White-Hot

As Semi unfolded her Nest, Lin Xiaolu suddenly realized that she was all alone around her.

The reason they were able to discover this so quickly was that Wood Lily had been saying some nonsensical things, but her voice disappeared as the Blue Moon rose.

Before I knew it, my companions who had been standing with me just seconds before had all vanished without a trace, leaving only the lonely rustling of the trees.

This quickly alerted Lin Xiaolu, who was still stunned by the fact that "the Fairy had turned into Aberrant Beast." She stopped thinking about those irrelevant things and began to carefully observe her surroundings.

She didn't have much experience fighting against Aberrant Beast of Egg Rank or higher, and she hadn't actually seen many so-called "Nest." If the other party hadn't actually used the word "Nest," she probably wouldn't even realize what she had encountered.

As for the disappearance of her companions, she also made some connections, and the first thing that came to her mind was the Rule.

She didn't believe that the other party had killed her companion. After all, if the other party had such strength, it wouldn't have been that woman who had blocked Larkspur and the others on the road, but this Aberrant Beast in front of her.

But if the current situation is indeed related to the Rule, it's far from reassuring—it means I'm facing an Aberrant Beast equivalent to a "molted" level. The last time I encountered an enemy of this level or higher was that guy named Moss.

Could I have survived Moss's clutches back then?

Lin Xiaolu didn't want to think about this problem, and she didn't have time to think about it.

Because although their comrades have disappeared, the enemy remains.

Semi, now Aberrant Beast, sat on a sand dune, his enormous single eye staring at her.

The night, the forest, and facing the enemy alone—this was an unforgettable scene for Lin Xiaolu. She still remembered the night she met Larkspur, and the feeling between then and now was surprisingly similar.

That night, if it weren't for the Larkspur's help, he probably would have died under the claws of that Looper Tier Aberrant Beast.

Even now, recalling that feeling of facing death still sends chills down Lin Xiaolu's spine. If it weren't for the fact that a magical girl's body doesn't require a heart to supply blood, her heart rate would probably be out of control by now.

"Your scent is very similar to that of Cornflower."

Semi hadn't completely lost his mind despite becoming Aberrant Beast. Although his enormous single eye was brimming with ferocity, he still retained some sense. "What's your relationship with her?"

"... It's nothing."

Lin Xiaolu was used to these enemies always referring to Larkspur as "Cornflower," but that didn't mean she would reveal anything about Larkspur to them. "Just a teammate, nothing more."

"Teammates... heh, what a convenient and easy word."

Semi laughed for no apparent reason, but seemed unwilling to delve deeper into the matter. It simply arched its back slowly, raised its head, and said, "If you don't want to answer, then die with this answer in your heart."

"Brush"!

As it moved, jet-black magic instantly gathered around its entire body, and its enormous form charged towards Lin Xiaolu like an arrow released from a bow.

Lin Xiaolu was prepared for this. Although the opponent's movements were faster than she expected, it did not prevent her from leaping out along the flight path she had planned in advance, dodging Semi's attack, and leaning against a relatively thick tree.

However, when she turned her head to check on Semi's next move, the sight she saw made her pupils shrink.

Where Semi had just attacked, all the trees along the way had been cut in half, leaving only half-stumps standing on the ground. The stumps were completely broken into countless pieces of wood, scattered everywhere.

She reached out and caught a piece of wood shavings falling from the sky. The shavings had smooth edges, as if they had been cut by a machine. Moreover, the edges were slightly whitish, making them look as if they had been withered for a long time.

This piece of wood shavings was merely a byproduct of the other party's journey. The fact that the whole process didn't produce much noise is enough to prove that these trees weren't smashed by force, but rather directly cut by some unseen force.

In the severed forest, Semi propped himself up on his forelegs, turned his head, and made no move to search for his target, as if he had already locked onto Lin Xiaolu's location.

A strong sense of alarm rose in Lin Xiaolu's heart.

Without any hesitation, she used the technique of Turbidification, quickly transforming her magic into white flames. Then, following her instincts, she materialized the white flames, turning them into throwing weapons and hurling them forward.

Then, just as she began to act, Semi jumped up from not far away.

After Lin Xiaolu threw out the spear formed from the flames, she subconsciously began to move to the side. However, in her line of sight, Semi was already in a pouncing motion, seemed to defy the laws of physics. Without any effort to gain leverage, he suddenly turned towards Lin Xiaolu again.

This time, Lin Xiaolu had no room to dodge. She was very aware of this, so she didn't hesitate any longer. With a determined heart and gritted teeth, she mobilized all her magic power and went to meet Semi's attack head-on.

Boom!

Then, all that remained was the booming sound of the magic impact.

As midnight approached, the Blue Moon rising over the mountain peak was very conspicuous, clearly visible even from several miles away, and naturally, it did not escape the gaze of the people on the mountainside.

Although they didn't know what this Blue Moon was, it didn't stop Larkspur and the others from realizing that the battle on the other side was escalating.

"That moon, is it related to your companion?" During the fierce fight, Asō Madoka asked, seemingly trying to make conversation.

The Wonderland, originally resembling a bar, had been destroyed in the chaos of battle, but it still existed, signifying that Asō Madoka's Rule still applied. Unexpectedly, a few rays of moonlight shone through the skylight on the roof, adding a touch of poetry to the scene.

"You're asking about the moon? Yes, are you interested in learning more?"

Standing atop the shattered wreckage of tables and chairs, Yuan responded with a grin, while simultaneously slashing with her knife without mercy. "However, this story is a bit long; I'm worried you won't have a chance to hear it all."

"No need for you to trouble yourself."

Under Hong Siyu's cover, she dodged the opponent's attack, knocking over one of the few intact tables beside her. Asō Madoka swirled the wine glass in her hand, her eyes slightly narrowed. "I just think the moon does look nicer in the sky right now. I have no interest in listening to an old man's rambling stories."

"Wow, you're really good with words."

Yuan, though seemingly understanding the implication, nodded knowingly. "Indeed, a beautiful night with a lovely view should be focused on the battle, not on telling old stories that no one wants to hear. The fact that a bright moon has finally appeared in this dark sky is surely a symbol of the battle nearing its end."

"Entering the final stage? Indeed."

Asō Madoka echoed in agreement, "After all, there's only half a glass of wine left in your glass."

Throughout their conversation, neither of them put down their wine glasses. Compared to not long ago, the wine in their glasses had become somewhat diluted. However, Tobi's rate of consumption was clearly much faster than Asō Madoka's.

Moreover, if the layers of wine in her glass were previously so numerous that they were impossible to count, now the layers have become more distinct and visible, and there are at most only a few dozen layers.

This consumption of layers coincides with the previous suggestion by the Larkspur —hitting a kite will consume the layers of wine in its cup.

Since separating from Lin Xiaolu and the others, the group has been locked in a fierce battle. Although Larkspur and the others have sustained injuries during the process, they have certainly retaliated and inflicted great damage on Yuan.

With the Larkspur's silken threads controlling the overall battlefield, Hong Siyu's Spell Formula providing carpet-like firepower, Asō Madoka interfering with and weakening the torii's condition, the three coordinated with the precision and synergy of countless rehearsals. Their combined combat power far exceeded mere addition; it created a qualitative leap.

This is something that Yuan, who stands on the opposite side, feels very deeply.

She had fought against many Magical Girl Squad before, including some renowned ones. Those magical girls did indeed have very close teamwork, and some had even developed advanced Spell Formula that required the combined efforts of several people to use. However, none of those teams gave her the feeling she was experiencing now.

The teamwork between the three members of the Fangting City Squad has transcended simple combinations of moves; it has become a coupling of tactics and teamwork awareness.

If you try to attack Asō Madoka, you'll be blocked by Hong Siyu's Spell Formula firepower, and you might also be led by the nose by Larkspur's silken schemes; if you try to eliminate Hong Siyu, you'll be harassed by Asō Madoka's close-range interference, as well as by the layers of traps Larkspur has set up in the gaps; if you try to eliminate Larkspur, you'll be harassed by the other two in the same way.

Their offensive tactics were coordinated and varied, and they were also able to support and look after each other defensively, making one wonder if these three people shared the same brain.

Even she had to admit that the opposing team truly lived up to its reputation as a legendary squad. If it weren't for the fact that there were only three of them, and that Cornflower was in poor condition, she probably would have already lost.

Even now, I am actually on the verge of defeat.

The Larkspur's guess was correct. The kite's ability to Beastheart Liberation and Hundred Forces Become Weapons is actually "to directly stack its own momentum to the maximum, and directly activate the 'great momentum' that will allow it to win."

As one of the core abilities of martial arts, "momentum" naturally has many wonderful uses. The so-called "borrowing momentum to suppress others" and "taking advantage of momentum" mean that as long as you have enough momentum, you can naturally gain more advantages in a duel.

When this ability is combined with her Flourishing Bloom as a magical girl, it becomes an even more magical, almost tangible ability. It not only greatly enhances her own magic power, speed, and strength, but can also directly affect the opponent's performance, hindering the flow of the enemy's magic power and affecting the precision of the enemy's movements.

The original Flourishing Bloom still needed to accumulate its own advantages step by step, and could only enter this state after its advantages reached a certain level. However, the Beastheart Liberation completely abandoned the accumulation process, directly turning the "general trend" into cause and effect, maximizing its combat power at the same time as the transformation.

This change can be described as transforming a righteous martial art into an unorthodox one, but in fact, it has greatly improved in terms of practicality.

However, this kind of overexertion is not without its flaws.

As the price for being able to display her strongest form from the start, every time she takes damage in this form, she loses a portion of her "momentum." Once she reaches a certain critical point, she will completely lose her "great momentum" and fall out of the state of Beastheart Liberation.

This process is even irreversible; she will not regain "momentum" by causing more losses to the enemy. Once lost, it can never be regained.

Yuan had no complaints about this.

In her view, martial arts is something like this; only what is acquired step by step through accumulation can truly be grounded and belong to oneself. For example, her original Flourishing Bloom was accumulated through every tiny victory in battle, resulting in her strongest posture that would never fail.

Beastheart Liberation, as a form that directly overdraws the future and achieves the strongest form from the start, if one cannot use an invincible form to sweep away enemies and instead suffers repeated defeats in battle, then it is only right that one is destined to lose.

In fact, with her strength after Beastheart Liberation, it would be incredibly difficult for an ordinary opponent to even touch her, let alone cause her any harm. Even if they could manage to hurt her a couple of times, they would feel despair because the kite appeared unaffected on the surface, and would not be able to hold out until the side effects manifested.

In most cases, the current Beastheart Liberation is definitely more useful than the original Yuan's Flourishing Bloom.

But this time, she finally encountered an opponent capable of breaking through her Beastheart Liberation.

They were able to withstand the disparity in strength, even at the cost of their own lives; they were able to see through their own limitations and know that their efforts were not in vain; they were able to maintain the closest cooperation, ensuring that no one in their ranks was ever lost.

And this finally gave them hope of turning the tide against Tobi's seemingly invincible form.

Yuan felt nervous and pressured by this, but she didn't feel annoyed at all.

Rather, she felt an unparalleled excitement because she had given it her all and held nothing back, yet was still being pushed into a corner by the other party.

"Hahaha, half a glass of wine, indeed, I only have half a glass of wine left."

Instead of being angered by Asō Madoka's provocation, she burst into laughter. "But what you see as 'only half a glass of wine left' is what I see as 'half a glass of wine left'! Doesn't this mean that this enjoyable and exhilarating battle is far from over?"

"Come on, continue to show me your strength, let me see all your moves, all your methods, and all your determination!"

She stretched out her arms, standing in mid-air beneath the Blue Moon, her expression joyful. "I am far from satisfied!"