Chapter 21: Abyssal Erosion

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High above in the towering Ferris wheel, Bai Yuze’s gaze was fixed intently on the ground below. If Bai Youqing followed his line of sight, she would notice a group of people dressed in staff uniforms gathered together, whispering among themselves. Soon, they dispersed, each holding a gleaming magic stone.

These magic stones, known as Abyss Stones on the other side of the Abyss, were not native to Earth. They were Abyssal artifacts, obtainable only by defeating Abyssal disaster beasts, and only then by chance.

Upon closer observation, one would find that the locations where these staff members scattered were arranged with deliberate regularity, with each area set up differently. If Bai Yuze were an ordinary magical girl or a typical disaster beast, he might not have noticed these anomalies. But he was not ordinary. Holding the authority of the Abyss Demon Princess, these people shimmered with a strange aura of dense black energy in his eyes, making it impossible to ignore.

This was the mark of corruption by the Abyssal energy after absorbing the Seed of Lament.

Abyssal corruption could be divided into five stages, from Level 1 to Level 5. Once beyond Level 3, the process became irreversible...

As the Abyssal energy’s influence deepened, their worldview, philosophy of life, and values would gradually shift, eventually transforming them into Abyssal Lesser Demons.

One could liken this to the corruption of magical girls...

But Bai Yuze was different. Due to the parasitic effect of the Abyssal Relic, the Scythe of Metamorphosis, he was not bound by the Level 3 corruption limit.

Since entering the park, Bai Yuze had faintly sensed a trace of Abyssal energy but had not paid much attention. After the end of the third Black Tide Crisis, most disaster beasts had been eliminated by humans and magical girls. The remaining beasts were either weak and left behind—such as Disaster Beast Spirit, Disaster Beast Giant, Disaster Beast Mist—beasts prefixed with “Disaster Beast” generally had low power levels and were kept as live targets for new magical girls to practice their magic.

Or they were powerful Abyssal creatures with strong hidden abilities—like the Abyss Demon Princess, Abyssal Demon Generals—often watched closely by multiple magical girls of the “Bloom” rank.

He was not sure what the “Bloom” level magical girls called the other high-level Abyssal monsters.

But he was well acquainted with the magical girl who often dealt with him—the Bellflower Magical Girl.

Over the years, she had persistently pursued him without relent, to an unbearable degree.

As the Ferris wheel slowed, Bai Yuze began to sense something amiss. The magical energy around seemed to have solidified—this kind of barrier was very familiar to him.

A Sealing Magic Barrier, formed by combining magic stones and spatial magic, was effectively the silence spell of Garen.

Unless the captain of his own sister’s team came personally, any magical girls who came to assist would be like the Calabash Brothers rescuing Grandpa—sent one by one.

Among the ranks of Seed, Sprout, Leaf, Bud, and Bloom, magical girls below the Bud level would lose their transformation abilities within this sealing magic barrier, rendering them no different from ordinary people.

This was the exact setup he had used before when capturing witches and magical girls.

He had never imagined he would one day encounter a sealing magic barrier himself.

What goes around comes around; the heavens spare no one.

The good news was that he had discovered the villainous witch’s layout in advance;

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The bad news was that he had walked right into their trap.

Han Xue’s Residence

In a rather secluded area, within an old neighborhood, they rented a basement apartment.

One bedroom, one living room, one kitchen, and one bathroom.

It was not small, but it looked somewhat worn down.

Though Xia Qing knew Han Xue had surely cleaned it once before she arrived, the strange odor lingering in the air couldn’t be swept away or blown off, no matter how hard.

Before transforming, Han Xue appeared very slender, with brown, slightly curly hair casually tied into a ponytail. She wore the blue and white school uniform of the Sixteenth Middle School and was busy preparing fruits and snacks for their guest.

“Class president, my dear class president~ I already told you, there’s no need to prepare so many snacks and fruits,” Xia Qing said, standing beside Han Xue and gently grabbing her slightly reddened arm.

The girl stiffened for a moment, then withdrew her arm, washed the reddest apples quietly, and turned her back, ignoring her.

Her expression was cold, the corners of her mouth slightly downturned—as if disgusted, yet seemingly hiding something else.

“Even if you dislike me, you don’t have to be so obvious about it! I clearly like you so much!” Xia Qing said with a hurt look, though her face was still smiling.

Even without becoming a magical girl, Han Xue was very beautiful. However, her expression was icy, giving off the aura of a cold noble lady who kept strangers at bay with a proud demeanor.

But after years of getting along, Xia Qing had grown accustomed to this—it was just her way of protecting herself.

“Speak properly,” Han Xue shot Xia Qing a glance.

“You study at the library every weekend. Don’t you get tired of it? You should learn to relax sometimes; a taut string will eventually snap,” Xia Qing said, glancing at Han Xue’s backpack filled with books. If she hadn’t come today, Han Xue would probably have been at the library again.

“I know that,” Han Xue nodded, then placed the fruit on the table and picked up a book to read.

Xia Qing: “...”

“With your grades, why don’t you go to the advanced class? Don’t they have better teachers?” Xia Qing stretched out her arm, not giving Han Xue a chance to focus on her book seriously.

Han Xue’s indifferent expression finally cracked, her face flushed with embarrassment.

In the end, she put the book down and replied helplessly, “I don’t like it.”

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Xia Qing’s gaze lingered on the bruises on the girl’s neck before reluctantly withdrawing her guilty hands.

She suspected that the main reason Han Xue didn’t join the advanced class was family-related, but since Han Xue wouldn’t speak of it, Xia Qing didn’t want to interfere in her private affairs.

“Xue’er, the comic convention performance is just a few weeks away. How about we practice some more?” Xia Qing suggested.

The girl glanced at the clock on the wall, then slowly shook her head.

“It’s too late. My mother will be back soon.”

Just as Xia Qing was about to continue persuading her, her phone rang. Han Xue’s white Xiaomi 6 also vibrated.

“Haha, it has to be that brat Xiao Qing. My dear Xue’er, now you have no choice but to go,” Xia Qing teased.

After reading the group message, Han Xue remained silent for several seconds, her head slightly lowered, lips pressed together, not uttering a word.

She was going to get beaten again today.

Downstairs, a black sedan had already arrived. A man dressed in a suit opened the door.

“Miss, where are we going today?”

“To Guancheng District Park. Hurry up.”

“Understood, Miss,” the man said without question. As a professional driver, all he needed was the destination.

Throughout the ride, Han Xue’s face was expressionless, but a faint trace of worry flickered in her eyes.

Xia Qing’s gaze kept drifting to the proud curve of Han Xue’s silhouette. Due to the seatbelt, the natural curve was pressed flat to the sides. She glanced at Han Xue, then at herself.

Hmm, they were quite alike.

A gentle breeze blew as the driver skillfully navigated the roads—not too fast to cause discomfort.

The darkening sunset dyed the sky crimson, with swirling clouds resembling a deep red desert.

The night lights along the roadside flickered on and off like fleeting ephemera.

Just as they thought they would soon reach their destination, several workers in bright emerald safety uniforms blocked the car.

“Hello, the road ahead has collapsed and is under emergency repair. Please take a detour!”

Inside the car, Xia Qing withdrew her restless hands, her playful smile fading. Once again, inexplicable obstacles appeared whenever they headed toward a disaster beast’s location.

The last time a disaster beast mysteriously appeared in the city was very suspicious. After the Black Tide Crisis ended, all remaining disaster beasts had been driven to the eastern district of Yeqiu City, where several “Bloom” rank magical girls had set up magical barriers. Abyssal disaster beasts entering the city center were impossible unless someone was helping them.

The man in black said nothing. Seeing the young lady’s unpleasant expression, as a professional driver, he had a backup plan.

Silently, he turned the car around and headed toward another route.