Chapter 75: Powerful Enemy

"Hmm, I am indeed Bai Jingxuan, but the details of this matter are quite complex and difficult to explain clearly right now."

Unaware of Tian Sheng's thoughts, Bai Jingxuan struggled to control her flight direction while summarizing her answer to his question: "If I were to explain it briefly, it's because we encountered a fairy, right?"

"A fairy?"

Tian Sheng blinked, turning his head to look at Moko flying beside him: "You mean this thing?"

"What do you mean by 'this thing'? Are all human magic users as rude as you?"

Hearing his derogatory reference, Moko spoke with considerable displeasure: "I am a Sower! A Sower! To you, I am a great figure from the Realm!"

Regarding the term 'Sower', Tian Sheng wore an equally puzzled expression. Only after Bai Jingxuan continued explaining did he understand its meaning, saying somewhat enlightened: "So, this fairy is the messenger responsible for selecting magical girls, and has actually been looking for you for a long time?"

He pondered briefly, and soon many associations arose: "Then the incident we encountered at the Academy today, could it be..."

"Hmm, although I don't know why, it seems they were coming for me."

Hearing this, Bai Jingxuan lowered her gaze and said somewhat dejectedly: "Perhaps I have implicated everyone at the Fuli Academy."

"Hey! What are you saying? There's no such thing as implicating or not in this situation. Without you, they would still be a bunch of villains, just harming others instead. You are the victim; there's no need to psychologically bear their crimes for them."

Tian Sheng, not caring much, made excuses for her: "Let's not talk about such boring topics. By the way, your magic... I don't know if it's my illusion, but I feel that after contacting this kind of magic, my wounds are healing faster than when using spells. Did you do something?"

He had previously suffered a rather fatal penetrating wound in battle; even using healing spells could only keep him barely alive, but since being saved by Bai Jingxuan, he felt the wound gradually becoming less painful.

In fact, now when he lightly pressed the wound, no fresh blood was overflowing from it.

"I don't know; I didn't do anything."

Bai Jingxuan was also very confused about this and could only shake her head. After a long while, as if remembering something, she looked at the fairy beside her: "Does Moko know?"

Moko did not know.

The fairy, whose name had just been called, very much wanted to answer that way.

As a half-baked Sower, it could only claim to know a little about magical girls; otherwise, it wouldn't have needed Senior Cuique to do the teaching work on a daily basis.

Whether Bai Jingxuan's magic inherently possessed the ability to heal others was a special case or a common phenomenon; whether it was a good thing or a bad thing; or even if there were records of such matters in the Realm's history—it knew none of these things and naturally could not say anything definite.

"Hmm, how to put it..."

But considering it needed to maintain a reliable image in front of Bai Jingxuan, Moko could only rack its brains and think: "I remember reading in a book before that there should be precedents, but it is indeed very special."

This answer sounded serious yet ambiguous, waiting for it to investigate further later.

Anyway, neither Lin Xiaolu nor Xia Liang's magic had shown this trait, so Bai Jingxuan's situation should be quite special. As for whether there were precedents, if there were, it would match its statement; if not, it could just say it misremembered. In any case, the power of interpretation was in its hands.

"What kind of book was it?" Bai Jingxuan was very interested in the topic of books; hearing it say it was recorded in a book, she asked another question.

"I'll let you see it later!"

Fearing being exposed, Moko somewhat stubbornly changed the subject: "In any case, now is not the time to discuss this. Let's try to get out of the barrier first! That way, I can also call for reinforcements!"

It will call the Inspector my lord over later and ask her if she knows, it silently calculated in its heart.

Bai Jingxuan and Tian Sheng obviously still had questions, but there was no time to continue chatting, because soon, the group arrived at the edge of the district where the Fuli Academy was located, beneath the barrier.

Walking to the location in memory, Moko flew over first and pressed it, discovering its claws still could not extend out. It immediately waved its arm and called out: "Over here, over here!"

Bai Jingxuan slowly descended from the air, nodded, and then supported Tian Sheng as they walked to the edge of the barrier.

After being supported to the corresponding position, Tian Sheng reached out, sensed the magic intensity and flow of the barrier, pondered with closed eyes for a while, and gently patted Bai Jingxuan's shoulder:

"It's enough. Let me stand by myself."

Having flown all the way under the influence of Bai Jingxuan's magic, his injuries had improved significantly. Although the wound still hurt, it was no longer fatal, merely that his condition was still quite weak.

Bai Jingxuan was slightly worried but obediently let go of her hand and stood aside. Seeing that Tian Sheng indeed seemed able to move alone, she relaxed a bit more, yet still paid attention to his condition to prevent him from suddenly falling.

Tian Sheng stood still, gasped a few rough breaths, then looked up at the barrier before him and began observing its structure.

"Later, listen to me. Use your magic to attack the specified points, destroy its operating structure, and then I will take the opportunity to dispel the barrier."

He raised his hand, pointing his fingers at several positions on the barrier: "In order, it should be 30 degrees to the left of your position, then above..."

— "As for the attack order, first you, then that damn fairy, and finally the disobedient sacrifice."

Almost simultaneously, a voice came from behind them, interrupting Tian Sheng's words.

Hearing this, the group turned around in some surprise, seeing a man in a black robe walking slowly from the nearby wall. His face was gloomy, yet he still wore an ambiguous smile:

"Sorry, I actually admire your efforts in this process and am reluctant to let them go to waste, but if you continue like this, my own efforts will be ruined. Oh, no, thanks to that damn fairy over there, they should already be ruined."

Strangely, although only he had come alone, his words were full of contempt for the two humans and one fairy before him.

Unlike the black-robed people Bai Jingxuan had encountered before, this man not only had an unpleasant sense of superiority in his speech, but his black robe was also not of a common style; instead, it was outlined with golden patterns depicting strange and evil designs, making people feel uncomfortable just looking at it.

Instinctively raising her wand, she blocked Moko and Tian Sheng behind her and said alertly: "Are you the one who trapped everyone here?"

"Everyone? Oh, you mean the people in this Fuli Academy?"

Hearing this, the man stopped walking, then shook his head: "No, child, I must tell you that you seem to have misunderstood something. The 'everyone' you speak of has no value to me; the one I wanted to find from the beginning was only you."

Bai Jingxuan slightly tightened her grip on the wand in her hand: "Why?"

"Why? Does that require me to tell you? Don't you know yourself? Your so-called strange illness, the strange illness that modern medicine cannot diagnose or cure, is it really just an illness?"

The man in the black robe grinned, without concealment: "You are special, child. Your 'illness' has never been a bad thing; rather, it is proof that you are different and chosen."

"The reason is actually very simple, because it was never a physical problem from the start, but came from your soul, your magic."

"Children like you are chosen by the Lord from birth. You are different from others: born with a stronger soul, more special magic, even so powerful that it is completely mismatched with your body, and your body simply cannot withstand it."

"In other words, your body is like a truck forcibly loaded with too much cargo; it is 'overloaded'."

"An overloaded truck is much more difficult to accelerate or brake, and even turning is more difficult, and it is very easy to lose control. Your body is the same; plus, you simply do not know how to use your power, so it manifests as an illness, unable to even control your own body properly."

"So, I have come. I am here to take you out of this predicament."

"The Lord chooses special sacrifices like you, whose mission is to return to the Lord's embrace and make your contribution for its return to the world."

Having said this, he reached out his hand toward Bai Jingxuan: "Now, can you feel my goodwill, child?"

"... Don't listen to him. It's all nonsense."

Tian Sheng, looking weak, pressed his hand on Bai Jingxuan's shoulder from behind: "He speaks nicely, but in reality, the so-called 'contribution' is sacrifice, using living people to sacrifice to a so-called evil god. This guy is probably a cultist from who knows where."

"Cultist?" Hearing Tian Sheng's words, the man widened his eyes, as if hearing something very unexpected.

"Hahaha! You mediocre fools, who cannot even remember your own rightful glory, actually dare to call us heretics?"

He laughed loudly at first, then suddenly his face darkened. He raised his hand and spoke in an incredibly deep voice: "Do not provoke my laughter, you foolish meat-pig."

"Be careful!"

Seeing the man's stance, Moke on the side immediately shouted a warning.

Of course, even without her warning, Bai Jingxuan had already realized what the man was about to do. Almost instinctively, she turned her head, used her flight ability to suddenly push Tian Sheng away, and dodged to the side.

At that very same moment, patterns in the man's raised sleeve suddenly flared bright, and a distorted sphere formed of magic power, several meters in radius, abruptly appeared at Tian Sheng's original position.

Had Bai Jingxuan not reacted fast enough, Tian Sheng would likely have already been hit by this sudden attack.

"Shadow Vortex?"

Tian Sheng, having fallen to the ground, turned his head in astonishment, looking at the sphere that seemed to be a spell formula: "No, this size, this speed and power... impossible. Even a Controller should not possess such magic power!"

On the other side, after helping Tian Sheng dodge the man's attack, Bai Jingxuan immediately clarified the current situation and began her counterattack.

Her application of magic power was still somewhat unfamiliar, and she worried that using magic projection at this moment might backfire, so she decided to continue with close-quarters combat. Using magic power to strengthen her body, she rushed forward, grabbed her wand, and swung it directly at the man.

In previous battles, she had resolved those black-robed people using this very method.

A Magical Girl's physical constitution far exceeds that of ordinary humans; combined with magic power enhancement, if uncontrolled, even a blunt strike alone is enough to easily kill someone.

And if Bai Jingxuan still dared to hold back when facing ordinary black-robed people, then facing this strange man before her, she dared not be the slightest bit careless. Even though she was unwilling to kill, she still added her full strength, fearing the opponent might use some strange technique.

"Clang!"

However, her attack was still blocked by the man.

He didn't even use a magic spell formula; he simply raised his hand and blocked her attack, which had been strengthened by magic power.

"How is this possible... a human actually withstanding a Magical Girl's attack with bare flesh?"

Moke on the side couldn't help but be stunned, even falling into confusion for a moment: "Even if Xiao Xuan is just a newcomer who just transformed, it shouldn't be like this. No, this is too strange. Am I dreaming?"

"Humans are inferior to Magical Girls? Hah."

Hearing this, the man couldn't help but sneer: "True, that is indeed an undeniable fact. But for me, it does not apply."

He exerted force with his arm and simply pushed outward; a huge force traveled through the wand in Bai Jingxuan's hand, directly shaking her back repeatedly as she retreated several steps.

"How can this be... such great strength." She looked at the man before her in astonishment, finding it hard to believe.

Although she had obtained the power of a Magical Girl only recently, she had a certain understanding of her strength after transformation. After all, the black-robed people she had encountered before should all have been normal adults, whose strength was nothing in front of Bai Jingxuan.

But this man before her was completely different; Bai Jingxuan had a feeling that although she was already a Magical Girl, the struggle just now felt like a child facing a fierce beast.

Even though her small stature and light weight were factors, this was not the reason her attack failed to take effect.

This man's strength was on a completely different level from that of normal humans, making one involuntarily doubt whether he was even human at all.

"What's wrong? Your proud Magical Girl power isn't working; do you feel panic?"

Cracking his neck, the man grinned and said: "'The power of a Magical Girl surpasses all'? I have heard this phrase until my ears are calloused. What rebellion, and what blasphemy..."

He raised his hand, and purple-black magic power condensed in his palm: "Let me teach you a lesson. The superiority of power has nothing to do with identity."

Accompanying his action, purple-black magic power spheres, just like before, abruptly materialized; however, this time the quantity was dense and numerous. Countless spheres gathered around Bai Jingxuan and Tian Sheng, and without giving them time to react, they suddenly exploded.

"Be careful!"

Bai Jingxuan instinctively wanted to use magic power again to repel these spheres, but found it completely ineffective: the man's magic power was far stronger than that of the other black-robed people, even stronger than hers. Forget about dissolving the structure of his spell formula; her magic power was even being penetrated in reverse, and his spell formula quickly bombarded her side.

In desperation, Bai Jingxuan made a quick judgment, immediately kicked her legs, and a large amount of magic power propelled her to fly and maneuver in mid-air, once again taking Tian Sheng and flashing to the side.

But this time, before she could land, she saw the man move. He tilted his body, raised his leg, took several long strides, and rushed toward her landing point.

I will be caught when I land.

Bai Jingxuan understood the opponent's intention and immediately wanted to adjust her flight direction, but ultimately it was too late; she was punched in the chest by the man.

Thud!

As if struck by some massive object, Bai Jingxuan flew straight out, crashing heavily against the barrier not far away.

The violent impact made her feel as if all the air in her lungs had been squeezed out; the pain made her feel as if her whole body was suffering just like during her usual illness attacks, leaving her with no other perception, unable even to scream.

"Cough... cough... ugh..."

As if her whole body had fallen apart, Bai Jingxuan slid down from the barrier, knelt on the ground, and coughed painfully.

On the other side, although Tian Sheng had not received a direct attack from the man, he was still injured by the densely packed Shadow Vortices surrounding him; after falling to the ground, he was temporarily unable to stand up again.

"Xiao Xuan!" Moke, seeing Bai Jingxuan severely injured, cried out anxiously from the side.

The three who had originally come to the barrier were instantly reduced to just itself, and this cry attracted the man's attention.

His figure swayed slightly, then he reached out from the side and grabbed Moke's wing with one hand, while his other hand pinched its head.

"Aaaaaah!"

Moke, with its head grabbed, screamed in terror, but could not escape the man's palm no matter what.

"Inexplicably infiltrating here, inexplicably turning a sacrificial lamb pre-arranged by others into a Magical Girl, you have truly given me a great gift."

Pressing Moke's head tightly, the man revealed a somewhat sinister smile on his face: "You False Wang Ting are indeed dogs that cannot change their eating habits, forever repeating such disgusting deeds."

"In one year, we searched every city in the entire southwestern Donghua State Region. Only a few days ago did we find such a suitable sacrificial lamb in this city. We were moving at the fastest possible speed, even directly risking being caught by the False Wang Ting's Investigation Bureau to take the person, yet you still got here first."

"Hahaha! Hah... Tsk, it really makes one unable to laugh at all."

"Fairy, oh fairy, on what basis do you so easily destroy all my efforts?"

His voice ground his teeth, and his hand gradually tightened: "A ridiculous image, inexplicable motives, illogical behavior, just like a pitiful clown. Why would I have my long-term efforts ruined by something like you?"

"Do you feel pain? Next, I will crush your head, extract your magic power source from this body resembling a ridiculous doll, refine it into a medium as spell formula material, and make you spend your whole life compensating for this foolish loss in my hands."

"Ugh... uh..."

Moke, with its head pinched, struggled, seeming to want to say something.

"Oh? Do you have any last words?"

The man raised his eyebrows slightly and loosened his hand a bit: "If you can say something interesting to repent, then perhaps I can let you die a bit more quickly."

Moke took two breaths to recover slightly.

It stared fixedly at the man for a moment, then suddenly opened its mouth and shouted, "Xiao Xuan! If you can't beat him, run!"

This cry reached straight to Bai Jingxuan by the barrier, causing her to open her eyes slightly from her pain.

The man's hand motion paused slightly.

Then, as if hearing something quite amusing, his smile grew even more vicious: "Run? Don't worry, not one of you will escape."

"Whether it's that stupid meat pig, you, or the disobedient sacrifice, you dare to mock me like this; you will all pay the price for your actions!"

Having spoken, he pressed his palm down with renewed force, intending to kill Moke directly.

Just at this critical moment, his action was interrupted once again.

It was not the already wounded Tian Sheng, nor Bai Jingxuan lying aside, but a magenta-purple magic beam that suddenly shot from the sky, striking straight at his wrist.

"What is this thing?"

Subconsciously releasing his grip, the man retreated rapidly, dodging the magic beam, and looked somewhat stunned toward its origin, seeing two figures floating in the air not far away, appearing at some unknown time.

Upon looking more closely, one could see they were two young girls.

Before he could properly identify the newcomers' identities, the purple magic beams rained down continuously from the sky like rifle fire, forcing him to retreat repeatedly. During this, one figure descended from the side and helped up Bai Jingxuan, who had originally fallen to her knees.

"Are you alright?" the newcomer asked with concern.

"Cough, cough, I'm fine, but Moke and Uncle Tian and the others, they are in great danger."

Bai Jingxuan endured the pain, barely lifting her head, then froze upon seeing the newcomer's attire: "You are..."

The newcomer did not reply again, but silently stood up, golden hair fluttering, a light blue skirt hem sweeping past Bai Jingxuan's front.

"How did you even get in?" the man nearby roared, somewhat angry and ashamed: "Again and again, why do you all come to ruin my plans? What is that woman from Claw Mark doing?"

The two young girls did not answer his question.

"Harming civilians, bullying the old and young, bullying the weak with strength, committing evil deeds, inflicting terror upon the vulnerable, violating city laws for personal desire; all of this ends now!"

The young girl standing before Bai Jingxuan, righteous and stern, shouted loudly: "Magical Girl, Bai Mei!"

The other person in the sky descended amidst the covering fire, standing beside her: "Magical Girl, Xiao Jin!"

Immediately after, the two spoke in unison: "Now, we shall judge your evil deeds!"