“Something’s happened.” Xiaoxi glanced out the train window, then stood up seriously. “I’ll go take a look up front. You stay here, Xinglan.”
Inside the carriage, voices buzzed with anxious discussion.
Although nothing looked unusual from the windows, Xiaoxi had already sensed a faint magical fluctuation beneath the ground, slowly gathering above.
She didn’t plan on bringing Ye Xinglan along.
Xiaoxi wanted her to avoid acting in front of others as much as possible—the identity of the Blood Moon Witch was best kept hidden.
After crossing several carriages, Xiaoxi finally spotted two Train Attendants in the connector between carriages, whispering nervously to each other.
“Sorry, Passenger, the train had to stop because of a problem with the tracks. It’s not permitted to get off right now—”
“The tracks ahead are blocked by monsters, aren’t they?”
The Train Attendant froze, then hurriedly pulled Xiaoxi aside and lowered her voice.
“Yes… but there’s no need to worry. Both the railway and the train are protected by a Magical Barrier. It’s safe as long as you stay inside. Plus, we’re only a few kilometers from North Blossom City. We’ve already notified the Magic Girl Association of North Blossom City—they’ll be sending help right away!”
Xiaoxi shook her head. “If monsters made it onto the tracks, it means the Magical Barrier has already malfunctioned. Just waiting inside the train for rescue isn’t safe. Let me off. I’m a Magic Girl.”
The attendants hadn’t wanted to reveal the truth for fear of panicking the Passengers, but in fact, they were quite scared themselves.
Hearing that Xiaoxi was a Magic Girl, both of them finally relaxed and quietly let her off the train.
The train was now stopped in a vast, empty wilderness.
Xiaoxi took a deep breath of fresh air far from the city, and in the next moment, with a single thought, transformed into her Sirius Form.
She leaped nimbly onto the train roof and, at the end of the train, saw several monsters.
“Shandie Worms, huh…”
Blocking the railway were several pitch-black worms, each about two or three meters long.
Their bodies were soft, segmented, and each bore a giant mouth ringed with teeth at the tip, making for a terrifying sight.
On either side of the tracks, every few meters, there was a glowing Magic Crystal Device. On closer inspection, these devices together formed a nearly invisible barrier protecting the rails.
But several devices ahead were no longer glowing, the barrier was broken in places, and the monsters had emerged from underground at those gaps to block the tracks.
Xiaoxi flexed her knuckles. After that incident where Ye Xinglan lost control, she hadn’t acted with the Association much—this was the perfect chance to get some exercise, if she finished quickly…
“Eh? Sirius? Is that you, Sirius?”
Just as Xiaoxi was about to move, a familiar voice rang out behind her, making her whole body freeze. Disbelieving, she turned her head slowly.
“It really is you! What a coincidence! I can’t believe I’m running into you at a time like this!”
Xiaohongmao ran over cheerfully and slapped Xiaoxi heartily on the back.
After the betrayal of Shandie, Muxingge’s squad had disbanded, and Sirius had vanished without a trace.
She’d thought she might never see Sirius again, but unexpectedly, she’d run into her on the way to her new post in North Blossom City—at a moment like this, no less!
Maybe she really was fated to meet Sirius again.
But for Xiaoxi, this didn’t feel like fate at all.
Of all the rotten luck, how did Xiao Keke end up on the same train as her! And there was no doubt in her mind—Xiao Keke’s destination had to be North Blossom City too!
Although this was an “unexpected reunion,” now was hardly the time for chatting.
Xiaohongmao quickly shifted into a battle-ready stance, eyed the monsters on the rails, and stuck out her tongue in disgust.
“Gross monsters… but if it’s just these two, I can handle them myself.”
As if to prove Xiao Keke’s words unlucky, the ground trembled once more.
Sensing the presence of two living beings, several larger, longer Shandie Worms burst out from underground.
Xiaohongmao was stunned. “Eh? Eh? How are there so many more?!”
Xiaoxi sighed. “Didn’t the Association teach you? Fantasy-type Monsters usually match the habits described in legends. In some tales, Shandie Worms… are social creatures.”
Some monsters resembled legendary or mythical beasts, and these were classified as Fantasy-types.
Their biggest trait was that they had the abilities, appearance, and behaviors described in stories.
For example, the Slime Monster Xiaoxi had called for help with earlier had the Mimicry Ability; these Shandie Worms were similar, mostly moving in groups.
“They’re targeting us. We have to lure them away to fight—don’t let the railway or the train get caught up in this!”
The two sprang into action.
As she watched Xiaohongmao’s skilled movements in combat, Xiaoxi suddenly remembered what Muxingge had mentioned—Wan Keke had improved greatly lately.
Just as well, this was a chance to see how much this brat had really progressed.
In fact, Xiaohongmao’s appearance had changed quite a bit too.
As Magic Girls advanced, they not only awakened their own weapons and abilities but also underwent changes in appearance.
Now, Xiaohongmao still had gray hair and blue eyes, but her signature red hooded cloak was now embroidered with more patterns.
Paired with her shirt-jacket and brown leather boots, she looked almost like a hunter.
The Shandie Worms, despite their frightening looks, were only D-rank to C-rank at best.
At this level, Xiaohongmao could already handle them in a few moves—she really had made impressive progress.
To observe Wan Keke’s fighting, Xiaoxi deliberately stayed on the sidelines and didn’t join in much.
This made Wan Keke think Sirius was still just a D-rank Magical Girl, with little improvement, and so didn’t dare join the fight in the middle of the monsters.
Although Muxingge Senior had praised her rapid progress, Xiaohongmao—still haunted by Eternal Star Senior’s torments—remained skeptical.
Now, seeing Sirius acting this way, she finally realized maybe she really did have some talent; she was stronger than Sirius now and could protect her!
“Sirius! Protect yourself first, I can handle these monsters—”
Before Xiaohongmao could finish, Sirius swung her fist, blasting apart a Shandie Worm behind Xiaohongmao.
“Ahaha… I’ve made some progress myself lately, you know…”
Xiaoxi scratched her head.
She’d stepped in because that Shandie Worm had been sneaking up behind Xiaohongmao and she’d worried Xiao Keke couldn’t handle it… but it had been so long since she’d fought that she might have overdone it a little?
Tch… Even if she just one-punched a C-rank monster, Xiao Keke shouldn’t notice anything strange, right?
Premium Chapter
Login to buy access to this Chapter.