As Yin Lin engaged the flying-type Variant, she began to feel the pressure. The enemy’s total mana pool seemed exceptionally high; it was able to sustain a relentless barrage of magical artillery without any sign of exhaustion.
She had no desire to be hit, so she remained in constant evasion.
She was buying time to charge her power. She thought to herself: If I reach 100% and I haven’t been hit yet, Iโll just wipe that thing out and stop acting. But if I get hit during the charge, Iโll play along a bit and see if I can bait them out.
Unfortunately, Yin Lin and Luye possessed limited intellect; they couldn’t put together a “think tank” like the Countermeasure Center. She was clearly unaware of the danger lurking behind her. Huang Yi and the others knew there was danger, but they still let Yin Lin take the risk. After all, no one in the entire city of Yiri had defensive or offensive power exceeding hers. If she didn’t go, no one else could handle the job.
The Human Alliance was desperate to uncover the secrets behind the Star Summoning Society.
After Yin Lin had been charging for a minute, Huang Yi felt a pang of conscience and sent another message. Yin Lin had already memorized the habits of high-level flying Variants. Flying in a three-dimensional S-pattern, she pulled out her phone to check it.
Huang Yi: ใBe careful. The enemy may have a trump card. Whether it’s reinforcements or some other trickery, stay alert.ใ
Putting her phone away, she sharpened her vigilance and began to take the Variant seriously. She pulled back further to increase her reaction time, while also dedicating some focus to sensing the surrounding mana.
She could sense Luyeโs mana; she had changed into her Magical Girl uniform and was near the entrance of the Forest Farm subway station. Within her sensory range, she found no third target with mana.
Having been ambushed by both Luye and Variants before, she knew there were many ways to hide one’s tracks, so she relied on her eyes to scan the surroundings. Unfortunately, it was night; visibility was limited, and she couldn’t see very far.
Thinking about it, an ambush really is possible.
She ascended higher, rising above the clouds to prevent anything on the ground from reaching her. The Variant gave chase for a short distance, reaching the same altitude. The aerial battle continued. The Variant seemed tired of firing and took a brief moment to rest.
However, the creature soon began a new movement, brewing some new magic. It wasn’t the sniper cannon that had ambushed her in Yiri City, nor was it anything like the Special Beam Cannon from earlier. The mana over there was becoming immense. The Variant let out a loud roarโa strained, muffled grunt that sounded like a human struggling with severe constipation.
The sound was massive, piercing through the clouds. It was heard by Luye and the task force on the ground, and by Yin Lin high in the sky.
Is it… turning into a Super Saiyan?
Seconds later, a shockwave hit. Even the clouds were pushed away by the blast of air.
“Not good, itโs that move!” Huang Yi, watching the big screen at the Countermeasure Center, realized what the Variant had done.
“Itโs slightly different, but itโs using that move, isn’t it?” a specialist murmured nearby.
“Is this something I need to know?” the Acting Director asked worriedly.
The specialist explained: “Months ago, when we investigated the low-level Variants killed by Yin Lin and Huan Hong, we found they were different from others. They could use an ability that temporarily boosted their combat power.”
“Through our investigation, we found their abilities were significantly enhancedโphysical attack power, defense, and even the mana values read by our sensors changed.”
The Acting Director asked: “And the conclusion? What is it?”
The specialist replied: “Weโre still investigating. Weโve temporarily named that ability ‘Berserk.’ Currently, cases are rare; we don’t have enough samples to continue the study.”
“According to our expert team’s analysis, a Variantโs Berserk ability comes at a cost. They can’t just increase all their stats for free. A Berserk Variant is terrifying; their combat power rises by about one full rank. If a high-level Variant uses Berserk, our team estimates it could reach the level of a Quasi-Executive Variant.”
“Magical Girl Yin Lin might be in grave danger.”
The specialists looked worried, as did Huang Yi. They had originally expected reinforcements or an ambush. Now it seemed the enemy intended to use this Berserk state to settle things with Yin Lin and Luye right here.
Compared to their concern, the Acting Director was indifferent. “If an irrelevant Magical Girl dies, she dies. First, have our people retreat.”
This made Huang Yi frown. “With all due respect, ifโ”
The Acting Director raised a hand, cutting him off. “Don’t give me your ‘due respect,’ you Witch-faction scum.”
The other specialists looked like they wanted to speak but held back. They began whispering among themselves; the dissatisfaction was audible.
The Acting Director glared at them and shouted: “What? You’re going to revolt? What use are these ‘Magical Girls’? They aren’t even human. If they aren’t of our race, their hearts must be different. If they die, they die! Our Human Alliance has always protected humanity; it is us who maintain order and safety. Don’t get your priorities mixed up!”
Suddenly, a pen was hurled at the podium, hitting the Acting Director. The splashing ink stained his clothes black.
“Dammit, who threw that? Step forward!” The Acting Director crushed the pen under his foot, staring at the crowded room of specialists.
No one answered.
Then, a bottle of mineral water was thrown up, hitting him square in the head. He looked at the crowd in a rage. “There are cameras here! Are you all looking for a death wish?”
While the Countermeasure Center was in the middle of an internal feud, the battle at the Forest Farm changed.
With the clouds dispersed, the moonlight revealed that the flying Variantโs appearance had altered slightly. While the naked eye couldn’t see it clearly, Yin Linโs sensory abilities saw the change vividly. The creature’s mana aura had expanded massivelyโlike a candle flame turning into a roaring bonfire. It had more than doubled.
What kind of dark art is this? How can it strengthen itself to such a terrifying degree in an instant?
Yin Lin immediately put more distance between them, flying as far as she could. She had a gut feeling that this thingโs level had reached the “Executive” rank, rather than the “Quasi-Executive” rank predicted by the Center.
The Variant moved. In a split second, it accelerated to supersonic speeds, creating a visible sonic boom. Its speed kept climbing, reaching Mach 2.
It covered the distance Yin Lin had gained in mere seconds. When it was 100 meters away, it unleashed another beamโthis time with a much larger diameter. It was too fast. At this distance, it was no different from a point-blank shot; she had no time to react before being hit.
The violent explosion triggered a visible shockwave. Even the task force aircraft several kilometers away at the subway station was rocked violently by the air pressure, nearly crashing.
Yin Linโs shield was shattered in one hit, and she was sent flying several kilometers through the sky. When she finally stabilized, she looked a messโcovered in soot with a bit of blood trickling from her nose.
She felt a secret sense of relief. Luckily, the Variantโs blast dealt explosive damage rather than piercing damage.
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