A fierce battle erupted on the Zhujiang River.
...Or rather, a one-sided chase.
The three members of the Magical Girl Hyacinth Squad from Rong City, along with Sui City's local Magic Girl Mai Sui, engaged in a river chase with the Catfish Monster that had ambushed the cruise ship.
"Stop! Don't run!!!"
Hyacinth flew close to the river surface, occasionally unleashing a magic sword qi from her greatsword, attempting to hit the Catfish Monster that was fleeing at high speed underwater.
This guy ruined everything! Otherwise, Tianqing Jie and Jiayu Jie would already be getting all mushy! Who's going to make up for my lack of Cat Girl and Fox Girl sweetness?!
Nan Xiaofeng was extremely frustrated, but the anger in her heart still burned fiercely.
She had to catch it and then chop it into pieces!
However, the Catfish Monster was exceptionally agile, twisting its massive body in the water, deftly dodging all of Hyacinth's attacks.
The Catfish Monster was solely focused on escaping.
Putting everything else aside, when it surfaced and saw the shining wands of four Magic Girls, the berserk characteristic granted by Star Realm Magic was immediately replaced by the beast's survival instinct, and it turned and fled.
And its ability to escape was truly excellent, especially its underwater movement. Even though Hyacinth's slashes were so fast they left afterimages, she couldn't catch this slippery Catfish Monster at all.
She even got soaked by the waves it stirred up.
"Splash!!"
"Whoa?!"
Hitting a large wave head-on, Hyacinth flipped into the water without a moment's notice, making a loud splash.
.
It wasn't just Hyacinth who was being run ragged by the Catfish Monster; the other three were in similar situations.
Not to mention, the other three's mobility couldn't compare to Hyacinth's at all.
"Damn it! This guy is like an agile dog! We can't catch it at all!"
Mai Sui cursed softly, instinctively raising her magic cannon to prepare for a saturation attack, but Iris quickly stopped her.
"Wait, Mai Sui Senior, now is not the time for suppressive fire."
"But being led around like this is too frustrating!" Mai Sui replied, dissatisfied.
She had never been led around like this by a Monster in Sui City!
She had always been the one to blast Monsters with her magic cannon, and the Monsters could only grovel and tremble under her firepower! How could it be her turn to chase a Monster?
But thinking that she was now fighting alongside her juniors, and having corrected her previous mindset, Mai Sui reined in her agitation and carefully observed her surroundings.
Hua Ling was no exception.
Iris turned her head and met the gaze of the tourists on the cruise ship, who looked terrified but also somewhat expectant. She also saw the Golden Fox securely protected by the Cat Girl.
Mai Sui couldn't continue her suppressive fire tactic; Tianqing Jie and Jiayu Jie were still on this cruise ship.
"If we fire indiscriminately, the entire river will become very dangerous, and the cruise ship will be in peril!" The girl turned her head and said calmly.
Calm, always remain calm.
When the Catfish Monster suddenly emerged from the water earlier, she had momentarily lost her composure. Looking back, there had indeed been better ways to handle it, but in that tense situation, it was impossible to think of them.
"..."
Following Iris's gaze, Mai Sui looked back at the swaying cruise ship.
The Golden Fox was leaning over the side of the boat, throwing up rainbows, her face pale, while the Cat Girl was patting her back, full of worry.
"Ugh... ugh..."
"Tianqing, are you okay? Here, drink some water."
"Tha-thank you, Xiaoyu... Ugh ugh ugh--"
It was fine when the cruise ship sailed smoothly, but as soon as it started to rock, the confident Fox immediately became a seasick Fox, leaning over the side of the boat and throwing up her entire lunch in rainbows.
Mai Sui hesitated for a moment, and the magic cannon she was about to unleash with full power also ceased.
If she fired like she used to, Miss Tianqing and her friend wouldn't just be seasick and throwing up rainbows.
They might be in mortal danger!
"...Then, then let Hyacinth drive the Monster to the surface. It's not good to affect the public," Mai Sui said.
"We must seize the opportunity Hyacinth creates and defeat that Catfish Monster with one blow!"
If Mai Sui's teammates were nearby, they would surely be astonished by her completely different actions.
Didn't this guy always fire two rounds of magic cannon suppression first when she saw a Monster? Why is she now starting to consider the surrounding people?
The people on the cruise ship also seemed to notice Mai Sui's subtle change, but before they could focus on it, the violently surging waves on the water not far away caused the crowd to stir again—
"Splash!"
Water splashed everywhere.
Hyacinth, soaking wet, burst out of the water, her greatsword lifted, tossing the huge Catfish Monster into the air!
"Finally caught you!" Hyacinth growled in a low voice.
Three magic cannons on the water surface were already prepared, brilliant magical light erupting from their muzzles, engulfing the entire Catfish Monster!
Intense magical light enveloped the river, and the Catfish Monster wailed as it fell back into the water, covered in wounds, but still struggling to escape.
"It can really take a beating!"
Mai Sui shouted loudly, immediately reloading the two magic cannons beside her.
Iris did not enter the reloading interval; instead, she launched an attack with magic missiles, filling the firepower gap during Mai Sui's magic cannon downtime.
A series of magic missile explosions erupted on the Catfish Monster's body, coupled with Hyacinth's continuous slashes and the subsequent magic cannon bombardment, quickly turning it into ash and dissipating.
The Magic Girls looked down at the gradually dissipating giant Catfish Monster.
They also didn't forget to take another look at the Golden Fox, who was leaving a rainbow trail on the river surface.
...
"I... I'm going to die... I'm almost throwing up my stomach..."
Su Tianqing lay sprawled on the ambulance bed by the shore, her ears and tail bristling simultaneously, her face pale, and very weak.
Nan Jiayu stayed by the Golden Fox's side, watching her with a worried expression.
"Drink some water and rest. The doctor said you're just severely seasick. You'll be fine after taking this motion sickness medicine."
"Let me recover... just rest for a bit..."
The Golden Fox didn't even have the strength to sit up and take her medicine, she mumbled softly.
The Fox Sucking Monsters peered from nearby, all looking at the Golden Fox, who was being helped up by the Cat Girl to drink water in small sips, each of them letting out a sigh of relief.
"Phew..."
"Fortunately, Tianqing Jie is okay... otherwise..."
"It's a good thing we reacted quickly."
Nan Xiaofeng and the other two exclaimed.
Li Kexin silently watched Su Tianqing, who was being fed water and medicine by the Cat Girl. After confirming that her condition was quite good, she seemed to relax, a slight smile appearing at the corner of her mouth.
"It's good that Tianqing is okay."
"So, where should we go to play next?"
The four exchanged glances, none of them really knowing.
Go to a nearby museum? Or eat some Sui City specialty food?
Or...
All four of their gazes simultaneously fell upon Cat Cat Fox Fox.
...Cosplay as Fox Sucking Monsters all day long?