Jingtong’s abilities mainly consist of two aspects: the first is the Space created through the Mirror, and the second is the duplication performed through Reflection.
Although it sounds simple, there is a massive amount of room for development in actual practice.
For example, creating clones through duplication, or creating manifestations by peeking into the deepest fears of an enemy’s heart through Reflection—Xiaoxi had suffered from that move before.
However, if Xiaoxi saw the scene before her now, she would likely be surprised to find that Jingtong’s Manifestation ability had progressed yet another level since the last time they met.
Not only could she recreate specific enemies, but she could even recreate entire scenes.
Xiaohongmao was currently hiding within the jungle created by Jingtong’s Manifestation, carefully observing the flickering red figure.
‘Stay calm. Silverflame Dragon Princess is on standby nearby. I just need to stall until backup arrives. I don’t necessarily have to fight them head-on…’
“Found you, delicious child!”
A voice as sharp as nails scraping against a blackboard rang out from behind her.
Goosebumps immediately broke out across Xiaohongmao’s back.
She whipped around, blocking the monster’s attack.
‘Wasn’t this monster just over there in the trees? When did she get behind me?!’
The old woman, draped in a filthy red hood, had a green glint in her eyes as she stared straight at Xiaohongmao.
Her withered, gnarled hands pressed down hard on Xiaohongmao’s Magical Wand like the claws of some wild beast.
Being stared at with those eyes made Xiaohongmao feel uneasy.
The scene before her couldn’t help but remind her of the first time she had faced a Magic Creature alone as a child.
Back then, it was still the Great Chaos Era.
When they were attacked by a Magic Creature, she had watched with her own eyes as the brother who had been holding her hand abandoned her and ran far away.
When the massive Magic Creature appeared in front of her, the fear of the monster and the panic of being abandoned intertwined, leaving her legs unable to move.
It was just like now, that feeling of dread from facing a monster all alone… Suddenly, the back of Eternal Star flashed before Xiaohongmao’s eyes.
‘That’s right. The one who appeared at the critical moment and saved me back then was Eternal Star Senior. To this day, I’ve even received guidance from Eternal Star Senior. I should have become a mature Magic Girl by now. I can’t be a coward like I was back then!’
Her arms erupted with unprecedented strength. Xiaohongmao’s heart was refilled with calmness and fighting spirit, and a sensation she had never felt before surged from within.
‘And of all things, I’m facing this old woman… This is clearly just a monster my Sister fabricated for a bedtime story. How can I still be afraid of this thing after all this time?!’
“Oh?” The Third Divine Envoy, floating in mid-air to watch the battle, raised an eyebrow. “She actually helped her achieve an Awakening in the middle of a battle?”
Almost by instinct, Xiaohongmao felt the presence of a weapon. She reached out her hand toward the air, and a shotgun formed from Magic Power appeared in her grasp.
The shotgun had a strange design. The brown stock looked like some old-fashioned hunting rifle, but the very front of the barrel featured a silver axe head, forming the shape of a poleaxe.
Xiaohongmao pulled the trigger subconsciously. The old-fashioned shotgun let out a massive roar, blasting the Red Hood Ghost’s body backward.
Xiaohongmao stared blankly at the scene, not even reacting for a moment.
She had awakened her own weapon. Her first thought was that this scene was exactly like the story her Sister used to tell her.
A Hunter’s shotgun — that was the strongest weapon the young Xiaoxi could imagine at the time.
‘This way… I can win!’
“Finish her off quickly. A Magic Girl with this much potential shouldn’t be left alive.”
The Third Divine Envoy ended the test game with a few flat words.
Consequently, the confident Xiaohongmao watched as the green light in the Red Hood Ghost’s eyes suddenly flared up.
Like a vengeful spirit, the ghost pounced toward her.
‘So fast!’
Xiaohongmao instinctively raised the gun’s handle to parry.
The Red Hood Ghost’s strike was heavy and powerful, making Xiaohongmao’s hands go numb from the shock.
But the Red Hood Ghost’s assault didn’t end there.
After the initial strike, her body spun like a whirlwind, and her claws whipped up a gale as they attacked again!
This bizarre attacking style left Xiaohongmao stunned for a moment, but she realized it immediately — whether it was the teleportation behind her earlier or this Lightning Whirlwind Slash…
This monster didn’t just look exactly like the Red Hood Ghost from her Sister’s stories; even its Skills were identical!
Xiaohongmao held her teeth tight, but the axe-gun was still sent flying by a succession of Heavy Attacks.
In the next instant, the Red Hood Ghost’s claws lunged straight for her face. Xiaohongmao lost her balance, and her mind went blank.
At the final second, a powerful gust from a punch blasted past Xiaohongmao’s ear.
Someone grabbed Xiaohongmao’s unsteady body.
The rivets on a gauntlet collided with the Red Hood Ghost’s claws, sending a shower of sparks flying and saving Xiaohongmao — just as Xiaoxi had promised when they were little, the Big Grey Wolf would protect Xiaohongmao.
‘I made it just in time!’
Xiaoxi stared at the Red Hood Ghost in front of her, feeling both helpless and amused…
‘Is this what my little sister is most afraid of? If I’d known, I wouldn’t have told her those scary stories! How can this monster even use the Skills I made up on the spot?!’
Xiaoxi steadily blocked the Red Hood Ghost’s Lightning Whirlwind Slash.
During the stalemate, the ghost’s neck suddenly jerked to the side. It stared at Xiaohongmao and spoke one word at a time.
“Your brother… doesn’t want you anymore. You’re all alone. He won’t come to save you…”
Xiaoxi froze.
She suddenly remembered that the fear manifested for Qiuli last time wasn’t a specific object either.
It seemed the same was true for her little sister. The Red Hood Ghost was just a vessel…
‘Is that it? So what Keke fears most is being abandoned by me back then?’
It was true. Back then, she had been confident that transforming into Eternal Star would allow her to save Keke in time, but Keke hadn’t known that.
And she had even promised Keke that she would protect her…
Claws made of Magic Power enveloped Sirius’s gauntlets. A massive hole was blasted through the Red Hood Ghost’s body by Xiaoxi, and it collapsed with a heavy thud.
“Keke, are you okay?”
Xiaoxi hurriedly checked Xiaohongmao’s body.
Only after the girl’s reminder did she notice that the Red Hood Ghost, which should have vanished from the fatal wound, was actually standing up again.
Xiaoxi turned back just in time to see the large hole in the Red Hood Ghost’s chest being repaired bit by bit…
‘That shouldn’t be right! When Jingtong’s manifested enemies took this kind of damage last time, didn’t they just disappear?’
It was the Red Hood Ghost’s ability!
Xiaoxi remembered now. Back then, she really had invented quite a few abilities for the Red Hood Ghost, the final Boss of her story.
For instance, its body would recover no matter what kind of injuries it sustained.
In other words, Jingtong had actually manifested all of those abilities as well?
‘Seriously, this thing can even use the Lightning Whirlwind Slash I came up with on a whim…’
Xiaoxi was almost laughing from frustration.
Even though she was the one to blame, who could have expected that a final Boss from a childhood story would actually come true!