Chapter Summaries

Lin Xiaolu agreed to stay behind while Lin Yun sent Larkspur and Hong Siyu to confront Claw Mark’s ally Yuan at Silver Screen Mountain. There, Yuan and Semi prepared to destroy the mountain and part of Fangting City’s barrier network, but as nine magical girls arrived, Yuan admitted it was too late to stop.

• Lin Xiaolu woke in Lin Yun’s office after Claw Mark knocked her unconscious, and Lin Yun told her that Larkspur and Hong Siyu were heading to Silver Screen Mountain.
• Lin Xiaolu wanted to join the fight, but Lin Yun persuaded her to stay and rest; after he left, she stood up and looked toward the window Claw Mark had escaped through.
• At Silver Screen Mountain, Semi continued a ritual designed to destroy the mountain and part of Fangting City’s City Barrier Network while Yuan waited for the magical girls to arrive.
• Yuan asked Semi whether it had been happy in the city, then suggested they stop their mission; Semi insisted they had to fulfill the leader’s plan and could not turn back.
• Yuan and Semi saw at least nine magical girls approaching, and Yuan summoned her black wand and acknowledged that it was too late to stop.

Yuan revealed that a real ritual threatened to destroy the mountain and Fangting City's barrier network, then transformed into her Beastheart Liberation form to fight Larkspur's group. The battle began with Yuan striking at Margaret at such speed that she barely dodged.

• Yuan intercepted Larkspur, Morning Glory, Margaret, and the other magical girls, then blocked their path toward the ritual site.
• Yuan warned that the ritual would trigger within two hours, destroy the mountain and City Barrier Network, and attract Aberrant Beasts; Larkspur's group resolved to stop it.
• Yuan offered Larkspur three choices, including surrendering or defeating her, and declared that she would use her full strength.
• Yuan unleashed Beastheart Liberation, transforming into a powerful beastlike form whose pressure overwhelmed the less experienced magical girls.
• Margaret identified Yuan's form as a substitute for Flourishing Bloom, and Yuan explained that Claw Mark used Aberrant Beast mana to unleash its abilities.
• Yuan vanished and attacked Margaret with a Mana Beam, which Margaret narrowly avoided.

Lu Hongdou’s search for a path beyond martial arts led her to become the Magical Girl Gladiolus, but her research depended on magic power and left her at risk of forced retirement. Purple Diamond offered her a way to keep her power by joining an organization outside the Magic Kingdom.

• Lu Hongdou trained under an old martial arts master, left the mountain to seek a way beyond the Acquired Limit, and was nearly killed by an Aberrant Beast before a Sky Maiden saved her.
• After three years of fruitless training, Lu Hongdou returned to her dying master, who told her about aura and urged her to ground martial arts in righteousness before he died.
• Lu Hongdou became a Magical Girl, took the codename Gladiolus, and pursued martial arts by studying magic power, Potential, and her Magic Armament.
• Gladiolus developed a powerful martial school, but discovered that her energy and force depended on magic power and would disappear if she lost her Magical Girl status.
• Purple Diamond told Gladiolus she planned to leave the Kingdom and form an organization for Magical Girls and Fairies rejected by it, offering Gladiolus a place and a way to avoid forced retirement.

Gladiolus joined Purple Diamond’s defection, became Yuan, and helped build Claw Mark, which later developed Beastheart Liberation after a devastating purge by the Kingdom. In the present, Yuan used her Heart Unleashing form to overwhelm Larkspur and the other magical girls, ending with her Tang saber piercing Larkspur’s chest.

• Gladiolus accepted Purple Diamond’s challenge, lost their duel, and joined her after meeting other magical girls facing forced retirement.
• Gladiolus became Yuan and helped lead a mass defection that formed Claw Mark under White Wolf.
• Claw Mark grew into a force opposed to the Kingdom, but a purge by a Gardener killed many members and five officers because they could no longer use Flourishing Bloom.
• Claw Mark developed Beastheart Liberation, and Yuan’s version, Hundred Forces Become Weapons, let her attack multiple magical girls through black mist.
• Yuan predicted Larkspur’s evasive move, intercepted her trajectory, and stabbed her through the chest with a Tang saber.

Larkspur survived Yuan’s attack and, while recovering, worked out a way to counter Yuan’s Flourishing Bloom ability. As Margaret and the others kept Yuan occupied, Larkspur called out the ability’s name, preparing to use her scissors at the decisive moment.

• Yuan pierced Larkspur, but Asō Madoka rescued her and carried her away while Larkspur reassured Lin Xiaolu that her Mana Source was unharmed.
• Yuan attacked Hong Siyu, and Bai Jingxuan intervened in a powerful black-and-green form before Yuan struck her away; Hong Siyu caught her with a net of magic power.
• Margaret blocked Yuan’s next assault and fought her while urging Hong Siyu to fall back and provide fire support.
• Larkspur recalled that her threads had cut Yuan during the attack and realized Yuan had hesitated, giving her a clue about the limits of her Flourishing Bloom ability.
• Larkspur called to Margaret and named Yuan’s ability, “Flourishing Bloom.”

Larkspur urged Asō Madoka and Hong Siyu to test her theory about Yuan’s ability, prompting Asō Madoka to unleash Margaret’s Flourishing Bloom, “Passion on Tap,” and turn the battlefield into a bar. As Margaret’s Wonderland revealed the unusual structure of Yuan’s True Form, she imposed a rule on Yuan’s drink, leaving the confrontation poised to continue.

• Larkspur told Asō Madoka and Hong Siyu that Yuan’s ability might depend on information and asked them to hit her to test the theory.
• Asō Madoka activated Margaret’s Flourishing Bloom, “Passion on Tap,” transforming into a bartender and creating a bar around the group.
• Margaret’s Wonderland transported the magical girls into the bar, where their drinks reflected their individual conditions; Hong Siyu tried to share her drink with Larkspur, but Larkspur returned it after showing that it barely increased her own portion.
• Yuan picked up a cocktail and watched its liquid separate into countless layers as Margaret’s Wonderland revealed the structure of her True Form.
• Margaret told Yuan that she could enjoy the drink without limit but had to follow the bar’s rule: no waste.

Margaret used her Wonderland and cocktail magic to weaken Yuan and help Larkspur’s group trap her, but Yuan broke free of the web. The Magical Girls used the opening to fly toward the mountaintop, guided by a Beast Source borrowed by Larkspur.

• Yuan deduced that the wine in her glass represented her True Form, but Margaret altered it and flooded her with grief.
• Margaret, Larkspur, and Hong Siyu attacked while Yuan was impaired, and Hong Siyu used her scissors to temporarily cut Yuan off from her qi through Larkspur’s threads.
• The other Magical Girls gathered to strike Yuan, but she suppressed her grief and shattered the web with a barrage of slashes.
• Larkspur revealed that the Beast Source could detect Aberrant Beast magic power, and the six Magical Girls used it to fly toward the mountaintop.

Semi prepared to destroy Fangting City's barrier, but magical girls interrupted her and forced her to retreat from the ritual pillar. She revealed that she came from the Interrealm and transformed into an Aberrant Beast, leaving the four girls facing her Nest.

• Semi completed the ritual preparations atop the stone pillar, but a magical girl’s attack startled her into fleeing as six magical girls arrived.
• Semi realized the ritual pillar was still at risk and turned back rather than abandon Yuan and the mission.
• Lin Xiaolu, Wood Lily, Mimosa, and Bai Jingxuan caught up with Semi, who identified herself as a Fairy named Semi and said she came from the Interrealm.
• Mimosa questioned how Semi could betray the Royal Court, and Bai Jingxuan sensed that Semi smelled like an Aberrant Beast.
• Semi transformed into a one-eyed, double-tailed Aberrant Beast and summoned a ghostly blue full moon, threatening to draw the magical girls into her Nest.

Semi recalled his life in the Interrealm, his defeat in the Garden Defense War, and the one-armed magical girl who rescued and cared for him before becoming Black Cat. As his Aberrant Beast Nest took on the Interrealm’s desolate landscape, he accepted that he would always return to the homeland he once hated.

• Semi grew up despairing of life in the Interrealm, but Big Jack told him that leaving might reveal meaning while insisting the Fairies could not abandon their home.
• During the war with the Magic Kingdom, Semi joined the Resistance Army and used Aberrant Beast power to attack the Royal Court, where he was defeated.
• A one-armed magical girl who Semi had wounded hid him from the Royal Court and cared for him, taking him across the Kingdom to see its beautiful landscapes.
• When the Magic Affairs Institute forced the girl to retire, she returned three days later transformed by Aberrant Beast power and took the name Black Cat.
• Black Cat joined Claw Mark and dreamed of building an equal homeland, while Semi came to share her dream and yearn to make the Interrealm a home that could carry dreams.
• Semi opened his eye inside his Aberrant Beast Nest and saw the Blue Moon submerged in its dark, sand-filled landscape, accepting that the Interrealm was his home.

Lin Xiaolu was isolated inside Semi’s Nest and fought the transformed Semi as the battle against Yuan continued elsewhere. The Blue Moon rose over the mountain while Yuan, nearly out of momentum, welcomed the Fangting City Squad’s challenge and vowed to keep fighting.

• Semi’s Blue Moon caused Lin Xiaolu’s companions to disappear, leaving her alone with Semi inside the Nest.
• Semi asked Lin Xiaolu about her connection to Cornflower, then attacked with power that cut through the forest.
• Lin Xiaolu evaded Semi’s first charge, but when Semi changed direction mid-pounce, she charged back with all her magical power, and their powers collided.
• Larkspur, Hong Siyu, and Asō Madoka continued fighting Yuan, whose wine layers dwindled as their coordinated attacks repeatedly injured her.
• Yuan’s Beastheart Liberation lost momentum whenever she took damage, and the squad’s teamwork brought her close to defeat.
• Yuan laughed beneath the Blue Moon and urged the squad to show her everything they had, insisting that the battle was not over.

Mimosa searched for clues while separated from her companions by Semi’s Nest, and Lin Xiaolu struggled to survive her fight with Semi. Lin Xiaolu awakened the Magic Armament King’s Key, but her first attempt to charge with its spear form ended in a fall.

• Mimosa used Paiyan to scan the surrounding area for clues after her companions vanished.
• Lin Xiaolu hid from Semi, wounded and low on magic power, and concluded that she needed to break its Rule to reunite with the others.
• Semi found Lin Xiaolu and attacked, while she condemned Claw Mark’s violence and blocked its blows with her transforming wand.
• Lin Xiaolu’s wand transformed into the Magic Armament King’s Key, and she commanded it to deploy Guard Form.
• The scepter changed into a pale blue spear, but Lin Xiaolu tripped when its long shaft struck the ground.

Lin Xiaolu awakened King's Key, a transforming Magic Armament whose Guardian Form let her control threads and guide a spear toward targets. She used its hidden ability to strike Semi's eye, but Semi vanished before the attack could land.

• Semi was shocked by Lin Xiaolu's transforming Magic Armament, then regained its confidence and attacked her.
• Lin Xiaolu discovered that King's Key's scepter form restored her magic power and its spear-shaped Guardian Form created magical threads.
• Lin Xiaolu used a thread to pull herself out of danger and then pressed Semi with her spear while Semi held back, wary of her ability.
• Lin Xiaolu used a thread to guide her thrown spear around Semi's tails and toward its eye, revealing King's Key's Guidance and Piercing ability.
• Semi shut its eye and vanished just as Lin Xiaolu's spear approached.

Mimosa discovered that the Blue Moon Nest divided people according to whether their eyes were open or closed, and she used the rule to reunite White Rose with the others. As White Rose and Bo Xue confronted Semi, another companion approached, leaving Semi surrounded and its mission in jeopardy.

• Mimosa heard White Rose while her eyes were closed, mistook her for an Aberrant Beast, and ran before confirming White Rose's identity through her magic power.
• Mimosa tested how open and closed eyes affected what the girls could see and hear, then explained the Nest's rule to Lin Xiaolu and told her to keep her eyes open.
• Mimosa used Paiyan to send instructions throughout the Nest, directing Wood Lily and Bo Xue to signal with magic bullets and find White Rose.
• Bai Jingxuan fought Semi and fired magic bullets into the sky, allowing Bo Xue to locate the battle and join White Rose.
• White Rose and Bo Xue faced Semi together as another companion's trail of magic power approached.

Xia Liang and White Thistle dismantled the stone spire while Larkspur, Hong Siyu, and Margaret wore Yuan down in battle. Yuan used her Wonderland to strip away their magic and escape, leaving Larkspur with a New Year’s greeting and a message about the Cornflower codename.

• Xia Liang and White Thistle continued erasing the stone spire’s patterns, and White Thistle urged Xia Liang to leave extra room to support teammates.
• Margaret realized Yuan’s Beastheart Liberation was failing as Larkspur, Hong Siyu, and Margaret maintained their attack.
• Yuan admitted defeat but tapped her chest and activated her Wonderland, making the Blue Moon shatter and removing everyone’s magic power and magical outfits.
• Yuan asked Larkspur to join Claw Mark, but Larkspur refused and said she was not the Gem Scepter and would give up the Cornflower codename.
• Yuan left after telling Larkspur that someone would need her words, and she wished her a happy New Year as the others regained their magic.

After the battle with Yuan, Larkspur confronted Lin Xiaolu about disobeying orders, and the two revealed how deeply they feared losing each other before Lin Xiaolu asked whether she could think of Larkspur as her mother. Later, Larkspur discussed Bai Jingxuan’s future and her own purpose with Asō Madoka, who invited her to watch the Kingdom’s Queen Year fireworks together.

• Larkspur told Lin Xiaolu that her father was confused and concerned because she had broken their agreement by joining the battle.
• Lin Xiaolu explained that she had fought to become useful and admitted she feared Larkspur would die; Larkspur said she could not accept Lin Xiaolu dying in her place.
• Larkspur revealed that she worried about Lin Xiaolu because Cherry Blossom had died on a mission, and Lin Xiaolu asked whether she could think of Larkspur as her mother.
• Asō Madoka discussed Yuan’s strength and asked about Bai Jingxuan’s transformation; Larkspur revealed that Bai Jingxuan was Black Ash Dawn’s Sacrificial Child.
• Asō Madoka warned that Bai Jingxuan would face prejudice and scrutiny, while Larkspur affirmed she would guide and support her.
• Asō Madoka invited Larkspur to go to the Kingdom with everyone for the Queen Year celebration fireworks, and Larkspur agreed.

Larkspur returned the Beast Source to Emerald and confronted her about secretly monitoring her and her companions. Their discussion turned to whether they could become closer allies, and it ended with Larkspur asking Emerald for equipment to manage her identities as a child's mother and father.

• Larkspur returned the Beast Source, and Emerald revealed that a clone had followed her fight with Claw Mark to collect data.
• Larkspur challenged Emerald over her surveillance, and Emerald admitted monitoring her during assignments and secretly watching the Fangting City base.
• Emerald warned that White Wolf would likely send more dangerous Claw Mark agents, and Larkspur pressed her about the risks of traveling to the Kingdom for treatment.
• Larkspur said she might turn to White Wolf or the Dean if Emerald could not offer aligned interests, and Emerald revealed that her offer represented the Dean's as well.
• Larkspur demanded Echo from Emerald and then asked whether Emerald knew what had happened at the base, prompting Emerald to list several private family moments she had observed.
• Larkspur asked whether Emerald had equipment to help her present herself as both a child's mother and father on different occasions, leaving Emerald stunned.

Lin Xiaolu got up early to enjoy breakfast made by Larkspur, and Qiu Yun asked how she could express her affection so openly. The chapter revealed that Lin Xiaolu had confessed her love to Larkspur and that Larkspur had agreed she could rely on her until the day they might leave together.

• Lin Xiaolu woke early after staying up all night, and Moko teased her before she went to breakfast.
• Lin Xiaolu told Larkspur she had gotten up because she wanted breakfast made by her, leaving Bai Jingxuan and Qiu Yun surprised by her affection.
• Qiu Yun asked Lin Xiaolu how she could be so open about acting spoiled, and Lin Xiaolu asked her to imagine being with her mother.
• Lin Xiaolu rushed to help Larkspur in the kitchen, prompting Qiu Yun to recall that Larkspur had once refused to pretend she was Lin Xiaolu's mother.
• Lin Xiaolu confessed that she liked Larkspur, felt jealous of Xia Liang and Bai Jingxuan, and wanted Larkspur to stay with her forever.
• Larkspur embraced Lin Xiaolu and promised she could act spoiled with her, adding that Lin Xiaolu could choose to leave with her once she could stand on her own.

Larkspur spent a quiet holiday morning pinned beneath Lin Xiaolu and Bai Jingxuan while the magical girls lounged at home, then considered the complications of becoming closer to Lin Xiaolu. She recalled how Emerald had given her a forged Heart Gem and arranged the temporary codename Gentian for her planned entry into the Kingdom.

• Larkspur watched the New Year Gala while Lin Xiaolu slept on her shoulder and Bai Jingxuan rested across her lap, and Xia Liang joined them by leaning against her legs.
• Asō Madoka cooked lunch and teased Larkspur, while Lin Xiaolu moved closer to Larkspur after the conversation ended.
• Larkspur reflected that accepting Lin Xiaolu's request to grow closer would require Lin Yun and Larkspur to formally discuss acknowledging her as a goddaughter, but her Magic Armament could not create a convincing substitute for that discussion.
• Larkspur recalled that Emerald had refused to provide a flawless humanoid substitute because of the cost and Larkspur's unhealed True Form injuries.
• Emerald gave Larkspur a Forged Heart Gem that could imitate mana fluctuations and arranged for her to enter the Kingdom under the codename Gentian.
• Emerald explained that Gentian would be frozen as part of a research project for a year, then officially reclaimed after the fictional magical girl died in battle.

Larkspur began teaching the girls how to develop their Magic Armaments as they prepared for the certification assessment, and she examined Xia Liang’s and Bai Jingxuan’s progress. After helping Bai Jingxuan devise a plan for her unruly music-box weapon, Larkspur turned to Lin Xiaolu’s newly awakened Magic Armament, King’s Key.

• Larkspur told the girls that the certification assessment would take place on March 3 in Luen Nore and set her own departure for February 10.
• Larkspur praised Xia Liang’s Separation for its rapid improvement and suggested that she learn to control the mirror’s shape to manipulate magic power.
• Larkspur explained that a magical girl’s wishes could influence her Magic Armament’s growth, and she saw that Bai Jingxuan had added a handle-like support to Heavenly Tone.
• Lin Xiaolu asked about Bai Jingxuan’s Claw Mark-like transformation, prompting Bai Jingxuan to reveal that she was Black Ash Dawn’s Sacrificial Child and an Offsetter with Aberrant Beast magic power.
• Larkspur devised a training plan to separate Heavenly Tone’s support from its music box, then turned to Lin Xiaolu and her newly awakened King’s Key.

Larkspur discovered that Lin Xiaolu’s Magic Armament had multiple forms and questioned her about her future as a Magical Girl before planning a month of intensive training for the girls. She assigned Bai Jingxuan to train with Asō Madoka so she could improve her combat skills without exposing her Aberrant Beast magic power during the assessment.

• Larkspur asked Lin Xiaolu to demonstrate her Magic Armament’s form change, but Lin Xiaolu could not transform it until she Turbidified her magic power and invoked Guard Form, turning the scepter into a spear.
• Larkspur noticed the Magic Armament’s four crystals and suspected Lin Xiaolu might eventually gain more forms, then asked whether she regretted becoming a Magical Girl and whether she would continue after ten years; Lin Xiaolu said she would because she liked it.
• Larkspur ended the lesson and announced that the girls would begin their strictest special training from January 9th to February 10th before the assessment.
• Larkspur rejected Emerald’s proposal to register Bai Jingxuan as an Offsetter with the Royal Court, fearing the risks and attention it would bring.
• Larkspur set Bai Jingxuan goals to separate her Magic Armament’s forms and learn Turbidification, assigning Asō Madoka as her instructor; Bai Jingxuan gradually grew more familiar with the Bai'an City Squad.