Chapter 103 – A Reliable Teammate

Lin Xi’s first instinct was to ignore it.

After all, both Xia Xun and Misaka Shirai, the two Magical Girls, were here. If she jumped in now, wouldn’t she just be courting death?

But then she realized something.

On the Cuddle Witch’s Last Wish List was this Dragon Princess named Thor.

In other words, the Cuddle Witch might very well have known this Dragon Princess!

If they really did know each other, then through the Dragon Princess, Lin Xi might be able to learn about her own past.

She might even find clues about the person who had shot the Cuddle Witch.

So this wasn’t just about cuddling anymore. There was a real chance it could uncover the truth of her own past.

The more Lin Xi watched, the more anxious she became.

The Dragon Princess, now in human form, was plummeting from high in the sky. Below her was a wide pine forest in the southern part of the city.

She was going to fall into the woods.

But Xia Xun and Misaka Shirai were chasing after her together.

Clearly, whether she was alive or dead, they intended to see her body for themselves.

There was no way Lin Xi could rush in and snatch her away.

“Sigh-“

“No choice.”

“I’ll just have to take the risk and try.”

Lin Xi first let go of Little Mi. She had no time to bring Little Mi back to Xia Xun’s house now.

The moment she released her, Little Mi shot off in the direction of her master.

Lin Xi turned around, facing the opposite direction-the north side of the city.

“I’ll launch a giant Fireball toward the north side and lure Xia Xun and Misaka Shirai over there.”

Lin Xi planned to make the Fireball explode in midair as it descended, like a giant firework.

Using this harmless method, she would draw Xia Xun and Misaka Shirai toward the north side of the city.

Then she could use the time difference to rescue the Dragon Princess.

“Whether it works or not, I have to do it first.”

Once Lin Xi made up her mind, she acted immediately.

…

In the northern part of the city, a blinding light made Xia Xun and Misaka Shirai stop chasing the Dragon Princess at the same time.

” Uh-oh!-” Xia Xun cried out in shock. “There’s another Special-Grade Disaster!”

“Those two bastards-one in the south and one in the north, coordinating with each other?!”

The crystalline wings of ice on Xia Xun’s back flapped as she changed direction.

“And the one in the north seems even stronger!”

That enormous Fireball looked like an artificial sun.

Xia Xun and Misaka Shirai didn’t dare delay for even a second.

If that Fireball struck the ground, the consequences would be unimaginable!

“As for the dragon over here, even if she isn’t dead, she’s already badly injured. She can’t run.”

Xia Xun gave her orders calmly.

“I’ll go destroy the Fireball.”

“You deal with the Special-Grade Disaster who released it!”

Misaka Shirai nodded and turned around as well.

Two Special-Grade Disasters had appeared all at once. Fortunately, there were two of them on this side too…

Seeing Xia Xun and Misaka Shirai change direction and head north, Lin Xi let out a breath of relief.

This was already the maximum distance at which she could release the Fireball. She had also estimated the timing, and once the moment arrived, she would control the Fireball to self-destruct in the air.

If she could stall them even a little, she would.

Not only that, as Lin Xi ran toward the woods, she contacted Qin Ling.

The call connected, and Lin Xi got straight to the point.

“Qin Ling, this is urgent. I need a favor. I’ll explain later.”

Qin Ling didn’t waste words either. “Talk.”

“Can you hack into the disaster alarm systems in the east and west parts of the city?”

“Yes.”

“Good. Please make the disaster alarms on the east and west sides go off as soon as possible.”

Lin Xi wanted to use this kind of “Deceptive Array” to buy herself a little more time.

“No problem,” Qin Ling said urgently. “What else do you need me to do?”

“…”

Having a reliable teammate was seriously amazing!

“I also need a car to pick me up!”

“Got it,” Qin Ling said. “Send me your location. Mo will drift over there to pick you up.”

“Thanks. Once I get there, I’ll send you my location.”

“Mm. Whatever you’re doing, just… be careful.”

“Roger that!” Lin Xi put everything she had into sprinting toward the woods.

Her teammates really came through when it mattered!

Reliable!

Lin Xi crossed the road and plunged into the trees.

She ran straight in the direction where the Dragon Princess had fallen.

Thank goodness the Cuddle Witch’s physical specs were no joke. She really did live up to being a Special-Grade Disaster. Even if she was usually a useless shut-in Otaku who barely exercised, her athletic ability was still top-tier.

“Where are you-“

Lin Xi anxiously scanned her surroundings.

“She shouldn’t have fallen too deep into the woods.”

“She has to be somewhere nearby.”

Remembering that Xia Xun had wounded her with an Ice Sword, Lin Xi carefully checked the ground for bloodstains.

Drip.

Lin Xi touched her forehead.

Blood.

She’s in the tree!

Setting up an ambush? Trying to sneak-attack me?!

Lin Xi looked up. “I’m not here to kill you-“

Too late.

The other party leaped down and spewed flames at the same time.

Lin Xi: “…”

Damn it.

She didn’t even have time to dodge. The flames swallowed Lin Xi whole.

But she was completely unharmed.

“Oh, right. I’m the Blazing Blast Witch. Why would I be afraid of a fire attack?!”

Lin Xi walked out of the flames. The Dragon Princess who had ambushed her was already at the end of her rope. She crashed to the ground and passed out cold.

“You…” Lin Xi finally got a clear look at her.

She had long hair like flowing liquid gold, and skin whiter than snow, carrying a faint, cool sheen.

A pair of small but striking dragon horns curved slightly from her head.

Her abdomen had been badly injured by Misaka Shirai’s Railgun, and her neck had been cut by Xia Xun’s Ice Sword. Blood poured nonstop from both wounds.

Lin Xi called out to her twice and gave her a push, but there was no response at all.

“She’s completely unconscious…”

Gritting her teeth, Lin Xi hoisted her onto her back and hurried out of the woods.

She estimated the time. The Fireball she had released should have self-destructed by now.

The thing delaying Xia Xun and Misaka Shirai at this point had to be the disaster alarm Qin Ling had triggered.

“I need to hurry!”

Lin Xi broke into a run and sent her location.

“I have to get out of here fast. Otherwise, once Xia Xun and Misaka Shirai realize what’s going on and block me, even if I had ten thousand mouths, I wouldn’t be able to explain myself.”

…

Xia Xun and Misaka Shirai were both a little lost.

“I didn’t even attack that Fireball. It destroyed itself,” Xia Xun said, finding it a little strange. “How about you?”

Misaka Shirai said, “I didn’t even find the person.”

“Huh?” Xia Xun was surprised. Just then, disaster alarms sounded from both the east and west.

“Why are the Dark Realm monsters attacking from every direction today?!”

Xia Xun and Misaka Shirai each contacted their own Captain. All field operatives from the Countermeasures Bureau’s Second and Third Squads were also deployed.

“You take the east. I’ll take the west,” Xia Xun said. “Maybe the Dark Realm Alliance is behind this.”

Misaka Shirai nodded in agreement. She had considered the Dark Realm Alliance as well.

Otherwise, there wouldn’t be so many First-Grade Disaster alarms going off.

“Maybe today will be Z City’s most critical moment yet.”

“And our District 3 is right on the front line.”

Xia Xun’s emotions were complicated. She couldn’t win every battle. If something went wrong, she was afraid she wouldn’t be able to keep her promise to Lin Xi and spend a proper day having fun with her…

But when she thought about how protecting Z City, protecting District 3, meant protecting Lin Xi too, Xia Xun felt strength surge through her again.

I have to protect her. I have to protect the city she lives in!

Nothing more to say.

Move out!