Chapter 125: The Prey

As a monster that existed long before human civilization in the Material Realm, no one can say exactly when the Remnant Beasts were born.

The most widely known theory is that all Remnant Beasts' life and power originate from a single source—a powerful entity that left no name or image. Yet, no evidence in current magical research supports this claim.

But faith requires no evidence; there have always been those who believe this theory. The "Master" spoken of by Black Ash Dawn refers to this unnamed entity.

They call it the "Beast Lord."

"The Great Beast Disaster nineteen years ago brought devastation to the Material Realm, but it also left behind invaluable wealth for the study of Remnant Beast power."

The Remnant Beast's voice, tinged with amusement, clearly reached the consciousness of every Magic Girl present: "Vast quantities of Remnant Beast remains untouched by resonance removal, vast numbers of lives injured by Beast Magic, vast amounts of combat data—all these were unattainable to Black Ash Dawn in times of peace, but in the Great Beast Disaster, they were within easy reach."

"Afterward, we extracted a rare crystal from a few exceptionally unique Remnant Beasts. Astonishingly, any Remnant Beast with this crystal embedded in its body exhibited varying degrees of magical concentration."

"Their bodily structures became more robust; their specialized organs more developed; even their intellectual evolution became extraordinary."

"We conducted detailed research on this crystal and ultimately discovered that it possesses the ability to absorb and purify vast amounts of magic, then release a special energy that greatly accelerates Remnant Beast evolution and raises their evolutionary ceiling."

"However, the crystal's quantity is exceedingly scarce. After dissecting every Remnant Beast remains recovered from the Beast Disaster, we obtained only a handful. Moreover, its magical consumption is immense—tiny amounts of magic cannot sustain its needs. Our experiments progressed extremely slowly."

"In our first experiment, it took over ten years to create one fully evolved Transcended Remnant Beast. But the success was short-lived—the beast's body collapsed at the end of its evolution, turning into a pool of magical flesh."

"Our second experiment began two years later than the first, took longer, yet ended identically—it collapsed."

"After two more failures, I eliminated all possible causes and realized it wasn't our approach that was wrong—it was the 'food.'"

"We bred countless pigs to feed the Remnant Beasts, but pigs alone were insufficient. Just as humans develop ailments from picky eating, Remnant Beasts require a 'balanced diet.'"

"Fairy magic, Magic Girl magic, Beast magic—all are indispensable."

"To verify this conclusion, two years ago, in my latest cultivation attempt, I made a decision: I siphoned a portion of the Flower Card Magic Girls' magic and fed it to our Remnant Beast. Then, a variable emerged: its growth rate far exceeded all prior experiments, and it displayed considerable intellectual development."

"I knew—my experiment had succeeded."

The giant moth slowly flapped its wings, gazing at the blue-haired girl lying on the ground: "So I must thank your teammate, Cornflower. It was Sakura's death that granted me, after so long, sufficient Flower Card magic—it showed me the possibility of success."

Senior Cuique said nothing.

Because she was genuinely injured.

Her Magic Gear had been stripped away by the Remnant Beast, then her body had been cleanly slashed.

True, a Magic Girl's body is composed of magic and lacks biological organs, but the damage inflicted by Magic Gear does not target the body—it strikes deeper, at the soul.

Her soul had nearly been severed at the waist; such a decapitating pain would cause most Magic Girls to lose bodily control.

At this moment, Senior Cuique lay on the ground, expressionless, gazing up at the giant moth in the sky, silently listening to its proud, self-satisfied words.

"... You seem to lack an audience."

Yet even with such injuries, her voice carried no trace of pain—calm as ever: "I have no interest in your story of enduring hardship and scheming for years."

"Is that so?"

Mos's voice held a hint of surprise: "I thought you might feel some sorrow over your old teammate's death."

"If your goal was merely to anger me, you've already succeeded."

Senior Cuique's voice remained utterly unshaken: "But if you intend to tell me 'I killed Sakura' to shake my heart, then I can only answer you: impossible."

"Oh? I deliberately preserved the altar until now. You must have sensed Sakura's magic during the ritual—surely that should convince you?"

"So what?"

Senior Cuique stared straight ahead, though no one knew what thoughts lay beneath her calm exterior: "Sakura is dead. Her Heart Gem vanished. I've known that all along. Your actions merely confirm to me that her death is indeed tied to you."

"You don't understand what 'Strongest Flower Card' truly means, nor what she was capable of. Sakura—she reached that position by defeating enemies deemed invincible, again and again."

She pushed herself up with her hands, her tone growing solemn: "Do you really think such trash as you could defeat her—let alone kill her?"

"Don't make me laugh. You're not worthy to speak her name."

Mos fell silent for a moment, then laughed again:

"Hahaha, excellent. I truly admire your stubbornness."

"That's why I chose today, this grand occasion, and invited these adorable little spectators."

She waved her wings, her limbs pointing toward the newcomers nearby: "I can't prove to you now whether I can kill Sakura. But what about these little ones? What do you think?"

"For instance, that girl over there—Sakura's daughter. Her father seems to have had a thing with you too. If I kill her right here, will you still keep that icy face? I'm eager to see."

"... Don't even think about it." Senior Cuique used her threads to support her body and rose again.

"Then let's see how you perform."

As Mos spoke, she raised her limbs, and countless dense purple-black spheres materialized in midair: "How long can you protect her, Cornflower?"

As her words ended, several purple-black magic spheres plummeted like meteorites toward Lin Xiaolu's position.

Lin Xiaolu and the others had been fighting Remnant Beasts while moving toward Senior Cuique. Seeing the spheres descend, they instantly changed direction to dodge. But the purple-black spheres seemed sentient—each shifted its landing point as Lin Xiaolu moved.

Senior Cuique became a streak of light, appearing beside the newcomers in an instant. Her Magic Gear formed a vast net before her, intercepting the falling magic spheres.

But before the spheres touched her gear, her woven magic threads vanished into thin air.

Without hesitation, she cast the Fawo Runes again—multiple magic barriers swiftly formed before them, blocking the spheres. Yet these barriers also vanished instantly.

Below, Lin Xiaolu saw the danger and raised her hand, unleashing silver-white magic flames to slash at the spheres—but like Senior Cuique's, they vanished halfway.

"Not a single absorption—multiple-stage containment."

Senior Cuique murmured to herself as the spheres neared Lin Xiaolu. Her gaze sharpened; she accelerated again. She flew straight in front of Lin Xiaolu and took the magic sphere with her own body.

Seeing this, Xia Liang immediately activated her Magic Gear—multiple mirrors surrounded Senior Cuique, attempting to divert the sphere's magic. But her gear couldn't withstand such power; before Mos even made them vanish, the mirrors shattered completely.

Crack.

"Ghk…!"

Cracks appeared on Xia Liang's face; her entire body was blasted away.

Senior Cuique, at the epicenter of the explosion, was struck with such force on her soul that she fell like a severed kite, caught only by Lin Xiaolu below.

"Xia Liang! Damn it! Senior Cuique! Are you okay?!"

She frantically felt for Senior Cuique's breath, staring at her tattered, charred dress, voice trembling: "Are you alright? Senior Cuique?"

Senior Cuique's closed eyes opened again at Lin Xiaolu's call. She slowly sat up and grasped Lin Xiaolu's hand.

"It's fine."

Panting slightly, Cuique looked calmly at Lin Xiaolu: "I'm here. Don't worry, nothing will happen."

"What do you mean 'nothing will happen'? This has happened twice already! You're already this badly injured!"

Lin Xiaolu's voice trembled with a hint of tears: "Don't treat yourself like this. If she wants to kill me and thinks you're a hindrance in battle, then it would be better to just..."

Cuique said no more.

She simply squeezed Lin Xiaolu's hand, signaling her to stop speaking, then struggled to stand once more, looking up at Mo Si in the sky.

"I thought your tragic drama would go on a bit longer."

Mo Si mocked: "Why not show her more of your spirit of sacrifice? Let me see more tear-jerking scenes?"

"I don't want to waste words in front of scum."

Cuique's voice remained calm and firm: "If you want to see tragedy, go to hell and watch your own end slowly."

"Hahaha, interesting. Since you're so eager, let's continue."

A purple-black magic sphere appeared once more above everyone. Mo Si's voice rose sharply: "Let me see how long you can protect them with just your already battered body, unable to use magic."

Gazing at the dense swarm of magic spheres in the sky, Cuique's expression did not change. Mo Ke's face was filled with terror, while Xia Liang helplessly lowered her gaze. Lin Xiaolu was equally pale; she looked at Cuique and instinctively opened her mouth again, but had no idea what to say.

Mo Si's attack did not waver according to the will of the Magical Girls.

The purple-black magic sphere crashed down once more. This time, Cuique once again blocked it with her body.

"Hahaha, truly rare! A former Gem Scepter, once a Magical Girl of the Flower Card, now reduced to such a wretched state!" Mo Si laughed: "Where is your Magic Armor? Your Mirage Realm? Your Fan Kai? Fighting like a Seed-rank, or even worse than a Seed-rank, is simply too ridiculous!"

"You've been spouting nonsense like a brat all this time. Do you think I don't know? During the Garden Defense Battle and the Great Beast Catastrophe, you overextended yourself twice. Your power is barely one-tenth of what it was!"

"Look at you now. How pitiful!"

"This is the Magical Kingdom! These are their heroes! Heroes who saved the situation in war and saved cities in the Material Realm, only to end up being humiliated like this!"

"Precisely because of this, you are my best prey, the finest ingredient for me to climb to a higher rung!"

As her words fell, more magic spheres appeared around her.

"... So it was indeed like this."

Cuique gazed at the sky already stained purple-black. Her gem-like eyes reflected the figure beneath the light: "Your target has been me from the very beginning."

"Realizing it only now? It's already too late!"

Mo Si laughed wildly: "What city, what humans, what kingdom, what Investigation Bureau? These things were never part of my plan from the start. All I needed was you."

"Using two years to feed a massive number of 'meat pigs' to raise a beast on the verge of collapse, then instantly obtaining a large quantity of high-quality Magical Girl magic capable of restoring the balance of magic within its body. This allows for a quick breakthrough to achieve the result I desire!"

"What could be a better prey than a severely injured, retired for years, ignorant of the outside world former Gem Scepter?"

"Once I obtain your magic source and complete the final restoration of my Beast's viscera, I can break through the restriction of 'Molting', ascend to a higher rank, and become an entity nearing the peak—the King Molting!"

"I sent those useless minions of Mo Chu to attack your old friend's daughter, and you indeed appeared. I sent them to attack the man connected to you, and you indeed fought back. I sent Zhu to draw the Investigation Bureau's attention, and you went immediately. I had Hong Siyu deceive your perception, and you remained completely unaware!"

"I prepared so many smoke bombs to delay the ritual, so many troubles to delay your steps. You indeed stepped exactly where I predicted, so ignorant it makes me feel pity!"

"You are like a bird living in a cage, trapping yourself beneath the bars, completely unaware of how many dangers are approaching from the outside. Pitiful, ridiculous, and lamentable!"

"Put away your useless stubbornness. Kneel before me at the end."

Her voice grew colder: "Just as I was utterly powerless to protect my own daughter, you now are utterly powerless to protect those little girls. Kneel down and beg for my mercy. Perhaps I will spare their lives and make them my new test subjects."

The Moth Beast's jointed limbs raised high. Beneath its fluttering wings, countless purple-black magic spheres flickered, surging with an aura of destruction: "Of course, you can refuse. I wouldn't mind devouring a few more Heart Gems during the final ritual."

It looked down upon Cuique, waiting for the other's reply.

However, the answer received was no answer.

Cuique did not respond to her words.

Her long, azure hair was stained with dust and haze. Her navy-blue dress, torn in places, hung charred. Though appearing to be in absolute disadvantage, Cuique still stood upright and straight, looking calmly at Mo Si.

"... There is no flow."

"Hmph? What nonsense are you speaking?"

"When magic disappears, there is no flow."

"So what? Answer my question!"

"No need to answer. I don't want to waste words on nonsense."

Cuique said lightly: "I have already guessed your rule."

These words, as if ice thrown into boiling water, instantly silenced Mo Si, who had been so arrogant.

"... Oh?"

After a long moment, she spoke with some amusement: "That is truly unexpected."

"Unexpected about what? That I could guess your rule, or that I am not a fool?"

Cuique narrowed her eyes slightly: "From the very beginning, you kept throwing out all sorts of topics—your own experiences, Ying's death, the kingdom's system, and my past... Wasn't it just to mislead my thinking and scatter my focus?"

"Chattering like a noisy clown during battle, aside from you being a natural chatterbox, the only reason I can think of is that you are trying to dominate our train of thought."

"Forcing me to respond with various topics you think will provoke me or spark my interest, thereby making me ignore or voluntarily give up thinking about the essence of your rule."

"After all, your rule seems so unsolvable, as if it can block everyone's magic attacks, but stripped bare, it is just one sentence:"

"—The one with the largest shadow absorbs the magic of others."

Her words caused Mo Si to fall silent once more.

"Nonsense." After a moment, Mo Si mocked, "If this is the conclusion you've reached, then you will only lose even more miserably."

"Is that so?"

Cuique remained noncommittal: "If so, then why, after your 'ritual' ended, did you not withdraw that blindingly bright pillar of light? Why have you been moving your position pointlessly, keeping your shadow covering us all along?"

"Heh, let's just say that's the case."

"Yes, let's just say that's the case." Cuique repeated Mo Si's words, then reached out and pointed behind it:

"After all, the Magic Armor I left behind you has not disappeared until now."

Following Senior Cuique's pointing finger, Moss looked behind himself, seeing only a small segment of blue magic thread that had been fixed to the ground at some unknown time, now quietly emitting a magical halo.

It maintained its posture, staring at that small segment of magic thread; a moment later, it turned back, suddenly stretched out, and spread its wings wide. In an instant, a huge black shadow enveloped the entire area around Senior Cuique.

Moss gazed at that thread of silk, and only at this moment did he realize he had probably truly underestimated this magical girl who had retired years ago.

"You actually kept thinking about this problem all along."

Looking at Senior Cuique, he clicked his tongue in amazement: "If it weren't because we are enemies, I would really have to ask you seriously what reason allows you to be so calm?"

"The first rule is not to listen to the nonsense of a beast like you."

"That truly makes me feel honored."

"The second rule is because I have already fought countless battles between rules."

Senior Cuique continued: "Guessing and concealing the rules is the top priority; I do not think you would overlook this point. After all, when the truth of the rules is uncovered, your rules lose their threat."

"Oh? Even if you know the rules, what can you do?"

Moss said expressionlessly: "You still cannot mobilize your own magic, nor use your own magical armor. And now, you long ago could not Use the Mirage Realm; you have absolutely no means to resist all this..."

— "Who said I cannot Use the Mirage Realm?"

Senior Cuique interrupted his words, staring straight at Moss: "Have I ever said I cannot Use the Mirage Realm?"

"Hmph, bluffing!"

Moss snorted coldly: "Your Heart Gem and magical armor were damaged long ago; being alive is already a miracle. Forcibly Using the Mirage Realm? Do you think such lies have any meaning?"

"Whether it is a lie or not, a fight will tell."

Senior Cuique said calmly: "As long as I know your rules, then from now on, your rules will never work again."

"Very well, come on."

Moss paused for a moment, then smiled: "Let me see your Mirage Realm; let me see what desperate means you still have at this point!"

Senior Cuique no longer spoke with Moss.

She silently opened her hands; the remaining deep blue magic surged within her body once more. Amidst interwoven threads, a small tailor's scissors, merely the size of her palm, gradually appeared between her fingers.

The silver-blue scissors seemed engraved with dense, intricate patterns, but upon closer inspection, one would discover those patterns were actually all cracks. This pair of scissors had long since been reduced to mere outlines, likely to shatter completely with the slightest movement.

Senior Cuique gazed at the scissors in her hand, as if reminiscing about something, or perhaps gradually letting something go.

"... Sorry, I have always used you so roughly."

She reached out, stroking that pair of tailor's scissors, her voice somewhat gentle: "But, let me be willful just one more time."

Picking up the scissors, threads pulled from her knuckles; Senior Cuique waved her hand and faced the remaining beast in the air with stern resolve.

"Magic construct, extract; Mirage Realm, unfold; cut down all this here—"

Commands issued from her mouth; her will grew ever firmer. The deep blue magic gushed forth again like high-pressure stimulation, causing even the cracks on the scissors to emit light, as if they were about to shatter and explode at any moment.

Then, Senior Cuique raised her voice and, for the first time since her return, called out the name of her magical armor:

— "Weaver of Fate."

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