Off Work, Then I Become a Magical Girl
Chapter 139

Under the purple-black pillars of the night sky, the Ravager's roars gradually quieted as Mors spoke.

Even though its body was still covered in wounds, and the flesh cocoon wrapped around it was scarred all over, Mors’ appearance seemed to signal something special—it calmed down, like a well-behaved pet.

“Careful, that woman’s dangerous!”

Moko, perched on Lin Xiaolu’s shoulder, warned solemnly. But no one present paid any attention to what it said.

Except for Mors, all the Magical Girls were on high alert.

“Well then, before the real show begins, let’s take our seats and confirm who’s who. The one with green magic… you’re the Sacrifice those Deviant lackeys found, right? Those useless ants couldn’t take you with them—maybe that’s for the best.”

Turning her face slightly, Mors looked over at Bai Jingxuan, still wearing a calm, gentle smile. “You have a great scent. Different from most Magical Girls… more like those mongrels.”

Her words made Bai Jingxuan freeze.

Mors was clearly referring to the attack on the orphanage a few months back, when Bingchu San and the others struck. This comment implied she was involved in that event. But she didn’t seem interested in elaborating. She merely dropped the reference and then shifted her gaze toward Xia Liang.

“Two months at Bud-tier, five months now… you're almost touching Leaf-tier, huh? That’s some terrifying talent. A terrifying child. If left alone, you’ll probably become quite the powerhouse in The Kingdom one day.”

She sighed dramatically, then openly stared at the Heartstone Flower on Xia Liang’s chest, licking her lips for no apparent reason. “Which means… your magic would be the finest delicacy.”

Her implication made Xia Liang, who always wore a smile, drop the corners of her mouth, revealing a noticeably colder expression.

Mors continued scanning the others, sizing up two more before her gaze landed on Lin Xiaolu.

“…What a shame. You really don’t resemble her at all.”

She spoke, “As a Magical Girl, compared to your mother, you’re just… painfully ordinary.”

Just one sentence, and Lin Xiaolu’s expression changed drastically.

“How do you know that?”

Clutching her wand tightly, Lin Xiaolu said in a low voice, “You’ve met my mother? What are you trying to say?”

“Don’t be so tense, child. What I want to say depends on what you want to know.”

Mors’ expression remained gentle. If it weren’t for the context, she would’ve looked just like a kind elder. “I know a lot of things you don’t. Before the main event starts, you can take your time to understand them.”

“I don’t believe someone who just turned the city center into rubble is standing here for a heart-to-heart,” Xia Liang suddenly said, her tone cool and probing. “You must have another plan. Otherwise, there’d be no reason to show up.”

“Smart. You’re absolutely right.”

Mors clapped lightly. “But you might have misunderstood—I already finished my plan. There’s no point talking about the process now. All I need is an audience.”

“An audience?” Xia Liang caught the word.

“Yes, an audience. Two years. Nineteen cities. Nine altars. All this preparation, just for this moment.”

Mors smiled faintly. “Such a magnificent scene would be far too lonely without someone to witness it.”

“…Two years?”

That specific time frame triggered an immediate reaction from both Xia Liang and Lin Xiaolu. Lin Xiaolu sensed something was seriously wrong.

“That’s right. Two years.”

Mors tilted her chin slightly. “Since the day the Magical Girl codenamed Sakura—your mother—died.”

Lin Xiaolu’s pupils shrank instantly.

This was the first time she’d heard her mother’s codename spoken from the mouth of an enemy.

She already knew her mother had died as a Magical Girl—her father had told her. But she had never known the full story.

All she had were fragments: a memory of sobbing uncontrollably at a gravestone two years ago, and countless days of grief and longing.

A wound deep enough to reveal bone might heal over time, its pain dulled by the body’s natural recovery. But scars—scars never go away.

Especially this one. Lin Xiaolu had never stopped feeling the pain of her mother’s death.

“What’s your connection to that?”

She spoke, only realizing she was shaking when the words left her mouth. “Who are you?”

“I’ve already introduced myself, haven’t I? I’m the Moth.”

Mors still smiled as she gently pulled back the collar of her black robe, revealing a long scar trailing from the side of her neck downward.

“One of the twelve Ash Servants of Black Cinders Dawn… and once, an enemy of your mother, Sakura.”

“Once?” Mors’ phrasing left Lin Xiaolu stunned.

“Yes, child. Once.”

Mors turned slightly to look at the massive Ravager behind her. “But things are different now.”

The movement sent a jolt through Lin Xiaolu.

“To raise a Ravager—especially one with exceptional potential—you need exquisite ingredients.”

Mors explained blandly, “Sure, ordinary humans have magic in their mortal bodies. But magic without a core is just inferior feed. Barely enough to stave off hunger, but far from nourishment.”

“If you want a top-tier Ravager, you have to feed it high-grade magic: the kind that comes from Ravagers, Magical Girls, or Fairies. And of course, the stronger and purer, the better.”

“So for that, I must thank your mother.”

“What are you… saying?” Lin Xiaolu’s sense of dread only grew.

“Can’t you feel it?”

Mors stared straight at the distant Ravager. “Inside that creature… is your mother’s magic.”

Even though Lin Xiaolu had already guessed what Mors was going to say, the confirmation hit her like a thunderclap. Her mind went blank.

She instinctively raised her wand.

“Don’t be rash, White Rose!”

Feeling the surge of magic beside her, Xia Liang immediately reached out to block Lin Xiaolu. She didn’t want her to act impulsively—it could go horribly wrong.

But when her hand touched Lin Xiaolu’s arm, she realized there was no movement. No intent to attack.

A blast of pale green magic exploded beside them. A figure launched straight at Mors amidst the magical surge.

“Bosetsu?” Xia Liang was caught completely off guard.

Of all the Magical Girls present, Bai Jingxuan was the youngest, but always the most sensible and composed. Even if her combat style was a bit intense, she’d never rush in blindly against a powerful unknown enemy.

But right now, Lin Xiaolu—overwhelmed by emotion—hadn’t even acted yet, and Bai Jingxuan was already charging forward.

This was the worst possible timing.

Xia Liang immediately understood why Bai Jingxuan had done it—and the bitter taste rose in her mouth.

Until now, no one had told Bai Jingxuan the truth: that Sakura, the Magical Girl, had died. Likewise, no one had told her that Lin Xiaolu was Sakura’s daughter.

As far as she knew, Sakura was just a senior who had once fought alongside the Fangting City Magical Girls. She thought Sakura had left the city on a special mission, and that was why there had been no news.

Everyone was waiting for the right moment—a time when they could tell Bai Jingxuan the truth without letting her spiral into grief.

Everyone knew that the core of Bai Jingxuan’s motivation to become a Magical Girl was Sakura.

She had admired and been grateful to her. She became a Magical Girl just to be like her. Her biggest wish was to meet Sakura one day. That emotional drive was the foundation of “Bosetsu.”

You could even say it was her everything.

All of her identity as a Magical Girl was unconsciously modeled after Sakura.

So when she heard Mors speak those words—of course she charged out.

The melody of a music box had somehow begun to play. Without even a trace of defensive posture, Bai Jingxuan merely reinforced her body with magic, and then charged in blindly, swinging her wand at Mors.

Mors stood motionless, catching Bai Jingxuan’s strike cleanly with her left hand.

“Not bad strength. Doesn't feel like a Bud-tier physique at all.”

Feeling the force behind the wand, she gave a somewhat surprised remark. But surprise didn’t mean she took it seriously. After stopping the attack, she let go of the wand and wrapped her arm along its length, reaching straight for Bai Jingxuan’s neck.

In that split second, Bai Jingxuan dodged with a quick tilt of her head. Her assault didn’t let up—she twisted her body and swung her wand at Mors’ head once again.

“Pointless,” Mors smirked, meeting the attack head-on without flinching.

Bai Jingxuan slightly raised her head, her face still calm and expressionless. But her heterochromatic eyes—yellow-green—were now tinged with a faint blood-red hue.

“Really?”

As the word left her mouth, a surge of magic rippled down her wand, through the point of contact with Mors. At some point, the music box's melody had shifted, and the previously restrained magic within Bai Jingxuan grew wildly violent.

Then, at near-point-blank range, her magic erupted.

It wasn’t a smart move. Bai Jingxuan made no attempt to shield herself from the blast. By unleashing her unstable magic so recklessly, she might have hit Mors, but she was bound to get hurt too.

Only, the expected scene of mutual destruction never came.

Because the moment Bai Jingxuan released her magic—it vanished.

“Really,” Mors nodded with a smile.

Then, she casually raised her hand. A purple-black point of magic formed at her fingertip, which she gently tapped against Bai Jingxuan’s forehead. “Too naughty, Sacrifice.”

Bai Jingxuan’s blood-tinged eyes widened.

—Thud!

No one could tell when Mors had fired the magic bullet—let alone dodge it. In a flash, Bai Jingxuan was struck squarely and sent flying.

Boom!

Like a falling star, Bai Jingxuan plummeted from the sky, crashing through a building and bringing the entire structure down with her.

“Xuan!”

Moko, who had been on Lin Xiaolu’s shoulder, immediately jumped down and flew frantically toward the rubble.

Xia Liang had witnessed everything, unable to help—not because she didn’t want to, but because it had happened too fast. In just a few seconds, the tide of battle had shifted from Bai Jingxuan launching an attack to her getting blown away. No one had seen it coming.

And before Xia Liang could rush to help, she felt the arm she’d been using to block Lin Xiaolu get pushed aside.

Looking over, she saw Lin Xiaolu already charging forward with her wand in hand. The pale blue trail of her magic intertwined with Bai Jingxuan’s earlier light green—two streaks of magic striking one after the other as they launched an assault on Mors.

“I told you not to act on impulse! She wants to piss you off!”

Xia Liang raised her voice helplessly, calling after Lin Xiaolu’s back. But it was clear her teammate wasn’t coming back. After a brief moment of hesitation, she had no choice but to follow.

“Ugh, seriously, I can’t deal with you two!”

But Lin Xiaolu no longer heard a word.

Because just as she attacked, Mors raised her hand too. Once again, purple-black magic gathered at her fingertips, radiating outwards in rippling waves.

“Watch out!”

Behind her, Xia Liang immediately summoned her Magical Armor. She threw Yinli in front of the ripples heading toward Lin Xiaolu. But before she could even activate her teleportation magic—

Crack!

Mors’ spell shattered the mirror surface of her Magical Armor.

“Ugh!”

The damage sent a jolt of pain through Xia Liang’s head. She let out a muffled groan as the remaining mirrors around her flickered weakly.

The spell’s ripples, only slightly diminished by the barrier, continued to surge toward Lin Xiaolu at full strength.

But Lin Xiaolu didn’t flinch.

The pale blue aura surrounding her suddenly shifted—tinged now with a silvery-white glow amidst the blaze.

It was as if her whole body ignited in silver flames. With a sweep of her hand, white fire clashed against the incoming wave of purple-black magic. After a violent collision, both forces canceled each other out—though Mors’ spell was clearly weakened.

Reapplying the technique, Lin Xiaolu swung her wand again and again, launching a series of silver-white flame bursts. The barrage finally suppressed Mors’ spell completely.

Then, raising her hand once more, the flames transformed into dozens of magic bullets, exploding through the air as they shot toward Mors.

“White magic? A spell? No… that’s not it.”

Mors sounded curious. She caught one of the silver bullets in her hand, only to recoil as her palm instantly blackened and burned.

Staring at her charred hand, she froze momentarily—then grinned with genuine intrigue.

“A type I’ve never seen before? Interesting.”

While she spoke, Lin Xiaolu continued her assault. Silver-white magic flared in her hand again, this time forming into a phantom spear made of blazing flame.

She didn’t say a word. Just stared coldly at Mors, ready to throw.

Something about the playful smile on Mors’ face made her deeply uneasy.

But once the arrow’s drawn, it must be loosed. Whether the strike would land or not, she wasn’t going to give up this chance. She pulled back her arm—

“Don’t throw it.”

A familiar voice stopped her in her tracks.

Sapphire light bathed her from above, countless strands of magic thread fell like shimmering tassels, and a figure appeared in front of her.

That sudden arrival stopped Lin Xiaolu’s attack.

Mors’ grin widened.

Behind, Xia Liang let out a small breath of relief.

Lin Xiaolu, stunned, stared at the newcomer. She blinked in disbelief and hesitated before saying:

“…Veronica?”

“Yeah. So don’t attack.”

Bathed in brilliant blue, Veronica turned back toward Lin Xiaolu, her voice soft:

“It’s fine now. Let me handle it.”