The rain was still falling.
Lin Lu stood at the edge of the central square, watching as the final group of civilians was slowly guided toward Headquarters by other Magical Girls who had come to assist.
“Once we’ve escorted this group, we can take up our defensive positions inside Headquarters.”
“Mhm.”
Lin Lu nodded and, along with Hoshino Hikari and the others, walked at the very rear of the procession as they hurried toward Headquarters.
Lin Lu glanced at Minazuki, who wasn’t far away.
Ever since earlier, she’d felt something was off about Minazuki.
She couldn’t pinpoint exactly what, but something just felt wrong.
“Hmm? What is it, Sister Yuki?”
Hoshino Hikari turned her head, looking at Lin Lu with some confusion.
“Don’t you think… Minazuki seems a bit strange today? Like she’s in a really good mood?” Lin Lu leaned close to Hoshino Hikari’s ear and whispered.
Hoshino Hikari also looked toward Minazuki.
She saw a faint smile on Minazuki’s lips, as if she was thinking about something.
Hoshino Hikari pondered for a moment.
“Maybe she’s relieved the mission is almost over? Look, the Spatial Rifts haven’t erupted on a massive scale. The situation is still severe, but at least there hasn’t been a major disaster.”
Lin Lu didn’t say anything more, but her gaze kept drifting back to Minazuki.
The procession moved through a narrow street, flanked by old residential buildings.
“I hope so.”
The sound of the rain was loud, so loud it drowned out the sound of footsteps and voices.
Suddenly, Lin Lu heard a different sound—deep and low, like something tearing.
She looked up.
In the black fissures overhead, the dark mist began to churn violently, like boiling water.
Then, a sharp claw emerged from the black mist.
“ROAR!!”
“Dammit! I knew it wouldn’t go this smoothly! Everyone, prepare for combat! Shadow Beasts are emerging!” Lin Lu shouted to the procession.
As soon as the words left her mouth, five to ten Shadow Beasts poured out from each fissure.
It didn’t look like a full-scale, massive eruption, but the sheer number of fissures meant that even a few beasts from each added up to a terrifyingly large horde.
They fell from the sky, crashing onto the streets, rooftops, and cars with dull, heavy thuds.
“Lin Qingqing! Minazuki!” Lin Lu shouted, her voice ringing out loud enough to illuminate half the street.
“Received!”
Lin Qingqing’s vines erupted from the ground, weaving into a temporary barrier that blocked the Shadow Beasts surging from one side.
Minazuki’s blue sigils materialized in the air, transforming into chains that ensnared several Shadow Beasts trying to get close to the civilians.
Lin Lu gripped Frost Feather Streaming Light tightly and charged to the front.
“Frost Flower: Scatter—!”
A blue sword aura, carrying frost, slashed toward the leading Shadow Beast, cleaving it in two.
Black mist gushed from the wound.
The Shadow Beast let out a sharp shriek before dissipating into the rain.
But the slain beast was just a drop in the bucket.
Soon, more Shadow Beasts surged forward from behind.
They kept crawling out of the fissures, as if endless.
“Didn’t they say earlier that no Shadow Beasts were coming out?! Why are there so many?!” Hoshino Hikari’s voice trembled.
“I don’t know,” Lin Lu said, swinging her sword to sever another Shadow Beast’s tentacle.
“But this definitely isn’t the full-scale eruption yet.”
Lin Lu glanced at the nearly overwhelmed formation.
“Don’t stop! Some of you, defend against the Shadow Beasts’ assault! The others, quickly escort the civilians toward Headquarters! Don’t get bogged down in fighting!” Lin Lu shouted, “All Magical Girls, split into defense and escort groups!”
The Magical Girls formed a defensive perimeter around the procession, fighting while retreating.
Shadow Beasts swarmed from all directions.
Some were cut down, some were entangled by chains, and some were trapped by vines.
Lin Lu’s sword never stopped moving.
Sword auras flew out one after another, frost dancing in the air.
“Sister Yuki! Enemies blocking the way ahead!” Hoshino Hikari shouted.
Dozens of Shadow Beasts resembling hounds were charging toward them from the street ahead.
Their eyes were blood-red, like ghostly lanterns in the curtain of rain.
Lin Lu turned her head.
The wall to the right was also crawling with Shadow Beasts.
“Sister Yuki! They’re on the right too!” Lin Qingqing’s voice shook.
They clung to the wall surface like geckos, swooping down from above.
“Frost Splendor: Thousand Blades—!”
The moment her sword swung down, countless tiny ice crystals appeared in the air, falling like a flurry.
As they fell, those ice crystals transformed into a thousand beams of sword light, piercing the Shadow Beasts from all directions.
The Shadow Beasts let out sharp shrieks, pinned to the wall by the sword light before dissipating into black mist.
Lin Lu focused on quickly eliminating the larger groups or slightly stronger Shadow Beasts, leaving the relatively weaker ones for the other Magical Girls to handle.
The civilians huddled together, shivering under the protection of the Magical Girls, but no one dared to stop.
They all moved in an orderly fashion toward Headquarters.
Most people weren’t fools; running around chaotically in this situation would only lead to a quicker death.
As for those who didn’t listen to orders and ran off on their own… their fate went without saying.
“How much further?” Lin Lu asked, never ceasing the swings of her longsword.
“Soon! Headquarters is right ahead!” Hoshino Hikari pointed forward, “Just past this street!”
Lin Lu looked up.
Through the rain, she could see the outline of the Headquarters building.
That barrier was still there, shooting up from deep underground, illuminating the entire sky.
“That barrier is still up,” she shouted, “Charge through! Everyone—charge through!”
The procession began to run.
Seeing the group pick up speed, the Shadow Beasts’ assault grew even more ferocious.
They chased from behind, flanked from the sides, swooped down from above…
Lin Lu’s sword never stopped.
One sword aura after another flew from her blade, cutting down the Shadow Beasts that tried to get close to the civilians.
Her magic power was being consumed rapidly, but she couldn’t stop.
If her wide-area attacks ceased, the other, fewer and less powerful Magical Girls wouldn’t be able to hold the line on their own.
The barrier gate of Headquarters drew closer and closer.
Fifty meters.
Thirty meters.
Ten meters.
The first group of civilians rushed through the gate, followed by the second, the third…
“Hurry! Sister Yuki!”
Lin Lu was the last to rush through the gate.
Frost Feather Streaming Light released one final sword aura, cutting down the Shadow Beasts chasing behind her, before she plunged into the barrier.
The Shadow Beasts chasing after her couldn’t stop in time, slamming hard into the barrier.
Lin Lu leaned against a wall, breathing heavily.
She carefully assessed her remaining magic power—more than half was gone.
Such high-intensity, continuous large-scale attacks consumed a terrifying amount of magic, after all.
“Sister Yuki, are you okay?” Hoshino Hikari ran over.
“I’m fine,” Lin Lu said, shaking her head, “Just a bit tired.”
She looked up, gazing at the sky outside through the barrier’s transparent shield.
The rain was still falling.
The fissures were still there.
The Shadow Beasts were still howling outside.
But the Headquarters’ barrier was sturdy.
No matter how many of these Shadow Beasts there were, they couldn’t get in.
Suddenly, someone gasped in surprise.
“Look at the sky!”
Lin Lu looked up.
A Blood Moon hung in the sky, several times larger than usual, hanging so low it seemed within reach.
Its light shone over the entire city, dyeing everything a dark crimson.
“Oh… The news reported a total lunar eclipse would happen in the coming days,” Hoshino Hikari murmured, “I was looking forward to it, but I never imagined I’d see it under these circumstances.”
Lin Lu looked at that Blood Moon, and an indescribable unease welled up in her heart.