The 30-Year-Old Magical Girl - Chapter 67

“…Do I really look that much like Magical Girl Huangxing?”

As she spoke, a white mist suddenly rose around “Huangxing.”

A gust of wind swept through it, dispersing the mist—and revealing that her figure had vanished.

Standing in her place was Lao Lin, grinning mischievously.

“Your appetite has gotten bigger, huh?” Lao Lin mused.

“This is called ‘the mantis stalks the cicada, unaware of the oriole behind.’”

“Damn it! A trap!” Mengyan growled.

Baiyan realized the deception instantly and prepared to flee.

But before she could channel any magic, a terrifying pressure slammed down upon her, freezing her completely in place.

I… I can’t move?!

It felt as though gravity had suddenly increased tenfold.

Even moving her eyes seemed to consume every ounce of her strength.

“Stay still. Don’t move.”

A voice came from above—soft, yet carrying absolute authority.

Baiyan gritted her teeth and struggled to raise her head.

As her hood slipped back, a cold blue halo entered her vision.

Tidal, in full magic-release mode, hovered above her like the sun reigning over the night sky.

For a moment, Baiyan forgot her fear.

“We’re done,” Mengyan muttered.

This was the Field Phenomenon created by Tidal’s massive release of magic.

The tiny blue girl was deliberately displaying the overwhelming difference in their power.

In other words—intimidation.

“Is there any way out?” Baiyan asked.

“None,” Mengyan replied immediately, frustration evident in her voice. “We’re on completely different tiers. Against that monster…”

“So we just wait here to die?”

“Not quite. It’s obvious they don’t want my life. They want yours. So let’s play it by ear.”

As the two whispered and strategized, Tidal slowly descended.

At the same time, she began retracting her released magic.

The immense pressure gradually disappeared until her power was completely sealed away.

The blue glow faded.

Moonlight and starlight once again illuminated the earth.

With the Field gone, gravity returned to normal.

Baiyan gasped like a diver who had finally broken through the surface of the water.

“You’re Baiyan, right?” Tidal asked. “I’ve heard about you from You… Raging Flame.”

“Baiyan?”

Baiyan suddenly laughed wildly.

“Hahahaha! I’ve already discarded that name.”

Tidal narrowed her eyes.

“Don’t act so cool, you brat. That line might work on someone like Raging Flame—but not on me.”

She raised two fingers.

“I’ll give you two choices.”

“Come with us willingly.”

Tidal raised her magic wand and pressed the colorless crystal beneath Baiyan’s chin.

“Lao Lin.”

“What?”

“Just to confirm—if we knock her unconscious, can we forcibly separate them? There won’t be any side effects, right?”

“Well…”

Lao Lin hesitated.

His expression became slightly uneasy.

“She’s still a child…”

“Senior…”

Huangxing, who had been told to wait at a distance, quietly stepped forward.

“Violence… isn’t really necessary, right?”

Her voice carried a hint of pleading on Baiyan’s behalf.

“Ahem.”

Seeing that everyone was beginning to think she actually enjoyed beating up children, Tidal cleared her throat and lowered her wand.

“I was just scaring her.”

“Enough.”

Baiyan glared at her.

“Are you mocking me?”

Faced with their casual, almost playful attitude, Baiyan felt an even deeper sense of humiliation.

Once again, she was being looked down upon.

“I refuse.”

Her voice trembled, but her resolve did not.

“I’ll live on like this—this version of me.”

…Bai Mian.

Huangxing suddenly called her name.

Baiyan turned around, confusion filling her eyes.

Why had this person called her that so naturally?

Did she know her?

She carefully scanned Huangxing from head to toe, but she couldn’t recognize her.

“Don’t bother guessing.”

Huangxing gently touched the soul gem on her chest.

In an instant, her magical form disappeared.

The figure standing before Baiyan was no longer Huangxing.

It was Mo Li.

Baiyan, who had just stopped resisting, suddenly raised her arm.

Dark-purple magic gathered in her palm.

Now, more than words, she wanted to express her hatred toward Mo Li through violence.

At the last moment, Tidal grabbed her wrist and forced her hand upward.

—Whoosh!

The dark beam shot into the distant night sky.

—Eeek!

Mo Li screamed and curled into a ball, covering her head with both arms.

After a moment, realizing she was unharmed, she slowly stood up.

“Wh-what was that for…? You suddenly attacked me…”

Mo Li looked at Baiyan with fear.

But what she saw was a face twisted by pure, bloodshot rage.

“Why you?!”

“Why you?!”

Baiyan screamed.

“Why are you by You Xi’s side?! How can someone like you become a magical girl?!”

“And me…”

Her voice broke.

“Aaaaah… I became… an aberration…”

Two crimson tears streamed from the corners of her wide, trembling eyes.

“Bai… Bai Mian, You Xi… she…”

“Shut up!”

Baiyan’s expression twisted violently.

“How dare you say that name?!”

Mo Li had finally gathered the courage to speak.

But the moment she mentioned You Xi, Baiyan’s fury crashed over her like a tidal wave, leaving her completely speechless.

“Are you here to humiliate me again?!”

“You beast!”

“It should be you standing trial!”

“You!”

“Unforgivable!”

“I’ll never forgive you!”

Her face twisted with hatred until it became almost demonic, completely unrecognizable.

Tidal silently maintained her grip on Baiyan’s wrist.

From her violent resistance, Tidal could feel the immense anger and despair buried inside her.

“I’m… I’m sorry…”

Mo Li suddenly burst into tears.

She didn’t even understand why she was apologizing.

“I’ll never forgive you…”

“Never…”

“Sorry…”

“Please stop…”

“Sorry, I’m sorry, I’m sorry…”

“You’re nothing like You Xi.”

“You don’t deserve to be a magical girl.”

“I curse you.”

“I curse your fall.”

“May you burn in hell just like me!”

“I… I curse you…”

“Mo Li…”

“I curse you…”

Baiyan continued repeating those curses and words of hatred until Lao Lin finally stepped in and used magic to put her to sleep.

Mo Li stood frozen in place, unable to do anything except cry.

The air grew heavy.

The chaotic scene suddenly fell silent.

Tidal could faintly hear Mo Li’s sobs and Baiyan’s heavy breathing.

“…Hah.”

“Dying dogs bark the loudest.”

Suddenly, a cold, sarcastic voice cut through the quiet night.

“Sister, sister… no cursing.”

The second voice was gentle, almost like someone softly chiding a mischievous child.

Tidal turned around.

Two magical girls stood atop two distant streetlights.

“What? Why should we be polite to prey?”

The red-clad magical girl rested her blade against her shoulder.

She crouched atop the streetlight, glaring down at everyone with arrogant disdain.

In contrast, the girl who was likely her younger sister had already returned to the ground.

After scanning the battlefield, she bowed deeply toward Tidal.

White plumes decorated her outfit, complemented by a diagonal sash and a silver-knuckled saber at her waist.

She looked less like an ordinary magical girl and more like a majestic knight from a medieval royal court.

“My sister can be rather harsh. Please forgive her, Great Senior.”

“Oh? That’s the Great Senior?”

The red magical girl jumped down from the streetlight.

“Then standing up there would be rude.”

Although she said the words, neither her posture nor her expression showed the slightest trace of respect.

“This A-rank is ours.”

“The elder sister means…”

Yue Zhen smiled apologetically.

“Could the Fourth Ring please allow us to handle this Nightmare Fiend?”

Tidal remained silent.

In her mind, she had already classified these two girls as nothing more than crystal-hunting bandits.

Her silence apparently irritated the red-clad girl.

“Hey, you old hag—what do you even need a magic crystal for?”

“We’re stuck at Three Leaves, just one step away from Four Petals!”

“Damn it, can’t the senior show some mercy to the—”

“Ow!”

The red-clad girl suddenly winced.

“Yue Zhen! Why’d you kick me?!”

“The elder sister means…”

Yue Zhen gave Tidal an apologetic smile.

“A veteran warrior such as yourself likely has no need for a magic crystal of this level.”

“So, we humbly request that you grant this precious A-rank magic crystal to us.”

“The Fourth Ring will forever remember your kindness.”