Chapter 8 : It’s You! Frieza!

A detonation infused with the bulk of Luo Zining’s magic power shot forward like a missile!

Her strike triggered a Dust Explosion buff—damage output doubled!

The dimensional beast took a full 9999 points of magic damage!

“Did we get it?!”

Yueyuezi asked excitedly through the comms.

“Hold on, the Star Ring is collecting data,” Zhao Xin responded, surprised by their performance.

Though science-based weapons rarely harmed dimensional beasts, the Radiant Glow Firefly was a magical creature whose attacks drew directly from Luo Zining’s mana.

With this much power packed into the strike, it might have outright obliterated the target.

If this achievement was officially logged, and coupled with her imminent fusion with divine particles, Luo Zining could finally be nominated for one of the Ten Seats at the Grand Magic Alliance headquarters next weekend.

Those two vacant positions had been an eyesore for far too long.

“Ah—Star Ring’s results are in. The dimensional beast’s signal has disapp—no, wait! The signal’s strengthening… It’s surging rapidly!”

On the battlefield, the flying dust abruptly halted, then collapsed downward under an invisible force, revealing what lay beneath.

There, in the wreckage, a massive corpse lay still—charred, oozing pus, devoid of any sign of life. It was the dimensional beast.

From every angle, it was unquestionably dead.

Or it should have been.

“Its head!”

Yueyuezi screamed.

From the beast’s elongated, eggplant-shaped skull, something began to writhe—a grotesque squirming, like a parasite about to hatch.

Every magical girl present instinctively trembled, an overwhelming sense of danger flooding their senses.

Luo Zining needed no warning.

She instantly commanded the Radiant Glow Firefly to launch a second strike.

But this time, the attack fizzled before it could land, repelled by a shimmering purple barrier.

Luo Zining wanted to fire again—but her knees gave out beneath her.

“Mana… depleted!” she hissed through clenched teeth.

She wasn’t alone.

Yueyuezi and the other magical girls had also burned through nearly all of their power.

All they could do was watched in horror as the dimensional beast’s skull swelled—and then—

Squish!

Something emerged.

Standing nearly three meters tall, covered in slime, the grotesque humanoid loomed before them.

At that moment, the Star Ring picked up a new reading.

“Energy index has surpassed 5600… it’s reached King-class levels…”

Zhao Xin slumped back in her chair, eyes wide, a feeling of helplessness crashing down on her.

This was it.

They were done for.

A King-class dimensional beast, with intelligence to match.

Even at full strength, they might not have stood a chance—let alone now, drained and powerless.

Thud. Thud. Thud.

The monstrous figure stepped forward, each step heavy as thunder.

Its bulging muscles rippled like living mountains, strange fins protruded from its back, its body ghostly pale, its skull glowing purple, and a thick tail coiled behind it.

By appearance alone, one might’ve mistaken it for some mythical “beastman.”

After stretching its limbs, the creature did something shocking—it spoke.

“Mmm… Ah… Skin… Money… It took me a while to adjust to this vessel. But this power… intoxicating…”

It could talk!?

Yueyuezi was stunned speechless.

“What are you?!”

“So noisy.”

With just a glare, the humanoid monster sent her flying across the rubble like a ragdoll.

She fell unconscious before she hit the ground.

There was no time to mourn. The next target was—

Luo Zining!

“Magical girl… there’s something strange about you…”

“Wha—?!”

Every nerve in Luo Zining’s body screamed in alarm.

It felt as if her life were being strangled out of her—like death was already reaching for her throat.

The creature stared for a moment, then its eyes widened with eerie delight.

“Perfect. I’ll use your body as the base for my next transformation.”

It reached for her head with a massive, basketball-sized hand.

Was this the end?

In Luo Zining’s fading vision, the world turned grey, and time slowed to a crawl.

Her life flickered past like a silent film reel.

Orphaned young.

Survived in filth and rubble.

Finally found some peace after being adopted.

Became a magical girl a year ago.

And now… everything narrowed down to that strong back she once depended on.

The one who raised her for five years—once a towering figure, now just a delicate girl.

As death crept close, Luo Zining realized how many things she never said.

From her dry throat, she whispered a word no one else could hear.

“Dad…”

“Excuse me—could you kindly remove your filthy hand?”

A voice cut through the gloom, elegant and commanding, and suddenly the color returned to the world.

Thud!

Something hit the ground with a sickening weight, followed by the splatter of blood.

“Huh? What…?!”

Luo Zining’s heart skipped a beat.

The monstrous being—who just moments ago radiated an aura of unstoppable terror—was now trembling.

Its arm had been severed.

Its eyes, its breath, its entire body… shook.

It was afraid.

But of whom?

Where was that person?

“You really shouldn’t tremble like that in front of the enemy,” the voice chided gently.

“What kind of King-class dimensional beast just stands there, scared out of its wits?”

The voice… came from behind her?

Luo Zining blinked in surprise as someone stepped in front of her.

From behind, it was unmistakably a girl—a vision of grace and allure.

Her silver-gray hair shimmered like stardust, cascading freely down her back.

Her dress, a flowing mix of blue and white, hugged her form and brushed the ground with airy elegance.

Though Luo Zining hadn’t seen her face, the image already sparked countless daydreams.

Compared to the flamboyant costumes of magical girls, this dress was simple yet provocatively refined.

As her eyes traveled downward, Luo Zining noted the girl’s long, slender legs, encased in sheer white stockings… and then—

Wait. Was she… wearing slippers?

Everything else was perfect—why slippers of all things?

But aside from that barely noticeable flaw, the girl radiated such overwhelming presence that the entire battlefield seemed cleansed just by her arrival.

“Y-You—!!”

The humanoid beast’s senses were paralyzed, its nostrils filled with the scent of pure, unfiltered fear.

“Ellera! Why are you here?!”

“Oh my, you actually recognize me?” the girl replied with a mischievous smile.

“I hadn’t planned on showing up in person… but I suppose I owe you thanks. You’ve officially piqued my interest, Frieza.”

“Go to hell! Who the hell is Frieza?!”