Chapter 93: Delicious Midnight Snack
“I want to smash her into pieces.” Luo Shuangyue pointed at her dumbfounded little sister and said so.
Upon hearing this, Luo Shuangxing’s eyes widened in shock. Wait, why her?
I’m your biological sister, and you’re treating me like this!
“Why does it have to be me!” She glared angrily at Luo Shuangyue. If this crazy sister didn’t give her a reasonable explanation, this matter wouldn’t end here!
Luo Shuangyue shrugged her small hands. “If Rosemary wants to smash me into pieces, she definitely can’t be smashed, right?”
The main character of this play was Xia Mo; Luo Shuangxing, as a supporting character, shouldn’t overshadow the main act, unless one were to say Luo Shuangyue could smash Xia Mo into pieces, and then Luo Shuangxing would erupt in a mental breakdown and smash Luo Shuangyue instead.
But such a thing was too abstract; none of the five present would think it was a good idea.
So, the only two who could be smashed into pieces by Luo Shuangyue were Linglan and Siam; choosing one of them to beat up was something Luo Shuangyue wouldn’t hesitate over.
Not choosing her good little sister—how could that be called deep familial affection?
“I prefer you over Siam; is that okay?” Luo Shuangyue smiled at Luo Shuangxing.
Compared to beating up the unfamiliar Siam, indeed, it seemed easier to fight her sister.
Moreover, the relationship between the Dark Butterfly and Linglan was already poor; it was quite justified for her to choose Linglan.
This reason was powerful enough to make Luo Shuangxing take note of it in her heart. So you prefer me, huh? You jerk of a sister!
Just wait until I blow your cover and see how you deal with me! This grudge, I, Luo Shuangxing, have noted down!
“Fine, I agree,” Luo Shuangxing gritted her teeth, squeezing out a fierce voice from between clenched teeth.
Xia Mo glanced at the siblings with a helpless expression. From a certain perspective, this Luo family sibling duo… oh, now it’s sisters, really had a good relationship.
Seeing that Luo Shuangyue and Luo Shuangxing had settled the matter of smashing, Longwen began discussing the details of the performance with the others, ensuring that the scene would be realistic enough to achieve a believable level.
…
“Last night, I heard some rumors; it seems someone discovered traces of the Sealing Cards in this area…”
“Oh? Is the information true?”
“Unclear, just some hearsay, but Xinghai City is Bai Ye’s hometown, and there are definitely many Sealing Cards remaining here.”
The Black-clad men whispered among themselves for a long time, ultimately deciding that regardless of whether the information was true or false, they would go to that place to take a look.
Their master urgently needed to absorb the power within the Sealing Cards to heal, and even if it was a trap, they had to try their luck.
After all, Sealing Cards were a specialty of Bai Ye; others couldn’t replicate them. Even if this really was a trap set by the Magic Department, the bait would have to be genuine Sealing Cards.
“Even if I die there, I must retrieve the Sealing Cards for my master!”
…
Time quickly passed to deep night, and three Black-clad men flew swiftly through the city in their night cloaks, heading towards the rumored location.
But when they arrived at the scene, they found they were not the first group to reach there.
Four figures were colliding in mid-air, appearing to be local Magical Girls of Xinghai City and their enemies.
“Rosemary, Linglan, Siam, Dark Butterfly… All the people on the intel are basically here!” One of the Black-clad men looked up and quickly reported the names of those engaged in battle.
“I’ve heard that recently Rosemary and Dark Butterfly have had several fierce fights over the Sealing Cards; it seems it’s the same this time.”
According to the intelligence the Black-clad men had gathered in recent days, the main antagonist in Xinghai City was Dark Butterfly, and her goal was quite similar to their master’s—collecting Sealing Cards.
As for the Magical Girls, naturally, they aimed to stop Dark Butterfly.
These two groups would cooperate when encountering external enemies, but when not facing outsiders, they would fight fiercely, as seen now.
“Absolutely! If they’re even here, it must be a real Sealing Card!” said the second Black-clad man excitedly.
They had no doubts that this was a trap, possibly a combined effort by Dark Butterfly and the Magical Girls to lure them in.
After all, in their view, sneaking into Xinghai City had been quiet and unnoticed; Dark Butterfly and the Magical Girls shouldn’t know they had infiltrated.
If they didn’t even know, who was this trap set for? Surely not for nonexistent enemies?
And judging by the expressions of those up in the sky, they were clearly fighting with genuine intensity; especially the way Dark Butterfly was attacking Linglan, it looked like she was trying to kill her outright.
“The card is on the ground; oh, it’s the aura of a Royal-class Magical Creature! This is a huge score!” The third Black-clad man spotted the Sealing Card on the battlefield below, its color a bit dim, filled with fine cracks, with the aura of a Royal-class Magical Creature seeping slowly from it.
This aura was too authentic; it couldn’t possibly be faked. Without a doubt, this was a real Sealing Card.
“I’m going to get it…” The third Black-clad man tried to go for the card.
But a hand stopped him.
“Don’t rush out; if you do, you’ll just become a target for those Magical Girls. They’re likely to turn their fire on you together.”
“With their current combat strength, they will soon fight to a standstill; at that time, we can strike and securely take the Sealing Card.”
Before the first Black-clad man’s words were finished, a mournful yet furious voice came from the sky, and the Black-clad men looked up to see that Linglan, who had just been barely resisting Dark Butterfly’s attacks, had been struck by Dark Butterfly’s scythe in the chest, letting out a scream as she was sent flying.
White light scattered from Linglan, and Siam hurriedly rushed forward to catch Linglan as she reverted to her original form.
Seeing this scene, Rosemary immediately let out a furious roar, “Dark Butterfly, you go too far!”
With that, the four floating cannons behind her burst into dazzling light and unleashed a barrage of magic cannons aimed at Dark Butterfly, clearly powerful.
Dark Butterfly, caught off guard by this sudden attack right after hitting Linglan, barely managed to use her scythe as a shield to block.
But such defensive power was utterly inadequate to counter the magic cannon’s might; she was quickly forced down to the ground, a purple mushroom cloud rising as she awkwardly tumbled across the ground. As butterflies flew away from her, she also fell into an incapacitated state.
After releasing this attack, Rosemary’s energy also dwindled, the four floating cannons retracting as if all their energy had been drained.
“Good opportunity! Let’s go!”
With the Magical Girls and Dark Butterfly both suffering, it was the perfect time for a third party to profit!
The Black-clad men thought this was definitely not a trap; could it be a trap when they were fighting so badly? Why not say Dark Butterfly and the Magical Girls were actually relatives?
Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh!
The three Black-clad men split up, rushing towards the Sealing Card on the ground. The Magical Girls in the sky noticed these sudden newcomers and immediately wanted to stop them.
But their recent battle with Dark Butterfly had drained too much of their strength, and the beams they fired lacked the power to hinder the Black-clad men’s advance.
Rather than blocking, the beams seemed more like a farewell party for the Black-clad men.
In the blink of an eye, the Black-clad men reached the Sealing Card, reaching out to grab it.
Successfully securing the card, they turned to leave without entangling themselves further with the other individuals present—certainly no thoughts of taking out the nearby Magical Girls.
Who knew if those Magical Girls had any backup? Their mission was to retrieve the card for their master, not to kill the Magical Girls.
In this situation, it was best to avoid conflict with the Magical Girls.
They left like a gust of wind, disappearing in a minute or less; the chaos had shifted to mutual destruction and then to the profit of another party.
The purple girl in the sky emitted a haughty hum, venting her frustration by firing a few shots at the retreating Black-clad men, bringing this dramatic act to an end.
“Enough! If your shots hit the flowers and plants, that would be troublesome.”
“Don’t worry, this area was specifically chosen; there’s no one around, and my shots won’t harm the flowers and plants.” Stowing the floating cannons behind her, Xia Mo turned to Luo Shuangyue, who had just gotten up from the ground, “You two did well in your act.”
Those two siblings’ theatrics almost made Xia Mo believe they were genuinely breaking apart.
If it weren’t for knowing that last shot of hers completely lacked substance, she might have thought she had loosened her control.
“What acting? I was genuinely close to being smashed into pieces!” Luo Shuangxing, supported by Xiaomimi, looked genuinely furious.
Luo Shuangyue’s earlier hit was right at the limit of her protective ability; once she withstood it, her strength was nearly exhausted, and she fell back due to the force of the attack, which caused her transformation to revert, resulting in the incredibly realistic disintegration performance Xia Mo witnessed.
Realistic, right? Because Luo Shuangxing was indeed just a step away from disintegration!
“Are you really trying to kill me?”
“I trust my control over power; see, you’re fine, aren’t you?” Luo Shuangyue shrugged; after all, nothing happened, right?
Moreover, if it weren’t somewhat true, how would those Black-clad men take the bait so easily?
“The cards are already in their hands, and the Magic Department should be tracking their positions…” With developments in this turn, Luo Shuangyue’s main mission had concluded. Next, it was the Magic Department’s and Longwen’s matter.
Due to operations in nearby other cities a few days ago, the stationed Magical Girls had gradually shifted towards Xinghai City, and by calculating the time, they should arrive around midnight tonight.
If these Black-clad men don’t deliver the card to the Royal-class Magical Creatures immediately after securing it, then they would be bringing not just the card but a group of Magical Girls along with them.
“I hope they take their time~”
…
Today was destined to be a sleepless night. The Magical Girls couldn’t rest, nor did the Magic Department and Black-clad men have time to sleep.
Immediately after the Black-clad men snatched the card, the Magic Department started tracking them, making it difficult for the Black-clad men to escape the urban area of Xinghai City towards the location of the Royal-class Magical Creatures.
However, this action of the Magic Department made them even more convinced that the card they had acquired was indeed genuine; otherwise, why would the Magic Department make such a huge move?
Thinking of this, they were even more eager to deliver the item in hand to their master so he could return to his original state.
“The Magic Department is pursuing us hastily; it seems they don’t plan to let us go.”
“Magic Three, you take the card and leave; I’ll go with Magic Four to draw the Magic Department’s attention.” After a brief consideration, the higher-ranking Black-clad man made the decision.
Two would draw the Magic Department’s attention while one would deliver the card; as long as it could be sent out, their mission would be complete.
“Okay! I’ll definitely complete the mission!” Magic Three secured the card in his arms, nodding heavily.
The group split into two, one side not hiding their aura anymore and boldly darting through the city, soon drawing the attention of the Magic Department.
The purple light once again pierced the skies, starting a confrontation with the Black-clad men who had actively revealed their whereabouts.
“How come this guy’s power has recovered so quickly? It’s like the earlier consumption didn’t exist at all…” Upon engaging with Rosemary, the Black-clad men displayed expressions of horror.
The power released by Rosemary seemed completely unaffected by the earlier battle. Shouldn’t her magic power already be exhausted by now?
Soon, as the dark purple blade of light surged towards them from behind, they were even more horrified to find Dark Butterfly had actually reappeared.
Weren’t you supposed to be disintegrated? Why have you regained your state in such a short time?
“Hand over the card, and I’ll give you a quick death!” Dark Butterfly’s expression was icy, her pale face showing a faint sense of weakness.
Seeing Dark Butterfly like this, the Black-clad men felt relieved; it appeared Dark Butterfly hadn’t truly disintegrated, but had instead restored herself through some special means.
However, even if restored, her state couldn’t compare with her peak condition.
Faced with a Dark Butterfly and Rosemary, the Black-clad men didn’t feel they would lose.
“I’ll handle Rosemary; you deal with Dark Butterfly.” Magic One voluntarily took on the task of confronting the stronger Rosemary, leaving the seemingly easy target of Dark Butterfly to Magic Four, who was the weakest among them.
Although Dark Butterfly was initially stronger than Rosemary, she had just been defeated once by Rosemary, making it clear that Rosemary was now trickier to deal with. Magic One thought his choice was sound.
Meanwhile, Magic Four was full of confidence, believing he wouldn’t just win but could defeat Dark Butterfly in a short time.
“Dark Butterfly, let me show you the power granted to me by my master!”
“Whoa, a tentacle monster?!”
When numerous tentacles burst forth from beneath the Black-clad man’s clothing, Luo Shuangyue suddenly felt a bit uneasy deep inside.
Fighting with such slippery things made her a bit nauseous.
At this moment, she realized how useful Xia Mo’s floating cannons were; that long-range firepower really surpassed her up-close combat skills with a knife.
The reason the Black-clad men wore black was not because they preferred the color; rather, their bodies beneath the garments were no longer human but more akin to magical creatures.
Theoretically, they were a type of hybrid between humans and magical creatures, similar to Jiuye Yueliang, but while Monise’s modifications retained human essence and added components from magical creatures, these Black-clad men had completely discarded their human identities.
Slash!
The blade struck the tentacles of the Black-clad man, leaving a deep gash.
Yet the Black-clad man seemed entirely unfazed, continuing to use the injured tentacle to attack Luo Shuangyue; even if this tentacle were to be completely severed in the next moment, he wouldn’t show the slightest reaction.
These guys had been modified beyond recognition. Luo Shuangyue skillfully dodged the next attack from Magic Four and began pondering how to deal with this guy.
Meanwhile, the severed tentacle of Magic Four had already regrown, appearing just as it had before the cut.
“Still with a strong regeneration ability, but based on its aura, its strength isn’t formidable.” Luo Shuangyue had a basic idea in her mind; this monster’s combat power likely relied entirely on its unreasonable physical structure and regeneration ability. As long as she could crack those two points, she could easily take him down.
Unluckily for him, as the wielder of death powers, Luo Shuangyue just happened to excel at dealing with these strongly regenerative foes.
“I’ll say it one last time; hand over the Sealing Card, and I’ll spare your life!”
“Hah, spare my life? You should worry about yourself first!”
Magic Four confidently shouted as he lunged at Luo Shuangyue. Seeing this scene, Luo Shuangyue stopped speaking, as her scythe radiated a faint gray light, a chill of extinction slowly seeping from the blade.
Magic Four, mid-attack, suddenly felt a chill in his heart, his instincts warning him that the girl in front of him was somewhat terrifying.
But now, even if he regretted it, it was too late; the distance between them was minimal, and having already committed halfway into the attack, he was practically delivering himself to Luo Shuangyue.
And Luo Shuangyue’s reflexes were extremely sharp.
In the next moment, the girl wielding the gigantic scythe appeared in front of Magic Four, swinging at the writhing tentacles.
The dark blade flashed, and the tentacles that touched the blade seemingly lost their life in an instant, turning dull and gray.
Magic Four was horrified in his heart; he had the courage to fight Dark Butterfly believing in his formidable regeneration ability to outlast and exhaust her, but who would have thought that Dark Butterfly had such a counter against his regenerative powers?
The tentacles severed by the scythe had completely lost the possibility of regeneration; they bore the marks of death and could no longer restore themselves.
And this was merely the power of Luo Shuangyue’s most ordinary strike.
“With this level of power, you dare to be my enemy?”
“Damn it…”
If another Magical Girl had fought Magic Four, the situation should not have been so one-sided. After all, this monster’s attack power, while not especially strong, could still threaten the Magical Girls.
And once he got close, the mass of tentacles he wielded could undoubtedly defeat any Magical Girl.
It wouldn’t matter if he missed and a Magical Girl interrupted his tentacles; after all, he could regenerate. He could wear down the Magical Girls with his bulk.
But this time, he faced Dark Butterfly, who just happened to have a means to counter his regenerative capabilities.
One slash directly banned his regeneration ability, and Magic Four, who should have had the advantage in close combat, was no match for Dark Butterfly.
Any Magical Girl in close combat, one by one, was not to be taken lightly.
The longer the battle went on, the more fearful Magic Four became. Why did Dark Butterfly’s state seem so off? Hadn’t she been disintegrated once? Why was she still so strong?
Glancing slyly at the battlefield between Magic One and Rosemary, Magic Four found that Magic One had the upper hand, while Rosemary was struggling, continuously forced to distance herself and using magic cannons to chip away at Magic One’s power, unable to deal effective damage at all.
And Magic One, relying on his strong regeneration ability, completely ignored Rosemary’s attacks and gradually approached her. As long as he could get close enough, he could completely suppress her.
Wasn’t this the scenario they should have encountered in battles against Magical Girls?
Why was the vibe on his side completely different?
“Dare to be distracted? Die!”
The large scythe fell straight towards Magic Four’s body, cleaving through a significant portion of his form as he momentarily lost focus.
His twisted gray-white body fell from the air, surrounded by a swarm of black-purple butterflies that descended from the void, tearing him into shreds, and then these butterflies proceeded to eat up the remnants of his body.
Soon, the butterflies fluttered back to Luo Shuangyue, merging into her body.
“Your flavor is surprisingly good?” Luo Shuangyue originally thought this monster would taste as disgusting as Tyrant Python, but unexpectedly, this guy tasted quite nice.
Especially the residual magical energy within him was simply delicious.
Magic Four’s pupils constricted; in this moment, he genuinely felt fear as he finally realized he wasn’t facing just any Magical Girls but a villain like them!
Dark Butterfly truly intended to tear him apart and consume him!
“I initially wanted to let you die in peace, but now, I’ve changed my mind.” Extending her tongue to lick her lips, Luo Shuangyue revealed a chilling smile, “I’ll make you a part of me.”
One by one, butterflies emerged from her back, lunging towards the terrified Magic Four.
Magic Four struggled fiercely, swinging his tentacles in an attempt to stop the approaching butterflies, but his actions had little effect.
The butterflies were very fragile; a single slap could turn them into a wisp of light gray mist, but there were simply too many, and the mist left behind continued to erode Magic Four’s body.
Moreover, let’s not forget that Magic Four had a genuine adversary to contend with!
“It seems you’re out of tricks; how about lying down quietly and letting me eat you?” The girl with blood-red pupils flapped her wings, approaching Magic Four, smiling at him.
A smile representing death.
…
“Ah! Help me! Quick, save me!”
The pitiful screams came from one side of the battlefield, causing Magic One, who was focused on battling Rosemary, to furrow his brows involuntarily.
What was happening? How could Magic Four not even defeat Dark Butterfly, who had already been disintegrated once, and scream so tragically? How embarrassing.
But when he turned back and truly saw the horrific scene on the other battlefield, he finally understood why Magic Four was screaming so desperately.
At that moment, Magic Four was surrounded by countless butterflies, swirling around him, their sharp wings and mandibles turning into instruments of torture, slicing his body into pieces bit by bit.
His form was gradually disappearing, piece by piece being devoured by the Dark Butterfly before him. Magic Four’s heart was filled with horror; this was simply too terrifying.
Previously, even in the face of those powerful Magical Girls, he had never felt fear, yet now, he genuinely began to be afraid.
Being eaten by countless butterflies, chopped into bits, this was a death worthy of a horror movie!
He wanted to resist, wanted to escape, but endless butterflies had completely sealed off his retreat, leaving him with no options left.
What about counterattacking?
That was out of the question too; his esteemed offensive methods had no effect on Dark Butterfly; his opponent was not a typical Magical Girl!
The strategies he used against Magical Girls were completely useless!
Who would choose to tear apart a tentacle monster and eat it after encountering one?
“This is bad…” Seeing this unfolding situation, Magic One immediately wanted to turn back and rescue Magic Four. He knew full well that if this continued, his comrade would surely die at Dark Butterfly’s hands.
Damn it! Who would have thought Dark Butterfly had such aces up her sleeve!
But just as he turned around, a beam of purple light struck heavily on his back, staggering him.
From a distance, Xia Mo’s floating cannons were fully deployed, deep purple magic energy spheres coalescing at the muzzles; the moment Magic One made a move, these gathered energies would explode in a magic barrage.
Indeed, Xia Mo couldn’t defeat Magic One; she would be overwhelmed, but if Magic One attempted to leave to help his comrade, that was wishful thinking.
Xia Mo was merely at a disadvantage, not without the means to fight back; stopping Magic One’s plans was still achievable.
“Damn it!” Weighing between taking the hit from Xia Mo to reinforce Magic Four or continuing the charge against Xia Mo, Magic One ultimately chose to prioritize his own safety.
Going back for Magic Four was uncertain, while he would face Dark Butterfly and Rosemary together, potentially losing himself in the process.
Calculating time, Magic Three should have already escaped the Magic Department’s pursuit with the card; as long as the card reached their master, sacrificing a Magic Four was not a big problem.
After all, someone like Magic Four was just a waste; as soon as their master regained strength, he could simply create another one…
Having made the decision to abandon Magic Four, Magic One no longer hesitated. He charged toward Xia Mo pretending to attack, and when Xia Mo got ready to defend as before, he sharply altered his flight path and darted off in another direction.
In the blink of an eye, he disappeared into the vast night.
Xia Mo immediately wanted to pursue, but glancing at Luo Shuangyue and Magic Four still in battle, she thought it better to resolve the fight on this side first.
Magic One’s urgent escape was beyond her reach; if her pursuit caused Magic Four to escape as well, that would not be worth the losses.
Xia Mo was a person easily satisfied; compared to uncertain prospects, she preferred a tangible prize at hand.
At this moment, Magic Four had half of his body devoured by Luo Shuangyue, and the remaining half, she estimated, wouldn’t hold out much longer.
“Wait! Don’t kill him yet!” Xia Mo quickly shouted upon seeing this scene, “Leave a survivor!”
This wasn’t out of a flood of sympathy; rather, Xia Mo just simply believed capturing Magic Four for interrogation would be more cost-effective.
Letting him die like this was utterly meaningless; if they could pry useful information about the Royal-class Magical Creatures from his mouth, that would be a great advantage.
“Don’t worry, I will leave you a head,” Luo Shuangyue said, her movements not pausing as she continued letting the butterflies cut and devour Magic Four’s body until it was nearly on the verge of collapse.
At this point, Magic Four was in a truly miserable state, his various inhuman features entirely consumed by the butterflies, leaving behind only the seriously magic-riddled torso and a head that still resembled a human.
Moreover, that torso had ceased to resemble anything human, appearing more like a grotesque assembly of flesh.
“Truly disgusting; things like this shouldn’t exist in this world.” Gathering the butterflies, Luo Shuangyue tossed a contemptuous glance at the flattened Magic Four.
In that moment, she truly realized Monise’s strength; looking at what Monise had modified and comparing it to what the Royal-class Magical Creatures had produced, the difference was clear.
Jiuye might be a bit weak, but he was adorable!
The Magic Department’s forces, who had been waiting outside, immediately charged into the scene after the battle concluded, taking control of Magic Four and shoving him into a specially designed prison vehicle for transporting monsters, not wasting a single moment as they dispatched him directly to the Magic Department.
There, this non-human entity would undergo truly inhumane treatment.
“It seems tonight’s mission is wrapping up…” Yawning, Luo Shuangyue stretched lazily.
The bait plan was a resounding success! The hidden subordinates of the Royal-class Magical Creatures had been drawn out, and they had even caught one of them.
The Sealing Card should also soon reach the Royal-class Magical Creatures, along with a Blooming Level Magical Girl.
As for Luo Shuangyue, she had thoroughly enjoyed a rather tasty midnight snack, as the magical energy flavor of Magic Four was pretty nice. Were she not unable to defeat that Royal-class Magical Creature, she might even consider eating him.
If the subordinates were this delicious, how could the actual body be anything but delectable? After consuming him, Luo Shuangyue might just rise to Blooming Level immediately.
After devouring most of Magic Four, Luo Shuangyue also acquired a portion of his abilities, specifically the formidable regenerative power, which she had replicated.
Of course, her imitation version could not compare to the original; using this reproduced ability required significantly more magical energy than the genuine article.
