Chapter Sixteen: Stop Undermining Our Worldview

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Purple, a magical girl?

A heavy weight settled in Silver Lotus’s heart.

The true leader of the Azure Cloud Sect was a purple magical girl; Dong Jun was merely the public face. This was the only piece of information the Disaster Control Bureau had uncovered about that mysterious organization.

Yet, no one knew the exact rank of the purple magical girl.

Dong Jun was nearing the Shengzhan level, roughly on par with this magical girl captain.

Although the Disaster Control Bureau had operatives at the Mankai level, the highest-ranked magical girl within the bureau was actually Shengzhan.

Mankai operatives were nearly never seen.

However, ascending to Shengzhan was no easy feat. Generally, if a magical girl rose to Shengzhan—whether officially recognized or a freelance magical girl—the Disaster Control Bureau could detect it through certain abilities.

But no Shengzhan-level magical girls had been observed in Jianghai City.

Logically, the purple magical girl’s highest level was probably close to Dong Jun’s, somewhere between New Sprout and Shengzhan.

Yet even among New Sprouts, there are distinctions. The Azure Cloud Sect highly values strength rankings; if the purple magical girl surpasses Dong Jun, she is likely stronger as well.

How much stronger, no one knew.

What troubled Silver Lotus most was why Coco knew her.

This could easily cause issues with political vetting, Coco.

Her mind was filled with worry, but the next moment, two phoenixes of fire took flight again.

Silver Lotus quickly refocused. Whoever the purple magical girl was, the immediate priority was to deal with the disaster beasts.

But the two fire phoenixes swiftly merged into one and suddenly veered off toward the outskirts!

Silver Lotus never imagined that such a formidable B-rank disaster beast would flee.

Most disaster beasts are instinct-driven monsters, their sole instinct being destruction. They typically do not experience fear, fighting desperately to the death no matter the enemy’s strength.

Many novice magical girls, despite sufficient power, have been terrified and defeated by these relentless beasts.

Thus, it’s generally better for newcomers to have veteran guidance, as first battles for freelance magical girls often result in heavy casualties.

B-rank disaster beasts possess a bit more intelligence, capable of recognizing power disparities and even deceit, but overall remain beasts that fight to the bitter end.

In all her years as a magical girl, Silver Lotus had never witnessed a B-rank disaster beast turn tail and run.

Moreover, the phoenix’s speed was astonishing, disappearing into the distance in the blink of an eye, nearly impossible to track with the naked eye.

She immediately pulled out her phone to contact the Disaster Control Bureau. A B-rank disaster beast rushing into the city would be catastrophic; the bureau needed to quickly pinpoint its location. Fortunately, a magical girl was on duty in that direction.

Before the call connected, the purple magical girl standing above lightly waved her right hand.

A dazzling surge of magic gathered in her palm, forming a gigantic bow.

Despite her small stature—about the same height as Silver Lotus in her untransformed state or perhaps even shorter—the mysterious purple magical girl’s expression was indifferent, her features delicate and almost endearing, hardly inspiring fear.

The long bow of gathered magic shimmered with flowing colors, a striking contrast to the petite girl wielding such a massive weapon.

With her right hand, she slowly conjured an arrow of the same purple magic, its edges flickering like flames. As she nocked the arrow, her long purple hair billowed, seeming to merge with the bow and arrow itself.

When she drew the string, a heavy creaking sound echoed, laden with tension.

The instant she released, it was like a brilliant sunburst, dazzling the eyes and forcing people to squint.

The surging magic spread outward, even blowing Coco backward.

Silver Lotus quickly flew to catch Coco, who nearly fell, and when she looked up, the arrow had left a long purple scorch mark across the sky.

The distant phoenix emitted a piercing, mournful cry.

Then, crimson flames infused with purple light plummeted from the sky, crashing onto the distant highway.

Although the Disaster Control Bureau had done its best to evacuate nearby civilians,

the phoenix’s speed and the lengthy front line meant it was unknown if anyone remained on the highway. The B-rank disaster beast’s fall shattered a stretch of the highway and engulfed it in flames.

Whether anyone was caught in the disaster was unknown… hopefully, there was no one there.

Yet more shocking than this was the opponent’s strength.

The power behind that single arrow could only be wielded by a Shengzhan-level magical girl!

Though the purple magical girl remained a secret, she had acted several times over the past few years.

The Disaster Control Bureau had observed four or five such appearances, though they never discovered her true identity, only that she was closely connected to Dong Jun and was likely the true leader of the Azure Cloud Sect.

Previously, it was speculated her strength was similar to Dong Jun’s—both New Sprouts nearing Shengzhan.

At full power, she might approach Shengzhan.

But now it was clear the Disaster Control Bureau’s assumptions were completely wrong.

A casual strike from her was already at Shengzhan level—a fully realized Shengzhan magical girl.

Why appear now? What was her intention? Would she attack them?

Holding Coco tightly, Silver Lotus tensed every muscle. Her petals multiplied rapidly, unwilling to hold back, pouring almost all her magic into them.

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The abundant petals not only provided attack and defense but could even distort light, creating visual illusions.

Of course, the petals’ effects extended beyond this. At first, they had only one function:

To use their fragrance to induce hallucinations in the opponent, rendering them unable to fight.

The swirling petals seemed to bolster defense, but in truth, they secreted nectar and scent, striving to drag the enemy into illusion.

Yet the purple magical girl stepped forward. Her petite frame halted before the swirling petals, tilting her head with an indifferent expression. She extended a delicate index finger, the nail faintly tinted a natural pink, and lightly pressed it against the petals.

Her finger pierced the petals’ flesh.

Suddenly, fierce, violent magic swept through all the petals!

They ignited into a sea of purple flames!

Silver Lotus’s magical girl combat suit was instantly burned away by this magic, forcing her to revert from transformation.

“Run…” she managed to say before losing consciousness and plummeting downward.

Now it was Coco’s turn to quickly catch her captain, clutching a broom with her free hand to prevent a fall, but her gaze remained fixed on the purple figure.

“Teacher, Shion-sensei,” she stammered, “so powerful.”

Her mind still reeling from the impact of that arrow.

As for Silver Lotus’s petals being burned away and her unconscious reversion, Coco saw it merely as Silver Lotus initiating attack and Shion defending.

Shion glanced at her but paid no mind, turning instead toward the direction where the phoenix fell.

The Seed of Lament—the magic crystal—had not yet been retrieved.

B-rank disaster beasts were extremely rare.

In BH City, Shion had only encountered two. When she faced a B-rank disaster beast as a New Sprout, she failed to hunt it down.

The magical power of a B-rank disaster beast was nearly comparable to a New Sprout magical girl—truly exceptional.

Such immense magical energy promised a significant boost; she had to obtain it.

“Teacher! I joined the Disaster Control Bureau!” Coco shouted behind her with eyes closed, “I’m officially a magical girl now!”

“Noted,” Shion replied, looking at her sister, “No need to notify me.”

“I-I heard, Shion-senpai, you’re a freelance magical girl and the leader of the Azure Cloud Sect…” Coco’s voice trailed off, “Why didn’t you take me to the Azure Cloud Sect back then? You’ve been recruiting magical girls, haven’t you?”

Since Silver Lotus had introduced the Azure Cloud Sect, this had been Coco’s greatest mystery.

The Azure Cloud Sect was fiercely competing with the Disaster Control Bureau for recruits, aggressively recruiting magical girls.

So why hadn’t they recruited her?

If Shion had only said the word, she would have joined in a heartbeat.

Yet Shion never mentioned it and just left.

Was it because she was too busy? Or did Shion not want her to join and ruin her life?

Not wanting to dwell on such thoughts, she simply asked aloud.

“Why didn’t you take me?”

The purple girl turned back.

Her appearance was just as charming as when they first met, her delicate features paired with a cute face, yet exuding an aura of imposing coldness that quickened the heartbeat—a striking contrast that left a lasting impression.

Moreover, Coco had personally experienced her warmth when she was saved.

“Because you’re too weak.”

The cold tone was brutally frank, chilling to hear.

“Weak, and your personality is soft, unsuited for the Azure Cloud Sect. The Disaster Control Bureau is better for you.”

“I-I’m not soft in personality.”

Though Coco couldn’t deny her weakness, she straightened her neck to protest the accusation of a soft personality.

“Not soft? Then why do you eat alone on the rooftop?”

Coco’s face flushed immediately, speechless.

Then curiosity flickered—how did she know that?

Had she been watching her before the disaster beast appeared? Or was Shion her middle school classmate?

Regardless, she was paying attention.

Lost in such thoughts, Shion didn’t wait and flew straight toward where the phoenix had fallen.

Coco followed, shouting after her:

“I’ll become stronger, Shion-sensei!”

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“I’ll work hard to catch up with you! Then, please, let’s be friends!”

Hearing the call behind her, Shion felt a strange flutter in her heart.

Was Coco really such an outgoing girl?

In her memory, Coco was always sullen and passive.

Even the harshest family disputes were mostly reactions to Shion’s attitude.

Like a toad hopping when poked; if ignored, she would usually not respond.

So her sudden initiative to ask to be friends was somewhat beyond Shion’s understanding.

Children grow up, after all—she was already in the second year of middle school.

As for Coco joining the Disaster Control Bureau, one reason was indeed her weakness.

Another was that joining the bureau meant entering the magical girl combat team, adding another source of intelligence.

Although there were insiders like Susan obtaining much bureau information, many details about magical girls remained inaccessible.

The magical girl combat team operated relatively independently within the bureau, making their movements hard to track. Having Coco there made things easier.

There was also no worry about her discovering clues from being too close during transformation.

Arriving at the fallen phoenix’s site, two or three vehicles were already burned and exploded; the highway was broken but damage was limited.

The magic arrow had struck with precision, preventing widespread destruction. Most damage came from the beast’s self-detonation.

Following the magic trail, she saw others had beaten her to extracting the Seed of Lament from the phoenix’s corpse.

Black cloaks, ominous magic, withered skin beneath.

And the distinctive blood-red cross mark on the forehead.

Standing atop the phoenix’s remains, holding the Seed of Lament with reverence and awe.

“This is a treasure we spent a long time obtaining, Lady Shion.”

Raising an eyebrow, Shion asked, “The Witch Society?”

Some disciples of the Azure Cloud Sect had fallen and joined the Witch Society, leaking information.

So it wasn’t surprising the Witch Society knew her code name.

She had no intention of hiding her alias, Shion.

“Honored that the great leader of the Azure Cloud Sect has even heard of the Witch Society,” the hoarse voice seemed pained.

“The Witch Society is older than the Azure Cloud Sect but far less influential than your recently established sect.”

“Truly the student surpasses the master. Yet the Azure Cloud Sect’s strength still cannot rival the Disaster Control Bureau. You must know how many powerful magical girls the bureau commands; the Azure Cloud Sect’s power is still far behind.”

Seeing Shion fall silent, the Witch Society member raised the Seed of Lament.

“So, how about cooperation? The Witch Society greatly respects your abilities. Not only did you reach Shengzhan so quickly, but you’ve gathered so many loyal magical girls. If you cooperate with us, we can provide you with more and stronger disaster beasts.”

Lowering her voice, she added, “We even have Miracle Seeds that can boost your strength to Shengzhan!”

“The three stolen from the Disaster Control Bureau?”

Surprised, the Witch Society member nodded.

“Indeed, Lady Shion, nothing escapes you. Not just those three, we can get more, all for you if you cooperate…”

Mid-sentence, Shion lightly tapped her forehead.

The withered face lifted, staring at her blankly.

How had a magical girl touched her? How had she approached?

Magic sensing and contamination detection—were they all disabled?

“No need to bring them to me,” Shion said expressionlessly, “I’ll take them myself. They were mine to begin with.”

A burst of purple radiance pierced the Witch Society member’s skull. The withered woman fell onto the disaster beast’s body, dropping the Seed of Lament, which Shion caught casually.

The magic was delightfully dense.

Just as she turned, an icy blue arc of light descended beside her. Dong Jun approached quickly, pulling out a handkerchief and gently wiping the finger Shion had pressed to the Witch Society member’s head.

“You should have waited for me to handle that. Dirtying your finger is not good. I’m about to finish school.”

“…”

Dong Jun glanced at the Witch Society member’s corpse before asking, “Is it alright to seize the Witch Society’s property this way? It hardly fits the image of our Azure Cloud Sect’s righteous leader.”

“Listen, Dong Jun, in our cultivation world,” Shion said solemnly, with a cute face that was anything but intimidating, “there’s no need to talk about chivalrous codes regarding crooked paths.”

Black on black is commonplace.

Yet, to maintain the Azure Cloud Sect’s image as a righteous leader, Shion refrained from saying more.