“You should already know by now—your other mother, Ning Xi, she willfully broke the barrier I set on you.”
“Heh, about that, I have to tell you, even though those days with her were fleeting and illusory, they truly helped me shake off some of the shadow you left behind.”
Lando’s words were almost sharper than a military blade, as if by saying them, she could relieve some of the pent-up pressure inside her.
Yet when she caught sight of Luo Linglan’s evasive gaze, her anger flared up even more.
From beginning to end, this woman had never stopped running away, but constant escape only led to today’s outcome.
Tch, she appears so noble and aloof, but it’s nothing more than a facade to hide her weak heart.
“Maybe she was right, but I couldn’t rely on her to escape my past.”
As a Magical Girl, one’s heart should be clear and pure, but Luo Linglan was different.
On the night she became a Magical Girl, she accidentally killed her own father.
The heavy burden of guilt had festered within her, stealing away her laughter.
Thus, she became an incomplete Magical Girl—someone who could lose control and turn into a Witch at any moment.
Even if she eventually mastered the power of restraint, she could never truly overcome it, at most barely maintaining a fragile balance.
And this balance had started to tip after encountering Ning Xi, slowly crumbling under the freedom of her abilities.
Each of their encounters continually disrupted the balance, dragging it further into the abyss of desire.
“It was my mistake. I knew her power would push me to lose control, but I still longed to live with her… If only I’d left decisively at the beginning, none of this would have happened.”
“So you’re saying my very existence is a mistake?”
Listening to Luo Linglan’s words of self-reproach, Lando bit down hard, her anger quietly reaching its limit.
In the next instant, a wave of crimson erupted around her, dyeing her skin and blade red, all coated in a burning rage.
Even Luo Linglan’s barrier was thrown into chaos by the violent surge.
The ground beneath them cracked under the heat, then shattered apart under Lando’s heavy stomp.
But just as she was about to ignite her magic and pour her strength into a blow, she suddenly felt her body freeze, hesitating, her smooth flow of magic solidifying.
In the next instant, Luo Linglan slipped past her blade like a specter, closing in.
She reached out and tapped Lando lightly between the brows with two fingers.
Instantly, all the power Lando had summoned was forcefully suppressed, leaving her with no choice but to retreat in frustration once she came to her senses.
It was the effect of Luo Linglan’s integrated ability—suppressing thoughts, sealing abilities.
Lando could feel clearly as two streams of magic, like chains, shot from Luo Linglan’s fingertips, burrowing into her body and locking away the fury that had been building up inside.
She couldn’t even burn her magic anymore; all she could do was continue this endless, back-and-forth exchange, constantly being avoided.
Lando’s physical prowess was indeed already beyond Luo Linglan’s, but she hadn’t pulled far enough ahead to make a decisive difference.
As a result, she couldn’t do anything about her opponent, even though she was already using almost everything she had.
“I don’t expect you to understand. These things were never meant for you to bear, but since they’ve already happened, all I can do is do my utmost to keep things from getting worse.”
“So that’s why you made those Shackles?”
Luo Linglan nodded slightly, gently brushing aside Lando’s deadly blade.
“But now, you can blame me all you want for being utterly wrong. After all, as a mother, I’m unqualified.”
At these words, Lando frowned, her assault slowing a little.
So that’s why she always insisted Lando call her Master instead of Mother?
“So, you’ve been running away all this time.”
In that moment, Luo Linglan could no longer avoid Lando’s edge.
She was forced to grab the razor-sharp blade with her bare hand, stopping it from moving forward by sheer force.
Blood gushed along the groove of the blade, instantly staining the ground red beneath her feet.
Seeing Luo Linglan’s trembling eyes, Lando’s heart softened, and even as her opponent let go, she did not pursue.
“Maybe you are all right. If that’s the case, then come at me with everything you have and defeat me.”
Luo Linglan didn’t argue.
She simply wiped the blood from her palm in silence, then took up her stance once more.
The air around them grew heavier.
Lando bit her lip.
No matter what she said to provoke Luo Linglan, it was meaningless to her.
No one can ever make themselves whole by hurting others.
She took a deep breath.
‘Maybe I just wanted to make dumplings, but for now, I need to focus on the fight.’
***
“Why the long face? What, feeling down?”
Tang Nai draped an arm over Tang Mo’s shoulder in a teasing manner, grinning as she poked fun at her foul mood.
“You knew this would happen all along?”
Tang Mo could no longer sense Ning Xi’s presence at all—a sign that her authority had failed.
But this shouldn’t have happened, no matter what.
She had lived alongside Ning Xi under another identity for so many years.
Even if Luo Linglan lost control, it wouldn’t have shaken her this badly.
She couldn’t believe her own authority was so fragile.
“If it was just Ning Xi, she really couldn’t break free. But unfortunately for you, you ran into someone even more gifted.”
“Impossible. This is your doing again, isn’t it? And why do I sense another B-rank presence? You know that’s against the rules.”
Tang Mo could sense Irina’s presence, vaguely reaching out through the veil of dreams, entangling itself around her.
Tang Nai didn’t lie.
‘That person and I have similar abilities, but to say her talent surpasses mine… I absolutely refuse to believe it.’
Puppetry, masks—these were Tang Mo’s powers.
She excelled in manipulation and disguise, like a puppeteer orchestrating a play behind the scenes.
Since birth, only Tang Nai had ever bested her; the rest of the time, she’d always come out on top.
That was what gave her the right to stand at the peak of the Combat Division.
Aside from those equally arrogant siblings, no one had the right to boast in front of her.
Only Tang Nai would keep messing with her peace of mind like this.
She was undoubtedly proud and arrogant.
Even if those words came from Tang Nai, she would never accept them.
“Also, I should tell you, she’s the one who’s going to teach you a lesson soon. So if you don’t run now, it’ll really be too late.”
Tang Nai knew that with Tang Mo’s temperament, she’d never flee at the last moment, so she deliberately tried to provoke her.
“Cut the nonsense. You’re the one breaking the rules here.”
Tang Mo ignored her, narrowing her eyes at Tang Nai, full of suspicion.
“You’re improving—you didn’t get thrown off this time. But it’s a shame, I didn’t break any rules. Do you still remember the exact wording?”
Tang Mo frowned slightly, “Once a Magical Girl reaches B-rank, she must be immediately transferred to S City to be overseen by the Combat Division. But what if I say—that person isn’t a Magical Girl?”