Chapter 17: Little Jin, the Magic Girl

When Senior Cuique arrived on the scene, the area where the Remnant Beast was located had already been sealed off; citizens who had planned to pass through were evacuated, and ordinary residents within the zone were guided out by official personnel.

Since it was noon and the Remnant Beast had appeared at a crossroads, very few civilians were killed immediately, and most had escaped in time, so the crowd's emotions remained relatively calm, with no disturbances breaking out.

Senior Cuique did not linger beside the cordon; after confirming the Strange Affairs Bureau was active, she pushed off with her heel and shot through the gap between nearby buildings, flying toward the Remnant Beast's location—the center of the zone.

But upon arriving, she discovered she was the only one there.

Then again, it was only natural—her full-speed flight was certainly faster than the other two's, and the distance to the incident site wasn't far; if they all departed at the same time, her arriving first was expected.

"Its form hasn't stabilized yet—just a hatchling-level thing."

Landing beside the road, Senior Cuique gazed at the Remnant Beast, a massive egg-shaped mass of flesh, which, unable to find prey, was raging wildly and destroying surrounding buildings. She raised her hand, and the staff she held floated upward:

"Mana construct extraction."

As the words left her lips, the staff dissolved into scattered beams of light, and a small, ornately decorated tailor's shears appeared in Senior Cuique's hand, while azure mana particles gathered around her, wrapping her body in cold, shimmering threads that leaked traces of danger.

In Senior Cuique's vision, the surrounding space was already filled with blue mana threads; the Remnant Beast at the center was like prey caught in a spiderweb, utterly trapped.

She extended her hand, placing her thumb and ring finger on two separate threads, then slowly pulled them in the same direction.

As she tugged the threads, the mana-net around the Remnant Beast tightened, and within a single breath, its movement was fully restricted; soon, it was completely bound in place by the threads.

The Remnant Beast, sensing its restricted motion, had no awareness of being captured; even though its body could no longer move, it continued futilely struggling and let out earth-shaking roars, trying to intimidate Senior Cuique nearby.

The beast's roars sent gusts of wind rippling outward, whipping up Senior Cuique's sleeves from over ten meters away, and even at this distance, the thick stench of blood and decay was unmistakable.

Senior Cuique's expression remained blank.

In her usual practice, once the Remnant Beast was restrained, she would immediately kill it.

But this time was different—she merely bound the beast, as if completing her task, then stood by the roadside with one hand on her hip, quietly waiting.

She was waiting for Lin Xiaolu and Ye Yixia.

Both were Newcomer magic girls who needed sufficient battlefield experience; this hatchling-level Remnant Beast was an ideal training dummy: slow-moving, and its attacks posed little lethal threat to magic girls. Even if something unexpected happened, Senior Cuique was right beside them—no serious problem could arise.

So she had no intention of killing the Remnant Beast herself—she had merely stopped it from damaging public structures, intending to let the two newcomers practice on it.

Not long after, a pale purple rainbow light shot swiftly from the horizon.

The purple rainbow plunged straight toward the Remnant Beast and Senior Cuique, landing at high speed yet splashing outward like a stone dropped into water, sending ripples of violet mana.

The newcomer straightened up from the shimmering light, shook her head to smooth her hair clinging to her cheeks, then turned to Senior Cuique with a smile:

"Ah, made it! Using mana reception is so fast, little senior!"

"The 'little' is unnecessary." Senior Cuique lowered her eyelids.

The newcomer was Ye Yixia.

She wore a plum-purple, ruffled lace waistcoat dress with a detached pale-yellow shawl-collar top, and a half-open cardigan in matching pale purple tones. With a giant bow at her chest, her transformed attire gave off a mysterious yet bright impression.

Her hair, now purple, curled slightly at the ends into gravity-defying inward curls; atop her head sat a soft plum-purple cap tied with yellow ribbons, and crescent-shaped earrings dangled from her earlobes, lending her a distinctly elegant and fashionable air.

This was Ye Yixia's appearance as a magic girl—perfectly matching her magic girl alias—Xiao Jin.

Magic girl attire reflects the wearer's personality, so Ye Yixia's outfit was the most mature-styled among the three, though she was in fact the youngest by age.

Watching the girl land, Senior Cuique's face remained impassive, yet internally she marveled.

When she first found Ye Yixia, she'd sensed the girl might have extraordinary talent—but the level she now displayed still exceeded expectations.

The "mana reception" technique Ye Yixia had used was one Senior Cuique had only introduced in yesterday's lesson—a method allowing magic girls to land from flight without slowing down, completing descent at maximum speed.

Just days ago, this girl had been terrified of flying; now she'd not only adapted to mana flight but mastered an advanced technique, surpassing Lin Xiaolu's progress in mere days. Ye Yixia was undeniably a born magic girl.

"You mastered reception so quickly—excellent work." Senior Cuique therefore offered praise without hesitation.

"Heh heh."

Delighted by the compliment, Ye Yixia squinted happily and skipped over to Senior Cuique's side, gazing at the bound Remnant Beast with a tone of wonder: "That's the Remnant Beast?"

"Eh—so that's what it looks like up close? So big, so disgusting!"

Though she called it "disgusting," her face radiated pure curiosity: "But why isn't it moving? Did you kill it, little senior?"

"I told you—drop the 'little.'"

Senior Cuique sighed in resignation but didn't press further; she flicked her finger through the air, causing several blue mana threads to appear one after another: "Be careful—it's still alive. It's not moving because I've bound it."

Ye Yixia's attention immediately snapped to the mana threads; she leaned in, eyes wide: "So beautiful! This is the mana construct you mentioned? Are these strings like harp strings?"

"My mana construct is threads and shears."

Senior Cuique offered no concealment: "Don't get too close—these threads can bind enemies, but they can also become razor-sharp. I don't want to accidentally hurt you."

"Are you worrying about me?"

Her smile held a teasing edge, yet she obediently stepped back two paces; Ye Yixia seemed delighted: "You look so cold, but little senior, your heart's actually so tender."

"Don't say such sappy things when there's no need." Senior Cuique's face remained expressionless.

—"Over there! You've only known each other for a few days—don't act so intimate behind someone's back!"

As the two spoke, a voice suddenly rang from the sky; Senior Cuique and Ye Yixia looked up to see a pale blue rainbow descending from above.

Nearly ten minutes had passed since Senior Cuique subdued the Remnant Beast—Lin Xiaolu had finally arrived.