After thrusting out the magic weapon belonging to [Yunxia] in her hand.
Jiang Lingwei couldn’t help but start thinking about things from the past.
The reason was… she actually didn’t know how to use this [Ming] that belonged to Yunxia, and was merely imitating attacks she’d seen before.
Leaving aside the fact that this part of the magic weapon was never meant for combat, Jiang Lingwei couldn’t bring out its full power anyway.
Even so, what Jiang Lingwei was doing right now could be called truly unprecedented.
If the old man were here in person to witness this scene, he’d surely be astonished that she could actually pull it off.
Not only could she use another magical girl’s [Magic Gear], but the [Spirit Garb] on her body had also manifested a corresponding ninja outfit.
If it was just the former, perhaps someone else could barely manage it by force, but together with the latter, it was truly without equal.
All of this relied on Aurora’s powerful affinity with light, and perhaps also on those feelings she’d experienced in the past when she lent her magic to others.
As a support-type magical girl, Aurora was familiar with the magic makeup of each of her companions,
Understanding all of their forms and spells.
If she couldn’t do that, she wouldn’t be able to provide proper enhancements, heal them, or repair their Spirit Garb and Magic Gear.
However, Jiang Lingwei knew very clearly that even with all this knowledge, along with her talent and gifts, this battle was a guaranteed defeat.
“Shhk!”
The kunai was deeply embedded in the Giant Shark King’s flesh, piercing straight through.
Not only that, but the pure light magic also pierced all the way through the Giant Shark King’s entire arm!
“Ga?!”
“Crack, boom!”
A sound like an explosion burst from within the Giant Shark King’s arm, and in the next moment, blood and flesh flew everywhere.
“ROOAAARRR!!!”
The Giant Shark King howled, clutching its arm as it quickly retreated.
At this moment, that arm could no longer be called an “arm”—it was more like a “mangled limb.”
“My… my arm…”
The Giant Shark King hugged its arm in shock, a few drops of salty water already seeping from its eyes.
“Gyaaah! My arm—my arm!”
The dark magic still churned within, but it was all suppressed by the stronger, purer light magic left on that mangled limb.
And as for the Giant Shark King? It was shrieking with absolutely no dignity as a king!
“Aiyaiyaiya—oh-ho, oh-ho-oh!!!”
Ever since many years ago, when it was corrupted by a dark faerie, then turned and devoured that faerie itself, the Giant Shark King had never suffered such an injury. This pain was so intense it couldn’t even endure it and screamed aloud.
For a creature that had always swum smooth seas and favorable currents, its performance at this moment was even less tough than Jiang Yao, who, with her arm bones nearly shattered, had forcibly connected them with crystal and continued fighting.
[Crystal]
On the other side, Jiang Lingwei had already lifted Jiang Yao, who was lying in the shattered crystal thicket.
“I am [Aurora].”
Gently holding her daughter’s arm, even if she was using Yunxia’s magic at the moment, the basic healing could still be done.
“Ma… Aurora?”
Jiang Yao looked at her arm, still faintly glowing beneath layers of crystal and Spirit Garb, and said in surprise:
“How come… you’ve changed your appearance?”
“An old friend’s help.”
Jiang Lingwei answered simply; using Yunxia’s magic, she found herself speaking even less than usual.
She only gently patted Jiang Yao’s head:
“Go on, take that magical girl with you. Leave this to me.”
“But…”
Jiang Yao reached out, wanting to hold her back.
But at that moment, Jiang Lingwei was already turning away with a smile. A cherry-blossom-pink oni mask floated onto her face, covering the lower half and making her aura even more formidable: “No, Crystal, I don’t need help.”
“This is a chance to grow… My own growth. Honestly, if I don’t get stronger now, I won’t even be able to beat this thing (trash) that’s about to be tossed out.”
“So, please, just watch.”
Heart, technique, body.
The three components of a magical girl’s power.
Likewise, when they become magical girls, their Magic Gear and Spirit Garb will reflect their “heart.”
A magical girl whose Magic Gear is a Gatling gun can’t possibly be the peaceful, calm sort; likewise, if the Spirit Garb is a wild west cowboy, she’s not going to be a timid soul.
So, what about Jiang Lingwei’s Spirit Garb and Magic Gear?
The answer was: ordinary.
A little pink dress and a wand matching the classic image of a magical girl.
This is the look that most often pops into people’s heads at the mention of magical girls.
And similarly, Jiang Lingwei’s heart was just as ordinary.
She had no grand ambition. She only became a magical girl because, at the time, an old man faerie asked if she wanted to save others, and she’d just nodded.
To say she lacked a resilient heart would be an unfair insult.
After all, anyone, after fighting alongside their companions against the darkness for two or three years, would have a toughened spirit.
It’s just that Jiang Lingwei really didn’t have lofty dreams.
She hadn’t faced many hardships, nor did she have any pain of her own carved deep in her bones.
She just hoped her friends could all return safely, and then maybe dream a little about the wonderful days of retirement.
So, when Jiang Lingwei decided to retire, she really meant to retire.
The world was still troubled, but ordinary people weren’t really dying every day. The dark invasions had become something like geological disasters—most people’s lives weren’t affected much; they still had entertainment and the arts, still went to work and school as usual.
The people were experts at responding to invasions.
It really wasn’t that hard to be an ordinary person, especially with two people by her side to protect her.
—All of this was what Jiang Lingwei told herself.
But in her heart, she always knew that the real reason she’d sealed her magic core back in its box was simply that she was running away again.
Just like she’d avoided thinking about Corona’s sacrifice by comforting others, and stubbornly—almost irrationally—dodged the subject of her child’s father before Jiang Cheng appeared.
This was Jiang Lingwei’s “heart.”
Compared to others, her experiences and heart could only be described as “ordinary.” How could someone so ordinary shoulder any great responsibility? She didn’t even know how to face her own daughter and… [husband]; all she could do was take it one step at a time, following her feelings.
Until today.
“That’s enough.”
“Let’s stop here. I’m not going to come over and attack you.”
Spinning the kunai in her hand, Jiang Lingwei looked at the Giant Shark King, half-kneeling on the ground, wailing in pain:
“For a mutated second-rank demon like you, this kind of injury is nothing.”
The Giant Shark King’s howling stopped at once, and it rose to its feet in silence.
“Ah.”
And in the next second, its arm had already regenerated. Now that its act was seen through, the Giant Shark King’s eyes grew even fiercer.
“Tch.”
Spitting out bloody saliva, the Giant Shark King gritted its sharp teeth:
“A new magical girl? What’s your name?”
“[Your Father].”
Spouting this useless trash talk that also dodged the magical girl censorship filter, Jiang Lingwei stepped forward.
(Think… Aurora.)
Clutching the magic weapon in her hand, Jiang Lingwei searched for the “heart” she needed.
(Think—what would Yunxia do?!)