When Blazing Flame followed the trail of the abnormal Magic Power Source to A City Third Hospital, the scene was already a mess.
She stood high in the sky, looking down at the ruins of reinforced concrete and the citizens kneeling on the ground in wailing grief.
Her heart sank instantly. She saw the Shadow Wolf responsible for the tragedy still active, howling toward the sky.
But she no longer had the patience to wait for the Shadow Wolf to show a weakness.
Blazing Flame switched to her Boost Form and then rushed toward the Shadow Wolf at full speed.
Like a deadly Spear, she pierced the Shadow Wolf’s body in a single strike.
“Roar…”
The Shadow Wolf howled lowly, its massive body falling backward powerlessly, kicking up clouds of dust.
It struggled to open its eyes wide, looking at the Magic Girl floating in mid-air who gazed back with a face full of disgust.
Suddenly, a glint of gratitude flashed in its eyes.
Then, the moment it closed its eyes, its body was pierced by the Spear once more, and it fell into an eternal sleep.
“…What exactly is going on?”
Blazing Flame looked at the Shadow Wolf as it gradually turned into black dust.
Recalling the other party’s extremely human-like gaze from before, she couldn’t help but frown and mutter to herself.
From her debut until now, she had killed many Monsters, but she had never seen any Monster reveal such a gaze.
She felt a faint sense of unease in her heart, but she couldn’t quite say where that eerie feeling came from, so she could only let it go.
Swoosh…
She shook the black blood off her Spear and collected the White Bone Shard dropped by the Shadow Wolf.
Blazing Flame looked at the hospital, which was already surrounded by black mist.
She took a deep breath and decided to charge in all at once to settle the score directly with that damned Mist-person.
But just as Blazing Flame floated into the air, intending to break through the hospital window, the Mist-person appeared — the one who had brazenly taken the middle-aged man in front of her and told her they would meet again soon.
It appeared out of thin air, stepping through the sky and walking toward Blazing Flame one step at a time.
There were clearly no traces of Magic being used, yet the Mist-person could stand directly in the air as if it were only natural.
As it walked, it swung its lantern and muttered to itself, appearing to recite some forbidden words.
Watching the Mist-person’s movements, Blazing Flame felt a sudden sense of foreboding.
She immediately gripped the Spear in her hand and rushed forward.
In the face of her extreme speed, the Mist-person had no time to dodge at all.
Within only a few breaths, Blazing Flame’s Spear had reached its front. The blazing tip of the gun was about to pierce the lantern in its hand.
However, that single step of distance was what prevented Blazing Flame from advancing even half a step further.
There was clearly no obstruction in front of her, nor any trace of Magic.
Yet, Blazing Flame felt as though her body was being weighed down by something, rendering her unable to move.
Even breathing became difficult.
She raised her head, struggling with all her might to push the Spear forward, but she couldn’t move it even a fraction of an inch.
The Mist-person gazed at Blazing Flame, who stood not far away, and silently raised its Scythe, swinging it forward with a gentle motion.
Clang!
After a crisp sound, Blazing Flame’s right hand trembled slightly. She was forced back several steps, using her Shield to firmly block that long Scythe.
Blazing Flame realized that as long as she approached this Mist-person, her body would be subjected to a mysterious heavy pressure, making it difficult to move.
Conversely, if she took the initiative to retreat, the heavy pressure she felt before would vanish without a trace, as if it had never existed.
‘Tsk, this is really troublesome.’
“…You actually blocked it like that? As expected of you.”
Just as Blazing Flame was thinking about how to deal with the Mist-person’s Ability, the figure composed of mist suddenly spoke.
The voice sounded ethereal, as if countless men, women, young, and old were speaking all at once.
Blazing Flame raised her eyebrows slightly, ignoring the other party’s strange familiarity.
Seeing her cold expression, the Mist-person tilted its head slightly and asked, “Since this is a reunion after a long time, don’t you have anything you want to say to me?”
“I don’t have any Monster friends.”
Blazing Flame snorted coldly. She injected a large amount of Magic Power into her right hand, parrying the Mist-person’s Scythe with violent force.
Then, clutching her Spear, she quickly retreated dozens of steps and looked at the opponent with a wary expression.
This Mist-person’s Ability was very troublesome. It seemed that any object entering its vicinity would fall into a state of stagnation.
This Ability was very similar to the Time Deceleration Sapphire triggered during her Emotion Outburst, but the feeling it gave was completely different.
To use an analogy, the Mist-person’s Ability was like a giant rock appearing out of nowhere to block her path.
If she didn’t have enough Power to shatter the giant rock with one punch, then no matter how fast Blazing Flame was, she wouldn’t be able to hurt the Mist-person.
‘What should I do…’
“Of course we aren’t friends, but that doesn’t prevent us from having met a long time ago.”
“Magical Girl Scorching Flame… no.”
“Lu Ren.”
Blazing Flame’s body trembled violently. She looked at the Mist-person who had spoken her name with a face full of disbelief.
She was certain that not many people knew her identity. She had only exposed her Magical Outfit in front of Pandora and Xu Wenxing.
Aside from them, she had never taken the initiative to reveal her situation even to Sapphire or Meteor, with whom she had fought alongside.
Could it be that this guy could directly read other people’s memories?!
“Don’t be nervous. Unlike my other companions ranked in the first fifty, I don’t have all sorts of peculiar abilities.”
“My Ability has never changed from beginning to end. It is Soul Collection and Soul Manipulation.”
Seeming to sense something from Blazing Flame’s expression, the Mist-person not far away laughed lightly.
It hung the Scythe and lantern on its body and slowly took off its hood.
Under Blazing Flame’s watch, the head originally composed of mist transformed in an instant into a face she thought she would never see a second time in this life.
“You… You… You damned bastard!”
Staring at that familiar, incredibly ordinary, yet deeply missed young girl’s face, Blazing Flame’s body trembled violently. Endless flames erupted from her chest.
Sensing Blazing Flame’s fury, the Mist-person suddenly burst into laughter. The corners of its mouth curled up slightly as it mocked:
“Are you serious? Is this the reaction you have upon seeing your savior? When you were attacked by the Shadow Beast back then, it was this Magic Girl who saved you and allowed you to escape with your life.”
“Go to hell!!!”
Blazing Flame gripped the Spear in her hand and threw it forward with a roar.
At the cost of consuming more than half of the Magic Power in her body, she poured all the anger and resentment in her heart into this single strike.
She didn’t want to see her savior’s face being desecrated like this anymore.
She only wanted to kill the opponent as quickly as possible.
But the Mist-person only smiled slightly, allowing the Spear to fly directly in front of it.
The weapon was blocked by the shield around the Mist-person and then fell powerlessly to the ground.
“Telling me to go to hell is a bit much. Lord Night Lord still needs my Power.”
“But then again, I can’t say I don’t understand you.”
“After all, your Magical Outfit was obtained from me. It’s only natural that you wouldn’t want to return this hard-won Power to its original owner.”
“Alright, don’t worry. I’ve already died. I died at the hands of Lord Night Lord’s believers.”
“Are you happy? Because now, you can enjoy your life as a celebrated Magic Girl with peace of mind.”