Recaps

Xia Liang met her new teammates, twin magical girls Mountain Lily and Tiger Lily, and learned they were confident Bud Rank fighters despite having little experience. The chapter left Xia Liang questioning whether she had drawn a strong team after discovering Mountain Lily’s claim about defeating Carry Ranking fighters was just a guess.

• Xia Liang met Mountain Lily and Tiger Lily, who introduced themselves as her new teammates.
• Mountain Lily inspected Xia Liang up close and declared that she had passed because she was cute.
• Tiger Lily explained that she and Mountain Lily were twins who had chosen each other as designated teammates.
• Xia Liang asked about their abilities, and Mountain Lily claimed the twins could defeat Carry Ranking fighters through teamwork.
• Mountain Lily and Tiger Lily revealed they were fourteen-year-old Bud Rank magical girls with just over a year of experience.
• Mountain Lily admitted that her confidence about defeating Carry Ranking fighters came from a calculation in her head, leaving Xia Liang's expression frozen.

Lin Xiaolu and Bai Jingxuan searched for their elusive teammate, assuming Lin Xiaolu’s number tag was broken. They finally met Mint, their Squad 629 teammate, who admitted that the repeated disappearances seemed to be her fault.

• Lin Xiaolu followed her number tag’s signals several times but could not find the teammate, so she decided to seek a replacement tag.
• A helpful magical girl offered assistance, but Lin Xiaolu and Bai Jingxuan headed for the staff station instead.
• Lin Xiaolu ran into a cool-looking magical girl, and the two apologized for the collision.
• The girl introduced herself as Mint and showed Lin Xiaolu that they shared the Squad 629 number tag.
• Mint explained that she had been chasing Lin Xiaolu and Bai Jingxuan, then admitted that the confusing signals seemed to be her fault.

Mint explained that she had left Lin Xiaolu and Bai Jingxuan to scout the other teams, using her knowledge of the Carry Ranking and candidate information to assess their strength. She claimed the ranking was reliable because she had placed herself thirty-first, then admitted she had ranked herself.

• Mint explained that she had been moving around the assessment site to inspect the teams of high-ranking candidates.
• Mint described how she used ranking knowledge, candidates’ past records, and her judgment of people to evaluate competitors.
• Mint inferred that Lin Xiaolu and Bai Jingxuan had survived the Black Ash Dawn attack in Fangting City and judged them strong teammates.
• Lin Xiaolu accepted Mint’s explanation but told her to use her intelligence work to help the team and not leave them waiting again.
• Mint assured Lin Xiaolu that the Carry Ranking was accurate, then revealed that she had ranked herself thirty-first.

The Queen and her entourage arrived at the Academy District to observe the magical-girl assessment. Purple Diamond reprimanded the Magic Affairs Institute over the unresolved Confusion Spell incident, but the procession continued toward the examination grounds at the Ruby Gem Scepter’s urging.

• The Queen entered the hall surrounded by Royal Court knights, with Purple Diamond and the Ruby Gem Scepter walking ahead of her.
• Purple Diamond questioned the Magic Affairs Institute about the assessment and learned that investigators had not identified who tricked candidates into using a Confusion Spell.
• Purple Diamond criticized the institute for failing to resolve the incident and secure the Silver Gallery before the Queen’s visit.
• The Ruby Gem Scepter announced that it was time to depart for the examination grounds, and the Magic Affairs Institute members led the procession out of the hall.
• The Queen’s figure passed through the sunlight without casting a shadow.

Chief Examiner Rose explained the scoring system and rules for the first practical assessment, a timed maze in the Silver Gallery’s rear garden. The candidates were sent to the garden with two hidden rules still unrevealed.

• Lin Xiaolu flew above the crowd to see the platform after Bai Jingxuan and Mint had taken to the air.
• Rose explained that candidates would earn points across four assessments, with teammate performance, discipline, and guest evaluations affecting their scores.
• Rose revealed that the first assessment was to escape a vast, multilayered maze as quickly as possible, with points awarded by rank.
• Rose explained three open rules: magical power in the maze would dwindle, attacks could eliminate candidates and be punished if identified, and damaging the maze was forbidden.
• Lin Xiaolu noticed that two of the five rules had not been explained, and Rose said the hidden rules would be announced once candidates made progress in the assessment.
• Rose gave the candidates ten minutes to proceed to the Silver Gallery’s rear garden before the assessment began.

Lin Xiaolu, Mint, and Bai Jingxuan entered the labyrinth and discovered that its mana fluctuations could expand their perception into a mini-map. Mint concluded they should investigate hidden features before searching for an exit, which she believed did not yet exist.

• Lin Xiaolu, Mint, and Bai Jingxuan entered the labyrinth through the shrub wall in the Silver Gallery's back Garden.
• Mint sensed mana fluctuations in the labyrinth walls and led Lin Xiaolu and Bai Jingxuan to use Mana Perception, revealing a nearby dead end and a mini-map.
• Mint explained that the Spell Formula was meant to help examinees explore the labyrinth and suggested searching for hidden treasures that could speed up the assessment.
• Lin Xiaolu worried about losing points by delaying their search for the exit, but Mint said she believed the exit did not yet exist.

Xia Liang reasoned that the maze’s exit might be placed after the test began to keep starting positions fair and adjust the difficulty, while Mountain Lily struggled to follow her explanation. Meanwhile, Team 277 advanced under Tudingui’s direction until Larkspur asked her to stop rubbing her head.

• Xia Liang proposed that the examiners could delay placing the maze’s exit so teams would not gain an unfair advantage from their starting positions.
• Tiger Lily agreed that the examiners might use the exit’s placement to balance fairness and difficulty, and Xia Liang suggested they keep exploring for it.
• Mountain Lily admitted she had not understood and insisted that Xia Liang explain the reasoning again.
• Tudingui guided Team 277 through the maze while Larkspur and Foxtail Grass stayed quiet.
• Larkspur asked Tudingui to stop standing behind her and rubbing her head because it made moving difficult.

Larkspur, Tudingui, and Foxtail Grass explored the dim maze and exchanged information with another team after Tudingui explained how to use its Spell Formulas. As Larkspur wondered whether she should make more effort to bring her quiet team closer together, they found a hedge wall flickering with light.

• Tudingui apologized for unconsciously reaching toward Larkspur, and then cast a Spell Formula to illuminate the stairs ahead.
• The trio descended into the maze and encountered another team, whose members recognized Tudingui from the Carry Ranking and treated them warily.
• Tudingui greeted the other team, shared explored routes, and explained how to use the Spell Formulas attached to the maze walls and floor.
• The other team shared information about dead ends, and both teams parted on friendly terms.
• Larkspur reflected that she might be responsible for her team's silence and considered taking more initiative in conversation.
• Larkspur, Tudingui, and Foxtail Grass discovered a brightly flickering hedge wall.

Larkspur, Tudingui, and Foxtail Grass investigated a glowing wall that contained a miniature maze and realized its map might need to be overlaid with the maze’s actual layout. They set off to test the theory before another team could find the possible treasure.

• Tudingui used Mana Perception on the glowing wall and discovered an extra challenge embedded inside it.
• Larkspur and Foxtail Grass examined the wall and saw a sphere trapped inside a miniature maze that they could not move with mana.
• Foxtail Grass proposed that the wall depicted a treasure map, and Tudingui tested the route by walking into a dead-end wall.
• Larkspur compared the wall’s maze with the actual maze map and found that some exits connected when the maps were overlaid.
• Larkspur suggested they search for the location indicated by the combined maps, and the three set off before another team could arrive.

Lin Xiaolu, Mint, and Bai Jingxuan discovered that an explosion trap in the maze had likely been set by another team, and Mint suspected the team was guarding a puzzle. After the examiners announced that Team 277 had solved the first puzzle and revealed the bonus rewards, the group decided to pursue the suspected puzzle and considered how to counter the traps.

• Lin Xiaolu sensed danger and triggered an explosion trap, which Mint concluded had probably been laid by another team.
• Mint argued that the other team was likely blocking the passage because they had found a puzzle, though Lin Xiaolu and Bai Jingxuan doubted her deduction.
• The chief examiner announced that Team 277 had solved the first puzzle and revealed that puzzles awarded bonus points and exclusive shortcuts.
• Mint urged the group to press ahead and take the suspected puzzle, while Lin Xiaolu worried that the other team could identify them afterward.
• Bai Jingxuan suggested locating the traps and setting them off together, and Lin Xiaolu and Mint agreed the plan might work.

Experienced magical girls and royal guests watched the assessment through live projections as Team 277 solved the maze’s first puzzle. The observers then turned their attention to a climactic ambush between two teams.

• The Royal Court arranged for graduates of the Five Institutes to observe the assessment, and the Examination Institute invited guests and assigned them seats.
• The projections showed four leading teams working on puzzles, while Team 277 used the sphere’s ability to pass through walls and neared the solution to its puzzle.
• Team 277 became the first team to solve a puzzle, earning enthusiastic reactions from the observers and the nickname “the cosplay squad.”
• The nickname reached the VIP section, where Emerald recognized the team but hid her reaction; the other guests regarded it as an ordinary group of promising examinees.
• The projection shifted to two teams whose captains had an old grudge, as one team’s surprise attack reached its climax.

The author explained why Volume Two had a different atmosphere from Volume One and described its three-part structure, especially the world-building focus of the Kingdom Assessment Arc. The author planned to finish the assessment arc before September, then return to Fangting City for P3, which would resemble Volume One in tone.

• The author apologized for taking a day off because they were dissatisfied with the update and mentally exhausted from writing.
• The author explained that P1, “Shadow of the Claw Mark,” expanded relationships and introduced Emerald, Asō Madoka, and Claw Mark, ending with a boss battle involving Crimson Yuan and White Wolf.
• The author described P2, the Kingdom Assessment Arc, as a detailed exploration of the Kingdom, its Magical Girls, and the juniors’ assessment, rather than the brief transition originally planned.
• The author previewed the assessment events as internal competitions for the candidates before outside forces brought Larkspur, the Kingdom, and Claw Mark into conflict.
• The author said the latter half of P2 would reveal more about the Garden Defense War, Ink Lotus and Larkspur, White Wolf, and the Gem Scepters’ plans.
• The author planned to finish P2 before September and begin P3, which would return to Fangting City and the emotional style of Volume One.

Xia Liang’s team came upon a fight between Calla Lily and Butterfly Bush, two high-ranked magical girls, and watched as Butterfly Bush incapacitated her opponents with a hidden ability and an enchanted censer. The three members of Calla Lily’s team were eliminated, while Xia Liang’s group remained at the scene.

• Xia Liang hesitated over whether to retreat or wait while two teams fought nearby, and Mountain Lily pointed out that their hiding place was already visible.
• The smoke and light cleared, revealing that Calla Lily and Butterfly Bush were leading the opposing teams.
• Calla Lily recognized Butterfly Bush from an argument during the written exam and asked why she had attacked.
• Butterfly Bush revealed that she had deliberately sought Calla Lily out and secretly used an ability to leave her unable to move.
• Butterfly Bush used glowing incense to make Calla Lily and her two teammates fall asleep, and all three were teleported out of the labyrinth.

Xia Liang's team encountered Butterfly Bush after she eliminated Calla Lily's team, and Butterfly Bush let them pass through the passage. Xia Liang realized Butterfly Bush had been hiding a trap and raised a mirror barrier just as purplish-red smoke filled the passage.

• Butterfly Bush's teammates and Xia Liang's group reacted with alarm after Butterfly Bush openly eliminated Calla Lily's team.
• Xia Liang tried to avoid a fight and asked Butterfly Bush to let her team pass through the passage.
• Butterfly Bush consulted one teammate, then told Xia Liang's group they could go.
• Xia Liang led Mountain Lily and Tiger Lily past Butterfly Bush while watching her suspicious posture.
• Xia Liang noticed Butterfly Bush had her hands behind her back, shouted for her teammates to fall back, and raised mirrors as purplish-red smoke erupted.

Xia Liang and her teammates fought Butterfly Bush after she trapped them in smoke, and Mountain Lily and Tiger Lily used their fans to summon a gale that cleared it. Butterfly Bush then spread poison across the ground, and Xia Liang began casting Explosion as the confrontation escalated.

• Xia Liang used Diversion and a Magic Barrier to hold back Butterfly Bush’s smoke but could not stop it from spreading.
• Mountain Lily and Tiger Lily revealed their folding fans as their Magic Armaments and performed a dance that summoned a powerful wind.
• The gale cleared the smoke, revealing Butterfly Bush close to Xia Liang and two of her teammates unconscious on the ground.
• Butterfly Bush dismissed Xia Liang’s attempt to avoid a fight, mentioned that Xia Liang carried a distinctive scent, and spread purple poison from her incense.
• Xia Liang agreed when Butterfly Bush challenged her to show her true ability, then began casting Explosion.

Xia Liang used a chain of mirrored Explosion attacks to exhaust Butterfly Bush’s defenses, then escaped with Mountain Lily and Tiger Lily using Tether. The three fled through a ceiling mirror as Butterfly Bush struggled to respond.

• Butterfly Bush anticipated Xia Liang’s mirrored Explosion and deployed barriers, but realized the apparent attack was a double-layered feint.
• Butterfly Bush redirected her defense toward a mirror behind her, only for the Explosion to emerge backward and travel toward another hidden mirror.
• Xia Liang cast Tether on herself, Mountain Lily, and Tiger Lily while preparing another Explosion, leaving Butterfly Bush with little mana to defend.
• Xia Liang and her teammates leaped backward and were pulled through a mirror set into the corridor ceiling.

Lin Xiaolu, Mint, and Bai Jingxuan took over a half-solved maze puzzle after using another squad’s traps to blast open a passage, then worked together to connect a green path across the grid. As they neared completion, Lin Xiaolu told Mint about Larkspur and the battle against Black Ash Dawn, and Mint began to share news about her own city.

• Lin Xiaolu’s squad identified and detonated the traps in the passage, causing the squad that laid them to be ejected for violating the rules.
• Lin Xiaolu, Mint, and Bai Jingxuan found the previous squad’s partly solved puzzle and divided up the work of creating a green path between its devices.
• While the trio continued solving the puzzle, Lin Xiaolu recounted the attack on Fangting City and praised Larkspur, with Mint and Bai Jingxuan listening and responding.
• Mint said she wanted to meet Larkspur, and Lin Xiaolu insisted that she would not get the chance.
• Lin Xiaolu asked Mint to describe her home city, and Mint smiled and prepared to tell them about it.

Mint told Lin Xiaolu about Yuewang City’s history, its mountain-built residential district, and how its Magical Girls used the city’s layout to respond quickly to danger. As Bai Jingxuan finished connecting the puzzle’s tiles, Mint ended their conversation and turned her attention to the activated device.

• Mint explained that Wuheng Mountain had sheltered ancient refugees from Aberrant Beasts because its Ghost-Driving Stone disrupted their senses, and the settlement later grew into Yuewang City.
• Mint told Lin Xiaolu that the Ghost-Driving Stone had been mined out for barrier materials, leaving Wuheng Mountain hollowed out and incorporated into the city.
• Mint described the homes and bridges inside the mountain, the Magical Girl dormitories above them, and her dramatic leaps from the mountaintop to emergencies below.
• Mint urged Lin Xiaolu to promote her Magical Girl identity online, while Lin Xiaolu reflected on the attention Cornflower received in Fangting City.
• Bai Jingxuan announced that the green tiles connected the devices, and Mint ended the conversation to inspect the activated puzzle.

Team 277 solved three maze puzzles and found secret passages while continuing to explore alone. After Larkspur helped Tudingui and Foxtail Grass grow more comfortable with each other, the three sensed an unfamiliar fluctuation of magic nearby.

• Team 277 solved three puzzles, earning points and secret passages that helped them avoid other teams and travel through the maze.
• After the third puzzle opened a passage into a barren, ominous area, Tudingui led the team inside with Foxtail Grass guarding the rear and Larkspur between them.
• Larkspur thanked Tudingui for protecting her and apologized for having misjudged her as arrogant and unapproachable.
• Foxtail Grass told Tudingui about her younger brother, and the two shared stories while Larkspur kept the conversation moving.
• As Team 277 explored deeper into the maze, Larkspur noticed a strange fluctuation of magic, and Tudingui and Foxtail Grass also began searching for its source.

Team 277 investigated an empty hollow at the center of the maze, where Larkspur discovered that the apparent echoes were being imitated by a hidden creature. The dead tree revealed itself as a gigantic stick insect-like aberrant beast standing before them.

• Team 277 entered a vast, empty hollow while following unusual magical fluctuations.
• Tudingui called out to hear the hollow's echo, and Larkspur tried it too.
• Larkspur sensed a strange magical fluctuation while probing the hollow with her magic.
• Larkspur realized the clear echoes could not occur naturally in the soft, sound-absorbing earth and concluded something was imitating them.
• The dead tree unfolded nearly ten enormous branches and revealed itself as an aberrant beast facing Team 277.

Tudingui recognized the maze as a simulated Aberrant Beast's Nest and used her Magic Armament to strengthen Team 277 before confronting the Pupa alone. She withstood its attacks and repeatedly empowered herself, leaving the battle poised for her final assault.

• Tudingui reasoned that defeating the Aberrant Beast would reveal the maze's exit and transformed her wand into the banner-shaped Magic Armament Banner Emblem.
• Tudingui imprinted emblems on Larkspur and Foxtail Grass, boosting their physical, mental, and magical abilities, then flew to face the Aberrant Beast.
• The Aberrant Beast used camouflage and adapted its body to Tudingui's magic, but she broke both of its legs with her banner spear.
• Tudingui blocked the creature's magical bombardment with a Bastion Art spell that she cast in just a few breaths.
• Tudingui struck her banner against the ground repeatedly, concentrating the emblems' power on herself until she shone like the sun and ordered the Aberrant Beast to disappear.

Xia Liang’s team struggled through its first puzzle while falling behind other teams, and Mountain Lily proposed an impractical plan to find the exit first. A casual suggestion led Xia Liang to discover that her Diversion Mirror could alter the labyrinth wall, leaving her wondering if she had found a way to score highly.

• Xia Liang’s team finally found a magic-power Rubik’s Cube puzzle, but its position in the wall forced her to run between its two exposed sides to solve it.
• Xia Liang told Mountain Lily and Tiger Lily that their slow progress made a strong assessment result unlikely, while Mountain Lily suggested searching for and guarding the exit.
• Tiger Lily pointed out that Mountain Lily could not know where the exit would appear and that blocking other examinees could lead to dangerous fights.
• Mountain Lily asked why Xia Liang did not teleport the wall, prompting Xia Liang to wonder whether her Diversion Mirror could affect the spell formula sustaining the labyrinth.
• Xia Liang tested the mirror on the wall, transformed part of it into sparse shrub branches, and watched the wall regenerate without any warning or penalty.

The viewing stands followed the leading teams and their varied strategies as the maze assessment neared its decisive stage. Purple Diamond and the other spectators were startled when an obscure team punched through a maze wall and sprinted toward the outside.

• Purple Diamond grew bored as the projections showed leading teams traveling through the maze, including Team 277 and the closely trailing Team 604.
• The spectators watched Team 1334’s Butterfly Bush attack other teams to collect their puzzle rewards and attract viewer support.
• Other teams pursued their own strategies, from controlling Maze Nodes to mapping the maze or waiting near the exit.
• Purple Diamond noticed Emerald and Pigeon Blood react to a sudden development in the projection.
• A magical girl in a Hibiscus Purple soft cap opened a hole in the maze wall and led her team through it toward the outside.

A blonde Claw Mark member tested Silver Gallery’s security by trying to enter with an invitation but no Certification Card, then reported the strict screening to Ink Lotus and another girl. The group discussed whether the heightened security meant they had been exposed, and a masked middle-aged man spoke to them.

• A blonde girl tried to enter Silver Gallery to watch the examination but was turned away because she lacked her Certification Card and could not pass the security checks.
• The girl left Silver Gallery, changed her appearance in an alley, and met the others in a private room at a nearby café.
• She told the group that Silver Gallery’s security was strict and that someone had followed her, though she escaped by using mana decoys.
• The girl beside Ink Lotus speculated that Sister Cat’s old flame had betrayed them, while the blonde girl suggested the Royal Court might simply have strengthened security for the ceremony.
• A masked middle-aged man spoke from within the room, drawing the attention of the three Claw Mark members, including Ink Lotus.

Black Cat, Golden Snake, and Brown Pelican met with Bee of Black Ash Dawn to coordinate their operation involving the Beast Source and the Queen Year examination. Black Cat warned Bee not to endanger ordinary people or children, and Bee said Black Ash Dawn did not intend to destroy the examination because their Beast Children were taking part.

• Bee explained that Golden Snake's test had confirmed the Kingdom's security was tight, and said Black Cat's warning to Cornflower was understandable.
• Brown Pelican questioned whether Cornflower could tolerate Claw Mark's operation, while Golden Snake argued that Cornflower's exile made her similar to them.
• Black Cat said Claw Mark would cooperate with Bee but demanded that he not disrupt their leader's plans.
• Black Cat warned Bee not to attack ordinary people or children, or he would turn the whole Magic Kingdom against them.
• Bee said Black Ash Dawn prioritized efficiency and had never planned to destroy the examination because their Beast Children were participating.