Go to work, and then educate magical girls.

Chapter 114 Dawn, Dusk (6k)

After chatting with Jinju for a while longer, Xiaoling got up to say goodbye.

"Aren't you going to have a meal before you leave? You two haven't seen each other in so long." Mother An rushed out of the kitchen to persuade them to stay.

"No need, Auntie, I have to go back and cook for my family too," Xiaoling said, holding her child.

"Come visit again next time!"

"Of course, thank you Auntie." Xiaoling waved goodbye, "Little Orange, bye-bye."

Jinju waved her hand as well. She looked at Xiaoling and the baby in her arms, feeling that something was not quite right.

After Xiaoling left, An's mother's voice came, "Look at her, she's even younger than you, but she can already do everything. When I was your age, I was already good at everything, from washing clothes to cooking."

Jinju ignored her mother's nagging. In the past, she would have replied, "Isn't my sister here?" But now, she was thinking about what was wrong.

Ever since she returned here yesterday, she has felt depressed, and this feeling reached its peak when she saw Xiaoling and her child.

Jinju returned to the sofa where Xiaoling had just sat. She stared at the shallow dent on the cheap sofa cushion and subconsciously sniffed twice.

This smell was quite something; Jinju's expression changed instantly. She finally understood what this strange feeling was!

Deathly aura!

The smell that only comes from a dead person.

Xiaoling and her child both carried this deathly aura!

Although extremely faint, Jinju would never misjudge!

This was her innate talent, and it was with this that she was able to sense Tang Feng's eccentric identity at their first meeting.

Jinju finally remembered that the faint, deathly aura that lingered in the air above the town when she returned was the reason she felt something was wrong.

Jinju suddenly realized something, and she rushed over to her mother, sniffing her intensely.

Jinju breathed a sigh of relief when she didn't smell the deathly aura on her mother.

"Hey, get out of here! What are you doing? You're just making a mess of my cooking instead of helping!"

Before Mother An could finish speaking, she discovered that Jinju had already disappeared.

"That poor kid..." Mother An shook her head and continued chopping vegetables.

Jinju's figure appeared on the rooftop.

"Transformation."

With the magical girl's heightened senses, the death aura she smelled became even more pronounced.

The entire town seemed to be enveloped by this atmosphere.

She turned her gaze to the few scattered figures on the roadside.

One of them carried this deathly aura, while the other did not.

Has nearly half the population of this town already been murdered? Who is the perpetrator? What state are these people, radiating an aura of death, in? Why are they still able to live like normal people?

Jinju recalled the heavy death aura she had sensed from that baby, and her heart skipped a beat. She looked into the distance, searching for Xiaoling's figure who had just left.

She found it very quickly.

At the end of this road is a large cornfield. Go through the ridges between the fields to reach Xiaoling's house.

The girl's figure was slowly walking along the ridge of the field.

Jinju darted into the cornfield, concealing herself and observing from the shadows.

There was indeed a trace of death emanating from Xiaoling; she wasn't mistaken.

A trace of sadness appeared in Jinju's eyes. This childhood playmate may have met with misfortune.

As Xiaoling parted a corn leaf blocking her path, Jinju suddenly realized that the baby that should have been in Xiaoling's arms was nowhere to be found!

How could that be? She was clearly staring at him the whole time!

"Are you looking for me?" A faint voice came from behind Jinju.

Jinju was startled and turned around abruptly. Not far from her, she saw a baby girl, a few months old, slowly crawling on the edge of the field, using both her hands and feet.

After crawling a short distance, the baby girl raised her head, her eye sockets were pitch black with no whites, making her look particularly eerie.

Although there were no pupils, Jinju still felt that the other party was watching her. She took a step back warily, revealed her wand, and held it tightly in her hand.

"You're that girl from earlier, right? So you're a magical girl. No wonder I couldn't control you directly." The baby girl's shrill voice sounded like the hissing and tearing sound of an old CD playing a choppy disc, which was particularly unpleasant to hear.

"Are you a weirdo? You're the one responsible for all the strange things happening to the residents of this town?" Jinju asked, assuming a fighting stance.

"I didn't expect you to notice something was off. You're just a weak A-rank, yet even a Domain-level magical girl couldn't see through my tricks. That's quite strange..." The other person didn't seem to be in a hurry at all. She chatted with Jinju calmly. "Could you tell me how you noticed? I'll try to improve."

Jinju, of course, wouldn't waste any more words with the other party. She raised her wand and pointed it at the baby girl on the ground, "What did you do to those people? What will happen to Xiaoling?"

"Of course she...will kill you!" The baby grinned. At the same time, Jinju felt the wind rushing from behind. She turned around and used her wand to block the scythe that was slashing horizontally.

This is just an ordinary corn-harvesting sickle.

"Clang!"

A metallic clanging sound rang out. Jinju looked at Xiaoling, whose pupils had turned gray, and a strange sadness welled up from the bottom of her heart.

These people, emanating an aura of death, were indeed dead; they were now merely puppets of the strange man.

And in this town, who knows how many people have already fallen victim to this horrific act.

Jinju let out a heavy breath to calm her mind. She kicked Xiaoling in the chest, sending her flying, and launched an attack on the baby monster at the same time.

"Oh, showing no mercy to an old friend." The strange man burrowed underground, easily dodging Jinju's magic missile, and then emerged from the other end.

While dodging Jinju's attacks, she chuckled and said, "An A-rank magical girl, it seems like I could capture her and use her as material."

Jinju's expression was very serious. "What are your goals?"

After a tentative exchange, she realized that this strange person's strength was unfathomable. Judging from the tone of his voice, he was at least an S-class monster.

Her objective had shifted from initially investigating the truth and seizing the opportunity to kill the culprit to stalling for time and passing on the information from here.

While stalling for time with questions, Jinju secretly reached into her skirt and tapped on the screen through the fabric.

She was sending a message to Jincheng.

"Don't try it, it's useless, this area has been blocked by me!" Seeing Jinju's little actions, the baby girl laughed shrilly, the laughter seemed to puncture people's eardrums.

Jinju then realized that this vast cornfield was shrouded in a purple magic circle, and the sky seemed to be gradually darkening.

"field?"

The baby girl seemed to have heard the funniest joke in the world. "You need a domain to deal with a mere A-rank? You overestimate yourself!"

Jinju put down her phone. She knew that in this battle, she could only rely on herself.

Although the S-class monster was powerful, she had personally witnessed Tang Feng's strength, so she was not afraid of any opponent.

To win against a stronger opponent, one must resort to unconventional tactics.

The strange man didn't know her true attack method; she only had one chance.

Jinju brandished her magic wand, instantly conjuring dozens of magical beams, each as thick as a bowl, that shot toward the monster with a destructive aura.

"Your power is quite impressive; even among A-rank, you're one of the best."

The baby nimbly twisted her small body, dodging most of the light cannons. Facing attacks coming from several directions, she clapped her hands twice to the left and right, scattering the magical light cannons.

After the magic dissipated, the baby girl looked at her bare white bones and showed a look of disgust.

"Such a frail body, might as well throw it away."

The next moment, the baby girl's head fell to the ground, and she lost all life.

"Try this body," Xiaoling's voice came from behind.

Without turning her head, Jinju changed direction and launched her fierce magical attack behind her.

Xiaoling's surprised voice came over, "Faced with the body of an old friend, you actually attacked without the slightest hesitation. You're quite different from the magical girls I've ever met."

"Stop rambling."

Jinju looked at the familiar figure, biting her lip tightly. She kept telling herself that Xiaoling was dead, killed by this strange man. Only by killing him could she avenge Xiaoling.

Soon, Jinju became calm and collected. She waved her wand and once again unleashed a series of powerful magical attacks.

Xiaoling easily dodged them all, and said with a grin, "It's best not to use the same move consecutively."

Before she could finish speaking, a sharp beam of light pierced through the soil and shot straight out from underground. Xiaoling was unable to dodge in time and was pierced through the jaw by this magical light cannon, and half of her face was burned to ashes.

"Hehe..." Xiaoling's voice lowered as she reached out and wiped away the charred skin on her face, revealing bloodied muscle tissue.

She didn't care that her body was injured, but the fact that she was injured by an A-rank magical girl was something her pride couldn't accept.

"Looks like I need to get a little more serious," Xiaoling said with a forced smile.

Jinju felt a surge of excitement. She was worried that her opponent would keep dodging and avoid a direct confrontation. As long as her opponent was willing to take the initiative to attack, she would eventually find an opportunity to strike and turn the tide of the battle.

"puff."

A sound of flesh being pierced rang out, followed by a sharp pain. Jinju belatedly looked at her shoulder, where a long bone spur had been embedded, and blood was continuously oozing from it.

So fast! She didn't even see when the other party made their move. Is this the strength of an S-class monster?

A magical blade of light sliced ​​through, severing the bone spur, and Jinju retreated rapidly.

"Don't run away, I've just finished warming up." Xiaoling said with a grin. She raised her hands, and more bone spurs extended from her fingertips, piercing the figure in the air.

Faced with the rapidly approaching bone spikes, Jinju could only accelerate again, dodging while firing several magical light beams to shatter the incoming bone spikes.

But her good fortune didn't last long. Another bone spur pierced her side, and Jinju twisted and dodged, only to have a large chunk of flesh torn off.

Jinju endured the excruciating pain and fired a laser back at the opponent, which was blocked by a shield formed by two rows of rib-like structures.

Xiaoling looked at the crater blasted into the bones and was secretly alarmed. This magical girl's attack was far stronger than she had imagined. If this long-range tug-of-war continued, even if she could wear down her opponent, she would probably be injured.

This is unacceptable for an arrogant S-class monster; he couldn't even defeat an A-class magical girl without taking any damage.

As if in response to her thoughts, Jinju unleashed another barrage of light beams, directly blasting cracks into the bone shield.

If she gets attacked like this a few more times, her shield probably won't be able to protect her.

Xiao Ling's face turned cold. She abandoned the bone shield, and half-meter-long bone spurs extended from her ten fingers, exuding a chilling aura. She then vanished from the spot.

From the series of exchanges just now, it can be seen that this magical girl's speed and attack power are among the best in A-rank. She is good at using guerrilla tactics to deal long-range damage, and her role in the team should be a fragile turret.

Since that's the case... then let her just chop the other person's head off!

As Xiaoling leaped up, she pressed both hands down.

"Whoosh whoosh!"

Several bone spikes, each over ten meters long, fell from the sky, directly blocking Jinju's path. Jinju braked the car and turned around sharply, only to find Xiaoling's figure already behind her.

Jinju's pupils contracted sharply, seemingly caught off guard by the sudden close-range attack.

"Bye-bye." Xiaoling smiled slightly, her ten fingers transforming into incredibly sharp bone knives, slashing towards the girl.

But at that moment, she seemed to see a slight smile on the other person's face.

Xiaoling sensed something was wrong, but as an S-rank far stronger than her opponent, she naturally had no fear. Besides, the attack had already been launched, so there was no reason to stop.

She imbued the bone knife with powerful magic, and the bone knife, engulfed in dense purplish-black flames, slashed towards the magical girl directly in front of her.

Jinju faced the sharp bone knife without any intention of dodging. She knew that with such a disparity in strength, the only chance to defeat her opponent was to launch an all-out attack.

Without her noticing, the wand in her hand had transformed into a sharp magical spear, its tip gleaming with a cold light. She swung the spear forward, unleashing a strike she had rehearsed countless times in her mind.

"One move, Dawn!"

In the dark cornfield shrouded by a magic circle, a ray of dawn broke through the darkness, rising slowly from the ground as dazzling as the newborn sun.

The essence of the sun condensed on the tip of the spear, carrying a chilling aura of terror, and pierced straight into Reiko's heart.

Jinju also took the full force of the blow from the opponent's bone knife.

Her shoulder had been split in half, the bone knife deeply embedded in her flesh, stuck in the bone crevice, from which blood gushed out.

If the strange man hadn't subconsciously held back his strength during Jinju's desperate counterattack, hesitating whether to be distracted by defense, that strike could have cleaved her in two.

Jinju's face was covered in blood, but she seemed oblivious to it. She was also as if she had lost all feeling of pain from the blade embedded in her body. Her gaze was fixed on the tip of the gun that had pierced the other person's heart, where it was radiating a dazzling light.

Xiaoling tilted her head back and let out a piercing scream. She threw away the bone knife, gripped the gun barrel tightly, and tried to pull it out of her body.

Jinju seemed to be lost in a state of complete absorption. She gripped the gun barrel tightly, and her body moved instinctively.

"Second move, Opening the Clouds."

The entire magical spear lit up, with a magical aura flowing within it and converging at its tip. A surge of boundless energy erupted from the spear tip, churning wildly within the enemy's heart. With a final burst of energy, the monster's heart, along with the flesh and blood of its chest, was blasted to smithereens.

Blood and flesh fragments splattered onto Jinju's face, and the girl's delicate face could no longer see a trace of fair skin. Only two holes for the eyes remained on the bright red mask, emitting a deep divine light.

Xiaoling's screams grew weaker and weaker, and finally stopped after a series of convulsions.

But Jinju's attack did not stop; the tip of her spear turned and stabbed into the void diagonally above.

"Fifth move, Soul Devouring."

Faced with this soul-devouring attack, the monster felt real fear for the first time. The black smoke in the void let out a shrill howl, and instantly, the death energy of the entire town was stirred up, and half of the people fell to the ground in that instant.

The gray mist formed from the death energy rapidly condensed, gathering in front of the black shadow to form a gray sphere that seemed almost tangible, directly meeting Jinju's spear tip.

The gray sphere shrank rapidly as it was devoured by the spear. Seeing that things were not going well, the black smoke prepared to find a new host and make a comeback. Of course, Jinju would not give it this chance. She abandoned the spear, leaving the spear and the gray sphere locked in a stalemate, and then she rose into the sky.

"Ninth Style, Dusk".

She had no gun in her hand, but in that instant, countless long spears appeared in the sky behind her, each one radiating a dazzling brilliance, like the sun on the horizon.

As she pointed forward, the spears fell to the ground like the setting sun.

Countless spears rained down from the sky, crashing into the magical barrier that enveloped the cornfield. Cracks quickly appeared on the barrier, and with the first spear piercing through, the magic circle shattered completely, sending countless spears hurtling towards the inescapable shadow.

Faced with the ultimate threat of death, the shadowy figure was no longer afraid and let out an extremely eerie, agonizing laugh.

"You've already got a lot to be proud of for pushing me to this point."

"I never imagined that one day I would be forced to use this by an A-rank magical girl."

The shadowy figure murmured, and two dark hand shadows slowly came together.

"Domain expands, the Netherworld Prison!"

Inky blackness spread from beneath the shadowy figure's feet, enveloping the sky and earth in all directions.

The spear, which resembled a setting sun falling to earth, vanished without a trace the moment it was enveloped in black ink.

The countless spears that followed were swallowed up like raindrops falling into the sea, without causing a ripple.

The black ink surged like a tide, quickly covering the entire sky and earth, leaving only endless darkness in this space.

The spear that had been confronting the gray ball fell to the ground at that moment, making a clear, crisp sound in the dark and silent space, like a girl's desperate cry.

The last faint glimmer of light on the spear also dissipated.

Jinju knelt helplessly in the darkness. After snapping out of her trance, the intense pain from her injuries overwhelmed her, and she had to force herself to stay upright to avoid collapsing.

In the end, was it still a matter of being one move behind...?

From her first counterattack to the final nine moves, every possible change was within her calculations.

But she ultimately failed to consider that this was a strange person who controlled the domain, or rather, even if she had considered it, it wouldn't have mattered.

Those who possess a domain will inevitably defeat those who do not.

If her opponent doesn't underestimate her and activates their domain immediately, she'll be instantly killed without even having a chance to raise her hand.

She anticipated that the other party would underestimate her, which is why she seized the opportunity and launched a series of counterattacks.

If the opponent were just an ordinary S-class monster, she should have already defeated him.

pity……

Excessive blood loss made Jinju's head feel dizzy, and her tense body went limp.

Even if the other party doesn't intervene and just leaves her aside, she'll bleed to death soon, right?

Blood was still gushing from the large gash in her shoulder.

Her magic was depleted, and she was unable to stop the bleeding.

Moreover, this is within the other party's territory.

Given her current state, she could probably be decapitated with just a thought from the other party.

"Hehe... Not bad." An indistinguishable male voice came from the darkness all around. "Don't worry, I won't kill you. You'll definitely become excellent research material."

Research? Excessive blood loss blurred Jinju's consciousness; her ears were ringing, and she could no longer hear what the other person was saying.

Is there any way to resist? Jinju pondered in a daze. In this situation, she couldn't even commit suicide. Within the domain, all her actions could be predicted. She would probably be stopped by the other party in countless ways before she even raised her hand.

It seems this is her final fate... Jinju slowly closed her eyes.

Tang Feng and Jin Cheng's faces flashed before her eyes like a revolving lantern. Jin Ju smiled gently; she could finally break free from their control.

At the cost of death.

It's a pity that the older sister will be extremely heartbroken, otherwise it would be a decent ending.

In her daze, she seemed to see a ray of light break through the darkness, and her sister's figure descended from the sky and appeared before her.

Is she dreaming? Or has she already reached heaven?

"Little Orange, it's all over now." The figure stroked her with utmost tenderness.

Whether it was true or not, Jinju hugged the figure she relied on so much and fell asleep peacefully.

Jin Cheng stood up with red eyes, partly because she couldn't help but shed tears upon seeing Xiao Ju's injuries, and partly because of her boundless killing intent towards the enemy; she couldn't wait to kill him to vent her anger.

Jin Cheng couldn't imagine what would have happened if she had arrived any later; would she have never seen Jin Ju again?

This weirdo must die.

A voice, neither male nor female, came from the darkness, sounding somewhat confused, "While it's a bit surprising that you've managed to intrude into my territory, aren't you just walking into a trap?"

It could sense that the magical energy emanating from this magical girl was S-rank, but only at the initial stage.

Without a domain, even S-class items are like paper in its presence.

Having just entered S-rank, how could it possibly be possible to control the domain?

The strange man felt incredibly relieved.

At this moment, Jin Cheng's hands were already clasped together.

"Domain expands... Satin feathers entwine."

(End of this chapter)