Thanks to the previous waterproof sealing measures and the fact that it had only been submerged for less than half a month, the Wangyue-class super-large star ring—which had been desperately sunk into the Boundary Sea to fill the gap—could finally be restarted!
Ji Yue was overjoyed.
Currently, three super-large star rings within the country had ceased operation. Being able to restore even one was monumental news!
Watching the Wangyue-class super-large star ring slowly rise from the Boundary Sea, Ji Yue suddenly found herself puzzled.
Why hadn’t the enemy deployed more combat power to attack more of these star rings?
While sending only Fusion Warriors might lead to them being quickly wiped out, the Ten Seats were currently all gathered at the frontier, leaving the rear vulnerable. If the enemy had deployed powerful entities at the peak of Dragon-level, just as they had done with the star ring in District 31, they could have definitely decommissioned several more.
***
Alternatively, if they had deployed two or three Dragon-level dimensional beasts—even if they didn’t destroy them—they could at least damage the star rings enough to force a shutdown.
If even a few more super-large star rings were rendered unusable, the Dragon Kingdom might truly fall into the state of social collapse that the enemy desired.
Yet, the opposition simply hadn’t done so.
“Are they plotting something else?” Ji Yue was profoundly confused.
But she had no time to speculate on such matters.
Arriving at the most luxurious local hotel in Jiuming Sea, Ji Yue silently placed the special props she had brought from home into a cabinet.
“Sigh… I have to do this kind of thing again at a time like this.”
Ji Yue sighed.
When had she become so accustomed to saving the people in this manner?
Rather, it was a tragedy that, as a magical girl, this was the only way she could save the world.
A moment later, a bratty girl crept into the hotel room.
“Auntie, I’m here~ Is something up?”
Ji Yue remained seated on the soft, large sofa. Once Luo You took a seat, she spoke plainly, “Where is Xing Yue?”
Luo You had just arrived and was wondering whether she should take off her clothes when she was startled by Ji Yue’s question. “What do you mean, ‘Where is Xing Yue?’ Even if you ask me, I don’t know.”
***
“Is that so… The situation is very urgent right now. Xing Yue’s existence is indispensable to us. If things continue to develop like this, saying the future situation will be a massacre wouldn’t even begin to describe it.”
Ji Yue continued to explain with a serious expression.
“…”
Fine, it seemed her aunt was serious this time.
Luo You felt helpless. Originally, she hadn’t wanted to accept Ji Yue’s invitation because she had her own business to attend to.
However, after the battle at the frontier ended, she saw that her own rebellious daughter seemed ready to act like a clingy pest again. Coincidentally, she received Ji Yue’s call at that moment, so she gave Luo Zining a receding view of her back before the girl could catch her.
“Auntie… I really don’t know where Xing Yue is, but I suspect she has her own schemes, right?” She left it at that. How much Ji Yue could grasp would depend on her own thoughts.
Ji Yue’s eyelashes fluttered slightly. “You mean Xing—”
“Don’t ask me. What could an ordinary person like me possibly know? I thought you invited me here to do something wonderful.”
Luo You looked out the window. “Auntie, you’d better focus on your own job.”
Just as she finished speaking, the super-large star ring that had just completed maintenance and ascended went through a trial startup. A dimensional beast was immediately forced out of subspace, crashing down right in front of the hotel entrance before the evacuation alarm even had time to sound.
The scene was quite theatrical.
A mere trial run had forced out a dimensional beast, indicating that there were many of them hiding inland. It was a hint to Ji Yue that this was not the time to be wasting her energy on such things.
Ji Yue’s expression was complex. She felt as though she understood, yet her understanding was incomplete. Now, she was driven entirely by a mix of confusion and instinct as she walked out.
“Yare yare~ Auntie really does have the whole world in her heart!” Luo You shook her head.
So, where was the Black Candle Colossus?
A cold glint appeared in her eyes.
It was a pity that during the second crusade against the Black Prison Colossus, she didn’t find the prey she was looking for.
That person who stole Akabane’s inherent magic and consumed her proof of existence—she would absolutely crush them into the dirt.
They hadn’t appeared during the crusade against the Black Prison Colossus, which meant they would likely show up when the Black Candle Colossus started causing trouble.
***
Nearly seven hours had passed since the Black Candle Colossus broke its seal, yet there was still no sign of it. The Black Prison Colossus had already been defeated, and the commoners on the streets seemed to feel that the suffering had come to an end, creating an atmosphere of prosperity.
Only the clever could see that behind this thriving facade, “something” was silently accumulating.
Endure.
Endure.
…One must continue to endure.
The gunpowder of all sectors of society was constantly piling up.
The Level 1 state of war readiness had not been lifted. The magical girls were still busy, sacrificing their lives.
Even without the harassment of the Light-æŽ , the sheer intensity of the Boundary Sea tides meant the dimensional beasts attempting to cross the passes kept them overwhelmed.
They couldn’t kill them all; it was simply impossible.
They would finally finish off the ones in front of them, but after only a brief rest, another wave would appear.
After the Wangyue-class super-large star ring in Jiuming Sea was put back into use, Ji Yue immediately began rushing about. This was because, according to detection, there were far too many dimensional beasts lurking in the cities surrounding Jiuming Sea.
There were over thirty of them.
This number was terrifying, considering it had been less than two hours since the iceberg created by the Grey Witch was dealt with!
Eliminating them one by one was going to be an arduous task.
After subjugating the Black Prison Colossus, the Ten Seats from the frontier also returned to their respective stations as quickly as possible. Dragging their exhausted bodies, they began a comprehensive purge of the dimensional beasts that had infiltrated the interior.
The entire process was so grueling that they all felt extreme agony.
Meanwhile, in the shadows—
A figure with a terrifying aura appeared in the main hall. Its form was bizarre and significantly taller than an average human. A single glance was enough to give one the vivid sensation of death piercing through them.
Its appearance caused everyone in the hall to stand and bow.
“Lord Kraken, we welcome your arrival,” Bai He said in a low, respectful voice.
“…”
Kraken, a Dragon-level peak dimensional beast, was only one step away from the Light-æŽ level.
An aura of that caliber had already begun to permeate its body, but as the price for obtaining such power, it felt its self-awareness fading day by day. This was why it maintained close cooperation with these humans it looked down upon.
After Kraken arrived, it didn’t bother making small talk. “What stage are we at?”
“The plan is proceeding step by step. The Black Prison Colossus weakened the magical girls significantly. Right now, it would be lucky if the members of the Ten Seats have even fifty to sixty percent of their peak strength. They can forget about using Zeroth-tier magic.”
“Then why haven’t we acted yet?”
“Uh… Well, we still have to wait for the Black Candle Colossus. We have already bought the maximum amount of time. It will take at least several days for the magical girls to recover to a state where they can use Zeroth-tier magic. We have plenty of time.”
Kraken was somewhat displeased. Tentacles extended from its lower half; it was already impatient to burrow into some hole.
“That Xing Yue… You are sure she won’t appear, correct?”
Bai He said clearly, “We cannot rule out the possibility of a trap. That is why we need the Black Candle Colossus to ensure everything is one hundred percent certain. Do not worry; our people are guiding the Black Candle Colossus. Estimating the time, it should be able to land within three hours.”
Three hours. Not too long, but not too short.
Kraken could afford to wait.
It asked one final question: “Can you guarantee the surveillance on that item?”
Bai He lifted her head with a composed expression, her tone exceptionally confident.
“Everything is under control!”
***
Somewhere, in a guesthouse.
With no computer to play on and no phone to scroll through videos, Xue was like a withered, empty shell, staring blankly out the window.
As she stared, her eyes gradually lost their focus.