Chapter 551
Fate Kite blinked:
"Oh, you really admit defeat?"
Then, in a burst of bright and dazzling purple light, the outermost layer of the Dark Kite Armor, those jet-black armor pieces, shattered one by one, dissolving into countless points of light, seemingly a complete prelude to the end of the transformation.
However, it seems to be quite different.
No... that's not right.
The light from the shattered Magic Gear transformed into countless illusory and magnificent purple light butterflies, which fluttered across the sky like blooming flowers, completely obscuring the figure of Dark Kite in the light, as if she were cocooned by the light.
The Snake-Type Magic was completely eliminated from Dark Kite's body, leaving only the purest dark-attribute Bird System Magic Power.
Madness? Despair? Darkness?
In the blink of an eye, beautiful Illusory Butterfly filled every corner of the battlefield, fluttering in swarms like a prelude to a star's grand entrance at a stage extravaganza.
In a faint, ethereal light, not all the butterflies scattered; countless butterflies landed on the girl's figure, overlapping like origami to adorn her dress.
"Magical Girl Dark Kite --- Illusory Butterfly!"
Finally, a brand new Magic girl appeared before Fate Kite.
"Hmm, it's definitely better to fight you in this form after all."
It was a very sweet and charming young girl's voice.
"Although the Magic Power isn't as strong as before, everything is quite smooth, and I really miss it."
She was dressed in an exceptionally gorgeous dark purple gown, adorned with neatly tailored bows, and with butterfly-wing-like swallowtails hanging down from her waist, making her appear quite elegant and luxurious.
The butterfly ribbons on the cuffs and collar, and the lace trim at the hem of the dress, are all woven into exquisite butterfly wings, displaying an iridescent glow like dusk and radiating a crystalline texture, just like the stained glass windows of a church.
The Magic girl's appearance also changed, with long Roland hair adorned with black ribbons and purplish-red eyes.
The Scissor Blades in her hand transformed into a butterfly-winged rapier, and she changed from an armored knight to a lightly armed knight.
"Is this Dark Feather's normal Sacred Domain form?"
Fate Kite was stunned for a moment before she realized what was happening.
It seems that Dark Kite has always had another hidden form.
That is the Sacred Domain form transformed solely from the Shadow Feather Crystal.
In theory, it is a variant of Rainbow Feather.
After all, Dark Kite had already advanced to the Sacred Domain with her own power, but the power brought by the Nightmare Dragon Crystal was too strong, so there was no need to use this form.
But why?
Fate Kite quickly received an explanation.
"Ah, don't worry, I'm not holding back, but since the last intense battle, the Nightmare Dragon's Crystal hasn't been repaired yet, and it's easy for it to break if overused."
"This was a gift from someone, I don't want it to break."
"However, a friendly reminder."
The new Dark Kite, with purple as its main color, approached the Fate Kite step by step, wearing high-heeled boots.
The black flames are gone, replaced by illusory rainbow butterflies made of Magic Power, like mesmerizing phantoms, transforming the desolate winter into a grand stage opera.
The girl gripped the knight's rapier, pointing it at the Fate Kite ---
"My stance is incredibly strong."
Even without the aid of the Serpent System Crystal, Fate Kite could sense that Dark Kite's true Sacred Domain form was also extremely powerful.
The Magic Power aura it exuded was completely incomparable to that of Rainbow Feather.
However, on the other side, Fate Kite's own Burst Form was also nearing its limit. The only reason she had been able to hold on until now was because she had been constantly consuming her reserve Magic Crystal to replenish her Magic Power.
In other words, the second phase.
On the surface, the only chance of victory lies in defeating the current Dark Kite before its Burst Form ends, but is that even possible?
In short, let's begin the second round.
Volume Four Does This Count as a Magical Girl??: Chapter 68 Super Four-in-One?
Kuroki Yuka breathed in the gradually cooling winter air; the lingering heat from the battle still seemed scorching. She no longer felt fear of such flames, and even felt she possessed that power herself.
But when returning to the past, to the familiar form of Dark Feather, it evokes a different, wondrous feeling.
Sometimes, the thought that this was once someone's power, someone's form, makes her uneasy and brings back certain nightmares.
But at this moment, she clearly felt that this was her own power, the posture she possessed, and the Feather Wing she had to fly.
Dark Kite... Hmm? Perhaps we could call it Purple Kite, to differentiate it.
After that, she looked up at the Fate Kite, which was still in its Burst Form. To be honest, whenever she saw that form, some strange thoughts and feelings arose in her heart, such as:
The other person really does seem like a protagonist.
The bright and dazzling flames, though bewildered, never veered off course, always charging forward in battle, displaying a dignified and beautiful demeanor.
She had seen the memories within the Magic Wand.
I have also seen the former Overlord in the form of a phoenix.
Feather Wing made of flames seemed capable of dispelling all darkness.
Purple Kite lowered her purplish-red eyes, which resembled wine, as if she had thought of something:
"Miss Fate Kite, we've come this far, why don't we make another bet?"
"Bet?"
Fate Kite looked puzzled. Hadn't they made a bet before the fight started?
But not knowing what he was up to, she nodded, wanting to hear what he had to say.
Even as they spoke, their fight did not stop. Their figures flashed continuously, so fast that they even stirred up a gust of wind, blowing up all the dust and gravel around them with a constant whistling sound.
With a clang of clashing blades, the two Magic girls, one in red and one in purple, clashed once more, their swords colliding and sparking fiercely.
The purple-haired girl curved her lips into a smile that seemed strangely familiar to Fate Kite. After all, when they first met, the other girl had the same mysterious, elegant, and dangerous smile.
"If I win, give me your Magic Armament."
"... That sounds familiar. What is it this time? Come to think of it, I didn't know why you wanted my Magic Armament last time."
Fate Kite suddenly recalled many unclear past events. Upon reflection, it seemed like a long time had passed, yet it also felt like not so long.
I've spent so much time with this guy, and I still haven't thought to figure this out.
So, it seems that I and the others are all quite carefree.
"It's all about the pipit" ("eight?") 4? It's like that + you need strength. It was like this before, and it's the same this time. Our wands were originally a pair, remember?"
Purple Kite explained patiently, though speechless.
Fate Kite wanted to say something more, but she found that she was starting to lose her grip on Purple Kite's strength, as she had already expended too much Magic Power and physical energy.
The next moment, the two exerted their strength at the same time and retreated. Behind Purple Kite, illusory Feather Wing of light spread out, making her look like a bewitching and beautiful Fallen Heaven. As she flapped her wings, countless feathers turned into dark arrows and rushed towards Fate Kite.
Fate Kite reshaped the fiery ring on its back into Feather Wing, using them as an umbrella to shield the massive, blazing wings from the barrage of feather arrows.
When she finally found a moment to catch her breath, suddenly, her vision was obscured by a sea of purple Illusory Butterfly, dazzling her eyes like a floral paradise. She looked around but couldn't find Purple Kite anywhere.
Moreover, these Illusory Butterfly are not merely a visual distraction.
They were ahead, creating one illusion after another of Purple Kite, making it impossible for the Fate Kite to distinguish them. They also emitted a bewitching fragrance and secretly contained hallucinogenic honey poison. The Illusory Butterfly that flew over the Fate Kite's skin directly transformed into dazzling light and burst open, continuously bombarding the Fate Kite's entire body.
"So, you really won't give it to me?"
A sweet, melodious voice came from behind, sending a chill down Fate Kite's spine. Her gaze hardened, and she slashed backward, repeating the same old words—
"No way---"
She realized she had missed her target halfway through her sentence.
Just then, footsteps sounded behind her. Before she could react, a slash, accompanied by a burst of air and a violent gust of wind, flashed past.
Knowing it was too late, Fate Kite was about to be struck by the blade.
However, at the most critical moment, his entire body transformed into flames, as if he had lost his physical form. Purple Kite's sword blade merely sliced through the flames, creating a wave of heat.
"That was a quick reaction."
Purple Kite was both surprised and unsurprised, since she also knew this move—transforming into a ethereal flame.
Just as the flames were about to reconstruct a body, a flash of sword light appeared, and countless Illusory Butterfly burst forth like fireworks, sweeping away and engulfing the flames like vampire bats.
Despite being reconstructed, the Fate Kite was still covered in scratches and was blown away by the swarm of butterflies, rolling to the ground.
At this moment, the flames on the fallen Fate Kite's body began to dim and dissipate, and it re-weaves itself back into dark red Magic Gear.
The Burst Form couldn't hold up any longer.
However, on Purple Kite's side, the consumption of Magic Power... could be said to be more than enough for another battle.
Purple Kite was not at all surprised by the result, but she also felt a strange unease deep down.
She walked step by step toward Fate Kite, who was slowly rising to her feet.
"Looks like I won? Not bad, Miss Fate Kite, you did your best this time anyway."
The girl's longsword swayed slightly, emitting a cold, sharp sound, as she approached Fate Kite with each step.
"And look, you've already tried your best, but this is all you've achieved. There's no way you can stop Haihara- san. Just join us and be ordinary students, ending this wonderful time as a righteous hero."
Because she was so adept at handling the situation, Purple Kite spoke softly and gently, like the night sky, which stood out clearly in the brief silence of the battlefield.
Given Fate Kite's normal strength, if she struggled a little longer, she could hold on for a while, but in the end, she would only be defeated, which would be meaningless.
Fate Kite was covered in wounds, stained with ash and blood, looking disheveled and exhausted.
She struggled to prop herself up with her sword, but still couldn't straighten her body.
"Hero... that's a really harsh word, it's completely mocking me."
The gray-haired girl wiped the blood from the corner of her mouth, her small eyebrows furrowing, revealing a rather dissatisfied dead fish eye.
Purple Kite, who had just won, indeed had a rather smug and smug grin on her face, humming happily.
After suppressing her emotions for so long, she finally managed to turn the tide in terms of her record.
However, Fate Kite had not actually admitted defeat.
She slowly straightened up, swaying slightly, as if complaining:
"You're right, I've tried my best."
"Although I try my best every time, it doesn't always work in the end... I understand that very well; if it's not going to work, it's not going to work."
Fate Kite certainly knew a lot about reality.
I know I'm not strong enough, I know I have a bad personality, I know I always have things that make people feel inexplicably confused, and I know I always make people feel troubled.
"But the result is that I can't just turn a blind eye, or ignore it... I don't want it to end in vain, I don't want to be a bystander who doesn't care."
There will always be someone who needs me.
Even if it doesn't work, I still want to do it.
The girl didn't know who she was talking to.
This time, Purple Kite didn't immediately retort with her usual frivolous and talkative manner. Instead, she revealed an indifferent and enigmatic expression.
She opened her mouth, then closed it again.
Even after she regained her smile, Purple Kite continued speaking words that sounded like she was raising some kind of banner in the now quiet and cold battlefield:
"But it seems your efforts have failed this time."
"No..."
Fate Kite took a breath and immediately replied:
"Not yet."
Purple Kite tilted her head, puzzled. Just as she was about to say something, something flashed before her eyes out of the corner of her eye.
She seemed to catch a glimpse of something silvery.