Qi

As the battle intensified in the sky, the evacuation of the headquarters building of the Anomaly Countermeasures Bureau was also proceeding at full speed.

As the crowd surged out of the building, Tian Sheng struggled to lift his head amidst the shoving of his colleagues, gazing at the sky as if sensing something arose within him.

Above the azure sky, between the buildings, a few familiar shades of blue suddenly appeared amidst the magical light curtain that intertwined crimson and hazy white.

The faint blue swayed and shimmered, as if gathering strength. Then, at a certain moment, it suddenly erupted, dispelling all the surrounding white mist, and the azure color seemed to restore the sky to its true color.

Amidst the surging tide of magic, the Larkspur held a fluorescent blue thread in her left hand and a crimson pair of scissors tightly in her right. Her petite figure stood upright, her gaze distant and resolute.

The magic of blue and purple intertwined, yet a distinct boundary was subtly drawn between them. Delicate threads shimmered from her palms, tracing imperceptible paths through the azure sky. Exquisite scissors gleamed in her hands, their tiny blades concealing a chilling glint.

"I feel unexpectedly relaxed..."

Feeling the weight of the scissors in her hand, she exclaimed in surprise.

The scissors that Hong Siyu recreated were identical to her original Magic Armament in both appearance and feel, but their most distinctive feature was their consumption of magical energy.

It is inevitable that magical girls will consume their own magical power when using Magic Armament, but the amount consumed will vary depending on the strength of the Magic Armament and the user's proficiency in using it.

The original Weave Destiny was a Magic Armament that consumed a great deal of magic power. If it weren't for the fact that Larkspur's own magical power was relatively abundant among magical girls of the same level, she really wouldn't have been able to support such a consumption.

In fact, this is especially true for Magic Armament with complex forms. In the Kingdom's archives, there are even cases where magical girls were unable to advance to the Bud Rank because their Magic Armament were too complex.

Now, as Larkspur holds the scissors that Hong Siyu resurrected, she can hardly feel the loss of magic. Not only that, but she can even faintly feel the magical fluctuations flowing back from the scissors.

"Although it only lasts for five minutes, it consumes all of my magic power."

Seeing the Larkspur's surprised expression, Hong Siyu, and said somewhat awkwardly, "So, there's no need to worry about the magic power. Use it in battle with confidence."

"... Thanks."

Larkspur understood that the more sincere the goodwill, the less need there was for excessive formalities or politeness. Expressing her gratitude in the simplest terms was the only thing she could do right now.

After giving a brief explanation, she turned her head and looked seriously at the buildings not far away.

The kite Hover there quietly, waiting with great interest.

"Ready? Shall we begin?"

Seeing that Larkspur was looking at her, she picked up the ink-colored metal again, a smirk playing on her lips. "Using Magic Armament to complete Magic Armament, that's truly eye-opening."

"I thought you wouldn't let the handover period pass by."

Larkspur gently waved the Tailor’s Scissors in her hand. "Why didn't you attack just now?"

"I've said it before, I won't stop others from using their abilities. Whether it's Wonderland or Flourishing Bloom, only defeating an opponent who goes all out can give me satisfaction."

Yuan shook her finger. "Disrupting the opponent's preparations through a sneak attack, even if you win, is not a sign of 'strength,' but merely being a servant of 'victory.'"

"I thought Claw Mark would be from some unreasonable bad guys."

Larkspur shook her head expressionlessly. "It's a pity I didn't get to know you sooner."

"It's not too late to get to know each other now. Join us, and we'll have no more conflicts."

Yuan slightly raised her hand, assuming a fighting stance. "However, before that, let me see your true strength. If you're too weak, I have no interest in taking a weak magical girl back to see the leader."

"Thank you for your organization's consideration, but I have no interest in leaving the city I am currently stationed in."

The Larkspur was equally prepared. "Please leave Fangting City on your own."

"Further words are useless!" Yuan kicked off with both feet, shouted, and leaped forward. "The victor rules everything!"

Having said that, he ignored Semi's shouts of "Don't act on your own!" and once again began the battle.

The magic of black and blue collided instantly. Amidst the surging currents of magic, the two figures did not create distance but instead engaged in fierce close combat. The ink-like fluid metal appeared incredibly agile in the kite's hands, effortlessly transforming into guns, swords, knives, and daggers. Her moves were tricky and exquisite, making them extremely difficult to parry.

But the tricky moves did not put the Larkspur at a disadvantage. On the contrary, although she was slightly on the defensive, the silk threads in her hands changed shape with the kite's rhythm, constantly weaving different Masterpiece. She defended against the opponent's thrusts and countered with the opponent's slashes. The two clashed with sword against sword and spear against spear, changing their weapons in different ways and fighting at a speed that was difficult for ordinary people to perceive.

Silk threads and ink, two Magic Armament that don't look like weapons, are now enough to replace all weapons, and a primitive and magnificent battle unfolds here.

"Incredible... there's actually someone in this world who can fight Yuan in close combat without being at a disadvantage?"

Semi, who had been thrown aside during the fierce battle, steadied himself and stared wide-eyed at the battlefield not far away. "Am I dreaming?"

It's no wonder it was surprised, because even within Claw Mark, Yuan was a renowned close-combat maniac, with unparalleled close-quarters fighting skills. In all the years since Claw Mark was established, she had only made a handful of moves, but once she entered the realm of close combat, few could withstand her ferocious attacks.

As for Cornflower, a once-famous magical girl, Semi knew that her active period was no more than three years. In other words, this magical girl with only three years of front-line combat experience fought Tobi to a draw in close combat.

Of course, its ideas had no effect on the battle. The two at the center of the battle had already reached a fever pitch in just two minutes, with punches and kicks clashing and the flashing of swords creating a breathtaking spectacle.

However, only the Larkspur could feel the pressure of fighting against the kite.

In fact, even after regaining control of the scissor-shaped Magic Armament, she could only manage to hold her own in close combat; finding an opportunity to attack was virtually impossible.

The more troublesome thing is not limited to the changes in moves during close combat, but also the layer of white mist surrounding the kite.

Larkspur couldn't tell what it was, but the mist kept circulating with Kite's every breath. Within this mist, the power of all magical attacks was compressed to the extreme, and her magic could hardly escape her side.

"This mist... is neither your magic nor your Magic Armament."

After several attempts to assess the situation, the Larkspur parried the kite's slash during a lull in the attack, stating confidently, "It shouldn't have anything to do with the power of the Aberrant Beast; it must be something else entirely."

"Magic? Of course not, this is my 'qi'."

Seemingly enjoying the battle, Yui made no attempt to hide anything. "Although I am a magical girl, I am also a martial artist. This power comes from an ancient tradition in the Eastern Hua Prefecture, and it is naturally not the same as magic."

"Anger?" Larkspur Que frowned. "I wasn't talking to you about martial arts novels."

"Novel creation often stems from reality, and the mention of 'qi' in the book is certainly not without reason."

Yuan's eyes widened slightly, the yin-yang symbol within them slowly rotating. "Of course, it's normal for people nowadays not to know. Things that can't adapt to the times will be eliminated by the times and eventually become dust in history. Martial arts are just a corner of that dust, no different from anything else, nothing worth remembering."

"Unable to adapt to the times?" Dodging a jab, Larkspur tilted her head back slightly as she parried the attack. "Why?"

"Because so-called martial arts and so-called Daoist practices, as supernatural arts for self-defense, are completely incomparable to magical Spell Formula."

Yuan was in high spirits, and her voice was quite loud. "Cultivation is slow, costly, and requires talent that is one in ten thousand. In the end, one can only fight against mortals. When faced with real crises and disasters, the Aberrant Beast are powerless to fight back."

"No matter how gifted, quick-witted, or ambitious one may be, the explorations of generations of martial artists on this path have failed to extend it further. On the contrary, the more one cultivates martial arts, the more one discovers that it is a dead end."

"Martial arts rely on youthful bodies, requiring vigorous blood and vitality. However, as martial artists age, their blood and energy weaken, and no matter how passionate they are, they cannot maintain their physical condition. They can only watch themselves decline and eventually be unable to climb any higher."

"That's why I chose to join the Kingdom, hoping to gain more time by remaining in my magical girl form, and to see if I could go further as a magical girl."

In the midst of the fierce battle, she deflected the Masterpiece before her with a single strike, and Yuan grinned. "And what you see is the result of my cultivation over these long years."

"Then why did you join Claw Mark?"

Retracting the silk thread into her hand, the Larkspur slightly adjusted her posture, then, seemingly tireless, launched another attack. "Betraying your Kingdom, colluding with Aberrant Beast —is this the path you desire?"

"Betrayal? Collusion?"

Yuan blinked, then suddenly chuckled, "Excuse me, is that how you see it? I've never thought about these things before."

"The leader found me and told me that joining Claw Mark would reveal new power and possibilities. Then she defeated me, so I followed her."

"For me, the form and shape of power are all external things. The only pursuit is to keep moving forward on the path of becoming stronger. Good and evil, beauty and ugliness, merit and sin are all irrelevant to me, and I don't care about these things."

After a fierce battle, the two separated briefly. Yuan paused slightly, a rather cheerful smile on her face, "The opinions of the world don't matter. I'm getting stronger, and that's enough."

Upon hearing this, Larkspur realized that trying to persuade the other party through conversation was not going to work.

Although the time spent with the other party was very short, Larkspur had a vague feeling that Kitten, as a "villain" from Claw Mark, was not on the same side as the heinous villains in Black Ash Dawn.

In addition, the opponent was very strong, and it would be difficult to drive him away by fighting alone. This made her consider persuading him with words so that he would give up on his own.

Unfortunately, as soon as she heard these words, she realized that although Yuan was not a simple villain, she was not a simple person either. She didn't care about the concept of good and evil. The reason she hadn't become a villain was simply because she felt it was meaningless, just as she herself couldn't be considered a good person.

If such a person is an ally, then there's still a possibility of communication; but if they are an enemy, then there's nothing more to say. To resolve the current crisis, the only option is to defeat them by force.

However, after their exchange, Larkspur realized that this was not an easy task.

Her opponent's close-combat skills were no weaker than her own, and even slightly superior. If no one intervened from the outside, the battle could probably continue. However, the Larkspur in the midst of the battle knew that she didn't have that much time.

Hong Siyu's resurrected Magic Armament can only last for five minutes, meaning that after five minutes, both the integrity of the Magic Armament and its magical power will be greatly reduced, making it impossible for her to continue fighting like this.

Therefore, if I want to resolve this battle, I must do it as quickly as possible and finish it quickly.

Thinking of this, she focused her mind slightly and began to greatly utilize the magic of the scissors in her right hand, unhesitatingly using the scissors form of Weave Destiny.

In the midst of the intense clash, the small Tailor’s Scissors gleamed in her hand. Then, without hesitation, the Larkspur aimed the scissors at the white mist surrounding the kite, the blades slightly opening before snapping shut.

Click.

With a crisp sound, a large chunk of the white mist surrounding the two suddenly dissipated.

Almost simultaneously, not far away, Hong Siyu a third of the wall of books behind her disappeared with a swing of the scissors.

"Ugh... cough cough cough!"

She took a few steps back, leaning against the wall of the now-ruined reception room, clutching her forehead. It took her a while to recover before she gave a wry smile, "This level of magic consumption... So you've been fighting in this kind of Magic Armament all along? It's really... too exaggerated."

Her intense reaction greatly impacted the battle's center, nearly halting Yuan's offensive and even disrupting her breathing. She coughed a few times as if choking, slightly increasing the distance between herself and Larkspur. After taking a few deep breaths, she raised an eyebrow in confusion. "My qi... has been weakened?"

Not far away, the Larkspur holding the scissors was also slightly out of breath.

This was the first time she had used the recreated scissors to utilize their power, and now it seemed that although it was usable, it was taking a huge toll on Hong Siyu.

The effect of that snip just now was the very power of the scissors—separation.

While the scissors form of the Weaver of Weave Destiny usually needs to be used in conjunction with Wonderland to carry out large-scale concept removal, this does not mean that the scissors themselves have no function.

In fact, even without the aid of the Wonderland, these scissors possess immense power. In the current situation, the Larkspur merely moved the blade slightly, separating the "qi" used by the kite from it.

Although it was somewhat despicable, that was why she had asked the other party what the white mist was. Once the kite explained the nature and principles of "qi" and the Larkspur gained some understanding of it, she could activate this ability to "separate" it from the other party.

Of course, this separation is not permanent.

The moment of separation requires a large amount of magic power, and maintaining this separation also requires her to continuously input magic power into the scissors—this part has now become Hong Siyu's pressure.

That's why, on the night of the Full Moon Festival, in order to permanently eliminate the large-scale concept of "Aberrant Beast," Larkspur had no choice but to destroy her scissors. If she hadn't done that, she simply wouldn't have had the magic to achieve that effect.

Now, in order to end the battle as quickly as possible, she has no choice but to use this ability.

After resting for two days, I feel somewhat recovered, so I managed to squeeze out an update today.

Sorry to keep you all waiting, meow.