Transform into a magical girl after getting off work

Her hasty response under pressure had led to even greater risks, for the Remnant Beast's reaction speed was faster. Almost at the same moment she chose to use her magic armor to protect Lin Xiaolu, it had lunged forward, a claw striking Xia Liang squarely.

As a budding Magical Girl, Xia Liang had not mastered Spell Techniques, and naturally, she was unable to deploy any barriers when the beast got close. She took the full brunt of the attack head-on.

"Xia Liang!"

Lin Xiaolu called out in shock and anger.

Her shouting was of no use and couldn't halt the Remnant Beast's advance. She could only watch as Xia Liang, struck by the beast, was sent flying like a sandbag and crashed heavily against a nearby wall.

The Remnant Beast turned its gaze toward Lin Xiaolu.

After dealing with the biggest threat among the two, it knew, even with its intelligence greatly diminished from its human state, that it was time to end the battle.

The green tubes coiling around its body suddenly began to pulsate, and streams of purplish-black Flow of Magical Power pumped from its heart, coursing towards every part of its body, inflating its already grotesque form with more sinister veins.

Then, facing the last remaining Magical Girl at this location, it kicked off with its legs.

Lin Xiaolu, watching from a distance, suddenly felt a stutter in her vision, and the enemy before her eyes vanished in a blur.

A strong sense of déjà vu made her hold her breath instinctively.

It was happening again.

She couldn't help but think.

Just like that night in the wetland park, she had fallen into a trap that had been set for her beforehand, encountering the Remnant Beast's hunt within the barrier.

Back then, she had no power to resist and was quickly defeated by the Inchworm, almost having her head chopped off. If it hadn't been for the sudden arrival of Emerald Sparrow, who took that hit for her, she would be dead by now.

Thinking back, it was from that moment that she began to hold Emerald Sparrow in high esteem, harboring deep admiration and love.

But this time, even Emerald Sparrow herself had been struck by the enemy's attack, and she could no longer hope to be saved by someone else.

Would she die here, just like her mother, sacrificed in battle?

She suddenly remembered the question she had asked Emerald Sparrow a few days ago.

At that time, Emerald Sparrow told her, if she couldn't understand it, then she shouldn't overthink it. She was still only a child, and Emerald Sparrow would protect her, giving her ample time to make her decision.

That feeling of being protected was truly wonderful—peaceful, warm, and blissful. She even wished that she could remain a child forever, hiding in that gentle haven.

But things were different now.

Even though she was in danger, she didn't feel that urge to shrink away. What was it she felt? Fear? Regret? Resentment?

Maybe all of those, but more importantly, she felt anger.

Anger toward the enemy before her.

Not only because they attacked a place like the welfare institute, not only because they nearly killed a new Magical Girl of Fangting City, and not just because they had just severely injured her friend.

But also because that man's words had insulted and trampled upon the concept of the Magical Girl.

They claimed nobility and righteousness but engaged in setting traps and slaughtering innocent girls. Their very existence was an affront to the dream of the Magical Girl.

The faces of the Magical Girls she had seen in TV animations since her childhood, to her friends, her seniors, and perhaps now she had to include a junior, all of these Magical Girls' faces surfaced in her mind.

Magical Girls ought to be sparkling and beautiful—that's what she had believed all along.

So, she felt a surge of intense anger at the man's talk of "hunting" and "besieging" Magical Girls.

The beautiful image she had always admired and cherished was easily trampled by the man before her, and she couldn't even begin to imagine the despair and helplessness in the hearts of those girls who had just become Magical Girls, still pure in spirit and full of future aspirations, when they were killed.

The more she couldn't imagine it, the more fiercely the anger burned, the more intense it became, until it seemed as if it would burst through her chest.

At the same time, this rage was also directed at herself, at the profound sense of powerlessness deep within.

Because, even with such anger, she was unable to do anything.

Merely a rank-and-file Magical Girl, she couldn't even harm the enemy and was toyed with as if in mockery; she might even die here in what followed.

It was truly disgraceful.

She sneered in her heart.

She thought more than anyone else, but at the crucial moment, she was more useless than anyone. Emerald Sparrow was fighting the enemy; Xia Liang was protecting her; even the new girl was working hard to remove the barrier and release the hostages; yet she, even though she was on the battlefield, was like a mere spectator.

She could almost see Emerald Sparrow looking at her with disappointment in her eyes, just by closing her own.

Indeed, she thought. If she really died here, she would probably only disappoint Emerald Sparrow even more, wouldn't she?

But for some reason, she couldn't help but recall the evening of a few days ago.

She remembered what Emerald Sparrow said to her by the river that day, she remembered Emerald Sparrow holding her hand, she remembered Emerald Sparrow saying to her, "I'm here."

In a daze, she felt as though her hand was truly being held by someone, as if Emerald Sparrow was indeed there, wrapping her hands around hers once again with a touch that was cool yet comforting.

"Believe in the possibilities within yourself."

Then, the voice of Emerald Sparrow spoke in her ear.

That phrase caused Lin Xiaolu to suddenly open her eyes.

She began to feel something different: the touch on her hand grew increasingly real, intense, and undeniable.

Her gaze shifted to her hand, and all she saw was a silvery white.

It was Magic Power, but not the familiar light blue, rather a silvery-white Magic Power.

She saw the white Magic Power in her hand, burning fiercely like flames, shimmering, and what followed was a power that filled her entire body.

In the eyes of the Remnant Beasts, the Magical Girl who had been foolishly still and seemingly resigned to her fate was suddenly bursting with an incredibly strong Magic Power.

It began to disperse like a tide all around, the white Magic Power illuminating everything on the girl — her eyes, the Heart's Gem on her chest, her hair; even the nails on her fingers were flashing with intense white light.

The fierce white light, like a dazzling sun, made the Remnant Beasts lurking in the shadows feel as if their own Magic Power was retracting into their bodies, as if about to be driven away, losing its rightful strength.

Looking up from the burning white Magic Power, the girl widened her blazing white eyes, like a hawk locking onto the swiftly moving Remnant Beast in an instant.

A beam of Magic Power, resembling flames, was fired from the tip of her Magic Wand, striking directly at the landing spot of the Remnant Beast, and the dangerous aura forced it to halt its steps to avoid the attack.

And it was this pause that once again exposed it to the view of Lin Xiaolu.

"It's truly revolting, it's about time to stop," she said, frowning at the Remnant Beast that had revealed itself, her chin held high as she spoke, the Magic Power around her body violently fluctuating:

"Now me... I just can't hold back my anger anymore!"