Porcelain Moon, one of Hua Country’s original twelve S-Class Magical Girls, each of whom had a specific codename—Luo Xi’s being “Lan Feng.”
The highest initial rating for Magical Girls was only A-Class, but as some extremely powerful individuals emerged, the ranking system expanded to include S-Class.
The first twelve S-Class Magical Girls in Hua Country were designated as such while the Extradimensional Beast disaster was still ongoing.
Each S-Class Magical Girl possessed apocalyptic power, akin to walking tactical nuclear weapons.
Now, a human-shaped nuclear weapon was stretching lazily on the bed.
Sunlight streamed through the window, shining onto Porcelain Moon’s languid face.
The noisy sounds outside woke her up. She pulled the blanket over her head, trying to catch a few more winks, only for the alarm clock to ring again.
Just as she was about to turn off the alarm, someone knocked on the door.
“Wait, I’ll put on my combat uniform and come out.” Porcelain Moon said to the person outside.
“Hurry up! The operation can’t be delayed.” It was Ma Xinyin’s voice from outside.
Porcelain Moon was about to lie down again, but hearing Ma Xinyin’s voice made her jump out of bed immediately.
She quickly changed into her uniform, opened the door, and saw Ma Xinyin waiting right there.
“Let’s go. We’re heading to the Assembly Point.” Ma Xinyin said.
The two got into a jeep.
Porcelain Moon glanced out the window. After a night of construction, several defensive lines had been roughly established.
The forest on the mountain had been completely cut down, leaving only bare peaks, some leveled to build artillery positions.
Passing through the dense network of firepower, the two arrived at the frontline. Several kilometers ahead was a vast, deserted wasteland, starkly contrasting with the crowded military camp behind them.
The entire ruined town in the valley center was encircled tightly from air to land.
“So this is the operation site?” Porcelain Moon asked.
“Yes, it’s an Extradimensional Beast Hive. Our personnel risked it yesterday to dig open the entrance through the collapsed ruins.”
“The Ultrasonic Survey Device has mapped out the basic internal structure. Now it’s up to you to lead the squad inside and complete the mission.” Ma Xinyin replied.
After a bumpy ride, they finally reached the Assembly Point, where a squad of fifty Magical Girls was waiting on an open ground, their colorful uniforms vivid from a distance.
As soon as Porcelain Moon opened the car door, curious gazes immediately fixed on her.
“Is that S-Class Magical Girl Porcelain Moon?”
“So cool! Such a commanding aura!”
“I really want her autograph.”
The Magical Girls whispered among themselves.
“Introduce yourself to them.” Ma Xinyin said to Porcelain Moon.
Porcelain Moon muttered under her breath, “Such a hassle.”
She walked up to them, cleared her throat, then loudly announced, “I am S-Class Magical Girl Porcelain Moon. No need for introductions—you should already know my identity and achievements.”
“I will be the main force for this operation, leading you to accomplish the objective. You all know the mission requirements, right?”
The Magical Girls responded in unison that they did.
“I heard there were heavy casualties last time. I don’t want to see that happen again. So you must obey my and the higher-ups’ orders to avoid unnecessary sacrifices.”
Heads nodded in agreement.
Porcelain Moon worried whether they truly understood.
“Hey, old witch, when do we start?” Porcelain Moon turned and whispered to Ma Xinyin.
Ma Xinyin glanced at her watch and said, “Blame you for waking up late. There’s no time for you to chat with them. We’re starting now.”
Porcelain Moon glared in silence. “Not my fault…”
After she finished speaking, the operation began.
The codename for this mission was “Rake the Nest.”
Porcelain Moon and her team traversed the no-man’s land to the Hive entrance.
She took out the Anomaly Index Meter. Just as the previous reading indicated, the anomaly index was as high as 160 points.
It had been a long time since Porcelain Moon had encountered such a high anomaly level, and she instantly felt a twinge of tension.
She activated her Pocket Projector, which displayed the mapped underground structure.
About 1.5 kilometers below the surface lay a massive cavern—the lair of a Kingdom-Class Aberrant Beast and the Hive itself.
To enter this huge cavern, there were several branching paths. The upper-level command had chosen the flattest and widest one, since the others were either too steep or too narrow.
However, this also meant the beast pressure they faced would be intense.
Porcelain Moon and a few of the stronger A-Class Magical Girls took the front, clearing the beasts’ obstacles and opening the way.
The weaker A and B-Class girls stayed behind to clean up the battlefield, eliminate potential threats, and provide support and guidance.
Porcelain Moon hoped for zero casualties this time, so she was prepared to unleash her full power.
“Battle Mode Release…” Porcelain Moon murmured.
Around her, magical power gathered as a pair of crystalline Light Wings materialized behind her.
Her uniform evolved into a dazzling Crystal Dress, its huge skirt billowing in midair, resembling an angel descending from the heavens to onlookers.
She was the first to leap into the pitch-black cavern, illuminating part of the space below. The others followed suit.
Everywhere inside the cave were traces of beast movements. Porcelain Moon knew a fierce battle was imminent.
Fortunately, their primary mission was to lure the enemy out, so intense fighting inside this unstable space was unnecessary.
Several Special Forces Drones powered by the Magical Girls’ magic flew deeper into the cave to scout and guide.
At the command, the Magical Girl squad began to advance.
***
In the darkness, a few Hunter-type Beasts lurking nearby were illuminated and lunged at Porcelain Moon.
With just a wave of her hand, white crystalline spikes suddenly appeared from thin air, piercing through the beasts and pinning them to the ground, leaving them defenseless.
“Porcelain Moon Senior, we can handle these beasts ourselves. No need for you to intervene.” A blonde A-Class Magical Girl following behind said.
“I’m the main force for this mission. It’s better if I handle all the beasts. Your task is to eliminate any I miss.” Porcelain Moon replied.
She snapped her fingers, and more crystalline spikes impaled beasts hiding in the shadows.
S-Class Magical Girls had extremely unique combat styles. Due to their vast magical reserves and precise control, each S-Class wielded unconventional methods—some beyond imagination.
Porcelain Moon’s usual tactic was to manifest magic crystals to kill beasts, a form only she could create.
After about ten minutes, every beast the team encountered was eliminated as if swatted away like mosquitoes.
They reached a large hollow filled with many beasts.
“Watch out!”
From above, a massive beast fell.
Some Magical Girls in the team reacted quickly and blew the beast to smithereens midair.
Porcelain Moon realized it was an Earl-level Beast. Judging by the team’s reaction, these Magical Girls definitely had some skill.
The intense magical explosions stirred the other beasts in the cavern awake.
In the darkness, several faint red glows appeared.
“Duke-Class… quite a few.” Porcelain Moon analyzed and ordered the Magical Girls behind her to form up.
“I’ll take on those Duke-Class beasts. You all handle the rest and watch out for ambushes.”
Saying this, Porcelain Moon flew deeper into the cavern.
The ground trembled with a rumbling sound.
“They’re coming!”
The Magical Girls opened fire on the charging beasts. Brilliant multicolored spells filled the cave, felling many beasts instantly. Yet the beasts seemed endless, stepping over their fallen comrades as they advanced.
Several Duke-Class beasts lunged at Porcelain Moon. Just as their hundred-ton claws and teeth were about to strike, a silver barrier appeared, blocking every attack and reflecting the beasts back.
Porcelain Moon raised her right hand. The beasts frozen in midair were held there by sharp crystalline spikes growing from her hand.
When the spikes finished growing, a powerful force pulled the beasts rapidly toward her, impaling them through their cores.
“Why do you insist on opposing me?” Porcelain Moon said coldly.
Within seconds, five Duke-Class beasts were slain, their bodies pierced and falling heavily from the sky.
Turning back, Porcelain Moon saw a massive wave of beasts attacking the Magical Girl squad.
She raised one hand and opened her palm. Above the beast horde, countless crystalline spikes appeared, shimmering beautifully, casting a dreamlike glow on the cave ceiling.
But no one was entranced by the sight.
Porcelain Moon waved the hand that held their fate, and massive silver spikes rained down, piercing the beasts’ bodies, then exploding, emitting dazzling light and scattering shards that pierced even more beasts.
This move obliterated the entire beast horde.
The battlefield before them was littered with countless white crystals and beast corpses.
The Magical Girls were awestruck by Porcelain Moon’s skills; most had never seen an S-Class Magical Girl cast spells.
Porcelain Moon slowly descended from the air, white crystalline shards circling her like a fearsome white reaper.
“Any casualties?” she asked.
The Magical Girls looked at each other and finally concluded there were none.
“Then let’s continue.” Porcelain Moon said.