Chapter 41: A Desperate Gambit and a Timely Rescue

“Haa…”

A little less than half of her magical energy remained. Her physical exertion was considerable, yet she hadn’t reached the point of exhaustion.

Her pistol still held three rounds. The short sword was in excellent condition; even if thrown, it could be reconstructed within moments.

‘She knew she couldn’t possibly win, she knew her fate was sealed. Yet, she refused to surrender. Instinctively, her mind raced, searching for a way out of this desperate situation.’

Ling Xing wouldn’t just give up without a fight, not even if it meant only taking down one, or merely wounding a single one of them.

To lose in a fair fight, outmatched in skill, was one thing. To admit defeat and fall without even trying was entirely another.

‘What else? What else could she possibly use?’ She thought, checked, and recalled. There wasn’t much time.

Beyond the two monstrous insects still wreathed in flames and moving sluggishly, the remaining pair had already begun to close in on Ling Xing.

Thus, Ling Xing could only rely on her instincts. Instinctively, she recalled her skirmishes with Hane. Then, everything became clear.

“Hey there, Reporter.” Ling Xing rotated her short sword, gripping it like a dagger, or an ice pick. She exhaled, calmly calling out a name utterly unrelated to the current life-or-death struggle.

“Huh? Me?” The rookie reporter responded weakly.

Even though she knew nothing about combat, she could clearly see that Ling Xing was at an absolute disadvantage. No matter how flashy her evasions, she couldn’t entirely avoid damage; no matter how fierce her attacks, she couldn’t pierce their defenses. There was no discernible path to victory.

Yet, she did not flee. She was determined to witness the girl’s final moments, to record the combatant’s last heroic stand. Even if the girl’s defeat meant her own inescapable doom, that unwavering resolve kept her rooted to the spot.

“Could you hold onto this for me? It’s quite valuable, I suppose.” Ling Xing tossed something to the reporter with a light tone.

The reporter, instinctively reaching out to catch it, realized that the object had, with uncanny precision, slipped onto her finger. It was a slightly misshapen ring, one side bearing a distinct dent, as if it had suffered a heavy blow. Despite this, its original delicate craftsmanship was still evident.

“Th-this is?” The young reporter blushed for a fleeting moment, though she knew this wasn’t meant for her.

“It belongs to a friend. When all of this is over, she’ll likely come looking for you.” Gripping her pistol, Ling Xing gazed straight ahead, meeting the colossal creatures’ stare.

“Also, I should be able to take care of two of them. Record up to that point, then. I’ll do my best to buy some time; you just run, and take what I gave you with you.”

Two… two of them? The reporter froze. She no longer cared whether she could escape herself; her entire focus was now solely on the girl’s words, filled with a profound curiosity. How could she possibly accomplish that?

The reporter glanced at the live stream’s bullet comments, hoping for an expert to explain, or perhaps a debate that might clarify the situation. But there was nothing.

The live stream was almost uniformly flashing a single phrase. The reporter, instinctively, read it aloud.

“Will she win?”

“She will.” Ling Xing smiled, a dazzling, brilliant smile.

With that smile, she surged forth, channeling all her magical energy. This time, she didn’t dodge or weave; instead, she charged directly and aggressively, meeting the two remaining colossal insects head-on.

She neither evaded nor defended, leaving herself wide open; even her short sword wasn’t held in a defensive stance. Yet, she showed no signs of slowing down or pausing to prepare. Her speed surpassed that of a car, and the reporter found it impossible to fully track Ling Xing’s movements with her bare eyes.

‘Will she truly win?’ The reporter clutched the ring, silently praying. Before she could even finish her silent plea, everything unfolded in a flash of lightning.

Bang— A single pistol shot struck one of the colossal insect’s compound eyes, on the closer side. As the creature recoiled in pain, instinctively turning away from the injured eye, Ling Xing leaped slightly.

Her exposed posture drew the other colossal insect to open its maw. Relying solely on its combat instincts, it could discern which creatures were utterly defenseless. Thus, it knew that Ling Xing, suspended in mid-air, had no leverage, no means of evasion.

If Ling Xing had truly intended to find leverage, to evade…

“It’s over!” Bang, bang— The remaining two pistol rounds directly struck the eyes of the colossal insect before her.

Truth be told, even a magic-infused pistol, far superior to conventional weapons, would only temporarily blind a colossal insect by hitting its vulnerable eyes. Yet, that was enough.

Suddenly blinded and disoriented, the colossal insect frantically decelerated. Its gaping maw, driven by inertia, slammed shut, intending to devour the girl who had fallen right into its grasp.

However, what the suddenly blinded creature couldn’t see was that the other colossal insect, reeling in pain and instinctively veering off course, collided with its face at that very moment. The gigantic maw, instead, bit fiercely into the side of its fellow monster.

Which was stronger: a mouthpart capable of tearing steel, or an exoskeleton that could withstand artillery fire? Ling Xing didn’t know. She knew only one thing:

The mouth that, having bitten its kin, couldn’t fully close, swallowed her, yet was unable to tear or chew her. The moment it swallowed her and failed to close coincided perfectly with its collision with its fellow creature.

Her short sword, gripped like an ice pick and imbued with all her magical energy, plunged directly from the colossal insect’s soft mouthpart into its brain. Then, she scrambled out of its mouth as fast as possible, preventing any lingering reflexes from allowing it to chew or swallow.

“Hiss… Ah…” All her bullets were spent. Her magical energy was completely depleted. A wave of dizziness washed over her, brought on by exhaustion.

…Everything was set. She only needed to deliver one final strike into the shell, already torn and ravaged by its kin’s maw. But she couldn’t.

The short sword remained lodged inside the first colossal insect’s mouth, stuck on some hard bone, and she hadn’t been able to retrieve it in her haste. Now, Ling Xing had no magical energy left to conjure another.

“Ugh… I’m sorry, I seem to have… overestimated myself again…” She had overestimated herself.

Believing she could do anything, that she was invincible alone, unwilling to let anyone else bear her burdens—that’s what had led her to this point.

‘What a mess. It’s practically a microcosm of my entire life.’ Stripped of the conviction that sustained her body, devoid of the magical energy that propelled her, Ling Xing faltered at the precipice of success, collapsing in utter defeat.

‘It’s time to rest. Ending it like this… wouldn’t be so bad.’ Ling Xing closed her eyes.

But… what awaited her was not the harsh impact of the shattered ground. Instead, it was a gentle embrace, accompanied by a whisper.

“It’s alright, Ling Xing. You’ve done so well.”

‘Such a familiar voice.’ ‘Who could it be?’ Right to the very end, Ling Xing couldn’t grasp the answer. Her consciousness was already drifting far away.

It wasn’t until she peacefully closed her eyes that the one holding her drew a magic longsword.

“Apprentice Magical Girl, Chao Wu, reporting to execute monster annihilation mission!”

Though her strength was modest, it was enough. For a battle decided by mere inches, a touch of power was all that was needed.

The longsword flashed from its sheath, and before the colossal insect could struggle free from the mouth of its now-motionless kin—it pierced through its torn carapace.

When it was withdrawn, a stream of foul-smelling bodily fluid oozed out, dripping down the blade.

This was the same longsword she had used when she first met Ling Xing. Back then, she’d used it to cut open the meat box Ling Xing was carrying. Now, it seemed, slashing monsters… was not so different from cutting frozen meat in a box.

“Gaaaaah—!”

It wasn’t over yet. It hadn’t ended. These were only two. Two more colossal insects still remained.

Even Ling Xing, pouring every ounce of her strength, had only barely managed to dispatch two D-rank monsters. How then could Chao Wu possibly believe she could achieve such a feat?

Therefore… she raised her hand.

“Magic Science Team One, suppressive fire!” This wasn’t her voice; it was the crisp command of a certain ‘Fly-Head’ officer. Her raised hand merely served as the signal to commence the operation.

Tat-tat-tat-tat-tat-tat-tat-tat— The dense gunfire erupted like a storm.

Though unable to pierce their hides, the barrage made the colossal insects wary of their compound eyes being hit, causing them to slow down. The two suppressed, decelerating creatures roared, watching helplessly as several specialized heavy missiles hurtled towards their faces.

“Team Two, heavy missile volley!” Boom—

It shouldn’t have been this easy. The monsters, which even heavy artillery struggled to damage, were now genuinely sustaining massive injuries from the missiles. They bellowed in furious rage, battered and scarred, attempting to drag their mangled bodies forward to tear apart Chao Wu, who still held Ling Xing.

What awaited them, however, was an inferno.

“Team Three, heat ray gun volley!” Blazing lines of fire illuminated the sky. The earth-shaking colossal insects, under the searing heat rays, emitted waves of boiling, putrid stench.

“Target eliminated! Magic Science Team has completed Lady Hane’s designated support mission and is now executing a temporary joint operation with Magical Girl Chao Wu!”

“Check the area for any remaining monsters, and provide full assistance to civilians!”

“Yes, sir!” The team members dispersed in formation.

Hane’s call had gone out to both her and the Magic Science Team. Chao Wu, naturally, needed no further instruction, but the Magic Science Team, despite being on leave, had also swiftly rallied and rushed to the battlefield.

Chao Wu had initially been somewhat surprised by this, but the ‘Fly-Head’ commander had sternly rebuked her.

[“Magical Girl Chao Wu, I demand that you retract your preconceptions. This is not some personal favor. The Magic Science Team was established with the sole purpose of protecting civilians and fighting monsters. We will fight monsters with our lives, anytime, anywhere!”]

Ah… “She truly is… a good person, Commander.” Cradling Ling Xing, Chao Wu leaned down slightly, pressing her cheek against Ling Xing’s small face.

“Ling Xing, my magical attribute has awakened.”

“I want to be your help, to become an indispensable part of you, so… my magic, it’s enhancement.”

A Magical Girl’s magical attribute is shaped by their state of mind. Hane, skilled in surprise attacks and assassination, had awakened an assassination-type magic that allowed her to instantly move within shadows. And Chao Wu, who had originally strived to master the most orthodox Magical Girl ability, ‘Mana Burst,’ but had always failed to break through… in just one day, she had awakened to enhancement magic. Was this not a breakthrough born from a change in her heart?

The unconscious Ling Xing couldn’t respond, but Chao Wu didn’t mind. She whispered softly, gently kissing Ling Xing’s cheek.

“Don’t ever leave me behind again. Don’t carry everything alone behind my back anymore, Ling Xing. I will become an indispensable part of you…”

A light kiss, lips parting, leaving a faint mark. Then, gazing at Ling Xing’s sleeping face, she gently licked the corner of her lips. —And then kissed her lips.

“……” The reporter, who had recorded everything, covered her slightly flushed face, daring not to make a sound. ‘This… this must count as a confession broadcast live to the entire internet… right?’