Black Night, Dawn, Magical Girls

"Weave Destiny" is a very weak Magic Armament.

This was once the consensus of the old Fangting City Magical Girl Squad.

As the Magic Armament that Larkspur obtained when he Bud Rank, the Weave Destiny was initially just a bunch of seemingly meaningless magic threads. It was scarce in quantity and lacked toughness, making it particularly weak even when used to restrain enemies.

Back then, whenever she faced a powerful enemy alongside her companions, while her companions unleashed their Magic Armament, Larkspur could only wield her few silk threads, serving as a harasser and a meat shield.

This is why, in the early stages of her magical girl career, Larkspur never relied on her Magic Armament to fight.

This doesn't mean she's given up on developing her own Magic Armament. After all, Magic Armament evolves along with the magical girl's growth, which is a consensus among everyone.

As the saying goes, hard work pays off, and Weave Destiny did indeed evolve. Initially, when Larkspur was 15 years old, when she became Blossom Rank and awakened her own Wonderland, her Magic Armament inexplicably gained a small pair of Tailor’s Scissors.

The scissors were so small that the Larkspur didn't initially realize their purpose, assuming they, like its silk threads, needed time to grow.

But after waiting for several months, she finally discovered that the shape of the scissors seemed to be fixed in this way. After several attempts, she finally discovered the true use of the scissors—they had to be used with silk thread.

It seems that it was precisely because of this discovery that she soon obtained the third form of the Weave Destiny —the Ruler.

Silk thread, scissors, and a ruler—a combination that sounds like a sewing tool kit—when put together, unleashed a formidable fighting power that no one could have imagined. Thus, at that time, the Larkspur, at the Blossom Rank, was even able to challenge and defeat Aberrant Beast far stronger than ordinary Blossom Rank creatures.

However, even so, the abilities of Blossom Rank have their limits, while the strength of an enemy has no limits.

At the age of 16, Larkspur encountered an unprecedentedly powerful enemy during the Garden Defense War of the Magic Kingdom. Her entire guard was embroiled in a fierce battle, many members of the squad were on the verge of death, and the intellectual capital of the Magic Kingdom — Luen Nore —was on the verge of being breached.

In that battle, Larkspur used a technique he shouldn't have used for the first time.

It's a technique that is said to be used only once in a lifetime by each magical girl, and once used, it will shatter her True Form or even cause her death.

The Larkspur used it, and she defeated her formidable foe.

She even survived, but at the cost of her True Form and her Magic Armament —her scissors were almost completely destroyed, rendering them nearly unusable.

It was just a minor injury—that's what Larkspur told herself. She even completed another power Blossoming after that, officially stepping into the Flower Rank.

She continues to be active and fight as a magical girl.

Although she deliberately distanced herself from the center of power in the Magic Kingdom due to the impact of the Garden Defense War, this did not prevent her from still having a fighting spirit.

So, when she turned 17, in a year described as Great Calamity and Celebration, Great Beast Calamity, the likes of which hadn't been seen in a century, struck the Material Realm. The Fangting City Magical Girl Squad encountered terrifying Aberrant Beast even all of them combined couldn't defeat.

Seeing his companions in danger, Larkspur hesitated for a moment, but once again used a technique he shouldn't have.

She became incredibly strong, gaining power far beyond what was ordinary. She won again, yet even after achieving this, she still didn't die. But this time, the price was still her Magic Armament —her ruler shattered.

Unlike scissors, the ruler couldn't even retain its original shape; it turned into a pile of fragments and completely disappeared from this world.

This is accompanied by extremely strong side effects: the Heart Gem's web cracks, its True Form becomes incomplete, its abilities as a magical girl are greatly degraded, it will cause severe headaches whenever it uses a relatively large amount of magic power, and will cause further damage to the Heart Gem, and the Wonderland that should be as easy to use has become a huge burden.

In this state, participating in the battle with the Fangting City Squad would only make her a burden.

Even if she achieved the honor of Lifetime Magical Girl in the Kingdom, and even if the Royal Court once invited her to become the final Sapphire Scepter, in the Magic Side, without power and unable to fight, all the honors were just empty talk.

Ignoring her teammates' advice, Larkspur chose to retire.

Her teammates were all stronger than her, and Anya was improving at a rate that was new every day. There was no one she needed to help or protect anymore.

She was exhausted. She had fought hard for three years, defeated an unprecedentedly powerful enemy, and saved the city from peril... She believed that she had made enough contributions in her short magical girl career, so perhaps ending it like this would be a perfect ending.

In comic book stories, heroes always achieve a happy and fulfilling life after saving the world. However, the world is so vast that it won't stop turning just because someone is missing. The retirement of a magical girl won't have a very profound impact.

That's what she used to think.

"But that's not how it works."

Larkspur closed her eyes slightly. "Life isn't a comic book story, and I'm not a hero in a story. I failed to truly solve the problem; I was merely indulging in self-satisfaction over my own efforts."

From the day he learned of Anya's death, Lin Yun, now just a man, was constantly filled with guilt and self-blame.

If I hadn't retired and had fought alongside Anya, would things have been different?

He didn't know the answer to that question, and perhaps he never would. Anya's death was like a raging fire, burning what was once a fairytale story to ashes.

He could only recall those burned pages of the book, endlessly blaming himself.

He wanted revenge, but he wasn't without attachments. He knew just how powerful Anya was, and he could imagine how dangerous the enemies who killed Anya were. What would happen to his daughter if something happened to him during his revenge?

But if one doesn't seek revenge, that poisonous fire will constantly scorch one's heart.

Countless times he embraced the illusions of the past in his dreams, and countless times he groped for the empty pillow after waking up. Anger and sorrow had almost turned into an inescapable curse, locking him firmly in the past.

In the end, he could only helplessly tell himself that he was just an ordinary person, and that he couldn't, and shouldn't, think about these things anymore.

Then he should focus on his work and raising his daughter. As an ordinary single father, this is probably the most normal choice.

If everything really ended here. If my daughter hadn't stepped into the world of Magic Side.

But when all this happens, when the shadows lurking in Fangting City and even the Eastern Hua Prefecture and threaten his own daughter, then the so-called "normal" is better left behind.

"I don't have any grand ideals. All I want to do is protect the people around me. But before, I ran away, I failed, I couldn't keep my promises, and I couldn't follow my own wishes."

"Then, this time, I will not allow such a thing to happen again."

"Black Ash Dawn, I am aware of your actions, understand your deeds, and have witnessed the ugliness you have displayed. Regardless of what you did in Anya's death; regardless of what you are plotting in this Material Realm; regardless of your hatred for the Material Realm, I have only one attitude towards you."

The Larkspur raised its head, its magical pupils shining as brightly as the moon in the night sky.

"Starting today, get out of Fangting City, or I'll personally kick you all out one by one."

Silver-blue threads descended from the night sky, intertwining and overlapping around her, gradually forming the outline of a massive building that enveloped the central district of Fangting City.

A magnificent, azure castle, shimmering with pure light, stands majestically, as beautiful as something out of a fairy tale.

This is the Wonderland of the Larkspur.

It is as magnificent as the castle that every child has ever dreamed of, belonging only to the princesses and princes in fairy tales, but it is not made of bricks and stones, but is a wonder woven together by countless fine magic threads.

The night sky, which was originally stained with purplish-black magic, was instantly shut out by the massive castle. Magical girls, Moss, and even the Aberrant Beast on the ground were all contained within the castle.

Moreover, outside the castle, endless threads extended in all directions, reaching outwards and throughout the entire Fangting City.

The chaotic streets, the shattered houses, and the fleeing crowds all looked up at the sky, gazing at this miraculous scene. Even the hordes of ferocious and violent Aberrant Beast had ravaged the area inexplicably fell silent.

It wasn't because they were also watching the drizzle in the night sky, but because those threads that stretched across the night sky were targeting them.

Endless blue threads descended from the sky, freezing every roaming Aberrant Beast in the city, and then connecting them to the castle through the threads.

"We're saved?"

Someone in the crowd asked this question. At first, it was just a tentative whisper, but soon, some bold people walked up to the Aberrant Beast and reached out to touch the hideous Aberrant Beast.

The Aberrant Beast that had been wreaking havoc and slaughtering were now all motionless, like statues. People realized that the Aberrant Beast attacks had truly ended.

"We're saved! We're saved!"

"A magical girl! This must be a magical girl!"

People cheered, people wept. The disaster came so suddenly and ended so quickly, like a miracle, leaving the survivors immersed in the joy of survival.

This scene wasn't limited to the city. In the Anomaly Countermeasures Bureau, unnoticed by anyone, the "Aberrant Beast" that had once hung from the ceiling but now lay prostrate among the rubble still slept peacefully and quietly.

"Out of control? No... their magic has gone inactive. Why? This shouldn't be the case, and there's no reason for it."

Within the silver-blue castle, Moss sensed the changes in the magical power within the Aberrant Beast, a nameless unease rising in her heart. She looked towards the figure enveloped in silk threads not far away and asked, "What did you do?"

The Larkspur did not reply immediately.

It wasn't that she didn't want to talk to Moss —which was true—but rather that she felt her body was almost no longer her own.

Intense, intense pain filled her consciousness; the agony, as if it were tearing her soul apart, made her jaw clench, afraid that if she opened it even a crack, she would scream out.

She gripped the silk thread tightly in her hands, as if trying to transmit her pain. Amidst waves of excruciating pain, she slowly raised her head, staring intently at Moss.

Then, she slightly raised the nearly shattered scissors in her hand.

This action made Moss feel extremely dangerous.

After transforming into Aberrant Beast, as a fully evolved form, it can not only retain its rationality as a human, but also utilize the instincts and intuition of Aberrant Beast.

Ordinary Aberrant Beast lack reason and cannot comprehend the meaning of a survival crisis, but that doesn't mean their intuition is dull. It was precisely this perception and intuition that made Moss realize that what the Larkspur was about to do was absolutely dangerous.

"Don't even think about it!"

It couldn't allow the other party to use threatening moves, so it roared and invoked its own Rule, attempting to apply the magic around the Larkspur to cover it up again.

That's what it did before; it successfully dispelled the Larkspur's magic, stole her Masterpiece, and was able to stop her from taking further action.

It thought the process would be the same this time, but it never expected to fail.

The dense network of silk threads within the castle remained completely unaffected and intact.

"Impossible!"

Moss exclaimed in astonishment, "How could there be magic that my Rule cannot affect!"

"... Because... this isn't magic at all."

Larkspur barely opened her mouth, gritting her teeth as she uttered those words, and before Moss could take any further action, she resolutely swung the scissors in her hand.

Ka.

Her movements with the scissors were silent, but Moss seemed to hear a sound from the void, like the crisp friction of scissors closing.

In that instant, it felt as if it had lost something.

What had it lost? It felt nothing physically, nor did it experience any mental abnormality; it had no idea what had happened to it when the scissors swung down.

But when Moss looked at its own body with its compound eyes and began to observe the changes within itself, it froze.

The six legs, which were originally sharp-segmented, had disappeared at some point, leaving behind a pair of human hands.

Those were incredibly small hands, as fine as down, attached to the massive, Aberrant Beast's body, but it couldn't possibly not recognize them, for they were its own hands when it was human.

What did you do?

It asked again, but this time the meaning was completely different, its words concealing a fear that it could not contain itself.

It knew what the Larkspur had just cut off with the scissors: not its own flesh, not its soul, not even its magic, but the part of itself that was Aberrant Beast.

The scissors did not brutally sever hands and feet, but rather erased the "limbs of Aberrant Beast" from its body.

"Impossible! Your magic can't possibly affect me, and your Magic Armament can't possibly work on me..."

It muttered to itself, retreating under the intense threat. "I will overshadow your magic, I can overshadow your magic, I can take that eerie pair of scissors, and I will use it to take my revenge on you..."

Ka.

The crisp sound of friction rang out once again.

Moss almost reflexively lowered her head in response to the rubbing sound, and this time, it was her lower body, that of the Aberrant Beast, that disappeared.

"Impossible!"

It howled angrily and in vain. Seeing that retreating was useless, it turned around and used its Rule once again, this time targeting the scissors in the Larkspur's hand.

The scissors in Larkspur's hand are part of her Magic Armament and are indeed formed from her magic. Therefore, when Moss used the Rule to cover Larkspur's scissors, it was possible to take them away.

And it did succeed.

As the Rule took effect, Larkspur's scissors vanished in an instant and reappeared in Moss's hand.

"Hahaha, I've found a way to crack it!"

Seeing that it had succeeded, it couldn't help but laugh wildly, then grabbed the Larkspur's scissors with its disproportionately comical hands. "I can do it too! Watch me use your Magic Armament to... Uh! Cough! Aaaaaaahhhhhh!"

But before she could even finish speaking, just as Moss touched the Larkspur's scissors, it let out an incredibly pitiful wail. "It hurts so much! Ahh...

It screamed like a ghost, desperately trying to cut the scissors in its hand with all its might, but found it was no use. So it quickly threw the scissors aside. But even throwing them aside did not relieve the pain. The intense pain made it tremble all over, leaving it no room for thought.

Throughout the entire ordeal, Larkspur never uttered a single word. She simply covered her head, expressionless, watching the scissors appear in Moss's hand, only to have Moss throw them away and then pick them up again.

"You can't use it," she said.

"... Impossible! How could this be! How could you possibly wield such a Magic Armament! Didn't you feel any of that excruciating pain?"

Moss looked up, furious, and said, "You knew I would do this, so you tampered with the Magic Armament, didn't you!"

"I don't need it."

Larkspur put her fingers back into the scissor's hilt and opened the blade. "I'm used to it."

"Get used to that kind of pain? What nonsense are you talking about!"

Moss screamed in rebuttal, but when it saw the icy expression on Larkspur's face, the words that should have come out stopped in its tracks.

It realized that the Larkspur might not have been lying.

Having twice overdrawn her own resources, her true form True Form incomplete, and the cost of the shattered Heart Gem network goes far beyond a simple weakening of her abilities. Now, whenever Larkspur uses her Magic Armament to fight, she is almost constantly in pain in her soul.

Even in this state, Larkspur can still remain calm and even think, analyzing the battle situation and defeating the enemy. But because of this, she never shows any expression in battle and always values efficiency.

"Are you a human or a machine...?"

Moss asked, somewhat exasperated, "What kind of monster are you?!"

"I am a magical girl."

Larkspur, expressionless, brandished her scissors. "Drive away the monster, protect everyone."

Ka.

As the crisp sound rang out once more, this time it was Moss's head, as Aberrant Beast, that disappeared.

The elderly woman's face reappeared on the Aberrant Beast's body, but this time her hair was disheveled and her face was filled with panic. "Impossible! Impossible! Impossible! Is there a loophole in my Rule? What's so strange about your Magic Armament? Why can you hurt me with Magic Armament? Why!"

It frantically mobilized its senses, trying to find something amiss in this space, wanting to stop this terrible process, but it couldn't find any loopholes no matter what it did.

In its desperation, it even began to divert its consciousness to the Aberrant Beast it controlled outside the Wonderland. It saw the Aberrant Beast that stood still like statues in the city; it saw the Aberrant Beast that slept quietly in the ruins of the Anomaly Countermeasures Bureau; and it also saw Hong Siyu lying among the Aberrant Beast, sleeping soundly.

Then it discovered that all the Aberrant Beast were just like itself.

They lost their claws, their legs, and their heads. However, the original, mangled Aberrant Beast, stitched together by humans, revealed their true forms, while the real Aberrant Beast were reduced to corpses.

All the Aberrant Beast were connected by threads—threads of magic emanating from this enormous castle and originating from the Wonderland.

Wonderland are born from the power of the soul's will within the True Form, not from magic, so their Rule cannot affect Wonderland.

It was these threads of Wonderland that connected her to the massive castle, indirectly linking her with all the Aberrant Beast, and together they were all affected by some unknown Rule.

"These are your Rule! These are your Rule!"

Shouting wildly, Moss seemed to be going crazy. "What are your Rule? What are they doing?!"

Even though a human head had clearly appeared, Moss's roar was still as shrill as she frantically approached the Larkspur, trying to stop it.

But the Larkspur did not give it that chance.

"Shared Fate."

Gently opening and closing the scissors in her hand, she said to Moss in a calm tone, "Our lives are intertwined; we lose together, we gain together."

It wasn't until she got close to the Larkspur that Moss finally saw what the Larkspur was doing.

Countless tiny threads connect the enormous blue castle, and within the castle, all the threads hang down from above, converging before the Larkspur.

Each line connects to something within the Wonderland, whether it be a magical girl or Aberrant Beast; each line corresponds to a life.

The Larkspur simply picked up its scissors and gently placed them on a silk thread.

Moss could sense what that thread corresponded to; it corresponded to an Egg Rank Aberrant Beast in a corner of the Wonderland, a creature that was merely there to make up the numbers among the vast army of Aberrant Beast.

Larkspur never intended to directly influence Moss with her Magic Armament; all she wanted to do was cut the threads corresponding to the other Aberrant Beast.

As she said, we gain together, and we lose together.

Under the Rule the Larkspur's Wonderland, all life within Wonderland is intertwined; if one individual loses something, all the others will lose the same thing, including the Larkspur itself.

Because life and death are intertwined with the silk threads, the Larkspur only needs to use its scissors to trim the threads to directly affect the other person's body.

At this moment, Larkspur is cutting off with the scissors is "the body of the Aberrant Beast".

The addition of the concept of "Aberrant Beast" would undoubtedly be a catastrophe for Aberrant Beast, as this is their entire life; once it is cut off, they will naturally die.

However, for those humans who were transformed into Aberrant Beast, it was like the most precise surgery. All the "Aberrant Beast" parts in their bodies were removed as the Larkspur swung its scissors, leaving them with their original human appearance.

Furthermore, because all life is interconnected in this Wonderland, if one individual undergoes such a change, all individuals will change accordingly. If one Aberrant Beast loses its "claws," all Aberrant Beast will lose their "Aberrant Beast."

This naturally includes Moss.

"The final cut."

Watching Moss fly towards her with indifference, Larkspur calmly closed the blade in her hand, letting the sharp edge of the scissors finally strike the thread in front of her.

With this cut, she severed the "body of the Aberrant Beast." This was also the last part of Moss's body that belonged to the Aberrant Beast.

"Stop it! Stop it now! You must stop!"

Moss screamed and yelled madly, reaching out to try and stop Larkspur's movements with Spell Formula: "Didn't you hear me tell you to stop! Stop! You madwoman! Stop it!"

--Kh.

The scissors close, cutting the thread.

It was as if something had happened, yet it was also as if nothing had happened.

With a crisp sound, the enormous, Aberrant Beast in the air, the Aberrant Beast that were still in the city, and the "Aberrant Beast" that were sleeping in the ruins of the Anomaly Countermeasures Bureau all disappeared.

They, along with the blue castle that once shrouded the city center, vanished into the night. Just like the spell Cinderella received from the fairy godmother in a fairy tale, all the magical, dreamlike, and extraordinary things turned to nothingness with that soft, crisp sound.

After the ball, Cinderella became Cinderella again, and everything that needed to return to reality returned to its original state.

People looked at each other, unable to comprehend what was happening before their eyes—if it weren't for the remaining damage to the street buildings, they might have even doubted Aberrant Beast attack was just a hallucination.

No one noticed that, with the disappearance of the Aberrant Beast, some humans who were not originally among them inexplicably appeared in the ruins and were quietly sleeping.

As the instigator of everything, on the scorched earth of the city center, Larkspur is holding scissors, quietly looking at the Moss in front of him.

The enormous moth- Aberrant Beast was gone, leaving only an old woman in a black robe, who knelt on the ground, staring blankly at her hands.

Apart from a tiny purplish-black crystal, there was nothing left there.

"My experiment, my plan, my power, my revenge..."

She looked up at the Larkspur: "What have you done? With all this lost, how am I supposed to take revenge on the Magic Kingdom? How am I supposed to kill all those high and mighty magical girls in power?"

"How dare you do all this... You're just a severely injured former Flower Card, your Magic Armament is incomplete, and you can't even fully use your abilities. What right do you have to take all of this from me!"

"What gives you the right to use such terrible Rule, such unreasonable Rule, so arbitrarily?!"

"Gaining together? Losing together? What rubbish! You're limiting yourself to the concept of Aberrant Beast. Aren't you magical girls supposed to not have to pay a price for anything?"

"Why did you expend such power without incurring any consequences?"

She screamed hysterically, "This isn't fair! Why! Why?!"

Larkspur continued to look at Moss calmly.

"You're right."

She spoke slowly, "Everything has a price."

--Click, crack.

As she finished speaking, the small, already cracked pair of Tailor’s Scissors in her hand finally gave way and made a snapping sound. The cracks on the scissors spread wildly, eventually penetrating the blade completely, turning the scissors into countless shards.

Then, under Moss's watchful gaze, Larkspur's scissors shattered.

Just like the ruler she had once lost, the scissors, as another form of Weave Destiny, seemed to have completed their mission, turning into countless fragments after doing all that. They vanished completely.

"Rule are Rule, Magic Armament is Magic Armament. If you use Magic Armament to manipulate the Rule, you will inevitably have to pay the price."

As if oblivious to the disappearance of the scissors in her hand, Larkspur said expressionlessly to Moss, "Now, neither you nor I have Rule."

Moss ignored Larkspur's words. She stared at the shattered scissors, her eyes wide, as if confirming whether it was real. When she realized that Larkspur really couldn't put them back together, she let out a somewhat devastating "ha."

"Magic Armament? The price is your Magic Armament! Hahaha!"

She struggled to her feet, her disheveled golden hair stained with the bodily fluids of the Aberrant Beast and clinging to her cheeks. "You're a madwoman! You monster! You actually destroyed your own Magic Armament to weaken me! How could a magical girl be so insane! Are you out of your mind?"

"Which is more important Magic Armament or this city, power or my descendants? I know the answer."

Larkspur shook her hand, glanced at her palm in a daze, and looked up again. "It's just a pair of scissors. In exchange for a miracle that can turn everything around, I've already gained too much."

"Madman... madman..."

Moss muttered, straightening up. "Hahaha! Madman! You mentally unstable, self-destructive lunatic!"

"It's laughable to hear that from you."

Larkspur breathed a sigh of relief, took a step, and walked towards Moss: "I admit, that's the funniest thing you've said tonight."

"Still bluffing!"

Moss glared venomously at Larkspur, then grinned, revealing a maniacal smile, "You can't use Wonderland anymore! You've lost your Magic Armament! And your magic power is almost gone! How do you think you can win against me now?"

"Even without the Beast Viscera, I still possess magic power and my Spell Formula. My magic reserves far exceed yours, and my condition is far superior to yours!"

"Ace against ace, joker against joker. When all the big cards are used up, it's all about who has more high-quality cards, you idiot! What do you have left to trade with me? Admit it, you've already lost!"

"You're finished. I'll torture you in the cruelest way possible. I'll make you regret everything you did tonight. And those brats over there won't escape either. I'll make you..."

Bang!

"Ouch!"

With a muffled thud and Moss's strange cry, she was sent flying.

Larkspur withdrew her fist, calmly raised her hand, and rolled up the sleeves of her dress, revealing her slender and fair arms, as well as her fists that didn't seem particularly intimidating.

But just now, it was precisely that kind of fist that landed squarely on Moss's face.

"Have you said enough?" she asked calmly.

"What the hell are you doing!" Moss covered her face and angrily got up from the ground.

"I don't want to hear any more of your nonsense. Let's just end this already."

Larkspur raised her chin expressionlessly and raised her fist. "Next, I'll smash your stinking face with my fists, you piece of trash."

"With fists..."

Moss listened to her words in a daze, then grinned again. "Hahaha! With your fists? Go ahead and try if you can! You lunatic!"

Before she could straighten up again, she saw a sudden surge of blue magic in front of her, and a blue streak flashed past her, Larkspur was already close to her again.

Then, a fist slammed into her face again.

Boom!

This time, Moss was thrown into the air as if hit by a large vehicle, crashing directly into a half-built building next to her, scattering rubble and debris everywhere.

Larkspur, fist clenched, reappeared from his previous position, staring expressionlessly at the broken building. "Fine."

Then, the trajectory of magic lit up from the soles of her feet, and she flew out again at an extremely fast speed, as if she had suddenly disappeared.

Moss will never understand why a magical girl would be so skilled in hand-to-hand combat.

What she didn't know was that when she first obtained the Weave Destiny, in order to make up for the weak combat power of her Magic Armament, the method that the Larkspur thought of was—hand combat.

Even if the Magic Armament is ineffective, the magic power still exists in reality. As long as appropriate auxiliary Spell Formula are used to block ranged attacks, the rest can be dealt with in close combat.

Therefore, hand-to-hand combat is actually something that the Larkspur excels at.

Blue magical trails flashed and weaved through the building, and the Moss was like a ping-pong ball, being repeatedly hit in the air, flying around wildly, unable to fight back at all.

Every punch landed heavily on her face, every punch struck her nose hard. Moss felt dizzy and disoriented, unable to even tell which way was which.

At first, she was somewhat dismissive of Larkspur's acrobatic attacks, but as the fists pounded into her face again and again, making her teeth and nose groan under the strain, she finally felt a sense of fear.

She realized the root cause of Larkspur's choice to fight in this way—to vent his anger.

He punched her repeatedly in the face, not for any reason, but simply to vent his anger.

With her teeth knocked out and her nose shattered, even Moss's extraordinary physical abilities couldn't withstand the damage from each of Larkspur's heavy punches.

"Hmph! Isn't that enough?!"

So she struggled to fight back, dodging and trying to retaliate. "You idiot, as savage as a bull!"

She punched the Larkspur in the arm, screaming hysterically, "Who do you think you are? Do you think you're some kind of righteous army? A lackey abandoned by the Kingdom!"

"The ruthlessness of the Royal Court and your own ruthlessness have brought you to this state, and you still claim to be righteous, wanting to judge me here?"

"Look at your savage and ugly appearance now! Have you ever thought about what those truly high and mighty Gem Scepter are doing right now? While you're fighting to the death here, they're enjoying fine tea and wine and a comfortable sleep!"

"I was going to declare war on those people, I was going to crush their rule, but you destroyed everything! Everything is gone! I have nothing left!"

She was punched hard in the face by Larkspur again, falling to the ground, but she got up again, extremely agitated. "You don't understand my hatred at all! I am right, I am justice, I have no reason to lose!"

"Mortals have no power to resist the Kingdom. Only by borrowing the power of the Aberrant Beast can we take revenge on the Kingdom. If I don't go this far, how can I have the strength to fight back against the Kingdom!"

"You magical girls would never understand the helplessness and suffering of mortals. You were chosen by the Kingdom at a young age and possess power far exceeding that of ordinary people, while we Mage, no matter how much we train, can never catch up with you in the slightest! This is simply unfair!"

"How utterly hopeless! A mere mortal seeking revenge against those high and mighty magical girls—what can I possibly do? What choice do I have besides the power of the Aberrant Beast?"

"You call me evil? You call me scum? Then tell me—if you also had a daughter, if your daughter also sacrificed herself needlessly, and was treated coldly by the Kingdom, gaining nothing in life and leaving no name behind, what would you choose?"

"When you can only silently attend your daughter's funeral, unable to express any of your sorrow, what other way do you have to seek revenge besides the power of Aberrant Beast?"

She grabbed Larkspur's collar tightly, almost pressing her face against his, and yelled, "You don't understand at all, Cornflower!"

"... I have a daughter."

But then the Larkspur suddenly said this.

She looked at Moss expressionlessly and said slowly in a voice only the two of them could hear, "She was also a magical girl, but a few months ago, when she was just starting out, she met your people."

"If one day she were to die because of the Kingdom's mistakes, I would definitely find those responsible and settle the score. But for now, as I said before, I only have one thing to do."

She looked into Moss's eyes. "I won't let her get into danger. Before anything happens, I'll smash those bastards who threaten her safety with my fists, and beat your filthy faces into scum as bad as your character."

Moss stared blankly at the Larkspur.

She struggled to understand the meaning of the Larkspur's words, and then, as if finally realizing something, she cursed, "So it was you! So that's how it is! I understand! I don't understand! How is this possible! This is simply impossible!"

"That's why you weren't affected at all after meeting me! That's why you're always the first to appear when that man is in danger! That's why you're so bothered by Sakura's death!"

"Hong Siyu and that bitch! She actually lied to me; she hid the most important thing from me!"

She pulled her hand away, and taking advantage of her size, shoved the Larkspur to the ground. Then she grabbed the Larkspur's hair and started tearing at it. "You have a secret! You have a huge secret! I'm going to beat you! I need to know what your secret is, I still have a chance!"

Two figures, one large and one small, began to roll and fight on the ground.

The two of them showed absolutely no grace of magicians or magical girls, fighting each other like the lowest of street brawlers. At first, it was impossible to tell who was in control, but soon, Larkspur inexplicably gained the upper hand, seizing the opportunity amidst the chaos, and once again, delivered a heavy blow to Moss's nose.

Pfft!

This punch shattered Moss's already injured nose, causing blood to gush out.

Larkspur pursed her lips, her eyes reddening, and remained silent. She pressed her hand against Moss's forehead, knelt on top of her, and began to repeatedly and heavily punch the other woman's face.

Amidst the ruins, only chilling muffled thuds remained.

With a blank expression, Larkspur continued to punch Moss's face repeatedly, even staining her clean fists with blood, but Moss remained completely oblivious.

Moss's screams gradually weakened amidst the splattering blood, until finally she was breathless and could no longer make a sound.

Her face, smashed and completely deformed, was unrecognizable; mottled bloodstains covered her entire face, making it impossible to even discern her features.

You will be just like me.

In a daze, she suddenly said, "The hatred and murderous intent on your face, the tyranny you've always hidden, are all the reasons you've ended up on this path with me."

"... I won't."

Larkspur retracted her fist and lightly wiped the bloodstains from her cheek. "I will not lose myself for revenge."

You will.

Moss's voice was weak. "One day, you will discover the truth about hatred, you will understand the workings of this world, and at that time, if you want revenge, there will only be one path left: destruction."

She swallowed hard, her voice trembling, "Look at the expression on your face, that look of a man-eating demon. You will be consumed by your hatred. Your end, you madman, won't be much better than mine."

Bang!

He punched her in the face again. This time, instead of hitting Larkspur nose, he hit Moss in the mouth, knocking out several more teeth.

She raised her fist, stared at Moss silently for a moment, then finally stopped hitting her. Instead, she released her hand from Moss's head and slowly straightened up.

"What exactly is the connection between Anya's death and your Black Ash Dawn? Who is involved? Or rather, who else was involved? Tell me, and I'll give you a quick death."

"Heh... heh..."

Blood spilled from her mouth, and Moss looked at Larkspur as well. She no longer had the strength to howl, and only slowly revealed a somewhat strange smile.

She opened her scarlet lips and said in a slurred voice, "It's too late..."

"What are you talking about?" Larkspur frowned.

"In this dog-eat-dog world, if you don't devour others, you'll only be devoured. We are all food on a plate, and also pawns on a chessboard..."

Moss widened her eyes, using a soft voice to draw the Larkspur's attention, then suddenly stretched out her hand, forming a claw, and stabbed towards the Larkspur's eye:

"From the moment the Sainthood Project succeeded and the Holy Child was born, we had no other choice but to be manipulated by others."

Despite her extreme weakness, her hand suddenly moved with incredible speed, striking at the Larkspur as if in a final burst of energy, even as she tried to retaliate and injure him.

But her plan was doomed to fail.

The instant her hand reached out, a blade made of magic pierced her skull, pinning her to the ground.

The Larkspur killed her with his Masterpiece.

The loss of scissors does not mean the disappearance of the silk thread. As the only remaining form of Weave Destiny, the Masterpiece can still play its role.

She stood up, and several blades of light materialized around her, striking Moss's vital points one after another until Moss stared blankly, motionless, and lifeless. Only then did she slowly withdraw her Masterpiece.

Looking into the other's unseeing eyes, Larkspur closed her own eyes and slowly loosened her clenched fist.

Moss, the Royal Ash Attendants of the Black Ash Dawn, the director of the Anomaly Countermeasures Bureau in Fangting City, and the mastermind behind the sacrificial incidents in Eastern Hua Prefecture over the past two years, has been executed.

The anger in her heart had not subsided, and the boiling hatred continued to churn. She looked at the sky in the distance, which was gradually turning pale, and felt a strange emptiness in her heart.

The moth died, and then what?

He avenged Hong Siyu and the employees of the Anomaly Countermeasures Bureau, and he avenged Lin Xiaolu's past dangers. And then what?

[You will be just like me].

Moss's dying words seemed absurd, but after feeling this emptiness, Larkspur inexplicably understood her own feelings:

She wanted to continue; she wanted to find more enemies, and then, with her own hands, kill them all—

"Larkspur?"

A sudden shout rang out behind her.

This was a voice all too familiar to Larkspur. Even without turning around, she could tell who it came from: it was her daughter, Lin Xiaolu.

She slowly turned around, her slightly reddened blue eyes looking in the direction from which the sound came. She saw Lin Xiaolu and Bai Jingxuan supporting Xia Liang, the three of them limping towards her.

At this moment, Lin Xiaolu looked at Larkspur with some hesitation, her face showing worry and a little fear.

Fear?

Is my current appearance frightening?

The Larkspur couldn't help but think this.

She looked at the three girls in front of her and, for the first time, found herself at a loss for words, because she realized that revenge, especially such a bloody revenge, was something that children shouldn't witness.

Even though she knows they will grow up and understand these things, she still doesn't know how to bring it up now.

She and Lin Xiaolu stared at each other silently, neither of them speaking for a moment.

How similar they are.

The Larkspur suddenly thought to itself.

There was a time when, because he, as a father, was unwilling to tell his daughter anything or let her know anything, and only wanted to bear everything himself, he ended up having such a falling out with his daughter.

You might think this is a form of protection, but to a child, it's actually a form of adult arrogance.

If I remain silent again and continue to hide everything, will that lead to...?

"Go back."

Larkspur's complicated thoughts were interrupted by Lin Xiaolu's sudden remark.

She still looked somewhat bewildered, but her gaze towards the Larkspur was filled with determination, and then she slowly stretched out her hand.

This outstretched hand seemed to pull the Larkspur back to two years ago.

Anya died, and I had a big fight with my daughter. At that time, my daughter chose to run away from home, going to a classmate's house without saying a word, and without telling me anything.

Back then, Lin Yun searched every street and alley, and finally managed to find the other party because their parents leaked the information. It seems that they were in the same situation back then. Lin Yun stood outside the door, covered in a mess, while Lin Xiaolu stood inside, looking hesitant.

But it was he who reached out his hand at that moment.

That's what he said back then, "Go home."

Looking at her daughter's outstretched hand, Larkspur instinctively wanted to grasp it, only to suddenly remember that her own hands were covered in blood and looked quite horrifying.

She didn't want her daughter's hands to get blood on them.

So she silently withdrew her hand.

As memory and reality overlapped, she seemed to return to the front of that apartment building, standing outside the door, staring at the small Lin Xiaolu hiding behind her classmate. The two were separated by the door frame, as if they were in two different worlds.

She looked into the eyes of her little daughter, but this time, she didn't dare reach out her hand.

Then, she saw her daughter in front of her move.

Suddenly, Lin Xiaolu popped out from behind her classmate, running all the way. Then, her appearance changed, and in the blink of an eye, she became Lin Xiaolu, who was already 14 years old. She rushed to Larkspur's front, ignoring Larkspur's attempts to avoid her, grabbed her hand that should have been covered in blood, and held it tightly in front of her.

"Let's go back."

The daughter spoke to Larkspur once again, earnestly and solemnly.

In that instant, the cage of past memories seemed to be shattered completely. Led by her daughter's hand, Larkspur returned to reality, and once again stood in the vibrant morning sunlight.

The girls in front of him were all staring at him, some with serious expressions, some with worry, and some with admiration.

Oh well, whatever.

She thought to herself, for no apparent reason.

Then he opened his arms, slightly raised the corners of his mouth, and hugged the girls who rushed towards him tightly.

I didn't want to divide it into chapters, so I wrote the whole 12,000-word piece in one go and uploaded it all today.

Tomorrow I will update the epilogue and the afterword of Volume 1.