From the spirit’s account, the Scarlet Feather Flame Princess learned of the origins of the Resentful Spirit Demon King, and surprisingly, many tasks had actually been carried out by the major corporations of Jidong City.
The Royal-Class Magic Beast provided those corporations with the magic energy they needed, and in return, those corporations sent people to help the Royal-Class Magic Beast solve technical problems.
It was precisely thanks to human ingenuity that the Royal-Class Magic Beast was able to nurture such a creature right under the Magic Department’s nose.
But killing traitors wasn’t the most urgent matter right now. The priority was still to eliminate the Resentful Spirit Demon King first.
The intelligence provided by the spirit was extremely detailed—detailed enough that it even described exactly how she raised the Resentful Spirit Demon King. These valuable details had already been rushed off by Mirror Farewell to the Operations Command Post for analysis by their experts.
If they could find the Resentful Spirit Demon King’s weakness and target it, this battle would be a little easier to end.
Although the Royal-Class Magic Beast claimed that she hadn’t intentionally added any weaknesses to the Resentful Spirit Demon King when she created it, the current Resentful Spirit Demon King was still incomplete.
If it wasn’t at its final form, there might be weaknesses even the Royal-Class Magic Beast herself didn’t know about.
It was just like a programmer confidently writing a string of code, convinced her code was invincible—yet who knew how many bugs would appear when it actually ran.
The Royal-Class Magic Beast was that programmer now, and the Resentful Spirit Demon King was that code. The Magic Department was betting that this code would malfunction.
And honestly, the chances of something going wrong weren’t small.
After all, this was the Royal-Class Magic Beast’s first experiment.
If she managed a perfect result on her first try, wouldn’t that make her a chosen one?
Things weren’t that simple. Royal-Class creatures weren’t like cabbages you could just grow at will.
The probability of a Royal-Class Magic Beast appearing in the entire world wasn’t high—maybe once or twice a year at most, and each time, a Magical Girl would always intercept it at its point of emergence.
Time seemed to fly, and soon it was just before dawn.
According to the reports from the front-line outposts, the space that had previously been broken by the Soul Summoner Princess was now leaking a large amount of black mist, with heavy thudding sounds echoing from within.
It felt like a beast of immense strength was ramming against the gate of its iron cage, desperately trying to escape from its prison.
All across the city, the wandering magical creatures were becoming increasingly frenzied.
Every Magical Girl was already prepared to battle these monsters.
“The location for the decisive battle with the Resentful Spirit Demon King has been chosen.” The transformed Scarlet Feather Flame Princess strode into the room, speaking to Luo Shuangyue, who was resting with her head on the desk.
As she spoke, she gave Xia Mo a rather peculiar look.
Just now, while Luo Shuangyue was lying on the table, Xia Mo had been sitting with her chin in her hand, gaze fixed intently on Luo Shuangyue.
The emotion in her eyes was something the Scarlet Feather Flame Princess couldn’t quite describe—a kind of stickiness.
Scarlet Feather Flame Princess could tell that Xia Mo and Luo Shuangyue were very close.
Though they seemed to be deliberately keeping a distance, she could see at a glance that the two were fond of each other.
As for why things were so awkward between them, she couldn’t say.
She just knew that the way Xia Mo had looked at Luo Shuangyue reminded her of how Mysterious Dawn sometimes looked at her.
Hmm, this must be what people call “bosom friends”!
“Oh? Where is it?” Luo Shuangyue, who had been dozing, jerked her head up at once.
At that moment, Xia Mo also quickly averted her gaze, pretending that she hadn’t been doing anything.
If Luo Shuangyue weren’t such a prickly little hedgehog right now, Xia Mo probably wouldn’t have been able to hold herself back.
Luo Shuangyue in her transformed state was stunning—so beautiful that even Xia Mo had trouble controlling her desire.
She truly wanted to savor Luo Shuangyue right then and there, but sadly, the timing wasn’t right.
After discovering that Luo Shuangyue was actually Dark Moth, Xia Mo felt her own attitude shifting.
Originally, she had been the passive one, waiting for Luo Shuangyue to take the initiative—after all, her upbringing had taught her that girls shouldn’t be too forward in relationships.
So, when Luo Shuangyue didn’t make a move, neither did Xia Mo, and their relationship stalled.
But now, Xia Mo had realized Luo Shuangyue was a girl too.
What was she supposed to do about feelings between two girls? Xia Mo wasn’t quite sure.
She only knew she liked Luo Shuangyue, and Luo Shuangyue probably liked her too.
In every relationship, someone had to be the one to take the initiative, right?
Previously, Xia Mo was too shy to be that person.
Now that she knew they were both girls, she felt she could finally be the one to take the lead.
After all, in terms of physical maturity, Xia Mo was the slightly more mature one.
Their heights were about the same, but Xia Mo’s figure far outstripped Luo Shuangyue’s, so she figured she could be the one to take charge.
To put it simply, Xia Mo felt the roles had switched—she’d become the “top” now!
“Jingan Palace. The essence of the Resentful Spirit Demon King is a multitude of magical creature consciousnesses forcibly fused together by an external force. Jingan Palace has secret arts for dealing with magical creature consciousness,” Scarlet Feather Flame Princess explained to Luo Shuangyue and Xia Mo.
“Get ready. We set out in ten minutes.”
“Alright!” Luo Shuangyue nodded firmly.
After Scarlet Feather Flame Princess left the room, Luo Shuangyue was about to say something to Xia Mo, but Xia Mo beat her to it: “Do you have anything else you need to prepare?”
There wasn’t really anything else to get ready. Luo Shuangyue shook her head—she just wanted Xia Mo to be careful.
“No, everything I need is in my Transformation Space.” “Good, then let’s get ready to head out.”
“That… be careful, okay? If you run into an enemy you can’t beat, make sure to run.” Luo Shuangyue stammered a bit as she said this to Xia Mo.
Saying such things to Xia Mo as Dark Moth felt really strange to her.
Weren’t they supposed to be bitter enemies? Yet here she was, worrying about Xia Mo’s safety—how odd could that be?
But if she didn’t say it, she’d feel even worse inside. If Xia Mo got hurt later, she’d be wracked with guilt.
If possible, she’d rather Xia Mo stay somewhere safe and not go fight magical creatures.
But she knew in her heart that Xia Mo wasn’t the type to shy away from danger. She was certain Xia Mo wouldn’t agree to that.
So, with her awkward feelings, all she could do was urge Xia Mo to be careful and look after herself.
“Oh? If I’m not mistaken, Miss Dark Moth is worried about me?” Hearing Luo Shuangyue’s words, Xia Mo broke into a dazzling smile.
“I’ll keep a friend’s reminder close to my heart.”
“You came with me to Jidong City. If you get hurt, wouldn’t that be my fault, indirectly? I just don’t want to owe you anything, that’s all! Don’t overthink it!” Luo Shuangyue put on a stern face, trying to cover her concern with a show of coldness.
Unfortunately, Xia Mo wasn’t buying it—she wasn’t the type to be easily deceived, and to her, Luo Shuangyue was nothing but a big liar whose mouth never spoke a word of truth.
Crack, crunch… Wisps of black smoke seeped through the air, and a chorus of countless voices reverberated hauntingly through the space.
Night had deepened, and the entire Jidong City had fallen into utter darkness.
The black smoke condensed into grotesque arms that slowly tore apart the barrier, accompanied by a crisp, chilling gnawing sound. The true body of the Resentful Spirit Demon King appeared within Jidong City.
Still not fully formed, it looked like a shapeless mass of black mist, with countless strange limbs sprouting from it—as if an uncountable number of magical creatures had been sewn together.
At the same time it appeared, the magical creature phantoms scattered throughout Jidong City solidified into reality.
They began destroying everything around them, seeking anything that could provide them with energy.
These magical creature phantoms were, in essence, avatars of the Resentful Spirit Demon King’s power.
Once they absorbed enough strength, they would return to the main body, accelerating its maturation.
Thankfully, ordinary people nearby had already been evacuated to safety. Awaiting these creatures was the descending brilliance of magic.
The mad yet ignorant Resentful Spirit Demon King paid no attention to its avatars being wiped out by the Magical Girls.
Its hundreds of eyes—if those things could even be called eyes—stared fixedly in a single direction.
A sweet fragrance drifted from there.
It remembered that it had once grown up eating food with that scent, but for some reason, those delicious things had disappeared.
It was so hungry. It needed to eat.
The black mist forming its body shifted again, becoming several pairs of asymmetrical black wings.
With a powerful flap, it shot straight toward the source of that fragrance.
Whoosh… Bang!
A glaring red flare shot into the sky, exploding into a brilliant burst of fireworks.
Then came the second, and the third.
“Target took the bait—estimated to reach the battlefield in about three minutes!” After firing the flares, the Magic Department member hiding below shouted into his radio, “Prepare for combat! Repeat, prepare for combat!”
But even radios shielded against interference became useless within the Demon King’s Magic Power Field.
And just out of sight of that Magic Department member, a mantis-like magical creature slowly emerged from the black mist, raising its pitch-black scythe toward the vulnerable human neck.
Just a little closer and…
Whoosh! A multicolored arrow of light descended from the sky, pinning the sneaking magical creature to the ground, unable to move.
“Your mission is complete. Now evacuate immediately—the rest is up to us!” Mysterious Dawn, gripping a longbow, ordered the startled Magic Department members below.
The avatars summoned by the Resentful Spirit Demon King possessed power between the General-Class and Wang-Class.
They weren’t hard for an Initial Bloom-Class Magical Girl to handle, but for ordinary people—even those equipped by the Magic Department—these monsters could easily send them straight to hell.
“Understood! Everyone, retreat with me!” The Magic Department member, drenched in cold sweat, took a deep breath and decisively followed Mysterious Dawn’s command.
This was no time to play hero.
The best way they could help was by not getting in the way of the Magical Girls.
The Magic Department’s squad monitoring the Demon King’s movements quickly withdrew from the combat zone, but the battle showed little sign of improvement.
For every magical creature killed, another appeared in its place, as if they were immortal in this place.
Ordinary communications equipment had failed entirely. All Mysterious Dawn could do was focus on what she could, and wait quietly for the night to end.
“If we don’t kill the Resentful Spirit Demon King soon, these things will never disappear…”
“It’s coming!”
They didn’t even need the flares as warning—Luo Shuangyue could see the advancing darkness in the distance and knew the Resentful Spirit Demon King was coming straight for her.
Even before the main body descended, its avatars began appearing one after another near Jingan Palace, launching a tidal wave assault.
Their target was clear—Luo Shuangyue, or perhaps something she possessed.
“I’ll deal with those.” Scarlet Feather Flame Princess stood, gripping the air with her right hand.
A katana, much like the Soul Summoner Princess’s weapon, appeared in her grasp.
Scarlet flames, red as blood, flared up around her body.
Though there was no heat, an inexplicable dread rose from deep within.
Even the black mist swirling around everyone was driven back by her flames.
“So strong…” Xia Mo watched as Scarlet Feather Flame Princess strode into the sky like a goddess, summoning a Flame Curtain that instantly incinerated the incoming magical creatures.
Xia Mo was filled with awe.
Such power—wasn’t it on par with a Full Bloom-Class Magical Girl?
No wonder she could be the leader of Jidong City’s Magical Girls. With this kind of strength, who but a Full Bloom-Class Magical Girl could possibly surpass her?
“It’s powerful, but she’s only at Initial Bloom. She can’t keep this up for long.” Even Luo Shuangyue was surprised by her strength, but she saw through the cost behind Scarlet Feather Flame Princess’s display.
To match a Full Bloom-Class Magical Girl’s destructive force meant Scarlet Feather Flame Princess’s endurance was poor.
She could probably only fight at full power for half as long as an average Magical Girl.
A few more Flame Curtains like that, and she’d be spent—not even close to a true Full Bloom-Class.
“So hungry… smells so good…”
A ghostly voice drifted in on the wind. Luo Shuangyue looked up and saw a mass of darkness, as if it could swallow all light, hovering above Jingan Palace.
The ugly, asymmetrical wings vanished, replaced by a multitude of bizarre eyes emerging from the mist.
All those eyes stared unblinkingly at Luo Shuangyue, sending a chill through her.
This was the most deserving of the title “magical creature” she had ever faced.
Bizarre, terrifying, insane—she could hardly imagine such a thing could exist in this world.
“It’s you! Give me food, I’m starving!” All the eyes rounded in an instant, the magical creature’s state of mind growing even more unstable.
“Um…” Luo Shuangyue tried to say something.
But before she could speak, the monster’s patience snapped.
The eyes closed one after another, and the black mist reformed into enormous mouths lunging at Luo Shuangyue.
“Can’t you let me say at least one thing?!”
So much for patience!