Chapter 50: The Genesis of a Legend

Legend recounted that the very first time Magical Girls were deployed on a battlefield, not only their allies but even their adversaries were mesmerized by their dazzling presence.

The instant they graced the battlefield, both warring factions ceased their combat, their skirmishes, their firing, and even their desperate attempts to flee.

Both sides remained transfixed, their gazes fixed on the Magical Girls’ forms, only snapping out of their bewildered stupor once the Girls’ offensive had concluded.

This particular legend, immortalized in textbooks, had long been dismissed as nothing more than an exaggerated account.

After all, Magical Girls were merely girls endowed with formidable magic. At best, they were exceptionally potent and unique combat units. How could they possibly compel warring armies to simultaneously abandon their weapons and forget their conflict?

Colonel Sarif, an Allied officer, along with her entire unit, had always dismissed such tales with utter contempt, convinced they were nothing but fabrications concocted to serve as propaganda for Magical Girls.

Indeed, a considerable number of individuals shared their skepticism.

Yet, those very individuals, clinging to such convictions and vehemently refuting the legends…

…were, in this very moment, witnessing the genesis of their own legend.

An azure presence, manifesting within this desperate abyss of death, swept away the acrid smoke and the raging fires of war.

A maiden, descending amidst the cacophony of wails and cries, repelled the encroaching shadow of death.

Soldiers on the verge of retreat, soldiers screaming in agony, soldiers firing in desperation, soldiers sobbing with their heads buried in their hands, soldiers still fiercely resisting… every single one found an inexplicable calm with the advent of this blue and white spectacle.

They were pacified, utterly captivated by this vibrant splash of color, and by the delicate, lithe, and fair-skinned figure of the petite girl who embodied it.

The cacophonous battlefield, rife with the thunder of guns and cannons, instantly fell into an uncanny silence at her mere appearance.

She intercepted the hail of bullets meant for soldiers facing execution, unleashed a tempest upon the enemies intent on slaughter, swept away the choking clouds of war that permeated the field, and brought peace to the anguished cries rising from the flames.

No one dared to fire again, neither the soldiers nor the ‘combatants’.

It was as if, instinctively, everyone grasped that firearms held no meaning against her.

To fire, they realized, would only be to desecrate her ethereal beauty with jarring noise and acrid smoke.

Still, a few ‘combatants’ attempted to launch an attack amidst the profound silence, but Ling Xing, with a mere glance, sent them sprawling.

These very ‘combatants,’ who had driven the soldiers to the brink of utter annihilation, were nothing more than mere playthings in the maiden’s hands.

In her grasp, these foes, so utterly terrifying to the soldiers, resembled harmless toys, toppling haphazardly like puppets on a stage, collapsing in a heap.

“Amateurish theatrics. As ‘combatants,’ you are utterly unqualified.”

The girl, Ling Xing, let out a soft, dismissive hum, then beckoned with a single, elegant finger.

“Come at me, all of you imposter ‘combatants.’ Allow me to demonstrate precisely what a true elite combatant is capable of—!”

“……Retreat! We possess no means to contend with a Magical Girl! The retrieval operation has failed; initiate the contingency protocol!”

It was only when the ‘combatants’ finally responded that the bewildered soldiers, as if waking from a deep slumber, snapped back to consciousness from their entranced observation.

They frantically re-gripped their weapons, yet…

Everything had already concluded.

BOOM————————

Having failed to achieve their intended objective, the ‘combatants’ ultimately detonated explosives, obliterating the target truck, before their forms vanished into a shimmering distortion.

It was, unmistakably, a form of spatial magic, activated to instantaneously transport them back to a pre-determined location.

This was an unalterable outcome, and moreover… an outcome Ling Xing had no desire to change.

[You mean… you already knew their objective was the device, and that they would destroy it if their plan failed? Is that why you…]

[Ah, it’s been years, and it seems you haven’t made much progress, Nuonuo.]

Nuonuo’s incredulous gasp echoed through their psychic link.

With that, everything settled into place.

The machinations of this ‘Dark Organization’ had been thwarted by Ling Xing, and the contingency they had prepared was precisely what Ling Xing had hoped would transpire.

The destruction of the device, precisely what Nuonuo had requested.

Only now, with the dust settled, did Nuonuo fully comprehend that Ling Xing had, in a mere fleeting moment, analyzed the intentions and contingency plans of these unwelcome intruders. She had then chosen the most suitable and ultimately most peaceful path, resolving not only the conflict but also the primary objective.

In stark contrast, she, an intellectual and researcher, had only grasped this crucial detail after everything had already come to its conclusion.

[No… I haven’t changed. It’s you who has transformed far too much, become far too formidable, Ling Xing.]

In just a few short years, the ‘brat’ who once hid behind Dal had matured into this sharp, dependable individual…

Nuonuo’s reddened eyes, dark as a crow’s feather, fixed on Ling Xing’s profile, only to avert her gaze after a long, contemplative moment.

[I’ll graciously accept that as a compliment for now—though I would still much prefer you to say it to my face, Nuonuo.]

[Very well, if you would only come to see me.]

In mere moments, Ling Xing and Nuonuo had, through their psychic connection, already finalized their plans and concluded their conversation.

It was only then that the officer, wounded in the thigh and slumped awkwardly on the ground, managed to stammer out a bewildered question.

“Urgh… you’re… this is… a Magical Girl?”

The savior who had appeared in her moment of dire peril was, incredibly, a Magical Girl herself—one who had traveled alongside her, and, due to their shared convictions, had even once joined her in attacking Magical Girls.

How utterly absurd, how profoundly ridiculous…

The officer knelt on the ravaged ground, her fingers weakly clutching the dirt, as she extended a hand towards the chaotic battlefield before her, her heart heavy with bitter resentment.

She, who had so openly scorned Magical Girls, who had actively participated in attacking them, who had proudly asserted that Magical Girls were unnecessary, convinced that the army alone could resolve any crisis—she had, in the end… found herself utterly helpless against the ‘Dark Organization’s’ assault, brought to the very brink of death.

The very Magical Girl she had scorned and attacked had, ironically, listened patiently to all her ridiculous pronouncements throughout their journey, even nodding in agreement with her every viewpoint. Then, with a cheerful smile, she had personally shattered every last one of them.

Her actions had unequivocally proven the officer’s erroneous beliefs.

Had it not been for Ling Xing, for this Magical Girl who, despite enduring the officer’s clownish provocations and relentless mockery—even as the ‘Dark Organization’ treated the officer herself like a roadside stray, kicking her leg until it snapped—had stepped forward to save the convoy, the officer would not even have had the chance to kneel here in such agony.

Fate, it seemed, had played a cruel and monumental jest.

“Oh? I am not,”

Facing the utterly distraught officer, who knelt on the ground, her eyes devoid of their former spark, Ling Xing smiled gently. She extended a small hand, taking the officer’s somewhat large one in hers.

She tenderly helped the officer to her feet and guided her to a nearby vehicle seat, ensuring she could maintain a semblance of dignity and comfort, before softly continuing her reply.

“I am Elite Combatant Ling Xing, merely capable of utilizing a few Magical Girl abilities… Now, keep fighting, Officer-sis. Your perspective will surely come to fruition one day. Humanity will eventually reach a point where Magical Girls are no longer needed, capable of confronting all crises on their own.”

“……Thank you.”

In the end, this Magical Girl, who had saved everything, showed no inclination to boast of her achievements. She even actively used a small jest to alleviate the officer’s embarrassment, comforting her despite the foolish remarks she had made.

What a tender maiden, possessing such a delicate and gentle heart beneath her valiant exterior.

Unlike the drunkards, drug addicts, brawlers, and criminals back home, perhaps *this* was what a true Magical Girl was. A Magical Girl worthy of the title ‘hero’.