“Huh? It’s raining.” The incoming airflow carried raindrops, and Wuhua, flying at high altitude, wiped his face with the back of his hand.
“Because it’s night, I didn’t notice the colors of the surrounding clouds had changed.”
“Wuhua. We’re here. The magical girl’s reaction is directly below.” Ruibi, floating beside him, warned.
“Now that I’m here, I realize the concentration of evil is worse than I imagined. Sorry, that was my oversight.”
“So that means the enemy this time is a tough one, right? Then we came to the right place.” Wuhua dove downward, piercing through the clouds.
“But before that, let’s confirm if it’s Lianying and the others.”
.
As Wuhua got closer to the ground, the cityscape below became clear and distinct. However, unlike the locations of previous anomalies—
There were no prominent landmarks or signboards. Even as a local who lived here, Wuhua could only rely on scattered high-rises and warehouses to judge that she was above some industrial park.
Moreover, from the overgrown weeds, long-abandoned vehicles, and随处可见的废料垃圾, this place had been deserted for quite a while.
Contrasting sharply with the industrial buildings and grounds were three girls who didn’t fit the backdrop at all. They were currently weaving between the rows of structures, as if searching for something.
“Found them. Big Sister Lianying really is here.” Wuhua quickly noticed one of them—
A girl with a side ponytail of peach-pink, silky hair, wearing what seemed like a custom-fitted pink-and-white dress, a pure white hair ornament and arm covers, and ribbons and bows everywhere.
And the most distinctive thing was her magical skirt, which had two states: blooming fluffy like a flower, and bud-like compact.
Lianying, as the leader, headed a magical girl organization called “Cat Garden.” Their three members’ magical girl outfits differed only in color.
This was public knowledge that even their fan base knew.
“Mingji. I’ve found them.” Hovering at a height where she wouldn’t be spotted, Wuhua contacted her via communicator.
“…Received. There’s a locator on the communicator. I’ll send someone over right away.” After Mingji hung up.
“Let’s observe the situation for now. But…” Wuhua looked at the calm surroundings, puzzled. “Where is the anomaly mentioned earlier?”
.
.
[Perspective shift from Wuhua to Lianying]
Because her fairy partner “Miao Ke” had detected abnormal fluctuations in the city after dinner, Lianying contacted her companions and came to this industrial park she usually never set foot in.
“Hmm… how strange.” Separated from her two teammates, Lianying strolled through the pitch-black darkness.
“Miao Ke, are you sure the anomaly is here? I don’t see anything at all.” After transforming, her vision and perception were enhanced.
“There’s no mistake, meow. At least on this, you can trust me, meow.” Miao Ke, floating beside her, said.
“If it’s not showing itself, then it’s hiding, meow. Its goal is to lure us in, meow.”
“Then aren’t we walking right into the trap?” Lianying said lightly.
“Try forcing it out, meow. The enemy is in the dark, which is bad for us, meow.” Miao Ke suggested.
“Got it.” Lianying slowly walked to an open area. In an instant, two floating light blades appeared behind her, and she gripped one in each hand.
“—” After letting out a soft breath, she swung with all her might toward the empty space ahead.
Like ripples caused by flower petals landing on water, that slash centered on Lianying turned into a ring of light that kept expanding outward.
Anything it touched left scorched marks on the surface. Especially when it passed one of the buildings—
“RUMBLE” A huge, dull roar suddenly erupted, and the ground beneath their feet began to shake.
“Found it, meow. It was camouflaged, meow.” Miao Ke pointed into the distance.
It was an anomaly in violent reaction, oozing black mud. Realizing it had been discovered, it kept its high-rise form but covered its exterior in an abyssal black.
.
“Cute Cherry? What’s going on?” Hearing the commotion, Xicheng, with her orange-yellow slightly wavy hair, rushed over first.
“Hey, could you give a warning before you attack next time? You almost hit me.” At the same time, Qinglan, her cyan long hair tied in a high ponytail, followed close behind.
“Ah! Xicheng, Qinglan, you’re here!” Lianying waved happily when she saw them.
“W-wait… weren’t we supposed to use code names?” Qinglan quickly reminded.
“Eh, it’s fine, right? There’s no one around anyway.” Lianying said dismissively.
“More importantly, I need to get back early to take care of Xiaohua.”
Noticing the anomaly’s movements, Lianying leaped up first, swinging her blade to cut down the black mud hurtling toward them.
Hovering in the air, Lianying smiled back at the other two.
“Let’s finish this quickly.”
……
In the early evening, a light rain fell from the hazy sky. Inside the sprawling industrial park, the anomaly mimicked the surrounding high-rises. The three magical girls circled it, launching a continuous offensive.
“Take this!” Lianying dove forward, swinging her light blade. She carved a beautiful arc through the darkness.
“THUMP” The anomaly, not to be outdone, opened its tightly shut windows one after another.
“What is it planning?” Qinglan warily summoned a longbow, arrow nocked and ready.
“We’ll cover you, Cute Cherry.” Xicheng also readied her spherical weapon.
.
“BANG BANG BANG BANG BANG!” The anomaly, having already aimed at Lianying, poured out a torrent of black mud from the windows.
“—” Lianying moved swiftly through the air, dodging the attacks while swinging her sword forward. The curved light blade she created struck directly against the anomaly’s wall.
“We need to find its weak point.” Qinglan analyzed, firing several arrows in coordination with Lianying’s assault.
“Let me try…!” Xicheng rotated the sphere in her hands. The resulting energy gently lifted her long hair.
The moment she spoke, countless threads extended from the ground, climbing up and binding the anomaly, like the supports used to secure a building during construction.
Perhaps affected, the anomaly stopped spewing black mud. Instead, it used the mud to try to melt the threads on its body.
“Now, Cherry!” Qinglan seized the opportunity and shot a special arrow into the air—
The arrow exploded midair, unleashing sharp spikes that rained down on the anomaly. Its body, originally made of black mud, roiled like a stormy sea, becoming unstable.
“Alright…!” Lianying closed the distance, bringing her blades within inches. She swung both hands diagonally downward.
The immense piercing force and destructive power split the anomaly in two. The separated upper half gradually dissipated into the air.
At the same time, the anomaly broke free from Xicheng’s binding—
As if deliberately exposing a weak point to counterattack, it first dissolved its own form, then transformed into a gaping maw, lunging at Lianying from close range, trying to swallow her.
“Lianying!” “Watch out!”
In that critical moment, Qinglan unconsciously shouted her real name. Xicheng spun her sphere again, hoping to use her ability to restrain the anomaly once more.
But the threads that wrapped around it didn’t hold long before being torn away.
“—”
In the nick of time, Lianying didn’t panic. Facing the danger, she smiled and reached for her second blade.
Just then.
“Bang.” A single gunshot. The bullet precisely grazed past Lianying, punching a hole through part of the anomaly.
“Bang, bang, bang.” With the remaining three shots, they viciously tore open the anomaly’s body.
Before Lianying could swing her sword, the anomaly was knocked back to the ground.
“Huh? What’s this?” Lianying looked toward the direction of the gunshots, clearly from behind her.
“…”
Floating in the air, a girl in a black-and-white Lolita dress. Her silver twin-tails and skirt fluttered in the wind.
Her handgun’s sights were aimed at Lianying, and blue-white flames still flickered at the muzzle.
“Are you okay, Lianying?”
A girl she had never met before called out her name.