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Gale-force winds swept through the treetops, dispersing the lingering heatwave. Lily of the Valley squinted, gazing upwards.
No figures remained in the high heavens, only churning clouds.
Crimson fire and pitch-black magic violently clashed within the sea of clouds, causing the sky to flicker between light and darkness. Dull, thunderous roars periodically echoed, making the young girl’s heart pound.
With no time for worry, she drew her dagger with a reverse grip, her gaze fixed coldly ahead.
On the scorched grass, blackened by residual flames, Envy’s mangled body twitched and trembled. Humming, shimmering purple magic swirled around him, his charred flesh regenerating at an astonishing rate.
The girl closed in, her dagger a blur of cold light. The gleaming blade carved afterimages in the air, each strike bringing forth spurts of foul blood, leaving Envy’s form riddled with countless wounds.
“It hurts so much… it hurts, ahhh!”
Purple magic, accompanied by a deafening shriek, erupted suddenly, momentarily freezing the girl’s movements.
Envy’s decaying flesh abruptly swelled and contorted, transforming into a massive maw bristling with sharp teeth, and lunged at Lily of the Valley.
“Tsk!”
A foul gust of wind assailed her face. The girl bit her lip lightly, darting back several meters, narrowly evading the attack.
Envy trembled as he rose from the ground, roaring:
“You, you… you damn well dared to hack me! You scum who understands nothing of propriety, honor, hierarchy, or order!”
Lily of the Valley scrutinized the incarnation of sin before her.
Despite enduring repeated immolation and slashes, the magic binding this grotesque entity remained astonishingly potent, raging through the forest like an erupting volcano.
Merely confronting it, a physiological tremor shot up her spine, spreading throughout the girl’s entire body.
‘Back then, when my sister faced it alone in that dim theater, what kind of emotions must she have harbored?’
Lily of the Valley gripped her dagger tighter, her eyes brimming with a murderous green glow.
“I’ll kill you.”
Envy froze in place, his regeneration slowing by half a beat. He peeled open a dozen or so orifices, letting out a cacophony of maniacal laughter.
“You? Kill me?”
“Lily of the Valley, oh, Lily of the Valley, you truly are Fireworks’ little shadow, even your foolishness is identical to hers, to combine these three utterly unrelated words!”
“That vile, despicable sneak attack just now was the last time you’ll ever touch my bo— Ugh!”
A jade-green figure flashed, appearing before Envy with lightning speed. With a raised hand, a dagger pierced through his newly regenerated head.
Foul blood splattered as Envy roared, concentrating terrifying magic before him, unleashing it at the girl with devastating force. Yet, even before his attack could land, Lily of the Valley had already darted behind him, severing his spine with another swift strike!
Half a month prior, Envy’s assessment would have been entirely correct. The lone wolf, Lily of the Valley, would have been utterly incapable of threatening him.
However, since her encounter with Xia Shi and Lu Chen, the girl’s strength had undergone a fundamental leap. Conversely, Envy’s power had drastically waned due to the severe injuries inflicted by Fireworks, leaving him with less than a tenth of his former might.
At this very moment, their strengths had seemingly reversed.
“Don’t get carried away, you scum…!”
Envy let out a hoarse shriek, as dark purple magic suddenly erupted, lashing out in all directions like a torrent.
Though he couldn’t match Lily of the Valley’s speed, Envy’s magical reserves vastly surpassed hers, allowing him to unleash unavoidable attacks!
The girl dared not meet the attack head-on; she could only halt her offensive, darting back to Lu Chen and Old Nie’s side. There, she raised a large shield crafted from hardwood and mana-absorbing vines.
Boom—
The torrent of magic slammed directly into the shield, its terrifying power shaking the very ground. The girl gritted her teeth, unleashing her full magical might to desperately hold back the rapidly cracking shield.
After several earth-shattering seconds, the dark purple magic finally subsided and dispersed. The girl cautiously lowered her shield, scanning her surroundings.
As the smoke and dust cleared, every tree within dozens of meters lay snapped, their remaining stumps pointing skyward like tombstones. A layer of earth had been violently scoured away, leaving claw-like gouges on the exposed soil, remnants of the magical torrent.
Most importantly, Envy, who had been right before them, had vanished without a trace. In his stead, dozens of brand-new puppets had appeared everywhere.
These puppets were exquisitely crafted and remarkably lifelike; some were dressed as swordsmen, others as mages, their wooden hands gripping blades or staves.
As if sensing the girl’s gaze, they simultaneously turned their stiff faces, their carved lips curving into smiles.
Lily of the Valley’s heart sank, and cold sweat beaded on her forehead.
These were no illusions. Fireworks had described this exact situation to her during their combat briefing.
Upon realizing he was at a disadvantage, Envy would immediately create an opportunity to alter his physical form and relocate his core.
Now, the bastard had clearly transformed himself into a multitude of puppets.
Most of these puppets were merely expendable limbs, capable of regenerating at will. Only one, however, concealed his core.
As the girl pondered, the puppets began to move.
They opened their mouths, speaking in unison with Envy’s voice:
“I can feel your fear, you pathetic, pitiful, detestable magical girl.”
“These puppets were designed by me over many years; each possesses the skill of an elite sorcerer and can effortlessly crush you into a pulp.”
“But, ah, but, you actually have no need to fear.”
They simultaneously rose from the ground, surging magic emanating from their forms.
“I shall soon make you one of them!”
The sword-wielding puppets advanced with eerie strides, rushing from all directions at extreme speed. Meanwhile, the staff-bearing puppets raised their hands, dark purple magical light swirling at their staff tips.
Lily of the Valley hung her phone at her waist, then conjured a sturdy wooden shield beside Lu Chen and Old Nie. Afterward, she gripped her dagger tightly and charged forward.
She weaved and dashed among the puppets, her dagger weaving streaks of silver light. In an instant, she had shattered the heads of several puppets!
However, the damaged puppets merely faltered before instantly regenerating in a flash of purple light. As long as Envy had not exhausted his immense magical power, destroying one or two ordinary puppets was utterly meaningless.
At the same time, the puppets’ sharp blades and beams of death were already closing in on Lily of the Valley.
“Tsk!”
She bit her lip, dodging and weaving by mere inches, evading the dense flurry of slashes like a butterfly. Yet, at the very last moment, she was struck by a streak of magical light, leaving a crimson gash on her shoulder.
Blood splattered as Lily of the Valley retreated to Lu Chen’s side. The puppets, instead of pressing their advantage, halted and cheered in unison.
“Hoo ha ha ha ha ha! This is correct! This is what virtue is! The world has finally functioned normally for once!”
“Come on, foolish magical girl. Before I turn you into a puppet, I’ll allow you one more swing of your shameless, despicable dagger.”
Ignoring Envy’s taunts, Lily of the Valley turned her head to look at Lu Chen.
“Did you find it?”
The young man lowered his phone and nodded. He had just been on a video call with Lily of the Valley.
As the girl sped through the puppets, all of them watched her, and in doing so, inadvertently observed the young man on the screen, thus fulfilling the ‘peeping’ condition.
Lu Chen had initially intended to point out Envy’s location from the start. However, openly staring at him didn’t seem to be defined as ‘peeping’ by Silvermoon, so he had to resort to this circuitous method.
Following the guidance of the silver light, he pointed to a wizard puppet that was smiling particularly grotesquely.
“That’s it.”
“Understood.”
Verdant light erupted around the girl, and like a jade-colored meteor, she pierced through the puppet’s defenses, instantly appearing before the wizard puppet.
The wizard puppet’s smile froze.
“You dare—”
Lily of the Valley’s hand rose and fell, a jade-green arc of light flashing by. Envy had no time to react before his head was cleanly severed by the blade.
Thus, the infamous incarnation of Envy was defeated under the combined assault of two magical girls—or so it seemed.
Wood splinters flew, and blood oozed from the puppet’s severed neck. Despite having lost its mouth, it still managed to utter a sound.
“Why?”
A shiver of dread ran through Lily of the Valley, and alarm bells rang in her mind.
‘I must end this immediately!’
She tensed her muscles, bringing her dagger down on the puppet with all her might. The sharp blade rained down—yet left only a shallow indentation.
“Despicable, malicious, shameless, cowardly… You possess so many vices, yet why do you prosper so effortlessly, able to act with such impunity?”
“Why do I, in contrast, fail to obtain what I desire? Why do I constantly encounter hardship and suffering?”
“Why… why must I endure such agony to gain the power to crush scum like you?”
When affection surpasses a certain threshold, powerful magical girls blossom, achieving a significant leap in strength.
Conversely, when malice crosses its threshold, powerful monsters will collapse. They will endure intense agony while simultaneously unleashing another level of power.
With the exception of the deceased Gluttony, all seven contemporary Cardinal Sins were capable of freely undergoing this collapse.
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