The image blending into the surroundings slowly peeled away from the surface of “that thing,” revealing a bizarrely constructed Malice beneath.
It stood about three meters tall, its body resembling a patchwork of countless weapons and steel appendages, forming a spider-like silhouette.
Connected to the ends of its limbs were objects that could be identified at a glance: longswords, axes, and chainsaws. Among them, the appendage ending in a lance was currently embedded in Qianling’s chest.
The giant isopod plushie Qianling had been holding was nowhere to be found. Her maid outfit was torn wide open, and the surface of her chest cavity had been shattered by the lance.
The revealed Mana Core looked very much like a heart, and its indicator light was flashing yellow without pause.
This signaled that Qianling’s core had been damaged in the recent attack.
Even if she didn’t look, she could sense it through the sharp pain and the drain on her mana.
The only saving grace was that her chest hadn’t been completely impaled.
At the moment of the ambush, Qianling had not only pushed Yangmo away but also used her other hand to grip the tip of the lance, slowing its momentum. This prevented the weapon from hitting a vital spot.
However, the Malice was far too strong, and she was pinned against the wall, unable to move.
At this distance, Qianling thought she saw two red dots glowing within the shadows of the appendages, but she had no time to worry about their source.
The Malice’s lance pushed forward despite her resistance, and the appendages tipped with an axe and a chainsaw were raised high, poised to strike.
“… Tsk!”
Under the pressure of intense pain and the looming crisis, Qianling couldn’t help but click her tongue.
Just then, a very familiar line came from behind the Malice.
— “Magical Girl Amber! Transform!”
In the next instant, a storm of book pages swept toward the Malice.
As the pages wrapped around the monster’s appendages layer by layer, its movements grew sluggish. Within two seconds, it could do nothing but quiver in place.
Qianling seized the opportunity, using every ounce of her remaining strength to pull the lance out of her chest.
As she strained, the pain in her chest grew even more excruciating.
‘Damn it, it would be so much better if I couldn’t feel pain.’
At a time like this, such a thought actually crossed her mind.
Thanks to her efforts, the tip of the lance soon slid out of her body.
She immediately collapsed from the air, nearly hitting the ground as her strength failed her.
Just as her knees were about to strike the floor, Yangmo rushed to her side and caught her, then supported her as they fled quickly.
During the process, Qianling felt her consciousness begin to fade, and her eyelids grew heavier.
But in her ear, someone was constantly calling her name with a crying voice.
“Qianling! Qianling… how are you? Qianling…?”
She caught a glimpse of the person’s face out of the corner of her eye. Tears had already left messy tracks down her cheeks, and her eyebrows were trembling with grief.
Qianling felt that such a pathetic expression was simply too unbefitting for a Magical Girl.
‘What is this… Magical Girls are symbols of hope. Even in this shitty world, that’s how it is. So… pull yourself together.’
Clinging to that trivial thought to keep herself alert, she gritted her teeth and responded to Yangmo.
“… I’m fine. It’s not a fatal wound.”
Qianling’s voice was as flat and emotionless as ever, but Yangmo was different.
“How can you be fine!”
Despite being the one who asked, she clearly had no intention of respecting Qianling’s answer.
“What are we supposed to do now! And your injury — “
Yangmo shouted these words as if a dam had burst. Instead of replying immediately, Qianling waved a hand to signal her to stop.
Qianling pushed away Yangmo’s supporting arm and slowly stood up from a half-kneeling position. Then, she turned back toward the Malice. “Forget everything else for now. We still have things that must be done.”
Yangmo followed her gaze. There, the Malice’s violent shaking indicated it was about to break free. Even with so many pages used at once, Yangmo had only bought them a little over ten seconds to retreat.
“No.”
Yangmo firmly rejected Qianling’s idea, then made a shameful but perhaps practical suggestion.
“Qianling… let’s run.”
“That’s definitely not an option.”
Qianling took the same firm stance against Yangmo’s words.
Forcing a bitter smile, she asked Yangmo, “Didn’t you see its speed earlier? It would be hard to escape, especially now… when you’re carrying a burden like me.”
“No, that’s not…!”
Before Yangmo could finish her rebuttal, she was interrupted by a piercing *screech*. She and Qianling immediately focused their attention on the source of the sound.
Turning their heads, they saw the moment the Malice swung its metal appendages violently. In the blink of an eye, Yangmo’s pages were shredded into confetti that drifted through the air.
With its appendages spread wide, Qianling finally saw what was hidden beneath them.
The torso of the spider was actually a doll that looked similar to her own face. However, that doll had completely burst open from the inside. Its hollow body looked like a shell that had been snapped into a single layer from the back.
What had been released from within was that massive, chaotic mess of steel appendages, their size completely disproportionate to the small main body.
‘What on earth is this thing?’
A scene that had occurred at some unknown time might have answered her question.
Inside a bright workshop, a woman with indigo hair was speaking to someone on the phone.
“The last one was done so covertly, yet it was still discovered. That’s why I’ve enhanced the stealth capabilities this time.”
“Inspiration? Didn’t they broadcast it on TV? The Malice defeated by Magical Girl Firefly — the one like a chameleon — it was quite interesting.”
“That thing… I did add it in, but even I’m getting a little angry, you know? Seeing my own child turned into that state… so, there won’t be a next time.”
The indigo-haired woman hung up before the other person could finish speaking.
***
Returning to the present, although Qianling knew nothing of that conversation, she easily guessed who had sent this “grand gift.”
She had no energy left to complain now and could only scrounge through the information in her mind during this crisis.
‘This guy never appeared in the original work at all, did he? Should I call it Chimeric Doll No. 2?’
‘It looks a bit like the berserk form of No. 0 — me — from the original story. But the prerequisite for going berserk is absorbing a large amount of negative emotions, and it clearly doesn’t meet that condition.’
‘Furthermore… whether it’s the berserk form of No. 0 or the dolls that appeared later, they all have one thing in common.’
‘They never gave up their humanoid appearance. So what the hell is up with this thing?’
While Qianling was still wondering, No. 2 had already locked its target onto her and Yangmo.
‘In the end, I still don’t know anything… and my core’s condition is a total mess.’
‘Is this fight really…?’
She didn’t want to think any further. She simply shared a glance with Yangmo beside her and prepared for battle.
And just like that, the confrontation with Chimeric Doll No. 2 officially began.