Chapter 30: Not convinced? If you don’t agree, come face to face with me!

The two walked in silence for a short stretch, Zero gradually pulling herself from the heavy topic. She stopped abruptly, turning to “Lin Feng” with clear eyes, brimming with pure curiosity.

“Hey, armored guy,” she asked, “that glasses-wearing creep from the school—where does he rank in your organization? Ghost level?”

Looking at this wild magical girl, who knew next to nothing about the world’s rules and barreled through with instinct and brute force, Lin Feng sighed inwardly.

He’d planned to use this date to tease A-Cheng and indulge his mischievous streak. But now, a mix of exasperation—“Does this guy only rely on raw stats?”—and a sense of duty—“I’m the only one who can help him”—welled up, tangled with helplessness.

“Ahem, before you ask that, let me give you a crash course.” Lin Feng cleared his throat, adopting a mock-serious teacherly tone. “Right now, Duhuang City has five officially registered, active magical girls with the association: Red, Blue, Yellow, Green, and Pink, right?”

Zero nodded, signaling him to go on.

“Phoenix Red and Shizuku Blue, captain and vice-captain, are solidly A-rank by the association’s standards.” Lin Feng gestured. “The others—Meteor Yellow, Evergreen Green, Sakura Pink—are B-rank for now.”

“B-rank girls can handle Tiger-level monsters solo, but against a Ghost-level cadre like ‘Lover’ Dan, they’d need teamwork.”

He pivoted, his tone tinged with playful mockery. “But, with magical girls always shouting about bonds and friendship boosting their power, if those five truly worked together, they might—just might—have a slim chance of taking down a Dragon-level threat. Who knows?”

Zero, arms crossed, seemed distracted, as if gauging her own standing against these ranks.

Lin Feng’s expression turned serious. “But our Ouroboros has at least ten active Dragon-level cadres! Not to mention the Queen, whose power is unfathomable. So, Miss Zero, you and those girls have basically no shot at beating us. Ever consider jumping ship? We’ve got great benefits, labor law-compliant—”

“You’re Dragon-level?” Zero cut off his pitch, tilting her head with pure curiosity in her eyes.

Lin Feng, mid-spiel about “great pay, insurance, weekends off, and holiday gifts,” twitched visibly at her question.

“—Yeah, I am,” he admitted. Though officially just a researcher below Tiger rank, his armor at full power could hit Dragon-level destruction.

“Oh.” Zero nodded, then flashed a dazzling smile. “No worries then. I’ll just beat all ten of you at once. Big deal.”

Lin Feng: “…”

Seeing the odd look on his borrowed face, Zero couldn’t hold back a giggle.

“You’re bluffing,” she said, lifting her gaze, her black-and-white eyes glinting with sly mischief. “If you really had a dozen ‘Dragon-level’ guys, why not swarm those five magical girls and wipe them out? Why send one goon at a time to get crushed?”

She wagged a slender finger, her lips curling into a provocative smirk.

“What, not convinced? Come at me head-on, ‘Dragon’!”

“If it’s you, Miss Zero, I’d prefer coming from behind,” Lin Feng quipped, then bolted, leaving Zero to process his innuendo.

“—Pervert! Stop right there!”

This chaotic “date” unfolded under the anxious gazes of mall security, teetering between tugs and chases, continuing noisily into the evening.

Lin Feng dragged a grumpy Zero into over a dozen women’s clothing stores.

“How’s this Lolita dress? Red and white, puffy skirt, lace trim—cute enough to explode!”

“…Get lost. I’d look like a damn cake king.”

“What about this gothic vibe? Black, a bit devilish, matches your combat outfit.”

“You’re the gothic, your whole family’s gothic!”

Zero started with defiant protests—“No way I’m wearing these weird outfits”—but eventually gave up, slumping on a fitting room couch with a “buy what you want, I’ll bleed your wallet dry” attitude. She learned the hard way that money really could buy anything.

Of course, she spent Ashura’s cash without mercy. It was Ouroboros’s dirty money—rounding up, she was robbing the rich to fight evil.

The sunset’s glow, like molten gold, painted the sky in vibrant reds. As they emerged from the mall laden with bags, the evening breeze carried a cool relief, dispersing the day’s clamor.

“Phew, had a blast today,” Lin Feng stretched, grinning contentedly despite his aching shins and cheeks. “What’s for dinner, Miss Zero? There’s a new tea restaurant nearby, great reviews—”

His communicator buzzed urgently. He glanced at it, his smile fading—it was Ouroboros, summoning him to an emergency meeting at headquarters.

“Oh?” Zero caught his shift, smirking mercilessly. “What, your mom calling you home for dinner?”

Lin Feng didn’t retort, pocketing the device and looking at her.

The sunset bathed his chestnut eyes in a hazy, warm golden-red, like fire, like light.

Did a villain’s eyes deserve such radiance?

Zero frowned, masking a fleeting moment of distraction. She cleared her throat, standing tall, arms crossed, her tone carrying an earnestness she didn’t notice. “Hey, armored pervert. Today’s done, our deal’s settled. Next time we meet, I won’t hold back.”

Lin Feng’s lips curved, playful yet tinged with faint wistfulness.

“I’d hope our relationship could be more than just enemies.”

With that, he stepped back, fingers twitching. Purple-gold light flared, and the Ashura armor enveloped him.

“Until we meet again, my dear Zero.”

His modulated, magnetic voice echoed from the armor. Energy wings flared, and he rocketed skyward, a streak of light vanishing into the dusk.

Gotta admit, that armor’s pretty cool, Zero thought begrudgingly, watching the long trail of flame he left behind.

She pulled out her phone, messaging Lin Feng to game tonight, ready to vent her day’s frustrations on the rich dog for that pervert using his face to mess with her.

[Late 1v1?]

[Next time, dining with my dad tonight.]

[Planning to fleece your old man? Filial son.]

[Deduct 1, I’ll take 50.]

Zero raised a brow, resisting the urge to type “1.”

[Missed a zero. Deduct 1, I’ll take 500.]

[111]

Back home, detransformed Dongfang Cheng stared at the pile of branded shopping bags—skirts, dresses, frills—his temples throbbing.

With a resigned sigh, he stuffed them deep into his closet.

No way he was interested in these weird girly clothes. No way!

He had solid, logical reasons. First, they were expensive; a thrifty broke student couldn’t waste them. If cash got tight, he could sell them online for some pocket money.

Second, that rich dog lived next door. If he tossed these as trash and the pickup was late, Lin Feng seeing a bin full of women’s clothing tags would be impossible to explain.

And finally, though he hated admitting it, if Ashura was right about the magical girls’ strength lagging behind Ouroboros… he’d face more brutal battles soon. If side effects made him unable to revert, at least he’d have clothes to wear.

Pocket Space, Ouroboros Duhuang City Headquarters.

“Are you sure you want to ease my burdens, Lady Reida?”

“Of course, my Queen. My [Justice] will not falter!”

“Then go, my most loyal and final knight. Shatter the laughable, fragile alliance of those magical girls from within.”