Ms. Black Rose snapped her fingers.
Two blobs of Black Mark slid across the floor, dragging all the Magical Girls trapped in illusions into the Detention Cell and locking the door with a sharp “click.”
Then, Ms. Black Rose made a “please” gesture to Shandie.
“Tsk.”
Shandie’s wings fluttered behind her, shedding countless fine scales that refracted into dreamy colors under the light.
In an instant, the Detention Cell’s scenery transformed.
Ms. Black Rose still sat inside, while the other Magical Girls guarded the door.
“Not bad, it’s real enough to fool anyone. But we still need to move faster. Even though the Association’s attention is all outside right now, an illusion is still just an illusion—you never know when someone might notice something’s off.”
After finishing the disguise, Shandie’s wings fully spread out behind her, gently enveloping herself and Ms. Black Rose.
As the light shone through, their figures gradually became ethereal until they vanished completely.
“My, invisibility sure is a handy ability. From a practical standpoint, your powers are far more useful than those Magical Girls who can only fight and destroy.”
“I just think it’s a bit too coincidental,” Shandie suddenly spoke up.
“All of my abilities happen to fit perfectly into your plan. Did you seek me out from the start because you’d calculated all the way to this day?”
Ms. Black Rose smiled innocently. “So that’s how far-sighted you think I am?”
Shandie only snorted coldly.
The two of them suppressed their presence and walked, brazenly and openly, into other areas of the Association.
Shandie felt a surge of curiosity. She didn’t know the full details of Ms. Black Rose’s plan. Logically, though, the Association wasn’t exactly a leaky fence.
Even with the ability to become invisible, it shouldn’t be a place where they could just stroll around as they pleased, right?
The corridors of the Association’s main building were full of hurried staff members.
Though the Magical Girls were the ones fighting outside, at times like this, not a single person from the Logistics Department, Medical Division, or Monitoring Division could afford to slack off.
Sunlight streamed through the windows.
No one noticed the faintly distorted light at the window’s edge as the pair carefully avoided everyone along the way.
After entering the elevator, Ms. Black Rose took the initiative to step out from within Shandie’s wings.
“Alright, from here on, there’s no need to stay invisible. If everything goes as expected, we shouldn’t run into any more staff from the Association.”
Ms. Black Rose pulled out an Access Card and swiped it across the elevator’s reader with a “beep.” She then pressed a sequence of floor buttons.
A nearly inaudible “click” of mechanical gears sounded inside the elevator, as if some hidden mechanism had just been released.
Sensing Shandie’s curious gaze, Ms. Black Rose openly took out the pitch-black card and waved it.
“All the Association’s insiders are busy right now. With access but no ID scan… Otherwise, do you really think the Association is so careless that they’d let an inside agent like you sneak in so easily?”
Shandie remained silent.
She’d already guessed Ms. Black Rose had an informant inside the Association, but to even obtain a classified Access Card like this… Just how high-ranking was Ms. Black Rose’s contact in the Association?
With a rumbling sound, the elevator headed downwards, continuing for several minutes without stopping.
Shandie couldn’t help but wonder how deep their destination was.
“If the Association were a great tree, the building above is the trunk—lush and flourishing, admired by all.”
Ms. Black Rose pointed beneath her feet. “But the roots below have long been gnawed by pests, riddled with holes—a beautiful facade hiding rot within… What’s down below can’t stand the light of day.”
“Why do you think the upper echelons are so desperate to get their hands on the Blood Moon Witch? The Association’s dirty secrets are no less disgraceful than what the Divine Summon Order once did openly.”
With a “ding,” the elevator doors slowly opened.
What greeted their eyes was a seemingly endless pitch-black corridor.
……
Ms. Black Rose hummed a tune, walking alone down the corridor.
Sensor lights on both sides flickered on one by one as she passed.
When her song ended, Ms. Black Rose stopped in her tracks.
Though she was only a few steps from the end, a figure stood in the shadows ahead, not illuminated by the lights—a dignified presence, sword in hand, standing guard before the door.
“Hiss…”
Ms. Black Rose drew in a cold breath, her face turning genuinely bitter.
She hadn’t expected such a formidable obstacle would still be waiting here after making it this far.
“Was it really necessary? There’s chaos raging outside, and someone of your caliber can actually keep your patience and stay here without moving?”
“My orders from the upper ranks are to guard this door. I have nothing to do with anything else.” The reply was dignified and icy.
“As the Guardian of North Blossom City, you shouldn’t even be here, should you? What if something happens back in North Blossom City?”
“It doesn’t matter. North Blossom City doesn’t have only one S-Rank Magical Girl.”
“So? Do you think the Association isn’t on guard against you at all? The Association secretly ordered me to rush to Summersea City overnight, just to prepare for a situation like this.”
Metal clanked as armored plates collided.
A figure clad in silver heavy armor slowly stepped out from the shadows.
With a thunderous crash, a Giant Sword, nearly as tall as a person, slammed heavily to the ground.
A pair of cold, golden slit-pupil eyes glared down at Ms. Black Rose.
“Sigh. If I could, I really wouldn’t want to face a monster like you,” Ms. Black Rose said with resignation, shaking her head.
“Looks like I’ve got no choice but to challenge you—the Strongest Magical Girl with the Destruction Attribute, [Silverflame Dragon Princess]…”
Before she finished her sentence, Silverflame Dragon Princess’s silver hair fluttered, and the Giant Sword—wreathed in silver flames—was already swinging toward her face!
For a sword, this Giant Sword seemed far too heavy; in Silverflame Dragon Princess’s hands, it was more a deadly blunt weapon than a sword!
With a deafening bang, silver flames erupted in a burst of fire where the sword struck the ground.
The whole corridor seemed to tremble from the shock.
Ms. Black Rose was forced to retreat, gritting her teeth as all the Black Marks on her body surged toward her palms!
She was fighting [Silverflame Dragon Princess]? Was this for real?
She couldn’t hold back… There was no way to hold back!
Against an enemy of this caliber, if she didn’t stake all the Black Marks she had accumulated over the years, she wouldn’t stand a chance at victory!
The dense blackness threatened to swallow everything around it.
A bloated shape, jet-black horns, and a demon mask…
Ms. Black Rose had drawn inspiration from the Great Chaos Era’s most powerful S-Class magical beast, [Hundred Demons Mask], and this time, what she conjured was the strongest monster she’d ever created!
“Heh, as expected of the Hidden Bone Hall of the Association. The difficulty of breaking in is sky-high!”
Ms. Black Rose gave a light laugh, pushing her monster forward against the oncoming gale of that heavy sword!
We can win this!
……
Above the Association, everyone in the building felt the repeated tremors from the explosions below.
Three minutes later, in the depths below the building, Silverflame Dragon Princess stood tall with her sword, gazing at the devastation in the corridor.
She pressed her Communicator to her ear.
“Yes, it’s already been dealt with.”