Off Work, Then I Become a Magical Girl
Book 2: Chapter 79: Fierce Battle

Vol 2 Chapter 79: Fierce Battle

A Magical Girl's body is constructed from magical energy.  

Therefore, in their transformed state, they don't possess the same vital weaknesses as when they were human. No matter the external injury, as long as magical energy remains, they can recover swiftly.  

To truly wound a Magical Girl, one must damage their true form. There are only three ways to harm the true form: either wait until the Magical Girl exhausts her magic, directly attack her soul, or if neither works, target the magic source itself.  

This was precisely the approach Yuan had taken moments ago.  

However, damaging the magic source isn't an easy task. When the magic source separates from the Heart Gem state and merges with the Magical Girl, it exists in a semi-physical, semi-ethereal state drifting within the magical form. Its presence is extremely elusive, its position constantly shifting, making it nearly impossible for ordinary people to locate.  

Yet in Veronica's perception, her magic source seemed to have been pinpointed for a split second. The silver lining was that the opponent hadn't succeeded.  

Had she not remained utterly calm until the last moment, manipulating her magic under Yuan's assault to shift her magic source's position, the consequences would have been unthinkable.  

Even so, having her body pierced through, the residual beast magic energy dispersing from Yuan's tangdao had inflicted severe damage to Veronica's magical form. Within mere seconds, the wound created by the tangdao expanded into a gaping hole that continued spreading outward.  

The beast's magic energy had a corrosive effect on a Magical Girl's magic. Even at Veronica's level, this inherent disadvantage persisted. Combined with Yuan's unexpectedly formidable strength as the magic's master, the resulting injury was naturally exceptionally grave.  

It was only now that Asou Madoka belatedly arrived.  

Her wand flashed, transforming instantly into a wine glass filled with fluorescent orange liquid that she flung toward Yuan's position with a swift motion.  

The action appeared visually unthreatening, yet it made Yuan raise an eyebrow before she instantly retreated over ten meters away.  

After her withdrawal, the liquid splashed onto the ground where it soon burst into roaring flames like hot oil.  

Seizing the fiery distraction, Asou Madoka swiftly caught Veronica, carrying her princess-style to safety behind their lines.  

Lying in Asou Madoka's arms, Veronica's face was pale, one hand pressed against her chest where the beast magic's corrosion had created a hole larger than her palm. Dispersed blue magic particles drifted upward between her fingers, yet she ignored them entirely, her gaze locked fiercely on Yuan in the distance.  

By now, a circle had formed around her - not just Asou Madoka and Hong Siyu who had been fighting alongside her, but also the three juniors who had rushed over upon seeing her injury. Everyone remained alert to Yuan's movements while monitoring Veronica's condition.  

Among them, Lin Xiaolu was visibly the most distraught.  

Standing beside Asou Madoka, she pressed a trembling hand against the hollow in Veronica's chest, her lips quivering with rapid breaths. Her constricted throat allowed only dry, choked sobs to escape as she shook her head desperately at Veronica, though what she meant to convey was unclear.  

Veronica could only lift her other hand to pat Lin Xiaolu's arm. "Don't panic. The magic source wasn't hit. It'll just require more magic to heal."  

Seeing Lin Xiaolu still on the verge of tears and utterly unconvinced, Veronica sighed and leaned close to whisper a few barely audible words into her ear.  

Lin Xiaolu's eyes widened dramatically.  

After struggling to regain her breath, she managed to croak out, "Are... are you sure about this?"  

"Yes, I've figured it out now," Veronica nodded. "If everything truly is as I suspect, then the situation... already favors our side—"  

"I can't pretend I didn't hear that!" Yuan's voice cut in sharply. "If you've got some clever plan, why not share it with me too?"  

On the other side, Yuan had no intention of giving them time to regroup. Having finally managed to seriously wound Veronica, she aimed to press her advantage. Her form flickered within black mist as she charged into their midst again, tangdao swinging.  

This time, her target was Hong Siyu.  

Her strategy was simple: prioritize eliminating the three primary combatants among the Magical Girls, attacking in order of how familiar she was with each.  

Her relentless pursuit of Veronica earlier stemmed from their multiple past sparring sessions giving her enough familiarity to predict Veronica's movements and land hits more easily. Attacking Hong Siyu now followed the same logic - swiftly removing the biggest threats.  

Without Veronica's support, Hong Siyu appeared helpless against this ferocious assault.  

At the critical moment, a petite black figure dashed in from the side.  

Mirroring Yuan's inky magic but interwoven with viridian energy, a small girl in a black dress covered with sinister green patterns blocked the tangdao with a claw-like hand.  

It was Bai Jingxuan.  

But this was a Bai Jingxuan none present except Veronica had ever seen before.  

Her sclera had turned completely black like Yuan's, her magic power far surpassing a normal Leaf-rank Magical Girl. Though significantly shorter, she stood facing Yuan with nearly comparable presence.  

Her eyes overflowed with killing intent so intense it was nearly impossible to meet her gaze.  

"...So you're that 'Bai Jingxuan'?" Yuan showed no reaction to the murderous aura, clapping her hands delightedly instead. "No wonder the boss specifically told me to bring you back! This is fascinating!"  

Bai Jingxuan offered no response.  

Silently, she kicked off the ground, charging forward like a mindless beast.  

In the darkness, two black-hued magic energies collided, their struggle so intense the others couldn't initially tell who held the upper hand.  

The black-and-green beast wildly unleashed her magic, completely disregarding Yuan's attacks. Neither physical wounds from weapons nor magic weakened by mist deterred her berserk, mutually destructive assault.  

This all-or-nothing fighting style, combined with equally abundant magic, actually managed to restrain Yuan temporarily.  

However, Yuan soon discerned a pattern in the seemingly chaotic combat.  

Extricating herself from the frenzied attacks like a leaf riding stormy waves, she found an infinitesimal opening to press her palm against Bai Jingxuan's abdomen.  

"Great potential, but still too green," she remarked.  

Then the black magic around her stilled momentarily, seeming to thin before expanding outward in concentric ripples.  

A tremendous hum emanated from Yuan's palm as cracks appeared in the very air beneath it.  

BANG!  

Bai Jingxuan went flying.  

As if struck by some invisible colossal force, she shot backward like a cannonball, her speed exceeding what normal eyes could track.  

The shrill sound of displaced air whipped past the others as Bai Jingxuan's body hurtled toward the mountain's edge, nearly plummeting over the cliff.  

Fortunately, Hong Siyu acted in time.  

Her notebook flipped open, violet-red magic forming a net along Bai Jingxuan's trajectory to catch her.  

Yuan naturally wouldn't let this pass. The moment Bai Jingxuan was caught, she charged at Hong Siyu again, this time with multiple weapon-wielding figures emerging from the black mist to attack simultaneously.  

Now it was Margaret's turn to intervene.  

Her wand blocked Yuan's initial strike with a sharp clang before she inexplicably angled it downward to intercept a second attack from within the mist.  

"Fall back! Use ranged attacks to pin her down!" she shouted, pushing Hong Siyu backward as her wand transformed back into the wine glass magical equipment. Liquid splashed as she engaged Yuan.  

All of this unfolded before Veronica's eyes.  

Now propped weakly against a tree where Asou Madoka had placed her, she could only observe the battle's progression.  

The chest wound could be repaired with magic, though the quantity required was substantial, forcing her to minimize movement and focus magic on healing.  

But being unable to fight didn't mean she was powerless.  

As she'd told Lin Xiaolu earlier, she believed "the situation already favored their side."  

Because in that instant when Yuan's attack connected, she'd glimpsed part of the truth behind Yuan's Bloom ability.  

Unlike their first encounter at the Anomaly Strategy Bureau, this time Yuan hadn't uttered a single unnecessary word about her Beast Heart Release abilities.  

Undoubtedly, she was guarding against Veronica's magical equipment.  

Last time, Yuan had carelessly revealed her "Qi" ability, allowing Veronica to seal it and ultimately defeat her. She clearly hadn't forgotten that lesson.  

This was precisely why Veronica hadn't yet requested Hong Siyu's assistance to use that highly unstable second magical equipment.  

She needed to ensure her scissors would be used at the most critical moment.  

So far, Yuan's Beast Heart Release had displayed remarkably comprehensive enhancements - not just retaining her weapon-transforming ability, but also exhibiting improvements in speed, strength, magic capacity, and even combining with "Qi" to suppress their abilities.  

Strengthening all her attributes while weakening her opponents - the effect was brutally straightforward.  

But knowing this much wasn't enough.  

What were the ability's exact parameters? Its effective range? Was it truly worth using the scissors? Most importantly, to remove this ability with her scissors, Veronica first needed to understand its fundamental nature.  

And in that fleeting moment earlier, she'd grasped a crucial insight.  

When Yuan's tangdao was about to pierce her chest, she'd realized - this was both danger and opportunity.  

Yuan's speed made her virtually untouchable by normal means, preventing any effective counterattacks thus far. Yet no matter how fast she was, the instant she attacked, Yuan couldn't make major movements.  

Meaning the moment Yuan attacked was actually the best time to strike back.  

As for how - the answer was simple: use the threads connected to her back. Originally meant for maneuvering assistance by pulling her body, these threads' functions weren't fixed. By adjusting their connection points, they could transform from mobility aids into weapons against Yuan.  

So where should the threads be repositioned?  

In that critical moment, Veronica decided to align them with where her magic source had been targeted.  

Because at that instant, Yuan's thrusting tangdao would inevitably aim for that point, ensuring the threads would simultaneously slice Yuan's arm.  

This was what had transpired in that split-second exchange. And her reasoning had proven correct.  

When the tangdao emerged from her chest, the tactile feedback from the threads didn't lie - they'd cut Yuan.  

Though the trade was hardly equal (her own injuries and magic depletion far exceeding Yuan's), she'd achieved the first effective counterattack.  

While the threads had merely grazed Yuan without meaningful damage, the crucial realization was something far more valuable than the exchange itself:  

Yuan had hesitated momentarily, seemingly debating whether to accept the hit.  

This was profoundly telling.  

Yuan's Beast Heart Release clearly enhanced more than just speed and magic - her physical resilience and defense had become extraordinarily formidable too.  

Meaning even if Veronica's threads connected, they wouldn't drain much of Yuan's magic.  

So then... why the hesitation?  

Veronica couldn't deduce the full truth from this clue alone, but it was enough.  

"Margaret," she called out loudly the moment this realization crystallized, addressing Asou Madoka who was still locked in combat with Yuan.  

"Bloom."