“You have nowhere left to retreat.”
Kong Ling turned around, and Bai Lingluo was standing not far behind her.
“Sometimes, you have to face powerful enemies. Even if the gap between you is huge, you still have to fight,” Bai Lingluo said.
“Even if this battle is a guaranteed loss?” Kong Ling turned to ask.
“Imagine that behind you are weak children, and in front of you stands an Extradimensional Beast far stronger than you. If you don’t fight, they will be torn apart.”
“But that doesn’t change the outcome………….”
“As long as you keep fighting, a miracle can happen. It’s better than just waiting to be killed by the Beast—we are Magical Girls.”
“With greater power comes greater responsibility. Sometimes, we have to sacrifice ourselves. That is the mission heaven has given us.”
Kong Ling raised her longsword, its blade reflecting her face, smeared with dust and grime.
“Then let’s fight.”
Bai Lingluo raised her halberd as well.
“I won’t go easy on you.”
Bai Lingluo immediately unleashed her mighty Magical Slash. Kong Ling had no room to evade and had to take it head-on.
But Kong Ling’s magic barrier was no match for such a powerful blow. An explosion threw her into the air, engulfing her in the storm.
Watching Kong Ling’s figure vanish into the dust storm, Bai Lingluo turned to head back to the subway.
“Sorry, Kong Ling.”
She was right…………… Sometimes, you can’t give up, because—I still have people to protect!
Kong Ling felt sharp pain all over and touched her face, blood trickling from cuts made by the sand.
“If I give up just because of a little hardship, how could I protect Miao Ke’er and Ying Xian?”
“It’s not over yet!”
Like a supernova exploding in the darkness, a longsword shining with intense light pierced through the dust toward Bai Lingluo.
The magic barrier behind Bai Lingluo instantly turned a dazzling red—the glow from the barrier enduring a fierce attack.
“Looks like I underestimated you.”
Bai Lingluo kicked the longsword suspended in the air, deflecting its force and sending it flying to the side.
“Then let’s keep fighting.”
She fearlessly flew back into the dust storm.
The yellow sand blocked the setting sun, plunging the world into darkness, making it impossible to see even a hand’s breadth ahead.
The storm whipped up mud and sand, like a tsunami sweeping everything away, swallowing one tall building after another.
The scene looked like the end of the world.
Fortunately, Magical Girls had magic barriers that could block scratches from the flying sand, but the constant friction emitted a faint glow, resembling small lights from afar.
Though they could not see clearly around them, the glow from the magic barriers acted like beacons in the dark, marking each other’s positions.
One of the lights began to brighten, darting swiftly toward the other.
They finally merged into a massive ball of light that exploded, scattering sparks.
In the explosion, Kong Ling flew up into the sky, and Bai Lingluo also ascended beneath her; the two fought in midair.
The two points of light darted among the buildings, sometimes intertwining, sometimes separating.
Unable to anticipate each other’s moves, they became more aggressive, choosing to counterattack rather than defend against incoming blows.
Every collision erupted with even more intense light, and after each flash, sparks scattered and were blown away by the wind.
Their speed increased continuously; the two white lights gradually turned red, transforming into two streaks of red light.
The leaping red streaks wove around each other, leaving a magnificent red spiral in the air, but it vanished in an instant.
Finally, the lines spiraled upward together into the sky.
They reached several thousand meters high, the top of the dust storm.
“Huff…………” Kong Ling gasped, breathing in the fresh air.
On the distant horizon, the setting sun cast brilliant red light, illuminating the clouds in the sky.
“The sunset is truly beautiful.”
But the moment of respite lasted only a few seconds; Bai Lingluo’s attacks never ceased.
At such altitude, the air was thin and cold, making every move exhausting. Eventually, both stopped due to fatigue.
“Senior Bai Lingluo, do we really need to fight up here? Falling would mean shattering into pieces.”
“Let’s rest a bit.”
The two paused their battle to regain strength.
Bai Lingluo checked the time; half an hour remained before the drill ended.
“We’ll rest for ten minutes,” she said.
“When the break is over, we’ll return to the ground and decide the winner.”
“Um…………” Kong Ling hesitated, wanting to say something.
“What is it, Sister Kong Ling?”
“The meeting a few days ago said that our enemies might also be Magical Girls, which means in the future we could be fighting against Magical Girls—just like now…”
“If, I mean if this wasn’t a drill, and I had to fight for life and death, I don’t know if I could bring myself to strike…”
“Kong Ling, don’t think like that. We just need to follow orders faithfully. If that day ever comes, the other side will definitely be ruthless enemies, and I will kill them without mercy.”
“I don’t want that day to come………..”
Kong Ling looked at the sunset with sadness. “I… can’t do it.”
The break ended, and Kong Ling and Bai Lingluo agreed to return to the ground.
The dust storm had weakened, and objects could be seen clearly a hundred meters away.
“Come on, Sister Bai Lingluo, I’m not afraid of you.” Kong Ling muttered inside.
Every move of both sides was visible now. This battle tested reflexes and speed.
Kong Ling was agile and easily dodged Bai Lingluo’s Magical Slash in the open terrain, forcing Bai Lingluo to think of ways to land a hit.
But Kong Ling also struggled against Bai Lingluo’s nearly flawless defense. One mistake, and Bai Lingluo could instantly switch to offense and deliver a fatal blow.
“No, I have to face her head-on, fair and square…”
Kong Ling descended in front of Bai Lingluo.
“I admire your courage.”
“Let’s decide this with a fight!” Kong Ling shouted, charging at Bai Lingluo.
Bai Lingluo countercharged as well.
Just as they were about to collide, Kong Ling suddenly stabbed her sword into the ground and stopped instantly.
Then, in a flash, she materialized another sword and thrust from a different angle. The whole move took less than a second.
“That feint again……………”
Bai Lingluo jumped up, dodging Kong Ling’s sneaky trick.
“I already fell for it once, not again!”
She spun midair and unleashed a Magical Slash.
Kong Ling also leapt high, narrowly avoiding Bai Lingluo’s strike.
“That’s right, Kong Ling, it’s over.”
At Kong Ling’s moment of surprise, Bai Lingluo seized the pause in her movement and used the special technique that once killed a Duke-Class Beast.
She threw her halberd, which transformed into a magic cannon shell. Moving too fast, Kong Lingling couldn’t react in time and was hit—the building behind her was pierced through.
Kong Ling was eliminated.
“Kong Ling, I’m sorry. You had no chance fighting me. Tomorrow, I’ll treat you well.”