Chapter 48: The Green of Mercy
Before Lin Yao Yao could react, the cold purple-gold armor yanked her by the wrist from the bedroom doorway, dragging her into the cramped living room.
On the faded, worn sofa lay a small, motionless figure, her life hanging by a thread. A wide black cloak draped her, but it was soaked with fresh blood, pooling and dripping onto the yellowed floor, forming a chilling dark-red puddle.
In the faint, cold moonlight filtering through the window, Lin Yao Yao recognized the girl—Zero, the mysterious black magical girl the Association had repeatedly warned their team to watch for.
Why was she, gravely injured, brought here by an Ouroboros cadre!?
Releasing her wrist, Shura stepped to the sofa, his gaze fixed on Zero’s bloodless, near-transparent face. His helmeted head dipped slightly, and from the menacing armor came a hoarse, pleading whisper:
“—Please, save her.”
The voice was heavy, raw, as if torn by a rusty blade, each word trembling with suppressed emotion. Lin Yao Yao sensed feelings she’d never associated with Ouroboros fighters—fear, sorrow, despair, and… pleading.
Her hand, poised to call her teammates via their exclusive link, paused. She looked at Shura, radiating destructive power yet seeming utterly vulnerable, then at Zero, barely clinging to life. Her gentle green eyes flickered with visible conflict.
Her healer’s instinct to save lives overpowered her doubts. Taking a deep breath, she placed her delicate hands on Zero’s cold abdomen. Soft, pure healing magic flowed from her palms, seeping carefully into Zero’s horrific wounds.
Lin Feng watched the green glow nourish Zero’s broken body, the crushing weight in his chest easing slightly.
“…Thank you,” Shura murmured, his voice barely audible but heartfelt.
His comms interface pinged with a message from Hoshino Kirara, asking why he and A-Cheng were out so late. She’d sensed a terrifying magical surge in the east district’s abandoned zone, urging A-Cheng to stay away, unaware they shared identities.
“Don’t thank me yet!” Tokiwa Green’s voice rose, laced with shock and pain. “Her wounds are too severe. The magic that hurt her… it’s eating my healing magic—my power… it’s not enough!”
Sweat beaded on her forehead, rolling down her pale cheeks, her face twisting as she struggled to maintain the spell. Her magic was draining at an alarming rate, unable to fully heal Zero.
As her green light flickered, nearing exhaustion, Shura grabbed her right hand. Tokiwa Green flinched, trying to pull back, but an unyielding force pressed her wrist against a glowing red crystal at the center of his chest armor.
“Use mine.”
“Are you insane?! You’re Ouroboros! Your magic—” Tokiwa Green cried out, trying to withdraw. Mixing light and dark magic could cause chaos, or worse, irreversible harm to both caster and patient—a core lesson from the Association.
But a warm, pure, overwhelming magic surged from the crystal, flooding her body.
Tokiwa Green froze, eyes wide with disbelief. How?! This magic was purer than any magical girl’s she’d encountered, not something an Ouroboros member should possess!
“Not… evil energy?”
“Don’t overthink it,” Shura said, eyes closed, letting his magic pour into her.
She trembled but didn’t resist. Saving Zero came first. With his vast, ocean-like magic, she unleashed her highest-tier healing spell.
The green glow intensified, like life-giving nectar, mending Zero’s wounds. Fractured bones knit together, torn muscles regrew visibly, cold fingers warmed, and a faint flush returned to her pale lips.
Time stretched as the miracle unfolded. Tokiwa Green’s fingers stayed on Shura’s crystal, the green light unwavering. Shura stood motionless, afraid to blink, lest Zero slip away.
Finally, as the last gash sealed and Zero’s breathing steadied, Tokiwa Green withdrew, collapsing backward, drained. Her battle outfit dissolved, reverting her to Lin Yao Yao, the frail high school girl in simple pajamas, nearly fainting.
A metal arm caught her, steadying her onto a chair. Shura gently lifted Zero, now visibly recovering but still unconscious, wrapped in the cloak.
“I owe you a huge debt, Tokiwa Green,” he said.
Without lingering, he vanished with Zero into the pre-dawn darkness, as silently as he’d arrived.
Lin Yao Yao sat dazed, staring at the empty room and the dried, blackened bloodstain on the sofa, feeling like she’d dreamt it all.
An Ouroboros cadre bursting in with a dying Zero, asking for her help, sharing impossibly pure magic… She didn’t know where to begin questioning.
She pinched her cheek, the sharp pain confirming reality.
The exhausted girl stared at the bloodstain, then jolted awake:
“Oh no!”
She leapt up, stumbling to the kitchen.
“If I don’t clean that blood, my siblings will think I killed someone tomorrow!”
When Hoshino Kirara saw the photo from Dongfang Cheng, she relaxed.
[Phone died, just charged it. Don’t worry, I’m home with the rich dog.] It included a selfie with Lin Feng.
She didn’t know the photo was a quick Photoshop by Shura’s AI, snapped while Lin Feng flew the still-unconscious Zero back to their apartment.
En route, a familiar black glow enveloped Zero, transforming her back into Dongfang Cheng, the “boy.”
But only in theory.
The cloak hung loosely on his shoulders. The body in Lin Feng’s arms—its feel, weight, and delicate curves—was almost indistinguishable from a fully developed girl’s. His skin was as smooth as fine porcelain, his features softened, his once-boyish frame now slender and rounded.
A-Cheng, outwardly, was now a petite, beautiful girl.