Magical girl? She got tricked into this!

It was obvious that this card contained considerable magical power.

"This is an artificial tarot I made. Exploration missions aren't just about playing house. Wearing it will serve as a protective amulet for you." After explaining, Ruoyue smiled and opened her arms to Anten Meizi. "How is it? Sister treats you so well. Do you have the urge to hug her?"

The latter smiled sweetly, stepped forward and gave Ruoyue a big hug: "Thank you, Sister Ju. With this amulet, I will definitely be able to come back safely. Then I will call Fuzi and we will have a good time all day."

"Okay, you're still as pretentious as ever. Let's go gather at the Tech Park, or Tia will have to come find me later."

After letting go of Ruoyue's delicate body, An Teng Meizi thanked her again, then turned around and left the room reluctantly.

As she left, the door closed again. Ruoyue, who was standing alone in the room, felt her body soften and she actually sat down on the ground.

Her pretty face turned slightly red at this moment, and her breathing became a little heavier. The emotions that had been suppressed for a long time seemed to finally burst out at this moment: "Haoyi, my favorite Haoyi, I finally meet you, it's great, it's really great."

She wiped the tears from the corners of her eyes, stood up again, and clenched her fists with a determined expression: "Don't worry, now that I have found you, I will definitely protect you and will never let you suffer any injustice."

After returning to the Science and Technology Park, An Teng Meizi forced herself to suppress the excitement that was still in her heart and met Lianhua.

When it was time to gather, Lianhua asked her to operate the hoverboard and set off, and the two of them arrived at a room together.

When they walked into the room, there were already people waiting inside. The girl standing at the front began to count the number of people after seeing them come in.

"Tia, aren't we going to explore three places? Why are there seventeen people here?"

Lianhua, who knew the grouping situation, shook her head in confusion. Obviously, she didn't know what the two extra people were for.

After explaining the mission requirements in detail and quickly dividing the teams into three teams using code names, Meiko Anten suddenly realized that her and Renhua's names did not seem to be among the three groups.

Soon, the three teams that had already formed left the room one after another, leaving An Teng Meizi and Renhua looking at each other, not knowing what to do.

"Codename Ruby, Tia, you two will form a team and be responsible for exploring the lair of the Dragon-level Void Beast that escaped near the Tokyo Skytree in Sumida District. Confirm its whereabouts and the specific conditions inside the lair."

Volume 4: Something Hidden Beneath the Earth: Chapter 66: Night Parade of One Hundred Demons

"Wait, Senior, you're not kidding, are you? Letting Tia and I team up to explore the lair of a dragon-level being? Isn't this asking us to die?"

Meiko Ando could never have imagined that she would receive such an unreasonable task when she first arrived at the headquarters. This was not to ask them to carry out the mission, but to ask them to die, right?

Turning to look at Tia beside her, she found that her expression was also shocked. After confirming that she was also unaware of the situation, a hint of anger appeared on Ando Meiko's face.

Everyone else was in groups of five, even with a super-class magical girl leading the team to protect them, so why were these two so unlucky? Not only did they not have a super-class leader, but they were even forced to form a team on their own.

"What's going on?" Lianhua did not hide the anger in her tone at all, and asked the girl who assigned them the task directly.

The magical girl remained unmoved by their questioning. She simply waved the manuscript in her hand and said, "The grouping and orders were all personally outlined and signed by Master Kamijou, so there's no point in blaming me. I was just following the rules."

"Anyway, I've conveyed the instructions, and the mission and objectives have been clearly explained. Lord Shenjo said it's up to you two to decide whether to go or not."

"If it's my mother who asks me to go, I will definitely go." Looking at the senior's quickly leaving back, Lianhua said slowly, "So, Ruby, don't follow me. There's no reason for you to take the risk of dying."

Ando Meiko sighed and said, "Since you're planning to go without asking anything, how can I not go? I don't want to watch you go into this dangerous place alone."

At that time, Lianhua not only saved her when she was about to be corroded by the devil ether and died, but also saved her heart that was about to resist everything and close itself off.

In her opinion, Lianhua is not only her friend and savior, but also an angel-like existence, so no matter what, she cannot watch Lianhua go to her death.

"In that case, be careful when you get there."

Ando Meiko nodded. She reached out and stroked the artificial Tarot card in her arms, which was permeated with warmth. For some reason, the sudden surge of confidence made a smile appear on the corner of her mouth. "Don't worry, we will all come back safely."

While Ando Meiko and Renka were rushing to Sumida District, the senior who had divided them into groups went to an empty room, closed the door, took out his cell phone and dialed a number.

"Sir, the task you instructed us to do has been completed. Is this all that is needed? What if they don't go..."

"No." A slightly deep voice came from the other end of the phone, but it seemed to have been processed and it was difficult to tell whether it was a man or a woman. "That's good. As long as they use that person's name, they will definitely go."

"Okay, then..."

"You don't need to take any action now. Just hide yourself. I don't have time to deal with those self-righteous guys right now."

"Yes, my lord."

…………

After leaving the base, Meiko Anten and Renka were picked up by a special person and taken to Sumida District.

Chiyoda Ward, where the headquarters base is located, and Sumida Ward, their destination, are both in Tokyo, so the distance between them is not too far. Therefore, although they were the last to depart, they were the first to arrive.

Reconstruction work is still in progress. Throughout the Sumida district, maintenance vehicles and construction vehicles can be seen everywhere, constantly running around, and have almost become a part of the rhythm of life in this city.

Looking at this city with fewer people and becoming somewhat empty, Meiko Anten couldn't help but recall what was reported in the news.

Although she knew that this was the best outcome, she still felt sad when she thought of the civilians who died because of their fighting.

Fortunately, there is a buffer in the battle in the void world. If this happened in the real world, I'm afraid that more than just those few people would be sacrificed.

"What's wrong?" Lianhua asked worriedly when she noticed that something seemed wrong with An Teng Meizi's face.

"Nothing..." An Teng Meizi shook her head, but then sighed softly, "Even if it's just the most common soldier-level Void Beast, if one of them comes into the real world, several or even dozens of people will be sacrificed, right?"

"Yezi, you're being overly worried. Ever since the Void World appeared, no Void Beast has appeared in the real world."

"Since the emergence of the Void World? Does that mean that Void Beasts have appeared directly in the real world before?"

"I was curious about the ancient books my mother collected, so I asked the maid to read some to me. I only stumbled upon this by chance." Lianhua carefully recalled the contents of the ancient books. "About a thousand years ago, the legendary Night Parade of One Hundred Demons occurred, and it was this disaster that nearly destroyed Japan at the time."

This wasn't the first time Meiko Anten had heard this a thousand years ago.

Something buried under Gensakura High School and Senhime High School was also sealed a thousand years ago. Abe Seimei, the only Onmyoji in Japan who has broken through the ultimate existence, was also a figure from a thousand years ago.

So are all these "thousand years ago" connected? In fact, the result is obvious.

"Although many records about that period have been lost, the so-called Night Parade of One Hundred Demons was actually the Void Beast. Since that incident, the Void Beast has never appeared in this world again."

"In other words, the Void World appeared a thousand years ago."

"Probably, but I don't know much about it. If you want to know, maybe you can ask Mom after this exploration mission is over."

"Forget it." An Teng Meizi waved her hand and said, "I don't think I have the courage to face Lord Shenjo directly."

"Aside from being a little lazy, Mom is a very good person. Andeng Meizi is so powerful, she should like you very much."

While the two were talking, the car had already arrived at the designated location in Sumida District, which was near the nest that the Void Gorilla used to escape.

They transformed directly in the car and entered the void world.

However, this car was not in the void world. After they entered it, Anten Meiko's body fell from mid-air, and her buttocks made close contact with the ground.

It's a weird feeling, like when someone suddenly pulls the chair away from behind you while you're sitting down.

Although the fall didn't hurt, I still felt a little unhappy.

Volume 4: Something Hidden Beneath the Earth: Chapter 67: Entering the Lair

Standing in front of the nest, both Meiko Anten and Renka were filled with anxiety.

Although they both agreed to carry out the exploration mission, they hesitated when they saw the dark cave that seemed to swallow up all light.

After all, it is human instinct to be afraid of the unknown, and no normal person is willing to joke with his own life, even if this person is Lianhua who prioritizes the mission.

Standing here didn't seem like a solution. An Teng Meizi pointed at the black substance next to the nest and said, "Do you want to observe from outside first?"

"Well, that makes sense."

After exchanging opinions, the two of them walked towards the nest and finally stopped at the edge of the nest.

Although Katerina had told her roughly about the nest, she only briefly explained her own guesses.

Looking at the black substance like volcanic rock at the edges of the holes on the ground, Anten Meiko leaned over and touched it.

These black substances felt no different from soil, but the numbness in her hands made her feel uncomfortable.

She tried to circulate magic power on her fingertips, but the magic power slowed down strangely when it flowed to the fingertips covered by black substance.

"It seems these black substances have the property of suppressing the flow of magic power. Be careful when you go in and don't touch them easily."

After observing for a while, Anten Meizi discovered that there was extremely weak magic power flowing at the edge where the nest was in contact with the ground of the void world.

These magical powers seemed to be repairing the terrain destroyed by the nest, but no matter how these magical powers devoured it like insects, they could not shake the black matter at all.

As Katie Lena said, these black substances are preventing the "three-day law" of the void world, so these nests will only be born and will not be repaired.

"There doesn't seem to be anything special in there."

She looked up in the direction where Lianhua's voice came from, and then saw that the latter had already entered the nest. She took a deep breath, stood up again and stepped into the nest.

There was no barrier blocking the way or any conditions that only allowed void beasts to enter like in the movies. It was just that perhaps because the black matter around was too dense, the feeling of magic running slowly spread throughout the body.

"Lianhua, is everything okay?"

"Well, if that's all it is, it's fine."

She naturally knew what Meiko Anten was referring to. After all, she had undergone advanced gravity training. If it was just this level of magic power slowdown, it would not have much impact on her.

They did not stride in directly, but walked and stopped, walked and stopped, slowly testing the intensity of the slowdown in the magic power.

About ten meters into it, because the influence of the black substance has reached its maximum, the speed of magic power circulation has dropped by half.

But what made them feel even more strange was that it took them ten minutes to move ten meters, but during this time no Void Beast came to attack them.

"It seems that the Void Beast doesn't usually wander around in its lair. Does it suddenly emerge from the ground when some conditions are met?"

"Speaking of which, who built this lair? Even a Dragon-level being wouldn't have such powerful abilities, right?"

Renhua and Anten Meiko thought hard, but all they got were questions and more questions, and they couldn't think of any answers at all.

"Be cautious and proceed."

Now that the maximum impact of the black matter had been determined, the two no longer had any concerns. They carefully observed their surroundings while quickening their pace.

These black substances seemed to have the effect of absorbing light. After turning several corners, the nest far away from the light source at the cave entrance began to become dim, and even their eyesight could no longer see anything.

"careful!"

A crisp sword sound suddenly rang out, followed by the sound of some piece of meat falling to the ground.

With the brief silver light brought by the diamond sword being unsheathed, Anten Meiko saw that some kind of black creature seemed to rush out from the depths of the cave and attack them.

"It's too dark in here and I can't see anything. Lianhua, can I light a lamp?"

"Okay, but I still think... it would be better not to do this."

Meiko Andeng switched the magic wand in her hand into a jewel sword. White light shone from the sword, illuminating the entire cave like an incandescent lamp.

And the things that attacked them also appeared in front of them under the illumination of white light.

Those were all kinds of insects the size of human heads. Seeing such a disgusting scene, if Lianhua hadn't covered her mouth in time, she might have screamed.

"That's why I said it's best not to turn on the lights. Also, it's best not to make too much noise, otherwise we'll attract some stronger Void Beasts and we'll be in trouble."

"Huh." After calming down, An Teng Meizi nodded, "Then let me finish these things as soon as possible."

Just as Meiko Anten was about to summon fire to burn all these soldier-level insects, her action was stopped by Lianhua.

"Using offensive magic here might be detected, so I'd better hold back and use physical attacks for now."

"It can only be the."

She reduced the giant jewel sword to the size of a dagger, and coordinated with Lianhua's attack. The two of them swung their swords one in front and one behind, clearing out all the void insects that flew towards them.

Even without using enhanced magic, their speed is not too slow as they are already at an advanced level, and they can still deal with these mere soldier-level insects with ease.

When the two of them confirmed that there were no enemies around and were about to move forward, Lianhua, who had just taken a few steps, suddenly stopped and frowned slightly.

"Why did it stop suddenly? Are there still enemies?"

"It seems that this place...cannot replenish magic power."

"what?"

Meiko Anten was stunned for a moment, then she immediately closed her eyes and carefully felt the flow of magic around her.

It’s not that there is no magic power in the nest, but this magic power is too thin, far from enough to allow them to recover.

If they were discovered in their lair and forced into a fierce battle, it wouldn't be long before they didn't even have the magic power left to return.

"So should we go back the way we came before we get too deep?"

"We still have plenty of magic power in our bodies. There's no need to go back. Let's go a little deeper and see if it doesn't work. If that doesn't work, we'll try to avoid fighting and leave here."

"Well, I listen to you."

Volume 4: Something Hidden Beneath the Earth: Chapter 68: Like Your Relative