Chapter 450: Breaking the Stalemate

Ailixiya lightly clapped her hands, her voice still sweet and captivating:

"Oh my~ So many guests tonight! First, the energetic little rabbit~"

She glanced toward the storage area, "Now comes this adorable little Magus~ and this… lady with such a distinctive aura~"

Ailixiya's gaze fell on Robin, pausing briefly.

She took two steps forward, posture elegant like a noble lady attending a banquet, her dark‑blue hair swaying gently with the movement.

"Little sister~"

She addressed Ilya, her voice even softer, "You're holding that sparkling stick—are you playing some fun game? Want to come over to sister's side? Sister's side… has an even more fun game~ guaranteed to be more… thrilling… than any you've played before~?"

Her voice seemed to carry a hook, each syllable striking Ilya's heartstrings.

The crimson eyes swirled like a vortex, drawing gazes into a sink.

A sweet‑cloying yet dangerous aura spread, coiling into Ilya's will.

Ilya's gaze flickered in a daze, her small face showing a bewildered expression, the hand holding the ruby slightly lowering.

(Fun…? Sister seems… not that bad… )

"Ilya! Stay awake!"

The ruby burst with intense iridescent light, simultaneously emitting a sharp warning tone in her mind, "It's a mental interference! Don't listen to her!"

Almost at the same moment, an ethereal humming, like a clear spring flowing through the heart, came from Robin's direction.

There were no lyrics, just a simple few notes, yet they contained a strange power.

The sound was soft, but it countered Ailixiya's enchanting words, like a breeze dispersing the sweet‑cloying mist.

Ilya's whole body shivered, she snapped her head back, her gaze cleared, then a wave of dread swept over her.

(So, so scary! I almost got fooled!)

She quickly stepped back half a pace, raised the ruby staff again, aiming at Ailixiya; though her small hand still trembled, her voice tried to sound stern: "You, stay away from that orange‑haired sister! And don't use that strange voice and gaze again! I— I am Magical Girl Ilya! I'm here to stop you from doing evil!"

Ailixiya raised an eyebrow in mild surprise, her crimson eyes turning to Robin, her smile unchanged: "Oh? Using voice to interfere on the mental plane… such a rare and elegant ability, huh? Miss, you're making me more and more interested~"

Her tone remained relaxed, but in the next instant, the attack arrived!

"Puff! Puff puff!"

The ground beneath Ilya and Robin split open without warning!

Several thicker purple‑black tendrils burst from the soil, like predatory vipers, swiftly lashing at the two's vital points!

"Careful!" the ruby shouted urgently.

"Ilya, to the left!"

Robin's voice rang out simultaneously, ethereal yet bearing undeniable guidance.

Ilya trusted Robin almost instinctively; hearing the command, she didn't even think, lunging forcefully to the left!

"Chi!"

One tendril brushed past her right arm, the gust of wind it generated stinging her skin, and it pierced a deep pit where she had originally stood.

Robin's movements became even more graceful and composed; she didn't even shift much, just lightly touching the tips of her toes, her posture like a leaf drifting on the wind, evading the two tendrils' clutches by a hair's breadth.

At the same time, she slightly parted her red lips, a rapid, high‑pitched syllable bursting forth!

"Bzz——!"

The air rippled with visible pale‑blue undulations!

The tendrils aimed at her, the moment they entered the ripple zone, their motion noticeably lagged, the dark‑red patterns on their surface flashing erratically.

Ilya seized the chance to scramble up from the ground, her heart still racing.

If Robin's sister hadn't warned her just now, she definitely wouldn't have escaped!

"Th‑Thank you, Robin sister!"

"Focus, Ilya."

Robin said warmly, her emerald eyes fixed on Ailixiya, "Her attack style is strange, she can manipulate this… thing."

Ailixiya let out a light "Oh?" admiring Robin's quick response.

"Not bad, huh? But… just dodging isn't enough~"

She raised both hands gracefully, as if conducting a symphony.

More purple‑black tendrils surged from shadows throughout the courtyard!

Like countless wildly dancing vipers, they instantly enveloped the area where Ilya and Robin stood!

The courtyard seemed to stage a bizarre "Dance of Tendrils", and the two girls in the dance floor became unwilling guests forced to dance together.

Ilya screamed, flailing helplessly as she dodged.

She couldn't fly, relying on the ruby‑enhanced physique to scramble across the limited ground.

The pink dress rolled in the dust, quickly becoming stained.

Occasionally she mustered courage, firing a few ruby‑powered light projectiles in retaliation, but her aim was poor; most were evaded or shattered by the agile tendrils, and the few that hit only caused the tendrils to pause briefly before retreating, failing to deal effective damage.

"We can't keep going like this! Ilya, try using Binding Magic!" the ruby urged earnestly.

"I—I don't know which one to use! Their names are all so long!"

Ilya was about to cry; she'd memorized those spells and effects to the point of dizziness.

Robin fared slightly better; her agile footwork always let her evade the most dangerous attacks with minimal movement.

Her singing kept shifting, but she clearly lacked strong direct offensive means, relying more on containment.

The battle fell into a brief stalemate.

Ailixiya seemed to have the situation under control, even finding time to continue 'teasing' with words.

"What's wrong? Cute little Magus~ your attacks are like tickling, huh?"

"Miss Singer~ your voice is truly beautiful, but merely dodging won't win you the fight~ would you consider surrendering, joining sister's side? We could compose even more wonderful music together, okay?"

Ilya's little face puffed up in anger, while Robin's expression remained Calm, but his lake‑green eyes grew increasingly solemn.

She could feel that the opponent hadn't used full strength, more like… probing.

(Need to find a way to break the situation…)

Just as the "Tentacle Dance" in the courtyard intensified, and Ilya and Robin's evasion space was further compressed, the situation grew increasingly critical—

"Buzz——!!!"

A dazzling golden Light Pillar erupted without warning from inside that damaged small warehouse!

The Light Pillar shot upward, instantly dispersing the night gloom over the courtyard and tinting everything around with a brilliant gold hue!

A mighty, awe‑inspiring torrent of magic swept the entire courtyard like a storm!

All the wildly dancing violet‑black tentacles, illuminated by the golden light, sizzled like ice and snow under a scorching sun, their surfaces quickly stiffening before fragmenting and vanishing inch by inch!

Ailixiya's eyes turned toward the warehouse; she instinctively stepped back two paces, and the dark‑blue magic flowing around her automatically resisted the golden light, which naturally countered the Corrosion nature inherent to her.

Ilya and Robin were also stunned by the sudden turn of events, halted their movements, and looked toward the source of the golden Light Pillar.

The Light Pillar persisted for several seconds before slowly receding.

The smoke and dust dispersed.

From the wreckage of the small warehouse, a petite yet upright figure stepped out step by step.

She wore a blue‑based silver armor dress, its golden patterns shimmering faintly in the moonlight.

Her emerald‑green eyes, like the finest jade, were now slightly furrowed, and her delicate face bore a clear bewilderment.

Golden hair was coiled at the back of her head, with a stray, unruly lock across her forehead that now seemed to sway slightly with her mood.

She loosely clasped her right hand as if grasping an invisible weapon, her sharp gaze sweeping over the wrecked courtyard, the broken wall, the few confronting figures, finally landing on herself before glancing around.

"... What is this?"

Her voice was clear and authoritative, yet could not hide the deep confusion: "Why am I here?"