At this moment, in an alley of the Old Town.
The Butcher wielded his four arms with his bone-cutting knives, locked in combat with two opponents.
Shandie and Xiaoxi coordinated seamlessly; although neither was unleashing their true strength, they managed to keep the Butcher completely cornered with no chance to escape.
Such flawless cooperation and battle experience sparked the same question in both their minds… Could this guy really be a rookie Magical Girl who just recently joined the Association?
The Butcher grew anxious. Both of these Magical Girls were weaker than him; even a two-on-one fight would end in his defeat if it came to blows.
Yet these two showed no intention of a direct confrontation, instead dancing around him, continuously harassing and stalling.
This was clearly a delay tactic to wait for reinforcements!
He knew the longer this dragged on, the worse it would be for him, but these damned Magical Girls were cunning. He couldn’t find a single opening to end the fight.
Damn it, looks like I have to use my last resort to survive here…
With a furious roar, the Butcher spun like a top, his four arms swinging like iron rods, whipping up fierce gusts of wind that forced Xiaoxi and Shandie to step back several paces. Getting hit by those arms was no joke.
Seizing the opportunity, the Butcher pulled out a metallic black sphere that gleamed faintly from his bosom and twisted it fiercely.
A loud humming noise erupted, vibrating so intensely that the muscles on his body trembled in response.
“What good are Magical Girls? Without transformation, aren’t they just ordinary women with zero combat ability!”
The moment the vibration hit, Xiaoxi felt an extremely uncomfortable blockage, as if something was clogging her Magic Circuit, slowing down its operation.
She nearly lost the connection to her own magic veins.
Well-versed in such matters, Xiaoxi instantly realized the severity of the problem—this was a Magic Inhibition Device! The Butcher actually had one!
This device was an invention of the Divine Summon Order. Xiaoxi had witnessed its use during the Great Chaos Era.
The Magic Inhibition Device was specifically designed to target Magical Girls, blocking their ability to sense their Magic Circuits and forcing them to forcibly revert from their transformed state.
During the Great Chaos Era, the Divine Summon Order used this move unexpectedly to eliminate many powerful Magical Girls.
After all, before transformation, Magical Girls had no fighting power, indistinguishable from ordinary girls.
Moreover, this trick only affected Magical Girls, not Monsters. Because unlike Magical Girls, Monsters are born with the ability to manipulate magic.
Magical Girls only gain the ability to sense their Magic Circuits after awakening.
In other words, a Magical Girl and her Magic Circuit are not one entity; external means can temporarily block the link between a Magical Girl and her magic veins.
Back then, the Divine Summon Order used this device to overturn battles within moments, quickly growing into the most formidable Monster organization of the Great Chaos Era.
However, from the start, this trick was ineffective against Xiaoxi… The root cause being her overwhelming strength.
At the S-Rank Magical Girl level, the magic power inside her body was far beyond the suppressive capability of a simple device.
Xiaoxi hesitated. She was fully capable of forcibly mobilizing the magic within her body to shatter the device’s suppression, but doing so would expose her S-Rank Magical Girl identity.
Beside her, Shandie was equally shocked and suspicious. She didn’t know what a Magic Inhibition Device was, but the uncomfortable blockage had severed her own magical perception.
Her Magical Girl outfit was becoming transparent; within seconds, her transformation would be forcibly revoked!
Shandie grew anxious. She didn’t want Xiaoxi to see her true identity—or rather, she didn’t want anyone to see her true form!
But Xiaoxi’s attention was elsewhere, still tangled in her dilemma.
Meanwhile, the Butcher took advantage of the moment to flee. If she didn’t decide soon, he would vanish completely from sight!
“Ah Xing, stop doing anything unnecessary. Don’t give yourself away. You absolutely cannot expose your strength here!” L Miss’s voice came through a special channel on the communicator. “You’ve already bought enough time. Other Magical Girls have set up an ambush ahead to intercept the Butcher, and Xingge is on her way to your position.”
L Miss’s words finally eased Xiaoxi’s tension. She no longer resisted the blockage, allowing her transformation to be forcibly revoked.
The sensation was strange—this was the first time since awakening that she was completely unable to sense her Magic Circuit. An inexplicable emptiness filled her.
If before Xiaoxi had disguised herself as a D-Rank Magical Girl to avoid attention, now it was L Miss’s strict order that she not reveal her identity.
The threat from Black Rose remained unresolved, and Xiaoxi was her most powerful hidden ace.
Shandie also de-transformed, her expression unreadable. In fact, she still had the strength to pursue the Butcher, but she had no intention of blindly serving the Association.
Judging from the direction the Butcher fled, Shandie worried she might encounter someone she wanted to avoid—so she decided it was better to just slack off.
“Sirius, Shandie, both of you withdraw from the mission,” L Miss’s voice sounded again on the public channel. “Without transformation, you’re no different from ordinary people. Don’t worry, the magic suppression won’t last long. You’ll recover by tomorrow at the latest.”
Xiaoxi feigned relief but was surprised when she noticed Shandie emit a curious “huh” sound.
Though Shandie’s transformation was undone—her most basic cognitive concealment magic had vanished—those fluorescent blue butterfly wings behind her still remained.
Xiaoxi had always assumed those wings were just part of Shandie’s transformed state.
But now, with transformation revoked and the wings still visible, it meant they were innate to Shandie herself. Such a conspicuous Monster trait implied that…
“Phew…” Shandie sighed in frustration. “Stop staring. Yeah, I’m really a Monster. These wings are my Monster trait—pretty eye-catching, right?”
Xiaoxi was momentarily speechless. Shandie frowned; she had known this would happen, which was why she hated revealing her true form to anyone.
“Let’s go. This isn’t our problem anymore. I know there’s a milk tea shop nearby. Let’s grab a cup of milk tea—I’ll treat you.”
To avoid awkwardness, Shandie took the initiative to suggest something to do. After all, the upcoming actions no longer involved them, meaning they were suddenly free.
……
At this moment, inside a Xiaomaipu in Old Town.
Ye Xinglan staggered, barely able to stand without leaning on a nearby shelf. Her face was flushed, breathing heavily; she looked in rough shape.
She felt a fierce bloodthirst raging inside her, battering her sanity. Her vision flickered black intermittently. Biting her wrist hard, she tried to use the pain to keep herself awake.
It was over. This time, it was really over.
Ye Xinglan knew that if she lost consciousness here, “Ye Xinglan” would temporarily disappear, replaced by the completely mindless, berserk Blood Moon Witch.
If that happened, no one in Summersea City except Eternal Star could stop her.
She had initially planned to use the Black Mud to flee far away and completely avoid the Association’s manhunt, but after traveling only a short while through the Black Mud, she couldn’t hold on any longer and had to reveal herself here.
Using the Black Mud to escape this time was the last straw that broke the seal inside her. Ye Xinglan could no longer guarantee her sanity while using the Blood Moon Witch’s power.
Everything had been going smoothly; under normal circumstances, this bloodthirst should have been suppressed by now.
But just when things looked good, the Association showed up.
Aside from being pierced through the waist by Eternal Star’s sword, Ye Xinglan had never experienced such dramatic and unlucky circumstances in her life.
No, she had to find a way to intake magic power—no, there wasn’t enough time or place for that here.
Since the Association personnel should still be at the previous location, she ought to surrender to them now—maybe she still had a chance.
Ye Xinglan stumbled toward the shop exit, full of regret. Maybe she really shouldn’t have escaped prison; she should have stayed locked in the Hidden Bone Hall all along.
A sudden urge to cry welled up inside her. The dreaded Blood Moon Witch… she didn’t want to be such a hated villain anymore.
But as her unsteady footsteps crossed the threshold of the Xiaomaipu, she unexpectedly heard a very familiar high-pitched voice.
“Sorry, I wasn’t ignoring you earlier, I was just a bit shocked, you understand, right?”
After taking a sip of Pearl Milk Tea, Xiaoxi continued, “I’ve never seen a Monster awaken and become a Magical Girl, so Shandie, you actually have two sets of Magic Circuits inside you? The one that got blocked just now was only the Magical Girl one?”
“I really don’t mean anything else; I’m just curious, really.”
To make Shandie trust her words, Xiaoxi tried to sound sincere. But before Shandie could answer, Ye Xinglan suddenly stepped out from inside the Xiaomaipu.
“Qin, Xinglan? What are you doing here… hmm…”
Ye Xinglan’s eyes lit up as if clutching at a lifeline. Before Xiaoxi could finish speaking, Ye Xinglan grabbed her wrist, flipped it behind her back, and pressed her against the wall.
Shandie awkwardly looked away. How did these two go from zero to kissing just like that?
Shandie recognized Ye Xinglan. The last time they met, Xiaoxi said she was her girlfriend, and Shandie was skeptical then.
Now she believed it, but she had never seen a couple so clingy—meeting without even greeting and immediately kissing? That was a first.
Xiaoxi was stunned too. She knew Ye Xinglan was the initiator, but this was the first time she’d been this bold! There were still bystanders here—this wasn’t very appropriate!
Yet Xiaoxi couldn’t push Ye Xinglan away. Ye Xinglan’s attack was fierce, pressing her wildly against the wall. Even the Pearl Milk Tea Xiaoxi hadn’t swallowed yet was snatched away.
“Mm mm mm…”
Only when Xiaoxi found it a bit hard to breathe did Ye Xinglan finally pause.
“I’m really glad you’re here, Xiaoxi. So glad. I love you… really.”
Ye Xinglan rested her head on Xiaoxi’s shoulder like a drowning person saved ashore, gasping heavily.
“I-I know, okay!” Xiaoxi blushed deeply. “Ahem, well… she’s my girlfriend.”
“Yeah, I can tell.”
Though it was a bit awkward, Xiaoxi wiped the corner of her mouth and introduced her, and Shandie finally turned her head back to look at the two.
Ye Xinglan licked her lips… so sweet. Xiaoxi’s magic power… tastes like Pearl Milk Tea?
Ye Xinglan was filled with lingering fear. Luckily she met Xiaoxi here, or given her earlier state, she might not have held on long enough to find the Association and surrender.
Her condition had finally stabilized; the uncontrollable tendrils that surged earlier were all retracted.
But with that… wasn’t her identity basically exposed? Ye Xinglan glanced guiltily at Xiaoxi, one arm still wrapped around Xiaoxi’s waist.
Xiaoxi couldn’t possibly not notice her magic being fiercely drained like that. Ye Xinglan had barely restrained herself, only taking half a mouthful, afraid that going all out would completely drain Xiaoxi.
Yet Xiaoxi looked at her in puzzlement, seemingly unaware that her magic had been sucked away.
This was truly a blessing and a curse.
Though the deal with the Butcher had almost caused Ye Xinglan to lose control, the Butcher’s Magic Inhibition Device made Xiaoxi completely unable to sense her own Magic Circuit just now, so naturally, she didn’t notice Ye Xinglan’s theft of magic.
It was as if Xiaoxi’s eyes were temporarily covered; no matter what Ye Xinglan did in front of her, she couldn’t detect it.
It was quite thrilling—like those sensory-blocking caves in certain doujinshi.
Actually, Xiaoxi could forcibly break through the magic suppression and restore her Magic Circuit if she wanted to, but there was no need.
L Miss had ordered her to keep her identity secret, so the act must be maintained.
Besides, temporarily losing magic sensation wasn’t a big deal.
So Xiaoxi simply straightened Ye Xinglan’s shoulders and asked with curiosity, “Why are you suddenly here, Xinglan?”
Xinglan was momentarily speechless. Did Xiaoxi really not realize her magic had been drained?
And Xiaoxi was just a D-Rank Magical Girl. The little absorption just now must have taken away more than half of Xiaoxi’s magic power, yet she still stood there like nothing happened—looking perfectly fine.
Perhaps this was what they called when God closes one door, He opens another. If she was weak in certain areas, then at least her magic was strong—it made sense.
“I… I was just out for a stroll. You said you weren’t coming back for lunch, so I thought I’d take the chance to go out for a bit…”
Xiaoxi and Shandie both frowned.
Running into Ye Xinglan unexpectedly wasn’t a big deal by itself, but the problem was Ye Xinglan was encountered at such a critical moment—and she clearly wasn’t in a normal state.
That complicated things considerably.