Band-Aids? Thick ones?
The shopkeeper was a bit puzzled but handed them over.
A minor moment, unnoticed.
Near home, Song Wuli passed the usual shop, buying two portions of fried dumplings.
Diamond tugged his hair.
He corrected himself—three portions.
How could Diamond’s tiny body handle so much food?
Did it convert food into mana like a magical girl, never needing to poop or pee, never getting full?
He stared curiously; Diamond’s belly didn’t even bulge.
They ate heartily.
While munching, they chatted about the day’s sights. Diamond was talkative, obsessed with the whale’s massive size, going on about it most of the meal.
The TV news caught their attention mid-bite.
“Our reporter has an update: new developments in the recent high-level demon sighting…”
Song Wuli set down his chopsticks, focusing.
The news recapped an incident from days ago—the attack by a high-level and cadre-level demon. The Human Alliance hadn’t noticed Yinlin’s ambush, but civilians reported demon traces.
The report only mentioned the high-level demon, not the cadre-level one.
Today, the security team found traces of that high-level demon, tracking it to the suburbs.
The broadcast switched to a live helicopter feed with night vision.
Special forces were tightening a ground perimeter, combing the hills.
“Same demon, right?” Song Wuli asked Diamond.
Diamond: “High-level demons are rare. In such a short time, it’s likely the same one.”
They kept eating, treating the news like digital side-dish.
The search was dull; the anchor made awkward small talk to liven it up, discussing magical girls and asking a guest expert if they’d show.
The expert boldly claimed a magical girl was likely nearby, watching.
The city’s most active magical girls? Jinluan, probably, followed by Huanhong.
Why skip one? The anchor asked, baiting.
The expert addressed Yinlin, noting her lower appearance frequency, likely absent now.
Spot-on. Song Wuli was eating dumplings, watching TV.
More awkward chatter until a breakthrough—something big moving on the hill, caught on night vision.
The feed switched to the helicopter. A large figure, likely the high-level demon.
The team got the alert, closing in, redeploying forces.
Another dull stretch followed. The anchor and expert discussed high-level demons.
From the footage, it was a magic-specialized demon.
The expert explained: demons come in three types.
Physical-specialized: Excel in melee, with freakish strength and defense.
Balanced: Strong physically, also adept at magic—everything’s OP.
Magic-specialized: Strong bodies, decent melee, but their magic is next-level.
All three are nightmares for humans.
Song Wuli knew the one that hit him was magic-specialized.
That sniper shot’s power?
Only Yinlin, nearly sent to the heavens, could grasp it.
The expert noted the danger as the helicopter climbed higher, keeping distance.
Magic-specialized demons could strike within 10 kilometers.
Dumplings done, the battle hadn’t started—still just troop buildup.
Song Wuli couldn’t peel himself away, glued to the TV.
His phone pinged—Jinluan texted, urging him to watch closely, to see the high-level demon’s strength and not rashly challenge a cadre-level one, a tier above.
Near midnight, the team’s setup was complete.
A dozen helicopters monitored from above; ground troops sealed the area, not engaging directly.
The fight began—armed helicopters unleashed a barrage, a stunning carpet-bombing.
Air-to-ground missiles hit the demon dead-on.
This was the Human Alliance’s tactic for magic-specialized demons: either kill it before it shields or keep the pressure on.
The team went for a first-strike kill, hoping to one-shot it.
Slim chance, though.
After the bombardment, smoke cloaked the ground, the hill ablaze.
A thin beam shot from the ground, piercing a helicopter.
The crew bailed out.
The demon survived and retaliated—not with a sniper shot, but a “standard” laser attack.
“Standard” meant it could pierce anything within 2 kilometers, damage halving beyond, with a max range of 4 kilometers.
With higher mana output, it could hit 10 kilometers.
That was just its basic attack, like a flat jab.
A second wave of helicopter strikes hit.
The demon countered again, its lasers weaker at range, destroying another chopper.
Humanity held its own—not a massacre, but no instant kill either.
As a human, Song Wuli used to find this thrilling.
Now?
He was sleepy.
After ten minutes, he gave up and went to bed.
“Yin, you’re not helping?” Diamond prodded.
“Nope,” Song Wuli said, offering no excuse.
“You’ll shame magical girls like this,” Diamond tried moral guilt.
“Not going.
Night,” Song Wuli said, thick-skinned.
Playing a bratty girl was embarrassing enough; Diamond’s guilt trip wouldn’t sway him.
He slept a few hours, woken at dawn by a full bladder.
Checking his phone en route to the bathroom, the battle was still a stalemate.
Bombers had leveled the hill, but the demon only lost a shield layer and took minor scratches.
After peeing, yawning, he crawled back to bed.
He had big plans tomorrow—something that might make Yinlin retire abruptly.