Chapter 51: A Desperate Plea in the Rain

Wen Qiusheng and Ji Lanxin had long yearned for a reunion with Liu Tianze.

This longing was steeped in a maelstrom of emotions.

To them, Liu Tianze was a trusted comrade, a dependable elder brother, a betrayer who had abandoned them, the very culprit who had caused their own transformations… and yet, he was also a pitiable soul, seemingly incapable of ever looking back at them.

Amidst this tangle of feelings, they found themselves unsure of what to say or what expression to wear when they next met Liu Tianze.

Still, despite everything, they yearned for that encounter.

They held an unwavering belief that their three fates were inextricably bound.

However, when the monstrous, inhuman form emerged from the veil of rain, they could barely discern any trace of “Liu Tianze” within its cold, vacant eyes.

The half-face, still retaining a human contour, was their sole connection, and simultaneously, the chilling source of their mounting dread.

‘One day, they too would transform into such a grotesque state.’

Wen Qiusheng gripped Ji Lanxin’s hand, his knuckles white.

Rainwater streamed down his rigid cheeks, yet his gaze, fixed upon Liu Tianze, grew steadily firmer with each passing moment.

Ji Lanxin lowered her head, her soaked hair clinging to her cheeks.

As she looked upon the almost unrecognizable figure, a clarity she had never known before sharpened in her eyes.

Rather than succumbing to fear and fleeing once more, they desperately wished to do something for Liu Tianze.

Yet, there was no time for them to collect their thoughts.

Black Mirror’s sudden appearance shattered the already precarious battle.

The fragile equilibrium lasted mere seconds before it was violently broken by a furious roar and a fist cleaving through the air.

“Black Mirror—!”

Asherah roared, lunging forward like an arrow released from a bow.

Her fist tore through the curtain of rain, brimming with intense fury, aiming straight for Black Mirror’s face—the very target she had yearned to crush in countless nightmares.

She had never concealed her hatred for Black Mirror, and now, she could barely contain her urge to unleash that resentment.

The enemy who had destroyed the Rainbow Team and harmed Polaris was standing right before her; how could she possibly tolerate this or remain indifferent?

“You two, stand back.”

Black Mirror remained composed, her tone unhurried and steady.

She subtly raised her eyes, raindrops clinging to her lashes, mirroring the detachment in her expression.

“I don’t dislike passionate people,” Black Mirror murmured, “but I detest brainless fools.”

Was this a mere coincidence?

Encountering magical girls was within her expectations, but she hadn’t anticipated running into Polaris and her little entourage again.

The starlight shimmering around the fiery feline made Black Mirror realize that Asherah was being protected by Polaris.

If Asherah got too close, Black Mirror’s counterattack would require dealing with two individuals simultaneously.

Moreover, the short one now had another face by her side, one that left a faint impression, suggesting she truly enjoyed her little game of make-believe.

However, she wasn’t here to waste time playing with them.

Her sole purpose for this visit was Liu Tianze.

Thus, a nearly imperceptible “fine line” flashed through the curtain of rain, and an icy surge of magic unexpectedly coiled around Asherah’s ankle.

In an instant, Asherah was violently yanked airborne, flung backward before her fist could reach its target, and tumbled awkwardly to land beside Polaris.

“Torture Lord.”

The weapon that materialized in Black Mirror’s hand was not the warhammer she had used before, but a long, grayish-white whip.

It writhed like a serpent’s shadow in the rain, lashing the air with a hissing sound.

Though Asherah bore no visible wounds upon landing, her ankle felt as if countless needles had pierced it.

The brief, intense pain caused her to involuntarily curl up, a flicker of terror flashing in her eyes.

‘No, something isn’t right.

My magic hasn’t been weakened in the slightest, yet when I tried to push off, it felt like my foot was being sliced open by a blade.’

“Don’t be reckless, Asherah.”

Polaris stepped in front of her, making every effort to prevent Asherah from charging forward again, her voice low and resolute.

“You promised me you wouldn’t act alone anymore.”

“I know, Senior… but she’s right there, she’s the one who hurt you…”

Asherah gritted her teeth, clenching her fists.

The tremor in Asherah’s palms resonated in Polaris’s heart.

She understood Asherah’s rage, but battles were not decided by anger alone.

She couldn’t allow Asherah to take another step, couldn’t let their fragile defense be easily breached.

“I also don’t want you to suffer any harm, Asherah.

Don’t forget your mission, don’t forget our mission.”

Polaris pulled Asherah’s hand, stepping back half a pace.

“Right now, you are someone I must protect.

I need you by my side.”

Upon hearing this, Asherah finally bit her lip and retreated, though her gaze remained fixed on Black Mirror like a sharpened blade.

Baoyu, too, remained tense, her gun barrel unwavering, locked onto the dangerous enemy who had once defeated them.

String Moon, however, wavered slightly.

She had heard of Black Mirror and had learned some of her deeds from Polaris, but facing an Epidemic-tier Corrupted Entity for the first time, she was primarily observing.

Like Polaris, she also kept a constant watch on Liu Tianze’s movements; after Black Mirror appeared, he had remained stagnant, as if suppressed by something.

“Polaris, your little cats and dogs aren’t very obedient, are they?”

Black Mirror’s lips curled into a slight sneer, her tone dripping with sarcasm and pointed malice.

“Is it only when they’re leashed by your side that they can be disciplined?”

“You fiend, how dare you show your face before us again—!”

“What are you doing here, Black Mirror?

And who are they—”

Polaris’s gaze swept over Wen Qiusheng and Ji Lanxin behind Black Mirror, her expression complex.

She remembered distinctly that these two were the children mentioned by the Magic Supervision Department: one taken by Black Mirror, the other vanishing at Rainbow’s hands.

Now, they were accompanying Black Mirror, appearing before Liu Tianze.

At this very moment, all three key individuals related to this incident were present.

Neither of them showed any panic, nor did they appear to be coerced.

Their eyes were solely fixated on the monstrous figure.

Black Mirror offered no reply, merely swinging her long whip sharply.

The whip’s shadow, like a bolt of lightning, struck Liu Tianze’s body with sudden force.

“—!!”

The wail seemed to tear itself from the deepest recesses of his being, a heart-wrenching cry of pain.

His body thrashed even more violently, apparently attempting to break free from the invisible restraints imposed upon him.

“I need him to be coherent enough to answer my questions.”

Black Mirror uttered softly, lashing down with the whip once more.

The whip marks left no visible wounds on Liu Tianze’s body, yet they caused him to convulse violently.

The rift attack that had been on the verge of manifesting consequently crumbled and dissipated.

“And these two, perhaps, are the last resort.”

This was no exaggeration.

From the moment Black Mirror first laid eyes on Liu Tianze, she had sensed his abnormality; as a Corrupted Entity, Liu Tianze’s “structure” was remarkably strange.

Generally, Corrupted Entities were monsters that materialized after absorbing enough negative emotions from a victim, thereby incubating.

Upon their birth, the victim’s original body would temporarily “vanish.”

At this point, even if the Corrupted Entity sustained damage, it would not be synchronized to the victim, allowing magical girls to use their full power to defeat the entity and help the victim return to their original state.

Liu Tianze, however, was different.

Many parts of him maintained an unbreakable connection with this Corrupted Entity, akin to some malevolent symbiosis.

If one were to attack with the intent of destroying the entity, Liu Tianze himself would likely suffer severe, perhaps irreparable, harm.

Observing Liu Tianze’s still “lively” struggles, Black Mirror felt a pang of relief that Polaris had encountered him; after all, he was the kind of dreamer everyone wished to save.

Precisely because the part belonging to Liu Tianze genuinely existed, she could consider attempting to awaken his consciousness through Ji Lanxin and Wen Qiusheng.

Although Liu Tianze had shown no particular reaction upon seeing the two, they still had a chance.

Ji Lanxin’s “empathy” generated through their link… that, regardless, was an option worth exploring.

Meanwhile, Polaris narrowed her eyes, scrutinizing the long whip in Black Mirror’s hand, known as “Torture Lord.”

Polaris knew the secret of Torture Lord.

Compared to the warhammer named “Overlord,” its destructive power was almost negligible, incapable of inflicting any significant direct damage.

However, true to its name—”Torture”—this weapon was never designed for direct confrontations of strength.

Each strike of the long whip would inflict intense pain upon the victim, and this suffering, affecting both body and mind simultaneously, would intensify with every subsequent hit.

This malevolent weapon would ultimately reduce its victim to a puppet, manipulated by cowardice and agony.

“Are you saying he can still be saved?”

Polaris seized upon the crucial point in Black Mirror’s words.

“The possibility isn’t zero.”

The whip in Black Mirror’s hand twisted, pulling Liu Tianze back once more as he struggled to break free.

“He’s not dead.

He’s still fighting.”

Even though Liu Tianze had completely lost his reason and consciousness, the “human” part of him undeniably persisted.

To that end, she had to find a way to restore his awareness, and Ji Lanxin and Wen Qiusheng were her solution.

She looked towards Ji Lanxin and Wen Qiusheng, a rare glint of seriousness in her eyes.

“You two are his only remaining anchors.

The ones who can call him back won’t be magical girls, it won’t be me; it can only be you.”

Hearing this, Ji Lanxin reached out and firmly grasped Black Mirror’s sleeve.

“I’m ready.”

Her voice trembled, yet there was no hint of hesitation, as if she held not just Black Mirror’s garment, but her own unwavering affection and hope for Liu Tianze.

“I want to wait for him to wake up.

I want to ask him myself—why he left us, why he let himself become like this.”

“And then,” she inhaled deeply, murmuring, “I’m going to slap him really hard.”

****

The rain showed no signs of stopping, rifts pulsed, and the battle raged on.

Although Polaris had gleaned some of Black Mirror’s intentions from the fragments of conversation between her and Ji Lanxin, this did not mean she would trust her easily.

“Are you saving him, or are you torturing him?”

She worried that the mental torment would further condemn Liu Tianze to an irreversible fate.

“Look at your pathetic state, and then look at him, still bouncing around.

All your efforts amounted to nothing more than tickling him.”

The other end of the whip remained taut, confirming that these few strikes could only subdue the out-of-control Liu Tianze for a brief moment.

“I have no intention of torturing him.

As for saving him, that’s not something I can do.”

“All I can do is deliver these two fearless youngsters to his presence.”

Indeed, she was merely doing what she always did.

This was but a move, perhaps one that would decide Liu Tianze’s fate, perhaps one that would utterly alter the future of these young people.

She was no savior, and her hands would not reach out to Liu Tianze.

She was simply offering Liu Tianze one final choice, an opportunity for someone with countless ties to them.

‘Little youngsters…’

Wen Qiusheng, who had remained silent until now, pursed his lips.

Although he had largely been subdued by Black Mirror during this period, he still found it quite unsettling every time this girl, who was half a head shorter than him and always wore a cold expression, referred to him in such a way.

“This is too dangerous!

Even if they can utilize some of the Corrupted Entity’s power, rashly approaching a Corrupted Entity like this is still—”

“You’re misunderstanding something, Polaris.”

Black Mirror’s gaze towards Polaris carried a distinct hint of disgust.

“What I do doesn’t require your, or anyone’s, permission.”

“If you intend to stop me, I’ll remove you first, right now.”

The moment her words fell, the tension in the air solidified instantly.

String Moon’s warblade vibrated faintly in the rain, Baoyu’s gun barrel quivered slightly, and Polaris strained to pull Asherah back.

At this juncture, a single misstep could ignite an explosion of chaos.

However, what was most unsettling was Liu Tianze’s bound form; no one could predict what would happen next.

With a sharp crack, Liu Tianze broke free from Black Mirror’s long whip, pulling everyone’s attention back to himself.

Having been suppressed for so long, he realized that a monster more threatening than himself was holding his life in its grasp.

This intense sense of danger further squeezed his potential, forcing him to evolve rapidly in the shortest possible time.

His form abruptly twisted within the rain, and before the whip could strike him, he vanished into a rift.

Immediately, several pairs of scarlet “eyes” simultaneously opened from within the cracks, each one firing a beam of light that tore through the sky, crisscrossing and striking from all directions.

“Watch out!”

Polaris didn’t have time to think, immediately darting sideways, her shield raised to block the incoming beams.

The shield’s surface, now imbued with starlight, emitted a grating, ear-splitting clang.

Almost simultaneously, Black Mirror deflected a beam away from Ji Lanxin.

Her whip spun, striking directly in the path of the light beam, sending sparks scattering amidst the tearing magic.

Everyone scattered and defended themselves amidst the dense barrage of light beams, momentarily losing any capacity to pay attention to one another.

Yet, at this moment, Black Mirror suddenly moved with lethal intent to Polaris’s side, and as Polaris raised her shield in defense, Black Mirror kicked her from behind, sending her sprawling to the ground.

A beam of light grazed both their bodies as it shot past, directly striking a distant streetlight, which toppled with a crash.

“If you can’t even protect yourself, what good are you?”

The long whip lashed out, precisely delving into the rift to drag out Liu Tianze, who was hidden within.

However, a beam of light simultaneously shot from Black Mirror’s side, denying her any chance to dodge.

Black Mirror had no intention of dodging, but the beam ultimately failed to pierce her body because a shield had appeared at her side, blocking the attack just in time.

“The feeling’s mutual.”

Polaris replied in a hushed tone, and as the barrage ended, she retaliated by sharply ramming her shield into Black Mirror’s abdomen.

Their bizarre behavior—exchanging barbs while simultaneously defending each other from attacks—immediately drew everyone’s attention.

Indeed, the relationship between these two was far from simple, not as straightforward as Asherah had made it out to be.

Baoyu watched the interaction between the two enemies, wiping a strand of damp hair from her forehead.

From a personal standpoint, she had no desire to fight more enemies, even if Black Mirror had grievances with half the members of this team.

“Senior! Why are you helping her!

She’s an enemy!”

Asherah stamped her foot in frustration, watching Polaris block an attack for Black Mirror.

As for Black Mirror helping Polaris dodge, that must have been a mere coincidence; there was no way the opponent would help them.

String Moon merely cast a fleeting glance.

Compared to Black Mirror, who didn’t seem intent on an all-out fight with them, Liu Tianze, whose attacks had grown more ferocious, was far more deserving of their attention.

Indeed, regardless of their initial motivations, both sides shared the goal of confronting the out-of-control Liu Tianze.

Though Black Mirror had just agreed to help Ji Lanxin and Wen Qiusheng approach Liu Tianze, she actually had no absolute certainty of success.

The reason was simple: Liu Tianze’s demonstrated threat was higher than she had imagined.

His attacks were incredibly dense; while she herself could easily dodge them, bringing Ji Lanxin, who lacked self-preservation abilities, was an entirely different matter.

And although Wen Qiusheng’s abilities made him more “durable,” his life could not ultimately be risked.

The idea of having Ji Lanxin replicate her abilities flashed through her mind, but she dismissed it instantly.

She could not expose her abilities, and furthermore, the current harsh environment would prevent them from being effectively utilized.

The torrential downpour severely reduced visibility.

The puddles of accumulated water were constantly churned by raindrops, becoming a blurred mess.

In Black Mirror’s vision, the ground appeared covered in a layer of shimmering, indistinct reddish ripples, making it impossible to use as a stable “mirror surface.”

The two sides once again pulled back, maintaining a semblance of peace, but the situation devolved into another stalemate.

Black Mirror continued to try and approach, all while protecting Ji Lanxin and Liu Tianze.

Polaris’s situation was similar; both were forced to divert some energy to guarding against the other.

Just then, perhaps sensing the tense atmosphere, Wen Qiusheng, who could no longer contain himself, suddenly shouted at everyone: “Hey, can’t you all just team up?”

Before anyone could respond, he yelled again, his voice hoarse from trying to overcome the sound of the rain: “Don’t you all want to save him?

Then work together!

Stop wasting time fighting each other!”

At his words, Black Mirror and Polaris instinctively exchanged glances.

They saw no overt resistance in each other’s eyes; after all, they were not inherently hostile.

“…”

“…”

Seeing that the two remained unresponsive for a moment, Wen Qiusheng looked at the others.

He had recognized Baoyu earlier, the magical girl he had once harmed.

So, he dropped to his knees in the rain with a splash, hands pressed to the ground, pleading with her.

“Please help us.”

Cold rainwater continuously poured down his neck and into his chest, yet his fervor remained.

“I know I hurt you; it was all my fault.

But he’s a very important friend to me, and he’s innocent.

Please, I beg you, help him!”

“I-I also beg you to help us,”

Ji Lanxin pleaded.

“I know you’re enemies with each other, but neither of you wants to hurt him.

You both want to save him.

So, even if it’s just temporarily, please don’t be so hostile.

Help him together, okay?”

The principles of magical girls prevented them from agreeing to cooperate with an enemy, but looking at the two, drenched and pleading in the rain, none of them could truly bring themselves to refuse.

Neither Baoyu, Asherah, nor String Moon could make a decision; they all deferred the choice to Polaris.

What it meant to be a magical girl, what it meant to be a Corrupted Entity, seemed to hold less significance in this moment.

At such times, someone often needed to take the initiative and step back, and Polaris, as it happened, was always willing to take on such a role.

She was always willing to sacrifice herself to create an opportunity.

Black Mirror, as an adversary, understood her better than her own comrades.

Thus, upon catching the change in Polaris’s expression, Black Mirror instantly understood her intentions.

“You…”

“There are people before me who need my help.”

Polaris took half a step back, standing beside Black Mirror.

“I cannot say I trust you, but I am willing to believe these two young people.”

“Who do you think you are, Polaris?

Don’t be so presumptuous!”

Black Mirror tightened her grip on the long whip.

“If you insist on following, then do as you please.”

“…”

“…”

At the same time, Polaris took a deep breath, while Black Mirror sighed softly, tilting her head slightly.

“Ten minutes.”

Black Mirror threw out a time limit.

“That’s enough.”

Before the words had fully left her lips, Polaris raised her shield and charged towards Liu Tianze.