"A real sunrise!"
Peony stared transfixed at the brilliant light on the sea surface, her throat choking, eyes watering, unable to help but shed tears.
Zodiac Palace had never seen the sun, forever trapped in spaceti turbulence's ravaging, with angry waves surging endlessly. Moreover, accompanied by Disaster Beast attacks, it was like doomsday year-round. Now she finally witnessed a trace of light.
Yang Tao beside her put an arm around her shoulders and gently patted her back, whispering in her ear: "It's okay, it's all over. This is our ho now."
"Thinking that the Great Catastrophe will destroy everything makes even more regretful."
"At least we have this mont, and besides, even fate can be fought against."
"Such a pity."
"Perhaps you, who pursue perfection, think destruction is also part of the world, but aren't you sad about it? That's right—such patterns are what we must deny." Yang Tao smiled faintly. "What's this about magic that only perfectionists can master? You're just soone pursuing completeness amidst contradictions."
She hit the nail on the head. In the eyes of Miss Swordsman, who had weathered storms and seen countless people, this companion was quite awkward.
Hearing this, Peony shuddered and broke into tears and laughter.
The strongest spatial magic Door-Key represented order-side perfectionists, but that didn't an absolute compliance. Weathering storms in imperfection was also a path—she'd suddenly beco sowhat sentintal.
"Hocoming always makes one reveal true feelings... There's still ti before full daybreak. Let's continue looking around."
The two hadn't walked far before witnessing a super ball lightning floating atop a tower, with crackling sounds and tree-trunk-thick lightning delivering energy to surrounding power stations.
A magical creation!
Obviously lightning elental magic, most importantly with precise control—not just the elent itself, but even surrounding magnetic fields seed to be in perfect resonance. Simply incredible. So Hermit Island had already conducted magical city experints, making Peony marvel.
"This is Lady Tulip's handiwork—created by the strongest elental magic False Magnetic Field. She's a bit rough but enjoys experinting with big toys."
"Using magic as the main driver, once reaching Withering Stage's permanent phase, it should beco a true energy source."
"Aren't you the sa? Placing teleportation gates all over the island, causing chaos."
"I was practicing magic."
Peony's face rarely turned red. When it ca to magical mistakes, she indeed showed a side different from usual, yet it always led Yang Tao to bring up old matters.
As the two chatted, several Zodiac Palace Magical Girls approached from ahead, cheerfully greeting from afar to celebrate her safe recovery. The feeling of escaping death was fortunate.
"...How have you been adapting to living here these few days?"
As Zodiac Palace's leader, she naturally had to investigate this aspect. Though they'd already decided to rge with the Salvation Church, treatnt couldn't be too poor. As the current world's number one supernatural group, it should be fine, right? Of course, they actually lacked comparison cases and still didn't understand the world well.
"Much safer than before—at least we don't have to worry about sudden attacks. There's always reaction ti."
"The food is great! Big houses, and I've contacted my family!"
"They gave a lot of money as a eting gift, but I still don't know what's being sold in malls now."
"I claid a bunch of phones, ga consoles, computers and stuff I completely don't understand."
"I want to watch movies."
Everyone had their own plans, presumably soon dispersing to various parts of the city to experience new life. For Magical Girls once isolated from the world, everything was novel, requiring considerable learning costs.
But they were vibrant and energetic, least lacking adaptability to new things. Perhaps their ntal age had accumulated for a while, but for magical beings, physical youth was what mattered.
Zodiac Palace mbers received courtesy treatnt—handovers went smoothly.
A lonely group didn't ask for much else—just being together made them happy, this cohesion imasurable. Besides, the Salvation Church provided sufficient material foundation, everything was good—practically raising you directly.
"Since that's the case, I'm relieved. You all enjoy yourselves and relax well." Peony smiled.
Everyone happily waved goodbye.
Completely different ntal state from when they were in spaceti turbulence—cheerful and excited. Here was better than days of constant anxiety.
Yang Tao watched the departing figures, scratching her head with a complex expression: "Everyone having better lives is good, but seamlessly joining another boss feels weird, though we Rangers mbers also run around everywhere."
"From another perspective, I protected my companions, helped the organization through dangerous tis, then rged with another organization at high level—isn't that good? Everyone benefits."
"Indeed."
Peony really liked win-win solutions and was very satisfied with the current situation.
As dawn broke and the city awakened, more Magical Girl figures appeared on the streets.
They saw this angel-like figure in white and imdiately waved in greeting. Though she was a stranger, they remained enthusiastic and hospitable, with words full of admiration that was flattering.
"...You don't know yet? You led Zodiac Palace to escape from Dark Fairies and caused such big news—everyone admires our Lord Peony very much."
"Not really, actually I did far from well enough. Many people were injured and I broke the base."
Though saying this, Peony still smiled as she evaluated herself—achievents couldn't be erased, already accomplished rit. At the ti she was prepared to die and sacrifice herself for ti, now thinking back with lingering fear.
Being alive was wonderful.
However, she also felt the shattered Zodiac Palace island releasing rolling might, massive magic power perating the world and continuously raising limits.
The future was destined to be lively—how long could Magical Girls hold out?
"Actually I've always had escapist thoughts, feeling spatial magic was very convenient—the world is vast, anywhere is possible, worst case bringing everyone to hide far away. But now it seems no one would be willing, and I can't leave alone either. Do you think we should raise this plan again if necessary?"
Yang Tao decisively shook her head.
"Human hearts are unpredictable. Having any escape route ans a hundred reasons not to give your all. Besides, do you really think safe places would exist then? Dream on."
She firmly refused. Hearing this, Peony sighed:
"But we've all witnessed the power of Dark Fairies and Catastrophic Disaster Beasts—there will definitely be many losses then..."
"Since you lack confidence, why not ask a prophet?"
A silver-haired girl in black military regalia approached from across the street, looking travel-worn—apparently just finished a journey and encountered honored guests in confusion upon returning.
No one wouldn't recognize the famous Hyacinth—in so sense she indeed counted as one of the Magical Girls' sources of confidence.
"Good morning, Your Excellency."
Magical Girl Peony solemnly curtsied, maintaining noble refinent despite years of hardship. The disaster brought by Door-Key's awakening hadn't beco shackles of difficulty but part of her strength.
She saw the sa burden of responsibility in Hyacinth—this temperant only belonged to those who already stood tall.
"This is our real first eting, right? Too rushed before." Hibiscus asked: "How are you?"
"I heard the general situation from Yang Tao. Thank you for the rescue."
"Don't worry—the Church never misses opportunities to help compatriots. That's one of its founding principles. Honestly, I just returned planning to visit you, didn't expect such fast recovery. Really impressive."
Recovery speed largely reflected a Magical Girl's basic attributes. The sooner one regained combat readiness, the more valuable—worth all the rescue effort.
Pleasant surprise!
Actually, Hibiscus had rushed back to Hermit Island from the Earth-Moon orbital space station just to confirm the situation. Fortunately recovered.
But she always felt so wavering from Peony...
"Can't hide it from you? To tell the truth, I was just discussing using spatial magic to hide far away and avoid the Great Catastrophe. I also know it has unrealistic elents. But lacking confidence, I suppose—feeling that with Magical Girls' current power, survival is very difficult. What are your thoughts? About an escapist."
"There are many ways to survive. Not long ago there was an organization trying to pass through doomsday via relics—I don't think any of them are possible."
"Your Excellency fought your way to today's position, naturally believing in struggle."
"I understand so relatively distant information. Indeed there's intelligence indicating possibilities of barely surviving, but too illusory—I'm not reassured. Things won by personal struggle can be defended; things obtained through escape definitely can't be defended."
Netizens had spoiled this long ago.
Since the Magic Girl of Light had scenes after Manjusaka and the priest's great battle, and the Great Catastrophe didn't continue rampaging, they barely made it through. Unfortunately, that was a destined declining future.
Damage from the Magical Girl civil war was no less than catastrophe—the world couldn't support it.
Though curious how the original achieved directions without suffering the Great Catastrophe, Hibiscus wasn't envious at all, considering it a bad ending that should be avoided.
Seeing deep determination in her eyes, Peony sighed lightly.
She also understood leaders' decisions.
The Salvation Church's developnt to today was basically single-handedly pulled together by Hyacinth—otherwise it would have fallen apart long ago. This person's responsibility was too great.
"...All wavering about confidence stems from insufficient strength." Peony looked directly into Hyacinth's eyes: "I want to spar with you. Let's see if we have chances to work together. Perhaps we're still not as good as catastrophes now, but potential is also important, isn't it?"
The silver-haired girl very decisively pointed skyward with one hand: "Go sowhere open. I happen to want to see another type of ti-space."
Teleportation!
The white-clothed girl snapped her fingers and both plunged through floor doors, disappearing.
Surrounding Magical Girls hadn't reacted at all—only sensing two pressure waves had already collided first, even faintly exceeding ordinary Catastrophic Disaster Beasts, making people tremble with fear. At the sa ti, several massive ntal powers locked onto this location. The next mont, figures appeared indistinctly—their level had extrely strong mobility.
"Where did they teleport to?" Nan Zhiyi, maintaining ntal power scanning, raised an eyebrow sowhat worriedly.
Jin Yulu curiously looked around for traces.
Yang Tao smiled: "Don't worry, this is Peony's special invitation thod. Look at the sky—farther, outside the atmosphere—"
Thud!
The mont spatial doors opened, Hibiscus covered partial origin projection with one palm, harshly striking the white-clothed girl. However, Peony's surroundings showed spatial folding phenona, forcibly dissipating most of the impact.
Door-Key's damage immunity skill: Self-Folding. Through manipulating distance confusion of the main body to avoid harm, but facing vast origin she still suffered internal organ shock.
This was payback for the sneak attack teleportation.
That instant's sudden teleportation was too fast even for Hibiscus to react to. Intense weightlessness trapped her movents, continuously opening spatial doors clearly wanting to construct a falling passage making her keep descending. Good technique—actually required ti stopping once to escape.
"Making stop right from the start—worthy of being the strongest spatial type. Plus you have regalia elents, right?"
The boot portion corresponding to the Withering Stage had already lit up. It wasn't just physical mobility enhancent—magical speed was also worlds apart.
Otherwise ordinary Fruition Stage, even with sneak attacks, couldn't achieve such effects!
"I just mastered more elents in approaching the Withering Stage. Previous stages were still two-elent advancent, so origin confrontation fell behind." Peony wiped blood from her mouth corner, revealing a smile: "Well-deserved reputation—you've always been all-elent!"
"Correct."
This sentence from Hibiscus was extrely fast, fleeting, because relative ti flow captured hundreds of kiloters around, high-altitude atmosphere actually showing solid-state separation.
Sands of Ti's suddenness was also enhanced by regalia, instantly covering the entire area.
When Peony reacted to dodge, she found herself sluggish and imdiately covered her main body with origin while activating magic internally.
A fist ca toward her face.
However, the silver-haired girl punched empty air. The target before her collapsed and curled inward, disappearing with a whoosh. So teleportation could unfold from inside out? Had to re-estimate flexibility.
Then a sweeping leg erged from spatial doors toward her forehead. Though Hibiscus dodged in ti, it still scraped origin fluctuations across her cheek.
Another whip kick appeared, also barely avoided.
At this mont Peony completely changed tactics—seemingly close combat but actually every move teleported in unpredictable directions with powerful magical explosions. The sky was dyed with swirling fire-red clouds clearly visible from the planetary surface.
In person-to-person combat, whenever she used this signature technique, she was invincible unless countered with chanically powerful magic.
Yet Magical Girl Hyacinth parried with extrely precise fighting techniques—simply incredible! She'd clearly hit the main body several tis but couldn't even cause scratches, completely bloodless.
One hand blade slicing past Hibiscus's throat actually struck sparks, producing strong isolating force within hair-thin distances.
"Still having spare capacity for origin projection in this kind of battle, and controlling it to cover the main body's range!"
"Practice makes perfect."
Peony's mouth twitched: "Making you seem like you broke through Fruition Stage hundreds of years ago."
The two indeed tacitly adopted sparring combat without using ultra-high power killing techniques, but fighting like this was really stifling. The opposing Hyacinth was incomparably powerful without any weak points.
Even sparring with Yang Tao never gave this experience!
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