My ex-girlfriend is a magical girl junior?

Chapter 101 Determination

The enormous illusory bubble expanded silently, completely engulfing the familiar neighborhood behind the park. A nauseating, faint stench filled the air, and distorted light transformed the normally warm and inviting scenery into a bizarre and grotesque inferno.

Lin Che's pupils suddenly contracted. Almost at the same time as the infiltration of the void occurred, his right hand subconsciously gripped the cracked and dull transformation device in his pocket, ready to press that familiar button at any moment.

However, just before the magic began to surge, a hint of hesitation lingered around his fingertips, causing him to abruptly stop.

The rough texture of the cracks on the transformation device was felt at my fingertips. The system's warning still echoed in my ears: before the "Tears of the Star" were fully repaired, any high-intensity use of magic could cause irreversible damage.

But what made him hesitate even more was not the safety of his own power, nor the hesitation about revealing his identity, but the fear that this exposure would cause irreparable secondary harm to the girl not far away.

Luo Bingli—or rather, Liuli—if ​​she were to witness herself transforming into Xingshuang, the "senior" she trusted and relied on so much, what would she think?

Will that fragile trust, which was so hard to build, collapse instantly upon the realization of being "deceived"?

Will her heart, which has just begun to open a crack to the world, be severely damaged again, or even closed off more tightly than ever before?

In the brief, almost negligible moment of his hesitation, the girl beside him had already made her choice.

Without the slightest hesitation or retreat, a resolute glint flashed in Luo Bingli's clear eyes. She took a step forward and turned to stand in front of Lin Che.

Immediately, the "Star Tear" gem, representing her magical girl identity, suddenly appeared on her chest, radiating a dazzling and pure deep blue light.

The light enveloped her like a surging tide, outlining the smooth and elegant lines of her battle suit, while her long, icy blue hair moved without wind under the influence of magic.

"Be careful!"

Two ugly-looking ethereal beasts, newly born from the distorted void, roared and pounced on Lin Che, only to be instantly cut in two by two sharp slashes from Liuli after her transformation, their dark green fluids exploding in the air.

Lin Che was completely stunned by the sudden scene before him.

He originally thought that, given Luo Bingli's cautious personality and self-protective habits, even if she were to transform, she would at least choose a corner where he couldn't see her.

But he never expected that she would so readily reveal her greatest secret as a magical girl in front of him, an "ordinary person."

Lin Che subconsciously opened his mouth, wanting to say something, but found that his throat felt like it was blocked by something, and he couldn't say a word.

Shock, confusion, and an indescribable sense of emotion surged within him.

He originally wanted to play the role of "Lin Che" who knew nothing about it, and had even thought of his words. He wanted to pretend to be surprised and thank Liu Li for her "sudden appearance", and then anxiously ask her if she had seen his "companion Luo Bingli".

However, Liuli's next move left him speechless.

"Lin Che, are you alright?" Liu Li turned around immediately after killing the two virtual beasts, her gaze fixed on Lin Che with undisguised concern.

"I—" Lin Che's mind was still a little muddled.

He looked at the girl in front of him, who exuded a chilling killing intent yet gazed at him with concern in her icy blue eyes, and for a moment he didn't know how to respond.

"Why do you do this?" He finally found his voice, his tone filled with excitement and confusion.

"Do you know—a magical girl's true identity must never be revealed easily! Especially not in front of ordinary people!"

Upon hearing this, Liuli merely tilted her head slightly: "Of course I know that, but if you get hurt, I will..."

Her voice trailed off; the words "I would be in great pain and feel guilty" hovered between her lips, but she ultimately didn't say them.

"Yuqing will be very, very sad."

Lin Che fell silent instantly. All his questions and worries vanished in her awkward yet sincere words, leaving only an indescribable feeling of gratitude and tenderness in his heart.

"It's dangerous here! Quickly find a place to hide!" Liuli killed two more phantom beasts that pounced out of the shadows, then turned around and shouted anxiously to Lin Che.

"I'll take care of all these disgusting monsters! Trust me!"

Lin Che nodded, looking into the girl's icy blue eyes that shone with unwavering determination. He knew that any further persuasion would be superfluous at this moment.

All the words I wanted to say in my heart ultimately boiled down to a simple piece of advice: "Be careful, and keep going!"

Upon hearing this, Liuli's face lit up with a confident and dazzling smile: "Don't worry!"

Before she finished speaking, her petite body transformed into a deep blue streak of light, rushing headlong into the dense, nauseating horde of illusory beasts.

Her figure moved nimbly among the horde of void beasts, each swing of her ice blade accompanied by the mournful cries of the void beasts and the shattering of their limbs.

The situation seemed optimistic, but Liuli knew very well that the current situation was far more serious than she had initially anticipated.

She had already vaguely judged through her magical perception that this infiltration of the dimensional realm was of an erosion level, far beyond what she could handle alone.

She knew perfectly well that Senior Xing Shuang was not in Jiangchuan City at the moment and could not possibly arrive in time.

And she also knew that if Yuqing, like her, had firmly remembered her senior's advice to "ignore the signals from the Bureau of Extraterrestrial Intelligence for the time being," then Yin Xue would most likely not be here tonight.

This means that she not only cannot rely on the strength of her predecessors, but even her most compatible partner may not appear on this battlefield.

This is truly a lone battle.

However, unlike any previous time when she faced a powerful Void Beast alone, Liuli felt no fear or despair. At this moment, she had no intention of backing down.

Those fears of the unknown and anxieties about their own inadequacy were replaced by a stronger, more fervent emotion.

In her mind, there was only one incredibly clear and unwavering thought—she must protect him!

You must protect the one who will get hurt for her, who will clumsily care for her, who will silently accompany her when she is lonely, and who will directly tell her "you deserve it"—Lin Che.

Meanwhile, somewhere in the distorted shadows above the park, Mirror Lord watched the fierce battle below with great interest.

When he discovered that the first person to step onto the "stage" he had meticulously prepared was actually the Stardust-level magical girl in her blue and white combat suit, a soft hum of surprise escaped from beneath his pure white smiling mask.

"Oh dear? How could it be her? My lovely crescent-level prey hasn't shown up?"

He originally thought that under such strong fluctuations of the void, the crescent moon would definitely be unable to hold back and show itself, but he did not expect that the first one to jump out would be a stardust.

With her abilities, there was absolutely no way she could compete with the play he had carefully prepared for "New Moon". Not to mention the "grand finale" that he was going to personally perform next, even the current endless "extra performances" would probably be enough to keep her busy and eventually make her collapse from exhaustion.

However, Mirror Lord was not in a hurry. The Stardust could still hold out for a while, so he decided to wait patiently for his true prey, the new moon that had given him a taste of "unexpectedness," to step into the stage he had carefully set up called "Despair."

On the other side of the battlefield, behind a natural cover formed by a collapsed GG sign and dense bushes, Lin Che observed the battle situation in the distance with an unusually solemn expression.

He could clearly sense the pressure Liuli was facing at this moment. There were too many of those illusory beasts, and—deeper into the illusory bubble, there seemed to be some even more powerful and unsettling aura lurking.

This infiltration of the Void Realm did not happen naturally, but was triggered by the Void Realm Apostles, and there is a high probability that it was Mirror Lord, whom he thought he had completely destroyed!

This realization made Lin Che's heart sink. He had always thought that in the battle in the industrial park, his final blow had completely annihilated the opponent.

But if that lurking Void Apostle is indeed Mirror Lord, then it proves that the enemy he defeated at the heavy cost of temporarily being unable to transform was nothing more than a realistic mirror image.

A more chilling possibility also emerged—the enemy might have been attracted by the ethereal energy he had stored in the "Tears of the Stars".

Once this thought arises, it grows like wild grass, impossible to contain, and a strong sense of powerlessness and self-blame surges into my heart.

Jingjue's target—is me! And Liuli is now bearing the danger that should have been mine to face—

He knew that no matter how hard Liuli tried, she could never possibly handle this erosion-level infiltration of the void realm, which was meticulously planned by Jingjue.

That bastard must still be lurking in the shadows, waiting to deliver a fatal blow to Liuli, or waiting for the appearance of himself, the "real target".

He absolutely cannot let Liuli face such an enemy alone!

Lin Che took a deep breath, took out the cracked and dull transformation device from his pocket, and held it tightly in his palm.

[Warning! The host's "Tear of the Star" has not been fully repaired. In its current state, engaging in high-intensity magical combat with enemies at the level of Void Apostles will almost certainly cause secondary damage to the "Tear of the Star," and may even...]

The system's cold notification sounded in Lin Che's mind, each word like a heavy drumbeat striking his heart.

Lin Che's gaze instantly hardened. He ignored the system's warning, looking at Liu Li's petite figure struggling against the horde of void beasts in the distance, though her strength was waning. His voice was steady and resolute:

"Don't worry, I have my own decision."

"I will preserve this power of Starfrost completely."

"I will definitely—in my own way—save my beloved junior."

The moment he finished speaking, he pressed the button on the transformation device without hesitation.