Aegis

The sudden flash of light formed a long straight line in the air, finally attracting the attention of passersby.

Moreover, people who were confused and panicked after the attack on the office building finally noticed the commotion in the air and realized that what they had experienced was not an earthquake.

"What's going on? Thunder?"

"There's a piece missing from the edge of that building over there. Is it Aberrant Beast?"

"I didn't see Aberrant Beast. They must have been eliminated by now."

On the street below, passersby gathered together and started discussing the matter animatedly.

Although no one knows exactly what happened, when there is no visible threat, people's instinct for curiosity will lead them to stand by and watch rather than run away.

What they didn't know was that the threat still existed high in the sky at that very moment.

"Hey, hey, hey? Is there any more response? Is this all there is to it?"

After the black and yellow light faded, Sparrow lowered his hand, a somewhat bored expression on his face. "If I get taken down like this, I'll have to have a serious debate with your fans about whether you're all talk and no action."

Before this trip, she had actually been quite interested in this former Flower Card called "Cornflower".

According to the information she knew, although this former Flower Card was probably not in very good shape now, she should be able to have a good match with him.

As one of the few Lifetime Magical Girl in the Magic Kingdom, Cornflower's name was the most popular legend when she first became a magical girl.

Every magical girl who considers herself a genius must confront the name "Cornflower" before discussing the extent of her talent.

In just two years, she achieved the Blossom Rank achievement, made significant contributions in the defense of the "Garden," and simultaneously won the two great honors of Flower Card and Lifetime Magical Girl. Moreover, she was unprecedentedly summoned by a high-ranking figure in the Rose Palace at that time. In terms of reputation, Cornflower was unparalleled at the time.

With the combined influence of reputation, talent, strength, and image, many new-generation magical girls claimed to be fans of Cornflower during that period.

However, this legend did not last long. Just three years after its debut, Cornflower suddenly disappeared from the Kingdom and from the public eye.

Some say she sacrificed herself in battle against an extremely powerful Aberrant Beast; others say she retired and married a member of the royal family in the Rose Palace; still others claim that Cornflower is a false identity, and that someone else is behind it all...

However, a few days ago, the Sparrow heard another version of the story.

That theory suggests that Cornflower were actually involved in the "Garden" defense battle—

"Masterpiece, Part Four: Aegis of Protection"

A cold, indifferent voice interrupted the Sparrow's thoughts.

A hazy, clear light shone forth, attracting her gaze.

Where the Larkspur had previously floated, now appeared a huge circular shield woven from azure magic threads, resembling a hollow sculpture.

This is the Larkspur's "Masterpiece".

Weaving silk threads and solidifying them through entanglement creates unique weapons; this is an advanced application of the Larkspur Thread Magic Armament.

Because the Magic Armament is composed of not only magic power but also the power of the soul's will, the Masterpiece was still able to withstand the attack when faced with the Sparrow's power, which could corrupt the Magic Barrier.

Even though its surface is eroded and pitted, this Masterpiece faithfully fulfilled its mission and protected its owner.

The petite blue-haired girl stood unharmed behind the shield, her expression no longer cold but rather quite calm.

"This is the first time I've ever seen magic with such corrosive properties."

Loosening her taut fingers, the silken shield before her crumbled instantly. The Larkspur changed her gesture, pushing away the lines still lingering around her. "Is this your special reliance? Or do your so-called Claw Mark possess such dangerous magic?"

Based on her previous combat experience, this type of situation was extremely unfamiliar to her.

Most people in the world have no special characteristics in their magic. She had seen one person whose magic had special properties. Such people are usually called "Offsetter" in the Kingdom, but the way they manifested was completely different from the magical girl in front of her.

Now she suspects that this highly corrosive magic is a unique technique of this organization called "Claw Mark".

"Your attempt to get information out of me is too obvious, old woman."

Seeing that her attack seemed to have no effect, the Sparrow became more interested, but still said, "It's no wonder that someone who lives a secluded life in such a remote city would be completely unaware of the current state of the world, but what reason do I have to tell you?"

A yellowish-brown magic wand coalesced in her hand, which she raised, pointing directly at Larkspur's face. "Defeat me first, then we can think about extracting information!"

The tip of the wand suddenly flashed with light, and then, an even more powerful Mana Beam shot out towards the Larkspur once more.

This time, the Larkspur, having anticipated this, lightly touched the ground with its feet, simply floated sideways for a few meters, and dodged the attack.

She turned around and returned two Mana Beam, forcing the Sparrow to move towards the planned area. Then, she used the threads around her to try and control the sparrow with her Magic Armament.

On the other side, Sparrow had already investigated the abilities of this former Flower Card Magic Armament before arriving. Although her ability to instantly weave weapons was somewhat unexpected, her fighting style of using silk threads to bind enemies was not out of the ordinary. She knew she couldn't fight her within her web of silk threads, as she would easily fall into her opponent's rhythm, so she quickly distanced herself from Larkspur and moved towards a space with fewer buildings around her.

The Larkspur's magic threads are not without foundation; to gain leverage, there must be a flat surface around them where the ends can be fixed.

Therefore, the best battlegrounds for her are indoors, caves, and the ground, or at the very least, clusters of buildings, where she can better weave her own network.

Besides, if you encounter a fast-moving target, it will be very difficult to control it, a fact that Larkspur is well aware of.

So when she saw the other girl moving towards a more open area, she had to think it over. After weighing the pros and cons, she decided that capturing the evil magical girl in front of her was very important, so she put away her Magic Armament and followed her.

Magic Armament is not suitable for use at high altitudes, so it turned into pure aerial combat.

Blue and yellow magic clashed fiercely in the air, countless magic bullets and Mana Beam appearing from different directions, only to disappear after hitting unknown targets. The two magical girls flew at high speed, trying to shoot down each other with their magic bullets.

The Sparrow seemed to have more magic power than the Larkspur, so it kept squandering its magic power and using its faster movement to constantly pressure the Larkspur's path.

The Larkspur is more precise and economical in its use of magic, never engaging in useless maneuvers or accelerations. Even when faced with frequent shots from the opponent, it simply deflects at a small angle and grazes past the bullets.

She tried to lure the Sparrow back to the office buildings, but it was clearly not falling for her trick. Instead, it took full advantage of its initiative and aggressively approached the Larkspur.

She suddenly laughed when the distance between the Larkspur and her in the air was reduced to less than ten meters.

Then, its words, carried by the whooshing sound of the air, reached the Larkspur's ears:

"Sparrow, Magic Construct Extraction."