Chapter 63: Behold, the Pink Milk Dragon

The last time City B saw a Monster of B-rank or higher stirring up trouble, it was the work of that insufferably arrogant Monster King. 

The fool had grand designs to crush every Magical Girl and resistance force in the city, dreaming of building a twisted utopia where only Monsters reigned supreme.  

His audacious stupidity drew the full attention of the Combat Division and roused the ire of several elusive, rarely seen Freelance Magical Girls. 

In the end, the Monster King’s fate was sealed with brutal inevitability—he was swarmed and pummeled into oblivion by the forces of justice.  

“You—you filthy dogs! You call yourselves righteous, but all you can do is gang up on me? Come at me one by one if you dare!” he had bellowed.  

No one bothered to reply.  

True Justice, a B-rank mutant from the Combat Division, joined forces with two unnamed B-rank Freelance Magical Girls. 

Alongside them was Motes, whose power rivaled that of two B-ranks combined, much like Edema in her prime. 

Together, they beat the Monster King so thoroughly he was left recalling the days when his father had whipped him senseless with a belt called Seven Wolves.  

That such a dimwitted Monster could even reach B-rank was nothing short of baffling.  

To ensure his complete annihilation, a cadre of C-rank Magical Girls worked in tandem within the Third Layer of the Dreamscape, dismantling the Monster King’s conceptual essence.

Miti had been part of that operation, and she knew all too well how formidable a B-rank could be.

Without an overwhelming advantage in strength, killing one was nearly impossible.  

Yet for a B-rank to slaughter a C-rank?

That was child’s play.  

This new B-rank Monster, however, seemed far more restrained than the last.

No civilians had been harmed, and despite the chaos they caused, their haul was limited to a few gold bars.  

The old Monster King’s folly lay in his actions being woefully mismatched to his B-rank power.

Upon reaching B-rank, whether Magical Girl or Monster, one transcended their former limitations.  

Magical Girls, once bound to the spotlight to draw mana from the masses, often had to master the art of deception, plastering smiles for even the most deplorable admirers.

Monsters, sustained only by dark mana, thrived on sowing panic, forever barred from standing in the light.  

But at B-rank, those shackles fell away.

A bit of groundwork in the Third Layer of the Dreamscape, and they could practically lie back and collect rent.

Many B-rank Monsters grew to despise their old moniker, adopting a new title for themselves: Transcendents.  

Yet the former Monster King had no interest in embracing this new existence.

Instead, he chose to chain himself to the mire, proclaiming himself the King of Monsters and declaring war in their name.  

He was addicted to his own infamy.  

The threat of a B-rank was immense—capable of razing a city with ease or, without equal opposition, annihilating an entire nation.

The Monster King was like a child wielding a loaded gun, a walking menace that everyone felt compelled to destroy.  

The question now was whether this new B-rank would follow in his doomed footsteps.  

***

“So, where’d your chest go?”  

Tang Nai’s teasing gaze, identical to Luo Jialan’s trademark look of pity, fixed on Su Mu’s utterly unremarkable chest.

The scrutiny left Su Mu squirming, a flush creeping up her cheeks.  

“Enough about that! Focus on what I’m saying,” Su Mu snapped, trying to steer the conversation back.  

“Pfft, isn’t it just that Edema’s gunning for Little Mo? Easy fix—give her Mo’s address and let her go wild. Little Mo would probably love the challenge.”  

“…Of course you’d say that.”  

Su Mu could only sigh at Tang Nai’s response.

She should’ve known better than to expect anything profound from her.

What pearls of wisdom could possibly come from a rabbit’s mouth?  

Still, in a twisted way, it wasn’t a bad idea.  

“Fine, send me the address. I’ll have Mi Xian pass it along.”  

Tang Nai’s lips curled into a sly smile at Su Mu’s begrudging acceptance.

“Weren’t you just saying no? Look at you, being all honest now.”  

“Shut it! You’re the one who suggested it!”  

With a chuckle, Tang Nai sent over Motes’s address: Building 15, Unit 1501, Fandou Garden, City S.  

Did a place like that even exist?  

“By the way, you’d better hurry and figure out what Little Lando want from her,” Tang Nai said, suddenly standing and heading toward the medical bay.

“The Combat Division’s offering an extra ten percent mana subsidy to trade for this one. Someone’s coming to pick her up in a few days.”  

“Ten percent… is that a lot?”  

Tang Nai flashed a cryptic smile.

“Enough to keep you working for a decade to pay it off.”  

Su Mu’s thoughts drifted uneasily to the debts Irina had once mentioned, a vague sense of foreboding settling in her chest.  

“Anyway, come check on her. She’s been… restless lately.”  

As Tang Nai pushed open the door, Su Mu immediately felt a piercing stare slice through her.  

It came from Number 6, Ning Xi, strapped tightly to the bed.  

“Wow, she’s got some serious grudge vibes,” Tang Nai remarked.

“And here I thought you were the one who attacked our dear Su Mu first.”  

At Tang Nai’s words, Ning Xi thrashed, clearly desperate to speak, but her mouth was sealed shut, not a single word escaping.

When her eyes landed on Su Mu, a flicker of fear passed through them—quickly drowned by a tide of raw hatred.  

Irina had clearly left quite the mark on her.  

“Are we really handing her over to the Combat Division? She feels… dangerous,” Su Mu said, hesitating.  

“It’s an extra ten percent, though. I’ll even toss some your way.”  

A nagging voice in Su Mu’s head urged her to take Tang Nai’s tempting offer, leaving her torn.  

‘ “Say yes, say yes! Take the deal, and you’re set for three months without lifting a finger…” ‘  

Wait—who was that in her head?

Irina?!  

“Eep! Caught me!” Irina’s voice giggled.

“Just say yes already!”  

‘Just how much do you owe, and why are you so desperate for mana?!’  

“Debts of the heart, my dear. Unless I offer myself up, they’re not so easily repaid.”  

Offering yourself up?

That’s a bit much, don’t you think?!  

“Say yes, say yes…”  

Irina’s relentless mental chatter was like static, pushing Su Mu to retaliate.  

‘Mambo, mambo, mambo mambo mambo~’  

As Su Mu’s eyes took on a sudden, mischievous glint, Tang Nai seized the moment.

With zero hesitation, she snapped a photo before Su Mu could react.  

“Behold, the Pink Milk Dragon!”  

“You little—!”  

The scuffle for the camera ended in Tang Nai’s victory.

It wasn’t that Su Mu couldn’t wrestle it from the petite girl’s hands—Tang Nai’s camera had some bizarre modification that made deleting photos impossible.  

Resigned, Su Mu gave up, but not before deciding to dig into Tang Nai’s older photos.  

Time to uncover some dark secrets!  

“Heh, good luck with that. Smash it, and I can still fix it,” Tang Nai taunted.  

But moments later, she sensed something off.

“What are you looking at?”  

Su Mu held up a photo of a black-haired, golden-eyed girl, aligning it with Tang Nai’s face.

The features matched perfectly, yet something felt… wrong.  

The girl in the photo wore no trace of a smile.