Chapter 26: All Along

The moment she saw the monster, Su Xiaomeng was also shocked and instinctively reached into her pocket for the Transformation Device.

But as she did, she realized that her Transformation Device had already fallen into Su Ziling’s hands.

“Bro, when did you take it?”

“While you were spacing out just now.”

Su Ziling said calmly.

“Quickly evacuate the crowd first. Leave this to me.”

“Okay.”

After receiving the response, Su Ziling pressed the transformation button amid the chaos.

The magical girl in black and gold appeared once again, but someone reacted faster than her.

Pei Keke, transformed into “Shining Justice,” appeared in front of the monster.

Her gaze was stern, her magic staff pointed straight at the monster, and her clear voice carried a resolute anger.

“I will not allow you to slander the existence of justice here!”

Seeing Pei Keke suddenly appear, a hint of doubt flashed in Su Ziling’s eyes.

But she didn’t hesitate in her actions. She silently stepped out from the shadows where she was hiding, forming a vague pincer formation with Pei Keke.

“Perfect timing,” Su Ziling’s voice remained calm and flat. “Let’s finish this quickly. Take it down.”

“Rest assured, Senior!” Pei Keke confidently patted her chest forcefully, the golden emblem on her Spirit Garment shining in response. “A opponent of this level is the perfect chance for me to show you my strength and prove the name ‘Shining Justice’! Watch me!”

“…”

Seeing her like this, Su Ziling couldn’t really say anything. Young magical girls indeed tend to make such requests to prove their own strength.

But to be safe, she still stood in a position where she could provide support at any time.

At the same time, she was assessing the monster’s strength.

Compared to the two she had encountered before, this monster was indeed much weaker. With Pei Keke’s abilities, handling it shouldn’t be a problem.

Yelu Guairen, who had originally been a bit panicked at seeing two magical girls, immediately breathed a sigh of relief when he saw no sign of Su Ziling making a move. He then sneered at Pei Keke and said,

“You’ll regret your arrogance.”

Meanwhile, the customers who were supposed to be evacuated burst into thunderous cheers again upon seeing Pei Keke, the prototype of “Magical Girl Meluke.”

The many adoring gazes made Pei Keke puff out her chest. She seemed to thoroughly enjoy being the center of attention.

“Less talk. The light of justice must not be tarnished! I’ll make you regret the words you just said!”

Su Ziling silently watched her junior, who was raring to go as if she was going to solo the boss, and did not intervene.

At the same time, she was also keeping an eye on Lin Yizhou not far away.

Seeing that he showed no sign of helping the monster, she couldn’t help but feel relieved.

She had indeed been worried that Lin Yizhou might side with the monsters and choose to make a move at this moment. If that happened…

Su Ziling shook her head and locked her gaze onto the two people at the center of attention.

“Die! Monster!”

With Pei Keke’s sharp shout, the battle erupted.

The magic wand in her hand shone with dazzling light, transforming into a gorgeous light blade as she clashed with the opponent.

It was undeniable that Pei Keke had grown quite a bit, but Su Ziling frowned slightly.

Her light blade was indeed sharp, but it was also flashy and impractical. It wasn’t so much a light blade as it was… a continuous light cannon attack.

Consuming a massive amount of Mana just to have a light blade that could cut through steel was far less practical than simply hitting the opponent with a light cannon.

But perhaps fearing the sharpness of the light blade, Yelu Guairen was steadily forced back under Pei Keke’s onslaught.

Seeing Pei Keke overwhelming the enemy and gaining the upper hand, the customers in the venue cheered again. In this situation, even Su Xiaomeng and the other staff members couldn’t do anything to make them evacuate.

After all, being able to witness the prototype of Magical Girl Meluke in battle was simply too tempting for the fans on site.

“Damn it…”

Yelu Guairen cursed under his breath. He seemed to realize that he was no match for Pei Keke, so as she pressed forward, he suddenly burst out a massive number of feathers.

This attack, almost covering the entire venue, instantly put Su Ziling on high alert. Even Lin Yizhou couldn’t help but want to press the button at his waist.

But Pei Keke seemed to have anticipated the attack. She immediately raised her magic wand.

“Shining Guard!”

A golden barrier enveloped the audience present. The burst of feathers turned to Ashes the moment they touched the barrier.

“Ohhh!!”

After the initial fright, the audience once again erupted in deafening cheers.

“Put away your useless little tricks…”

Pei Keke pointed her magic wand at the opponent again. At the same time, the gem in the center began to glow brighter, as if a massive amount of energy was being channeled into it.

“Face the judgment of justice! Shining Beam!!”

“Boom!!”

The blinding light made it almost impossible for everyone present to open their eyes. Yelu Guairen, standing directly in front of Pei Keke, took the full brunt of the beam’s bombardment.

“Aaaaah!!”

As the screams faded, the light gradually dissipated. Yelu Guairen seemed to be heavily injured. Pei Keke raised her staff again, ready to deliver the final blow.

“Clap, clap, clap…”

But at that moment, a jarring sound of applause rang out.

A monster wearing a black-and-white mask walked to the center between Pei Keke and Yelu Guairen.

Seeing this person appear, Lin Yizhou was stunned.

The reason was simple: the guy in the black-and-white mask was none other than his subordinate, Fan Zhicheng.

Could it be that this Yelu Guairen was sent by him as bait to lure out the Protean Witch?

No, that’s not right…

Lin Yizhou rejected this guess as soon as it came to mind.

Because Fan Zhicheng didn’t have a good relationship with “Red Rose,” so it was naturally impossible for him to ask her to be the bait.

Secondly, Fan Zhicheng knew Lin Yizhou’s preferences. He wouldn’t be stupid enough to come and disturb his enjoyment.

So Lin Yizhou was more inclined to think that Fan Zhicheng’s appearance was just a coincidence.

While tracking down the magical girl Pei Keke, he had very coincidentally run into the ‘Protean Witch.’

“What a stroke of luck—I found it without even searching,” Fan Zhicheng said, looking at Pei Keke in front of him. “Allow me to introduce myself. I am Heibaixiong.”

Well, this really was just a coincidence.

Lin Yizhou nodded in affirmation.

But after seeing the appearance of a second monster, Pei Keke, who had been confident and sure of victory, immediately panicked.

Fortunately, Su Ziling could sense the huge gap in strength between the opponent and Pei Keke, so she stepped forward.

“I know you, Heibaixiong.”

“So the ‘Protean Witch’ actually remembers my name,” Heibaixiong said, adjusting his mask with a mocking smile. “Should I feel honored?”

“Not many monsters have escaped from my hands,” Su Ziling said calmly. “This time, I won’t let you run.”

“No, no, no… You seem to misunderstand something. That time, I was simply called away by my superiors,” Heibaixiong shook his head, facing off against Su Ziling. “I’ve heard that your strength is formidable, but I’ve never actually fought you, so…”

He lowered his voice, his sharp gaze locking onto Su Ziling not far away.

“All along, I’ve had a tiny doubt about whether you’re really stronger than me.”