“Hehehe… being watched like this feels amazing.”

As Luo You strolled down the street, she unconsciously squeezed her soft thighs together, rubbing them restlessly.

The combination of white thigh-high stockings and slippers definitely drew attention, but the shift in passersby’s gazes from surprise to admiration made one thing clear—

She was beautiful.

She was cute.

She was lethally charming.

She could even feel some of the onlookers casting indecent glances her way.

Instead of disgust, it gave her a strange thrill.

“This is bad… I’ve only just turned back into a woman, and I’m already awakening some weird fetish?”

This was the first time she’d revealed her true face in public.

Back in the Inhuman Organization, she always wore a mask—

No one had ever seen her real appearance.

Eventually, rumors began to spread within the organization—

That she must be hideous, and that’s why she was so obsessed with humiliating beautiful magical girls, a twisted outlet for her jealousy and inferiority.

No one questioned her brutal methods after that.

That misunderstanding? Luo You never bothered to correct it.

She simply liked bullying magical girls.

“There’s a dimensional beast’s presence nearby.”

Her gaze suddenly locked on a storefront to the side—

But what she was really seeing stretched across walls and kilometers of distance.

In a far-off area, she had sensed it—

The aura of a dimensional beast.

“Almost king-class… no, not quite, but close.”

“What the hell is the Magic Alliance doing? How’d something this strong get all the way inland?”

Luo You scowled.

Dimensional beasts were categorized into five levels:

Feral, Ghoul, King, Dragon, and Light-Eater.

Feral-class were basic cannon fodder.

King-class, however, could destroy an entire city in half a day.

Even peak Ghoul-class was stronger than 75% of the Magic Alliance, and subduing one was no small feat.

As for Dragon-class—no one could take those on alone.

Only coordinated strike teams stood a chance.

Then there was Light-Eater.

One appeared four years ago.

To seal it away, the Alliance lost four of their Ten Seats and tens of thousands of soldiers.

It had barely been contained.

In the five years since the dimensional beasts started flooding in,
the border defense system known as the Realm Sea Gate had managed to hold off anything Ghoul-class or higher.

Very few beasts ever slipped through.

Huahai City, being inland, had always been considered relatively safe.

Unlike border cities where all Ten Seats were stationed—places where magical girl casualties were sky-high.

“Now that I think about it, two new magical girls were transferred here yesterday… guess it was for this.”

“Ugh!”

Luo You bent over, clutching her stomach with a low, sultry moan.

Crap.

Just thinking about magical girls was enough to stir her instincts.

“Maybe I should go grab one and take her home for a couple days…”

It had been far too long.

She was getting thirsty.

Ordinary women just didn’t do it for her anymore.

She was used to the taste of fine cuisine.

Only magical girls appealed to her now.

Their appearance, their scent, even the energy flowing in their veins—

Everything about them was superior to regular people.

Even their forcibly extracted “water” was sweet.

Ever since she’d first sampled one, Luo You had been hooked for life.

“Alrighty~ Let’s go with a classic: mantis stalks the cicada, unaware of the oriole behind.”

WEEEOOOO WEEEOOOO WEEEOOOO—

Just as she was licking her lips, every commercial screen in Huahai City lit up with emergency evacuation alerts.

Sirens blared through the streets.

Police flooded in, guiding civilians away.

“Oh? Showtime already?

Better pick a good seat to watch.”

Luo You scratched buying new underwear off her list.

She’d only ruin it later anyway.

---

Elsewhere

Zhao Xin stood in a command room overlooking the battlefield through massive displays.

“Everyone ready?”

“All prepped.”

“Let’s blow this thing sky-high!”

“Yeah! Blow it all to hell!”

“…Red Riding Hood, calm down.

Even if we’ve evacuated civilians, property damage is still a concern.

No blasting without my permission.”

“Tch.” Luo Zining clicked her tongue.

So what am I here for then? Mascot duty?

I’m a combat-type magical girl, okay?

High firepower is literally my whole deal!

“Commander Zhao, the enemy is a peak Ghoul-class.

Shouldn’t I just lead with a Solar Punch and inflict max damage?”

“Absolutely not.

Stop relying on mindless boom-boom-boom tactics.

Watch your seniors and learn.

For now, follow Zhou Xi’s lead.”

Zhou Xi, already transformed, accepted the command with calm professionalism.

She exuded experience.

Among the six magical girls present, she had the most seniority—

A veteran transferred from the front lines,

Zhou Xi possessed unmatched battlefield intuition.

“Except for me and Yue Yuezi, the rest of you lack experience with Ghoul-class threats.

I’ll brief you first.”

She gestured toward the tactical display.

“Dimensional beasts below King-class have zero intelligence.

Their behavior is equivalent to mindless animals.

Watch closely as Yue Yuezi and I push it into revealing its movement patterns.

Once you can predict its habits, join in.”

“Understood!”

“Begin the operation!”

Zhou Xi activated her magical aura and pressed a finger to her earpiece.

“Zhao Xin, deploy the Star Ring.”

“Star Ring in position.”

In the skies above the suspected area, a massive ring of starlight materialized—

Like a giant overhead lamp.

Its illumination dimmed the land beneath it to grayscale.

The world below became still.

Dimensional beasts, after all, did not reside in this world.

They existed in a parallel space—

Creatures walking between dimensions.

Theoretically, they were still “here”,

But unless they emerged, humans couldn’t interact with them.

Meanwhile, they could pop in and out of dimensions at will,

Wreaking havoc without warning.

Then came the invention of the Star Ring.

Humanity finally gained the means to force them into the open.

Once locked down, dimensional beasts could be hunted.

Thus, the Realm Sea Gate was born— a grand threshold that forced any beast crossing it to reveal itself, so magical girls could intercept them.

“There’s movement!”

Beneath the Star Ring’s glow, the ground rippled like water.

A massive, indistinct shape emerged—

White and purple in color.

Reptilian, about ten meters long.

Its head trailed into a grotesque purple bulb, like an overgrown eggplant.

A whip-like tail ended in what looked like a sprinkler—clearly its primary weapon.

“Yue Yuezi!”

“Roger! Same combo as always!”

The two veteran magical girls summoned their staves and began chanting.

“Mana Type: Beta.

Constructing synchronized spell.

A71 variant—target locked.

Spell matrix complete, form: Type Six.”

With a shared nod, they launched into their signature spells.

Zhou Xi: “Radiant Torrent.”

Yue Yuezi: “Spatial Interdiction.”

Brilliant magical projectiles rained down, engulfing the beast.

Zhou Xi went on the offensive while Yue Yuezi boxed it in.

Their coordination was seamless—

clearly veterans of many battles.

Zhou Xi even had time to give a quick lecture:

“Intercept. Pressure.

Force it to act in a confined space.

Once it starts repeating its behavior, that’s your signal—it’s running out of tricks.”

“Ooooh! The frontliners really are built different!”

All four newer magical girls nodded fervently.

Sensei, we worship you!

“RAAAAAARRRR!!”

The beast writhed and leapt, contorting its limbs in grotesque, inhuman ways.

It dashed with unpredictable speed—

Movements no human could match.

But Yue Yuezi’s spatial field locked it down tight.

She’d fought worse on the front lines.

“Watch the tail!”

“Evade!”

Just as she warned them, the beast’s tail bulged with pressure.

Globes of thick, dark purple liquid surged through—

Then exploded into the sky like a fountain.

SSSSHHHHHH—

The air itself hissed with toxic corrosion.

Sensing danger, Luo Zining raised her wand and shouted:

“Bang!”

BOOM!

A vivid red flower erupted in the sky,

Its heat intense enough to vaporize the incoming poison before it landed.

“Nice work, Red Riding Hood.

Stay on standby.”

Zhou Xi muttered to herself,

Definitely peak Ghoul-class… it nearly broke our rhythm.

Good thing we have Luo Zining.

Any less firepower, and we’d have taken damage.

She kept the pressure on, boxing the beast in—

Finally, she saw her chance.

“Everyone, memorize its attack pattern!

If you’re ready, come assist!”

The creature was cornered.

Yue Yuezi held the front and above.

It was time for the final blow.

“Red Riding Hood!

Watch my movements and fire at full strength when I give the signal!”

Zhou Xi’s body became wrapped in a heart-shaped cloud,

Then shot forward at lightning speed.

“RAWWWRR!!”

“I’ve got your clumsy charge memorized, you dumb—”

She didn’t finish.

In that moment, she saw all six of the beast’s eyes shimmer—

With something eerily like mockery.

Her instincts screamed—

Inside its gaping maw, a humanoid silhouette took shape.

Then—flash.

A violet beam burst forth.

At this distance…

No time to dodge—

BOOM—

Zhou Xi broke the sound barrier,

blasting backward like a cannonball—

and crashed into a building several kilometers away.

“Zhou Xi-senpai!?”