Questioning

The arrival of Larkspur clearly did not surprise Moss. Her bright smile was enough to prove it.

She could also see that the Larkspur was in a different state than before, but even in the face of the sky full of magical threads and the almost tangible magical radiance, her expression remained unchanged.

She even inexplicably started clapping.

"After a long wait, our main character has finally arrived."

Moss said somewhat flippantly, "But it seems you really liked those 'gifts' I left you, to the point that you wasted quite a bit of time on them. I didn't expect you to like those little trinkets I casually made so much."

"You call them... you call those people 'gifts'?"

Larkspur looked at Moss calmly, his face revealing neither joy nor sorrow. "This is truly a joke that's impossible to laugh at."

"This is no joke."

Moss shook her head. "Didn't you realize that I showed you a new possibility through them? It's something that's never existed before, combining human taming with the magic of Aberrant Beast, making them the most suitable mass-produced high-quality ingredients. Aren't you moved?"

All I see are a group of pitiful lives that you have toyed with and desecrated.

Larkspur's fingers twitched slightly, but she still showed no outward emotional fluctuation, looking at Moss with an indifferent expression. "Now tell me, what did you do to Hong Siyu and... no, what did you do to those ordinary people in the Anomaly Countermeasures Bureau?"

"What did I do? Can't you see?"

Moss widened her eyes as if in surprise. "The stitching together of Aberrant Beast and a human, the superposition of life characteristics, isn't that obvious?"

"Simply sewing Aberrant Beast onto a human body cannot create that kind of blasphemous existence."

Larkspur stared at Moss: "You directly embedded the Mana Source of the Aberrant Beast into people's bodies, using the most violent method to completely change their physical and spiritual structures. This is not the superposition of life; you are creating degraded Aberrant Beast."

"It's simply because mortals are too weak."

Moss smiled faintly, "What I bestowed upon them is the prototype of the Beast Viscera, only it is slightly uncontrollable. If they can possess magic and souls superior to those of the Aberrant Beast, then they can use this power in reverse, instead of being modified by the Aberrant Beast's magic."

You know perfectly well that's impossible.

The Larkspur's expression grew even colder. "The magical power and soul strength of ordinary humans are nowhere near that of the Aberrant Beast. By doing this, you are killing them in another way."

"Who can argue with that?"

Moss remained calm. "But so what? What feelings would you have for the livestock on a farm?"

"See this little guy behind me? To feed it, even if we slaughtered every wild Aberrant Beast in Fangting City, and even the entire southern part of Eastern Hua Prefecture, plus those good-for-nothing magical girls, it still wouldn't be enough."

"To truly provide it with sufficient nutrition, we need to use artificial Mana Source to produce those 'meat pigs,' and only those 'meat pigs' can meet this little guy's feeding needs."

"I spent two whole years on this. Without such a groundbreaking technological innovation, even if I, in my capacity, had plundered every magical resource available in this region, I still wouldn't have achieved this result. Shouldn't such a remarkable technology move us deeply?"

As soon as she finished speaking, several blue magical threads suddenly slashed from her side toward her neck, but Moss stopped them with her magically encased left hand.

"Are you in such a hurry?" Moss asked slowly and deliberately.

"Because I don't want to waste my time listening to your nonsense."

The Larkspur's fingers twirled the magic threads. "Why did you turn Hong Siyu into that? If it was to find food for the Aberrant Beast, as you say, why torture her like that for two years?"

"Torture? You mean Miss Red?"

Moss asked in surprise, "You actually think that's torture?"

Swoosh! Clang!

Larkspur's magic threads once again aimed at Moss's vitals, but were blocked once more.

"I've said it before, I don't want to hear your nonsense," Larkspur said coldly, staring at her.

"Then you've misunderstood me, because for me, this was actually a very meaningful experiment."

Moss shook her head and continued with a smile, "I've always been curious about what makes retired magical girls different from ordinary people. If they regain their magical Mana Source after losing it, can they reclaim their powers?"

"Miss Red was a very valuable experimental subject for me, helping me to understand this matter."

"I replicated the Mana Source of the Aberrant Beast into a structure similar to the Heart Gem, and inserted it into the empty space left by Miss Red's original Mana Source, wanting to see if she could use the magic of the Aberrant Beast to become a magical girl—just like those bastards with Claw Mark."

"But as it turns out, the retired magical girl no longer possesses the characteristics of a magical girl. Unlike ordinary magical girls who died immediately after being forcibly implanted with the Aberrant Beast Mana Source, she actually fused well with the Mana Source and became a true Aberrant Beast."

Moss said, spreading her palms out with considerable pride, "The experimental results show that retired magical girls are indeed just ordinary people. Apart from retaining some self-awareness, they are no different from other 'meat pigs'."

"In this respect, I should also thank Miss Red; her existence has resolved my long-standing confusion. You magical girls are truly wonderful 'treasures'."

Clang!

The threads of magic coalesced into a sword-blade-shaped Masterpiece. Larkspur manipulated her Magic Armament to fight against Moss. Purple-black and azure-blue magic splashed everywhere, and countless magic projectiles collided in the air. They parried each other with movements that were completely invisible to ordinary people, and for a time it was difficult to determine who was superior.

"You're a complete scumbag, Moss."

Larkspur said, enunciating each word clearly, "No, I've met more than one person from Black Ash Dawn during this time. You are all utter scum."

Please don't use such despicable words as 'scum' to describe us.

Moss sneered, "To be born into this world and become an ordinary human being is the greatest tragedy."

"If scum like you didn't exist, what would be the point of sorrow?"

Larkspur transformed the Magic Armament in her hand into a spear and swept it towards Moss: "Thugs and villains turn around and laugh at the suffering of their victims? Don't make me laugh!"

"You think the root cause is us?"

Moss parried Larkspur's attack and retaliated. "Even without the Black Ash Dawn, beasts and magical girls still exist in this world. Countless mortals are still slaughtered by wild Aberrant Beast and affected by the magic of battle. Before the power of magic, the frail lives of mortals are meaningless!"

"Magical girls are fighting on behalf of people! They are driving away and vanquishing Aberrant Beast, maintaining the peace of this world. Why are you shifting the blame onto them!"

While using her Masterpiece shield to block Moss's counterattack, Larkspur manipulated more threads to restrict Moss's movements. "Isn't your daughter a magical girl too? Before gaining their powers, each of them was an ordinary girl who sacrificed their most precious youth, even their lives, to protect others! Don't you understand that?!"

"Why is it that other people's daughters sacrifice their youth, while my daughter sacrifices her life?"

Moss's voice suddenly turned cold.

She raised her hand, and the Spell Formula in her hand suddenly changed. Magical constructs resembling circular saws replaced the previous ripples, slashing fiercely at the Larkspur: "Why do other people's daughters not have to pay anything, but my daughter has to pay everything for this battle that will never end?"

"I've never understood this question. Can you answer it for me, Cornflower?"

"I've worked in the Bureau of the Anomaly Countermeasures Bureau for so many years, rising from the lowest-ranking employee to a high-level leader; from a small town in the Western Region all the way to your Eastern Hua Prefecture, I've seen far too many magical girls."

"Too many girls enter the world of magic with good intentions, only to become arrogant and disdainful of others under the corrupting influence of power and authority, ultimately without paying any price."

"But my daughter, my only treasure, carried this original intention through to the very end."

"She would persuade me to understand those arrogant magical girls; she would persuade me to understand that lofty Kingdom Royal Court; she would be kind to everyone in our Anomaly Countermeasures Bureau; she would spare no effort to save every innocent person who has encountered Aberrant Beast."

"However, this is exactly what you all know. The magical girl, whom you take for granted, died in that Great Calamity nineteen years ago, crushed by the merciless Aberrant Beast Tide. In the end, only the shattered Heart Gem could be recovered."

"Her death was not unusual during the Great Beast Calamity; after all, so many magical girls perished in that catastrophe. She gave her life for her ideals. I am saddened, but I respect her will."

"But."

Moss paused. She watched the larkspur skillfully maneuvering among the countless circular Larkspur, closing in on her side, and said coldly, "Your Magic Kingdom has completely forgotten her contributions."

"There was no honor for martyrs, no posthumous recognition for the fallen, and even the most basic compensation for the fallen magical girl was not delivered to me."

"Her sacrifice went completely unnoticed by her so-called 'colleagues' in the Kingdom."

"I tried to contact the Magic Affairs Institute, but no one was willing to listen to me; I wanted to find the Royal Court, but I was not worthy of being received; I contacted the Investigation Institute, but even though I persuaded the magical Investigation Institute there to speak on my behalf, nothing came of it."

"On the other hand, consider those magical girls who escaped the Great Beast Calamity, didn't participate in the battle, and hid in the rear. They paid no price, yet still possessed superhuman strength and vibrant lives. They enjoyed the adoration of the ignorant world and became 'heroes' in the mouths of others."

"They gave nothing, yet they could easily trample on me, humiliate and destroy everything I have. Even though everything I have given was for so-called 'protection' and so-called 'justice'!"

"I, a high-ranking member of the Anomaly Countermeasures Bureau, had worked for the Anomaly Countermeasures Bureau for nearly twenty years, devoting countless hours and effort to protecting the city; my daughter, a noble and innocent magical girl, was so lovely and pitiful, sacrificing everything for the so-called identity of a magical girl."

"The Royal Court of the Magic Kingdom is unwilling to even glance at people like us."

"A hypocritical, incompetent, corrupt, and arrogant Kingdom that doesn't even consider us!"

Her smile vanished completely, replaced by boundless rage. She roared at Cornflower, "Tell me, Cornflower, what is the point of your existence, you magical girl?"

"What is the point of the Magic Kingdom that deceives young girls into becoming magical girls with dreams and hopes, uses them in an incredibly cold and indifferent way, and then casually abandons them in the end?"

"You think beasts are synonymous with savagery, destruction, and slaughter, but what about magical girls and Magic Kingdom? Aren't you also synonymous with arrogance, oppression, and indifference?"

"I am not reconciled! I cannot tolerate such a usurper, such a scoundrel, taking credit for my daughter's achievements and insulting her sacrifice. But I have no power, no power to seek revenge against the hypocritical Royal Court, against the proud magical girl!"

"Only the grace of the Lord, only the power of the beast, can enable mortals to transcend themselves and allow us to fight against magical girls!"

"You ask me why I can't understand the sacrifices of magical girls? Now I ask you, why can't you understand the suffering of mortals in this world?"

"During the Great Beast Calamity nineteen years ago, couldn't you see the magical girls who sacrificed themselves needlessly, the innocent mortals who died tragically, and the pretentious and perfunctory Kingdom Royal Court?"

"Countless people in the Material Realm have paid the ultimate price to resist this disaster, including yourself. You have made countless sacrifices to save Fangting City."

"Didn't you see? Didn't you have any doubts? Didn't you feel resentment?"

"If not, then why did you refuse the appointment and removal of the Queen at that time?"

"Why would you be the only magical girl in the world to refuse the position of the Gem Scepter, to give up the possibility of the Sapphire Scepter, and to give up enjoying the credit for your achievements?"

Looking at the Larkspur that had already reached her, Moss's voice shifted from agitation to calm, but remained crystal clear as she questioned:

"Lady Cornflower, who was bestowed with the name of the last jewel on the Queen's Scepter, yet willingly gave up everything?"