Chapter 48: The Victory or Defeat is Decided

A violent fit of coughing dragged Yu Hua back from the edge of unconsciousness.

Perhaps the self-healing ability granted by the Magical Girl form had subtly strengthened his body, and together with Lin Ling’s emergency stitches using the Jin Xian, his breathing—which had completely stopped—miraculously returned, allowing him to regain a sliver of consciousness.

“What… Anpelin, why is she here too…”

But the scene before his eyes almost made him pass out again.

Anpelin was being strangled by that golden-haired Spreader, lifted off the ground, her face twisted in pain, her body wrapped in an ominous dark red glow.

If he could just get to the Transformation Device, he could save her.

The Transformation Device was only a few steps away, in the wardrobe, yet it seemed so impossibly far.

Even moving a single finger was unbearably difficult, let alone standing up to fetch it.

“I’ve suddenly changed my mind. I don’t want to absorb your Meme anymore… I want to make your Bloodline purer, to have you recall, with your own mind, those long-forgotten Ancient Memories that belong to our blood clan.”

Yu Hua could only watch as Anpelin’s gaze shifted from struggle to confusion.

Anger and helplessness nearly swallowed him whole, and for a moment, a mad idea took root in his mind.

“So that’s it… If the Meme directly transforms me, just like she’s doing to Pelin now…”

“It doesn’t matter. Soon, you won’t be able to keep up that stubborn front.”

Yilian sneered, preparing to tighten her grip.

Suddenly, a powerful sense of danger swept over her from behind.

Yilian whirled around, only to see Yu Hua—who should have been collapsed on the ground—slowly lifted by a gentle blue magical aura.

The next instant, his body melted away, collapsing into a pool of flowing water, only to instantly re-condense.

Magical Girl Shui Hua had arrived.

She raised her hand, and three giant water orbs—each the size of a person—materialized out of thin air.

Two orbs floated swiftly behind her, enclosing the gravely injured Lin Ling and Liu Shixing, shielding them from any external threat.

The third orb shot straight for Yilian, its target Anpelin in her grasp.

Of course, Yilian was unwilling to let go of Anpelin, whose transformation was still underway.

Without hesitation, she activated Time Stop.

The world froze.

She easily retreated to a distant spot, dodging the water orb.

“Let her go.”

Dragging Anpelin along, Yilian’s speed was greatly reduced, and she found herself unable to escape.

Without a second thought, she flung Anpelin at Shui Hua like a sandbag, retreating once more to widen the distance.

Shui Hua immediately manipulated the water orb, catching Anpelin steadily and sending her gently to a safe corner.

“So you’re a hero too—and a Magical Girl at that… Hah, your whole dormitory is full of talent.”

Yilian needed to stall for time as her Time Stop cooled down, so she started provoking Shui Hua.

“I’ll count to three. Surrender now.”

Shui Hua paid no mind to her words, calmly raising three fingers.

“Big talk for someone like you. Even if an S-Class Hero came, I’d have confidence in handling them. With your level of magic, you think you can make me surrender?”

It wasn’t just empty boasting; her Time Stop was nearly an absolute first strike, impossible to counter by conventional means.

In her eyes, Magical Girls had high attack but poor defense—even S-Class Liu Jin might not be her match.

“Three.”

Shui Hua’s face was expressionless as she announced the first number.

“Still putting on an act? My Time Stop… is ready.”

Time Stop activated.

The world fell into stillness.

Facing the unguarded Magical Girl Shui Hua, she strolled up with ease.

Her movements were smooth and cruel; she precisely slit Shui Hua’s throat, then plunged her dagger deep into Shui Hua’s heart, twisting it viciously.

After finishing, she turned away, moving behind Shui Hua, waiting for the moment her opponent would collapse as time resumed.

Yet, the expected spray of blood and the fall never came.

Shui Hua stood firm.

The wounds at her throat and heart gushed not blood, but clear water.

In an instant, the water reversed in the air, and the wounds closed as droplets merged, as if she had never been injured at all.

“Two.”

This self-healing was unheard of.

Yilian even began to suspect Shui Hua didn’t heal—her body was simply liquid, immune to physical damage.

Almost instantly, she gave up on killing Shui Hua.

“Still acting tough.”

She forced herself to remain calm, beginning to back away.

“Even if I can’t kill you, if I want to leave, there’s no way you could stop me at your speed, right?”

“One.”

“I want to see what you can possibly do to keep me here!”

Yilian’s words were fierce as she soared into the air.

At that moment, a gentle blue magical glow spread from Shui Hua’s palm, washing over the entire Dormitory like ripples.

The area was too wide—Yilian couldn’t dodge.

She reflexively crossed her arms in front of her.

But as the blue light covered her, she felt no discomfort or attack.

On the contrary, her body warmed, and even her spent energy recovered rapidly, as if she were being healed.

Yilian relaxed, even smirking with mockery.

“Is this it? Are you… healing me?”

“That’s right. I’m healing you—because as a Magical Girl, healing is the only magic I have.”

Yilian was just about to laugh, when suddenly, a strange tingling ran up her wrist.

A segment of pale bone burst through her skin, rapidly growing and twisting around her wrist, forming a snug bony shackle.

At the same time, a matching restraint clamped around her ankle, leaving her immobile.

Yilian immediately tried to break free.

But the moment she attempted to snap the bone shackle, a searing pain shot from her wrist into her brain, nearly making her pass out.

It was then she realized—the bone shackle had grown from her own body.

Destroying it meant hurting herself.

“You think this will keep me locked up? I’m a vampire.”

Yilian gritted her teeth, summoned a Blood Blade to her mouth, and, enduring the pain, severed her hand at the wrist.

Her severed wrist hit the floor, and her vampiric healing took over at once, regrowing a new hand almost instantly.

But just as her wrist finished regenerating, the bone shackle re-emerged from beneath the new skin, snapping tightly back into place.

It was as if Shui Hua’s healing had permanently altered her Meme, making her self-healing system treat the shackle as an original part of her body.

“What did you… do to me?”

The victor was clear.

Shui Hua ignored her, turning instead to the corner to check on the three injured.