Chapter 18: The Earth Golem’s Guardian

On Saturday, at eight in the morning, a long silver contrail arced across the sky above the outskirts of Jingping City, appearing from afar like a silken thread dividing the heavens.

Baoyu continuously adjusted and controlled the magic enveloping her body, taking careful note of her surroundings as she began to decelerate downwards.

Just as Asherah had noted, Baoyu possessed a natural talent for becoming a magical girl; during their brief time together, she had essentially mastered the crucial flight ability, now capable of soaring through the air alone with remarkable stability.

Today marked the day Baoyu and Polaris had agreed upon for her ability test, the chosen location being a training ground situated near the city’s edge.

Baoyu gazed down at the seemingly endless expanse of woodland beneath her; according to Polaris, the Magic Supervision Department had secured this entire area specifically to provide training grounds for magical girls, thus ensuring a certain level of secrecy and safety.

As she flew, Baoyu soon spotted a conspicuous patch of gray amidst the lush greenery, simultaneously sensing a powerful surge of magic from that direction, prompting her to slow down once more and descend as steadily as possible, landing approximately a hundred meters from the site.

The moment her feet reconnected with the ground, the anxious knot in Baoyu’s chest finally loosened; she had kept her nerves taut throughout the journey, terrified of losing control and plummeting from the vast blue expanse above.

Humans were born with an innate yearning for the sky, yet as creatures whose lives were spent measuring the ground with their feet, adapting both mind and body to this aerial domain was no simple feat.

Consequently, flying unaccompanied today, her speed was far from rapid; throughout the flight, she continually adjusted her mindset to the rhythm of soaring. If Asherah’s landings were akin to a thrilling jungle roller coaster, Baoyu’s was more like a gentle teacup ride, prioritizing safety and stability above all.

As she neared the training ground, Baoyu discerned the flow of magic, realizing that the gray surface before her was not the concrete she had imagined. She crouched down, extending a hand to infuse a measured amount of magic into the ground beneath her feet, confirming that the immense magical response originated from this unidentifiable material.

A signpost, bearing the inscription “Training Ground Two,” was angled slightly into the soil nearby. Baoyu surveyed her surroundings, her gaze sweeping across nothing but a vast expanse of flat land, devoid of any facilities or structures; it bore no resemblance to a training ground whatsoever.

“Hello, is anyone here?”

In response to the girl’s call, a gust of wind rustled through the jungle, creating a ‘whooshing’ sound, as countless branches swayed gently around her.

Stepping onto the surprisingly soft gray earth, Baoyu searched for a while but still found nothing. Checking the time, she realized only five minutes remained until her scheduled meeting with Polaris.

“Rumble—”

Just then, the sound of stones piling up suddenly echoed behind Baoyu, accompanied by a colossal shadow that progressively enveloped her figure. An alarm blared in the girl’s mind; she swiftly spun around, took a backward step, and drew a pistol-shaped magical device from her waist, aiming it at the unknown entity that had abruptly materialized behind her.

“—”

Upon seeing the shadow’s true form, Baoyu couldn’t help but feel a surge of astonishment; standing before her was a robust, humanoid earth golem, approximately three meters tall and entirely gray-blue. As she observed it, she could distinctly see the ground beneath her feet continuously supplying material to complete the golem’s massive frame.

‘What is this thing…’ Seeing that the earth golem merely stood behind her without making any other moves, Baoyu refrained from pulling the trigger. Her eyes remained fixed on the golem as her body maintained a cautious retreat, wary of her surroundings.

The next moment, a voice pierced through the ground, emanating from directly beneath Baoyu.

“Maintaining vigilance is commendable, but your focus is misplaced.”

Before the words fully faded, a chilling coldness immediately gripped Baoyu’s ankle. She instinctively tried to lift her leg, but her foot slipped, sending her sprawling to the ground.

Her gaze sharpened, and the scene before her instantly made Baoyu’s pupils contract in shock: in the mere seconds it took for her body to lose balance and fall, several gray hands had already emerged from the ground, firmly pinning her ankles and legs, holding her fast despite her struggles.

As more hands sprouted from the ground, reaching for her waist, Baoyu unhesitatingly pressed the muzzle of her weapon against one of the hands gripping her thigh and pulled the trigger. A bullet, condensed from magic, shot forth from the barrel; the gunshot echoed through the forest, startling a flock of birds from the trees.

Yet, the effect of this counterattack proved rather unsatisfactory; her shot failed to budge the frigid, monstrous hand in the slightest, merely leaving a shallow indentation on its surface.

‘Right, the shotgun!’ Just as Baoyu reached for the shotgun slung across her back, two hands wrapped around her arms, pressing her firmly to the ground and completely immobilizing her.

“D-damn it…!”

Baoyu’s limbs were firmly restrained, leaving her utterly incapable of resistance.

“A double-barreled shotgun… Heh, the weapons these kids use nowadays are truly getting out of hand.”

The ground beside her slowly tore open, and a figure clad entirely in thick, robust armor emerged from underground, stepping onto the rising earth. A slightly muffled female voice emanated from within her face mask; her right hand gripped a dark iron pickaxe, its sharp head pointed directly at Baoyu’s chest.

“If you’re aware of unknown dangers on this land, you should leave immediately. Dawdling here will only lead to such a predicament.”

The fully armored woman, her face obscured, gestured with the pickaxe in her hand. The arms binding Baoyu swiftly retreated into the ground, freeing her. Baoyu scrambled to her feet, and upon seeing her assailant release her and simultaneously emanate the magic of a fellow magical girl, she finally confirmed that the other party was not an enemy.

“Thank you for the lesson. And, if I may ask, who are you—?”

Observing the woman, held aloft in the earth golem’s palm and gazing down at her, Baoyu suppressed a flicker of annoyance and adopted a humble demeanor as she inquired about her identity.

Regardless, this sudden assault had been terrifying, especially those hands emerging from the ground, which instantly reminded her of numerous horror movie tropes.

“Xirang (TL Note: Xirang (息壤) refers to ‘self-growing soil’ or ‘breathing earth’ in Chinese mythology, often associated with flood control and creation.), the administrator here.”

Raising a finger, the magical girl who called herself Xirang pointed to the nearby signpost, revealing her identity.

“So, you’re the newcomer Polaris brought?”

“Yes, Senior Xirang. My name is Baoyu, and Senior Polaris and I agreed to meet here today for some ability testing.”

Baoyu nodded. Magical girls’ abilities and magical girl outfits were diverse and wondrous, yet she had never before encountered an outfit like the one worn by the magical girl calling herself “Xirang”—one that, aesthetically speaking, seemed utterly unrelated to beauty. This prompted her to take several more glances.

This seemingly heavy and hot equipment must have prioritized defensive capabilities at the expense of mobility. ‘If I were to encounter this type of Corrupted Entity in actual combat, how would I respond?’ Baoyu’s thoughts grew increasingly active.

Not every Corrupted Entity would be as willing to be eliminated without resistance as Ye Xiaoshuang had been. As a magical girl, she needed to quickly absorb and master all available information to prepare for the inevitable, real combat that would eventually arrive.

“Understood. She’s already told me all this. Since everyone’s here, let’s begin.”

“Senior Polaris is already here?”

Baoyu looked around, but on this unobstructed expanse of flat land, she only saw Xirang before her.

“Yes, about half an hour ago.”

As she spoke, the ground beside Xirang split open once more, and another earth golem, built like a robust adult male, emerged from underground, carrying a familiar figure. With her short limbs and small stature, held immobile by the golem’s grip on her arms, it was unmistakably Polaris, whom Baoyu had arranged to meet here.

“Your strength has declined far too much, Polaris.”

Xirang waved her hand, prompting the golem to release Polaris, finally allowing the diminutive figure’s feet to touch the ground. This was Baoyu’s first time seeing Polaris’s magical girl outfit up close.

Baoyu still distinctly recalled the image of Polaris from the merchandise she had collected: a silver armor, form-fitting to her petite frame, appearing both majestic and dashing. At the center of the breastplate, which protected her heart, was an impressive black Polaris constellation motif.

Beneath the armor on either side of her waist flowed a lustrous, thick silver satin gown. The leg armor, which fully encased her legs, bore golden emblems of the sun and moon intricately carved at each knee. This ensemble made Polaris appear like a warrior from the starry heavens, and coupled with her heavy, intricately patterned greatshield, it effortlessly drew all eyes to her.

“…”

However, Polaris’s current magical girl outfit differed significantly from Baoyu’s memories. The once star-shimmering armor now bore numerous damages of varying degrees on its surface, as if a slight tremor would cause silver fragments to flake off. Horrifying cracks spread across the breastplate, completely marring the constellation pattern, while charred marks, resembling veins, covered both gauntlets, a truly ghastly sight. Several pieces of armor on her left waist were visibly missing, appearing as if cleanly severed by something, and even the beautiful long gown had dulled, as though coated in an indelible layer of dust.

What struck Baoyu as most incongruous, however, was that Polaris’s hands were empty; her iconic greatshield, a symbol of protection, was nowhere to be seen. In a flash, Baoyu recalled the words Polaris had once spoken to Asherah and herself.

‘The current Polaris no longer possesses the ability to engage in active magical girl duties.’

“Your magical girl outfit is contaminated and incomplete. If I were you, I wouldn’t have returned here, Polaris.”

Witnessing the once-legendary figure in such a dilapidated state, Xirang’s voice, muffled by her mask, deepened slightly.

“Forget protecting others; now, without that shield, it’s questionable whether you can even protect yourself in battle. It’s truly something that the Magic Supervision Department dared to bring you back.”

Faced with Xirang’s skepticism, Polaris offered no rebuttal. She merely managed a strained smile, neither confirming nor denying her condition.

“That’s why I’m only temporarily serving as an instructor for this child and Asherah. Once they can stand on their own, the Magic Supervision Department will have better arrangements for them.”

“Asherah, oh, so that little girl is still active. But why isn’t she here today? Wasn’t she always your little shadow?”

“She’s been busy with other matters recently. Besides, today’s main purpose is to test Baoyu’s magical girl outfit, so she didn’t come.”

In truth, Asherah had indeed wanted to join the fun today, but just this morning, Baoyu received a piece of disheartening news from Asherah that was both unexpected and, in retrospect, entirely predictable.

Given that Asherah’s recent actions had, to varying degrees, violated several regulations governing magical girl conduct, the Magic Supervision Department had subjected her to a temporary theoretical knowledge test.

No one had disclosed Asherah’s final score to Baoyu, but Baoyu knew that Asherah had been forcibly dragged to the Magic Supervision Department for mandatory remedial classes this weekend, amidst a chorus of wails and protests. It was probably best not to mention such an embarrassing affair.

“Perhaps she’s tired of you. Well, it’s good; it’ll be much quieter without that noisy cat around.”

“Alright, same old rules. The morning is yours; leave before eleven. Don’t leave any trash behind; the Magic Supervision Department hasn’t paid me to clean up after you. As for what you might need… never mind, you won’t be needing it now.”

Xirang ceased inquiring about Polaris and her companions. She pushed herself up and leaped down from the earth golem. The large golem followed her to the edge of the flat land, where its immense body began to twist and deform. Within a minute, it had transformed into a simple hut, capable of sheltering them from wind and rain. Xirang stepped forward, pushed open the door, and casually merged it with the wall, clearly signaling her desire not to be disturbed by the two.

“Xirang can use her magic to transform soil into a special substance that she can manipulate at will,” Polaris explained, approaching Baoyu. “She can turn these substances into magical constructs like those earth golems, or mold them into buildings or terrain.”

Baoyu listened, then glanced around her once more. According to Polaris, did that mean this entire expansive flat land was Xirang’s property?

Imagining the ground supporting them transforming into countless colossal earth golems, or the entire plot of land morphing into a giant maw to swallow people, Baoyu gained a new appreciation for the diverse abilities of magical girls.

At that moment, another strange sound emanated from beneath the ground, followed by an intense tremor that threatened to overturn the entire flat plain. The violent shaking nearly knocked Baoyu off her feet. At Polaris’s urging, she hastily left the flat land, flying upwards with Polaris for a distance before hovering in mid-air.

“My goodness…”

Beneath their feet, the surface of the gray plain undulated like ocean waves, rising and falling in vast swells. Driven by immense magical power, the ground began to stir; grayish-black soil surged from underground, then expanded and stretched.

Under its master’s will, it was continuously molded and defined, transforming into interlocking components that assembled themselves automatically, visibly taking on the form they had assumed countless times before, all within a short span.

Amidst the dense, unfrequented forest, a gray building rose from the earth.