Chapter 50: The Shifting Stance

The Magic Supervision Department brought Polaris both good news and bad news.

The good news was that they had located Liu Tianze; his movements were now officially under the Department’s surveillance. In the past two days, thanks to supplementary clues and questioning of related individuals, his background and objectives were gradually becoming clear.

The notebook salvaged from the fire scene proved even more useful than expected. Placed before those involved, it became the final piece in tearing apart lies and exposing harsh truths.

The bad news was that the Department’s stance toward him had changed.

Due to the severe casualties he had caused in the old mansion and the unexpected threat he posed, the original plan—“communicate with him and bring him back”—was canceled. The new directive became: “Contact and communicate with him as peacefully as possible; if necessary, neutralize him.”

This was not the outcome Polaris wanted. Any confrontation could have unpredictable consequences. So when she arrived first at the park with her team and saw Liu Tianze walking in, she exhaled slightly and immediately began evacuating the surrounding civilians.

But just looking at Liu Tianze, sitting motionless on a bench and unreactive to the falling rain, made Polaris’ mood as dark as the storm clouds above.

He didn’t seem to be waiting for anyone—he looked like he had given up entirely, sitting there in a daze.

Polaris spoke softly: “Liu Tianze, we can help you.”

The boy didn’t respond. Polaris looked into his eyes but saw only a stagnant pool. It was a numbness beyond despair—a face forged from a shattered soul. Rain ran down his face as if slicing it into countless fragments named despair.

She lowered her shield, trying to appear non-threatening, and took two steps forward.

“We won’t hurt you. Are you alright?”

“The rain’s heavy—come with us. We’ll help you.”

The rain intensified, and the wind raged. He trembled, as if he might collapse at any moment. Polaris quickened her pace, only to hear a weak murmur:

“I’m not… going… not going…”

His faint words were almost lost in the rain. Liu Tianze shook his head, tottering on the edge of falling.

“We’re not here to capture you or fight you. We… just want to make sure you’re okay.”

“If you want, you can tell us what you’ve been through. We’ll stay here with you.”

Shared burden… companionship… these words pierced the ragged nerves of his psyche, and his resistance grew even fiercer.

“No… no need… you should leave…”

“It’s all my fault, it’s all me, everything is my fault…”

He shook his head, straightened his posture, tears mixing with rain. His voice, moistened by the downpour, was painfully dry.

“Don’t come near me… you… you’re too bright.”

Polaris froze.

A thin crack suddenly appeared on her armor—the old scar left by Black Mirror, never healed, now silently resonating.

Liu Tianze’s body radiated corrosive magic.

She couldn’t get closer. She realized immediately—the magic of a Magical Girl would only awaken the monster slumbering within him, pushing him past the breaking point.

Magical energy surged around, flowing into his weakened body and exploding outward. Black-purple veins began spreading across the puddles, like malevolent tendrils.

The boy trembled, sweat, rain, and tears rolling down his pale jaw.

“I… I’m beyond saving.”

He said it so calmly, as if pronouncing fate itself. Yet deep in his eyes, he seemed to signal the opposite—save me.

Polaris was about to act when Liu Tianze slipped off the bench, kneeling in the mud, fingers digging deep, lips slightly parted but drowned by the rain.

Asherah instinctively stepped forward but was restrained by Polaris.

“Don’t… it’s too late.”

Before the words fell, a dark, night-black magic erupted from Liu Tianze, forcing Polaris back three steps.

The malevolent power near them escalated to the verge of corruption-class strength.

Other Magical Girls nearby quickly regrouped around Polaris. In the rain, Liu Tianze’s twisted form seemed ready to become another being.

Asherah’s expression flickered with conflict. Her hands raised and dropped repeatedly, silently battling her impulses. Struggling and pity reflected in her eyes, she whispered: “Senpai… what should we do…”

Polaris paused, suppressing her emotions:

“If he loses control completely, I’ll restrain him. You focus on weakening his magic… maybe there’s still a chance.”

She simultaneously sent a support request to the Department while leading her team to retreat.

Meanwhile, instinctual combat desire stirred within her—the presence of an opposing side had formed.

The air seemed frozen, then malice ripened like a fruit.

The magic erupted from Liu Tianze, and before the four Magical Girls now stood a humanoid abomination.

It retained a human silhouette but stretched unnaturally. Its arms hung to its knees, fingers cracked, leaving black streaks; its spine exposed, bones reversed, jaggedly piercing skin, writhing along its back; a massive gash in its chest revealed the corrosive core, bizarrely rotating like an eyeball, reflecting the terror around it.

Most unsettling was its face.

Half consumed by black fluid, the other half retained a boyish outline but devoid of any humanity.

Black-purple cracks snaked across the ground, hissing.

It raised its head; the split mouth tore into an indescribable curve.

The battle erupted the moment it moved.

In an instant, the black-purple cracks surged toward the Magical Girls.

“Scatter! Stay alert!” Polaris shouted, stepping forward with her shield.

The cracks slithered like snakes. The Girls dodged; Baoyu fired, destroying one, confirming they could be destroyed.

Wherever the cracks struck, trees snapped, the ground twisted, benches split—proof of their power.

Polaris directed a strategy of attrition. She aimed to weaken Liu Tianze’s magic, seeking a chance to awaken him. Though suppressed, the apparent disadvantage was intentional.

No one dared go all out—any fatal harm could mean the complete end of the boy.

Rain fell harder, visibility blurred. They had to adapt quickly.

Baoyu had emptied two magazines, avoiding the core to preserve his humanoid features, carefully managing her shots.

String Moon focused her blade on the enemy’s legs. Her spinning blade cut into the black-gray flesh repeatedly, but the wounds healed almost immediately, barely affecting mobility.

Asherah leapt through the rain, striking the exposed spine while Polaris absorbed the crushing blows with her shield.

A tense stalemate ensued briefly, but human adaptability soon seized the advantage.

Asherah punched the creature’s back, destabilizing it; others followed up, forcing the abomination to kneel.

It showed no intelligence, no sign of communication. Polaris recalled the tragic records at the Department and called urgently:

“Liu Tianze, can you hear us? Wake up, we—”

Before she could finish, twin fists slammed into her shield. She grunted, stumbling back—its strength was immense, even more brutal than before.

The temporary setback seemed to fuel its frenzy. It raised its arms and launched a furious assault, slamming fists into the ground, spraying mud and water.

Thunder rolled in the distance. The eyeball-like core glowed intensely; magic surged violently.

An attack was coming!

But it wasn’t aimed at them. Asherah shouted:

“Senpai, behind it…!”

A massive purple rift appeared behind it, swirling with strange, dangerous colors. Liu Tianze was suddenly swallowed, vanishing from Polaris’ view.

He disappeared…?

Despite the downpour, silence fell. Their heightened alertness sharpened.

As their gaze shifted, several magical energy readings appeared—massive rifts tearing the space around them.

Polaris noticed a small, central rift slowly forming—the core, the “Giant Eye,” glowing a mysterious red.

Before she could react, a crimson beam shot from the core, cutting through the rain.

String Moon felt the searing light. Its roar nearly shattered her eardrums. She realized the beam was coming for her.

At the last moment, a halo of starlight appeared before her. Polaris’ small yet resolute figure blocked the beam.

“Polaris…!”

The shield, wrapped in starlight like when she saved Baoyu from Black Mirror, absorbed the beam completely.

Baoyu fired at the core, hitting it. The core’s flesh twitched; the beam swept outward, narrowly avoided by Baoyu and Asherah.

Its power far exceeded expectations—trees fell, grass scorched, mist obscuring vision.

The abomination clutched its core, roaring. More cracks formed around it. Approaching became increasingly dangerous.

“Senpai, we can’t avoid harming him in this situation…” Baoyu hesitated.

“The only way is to calm it for now.” Polaris’ starlight shield flashed over Baoyu and Asherah, guarding them from lethal blows.

Time passed. Liu Tianze remained unresponsive. The rain, predicted as moderate, worsened—everything seemed spiraling out of control.

“It’s getting smarter,” String Moon said, spinning her blade to restrict its movement. The cracks mirrored her attacks, becoming harder to dodge. The abomination used multiple attacks simultaneously, exposing Polaris’ magic as it covered the others.

It was evolving, forming “thoughts”—but not Liu Tianze’s consciousness; the creature hatched from the core.

Fear gripped the Magical Girls.

What are we even fighting?

Polaris had another concern: despite her request for support, none had arrived in the heavy rain—a serious anomaly.

At the Department, the “Information Section” office was chaotic.

“What’s happening? Dozens of Corrupted Entity sightings in three minutes?!”

“Leader, four more just came in, locations are…”

“All verified! Every report appears genuine!”

The mustachioed leader slammed the desk: “This isn’t normal! Someone’s manipulating this!”

“Should we ignore them all? North Star requested support…”

“No, we can’t gamble with lives. Report to superiors immediately, alert all standby teams, maintain maximum vigilance until verified.”

He drew a line across multiple sighting points on the map, directing Zhuohua’s team to clear the path toward Polaris—fast.

Meanwhile, in a corner of the city, Rainbow, holding an umbrella, snapped a photo of a rampaging Corrupted Entity.

“Location… recorded, photo uploaded. Description… hmm… ‘Help, a terrifying monster is going to kill me, come quickly!’ Sent!”

Hum hum, sending another sighting report. Though her prank would annoy the Department, she found the thought amusing.

The rain fell heavily. Polaris gripped her shield, exhausted but immovable. The team’s repeated coordinated attacks were countered by the increasingly cunning creature.

Their breathing grew heavier as they fought. Most of these girls had never faced anything beyond slightly stronger infiltration-class Corrupted Entities, let alone city-level threats like this.

This wasn’t a fight—it was a lesson in how to kill them.

Baoyu forced more magic into her gun. The creature focused on her as the weakest link, exploiting gaps and forcing Polaris to constantly expend magic for defense.

Thunder rolled again. The “eye” in Liu Tianze’s chest contracted, magic trembled, and for the first time, it targeted the sky, sensing a greater threat.

The black-uniformed girl, Black Mirror, landed at the battlefield center. She scanned the Magical Girls, then looked at Liu Tianze, sensing something wrong—his condition was worse than expected, and his surging magic emanated an unusual aura.

Something wasn’t right.

Before analyzing the dissonance, she asked the two silenced companions: “At this point, do you still want to save him?”

Behind her, Wen Qiusheng and Ji Lanxin gazed at their once-familiar ally, now unrecognizable.