Flower Duel

The captain of the Fourth Ring—Eru. And her younger sister.

The two were real sisters in real life—blood-related.

At some point, Lao Lin had already crept onto Tidal’s shoulder, quietly taking on the role of commentator.

From what the two said, it seemed they desperately needed an A-rank magic crystal to break through the Three Leaves flowering stage and reach a new level of power.

Tidal nodded. Then, facing the two before her, she declared her decision—one word at a time:

“I won’t give her up.”

Eru’s brow twitched, her eyes flashing clear hostility. In contrast, Yue Zhen didn’t seem surprised by the answer—she simply kept her polite, ceremonial smile.

To claim the Nightmare Fiend’s magic crystal meant killing Bai Mian as she was now.

If that happened, the pain it would bring You Xi… Tidal couldn’t even bear to imagine it. She would never allow it.

“Old hag, you really wanna go the hard way, huh?”

“The elder sister means: Great Senior, won’t you reconsider?”

“No need to reconsider.” Tidal replied instantly.
“She’s still useful to me. You can leave.”

“Huh? Useful? What use could she possibly have? Aren’t aberrations just meant to be cut down?!” Eru exclaimed.

Tidal sighed, sweeping her sapphire eyes over her.

“I’m not asking for your opinion,” she said.
“I’m announcing my decision.”

“Damn, you’re cocky… heh, I like you.” Eru grinned.

“The elder sister means: Great Senior, your presence is overwhelming. I truly admire you,” Yue Zhen explained.

They played their roles perfectly—one aggressive, one courteous—repeating the same message twice in different tones. This ridiculous routine made Tidal both irritated and faintly amused.

“Dammit, did they not run background checks or mental evaluations before signing magical girl contracts?”
Tidal shot Lao Lin a strange look.

“Don’t worry. There are plenty more like her. You’ll meet them soon enough,” Lao Lin said, completely unfazed.

…

“If that’s how it is, then we’ll just have to fight.”

Seeing negotiations fail, Eru wore a grin of pure excitement—as if she’d been hoping for this all along.

“Ten rounds of trash talk won’t help. Just take a couple of slashes and you’ll behave, old hag.”

“The elder sister means: on behalf of the Fourth Ring, we formally challenge you to a Flower Duel. Do you accept?”

“It’s basically a fight. Winner takes the prize,” Lao Lin summarized bluntly.

“No problem.” Tidal nodded.

“For the Fourth Ring, Captain Eru and I—the Vice-Captain Yue Zhen—will participate. As for the Fifth Ring…”

Here, Yue Zhen glanced toward Mo Li.

“I’ll handle it alone,” Tidal replied.

“So it’ll be two-on-one. Can you accept those terms?” Yue Zhen asked.

“Does it matter?” Tidal countered.
“You don’t need to bring the other two? I can wait.”

Facing Tidal’s blatant challenge, Eru’s deep red pupils gleamed with naked killing intent.

“You won’t be so cocky for long, shorty,” she sneered.

“The elder sister means: we shall now demonstrate the true strength of the Fourth Ring. Please enjoy the spectacle.”

“…Is this okay?” Tidal turned to Lao Lin.

“Flower Duels are common. Just don’t go overboard,” Lao Lin approved.

With Lao Lin’s consent, Tidal faced the two Fourth Ring magical girls and nodded.

“Fine. Let’s begin. First blood?”

The battlefield: the wetland park.

By tradition, a duel must be witnessed by a Liaison. Lao Lin took on that role.

Like gunslingers in a Western standoff, Tidal and the two sisters stood back-to-back, stepping away as they counted.

“One… two… three…”

Eru and Yue Zhen, clearly veterans of such duels, began splitting the moment they hit “five.”

By “ten,” they had already launched attacks from opposite flanks.

Tidal, unfamiliar with the format, finished her count leisurely—only to find black nodachi and white saber slashing toward her from both sides.

“…Huh? This isn’t a joke, is it?”

She’d assumed Flower Duels were just childish brawls—something to settle petty disputes.

But seeing their deadly speed and precision, Tidal realized—if she didn’t act, she might actually die.

She erected a magic shield. Thanks to days of training, she could now form it in a single breath.

—Boom!

Magic clashed violently. A metallic resonance echoed through the silent night.

The force knocked both weapons from their hands—flying like arrows, impaling the earth meters away.

Eru and Yue Zhen remained frozen in their stances. Their palms bled from the shockwave. Their weapons—gone.

“…How?”

They stared at Tidal with disbelief.

Though silent, Tidal’s near-bored expression said it all:
—It’s over. Still wanna fight?

Eru, furious, snapped:
“You damn hag! I just slipped!”

She dashed forward, reclaimed her nodachi, and charged again, swinging wildly.

—Thud! Thud! Thud!

Rain-like strikes hammered Tidal’s shield, each impact ringing sharply.

“Why?!”
“Why won’t it break?!”

The angrier she got, the faster she swung—her magic draining rapidly.

“Sister… let’s give up,” Yue Zhen said.

She’d already withdrawn her weapon, conceding defeat.

“Shut up! If you’ve got time to talk, come fight too!”

“This opponent… is beyond us,” Yue Zhen sighed.

“You always quit too early—that’s why you’ll always stay half-baked!”

Eru shot her sister a glare and swung harder, desperate to break the shield.

“…Huh. Strong.”

Amid the storm of blows, Tidal—who hadn’t moved an inch—suddenly murmured.

But she wasn’t talking about Eru.

Behind her, hundreds of meters away, sat a figure on the high suspension bridge.

Through enhanced vision, Tidal could just make out a dark silhouette perched atop the cable.

The dread she’d felt moments ago—it came from there.

“…Who is that?”