Chapter 109: Powerful Royal-class
“Where did this news come from? Is that group just having a hysterical episode?” Luo Shuangyue found the situation very abstract.
Black Dragonfly shrugged; she was just an informant and had no ability to judge the authenticity of the information. She could only say that judging by the looks of that group, they seemed quite serious.
“They have already sent a team to the wasteland; I found out about this news quite late,” Black Dragonfly said.
By the time she got this news, those people had already hopped into off-road vehicles and raced into the wasteland, and all Black Dragonfly could know was which direction they headed.
This matter… Luo Shuangyue scratched her head a couple of times, finally deciding to stop thinking and just report it directly to Monise.
For such a significant matter, it was naturally up to Monise, the boss, to make the decision! As a mere second-in-command, it was better not to overstep her bounds.
After sending all the information she received from Black Dragonfly to Monise, Luo Shuangyue instantly felt lighter; the feeling of passing the buck to her boss felt really good.
If there were any issues afterward, it would be Monise’s responsibility, and it would have nothing to do with her.
With this thought, Luo Shuangyue’s mood improved significantly, and the corners of her mouth couldn’t help but rise.
However, she didn’t stay happy for long, as Monise’s reply made her frown again.
“I’m busy. You decide how to handle this.”
Great, the buck was passed back to her.
What does “handle it” mean? At least give me a clear directive! Should I keep an eye on those guys, or should I ignore them? What am I supposed to do with this “handle it”?
If I don’t manage it well, won’t the blame fall squarely on my head?
Luo Shuangyue felt a bit numb; it seemed she only had one option left.
To avoid any problems, she still had to keep an eye on that group of people, who might have exhausted their brain power by absorbing too much magical energy, to prevent them from causing some big news.
……
“Damn it, those jerks from the Magic Department actually got here first!”
Members of the evil organization, cloaked in black, poured out of their off-road vehicles one by one, staring at the massive pit before them that was completely empty, disappointment etched on all their faces.
They initially thought they could find something useful to take back, but looking at the bare pit, it was evident that someone had gotten there before them and taken everything.
“Hey! Didn’t you say only you saw something falling from the sky? Why did the Magic Department get here before us?” A burly man dressed like an officer grabbed the collar of a frail man next to him, angrily questioning him.
It was this frail man who spread rumors in the black market, claiming he knew a big secret. Now, it seemed that the big secret was neither so big nor so secret.
The frail man waved his hands in panic, insisting he was sure that at that time, he was the only one nearby and had actually seen the falling meteor.
As for why the Magic Department got to the site first, who knows? The Magic Department doesn’t abide by science; they operate on magic.
“Time! Yes, we spent too long. I saw the meteor fall several days ago!” the man defended loudly. “The Magic Department’s monitoring equipment must have detected something wrong here sooner…”
In any case, his point was that this wasn’t his fault; it was their slow reaction time. If they had only reacted a little faster, they wouldn’t have been beaten to the punch by the Magic Department.
“Look at this pit. It definitely wasn’t formed by nature. It fell from the sky!” He pointed at the pit, continuing to defend himself.
This pit could prove that everything he said was true. As for why there was nothing in it, was that his problem?
If there was blame to assign, it should be directed at the Magic Department for moving too quickly!
But such words clearly wouldn’t convince the members of the evil organization. After driving for so long and gathering so many people, were they merely going to see this pit?
What a joke!
If this idiot didn’t spit out the money they earned today, they wouldn’t mind leaving a nameless corpse on this wasteland.
“I don’t care what you say. All I know is that this trip can’t be for nothing. If you can’t provide us with a satisfactory answer, don’t blame us for being ruthless!”
Gripping the frail man’s throat, the officer threatened coldly.
Before he could finish, he suddenly heard his subordinates exclaiming, “Look! There’s something falling from the sky!”
What?
The officer immediately looked up, only to see a large fireball rapidly descending from what had just been a clear blue sky.
Chasing behind the fireball was a huge black creature.
The creature shot several beams of dark energy at the fireball, quickly turning it into a cloud of colorful fireworks.
An attack on an aircraft by a magical beast? The officer suddenly understood the situation; some reckless people enjoyed flying their private planes, and those daredevils ended up just like this when confronted by magical creatures.
Without the escort of Magical Girls, flying vehicles in the sky had nearly no resistance against magical beasts.
“Yes, that’s the thing I saw!” The frail man shouted.
Then he received a heavy punch to the face.
“You idiot! It’s just a regular reckless airplane! You think this is a priceless treasure?” The officer was also furious. What use was a plane wrecked by a magical beast? Did he come all the way here to collect the corpses of those daredevils?
“It seems the magical beast is coming towards us!” The panicked voices of the subordinates echoed again.
After wrecking an unknown plane, the beast’s speed increased instead of slowing down, heading directly towards the people on the ground.
Now the officer was genuinely scared. His status in the organization was low, and his strength was only at an ordinary transformed level, barely able to take on even an Initial Bloom Level Magical Girl.
From the looks of it, this magical beast was clearly not something to be trifled with; he felt it was better to run away quickly.
“Retreat! Retreat!” he shouted hoarsely, throwing the frail man to the ground without hesitation and sprinting towards the off-road vehicle, eager to leave this trouble spot.
But before he could reach the vehicles, a dark beam shot down from the sky and swept wide, obliterating his beloved vehicle.
His subordinates were already terrified, scrambling into the other cars and speeding away.
Leaving him alone, facing a giant magical beast that had descended from the sky.
The beast was covered in a metallic shell, looking more like a mechanical creation than a biological creature.
Then, both the officer and the frail man he had thrown to the ground were engulfed by the dark energy.
……
When the magical beast appeared, Luo Shuangyue was waiting at the edge of Xinghai City for someone.
She had originally intended to rush outside the city but had just approached the city limits when the bracelet on her wrist started beeping an alarm.
A second later, Xia Mo’s call came in.
After Luo Shuangyue explained the situation, Xia Mo pondered for a couple of seconds and stated that Luo Shuangyue’s current identity was somewhat sensitive, so she couldn’t go out alone.
However, it wasn’t impossible for her to go out; Xia Mo would fly over to accompany Luo Shuangyue there.
Xia Mo’s flying speed was very fast; even if she was at the other end of the city, it would only take her a minute or two to reach Luo Shuangyue.
Yet, within that minute or two, Luo Shuangyue received Xia Mo’s second call.
“A Royal-class magical beast has appeared at the location you are heading to, and it is approaching Xinghai City at high speed! It will arrive in about two minutes!”
A Royal-class magical beast? Heading straight for Xinghai City?
Hearing this news, Luo Shuangyue didn’t panic or feel afraid; as a top-tier Initial Bloom Level Magical Girl, she wouldn’t be scared of a Royal-class magical beast.
Magical beasts below the Demon Lord level always had disadvantages when facing Magical Girls of the same level, and even at the Demon Lord level, they needed to be in a favorable environment to deal with Blooming Level Magical Girls effectively.
For Luo Shuangyue, a Royal-class magical beast was at most just a sturdier target; she planned to test how strong she really was after acquiring You Lian.
“Should I take the initiative or wait for it to come?”
“Don’t be careless. I can reach you before it. The path it takes is all wasteland, so there’s nothing to protect.” Xia Mo’s intention was clear; Luo Shuangyue should wait at the spot until Xia Mo arrived.
After all, the magical beast couldn’t cause any damage at present; letting it come a bit closer was alright.
“In the upcoming battle, You Lian will take the lead, and I will gather some battlefield data.”
Then Luo Shuangyue heard Monise’s voice.
Huh? Boss, how did you get in on this call?
Moreover, my bracelet can only monitor location and basic physiological status, right? How are you going to gather data?
This question was soon answered, as Monise appeared next to Luo Shuangyue half a minute later, arriving even faster than Xia Mo.
You should never doubt the travel speed of a Blooming Level Magical Girl; within a minute, they could show up anywhere in the city.
“I was just worrying about how to collect real combat data, and I didn’t expect a perfectly suitable magical beast to solve this problem.”
Data collected during a battle between Magical Girls would contain some distortions; after all, the gap between Magical Girls and magical beasts was too large, and much of the data couldn’t be applied to magical beasts.
The most accurate data ultimately needed to be sourced from a real battle.
“Monise… Senior, how’s the situation with You Lian?” Not long after, Xia Mo also arrived, watching as Monise took out her notebook and prepared a drone for photography with a complex expression, calling Monise “Senior.”
After all, Monise was a Blooming Level Magical Girl with extensive experience, so calling her “Senior” was necessary.
Monise did not react to Xia Mo’s address; she merely looked towards the distance and said calmly, “The enemy is approaching. You Lian, prepare for battle.”
Dark clouds swiftly flew in from the distance, and after a few seconds, the magical beast fully appeared before the three of them.
Monise slightly furrowed her brows; it was her first time encountering a magical beast in such a form, but then again, magical beasts lacked a fixed shape, making each one unique.
As long as its power was at the Royal level, everything else was just a minor issue.
“Void Domain!” She struck her staff down heavily, engulfing both the magical beast and the three of them in a pitch-black space.
In this space, Monise could collect more detailed data.
As Monise activated the Void Domain, Luo Shuangyue had already summoned You Lian, and the two of them split into different paths, charging towards the unfamiliar Royal-class magical beast.
Clang!
Luo Shuangyue’s scythe struck heavily against the beast’s back, causing a small crack in its outer shell.
This result left Luo Shuangyue shocked; her attack power was definitely top-tier among Initial Bloom Level Magical Girls. A regular Royal-class magical beast would not be able to withstand this kind of blow.
It wouldn’t be rare for her just to chop off a hand; yet somehow this beast easily blocked the attack?
“Its defense is very high…” Monise also realized the extraordinary nature of this beast. Luo Shuangyue’s previous strike had contained significant damage, yet this magical beast had relied on its excellent bodily defense to withstand it.
This was a direct clash without any skills involved, and the result of the clash showed neither side had a clear advantage.
Not wanting to let her effort go to waste, Luo Shuangyue immediately pursued the magical beast, but it was no punching bag. The four large nozzles on its back erupted with black flames, momentarily boosting its speed to a degree Luo Shuangyue couldn’t even react to.
Boom!
The beast slammed its prow-like front limbs into Luo Shuangyue’s magical shield, instantly shattering her temporary shield into pieces.
And You Lian, who was trying to assist, was blown away by the gust of wind created by the beast, struggling to regain her balance.
Just as she steadied herself, a beam of dark energy shot out from the concealed cannon on the beast, smashing into You Lian.
The magical beast thought such a small thing could be easily handled with that level of energy blast.
But it would soon discover that using pure magical energy to hit You Lian was essentially just giving her snacks.
Everyone should know what You Lian originally was; possessing the characteristics of the Vengeful Spirit Demon Emperor, she naturally had the ability for super absorption of pure energy.
The dark light the magical beast shot at You Lian was easily absorbed, transforming into her own power.
Raising her small scythe, You Lian let out a crisp “Ha!”
The dark crescent blade was swung out, staggering the Royal-class magical beast.
Don’t blame You Lian for her low damage output; after all, the magical beast hadn’t gone all out against her. Otherwise, that counterattack from You Lian would have made the magical beast understand how painful a full-force strike could be.
But this stagger was sufficient for Luo Shuangyue to regain the initiative in the battle.
Realizing this magical beast wasn’t as easy to deal with as she had initially thought, Luo Shuangyue set aside her impudent attitude and fully unleashed all her power.
The enormous blade of the scythe whirled around her with tremendous speed, and a pair of dark purple butterfly wings unfolded behind her, increasing her speed to a level that wasn’t much slower than the magical beast. Although still not as fast as this strange beast, she wouldn’t be like a target standing still to be hit.
The sounds of metal clashing echoed constantly in the Void Domain; the entire sky had transformed into their battlefield. Their speeds were so fast they approached teleportation, with the previous second being hundreds of meters apart and the next second possibly flying to other places.
In the continuous battle, the red bar above the magical beast’s head was steadily decreasing at an even pace, while the slow blue bar above Luo Shuangyue’s head was also descending.
The magical beast’s body was too large, unable to perfectly evade Luo Shuangyue’s attacks, while it rarely landed a hit on her.
Even if it connected, without any speed enhancement, its attacks lacked enough power to pose a significant threat to Luo Shuangyue.
If they continued fighting in this manner, Luo Shuangyue’s victory was entirely foreseeable.
“This magical lord’s attributes are significantly stronger than the ones we’ve encountered before… even surpassing those powerful magical lords that have been heavily recorded.” Although the situation on Luo Shuangyue’s side was excellent, Monise’s expression was not relaxed.
Yes, though this creature was being suppressed by You Lian, the latter’s battling power was not at the level of an ordinary Initial Bloom Level Magical Girl.
If even You Lian took so much time and effort to defeat this magical beast, how could an ordinary Initial Bloom Level Magical Girl possibly compete with it?
The most crucial point was, this magical lord appeared out of thin air; there had never been any observation indicating such a magical lord existed. It couldn’t have suddenly popped up during the Magic Department’s sweep of magical beasts in the wasteland, could it?
“Rosemary, if it were you facing this magical beast, what percentage chance do you think you would have to win?”
“Possibly… less than 10%.” Xia Mo bit her lip, not forcing herself to save face.
She was all too aware of this magical beast’s combat strength; that incredible speed was a nightmare for her, and her magic cannon’s power couldn’t match up to Luo Shuangyue’s scythe.
If Luo Shuangyue was struggling, her situation would only be more disastrous.
That 10% chance depended on her ultimate magic cannon breaking through the magical beast’s defense, then the beast charging directly at her to take the damage to win.
While Monise and Xia Mo were conversing, the situation on Luo Shuangyue’s side had clarified completely.
After absorbing a myriad of attacks, the metal-like shell of the magical beast finally lost its defensive effect, and Luo Shuangyue made a strike that cut deep into its body.
The magical energy imbued with deathly power surged along the blade into the magical beast, manifesting as twisted thorns within its body, spreading and absorbing its magical energy while destroying its bodily structures.
The magical beast emitted a piercing scream, releasing a surge of powerful magic energy that sent Luo Shuangyue flying.
After temporarily repelling the formidable enemy, the magical beast seemed to realize it would die if it continued battling. A hint of retreat flashed in its eyes.
But before it could make a decision, several strands of dark energy converged on its back, and You Lian leapt out, brandishing her small scythe to strike at the wound Luo Shuangyue had dealt.
“Wait…” Luo Shuangyue gasped, pleading internally for her little companion not to show up at this moment!
Not that she was worried about You Lian’s safety; this little one appeared human but was essentially a collection of magical energy. Even if destroyed, it would only take a bit of her magical power to regenerate.
To simplify, what everyone saw as You Lian was essentially a robot, while the real You Lian was hiding within Luo Shuangyue’s consciousness, controlling this robotic version.
So if the outside version of You Lian were to perish, it wouldn’t affect the one in Luo Shuangyue’s mind.
So what was Luo Shuangyue genuinely worried about?
She was anxious about herself!
After striking the magical lord with countless blows, the last strike injected a significant amount of her magical energy into the creature.
If You Lian landed this strike… the results could be quite beautiful; the rate at which her blue energy bar dropped would be even more beautiful.
Crack!
Clearly, Luo Shuangyue had shouted too late. Just as she called out, You Lian’s small scythe had already hit the magical beast.
The battlefield, which had just been bursting with action, suddenly froze; Luo Shuangyue’s face turned pale as she fell from the sky like a bird with broken wings.
And that magical lord… it wasn’t leaving peacefully.
Dark purple light gushed out from every wound on its body; the moment You Lian struck, it was torn into pieces by the powerful force erupting from within.
The remaining health bar above its head instantly zeroed out, and it transformed into a beautiful purple firework in midair.
Xia Mo barely had time to marvel at the power of You Lian’s strike as she hurriedly flew into the sky to catch Luo Shuangyue in her arms.
“Thank you! If you hadn’t caught me, I might have really fallen to my doom,” Luo Shuangyue said, her face pale, as her blue energy bar was nearly empty.
You Lian’s recent strike had not only depleted the magical beast’s health bar but had also completely drained Luo Shuangyue’s energy bar.
Yet the little one seemed completely oblivious to how her action had nearly cost her master; she was gazing curiously at the purple fireworks above.
These things… seemed edible?
She reached out to catch a wisp of flame, and the dark purple flame easily melded into her body.
It’s really delicious! You Lian’s eyes brightened; this magical energy blended well with her, requiring zero effort to absorb!
She quickly transformed back into her dark mist form, splitting off into multiple paths to consume the energy left behind after the magical beast’s explosion.
This magical energy was not entirely consumed by You Lian; a large portion transferred to Luo Shuangyue, rapidly replenishing her previously drained blue energy bar to about 60%.
It dawned upon Luo Shuangyue, so this was how it could be done?
After defeating a magical beast, she could actually recover her energy by consuming its remains?
You Lian’s speed of collecting magical energy was swift, and before long, she had devoured all the purple energy in the sky. Meanwhile, Luo Shuangyue’s magical power was restored to roughly 60%.
That meant You Lian’s recent strike had only utilized about 10% of Luo Shuangyue’s magical power.
In that case, the cost for such a powerful attack was totally acceptable; finishing with such a high-powered move that only used a tenth of her energy was hard for anyone to believe!
After finishing devouring all the purple magical energy, You Lian noticed a black crystal floating amidst the magic energy. Out of curiosity, she held the crystal close and knocked on it with her palm.
Sturdy?
Thinking this, You Lian opened her small mouth and bit the black crystal.
Crack.
“Wait!” Luo Shuangyue hurriedly flew next to You Lian, snatching the source magical energy from her little hand.
This couldn’t be eaten casually.
You Lian chewed the object a couple of times, displaying a pitiful and innocent expression. “Hungry!”
She found the taste of this black crystal quite appealing; it produced a lovely sound when chewed.
Thus, You Lian felt a tad upset at Luo Shuangyue’s intervention.
Luo Shuangyue glanced at the partially nibbled original magical energy, casting a complex look at Monise.
“Is eating this really okay?”
Seeing the magical beast had already been eliminated and the original magical energy was now in Luo Shuangyue’s hands, Monise withdrew her Void Domain.
“Don’t forget what she is.” Regarding Luo Shuangyue’s concerns, Monise simply thought she was underestimating her little pet!
After all, this was a true embodiment of a Demon Emperor, one of the most gluttonous among them. Were you worried she would get a stomachache?
It’s just a piece of a magical lord’s original magical energy; serving it as a snack to You Lian was more than sufficient.
As for the magical lord’s consciousness… do you really think a magical lord’s consciousness could take down a Demon Emperor?
That statement awakened Luo Shuangyue; oh, right. Regardless of You Lian’s adorable appearance, she was a being capable of destroying an entire city on her own before her transformation into a pet.
In comparison to such a powerhouse, what was a single magical lord? Just a snack.
“Then should we let her eat it?”
“Better to take it back for now. The Magic Department is currently collecting these items. If we indulge in a piece of Royal-class magical energy, they’ll definitely have a problem with it,” Monise contemplated for a few seconds and said to Luo Shuangyue.
Although a small portion had been bitten off, it was largely intact; once submitted, the Magic Department wouldn’t say much.
The most important thing at this point should be to quickly process the battle data from this fight, to see Luo Shuangyue’s real combat power given You Lian’s presence, and just how strong this magical lord really was.
……
An hour later, Luo Shuangyue sat expressionless in what seemed to be a classroom, watching Monise and the director engage in a heated discussion over the recently collected data.
“You’re telling me You Lian’s combat power is at the top of the Initial Bloom Level? I believe that, but how do you explain these data? Is this Royal-class magical lord’s data for real?!”
The director pointed at the data displayed on the large screen, loudly addressing Monise.
“You tell me this Royal-class magical beast’s shell can withstand attacks from Blooming Level Magical Girls, and that Initial Bloom Level Magical Girls can’t deal any damage to it, plus it possesses greater speed than Initial Bloom Level Magical Girls and good ranged attack capabilities?”
“Is this what you call a Royal-class magical beast? This one can defeat three of the previously recorded strongest Royal-class magical beasts!”
The director wasn’t doubting Monise; it was just that the data she had calculated was far too astonishing. The Royal-class magical beast Luo Shuangyue had just taken down was entirely different from any others.
This Royal-class magical beast was covered with a tough shell, highly mobile, and had a diverse array of attacks—completely unlike the Royal-class magical beasts previously encountered by the Magic Department.
“If this data is accurate, I have to suspect this thing is an alien beast that fell from the sky.”
“Actually, it’s not impossible; that beast may well have fallen from the sky.” Monise cleared her throat.
Were there magical beasts in space?
That question had puzzled people for a long time, but eventually, a brave Blooming Level Magical Girl personally visited space and found that magical beasts did indeed exist there.
Though they were scarce and had vastly different body structures from those on land, their strength generally ranged from Soldier to General level. With their rarity, they posed no significant threat to people on land.
So people largely ignored those magical beasts in the sky; after all, they could be easily dealt with when they fell, so there was no need to pay too much attention.
However, this latest magical beast undoubtedly shattered people’s previous views; the magical beasts from above seemed to be much stronger than those below?
“Forget it; I’ll send this data up. Whether those above believe it is no longer my concern. You can explain it to them yourself.”
“That depends on whether they dare come and ask me,” Monise lightly huffed, not afraid of those so-called ‘higher-ups’.
To be more precise, some of those people had grudges against her as well.
