"Return to your original form, Clow Card!"
Shouting loudly, Sakura raised the magic wand in her hand and swung it forward. Accompanied by a soft "ding," the elf that had taken human form in front of her disappeared quickly, transforming into a Clow Card, and slowly landing in Sakura’s hand.
"You did it, Sakura!"
Seeing this, Shisei, who was in charge of filming with a camera, and Little Ke, who was floating in the air looking like a yellow plush toy, couldn’t help but cheer. Sakura also picked up the card in her hand, smiling shyly at the camera Shisei was holding up.
"Now, hurry up and write your name on the card."
Hearing the words of the Clow Card’s Guardian Beast, Sakura hurriedly took a pen from her pocket and carefully wrote her name on the just-captured Clow Card.
"SA...KU...RA... Done!"
"Since it’s already so late, we should... "
However, just as Shisei suggested preparing to go home, suddenly, a low, beast-like roar echoed through the air. Hearing this sound, Sakura quickly looked up, nervously scanning her surroundings. At the same time, Shisei looked around uneasily too.
"What is that noise?"
"Could it be a wild dog...?"
"No, it’s not a wild dog."
But Little Ke shook its head, refuting Shisei’s guess. Although this Guardian Beast could only exist in such a comedic plush form due to a lack of power, he was still a Guardian Beast of the Clow Cards after all.
"I have a really bad feeling, Sakura, we must leave here quickly!"
"Could... could it be a ghost?"
At this moment, Sakura’s face turned deathly pale, and seeing her in such a state, Little Ke sighed helplessly. The magical girl he found was good at everything except she was afraid of ghosts... It’s odd indeed; she’s not afraid of the Clow Cards’ spirits, yet she fears ghosts?
"It’s not a ghost, but something very bad. We should leave this forest quickly!"
Upon hearing Little Ke’s warning, Sakura nodded, then quickly grabbed Shisei’s hand.
Spoken quickly, Sakura grabbed Shisei and started to run rapidly out of the forest. Meanwhile, as if something was startled, the sound of rustling grass came from behind Sakura and the others.
"Little Ke, are you sure it’s not a wild dog or something?"
The Guardian Beast flying in the sky glanced back, and his expression instantly became grave.
"Hurry, Sakura! Use the Flying Cards!"
Upon Little Ke’s reminder, Sakura immediately reacted, briskly swinging the magic wand in her hand, activating the "Fly" card. Suddenly, a pair of wings sprouted from the tip of Sakura’s wand, and she quickly flew into the air with Shisei.
However, to Sakura’s surprise, she had just lifted into the air when Little Ke’s urgent warning rang in her ears.
"Come down quickly, Sakura!" Latest content publıshed on noveⅼfire.net
With her extraordinary reflexes, Sakura swiftly pressed down with her magic wand, and just as she did, she sensed a rush of air skimming just over her head. The whistling wind immediately threw Sakura off balance, making her scream as she and Shisei tumbled to the ground.
Fortunately, because Sakura quickly lowered their altitude, neither was injured. As they landed, Sakura had wrapped her arms around Shisei, and they rolled several times to dissipate the impact.
"Get up quickly, Sakura!"
Hearing Little Ke’s call, Sakura grabbed Shisei, getting back on her feet. Looking around, they found themselves in a clearing at the edge of the forest, yet... they had nowhere to go.
Around them, several pitch-black silhouettes emerged from the gaps in the trees, appearing as if they were hybrids of humans and beasts, with eyes glowing with a scarlet radiance.
Seeing this, Fang Zheng stood as well, swearing he had never seen such entities in either of these two animations!
Sakura’s reaction was quick; just as the shadow creatures lunged, she activated the "Shield" card. A spherical shield appeared instantly, enveloping the three of them. The shadow creature attacking bounced off the shield’s surface, unable to break through.
However, this contact seemed to act as a signal, triggering the other shadows to launch a frenzy of attacks on Sakura and her companions, charging at them like hungry wolves from all directions, persistently assaulting the shield.
Although the "Shield" card firmly protected the trio, Fang Zheng understood that Sakura’s magic power wouldn’t last long.
"What are those things?"
This time, Little Hei furrowed her brows, scrutinizing these creatures closely. Illya contemplated briefly, then hesitantly spoke.
"They seem to resemble Shadow Followers."
Upon hearing Illya, Little Hei nodded, yet immediately realized the urgency.
"Wait, this isn’t the time to discuss this! They are clearly in danger!"
As Little Hei suggested, neither Sakura nor Nanoha was in a good situation. Both were being attacked by these mysterious black creatures. With no escape, Sakura opted for a defensive stance, whereas Nanoha, able to fly, attempted to elude these creatures’ attacks. Yet, to Nanoha’s surprise...
The creatures could fly too!
And they were even more agile!
"Illya, you and Little Hei go help Sakura; I’ll go rescue Nanoha."
Fang Zheng quickly made a decision. Since Nanoha could fly and was alone, she could outmaneuver those creatures for a while. But the situation was different for Sakura, with Shisei beside her, who was just an ordinary person. Sakura only recently became a Magical Girl, and asking her to protect Shisei while battling so many enemies was too much.
"Alright, let’s go, Illya!"
Upon Fang Zheng’s command, Little Hei and Illya hastily opened the window and leapt out, quickly reverting to their original outfits, rushing towards the scene of Sakura and her group’s ambush.
They were so swift that by the time Fang Zheng wanted to speak again, their figures had already vanished into the night.
Watching the open window and the silhouettes disappearing into the dark, Fang Zheng extended his hand, then sighed helplessly.
"I could have just teleported you there..."