โTsk.โ
Dragging Jiang Yao out of the way of the tentacleโs attack, Jiang Lingwei was nine parts out of ten dissatisfied.
Everything had been going perfectly fineโshe was spending a joyful learning session with her daughter, making up for the lack of company in the past.
This was supposed to be some wholesome family bonding time, so who could have guessed that, just as they were about to leave, some troublemaking enemy would show up out of nowhere?
She was starting to wonder if she should have checked the almanac before going out. Why did something happen everywhere she went?
Itโs not like she was that certain grim reaper elementary school student!
At first, Jiang Lingwei had only glanced out the window at the birds by chance, but then she noticed the birds were all shrieking and flying away, making her feel that something was off.
At this time in the early morning, in such a suburban wild place, not to mention an abandoned city district that had suffered a Dark Invasionโ
Even the most reckless people wouldnโt come here at this hour.
Though it was possible that wild animals were causing trouble, Jiang Lingwei couldnโt let her guard down just yet. To confirm if there was an enemy, she immediately began scouting.
The so-called โscoutingโ didnโt even require using any magic spells yet, just a technique opposite to the Mana Compression Technique:
[Mana Dispersion Technique]
She spread out a minuscule amount of mana, expanding it in a nearly undetectable spherical net that radiated outward from herself.
The dispersed mana worked like electromagnetic waves, easily passing through wallsโat most, just a little bit weakened.
The method was simple: wherever the โnetโ disappeared and a hole appeared, that spot was most likely where the enemy was.
This time, Jiang Lingwei had barely sent out her mana before she detected a โholeโ right beneath her feet.
Like a fierce carnivorous fish accidentally trapped, it twisted its body and burst upward through the netโthe hole instantly widened.
The enemy had already arrived silently, this close to her.
Staying vigilant was definitely the right call.
โHmph, itโs just a tentacle.โ
After dodging aside with Jiang Yao, she snorted coldly. Before the tentacle could attack further, Jiang Lingwei threw out a compressed blast of mana, hitting the target dead center.
The tip of the black tentacle melted in an instant, hissing with a sound reminiscent of grilled squid.
It seemed to possess intelligence. The moment it was hurt, it started shrinking back.
โGet away from me!โ (Scram!)
Seeing the half-severed tentacle trying to escape downward, Jiang Lingwei pressed her fingers together like a sword and pointed straight downโ
Aurora Finger Thrust!
โShuaโโ
A flash of light shot past. No sound came from the tentacleโs direction; only a gaping hole remained in the ruined floor, with debris still trickling down below.
Jiang Lingwei looked down, stared at the hole for a moment, and said to Jiang Yao,
โTentacles never show up alone. Crystal, letโs goโletโs get out of this building.โ
โOkay.โ
โCrackโโ
Hitching up her little dress, Jiang Lingwei took the lead, kicking through the window in one swift motion. Jiang Yao followed closely behind, and the two magical girls landed at high speed on the school field.
โSay, if we just walked out the door, wouldnโt we get here all the same?โ
The moment they landed, Jiang Yao suddenly realized.
There was a fenced courtyard outside the classroomโflying out was just as fine.
โEh~ Thatโs not how it works.โ
Jiang Lingwei replied confidently,
โSuperheroes never take the door if they can help it. Otherwise, how would people know we can fly?โ
She pointed toward a male student in a school uniform over on the field:
โBesides, this is the fastest way to get to the field from here.โ
โUhโฆhmm?โ
Following her finger, Jiang Yao looked and at first saw nothing unusual. It was just a rundown, unattended fieldโuntil she noticed a student in a school uniform lying on the ground, eyes dazed and helpless, looking like he was on the verge of death.
โUhโฆโ
The girlโs mouth twitched, as if she wanted to laugh, but remembering that Aurora was still beside her, she composed herself and shuffled over, whispering to Jiang Lingwei:
โAurora, donโt you think this monster isโฆ kind of dumbโฆ?โ
โWho knows.โ
Jiang Lingwei whispered back as well:
โMaybe itโs been stuck in this dump for years without seeing a single person, and it just picked up some outdated script and started acting it out.โ
โCrystal, how long do you think before it calls for help?โ
โGive it another five seconds.โ
Jiang Yao answered.
โAlright, I bet ten seconds.โ
The mother and daughter stood quietly on the field, watching as the guy on the ground struggled, then raised his headโa handsome, delicate face contorted with pain and helplessness.
He made an effort to reach toward the two magical girls, as if wanting to say something, but his hand dropped back down weakly.
Five seconds passed, and Jiang Yao folded her arms in slight displeasure:
โWhatโs he dawdling for?โ (whispering)
โDonโt worry, heโll call out soon.โ
Jiang Lingwei replied quietly.
Sure enough, after a few more seconds, the handsome student raised his arm high, struggled to prop himself up, and, breath barely hanging on, tried to shout as loudly as he could:
โIs anyoneโฆ there?!โ
โSee?โ
Jiang Lingwei clapped her hands, smiling smugly:
โExactly ten seconds!โ
โI lost, I lost.โ
Accepting defeat readily, Jiang Yao spread her hands and said, โNot enough experience, next time for sure.โ
Noticing neither of the two were moving to help him, the student got anxious, wobbling as he held onto a rusty horizontal bar to stand up:
โYou twoโฆ you two students? Iโm Ito Makamichi from Class 8, Grade 2. Are youโฆ are you magical girls?โ
โPfft.โ
Jiang Yao was fineโshe didnโt quite get it at first.
But at the sound of that harem-protagonist combo name, Jiang Lingwei nearly lost her breath laughing.
Thankfully, she composed herself in time, forced herself to stay serious, and loudly declared:
โNo! Weโre not magical girls!โ
โAhโฆwhatโฆ?โ
โIto Makamichiโ was just about to nod, but realized Jiang Lingwei didnโt answer as heโd expected with โThatโs right, weโre magical girls.โ
This threw him off. Even pretending to be injured, he almost forgot himself as he anxiously asked,
โThen who are you?โ
โHeh.โ
Jiang Lingwei chuckled under her breath, pulled the still-bewildered Jiang Yao into the air, pointed down at โIto Makamichi,โ and shouted,
โSince youโve asked so sincerelyโโ
Glancing at Jiang Yao, the girl finally caught on and quickly added,
โOh, uh, then weโll be merciful and tell you!โ
โTo prevent the world from being destroyed!โ
โTo protect the worldโs peace!โ
โTo uphold the evil of love and truth~โ
โCrystal!โ
โYou skipped a lineโฆ Whatever! Aurora!โ
โWe are those who traverseโฆ [Light of Magic]!โ
The staff Jiang Lingwei had hidden behind her was already brimming with mana; as she spoke, she brought it out and unleashed it instantly:
โBoom!!!โ
โAaaaaaahhh!โ
Bathed in a pillar of light, Ito Makamichi knelt on the ground, black smoke rising from his body as he howled in pain.
โWhite hole, a white tomorrowโฆ Huh?โ
Jiang Yao hadnโt even finished her line before she saw Jiang Lingwei had already finished the attack.
โSo weโre just going straight to blasting, huh?!โ