King's Key

Although most magical girls don't like to talk about this, it is an objective fact that magical girls' Magic Armament actually has different ratings.

In fact, this is one of the assessment items for the certification of magical girls in the Magic Kingdom.

This rating system is quite complex, taking into account various factors such as the magical girl's Magic Armament's ability specifications, scope of effect, application areas, development potential, and stability, ultimately giving the magical girl's Magic Armament a comprehensive rating.

Of course, this rating can be changed, because Magic Armament evolves along with the magical girl herself. Some Magic Armament that doesn't perform well at first may become quite powerful Magic Armament due to the efforts of its master. Among magical girls, anything is possible.

Even so, as research on Magic Armament continued to develop in the Magic Kingdom, a hypothesis was proposed as a general explanation: the potential of a magical girl's Magic Armament is often related to its "complexity."

In other words, the more "complex" the Magic Armament, the more likely it is to become powerful.

Although most Magic Armament present the appearance of a "single object," such as Bai Jingxuan's Magic Armament being a music box and White Thistle's Magic Armament being a fountain pen, there will always be some special cases among the massive number of samples.

Based on a single object, some magical girl Magic Armament are initially presented in "pairs," such as a pair of gauntlets, a pair of boots, and a pair of daggers.

These "paired" Magic Armament are more "complex" than single-object Magic Armament; in other words, these Magic Armament have relatively higher initial potential.

Since there are "pairs" of Magic Armament, there will naturally be "groups" of Magic Armament. For example, there was a magical girl from the Eastern Isles Region who possessed Magic Armament with "a bag of shuriken". Later, other magical girls also awakened Magic Armament costumes with a row of test tubes and a pile of white paper.

Beyond group sets, there are even more special Magic Armament, which take the form of a "set," meaning multiple Magic Armament of different forms combined together. For example, some magical girl Magic Armament are in the form of a "painting toolbox" or a "makeup bag." Such Magic Armament are considered to have extremely high potential because many famous magical girls in history have had similar forms of Magic Armament. Even if we go back to the last Queen Year, there is an example like "Cornflower," which further proves the value of set Magic Armament.

Going a step further, are there any Magic Armament that theoretically have even greater potential than "set items"?

Semi hadn't thought about this question, because it had never seen such Magic Armament before.

It had seen many exaggerated Magic Armament abilities in the hands of many magical girls, and it had also witnessed what Cornflower did in the Garden Guardian Battle. It was quite knowledgeable, so it felt that it should no longer be surprised by the Magic Armament of magical girls.

But in fact, it is still very shocking.

Because it was the first time I'd ever seen Magic Armament that could "transform."

Leaving aside the fact that the Magic Armament initially displayed the rebellious shape of a "scepter"—if it weren't for the fact that the opponent's magic power was still only at the Bud Rank to Leaf Rank level, it would have thought that some other Gem Scepter had possessed it—this rebellious Magic Armament could actually transform? If it were just changing the external form of the Magic Armament like the kite, that would be one thing, but when the Magic Armament in the opponent's hand transformed into a spear, it clearly felt that even the nature of the opponent's magic power had changed!

In other words, if the Magic Armament in the opponent's hand changes shape, it's roughly equivalent to her transforming again!

What's the intention? Is it trying to Flourishing Bloom from the Bud Rank?

The unusual phenomena made Semi almost forget that he was still fighting, and he thought he was watching a presentation of the latest research results from the Kingdom Research Institute —if it weren't for the fact that his opponent was tripped by the weapon in his hand.

It was only then that Semi finally realized that although it looked very flashy, the essence of the matter was simply that the other party had completed the Blossoming of their ability, upgraded from the seed level to the Bud Rank, and awakened their Magic Armament.

Even if the design of that Magic Armament was extremely outrageous, and even Claw Mark wouldn't dare use such a Magic Armament; even if the form of this Magic Armament was also extremely outrageous, as it had never seen a Magic Armament that could transform even though it had a fixed form; even if the abilities this Magic Armament displayed were also outrageous, directly altering the nature of its own magical power, which was equivalent to transforming again... but no matter what, it was still just a Magic Armament.

The opponent was still just a Bud Rank weakling, while he himself had already reached the Half-Molt level of a "Aberrant Beast." In terms of evolutionary level of ability alone, his advantage was overwhelming.

That's right, the advantage lies with me.

Having convinced himself of this, Semi immediately regained his composure.

The mere Bud Rank only adds a Magic Armament; I still have many hidden tricks up my sleeve. Simply exchanging for trump cards is not enough; I have plenty of cards to play.

Thinking this, it raised its paw, looked down at Lin Xiaolu who was lying on the ground, paused slightly, and then swung its paw down hard.

Clang.

Fortunately, Lin Xiaolu was on the ground, was not so badly injured that she forgot she was fighting. She got up in time and used her spear to parry Semi's attack.

This hasty parry resulted in her being thrown into the air by Semi's immense strength once again, rolling on the ground for a while before finally getting back to her feet.

"Pah, pah."

She spat out the mud from her mouth with a look of disgust, wiped the dirt off her face, and struggled to hold the spear in her hand to maintain her balance, but her eyes were still fixed intently on Semi in front of her.

Clearly, her earlier embarrassment did not make her feel any sense of frustration.

Rather, it was precisely because she tripped and fell that she came to her senses from her impulsive emotions and was able to re-examine the abilities of her Magic Armament.

King's Key – Guard Form. Since there is a "form" suffix after her name, it is enough to show that this "form" is not singular, and that is indeed the case. At least she already has two forms.

One is the basic form that appeared as a white scepter when it first awakened, and the other is the Guard Form that it uses now, which appears as a spear.

What surprised her most was that her Magic Armament abilities seemed to change along with her form.

The basic form of the King's Key, which is the white scepter, has a very simple ability: when Lin Xiaolu releases her Magic Armament, she can restore all the magic power she has previously consumed. In other words, it is a simple and straightforward ability to fully restore her status.

Of course, it only works the first time it's extracted; it can't be triggered repeatedly by retrieving the Magic Armament and extracting it again.

Although it may sound a bit monotonous, for most magical girls, this is an absolutely powerful ability, because magic is everything to a magical girl. Having such an ability, while not simply doubling magical power, can definitely be considered a significant increase in sustained combat capability.

Aside from that, her basic form has no other abilities. Fortunately, King's Key is not limited to the scepter form; when she switches to the spear-wielding Guard Form, her Magic Armament abilities also change.

As for what abilities belong to the Guard Form, Lin Xiaolu simply held the spear in her hand, briefly browsed the information in her mind, and then showed a somewhat surprised expression.

Before long, this bewilderment turned into surprise, excitement, and even eagerness to try.

Her gaze toward Semi also shifted from hostility and anger to that of someone looking at a target; while the hostility was greatly reduced, the destructive urge was greatly amplified.

This gaze made Semi feel quite uncomfortable, as if he were a punching bag being scrutinized by a boxer, or a fish being examined by a chef on a chopping board—what right did a Bud Rank have to look at him like that?

Even if the opponent's awakened Magic Armament seems a bit more powerful, and their magical power seems a bit greater, can these factors really compensate for the differences caused by the Rule?

Thinking this, it boosted its confidence once again, all its worries disappeared, and it felt that the odds of victory were still on its side.

Then, it saw Lin Xiaolu in front of it, as if she was trying hard to remember something, holding the spear in her arms as if she were holding a piece of firewood, opening her palms and trying to twitch her fingers.

As she kept winking and making faces, something gradually emerged between her twitching fingers, from nothing to something, from shallow to deep, from short to long, slowly appearing before Semi's eyes along with the rhythm of her fingers.

Those were threads made of magic.

Composed of light blue magic, shimmering with a faint glow, yet these magical threads are so captivating that it's impossible to look away.

As Lin Xiaolu moved, the threads grew longer and more tangled, eventually forming a Spiderweb that, to Semi's utter astonishment, trapped Lin Xiaolu herself inside.

"Ah?"

"Ah?"

The human and the Fairy both uttered sounds of astonishment in perfect unison.

The Blue Moon shone silently in the sky, the grass and trees on the ground swayed gently, and the light blue magic netting was exquisite. However, all these scenes were silent, leaving the scene with tranquility, which became the only main theme.

Then, Semi was the first to react, and asked with a hint of doubt, "Is your Magic Armament ability just for making people laugh?"

"Mind your own business! This is enough!" Lin Xiaolu finally lost her temper and scattered the threads around her. No longer considering using those fancy abilities, she picked up her spear and charged forward once again.

This time, having learned from her previous mistake, she dared not walk on the ground again, but instead flew up, deliberately flying several meters high, to prevent a repeat of the previous error.

Clang!

As the spear and Semi's claws clashed, the two engaged in battle once more.

Compared to her previous fighting style before awakening her Magic Armament, where she could only use her wand to defend herself and retreat under the cover of magic bullets, Lin Xiaolu became significantly more aggressive after acquiring her Magic Armament.

Firstly, her Magic Armament was significantly stronger than her wand, allowing her to hold her own even in direct combat with the Aberrant Beast's body, and even gain a slight advantage. Secondly, her magical power had been fully restored, and compared to Semi after opening the Nest and using the Rule, her remaining magical power was much better.

Besides, there's also the issue of Semi's side: its ability to defend against Lin Xiaolu's Magic Armament.

Because Lin Xiaolu had never revealed the nature of her Magic Armament abilities, it dared not retaliate with full force. Instead, it fought and retreated, always leaving itself room to maneuver, waiting for Lin Xiaolu to demonstrate her abilities in the battle.

Those strange magical threads immediately reminded it of Cornflower, and both Cornflower's previous achievements in the Garden Defense War and its battle with the kite made it wary of the abilities of this kind of thread-like Magic Armament.

If the opponent's abilities are mediocre, it can naturally launch a full-scale counterattack at any time; but if the opponent's abilities are unorthodox, it can retreat immediately to prevent itself from suffering losses due to information asymmetry.

Keep in mind that there's more than one person locked up in its Nest right now. Even if you defeat this weakling at the Bud Rank, there are still at least two Leaf Rank enemies waiting for you to deal with. If you suffer serious injuries here, it could be detrimental to the battle ahead.

Thus, considering the different considerations of both sides, the battle situation presented a rather bizarre scenario: a Bud Rank magical girl who had just awakened her Magic Armament was suppressing a Half-Molt- transformed Aberrant Beast that had mastered a portion of the Rule.

Lin Xiaolu is advancing triumphantly, while Semi is fighting a retreating battle.

Of course, both sides know that this situation cannot continue indefinitely.

Lin Xiaolu didn't consider herself a fool. Although she had already seen through the abilities of her Magic Armament and had even tried using a portion of it just now, she hadn't yet revealed her true strength. At this moment, she was constantly suppressing her opponent, trying to force Semi to reveal a weakness so that she could finish him off in one fell swoop.

Semi is doing the same thing; it is also waiting for Lin Xiaolu to reveal her abilities. As long as the other party reveals even a part of her abilities, it can immediately formulate a corresponding strategy, instead of engaging in meaningless fighting like this.

And the opportunity that both sides had been waiting for soon arrived.

Perhaps due to insufficient experience in combat, or perhaps simply due to a lack of skill in using a spear, in any case, despite her best efforts to avoid mistakes, Lin Xiaolu still revealed a significant weakness in her reckless attacks.

With her thrust missing its mark, she unknowingly left her abdomen unprotected.

Semi had no reason to let this opportunity slip by.

Such a huge flaw, if it can be seized, will force the opponent to use more means to make up for it. Even if they can defend, they will have to show more, such as the ability of Magic Armament.

So it decisively twisted its body, its two tails swaying behind it, and with a whooshing sound, it lashed out at Lin Xiaolu's abdomen like a whip.

Despite the critical moment, Lin Xiaolu remained calm.

She hadn't anticipated this mistake, but in fact, she had long expected it.

Mistakes are not surprising, especially when using a weapon you've never used before. What's important is how you make up for those mistakes.

Lin Xiaolu had actually already thought this through.

Suddenly, a shimmering magical thread appeared behind her, pulling her forward at the critical moment and dragging her backward like a puppet on a string.

Yes, this is exactly the move that Larkspur used when he fought Kites not long ago.

This was also one of the first uses that Lin Xiaolu considered after discovering that her Magic Armament could use silk threads.

She had fantasized countless times about what her Magic Armament should look like. If she had just become a magical girl, she would have chosen to use the abilities of characters in anime as a template to imagine her own abilities.

As she gained a deeper understanding of her identity as a magical girl, the Magic Armament and abilities she desired changed repeatedly. For a time, she even dreamed about what her Magic Armament should look like.

However, there was never a moment when she felt the same heartfelt excitement as when she discovered that her Magic Armament actually contained the form of "threads".

There's no doubt she loves silk thread.

Regardless of her previous feelings about this "weapon," after meeting Larkspur and witnessing his countless battles, she now considers silk Larkspur to be the best weapon in the world.

Even silk threads are now her most familiar weapon.

Even though she had never used it before, and even though she had never thought of fighting in this way, the moment she extracted the threads from the Magic Armament, the answer to "how to fight with this weapon" was already in her heart.

The Larkspur taught me.

This reason speaks louder than a thousand words.

Of course, she is not yet qualified to control the silk thread as well as Larkspur, but she is more than capable of controlling just one thread to pull herself away from danger.

This is the source of her confidence to keep attacking, even knowing that she might reveal a weakness.

Moreover, when she used the silk thread to extricate herself from danger, and when she lured Semi to attack her weakness, the balance of power shifted twice.

Now, it is Semi who has revealed his weakness.

The more resolute and ruthless the attack, the more it eliminates the possibility of evasion.

And this is the opportunity that Lin Xiaolu has been looking for.

Almost as she was being pulled backward by the silk threads, she reversed the long spear in her hand, turning it into a throwing spear, and raised it high as if throwing a javelin before hurling it out.

Such a throw naturally offered no leverage and theoretically posed no threat, which was indeed the case. The spear she threw was weak and powerless, and it wasn't even thrown in a straight line. The spear body drew an arc diagonally in mid-air, as if it were a silent mockery.

But before Semi could even ponder the other's intentions, the spear that had been thrown into the air suddenly turned its head and aimed directly at it.

Swoosh.

As if drawn by a magnet, or as if possessing its own soul, the spear suddenly accelerated in mid-air, as if propelled by something, and shot abruptly toward Semi.

There was no time to react further. Still in the middle of his attack, Semi couldn't even stop in time. He could only make the best of a bad situation and use the momentum of the attack to continue to flip over, trying to use his tail to meet the spear and neutralize the attack head-on.

Its judgment was undoubtedly correct; if the spear continued to shoot along this trajectory, it would surely be able to block the attack.

However, its judgment was also wrong, because this time, it finally had no time to consider its ability to guard against Lin Xiaolu.

In the blink of an eye, just as Semi changed its posture, the spear Lin Xiaolu threw changed its trajectory once again. This time, the spear seemed to be Tether by something, drawing an arc in the air, as if it had eyes, avoiding Semi's tail, accelerating once more, and shooting straight towards its eyes.

Why?

This question was all that remained in Semi's mind.

As this question arose, it began to re-examine its situation, and then noticed that a tiny magic thread had somehow appeared above its eye.

It was this magical thread that Tether the long spear not far away.

This is actually Lin Xiaolu's Magic Armament, the ability of the King's Key—Guardian Form — Guidance and Piercing.

Wherever the silk thread connects, the spear can reach; wherever the silk thread is anchored, the spear can pierce.

Although this ability actually needs to be prefixed with "sufficient magic power," it's clear that bypassing the two tails and piercing the opponent's already vulnerable eyes wouldn't deplete Lin Xiaolu's magic power.

This is why Lin Xiaolu has been hiding her abilities until now, waiting for a decisive blow.

Only by using it in such a situation can you force the opponent into a corner.

Stab it, stab it.

Pulled by the silk Tether, it continued to fly backward. Lin Xiaolu opened her eyes wide, watching Semi gradually disappear into the distance, and kept calling out to him in her heart.

Because this is her most crucial card, it must have an effect once played.

As she prayed fervently, Semi, who had nowhere to hide, finally meowed in annoyance, as if giving up on something, and abruptly closed her one eye.

Then, the enormous, Aberrant Beast flickered twice in mid-air before disappearing from Lin Xiaolu's sight.