My Magical Girl System

Chapter 143: Weakening Pollen

The Vine Stalkers moved with unnatural coordination, their thorn-covered arms slashing through the air as they closed in from multiple directions.

"Focus fire!" Andrey commanded. "Don’t let them surround us!"

Sein charged forward with explosive force, Crimson Charge smashing into the nearest Vine Stalker and burning it to ash. Sarah rained down Pink Rain from above, while Andrey used Phantom Step to strike at their weak points with precise Ki Blade slashes.

For a moment, they seemed to have the upper hand.

But then the blooming crimson flowers on the vines began releasing clouds of fine, shimmering purple pollen into the air.

"Careful!" Andrey shouted as he noticed the pollen spreading. "Don’t breathe it in! It’s weakening our mana flow!"

Unfortunately, his warning came too late.

The pollen had already spread across the battlefield. Sein, who was in the middle of a fiery assault, suddenly felt her flames weaken and her body grow heavier.

"Tch! What the hell... my strength is dropping!" she growled, her movements slowing.

Sarah’s pink energy orbs flickered unsteadily. "My mana... it feels sluggish..."

Lisa, who was maintaining the barrier, immediately reacted. She raised both hands and activated her skills in quick succession.

"Elysian Sanctuary!"

A large mint-green dome expanded around the team, pushing back some of the pollen. At the same time, she cast Purification Light, trying to cleanse the weakening effect from their bodies.

"I’m neutralizing it as fast as I can!" Lisa said, her voice strained. "But there’s too much dark mana mixed in the pollen. My purification isn’t working at full strength!"

Andrey’s expression turned grim. He could feel his Ki becoming harder to control, as if something was clogging his energy pathways. The Vine Stalkers took advantage of their momentary weakness and pressed the attack, their thorn claws slashing wildly.

One of the creatures nearly struck Sarah from behind, but Sein barely managed to intercept it with a weakened Crimson Impact, though the recoil made her stumble.

"This is bad..." Andrey muttered. "We need to destroy those blooming flowers. They’re the source of the pollen!"

Sein spat on the ground, flames flickering weakly around her fists. "Then let’s burn every last one of them."

Despite the weakening effect, the four of them continued fighting. Lisa worked desperately to keep the team functional with continuous support and purification, while Andrey, Sein, and Sarah pushed through the discomfort to destroy the crimson flowers one by one.

Even after destroying several of the blooming flowers, the remaining Vine Stalkers seemed to adapt. Their movements became sharper, more coordinated, as if the dark mana in the air was empowering them. The purple pollen continued to spread, weakening the team’s mana flow and physical strength.

"These things are getting stronger!" Sarah shouted, her Pink Rain now firing much slower than before.

Sein charged forward again, but two Vine Stalkers suddenly lunged at her from both sides. She managed to burn one with a Crimson Impact, but the second one’s thorn-covered arm slashed across her side.

"Gah—!"

Sein staggered, blood seeping from the deep gash on her waist. The dark mana in the thorns made the wound burn painfully.

"Sein!" Lisa reacted instantly. She thrust her hands forward and cast Elysian Sanctuary followed by a strong healing wave.

A bright mint-green light enveloped Sein, stopping the bleeding and slowly closing the wound. Sein gritted her teeth and activated Ember’s Blessing, releasing a burst of healing flames around herself to further stabilize her condition.

"I’m fine!" Sein growled, though her voice was strained. "Don’t stop moving!"

Andrey’s expression turned serious. He could see the team starting to get overwhelmed.

"I’ll tank for a while!" he shouted. "Focus on offense! Lisa, keep the heals coming!"

Andrey stepped forward, activating Damage Absorb. A faint energy shield formed around his body as he deliberately drew the attention of multiple Vine Stalkers. Their sharp thorn attacks landed on him one after another.

He absorbed the damage, storing it inside his body. His face remained calm even as cuts and bruises began to appear on his arms and torso.

"Sarah! Aim for the flowers behind them!" he ordered while blocking another strike. "Sein, use the opening!"

Sarah gritted her teeth and poured more mana into her attack. "Got it!"

Sein, still recovering from her wound, dashed forward with renewed determination, her flames burning brighter thanks to Lisa’s support. She destroyed two more crimson flowers in quick succession.

However, the monsters were relentless. More Vine Stalkers kept emerging from the blooming flowers, and the pollen in the air was becoming thicker, making every movement feel heavier.

Andrey’s Damage Absorb was filling up rapidly. He could feel the stored damage energy pulsing inside him, ready to be released as a powerful counterattack.

Andrey’s eyes sharpened as Damage Absorb reached its limit.

"Now!" he shouted.

He released all the stored damage at once. A violent burst of energy exploded outward from his body in the form of a powerful Ki Burst. The shockwave slammed into the group of Vine Stalkers in front of him. The accumulated damage, mixed with his Ki, erupted in bright blue flames that engulfed several monsters at once. The creatures shrieked as their wooden bodies caught fire and began to burn rapidly.

Sein saw the opening and immediately activated her skill.

"Inferno Armor!"

Crimson flames roared to life around her entire body, forming a blazing armor that increased her defense and burned anything that got too close. With renewed power, she dashed forward like a flaming comet.

"Crimson Cataclysm!"

She unleashed a wide-area explosion of flames that incinerated multiple Vine Stalkers and several blooming flowers in one go.

Sarah didn’t stay idle. She floated higher and gathered a massive amount of pink mana.

"Take this!" she yelled. "Heartstorm Cascade!"

A torrential downpour of glowing pink energy hearts rained down from above, exploding on impact. The powerful AoE skill devastated the monsters in the middle of the square, turning many of them into pink ash.

For a moment, it looked like they were regaining control.

But the gate fought back.

The remaining crimson flowers pulsed violently. Suddenly, thick, blackened roots and vines erupted from the ground like living whips. They moved with terrifying speed and intelligence, lashing out at the team from multiple angles.

One thick root whipped toward Sein, forcing her to block with her flaming arms. Another vine wrapped around Sarah’s leg, trying to drag her down. Even Andrey was forced to dodge as several roots shot up from beneath his feet.

"These things are adapting!" Andrey shouted, slashing apart the roots with his Ki Blade. "Don’t let them restrain you!"

Lisa’s face was pale from the strain of maintaining her support skills. "The dark mana is getting stronger! I’m having trouble purifying the pollen!"

The battlefield had become chaotic. Even though they had dealt heavy damage, the gate was responding by increasing its aggression. The roots and vines continued to surge upward, trying to entangle and crush the team.

Sein burned through the vines wrapping around her while shouting, "These annoying weeds just won’t die!"

Andrey’s expression turned grim as he looked at the increasing number of blooming flowers.

"This gate... it might be a mutation type. We need to find the core before it gets worse."