Mu Yurou thrust the Starlight Spear with all her strength, the will to purify everything concentrated in its tip as it struck fiercely against the thick, armored head of the Abyssal Beast!
Boom——!!!
Pale pink Purification Starlight erupted violently, as if a miniature sun had ignited atop the beast’s grotesque head!
Blinding light instantly engulfed the point of impact, and a wild shockwave of energy blasted away the surrounding smoke and rubble!
Yet…
As the light faded, the hope that had flared in Mu Yurou’s eyes was instantly extinguished, replaced by an overwhelming, incomprehensible despair.
The spear tip, sharp enough to pierce steel, had only left a faint white mark on the beast’s glossy, strangely patterned chitin, not even a single crack.
That last attack had nearly drained the very last trace of magic power from Mu Yurou’s body.
A searing ache, like countless steel needles, instantly swept through every corner of her being.
An unprecedented emptiness of magic power washed over her, as if her body had been hollowed out; even maintaining the White Battle Dress that marked her as a Magical Girl became a struggle.
The light of her attire flickered violently, as if it would extinguish at any moment, like a candle in the wind.
Suspended in midair, surrounded by the smoke of battle, Mu Yurou gasped for breath, each inhale straining her exhausted lungs and aching heart, cold sweat soaking her bangs.
“Xiao… Xiao Rou…”
Huang Xi’s voice sounded beside her, ragged and weak, breathing hard and utterly spent.
She hovered at Mu Yurou’s side, and the golden Light Points swirling around her were now thin and dim, like sparks about to burn out.
Sweat streamed down from her pale forehead like little rivulets, dampening her temples.
“You… have to run…”
Huang Xi struggled to raise her arm, trying to gather Light Points once more, her fingertips trembling, “I… I should still be able… to fire one last Energy Cannon… I’ll cover you…”
“No!”
Mu Yurou shook her head sharply, her voice hoarse but firm as steel, her gaze fixed on the giant beast below, which was already starting to wriggle and recover.
“We can’t let that thing… reach the west… there… there’s an evacuation point…”
The utter exhaustion of her magic power sent stabbing pains through her heart.
Mu Yurou clutched her chest in agony, but her right hand gripped the Starlight Spear as if it were welded in place, her knuckles white with effort, the tip of her spear still stubbornly pointed at the enemy.
Despair filled their eyes as they looked down.
There, where the Starlight Spear had pierced the Abyssal Beast, the flesh beneath its chitinous shell squirmed and regenerated at a speed visible to the naked eye!
New flesh buds writhed like countless maggots, making a skin-crawling “zzz” sound, quickly filling the insignificant wound, while the shattered shell knit itself together with alarming speed.
In the blink of an eye, the beast’s hideous head was restored, looking even more glossy and terrifying than before!
“Damn it…”
Mu Yurou’s teeth chattered with frustration, her voice laced with powerlessness and deep unwillingness, “Huang Xi… you… you really didn’t have to… die here with me…”
Huang Xi turned to her, her sweat-soaked bangs framing eyes that, though exhausted, shone with an unyielding light as they met Mu Yurou’s.
She forced a weak smile, her voice small but exceptionally clear: “Protecting the city… is the duty of a Magical Girl… Besides…”
She paused, her words gentle and resolute, brooking no denial: “I… I told you… I’ll stay with you…”
“Why are you saying that… at a time like this…”
Mu Yurou’s voice trembled, tinged with a sob.
“I’m serious, Xiao Rou.”
Huang Xi locked her gaze on Mu Yurou, as if trying to etch her image deep into her soul, “If I can die with you… I’m happy…”
“Don’t say that…”
Mu Yurou reflexively objected, but when she met Huang Xi’s eyes—eyes full of emotions too complex to name—she was caught off guard.
She saw… on Huang Xi’s pale, tired face… a blush, clear and shy, slowly blooming?
“Are you… serious?”
Mu Yurou’s heart skipped a beat, an absurd and trembling thought surfacing in her mind.
“I like you! Xiao Rou!”
As if finally casting aside all burdens, Huang Xi shouted with all her might, her voice echoing over the ruins, louder than the beast’s low roar.
“Wha… what?”
Mu Yurou’s mind went blank, the impact so great she almost forgot their desperate predicament, “This really… isn’t the time for this, is it…”
“If I don’t say it now… there really might not be another chance…”
Huang Xi’s voice dropped, quivering slightly with a trace of plea, her blush deepening, “So… will you say yes?”
“I…”
Mu Yurou felt her cheeks burn, the heat spreading to the tips of her ears, her heart thundering madly amid both agony and an unfamiliar, fluttering sensation, her grip on the spear suddenly unsteady.
“If you don’t answer… I’ll really die with regrets!”
Huang Xi’s voice grew childish and stubborn, her eyes suspiciously red.
“But… but… o-okay… Xiao Xi…”
Mu Yurou stammered, her voice as soft as a mosquito’s, almost carried away by the wind, but her answer reached Huang Xi all the same.
Huang Xi’s eyes lit up instantly, as if she’d grabbed the last straw, “We both… have to survive!” Her voice brimmed with hope.
“I’ll try…”
Mu Yurou managed a strained smile, her gaze involuntarily drawn down once more.
The Abyssal Beast below had fully recovered, now appearing even more ferocious.
It raised its monstrous head, compound eyes blazing scarlet as it locked onto the two girls above, letting out an ear-splitting roar of murderous intent!
Its massive jaws gaped, saliva spraying!
Its body, armored in thick shell, suddenly coiled like a loaded spring, poised to tear through the air and pounce again!
“Looks like… we really won’t make it out alive…”
Huang Xi murmured bitterly, her gaze lingering tenderly on Mu Yurou’s flushed face, “I… haven’t even kissed you yet…”
With that, she bit down, forcing out the last of her magic power!
Buzz!
Thin, yet resilient golden Light Points surged up again, weaving rapidly into a semi-transparent barrier around herself and Mu Yurou, like a giant soap bubble.
Though its glow was far weaker than before, the Protective Barrier stubbornly kept the two of them isolated from the ferocious world outside.
“Xiao Rou…”
As the barrier formed, Huang Xi leaned in closer to Mu Yurou, her voice trembling with a hint of resolute courage.
They were only inches apart.
Huang Xi’s breath, warm and trembling, brushed across Mu Yurou’s cheek.
Their noses nearly touched.
“R-right now?”
Mu Yurou’s voice shook with disbelief and shyness, her mind going blank.
Huang Xi didn’t reply; she simply nodded forcefully, her eyes shining with anticipation and an unwavering light.
“U-um, um, um… okay…”
Mu Yurou’s face was red as if blood would drip from it, her long lashes fluttering wildly like startled butterflies.
At last, with a bashful resignation, she closed her eyes.
The next instant, a warm, soft sensation—carrying Huang Xi’s unique scent—gently landed on Mu Yurou’s lips.
It was like a jolt of electricity ran through her entire body!
Mu Yurou trembled, and then an indescribable warmth and thrill spread from her lips, washing away the agony and emptiness inside.
Instinctively, awkwardly, she responded.
Within the faltering barrier, in the shadow of destruction, the two held each other tightly.
As if wanting to merge into one, using the last of their strength to feel each other’s existence and the blazing emotion that had come so late.
For a moment, time seemed to stop.
The beast’s deafening roar, the raging energy outside the barrier, the crackle of burning ruins… all faded away behind that thin film of golden light.
All that remained in their world was each other’s pounding hearts, their burning breaths, and the taste of tears and smoke exchanged in a reckless, gentle kiss.
As they clung to each other, lips entwined, lost to everything else.
Boom!!!
A crash louder than any before suddenly erupted!
The Abyssal Beast’s enormous, blade-like forelimb, armored and glinting with metallic light, swept down with a hurricane’s fury, slamming into the last, fragile barrier!
Craack—Zzzzzz—!!!
The shrill sound of shattering glass filled the air!
The resilient golden barrier instantly burst into a web of cracks, its glow flickering, struggling, and then rapidly dimming!
The Light Points that formed the barrier wailed, exploded, and vanished under the massive impact!
The shield twisted and deformed violently, like a balloon crushed flat in an instant, about to collapse at any moment!
But within the shield, the two girls—lost in their embrace and kiss—seemed utterly isolated from all sound and danger.
They were deaf to the death threat at arm’s length, to the wail of the shattering barrier… nothing could reach them now.
In this moment, their world consisted of nothing but each other.
As the last layer of golden light flickered like a candle about to go out, as the beast’s monstrous jaws and claws closed in—
A figure shot forth like a bolt of black lightning tearing through the gloomy sky, moving faster than the eye could follow!
A long sword, wreathed in deep Pink-purple Starlight and radiating ominous, mighty power, appeared out of thin air!
The blade sliced through the air, leaving behind a bewitching, mournful arc!
Squelch—!!!
The sword struck with absolute force, piercing straight through the beast’s newly regenerated, thickly armored head!
The impact was so great that the beast’s massive, tens-of-thousands-of-tons body jerked backward!
Boom!!!
Like a mountain collapsing!
The once-invincible Abyssal Beast was forcibly knocked from the sky by that sudden, terrifying strike!
It crashed heavily into the ruins below with a deep, thunderous boom, sending dust flying everywhere!
From the massive wound in its head, torn shell and dark purple flesh squirmed and writhed, making a nauseating “zzz” sound, struggling to heal.
But the lingering Pink-purple Starlight clinging to the wound stubbornly resisted the regeneration.
Their lips parted.
Huang Xi and Mu Yurou were jolted back to reality by the deafening crash and the trembling of the ground.
Instinctively, they looked down, their eyes reflecting the silhouette of the fallen beast, with a bizarre sword still embedded in its head.
“W-we’re… saved?”
Mu Yurou’s voice was dazed and incredulous, as if in a dream.
“I… I think so…”
Huang Xi was equally stunned, her voice dry as she quickly scanned the sky, “But I… I’ve never seen her before… Is she… a Senior?”
Suspended in the smoky air not far ahead, a figure floated quietly.
She wore a set of Magic Attire: pure black, elegantly complex in design, her skirt seeming to absorb all light and making her silhouette especially deep and mysterious against the haze.
Black stockings clung to her long legs, her feet encased in equally dark, sharply-heeled shoes.
Most striking of all was her pure white hair, cascading like a waterfall, rippling softly in the wind.
Her face was veiled by a thin, misty Black Veil, making her features impossible to see—one could only make out the eyes behind the veil, shining with a demonic red light in the shadows.
Mysterious, powerful, exuding an abyssal aura that made the heart tremble… yet with a faint, inexplicable sense of familiarity that Mu Yurou couldn’t place.
“I… I don’t know…”
Mu Yurou managed, her nerves relaxing at last, and with it came a flood of exhaustion and the pain of her completely depleted magic power.
“But finally… we… we’re saved…”
Before she finished, a wave of dizziness crashed over her like a tide.
Mu Yurou’s vision went black, her body collapsing backward like a puppet with its strings cut.
“Xiao Rou!”
Huang Xi cried out, hastily catching Mu Yurou in her arms as she fainted.
At the very instant Mu Yurou lost consciousness, the White Battle Dress she wore as a Magical Girl shattered and faded like starlight.
As the scattered points of light vanished, what remained was her dust- and sweat-stained School Uniform.