Magic is wondrous, but it is not omnipotent.
Xia Mo now deeply understood the meaning of those words.
Her magic could do nothing; she was powerless.
She could only carry Luo Shuangyue a few steps closer to the battlefield, hoping to make the other girl feel a little better.
‘Must I simply stand here and watch this tragedy unfold?’ Xia Mo could not help but ask herself.
If she did nothing, the moment the Holy Sovereign purified the little butterfly, Luo Shuangyue’s soul would shatter at the same time.
But what could she do now? Walk over like a fool and shout for them to stop fighting so everyone could sit down and talk? That was impossible.
The Holy Sovereign might listen to her, but the little butterfly certainly would not.
‘It seems I can only be a fool for now.’
Countless thoughts flashed through her mind, eventually merging into one. Yes, she could only be a fool and hope for a miracle.
“Shuangyue, let’s try together. We will only know the outcome if we try.”
“Are you planning to…”
“Yes.”
“You will die.”
“I cannot do nothing and watch you die in my arms,” Xia Mo replied softly, looking toward the distance as she tightened her grip on the magic stone.
Even if there were only a sliver of hope, she had to fight for it.
Even if the path ahead was filled with thorns, she had to move forward.
Even if the end was death, she would not regret it. Because this was who she was, and this was the bond she shared with Luo Shuangyue—a bond capable of sacrificing everything for the other.
Luo Shuangyue’s mind went silent for a moment.
She wanted to persuade Xia Mo that there was no need to gamble her life on such a faint hope.
The choice was foolish, almost like suicide.
She wanted to comfort Xia Mo, telling her that perhaps she would not die—that once the other half of her soul shattered, she might survive the crisis.
But she knew in her heart that it was a lie.
Her soul was in a terrible state; if the little butterfly died, her fate was certain death.
If she deceived Xia Mo and let that tiny spark of hope ignite only to be extinguished, how cruel and selfish would that be?
Fine. At most, they would simply live and die together.
“Remember to hold on to me tightly. Don’t let me be fine while you end up leaving instead.”
“That would be fine, too. I believe you would keep me in your heart for a lifetime and never, ever forget.”
Clutching the black magic stone, Xia Mo took a step forward.
Her magic power flowed out calmly, forming a small barrier around her.
She knew this barrier could block nothing; she knew that if she were hit by the aftershocks of the battle, she would turn to dust in an instant.
But since she had already taken this step, she would not regret it.
That dash of purple moving against the current toward the battlefield was so striking that the people of the Sanctuary, who were evacuating, soon noticed Xia Mo’s abnormal behavior.
The Six-eyed Crow flew to Xia Mo’s side with some unease, asking what she intended to do.
Xia Mo calmly explained her thoughts and purpose.
Finally, she told the Six-eyed Crow not to mind her; this was merely a willful act, a foolish move unlikely to yield results.
Having finished her explanation, Xia Mo bypassed the Six-eyed Crow and continued toward the battlefield.
A little further, and she would enter the actual combat range.
There, the stray aftershocks of the fight could truly be lethal.
Perhaps it was luck, or perhaps it was a final warning to Xia Mo, but just before she stepped across that line of death, a shockwave descended from the sky and landed not far in front of her.
The powerful air current slammed into Xia Mo’s summoned barrier like blades, causing the shield to flicker unsteadily.
And this was merely the aftershock of an aftershock.
‘Turn back now and you still have a chance to live,’ the wave seemed to say to her.
Is that so? Xia Mo did not answer.
She simply walked toward the battlefield without looking back. She would not turn around.
This was the path she had to take.
To protect her lover, she could do anything—even if it meant sacrificing herself, even if that sacrifice was worthless.
Because that was the kind of person she was.
She had been that way from the very beginning.
With every step she took toward the center of the battlefield, Xia Mo’s aura climbed.
Step by step, her presence gradually ascended toward that threshold known as Full Bloom.
The two combatants locked in a death match in the sky did not notice Xia Mo’s approach.
Countless aftershocks fell beside her, striking her magic shield until it teetered on the edge of breaking.
But in the end, her shield held on. It was strong enough to resist the secondary ripples, but what would happen if an aftershock flew directly at her?
A black current, shattered by the Holy Sovereign’s sword, fell from the sky.
Its target, by some stroke of ill luck, was Xia Mo, who was recklessly advancing toward the center of the battlefield.
Xia Mo felt the crisis approaching.
She quickly judged that she could not dodge this wave, and her barrier would not be able to protect her and Luo Shuangyue from a direct impact.
‘Is this… the end?’
As expected, not every story has a perfect ending. Looking at the approaching black current, many thoughts crossed Xia Mo’s mind.
At this moment, she felt no regret for her choice—only a faint sense of lingering sorrow.
She was sad that she and Luo Shuangyue had been lovers for such a short time and that there were still so many things they hadn’t done.
Suddenly, a beam of dark magic power shot from behind her, shattering the falling aftershock.
Xia Mo turned back in surprise. Behind the Six-eyed Crow, who had been standing alone just moments ago, stood a crowd of people.
These diverse residents of the Sanctuary shouted to her, telling her that while they didn’t dare enter the center of the battlefield, they could at least knock down the aftershocks flying toward her.
“Little one! I don’t know if this is right, but since you’re trying to save the Holy Sovereign’s daughter, we have to help you!” the Six-eyed Crow shouted at Xia Mo.
It wasn’t very bright, but it understood Xia Mo’s meaning.
If the fight continued like this, the Holy Sovereign’s daughter would die the moment the monster was killed. How sad the Holy Sovereign would be!
As the Holy Sovereign’s close guard and self-proclaimed person who understood her best in the world, the Six-eyed Crow felt it couldn’t just stand by.
The Holy Sovereign had raised it for so long; it was time to step up!
Xia Mo took a deep breath, her nose feeling a bit prickly.
Moving forward alone versus moving forward with friends supporting her from behind were two completely different experiences.
In that case, what was there to fear? There was nothing left to fear!
This was the power of bonds!
Feeling this strength originating from her friends and her lover, Xia Mo felt she could accomplish anything.
At that moment, her purple magic power completed its transformation.
Small purple flowers spread outward from her, and the fragrance of rosemary lingered within her domain, protecting the two people in that small world from harm.
The aftershocks fell from the sky only to be worn away by the expanded purple space.
By the time they reached Xia Mo, they were nothing more than a light breeze.
Power that evolved for the sake of saving and protecting would naturally lean toward those traits.
“I didn’t expect you to advance to Full Bloom-class at a time like this, especially when you haven’t even filled your magic power,” Luo Shuangyue remarked.
Within Xia Mo’s domain, Luo Shuangyue felt her spirit improve significantly, and the various pains in her soul lessened.
This finally gave her some energy to focus on other things—like how Xia Mo had suddenly advanced.
“Perhaps it’s the effect of bond magic,” Xia Mo said, tilting her head with a hint of hesitation in her voice.
When fully activated, bond magic has an incredibly high ceiling; it wouldn’t be an exaggeration to say it could push Xia Mo directly to the bottleneck between Initial Bloom and Full Bloom.
Combined with her mental state reaching a new level, her advancement to the realm of a Full Bloom-class magical girl seemed quite reasonable.
Though she didn’t know if her level would drop once the outburst ended, for now, Xia Mo was a genuine Full Bloom-class magical girl.
With the strength of a Full Bloom-class, she gained the qualification to keep moving forward.
Step by step, she advanced slowly but steadily.
Eventually, the two combatants in the sky noticed the girl who had suddenly intruded upon the battlefield.
The little butterfly was the first to realize something was wrong; she felt her other half slowly approaching.
She looked down and saw the blooming flower domain and the girl walking within it.
That scent that attracted her and drove her mad came from there.
Following the little butterfly’s gaze, the Holy Sovereign also noticed Xia Mo, who was now very close to the battlefield.
She frowned, wondering what Xia Mo was doing there. Shouldn’t she have taken Luo Shuangyue and fled? Why take such a risk?
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