Chapter 78: Sparrow and the Blue Jay

Is she a magical girl?

Upon seeing the figure outside the window, Lin Yun immediately thought this—after all, only magical girls could fly without support and dress so flamboyantly.

It's not that sorcerers couldn't mimic such attire, but unfortunately, those sorcerers whose total mana and spell proficiency allowed them to hover stably in the air were almost certainly past the age of "girl."

So why was a magical girl appearing there at this moment?

Lin Yun did not recognize the black-dressed girl's face; he was certain she was not any of his "old acquaintances." She also couldn't be a new arrival in Fang Ting City, or else he had no reason not to know her.

Was she a magical girl from outside?

As numerous questions surfaced in his mind, Lin Yun began considering his next move.

Should he transform into a magical girl to ask her purpose, or should he pretend not to notice and let her come and go as she pleased?

Transforming right now was clearly impossible.

He was currently in the general manager's office; if he transformed, Wang Tengfei, a normal human, would see him—unnecessarily exposing his secret.

Although the Strange Affairs Bureau could handle the aftermath afterward—signing confidentiality agreements, even using spells to implant psychological suggestions to make him forget—still, he preferred to avoid transforming in front of others whenever possible.

Pretending not to notice was also impossible, because he couldn't allow a magical girl of unknown origin, whose allegiance was unclear, to roam freely in Fang Ting City.

In short, regardless of anything else, he couldn't keep wasting time in the general manager's office.

So he spoke, preparing to end his conversation with Wang Tengfei: "Manager Wang, sorry, I've got something else to attend to now—I won't keep you any longer, next—"

Again, mid-sentence, Lin Yun's pupils sharply contracted.

He saw the girl high above, her long hair dancing in the wind, her black dress gilded with golden light by the sun.

He saw the girl's hand ignite with earth-yellow magical energy, directly aimed at the direction of this office building.

At this point, he could finally confirm: the visitor was hostile.

"Manager Wang."

Lin Yun dropped all pretense, stood up abruptly, and warned Wang Tengfei with grave seriousness: "Get down."

The command came too suddenly; Wang Tengfei failed to understand his meaning.

He was also doomed to never understand it, because after seeing Lin Yun rise, he said not another word, but sprinted toward the direction behind him—where only floor-to-ceiling windows should have been.

Then, a brilliant blue light flashed beside him; in an instant, a muffled crash of shattering glass came from behind.

The next second, violent tremors surged from outside the window, like an earthquake, shaking the entire office building with intense force.

"Huh? Missed?"

Nearby, the black-dressed girl stared at the office building, now bearing a massive crater along its edge: "Strange—I was sure I aimed correctly."

"Oh well, if I missed, I'll just fire again."

—"No matter how many times you try, you'll never hit."

Such a voice suddenly came from nearby.

The girl turned toward the sound and saw a petite girl in a dark blue long dress, floating in midair beside her, expression utterly cold.

Seeing her, the girl first blinked in surprise, then slightly curled her lips into a peculiar smile: "Ah, so you're here after all?"

"'After all you're here'? You came looking for me?"

Opposite her, Senior Cuique raised her hand; magical energy coalesced into a wand appearing in her grip: "Using a bombardment spell as a greeting isn't polite. You have one minute—first explain why you came here, then explain your purpose."

"Ah, sorry—I really should've introduced myself first."

As if genuinely apologetic for this "impoliteness," the girl bowed slightly: "Hello, I'm a former spell-card magical girl registered in the Magic Kingdom, under the Ministry of Finance. I served roughly fourteen years ago, codename 'Golden Bell.'"

"But that name is past now. You may call me 'Sparrow.'"

"If you don't understand what this codename means, allow me to introduce us—we, the true free magical girls, are 'Claw Marks.'"

"Are you satisfied with my self-introduction?"

As she spoke, the girl calling herself "Sparrow" lifted her head, her smile growing increasingly bold:

"—Same as you, former Flower Card, Cornflower?"

Almost as she finished speaking, without warning, a powerful beam of magical energy erupted from her palm, striking straight toward Senior Cuique.

Nearby, Senior Cuique, still stunned by her words, reacted instantly—she widened her eyes, raised her hand, and within a circle of talismanic runes, a simple magical barrier instantly formed, blocking Sparrow's sudden attack.

"So you know quite a bit."

The barrier held against the beam, locked in a stalemate of magical strength; Senior Cuique raised her gaze, her expression turning icier: "You knew it was me—and still dared come to Fang Ting City to provoke me? Or did you think claiming a discarded name would let you ambush me successfully? Are all of you in this 'Claw Marks' organization such reckless fools?"

Her words caused Sparrow's smile to falter slightly, her brow twitching in irritation—but the emotion vanished quickly, replaced once more by a radiant grin:

"Ah, of course not."

"Though I'm only a former Flower Card, I still remember you were one—so I never expected to kill you with a simple ambush. Old ladies like you still have real power, after all."

"But what if I told you my real advantage is this?"

As she spoke, the originally earth-yellow magical beam was suddenly engulfed by purple-black magical energy.

When the purple-black energy touched Senior Cuique's barrier, the once-sturdy shield aged instantly—growing thin, fragile, then cracking into a spiderweb of fissures.

The process was too swift; Senior Cuique had no time to react—the barrier shattered, then exploded before her eyes.

Boom!

The beam, now unobstructed, obliterated the barrier's former position, completely engulfing it—and pierced straight through Senior Cuique.