Chapter 49: Intervention in the Inferno

Explosions. Bursts of flame erupted with deafening reverberations from all directions, punctuated by the sharp crack of gunfire. The scene before them was instantly engulfed by a maelstrom of fire.

Burning, torn, pierced, and wailing, soldiers struggled, firing in vain into the flames and smoke. Yet, from all sides, streaks of azure gunfire retaliated against their shots, felling them in an instant.

Several tanks, marked for priority targeting, possessed heavy armaments but failed to fire a single shot before the battle even began, succumbing to the explosive assault of several trucks and falling silent. The sole tank that had been closer to the center of the formation, thus spared from the initial devastation, finally managed to react amidst the chaos. It swiveled its turret, preparing to unleash hell, but…

Zzzzzzzzt—

A beam of light, a searing laser confined to a hilt, horizontally cleaved the tank, along with its formidable armor. A figure clad in a Darklier combat suit, wielding a lightsaber, materialized before the war machine. Behind them, the tank fell utterly silent, leaving only a crimson, scorching incision and molten metal on its armor.

“Impossible! The t-tank was…?! A combatant! It’s a Darklier combatant!”

A soldier, whose identity was lost to the chaos, shrieked in stunned despair. In return, the figure swiftly raised their gun and fired three shots, the azure beams piercing through several trucks that had served as cover, silencing the soldier instantly.

‘A combatant? Don’t make me laugh. Aside from the combat suit, there’s nothing remotely similar! Combatants would never possess such advanced weaponry, nor would they launch indiscriminate attacks and needless slaughter. A true combatant would always capture alive if possible— What stands here is merely an assassin in a combat suit. This is no combatant!’

Ling Xing bit her lip. The scene had devolved into a one-sided massacre. These soldiers, who moments ago had been full of life, anticipating a holiday meal back home, now fell like weeds, piling up in gruesome heaps. Several assassins, all clad in combat suits, closed in from all directions, slowly delivering their predetermined death amidst the inferno.

Amidst such horror, Ling Xing… heard Nuonuo’s telepathic message.

[Ah, an unexpectedly good opportunity. Xing, seize the chaos to complete the mission. Given the current situation, it seems we can only destroy, not recover.]

It was a calm, utterly flat tone. The gruesome scene before them hadn’t stirred a single ripple of emotion in Nuonuo; if anything, she seemed almost gleeful, grateful that the assassins’ appearance offered Ling Xing a window of opportunity, and delighted that the soldiers’ complacency left them no escape. It was just as she had been during her time in Darklier… though it wasn’t her doing, she always reveled in witnessing tragedy unfold. For this reason, Ling Xing had never particularly liked her.

[What’s wrong, Xing? Why aren’t you acting? You’re not thinking of intervening, are you? You, who are already slandered as a magical girl, if you act here…]

Nuonuo’s tone remained unchanged, but her words carried a subtle threat. It was the truth. If Ling Xing were to intervene here, not only would it be incredibly difficult to clear her name, but even if successful, she would be saving her enemies and bolstering the reputation of the enemy magical girls. No person of sound mind would commit such folly. Ling Xing, naturally, understood this.

“How could this happen… our convoy, our soldiers, so easily… Urgh— Fall back! Gather around the transport target!” The Officer’s command ripped through the air. The radio channels were a cacophony of static, forcing her to rely on her raw voice to forcefully command the nearby soldiers.

[How foolish. There was just an example of someone speaking out and being shot dead. The enemy clearly has sound-locating abilities, how can she not understand that?]

Nuonuo, via the telepathic link, continued to critically evaluate the scene before them. Sitting in safety, she dissected the tragedy as if it were a play, uttering words that were factually correct yet utterly inappropriate. Did the Officer genuinely not know, or did she realize she might be shot, yet still had to resort to such a primitive method to rally the chaotic soldiers, hoping to form a defensive line and attempt a counterattack? Nuonuo didn’t know; she couldn’t discern such nuances. To her, this was simply a dying person.

“F*ck, it’s all chaos… Stay behind me, girl! Staying here is just waiting for death. I’ll clear a path, run!” She had originally intended to show off her proud military equipment to this kindred spirit, this foreign girl. Instead, she had inadvertently led this innocent girl towards death. The Officer wasn’t a good person in the strictest sense, but her simple moral compass prevented her from accepting the reality that her own arrogance had doomed an innocent beauty. A primal sense of heroism compelled her to emerge from behind cover, drawing her pistol to shield Ling Xing, whom she perceived as a civilian girl, to escape the scene. Their vehicle was at the very end of the convoy, not deeply embroiled in the main chaos, but now they faced a direct assault from a ‘combatant.’ If she could draw attention, perhaps Ling Xing would have a chance to flee. Trusting this judgment, the Officer raised her pistol and squeezed the trigger.

Bang— Tat-tat-tat—

In an instant, with just a single exchange, three azure streaks of gunfire struck her thigh, grazed her armpit, and scraped her shoulder, sending her collapsing to her knees. Her position had long been pinpointed by the enemy; it was only because her chest was so ample, her frame differing from an average person’s, that the shots narrowly missed a fatal blow.

“Foolish. To challenge Darklier with such meager skill. Die!” The ‘combatant’ drew her blade, raising the scorching lightsaber in an executioner’s stance.

[Ha, thank her for drawing their attention. Now, no one should be able to stop you— Xing?]

[Xing, what are you doing? Go accomplish your objective.]

[Xing—?]

Urgent prompts streamed through the telepathic link. The lightsaber, scorching the very air, descended directly towards the Officer under her desperate gaze.

Then— *Snap.* A soft sound, accompanied by a girl’s impatient murmur.

“So noisy, it’s annoying. I told you, I’m not your subordinate.”

“What?!”

Ling Xing’s figure had subtly appeared beside the ‘combatant’ in the very instant she swung her blade down. The lightsaber, capable of melting armor, tearing through steel, and piercing tanks, was gently struck aside by Ling Xing with a flick of her wrist, slipping from her grasp as easily as a toy. It plunged into a nearby car door as if sinking into butter. When, and from where? No one witnessed Ling Xing’s movements; their eyes could only register the outcome—her sudden presence.

“You fool! How dare you oppose Darklier!” The ‘combatant’ snapped, then swiftly created distance and drew a pistol with her free hand. She was well-trained; her situational awareness and fluid movements far surpassed those of ordinary soldiers. However, to Ling Xing, it made no difference.

The ‘combatant,’ expertly drawing and firing, pulled the trigger, but nothing happened. She froze for a split second before realizing. Between Ling Xing’s fingertips, astonishingly, was the magazine of her firearm, along with a freshly ejected bullet.

“—! That speed, you’re…!”

“Ah.”

Pure, colorless crystals illuminated the girl’s figure, tinting her in a magnificent azure hue. “My apologies, Officer, but I truly believe what you said. One day, people won’t need magical girls to solve everything—”

With her back to the Officer, Ling Xing lightly tapped her foot, kicking up the pistol that had fallen when the Officer collapsed. “However, for now, that day hasn’t arrived.”