“Ha…”
Struggling, Jiang Yao threw the already stiffened demon to the side, feeling a sharp pain in her chest and a sweet, sticky sensation in her throat.
“Cough, cough…”
A few spots of blood splattered out of her mouth as she began using all her strength to heal the injuries inflicted on her body with magic.
“Sword of the Holy Knight.”
With a flick of her hand, her magic armor returned to her grasp. Jiang Yao’s heart steadied slightly. No matter what, a magical girl with magic armor was a completely different level of combat power from one without.
Looking up again, she saw the undead goblins that had been attacking her one by one melting into piles of sludge.
(Could it be because the demon died?)
Probably. She was alone here now, and aside from the monsters dying along with the demon, Jiang Yao couldn’t think of any other explanation.
She glanced down at the corpse of the pale-faced man. Leaning on her sword to steady herself, she took deep breaths through her mouth, trying to block out the stench wafting from the sludge. As the healing magic worked, a slight itching spread across her body. Jiang Yao secretly felt relieved.
Fortunately, she had learned a new way to cast spells. Fortunately, that guy had only knocked her down in place.
At her feet, a terrain formed by layers of uneven purple crystals emitted a steady, rhythmic glow.
Inside each crystal was filled with radiant magic. In other words, these crystals were a physical manifestation of her own magic.
That demon was just too foolish.
Not only had he pinned her down on her own magic, but he had also practically invited some ancient weapon without any defense. Did he really think he had this in the bag?
When it came to influencing living minds, both light and dark magic were the same.
Only demons were affected more negatively, growing prouder and more reckless.
Whether it was her attempts to reach for her magic armor or the seemingly futile punches she threw as if cheating, they all served to channel magical energy through physical contact to the crystals behind the demon as cover.
The crystals were only an outward manifestation. By slightly redirecting the flow of magic and manipulating the details, she could achieve the result she wanted.
Once the thickest crystal grew to the proper height, it could be driven deep into the demon’s throat.
Finally, it would be the moment the magic blossomed.
The burst of radiant magic from within was undoubtedly a swift and powerful blow to these demons who had fallen into darkness, no longer even considered human physically or mentally.
The cluster of purple crystals grew out of his throat, stained with dark red blood, resembling a sinister, enchanting demonic flower.
Glancing at the pale-faced man who had already fallen, Jiang Yao shook her head.
This guy’s fragility exceeded her expectations. If all demons were like this, then they really weren’t so hard to fight.
Besides, from start to finish, she hadn’t felt any suppression or weakening of her power from his so-called “Dark Domain.”
Could that “Dark Domain” just be the meaningless death of those fodder monsters?
“Step!”
As Jiang Yao turned around, she suddenly heard footsteps behind her. Startled, she spun around and swung her sword, just barely blocking a kick infused with surging demonic energy.
“What?!”
The girl exclaimed in shock, “I thought you were dead?!”
Those goblins that had melted into sludge had already proven that.
“I…”
Chu Xiong let out an inhuman roar from his broken throat, “I can’t—die—yet!”
“Boom!”
The force behind the sword suddenly intensified. Already unsteady, Jiang Yao was directly kicked into a pile of discarded factory machinery. Even with her spirit armor protecting her, numerous wounds appeared on her body.
“Come on! Magical Girl! Again!”
Dark magic surged like a roaring river, converging on Chu Xiong’s body. The purple crystals shattered visibly one by one, but Chu Xiong’s body rapidly regenerated.
Yet… he was also undergoing a mutation.
His claws lengthened like those of some kind of lizard, covered with jet-black scales.
On one side of his head grew a twisted, curved horn, and sharp black hairs sprouted from his exposed skin.
Seeing this outward transformation, it was hard to imagine the even stranger changes happening inside his already completely inhuman body.
Unless a magical girl had this kind of “talent,” using radiant magic to heal oneself was not easy.
So far, Jiang Yao had only managed to repair a few broken bones.
Most internal injuries were only “stopped” from worsening.
But dark magic was different—wild, direct, and fast. Demons and monsters gained stronger vitality from this evil power.
So, what was the price?
Dark magic didn’t affect monsters much—they were already deformed. For those born from darkness, it was no problem. But for most demons converted from humans, using dark magic to heal caused unpredictable mutations like what Chu Xiong was now experiencing.
—Though, just like magical girls, this was only the typical case.
“Roar!!!”
Letting out a roar, Chu Xiong charged forward, hands raised high, ready to slam down a heavy punch!
Jiang Yao had already gotten to her feet among the ruins. She planted her right foot, leapt into the air, and drew her sword in a swift upward slash!
Sword and fist, each wrapped in opposing magical energy, collided midair.
“Kuh…”
Jiang Yao felt strained because she realized her sword couldn’t cut any further forward.
(So my opponent’s range is too wide, huh? Not long ago, I was still cutting down those bugs.)
(And now, I’m facing monsters I can’t damage.)
She thought silently, attempting to sidestep and deflect with her sword, then dodge entirely.
The mindset she opened up while being surrounded still applied.
Chu Xiong was now deeply influenced by dark magic. As a demon, his whole body was trending toward further transformation into a monster. Hence, Jiang Yao judged his mind must also be affected.
Therefore, she could still avoid and hide for now. After all, her real goal wasn’t to defeat the enemy.
It was to save her mother.
She had also sent Little White to bring reinforcements with this in mind. Compared to fighting alone, having teammates was definitely better. Look at the images; the demon was always defeated by teams of magical girls.
But Little White still hadn’t made a contract with anyone else—only with her.
A fairy’s loyalty wasn’t supposed to work like that! This guy must be hiding something.
Just as she moved to roll away and hide among the shadows of the machinery, she saw, after the stalemate of fists, a scaly tail stretch out.
This wasn’t in her calculations.
(Oh no.)
That thought flashed through her mind as she couldn’t dodge in time. The next moment, a powerful force hit her waist and abdomen.
“Go to hell!”
“Clash!”
“Ugh—”
The blow struck her fragile side directly. Jiang Yao screamed and fell to the ground again.
“[Magical Girl’s curse], cheating again.”
Lying amid the ruins, Jiang Yao looked up at the floating demon, unwilling to give up.
They say two fists can’t beat four hands.
Whether two fists could beat four hands and a tail, she didn’t know, but she had now proved that two fists couldn’t beat two hands plus a tail.
“Victory! Once again, I win.”
Looking at the magical girl who had already fallen, Chu Xiong slowly descended, proudly declaring.
The enemy magical girl had no space left to resist. He didn’t even need to finish her off—she might die on her own.
“Hehehehe…”
The feeling of victory, watching others fall.
This was something only power like his could bring.
Finally… he was no longer the one lying on the ground.
Chuckling darkly, Chu Xiong’s mind, already filled with darkness, had not forgotten the ancient weapon.
He had a good idea about that.
Reaching into his pocket, he pulled out a remote and pressed a button aimed at the factory ceiling.
“Whirr!”
White light lit up, illuminating everything in the factory. The high-powered lamps designed for factory operations, after years of disuse, still demonstrated the strength of the industrial age.
Suspended from the ceiling was an iron cage, right above their heads. The cage’s bottom was iron as well. Jiang Yao wanted to see inside, but she couldn’t see a thing.
At this moment, Jiang Yao felt fear, but even more, anger.
Unnoticed by herself, her hair was lifted by some unseen force, revealing the seductive highlights beneath.
Chu Xiong was proud. Despite setbacks, he had achieved his goal.
Once he obtained the ancient weapon, he would devour that woman—the damned magical girl—in front of her.
A fleeting thought crossed his chaotic mind:
Right, where’s the Dark Sorcerer? Why hasn’t he come to help?
During their standoff, where was the one who should have been in the cage?
She had already found her position, ready to unleash a powerful attack.
The trial had reached this point; it could and must end here.
Jiang Lingwei could no longer hold back.