Chapter 8: That girl, I feel like I've seen her in a dream before

"What is the most important thing for a magical girl?"

The girl suddenly asked.

Keke struggled to stand up and, looking at the cold-faced girl, answered cautiously, "It's... conviction. A heart that never gives up hope, no matter when. It is the source of a magical girl's miracles."

"Why haven't you transformed?"

Her tone wasn't actually harsh; it was even somewhat indifferently casual, but Jiang Keke felt immense pressure, as if she were a failing student being called out by a teacher in class.

She could only say stumblingly, "I... I can't..."

She had tried countless times, yet not once had she succeeded.

Ever since she obtained the Seed, she had worked hard to search for knowledge related to magical girls.

No magical girl had ever encountered a situation like hers. Every magical girl, upon receiving a Seed, would actively transform, after which a companion spirit would appear to assist them and provide them with the most fundamental knowledge of being a magical girl.

Furthermore, they would help them defeat the Calamity Beast before them.

"The Seed is empty."

Opening her palm to show the purple magical girl the Seed, Keke noticed that the other girl seemed to freeze for a moment as well.

Keke felt a sudden sense of relief.

It seemed it wasn't that she was too stupid; the fact that the Seed was hollow was simply unavoidable...

The Calamity Beast that had been knocked down flew up once again.

Keke looked up, watching the Calamity Beast in the sky let out another piercing shriek.

However, the purple magical girl did not turn her head; she simply stared at Keke's Seed.

She urged her, "Transform."

"I told you, I can't..."

"Transform."

This time, her tone carried a hint of severity, leaving no room for argument.

An ominous aura surged from the Calamity Beast high above, and it charged down.

"The Calamity Beast is coming!"

"Transform!"

The relentless urging finally made Jiang Keke give up resistance. She closed her eyes, clutching her magical Seed tightly.

She shouted loudly, "Transform!"

Purple flames surged forth in an instant!

The scorching heat made Jiang Keke think she was going to die, but she soon realized it wasn't hot at all.

In fact, it was quite warm. The flames enveloped her entire body, and she could clearly feel the sensation of them against her skin—a texture as smooth as silk. As that silky sensation spread across her entire body, she finally felt a massive surge of power.

A blazing magic wand landed in her hand, its fiery red skirt swaying like waves of flame.

She stared blankly at the scalding wand in her hand; the entire wand was crystal clear, with dancing flames flickering inside.

The restless power left her feeling somewhat unsettled.

Then she looked up and found that the Calamity Beast descending from the sky had not crashed into her.

The purple magical girl didn't even turn around; she simply turned her body slightly and extended her hand.

Layers upon layers of petals piled up in her hand, physically blocking the descent of the massive Calamity Beast.

The girl, who clearly didn't take the beast seriously at all, simply gazed at the transformed Jiang Keke, a hint of gratification appearing in her cold eyes.

Yet, she only gave a light huff, her tone remaining hard: "Didn't you do well?"

Though her tone seemed somewhat unfriendly, Jiang Keke felt happy simply being praised by her.

She even felt a slight sense of relief.

It seemed, deep down, she was terrified of disappointing her.

"It's all thanks to you, Senior..."

The other girl was very short, perhaps even shorter than Keke herself; her stature wasn't even remarkable for an elementary school student.

Calling her "Senior" felt a bit strange, but Keke didn't know what else to call her.

"Where is your companion spirit? Or rather, your Incubator?"

"Eh? Huh?" Keke felt around her body. "I... I don't have one."

Every magical girl is supposed to have an Incubator accompanying them upon birth, but it wasn't until she was prompted that Keke realized no Incubator had appeared after her transformation.

"Forget it. It doesn't matter if you don't have one."

The Calamity Beast opened its maw, its sharp teeth dripping with saliva as it gnawed heavily at the purple magic barrier blooming from Keke's hand.

"I'll teach you."

The moment the purple magic barrier shattered, specks of light flew like sparks. Amidst the rain of magical starlight, the girl met the chaos; she stomped her foot on the ground, and with a sound like a thunderclap, the purple magic erupting from beneath her feet nearly covered the entire school rooftop!

"Concentrate your magic."

Then, with a sudden pivot, her entire body tensed like a drawn bow. Her purple hair fluttered, appearing to turn into dancing flames herself.

As the Calamity Beast roared and fell, looking like an unstoppable meteor!

She met it with an elbow strike that seemed soft and slow.

*Bang!*

At the moment of contact, the Calamity Beast was sent flying like a cannonball!

After crashing into the dormitory building opposite them, the purple magic exploded outward. The shockwave of air kicked up a massive cloud of dust; even Jiang Keke, standing behind the purple magical girl, stumbled and nearly fell.

"Then, release it all in one breath."

As the magic on her body slowly dissipated, the indifferent magical girl turned her head to look at the stunned newcomer. "This is magic. The power of magical girls."

"What... what kind of magic was that?"

"Magic Level 8: Collapse."

Jiang Keke was confused; she hadn't seen anything particularly "magical" about that last move.

But since her Senior said so, there must be a reason.

She wouldn't lie to her.

In the distance, the Calamity Beast that had been smashed into the dormitory building still had eyes filled with ferocity. Even though a hole had been torn through its body and residual purple magic was restraining it, it showed no sign of fearing pain.

It continued to emit piercing shrieks, attempting to charge forward.

"Every living creature feels pain and fear, but Calamity Beasts are different. They feel no pain and know no fear."

The petite Senior spoke with a cold tone, yet she was very patient. "So, you must attack continuously to completely destroy them. Do not harbor any wishful thinking or mercy. Do exactly what I just did, and deliver the final blow."

"Yes, Teacher."

"...Just call me Shion."

"Okay, Teacher Shion."

"Forget it."

Jiang Keke closed her eyes, took a deep breath, and focused her mind, feeling the surging magic within the wand.

As her intent connected with the wand, the previously restless magic obeyed her commands submissively.

She aimed the wand at the struggling Calamity Beast and released all her magic in one go.

A crimson pillar of light surged from the wand like a flood, roaring as it overwhelmed the bat-like Calamity Beast!

Jiang Keke didn't dare relax; she continued to pour out her magic until Shion reached out and placed a hand on her wand, halting her magic. "You did well. Relax. Pull back your strength."

Instantly exhausted, Jiang Keke slumped to the ground, panting heavily.

Looking up, she saw that the entire upper half of the dormitory building had vanished, and the bat Calamity Beast was nowhere to be seen.

Only a pitch-black Seed remained.

The Seed of Lamentation—the necessary cause for the birth of Calamity Beasts. The collective lamentations of many converge into a Seed; the Seed sprouts and grows, transforming into a Calamity Beast.

To a magical girl, they were considered toxic substances that were usually destroyed immediately.

However, Keke saw Shion take out an object that looked like a badge and absorbed the Seed of Lamentation into it.

Keke had never seen a magical girl collect a Seed of Lamentation before.

"That is the basic procedure. Generally speaking, Calamity Beasts only appear individually. When you encounter one, do your best to destroy it. But since your magic is quite exceptional, once you are certain it is destroyed, there is no need to continue wasting magic."

After adding that remark, Shion stood up and took flight without a second thought. "That's all for today. I have other matters to attend to."

"Teacher Shion! I don't even know how to contact you! Teacher Shion!"

Jiang Keke tried to run after her for a few steps before becoming breathless.

She realized she couldn't fly and could only watch helplessly as that graceful silhouette quickly vanished.

Staring blankly at the retreating figure of the purple magical girl, Keke felt a sudden sense of emptiness in her heart.

The students and teachers who had been knocked unconscious by the Calamity Beast began to wake up. For safety reasons, security guards were already directing teachers and students to evacuate the school in an orderly fashion.

Someone called out to her; Keke looked down to see her homeroom teacher.

Just as she was feeling dejected and about to head downstairs, she saw a pink beam of light slicing through the sky from a distance.

It landed quickly above the dormitory building; it was another magical girl.

She seemed to be searching for the Calamity Beast, but after failing to find it, she flew up again. Her gaze finally landed on Jiang Keke, and she let out a surprised "Oh?" before descending.

"A new magical girl?"

The speaker was a pink magical girl. Her beautiful pink hair was tied into twin tails with blue ribbon hairbands. As she descended, she performed a light leap, her ribbon-tied butterfly wings fluttering along with her.

Traces of blood remained on her lovely face, and she even coughed slightly as she landed, appearing to be injured.

Tilting her head slightly, her pink eyes curiously scrutinized Jiang Keke with a touch of maturity.

"Hello. I am Magical Girl No. 0721 of the Calamity Control Bureau, Silver Lotus. I am also the captain of the BH City Magical Girl Task Force. I am here to conduct an inquiry regarding the Calamity Beast anomaly that occurred on campus. Would you cooperate?"

Her voice was like a dropper falling in a laboratory—not too loud, not too soft, steady and clear. Every syllable was distinct and precise, without a single unnecessary ripple, sounding like the rhythmic interlocking of precision gears.

Rather than a magical girl, she sounded more like a soldier.