Transform into a magical girl after getting off work

The Kingdom's response wasn't too slow. During the process of reinforcement, Cornflower had already received a follow-up analysis report on the attack method:

The previous large-scale attack by the Interdimensional Joint Army wasn't straightforward. They mixed in some special individuals among the Remnant Beasts they deployed, tentatively called special individual A. These special individuals A seem to act as beacons and backup nutrients. Even if destroyed, they can transfer the remaining magic power underground to evade the Kingdom's cleansing.

In the earlier battle, indeed, a small number of Remnant Beasts broke through the outer blockade and invaded the city area. However, due to their small number and generally low rank, they didn't cause any actual damage to the Inner City District. Until now, the Luennolay City Defense Army realized these Remnant Beasts were not an attacking force; they stormed into the city to be killed and then lie dormant.

And right now, the interworld reinforcements blocked by the newly rebuilt third defense line have a purpose not simply to aid the vanguard. Another function is deployment—to release another kind of special Remnant Beast individual B. These special individuals B are very small in size, and their magic power intensity is also very weak. Compared even to egg-stage Remnant Beasts, their magical power fluctuation is no different from small wild animals.

Special individuals B will follow the beacons left by special individuals A, staying covert as they move toward Luennolay. Once the two types of individuals converge, they will start to "fuse."

Individuals B will absorb the nutrients and magic power left by individuals A, beginning to "grow" rapidly, gradually combining into a new "special individual C."

This type of special individual C has a minimum of pupa-stage strength, while stronger ones reach half-molt and molt stages. If several molt-stage individuals merge, they can quickly grow into King's Transformation.

The sealing technique within the city is useless against Remnant Beasts of this strength.

In other words, on this night that was supposed to be peaceful, multiple King's Transformations have silently been deployed into Luennolay by the Interworld Army.

And the earth-shaking noise Cornflower and others heard earlier was the sound of the western city gate of Luennolay being razed to the ground.

The situation is extremely urgent.

During the process of returning to defense, Cornflower could see Mo He beside her, her face pale, clearly realizing that Nim was still in the Inner City District. But she couldn't offer reassuring words at that moment, only telling Mo He, "Believe in the Inner City's defensive power first; the Commander arranged for Flower Cards to be stationed there. Returning now should still be in time."

But in reality, even she wasn't sure about the current situation within the city.

By saying these words, she wasn't just comforting Mo He; perhaps she was also comforting herself.

The two of them hurried back to Luennolay at maximum speed. The first sight awaiting them was the ruined western city gate, and beneath it, the city area turned into scorched earth.

The pipelines providing magic energy were destroyed, leaving the city in darkness, with only a mix of screaming, wailing, and crying sounds to be heard.

In the darkness, a few massive shadows moved through the city, each step accompanied by a chilling sound of mucus.

Magical Girls have strong night vision. While ordinary humans could only see dark shadows, in Cornflower's eyes, they were crystal clear. Yet, perhaps due to the clarity, she felt a chill all over.

The Remnant Beasts in her sight seemed familiar to her.

Their mucus-covered, gray-black bodies, prominent and rugged lines and grooves, human-like but distorted bodies and limbs... without a doubt, they were the half-molts she and Mo He once faced in Luennolay months ago.

And this half-molt now reappeared before them, and it wasn't alone.

The towering black shadows in the city were too numerous to count at a glance.

This was the "special individual C" mentioned in the report.

Cornflower exchanged a glance with Mo He, noticing that her expression was equally grave. Neither of them were fools; upon witnessing this, they realized, even if a bit slow, that the Remnant Beast attack months ago wasn't a coincidence.

In fact, it might have been a rehearsal.

"Captain, I..." Mo He's voice was somewhat dry.

"Go ahead, you find Nim first." Cornflower's voice was also hoarse, but she remained calmer than Mo He: "I'll find the commander. Let's be careful; the enemy might have more ambushes."

"...Okay." Mo He nodded.

The two separated to act, without further arrangements. In this situation, they could only play it by ear.

Cornflower didn't waste time dealing with these half-molts—she knew how notoriously troublesome these wretched creatures' rules were. One or two might be manageable, but handling a large group in a short time was unrealistic. She merely extracted her Weave of Fate, fixing all the Remnant Beasts in place with her measuring rod to stop them from harming others, and then advanced deeper into the city.

Undoubtedly, other Magical Girls returning to defend would handle these afterward. At present, it was more critical to ensure that the command post and the boundary gate in the city were secure. Only then could they organize a more effective counterattack.

Cornflower quickly reached her goal.

She followed the directions provided and found the boundary gate, as well as her commander. However, regrettably, the situation was far from "secure."

Dozens of molts and nearly ten King's Transformations were gathered here, continuously attempting to attack the boundary gate. Due to the sudden incident, only four Flower Cards and fewer than ten Flower Levels were available to confront them in time. Thus, the battle's outlook was grim.

Each Flower Card had to face multiple King's Transformations and over a dozen molt stages, almost entirely annihilating the guard forces around the boundary gate. Yellow-brown mucus flooded most of the buildings, forming a vast ocean. In the midst of it, Stonegarlic—considered the strongest force in theory—was already injured, with a significant part of their body liquefied and on the brink of collapse.

"Hold on, just 3 more minutes!"

Yet, despite this, she still shouted hoarsely, "Reinforcements are on the way! We must hold! Even if using our bodies to plug the gate!"

However, fewer and fewer responded to her call.

The few Flower Levels and Flower Cards were too pressed to spare the energy for a reply, while the weaker soldiers had become part of the mucus ocean.

There was no room for hesitation; seeing this battle situation, Cornflower immediately unleashed her Miracle Realm. Although her Kaihua Level was only Bud Level, her many brushes with death on the battlefield recently had advanced her further than months ago, now possessing magic power no less than typical Flower Levels.

The West District's battlefield had been taken over by latecomers, allowing her to reclaim the magic power output used by her measuring rod and concentrate wholly on her current actions.

No further analysis or deduction was needed. The identical shapes of these Remnant Beasts and the overflowing mucus in the battlefield sufficiently demonstrated that their fundamental rules remained unchanged.

So Emerald Sparrow activated her rule, drawing scissors from the Weave of Fate, then stretching them before her as she fiercely closed them on some concept in the void:

——"Mucus!"