After explaining the severity of the situation in a voice bordering on manic, Xu Panfeng immediately hung up.
He clenched his fists, silently praying that there was still some room to turn things around.
Beside him, Blazing Flame watched his expression. After a moment of thought, she picked up her Mobile Phone and sent several messages to Sapphire.
Once she received a promise from Sapphire, Blazing Flame felt a bit more at ease. She waited patiently for Director Xu’s friend to call back.
1 minute, 5 minutes, 15 minutes…
It wasn’t until Xu Panfeng grew restless and was about to call to confirm the situation that his phone finally rang again.
“Hello? Old Wu, what took so long?”
“…Are you saying that none of the principals answered your calls? You can’t even contact the teachers there?”
“Are you kidding me!”
Observing Xu Panfeng’s expression, Blazing Flame already understood the current situation.
‘It makes sense. How could the Fanxing Church be fools when they have Shadow Beasts backing them?’
They gave out nutritional supplements like milk and eggs for free without asking for donations, survey completions, or even publicity.
‘No matter how you look at it, something is wrong.’
It was now certain that this Fanxing Church didn’t care for money or lust; they only wanted lives.
Now that schools had fallen, where would be next?
The Library, office buildings, residential areas?
Or perhaps…
The entirety of City A?
At the thought that all the citizens in the city might be parasitized by those disgusting tentacles, Blazing Flame felt herself stiffen. Her fists clenched tight.
“Director Xu, I’m leaving. See you later.”
“Blazing Flame, where are you going? The situation is still unknown. I suggest you wait a little longer—”
“There’s nothing to wait for. Isn’t the situation clear enough?” Blazing Flame replied. “People are being harmed by monsters. I’m going to save them.”
“Then go.”
Xu Panfeng had no argument left. He accepted Blazing Flame’s decision to act on her own.
Blazing Flame smiled and waved at the elderly man who had willingly yielded his authority. Then, she pulled open the window and flew directly out.
Watching the Red-Haired Girl’s receding figure, Xu Panfeng and the Doctor remained silent. A long while later, Xu Panfeng sighed softly.
“She’s certainly reckless.”
—–
After leaving the Military Hospital, Blazing Flame followed the direction and name in her memory, eventually stopping in front of a high school.
Looking down from the sky, the security guards who should have been stationed at the gate were nowhere to be seen.
The entrances and exits of the entire school had been sealed off with roadblocks and wooden planks.
Judging by the crude arrangement, it seemed that people inside the school had taken the initiative to lock it down.
‘It seems some students were parasitized by monsters. Those who knew the truth probably didn’t want the infected students going out to harm others, so they simply sealed off the whole school.’
‘I wonder how Meteor is doing. I hope she’s safe.’
After confirming the general state of the school, Blazing Flame continued to fly through the air, trying to sense the aura of any Magical Power Source.
Closing her eyes, she carefully felt the flow of Magic Power within her body and the feedback from the outside world.
The Red-Haired Girl pursed her lips, sensing that things were getting tricky.
The reason was simple: there were simply too many abnormal Magic Power Sources in the school. She sensed at least several thousand.
‘This is truly terrible.’
She focused for a moment longer. After confirming that abnormal Magic Power Sources were weakening or even disappearing near the Library, Blazing Flame instantly captured Meteor’s location.
Realizing that the other girl was in the middle of a difficult battle, Blazing Flame thought for a few seconds and made the most rational choice.
The Red-Haired Girl slowly descended from the sky toward the ground. She pulled a deep red Magic Card out of thin air and pressed it against her Greatsword.
[Status Confirmed]
[Authorization License: Pending…]
Hearing the familiar voice in her ear, Blazing Flame tossed her Greatsword into the air with one hand and shouted with a firm voice.
“Transformation!”
With a sharp cry, the Greatsword disintegrated in mid-air, turning into a ball of roaring, crimson flames that enveloped Blazing Flame’s body.
A clear, pleasant female voice drifted from the flames as bits of Starlight transformed into a dark red outer garment, draping over the girl’s body.
[Authorization granted]
[Core Power re-strengthened, Magic Power usage restrictions fully lifted.]
[Magical Girl Battle Suit: Blazing Flame — Burst Form! Conversion complete!]
Hearing that reassuring voice, the corners of Blazing Flame’s mouth curled up slightly. She reached out her right hand and grasped the air.
In an instant, a Blazing Warhammer burning with inextinguishable flames appeared in her hand. Pale gold Starlight shrouded her body.
Feeling the Magic Power surging through her like a vast ocean, Blazing Flame took a deep breath and allowed a portion of her power to overflow through the warhammer.
She intended to use the heat field that came with her Burst Form to directly evaporate the weak monsters in the school with flames.
To be honest, this plan was dangerous. Blazing Flame didn’t know if she would succeed, nor did she know if the heat field would be so intense that it might kill normal students.
But the situation was urgent; there was no time for second-guessing.
‘I just have to do it.’
Having made her decision, Blazing Flame closed her eyes and spread more Magic Power outward through the heavy hammer.
Under the influence of such blazing Magic Power, the previously gloomy sky instantly cleared, leaving not a single cloud in sight.
The concrete ground suddenly became exceptionally hot. Simply standing on it felt like plunging one’s feet into boiling Hot Water.
A plump spotted-necked dove, which had been pecking at a branch on the lawn, felt the change in temperature.
It hurriedly dropped the branch and flapped its wings, scrambling to fly toward the entrance of the Teaching Building for shade.
Its feet shifted back and forth as it tried to adapt to the temperature of the glass door.
For a moment, the entire school was deathly silent.
Then, a shrill, piercing scream reached Blazing Flame’s ears.
It was not a sound a human could make; it was a sound unique to monsters.
After the first monster’s wail echoed from the Teaching Building, more and more sharp, hideous sounds erupted from various parts of the school.
It wasn’t until 5 minutes later that these non-human sounds finally vanished.
Sensing that only one or two slightly larger abnormal Magic Power Sources remained in the entire school, Blazing Flame withdrew her overflowing Magic Power.
At the same time, she switched to her standard form to prevent the residual high temperatures from affecting the other ordinary students.
“Blazing Flame! You arrived just in time! You really helped this Miss out!”
Just as she switched forms, a girl with heterochromatic red and blue eyes, wearing a white Lolita skirt, flew out from the Library.
She floated in front of her, speaking with a face full of joy.
Seeing that Meteor’s personality was still the same as before, Blazing Flame breathed a sigh of relief and asked her.
“I just got here, so I don’t know the situation. Are you alright? Are you injured?”
“I’m fine, I’m fine. This Miss wouldn’t be hurt by such weak monsters.” Meteor patted her chest confidently.
“Although there were quite a few Shadow Beasts, they were all a piece of cake for me!”
“I see… Then what about the other students? How are they?” Blazing Flame asked next.
Upon hearing the question, Meteor’s body stiffened unnaturally.
She slowly shifted her gaze elsewhere, not daring to meet the Red-Haired Girl’s eyes.