Yes, I did all of this!

The dimly lit room had disappeared, and Xia Yan was now in a gray, hazy space.

Before her stood a humanoid silhouette radiating light.

"Illusory".

She said the other person's name and stood up.

Kong Huan nodded slightly, and the humanoid light said, "According to your time, it should be noon, right, Sunset?"

"Just say what you have to say." Xia Yan maintained her usual attitude: "You asked me to come here, so you must have found some useful information."

—Kugen, also a magical girl, had a brief encounter with Yuhi a few years ago when her family asked her to travel to this city.

This is not uncommon for magical girls; Yuhi has also gone to other cities to help other magical girls deal with monsters, but what is different is that Sora's ability is very special.

She can create a kind of jewel that connects the spirits of those who wear it, allowing magical girls to communicate with each other.

Before leaving, Kūgen strung the pearl into a bracelet and gave it to Yūhi.

Although each bead can only be used for one-time communication, its security is already much better than ordinary people's communication tools.

Because of this ability, Konghuan has connections with many magical girls. Xia Yan also contacted her recently, hoping to use her ability to find information about the Poison Vine.

"Hmm—'The strange man in Kamishiro City is looking for a powerful body, possibly to resurrect a powerful enemy.' That's your question. I've asked other magical girls and learned some vague things."

In response to Xia Yan's question, the humanoid silhouette of Kong Huan nodded and said...

Under Xia Yan's gaze, she formed a table and chairs made of light in the gray world, which appeared right behind Xia Yan.

The two sat down, and Kong Huan began to recount what she knew:

"The reason why Kamishiro City is named this is because a long time ago, a girl living on that land was possessed by a god and slew a demon."

As she spoke, Kong Huan smiled and said, "But now, you and I both know that this is not a god at all. It is just a girl who awakened her power and killed the monster in ancient times when the name 'magical girl' did not even exist."

But she quickly withdrew her smile and said seriously, "—However, according to the records, this strange person is incredibly powerful, and even that magical girl paid the price with her life."

"A magical girl who has just awakened her powers?"

Xia Yan wanted to know the strength of this strange person. If it was someone that a magical girl who had just awakened her power could defeat, then it was not worth mentioning at all.

Kong Huan shook his head, pointing out Xia Yan's mistake:

"To make a girl who has just awakened her power defeat him at the cost of her life, one can imagine how much resolve this magical girl has. Power driven by such emotion cannot be described as 'just awakened'."

"I see... It was my mistake." Xia Yan paused for a moment, then continued, "So, have you found a way to revive it? Like, what kind of ritual is required?"

"I don't know much about that."

Kong Huan was silent for a while, then pondered:

"As far as I know, after that magical girl defeated the monster, the villagers sculpted her likeness out of clay and placed it in a shrine, building a shrine to enshrine her. All the information I've gathered ultimately points to this shrine, so if you want clues, you can only start with that shrine."

“…A shrine?” Xia Yan frowned. “I’ve never heard of any shrine in Kamishiro City.”

"After all, it's been too long. If it weren't for the existence of magical girls, that history wouldn't have been able to continue to this day."

Kong Huan understood this situation, but she had already reached her limit in investigating this far.

With an apologetic tone, she said, "Have you encountered any enemies that are difficult to deal with? Do you need me to contact other magical girls for help?"

Xia Yan hesitated for a moment. The continuous attacks of the poisonous vines had indeed made her feel overwhelmed. If she had a helper, it would definitely relieve her pressure.

But after thinking for a moment, she still refused:

"The arrival of weak magical girls would only be a burden. As for the strong ones, not to mention whether they can arrive in time, once they leave, the local monsters will immediately start to stir."

Both of the Poison Vine's attacks were too swift, and Xia Yan was worried that they wouldn't have enough time. If there were powerful magical girls near Kamishiro City, that would be fine, but as far as she knew, there weren't.

"...That's true, there aren't many powerful and free magical girls."

Kong Huan sighed, then smiled:

"I heard you have a new magical girl there, so you should cherish her."

"..."

Xia Yan remained silent for a moment, not answering directly, but instead grasping her wrist: "If there is any follow-up information, please let me know. I'll head back now."

"Oh? Not staying any longer? Never mind then, goodbye."

Kong Huan waved his hand, and as Xia Yan's vision gradually blurred, when she opened her eyes again, she was already back in her room.

"call--"

She rubbed her temples and looked at her wrist, where one of the beads flickered a few times before dimming completely, becoming a crude sphere like an industrial product.

Chapter 51: Arrangements

On a high building near the mountain, Poison Vine looked down at the deep mountains with a faint smile on his face.

Behind her, a figure walked over, paused for a moment as he looked at the back of the poisonous vine.

Then, he sighed and took two more steps forward:

"Hey, Vine, your days of causing chaos and destruction are over."

He turned to the side, raised his hand, and beckoned to the poisonous vine: "Give me the energy card."

Hearing his voice, Poison Vine slowly turned its head:

"—I wish I could sew your mouth shut, Neville."

Standing before her, Duanmu Mo spread his hands and casually said, "I'm so scared~ Should I go find a magical girl for help?"

"You mean you want to side with the magical girls?" Poison Vine narrowed its eyes, looking at Duanmu Mo in his freak form.

"Maybe, I'm most afraid of being threatened."

Hearing Duanmu Mo's hypocritical words, Du Man snorted and turned her head away:

"Alright, Neville, let's stop joking around and get down to business."

Duanmu Mo gave an approving "hmm," and the white flower card in his hand appeared and disappeared again.

"So? What do you want from me? You finally want me to take action?"

"What I'm about to ask you to do represents the level of trust I'll place in you in the future—I know you have a lot of ulterior motives, but as long as you make useful contributions to me, I naturally won't interfere with your actions..."

"I'm sorry, I only trust the cards."

Before Du Man could finish speaking in his low voice, he was interrupted by Duanmu Mo.

"Waaah..."

"If you can give me what I want, I will naturally stand on your side. You can doubt that if you want, because that's just who I am. But if another force appears that can satisfy me more, I will stand on that side without hesitation."

Duanmu Mo's words contained none of the trust Du Man spoke of, only the most direct interests.

He told Du Man without any attempt to hide that once there was no profit to be made, he would also stand against Du Man.

Du Man stared intently at Duanmu Mo for a long time, then suddenly laughed. The laughter grew louder and louder, becoming increasingly arrogant.

"Hahaha~ This is really interesting! Absolutely hilarious! As expected, someone like you is qualified to cooperate with me!"

The laughter lasted for a long time before she finally stopped, walked up to Duanmu Mo, and raised her hand.

"Welcome to the team, Neville."

Faced with the hand extended by the poisonous vine, Duanmu Mo shook it: "I'm looking forward to what kind of commission you'll give me."

"You'll be satisfied."

She turned around and invited Duanmu Mo to the edge of the building, looking down at the scenery below: "There are a few strange people and a large number of enhanced combatants waiting for you nearby. You can command them as you see fit. What I want you to do is find a place far away from here to cause destruction, and then go fight those two magical girls. That's enough."

"Oh? And what about you?"

Duanmu Mo tilted his head and looked at the poisonous vine, asking a question.

"I will make my own arrangements. You just need to keep the magical girl occupied."

"I don't care."

Shrugging, Duanmu Mo looked up at the sky: "When does it start?"

“Now,” Poison Vine said with a sinister smile.

Now...

Thoughts flashed through his mind, and Duanmu Mo nodded:

"I understand, but since we need to keep them in check, I'll need some time to make arrangements."

"Whatever you want, I'll be waiting for your good news."

After Du Man finished speaking, he jumped off the building and quickly disappeared from Duanmu Mo's sight.

Gazing intently at her retreating figure, Duanmu Mo also left the high-rise building.

Not long after, Duanmu Mo, who had already transformed, stood in the alley, facing a group of strange people and combatants, stroking his chin and feeling their hostile gazes.

"The poisonous vines told you to follow my commands, but I have a feeling you're going to devour me alive!"

With a teasing tone, Duanmu Mo spoke with sarcasm.

"Neville..."

A strange man covered in eyes spoke in a hoarse voice:

"If it weren't for Lord Poison Vine's orders, we would have torn you to pieces in the next second."

"Oh~ tear me to pieces."

Duanmu Mo nodded in sudden realization and slowly walked up to the strange man.

The unchanging helmet seemed to hold an unfathomable, dangerous gaze, which made the strange man feel uneasy.

As if scrutinizing this strange-looking man, Duanmu Mo remained silent for a moment.

Suddenly, Duanmu Mo raised his hand and grabbed the strange man's neck, lifting him up with one hand. The strange man's legs thrashed in the air, and he squeezed out unexpected emotions.

"Tear me to pieces? Then try it." Duanmu Mo said in a low voice, throwing him into the air. After stretching his neck, he kicked out just as the strange man was about to hit the ground.

boom--

The moment Duanmu Mo's attack made contact with the monster, a loud bang erupted, and the blow sent the monster crashing into the wall, so hard that the wall was dented, revealing the outline of his body.

"Forehead......"