Those Demons had tough bodies, but the actual threat they posed to the Magical Girls wasn’t as great as expected.
At first, when everyone saw the data on these Demons—their hard shells and massive bodies—they immediately assumed these were the kind of enemies that would be hard to deal with, right?
But after a few battles, the Magical Girls discovered the problem: these Demons’ combat power wasn’t as strong as they had imagined.
Or rather, these guys were just big, dumb brutes, easily outmaneuvered when facing Magical Girls.
These Demons were like living spaceships, attacking either with the magic artillery cannons mounted on their bodies or by ramming with their hard shells.
These tactics worked perfectly against the Elf Fleet, which lacked Magical Girl protection and couldn’t use magic themselves.
The strongest attacks from the Elves couldn’t even leave a scratch on the Demons’ armored shells.
Realizing this, that Royal-Class Magic Beast probably fell into path dependence and molded its entire army into this mold.
Then this army, originally meant to easily wipe out weaker forces, met Magical Girls of the same rank, and the difference was like night and day.
The magic artillery and armor, designed to counter the fleet, proved ineffective against the Magical Girls.
The shell that could easily withstand Elf attacks was only slightly tougher against the Magical Girls—just a few cannon blasts were enough to smash it.
As for mobility, the Demons could indeed stealthily move through the Sea of Magic at high speed, but while flying, they couldn’t affect the outside world and were driven out of the Sea of Magic by the defenses set up by the Full Bloom-Class Magical Girls.
Yes, to prevent Demons from infiltrating directly through the Sea of Magic, the Full Bloom-Class Magical Girls used all their abilities to protect the outskirts of the Mother Star.
Any Demon trying to charge through the Sea of Magic would end up shattered to pieces.
“Too bad those interferences don’t discriminate between friend and foe. Even my teleportation is sealed,” Luo Shuangyue sighed softly.
Such large-scale effects naturally couldn’t provide friendly exemptions.
No one within this area could enter the Sea of Magic, including Luo Shuangyue herself.
So, these days, Luo Shuangyue usually chose to rush out of this zone to fight the Demons elsewhere.
For Demons, entering the Sea of Magic wasn’t as simple as for her. They needed at least a minute to fully transform their form, while Luo Shuangyue only needed a moment.
“Your battle record these past few days is the most impressive in our entire base. You’ve really become a celebrity now.”
When other Magical Girls cooperated to deal with the somewhat annoying tough Demons, they would always glance up to see a butterfly-like Magical Girl wielding a scythe, kicking Demons around like balls.
This vivid contrast undoubtedly elevated Luo Shuangyue’s image in their eyes.
Although Miss Dark Moth seemed cold and hard to approach, she was truly amazing—so cool and beautiful in battle!
Previously, most Magical Girls had only heard of Dark Moth’s name and knew she had discovered something, but since they had never seen her in person, they had little concrete sense of who she really was.
It was like hearing on TV that a scientist discovered some new material: heard of it, knew about it, and then it was gone.
But now, Dark Moth was right there with them, leaving every day to go on missions together.
This closeness finally made them realize what kind of existence Dark Moth really was.
“Yeah, some girls even start chatting with me out of the blue. Sigh.” Luo Shuangyue folded her hands over her stomach and sighed again.
Even in such a tense atmosphere at the base, a few girls’ feelings were stirring for her.
After all, Dark Moth was such a powerful and cool Magical Girl. It was only natural that someone would like her.
“Are you enjoying it?” Xia Mo squinted her eyes.
Hearing the faint trace of jealousy in Xia Mo’s voice, Luo Shuangyue immediately showed loyalty.
Heaven help her, she was wholeheartedly devoted to Xia Mo and had never thought about finding anyone else!
Besides, no girl who came up to her was as pretty or as gentle as Xia Mo. The best girl in the world was already by her side—only a fool would want to look elsewhere.
“No! It’s just annoying,” Luo Shuangyue protested loudly.
“Then just tell them what our relationship is,” Xia Mo said as she stroked Luo Shuangyue’s hair.
She felt it was time to assert her claim over Luo Shuangyue, so that all those overly enthusiastic girls would stop crowding around.
She wanted those sneaky cats to know: Dark Moth was a houseflower with an owner, not a wildflower anyone could pluck from the roadside.
“Eh? Can I do that?”
Downplaying her relationship with Xia Mo and not flaunting their intimacy had been Luo Shuangyue’s idea.
She felt her identity on the Lunar Base was somewhat awkward, and if revealing their relationship caused Xia Mo trouble, she would feel guilty.
So they always acted as good friends outside, with only those close knowing their true relationship.
Those who did know had promised Luo Shuangyue to keep the secret.
Among them were Scarlet Moon and Crimson Core, two sisters who were grateful to Xia Mo for helping repair their relationship and naturally kept the secret between Xia Mo and Luo Shuangyue.
Crimson Core even gave Xia Mo a knowing look, saying her own senior had hidden a romance the same way.
Well, it could be said that sparks flying between Magical Girls was quite common.
“Of course you can. No one looks down on you now, right?”
Luo Shuangyue was a big celebrity here on the Lunar Base.
Who would dare say a bad word about her?
In terms of looks, she was definitely in the top tier; in terms of strength, the geniuses from Headquarters were beaten ten to one by her; and in terms of achievements, she was far ahead.
Even Magical Girls from Headquarters had to admit, albeit begrudgingly, that Dark Moth was really something—stronger than them.
As for her somewhat cold personality, people romanticized it as aloof dignity, wholly dedicated to fighting Demons and lacking energy for socializing.
Sometimes, your flaws get beautified. That was the case with Luo Shuangyue.
She appeared cold only because she had to maintain Dark Moth’s image—the mask of a cold exterior.
“Fine, then tomorrow I’ll tell everyone that you and I are… lovers…”
Before Luo Shuangyue could finish, the dormitory door suddenly swung open with a creak.
Luo Shuangxing entered, her face full of exhaustion.
She glanced at the two sisters cuddling on the bed and without a word, collapsed on her own bed and fell asleep immediately.
If anyone was more tired than the Magical Girls fighting on the front lines, Luo Shuangxing was undoubtedly one of them.
While the fighting Magical Girls might not push their magic to the limit, Luo Shuangxing used every last bit of her magic daily making Sealing Cards until her magic was completely drained.
Lately, when she returned, she could barely maintain her transformed form, and once back in the dormitory, she would fall asleep immediately without any extra interaction with Luo Shuangyue.
Aside from the tacit understanding when helping Scarlet Moon and Crimson Core, the two usually kept their separate identities: Luo Shuangyue was still Dark Moth, and Luo Shuangxing was still Lily of the Valley.
Well, they never explicitly said they were sisters back then. The words were never targeted, right?
Why does it all sound so plausible? Who knows? Maybe it was some sort of tacit understanding between them.
…Forget it. It really can’t be fixed.
At that time, they just wanted to help the Scarlet Moon sisters mend their relationship. Once that was done, they both forgot about it like characters in an anthology drama.
Did we ever admit we were sisters? Not at all!
Lily of the Valley and Dark Moth were mortal enemies, not sisters.
“When do you plan to officially confess to her?”
“After this crisis is over. There’s no point in hiding it much longer.”
Actually, the Luo siblings were already half-exposed. The only thing missing was Luo Shuangyue’s initiative to come clean.
It was easy to imagine Luo Shuangxing was waiting for Luo Shuangyue to clarify the truth, then use that as leverage to pressure her.
But that was Luo Shuangyue’s own fault, so it was only natural she kept it to herself.
“Why does it feel like you’re staking a claim?” Xia Mo pinched Luo Shuangyue’s cheeks, voice tinged with concern.
When Luo Shuangyue said that, her heart suddenly skipped a beat.
That feeling frightened her a little.
“Don’t worry. What could happen to me? Don’t forget, I have the ultimate trump card!” Luo Shuangyue winked at Xia Mo, reminding her that she was more formidable than she appeared.
Dark Moth was strong even among First Bloom-Class Magical Girls, but that was just the tip of her power.
She still held the power of White Night. With that card in hand, Luo Shuangyue had no reason to fear anything.
If a Royal-Class Magic Beast dared show up, she could pull out a hairpin and beat it into a pig’s head.
“Don’t be careless.” Xia Mo squeezed Luo Shuangyue’s fingers tighter.
“All right, I’ll be careful. I’ll live to confess to Shuangxing!”
“You can’t live just that long. You have to live until we grow old together.” Xia Mo covered Luo Shuangyue’s mouth with her finger.
She knew Luo Shuangyue had only said it casually, but she still felt uneasy, as if Luo Shuangyue would die right after confessing to Shuangxing.
So she made her swear.
No matter what, they couldn’t die until they grew old together.
“Magical Girls don’t seem to age, huh.”
“Then we’ll live forever. Or do you think you’ll ever get tired of me?”
“Of course not. Xia Mo, you’re the best girl ever. How could I ever get tired of you?” Luo Shuangyue hugged Xia Mo’s waist tightly, took a deep breath, and spoke seriously, “I will love you until the end of my life. And if my life is endless, then we’ll love each other until the universe dies.”
…Smooth talker. Xia Mo snorted softly and flipped Luo Shuangyue onto her back.
Though smooth-tongued, she loved hearing those words.
“After the modification, she has reached the peak of Bud Level. This is a significant improvement.” The Magical Girl who had contacted Monice placed the data on the desk and spoke with mixed feelings.
Across from her was Monice, expressionless but with a faint trace of happiness and confidence on her face.
And a bit of the satisfaction of revenge?
The people who had driven her away and scorned her research were now desperately seeking her help. The contrast gave an inexplicable sense of pleasure.
Monice was still a Magical Girl, not a cold-blooded, heartless creature. At this moment, she felt joy bubbling up in her heart for the first time in a long while.
“The materials used for Jiu Ye were quite precious, so raising her to this level is impressive. Using common materials can at best grant ordinary people power slightly below that of Soldier-class Magic Creatures.” Monice said seriously, suppressing the smile tugging at her lips.
A modified person slightly weaker than Soldier-class Magic Creatures?
This wasn’t a major enhancement for front-line combat, but it was a pretty good reinforcement for the rear.
Besides, the Magic Department had some stockpiles. It wasn’t a problem to rapidly produce a batch of modified individuals with power similar to Jiu Ye.
This was like instantly gaining many Bud Level peak Magical Girls, enough to give the overworked Magic Department a breather.
“By the way, I have to remind you, the magic affinity is closer to girls of that age range, so it’s best to conduct deep modifications on girls within that age bracket.”
“For more basic modifications, the requirements on subjects aren’t as strict, but unexpected side effects might occur.”
As the technology provider, Monice earnestly gave her warning to avoid being blamed later.
“What side effects? Didn’t you say those modified this way wouldn’t be affected by Demon consciousness?”
“It’s not about Demon consciousness, but… you know the magic-based gender transformation surgery that Jidong City developed a few months ago?”
“I’m vaguely aware, but didn’t pay much attention since it wasn’t very practical.”
“That technology is also a form of modification surgery, and my current modification method has some similarities to it.”
Monice paused, then, under the increasingly strange gaze of her counterpart, spoke deliberately, “Males who undergo my modification surgery might no longer be male after completion.”