CHAPTER 1170: CHAPTER 1169: TRACING THE SOURCE

"W-What is this thing?!"

Meiling screamed as she looked at the pitch-black creatures in front of her, which looked like black slimes with tentacles. Syaoran hurriedly raised his sword and talisman paper, watching the demon creatures before him cautiously.

"Be careful, these are shadow creatures. They’re not too strong individually, but there are so many of them, making them difficult to deal with!"

Illya and Little Hei arrived by the duo’s side, providing protection, and Illya casually explained to Syaoran and Meiling. Hearing Illya’s explanation, Meiling was dumbfounded.

"But how come this wasn’t happening before when Syaoran was capturing the Clow Cards?"

"Because these are attracted to magical girls, and you’re not a magical girl."

Little Hei pouted, glancing at Meiling.

"Alright, stay back and don’t get in the way."

"Who says I’m in the way? I can fight too!"

"Meiling, don’t throw a tantrum at a time like this!"

Syaoran quickly stopped Meiling’s complaints, noting the dire situation they seemed to be in. While not entirely sure what these creatures were, it was evident they weren’t here with good intentions!

This wasn’t the first time dealing with these shadow creatures, so soon both sides were engaged in battle again. Fang Zheng stood in front of the screen, intently watching the creatures before him.

"Ms. Precia, can you help with the search?"

"Of course, no problem. I’m on it."

Responding to Fang Zheng, Precia, who was busy typing on the keyboard, answered without turning her head. As a former Grand Magitech Mentor, Precia excelled in biochemical and spatial research as well as magitech energy resources. This was another reason Fang Zheng was willing to save her.

Even with the "Ratziel," Fang Zheng was unable to pinpoint the origin of these shadow creatures, so he had to ask Precia for help.

"Go, Mom!"

Watching Precia, Elysia cheered with joy, pumping her little fists, and Precia smiled faintly at her daughter’s words.

"Don’t worry, Elysia, leave it to me."

As she spoke, Precia continued typing swiftly on the keyboard, lines of information quickly emerging on the screen and soon began locking onto the shadow creatures. After a moment, Precia raised an eyebrow while looking at the data.

"Master, these shadow creatures... seem somewhat unusual."

"What have you discovered?"

"According to the results of my investigation, these shadow creatures appear to be some kind of... residue that condensed after being contaminated with magic power... kind of like the objects that went berserk after absorbing energy from the Seed of Holy Stone activation."

"You mean they were originally harmless emotional residues, but took on their current form after absorbing this world’s magic?"

"Honestly, in this state, I can’t be certain they were truly harmless."

Looking at the shadow creatures on the screen, which appeared beast-like, Precia couldn’t help but feel concerned.

"Can you determine where they originated from?"

Fang Zheng wasn’t focused on investigating these things but rather wanted to know where the shadow creatures came from and how to deal with them.

"I’m trying, but the energy fluctuations from these shadow creatures are highly unstable; it might be a bit challenging. However, once we record the energy frequencies of these shadow creatures, it will only be a matter of time."

As the two conversed, the battlefield on the screen also changed.

Almost all the magical girls were present this time, so there were far more shadow creatures than before. Countless shadow creatures crawled up from all directions on the wire fence, pouncing toward the magical girls. However, under the joint efforts of Illya, Little Hei, Little Sakura, Nanoha, and Fate, these shadow creatures ended up retreating without success.

Even Syaoran was wielding a Celestial Master Talisman, occasionally casting an "Urgent Decree," summoning Thunder to obliterate the shadow creatures trying to sneak through. Meiling, on the other hand, directly borrowed a sword from Little Hei, charging in and engaging with the shadow creatures. At least, for now, everything seemed relatively normal.

Upon closer observation, however, Fang Zheng noticed some issues.

The shadow creatures didn’t attack anyone other than the magical girls. Even though Shisei was standing not far away, and Sakura had set up a shield for her protection, Shisei had no combat abilities. Likewise, Syaoran and Meiling were fighting hard, but even as Syaoran blasted the shadow creatures into fragments with Thunder or Meiling sliced them in half, the shadow creatures ignored them.

It appeared as if they had targeted the magical girls, determined to put them in peril, charging forward without any regard for others.

These weren’t like robots that ignored anything but their target; instead, they appeared to be driven by some intense emotion, heedless of anything else.

The number of shadow creatures kept increasing, and Nanoha and others’ attacks intensified. Had the shadow creatures not disappeared upon death, the ground would likely have been littered with their corpses by now.

Then, suddenly, for reasons unknown, the shadow creatures furiously charging forward seemed to sense something, stopping in their tracks. Without warning, they began converging as if drawn by a magnet!

"What’s happening?"

Witnessing this scene, Fang Zheng’s expression shifted slightly as he inquired. At the same time, Precia’s demeanor turned solemn.

"I’m not quite sure, but I can sense a distinctive soul power... it’s absorbing and merging with those shadow creatures’ strength!"

As she spoke, the shadow creatures continued to merge into a mass, and then......

"—————!!"

The next moment, the entire sky suddenly changed color.

The originally pitch-black night sky became a chaotic mix of colors like a messy watercolor painting done by a child. Meanwhile, a figure as though composed entirely of black lines appeared before the girls. It resembled a girl, with the upper half adorned with elaborate decorations. Yet her lower half spread out like layers upon layers of black lines, enveloping everyone.

"What is this?!"

By now, Fang Zheng could no longer sit still. He could feel that this bizarre creature exuded a peculiar aura of destruction. While its power wasn’t much greater than that of other shadow creatures—essentially equating to the combined powers of the magical girls—it gave Fang Zheng an unsettling feeling for some reason.

Not only Fang Zheng, but the magical girls on the battlefield felt the same way.

"W-What is this..."

Sakura clutched her magic wand tightly, looking at this terrifying creature. For some inexplicable reason, she sensed deep malice within the gaze directed at her, instinctively filling her with fear.

"What on earth... is this thing?!"

Even Illya and Little Hei were visibly more serious now; it wasn’t merely a power disparity but more like an existence of mutual opposition.

At this moment, no one noticed a small black cat with a blue ribbon tied around its tail silently emerging from a nearby shadow. Watching the enormous creature before it, its eyes remained unblinking as it stared intently.