Chương 238: Yin Xue's Resolve

A blinding white light flashed and disappeared in an instant, accompanied by billowing smoke and dust. The pungent smell of gunpowder and the nauseating aftershocks of ethereal energy mixed together, stimulating the senses of the three magical girls.

At the very moment Jingjue's clone self-destructed, Xingxian's first reaction was not to retreat and defend, but to brave the scorching heat wave and transform into a pale purple streak of light, forcibly advancing with an unwavering attitude.

She had already anticipated that the explosion was just the beginning, and that the real trouble was lurking in that strange roadshow vehicle!

No matter what, we can't let anything inside escape!

"Don't even think about it!"

With a cold, low shout, hundreds of pale purple magic threads burst forth from her body, weaving into a giant net in mid-air, attempting to completely seal off the entire carriage before the rear door could be fully opened.

However, the moment those threads containing pure magic touched the exterior of the carriage, Xingxian's face paled slightly.

She could clearly feel that her threads seemed to have hit an invisible wall, and a cold, chaotic and repulsive ethereal energy surged out from inside the carriage, constantly eroding and dissolving her spell.

She immediately realized that the car's exterior was just a disguise, and its interior was probably a distorted passage created by Mirror Lord using his authority, connecting to a small alternate dimension.

This means that the visual size is meaningless, as no one knows how many monsters will emerge from that seemingly limited space.

"hateful!"

Xingxian forcibly suppressed the weakness caused by the backlash of magic, attempting to draw upon more magic to reinforce the threads, but she was ultimately a step too late— Initially, in order to avoid harming any humans who might still be alive, she did not immediately inject enough magic to completely seal the area. In addition, she was delayed by Mirror Lord's ethereal energy repulsion, and this brief hesitation gave the enemy an opportunity to take advantage of the situation.

"roar-!!!"

With a ferocious and terrifying roar, a monstrous beast with an exceptionally large body and arms resembling deformed scythes appeared in everyone's sight, tearing apart the weak magic net with its brute force.

Immediately afterwards, as if receiving the clarion call for a general offensive, a large number of humans transformed into virtual beasts and real life-level virtual beasts mingled together and poured out of the carriages like a flood bursting its banks.

Worse still, the violent explosion also affected the surrounding area. Under the shockwave, a large number of monsters that had been barely restrained by Yin Xue and Liu Li with vines and ice were now breaking free of their restraints and staggering to their feet, joining the chaotic "carnival".

"Oh no!" Yin Xue's heart tightened immediately upon seeing this.

"Yinxue! Liuli!" Xingxian immediately flew back, arriving beside the two juniors and quickly issuing orders: "The situation has changed. Let's regroup and not get separated!"

The three girls quickly met up in the central square of the commercial street. They stood back to back, watching warily as the hideous "monsters" surrounded them from all directions.

"Star String, what should we do?" Liuli's voice trembled uncontrollably. She had not been able to make up her mind before, and facing these monsters who were once her kind again made it almost impossible for her to hold the ice blade tightly.

Xingxian's gaze swept rapidly across the chaotic battlefield, her heart also caught in a struggle.

She glanced at Liuli, whose face was deathly pale, and Yinxue, who seemed to be lost in thought, and then at the real Void Beasts that were cunningly using their "comrades" as meat shields among the monsters. Countless thoughts flashed through her mind in an instant.

Reason tells Xingxian that there is no time to distinguish which of these monsters are "worth" saving. To do so, to hesitate, will only put them in greater danger and create more opportunities for Jingjue.

The most correct course of action right now is to neutralize them completely in the fastest and most effective way, even— —To completely eliminate.

but---- Xingxian glanced again at Liuli's face, which was filled with pain and struggle. She remembered how absent-minded the child had been before. She couldn't bear to force this kind-hearted child to do something that would torment her soul.

Xingxian felt the same way about Yinxue. Although Yinxue had acted unusually decisively before, Xingxian knew that it was a helpless act forced upon him when his companion was in danger.

At that moment, she was also enduring immense pain.

Do you expect me to give them such cruel orders in person?

Just as Xingxian was caught in a dilemma, Yinxue suddenly took a deep breath and firmly placed one hand on the other's shoulder.

"Star String," her voice was unusually calm, but her emerald green eyes revealed a chilling determination, "These guys—let me handle them."

"Huh?" Xingxian and Liuli were both stunned.

"Listen to me, you two." Yin Xue took a deep breath and spoke quickly but clearly, "The fact that there has been no infiltration from the Void Realm here means that Xiao Ying is unlikely to notice the anomaly immediately. We won't be able to get any support in the short term."

"What's worse is that Jingjue has created a crisis elsewhere, and Xiaoying is currently dealing with it on the other side of the city. We—can only rely on ourselves."

"If we continue to use vines and ice to restrict them as before, it will continuously deplete the little magic power that Xiaoli and I have. With Jingjue likely still watching us from the sidelines, this choice is tantamount to slow suicide."

She paused, her gaze sweeping over the hideous "monsters," a flicker of pain crossing her eyes, but it was quickly replaced by a deeper resolve.

"Therefore, we must use the most efficient method to completely incapacitate them!"

Xingxian immediately understood Yinxue's meaning, but she still hesitated: "But Yinxue, if you do that, you—"

"I know," Yin Xue interrupted her, her voice unwavering.

"I know what doing that means, and I know what the possible consequences might be."

"but----" She suddenly turned to look at Liuli and Xingxian beside her, her emerald green eyes reflecting their shocked faces, and a gentle smile appeared on her face.

She had lost far too much in her past life, and in this life, she would never allow anyone she cared about to leave her side again—or be hurt because of her incompetence.

Whether it's her best friend Xiao Li, or this patrolman who has a sharp tongue and an annoying figure, but is incorrigibly kind at heart—they're all the same!

—If—if—someone must bear the risk of potentially killing their own kind, if someone must bear this heavy sin— Well then, let me, the "adult," do it!

"————Just like before." Her voice was unusually firm and unquestionable.

"Send those monsters to me and let me handle them. I've done the same thing once before, so————it's okay."

"No way!" Hoshizune retorted immediately, "You're a healing magical girl, this kind of thing should be done by me—"

"Your threads are too sharp. If you don't control them properly, you'll kill them completely. And when controlling a large number of targets, they're not as effective as mine."

"Besides, you're the strongest among us, so we need to conserve our strength to deal with any possible sneak attack from Mirror Lord." Yin Xue shook her head slightly, using an impeccable reason to shut down Xing Xian's words, "Doing something like this—my vines are just right."

"You won't blame me for leaving you with an even stronger enemy, will you?" She looked deeply at Xingxian, her eyes filled with undeniable trust and entrustment.

Xingxian fell silent. She could read in Yinxue's eyes the profound resolve to protect his companions at all costs.

Finally, she could only nod with difficulty and say in a slightly hoarse voice, "—I understand. You must be careful. If you can't hold on, call me immediately."

Yin Xue smiled happily, then turned to Liu Li, who had been silent since the beginning, biting her lower lip tightly.

She reached out and gently stroked Liuli's soft blue hair, her voice becoming incredibly gentle: "It's alright, Xiaoli."

"You don't need to think about anything, and you don't need to be afraid of anything. Just trust me as before."

"Just bring them all to me, and leave the rest to me—a ruthless villain—to deal with."

Liuli suddenly raised her head, staring blankly at the gentle yet firm smile on Yinxue's face, and hearing her declaration that she would shoulder all the burdens alone, her eyes instantly reddened.

She opened her mouth as if to say something, but in the end she just nodded heavily, tears streaming down her cheeks.

How could she be a bad person? She's clearly the gentlest person in the world!

A surge of guilt and gratitude welled up in Liuli's heart. She nodded heavily, gripped the ice blade tightly again, and replied with a thick nasal tone, "——————Mm!"

Xingxian looked at Yinxue intently, her eyes filled with surprise, admiration, and relief.

Without further hesitation, she commanded in a deep voice, "Alright, then do as Yin Xue says! Liu Li will be responsible for frontal containment, drawing the enemy into Yin Xue's control area. I will be responsible for aerial surveillance and long-range support. Move out immediately!"

"yes!"

A new tactic was formed instantly, and Yin Xue became the core of the team's operations. Facing the swarming "monsters," she took a deep breath, and a trace of pain and determination flashed in her emerald green eyes.

The next moment, several thick and tough vines burst out of the ground, precisely wrapping around a humanoid beast that had been lured there by Liuli, like a nimble giant python.

This time, however, the vines are no longer simply used for restraint.

"Pfft—!"

The sharp barbs at the tip of the vine mercilessly pierced the monster's wrists and ankles, pinning it firmly to the ground, and dark purple blood splattered out immediately.

The monster let out a mournful cry, but could no longer move an inch.

Yin Xue's body trembled slightly, but she bit her lower lip tightly and, without pausing, immediately manipulated the vines to move towards the next target.

Thanks to Yin Xue's efficient and "ruthless" handling of the situation, the situation in the commercial street was miraculously stabilized once again. The initial group of humans who had transformed into beasts were captured one by one, while the real juvenile beasts mixed in with the second batch were also found one by one by Xing Xian, who was on high alert in mid-air, and were precisely eliminated with condensed magic beams.

"Hehe—what a touching sisterly bond!"

Just then, Jingjue's mocking voice came again from all directions.

"I thought you so-called magical girls who protect justice were just indecisive hypocrites bound by pointless goodwill—"

"I really didn't expect them to make and implement this decision so decisively and quickly."

"It seems I underestimated you, little Stardust. Your name is—Silver Snow, right?"

"Shut up! You shady bastard wearing a perverted mask!" Yin Xue continued dealing with the monsters, roaring fearlessly without turning her head.

"If you've got the guts, come out and fight me fair and square! What kind of skill is it to resort to these underhanded tricks?!"

"Let me tell you, I've kept a detailed record of everything you've done to me, to Xiaoli, to Xingxian, and to the seniors before!"

"Sooner or later, I'll rip that disgusting mask off your head!"

Jingjue seemed amused by Yinxue's merciless mockery, letting out a soft laugh: "Heh heh—a mere Stardust dares to say such things to me, how presumptuous of you."

"Didn't you ever think about the consequences of saying these things to me?" His tone was extremely gloomy as he said the last part of his sentence.

Xingxian instantly appeared in front of Yinxue, shielding her behind her. She coldly stared at the empty street and asked in a deep voice, "Jingjue, what exactly is your purpose?"

"Heh, my purpose?" Jingjue's voice returned to its calm tone.

"I just felt that the performance just now didn't seem to satisfy you."

"Therefore, I've made a last-minute decision—to add an even bigger star to this grand play!"'

As soon as the words were spoken, the three girls' expressions changed simultaneously. They looked up at the skyscraper in the distance, which was covered with a smooth glass curtain wall.

On the smooth, mirror-like glass wall, the figure of a black, ethereal beast they had never seen before was now reflected.

It was a monster with an elegant and agile physique like a black panther. Its body seemed to be made of flowing shadows and stardust, and it was pitch black, with some dark purple light spots slowly flowing on its surface.

Its limbs were long and powerful, and a cluster of dark purple flames burned at the end of its tail. Its face was smooth and delicate, without any trace of a mouth or nose, only three pairs of compound eyes that emitted a scarlet light, coldly staring at the three girls below.

The next moment, under the shocked gazes of the three, the black cat-shaped phantom beast slowly emerged from the mirror's reflection and silently descended into the real world.

It gracefully landed on the top of a slightly shorter building, looking down at the three girls with a suffocating and terrifying sense of oppression.

Xingxian looked up at the pitch-black ethereal beast, sensing the ethereal energy fluctuations emanating from it, which had reached the erosion level and were significantly stronger than his own. His expression became more solemn than ever before.

"Erosion World Species—" she practically spat out the word through gritted teeth.

"Star String? What's that?" Yin Xue and Liu Li looked at her at the same time, their faces full of confusion.

Xingxian didn't turn around; her gaze remained fixed on the cat-shaped void beast known as the "Erosion Species." In an extremely heavy tone, she explained to her two companions beside her, "A single Erosion-level void beast is enough to trigger a small-scale void infiltration, but that Erosion Species appeared directly in front of us. This means that the void infiltration it caused before was not dealt with by any magical girls."

"Such an existence has completely entered reality, and is a free-spirited beast that has broken free from the constraints of the void bubble."

"Their appearance doesn't trigger any infiltration of the dimensional realm. They can suddenly appear and launch attacks without warning, just like now. Moreover, they are immune to all conventional physical attacks from humans; only our power can harm them!"

"In other words—" Xingxian's voice trembled slightly, "If it escapes here, it can appear anywhere in this world, and the destruction and panic it causes will be unimaginable!"

After explaining everything, Xingxian slowly turned her head and looked at her companion beside her, whose expression was equally solemn, with a gaze full of apology yet unwavering determination.

She took a deep breath and then said, "I'm sorry, but the rest of these monsters—you'll have to deal with them."

"I must kill that World-Eroding Species immediately—even at the cost of my life."

After saying that, Xingxian didn't hesitate any longer. Her figure transformed into a dazzling pale purple meteor, rushing towards the dark virtual beast perched on the top of the building.

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