Though it seemed ridiculous to refuse help and act recklessly at such a critical moment, Lando was not joking.
In the howling wind within the barrier, her long hair was lifted up, wild and unrestrained, like a lion standing atop a mountain, showing off its mane.
She stopped her attack, but Luo Linglan did not seize this brief opening; on the contrary, her usually calm face became even more grave.
Only she, standing so close to Lando, knew that the Suppression Chains her authority had placed on Lando were trembling every moment.
Those chains were constantly being assaulted, and cracks had already formed.
It seemed that with just a single push, they would shatter.
“I’ve figured it out.”
Luo Linglan held her breath, as if waiting for the final judgment from the other side.
Although her will was still maintaining her fighting spirit toward Lando under Tang Mo’s domination, she restrained every impulse of her body, trying her best to prolong the fleeting peace in this battle.
Her parents’ faces, Ning Xi’s radiant smile, and the infant Luo Jialan… countless memories flashed through her mind, every scene making the orchid-shaped scar at the corner of her eye tear open again and bleed.
‘I am a pathetic failure, once unable to protect my mother from illness, and then, unable to control my power, personally sending away my father, brokenhearted.’
‘I restrained my longing for Ning Xi and stayed away, afraid of losing control and hurting her, and afterwards, I restrained my love for Jialan.’
‘I was afraid of losing her, but in the end, I still ended up with no one by my side.’
‘My story ended long ago. Jialan has already grown up, and it’s time for her to make her own decisions. No matter whether the results are right or wrong, all I can do is silently support her with all my might.’
“Though I have many complaints, you still raised me. I doubt anyone else could have done better, dealing with someone as troublesome as me.”
At these words, Luo Linglan was slightly stunned, something indescribable in her heart being touched at this moment.
“But the constraints you’ve put on me really trouble me. Even knowing the reasons doesn’t make it any easier, just like your authority sealing my power, leaving me helpless.”
Lando rolled up her sleeves, revealing her fair arms, and then clenched her fist slightly.
A slender chain emerged, threading through her flesh, firmly locking her magical energy pathways.
This was the manifestation of Luo Linglan’s authority, sealing Lando’s abilities, preventing her from fighting freely.
“But I just realized something—a reason I’ve always felt so stifled is that I’ve always just endured, blaming everything on you.”
Suddenly, Lando exerted her strength, her five fingers digging deep into her palm, her slender arm swelling slightly, revealing elegant muscle lines.
The chain was instantly stretched, groaning with a mournful creak.
“Drawing your face and sticking it on a sandbag, venting my anger that way—all of it was just avoiding reality, avoiding your oppression, because I lacked the ability and the courage to go against you.”
Even in practice spars that were just for teaching, she was always utterly defeated, never winning even once.
“But when I did those excessive things to Su Mu, that frail girl still struggled to fight back against me, and in the end, she even turned the tables on me… Being weak isn’t an excuse to run away.”
Irina raised her delicate brows, the corners of her mouth twitching a few times, but said nothing, while Ning Xi watched Lando with an admiring gaze.
Lando’s tense body trembled slightly, and the chain was finally torn apart, shattering into scattered fine sand.
“When I was fifteen, you gave me forty rules; by thirty, it was eighty; at sixty, one hundred sixty; at ninety, two hundred forty—endless. Even though I’m your daughter, I still have to resist you.”
Lando was never good at academics, and could never spout flowery words, so she simply chose a lighter, more playful way to express her feelings.
“Let’s just say my rebellious phase came a little late.”
“Ka-cha—”
The chains wrapped around Lando’s body completely shattered, scattering in all directions.
The terrifying force blasted tiny holes into the barrier, Luo Linglan’s authority fully manifesting at Lando’s heart.
A delicate orchid quietly spread its fragile petals and roots outward, branching into countless ice-blue chains in the distance.
Lando plucked it out with her hand.
The familiar form of the orchid involuntarily brought Luo Linglan to mind.
It looked so fragile, as if a slight breeze could strip its petals, but only Lando knew how truly tenacious it was.
Lando clutched it in her palm, gathering all her magical power from every limb and bone.
Her heartbeat thundered like drums, shaking the entire barrier, making a web of cracks spread across its surface.
Similar cracks appeared on the orchid’s stem.
Though it tried desperately to hold together in the storm, it could not stop itself from breaking apart.
Irina’s pupils dilated slightly, then she couldn’t help but chuckle softly.
Her faith was not misplaced.
Only authority can fight authority.
That is why B-rank holds an almost absolute suppressive power over those below, and now, Lando—who was tearing apart Luo Linglan’s authority—had clearly touched upon her own concept.
With a crisp sound like porcelain shattering, the orchid binding Lando vanished, turning into specks of ice-blue radiance that merged into her skin, making her presence even more intense.
Anger, Burning, Carrying the Mountain, Chasing the Moon.
Irina scanned Lando’s status anew.
A completely different status panel immediately appeared in her mind.
[Magical Girl Lando: Magical Power Index: B-rank]
[Authority Concept: Liberation]
[Integrated Ability: When the Flower Comes]
[Effect 1: Burning magic power to enhance physical strength.]
[Effect 2: Prevents magical energy from leaking out, further strengthening the body.]
[Effect 3: Temporarily releases the body’s self-protection, raising the Bu Mo Index to 100%]
‘What? 100%?’
For a moment, Irina felt ashamed; her own Bu Mo Index was only a mere 20%.
All the advantages Su Mu gained earlier, she’d have to repay them sooner or later.
100% sounds like just 25% more than 75%, but in practice, the effect is worlds apart.
In theory, 100% is impossible to truly reach; at best, one can only get infinitely close.
But now, Lando could lift that limit for a short while, and the result would be an utterly terrifying boost.
And now, this was the moment for her to show that power.
Without any warning, Lando’s figure vanished.
No one present could track her location.
When Luo Linglan instinctively retreated, a hand was already resting on her shoulder.
“Let me liberate you from that one’s control—It’ll hurt a bit, just think of it as my little payback.”
Luo Linglan’s pupils shrank to pinpoints.
Before she could react, a powerful authority surged in through her shoulder, sweeping through her entire body, crushing Tang Mo’s threads as if they were nothing.
The process was far from pleasant, but an inexplicable calm filled Luo Linglan’s heart.
By now the barrier had collapsed, and she could feel Ning Xi’s gaze upon her, making her heart race with confusion.
That blue-haired girl gave her a thumbs up, just like the first time they’d ever met.