. The glass had shattered, and the waterline nearly reached Miss Hell's slender waist.

"Tch."

"If I were any shorter, I'd probably have swallowed a mouthful of water the moment I came in."

Hell used magic to keep herself flying low above the water.

In the seawater, which was neither shallow nor particularly deep, a great white shark swam about. Its eyes shifted slightly and slowly locked onto Hell in midair.

It smelled the enticing scent this magical girl gave off from the depths of her soul. If it could eat her, it could grow stronger.

The Witch of the Siren's familiars were various marine creatures, including this great white shark. Their individual danger levels were around D+.

But before the shark could attack, a slash descended from above and chopped its head clean off.

An area of water turned red in an instant.

This attracted even more familiars.

"A bunch of small fry..."

Miss Hell picked up speed. Familiars kept lunging at her along the way, but every one of them was cut in two by the invisible "Dismantle."

Her first priority was to find Tang Xiaoyu.

So Hell released Skynet, the little crow.

"Just a moment, master."

After appearing, Skynet flapped its wings gently and began drawing a map of the aquarium in its mind from the perspective of Subspace.

It was worth mentioning that a "Witch Barrier" and the "Witch Domain" Hell had seen before were two different things.

Witch Domain: an innate ability of witches. After deploying their domains, they could bring things from reality into Subspace and strengthen their own Magic Cursed Techniques.

Thus, a Witch Domain could essentially also be called a Subspace Domain, because once activated, it could not be seen in reality.

A Witch Barrier, on the other hand, was a large-scale moving calamity formed by a witch who had returned from death to take revenge on the world. It was essentially located in reality.

Witches capable of forming Witch Barriers were usually created by the fusion of the souls of multiple unwilling and obsessive magical girls.

These witches had a danger level of B at minimum, and as time passed, it could easily soar to A.

They were the most chaotic of chaotic witches, without a shred of reason. They existed solely to take revenge on the world, and were therefore also called "Calamity-Class Witches."

Beyond those, there was also "Witch's Night."

That was on another level altogether.

It was what people called a Calamity-Class Witch whose power had grown strong enough to destroy the world. It was also known as "Walpurgis Night" or "Witch's Revelry Night."

Once Witch's Night appeared, it would trigger a chain reaction, causing an explosive increase in Calamity-Class Witches all over the world.

Its danger level was S at minimum, and could easily reach S+, or an even more terrifying level.

The good news, however, was that at least for now, humanity had never experienced anything so terrifying in its history.

There were only rumors that Witch's Night, once it appeared, would bring destruction to the entire world.

But how could legends be taken seriously!

At least the Ministry of Magic didn't believe them, because they conformed neither to objective laws nor to the Law of Conservation of Magic Power.

"Master, I found her!"

Skynet the little crow landed on Hell's shoulder and pointed the way with a flick of its wing.

As they traveled, Little Crow said, "From the perspective of Subspace, that little one gives off the aura of a Soul Gem. It's very conspicuous."

Hell flicked her hand, dealing with the familiars in their path. "Does that mean she has the potential to become a magical girl, so the witch set her sights on her?"

"That's right."

Before long, Hell reached the underground exhibition hall where Tang Xiaoyu was trapped. It had been completely flooded by seawater that had surged back in.

Miss Hell raised a magic shield, then jumped in.

Unexpectedly, there wasn't a familiar in sight below.

She soon found Tang Xiaoyu on the beach at the very bottom, unconsciously protected by her own magic power.

Hell gently touched the shield. Ripples spread across it, but it quickly recognized that she meant no harm and stopped resisting.

Hell successfully pulled Tang Xiaoyu out.

"Phew..."

Miss Hell climbed back onto dry ground and pushed the bangs away from her forehead. She was drenched, and droplets ran down her delicate chin and into her collar.

"Ah... honestly, being soaked is such a pain."

Hell shook her hand and was just about to cast a water-repelling spell on herself.

Suddenly, a thick tentacle reached out of the deep water behind her and curled toward the girl's slender waist.

"Hm?"

Hell the kitten was instantly alert. She flashed aside to dodge the tentacle reaching for her, then raised a hand and flicked it, severing the tentacle in midair.

Splash!

Water sprayed everywhere as a gigantic octopus familiar finally revealed itself.

Its cloudy, milky-white eyes rolled slightly, filled with a greedy appetite for the girl's delicate body.

"A tentacle monster...?"

Miss Hell's ears turned red. It was unclear what she had remembered, but in any case, it was some of the messy stuff she had seen before...

Countless tentacles reached toward Hell.

"Lowly familiar, get out of my way!"

In an instant, Hell unleashed three, four, five, six, seven, eight, nine "Dismantles," chopping the octopus familiar, head and tentacles alike, into pieces of meat all over the ground.

Only then did she snort, pick up Tang Xiaoyu, and turn to leave.

Unlike Miss Hell, however,

the magical girl Red Sparrow, also known as Lin Xiaohong, became the witch's primary target.

To a growing witch, a magical girl's soul was the finest nourishment.

Thus, Lin Xiaohong had only just landed in the largest whale performance hall when an orca leaped out of the water with a cry and rammed headfirst at her.

"Why is there a deep-sea dump truck here too?!"

Red Sparrow inwardly lamented her plight and hurriedly raised her staff. As she flew backward, she lit the flame on it.

The Colossus Company's internal database contained the following entry on the magical girl "Red Sparrow":

[Magical girl: "Red Sparrow"]

[Danger level: B+]

[Magic Cursed Technique: "Fire Flame Blaze Inferno"]

[Technique details: A Magic Cursed Technique capable of manipulating flames. It is characterized by high damage and a wide range, and can inflict wide-area AOE damage in a short time.]

[Technique drawbacks: Consumes an enormous amount of magic power, and its casting methods are fixed, making precise manipulation difficult.]

"Medium Fire!"

Red Sparrow waved her staff and aimed at the flying orca charging toward her.

Boom!!

A pillar of fire descended from above and roasted the orca medium-well in an instant. It let out a mournful cry and fell back to the ground.

Because Red Sparrow's Magic Cursed Technique moves were simple, and she herself had an extensive battle record, various parties had records of her moves.

Simply put: Small Fire, Medium Fire, Large Fire, and Extra-Large Fire!

Plain and simple.

For Red Sparrow, cycling through those four moves was enough to handle the vast majority of enemies, dealing damage both efficiently and consistently.

For that very reason, compared with the flashy magical girls of the new era, Red Sparrow was more like a traditional, old-fashioned mage.

Even her magical outfit was just a mage's uniform robe embellished with a few red patterns.

With the flying orca dead, Red Sparrow took a deep breath. The magic power within her boiled as she watched her surroundings warily.

"Ah→→ahhh↑↑..."

An enchanting song, gradually rising in pitch, suddenly rang out through the entire orca performance hall. Immediately afterward, the water all around began flowing upward toward the sky.

Countless pillars of water filled the performance hall.

"Senior Red Sparrow!"

Suddenly, Nightingale and Morning Star arrived together at the entrance to the audience seating below.

Because they were weaker, the Siren Witch hadn't given them any special attention. They had also been very lucky, not encountering many familiars along the way.

When Red Sparrow saw the two, she immediately flew down beside them and warned, "Get ready. She's about to make her move."

In truth, unless it was necessary, she didn't want Nightingale and Morning Star, two kids who had been magical girls for less than a year, joining a battle of this level.

But there was no helping it. Nightingale and Morning Star had come to save their friend, and Red Sparrow knew she couldn't possibly talk them out of it, so she didn't try.

Red Sparrow was so sure because she had seen far too many magical girls like them.

For their friends and the loved ones around them, they would often disregard their own safety and risk everything, even if it meant being injured or killed.

Foolish, naive, and stupid...

But that was what magical girls were...!

"Ah-!"

The Siren's song rang throughout the performance hall.

The surrounding pillars of water spun, finally converging to form a figure that was half human, half fish.

Red Sparrow frowned deeply and raised her staff, doing her best to bring Nightingale and Morning Star within the range of her magical protection.

That way, if an attack came, her magical defenses could withstand the first wave.

Amid the endless streams of water, the Siren Witch revealed her true form. Her upper body was human, beautiful and alluring,

while her lower body was that of a mermaid, its scales refracting a multicolored gleam.

There was no humanity in her gaze, only a craving for the souls of magical girls, the things that could make her stronger.

Red Sparrow's soul was delicious, like strawberry cake.

Nightingale's and Morning Star's souls weren't bad either: blueberry cupcakes and vanilla cupcakes.

"Her danger level... is a solid B+!"

Red Sparrow inwardly lamented her plight. Though they were both B+, the Siren Witch had the Calamity Barrier supplying her, giving her an almost endless amount of magic power.

If Red Sparrow couldn't kill her opponent before running out of magic power, death would be the only thing awaiting them.

"Waaah-!!"

The Siren Witch suddenly let out a shriek at them, and the water around her instantly formed two water dragons that charged at Red Sparrow.

"Large Fire!"

Red Sparrow raised her staff, and a torrent of fire serpents poured out, instantly evaporating the oncoming water dragons. A trace of fear flashed in the Siren Witch's eyes, and she turned and hid inside a pillar of water.

This witch is too clever. She threw Miss Hell to the outskirts, then put me first on her list.

Footage of Miss Hell fighting flashed through Red Sparrow's mind. If she were here, she could probably help take some of the pressure off, giving Red Sparrow time to charge up a big move.

Instead of leaving her on the defensive like this.

For a stationary mage like Red Sparrow, a teammate who could withstand the pressure was extremely important.

Otherwise, Red Sparrow wouldn't even have a chance to charge up a big move. After all, the Siren Witch might lack reason, but she wasn't a fool.

If she saw Red Sparrow charging up, she would certainly intervene and interrupt her.

This left Red Sparrow in a very awkward position: she could only wait passively for her opponent to attack first, then respond.

But without time to charge up, her damage wasn't enough to finish the Siren Witch off in one hit.

She was afraid they would be worn down to death here.

Just then, Nightingale suddenly looked at Morning Star. "Let's try that move."

"Okay!"

Little Morning Star nodded, and the two stepped back. Morning Star raised her staff first, transforming it into a pure white bow and arrow radiating extreme cold.

Nightingale waved her scythe and likewise transformed it into an inky purple arrow, then handed it to Morning Star.

The girl took the arrow, nocked it, drew the bowstring, and took a deep breath, aiming at the Siren Witch hiding in the pillar of water and waiting for an opportunity to strike.

Because this was her first time using the move in actual combat, the hand holding the bowstring trembled slightly.

Seeing this, Nightingale helped her steady the bow from beside her.

"Take your time. Even if you miss, it's all right. As long as we hold out until Senior Hell gets here, we'll still have a chance at a second round."

"Okay!"

Morning Star finally calmed down. Without further hesitation, she aimed at the Siren Witch and released the string.

Whoosh!

The inky purple arrow shot out, carrying extreme cold.

The Siren Witch waved a hand, creating a water shield out of thin air to block the arrow.

But unexpectedly, the moment the arrow touched the shield, it detonated itself, instantly expanding the radius of its cold.

Crack, crack!

The Siren Witch and her pillar of water froze together.

This was the result of Nightingale and Morning Star's training after Miss Hell's initial guidance.

Although they hadn't learned Reverse Cursed Technique, Miss Hell had let them both experience firsthand how a top-level Magic Cursed Technique worked.

It was like guiding them step by step through a college entrance exam math paper and getting full marks.

Afterward, even without Hell guiding them, Nightingale and Morning Star had still managed to turn in a ninety-point answer through their own efforts.

"What a chance!"

Red Sparrow's eyes lit up. She seized the opportunity at once, and her staff blazed with scorching light and flames.

An immensely large and complex magic circle unfolded instantly in front of Red Sparrow and began turning from the inside out.

Crack, crack!

"Waaah-!"

Sensing danger, the Siren Witch began struggling frantically.

The gap in strength was simply too great. Even with Nightingale and Morning Star combining their powers, they could only freeze the Siren Witch for less than three seconds.

But that was enough time for Red Sparrow to unleash her ultimate move.

"Extra! Large! Fire!!"

Red Sparrow clenched her teeth and forced out the words one by one. Sweating profusely, she put everything she had into turning the magic circle's runes through their final rotation, from the inside out.

Hurry, hurry, hurry!

At last, just before the Siren Witch broke free...

Boom!!!

A massive fire dragon over ten meters in diameter burst out of the magic circle. Roaring, it swallowed the Siren Witch whole.

Rumble!!

The fire dragon's flames washed over the Siren Witch without stopping.

Red Sparrow's mana drained rapidly, until she had almost none left.

Nightingale and Morning Star had no strength left to fire a second arrow in such a short time, either.

When Red Sparrow's Extra-Large Fire ended.

The Siren Witch, still in midair, had been reduced to a lump of charcoal. She fell into the pool along with the surrounding columns of water.

"Did we do it...?" Lin Xiaohong gritted her teeth.

But when she looked around and saw that the Witch Barrier was still there, her heart sank.

"She's not dead yet."

Suddenly, Miss Hell's unmistakably cold voice rang out softly from the seats at the very back.

Red Sparrow and the other two jumped and hurriedly turned around. There she was at the entrance to the seating area, though they hadn't seen when she arrived.

She had one hand on her hip and was carrying an unconscious blue-haired girl in the other.

It was Tang Xiaoyu.

"Catch."

Before they could speak, Hell's figure flickered, and she was already in front of them, holding out Tang Xiaoyu to Red Sparrow.

It wasn't that she didn't want to carry her more gracefully. On the way here, she had needed one hand to carry Tang Xiaoyu and the other to guard against a possible sneak attack.

"Huh?"

Red Sparrow reflexively took the girl.

With both hands free, Hell looked toward the center of the pool, at the Siren Witch, who had been burned black.

She flicked up a hand and sent an enhanced Dismantle flying.

"Aah-!"

The Siren Witch let out a scream from beneath her charred shell and instantly plunged to the bottom of the pool. Blood gradually turned the entire pool red.

Hell sneered.

You're getting cocky now, Witch of Construction? Why didn't you just throw me into the Pacific Ocean to look for SpongeBob SquarePants!

Heaven knew how many fish she had killed on her way here. Octopuses, sharks, swordfish-every last one of them had slammed into her like it had gone mad.

After fighting her way through this Witch Barrier, Hell felt she could get a job at a Japanese restaurant on the spot, filleting fish.

A chef-level sashimi master, at that!

Behind Miss Hell, Red Sparrow and the other two quietly swallowed. They couldn't help feeling that her resentment... seemed a little intense.

Just then, the enormous pool in the middle of the performance hall suddenly turned into a whirlpool, and the endless mana inside the barrier began converging on it.

Outside the Witch Barrier, Typhoon Siren officially made landfall in Taiping Prefecture.

Rumble!

Fierce, raging winds tore the coconut trees along the coast up by the roots.

Seeing this, Firebird raised a hand and snapped her fingers. A ring of flames formed a shield around their car.

But suddenly, Firebird frowned slightly and looked at the roof of the building in the rearview mirror.

Beside Scarlet Spider stood a man who had appeared there at some point. He wore a pitch-black caped battle suit with a red owl emblem on the chest.

He was powerfully built, nearly twice Scarlet Spider's size, and wore an owl-shaped helmet. His eyes looked scarlet and impassive in the night as he stared coldly at the distant typhoon.

Suddenly, Terrifying Owl's gaze shifted slightly, meeting Firebird's through the rearview mirror.

In an instant, cold sweat broke out across Firebird's back.

"Director, Red Owl is here..."

At that, Tang Wenjie looked in the rearview mirror and, sure enough, saw the towering figure on the building.

But the very next second, Terrifying Owl vanished.

[Superhero: "Red Owl"]

[Danger level: A+.]

[Company: chairman of Owl Group.]

[Superhero 100 ranking: second place.]

As a superhero second only to Peacemaker, Red Owl was not merely second in commercial value.

Tang Wenjie pushed up his glasses.

To date, Red Owl had maintained a perfect record in his battles against other superheroes and criminals.

A superhuman with power alone wasn't frightening, but one with both power and intelligence was very frightening indeed.

Fortunately, Red Owl was a staunch defender of the law.

Tang Wenjie thought, If Red Owl weren't a good man, then with his capabilities, I'm afraid the whole world could forget about ever knowing peace.