Chapter 161: Welcome Back

With the ability of "Separation" unleashed and the white mist dispersed, the battle shifted further into an unknown direction.

The most obvious change was that Senior Cuique had switched from defense to offense. However, this "offense" was not a simple physical assault, but an offensive in terms of information.

Possessing the ability of Separation meant that as long as she knew and understood a certain ability of Kite, that ability would be instantly removed from the battlefield.

Fixating on Kite's movements, Senior Cuique changed the form of her Masterpiece to counterattack while constantly observing every move of her opponent, searching in her mind for the next target to activate her ability.

She knew very well what she needed to do now and what her true goal was. It was impossible to seriously injure or even kill the opponent in such a short time; the only thing she could do was weaken Kite's abilities.

Although the normal state of Weaving Fate could not permanently deprive the opponent of their abilities, as long as "Separation" was successfully achieved, the opponent would be unable to use them again for at least a short time.

The first time she activated Weaving Fate, she separated the opponent's Qi. If she could cut away another key concept the second time, Kite's combat power would be greatly weakened. At that point, she would just need Hong Siyu to defeat the opponent.

And with Hong Siyu's fighting style, what was the biggest obstacle to defeating Kite?

Senior Cuique began to ponder this point.

One of the obstacles was undoubtedly the Qi that had already been separated; the opponent had relied on their own Qi to significantly weaken the lethality of Hong Siyu's spells, which was undoubtedly a troublesome ability.

The other obstacle seemed to be the ink-state Magic Gear in her hand.

Kite referred to this Magic Gear as "Hundred Weapons." Judging from its usage and performance, the ability displayed by this Magic Gear was transformation and extremely high penetration.

Whether it was the mana barrier created by spells or even Senior Cuique's own Masterpiece, once it came into contact with Kite's Magic Gear, it seemed to lose its mana properties and was physically cut apart by "Hundred Weapons."

Although the true ability of this Magic Gear was unclear, just from appearances, it was already a sufficiently threatening object to Hong Siyu.

Because Hong Siyu obviously did not possess close-combat abilities like herself. As a magical girl whose style was mocked as a "turret," her battle relied on spells and Magic Gear to suppress the enemy with long-range firepower. Precisely because of this, once Kite chose to turn the Magic Gear into a long-range weapon and engage Hong Siyu in a long-range stalemate, Hong Siyu, lacking defensive means, might instead become a target.

Thinking this way, if she could separate the opponent's only long-range attack method, the subsequent battle would surely lead to a situation favorable to Hong Siyu.

However, the idea was beautiful, but the reality was regrettable: Senior Cuique could not directly separate the opponent's "Magic Gear."

Because the essence of the Magic Gear was actually the true form of the magical girl; separating the Magic Gear meant directly depriving the opponent of part of their true form. The concept of "true form," just hearing it, made it clear that it was not something the current her could handle.

The stronger the concept separated, the more mana was consumed and required to maintain that state. Even Senior Cuique at her peak would find it extremely difficult to separate part of a Flower Card's true form with a single strike.

Therefore, to deal with the opponent's Magic Gear, the concept she cut away could not be "Magic Gear," but had to be something else.

So, what exactly should this thing be?

Accompanied by this thought, Senior Cuique's attack movements became much more aggressive. She began to abandon part of her defense and even started to intentionally sustain some injuries to force Kite into making riskier responses.

This was not only because she had little time left, but also because she needed to force the opponent to expose more of their abilities.

This line of thinking naturally could not be perceived by Hong Siyu and Sammy outside the field. From their perspective, the battle had undoubtedly shifted to Senior Cuique suppressing Kite. The dispersal of the white mist directly caused Kite's fighting style to deform. Although her movements remained swift and skilled, they had obviously become much awkward.

The white mist, composed of "Qi" and cut away by Senior Cuique, was a natural defense method against mana. In past battles, whether against humans or remnant beasts, this defense method had been invincible. Precisely because of this, Kite had become accustomed to abandoning defense against mana attacks in close-quarters hand-to-hand combat.

Although this did not mean she had lost the ability to fight mana normally, suddenly changing her combat habits did have a certain impact on her. Precisely because of this, it gave Senior Cuique the opportunity to attack.

The remaining time for the replicated Magic Gear was running out, and for Senior Cuique to achieve victory within the remaining time, she had to adopt more radical measures.

Kite could not use the defensive ability of Qi, and Senior Cuique, in order to gain merit, also abandoned defense. The battle became incredibly dangerous from this point on. Small wounds constantly appeared on both of their bodies, but they paid no attention to them.

The Magic Gear had only one minute of duration left.

Neither Senior Cuique nor Kite had any energy left to speak; they were fully focused on the opponent's movements to react as quickly as possible.

The scissors in hand were gradually becoming illusory, and the originally solid outline had already blurred, but the battle between the two remained in a stalemate. Even though Senior Cuique had gradually suppressed the opponent's offensive, she still could not find a moment for a killing blow.

But she did not become anxious because of this; on the contrary, the more desperate the situation, the calmer her mind became.

The Weaving Fate in hand was barely able to maintain its own form, and it was probably not far from dissipating, yet Senior Cuique still could not observe any opportunity to decide the victory.

If she had known the exact ability of the opponent's Magic Gear, Senior Cuique might have been able to tamper directly with "Hundred Weapons," but unfortunately, Kite being warlike did not mean she was a fool. After her own Qi was separated, she absolutely refused to mention anything about her abilities.

Obviously, she also knew that Senior Cuique's Magic Gear had a certain time limit. Once the five-minute limit ended, the enemy before her would no longer pose a threat. So rather than anxiously ending the battle, the current Kite seemed to be enjoying the fight.

The time limit for the replication had only thirty seconds left.

The rhythm of the weapon clash became faster and faster. Senior Cuique began to apply further pressure in an attempt to find the opponent's flaw. However, although Kite had fallen into a passive position, she still defended strictly, willing to sustain more minor injuries rather than expose other information.

If not for the fact that the nature of the battle between the two had already changed, no one would have known they were not fighting a life-or-death struggle, but rather a unique battle of information.

When the battle entered the final twenty seconds, Kite even began a turtle-shell-like defensive method, pursuing nothing but making no mistakes and completely abandoning offense.

"Is this what it means to win head-on?" Senior Cuique had to speak again, trying to provoke with words, "Relying on stalling time to achieve victory?"

"Soldiers have military strategy, battles have war strategy."

Kite slightly curled her lips amidst the fierce attacks: "Stamina is also an indispensable part of the contest. Winning over the opponent in stamina is nothing shameful."

"Sophistry." Senior Cuique pointed out the essence of the opponent's words expressionlessly.

"The fact is, as long as I win with a clear conscience, that is enough."

Kite smiled somewhat indifferently: "No matter how good the words sound, victory is the most important. When there is a possibility of winning, even if the victory is as wretched as possible, one must seize the opportunity!"

After saying this, she continued to adopt a defensive stance, looking as if she intended to drag it out until the very end.

With only ten seconds left, Senior Cuique abandoned all external means and made her final move, mobilizing one hundred percent of her energy to launch an all-out offensive.

Sword, dagger, gauntlet; she continuously used different forms of Magic Gear while stepping closer and closer, until finally, the two could clearly see each other's eyes.

Kite's double pupils were like a cluster of fierce fire, burning with confidence; Senior Cuique's eyes were like a pool of calm water, concealing the unknown.

With only five seconds left, she untied the thread Masterpiece in her hand and, under the mutual gaze of both, wove it into a form never shown before: a scythe extending from behind Kite.

"Masterpiece, Number Five, Harpa of the Harvest."

Utilizing the deformation characteristic of the threads themselves to bypass the laws of human movement, Senior Cuique brought the blade of the scythe to the back of Kite's neck, missing the opponent's nape by only a hair's breadth.

At such a distance, as long as she slightly retracted the scythe, she could complete this attack and take her head.

And this was the first and last time she would kill the opponent in this close-quarters battle.

She did not expect to actually kill the opponent with such an attack, but only by applying such immense pressure could she possibly see Kite's true Magic Gear ability.

In the final five seconds of the Magic Gear's replication, Senior Cuique flicked the scythe in her hand.

Under her gaze, Kite's expression shifted from shock and confusion to relief and acceptance. Then, as if admitting defeat, she raised the ink-like metal in her hand and infused mana into it.

"Hundred Weapons."

At her cry, the scythe in Senior Cuique's hand instantly became incredibly solid. After cutting onto Kite's neck, it could advance no further. As if it had touched an object with hardness far exceeding that of a blade, the scythe simply sliced away to the side.

This supposedly fatal attack was easily blocked by a single cry from Kite.

This may look like her victory in the match, but both of them actually knew that from this moment on, Yuan had already lost this information war.

Because she had exposed her own Demon Armament ability.

Senior Cuique's masterpiece, the Scythe, also originated from her own Demon Armament; through personal interweaving and processing, it was endowed with destructive power far beyond ordinary spells. Theoretically, as long as the attack lands, there is nothing it cannot cut.

To nullify this attack, one would need to counter it with even stronger mana, dispersing the Scythe's blade at the mana level to resolve this strike.

But obviously, under such pressing decision-making pressure, Yuan did not resort to mana projection, which she was not good at, but rather to her most familiar Demon Armament ability.

The effect ultimately manifested by this ability was as if the Scythe in Senior Cuique's hand had turned into common iron; the instant it struck Yuan, it lost all the properties bestowed by mana.

Only when common iron cuts into a mana-made object does such a scene appear, as if touching something hard and smooth, being deflected without causing any damage.

So, what exactly Yuan did is not hard to guess.

In the final two seconds before the Demon Armament's reappearance time expired, Senior Cuique raised the scissors in her hand, completed the cutting motion in one second, and at the very last instant declared her understanding of Yuan's ability.

— "De-mana-ization, physicalization."

To ensure the declaration was accurate, she described this ability from both positive and negative angles. Then, she felt a massive expenditure of mana coming from the scissors that were about to dissipate, taking away nearly half of the mana within her own body.

Click.

With a light, crisp sound, the scissors in Senior Cuique's hand and the ink-like metal in Yuan's hand collapsed together.

The scissors, having reached their reappearance time limit, completed their mission at the last moment.

Hong Siyu cannot repeatedly and continuously reproduce things from memory; after each reproduction, the record of the thing within the "Billion Sea Hundred Records" is completely consumed, requiring a long time to replenish. Reading books, ha.

For magical spells, Hong Siyu can make up for this drawback by recording the same spell in large quantities, but for Demon Armaments, which possess uniqueness and singularity, this method is clearly not universal enough.

This also means the outcome of this battle has already been decided here; Senior Cuique successfully declaring the opponent's Demon Armament ability almost means victory; if the declaration fails, it means both have lost their chance to win.

As for the result, it was already clear upon seeing the Demon Armament in Yuan's hand—she succeeded.

The Demon Armament, originally appearing as a mass of liquid metal, had now lost its metallic luster, completely turning into a pitch-black, ink-like mass of mana.

This means that no matter which angle of Senior Cuique's declaration was correct, she at least successfully separated the ability of Yuan's Demon Armament: from now on, no matter how this Demon Armament changes its form, it is only changing the shape of mana, no longer possessing the terrifying penetration and destructive power it had before.

Even if the opponent has some means to further unleash the Demon Armament's ability, the disappearance of this concept is irreparable; with the core concept of the Demon Armament removed, even further strengthening would hardly be of much use.

As for how long this state will last—at least judging by the remaining mana consumption of Senior Cuique herself, maintaining it for several more hours is no problem.

And several hours is enough time for Hong Siyu to resolve this battle.

The two simply gazed at each other silently; for a moment, neither spoke. Senior Cuique's expression was calm, but her slightly trembling fingers proved she was not without pressure; although Yuan's Demon Armament ability had been separated, compared to the regret of defeat, what was more on her face was the satisfaction after a hearty battle.

"I lost." She spread her hands with a smile, "You were right; my Demon Armament ability is 'Physicalization'. It is also the core ability of the Demon Armament; without it, it is very difficult for me to defeat that junior over there in my current state."

"'Current state' refers to not using the Mirage Realm and further abilities, right?"

Senior Cuique slowly exhaled: "In other words, you were actually holding back."

"I said it; I do not want to use my own Mirage Realm."

Yuan shook her head: "My Mirage Realm, while having extremely strong restrictive rules for everyone within its range, actually gives me an overwhelming advantage. Unfolding the Mirage Realm and using the rules would make this victory devoid of fun. I said I don't want to use it, so I won't; as for further things, there is no need to discuss them further; I hate bullying the weak in battle."

"You seem very confident in your other abilities as well."

Senior Cuique raised an eyebrow: "Rather, I have never seen someone who regards 'using full strength' as 'bullying the weak'."

"The full strength of a martial arts cultivator is different from the full strength of a magical girl."

Yuan put her hands on her hips: "A game without rules has no fun; a battle without an enemy has no meaning. Enjoying every valuable battle in life, respecting every opponent who can bring me fun within the rules—this is my life creed."

— "This creed will only lead me to go back with you and get scolded by the Leader!"

Seeing that these two were almost becoming mutually appreciative, Sami on the side screamed in utter collapse: "Just unfold the Mirage Realm quickly, unleash it quickly! We are not here to play house; the Beast Source is very important!"

"Shut up, Sami. Don't say such mood-killing things while I am enjoying the afterglow of the battle."

Yuan glanced at it dissatisfied: "I finally got to enjoy a hearty battle; I don't want to keep worrying about those troublesome matters the Leader assigned."

"So you plan to just go back like this?"

The opponent's easygoing attitude made Senior Cuique feel somewhat unreal; she couldn't help but speak up to confirm: "Even though you haven't used all your abilities yet?"

"A loss is a loss; I don't like making excuses."

Yuan waved her hand: "However, I didn't say I'm going back just like that, you know?"

"What?" Senior Cuique and Sami on the side both emitted sounds of confusion.

"Come on, I just came out of seclusion from hard cultivation and returned to a human city; I also want to properly enjoy modern life."

Yuan looked at the one human and one fairy who made the sound: "I only arrived in Fang Ting City this morning; do you want me to return to the wasteland this afternoon? Hard cultivation isn't done like this; I want to have fun here for a few days!"

"As for the battle, that's not just one fight."

She crossed her arms, stuffing both hands into the wide sleeves of her Daoist robe: "It's rare to find such a good opponent; I definitely want to spar with you a few more times. Don't mind me bothering you then, okay?"

"... You mean, this one doesn't count, we'll compete again next time." Senior Cuique analyzed the meaning in the other's words with some hesitation: "What if I lose next time?"

"Then I'll kidnap you and the Beast Source together."

Yuan laughed cheerfully: "I'm really interested in you now, and I'm even more looking forward to your strength after your injuries are healed. If you can join Claw Marks, we will definitely have a lot in common."

"No matter how many times you win, it doesn't count, but if you lose once, it's a real loss..."

Senior Cuique sighed helplessly: "I remember you were just saying things like 'won't bully the weak'."

"Hmph, all principles ultimately depend on my preference and mood."

Yuan straightened her tattered Daoist robe, rolled up her sleeves, and tucked up the hem: "If you want me to give up completely, then defeat me when I truly pour out my full strength; at that time, I will admit the mission failed and leave obediently."

After saying this, she reached out, grabbed Sami who seemed still dissatisfied, and waved at the slightly weary Senior Cuique: "Let's go; next time I'll go directly to the Hetero-Strategy Bureau to find someone to contact you."

After saying this, dark mana enveloped her figure; the one human and one fairy's forms turned into a afterimage and disappeared before Senior Cuique and Hong Siyu.

Leaving two magical girls standing in place, gazing at the now empty sky, momentarily unsure of what they were thinking.

Senior Cuique pondered the words Yuan said before leaving and finally had to admit: neither she nor Fang Ting City currently had the ability to drive away this uninvited guest; she seemed to have to accept the existence of such an "enemy" here.

Fortunately, the other party didn't seem to have the personality of someone like Moss who would kill ordinary people at the slightest disagreement; saying she wanted to play here probably really just meant playing—unless she eats without paying.

Having figured this out, she couldn't help but sigh helplessly, turned back to face Hong Siyu, and wanted to ask about the specific situation here again.

However, just as she turned her head, a hug came straight at her.

——"I'm back, Senior Cuique."

Hong Siyu had flown in from behind and embraced Senior Cuique, pressing her chin against his forehead. Even if Senior Cuique tried to lift his head, she refused to look down, solely to hide the faint warmth on her cheeks after making this gesture.

Feeling this long-missed embrace, Senior Cuique opened his mouth slightly; the question he had prepared vanished in that instant, replaced by a simple reply:

"Ah, welcome back."

It was not only Hong Siyu who had returned, but also that magical girl who had once retired but now returned once more to this world.

Normal updates will resume.

(End of chapter)