Chapter 98: The Art Style Problem of Magical Girls

The Underworld is not a pitch-black expanse.

Yet once one steps inside, whether the lit areas are safe or the dark zones are safe is hard to say.

"Crack." The wheels kept making noise; the road was not smooth. Fortunately, the vehicles seemed to be high-end goods, and none had broken down so far.

The convoy moved forward slowly. The sentries could still keep feeding back information. Li En noticed the bat wings on his back; here, they were probably more comfortable than at home.

The convoy did not light too many lamps; most of the lights were concealed inside the vehicles to avoid attracting flying hunters (flying beasts in the Underworld were generally very strong), but this did not hinder the beast-people from moving.

Serpents, felines, and insect-types all possessed night vision superior to humans (thermal imaging, supernatural tactile radar, low-light vision); they only needed a little time to adapt.

On the contrary, Li En himself, if he did not activate the Dragon Eye, was truly blind with eyes open.

The Underworld was far more spacious than expected. When the group emerged from the cave and a terrain resembling an underground plain appeared before the convoy, the most headache-inducing task was actually distinguishing the direction to advance.

Li En glanced at the map in the forward scout's hand; it was covered with red warning signs and skull emblems. It seemed most of the map was danger zones; without guidance from an elder, it would probably be quite miserable.

And entering this open area made the convoy, which had been advancing under suppression, breathe a sigh of relief. What they feared most was that this passage into the Underworld had also been sealed off.

This place was already the "Mushroom Light Sea" on the map. The glowing moss on the cave ceiling above was the main light source here. Although still quite dim, it was at least far more comfortable than before.

The passage entrance was on a high ridge. Standing at the height, when Li En looked down, he clearly saw some light sources.

Was it a town? Or natural glowing points? Or perhaps a crystal mine or something?

"In the Underworld, light sources are the most valuable resource. Places without light are not necessarily dangerous; places with light are definitely dangerous."

Li En saw Purple Miss Zi Qiangwei say this; she naturally became the guide of the group.

"Especially various underground mines; those are the easiest to attract dragons. Particularly crystal mines—the lowest is a Sub-Dragon, and the upper limit is hard to say. Once, I even encountered a Black Dragon family." Well, indeed quite dangerous.

But the next moment, Purple Miss Zi Qiangwei frowned and sighed.

"... So soon? Has the situation already reached this point?"

"Woo woo woo."

From within the shadows, snow-white great wolves appeared, their number vaguely exceeding fifty.

Every one of those white great wolves bore faint frost on its body; their size was even a full circle larger than lions, and visible frosty breath exhaled with every breath.

"Winter Wolves? How could they be here?"

These were monsters from the north, typical cold-region creatures. Each one's strength exceeded that of an ordinary Tier-1 warrior, but what was most headache-inducing was that they...

"Woo woo woo!" The great wolves howled to the sky, and the howls echoed throughout the entire Underworld.

These things were pack animals; they would probably come in dozens at random! A single howl could bring several packs!

"Snap!"

But this time, they met opponents not belonging to them.

Purple Miss Zi Qiangwei snapped her fingers; the next moment, those hungry wolves fell into a state of confusion, and their howls stopped.

Then, the girl opened her mouth toward the wolf pack, revealing that forked, exquisite tongue.

Faint light vaguely shimmered upon it. Li En noticed that the snake-head-shaped tattoo was exceptionally alluring.

"Hiss hiss hiss (bewitching with demonic words)." The snake tongue and the tattoo twisted together, and the world shook accordingly.

Parseltongue; although the sound was not loud, it carried very far across the chaotic battlefield.

There was no fluctuation of mana, no elemental tide; Purple Miss Zi Qiangwei seemed to have simply spoken a sentence in the manner of a snake.

Then, the Winter Wolves went mad.

Without any warning, they all went mad.

Their pupils turned crimson red, foam poured from their mouths, and their reason was lost.

Some directly tore at their own companions; some tore and roared at the empty air; some, in their confusion, lay on their backs like dogs, exposing their bellies and smiling foolishly at their masters.

Then they turned around and were torn apart and devoured by their companions.

Their eyes were blood-red; some looked at anyone as if they were natural enemies; some directly engaged in on-the-spot mating; and some even chose to jump off cliffs.

As the slaughter proceeded, some even directly unleashed a Winter Wolf Breath upon each other; the ice element eroded each other's flesh and blood, yet they could not kill each other for a time.

That conical breath created a vast expanse of icy ground, forcibly lowering the temperature of the entire battlefield, and also indirectly verified that they were not weaklings; such a breath was lethal to ordinary beast-people and even low-tier warriors.

Some also charged directly toward the nearest convoy; they seemed to have completely lost their reason, yet they correctly identified their opponents.

Li En instinctively gripped his sword and prepared for battle.

But since Purple Miss Zi Qiangwei had already taken action, she had no habit of yielding prey to others.

She was already standing there, raising that staff longer than a person.

"Can you see a Magical Girl's fighting style?" To be honest, Li En was quite curious.

It was said they were all very, very powerful spellcasters, and completely unrelated to the existing supernatural system; moreover, their combat styles were often quite magnificent, making witnesses feel as if they were watching a magnificent performance, extremely unforgettable.

Li En was truly curious: what kind of fighting style would earn such a reputation?

But the next moment, his mouth gaped wide, his face filled with shock.

"Snap!"

Purple Miss Zi Qiangwei forcefully thrust the long staff into the ground, one hand forward and the other guarding her chest, striking a pose Li En was very familiar with.

A boxing stance!

"Boom!"

The first Winter Wolf pounced, and instantly its brains burst apart.

Purple Miss Zi Qiangwei retracted the fist she had thrown, directly ignoring the blood dripping down it.

The next moment, she leaped and kicked, kicking through two wolves with a single strike.

Right before everyone's eyes, the Magical Girl displayed an astonishingly proficient and magnificent fighting style (physical).

In mere seconds, those Winter Wolves, fragile as tofu, collapsed completely unable to resist.

In Li En's disbelieving gaze, the Magical Girl displayed her own magnificent combat skills.

Ha, the Magical Girl was performing the Lightning Seven-Link Kick, constantly appearing as afterimages, each strike carrying away a chunk of flesh.

Ha, the Magical Girl embraced the approaching Wolf King and executed a spinning suplex; finding it unsatisfying, she followed up with a deep-sea bomb, leaving behind only a pile of minced flesh.

Ha, the Magical Girl unleashed an uppercut, sending another unlucky soul on a journey to the heavens, where it instantly shattered and disintegrated.

Ha, the Magical Girl danced with the ribbon at her waist; the long decorative sash transformed into a lethal soft whip, and where the web of death passed, only minced flesh remained.

"So, she's a Q-Wa type (Martial Arts type) Magical Girl," Li En murmured in shock. Even though he still preferred traditional Magical Girls, he had to admit her fighting was quite beautiful and magnificent.

The reinforcements of wolf packs summoned by the howl? There was no difference.

Her killing efficiency was extremely high; she had become a whirlwind of death, yet her movements were light and magnificent, as if dancing, or as if a holy shrine maiden praying to the gods.

Yet with every dance, several lives were inevitably taken; the "Nightmare of the North" was nothing but an uncounterable target before her.

Strong or not? Very strong. Li En had seen the data on Winter Wolves; ordinary weapons couldn't even break their defense, and they could command Ice elements, making them very formidable magical beasts.

But regarding this fighting style, Li En couldn't evaluate it. He didn't dislike Q-Wa Martial Arts types, he just felt the art style was a bit...

"In a sense, this might just be a Saint Warrior (a Wu Seng who has advanced by borrowing holy power); it makes perfect sense, except..." Li En just felt it was strange, very strange! A strangeness where he didn't even know who to complain to!

Watching Violet Miss Zi Qiangwei playing with the ribbon as if it were the Twin Blades of the Heavenly Demon, Li En felt a mouthful of old bile stuck in his throat, feeling very uncomfortable.

"So amazing, is this what a Magical Girl is?" A maid nearby revealed a look of admiration.

"I can feel the earth trembling. What power is this? What precision?" A Spider-Man trembled continuously; the shockwaves he perceived filled him with fear. This power was too terrifying.

Li En was speechless; it seemed the locals considered this natural, even as if they were seeing an idol.

Facing such an overpowered existence, the ferociously charging Winter Wolf pack was wiped out quite quickly, and not a single reinforcement survived.

"How was it? Stunned?" Having finished the battle, Violet Miss Zi Qiangwei ran over excitedly.

Large patches of blood stained her pretty face, obviously none of it hers.

Li En sighed, took out Mao Jin, and wiped her clean. He had expected too much on his own; truly, he was sorry.

The girl squinted her eyes and rose onto her tiptoes, seeming to enjoy it.

Li En was surprised by the sensation of the touch on her cheek; it was quite tender and smooth, completely unlike a humanoid Gundam.

But thinking about it, it seemed to make sense. The power of "Beasts" cannot be used at will, but pure physical strength has no such restriction.

The hard attributes of a Beast's talent panel are maxed out; those stats are basically filled in by foot. It's likely a stats-monster Magical Girl with a host of Beast passives and specialties, so specializing in melee combat is quite normal, right?

"Uh, I thought you would use a staff to fire a magic cannon," Li En sighed again, voicing his regret.

"I can, but it's unnecessary. Besides, I'm not a Cannon-type Magical Girl. Generally, those new recruits prefer it, recklessly acting because they have so much mana. But in actual combat, the commotion is huge and always attracts inexplicable opponents."

Uh, you guys really do know how.

"... Please, be sure to show me next time." Li En, at this moment, truly had high expectations.

"Although I don't know why you expect so much. But okay." Violet Miss Zi Qiangwei also smiled very happily; this was the first time Li En had made a request of her, and the distance between them seemed to have quietly narrowed.

The initial battle ended quickly; the journey ahead should proceed smoothly for a while.

The dying wails and scent of the Winter Wolves would scare away some weaker monsters.

But why Winter Wolves were here was quite problematic.

"These are 'Newborns' from the Underground Ruins, yet they appeared so far away."

The Underground Ruins constantly convert the power of Beasts into various monsters and life forms.

'Newborns' indeed possess the ability to survive across different ecosystems, but this location is quite far from the underground area directly beneath the Radiant City. If they have already run this far, I'm afraid various beast packs have long since flooded the area.

Li En pondered thoughtfully; having recently studied a lot of local ecology, he knew this was absolutely abnormal.

At least for the native life of the underground area, an intrusion of this caliber was definitely an ecological disaster.

Don't be fooled by how easily Violet Miss Zi Qiangwei played with these wolf packs; every single one could wield Ice power and possessed formidable physical bodies, and dozens of them attacked together, making them quite difficult to deal with.

If it were a normal caravan, they would have been completely annihilated; even a lone Great Warrior would have to cower and flee in panic.

And Kuku, who suddenly appeared, was happily gathering the corpses of these monsters, seeming very interested in them.

Seeing him, Violet Miss Zi Qiangwei showed a look of surprise for the first time; she seemed to have completely failed to notice this mechanical familiar.

"Let's continue; we are still one day's distance from one of our targets, the Dark Elf city of Morndin Perman." This encounter also seemed to hint that this journey was destined to be anything but smooth.

(End of Chapter)