Mo Ying quickly approached her teacher, saying, "Teacher, I'm late."
【Shadow Magic: Shadow Curtain】
Mo Ying unleashed her magic, releasing a curtain centered on herself. Inside the curtain, the shadows of all allies twisted light, concealing the whereabouts of teammates enveloped by the curtain, while enemies would lose their direction within it.
Seeing her former apprentice arrive, Li Yu, whose mind had been taut, finally relaxed, causing her to feel a bit disoriented.
Mo Ying had never seen her teacher like this before. She immediately supported Li Yu, saying, "Teacher, I'm late."
Li Yu snapped back to reality and, seeing this Magical Girl who had perfectly inherited her embarrassing past, nearly fainted.
"It's Xiao Ying... You're still, uh, the same as before."
Mo Ying scratched her head. "Hehe, Teacher, after you left, I've been living exactly as you taught me back then!" Mo Ying's mouth became a rapid-fire cannon after seeing her master. Just as she was about to babble on, Li Yu's vision went black, and she immediately interrupted.
"Stop! Xiao Ying, listen to me first."
"Has the Demon Court figured out why a Forbidden Object Class Disaster Beast appeared in Nanhai City, a non-frontline city?"
Mo Ying pondered for a moment, then said, "Master, I haven't heard any news, but the frontline isn't looking good right now. There have been several large beast tides, and the other Sisters can't leave, so they could only send me to check on you!"
"News of me? Uh, let's deal with the current trouble first," Li Yu diverted the topic.
Mo Ying, who hadn't seen her master in a long time, was extremely excited. "Master, just watch me!"
---Divider---
Sanuk, enveloped by the curtain, showed a puzzled expression on its insect face. After a black-clad Magical Girl appeared beside the white-clad Magical Girl, the two instantly vanished without a trace. Sanuk didn't actually know it had been enveloped by the curtain; the scene before its eyes hadn't changed at all. It was merely misled by shadows.
In Sanuk's vision, the black-clad Magical Girl suddenly appeared, but the pure white Magical Girl was still nowhere to be seen.
Sanuk saw the black-clad Magical Girl raise her staff. It knew this was an incantation and immediately attacked the Magical Girl, but it quickly realized that its full-Speed charge did not close the distance between it and the Magical Girl, as if it had never moved at all.
【Domain: Realm of Soul Departure Woven with Shadows】
"Immerse yourself in a world devoured by shadows."
As the domain unfolded, the Magical Girl's voice echoed in this world unique to her.
Each 'thump' was accompanied by a small beetle being swallowed by shadows. The shadows carved into the ground were proof that these small beetles had once existed.
Sanuk immediately realized something was wrong and tried to escape, but as a mere Forbidden Object Class, how could it possibly escape the Eternal Sun's domain?
It vigorously vibrated the crystalline wings beneath its carapace, but nearly half of its body was already consumed by shadows. No matter how much Sanuk struggled, it couldn't move an inch.
"You, who harmed Master, deserved to be cut into a thousand pieces. Allowing you to die so simply is already my mercy."
Thump. Where Sanuk had stood, only a large patch of shadow remained.
Every Heng Yang Magical Girl was someone who had reached the pinnacle of her chosen path, and their domains were also symbols of their essential magic.
A domain was simply an unreasonable type of magic.
The battle ended, and the Sky Curtain slowly disappeared. Mo Ying flew to Li Yu's side and grabbed her hand.
"Master, Master, I'm an Eternal Sun now too!"
"Xiao Ying is truly amazing," Li Yu looked at this Magical Girl who was incredibly aloof in front of others but so carefree in front of her, feeling both helpless and relieved.
"Hehe," Mo Ying still held Li Yu's hand.
【Shadow Magic: Shadow Bind】
Several chains made of shadows suddenly emerged from Li Yu's shadow, successively binding her hands and feet.
"Xiao Ying, what are you doing!?" Li Yu looked at Mo Ying in alarm.
"Master, I came here to take you back! I sensed it, you know. Your magic power is only at the Star level now, Master. My chains aren't something you can break free from in your current state."
Li Yu struggled, trying to break free from the chains'束縛, but just as Mo Ying said, she truly couldn't escape their hold in her current state.
"Don't struggle, Master! I'm at least the sixth-ranked member of the Tribunal's Round Table now. I can protect you!" Mo Ying released Li Yu's embrace, clasped her hands behind her back, leaned slightly forward, and slowly brought her head closer.
"It's not like that, Xiao Ying, listen to me. I still have things I haven't finished. Will you let me finish everything, and I'll go back myself, okay?"
Seeing that she couldn't break free, Li Yu had no choice but to lower her posture and plead with Mo Ying. Although she said this on the surface, inwardly she was cursing, 'This rebellious disciple who assaults her master! They say a teacher for a day is a father for life. I was your teacher for half a year! How could you treat me like this!'
"Oh? Then tell me, Master, what important things do you have?" Mo Ying smiled at her master, seeing her current state.
"Xiao Ying, this matter is very important, I..."
Before Li Yu could finish, a loud thumping sound came from her heart. The pain, as if her heart was about to explode, spread throughout her body. Li Yu, who had just let out a breath after a major battle, was suddenly hit by immense pain that caused her mental faculties to give out. Her consciousness blurred, and she fainted, falling backward.
Mo Ying, quick-witted, immediately caught her master.
Mo Ying looked at her master's damaged Magical Armament. Although there were no visible wounds, it still made Mo Ying feel a pang of sadness.
"Master, what exactly happened to you... How did you become like this?"
---Divider---
Master in Mo Ying's memory.
At that time, she was just a Star-level Magical Girl, severely wounded by a Disaster Beast on the battlefield. She happened to meet Sister Bai Leng and was brought back to the Royal Court. Mo Ying didn't know how long she had slept, only that when she woke up, all the wounds on her body had disappeared. Sister Bai Leng told her that Senior Li Yu had used 【Time Magic: Reversal】 on her.
I personally sought out Senior Li Yu to thank her. That was the first time Mo Ying met her Master, a noble, pure white Magical Girl with a calm, ice-like face that captivated one at first sight. I thanked Master, and Master told me, 'As long as you're okay.'
Sister Bai Leng discovered my potential in Shadow Magic, but because Sister Bai Leng needed to guard the front lines, she entrusted me to Master.
I had heard rumors about Master: powerful, gentle, noble. But when I actually spent time with Master in private, I realized Master was just a beautiful airhead.
At that time, I was very introverted. Master brought me to her small house in the Demon Court. She was very strict, and the daily training was very rigorous. But it was also strange; whenever I wanted to do extra training, Master would always say, 'You're still young, there's plenty of time. A balance of work and rest will make you progress faster.'
Later, I found out that it was just an excuse Master made because she was bored. I was dragged by Master to her small house to play games, watch anime, and watch other Magical Girls perform. Master told me that she would do these things when she had nothing to do. At first, I found it boring and uninteresting. Why not make full use of time to improve myself? But Master always shot down my suggestions with the excuse of balancing work and rest.
Once, Master took me on a mission. That was the first time I saw Master on the battlefield. Master was completely different from other Magical Girls. She disliked magic, disliked chanting. Master said, 'Chanting makes you vulnerable to sneak attacks, so I prefer to go up with a sword and hack.' I asked Master, 'What about before you had your Magical Armament?'
Master pointed to my magic staff and said, 'This thing is very hard, you know what I mean?'
I immediately felt a wave of helplessness. Did Master's magic staff mean she would rush in and smash things when the enemy thought she was chanting?
【Li Yu the Berserker】 This was Master's nickname on the battlefield. Every Magical Girl who went on missions with Master was well taken care of by her. Master would use Time Magic to remove even the smallest wounds. It was then that I realized Master possessed dual-essence magic: Time and Space.
I began to learn Master's fighting style. It was strong, useful, and exhilarating. As long as there was still a breath left, Master could use Time Magic to save me.
This was also the first time Master criticized me. Master told me not to learn her fighting style. Master said her 'exchange-injury-for-injury' fighting style was because she herself was a Time-type. Master said I was different; Master said she would one day not be by my side.
I began to reflect. I asked Master what to do if I was ambushed while chanting. Master told me, 'Magical Girls are best at ganging up. If one day you need to face a Disaster Beast alone, try to improve your chanting Speed as much as possible, or prevent the Disaster Beast from getting close to you.'
I always remembered Master's words. This also became my main focus.
Master loved to cook. She called herself the Demon Court's number one chef. I found that besides the titles other Magical Girls gave her, Master also gave herself many titles, such as 'Demon Court's Strongest Weapon Master,' 'Demon Court's Fastest Legend,' and 'Demon Court's Divine Thief.'
Demon Court's Weapon Master was beyond doubt, because Master was an anomaly among Magical Girls. Very few Magical Girls used close combat, and even if they did, none knew as many types as Master. 'Fastest Legend' goes without saying; no matter how fast one was, could they be faster than Master's teleportation?
Demon Court's Divine Thief was the true unsolved mystery of the Demon Court. For example, the necklace on my body was 'borrowed' from the Demon Court's treasury. Master's application of Space Magic was truly bizarre, but Master gave me the necklace, hehe, Master cares about me.
I loved eating Master's cooking. It was delicious. Master would also ask me what I liked and disliked. Master was truly good to me, but she just wouldn't let me over-train. The excuse was still 'balancing work and rest.' Master was the seventh-ranked member of the Tribunal's Round Table, so she usually had many things to do. Once, I went to Master's office to find her and saw her reviewing documents. Master held a report in one hand and scratched her head with the other, looking adorable. Master, with her messy, scratched hair, handed the report to me. Master immediately adopted a superior posture and said, 'Xiao Ying, I've been waiting for you. Look at these reports and articles, what are your thoughts?'
Yes, it was from that moment that I came up with the title 'Beautiful Airhead' for Master. She was clearly silly but pretended to know everything. My Master was truly adorable.
Half a year is both long and short.
One day, Sister Bai Leng returned. She patiently listened to the stories between Master and me. For some reason, when she heard that I was learning Master's fighting style, Sister Bai Leng, who had always maintained her gentle demeanor, frowned for the first time.
Sister Bai Leng told me that most of Master's Time Magic could only be used on herself. The Reversal magic was developed because Master couldn't bear to see Magical Girls die in front of her due to delayed treatment.
Sister Bai Leng told me that this magic came with a price. Master could only perfectly repair a wound if she personally experienced how that wound was inflicted. During this process, Master had to experience how the wound was caused, possibly more than once. The more severe the wound, the deeper the experience required.
I understood. The pain Master had to experience to heal my wounds was beyond my imagination. I began to blame myself.
I started to believe that it was my weakness that caused Master to endure so much. Master didn't want me to push myself too hard in training. Master told me, 'If the sky falls, won't your Master still be holding it up?' But I never blamed Master for not letting me over-train, because in those dark and turbulent times, Master was the only ray of light in my heart.
Although Master always called me her 'casual apprentice' in front of outsiders, I knew Master always cared for me, just like the necklace I wear. This was made by Master and placed in the treasury. Master used Space Magic to retrieve it. Inside it is Master's Space Super-level Magic, something all Magical Girls in the Demon Court desire.
However, my life with Master only lasted half a year. In that battle, the Demon Court won at the cost of two Eternal Sun Magical Girls and countless Star and Bright Moon Magical Girl casualties. Master also disappeared in that battle.
I haven't stopped searching for my Master for a single moment all these years.
---Divider---
Now I'm an Eternal Sun too, Master. Can I protect you now?
(I feel like the flashback was a bit long, maybe I got carried away writing it, sorry. If you don't like it, I won't write such long flashbacks in the future.)