Seeing the Boss Disaster Beast Red Rhino's corpse beco bloody and mangled under magic strikes, Jin Yulu and Jin Ruochu finally breathed a sigh of relief.
They looked at each other and sat down with a thud, their bodies lacking strength, drowsy and exhausted. After all, they had been in a state of consumption ever since leaving the Ocean Pearl. According to the original plan, they should have reached Island 24 by diving, but unfavorable battle conditions forced the team to charge in solo and capture flags while beheading generals. Fortunately, everything went smoothly.
Woo——
The Sea Demon's death cry announced the end of another battlefield.
The pink and gold magical girls supported each other back to the volcano top, surrounded by drifting ash, with landslide soil and stone extending all the way to the coast—mountains of corpses and seas of blood.
Looking into the distance, they saw Nan Zhiyi's domain tightly gripping the super-large octopus. The next mont, white-hot light penetrated the Sea Demon and cut through the sky. Dark clouds scattered and the blazing sun cast down warmth, illuminating Jin Yulu and Jin Ruochu's pretty faces. After weathering the storm, they finally saw the moon—they had won this battle. Hard to imagine what enormous magic power was behind that strike. Hyacinth truly lived up to being the oldest and most powerful magical girl.
"Even though we agreed ti magic has the highest consumption and mythical magic has the lowest... how co I feel like the explosive type compared to the instructor?"
The girl in dragon robes smiled faintly, the unwillingness in her tone serving as motivation to advance.
The pink-haired girl waved her fist and declared loudly: "We won! Victory belongs to the Salvation Church!"
Soone originally positioned as support was happy just to have battle achievents.
On the other side, above the Sea Demon's corpse. Nan Zhiyi, who had repeatedly opened domain magic and shown off operations, was physically exhausted. She pretended to be tired and tilted her head: "Sorry, can't hold on anymore..."
Hibiscus quickly flew up to catch her companion. The magical girl in Regalia form felt like falling catkins in her arms, as if in a dandelion field—soft and fragrant.
"You worked hard."
"Piece of cake. Because you served as vanguard for , I dared try domain magic transformation—that's what made omnipotent."
"You did great." Hibiscus smoothly patted Nan Zhiyi's head, making the latter smile sweetly. Despite everyone being roughly the sa age, sohow she increasingly seed like an elder.
Since the decapitation operation against Disaster Beasts was concluded, the Salvation Church quartet flew to the crater to rendezvous as agreed.
Seeing each other safe and sound, their anxious hearts finally settled.
Although they were on the sa battlefield, splitting into two groups for separate combat was still sowhat nerve-wracking. Moreover, Boss Disaster Beasts were never easy to deal with. Fortunately, they had both intelligence advantages and sufficient strength to safely pass the test.
"So exhausting." Jin Ruochu wiped her sweat and supported her waist—after all, Causal magic had been actively operating throughout, consuming quite a bit.
Jin Yulu was still eager for more fighting.
"Speaking of which, should we chat with them?" Nan Zhiyi asked. "Hibiscus, isn't one of your purposes here to send goodwill signals?"
"We've already completed our mission. Opening dialogue only needs an opportunity—waiting for them to approach us first is more advantageous for negotiations."
"When do we travel to that lost island?" Jin Ruochu couldn't wait.
"My power alone isn't enough. If we had professionals helping to explore coordinates together, it would be more convenient. Although we can go to the teleportation array anyti now, space-related magic is best assisted by quadrant coordinate calculations... In short, be patient. Take this opportunity to rest and recuperate."
Hibiscus made the final decision.
Everyone imdiately understood—they must be missing the last piece of the puzzle. Moreover, everyone was generally in poor condition. They needed to rest and recover magic power before talking about action—waiting for good news from the army.
At this mont, the situation on Island 24, which had blocked humanity for years, was gradually becoming clear:
The magical girls' battle had already scrapped large numbers of small and dium Disaster Beasts, not to ntion the chaotic state of being leaderless after losing their bosses. Facing these remnants and defeated soldiers, the battle-hardened elite troops quickly cleared them out. Tanks, armored vehicles, and other heavy units finally gained a foothold. The blue olive branch flag symbolizing humanity flew over the beachhead as they pressed forward relentlessly, pursuing the Disaster Beasts.
Rumble!
Aerial bombs fell like raindrops, covering the earth. The death of Boss Disaster Beasts that had maintained magic pressure allowed the air force to completely unleash.
The offensive and defensive positions reversed. Now Island 24 beca the burial ground for Disaster Beast legions. They wailed, roared, and even killed each other, but none of this could stop the steel torrent's advance. The battlefield evolved into one-sided crushing.
Commander Josh had experienced countless hells and fought countless uphill battles—this was her first ti experiencing the thrill of a favorable battle.
She looked up and gazed into the distance. Even though these eyes didn't possess normal vision, she felt a gaze eting hers—it was that mysterious ti manipulator waving hello.
"Thank you for your support. See you later."
Although the two sides were far apart, she believed they could both read lips.
4 hours later.
The garrison and follow-up support forces combined to completely clear out land and sea Disaster Beasts. The globally watched offensive and defensive battle for Island 24 finally concluded. After large-scale losses, humanity had recaptured strategic territory for the first ti. One could imagine the profound impact this would have on overall strategy. War correspondents were already composing reports, cara shutters permanently capturing soldiers embracing each other in celebration.
Besides this, they also expressed gratitude to the Church, as the magical girls' distinguished military achievents were witnessed by all. The military, which revered rit, was convinced by this honor.
At the volcano peak, the magical girl squad had recovered sowhat after replenishing their magic power and was in high spirits.
"We need to chat with the officials, but the conversation doesn't need too many people—just one or two decision-makers, like this one."
The silver-haired girl spoke while waving her hand. Josh, supporting Professor Brunhilde, ca walking briskly up the steep cliff, naturally followed by soldiers and starry-eyed war correspondents, though the colonel excluded them from the conversation.
Hibiscus smiled welcomingly, appearing quite amiable.
Actually, she was quite embarrassed about her previous mysterious act with the black aura, since netizens had warned her early on that magical girl transformation forms wouldn't be associated with their true appearances.
She had remained skeptical, but later random experints confird she indeed wouldn't be recognized. Since that was the case, there was no need to be too concerned.
Being open and aboveboard was more convincing.
Josh faced the four and saluted first: "I represent the local war zone in greeting you all. Thank you very much for extending aid—otherwise we risked total annihilation. I'll say this upfront: if you have requests, I'll do my best to satisfy them within the bounds of principle."
She knew her words represented the official side's first public contact with the Salvation Church, so she had to be careful.
"...Speaking of which, what should I call you? I can't very well call you Lady Lyra, can I?"
"Colonel, just call Hyacinth." Hibiscus introduced them in turn. "These beside are Dandelion, Manjusaka, and Protea. They're all trustworthy."
"What does your organization want?"
"Bringing Dr. Brunhilde along shows you guessed—that's right, we want to go to the supposedly non-existent Island 24.5."
Josh was slightly stunned, her blood-colored eyes showing moved expression. Even though she had expected the Salvation Church's designs, she couldn't help being shocked, because all information related to Island 24.5 was classified at the highest level, yet the other party had revealed the secret in one sentence.
And it seed they knew more than she did. Could this mysterious organization have already infiltrated the upper levels? That was the only possibility.
She was at a disadvantage.
Josh openly examined the four girls. Despite their young faces and even their temperant having a vibrant quality, she absolutely didn't believe "intuitive judgnt"—they were probably all old monsters older than anyone, because in a sense, existences capable of making Disaster Beasts tremble in fear couldn't be called human anymore—they should be called "magic creatures."
Actually, weren't Holy Relics the sa? Everyone was the sa type.
Hibiscus continued: "To be honest, we're very interested in the legendary Hermit Island, and of course the treasure on it."
After collecting herself, Josh coughed and said: "My orders were to recapture Island 24 and create conditions for detecting the probably non-existent island. As a soldier, my mission is complete. What you believe has nothing to do with . But if Miss Hyacinth is interested in the topic, you can chat with Dr. Brunhilde—he's an expert in this field."
The middle-aged man suddenly called upon held his breath, enduring the magic pressure from participating in the great battle, forcing a smile as he shook hands with the silver-haired girl.
All three parties understood each other.
From the official standpoint, detection ant wanting to occupy, but whether to "read the superior's intentions" depended entirely on understanding. Since that was the case, don't bla for making on-the-spot judgnts.
Since both Josh and Brunhilde owed favors, it was best to call it even and clear the debt.
Hibiscus took the initiative: "I've long admired your reputation, Professor. I heard you've achieved great things in mathematics and have been observing the island's surroundings for years, collecting data to establish 56 models. You just need to verify them once at the optimal observation point beneath our feet, right? I trust your answer."
What!
Upon hearing this, Brunhilde's mind exploded with thunder.
Collecting data was one thing, but the related models—he had morized them and then destroyed them, leaving no paper or electronic records. Could the other party read minds? Or have extensive connections!
The silver-haired girl's face was grave as water, but inwardly she thought: I'm not that capable—this is all thanks to you overestimating things you don't understand.
Little did they know Hibiscus was rely repeating intelligence provided by netizens. She hadn't dared be too precise for fear of discrepancies, never expecting to completely overwhelm both n. Even the three magical girls who had been living together day and night couldn't hide their surprise, all wearing expressions of "is this also ti magic?"
At this rate, she'd probably gain an omniscient title.
Hibiscus coughed to remind them: "I hope the Professor can share the verification results. Once we get them, we'll leave imdiately."
"Don't worry." Brunhilde said confidently: "You saved , and the entire garrison. Speaking more broadly, you made outstanding contributions to human civilization, yet only ask for this small reward. I'll definitely satisfy you."
He then took out portable instrunts and computers to begin verification on the spot, occasionally walking back and forth on the steep cliff—though Jin Yulu was responsible for protection, so there was no problem.
As for Nan Zhiyi and Jin Ruochu, they stepped back slightly, leaving private space.
I see.
Josh noticed the three girls codenad Dandelion, Manjusaka, and Protea frequently focused their gazes on Hyacinth. Combined with their earlier performance, the silver-haired girl was undoubtedly the unquestioned team leader. She should be very strong—no doubt about it. The two battles had been substantial. The girl in jade and pure white Regalia should be the Star Observer first recorded in the Ningfeng Harbor incident. In a short ti, Salvation Church mbers were erging one by one.
"Does Miss Hyacinth have any guidance?"
"I wouldn't call it guidance—I just hope you can convey our position: the Salvation Church is committed to protecting civilization. This is beyond doubt."
Josh asked pointedly, as if casually: "Human civilization or your civilization?"
Hibiscus showed surprise as if she had anticipated this, then counter-asked: "Don't we count as mbers of the human camp? If an Anti-Disaster Beast Organization carries strong racial prejudice, the Church will reassess our relationship."
"...Sorry, just a casual comnt. Many voices believe Holy Relics aren't human, or even alive, while you are magical girls."
"You've investigated very thoroughly—this cos from pre-era intelligence, right?"
"Correct. Clay tablets from archaeological sites in sopotamia recorded 'girls with miraculous power.' We never took it seriously until the Battle of Edo when you gained the official designation—cough cough!"
Josh wiped blood from the corner of her mouth. "But as you can see, the knowledge poison content is very high. Investigation had to be terminated. Perhaps only you can understand your own destiny."
Hibiscus handed over a handkerchief, which the other accepted with thanks. She hadn't expected Church mbers to be so considerate and thoughtful even when going to war.
The two faced each other in silence.
They both looked toward Dr. Brunhilde, who was beaming with excitent, occasionally explaining to Jin Yulu, who had a high school dropout level of education. The verification was clearly going smoothly.
"Since you ntioned magical girls, Colonel, I'll give advance notice: when necessary, the Church will protect our comrades' interests. This might bring so small complications to our cooperation. I'm giving you a heads-up—don't bla for not being courteous first when trouble arises later." Hibiscus's voice turned cold, clearly referring to sothing specific.
The matter of Eagle Company's affiliated laboratory remained unresolved—it was a behemoth under the military-industrial complex that couldn't be settled through political maneuvering alone.
Josh smiled faintly: "Any organization that would persecute cute girls must be evil—enemies of civilization. If you're willing to act as champions of justice, that would be wonderful."
"Hey!"
Professor Brunhilde waved his hand. "I've calculated it, but the coordinates are in the lava at the crater."
"So you calculated correctly. Very good."
Hibiscus accepted the calculation paper full of complex formulas. Fortunately, she had studied beforehand, otherwise she wouldn't recognize any of them... actually, she still barely could now. But she didn't need to understand—based on the mathematical coordinates combined with enhanced ntal power detection after releasing her hair ornant would be sufficient to ensure teleportation safety. Space-related techniques were dangerous, and the teleportation array was one-ti use only—there could be no mistakes, requiring extre caution.
The three girls gathered around, looking incredulous. Although the Professor explained in the most accessible language that it was underneath the lava, they still harbored doubts.
Current magical girl Regalia couldn't handle swimming in lava yet.
Knowing the related plot, Hibiscus said without doubt: "Feel carefully—the lava layer isn't that high, especially after eruption. That's so kind of illusion effect. So we found the right place. We'll depart from there—quick battle, quick resolution."
Since the leader was confident, Jin Yulu, Jin Ruochu, and Nan Zhiyi no longer doubted. Moreover, after being reminded, they indeed sensed weak spatial fluctuation magic.
Teleportation arrays really existed in the world!
Hibiscus smiled and waved: "Colonel Josh, Professor Brunhilde, until we et again." Then everyone disappeared.
The crater was empty, with hot wind blowing and the acrid sll of gunpowder.
The war correspondents who had rushed up were disappointed—they never got a single clear photo of Salvation Church mbers.
Josh gazed at the crater's interior. With her blood-eye perspective, she vaguely detected a gap between the false "lava layer" and real lava below, containing enormous magic reactions and chaotic, complex auras.
"No wonder..."
So Professor Brunhilde's mathematical models were correct—they just required ntal power masters like magical girls to properly utilize them. They were heading to the legendary island.
Although superiors hadn't revealed much intelligence, Josh, in her high position, had heard various rumors over the years. After all, people occasionally wandered in by mistake, and the very few survivors who returned brought accounts: such as Hermit Island containing large numbers of Disaster Beasts, the island devouring people, thunder and seas swallowing everything in miasma, and of course spatial relics... It all sounded very mysterious, making her not take it seriously at one point.
The Salvation Church's extre attention made one contemplate deeper anings—there must be secrets behind this.
"Whatever, the reward has been delivered anyway."
Josh reconsidered and stopped worrying. With the magical girls' power, they could take by force if they wanted—fair trade was already burning incense in gratitude.
After a while, Gallup carefully ca to the summit, looking around to confirm people had left before speaking: "Even mories I don't rember tornt to exhaustion. So annoying. My predecessor was such a fool to provoke these people."
Josh replied: "At least you recognize your error. What's frightening is if others still want to be stepping stones. If they anger the Salvation Church, it'll definitely be mutually destructive."
Understanding the implication, Gallup shrugged, thinking that was last ti's business and had nothing to do with him.
"What exactly happened?"
"Professor, you had the most direct experience—explain it to him."
After putting away his instrunts, the middle-aged man in expedition gear recounted the events with shock, still shaken even now. No matter how he thought about it, he couldn't understand how the coordinate models hidden in his mind were revealed in one sentence. Simple espionage or mind-reading couldn't necessarily explain it clearly. It really made one suspect he'd been drugged and hypnotized so day, but logically he'd always had special agents protecting him during classified work... Couldn't figure it out, really couldn't understand.
Brunhilde said excitedly: "Pre-era, Disaster Beasts, magic... these things are cutting-edge science. The Salvation Church represents the forefront!"
He clasped his hands together and bowed toward where the magical girls had disappeared, his wrinkled face actually conveying a trace of devotion.
After hearing this, Gallup looked puzzledly at his superior: "I feel like our technical advisor got poached by them."
"Listen to subjective opinions as you will—the key is that the Church has set their sights on Hermit Island. From now on, that place counts as their territory. The higher-ups will have quite a few complaints."
"What complaints can those guys have? Not even ntioning how much military force was thrown at this ss without making a splash—they weren't even sure it existed. Even now that it's confird, isn't it thanks to the Church's intelligence?"
"True, military achievents will shut those guys up."
Josh just found it annoying. Actually, the so-called big shots had no way to deal with Holy Relics. These people's privileged positions were inherited from the last civil war—officials had to compromise and retreat, ultimately giving birth to a transnational interest group: the rcenary Alliance. Rather than calling it delegating power to these supern, it was more like giving you an organization to play with.
Having the Monkey King manage the Peach Garden to find sothing to do was indeed a good move—at least it kept things peaceful for quite so ti.
"Report!"
The adjutant rushed over but found no one, looking around: "Where are the Church people? The higher-ups want them to look at a cooperation proposal."
Josh pointed at the crater: "Convey to the commanders—unfortunately, they've left."
"Let see." Gallup flashed over and snatched the thick stack of docunts from the adjutant, glancing through roughly—the conditions were indeed generous.
Including but not limited to: ultra-high benefits, social allowances, public institution priority, family protection... all ignored. The important parts were: immunity from prosecution, criminal immunity, authorized field judgnt, ability to mobilize military units, etc. If this got out, it would probably cause a huge uproar.
But he'd seen similar before. The terms were actually more generous than they appeared on paper, because officials were actually willing to negotiate one-on-one slowly—even if you wanted to raise the stakes, no problem.
"Pretty much the sa as what we signed back then."
Josh said matter-of-factly: "As expected. Moreover, Disaster Beast attacks have been frequent lately. Ordinary people can hardly stand against Disaster Beasts. Without giving us front-liners more benefits, who would step up? Ancient shock troops could even be ennobled."
"...Honestly, I think the conditions are very good. Why does the Salvation Church seem to keep avoiding them?"
Both were puzzled by this, unable to figure out why magical girls didn't proactively join the system.
They had both been tempted by these special privileges, carefully weighing pros and cons—they really couldn't escape those guys who specialized in calculating human nature. For instance, immunity from prosecution was practically dictator-level treatnt in so countries. Other freedoms like field judgnt and mobilizing military units were equally outrageous—if taken negatively, they were subtly encouraging these supern to use normal society as a pressure valve.
There were indeed such scum among Holy Relics, but they were all hunted down and their relics recovered. Good calculation—this was why both sides were willing to maintain the status quo and cooperate actively.
After a long ti, officials would probably recover all relics.
Probably?
Brunhilde suddenly interjected: "Rember the two supernatural incidents in Ningfeng Harbor? First ti: Dock Gang warehouse was robbed, military supplies worth millions stolen. Second ti: Storm Gang was destroyed, the leader's personal belongings worth seven hundred thousand total were taken. The mastermind was very likely... Miss Hyacinth."
"One person being greedy isn't strange, but now facing temptation unmoved definitely indicates so kind of ntal change. Either robbed enough, or beca enlightened—both point to one thing: greater pursuits."
"This pursuit is what the Salvation Church provides its mbers. Even such great temptation can't compare—what does this indicate?"
Brunhilde hit the nail on the head.
Josh suddenly understood: "Two possibilities: either the Church provides better treatnt than official conditions, including solidarity among peers. Or they judge the conditions unsustainable—in other words, they believe normal social order will be destroyed."
Gallup continued: "Current intelligence shows a catastrophic event will occur this year, far exceeding previous intensity. And the Church is finding safe havens in advance..."
The worst answer was both possibilities combined—too heavy for ordinary people.
Josh took a deep breath, looking at the crater, then gazing at the support fleet rising on the distant horizon. Despite the victorious atmosphere, tension was added.
"Clean up the battlefield and investigate Hermit Island's location."
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