Chapter 30: Magical Girls Unite and the Mysterious Rider

Damn it.

How in the hell is everyone capable of blowing my cover?

Yet, He Yao quickly grasped the reason behind Zhang Xiao’s knowledge of his identity. To put it simply, Zhang Xiao was no longer merely a human girl; she had become an aberration.

As an aberration, a nexus of negative energy, she naturally reacted to positive energy—the very love and justice wielded by Magical Girls.

Perhaps the scope of this detection was limited, or perhaps, it was simply because she knew him that she had managed to pinpoint his location.

“What do you mean?”

“I hope you can help me completely eradicate this fiend,” she said, placing a hand over her chest, despite its undeveloped state. “This is the only way to resolve it once and for all. You’re a Magical Girl—though the thought is somewhat nauseating—but Big Brother He Yao, you’ll help me, won’t you?”

Truly, one could never underestimate anyone in this world, even if they were just a little girl.

The world was simply brimming with clever individuals.

“Let’s go. I’ll call a cab, and we can discuss the rest at my place.”

“Oh, Big Brother He Yao is taking me back to his home? Although I’ve mentally prepared myself, I still feel a little nervous now that it’s actually happening~ Will it hurt?”

****

Ink Crystal appeared before Zhang Xiao.

“Ah… so Magical Girl Ink Crystal is you, Big Brother He Yao… no, Big Sister Ink Crystal.” Zhang Xiao gazed at Ink Crystal with keen interest. “Wow, can becoming a Magical Girl really be this dramatic?”

Her gaze lingered noticeably on certain impolite areas. “If only I could become a Magical Girl too, I’d definitely be the center of attention in class.”

Ink Crystal watched the girl before her, a hint of speechlessness in her expression, yet she also noticed a flicker of pain on the girl’s face.

“Can you control yourself?”

Zhang Xiao nodded. “For now, yes—but Big Sister Ink Crystal, are you strong enough? Magical Girl Emerald didn’t seem to be my match before. If it’s truly unleashed, you might fall in battle, Big Sister Ink Crystal.”

Her words were delivered with utmost seriousness, devoid of any jest.

“Truthfully, I’m not confident, so we need to find another location.”

Ink Crystal sighed. “I only avoided the event because I didn’t want to participate, and now I’m going back… Still, if we’re there, Emerald and I should be able to defeat you. Once the fiend is vanquished, will you be alright?”

“I believe so. After your actions last time, I felt a little different from everyone else. If the fiend is defeated this time, it won’t manifest within me again. My lingering concern, you see, has finally been resolved.”

She winked at Ink Crystal.

“Alright then. I’ll transform into a Magical Girl and take you there. We’ll find a secluded spot, you release that thing, and Emerald and I will engage it first while we wait for other Magical Girls to arrive as backup.”

She was no greenhorn. Though her combat experience was limited, she fully understood that her own fighting capabilities were not exceptionally strong.

Yet, humanity’s dominion over the world stemmed precisely from its inherent wisdom!

Even the aberrations were employing human intelligence, growing increasingly formidable and cunning. Thus, wisdom was paramount. If she couldn’t defeat it alone, then a righteous Magical Girl group assault was the answer.

She certainly couldn’t handle it by herself, but with Emerald, they could likely maintain the battle. As long as they could buy enough time—perhaps Amethyst, Rainbow Jade, and others would arrive. And perhaps, even… Kamen Rider would make an appearance.

She always kept the prepared cassette on her person.

Afterward, carrying Zhang Xiao, she went to an open field near the volunteer welfare institute.

At this distance, Magical Girls would undoubtedly sense it.

She stood ready. “Come on, Zhang Xiao! Let the fiend bear witness to our resolve!”

Hearing this, Zhang Xiao found it somewhat hard to bear, replying weakly, “Alright.”

****

“Liu Xingyue, are you really dating He Yao? Did he buy you any handbags or anything? Just how much money does his family actually have?”

Liu Xingyue gazed speechlessly at her so-called best friend—the woman across from her had self-proclaimed the title, though Liu Xingyue herself wasn’t entirely convinced their relationship had reached such a level of intimacy.

The other woman immediately came over and latched onto Liu Xingyue’s arm. “Little Star, Little Moon! Just tell me~ ‘The Wealthy Young Master Dotes Solely on Me!’ I just read a novel like that two days ago!”

“We’ve only just started dating, so I don’t know much yet. But he lives alone in a villa now. He said his parents bought it when they started their business, and it’s a bit small, only a few hundred square meters.”

“Hiss!”

Hu Qian immediately drew a sharp breath. “You’ve already been to his house?”

“Yes, yesterday. We discussed how we’d get along in the future.”

“So, you two… did *that*?”

Liu Xingyue rolled her eyes at her. “Do you think that’s possible?”

She picked up the large shears in her hand. “Stop talking nonsense and get to work! I don’t know why the orphanage’s flowers and plants need trimming. Is it because too many volunteers showed up, and there’s no real work for us to do?”

Hu Qian nodded. “Clearly! Isn’t it all thanks to the wealthy young master’s influence? This task is obviously meant for us to slack off, so why are you taking it so seriously?”

“I take everything I do very seriously.”

Just as they were speaking, Liu Xingyue suddenly furrowed her brow. “You know, you’re right. This task doesn’t really require such earnestness. As the wealthy young master’s girlfriend, it seems I can reasonably slack off…”

She handed the shears to her best friend. “These are yours now. I’m going to the restroom. I expect to see results when I return.”

****

Liu Yun was teaching the children to sing. She actually felt this was the music teacher’s job, not the language arts teacher’s, but teaching nursery rhymes wasn’t a difficult task.

“Teacher Liu teaches so well! If anyone marries Teacher Liu in the future, they’ll surely hit the jackpot. Teacher Liu would undoubtedly be a virtuous wife, and her children would receive an excellent education!”

Hearing this, Liu Yun couldn’t help but begin to fantasize about marrying Lin Han, having several children, with him cooking in the kitchen while she and their children gathered in the living room, teaching them songs—a truly heartwarming scene.

‘Ah… how blissful.’

Then, an ominous aura permeated the air.

The beautiful vision shattered abruptly.

Liu Yun suddenly froze.

“Teach—Teacher Liu?”

The children called out to her, a hint of fear in their voices.

She forced a smile back onto her face. “Nothing’s wrong, children. Teacher just suddenly remembered something important. For now, another teacher will guide you! Wait for me for a few minutes, okay~ Or you can all take a short break~”

Without offering further explanation, she strode away on her high heels.

‘Damn it, how dare it shatter my fantasy!’

‘You utter menace!’

‘That day, I only knew Emerald struggled and found it difficult… I never imagined it would be even harder once I got my hands on it myself.’

‘Come to think of it, while Emerald’s combat power isn’t overwhelming, she at least has many skills; she can tank damage and control the enemy.’

‘I only have one offensive skill. If I can’t defeat it, then I truly can’t defeat it.’

The Colossal Infant’s stats were appallingly high.

Of course, Ink Crystal also suspected her own stats might simply be too low.

Which was true, however, mattered little in the grand scheme of things.

Regardless, she couldn’t defeat it now.

The colossal, shadowy infant before her made her scalp prickle with dread.

Truthfully, she felt a strong urge to flee. Fortunately, she had the foresight to choose this deserted location for their confrontation; had they gone directly to the orphanage, it would surely have caused a catastrophe.

Knowing she only needed to hold out for a while, she had no intention of fighting to the death.

“Emerald! Seal!”

A verdant gem suddenly materialized in the void, attempting to ensnare the Colossal Infant within its confines.

Ink Crystal felt a surge of pleasant surprise. “Emerald!”

She knew Liu Xingyue would come, but her swift arrival was still unexpected.

“This is! Zhang Xiao!”

Liu Xingyue clearly recognized this fiend and also spotted Zhang Xiao lying on the grass. “I wondered back then if there would be issues since that fiend wasn’t completely vanquished. Now, it has indeed reappeared. There’s no slacking off when it comes to matters like this.”

“Ink Crystal! Cooperate with me! This is a failure on my part! I *must* vanquish it!”

“Alright!”

With Emerald’s assistance, the Colossal Infant’s threat diminished significantly.

For Emerald truly excelled at control.

With Emerald so adept at restraint, Ink Crystal only needed to do one thing.

She became a relentless assailant, endlessly repeating her attacks.

“Stinger!”

“Repeated Stinger!”

“Triple Stinger!”

“Ultimate Stinger!”

“Final Stinger!”

“Absolute Stinger!”

****

The Colossal Infant was riddled with wounds.

Emerald looked at Ink Crystal with a hint of speechlessness. “I thought you were a high-damage dealer.”

“I am trying my best to deal damage. This fiend is too powerful. You know, I can damage Regenerators. But those aren’t even true aberrations. This is the fiend’s true form, right before us.”

“No, when I cooperate with other Magical Girls…”

“Amethyst Cone!”

A triangular cone forged from amethyst pierced directly through the Colossal Infant’s body, eliciting an extreme wail of agony from the creature.

“You two should undergo some training; your Magical Girl powers are a bit too weak.”

Amethyst showcased her formidable power with her high-damage output.

“Let’s destroy it together!”

“Alright!”

Indeed, a single fiend could not withstand the combined might of three Magical Girls.

The fiend, which had nearly claimed Ink Crystal’s life, finally dissipated.

It was at this very moment that Amethyst’s gaze sharpened, fixed on a particular spot.

“Who is that! Spying on us from there! Come out now!”

From behind a tree, a man clad in armor emerged.

“Kamen Rider Great Aum!”

Ink Crystal blurted out.

“Kamen Rider? What is that? I detect the aura of an aberration coming from you,” Amethyst stated, her eyes unwavering on the Kamen Rider opposite her. “What exactly are you?”

“I originally intended to just take a look, but I never expected there would be three Magical Girls here…”

The Kamen Rider paused mid-sentence.

Then, he turned and fled!

“Stop!”