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Upon hearing Fireworks’ declaration, a flurry of thoughts ignited within Lily of the Valley’s mind.
‘Was she merely bluffing? Was this a deliberate provocation? As fellow magical girls, how could the disparity between their strengths possibly be so immense?’
Yet, as the red-haired girl nocked an arrow and drew her bow, manifesting a magnificent, scorching rocket that blazed with overwhelming heat, Lily of the Valley instantly grasped the truth.
—’This person is entirely serious; there’s not an ounce of exaggeration in her words.’
Lily of the Valley bit down on her tongue, disregarding the escalating rhythm of her heart. She unleashed her magic without reservation, channeling it into her own body and the very earth around her.
The desolate, gray earth was instantly transformed, painted a vibrant, light green by a sudden burst of grass and flowers. From fissures in the ground, countless thorny vines erupted, swiftly weaving into a miniature forest that began to encircle Fireworks’ slender form, layer upon intricate layer.
Lily of the Valley directed the newly formed plant-structures to raise their firearm-like appendages, her gaze fixed on the luminous white arrow clutched in the red-haired girl’s hand.
Fireworks, in turn, met Lily of the Valley’s gaze. A faint, almost solicitous smile played on her lips as she tilted her head, posing the question:
“Are you ready?”
Clutching her dagger tightly, Lily of the Valley drew a deep breath before exhaling a succinct response.
“Indeed, bring it on.”
No sooner had the words left her lips than the verdant figure shattered the earth beneath her feet, surging forward in a rapid charge towards Fireworks.
Thorns and vines coiled into formidable spears, lashing out from every conceivable direction, striking at Xia Shi with the venomous speed of serpents, mirroring their master’s assault. Simultaneously, frigid muzzles belched forth tongues of fire, unleashing ferocious bullets capable of piercing metal and shattering stone, aimed directly at the girl.
Xia Shi straightened her posture, her spine rigid, and with a delicate touch, released the fletching of the arrow from her grasp.
“Boom—!”
A thunderous roar erupted, followed by a brilliant blossoming of sparks, as the slender rocket tore from the bowstring.
Trailing a luminous white contrail, it sliced across the arena, scorching the thorny vines to ash in the blink of an eye, and melting both bullets and firearms into a river of molten iron.
By the time Lily of the Valley finally closed the distance, forcing her way to Fireworks’ immediate presence, her weapons and magic had already been utterly obliterated. The launched rocket, having completed its destructive arc, had gracefully returned to Xia Shi’s side.
The red-haired girl caught the arrow, and in an instant, reforged it into a gleaming longsword, which she then swung with a casual, almost clumsy, downward chop towards Lily of the Valley. Lily of the Valley gritted her teeth, raising her obsidian short dagger, and met the flickering, burning sword blade with a full-force parry.
The longsword and dagger clashed, and in that fleeting moment, the outcome was irrevocably decided.
“…Ugh!”
A searing wave of heat, akin to a tsunami, slammed into Lily of the Valley, flinging her bodily into the air and wrenching a sharp, pained cry from her throat.
Her vision spun in a dizzying maelstrom, her sense of balance utterly shattered. Forcing herself to endure the profound disorientation, she unleashed her dwindling magic, attempting to conjure trees that might cushion her fall.
—Yet, before her magic could fully manifest, the verdant girl collided headlong with the arena’s boundary, deeply indenting the wall of vines and causing the entire structure to tremble violently.
Excruciating pain radiated through her entire body, threatening to plunge Lily of the Valley into unconsciousness. She bit her tongue until blood welled, a desperate measure that barely preserved her lucidity, allowing her to pry herself from the wall and tumble to the ground.
She staggered to her feet, instinctively reaching for her dagger, only to find the weapon had been flung to some unknown corner of the arena. Her next impulse was to invoke her magic, to conjure vines, but her internal well of power had utterly run dry.
However, despite the throbbing physical agony, something else weighed more heavily on Lily of the Valley’s mind.
She lifted her gaze, fixing her eyes on Fireworks, who stood serenely before her.
The red-haired girl was currently waving a triumphant V-sign towards Lu Chen, who stood beyond the arena’s bounds, basking in her hard-won victory. Noticing Lily of the Valley, whom she had so thoroughly incapacitated, observing her, she quickly dropped her celebratory grin and spoke:
“Sorry, I seem to have used a little too much force. Are you okay?”
“…There is nothing to apologize for. This entire encounter stemmed from my own doubts, and thus, I must naturally bear the consequences.
“The sheer power you displayed just now… I do not believe any villain from the ‘Envy’ faction could possibly achieve such a feat.”
This statement served as both an admission of Lily of the Valley’s misjudgment and a proclamation of Fireworks’ undeniable triumph.
Yet, the victory, though entirely anticipated, carried no particular sweetness. Xia Shi evinced no especial joy, merely offering a casual, almost indifferent, smile.
“It’s good that you understand. Well then, I suppose we can conclude this battle and perhaps go out for some cake, yes?”
Lily of the Valley pressed her lips into a thin line, then voiced the question that had been lingering in her heart:
“May I ask, why did you not exert your full power just now?”
Fireworks scrutinized Lily of the Valley’s trembling legs and myriad injuries, a flicker of both pity and resignation evident in her eyes.
“I do not particularly care for you as a person. However, I find bullying others even more distasteful.”
Lily of the Valley visibly flushed with indignation, her cheeks, stark against the backdrop of her verdant hair, resembling ripe tomatoes.
She dug her nails into her palm, then addressed the red-haired girl:
“…It is fine. After these magic-draining vines are dispelled, would you be willing to fight me once more, at full strength?”
Xia Shi’s brow furrowed, and she offered a soft shake of her head.
“I refuse. I have no obligation to satisfy your vanity.”
“It is not out of vanity! …Or at least, not entirely so.
“I have always yearned to personally eliminate ‘Envy,’ and before a formal confrontation, I wished to gauge the disparity in our strengths.
“You are likely his equal, are you not? Therefore, I hoped to witness the full extent of your power.”
Lily of the Valley’s tone remained as serious and austere as ever, yet beneath it, a faint undercurrent of anger simmered.
Fireworks offered a theatrical shrug, feigning an air of helplessness.
“Regrettably, in a one-on-one confrontation, I would prove considerably stronger than he, and thus, I fear I cannot fulfill your desire.”
Lily of the Valley’s eyes widened in astonishment, and her tone lightened considerably as she spoke:
“…Stronger than him? That is even better; striving for the highest will yield a respectable result. As long as you are willing to instruct me, that is all I ask.”
The red-haired girl’s lips curved upward in a nearly imperceptible smile, and a glint of playful amusement sparked in her eyes.
“I understand. Should you find yourself hospitalized once more, please attribute it to an encounter with some mysterious villain; do not implicate me.
“All right, please release the magic-absorbing vines.”
Lily of the Valley nodded, a verdant glow coalescing in her eyes. Xia Shi, meanwhile, glanced towards Lu Chen, offering him a wave through a gap in the vine wall, as she awaited the plants’ retraction into the earth.
—However, the verdant wall remained stubbornly unresponsive, showing no sign of receding.
Fireworks cast a bewildered glance at Lily of the Valley, only to find the other girl’s face equally etched with confusion.
“…Odd, they won’t retract. It’s as though someone has used magic to firmly anchor these vines in place.”
Fireworks nocked another arrow, taking aim at the section of the wall that Lily of the Valley’s impact had so recently indented.
“It’s fine. If they really can’t be retracted, I’ll manually…”
Her words were cut short as Fireworks’ vision abruptly plunged into shadow.
She snapped her head upwards, her gaze met by a colossal, pitch-black silhouette that had materialized above the arena, its immense form akin to a leviathan from the ocean’s deepest trenches.
Moreover, this colossal beast was plummeting towards the ground with the speed of a meteor, aiming its trajectory directly at her!
Fireworks’ pupils constricted to pinpricks, and a fierce blaze ignited in her eyes as she raised the bow and arrow in her hands. Under normal circumstances, a rocket would have already shot forth, effortlessly piercing and obliterating this assailant.
—Yet now, perhaps due to her suppressed magic, her offensive capabilities and reaction speed were drastically diminished, leaving her seemingly unable to counter the ambush in time.
The abyssal beast gained the advantage, roaring as it slammed into her with an overwhelming, destructive force!
“Xia, Xia Shi!”
Amidst Lu Chen’s panicked cries, the girl was sent soaring through the air like a kite with a severed string, slamming violently into the wall, her condition unknown.
The behemoth settled in the arena’s center. It slowly raised its head, unfurling colossal wings that blotted out the sky, then fixed its gaze upon the red-haired girl who was struggling to rise, transmitting a telepathic message to its master.
[Master, that was rather deliberate. While Lily of the Valley and Lu Chen likely won’t perceive it, the true Xia Shi would never be so easily ambushed, nor would she be sent flying so theatrically, even if struck.]
[You always seize every opportunity to orchestrate scenarios where Fireworks is flung about by various individuals; could it be that you’re settling old scores?]
The girl painstakingly sat up, a deliberate act of feigned weakness, and observing her familiar—now fully manifested on the ground in its true form—she returned a telepathic reply.
[Zero, the force you just employed clearly exceeded the necessary bounds. You always go all out against me whenever the opportunity arises; might you be settling old scores yourself?]
As she spoke, Ling Wei extricated herself from the wall, then, affecting a delicate fragility, began to walk towards Zero.
“All right, enough idle talk. Let’s start our plan.”
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