Prey

As Aberrant Beast that existed long before human civilization in the Material Realm, no one can say for sure when they were born.

The most widely known theory is that the life and power of all the Aberrant Beast actually come from the same source, a powerful being that left no name or image. However, there is no evidence in existing research on Magic Side to support this theory.

But faith doesn't actually need evidence; there's never a shortage of people in the world who believe in such claims. The "Lord" that Black Ash Dawn speaks of actually refers to this unknown being.

They called him the "Beast Lord".

"The Great Beast Calamity nineteen years ago certainly brought a catastrophe to the Material Realm, but it also left behind a considerable wealth of information for the research of the power of the Aberrant Beast."

The Aberrant Beast's mocking voice clearly reached the consciousness of every magical girl present. "A large number of Aberrant Beast remains that haven't had their Echo stripped away, a large number of lives damaged by beast magic, and a large amount of battle data. These are things that Black Ash Dawn couldn't obtain in peacetime, but during the Great Beast Calamity, they are readily available."

"After that, we extracted a rare crystal from a group of extremely special Aberrant Beast. Surprisingly, any Aberrant Beast with this crystal embedded in its body showed some degree of magical accumulation."

"Their physical structure is more robust; their specialized organs are more developed; even their intellectual evolution is extraordinary."

"We conducted a detailed study of this crystal and ultimately discovered that it has the ability to absorb and purify large amounts of magical power, and then feed back a special energy. This special energy can greatly promote the evolution of Aberrant Beast raise their evolutionary ceiling."

"However, the reserves of this crystal are extremely limited. We've dissected all the remains of the Aberrant Beast we found during the calamity, and we've only managed to obtain a handful. Furthermore, the magical power it requires is enormous; a small amount is simply insufficient to supply its needs. Our experiments are progressing very slowly."

"For our first experiment, it took us over ten years to create a fully Molt Stage, Aberrant Beast. However, our good fortune didn't last long; the Aberrant Beast's body collapsed at the end of its evolution, turning into a pool of magical flesh."

"The second experiment began two years later than the first and took even longer, but the outcome was exactly the same: it collapsed."

"After failing twice more, I ruled out all possible causes and realized that it wasn't our approach that was wrong, but rather the 'food' that was wrong."

"We produce a large number of pigs to feed Aberrant Beast, but pigs alone are not enough. Just as humans will develop all sorts of problems if they are picky eaters, Aberrant Beast also need a 'balanced diet'."

"The magic of Fairy, the magic of magical girls, the magic of beasts—all are indispensable."

"To verify this conclusion, two years ago, during the latest training, I made a decision: I extracted a portion of the magical power of the Flower Card magical girl and fed it to our Aberrant Beast. As a result, a variable emerged: its growth rate far exceeded previous experiments, and it also exhibited a considerable degree of intelligence."

"I know, my experiment was a success."

The giant moth slowly flapped its wings, gazing at the blue-haired girl lying on her back on the ground. "So I need to thank your teammate, Cornflower. It was Sakura's death that gave me enough Flower Card magic power for the first time in a long time, allowing me to see the possibility of success."

The Larkspur remained silent.

Because she was genuinely injured.

His Magic Armament was stolen by the Aberrant Beast, which then struck his body squarely.

Admittedly, magical girls' bodies are made of magic and do not have biological organs, but the Magic Armament does not harm the magical girl's body, but rather her soul at a deeper level.

Her soul was almost severed in half; the pain of such a severed waist would be enough to cause an ordinary magical girl to lose control of her body.

At this moment, the Larkspur was lying on its back on the ground, expressionless as it stared at the giant moth in the air, quietly listening to the other party's smug and self-satisfied speech.

"... You seem to lack an audience."

However, even with such an injury, there was no trace of pain in her voice, which remained as calm as ever. "I have no interest in your story of enduring hardship and painstaking efforts over the years."

"Is that so?"

Moss's voice held a hint of surprise. "I thought you would be somewhat moved by the death of your old teammate."

"If you were just trying to provoke me, you would have already achieved your goal."

Larkspur's voice remained unwavering. "But if you're trying to sway my heart by telling me 'you killed Sakura,' then I can only answer you, it's impossible."

"Oh? I deliberately preserved the altar until now. You should have been able to sense Sakura's magic from the ritual just now. How come you still can't believe me?"

"So what?"

Larkspur kept her eyes straight ahead, but no one knew what she was thinking beneath her calm exterior, "Sakura is dead. Her Heart Gem is gone. I've known this for a long time. Your actions are simply making it clear to me that her death is indeed inextricably linked to you."

"You don't understand what 'Strong Flower' really means, nor do you understand what she's capable of. Sakura, she reached that position by defeating countless seemingly invincible enemies time and time again."

She braced herself on the ground with both hands, straightened up slightly, and her tone gradually became serious. "You scum think you can defeat her, or even kill her?"

"Don't make me laugh. You're not worthy to mention her name to me."

Moss was silent for a moment, then she laughed again:

"Haha, great, I really like your stubbornness."

"That's why I set the stage today, on this incredibly grand occasion, and invited these lovely little audience members."

She flapped her wings, her segmented limbs pointing towards the newlyweds not far away. "Whether I can kill Sakura or not, I can't prove it to you right now. But what about these little guys? What do you think?"

"For example, that girl over there, Sakura's daughter, her father seems to have had an affair with you. If I kill her here, can you still keep that icy expression on your face? I'm looking forward to it."

"... Don't even think about it." The Larkspur used the silk threads to support its body, allowing itself to stand up once more.

"Then we'll see how you perform."

As Moss spoke, she raised her limbs, and countless densely packed, purplish-black spheres appeared in mid-air. "How long can you protect her, Cornflower?"

As she finished speaking, several purplish-black magic orbs crashed down on Lin Xiaolu's location like falling meteors.

Lin Xiaolu and her companions were still fighting the Aberrant Beast while approaching the Larkspur when they saw the light orbs falling from the sky. They immediately changed direction to try and dodge. However, the purplish-black magic orbs seemed to have a mind of their own, and their landing points shifted along with Lin Xiaolu's position.

The Larkspur transformed into a streak of light and flew to the side of the newcomers in the blink of an eye. Its Magic Armament formed a huge net in front of it, blocking the falling magic orbs and attempting to stop them.

However, before the magic ball could even make contact with the Magic Armament, the magic threads she had woven vanished into thin air.

Without hesitation, she cast the Fawo Runes again, and several Magic Barrier quickly enveloped the group, isolating them from the magical sphere. However, these Magic Barrier vanished in an instant.

Seeing the situation was bad, Lin Xiaolu below also raised her hand and unleashed a silvery-white magical flame, slashing at the magic ball, but like the Larkspur, she disappeared halfway through the attack.

"It's not a one-time use item; it can be stored in multiple sections."

The Larkspur murmured to herself in the air. Seeing the magic ball about to hit Lin Xiaolu, her gaze narrowed slightly, and then she accelerated again. She rushed in front of Lin Xiaolu and used her body to firmly block the magic ball.

Seeing this, Xia Liang quickly released her own Magic Armament, several mirrors enveloping the Larkspur, attempting to divert its magical power elsewhere. However, her Magic Armament couldn't withstand this level of magical power at all; before the Moss could even make them disappear, all the mirrors shattered.

Click.

"Ugh... uh!"

Cracks immediately appeared on Xia Liang's face, and she was thrown back by the force of the impact.

Needless to say, the Larkspur, who was at the center of the magical Explosion, was struck so hard that her soul plummeted like a kite with a broken string, only to be caught by Lin Xiaolu below.

"Xia Liang! Damn it! Larkspur! How are you?!"

She frantically checked for Larkspur's breath, looking at her tattered dress with scorch marks, and called out in a somewhat distraught voice, "Are you alright, Larkspur?"

Larkspur opened her tightly closed eyes again at Lin Xiaolu's call, then she sat up slightly and took Lin Xiaolu's hand.

"Fine."

After catching her breath slightly, Larkspur calmly looked at Lin Xiaolu and said, "I'm here. Don't worry, nothing will happen."

"What do you mean 'it'll be alright'?! This has happened twice already! You're already this badly injured!"

Lin Xiaolu's voice trembled with a sob. "Don't treat yourself like this. If killing me will only hinder your fight, then you might as well..."

The Larkspur didn't say anything more.

She simply squeezed Lin Xiaolu's hand, signaling her to stop talking, and then struggled to stand up again, looking at the Moss in the air.

"I thought your melodrama was going to go on for a while longer."

Moss scoffed, "Why don't you show her more of your self-sacrificing spirit, so I can see more tear-jerking moments?"

"I don't want to waste my breath on scum."

The Larkspur's voice remained calm and firm. "If you want to see tragedy, go to hell and see your own end come to you."

"Haha, interesting. Since you're so enthusiastic, let's continue."

A purplish-black orb of magical light reappeared above them. Moss's voice was high-pitched. "Let me see how long you can protect them with your already battered body, without the ability to use magic."

Gazing at the countless magic orbs in the sky, Larkspur remained expressionless, Moko was filled with terror, and Xia Liang lowered her eyes helplessly. Lin Xiaolu also deathly pale. She looked at Larkspur and subconsciously opened her mouth again, but had no idea what to say.

Moss's attacks, however, did not waver in the magical girls' resolve.

The purplish-black magic ball crashed down once more, and this time, Larkspur blocked it with his body as well.

"Hahaha, this is truly a rare sight! A dignified prospective Gem Scepter, a magical girl who once served as Flower Card), is now in such a sorry state!"

Moss laughed loudly, "Where are your Magic Armament? Where are your Wonderland? Where are your Flourishing Bloom? Fighting like a mere seed-level being, or even less than a seed-level being, is utterly laughable!"

"You've been spouting nonsense like a brat all this time, do you think I don't know? You overexerted yourself twice during the Garden Defense War and the Great Beast Calamity, your strength is already less than a tenth of what it used to be!"

"Look at yourself now, how pathetic!"

"This is the Magic Kingdom! These are their heroes! Heroes who save the day in war, who save the city in the Material Realm, and in the end, they only deserve to be humiliated like this!"

"That's why you're my best prey, the best ingredient for me to climb to higher levels!"

As she finished speaking, more magic orbs appeared around her.

"... I knew it!"

The Larkspur gazed at the sky, now tinged with a purplish-black hue, its jewel-like eyes reflecting the figure bathed in light. "Your target has always been me."

"You only realize it now? It's too late!"

Moss laughed freely, "What city, what humanity, what Kingdom, what Investigation Institute? These things were never related to my plans from the beginning. All I need is you."

"Spend two years feeding a large number of pigs to create an Aberrant Beast on the verge of collapse, and then obtain a large amount of high-quality magical girl magic power in one go, enough to restore the magical power within its body to balance. This will achieve the result I want quickly!"

"What could be a better prey than a former Gem Scepter, severely injured, retired for many years, and oblivious to the outside world?"

"As long as I obtain your Mana Source, allowing my Beast Viscera to complete their final restoration, I can break through the limitations of metamorphosis, ascend to a higher rank, and become a near-peak existence— King Molt!"

"I sent those useless henchmen to attack your old friend's daughter, and you showed up; I sent them to attack men connected to you, and you fought back; I sent Spider to attract the attention of the Investigation Institute, and you went immediately; I sent Hong Siyu deceive you, and you remained completely unaware!"

"I prepared so many smoke bombs to delay the ceremony, and so much trouble to slow you down, and you did exactly what I expected. Your ignorance is pathetic!"

"You're like a bird in a cage, trapping yourself within its confines, completely unaware of the countless crises lurking around you. How pathetic, laughable, and lamentable!"

"Put away your useless stubbornness and kneel down before me at the last moment."

Her voice grew cold. "Just as I was powerless to protect my own daughter, you are now powerless to protect those little girls. Kneel down and beg for my mercy, and perhaps I can spare their lives and make them my new experimental subjects."

The moth- Aberrant Beast raised its limbs high, and beneath its flapping wings, countless purplish-black magic orbs flickered, surging with an aura of destruction. "Of course, you can refuse. I don't mind devouring a few more Heart Gem in the final ritual."

It looked down at the Larkspur, waiting for its reply.

However, the answer received was that there was no answer.

The Larkspur did not respond to her words.

Her long, azure hair was stained with dust, and her tattered navy blue dress was stained with charred marks. Despite appearing to be at a complete disadvantage, Larkspur stood there with unwavering composure and steadfastness, calmly looking at Moss.

"... no destination."

"Hmph? What nonsense are you spouting?"

"When magic disappears, it has no destination."

"So what? Answer my question!"

"There's no need to answer; I don't want to waste my breath on nonsense."

The Larkspur said calmly, "I've already figured out your Rule."

These words were like ice cubes thrown into boiling water, instantly silencing the previously arrogant Moss.

"... oh?"

After a long pause, she finally spoke with a hint of amusement, "That's quite unexpected."

"What's surprising? Are you surprised that I could guess your Rule, or surprised that I'm not a fool?"

Larkspur narrowed her eyes slightly. "From the very beginning, you've been constantly throwing out all sorts of topics—your own experiences, Sakura's death, the Kingdom's system, and my past... aren't you just trying to steer my thinking away and distract me?"

"The only reason I can think of for your incessant chatter during battle, besides being a natural talkative person, is that you're trying to dictate our thinking."

"Use all sorts of topics that you think will stimulate me and pique my interest to force me to respond, thereby making me ignore or give up thinking about the essence of your Rule."

"After all, your Rule seem so unsolvable, as if they can seal off everyone's magical attacks, but in reality, they're just a single sentence:"

"--The one with the largest shadow possesses the magic of others."

Her words plunged Moss into silence once again.

"Nonsense." After a moment, Moss scoffed. "If this is the conclusion you've reached, then you'll only lose even more miserably."

"Yeah?"

The Larkspur remained noncommittal. "If that's the case, then why didn't you remove that blindingly bright beam of light after your 'ritual' ended? And why did you keep moving around meaninglessly, letting your shadow continue to cover us?"

"Heh, then let's just say that's how it is."

"Yes, then let's assume that." Larkspur echoed Moss's words, then pointed behind it:

"After all, the Magic Armament I left behind you hasn't disappeared yet."

Following the direction of Larkspur's finger, Moss looked behind her and saw a small section of blue magic thread that had been fixed to the ground at some point, now quietly emitting a magical aura.

It remained in that posture, staring at the small strand of magic thread. After a moment, it turned around, suddenly stretched out its wings, and in an instant, a huge black shadow enveloped the area around the Larkspur.

Moss stared at the piece of silk thread, only realizing at this moment that she had probably underestimated this magical girl who had retired from the world for many years.

"You've actually been thinking about this all along."

Looking at the Larkspur, it clicked its tongue in amazement. "If we weren't enemies, I'd really have to ask you what makes you so calm?"

"The first rule is: don't listen to the nonsense of a beast like you."

"That would be a great honor for me."

"The second reason is that I have already fought countless battles between Rule."

Larkspur continued, "Guessing and concealing the Rule is the top priority, and I don't think you'll overlook that. After all, when the truth about the Rule is revealed, your Rule lose their threat."

"Oh? Even if you know the Rule, what can you do about it?"

Moss said expressionlessly, "You still can't use your own magic, nor your own Magic Armament. And now, you can no longer use the Wonderland; you have no way to resist any of this..."

"Who says I can't use Wonderland?"

The Larkspur interrupted it, staring directly at Moss: "Did I say I couldn't use Wonderland?"

"Hmph, just bluffing!"

Moss scoffed, "Your Heart Gem and Magic Armament were already damaged; it's a miracle you're still alive. Forcing your way into using the Wonderland? Do you think such a lie makes any sense?"

"Whether it's a lie or not, we'll find out after a fight."

The Larkspur calmly replied, "Once I know your Rule, then your Rule will no longer be effective."

"Okay, let's go."

Moss paused, then laughed, "Let me see your Wonderland, let me see what other tricks you have up your sleeve now!"

Larkspur did not speak to Moss again.

She silently opened her hands, and the last remaining azure magic surged within her body once more. Amidst the intertwining threads, a small pair of Tailor’s Scissors, no bigger than her palm, gradually appeared between her fingers.

The silver-blue scissors appeared to be engraved with dense, intricate patterns, but upon closer inspection, it became clear that those patterns were actually all cracks. The scissors were essentially just outlines, as if the slightest movement would cause them to shatter completely.

The Larkspur stared at the scissors in its hand, as if it were reminiscing about something, or perhaps gradually letting go of something.

"... I'm sorry for using you so roughly all this time."

She reached out and stroked the Tailor’s Scissors, her voice soft. "But, let me be willful just this once more."

Picking up the scissors, drawing silk threads from her knuckles, the Larkspur waved her hand, facing the Aberrant Beast in the air with a stern expression.

"Magic Construct emerge; Wonderland unfold, let us decide this matter here--"

She issued the command, her will growing ever stronger. The azure magic surged forth again as if under high pressure, causing even the cracks in the scissors to gleam, as if they were about to shatter and explode at any moment.

Then, Larkspur raised her voice and, for the first time since her return, called out the name of her Magic Armament:

--"Weave Destiny."