Chapter 68: The Magical Girls Start Taking It Seriously

“Hey, you skeleton freak!” Yan Luofi’s clear, provocative voice cut through the tense air, interrupting Ke Xin’s thoughts. “You think blocking a few attacks makes you impressive? Don’t underestimate magical girls!”

The red-haired girl stood on the edge of a rooftop that had miraculously survived the giant zombie’s rampage. The compound crossbow in her hand had expanded and morphed under the influence of her magic, with both the bow and the arms lengthening, while the arrows grew longer. The once pink glow had shifted into a dangerous crimson hue.

“Take this!”

With the pull of the trigger, a blinding red light illuminated the dark sky as the arrow shot directly at the zombie giant’s knee.

The skeleton monster clearly didn’t anticipate such a fierce attack. It hurriedly swung its bone staff, and a semi-transparent dark shield materialized just in time to cover the giant’s entire body.

However, it underestimated the force of the attack. As the arrow, imbued with violent red magic, collided with the shield, a dazzling explosion of light erupted, and the shield shattered after just two seconds.

The shockwave from the explosion not only made the giant sway but also caused the necromancer standing on the giant’s shoulder to stagger. It had to jab its bone staff into the giant’s body to stabilize itself, preventing it from slipping off.

Something’s wrong… these magical girls are completely different from the ones I’ve encountered before, the skeleton monster thought, a vague sense of unease rising within it, though it couldn’t pinpoint the source of this feeling.

“Damn bugs!” it screeched, its eye sockets glowing with a dangerous deep purple flame. “Once I kill all of you, I’ll make your skulls into night pots!”

Is it angry?

Ke Xin’s eyes lit up. She didn’t quite understand why the monster was angry, but she realized this was an opportunity.

She quickly pressed the comms button on her earpiece: “Everyone, listen up. Immediately adjust your formations to the specified coordinates. Increase the intensity of your attacks while maintaining a safe distance from the enemy. Try to lead it toward the northwest outskirts of the village.”

As she gave the order, the precise coordinates were instantly synced with the tactical goggles of every team member.

“Understood!” came the unanimous response from the magical girls over the comm channel.

Yan Luofi turned to glance at Ke Xin, who was calmly directing the team. A manic grin spread across her lips. She had to admit, if she were in charge, she wouldn’t be able to come up with such meticulous plans.

In contrast, she preferred pure combat.

At almost the same moment, another blazing red light shot from her hand. She had moved to a higher point above her designated coordinates, staying on the same level as the skeleton monster. “Come on, you skeleton freak! Didn’t you say you were going to use my skull as a night pot? You better not piss yourself—oh wait, I forgot, with your current state, I doubt you can even pee.”

Her crude and sharp taunts seemed to finally enrage the skeleton monster.

Once a chief mage who served the great high priest, it had never been humiliated by such a lowly creature—just a mere human.

It raised its staff high, and the giant zombie roared deafeningly, taking massive strides toward Yan Luofi. With every step it took, the ground cracked, and the ruins behind it were sent tumbling into the air in a cloud of dust.

“Such incredible destructive power,” Ke Xin murmured as she watched the giant zombie charge from the village center toward the outskirts. Quietly, she leapt to a nearby rooftop outside the village, kneeling on one knee and precisely pressing the transformation button on her magic weapon.

With the infusion of magic, the weapon emitted a faint mechanical hum and began a rapid, complex structural reconfiguration.

A pale pink glow spread from the muzzle of the weapon, and as it passed, the weapon shape underwent dramatic changes.

Once the light dissipated, the original sniper rifle had transformed into a majestic-looking long-handled staff. The top now had a thick cannon barrel, and intricate, glowing runes flowed along the staff’s shaft. To facilitate handling, the middle of the staff had ergonomic grips and a shoulder rest, making it look more like a magical anti-tank rocket launcher.

“Everyone, listen,” Ke Xin’s voice came over the comm channel, “I’m about to activate the highest power mode for the Annihilation Magic Cannon. It will take about three minutes to gather enough magic, during which I won’t be able to move or multitask. Please buy me enough time.”

“Is she going to use that technique? This is getting interesting,” Qi Si, who was most familiar with the power of the Annihilation Magic Cannon, thought. She also knew that Ke Xin would be more vulnerable than ever during this time.

Without hesitation, she picked up her specialized shotgun-shaped weapon, preparing to leave her current position on the mountain peak.

“Senior Lu, where are you going?” Kanai was the first to notice Qi Si’s intentions and quickly asked.

“Well, I can’t be of much help here. I’m going to get closer,” Qi Si shrugged, pointing toward the distant giant and gesturing with her hands to indicate the effective range of her weapon.

“But Senior Xia hasn’t given the order—”

Qi Si interrupted her. She didn’t want to be restricted by Ke Xin’s command: “Don’t worry about that. Besides, you all should have enough support here.”

Kanai still wanted to argue but couldn’t find a reason to stop her.

“Then, I’m heading out.”

“There’s no need to trouble yourself, Lu Qi Si,” a surprisingly familiar voice came through the earpiece—none other than the usually quiet Luo Anying. What surprised Qi Si even more was that she had used a private communication channel.

After a moment of thought, a meaningful smile appeared on Qi Si’s face.

So, Senior Luo Anying has this side to her.

“Let me guess. Senior Luo is currently right by Ke Xin’s side?”

“…”

The silence on the other end told Qi Si everything she needed to know.

Without needing to speculate, she raised her binoculars and quickly spotted Ke Xin, who was preparing to activate the Annihilation Magic Cannon, as well as Luo Anying, who was keeping a vigilant watch nearby.

“Since Senior Luo has already made the first move, the task of covering for Ke Xin will be left to you,” Qi Si’s tone shifted abruptly. “I’ll continue with my mission here.”

“Eh?” Luo Anying’s voice carried a hint of surprise. It seemed like she hadn’t expected Qi Si to suddenly change her mind.

“I mean, right now, the highest priority is dealing with that monster.”

“I didn’t—” Luo Anying tried to explain, but Qi Si had already decisively cut off the communication and sat down on the spot.

Since Kanai couldn’t hear the private conversation, she was left confused by Qi Si’s sudden change of plans. Her gaze shifted toward Qi Si, who had noticed it immediately.

“You’ll understand when you’re older,” Qi Si said casually, reaching over to ruffle Kanai’s grey-purple, gradient hair. As her hand brushed against Kanai’s fluffy animal ears, she added, “By the way, it feels just like real dog ears.”

“Senior Lu!?”

“What’s wrong?”

“N-nothing…” Kanai blushed, lowered her head, and instinctively swished her tail to the sid