"Monster Alert! Monster Alert!"
"All on-duty Heroes, deploy immediately! Evacuate the surrounding populace immediately!"
The broadcast blared around the stadium.
The Hero Association staff standing around the cordon line were momentarily stunned, then reacted in an instant, quickly shouting to expand the evacuation zone.
"A Witch?"
"It's been a long time since I've seen one, a Witch, that is."
Inside the command tent, facing the real-time footage captured by a drone on the screen, two Heroes in uniform sat on camping chairs, conversing.
If Su Tianqing or Lin Muyao were present, they would surely recognize one of them:
"Meteor, you are the only one among us who has directly confronted a Witch. Tell me your thoughts."
The young woman with long, straight black hair tilted her head towards the girl beside her and asked.
The girl named Meteor was silent for a moment, then looked up towards the stadium facilities outside the tent window.
"...Very strong, ridiculously strong."
After a long pause, Meteor said softly.
"Just like Starry Sky Aberrants, our psychic abilities have little effect on Witches, and at the Witch level, they no longer just flail wildly like low-level Monsters, but have developed something even stronger—"
"—Star Realm Magic," the young woman picked up the topic, saying softly.
Her name tag prominently displayed "S-Class Hero," followed by a golden title—【Electromagnetic】.
"Sometimes, I think this world is quite cruel."
"How so?"
"Magic Girls are just children, yet they have to bear the responsibility of saving the world. Don't you think that's cruel?"
"...When you decided to join the Hero Association ten years ago, weren't you also a child, Meteor?"
The young woman chuckled, releasing the power plug she held, and the screen instantly went dark.
"Alright, stop sitting around chatting. Go help evacuate the people in the expanded safe zone. You're best at that."
"I think so too. You be careful as well."
"Ha, the three children are still holding the front line, don't worry."
"...See you later."
With that, Meteor rose from the camping chair and instantly vanished.
Psychic ability, 【Space Manipulation】, a superpower unique to Meteor.
Glancing at where the girl had disappeared, the female Hero codenamed Electromagnetic smiled wryly and shook her head, then walked out of the command tent.
Next... it's up to you, Magic Girls.
...
"Star Shadow... Witch...?"
Inside the stadium, Hyacinth was locked in a struggle with Xiong Xiong Witch. Although she still had strength to spare, she was utterly shocked by the current situation.
This was her first time truly seeing a "Witch."
Why would such a Star Realm Monster, which only existed in Bai Ling's descriptions, suddenly appear from the Monster summoned by Xin Yuehu?
And besides the Ursa Major Witch in front of her, another figure floating behind her was even more shocking:
Also appearing as a young girl, also dressed in ornate, dark-toned attire, yet two crab-claw-shaped implements floated prominently beside her, extending two pitch-black muzzles!
Star Shadow Witch, Cancer Witch.
The two magic cannons floating beside her were aiming directly at the bewildered Iris in the distance!
"Hahaha, does it feel strange? Don't you know why two Star Shadow Witches suddenly appeared before you?"
Xin Yuehu's voice came from the Ursa Major Witch's mouth,
"Then have a good play with them, and bring me, Fox Fox, a grand battle feast, Miss Hyacinth~"
Instantly, Hyacinth felt as if some mysterious power receded from the Ursa Major Witch.
The next second, the force in Xiong Xiong Witch's hand abruptly increased! Another palm strike came, knocking Hyacinth back several steps!
"Boom! !"
"!!!..."
The girl braked in mid-air and, not to be outdone, raised her greatsword, engaging in battle with the Ursa Major Witch, who had taken a fighting stance.
But Iris and Nightingale were not so fortunate.
"Watch out! Iris! Get out of the way! !"
Noticing the glow from the Cancer Witch's two magic cannons, Nightingale quickly shouted a warning, simultaneously deploying a magic shield as an emergency measure in front of her.
Bright magic cannon light shot up from the ground, accompanied by a violent explosion, instantly shattering the magic shield!
"Ugh!?"
Lin Muyao's body sank, and she could almost feel her reserve magic power instantly drop by a large margin.
Her magic shield would dynamically adjust its magic power based on the incoming attack to counter it, but those two attacks just now were on par with Iris's magic cannon!
And it was double the firepower!
If she took two more hits like that, her magic power would probably be depleted even faster, forcing her to withdraw from the battlefield!
"Iris!"
"Understood!"
Seizing the momentary lull in the opponent's firepower, Iris immediately launched an attack at the Cancer Witch!
A colossal magic cannon beam descended from the sky.
But the Cancer Witch did not dodge or evade, simply raising her left hand and conjuring an identical magic shield in front of her!
"Crack! !"
The magic cannon dissipated, and the magic shield shattered with it, but the Cancer Witch was unharmed!
"A magic shield?!" Iris was severely startled.
Before she could react, the Cancer Witch's two magic cannons had already reloaded, sparkling with starlight!
"Magic Cannon, Fire."
.
The battlefield was in chaos.
Iris and Nightingale frantically dodged under the Cancer Witch's double firepower.
Two cannons were indeed much more powerful than one, and what's more, Iris could only cast a relatively weak magic shield while reloading her magic, relying entirely on Nightingale's shield to barely resist.
The Ursa Major Witch and Hyacinth were entangled in a fierce fight. Although she couldn't match Hyacinth in raw strength, the latter would occasionally take a stray shot from the Cancer Witch, instantly reversing the situation.
Gradually, the situation started to feel off.
Especially when Nightingale began to feel physically exhausted, the tide of battle began to tilt towards the Witches.
"Boom! ! !"
"Crack! !"
Two more flashes of light.
Nightingale endured the severe dizziness and cast another magic shield, but the moment the shield shattered, the girl felt her vision go black. Unable to sustain the magic consumption for flight magic, she plummeted like a bird with broken wings.
Iris hastily caught her falling companion from the air.
"Nightingale! Nightingale, what's wrong? Are you okay?!"
"I'm fine... not injured, just... all my magic power has been..."
Nightingale struggled, trying to float up again, but the intense magical emptiness prevented her from even casting flight magic. She could only slump in Iris's arms, waiting for her magic to recover.
"Oh? Your magic power is even greater than I imagined, Miss Nightingale."
The Cancer Witch did not continue to barrage them with magic cannon attacks, instead speaking in Xin Yuehu's voice, chuckling softly.
Iris raised her magic cannon towards her, and the crab-claw magic cannon immediately aimed back, neither side backing down.
But the Cancer Witch's other magic cannon quietly aimed in Hyacinth's direction.
"You only have one magic cannon, but I have two. Why do you think you can suppress my firepower, Miss Iris~?"
"Damn it..."
Iris gritted her teeth.
Both Cancer Magic Cannons fired simultaneously.
Iris did not attack, instead casting her magic shield, protecting the fallen Nightingale in her arms, and blocking one attack.
But Hyacinth wasn't so lucky:
Noticing the incoming magic cannon, Hyacinth hastily raised her greatsword to block it, but completely exposed herself to the Xiong Xiong Witch, taking a solid bear paw strike.
"W-wah?!"
With a cry of pain, Hyacinth was slammed to the ground. She managed to stabilize herself without being knocked down, but the sharp pain in her shoulder almost made her drop her greatsword, forcing her to grip it tightly with both hands.
"Your companion has fallen, Miss Hyacinth."
Xiong Xiong Witch floated in the air, looking down at the ground with a seemingly relaxed expression, smiling as she spoke to Hyacinth.
One Cancer Magic Cannon was aimed at her. Looking at the dark, hollow muzzle, Hyacinth once again felt an immense pressure.
"This is bad... Nightingale, she..."
Bai Ling had been clinging to Hyacinth's back, anxiously looking in Nightingale and Iris's direction, gritting her teeth.
The situation was too dangerous!
Nightingale couldn't move, Iris was suppressed by the Cancer Witch's firepower, and even with Hyacinth in her Star Shadow form, trying to fight two Witches at once was simply too difficult for her!
"What to do, what to do... In this situation... what should I do...?"
Bai Ling tried to come up with a countermeasure, but the Observer's mind was blank. She couldn't think of any solution for the current situation.
What should she do!
She was their Observer! At this moment, she should be the one to propose a solution!
But... but she just...
"It seems today ends here, Miss Hyacinth."
Xin Yuehu's voice came from the Cancer Monster's mouth, still soft and sweet, but the words spoken were so cold and sharp.
For a moment, Hyacinth wavered.
Nightingale was immobile, Iris had given up her magic cannon firepower to protect her, and she had to face two Witches simultaneously. It was almost impossible to win!
Thinking about it carefully, that Xin Yuehu had never harmed her. If she had played enough for today and left, perhaps...
But relying on the opponent to "get bored and leave"—wouldn't that be too naive?
Yet, facing such a desperate two-on-one, what could possibly salvage the situation?
Just when everyone thought tonight was over, and even Xin Yuehu's live stream was already filled with comments like "Magic Girls have lost again and again"—
"—Now is not the time to give up! !"
A clear, crisp girl's voice rang out.
"""! !??"""
"!?"
Magic Girls and Witches alike looked up at the starry sky.
Above the stadium, two golden figures descended from the sky! Like meteors streaking across the firmament!
Everyone noticed the brand new golden Magic Girl, saw her golden furry ears and tail, and the Observer Spirit accompanying her!
A brand new Magic Girl, like a hero descending from the heavens!