Chapter 27: Epilogue
“Hmph, hmph, hmph…”
Chu Xiong wailed in despair, his dark stench repelling even from a distance. But Jiang Yao wouldn’t falter just because he’d collapsed. His attempt to harm her mother was unforgivable, no matter his state.
Raising her chainsaw sword high, Jiang Yao charged. Buzz—
The blade struck Chu Xiong’s arm as he clutched his head, meeting resistance. Dark magic clashing with dark magic boiled down to raw destructive power. Despite the crystal teeth’s relentless vibration, her sword wouldn’t budge.
“Gu…” From between his arms, Chu Xiong’s small eyes glared fiercely.
“Raaah!!!” He roared, flinging her sword aside with his arms and throwing a straight punch.
Clang! His fist met the sword’s side, ringing like steel on steel.
“Tch.” Jiang Yao backflipped nimbly, plunging her chainsaw sword into the ground, sliding back ten meters before stopping. A direct hit would’ve been catastrophic.
Boom! Snap—
She was a second too late. A dark magic beam shot skyward, striking the cage on the ceiling.
Chu Xiong dodged her chainsaw’s horizontal slash. The ordinary iron cage exploded, but shockingly, it was empty—no prisoner, just flying iron shards.
The high-power lamp above crackled, unable to withstand the blast, and went out. The factory plunged into darkness.
Only Chu Xiong and Jiang Yao’s faintly glowing red eyes pierced the gloom. “Damn it, where’s that woman?! Wizard? Where are you, tama?! Show yourself!” Chu Xiong raged into the void.
‘This can’t be happening…’
She struggled to rise, fingers trembling, legs inching forward, crawling pitifully. ‘I need my sword… I need to beat him… I need to save Mom…’
But she couldn’t.
“Ha…”
Chu Xiong, too, was at his limit. His new form was unmastered, and his dark-magic-rebuilt body needed time to stabilize. Beneath his human facade, only his brain and a few organs remained—everything else was a paste of black magic.
He was no longer human, but a full dark magical creature. Like a crab post-molt, he was vulnerable, his internal structures unformed. Yet his attacks hadn’t weakened—they were stronger.
It didn’t matter. He’d recover soon, capture the magical girl, then… reshape his form again.
His wish, his lifelong dream, would come true despite every misstep. Yes, yes! He’d succeed, he’d—
“Huh?” Something thick and dangerous pressed against his lower back, shattering his fantasy.
“Second-stage demon, don’t move.” A young girl’s voice came from behind: “Move, and you die.”
Chu Xiong froze, touched by an unknown presence. He secretly channeled dark magic to heal his battle wounds, opening his mouth to speak.
But the voice cut in coldly: “You’re lying. You’ll die either way.”
“You—”
A magic wand at his waist unleashed pure light magic, launching a magical girl’s strongest attack at point-blank range. Chu Xiong, a second-stage demon, spun to fight, but the light was too vast, too blinding. It swallowed him whole, irresistible.
‘How…’
As the light engulfed him, burning pain seared his body, his fist stilled. A sealed memory stirred.
Twenty years ago, as a frail child, he nearly died in an inexplicable earthquake. He’d felt such light then. “You’ll be fine,” said the light’s owner, rescuing him from ruins.
When he awoke, healed, he’d forgotten it, moving with his sneering parents to a new city. At life’s end, Chu Xiong’s eyes widened, straining to see the figure behind the light—that warmth, that hope.
His ash-turning hand reached out, leaving a fading sigh: “…It’s… you…”
Nearby, Jiang Yao, untransformed and drained of magic, noticed the glow. The light pierced the factory’s darkness, melting part of the ceiling, revealing the night sky. Soft moonlight spilled from the clear heavens.
Step, step…
The pink-haired magical girl reappeared, knelt beside Jiang Yao, and gently lifted her with warm hands. A soothing energy flowed into Jiang Yao’s exhausted body, lulling her to sleep.
“My… my mother…” Jiang Yao clutched the girl’s collar, whispering weakly.
“Don’t worry, you did wonderfully. Thanks to you, I saved your mother. She’s unharmed.”
“You…”
“I’m Aurora.”
“I… I want…”
“I’ll teach you about magic.”
‘Why… does she know everything I want to ask?’
Jiang Yao managed a faint, relieved smile. Fatigue and sleepiness overwhelmed her. Before her eyes closed, she glimpsed specks of light drifting from the magical girl’s body. The figure grew taller, morphing into her mother’s form.
‘Is this… a dream?’ ‘Mom… I’m okay… don’t cry…’
In that comforting embrace, Jiang Yao sank into a deep sleep.