Chapter 12: The Unforeseen Heroine

Battles between magical girls are fierce contests of both magical power and experience.

Even without transforming, Chao Wu keenly perceived that in both magical prowess and accumulated experience, her opponent utterly surpassed her.

Even as an ordinary girl, Chao Wu stood no chance; indeed, even in her past life as a magical girl, she would not have dared to claim she could contend with this senior, who had yet to even transform.

With no glimmer of victory, any struggle would prove utterly futile.

Despite this undeniable truth, however…

Why, then, did her thoughts instinctively drift to Ling Xing, the one targeted by this formidable senior?

It was as if, deep within her subconscious, she harbored a belief that Ling Xing, despite being merely a combatant…

would somehow emerge victorious.

Ah, it must have been the indelible image of Ling Xing’s back, shielding her just yesterday, that still fueled these impossible fantasies.

She found herself imagining that the hero she so desperately, unilaterally yearned for—the righteous magical girl…

would once again materialize before her very eyes.

—The sharp trill of a phone bell pierced the air.

The sudden, insistent ringing of a phone shattered the room’s suffocating silence, causing the palpable pressure emanating from the noble girl to momentarily recede.

Seizing this brief reprieve, Chao Wu could finally, albeit with effort, draw another breath.

“Oh? It appears Hane has already dealt with it. Not bad, not bad at all.”

The haughty noble girl seemed to revel in Chao Wu’s desperate, yet utterly helpless, attempts at resistance.

Rather than rushing to strike, she instead unhurriedly retrieved her phone, her expression alight with curious amusement, before switching it to speaker mode.

“Heh. Consider this my parting gift to you, Chao Wu. A final chance to speak with your hero before your life ends, and to witness firsthand the grim fate that befalls all enemies of the organization!”

The girl’s lips curved into a cruel smile as she savored Chao Wu’s changing expression.

Yet, in a swift turn, that cruel smile faltered, her lips pressing into a thin line, and a faint frown creased her brow.

For what emanated from the phone, reverberating through the room…

was not the triumphant news she had anticipated, but rather:

–Something has gone terribly wrong, Young Miss! The experimental subject has escaped! Young Miss, look out the window!

–…?

–…!

These words, entirely unforeseen by either of them, hung heavy in the air.

Anxiety, panic, and sheer urgency laced the voice on the phone, its pitch rising uncontrollably, betraying the speaker’s profound agitation.

“How is that even possible?! A mere combatant—how could they possibly escape your grasp?! What in the world did you do?!”

Confusion swiftly contorted into raw fury.

The Young Miss no longer bore any trace of the delicate refinement she had exhibited moments ago; instead, she was now merely a vicious girl, utterly consumed by her volatile emotions.

Her furious curses and scathing denunciations poured forth, a torrent of rage directed entirely at the source of the distressing news. She spun around, her movements sharp with fury, and strode towards the window.

In stark contrast, Chao Wu, with the Young Miss’s furious attention now diverted, finally found herself able to…

clench her hand around the hilt of her blade.

Indeed!

Indeed… Ling Xing would never be defeated.

To escape—to evade the clutches of such a renowned senior—was an astonishing feat in itself.

Compared to her own perceived uselessness, Ling Xing consistently proved herself remarkably capable.

If that was truly the case, then—

She would stake her own seemingly worthless life!

Even if her utmost efforts could only inflict a shallow scratch, she would use her very life to impede the individual before her!

She absolutely could not allow this woman to rendezvous with her partner, nor could she permit Ling Xing to face yet another opponent. She had to buy precious time for Ling Xing’s escape!

Summoning every ounce of courage she possessed in this lifetime, Chao Wu slowly, inch by agonizing inch, drew forth her chilling blade.

The Young Miss, utterly dismissive of Chao Wu—a girl stripped of her magical powers and therefore beneath her notice—remained facing the window, presenting Chao Wu with a seemingly undefended back.

This, then, was her final, desperate opportunity.

“Flee, Ling Xing. Escape to a place where the seniors can never find you, and live out the rest of your days in peace with Dal.

I shall fulfill my promise, repaying your kindness with the ultimate sacrifice: my very life.”

She murmured to herself, softly uttering a silent elegy that only she could hear.

With the unwavering resolve of one confronting death, Chao Wu drew her blade from its sheath.

But then—

Before the steel could fully emerge from its scabbard.

Swifter than the chilling blade could clear its sheath came a whisper of wind past her ear, accompanied by a soft, familiar voice.

“Oh no, I haven’t exactly planned any more moves lately, and there’s certainly nothing that requires you to strain yourself moving, you know—”

In that fleeting instant, as the Young Miss, engrossed in her furious tirade and utter astonishment, hastily diverted her gaze toward the window, a critical vulnerability was exposed.

Three throwing knives, accompanied by the lighthearted words, whizzed past Chao Wu’s hair, flying true towards the Young Miss’s utterly exposed back.

Her heart, her neck, her armpit—each a vital point.

For the Young Miss, who had yet to transform, this was, without question, a perfectly executed and undeniably lethal ambush.

Having remained utterly imperceptible, the assailant had seized that fleeting moment of vulnerability, launching three knives from beyond the doorway with deadly precision, each aimed at a vital point.

Before either girl could even register their presence, the blades shot unerringly towards the Young Miss’s back, and then…

Clang—

The three throwing knives struck an invisible barrier, emitting a sharp, ringing clang of metal before sliding uselessly to the floor.

A faint light emanated from the luxurious gem ring adorning the Young Miss’s finger.

She had not, in fact, reacted at all to what should have been a fatal ambush.

Yet, as a scion of nobility, she possessed potent magical artifacts, objects of power beyond the wildest imaginings of common folk.

The magical ring on her hand, designed to repel projectiles, unfurled a shimmering, faint-light shield, effectively deflecting the incoming blades.

“Hm? Who dares? Who would dare to assault—”

It was only when the sharp clang of the barrier reached her ears that the haughty Young Miss finally reacted, recoiling from the window and swiftly directing her gaze towards the doorway.

What met her eyes, simultaneously echoing in her ears…

was a white-haired girl, clad in an ill-fitting jacket that barely concealed a flimsy camisole.

“Of course it failed, Young Miss! Because your opponent is none other than the super-invincible, utterly formidable elite combatant, Ling Xing!”

–Hane’s distinct voice simultaneously emanated from the phone in the Young Miss’s hand and from the lips of the girl standing before her.

The girl held a small, delicate lady’s phone clutched in her hand.

Employing a convincing false voice nearly indistinguishable from that of her attendant, and delivering words imbued with sufficient urgency and shock, she had used the phone call to compel the noble Young Miss to subconsciously divert her attention.

Then, in that fleeting moment of diverted attention, she had launched her audacious ambush.

Had she not possessed such formidable magical artifacts, the Young Miss—a D-rank magical girl—would undoubtedly have met an inexplicable end.

Now, however, with her initial strike having failed, and before the Young Miss could fully comprehend the unfolding scene…

A cloud of smoke erupted!

Tiny canisters, affixed to the rear of the throwing knives, had burst upon impact, unleashing a cloud of acrid, cough-inducing smoke.

“Cough! You wretched creature! How dare you—how dare you make this Young Miss shed tears—!”

The makeshift smoke bomb, laced with chili powder, sacrificed its ability to linger for an extended period, yet gained a far more immediate and potent effect.

Even the imperious Young Miss, caught within the swirling, acrid dust, found her eyes stinging crimson, her exquisitely elegant face contorted into a mask of anguish, tears streaming freely down her cheeks.

Seizing this opportune moment, Ling Xing firmly grasped Chao Wu’s hand.

“Allow me to return your own words, you foolish magical girl! Do you truly wish to throw your life away so carelessly? Cherish yourself, damn it!”

“Eh? I, you… I had thought…”

“Hah! I’m not listening! Whatever you have to say, save it until we’re safely home!”

Ling Xing darted forward, launching another object towards the Young Miss’s forehead, her vision still blurred by streaming tears.

Despite her obscured vision, the Young Miss, relying solely on her extensive experience, effortlessly raised a hand and shattered the incoming projectile.

Unless it was a surprise attack, Ling Xing’s assaults held virtually no chance of landing a blow.

Even Ling Xing herself was well aware of this fact, which was why…

She had thrown Hane’s stolen phone.

It shattered with a resounding clang in mid-air, disintegrating into a myriad of components that clattered and jingled, each fragment triggering the magical shield with a dazzling, almost pollutant-like flash—a truly spectacular sight.

The Young Miss, her vision only just beginning to recover from the blur of tears, was once again momentarily blinded by the sudden brilliance of the protective shield, ultimately reduced to covering her eyes in impotent fury.

“Gwaaaahhh—! I’ll break all your limbs, coat you in honey, and toss you into a sheep pen, making you—”

That sounded a little terrifying.

Well, anyway… before her impotent fury could subside, Ling Xing had already dragged Chao Wu and fled.

Only another poor magical girl, who would arrive a few minutes later, clutching her skirt and demurely pressing her legs together, would likely bear the brunt of her wrath.