Just then, she suddenly let out a soft exclamation, her brows furrowing slightly.
“This is… a barrier? The barrier’s been activated?”
The moment her words fell, a faint but clear tremor ran through the entire abandoned building.
The floor beneath their feet vibrated slightly, and from outside the window came a low, prolonged hum, a sound that seemed to converge from every corner of the distant city.
Ye Ning instinctively walked to the broken window and looked up.
A pale golden, semi-transparent barrier was visibly spreading from the city center outward, silently enveloping the entire sky above the city.
The barrier was thin as a cicada’s wing, but it emitted a soft, radiant energy glow, like a huge glass dome, completely sealing the city off from the outside world.
This was every city’s final line of defense.
Ever since Disaster Beasts began descending on a massive scale and Space Rifts started appearing with increasing frequency, humanity had devoted all its efforts to developing defensive measures.
In the end, by utilizing the Crystal Cores left behind by slain Disaster Beasts and combining them with the most advanced magitech, they successfully created a city-wide protective barrier.
The barrier’s primary function was defense.
Whenever it detected calamity energy above a certain threshold or the intrusion of a powerful external enemy, the city’s defense system would immediately sound an alarm.
Operators would then activate the barrier, enveloping the entire city and repelling outside attacks as well as calamity contamination, providing the greatest possible protection for the people within.
It was the city’s strongest and final line of defense.
In addition, the barrier was equipped with an extremely sophisticated surveillance network capable of monitoring every inch of the city’s space in real time and accurately measuring calamity concentrations.
As a result, virtually any trace of calamity could be instantly detected and pinpointed.
This was precisely why, whenever a Space Rift became unstable and a Disaster Beast was about to descend, warning notifications could be sent to everyone’s phones within seconds.
The surveillance network, spread throughout every corner of the city, left no anomaly unnoticed.
And because the barrier’s detection capabilities were so powerful, any witch with even slightly above-average strength could never openly appear within the city.
A-rank witches and above possessed immense mana fluctuations and far more distinctive presences.
The moment they entered the barrier’s coverage area, the surveillance network would lock onto them within three seconds, attracting large numbers of Magical Girl squads to surround and eliminate them.
There was almost no chance of escape.
Only low-level witches and cultists, whose mana fluctuations were relatively weak, could possibly evade detection by carefully concealing their presence and hiding in the city’s darker corners.
Even then, they could only lurk in secret while plotting their schemes from the shadows.
Thinking of this, Ye Ning couldn’t help turning her head to look at Hua Niao, who was still calmly munching on potato chips beside her.
A complicated emotion flickered across her eyes.
Just how terrifying was this girl’s power?
Not only could Hua Niao perfectly conceal both her own witch aura and Ye Ning’s, rendering the barrier’s highly sensitive detection systems completely incapable of discovering them, but even when Ye Ning unleashed her witch powers and her mana fluctuations surged violently, Hua Niao could still simultaneously mask her presence.
Even more astonishing was that whenever they dealt with cultists or Disaster Beasts, Hua Niao could silently interfere with the surrounding surveillance equipment, erasing all traces of their figures and residual mana.
It was as if they had never been there at all.
This level of concealment ability was simply not something an ordinary witch could possess.
Even some S-rank witches would find it difficult.
Ye Ning silently judged in her heart that Hua Niao’s strength was at least S-rank.
S-rank witches were extremely rare among the witch population, each possessing power that could destroy heaven and earth.
Not only did they have deep Mana reserves, but they also had extremely strong special abilities that were very difficult to deal with, making them key targets for the Magical Girl Association to surround and eliminate.
Fortunately, compared to those insane witches whose minds had been consumed by Mana—who had lost all reason and did nothing but go on murderous rampages, slaughtering innocent people—Hua Niao seemed perfectly normal.
She was even more calm and restrained than Ye Ning, who sometimes lost control during combat.
And at least, she wouldn’t casually harm the innocent or actively provoke chaos.
“Masaka… Have I really fallen this far?”
Ye Ning couldn’t help but let her thoughts run wild.
In the corner, the cultists who had been trembling, too scared to even lift their heads, suddenly seemed to be controlled by some force.
All their fear was stripped away, and they began laughing maniacally.
Their laughter was hoarse, piercing, carrying a kind of ecstatic fanaticism.
It echoed through the empty, dead-silent abandoned building, reverberating against the walls with a buzzing sound that sent chills down one’s spine.
“Hahaha… hahaha…”
They laughed so hard they doubled over, their bodies trembling violently, tears streaming down their faces.
Twisted, feverish expressions spread across their faces, and their eyes gleamed with a mad light.
“The plan! The plan has finally begun! The descent of our god is finally about to become reality! This city will be consumed by calamity!”
“Praise our god! Praise the great God of Calamity!”
A cultist with a brutish, fleshy face suddenly sprang to his feet and roared.
His voice was hoarse and ragged, as though it had been scraped raw by sandpaper.
Raising both hands high in a posture of devout prayer, he stared ahead with eyes warped by fanatical zeal.
“Punishment! Let this rotten city be punished! Punish those self-righteous Magical Girls! Punish all who dare defy our god! Let calamity sweep away everything! Let blood soak the earth! Let despair spread to every corner of the world!”
“Our god will protect us! Will grant us endless power!”
Another cultist laughed wildly while twisting his body uncontrollably in strange, stiff movements.
He muttered incoherent, bizarre incantations in a low, obscure voice.
“The Space Rift has opened! The Disaster Beast has descended! The witch has appeared! All resistance is futile! This city will become an offering to our god—a breeding ground for calamity! Hahaha… We’ve won! We’re finally going to win!”
Ye Ning’s eyes turned icy cold, a flash of killing intent passing through them.
Mana gathered around her wand once more.
In the next instant, the cultists’ heads exploded.
Wu Wang Wo’s phone suddenly rang urgently from her pocket.
Wu Wang Wo answered the call.
A series of rapid, chaotic sounds came from the other end of the line.
She could faintly hear intense sounds of battle, violent explosions, and the shouts of Magical Girls.
In the background, there were also the roars of Disaster Beasts—an utter scene of chaos.
Wu Wang Wo frowned, leaning forward slightly, listening carefully to the report.
Her expression gradually darkened.
A few minutes later, the voice on the other end gradually subsided.
Wu Wang Wo took a deep breath, struggling to calm her surging emotions, and slowly hung up.
She closed her eyes, and when she opened them again, her gaze was only filled with determination and seriousness.
She slowly turned to Ye Ning, speaking with a grave tone:
“Sensei, something’s wrong. It’s an emergency. Two S-rank witches have arrived from outside the city. Their power is overwhelming—they’re violently assaulting the outer defensive perimeter.”
“Moreover, according to news from the Association, several A-rank witches have secretly conspired, combining their power to summon an S-rank Disaster Beast. That beast is terrifyingly powerful, with thick skin and strong defenses. It’s approaching the city’s barrier, and the barrier’s energy fluctuations have already started becoming unstable.”
Ye Ning’s expression instantly turned serious, her brows tightly furrowed.
“How’s the situation inside the city? Has there been large-scale chaos? Have those lurking cultists shown up?”
“The city is currently still stable, no large-scale chaos. The Association has issued an emergency broadcast through the radio, telling citizens to stay home, not go out, and take protective measures.”
“However, a handful of dormant cultists have taken advantage of the situation to carry out attacks. Wielding Magic Crystal Guns, they have struck several outlying areas, causing limited casualties and property losses.”
“Right now, all C-rank and B-rank Magical Girls in the city have been fully deployed, divided into squads. They’re responsible for cleaning up these cultists, evacuating citizens, protecting important facilities, and doing their best to stabilize order in the city.”
She paused, then added: “Overall control of the city is currently in the hands of the newly promoted A-rank Magical Girl, Huang Mudan, who is the leader of the Dreamweaving Squad and has just returned from her A-rank assessment. She’s very strong, skilled in defense and crowd control, and she’s steady and decisive in her actions. With her handling overall coordination, order in the city should be stable. For now, we don’t need to worry too much about the situation inside the city.”
Hua Niao slowly stopped her potato chip munching, casually stuffed the bag into her pocket, raised her head, and looked through the broken window toward the direction of the city’s outskirts.
“If Blood Butterfly is the only one leading the defense, facing two S-rank witches, one S-rank Disaster Beast, plus the several A-rank witches who summoned the beast, it’ll be hard for her to hold out.
“Blood Butterfly’s strength is indeed good, and her talent is high. But fighting alone against three, while also dealing with those A-rank witches, the pressure is too great. She won’t last long.”
Wu Wang Wo’s expression grew even darker, and the worry in her voice thickened.
She gently bit her lower lip and added: “I just asked the Association on the phone.
The permanent A-rank Magical Girls in A City, plus those who came to support from neighboring cities, have all been deployed outside the city to assist Blood Butterfly.
They’ve split into several squads, doing their best to share the pressure and hold back those A-rank witches and lower-level minions.
“Even many B-rank Magical Girls have volunteered to leave the city and provide support, fully aware that their strength may not be enough and that they could be putting themselves in grave danger. None of them have chosen to retreat.”
“But the enemy is simply too powerful. The gap between an S-rank and an A-rank cannot be bridged by numbers alone. The situation remains far from optimistic.”
“The barrier could be breached at any moment.”
“No, I have to go help quickly!”
As Wu Wang Wo said this, a Magical Girl outfit covered her body.
She stopped again, turned to look at Ye Ning, a hint of hesitation in her eyes.
“Sensei… You can’t reveal your identity right now… Just find a safe place to hide. After everything is over, we’ll meet up. I’ll definitely inform you of the situation as soon as possible.”
Hearing this, Ye Ning’s heart tightened sharply, a pang of pain shooting through her.
She instinctively reached out her hand.
“It’s too dangerous. Even if you’re about to break into S-rank, the gap between S-rank and A-rank is no small matter. Those witches are all crazy…”
Wu Wang Wo looked at the worry in Ye Ning’s eyes, a gentle smile appearing on her face.
That smile carried a bit of obedience, a bit of shyness: “Don’t worry, Sensei. We’ll win.
“Look, even the B-rank Magical Girls have bravely rushed out to reinforce the front lines. As someone who’s about to become an S-rank Magical Girl, I can’t afford to fall behind. It’s my responsibility to protect this city—and to protect Sensei as well.”
“Sensei, have you forgotten my ability?
“I am the Magical Girl who bears the name ‘Wu Wang Wo’.”
After she finished speaking, she gently patted Ye Ning’s hand that was gripping her wrist.
Her movements were gentle but firm: “Sensei, just hide safely.”
As her words fell, she gently freed herself from Ye Ning’s grip, turned around, and ran toward the exit of the abandoned building.
Pale golden magical light enveloped her figure, her speed increasing rapidly.
Soon, she rushed out of the building, her figure disappearing into the night.
Ye Ning watched her resolute back fade into the distance, her eyes somewhat hollow.
After a long time, she finally spoke slowly, her voice hoarse and barely audible, filled with confusion: “Hua Niao…”
“Now… am I really unqualified to call myself a Magical Girl anymore?”
She lowered her head to look at her hands.
These hands had once held a magic wand, protecting countless people.
They had once commanded tremendous magical power, standing against countless Disaster Beasts and witches in battle.
But now, these hands could only hang weakly, fingertips trembling slightly.
“When I first heard the crisis just now, the first thought that came to my mind was to run away… I was worried about my identity being exposed, afraid of being discovered by my former comrades. I didn’t dare to step forward, didn’t dare to face the partners I once fought alongside… I wasn’t like this before…”
In the past, no matter how powerful the enemy or how dangerous the situation, she never showed a trace of hesitation.
Even if she had to give her all, even if she was covered in wounds, she would protect this city and the people around her.
But now, because of her witch identity, she had become timid, cowardly, full of insecurity, lacking even the courage to face the crisis head-on, lacking even the ability to protect her own apprentice.
Hua Niao slowly turned her head to look at the rare sight of the dejected, listless pink-white dumpling.
She stepped forward slowly, reached out, and turned Ye Ning’s head toward herself, making her look into her eyes.
Her tone remained flat, without excessive emotion, yet carried an inexplicable power that seemed to pierce through Ye Ning’s confusion and strike directly at her heart:
“If you’re worried, why not follow and take a look?”
Ye Ning froze, looking up at Hua Niao, her eyes full of bewilderment and helplessness.
“So what if you cause trouble? So what if you hold them back?”
Hua Niao interrupted her, a hint of manic light hidden deep in her eyes—that uniquely witch-like audacity and flamboyance.
Her tone carried a seductive quality.
“Ningning, you are indeed no longer a Magical Girl. But we are witches. What are witches?
“They are beings who have broken free from the shackles of all rules. They are the most free-spirited, the most indifferent, and the most unfettered existences in this world. They have no need to care about the opinions of others. They have no need to suppress or compromise themselves for the sake of some so-called ‘identity.’ Nor do they need to remain bound by the title of ‘hero’ that once defined them.”
“Do what you want to do, Ningning.
“Since those crazy witches have gotten in your way, just kill them all! After all, I’ll be here to cover for you~”
Ye Ning couldn’t remember what else Hua Niao had said.
She was already flying toward the direction from which the enemy was coming.