Chapter 295: This Fengdu truly boasts countless heroes!

That had been the original plan.

It was just that there seemed to be a slight deviation in the execution.

While intensely channeling the embryonic Domain, some idiot had apparently temporarily awakened due to that surge of activity, and had cooed adorably about wanting to help share the burden.

Lin Guang had initially thought it harmless enough, so he casually agreed.

But at this moment...

Listening to the sweet, cutesy voice currently whining in his head, and seeing the scene his Stand-in Body's perspective was capturing, Lin Guang could only remain silent.

—Damn it, this goldfish was the true source of pressure in this entire battle!

—Look at what you've done with the embryonic Domain!

The next moment, an adorable voice rang out in his mind.

[Come on, just tell me the results are good, aren't they~]

[Besides, this awakening is just an accident. After this, I might have to sleep for a very, very long time... so just let me mess around a little (＜ゝω·）~☆]

"..."

Fine.

Although the current situation deviated somewhat from her initial expectations, for the most part, things were still proceeding according to her plan.

The next moment, the red-haired girl seemed to yield with a doting air of resignation, no longer agonizing over it. A sweet yet indifferent voice echoed between heaven and earth:

"O Ruler!"

"Mask of Flesh and Blood, myriad phenomena, soar aloft!"

"By the Name of Humanity!"

"Scorching heat and chaos, surging against the tide toward the south, march forth!"

"Path of Destruction, Thirty-One!"

"Crimson Flame Cannon!"

BOOM!

The massive sphere of acid collided violently with the crimson fireball midair, and the blinding light instantly devoured the entire broadcast feed.

...

Within the livestream feed.

Uplifting music seemed capable of washing away every shadow lurking in one's heart.

But woven in between was dialogue that could only be described as children's programming.

"Just who are you, you red, hot-headed freak? State your name!"

"I am Magical Girl Mengmengxiang!"

The girl's righteous voice rang out: "Evil Slime Demon King, I swear by the flames themselves that your schemes will not succeed!"

On the television screen, the crimson magical girl performed a graceful flip and twirl midair, tracing a magnificent heart-shaped arc of red light with her staff.

"Let the flames of love and justice wash away the filth clinging to you!"

"Take this! Mengmengxiang Fire!"

The girl's sweet, spirited voice blared from the TV speakers, accompanied by a cute, exaggerated "squeak!" sound effect, as a giant red heart-shaped flame projectile slammed into the demon.

And that demon, clad in its ferocious armor, now seemed to have its plating take on a distinctly plastic quality on screen, looking for all the world like it was wearing nothing more than a cheap costume skin.

It was blasted backward by the light projectile, staggering repeatedly, even letting out exaggerated cries of "Eek!!" "Gwaah!!" "Aieee—" just like a villain from a tokusatsu show.

The entire scene looked as if it were draped in a strange, adorable filter.

And at this moment...

Forget the vast majority of viewers who were utterly bewildered and still struggling to adapt.

Even the superhumans across all of Wind Capital watching the livestream fell into the same silence.

...

Sixth Division Headquarters.

Staring at the screen filled with floating red sparkles, Qin Shengshi, with one eye closed, couldn't help but instinctively pull out a cigarette, light it, and shove it into her mouth.

Only she shoved in the wrong end.

She flinched from the burn, hastily switched to the filter end, then took a deep drag as if to steady her nerves, pulling it all the way into her lungs for a full breath, holding it there for ages before finally erupting into violent coughing.

"Cough, cough, cough, cough..."

Even though her closed eye was sharing the true sight of Siren's Eye and she understood the truth of what was happening, and could probably grasp that what the other party was doing was meant to reverse the ritual's effects—

The "Great Fortune" on the handkerchief was clear proof of that—

She still found it all utterly... absurd.

...

In some quiet chamber.

An elder whose wrinkles looked deep enough to crush mosquitoes sat cross-legged, staring at the scene unfolding on the screen.

Seeing this, the elder's face could no longer maintain that air of authority. His eyes bulged as he sat there, utterly speechless for a long while, seemingly trying to process the scene before him.

Is this... the Sixth Division deliberately flexing their muscles?

Was Wu Nuo's defeat just a front? Was he faking it?

Not only could they handle that demon, but they even had the leisure to warn them with such childish tactics?

But this warning method was way too... avant-garde.

...

Inside a luxurious office.

Watching the demon being beaten back step by step, the goblet held by the slender figure finally shattered with a "smack" as it hit the floor.

Magical girl.

Though the term was somewhat unfamiliar, claiming total ignorance wasn't really possible either. After all, watching TV with his younger sister in the past had exposed him to such things.

It was content that only little girls and certain adults with particular hobbies paid attention to, usually profiting off merchandise sales.

But...

Could the one standing before him now truly be a real magical girl?

Did such beings really exist in this world?

His gaze locked unwaveringly onto that crimson beauty, and only after taking a long, deep breath did he finally speak slowly.

"This Wind Capital... truly teems with extraordinary talent."

From this day forward, he would never forget the term "magical girl."

...

Blue Pearl Restaurant.

On the large screen outside, the crimson magical girl fought with flamboyant grace while her face remained a blooming smile, practically making every expression at the camera like a pose.

"Mengmengxiang Flying Kick!"

"Mengmengxiang Beam~"

"Draw-and-slash... no wait, that's not a sword. Whatever, take this!"

"..."

Xia Yao stared at the crimson magical girl on the outdoor screen, whose every single move seemed to carry a kind of effortlessly innate charm. She gaped for a long time before snapping out of her daze, then instinctively turned to look at the dark-haired young man sitting across from her.

"..."

The dark-haired youth, who was always so casually composed, no longer wore that poker face.

Half-clenched, half-not.

As if he were straining every muscle to hold it together, yet also failing, existing in some strange superposition of both states.

Xia Yao blinked, and the corners of her mouth could no longer be suppressed. She burst out laughing.

"Pfft, that expression of yours... hahahaha!"

—So even this usually unshakable blockhead made faces like that when seeing such absurd scenes!

Her interest instantly piqued. She grabbed the ice-blue gem pendant hanging at her chest and thrust it toward Lin Guang. "Hehe... in case you don't believe me."

"This pendant is basically identical to hers, right? She gave it to me!"

"And did you notice? The outfit she was wearing at the start was exactly the same as mine? I bought that for her!"

"We're totally connected at heart!"

Lin Guang shot her a glance, then turned away from the big screen outside and continued eating his dessert.

Pure coincidence, nothing more than some "connected at heart."

He hadn't expected that randomly picking out an outfit before heading out would result in matching Xia Yao's clothes...

"Tsk, fine, don't believe me then... whatever. What's on TV right now is real! I genuinely know her!"

Xia Yao gave a shallow eye roll, yet couldn't hide the smile tugging at her lips.

She'd actually run into a real magical girl!