“Hehehe… this feeling of being watched—it’s exhilarating.”
As Luo You walked down the street, she couldn’t help but squeeze her soft thighs together, a subtle friction born of restlessness.
The combination of white stockings and slippers certainly drew attention, but the shift in onlookers’ reactions—from shock to appreciation—made one thing perfectly clear: she was stunning, adorable, and absolutely devastating.
Even when she noticed the occasional lewd glance from passersby, she felt nothing but delight.
“Oh no… I just turned back into a girl, and I’m already developing strange new fetishes?”
This was her first time walking among people with her true face exposed.
And the attention she received far exceeded her expectations.
Back in the Altered Ones organization, she had always worn a mask.
No one had ever seen her face.
Eventually, rumors began circulating within the group: some said she was hideous, which explained her twisted obsession with tormenting beautiful magical girls—a way of venting jealousy and a warped psyche.
So much so that her behavior became expected, even accepted.
Of course, Luo You had never bothered to correct the misunderstanding.
The truth?
She simply adored magical girls.
That was all.
“Hm? That scent… is there a dimensional beast nearby?”
Mid-stride, her eyes snapped toward a storefront, though her gaze pierced through walls and distance alike, honing in on a zone several kilometers away.
There it was—the unmistakable aura of a dimensional beast.
“Royal-class… no, not quite… but nearly there.”
“What the hell is the Magic Alliance doing? A near-Royal-class managed to sneak this deep into the inland?”
Luo You frowned.
Dimensional beasts were ranked in five tiers: Mortal, Ghost, Royal, Dragon, and Light-Eater.
Mortal-class beasts were little more than cannon fodder.
A Royal-class, however, could destroy an entire city within half a day, and even a peak Ghost-class beast surpassed 75% of Magic Alliance members.
Defeating one required substantial effort.
Anything above Royal… well, no one could handle a Dragon-class beast alone. It took a team just to drive one back.
As for Light-Eater-class… one appeared four years ago.
To deal with it, the Magic Alliance lost four of its Ten Seats, and the military suffered tens of thousands of casualties—just to barely seal it away.
Since the surge of dimensional beasts, the alliance had held firm at the Realm Sea border.
Beasts stronger than Ghost-class rarely made it through.
Huahai City, being far from the frontlines, had always been considered safe.
Unlike the cities by the Realm Sea, where all Ten Seats were stationed and magical girl casualties were staggeringly high.
“Come to think of it, weren’t two new magical girls deployed here yesterday? Was it for that thing…?”
Luo You suddenly bent forward, clutching her stomach, letting out an oddly alluring moan.
Damn.
Just thinking about magical girls was awakening her primal instincts again!
“Maybe I should capture one and keep her for a couple of days…”
It had been too long since she’d indulged.
She was starving.
Ordinary women no longer interested her.
Luo You had grown used to the finest of “delicacies”—only magical girls could satisfy her now.
From their appearance and scent to the vibrant life-force coursing through them, they were far superior to regular humans.
Even their sweat tasted sweet.
Ever since her first taste, she could never go back.
“Yosh~! Time for the mantis to catch the cicada—while the oriole waits behind.”
WoooooooOOOOOOOOHHH——!
Just as she was lost in thought, the city’s massive public screens began flashing emergency evacuation warnings.
Blaring sirens echoed through the streets as police began evacuating civilians en masse.
“Oh? So it’s starting. Let’s find a nice spot to watch the show.”
She decided to skip lingerie shopping for now.
It’d just get dirty anyway.
Waste of effort.
Elsewhere
Zhao Xin stood before a giant screen, watching the battlefield unfold from a high vantage point.
“Everyone ready?” she asked.
“All set.”
“Let’s go big this time!”
“Boom everything to hell!”
“…Little Red, calm down. We’ve evacuated civilians, but protecting their property still matters. No explosions unless I give the order.”
“Tch.”
Luo Zining clicked her tongue.
If you won’t let me blow stuff up, then why assign me at all?
What am I, a mascot?
She was a combat-specialist magical girl!
Her whole deal was overwhelming firepower!
“Commander Zhao, we’re facing a peak Ghost-class dimensional beast. Wouldn’t it make sense to open with my Sunburst Fist and deal as much damage as possible?”
“Nope. You can’t just blast everything on sight. Learn from your seniors. From now on, follow Zhou Xi’s orders.”
Zhou Xi, entrusted with command, remained perfectly composed—as if the role naturally belonged to her.
Among the six magical girls present, she was the most experienced, transferred here from the front lines.
When it came to battlefield strategy, her authority even exceeded Zhao Xin’s.
“Since only Yueyuezi and I have fought Ghost-class beasts before, I’ll give a quick rundown.”
Zhou Xi began, “Beasts below Royal-class have no intelligence. They behave like wild animals. Once the fight starts, just observe its actions. Yueyuezi and I will draw out its patterns. When you feel confident reading it, start assisting. Clear?”
“Got it!”
“Then begin.”
A magical glow surrounded Zhou Xi as she pressed a finger to her earpiece.
“Zhao Xin, activate the Star Ring and flush it out.”
“Star Ring is live.”
Above the suspected target area, a ring of starlight quietly materialized, resembling an enormous celestial chandelier.
Beneath its glow, the world dimmed into monochrome stillness—like a paused photograph.
Dimensional beasts earned their name because they existed outside reality, residing in other dimensions.
While they could cross into the human world freely, humans had no way to affect them—until the Star Ring was developed.
The invention allowed humanity to forcibly pull them into the real world once their location was confirmed.
With this, they constructed the great boundary known as the “Realm Sea Gate.”
If a dimensional beast crossed the gate, it would be revealed—ready for magical girls to strike.
“It’s reacting!”
Within the ring’s light, waves rippled like disturbed water.
A colossal, blurred figure emerged…
Its body gleamed white and violet.
Roughly ten meters long, lizard-like, with a bulbous purple crest on its head.
Its tail was long, with a sprinkler-like nozzle at the end—clearly designed for deadly attacks.
“Yueyuezi!”
“On it! Same routine as always!”
Veterans Zhou Xi and Yueyuezi summoned their magic wands, chanting in unison.
“Mana Type: Beta. Linkage Spell Construct. A71 Target Lock… structure complete. Form: Type VI.”
They exchanged a glance, then each unleashed their signature magic.
Zhou Xi: “Radiant Torrent.”
Yueyuezi: “Spatial Suppression.”
A brilliant barrage engulfed the beast.
Zhou Xi pressed the offense while Yueyuezi confined its movement.
The two had fought together many times.
Facing a Ghost-class opponent didn’t faze them in the slightest.
Zhou Xi even had time to explain tactics to the others.
“Intercept and pressure it. Force it to make as many moves as possible in a confined space. When you notice it repeating actions—it’s running out of tricks.”
“Wooahh~ As expected of our battle-hardened seniors!”
The other four magical girls, including Luo Zining, nodded in awe.
“Legends!!”
RRAAAOOO—!!
The wounded beast writhed and leapt wildly, its limbs twisting grotesquely as it dashed with unnatural speed.
Any normal person would’ve been overwhelmed.
But Yueyuezi had faced worse.
With her expert control of space magic, she locked it down with unrelenting precision.
“Watch the tail!”
“Evade now!”
No sooner had they spoken than the beast’s tail bulged, like chambered shells loading.
A massive torrent of inky violet liquid erupted, raining down in poisonous sheets.
Chchchchchchch—!
The toxic mist sizzled the air, sending chills down their spines.
Luo Zining saw it coming—her wand aimed skyward.
“Bang!”
BOOM!
A vivid red flower burst into the sky, radiating searing heat.
The toxins near it vaporized instantly.
“Nice work, Little Red. Stay on standby.”
Zhou Xi quietly acknowledged that this Ghost-class beast was stronger than expected.
Without Luo Zining’s timely counter, they might’ve suffered losses.
Continuing her suppression tactics, Zhou Xi pushed the beast further back—step by step—until it was finally cornered.
“Memorize its patterns yet? If you’re ready, come support us!”
With Yueyuezi blocking the front and above, Zhou Xi knew it was time to end it.
“Little Red! Follow my lead. Get ready to unleash everything you’ve got!”
As she surged forward, her body was surrounded by a heart-shaped cloud, accelerating toward the beast like a bullet.
“RAAAAAAH—!!”
“I’ve got your dumb brute attack style all figured out! You—”
Zhou Xi stopped short.
In the beast’s six eyes… she saw something terrifying.
Mockery.
Her instincts screamed—danger!
From its gaping mouth, a humanoid figure took shape—followed by a sudden burst of blinding violet light.
At this range, there was no time to—
BOOM!
Zhou Xi was flung like a missile, sonic booms trailing behind her, crashing into a skyscraper several kilometers away.
“Zhou Xi-senpai!?”