Banner Emblem

Now, Tudingui has a fairly complete guess about the Examination Institute's intention in setting up this assessment.

The purpose of an exam is to test certain abilities and knowledge of the test takers. And in the current practical assessment, it must be to check some kind of "practical skill" of the magical girls.

The scene that this labyrinth is currently simulating is now self-evident—it is the Nest of Aberrant Beast.

Because the Nest of the Aberrant Beast distorts the surrounding space to a certain extent, magical girls must have strong enough perception to find their way within it. That's why this test is conducted in the form of a maze, in order to simulate the state of being inside the Nest as closely as possible.

Because the Nest of Aberrant Beast at the Half-Molt level and above is governed by Rule, magical girls must possess sufficiently clear thinking and a calm mind to analyze and decipher these Rule. That's why the labyrinth is filled with so many puzzles, designed to select individuals who can continuously ponder deeper questions during exploration.

Furthermore, since every Nest inevitably contains the Aberrant Beast, similar "enemies" are also set up within the labyrinth. After all, a magical girl needs more than just sensory and cognitive abilities; basic combat skills and adaptability to different environments are also essential.

Following this logic, if she wasn't mistaken, the "exit" that no one has found so far should also reveal its true form after she defeats the Aberrant Beast in front of her.

There was no other reason than that, according to the procedure of "attacking the Nest the Aberrant Beast," once a magical girl figured out the route, cracked the Rule, and defeated the Nest's master... the next thing to think about was how to leave.

Therefore, there was only one thing she had to do.

"If we defeat this guy, we should have the answer."

She held out her right hand, and the wand in her hand instantly turned into dust and reformed, transforming into a completely new form in her palm—a flag.

With a white background, a blue stripe runs horizontally through the middle, and flower-shaped emblems are drawn on the stripe. However, upon closer inspection, it can be found that these emblems are actually all composed of Fawo Runes.

Without any further explanation, everyone present recognized at that moment: this was her Magic Armament.

"Guide the way forward, Banner Emblem."

She whispered something, then suddenly waved the flag, unfurling it completely. She slammed it heavily to the ground with a loud thud, and the emblem on the flag, imprinted with magical energy, was imprinted on every member of Team 277.

The first thing Larkspur felt was an inexplicable magical fluctuation clinging to her. Although she could easily dispel it, she chose to stand aside since her teammate was using her ability. The magical fluctuation eventually formed an emblem on the left chest of her clothing, which was basically the same as the emblem on Tudingui's Magic Armament, only a little rougher in the details.

What followed was an exhilarating feeling that made Larkspur feel his magic was being activated, and his body and mind were becoming incredibly invigorated.

"This is..." The Foxtail Grass beside her also sensed the changes in its own body and couldn't help but exclaim in surprise.

"It's my Magic Armament's ability; it can enhance my and my teammates' strength in multiple dimensions, including spirit, magic power, and body."

After the light waves on the flag dissipated, Tudingui turned to his two teammates. "I'll lead the charge later. You guys act according to the situation and be careful."

"Fight, lead the charge?"

Perhaps surprised that the usually mature and calm Tudingui had become so impulsive, Foxtail Grass hesitated slightly before saying, "There's no need to be so impulsive. I have quite a bit of practical experience myself. We should first slowly test the abilities of this Aberrant Beast, and at the same time, protect Senior Gentian Gallbladder..."

"It's okay."

However, Tudingui gently interrupted her, "Aberrant Beast of this severity doesn't need such trouble. I'll be right back."

Having said that, without even giving the Foxtail Grass a chance to say another word, he had already grabbed the flag in his hand and flown into the air.

Directly in front of her, the Aberrant Beast, having stretched out its body, had also entered hunting mode. The moment it saw Tudingui approaching, it displayed its countermeasure.

Its previously withered body, resembling a dead tree, rapidly transformed. The cracked wood grain closed up, transforming into continuous, Rule protrusions. The brownish-gray color that had covered its entire body gradually faded, replaced by a rock-like blackish-gray.

At first glance, it looks as if several huge dead trees have suddenly turned into slender stone pillars.

Considering its previous deliberate imitation of sounds and even the magical fluctuations of the Larkspur, its ability is undoubtedly "disguise".

Like animals in nature that use camouflage to blend into their environment, it also has the ability to "disguise itself as something else." However, compared to ordinary animals, this Aberrant Beast can do something even more advanced—it can disguise its physical strength and even the external fluctuations of its magic power as something else.

The fact that the Examination Institute chose such an Aberrant Beast as the enemy here undoubtedly indicates their intention to test the candidates. With its amazing camouflage ability, coupled with environmental distractions, it would be very difficult for ordinary candidates to detect its existence. Even if they guessed something, without the comprehensive strength of Team 277, it would be difficult to easily make the Aberrant Beast its disguise and reveal its true form.

Of course, being good at disguise doesn't mean this Aberrant Beast is weak. As an enemy in a "simulated Nest," this Aberrant Beast is at least a genuine pupa. In fact, the ability to alter its surrounding maze environment, turning bushes into this dirt passage, is undoubtedly proof that it possesses a large amount of magic power.

The Pupa Stage already requires a Leaf Rank leader and a dozen or so Bud Rank magical girls to safely defeat.

And now, Tudingui, who is still a newcomer in the strict sense, is facing this Aberrant Beast alone.

The magical girl and the Aberrant Beast drew ever closer, and then, as Tudingui and the Aberrant Beast passed each other, the clanging sound of metal clashing against metal instantly echoed throughout the cave.

Click.

The sound of some kind of stone cracking followed immediately.

One of the Aberrant Beast's legs had been broken off sometime during the night.

"Ah--"

The final sound was the piercing howl of the Aberrant Beast, like the shouts of countless people gathered together, even mixed with the voices of Tudingui himself and Larkspur.

"So noisy."

Tudingui turned around, slightly shaking the flagpole in his hand. Amidst the fluttering flag, the sharp spearhead at the top of the flagpole emitted a faint, cold light. Judging from the crack in the Aberrant Beast's leg, it was precisely this spearhead at the tip of the flagpole that had pierced its body.

Without giving the Aberrant Beast any chance to recover, Tudingui charged forward again with the flag in hand. With another "crack," almost exactly the same action, the Aberrant Beast's other leg immediately cracked as well.

This time, however, its leg did not break off immediately.

Under everyone's gaze, its body, which originally had a rocky texture, began to shimmer with a metallic luster. Moreover, the magical fluctuations left by Tudingui from its broken wounds were gradually being assimilated by it.

All three, including Foxtail Grass, could sense that it was trying to... integrate the magical fluctuations of Tudingui into its own Pupa Shell.

For an Aberrant Beast, this is an astonishing rate of adaptation.

Once it completes this transformation, Tudingui's magic will be greatly reduced when attacking its Pupa Shell, making the effort less effective. Combined with its body, which can continue to harden, this battle will definitely become an extremely long tug-of-war.

"Ah--"

The Aberrant Beast howled again, but this time, its cry carried a mocking tone, as if saying, "It's my turn." As it opened its mandibles, several terrifying magical energy fluctuations began to gather in its mouth, and then, in just an instant, the magical energy fluctuations transformed into cannon fire, shooting towards Tudingui.

Swoosh.

The intense shelling generated strong wind pressure, which billowed Tudingui's clothes, but she remained calm. While muttering incantations, she raised her free left hand and gently pointed forward.

Countless runes suddenly surged from her sleeves, flowing along a certain area before coalescing into a wall of magic in front of her.

Bastion Art.

This is a Spell Formula that enhances the functionality of Mana Barrier. As the name suggests, this Spell Formula can create an incredibly thick Mana Barrier, comparable to a city wall. Correspondingly, both the magic power consumption and the complexity of the required runes far exceed those of Mana Barrier. A normal Leaf Rank magical girl would need at least half a minute to prepare before she can use this Spell Formula.

Right now, Tudingui used this Spell Formula in just a few breaths.

Theoretically, this is not impossible, especially for Larkspur who is watching from the sidelines. She knows of various advanced spellcasting techniques that can help magical girls compress the preparation time for Spell Formula.

However, it's merely an advanced technique, and it's absolutely impossible to reduce a Spell Formula that originally required half a minute of preparation to just a few seconds. The fact that Tudingui could do this only proves one thing: she can now combine multiple techniques.

Admittedly, doing so would inevitably put immense pressure on her magical output. Judging from the dim runes at her side when she condensed the Bastion Art, she even used the technique of Rune Polyphony —a technique that can speed up casting but will significantly reduce her efficiency in using Spell Formula for a period of time afterward. However, judging from Tudingui's expression, she was no longer planning to consider anything "next."

Boom--

The intense magical barrage slammed into the barrier she had created, and the exploding magic instantly blasted a larger hole in the space behind it. The soft earthen walls simply couldn't withstand such a powerful attack; in just a moment, the hole formed by the earthen walls expanded by more than 30%.

Foxtail Grass looked anxious and was almost about to go find Tudingui with her wand, but was gently stopped by Larkspur.

"We probably don't need to go," said Larkspur.

"Huh?" Foxtail Grass was a little confused. But when she looked in the direction of the Tudingui again, she instantly understood what the Larkspur meant.

Behind the barrier, Tudingui stood there, his hair slightly disheveled.

"Clang"!

She gazed at the Aberrant Beast above and slammed the flag in her hand to the ground once more. This time, the insignia left on Larkspur and Foxtail Grass vanished, replaced by an even more magnificent insignia on Tudingui herself.

"Clang"!

She didn't stop, striking the flagpole on the ground once more, and the magical energy emanating from her increased even further.

But this is still not the end.

"Clang," "Clang," "Clang," "Clang."

The continuous knocking echoed densely in the hollow, and with each knock, the light emanating from Tudingui intensified. Finally, she was completely enveloped in light, and the flag in her hand had transformed into a ball of flame enveloping the flagpole, while the originally brass-colored buttons shimmered as if they were molten gold.

She raised the flagpole, pointing the spearhead at the Aberrant Beast. The blazing sunlight illuminated the entire cavern as if it were daytime, and the gray-haired girl stood in the light, just like the sun in the daytime.

"Disappear."

The sun, which is like a god, said this.

Then, the sun descended as a punishment.

This chapter is 3600 words, so it's late, meow.