The squad’s next training exercise was a match against the examiners, with twelve members divided into four groups of three, each group facing an examiner.
The training ground was still the outdoor field far from the city, located inside a military base.
Porcelain Moon was quite familiar with this place; she had been stationed here before.
On the hills deep in the mountains, radar antennas stood tall, monitoring the skies near Jing’an City. Next to the radar antennas was an S-300 Air Defense System.
Porcelain Moon had seen reports about it on TV and heard that it was soon to be replaced by a new domestically produced system.
The sound of spinning rotors stirred the air overhead as an armed helicopter of an unknown model took off from the mountaintop, carrying guided missiles flying toward the distance.
Before Magical Girls became widespread, armed helicopters served as the rapid response force against Extradimensional Beasts.
They were fast and packed powerful firepower, but their payload and cost were significant problems, which is why they were eventually replaced by the Magical Girl squads.
Further ahead were rows of warehouses, storing the latest model 99 Main Battle Tanks.
These tanks were fitted with thermal reactive armor specifically designed to defend against the magical energy cannons used by Extradimensional Beasts.
The armor used multilayered, highly conductive materials and had proven effective against high-energy particle beam attacks during tests. However, they had yet to see actual combat, so their true effectiveness against real Beast magic cannons remained unknown.
“You’re here, Porcelain Moon.”
Lei Mang was already waiting at the front of the training ground. Behind her lay a vast open space, riddled with countless shell craters; this was also the army’s firing range.
Porcelain Moon noticed many mysterious devices surrounding the area, all enclosed by a layer of artificial defensive field.
“What are those?”
Porcelain Moon pointed at the enigmatic equipment.
“Magic Weakening Field Generators developed by the Shengli Group,” Lei Mang replied.
“Hm… I’m curious, do these weakening fields work on Extradimensional Beasts?”
“Unfortunately, no. They only affect Magical Girls. The Shengli Group built them mainly to provide a safe training environment for Magical Girls.”
“That’s really unfair.”
Porcelain Moon and Lei Mang headed toward the training ground.
The squad members had already formed their groups, discussing their battle plans in four small teams.
“For the next operation, you’ll lead them as captain.”
Ma Xinyin had told Porcelain Moon this before.
Porcelain Moon believed they could complete the mission excellently—provided they were well trained.
This training, or rather the evaluation, was a battle against an examiner. Lan Xi had volunteered to be their opponent.
“Three against one—isn’t that a bit unfair? Especially Bai Lingluo’s team. Chen Lisi and her team are strong, aren’t they?” Porcelain Moon asked.
“Hmph, the higher-ups didn’t just assign support to you casually. Lan Xi, as a fellow A-level Magical Girl, is far stronger than most of her rank. She’s ranked tenth nationwide among all A-level Magical Girls.”
“I don’t believe any Magical Girl at the same level can beat three of us alone…”
“Porcelain Moon, then let’s see.”
“Ying Xian, why are we up first?”
Kong Ling said nervously, gripping her longsword and pacing anxiously.
“Ying Xian, can you handle her? Last time you really beat me badly…” Miao Ke’er squatted nearby, drawing on the ground with a stick.
Miao Ke’er had been comforted by Kong Ling and Ying Xian all day and was finally feeling better. Ying Xian had apologized and promised to grant her a wish, but Miao Ke’er hadn’t revealed what it was.
Ying Xian wore a flowing tracksuit with a nano vest underneath—similar to the combat uniform from their last training, offering protection. She was making final preparations to enter the field.
“Don’t be afraid. She and I have fought before. Although her abilities are strong, I have experience fighting her. With you two supporting me, we can definitely defeat her,” Ying Xian said cleanly and confidently.
Lan Xi stood alone in the middle of the open ground, its surface uneven and scarred by numerous shell craters.
She leaned against a huge scythe—like Ziyuan, her weapon was a sharp scythe.
The mountain wind blew, making her long hair and cloak flutter in the breeze.
The area was bleak and barren.
“She’s here.”
Lan Xi murmured, keenly sensing the familiar enemy’s aura.
With lightning speed, she raised her scythe and hurled it toward the approaching Kongling Squad.
The spinning scythe flew toward the trio, who immediately scattered to dodge the attack.
The scythe sank deeply into the muddy ground, kicking up a cloud of dust that splattered over the three.
“Lan Xi, you really are ruthless…”
Ying Xian drew her small dagger and sprinted toward Lan Xi.
“Hey! Ying Xian, wait for us!” Kong Ling brushed the mud off and took to the air, following Ying Xian’s direction.
Seeing the enemy rapidly closing in, Lan Xi raised her right hand. The scythe obeyed her command, flying back at greater speed, lifting Lan Xi into the air.
“Watch out, she’s about to use a ranged attack!” Ying Xian warned loudly.
In midair, Lan Xi threw her scythe again, which suddenly split into a dozen smaller scythes.
“Dodge backward!”
Ying Xian stopped abruptly, concentrating on predicting the incoming attack, then leapt repeatedly, narrowly avoiding a barrage of small scythes.
Kong Ling wasn’t as lucky; a few small scythes hit her directly, and her Magic Shield was on the verge of breaking.
Reforming a Magic Shield takes considerable time and magic once it’s shattered, so Kong Ling had to be extra careful.
Seizing the moment before Lan Xi’s scythe reformed, Ying Xian jumped high and closed in for close combat.
But Lan Xi expertly dodged wave after wave of attacks, then kicked Ying Xian during her recovery, sending her flying back to the ground.
“I’ve studied you for a long time. I know exactly what your next move will be. So, shouldn’t you take this seriously?” Lan Xi taunted the disheveled Ying Xian on the ground.
“And what about me?”
Kong Ling attacked Lan Xi from behind with a Magical Slash, but Lan Xi’s figure flickered and evaded the blade wave.
Her scythe returned to her hand, poised and ready.
“It’s better to get rid of the obstacles between us early~”
Lan Xi moved with incredible speed. In the blink of an eye, the scythe’s tip was at Kong Ling’s face. Just as she thought it was over, a strong silver arm blocked the attack.
It was Miao Ke’er’s Puppet Soldier, but Kong Ling had never seen such a sturdy one before.
It was Miao Ke’er’s “Silver Knight.”
The Silver Knight grabbed the scythe and swung Lan Xi away.
“If you want to hurt Sister Kong Ling, you have to get through me first!”
Miao Ke’er shouted.
“Thank you, Miao Ke’er.”
Ying Xian stood up, wiping the dirt off her face.
She saw Lan Xi charging up again.
“Be careful, she’s getting serious!” Ying Xian warned loudly.
A crimson light burst in the sky, enveloping the three.
“Complete Battle Form, activate.”
Scarlet illusions continuously emerged from the red core.
Ying Xian shouted in horror, “Dodge!”
As the illusions approached, Kong Ling realized they were countless blood-red spikes swarming toward them!
The Silver Knight raised its shield, blocking the crimson tide of attacks.
“Ying Xian, take cover behind us!”
Ying Xian quickly flew over to Kong Ling and Miao Ke’er.
The spikes struck the shield with heavy thuds, denting its smooth inner surface.
“We can’t hold much longer,” Miao Ke’er said.
“I’ll hold the front,” Kong Ling flew ahead of the two.
“Ying Xian, only you can defeat her. I’ll be the second to hold the line,” Miao Ke’er said.
Ying Xian gritted her teeth. “It has to be this way.”
She had been defeated by this very move before and knew well the power of Lan Xi’s Complete Battle Form.
When the shield was finally broken, the Silver Knight was pierced and dissipated instantly.
Kong Ling’s shield started to falter under the relentless assault.
“We have to get close to her!” Kong Ling said, pushing forward as she resisted the attacks.
“What fools.”
Lan Xi smiled.
“Look behind you.”
Ying Xian glanced back. A massive blood-red scythe formed from countless spikes, rushing toward them!
Before Ying Xian could warn Kong Ling and Miao Ke’er, the scythe suddenly stopped right behind the two.
“You’re eliminated. Leave now,” Lan Xi said.
“No way…”
Kong Ling turned her head and saw the terrifying blood-red spikes mere inches behind her, as if seeping with blood.
“I’ll let you two go first.”
Lan Xi allowed Kong Ling and Miao Ke’er to retreat.
“Ying Xian, it’s one-on-one now.”
“Then it’s time to settle old scores.” Ying Xian gripped her weapon and assumed Combat Form.
“Complete Battle Form, activate…”
Ying Xian finally revealed her trump card.
Her Combat Form temporarily boosted her strength, magic, and reflexes, enabling her to fight at extremely high speed.
When Ying Xian’s eyes turned crimson, Lan Xi immediately commanded the red illusions to surround her, but Ying Xian’s speed was too fast—the illusions couldn’t catch up as she dashed toward Lan Xi at high speed!
“Three, four…”
The two clashed in close quarters instantly.
Lan Xi’s scythe and Ying Xian’s dagger collided, sparks flying brilliantly through the air—an intense reaction between two magical shields.
On the surface, they fought with cold weapons, but these were actually a special form of magic, containing immense energy.
Lan Xi wielded her huge scythe, twice her height, yet she moved nimbly enough to counter Ying Xian’s attacks without falling behind.
“You can’t do it!” Lan Xi said.
“Trying to defeat me is just an unrealistic fantasy.”
Ying Xian paid no mind to Lan Xi’s words—or rather, in Combat Form, she wasn’t concerned with anything other than battle.
Lan Xi swung her scythe fiercely, releasing a Magical Slash that knocked Ying Xian back. Without giving her time to recover, Lan Xi commanded the red illusions for a follow-up attack.
Ying Xian twisted her body in an incredible posture, dodging two red spikes, then pushed off the condensed magic beneath her feet to spring toward Lan Xi again.
Clang!
Lan Xi’s scythe shattered into two pieces, her magical shield breaking alongside it.
Ying Xian’s dagger also broke.
So Ying Xian chose to attack with her body—one hand grabbing Lan Xi’s arm to prevent resistance, the other forming a fist to strike.
Lan Xi quickly kicked Ying Xian, trying to stop the attack, but Ying Xian wasn’t pushed away and landed a punch to Lan Xi’s abdomen, causing her to lose strength and fall to the ground.
Lan Xi struggled to get up and saw Ying Xian had also fallen.
Ying Xian’s Combat Form had ended—she had used too much strength and fainted.
“Alright… this time, you win.”