**Chapter 146: Preterm Birth**
Something went wrong.
Xia Mo felt as if her heart was being tightly squeezed by a giant claw, making it difficult for her to breathe.
Clearly, everything was developing in a positive direction, and this battle should have ended perfectly without anyone getting hurt. But what happened now? Why did the situation suddenly change in an instant?
“Rosemary, you…”
“Take me over there!” Xia Mo tried hard to pull her arm away from Fei Yue’s grip.
“But it won’t help if you go over there!”
“But I must go, and I might be able to do something.”
While the two of them were entangled, Fei Hongzhi flew over. After listening to Xia Mo and Fei Yue’s argument, she fell silent for a few seconds and signaled to her sister to let Xia Mo go.
“I’ll take Rosemary there,” she said.
“But sister…”
“In this situation, it’s better to take her over,” Fei Hongzhi said seriously as she took Xia Mo’s hand.
She had her reasons for doing this. The situation with the seniors over there was clearly stuck, and Xia Mo might be the key to breaking the deadlock.
Fei Hongzhi believed in Xia Mo, trusted this companion who had just broken through her limit.
After all, they had fought together to the death once, hadn’t they?
“Thank you.”
“No need to thank me. If it weren’t for you and the Dark Butterflies, my sister and I might not even be standing here,” Fei Hongzhi shook her head and flew straight to where Luo Shuangyue was.
It didn’t take long for them to arrive next to Luo Shuangyue, and as soon as they stopped, Xia Mo eagerly pulled away from Fei Hongzhi’s hand and lunged toward Luo Shuangyue.
But she did not touch Luo Shuangyue. Just before her fingertips could make contact, a flash of dark purple light flickered, and a sharp spike pressed against Xia Mo’s fingertip.
“What is going on?” This familiar scene made Xia Mo furrow her brows.
It seemed she had seen a similar scene not too long ago.
“As you can see, the magical power is out of control.” Seeing Xia Mo arrive beside her, Luo Shuangyue, whose consciousness was gradually falling into chaos, regained some clarity.
Her magical power was being rebellious, trying to remodel her body.
At this moment, Luo Shuangyue finally realized that her previous thoughts were indeed not wrong; she was not a magical girl.
A magical girl’s power would not disobey like this.
This power seemed to have its own consciousness, and even as its master, Luo Shuangyue could not control it… no, one should ask, was Luo Shuangyue truly its master?
“If, and I mean if, everything is too late to save, just kill me immediately,” Luo Shuangyue said, staring into Xia Mo’s eyes, word by word.
The remaining magical power from Bai Ye in her hands was already too weak to withstand the onslaught of the Dark Butterfly’s power, allowing her to barely maintain her sanity over her last territory.
Other matters, she no longer had the energy to pay attention to.
Perhaps, her body had become as ugly as a magical beast?
Xia Mo felt as if a knife had deeply pierced her heart, the tearing pain rendering her speechless.
She didn’t want Luo Shuangyue to die, absolutely not.
“There must be a way; you can’t say such foolish things!” she said softly.
Even knowing in her heart that this was just self-persuasion, she had to say it.
Because if she didn’t, she would truly go insane.
“Then let’s think positively; perhaps I need to go through this hurdle to break through to Blooming Level?” Luo Shuangyue revealed a somewhat bitter smile, and this time she wasn’t lying.
Why did the Big Butterfly appear suddenly? Why did it try to seize the power of that royal-class magical creature? When did this issue arise?
Everything pointed to one answer: her power had already reached the boundary between Initial Bloom and Blooming Level. One more step forward, and she would be a Blooming Level magical girl.
Before, she thought she couldn’t reach Blooming Level because her conviction wasn’t strong enough.
But now it seemed that things might not be so complicated; her breakthrough didn’t require so many flashy elements. She just needed to devour that Demon Lord to smoothly break through to Blooming Level.
However, whether she would still be the Luo Shuangyue everyone knew after her breakthrough remained uncertain.
At that time, she might not be called Blooming Level Magical Girl Dark Butterfly, but rather Dark Butterfly Demon Lord, perhaps.
Faintly, Luo Shuangyue heard cheers coming from the distance.
“We’ve succeeded!”
“Everything has been cleaned up!”
What has been cleaned up? Her consciousness gradually sank into chaos as she fell continuously into the dark, bottomless abyss.
…
The remnants of the demon lord’s body were completely swallowed by Qidian, but the Big Butterfly, whose meal had been robbed, didn’t react much. It simply recalled the magical blood and flesh it had assimilated and leisurely flew toward Luo Shuangyue.
All the way, it ignored the magical girls trying to block it and smoothly flew to the top of Luo Shuangyue, gradually converting the demon lord energy it brought back into a large black cocoon.
Xia Mo still wanted to stay next to Luo Shuangyue, but the Soul Guide forcibly took her away from there.
Although she didn’t know what the Big Butterfly intended to do, the Soul Guide felt inexplicably that this butterfly seemed to mean no harm.
It flew over to bring the demon lord’s energy back to Luo Shuangyue, much like a family elder feeding a younger generation…
As Luo Shuangyue was completely wrapped in the black cocoon, a faint white light was ejected from the black cocoon as if it was spitting out something dirty.
After being expelled from the black cocoon, the white light lingered in place for a moment before quickly flying toward the lunar base.
“Is that… a hairpin?” Xia Mo recognized the white light’s essence; it was the hairpin that Luo Shuangyue had just used to adorn her hair.
So where is this hairpin flying to? Does it have its own consciousness as well?
A very absurd thought suddenly surged in Xia Mo’s heart. If this hairpin truly had consciousness, then what would it do when Luo Shuangyue encountered danger and it was powerless to help?
Would it seek out another person who could use it, a relative connected by blood to Luo Shuangyue?
…
“Senior, I still don’t understand what is happening; what has happened to my sister?”
Luo Shuangxing, being held by an unfamiliar Blooming Level Magical Girl, looked anxious. Upon hearing that Luo Shuangyue was in trouble, she fell into a state of panic.
Could it be that, after Mom and Dad, her sister was also going to leave her?
Once that thought entered her mind, it caused Luo Shuangxing’s heart to race.
It can’t be like that, it absolutely cannot…
Luo Shuangxing tried to convince herself, but her heart continued to race anxiously, making it impossible to think calmly.
Yes, she had suspected long ago that that “Senior Bai Ye” was one of her sister’s aliases, but she didn’t understand why a problem would arise at this moment.
According to the senior who brought her here, the situation had clearly been very good just now, so how could her sister suddenly have a problem?
Luo Shuangxing completely didn’t understand the current situation.
Just as she was confused and helpless, a white light suddenly flew over from the distance.
“What is that… Be careful!” The senior holding Luo Shuangxing was momentarily stunned, and upon realizing that the white light was headed directly toward them, she hurriedly released magic in an attempt to intercept the white light.
But the emerald green barrier was shattered as soon as it appeared, like a bullet breaking through a common glass.
The senior’s eyes widened; even if that barrier was her instant, incomplete version, it shouldn’t shatter so easily, right?
Even when facing a demon lord’s attack, that barrier should be able to hold for at least a second before breaking, right?
But in front of that white light, her barrier seemed non-existent.
She instinctively pulled Luo Shuangxing closer, since the magic had already been broken, she would use her body to protect the child.
The dazzling white light completely occupied her vision. She prepared herself for the impact of the white light; no matter how painful it got, she wouldn’t abandon the important child she held.
Seconds later, she curiously looked up; why hadn’t the white light struck yet?
The brilliant white light remained blinding, but it seemed to have stopped in front of her, maintaining a relatively static distance from her.
Could it be that this wasn’t an attack?
Luo Shuangxing, tightly held in her arms, looked curiously at the beam of white light. Unlike the dazzling light her senior saw, the white light in Luo Shuangxing’s eyes was gentle and warm.
At the center of that beam of white light was a beautiful floral hairpin.
An inexplicable impulse surged from her heart; she couldn’t help but reach out toward the hairpin, wanting to grasp it in her hands.
The hairpin that had originally been relatively still seemed to sense Luo Shuangxing’s call and gradually retracted its light, slowly flying into Luo Shuangxing’s hand.
The moment she grasped the hairpin, Luo Shuangxing felt a warm current surging through her body; it was as if she had returned to a few years ago, being warmly held by her mother, who had not yet disappeared.
Tears uncontrollably streamed down her face. Even without any evidence, Luo Shuangxing was convinced that this hairpin was something her mother had left behind.
And with the information that this warm current brought into her mind, Luo Shuangxing understood the current situation.
“This is… purification magic?”
…
“Are you saying that your sister is now being corrupted by evil thoughts, and to save her, you can only use this purification magic on her?”
“Yes, this is the message left to me by Mom.” Luo Shuangxing nodded firmly while tightly holding the white floral hairpin.
Having been brought to the site of the black cocoon, she now understood everything that had just happened and had received Luo Shuangyue’s “last words” before being swallowed by the black cocoon.
Bai Ye, the legendary strongest magical girl, was their mother.
And the power contained within the hairpin she held could allow her sister to turn into their mother for a short time and fight with her mother’s power.
However, Luo Shuangyue was not the only one who could use this hairpin. When their mother left this hairpin, how could she forget her beloved little daughter?
When the elder sister was in crisis and unable to use this hairpin to resolve the issue, the hairpin would automatically seek out the younger daughter, allowing her to resolve the elder sister’s predicament.
“Mom had long foreseen that my sister would encounter a problem like this, so she even prepared the solution.” At this moment, Luo Shuangxing’s expression was not too bad. Although her sister, wrapped in the black cocoon and uncertain of her fate, worried her greatly, the detailed rescue plan from the hairpin gave her a sense of reassurance.
“Bai Ye knew that the Dark Butterfly would encounter such problems?” Monise, a friend of Bai Ye, scratched her head. “Even before disappearing, she didn’t forget to leave such a backup, truly worthy of her, huh?”
She completely believed Luo Shuangxing’s words because this was indeed something Bai Ye would do.
That person loved arranging everything in advance and then acting like “I’m doing this for your own good” as everyone followed her lead.
That person was an incorrigible philanthropist, and it was entirely normal for her to leave a backup plan to help her daughters before disappearing.
“What do we need to do?” asked Longwen with a serious expression.
By now, most of the magical girls had returned to their mother star for a break, leaving only these few magical girls who had a closer relationship with Luo Shuangyue.
“The purification magic requires some time to release. During that time, I need the seniors to contain my sister,” Luo Shuangxing said, biting her nails, her tone a bit hesitant. “Since Mom left this plan, it means she believes I can definitely release this magic.”
That purification magic naturally could not be released in the identity of Linglan, but required her to transform into Bai Ye and use Bai Ye’s power to cast it.
Only in that way could the “dirt” on Luo Shuangyue be purified.
“But the sister emerging from the cocoon may be almost as powerful as a royal-class magical creature, combined with those strange abilities…”
This was what pained Luo Shuangxing the most. It had already been difficult to deal with her sister when she was at Initial Bloom level; now that she had broken through, she would surely be even more difficult to handle.
Especially with that elusive teleportation ability; when her sister was the enemy, it was definitely going to be a headache.
“I can seal her teleportation ability.”
“Huh?” Luo Shuangxing looked surprised at Monise, who spoke up.
“When she emerges, I will pull her into my domain. In there, I will be able to seal her teleportation ability,” Monise said calmly.
While her domain wasn’t particularly useful in battle, she could still manage small actions.
Luo Shuangyue’s teleportation relied on submerging into the Ocean of Magical Power, so all she needed to do was prevent Luo Shuangyue from submerging.
“Anyway, you don’t have to worry about the battles; just focus on constructing the purification magic,” Monise patted Luo Shuangxing’s shoulder, giving the girl a not-so-natural smile.
“Even though I might not be fond of that guy, I still like you two nice nieces.”
As the saying goes, grievances have their source and debts have their owner; the bastard who took her subordinate was Bai Ye, and these two young ladies had little to do with that.
Moreover, Monise’s relationship with these sisters’ parents was not too bad. Although she was unhappy with Bai Ye running off after taking someone away, so many years had passed that she would not hold onto that.
Both nieces were quite charming, and one of them was even repaying a “debt” for their “father.” She was quite satisfied.
Now that her elder niece was in danger, it was only natural for her, as the elder, to come and help, wasn’t it?
“Alright, let’s discuss how to control her,” Monise had just finished speaking when Longwen took over, starting to discuss with the remaining Blooming Level magical girls how to force Luo Shuangyue to accept purification without harming her.
They still didn’t know what Luo Shuangyue would look like after breaking through the cocoon, so they could only consider the worst-case scenario: what if she truly became a Demon Lord?
In such a situation, attempting to control her without harming her would indeed be a difficult task.
Thus, everyone’s discussion direction quickly turned to how to control Luo Shuangyue without killing her.
After all, they had to save the person first; injuries were just a minor problem!
…
“Sister Xia Mo, why don’t you go back and rest for a bit?” While the seniors were urgently discussing, Luo Shuangxing flew to Xia Mo’s side and spoke in a voice tinged with concern.
Right now, Xia Mo seemed like a soulless doll, her eyes devoid of any light, darkness clinging to her emotions, exuding an atmosphere of sadness.
Luo Shuangxing could sense that Xia Mo’s aura was very weak; during the recent battle, Xia Mo had pushed herself to the brink of collapse. She was currently standing here in transformation mode, relying solely on the flickering hope remaining in her heart.
She hoped that when the black cocoon shattered, the one emerging would be her familiar lover, and she wanted to see that person’s face, tinged with embarrassment and slight regret.
“Shuangxing, she won’t be in any danger, right?”
“Yes, sis will definitely be fine, I promise!”
“… I’m sorry, I can’t help with anything. Clearly, I’m her lover, someone who promised to spend a lifetime with her.” Xia Mo covered her face with her right hand, her voice trembling, “Am I just too useless?”
“No, Xia Mo, you’ve done well; it’s just that some things have to be done by me,”
In such a situation, what could Xia Mo do? She was just an ordinary Initial Bloom level magical girl, her power having been exhausted in the recent great battle.
She had made an indelible contribution to this victory, and expecting her to help here was simply impossible.
Xia Mo was a flesh-and-blood human; she wasn’t an omnipotent god, and there would always be things she couldn’t do.
The circumstances Luo Shuangyue was facing now were something even Xia Mo couldn’t help with at her peak; only Luo Shuangxing, the girl with Bai Ye’s hairpin, could solve it.
“So, Xia Mo, you should still go back and rest…”
“No, let me stay here and watch. I want her to see me the moment she comes out of that darkness. I want her to know that no matter what she becomes, I will always be by her side.” Xia Mo said softly.
The girl’s fists clenched tightly, and her words contained an unchangeable determination.
Luo Shuangxing lowered her eyes; she knew she couldn’t persuade Xia Mo to leave.
In matters related to her sister, Xia Mo had always been like this.
Because of that, she couldn’t let Xia Mo, the other seniors, or her mother, who had entrusted her with the last hope, down.
Mom had foreseen the current situation and placed the solution in front of her; all she needed to do was follow through.
Regarding her mother being a formidable magical girl, Luo Shuangxing didn’t feel strongly about it. After all, their home had so many magical girls, and it didn’t seem strange for such a beautiful mother to be one.
She was just curious, where could her powerful mother be right now?
Her sister said their mom was definitely still alive, and she would absolutely find her.
Before, Luo Shuangxing didn’t understand where Luo Shuangyue’s confidence came from, but now she knew it was because this hairpin was proof that their mother still lived.
When she touched the hairpin, the warm current flowing from her fingertips to her chest made Luo Shuangxing clearly know: her mother was still alive.
“Sister Xia Mo, believe in our mother, trust in Bai Ye, whom you admire and trust the most! We will definitely bring my sister back!”
Believe? Believe in that white figure who once brought her brilliance and faith?
Xia Mo’s lips curled slightly, and for the first time, a bit of change appeared on her otherwise dull face.
Now, the only choice left for her was to believe, right?
…
“Can we charge the purification magic in advance and fling it at the Dark Butterfly as soon as she emerges from the cocoon?” Monise sent a semi-transparent panel in front of Luo Shuangxing, asking what she thought about that plan.
Waiting in ambush and catching Luo Shuangyue off guard with purification magic right after she emerges should be the simplest battle plan.
But things were clearly not that simple.
“No, it won’t work. Releasing this purification magic requires at least three minutes, and the time it takes for my transformation is exactly the same as the magic’s casting time,” Luo Shuangxing said with a苦笑, shaking her head. She had already tried transforming with the hairpin once earlier and calculated the maximum time she could sustain.
It seemed like their mother had foreseen this situation as if she had a crystal ball. The time required for Luo Shuangxing to use purification magic was almost identical to her transformation time. After transforming, Luo Shuangxing could do nothing except release this purification magic.
As for charging it in advance… timing was too tricky; Luo Shuangxing only had three minutes. If she couldn’t time it right, and Luo Shuangyue emerged from the cocoon at that moment, wouldn’t that be terrible?
Who knew how long it would take for Luo Shuangyue to break free? It could happen suddenly, or she could take her time. But for Luo Shuangxing, this was her only chance, so she had to play it safe.
“I see. Then let’s assume it’s three minutes,” Monise nodded. “We’ve already contacted headquarters to send a batch of powerful binding devices over. We will use these; they can hold down even royal-class magical creatures for a few minutes.”
As for why they didn’t use such good items earlier… a demon lord that large couldn’t be contained by even the best binding devices.
These things worked better on smaller magical creatures, and after Luo Shuangyue emerged, she should be around human size, right?
The concern now was whether Luo Shuangyue might break free before the binding devices arrived; otherwise, they would have to use more brute-force methods to control her.
Fortunately, that didn’t happen. Luo Shuangyue remained peacefully cocooned until the binding devices were delivered.
Watching as the seniors returned from the mother star and assembled large boxes into several massive launchers, Luo Shuangxing felt somewhat reassured. With these, the probability of success would definitely increase, right?
The black cocoon quietly slept in the starry sky, floating like a lifeless object.
The Blooming Level magical girls tried various methods to probe the situation inside the cocoon but ultimately returned empty-handed.
They could only conclude that it was best not to use brute force to break the cocoon, as there was a high probability of harming Luo Shuangyue inside.
It might even directly lead to her death; they were trying to save her, not kill her.
Indeed, the safest way was to strike decisively while she’s weak. It didn’t matter if they broke the cocoon; after all, she only needed to be at most half-blooming. It wouldn’t be difficult for Blooming Level magical girls to deal with her.
But… if they really did that, it would weigh heavily on the Blooming Level magical girls’ hearts.
Luo Shuangyue had just helped them defeat the attacking magical creature. The current predicament she found herself in was entirely because of them. Now, they intended to kill her over a trivial matter after being helped by her?
That would be too ungrateful!
Moreover, Luo Shuangyue was also Bai Ye’s child. After all, this was Bai Ye!
Now Bai Ye was nowhere to be found, but she was still alive, and who knows, Bai Ye could return one day. When that happened, how would she feel knowing what was currently happening?
Luo Shuangyue was Bai Ye’s biological daughter!
Reason and sentimentally, the magical girls had no other choice.
Following the plan left by Bai Ye, they would have Luo Shuangxing use the purification magic to purify Luo Shuangyue. That was their only choice.
In the end, even if they failed and Luo Shuangyue was lost, they could at least explain to Bai Ye, right?
“Honestly, I hope she still retains some sanity when she comes out, obediently accepting the purification magic. That way, everyone would have an easier time,” Qidian said, stretching her wrists, her face filled with dissatisfaction.
And behind her was a golden-haired girl with six wings; this angel-like girl tightly gripped Qidian’s neck, sternly reprimanding, “You hurry and go back; there’s no work for you here!”
“I know this child well; I also want to help!” Qidian refused to back down.
“You idiot will only cause trouble. This time we’re aiming to control her, not kill her!”
The other magical girls also urged Qidian to calm down, as this particular magical girl really had no functional ability and had all her skill points in attack.
Having her participate in the operation would only risk inadvertently sucking Luo Shuangyue into Qidian’s domain and blowing everything up, right?
So, she absolutely couldn’t be allowed to stay!
The three Blooming Level magical girls, forgetting their appearances, each grabbed one side of Qidian, carrying her away as she continued insisting on helping.
The expressions of the other magical girls were somewhat strange, but they quickly composed themselves, directing the binding devices toward the location of the black cocoon.
Time ticked by, and just as everyone was wondering when the cocoon would show any signs of movement, that black cocoon, which had been playing dead for most of the day, finally stirred.
Several thin cracks appeared on the surface of the black cocoon, and dark purple energy gradually poured out.
Initially, these streams of energy were shapeless, but soon, they solidified into several sharp edges.
These edges began to cut through the black cocoon, quickly shredding it apart, revealing everything inside to the crowd.
Good news: these sharp edges cutting the cocoon did not originate from Luo Shuangyue’s body; she still looked human.
Bad news: Luo Shuangyue’s current state seemed a bit off.
Her hair, clothes, and the butterfly wings on her back all appeared damp, tightly adhering to her body.
Her aura was extremely weak; her mental fluctuations were dim. Right now, she resembled a preterm infant, at risk of dying at any moment.
“Blooming? But this aura is clearly that of a magical beast…” Monise couldn’t help but frown. The aura coming from Luo Shuangyue was no longer that of a magical girl.
Undoubtedly, the aura that made everyone present feel disgusted belonged to a magical beast.
Yet this magical beast, no, this Demon Lord was surprisingly weak.
Her life force was on the brink; in her current state, even the weakest soldier-level magical beast could easily kill her.
“I see! The previous Big Butterfly wanted to use the power of the Demon Lord to upgrade the Dark Butterfly, but in the end, it didn’t bring back much power,” a magical girl said suddenly. “It lacked the necessary nutrients, which is why the Dark Butterfly is in this state now!”
This explains why the Dark Butterfly appeared like a preterm infant. The magical power the Big Butterfly brought back was simply insufficient to fully transform her into a powerful Demon Lord.
Now the question arose: with the Dark Butterfly already solidifying her identity as a Demon Lord, how should the magical girls handle her?
Should they kill her directly to eliminate any potential threats, or…
“Follow the plan! Regardless of what she looks like now, do you all think you’re smarter and stronger than Bai Ye?” Monise’s loud voice rang out as her domain instantly enveloped Luo Shuangyue.
This statement solidified the thoughts of the previously hesitant magical girls. They were all veterans who had witnessed Bai Ye’s power; since this purification plan was set by Bai Ye, they would undoubtedly choose to trust Bai Ye.
Once wrapped in Monise’s domain, Luo Shuangyue’s red and blue bars appeared alarmingly short, making even Monise herself doubt whether her domain was malfunctioning.
This physical condition was no match for even an ordinary person.
“Wait, don’t activate the binding devices!” She quickly stopped the magical girls from using the demon lord’s binding devices.
Those devices were designed to bind and would inherently harm; hitting Luo Shuangyue in her current condition would undoubtedly kill her on the spot.
This is troublesome. Monise had considered so many scenarios but never anticipated that Luo Shuangyue would be so weak and fragile.
