Chapter 140

Under the dark purple beams of light in the night, the roars of the Aberrant Beast gradually subsided as Moss spoke.

Even though its body was still covered in sores and the calluses covering its body were scarred, the appearance of the Moss was like a special signal, making it quiet again, like a well-behaved pet.

"Watch out, this woman is dangerous!"

Moko, perched on Lin Xiaolu's shoulder, gave a serious suggestion, but no one present paid attention to what it was saying.

Apart from Moss, the magical girls were all on high alert.

"Well then, before the main show begins, let me confirm this. Child of Green Magic... you're the Sacrificial Child found by 'Touch's' minions, right? It's good that those incompetent ants couldn't take you away."

Turning her head slightly, Moss looked at Bai Jingxuan beside her, maintaining a calm smile, "You have a wonderful scent, unlike ordinary magical girls, you're more like those bastards."

Her words startled Bai Jingxuan.

Moss was clearly referring to the attack on the orphanage by "Bing Chu Three" and others several months ago. This statement seemed to indicate that she was actually involved in that attack. However, she obviously did not intend to expand on this topic, merely mentioning it briefly before quickly turning her gaze to Xia Liang beside her.

"Two months to the Bud Rank, five months... is he already close to the Leaf Rank? Truly terrifying talent, a terrifying child. If left unchecked, you'll likely become a remarkable figure in the Kingdom in the future."

She feigned a sigh, then stared unabashedly at the Heart Gem on Xia Liang's chest, and inexplicably licked her lips. "So, your magic will also be the finest ingredient."

Her pointed remark caused Xia Liang, who was usually all smiles, to curl her lips and reveal a somewhat cold expression.

Moss continued to move her gaze, and after commenting on the other two, she turned her attention to Lin Xiaolu.

"... It's a bit of a shame, they really don't look alike at all."

She began, "As a magical girl, compared to your mother, you are far too ordinary."

Just one sentence was enough to make Lin Xiaolu's expression change drastically.

"How do you know these things?"

Gripping her wand tightly, Lin Xiaolu said in a deep voice, "You've met my mother? What are you trying to say?"

"Don't be so nervous, children. What I want to say depends on what you want to know."

Moss's expression was gentle; if not for the occasion, she would have looked like a kind elder. "I know many things you don't. You can learn about them gradually before the main event begins."

"I don't think someone who turned the city center into ruins would appear in front of us just to have a chat and play the role of a comforting grandmother for a while."

Xia Liang suddenly spoke up, calmly questioning, "You must have some other plan, otherwise there would be no need for you to show up at all."

"Smart, you're absolutely right."

Moss clapped her hands in approval. "But you might be mistaken. My plan was already completed long ago. There's no point in discussing the process anymore. Right now, I just need some spectators."

"The audience?" Xia Liang seized on this word.

"Yes, audience. Two years of preparation, 19 cities, 9 altars, all for this moment."

Moss smiled and said, "Such a wonderful scene would be too lonely without an audience."

"...2 years?"

For both Xia Liang and Lin Xiaolu, this was a year that was enough to trigger a stress response. So even Lin Xiaolu immediately sensed that something was wrong.

"That's right, two years."

Moss slightly raised her chin. "It all started with the death of the magical girl codenamed Sakura, who was also your mother."

In an instant, Lin Xiaolu's pupils contracted.

This was the first time she had heard her mother's code name from the enemy.

She had already learned from her father that her mother died as a magical girl, but she never knew the full story behind it.

All she had of her mother's death was the memory of weeping uncontrollably at her grave two years ago, and the countless sorrows and longings that followed.

A deep wound on the body may cause pain to subside over time and the wound to heal itself; however, a scar will never disappear.

Moreover, for Lin Xiaolu, the pain of her mother's passing is still fresh in her mind to this day.

What is your connection to this matter?

She opened her mouth, and only when she opened her mouth to speak did she realize that she was trembling, "Who exactly are you?"

"I already introduced myself; I am a moth."

Moss smiled calmly, then slightly pulled down the collar of her black robe, revealing a scar that ran down the side of her neck.

"The twelve Royal Ash Attendants of the Black Ash Dawn, who were also your mother, Sakura's, former enemies."

"Former enemy?" Moss's words left Lin Xiaolu somewhat bewildered.

"Yes, child, once."

Moss turned slightly, looking at the enormous, Aberrant Beast behind her. "But now, many things are different."

Her actions startled Lin Xiaolu.

"To feed an Aberrant Beast, especially to raise Aberrant Beast with exceptional potential, fine food is indispensable."

Moss explained calmly, "Ordinary humans, though their mortal bodies contain magical power, are ultimately just inferior sustenance. It can barely fill their stomachs, but it's insufficient for nourishment and growth."

"To elevate an Aberrant Beast to a higher quality, it's only possible to feed it superior ingredients: only the magic of Aberrant Beast, magical girls, and Fairy has value. And naturally, the stronger and purer the magic, the better."

"So, in this matter, I need to thank your mother."

"What... are you saying?" Lin Xiaolu's ominous premonition grew stronger.

Can't you feel it?

Moss kept her eyes fixed on the Aberrant Beast in the distance. "It contains your mother's magic."

Even though she had already guessed what Moss wanted to say, Lin Xiaolu felt her mind go blank the moment she learned the truth.

She instinctively reached for her wand.

"Don't be impulsive, White Rose!"

Sensing the surge of magic around her, Xia Liang almost immediately reached out to block Lin Xiaolu. She didn't want Lin Xiaolu to rashly engage in battle, as she might suffer a great loss.

However, when her hand touched Lin Xiaolu's arm, she realized that Lin Xiaolu didn't make any extra movements.

A surge of pale green magical energy erupted from her side, and a figure rushed towards Moss amidst the magical blast.

"Bo Xue?" This was something she hadn't expected.

Among the magical girls present, Bai Jingxuan, though the youngest, had always been the most sensible and quiet. Even though her usual fighting style was somewhat aggressive, there was no reason for her to act rashly against an enemy of unknown strength.

But even Lin Xiaolu, still overwhelmed by intense emotions, hasn't made a move yet, while Bai Jingxuan has already rushed out.

This is truly the worst possible timing.

In an instant, Xia Liang understood why Xia Liang Bai Jingxuan had done that, and her mouth tasted bitter.

Prior to this, no one present had told Bai Jingxuan that the magical girl "Sakura" was dead. Furthermore, no one had told her that Lin Xiaolu was Sakura's daughter.

Even now, Bai Jingxuan still believes that Sakura is merely a senior to the magical girls of Fangting City who left Fangting City for some special mission, which is why she hasn't heard much about her.

Everyone was waiting for the right opportunity, an opportunity to tell Bai Jingxuan the truth while still being able to control and soothe her emotions and prevent her from becoming too depressed.

Everyone knows that Sakura is the core spiritual pillar that makes Bai Jingxuan a magical girl.

She became a magical girl because of her admiration and gratitude for Sakura, and her greatest wish after becoming a magical girl was to see Sakura again. This emotional drive constitutes the magical girl "Bo Xue," and it can even be said that this is Bai Jingxuan's entirety at present.

Everything about her as a magical girl is a subconscious imitation of Sakura.

That's why she rushed out immediately after hearing what Moss said.

The music box started playing at some point, and Bai Jingxuan, without even a thought of defending herself, simply strengthened her body with magic and then, without a second thought, swung her wand at Moss.

Moss stood still, perfectly balanced, and caught Bai Jingxuan's swing with her left hand.

"Not bad strength, not at all like the physical attributes of Bud Rank."

Feeling the force from the wand, she commented with slight surprise. But surprise didn't mean she took it seriously. After intercepting the attack, she released her grip on the wand, then used her arm to wrap around the wand and grab Bai Jingxuan's neck.

In the nick of time, Bai Jingxuan dodged to the side. Her attack did not slow down; instead, she turned and once again swung her wand at Moss's head.

"Useless." Moss curled the corners of her lips and simply met Bai Jingxuan's attack head-on.

Bai Jingxuan slightly raised her head, her face still calm and expressionless, but her pair of heterochromatic yellow-green eyes were now tinged with a faint blood-red:

"Real?"

After she finished speaking, a strong surge of magical energy flowed from the wand that was in contact with the Moss. Sometime later, the melody of the music box had changed, and the restrained magical energy within Bai Jingxuan's body began to become extremely violent.

Then, Bai Jingxuan's magic exploded at a very close distance to the Moss.

This is not a wise move, because Bai Jingxuan herself has no means to avoid such Explosion. By violently unleashing her frenzied magic, even if she manages to hit Moss at this distance, she will certainly be injured herself.

However, the anticipated lose-lose situation did not occur.

Because the moment Bai Jingxuan activated her magic, all the magic she unleashed vanished into thin air.

"Really." Moss nodded with a smile.

Then, she casually raised her hand, and a point of purplish-black magic condensed at her fingertips, gently poking Bai Jingxuan's forehead. "Too naughty, Sacrificial Child."

Bai Jingxuan's slightly reddened eyes narrowed.

--Thump!

No one could see clearly when Moss's magic bullet was activated, let alone dodge it. In just an instant, Bai Jingxuan was hit head-on by the magic bullet and was sent flying.

Boom!

Bai Jingxuan, struck by the Moss, plummeted from the sky like a falling meteor, crashing directly into a building on the ground, causing the entire building to collapse.

"Xiao Xuan!"

Moko, who had been perched on Lin Xiaolu's shoulder, suddenly jumped down and hurriedly flew towards the ruins below.

Xia Liang witnessed the entire process firsthand. It wasn't that she didn't want to help, but it was simply too brief. In just a few seconds, the battle turned from Bai Jingxuan charging forward to being knocked away, a change that caught everyone off guard.

But before she could turn around to save Bai Jingxuan, she felt her hand, which had been blocking Lin Xiaolu's way, being pushed away.

Looking again, Lin Xiaolu had also rushed out with her wand. The light blue magic trajectory almost intertwined with the light green before Bai Jingxuan was knocked away, and the two launched one attack after another against Moss.

"I told you not to act impulsively! She's just trying to provoke you!"

Xia Liang looked up and called out in vain to Lin Xiaolu's retreating figure, but clearly couldn't bring back her companion who had already flown off. After a brief moment of hesitation, she could only follow Lin Xiaolu and rush out as well.

"Ugh! I just can't do anything with you guys!"

At this point, Lin Xiaolu no longer cared what Xia Liang was saying.

As she attacked Moss simultaneously raised her hand, and purplish-black magic gathered at her fingertips, then rippled outwards in waves.

"Danger!"

Following behind, Xia Liang immediately activated her Magic Armament, using Diversion the ripples that were about to hit Lin Xiaolu. Before she could activate her ability to transfer magic power, a huge impact force suddenly struck her mirror.

Snap!

The mirror surface of the Magic Armament was shattered directly by Moss's Spell Formula.

"Uh-huh!"

The damage to the Magic Armament caused Xia Liang to feel a sharp pain in her head, and she let out a muffled groan. Even the undamaged mirrors around her seemed to become somewhat illusory.

The ripples created by the Spell Formula shattered Xia Liang's mirror with minimal loss, but the remaining power remained undiminished and continued to spread towards Lin Xiaolu.

Lin Xiaolu remained completely unfazed.

The light blue magic surrounding her suddenly changed under these circumstances, revealing a hint of silver-white amidst the burning.

Her entire body seemed to be burning with silver-white flames. With a wave of her hand, the white flames collided with the purplish-black magic waves. After the fierce collision, they dissipated completely, but the purplish-black magic was also weakened considerably.

Lin Xiaolu used the same trick again, waving her magic wand once more, and with several streaks of silver-white flames blocking the way, she finally managed to stop Moss's Spell Formula.

Then, she raised her hand, and the flames transformed into dozens of magic bullets, which exploded and shot towards Moss.

"White magic? Spell Formula? No..."

Moss's tone was slightly puzzled as she reached out and caught a silver-white magic bullet, only to feel as if her palm was on fire, the skin of her entire hand turning charred black.

She looked at her palm, paused slightly for a moment, then curled her lips into a smile, her expression revealing great interest. "A property I've never seen before? Interesting."

As she sighed, Lin Xiaolu did not give up her offensive. Silver-white magic gathered once again in her hand, this time forming a phantom flaming spear.

She remained silent, staring intently at Moss not far away.

The amused smile on the other person's face made her feel inexplicably uneasy.

But the arrow was already on the bowstring and had to be released. Regardless of whether the attack would be successful, she could not give up this opportunity. So she swung her arm and was about to throw the spear in her hand.

"Don't do it."

A somewhat familiar voice made her stop in her tracks.

A deep blue light shone down from above her head, and countless magical threads hung down like tassels. A figure appeared in front of her without her noticing.

It was this person who suddenly appeared who stopped Lin Xiaolu's attack.

Moss, who was not far away, smiled even more broadly.

Xia Liang, standing behind him, breathed a slight sigh of relief.

Lin Xiaolu stared blankly at the person who had suddenly appeared, blinked in disbelief, and then hesitated before speaking:

"... Larkspur?"

"Okay, so don't do anything."

Turning back from the brilliant azure, Larkspur looked at Lin Xiaolu, her voice somewhat gentle:

"It's alright now, let me handle it."

This chapter was written last night, but I wasn't satisfied with the first version and deleted most of it, so I only posted it this noon.