The villainous magical girl's daily mission is to find fault.

Chapter 277 The Past of 9 Dragon District

In the afternoon, Kowloon City District, Hong Kong.

Su Tianqing strolled down the street, watching the withered leaves falling on the surface of the nearby stream.

The unusually hot winter has completely dissipated, and the port city is shrouded in the depths of winter, with withered leaves covering the ground, adding a touch of solemn desolation.

Especially near some old houses in Kowloon City, you can feel the sense of time and history emanating from the buildings.

"This used to be a notorious lawless zone."

Bai Li, walking beside Su Tianqing, spoke up, gazing at the weathered concrete building in the distance.

The old, haphazard security bars stand densely outside the windows, and a few pieces of clothing can be seen hanging out to dry. It's a rather old house.

"Kowloon Walled City, right? I've heard of it," Su Tianqing replied.

This is one of the few places I know about the port city, and it reminds me of the old documents I found in the Chengdu Association archives:

Kowloon Walled City was once an anarchic lawless zone, with illegal buildings everywhere, rampant gang smuggling, and a cyberpunk vibe.

However, in a bizarre attack that occurred more than a decade ago, this lawless zone suffered devastating damage, with most of the buildings collapsing and heavy casualties, making it known as the most destructive bizarre attack in history.

This incident forced the Hero Association to organize a force to demolish the remaining illegal buildings, completely destroying the entire lawless zone and transforming it into the Kowloon City district we know today.

In honor of Inari, the magical girl who made outstanding contributions to the rescue and evacuation efforts, a plaza park was specially built for her.

"It's the one on our left."

Bai Li pointed to the park that could be seen across the river.

In the cold winter, the park was covered with fallen leaves. A sanitation worker could be seen sweeping up the fallen leaves. Tourists and passersby were also scattered due to the gloomy weather, making the place seem even more desolate.

"I see... It seems that Inari-senpai saved quite a few people back then."

Clover, who was following behind Bai Lili, whispered.

Su Tianqing had a deep impression of Clover. The child had been very brave in the last zoo Demon Castle, and the audience was very pleased with Clover's performance.

"I remember they rescued more than 40,000 people back then? I can't quite remember. Inari was quite guilty at the time, saying that she hadn't rescued the rest of the people," Bai Lili explained.

"But Inari-senpai is already amazing. It's hard to imagine how she managed to rescue so many people in such complicated terrain."

The four-leaf clover sighed.

The group walked to the park entrance, crossed a wide road bridge, and arrived at the monument.

The monument features a relief of a red fox girl, depicting her heroic battle against three strange men.

"Interesting..." Su Tianqing muttered to herself.

The strange man's appearance was not depicted in detail, but only roughly outlined with a few silhouettes. The majority of the relief was used to depict the figure of Inari.

Even from just these few silhouettes, Su Tianqing could recognize the different types of the three strange people:

A black wolf monster, a python monster, and a bird-shaped flying monster.

The appearance of three strange people in one place at the same time is unusual; there must be something strange about it.

"Inari not only rescued almost all the survivors in Kowloon City, but also single-handedly defeated the three monsters and completely eliminated them, preventing them from attacking the city center and causing even greater destruction."

"That's amazing..."

Looking at the majestic Inari on the monument, the four-leaf clover's eyes lit up, wishing she could go back in time to see the heroic figure of her predecessor.

But there were more important things to do right now, so Bai Lili temporarily stopped telling stories and arranged for the team members to scatter and conduct a magical search to find the barrier nodes in the square.

...

The search took more than ten minutes.

"Oh dear, it's surprisingly hard to find."

After walking around the square, Bai Li maintained her detection magic as she spoke with a sigh.

"Do you need my help? If I use some enhancement magic on you, Miss Bai Li, your perception of magic might become much more acute."

"Then forget it, it feels like a waste of talent," the girl replied with a wry smile.

After strolling for a while, Bai Li continued to talk about the Kowloon City strange man attack incident.

"That incident resulted in thousands of casualties, and the entire Kowloon Walled City was largely destroyed by the monster, but it also gave the Hero Association an opportunity to enter and destroy criminal dens."

"But I don't know the specifics of what happened. I was too far away to come and help back then, so I can't imagine how Inari managed to fight three people at once."

After saying that, the girl sighed and shook her head helplessly.

"Inari's mastery of magic is beyond my reach. Even with the Shadow of the Stars, I can't keep up with her magical ingenuity."

"She always manages to conjure up some strange yet incredibly powerful magic, like..."

"He's like a genius, isn't he?" Su Tianqing said softly.

"Yes, that's right, she's a genius, a genius in magic."

"I even think that she could use magic to simulate the state of the Starry Night whenever she wanted; she's that kind of genius."

Bai Li didn't hold back her praise, but then changed the subject:

"But I think there's not much difference between Kokoro and Inari."

"Oh? How so?"

Su Tianqing blinked, remaining expressionless, but the fox's tail was already wagging.

Hmph, I, a fox, actually received such a compliment. Not bad at all.

"Hmm... Xin Yuehu's magic is beyond my comprehension, so I can't really say what specific things she uses."

"But her magical effects are all incredibly exaggerated, not to mention the powerful magic of her mental world."

"—Found it."

As soon as she finished speaking, Bai Li suddenly stopped and looked at the solid bluestone paving stone under her feet.

Magic slowly lifted the bluestone floor tiles, revealing a wooden box hidden beneath them.

"They really hid it well," Su Tianqing remarked.

Although I can find it if I look carefully, I estimate that I might not be able to find it even if I wander around the park for an hour or two on my own.

"Yes, both its secrecy and the ingenuity of its barrier are outstanding. From this point of view, Kokoro's control over magic may indeed be comparable to that of Inari."

Bai Li spoke her mind, then pulled out her wand from under her skirt, transforming it into a familiar long-handled staff in her hand, and gently poked the top of the dusty wooden box.

Magic was injected, and the body was carefully examined, followed by a soft cracking sound.

"Done. Surprisingly, the barrier she set up this time was easy to break." Bai Lili was somewhat surprised.

The last time the zoo ghost story barrier took a long time to set up, it's puzzling that it's so gentle in Hong Kong.

The two people approached the wooden box and together lifted the lid.

Inside lay a small object resembling a sachet. Su Tianqing carefully picked it up and examined it closely in her palm.

A red amulet, embroidered with a fox face pattern, is exquisite and beautiful.

"So they're using something like this as a connection point for the barrier... Shingetsuko's ideas are definitely different from ours."

"In short, once we destroy the barrier nodes on it, our mission will be complete."

Bai Li complained.

Just as the two were about to call their companions over to check, Su Tianqing looked up and the scene before her suddenly changed dramatically—

"Crack!!!"

The sound of the explosion echoed in my ears.

Su Tianqing stared blankly ahead.

The monument square before them was no longer the same as before—the area was filled with ruins and wreckage, the roars of the monsters echoed through the sky, and the red fox-woman was fiercely fighting them!

Is this really the memory that Inari carries within the props?

The scene was so vivid that even the chill of the wind brushing against my face seemed to reach me. What on earth was this...?

"It really is a memory."

A girl's voice came from beside me.

Su Tianqing suddenly turned her head and met the gaze of the red fox girl beside her, who was not much taller than her.

Magical Girl [Inari].

"I'm sorry, I startled you, but I think recreating those memories in this way can bring you more insights, Miss Kokoro."

Su Tianqing had some doubts about whether the person next to her was a living Inari.

But considering that she possesses the magic to see into the future, it doesn't seem so surprising.

The red fox girl turned her gaze to the battlefield ahead.

"This is the battle that took place in Kowloon Walled City."

"It was during this battle that I became aware of Jormungandr's presence once again."

The red fox girl spoke softly, looking at the scene before her that seemed to immerse her in it.

"Black wolf, python, and strange bird—three strange beings appearing in one place at the same time. This couldn't have happened naturally; it must be the work of that astral behemoth."

"...Miss Heart Moon Fox."

"Can you glean crucial information about defeating Jormungandr from this battle?"