No matter how powerful she was, in the end, she was still just an Initial Bloom-Class Magical Girl.
Until she broke through to the Full Bloom Class, she couldn’t pose a great threat to this monster.
Of course, that calculation didn’t include Phantom Scythe.
When fighting Magical Girls, she could easily handle ten at once and never fall behind, but if she truly had to take on a direct assault here on the battlefield, that task could only be left to the group of Magical Girls.
Their Fusion Magic Cannon packed a much greater punch than Luo Shuangyue desperately swinging her blade up close.
After all, Luo Shuangyue was much better at fighting Magical Girls than monsters, while the other Magical Girls excelled at battling monsters.
This is what people mean by specialization.
Luo Shuangyue had already figured out her role this time: to distract the monster and create a chance for the Magical Girls to unleash a Fusion Magic Cannon and decide the outcome in one strike.
As long as that shot could deal enough damage to the monster,
Phantom Scythe could charge at the monster and devour it, piece by piece!
“Has it taken the bait?” Luo Shuangyue squinted her eyes at the increasingly dense barrage of spiked missiles around her, calculating at lightning speed the safest escape route in her mind.
Right now, she was like an acrobat walking a tightrope on a cliff—one slip, and she’d fall to her doom.
Gripped tightly in her hand was a white hairpin, resting quietly there.
If things truly became irreversible, then Luo Shuangyue would have no choice but to use that power.
But, now wasn’t the time. Luo Shuangyue felt she could still trust her companions.
At the very least, she trusted Xia Mo.
“Rosemary, are you alright? Your magic power is already—” “Don’t worry about me, I can still hold on.” Shaking her head and refusing her companion’s concern, Xia Mo reached out both hands and grasped tightly at the phantom giant cannon before her.
A large serpent, radiating with seven-colored brilliance, was coiled around the cannon, emanating a destructive power from its body.
The Magical Girls participating in the cannon’s firing were divided into four groups.
Each group stood at one side of Xia Mo, sending their own magic power into their team’s Core Captain, who then fused the magic within themselves in the first round and channeled it into the Floating Cannon’s energy port in front of them.
These four streams of magic finally merged into the giant cannon before Xia Mo, where Ye Lin would make the final adjustments and fusion, achieving
a perfect union of power.
This was something only Xia Mo and Ye Lin could do.
Even if a Full Bloom-Class Magical Girl stood where they were, she couldn’t do any better.
Unlike Phantom Scythe, who had tremendous combat strength on her own, Ye Lin’s abilities leaned more toward support and working from the shadows, which somewhat matched Xia Mo’s own character.
Now, she couldn’t help but sigh at how, after being killed by White Night in the past, she would one day become such close allies with Magical Girls.
Truly, life is full of uncertainties.
“Charging is at eighty percent, Xia Mo, how’s your status?”
Unlike Phantom Scythe, who could supply herself endlessly, maintaining both the cannon and Ye Lin placed a tremendous burden on Xia Mo.
This giant cannon was nothing like her usual Floating Cannon—it devoured energy voraciously.
Reinforcing the cannon, preventing it from bursting apart from the massive influx of magic, was a problem only Xia Mo herself could handle.
“I can’t lose face in front of her!” Beads of cold sweat formed on Xia Mo’s forehead; she felt as if her clothes were soaked through with it. For a Magical Girl, this was far from a good sign.
It meant she was at her limit, teetering on the edge of collapsing or losing consciousness at any moment.
Dark spots danced before her eyes, her body cried out from every corner in protest, every signal shouting at Xia Mo: You can’t keep going! If you continue, you’ll really die.
Xia Mo bit her lip so hard she
could taste the tang of iron.
She had to endure, she must.
Her comrades’ trust, Luo Shuangyue’s trust, everyone’s hopes now rested on her shoulders.
For them, for Luo Shuangyue, she had to persevere.
Belief turned to power, bringing a moment of clarity to Xia Mo. In this instant, her Bond Magic was awakened.
In a daze, all the Magical Girls saw a cluster of pale purple flowers bloom behind Xia Mo, and a wave of fragrant scent swept over, sending them into a momentary trance.
In that trance, it was as if their hearts and minds were completely united—they became a single entity, one more unified and pure than the Fusion Monster in the distance.
At this moment, they had only one thought in mind: Blast that bastard with everything we’ve got!
“The magic has completely fused…” Ye Lin looked at the Magical Girls behind her in surprise.
At this instant, she was no longer needed—every stream of magic power now merged perfectly on its own, without her adjustment.
A pale purple light shone on every Magical Girl, joining them as one.
And the core of that unity was Xia Mo, now lost in her trance.
A torrent of information rampaged through Xia Mo’s mind.
Her rationality was already offline; she acted on pure instinct.
Like a puppet with its strings pulled, Xia Mo raised her hand and stared out at the distant monster.
“Target confirmed. Magic charge complete. Awaiting optimal firing moment.” The mechanical voice came from Xia Mo’s mouth.
That state looked worrisome.
Ye Lin’s eyes flickered, but there was nothing more she could do. At least, like this, Xia Mo was certain to fire that shot.
Redirecting her focus to the battlefield in the distance, Ye Lin began rapidly analyzing when would be the best time to fire.
They only had one chance. If this shot missed, the monster would never give them another opportunity, and the Magical Girls didn’t have enough magic left for another Fusion Magic Cannon.
They needed coordination. They had to strike when the monster was most distracted.
And for that, they needed Luo Shuangyue’s active cooperation.
But how could she let Luo Shuangyue know about their situation?
Just as Ye Lin wondered, Xia Mo made her decision—she deactivated the Hidden Array concealing their magic power, for just an instant.
In that instant, a tiny pulse of magic leaked out.
Xia Mo instinctively believed that Luo Shuangyue would understand her meaning, that just by sensing that small fluctuation, she could grasp her intentions and cooperate perfectly.
That was the bond between her and Luo Shuangyue.
She might not trust anyone else, but she would always trust Luo Shuangyue—her beloved.
This wave of magic…?
Luo Shuangyue gazed into the distant dark starry sky.
It was pitch-black there, yet her instincts screamed that an extraordinarily terrifying power was gathering.
And that familiar aura she’d just sensed had come from that spot.
That was the Fusion Magic Cannon’s aura!
Before, there hadn’t been the slightest fluctuation of magic from there—surely the Magical Girls had used magic to erase all signs.
Now, feeling that brief ripple, the meaning was all too clear.
The cannon was fully charged, waiting for the perfect moment to fire.
And that moment was hers to seize.
Now, most of the monster’s attention was fixed on her, but surely a small part was on guard for ambushes as well.
The Fusion Magic Cannon had only one shot—if that chance was blocked or dodged by the monster, the whole situation would turn against the Magical Girls instantly.
“Truly a tough task you’ve set for me. But besides me,
there’s no one else who could do this.” Luo Shuangyue wasn’t nervous, nor was she annoyed by the heavy responsibility on her shoulders.
She was calm—calmly laying all she had on the table, gambling everything against the monster.
The loser would pay with their life.
The monster noticed Luo Shuangyue’s behavior had changed. The Magical Girl, who had just been dodging desperately, suddenly turned aggressive.
She seemed determined to attack with everything she had, as if she wanted to empty her arsenal and then retreat.
Several attacks erupted inside the monster’s body out of thin air, only to be crushed by its force.
The monster noticed that Luo Shuangyue’s aura was growing unstable, even her evasions and Teleportation Magic had slowed noticeably.
Ha, she really can’t keep going much longer, the monster realized.
This slippery little insect had held out alone against it for so long—it was about time for her light to go out.
Compared to monsters, who were born of magic energy, Magical Girls’ stamina and recovery could hardly be called strong.
Monsters never got tired.
As long as they wished, they could fight until every drop of magic was burned away, without having to worry about running out of magic or exhausting their willpower like Magical Girls did.
And an environment as intense as this one drained both magic and mental strength faster than ever. This little insect should have collapsed ages ago.
The real surprise was that she had lasted this long.
Just as the monster expected, after unleashing all her attacks in what looked like a desperate frenzy, Luo Shuangyue stopped engaging and turned to flee without hesitation.
Trying to escape? The monster sneered inwardly.
It immediately tightened the Magic Ocean around Luo Shuangyue, leaving her with no way to use Teleportation Magic to escape.
Then, it focused all its firepower on Luo Shuangyue, determined to crush this bothersome little insect completely.
Spiked missiles blocked every route of retreat. The monster’s attention was fully absorbed by this moment of entrapment.
It watched as the little insect, surrounded by countless spikes, turned around. It saw the expression on her face.
There was no fear—only deep contempt and mockery.
As if the monster had made a particularly foolish choice.
Even facing death, she dared…
The monster’s thoughts were abruptly cut off. In a blind spot of its consciousness, a wave of overwhelming magic erupted, reaching its back before it could even react.
A trap—it was a trap!
The little insect only wanted to draw its attention. The true killing blow was the Fusion Magic Cannon at its back!
The monster instantly pulled all its attention back, magic surging out to construct a barrier behind it to block the attack.
But it managed only half a barrier before the Fusion Magic Cannon—powered by every Initial Bloom-Class Magical Girl—struck its body.
The barrier was torn apart in an instant. The torrent of magic washed over the monster, wringing out shrill howls.
But it didn’t die immediately. The barrier had been shattered, but it still had its own body—its proudest shield.
Its Black Armor was a defense only a Royal-Class Magic Beast could possess, and even the Fusion Magic Cannon of Initial Bloom-Class Magical Girls might not shatter it!
If it could survive this blast, victory would still be within its grasp!
The monster’s flesh began to burn fiercely. Every time the cannon scraped away some of its Black Armor, it regenerated it immediately.
This was now a battle of attrition—who could hold out longer.
But the monster forgot: the threat it faced wasn’t just the cannon in front of it.
The little insect it had been hunting was still alive and well.
While the monster focused all its attention on resisting the cannon, Luo Shuangyue immediately teleported to Phantom Scythe’s side.
The spiked missiles, now deprived of the monster’s control, flew off into the deep starry sky like headless flies.
“Phantom Scythe, let’s hit it together!” Phantom Scythe, now in Black Mist Monster form, let out a deep sound of agreement.
Her black mist body divided into streams, each one flying to Luo Shuangyue’s scythe.
With every strand of black mist absorbed, the scythe’s Death Aura grew thicker.
Luo Shuangyue gripped the trembling scythe tightly—her next attack would be the most reckless gamble of her life.
She would use all her strength, all the power Phantom Scythe had gathered, to bring death to this fearsome monster.
The scythe grew heavier and heavier, its power reaching an invisible boundary.
One step further, and Luo Shuangyue would touch the realm known as Full Bloom.
But it still wasn’t enough.
Enormous black-purple butterfly wings spread behind her—far larger than any she’d summoned before.
This time, the wings weren’t for running or dodging. Their smoky, ethereal edges drew in magic from the very air.
All of Phantom Scythe’s black mist poured into Luo Shuangyue’s scythe.
At last, with a cheerful cry, the little girl clutching the scythe dove into the weapon itself.
A flash of spiritual light shone across the now jet-black scythe.
Luo Shuangyue felt the weapon in her hand grow lighter.
So this is the change a Spirit Weapon brings? It really is powerful.
“But… still not enough!”
Up to now, all the power Luo Shuangyue could muster was only at the Initial Bloom-Class level.
Even if the monster’s back was left unguarded, that tough armor was still an unbreakable wall to her.
Her attack had to reach true Full Bloom-Class, only then could she shatter the monster’s defense.