Magical Girl Heavy Dependence

Chapter 35, Grudges and Enmities

not long ago.

Du Lingyi boarded the bus, with traditional paper money and ingots in her pocket, and sat in the back row by the window.

"The witch trial is about to begin. The procedure may be different from what I told you before... I'm not entirely sure about the specifics yet, but as the judge, you will always have only one duty. Remember to be prepared."

She was still thinking about what the teacher had said to her earlier.

Vague and unclear.

There's a difference? Still not quite sure?

So, can such a thing happen even in a solemn trial?

Du Lingyi was full of doubts, and before she could come to a conclusion, she had already arrived at her destination.

Shaking off distracting thoughts, I silently got off the bus.

Knowing the sunlight was brighter than she had imagined, she lowered her head further and stepped into the cemetery to face the light.

The hillside was covered with crisscrossing paths in front of the tombstone. I knew the way well and walked alone for more than ten minutes before finally stopping in front of a white but spotless tombstone.

[Du Manjiang]

There are no birth and death dates, no photographs, and no epitaph.

A solitary grave—wouldn't some people wonder what kind of life he led?

Surely no one is that bored.

Du Lingyi knelt down and put down the offerings: "Long time no see."

"Yesterday, my teacher acknowledged my talent, and after the next 'Witch's Trial,' I will become an official judge. Sins cannot be washed away and will always exist, but the chief judge will bear them for me, and I can let go of the past and start a new life."

"But I often wonder, is my blood relation with you... a sin? Brother."

The soft murmurs dissipated in the morning breeze.

"I met someone like her. I told you before, I met her in person. Turns out she was just a clueless idiot..." Du Lingyi stared at the name on the tombstone, thinking of her teacher, and then of the demon who questioned her. "But she was luckier than me."

The faces of my loved ones were already blurred, and there was no trace of sadness left.

Du Lingyi's relationship with her brother was not particularly close, but she would still come here from time to time to confide in him.

Having a place to talk to herself always makes her feel a little more relaxed.

"And that's it, I'm leaving."

Du Lingyi stood up, turned around without hesitation, and went back the way she came.

But at the other end of the cemetery, I saw an unexpected face.

The demon that had just appeared in my mind was standing in front of a tombstone, casually putting down the flowers in his hand.

"How could this be..."

Du Lingyi hid herself behind a landscape tree and used her magic to transmit distant sounds into her ears along with her senses.

Clearly, such hiding is futile.

"Come out."

"I didn't peek on purpose."

Du Lingyi instinctively tried to defend herself, and her whole body tensed up.

Will she be silenced? She's no match for him.

Asking the teacher for help... is probably too late, right?

There was a moment of silence between them.

Suddenly, Du Lingyi spoke first: "My name is..."

"Let's go."

Cheng Chen turned around again and continued walking forward without caring, cutting off her self-introduction.

Du Lingyi hesitated for a moment, clenched her fist, and decided to follow him.

There's only one way in and out of the cemetery. If we make up an excuse to refuse, wouldn't that be too deliberate?

"Feel sorry."

After walking a few steps, she couldn't help but speak again, "I won't tell anyone about this."

The only response she received was her steady, unwavering footsteps; the man in front of her showed no sign of wavering, not even a fluctuation in his breathing.

He didn't care at all.

Du Lingyi began to get a little anxious, but she didn't dare to repeat it again.

Just walk down the mountain path, and the main gate of the cemetery is right in front of you.

The girl glanced at the bus stop, then at the figure in front of her, wondering how to tell him that she was waiting for the bus there.

With just that one moment of hesitation, she missed the bus stop and had no choice but to continue following behind the man.

All the way to the parking lot, the other person stood in front of a car and took out car keys from their pocket.

Why are you still following me?

Cheng Chen, who had finally stopped, asked.

Du Lingyi blinked blankly. "Didn't you tell me to come along?"

Cheng Chen slapped his forehead. This guy must have misunderstood. He had no interest in a magical girl he had only met once.

"I'm not interested in you, go back."

After saying that, he got into the car and started the engine.

What do you mean? You're just letting me go like this?

Du Lingyi was still trying to understand Cheng Chen's words with her almost frozen brain when she saw a person in a black tracksuit suddenly appear in front of the red sports car that was about to start.

Cheng Chen slammed on the brakes, stuck half his head out of the car window, squinted, and sighed, "And who are you?"

He was just taking a casual stroll around the cemetery, why all this messy nonsense?

The man in sportswear pretended to be an expert without saying a word. He took off his hoodie, revealing hair as sharp as needles.

Like some kind of lizard, with dense, sharp spines clinging to its skin, and beneath the spines, dark green vertical pupils.

Du Lingyi, still feeling uneasy, suddenly stopped breathing.

She had seen this person before, or more precisely, she had seen the bounty posted by the Magical Girl Association.

Among the three great magical kingdoms, the Nightingale's House and the Kaleidoscope Prison are on par. Their primary duty is to hunt down powerful monsters and demons identified as 'Calamity Elements'.

The so-called "Calamity Elements" is a list, and those that make it onto the list are all renowned figures.

Demon Lord - Thunder Dragon.

A notorious demon assassin who has murdered more than ten high-ranking officials of the Southern Federation. It is said that more than sixty magical girls have died as a result of his attacks. Many folk magical girl clubs that he targets will suddenly disappear one night, and all the magical girls will be brutally murdered.

His signature feature is the grotesque, thorny bristles that cover his entire body.

Although it was the first time they had met, Du Lingyi was very certain that she had not mistaken him for someone else.

"Transform!"

She tried to pull her wand from her pocket, but before she could finish, the thorns on the dragon's back suddenly stood up and shot out.

The speed was simply unimaginable!

Du Lingyi's vision blurred for a moment, and when she came to her senses, she had already moved to the passenger seat of the red sports car.

The man gripping the steering wheel remained calm. He opened the car door and said, "Stay put."

The man walked forward calmly and stood between the thunder dragon and the car.

Cheng Chen took out his keys, turned off the car, dusted off his sleeves, and slowly said, "I thought Yin Cheng had no more enemies, but I didn't expect he still has old friends."

"Evil Lord! Long time no see!"

The Thunder Dragon stepped forward, its thorns bulging from beneath its clothes, piercing through them.

The immense and oppressive magic collided and was released without any concealment.

"Looks like you've done pretty well these past few years, even reaching the fifth rank... Tsk, what kind of people are the Demon Lords these days? They look neither human nor ghost, you'd think they escaped from a circus cage."

Du Lingyi clasped her hands tightly on her knees.

She had only heard of the name of the Thunder Dragon. Even the three great magical kingdoms would have to send at least five magical girls of the same level as their teacher to have any chance of successfully defeating a demon of that level.

Most of the time, they couldn't even track down the other party's whereabouts.

He muttered to himself, "The Evil Lord and the Thunder Dragon...do they have a grudge?"

"Ah, it's a small misunderstanding. I just accidentally killed his whole family before."

It was just a whisper, barely audible, but Cheng Chen heard it all. He explained nonchalantly, "Where the calamity beasts nest, the nearby residents often turn into demons in droves. You've already experienced that, haven't you?"

When we were fighting the Blue Crocodile before, the entire industrial park turned into demons.

"Demons also kill each other; it's normal for them to have some minor conflicts."

Before Du Lingyi could react to these words, Honglong's forehead throbbed, filled with murderous intent.

"A little misunderstanding? I've been waiting for this day for four years, ever since I reached the fifth tier, 'Star Calamity'! You coward who only knows how to cower and hide, die!"

Thunder Dragon slightly bent his knees, then suddenly exerted his strength, disappearing from his original spot.

Du Lingyi couldn't see his movements at all; she only saw a flurry of needles flying through the air after a series of afterimages.

"Oh no!"

She was startled. Just how big of a battle would it be if the two demon masters fought? How far would it affect?

Cheng Chen remained where he was, without moving.

Faced with the full force of the Thunder Dragon, he did not defend or respond at all, as if he had not reacted at all.

The thorns were merely a feint.

The lurking dragon revealed a bloodthirsty smile. As an assassin, his specialty was sneak attacks, not direct combat. The title "Demon Lord" had become a disguise for him; everyone assumed that as a top-tier powerhouse in the magical world, his actions would be overwhelming and imposing.

In the blink of an eye, he had already approached the man from the side and behind.

close!

close!

With the back of his neck right in front of him, completely unsuspecting, he would stab the man through the throat, causing him to die from the double agony of suffocation and blood loss!

Your life is like a candle flickering in the wind.

The Thunder Dragon swung down a venomous dagger made of needles and thorns.

In the final, delicate moment, less than a thousandth of a second, Cheng Chen turned around and looked at him with a strange expression.

boom.

Before Du Lingyi's initial worry could dissipate, she heard a muffled thud outside the car.

The anticipated cataclysmic battle did not occur. Instead, cracks spread out like a spiderweb from Cheng Chen's feet, and a Tigrex was crushed to death by a black arm that appeared out of nowhere at the center of the spiderweb.

The battle ended in the blink of an eye.

"How...is this possible...!? You...who exactly are you—"

The Tigrex, which was suppressed in one move, let out a furious roar of resentment.

Cheng Chen simply sighed and shook his head. With a slight exertion of his black arm, the roar immediately ceased.

"It's so noisy."

He seemed to be talking to himself, yet also to Du Lingyi.

The magical girl in the passenger seat was still in a daze.

What happened?

Tigrex?

Demon Lord?

Fifth order?

She only saw that Cheng Chen didn't even move a step, remaining calm and composed, with a slightly dirty hem of his clothes.

……