Chapter 77: The Price of Victory

The explosion did not subside after a single, deafening boom. On the contrary, amidst the mournful cries of the colossal beast that blotted out the sky, the explosions intensified with each passing moment. The brilliant light from the erupting magic would have illuminated a vast area, had it not been for the concealing wreckage of blood-soaked wings. This triumphant, earth-shattering victory brought with it more than just elation.

‘Gulp.’ A quiet swallow was drowned out by the chaos.

Su Muxue had to clutch her hat and wand tightly, lest she be swept away by the tumultuous magical storm. As the instigator of this maelstrom, the magical girl’s face was ashen.

After expending a considerable amount of magic to trigger the magical紊乱, she was forced to pour even more into ‘self-preservation’. Even as her magic was completely depleted, the explosions continued unabated. The breathtaking symphony had only just reached its crescendo.

By now, the intensity had far surpassed Su Muxue’s ability to control it.

The chain reactions of explosions threatened to engulf her entirely! The gasping breaths from behind her were simultaneously swallowed by the din.

‘Phew—’

Xu Yanqing took a moment longer, swiftly correcting her spell incantation before raising her wand high. The magical energy cannons, forming a ‘Starfall Night,’ meticulously wove a shimmering curtain of light around Su Muxue’s form.

Due to the convergent nature of magic, a vast quantity of errant magical energy was drawn to this concentrated stream, surging along the cannons and dissipating into the distance. Although the magic around Su Muxue also diminished considerably, the magical hurricane that had been on the verge of overwhelming her was thus thwarted.

Guiding a near-runaway magical storm with a high-energy magical flow. This was, undeniably, an ingenious solution that only a ‘researcher’ with a profound understanding of magical properties could devise.

****

At the very rear of the scene, Su Qingyao, observing everything calmly, stood beside Fang Xiaobai, who had been instantly blown away by the blast and now lay unconscious.

From Su Qingyao’s perspective, these two impetuous novice magical girls, at the very least, had sound ideas.

Their practical execution, however, was a touch too reckless.

Su Qingyao sighed softly. She was overcome by a strange sense of déjà vu.

After all, whenever Lu Zhichuan fought in the past, he would always inexplicably come up with a new idea. While the concept itself would be perfectly feasible, its execution almost always left him battered and bruised.

Su Qingyao waved her hand, and a ribbon from her spirit attire, which had been eager to move, instantly darted out like an unbridled wild horse, rushing towards Su Muxue, who had just caught her breath.

Su Qingyao’s magic ultimately retrieved the little white cat—Fang Xiaobai—who was covered in dust, grimacing, and ready to hiss at the monster that wasn’t quite dead. As for the monster’s potentially reanimating corpse, that could be left to Xu Yanqing.

This particular monster had, unexpectedly, surpassed the level appropriate for a reserve magical girl, reaching Tier 4. Therefore, it was only natural for Xu Yanqing, as the team leader, to handle the cleanup.

Su Muxue sought refuge in Su Qingyao’s embrace, wiping her tears on the girl’s spirit attire. “Mom, did we… win this time?” she asked hesitantly.

This sudden question made Su Qingyao a little curious. “Why do you ask that?”

“Because I didn’t kill that monster, and I had to be rescued by you, Mom.” Unable to achieve a perfect outcome, Su Muxue’s disappointment was palpable, her hat’s tip drooping low.

“Hmm… it was a Tier 4 monster, after all.” Su Qingyao carefully chose her words. To be honest, she hadn’t originally intended to overly praise such a reckless approach. “From that perspective, Muxue, you and your friend truly did very well.”

Su Qingyao narrowed her eyes, pulling the wide-eyed Su Muxue into a hug from behind. “F-four-tier?” Su Muxue’s stammering voice rose an octave in shock. In her opinion, she was still quite a distance from Tier 4 herself.

“Indeed,” Su Qingyao replied with an unavoidable, resigned sigh. “So, while it was a very rash action, against such a monstrous anomaly—it was indeed a good method.”

“But it was still too dangerous.” Su Qingyao’s tone shifted, and she gently pinched Su Muxue’s small nose with a bit of force. “Do you know how large the explosion radius of a magical instability is?”

“…”

“N-no, I don’t.”

“Hmph, and you still dared to use it? Next time, don’t be so reckless, understood?” Su Qingyao playfully ruffled Su Muxue’s head, causing the small magical girl to repeatedly affirm, “Yes, yes.”

“In any case, you should rest here for now.”

Ultimately, Su Qingyao softened. She released Su Muxue and stood with her by the window. The rain of magic cannons had only just ceased, and they could clearly see the distant monster, covered in wounds and splattered with blood, taking its last, unwilling breath.

‘Thump.’ The three-story-tall monster crashed to the ground.

Only then did the reserve magical girls, who had been holding their breath, erupt into fervent cheers. The news of victory swept away the previous gloom, subtly uplifting the somewhat dejected Su Muxue.

“So, we won,” Su Muxue murmured softly, standing by the window. Although it sounded similar to her initial question, her tone was now entirely different. A genuine smile graced the girl’s lips.

“Aaahhh!” The moment Fang Xiaobai, who had been unconscious, opened her eyes, she shrieked and leaped off the stretcher. “We won!!” The girl rushed past Su Qingyao, who was silently watching her daughter, and excitedly collided with Su Muxue, nearly causing the greatest damage of this entire round.

****

Su Qingyao, accompanied by Su Muxue and the other children from their group, sat before a floor-to-ceiling window, gazing at the distant battlefield. Though it was an incomplete ‘victory,’ its significance far surpassed that of an ordinary battle.

No one knew how deeply Su Muxue’s figure, calling forth magic amidst the overwhelming light, had imprinted itself upon the hearts of countless reserve magical girls. In any case, the triumph of Fang Xiaobai’s group greatly encouraged the other magical girls.

On the battlefield.

“Shhh—” A reserve magical girl gestured to Jiang Jiuli. Before them was a monster whose eyes were obscured by Jiang Jiuli’s shadows. The beast angrily thrashed its claws and teeth in every direction.

Yet, the magical girls had tacitly ceased their attacks, patiently searching for an opening. Jiang Jiuli, so tense she almost flung her wand away, nodded with all her might. She finished her incantation, then unleashed her magic entirely upon the monster. Jiang Jiuli truly did not want to lose to her good friend!

****

The soaring flames devoured the venomous arrows spat forth by the monster, and Lin Xiaoxiao gulped down the air that felt as if it were scorching her throat. “Hiss, gasp—” She looked up at the monster in the sky, which, relying on its flight ability, brazenly provoked her.

“Indeed, it’s really weak compared to that other one.” After two victories, no one doubted the excellence of Lin Xiaoxiao and her team as the initial combatants. Against a relatively normal opponent, the formidable edge of ‘Flame’ was fully revealed.

“Hidden Flame—” she murmured. Lin Xiaoxiao finally unleashed her unique magic. A brilliant burst of fire erupted from the suddenly vanishing air, startling the monster into squawking cries. The next second, a silent second magical girl darted out from the flames.

Her magic was not yet finished. After further seizing all the flames in the air, it transformed into a slender, spiraling needle, piercing directly towards the monster’s eye socket. “Gaaahhhh!” With a shriek, the bird-like monster spun and plummeted to the ground. With this, the ‘training’ of all three reserve groups was completely concluded.