Inside the steaming warmth of the hot spring hotel, the air was thick with the scent of sulfur and serenity.
“The Boundary Pass was breached head-on,” Ji Yue read aloud, her eyes scanning the trending news on her phone.
“The attacker was a humanoid creature from the Boundary Sea. The stationed forces suffered ninety percent casualties. Could this be a Dimensional Beast?”
Her slender, pale fingers tapped rhythmically on the tabletop as she spoke, her voice steady but laced with concern.
“Some Dimensional Beasts are small in stature, but one that’s both small and powerful? This is a first. To break through the Boundary Pass so decisively, it’s at least Dragon-class.”
Dragon-class Dimensional Beasts were the bane of Magical Girls, the harbingers of death and destruction.
Unlike the more common Mortal-class, Ghost-class, or even King-class beasts, Dragon-class entities were rare.
Yet their rarity was no comfort—every appearance guaranteed casualties among the Magical Girls, and in the worst cases, entire teams were wiped out.
“Zining,” Ji Yue said, her tone firm, “you’re on leave right now. You’ve only got a year’s experience under your belt. Stay out of this.”
“But, Aunt—”
“No buts!”
Ji Yue cut her off, her voice sharp.
“Last time, you nearly died taking down a newly ascended King-class beast. And now you want to challenge a Dragon-class? Calm yourself and focus on building real combat experience.”
Luo Zining fell silent, her lips pressed into a thin line, unable to argue.
“Zining,” Ji Yue continued, her voice softening slightly, “do you know what it takes to become a top-tier Magical Girl?”
“Huh?”
Luo Zining looked up, startled to see her aunt, Ji Yue, now transformed into her Magical Girl form.
Unlike others, Ji Yue’s transformation was striking in its simplicity—clean, efficient, exuding an aura of unyielding focus.
It was the only impression that came to mind.
“Aunt?!”
“We Magical Girls wield mana, shaping it according to our affinity, learning and casting a myriad of spells,” Ji Yue explained, her hand glowing as she conjured a visible swirl of mana, shimmering like liquid starlight.
“But that alone doesn’t set us apart. The true difference between Magical Girls—what separates the ordinary from the extraordinary—is what, Zining? Answer me.”
“…Innate Magic,” Luo Zining mumbled, her voice subdued.
“Exactly.”
Ji Yue’s eyes gleamed with intensity.
“Innate Magic is your unique gift, a power that transcends your current mana level, your individuality. Only those who awaken their Innate Magic can be called top-tier.”
“Each Magical Girl’s Innate Magic is distinct, and it determines the path you’ll walk, the role you’ll play in a team.”
She fixed her niece with a pointed look.
“If you want to grow stronger, you need to find your place first.”
“Vanguard, Midfield, Rearguard, Support…”
Ji Yue continued, her voice steady.
“My Innate Magic makes me suited for Midfield, though I can step into the Vanguard if needed.”
She produced a report from the Magical Alliance, an evaluation of Luo Zining’s abilities as “Little Red Riding Hood.”
“Your Innate Magic, Radiant Swarm, is unmistakably Rearguard. You’re meant to hold the backline, providing overwhelming firepower to support the team. From now on, train to master that role.”
The Rearguard was, relatively speaking, a safer position.
It didn’t demand charging into the fray, blade in hand, to clash with enemies.
But safety came with its own risks—sometimes, that very firepower drew the enemy’s attention first.
Fortunately, most Dimensional Beasts lacked the intelligence to prioritize targets strategically, so this was rarely a concern.
Luo Zining’s mind flickered to a figure, a memory that stirred her heart.
“What about the Ten Seats? What roles do they play?”
“The Ten Seats defy conventional roles,” Ji Yue replied, her voice tinged with reverence.
“In a team, they can fill any position—Vanguard, Midfield, Rearguard, anything. But more often than not, they take the Vanguard, facing enemies head-on and claiming victory.”
She leaned forward, her eyes alight with passion.
“That’s because each of them possesses unparalleled individual strength. They can lead an entire team, with everyone else existing solely to support their brilliance!”
A faint trace of longing crept into Ji Yue’s voice, but she quickly reined it in, her tone turning stern.
“For now, forget about lofty dreams. Focus on mastering your role as Rearguard. If you can’t even handle your core duties, you have no business chasing grand ambitions.”
Unbeknownst to Ji Yue, Luo Zining had already been entrusted with a Divine Particle—a closely guarded secret.
In Ji Yue’s eyes, a novice like Luo Zining could afford to take risks in peaceful times, to experiment and grow at her own pace.
But times had changed.
The Boundary Sea was stirring, and the future promised hardship.
For a rookie, this was a brutal era, where farewells and losses would become all too common.
Better to guide her now, Ji Yue thought, than let her face regret later.
Yet Luo Zining’s heart rebelled against the idea of settling for the Rearguard.
Her mind drifted back to that moment—when Ellera stood before her, radiating overwhelming power.
A King-class Dimensional Beast, a creature that should have inspired terror, could only tremble and flee in Ellera’s presence.
And then, in less than a minute—no, factoring in pursuit and return, perhaps not even twenty seconds—the beast had fallen, vanquished by Ellera’s hand.
Having witnessed such strength, how could she not yearn for it?
The Rearguard might be stable, but it wasn’t what she craved.
[I need… to become stronger.]
Her hand instinctively clutched her chest, where the pendant containing the Divine Particle rested.
To grow stronger, the Divine Particle was her greatest asset in the short term, her key to reaching the shadow of that figure who had once shielded her.
Luo Zining’s eyes snapped up, her voice resolute.
“Aunt, tell me about Ellera. Just how strong is she? What do you all think of her?”
Ji Yue’s expression flickered, a storm of emotions passing through her eyes.
Her true thoughts?
She wanted nothing more than to track down that woman, vent years of pent-up grievances, and then lock her in a dark room, tormenting her day and night without pause…
But she hadn’t shared her history of humiliation at Ellera’s hands.
Better to keep this professional.
“She’s so powerful,” Ji Yue said, her voice tight, “that I can’t even fathom us being the same species. That’s all you need to know.”
“…I want to become like that,” Luo Zining whispered, her voice heavy with determination.
Ji Yue looked at her niece, her expression a tangled mix of pride and concern.
Once, she too had harbored such ambitions—to surpass that woman, to stand shoulder-to-shoulder with her and see the world from her vantage point.
But the more she grew, the more she realized just how unreachable Ellera’s position was.
Even as a candidate for the Ten Seats, comparing herself to the Ellera of a decade ago revealed a chasm she couldn’t bridge.
“It’s good to have big dreams,” Ji Yue said, her tone gentle but firm.
“But for now, focus on building experience in the Rearguard. The frontlines will never lack for fighters. When the time comes…”
Her words were cut off as both their phones buzzed simultaneously with a message from the Magical Alliance.
The alert was brief but electrifying:
Traces of a Gatebreaker found at the Canglan Ruins.
A brief skirmish occurred with an individual, tentatively identified as Ellera!
“Ellera! She’s in the Nine Abyss Sea?!”
Mana surged uncontrollably from Ji Yue’s body, her simmering resentment blinding her to the Gatebreaker’s significance.
Her focus zeroed in on Ellera, the name igniting a fire in her chest.
“Aunt, I know how much you hate her, but rein in your aura! This isn’t the image a Magical Girl should project!”
Luo Zining said, alarmed by her aunt’s reaction.
Her mind raced—had Ellera wronged her aunt too?
No, she couldn’t let her thoughts spiral there.
Moments later, Ji Yue’s communicator pinged again, this time with a message meant solely for her.
“What—?!”
Ji Yue stared at the screen, her legs trembling, nearly causing her to stumble.
Luo Zining, startled, reached out to steady her.
“Aunt, what’s wrong?”
“Tomorrow morning,” Ji Yue said, her voice unsteady, “the Ten Seats are holding a council meeting, presided over by Lady Xingyue herself! And she’s instructed me to invite Zhou Xi to attend!”
The Ten Seats’ council was a rare event.
As a candidate, Ji Yue had been brought to such meetings by the Seventh Seat, “King’s Advance,” to acclimate herself.
She wasn’t fully accustomed to them, but this time, her composure shattered entirely—because Xingyue was presiding.
The legendary Magical Girl, missing for seven years, had returned.
“Lady Xingyue? The Lady Xingyue?!”
Even with only a year as a Magical Girl, Luo Zining had heard the name “Xingyue” countless times from her peers.
She was the pinnacle, the standard all Magical Girls aspired to.
Her exploits were legendary—single-handedly slaying over ten Dragon-class Dimensional Beasts, creatures that typically required entire teams to defeat.
A decade ago, at the Boundary Pass, she had led local forces, wielding the Zero-Tier Magic to confront a Radiant-class Dimensional Beast across the sea.
Though they never clashed directly, her presence alone forced the creature to retreat, preserving the Pass.
Her other feats were too numerous to count, but the crowning moment was her duel with Ellera seven years ago—a clash that shook the world.
The outcome was unknown, but Ellera’s subsequent silence was the Magical Alliance’s greatest triumph.
Yet, Xingyue had vanished soon after, her whereabouts unknown.
Still, every Magical Girl believed that even in those seven years of absence, she had quietly resolved crises that could have shaken the world.
She was the invincible legend.
“Back then, Lady Xingyue was already at the peak,” Luo Zining murmured.
“What heights has she reached in these seven years?”
No one doubted that the First Seat, Xingyue, would have stagnated.
She must have ascended to an even greater realm.
Her return was a rallying cry for humanity’s frontlines, especially now, with the Boundary Pass breached, a unique Dimensional Beast emerging, and Ellera resurfacing.
Xingyue was the hero chosen to face these threats, the harbinger of a glorious moment for the Magical Alliance.
“The council is including Senior Zhou Xi,” Ji Yue noted, her brow furrowing.
“This must be about Ellera.”
A shadow crossed her face.
With Xingyue leading the charge, could Ellera withstand the coming storm?
[Wait—why am I worrying about her?!]
Ji Yue shook her head fiercely, banishing the thought and steeling her resolve.
Knock, knock.
The sound of knuckles on wood broke the tension, followed by Luo You’s voice from beyond the door.
“Zining, I’m back. Open the door.”
Ji Yue stopped Luo Zining with a gesture, meeting her niece’s puzzled gaze.
She strode to the door, and the moment it swung open, she seized Luo You’s wrist, yanking her inside with startling force.
The door slammed shut with a chilling creak, as if heralding the storm about to unfold…
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