Thousand-Faced Dragon

Chapter 98 The Art Style Issues of Magical Girls

The underground world is not entirely dark.

Once inside, it's hard to say whether the areas with light or the dark areas are safe.

"Crunch." The wheels kept making noises, the road was not smooth, but fortunately the vehicles seemed to be high-end and there were no problems so far.

The convoy moved slowly forward, and the sentry continued to report messages. Rean noticed the bat wings on his back; it was probably more comfortable here than at home.

The convoy didn't turn on many lights; most of the lights were concealed inside the vehicles to avoid attracting flying hunters (flying beasts in the underworld are generally very strong), but this did not affect the movements of these beastmen.

Snake-people, felines, and insectoids all possess superior night vision capabilities (thermal imaging, advanced tactile radar, low-light vision) compared to humans; they simply need some time to adapt.

On the contrary, Rean himself would be truly blind if he didn't open his dragon eye.

The underground world was far more spacious than expected. When the group emerged from the cave and the terrain, resembling an underground plain, appeared before the convoy, the most troublesome task was actually determining the direction to proceed.

Rean glanced at the map on the sentry's hand. It was covered with red warning signs and skull insignia, and it seemed that most of the map was a danger zone. Without the guidance of an experienced person, things would probably be quite miserable.

Entering this open area brought a sigh of relief to the convoy, which had been feeling oppressed as they moved forward. Their biggest worry was that the passage into the underground world had also been destroyed.

This is already the "Mushroom Sea of ​​Light" on the map. The glowing moss on the cave ceiling is the main light source here. Although it is still quite dim, it is much more comfortable than before.

The entrance to the passage was on a high hill. Standing on the high ground, Rean could clearly see some light sources when he looked down.

Is it a town? Or a natural luminous spot? Or perhaps a crystal mine or something?
"In the underground world, light is the most valuable resource. Places without light are not necessarily dangerous, but places with light are definitely dangerous."

Seeing that Purple Rose had said this, Rean naturally became the guide for the group.

"Especially underground mines, those are the easiest places to attract dragons, especially crystal mines, where the lowest level is a sub-dragon, and the upper limit is hard to say. I even encountered a black dragon family once." Well, it is indeed quite dangerous.

But the next moment, Purple Rose frowned and sighed.

"So fast? The situation has already reached this point."

"Uuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuu"

From the shadows emerged large, snow-white wolves, their number estimated to be over fifty.

Each of the large white wolves was covered in a light layer of frost, and they were even larger than lions. Their breath carried a distinct frosty aura.

"Winter Wolf, what are you doing here?"

These are monsters from the north, typical cold-climate creatures. Each one is stronger than an ordinary first-tier warrior, but they are the most troublesome.
"Woo woo woo!" The great wolf roared to the sky, its howls echoing throughout the underground world.

These creatures are social animals; dozens could easily come at once! One roar and several groups would gather!

"Snapped!"

But this time, they encountered an opponent who was not their match.

Purple Rose snapped her fingers, and the next moment, the hungry wolves fell into a daze, and their howls stopped.

Then, the girl opened her mouth to the wolves, revealing her forked, beautiful tongue.

A faint light emanated from it, and Rean noticed that the snake-head-shaped tattoo was particularly alluring.

"Hiss hiss hiss (spreading rumors)." The snake tongue and the tattoo twisted together, and the world shook.

The snake-like voice, though not loud, carried far across the chaotic battlefield.

Without any magical fluctuations or elemental tides, Purple Rose spoke as if in the voice of a snake.

Then, the winter wolves went mad.

Without any warning, they all went mad.

His eyes were bloodshot, he was foaming at the mouth, and he had lost his mind.

They might bite their own companions, or bite and roar at the air, or lie on their backs like dogs in a daze, showing their bellies and grinning foolishly at their owners.

Then he turned around and was torn apart and devoured by his companions.

Their eyes are blood red. Some look at everyone as if they are their natural enemies, while others mate on the spot, and some even choose to jump off a cliff.

As the battle raged, some even unleashed a winter wolf's breath at each other, the icy elements corroding their flesh and blood, yet failing to kill each other for the time being.

The cone-shaped breath created large areas of ice, forcibly cooling the battlefield and proving that they were not weak; such breath was fatal to ordinary orcs and even low-ranking warriors.

Some charged directly at the nearest convoy, seemingly having completely lost their minds, yet recognizing the right opponent.

Rean instinctively gripped his sword, ready for battle.

However, since Purple Rose has already made her move, she has no habit of letting others have their prey.

She was already standing there, raising the wooden staff that was longer than a person.

"Can we see how magical girls fight?" To be honest, Rean was quite curious.

They are said to be extremely powerful spellcasters, completely different from the existing supernatural systems, and their fighting style is often quite flamboyant, making the witnesses feel as if they are watching a magnificent performance, which is extremely unforgettable.

Rean was genuinely curious about what kind of fighting style had earned him such a reputation.

But the next moment, he opened his mouth wide, his face full of shock.

"Snapped!"

Purple Rose slammed her staff into the ground, one hand forward and the other protecting her chest, striking a pose Rean knew very well. A boxing stance!
"boom!"

The first winter wolf pounced, and its brains instantly splattered.

Purple Rose withdrew her fist, completely ignoring the blood dripping from it.

The next moment, she flew up and kicked, piercing through both of them with one kick.

Under the watchful eyes of everyone, the magical girl displayed an astonishingly skillful and elegant fighting style (physical).

In just a few seconds, those winter wolves, as fragile as tofu, collapsed, completely unable to resist.

To Rean's disbelief, the magical girl displayed her dazzling combat skills.

Ha! The magical girl, in her seven-hit lightning combo, kept appearing as afterimages, each strike taking away a piece of flesh and blood.

Ha! The magical girl grabbed the approaching wolf king and threw him in a spiral slam. Not satisfied, she followed up with a depth charge, but all that remained of her body was a pile of mangled flesh.

Ha! The magical girl unleashed a rising dragon attack, and yet another unlucky soul disintegrated on its way to ascension.

Ha, the magical girl dances with the ribbons around her waist, the long decorative ribbons transforming into deadly whips, leaving only a pile of minced meat in the net of death.

"So, she's a Precure-type (fighting-type) magical girl." Rean murmured in shock. Even though he still preferred traditional magical girls, he had to admit that her fighting was quite beautiful and gorgeous.

The wolf pack of reinforcements summoned by the roar of the waves? They were no different.

Her killing efficiency was extremely high; she transformed into a whirlwind of death, yet her movements were light and graceful, as if she were dancing, or as if she were a sacred priestess praying to the gods.
But each dance inevitably claimed several lives; the "nightmare of the North" was an unassailable target for her.

Is it strong? It's very strong. Rean has read the information on the Winter Wolf. Ordinary weapons can't even penetrate its defenses, and it can control ice elements, making it an extremely skilled magical beast.

However, Rean couldn't comment on this fighting style. He didn't dislike the Predator fighting style, but he felt that the art style was a bit...

"In a sense, this might just be a Saint Seiya (a monk advancing by borrowing holy power), which makes perfect sense, but..." Rean found it very strange, extremely strange! He didn't even know who to complain to about how strange it was!
Watching Purple Rose play with the ribbon like a pair of demonic swords, Rean felt uncomfortable, a mouthful of saliva stuck in his throat.

"Wow, amazing! Is this what a magical girl is like?" One of the maids exclaimed with admiration.

"I can feel the earth trembling. What kind of power is this? What kind of precision is this?" A spider-man trembled incessantly, terrified by the shockwaves he sensed. This power was too terrifying.

Rean was speechless. It seemed that the locals took this for granted, and even regarded it as if they had seen an idol.

Faced with such an extraordinary force, the raging winter wolf pack was wiped out quite quickly, and none of the reinforcements survived either.

"How about it, are you stunned?" Purple Rose, having finished her battle, ran over excitedly.

There were large patches of blood on her pretty face, which were clearly not hers.

Rean sighed, took out a towel, and wiped her down. He was truly sorry for having acted on his own expectations.

The girl squinted her eyes, stretched out her toes, and seemed to be enjoying herself.

Rean was surprised by the feel of the skin on her cheek; it was incredibly soft and smooth, making it impossible to tell that she was a humanoid Gundam.

But thinking about it, it seems to make sense. The power of a "beast" cannot be used at will, while pure physical strength has no such restriction.

The beast's talent panel has maxed-out hard attributes; the numbers are basically filled in by hand. It's probably a magical girl with stat monsters, and with a bunch of beast passives and feats, it's normal for her to specialize in melee combat.

"Uh, I thought you would use your staff to unleash a magical cannon attack," Rean sighed and expressed his regret.

"I could, but there's no need. Besides, I'm not a magic girl who relies on artillery. Those are the kinds of girls that new recruits like to use, relying on their magical power to do whatever they want. But in actual combat, they make a lot of noise and always attract random opponents."

Wow, you guys are really good at this.

"Please be sure to show it to me next time." Rean was really looking forward to it at this moment.

"I don't know why you're so looking forward to it. But okay." Purple Rose smiled happily. This was the first time Rean had made a request of her, and the distance between them seemed to have quietly closed.

The first battle ended quickly, and the journey ahead should be smooth for a while.

The dying howl and smell of the winter wolf will scare away some weaker monsters.

But why Winter Wolf is here is quite a question.

"This is a 'newborn' from the underground ruins, but it appeared from so far away."

The underground ruins continuously transformed the power of the beasts into various monsters and life forms.

"Newborns" do have the ability to survive across different ecological environments, but this place is some distance from the underground area directly below Radiant City. If they have already run this far, various beast groups have probably already overrun the area.

Rean seemed to be deep in thought. Having studied a lot of local ecology during this period, he knew that this was definitely not normal.

At least for the native life in the underground area, this level of foreign invasion is definitely an ecological disaster.

These wolves may seem easy for Purple Rose to handle, but each one can wield ice power and possesses a formidable physical body. When dozens of them attack together, they are extremely difficult to deal with.

If it were an ordinary caravan, it would definitely have been wiped out, and even a lone warrior would have to flee in terror.

Meanwhile, Kuku, who had suddenly appeared, was happily collecting the monsters' corpses, seemingly quite interested in them.

Upon seeing him, Purple Rose showed surprise for the first time, realizing she hadn't noticed this mechanical magical creature at all.

"Let's keep going. We're still a day away from one of our targets, the dark elf city of Mosodirka." This encounter seems to foreshadow that this journey is destined to be anything but smooth.

(End of this chapter)