She pressed one hand against the dim pendant on her chest.
Did something go wrong with this, making her unable to transform?
…Not that it mattered.
Seventeen deaths, seventeen restarts.
With the [Precision Control Engine] active at all times, Alex Morgan’s control over magic, her tolerance for pain, her understanding of every single cell in this body, and her thoughts and deductions from every post-match review…
all of her accumulation reached a critical point at this very moment.
Even without external objects, her Soul was already drawing closer to that Realm bit by bit.
The young girl raised her head, her pretty face pale, yet an unprecedented fighting spirit burned in her eyes, and a confident smile already played on her lips.
Lowering her voice, she made an announcement in a cool, awe-inspiring tone.
“Smile: perfect score.”
The magic in the air seemed to hear her command, surging frantically toward her and forcing the silver throwing knives right out of her wounds, sending them clattering onto the grass.
“Fighting spirit: one hundred percent.”
Guided by a mysterious, intuitive feeling, she modified the incantation once more, and the Holy Light enveloping her began to turn increasingly red.
Taking a deep breath, she uttered a brand-new incantation from the depths of her Soul.
It was adapted from this body’s original transformation chant, yet it carried an even stronger will.
Her voice, sounding like a mix of singing and chanting, echoed through the forest:
“Burn, heart fire.”
“Crush the body!”
The Holy Light transformed into crimson flames, swirling around Alex Morgan’s stark-naked, slender body as if to devour her.
The girl spread her arms wide, as if to embrace this power that was enough to burn her to ashes, her face filled with an indescribable excitement and devotion.
Bringing her hands back in front of her, she struck her standard starting pose: “Are you ready?”
I’ve been ready!
(＜ゝω·）~☆
Boom—!!!
This time, magic did not betray her again.
A pillar of crimson fire, two meters in diameter, erupted from the ground, completely swallowing her body.
No out-of-control explosion occurred.
It was the cheer of power submitting to her!
In an instant, a massive wave of magic poured into the earth like a deluge, causing the surrounding soil to slightly vitrify under the intense heat.
Within that brilliant glow, the Holy Light covering her body finally began to weave and solidify.
Under the washing tide of magic, her originally soft, cherry-pink long hair instantly transformed into a fiery crimson, its tips dancing wildly in the wind like flowing lava.
The light condensed into a physical “Spirit Dress,” covering her body.
It was an idol-style battle suit dominated by deep red and pure white, with a sharp and cool cut.
The red hem of the skirt resembled a spider lily in full bloom.
However, for some reason, this suit appeared somewhat incomplete, with many parts looking battle-damaged, which matched her current heavily injured state quite well.
But even so, the fact that this Spirit Dress had finally manifested brought her an unprecedented sense of exhilaration.
This meant—
Magical Girl Momoka, has arrived!
As the flames dissipated, the crimson girl looked at the warily postured Head Maid Puppet.
With a cool flick of her wrist, the surging magic particles around her gathered frantically in her palm.
Buzz—
A long, rod-like object materialized out of thin air, spinning at high speed in her hand and kicking up a howling wind.
She gripped it firmly and slammed it heavily onto the ground.
It was a uniquely shaped staff that looked like a microphone.
Its entire body was a matte crimson, with a megaphone-like mechanical structure near the upper-middle section, sharp lines, and a pentagram-shaped bracket embedded at the very top.
Floating in the very center of the pentagram was a deep red gem, pulsing with light in sync with the fluctuations of Alex Morgan’s magic and emotions, radiating a dangerous aura.
Alex Morgan gripped the staff and swung it sharply through the air.
In that instant, stirring music began to play from the staff, echoing through the forest—it sounded like carnival parade music, with human voices weaving in and out.
It was like the opening of a grand carnival.
A flush of excitement rose once more on her pale face, like a final surge of vitality before the end.
The girl spoke slowly, uttering a line that no one here could understand:
“Come on, it’s showtime.”
At the same time, a blazing, brilliant fire poured forth from her staff!
…
“Hiya!”
Accompanied by a cute shout with a clear tremble, the thick fog was forcibly torn apart by the continuous burst of muzzle flashes.
Bang!
Bang!
Bang!
Bang!
The Maid Puppets, attacking like ghosts, were hit mid-air by a dense barrage of energy bullets, their bodies shaking violently as if electrocuted before shattering on the spot.
Carried by the immense kinetic energy of the bullets, the mangled puppets flew backward, crashing heavily into the grass, black smoke drifting from their broken joints.
The one who had launched the attack was a girl of awe-inspiring posture.
She was just over 1.6 meters tall, with long, azure hair cascading behind her like a waterfall, a gentle, water-like glow flowing between the strands.
The girl wore a sleek, pale-blue battle skirt that exposed most of her slender thighs, and she tightly gripped two azure, streamlined pistols in her hands.
On the decaying soil at her feet, besides the maid she had just shot down, lay two shattered puppets whose original forms were barely recognizable.
It was over.
Only after confirming that the monsters were no longer moving did the girl’s tense nerves suddenly relax.
Her legs gave out, and she slumped unceremoniously onto the muddy ground.
“Ha… Ha…”
The dual pistols slipped from her hands, dissolving into water.
She propped herself up on the ground, panting heavily, her shoulders trembling slightly.
Her forehead was covered in fine beads of cold sweat, making her already fair face look even paler.
Crack.
Suddenly, there was a crisp cracking sound.
A gentle white light suddenly burst from the girl’s body, and her gorgeous blue Spirit Dress dissolved into countless points of light and vanished.
As the light faded, the dual-pistol-wielding Magical Girl disappeared, replaced by a much more petite figure.
It was a girl who looked to be about a first-year middle schooler.
The girl was wearing a sailor suit—a pristine white short-sleeved shirt paired with a bright red neckerchief, a black pleated miniskirt, and brown round-toe sneakers.
White long socks wrapped her slender calves, making her look full of childish innocence and youthful vigor.
Her long blue hair had reverted to its original wine-red color.
She rested her hands on her knees, panting heavily, with a trace of lingering shock still visible in her emerald-green eyes, which were as clear as gemstones.
Clap, clap, clap.
A slow, unhurried round of applause came from deep within the mist.
Sophie raised her head in alarm, only to see a tall figure slowly walking over.
It was a girl about 1.7 meters tall, her silver-gray hair casually draped over her shoulders, shimmering with a metallic luster in the dim light.
She had a slender build, wearing a tight black racerback tank top on her upper body with a short khaki tactical jacket casually thrown over it, and a pair of slightly faded, worn-out jeans on her lower body, wrapping around her straight legs.
This slightly wild outfit perfectly outlined her curves, which were not exaggerated but just right.
Especially the half-finger tactical gloves on her hands, they added a touch of heroic and cool flair.
And on her back was a longsword that, even in its sheath, could hardly hide its cold gleam.