Special Training to Defeat the Black Building (1)

“Then… shall we begin?”

No sooner had Rosetta finished speaking than Tidal unleashed a barrage of light beams—without hesitation.

Of course, she didn’t expect attacks that failed against Heilou to work on this far more formidable magical girl.

As expected, just like before—the moment the beams neared Rosetta, they dissolved into fluttering rose petals, drifting gracefully through the air before settling silently onto the ground.

“You were about to say it’s just like that time, weren’t you?”

Rosetta spoke calmly, standing before Tidal.

“[Red Date]—that defensive technique was originally my creation. I even taught it to Heilou myself.”

“Then how do I break through it?” Tidal asked.

“It’s simple,” Rosetta said.

“No matter how refined a defense is, at its core, it’s just manipulation of magic energy.”

“For now, I won’t ask you to analyze the spell structure and precisely dissect it. That takes years. For you? The only way is to overwhelm it—with sheer volume.”

“So… brute force over finesse?” Tidal asked.

“Exactly,” Rosetta nodded.

Then, folding her arms across her chest in a relaxed posture, she said:

“Now—I’ll give you time to charge. Hit me with everything you’ve got. Maximum output.”

“Are you sure about this?” Tidal hesitated, voice laced with doubt.

“You really think you can kill me?” Rosetta laughed.

“Well…”

Still uneasy, Tidal obeyed.

She raised her magic wand.

Instantly, her aura surged—brightening several-fold.

In rhythm with her breath, deep blue halos pulsed around her, flickering in and out like waves.

The flower heart inherited from her sister beat powerfully within her chest—not pumping blood, but flooding her body with highly concentrated magic.

Gradually, as the magic burned hotter, the very laws of gravity and space warped in the immediate vicinity of Tidal.

Sunlight bent away before even entering the area. The coalesced magic at its edge, reflecting the distorted light, became visible—a series of ripple-like waves steadily expanding outward through the air.

“…A [Field]?”

Rosetta’s pupils contracted sharply. She hadn’t expected this.

With a slight clench of her right hand, her magic wand disintegrated into countless rose petals.

Like living things, the petals swiftly reorganized themselves into five massive walls of blooming roses—five layers of floral fortifications standing between her and Tidal.

Unfazed by the anomaly before her, Tidal remained focused, channeling magic into the colorless crystal.

Her hairpin had long since fallen off—her sky-blue hair floated behind her like jellyfish tendrils, suspended in midair.

“…This should be my maximum output.”

Eyes sharp and piercing, she locked onto the five barriers—and the figure beyond them.

Placing her left hand on the wand, Tidal unleashed her most powerful attack since transforming.

The light roared.

A torrent of magic energy charged forward like a raging bull, smashing through the first wall with raw, reckless force.

The shattered petals immediately flew to reinforce the second line—but it was futile. In the same instant, the second wall crumbled.

Then the third.

Perhaps the first two barriers had absorbed some of the beam’s intensity, because the third held slightly longer—only by about a second. Then it too fell.

Now came the fourth.

Here, offense and defense reached equilibrium.

Tidal’s beam struggled forward, inch by inch, eroding the crimson wall. The once-furious beast was now exhausted, breath ragged, its momentum spent.

From an observer’s view, it was clear—the attack would be completely spent by the time it pierced the fourth barrier. The fifth wall would surely stop it.

But then—unexpectedly—something changed.

After four brutal impacts, the beam had lost stability. The controlled magic particles grew chaotic, wild. And in the final moment, upon contact with the last wall, the force erupted out of control.

BOOM!

A deafening explosion shook the earth. Thick smoke billowed upward, blinding Tidal.

“…Oh no.”

Panicked, she froze.

Did she just blow up their senior mentor?!

Would Rosetta even survive that?!

But as the smoke cleared, Rosetta still stood—though her composed demeanor was gone.

“Cough… cough… cough!”

She hunched over, clearly choked by the fumes.

Her once-pristine black hair was now messy and tangled. The black silk evening glove on her right arm had been burned away, revealing skin marred with fresh burns and blood.

“Are you okay?!” Tidal rushed forward, voice trembling.

Without a word, Rosetta pulled a small mana crystal from somewhere and crushed it in her palm. A soft white light enveloped her. Instantly, her wounds healed and her torn attire restored.

“How should I put it… Truly worthy of Huimei’s legacy,” Rosetta said with a wry smile. “I underestimated you. If I hadn’t reinforced all five layers at the last second, I might’ve actually died here today.”

“I-I just want to clarify—I only attacked like that because you told me to!” Tidal stammered.

Was she going to get punished now?
Would this senior take revenge?
And if so—Tidal had zero chance of winning.

“Your magic output is definitely sufficient in scale,” Rosetta said, brushing herself off. “But in real combat, no one will stand still and let you charge for this long.”

Tidal knew that already.

But stronger attacks naturally required longer charging times—was there another way?

She voiced her confusion. Rosetta nodded.

“Your fighting style is directly inherited from Huimei—classic, orthodox, a traditional-type magical girl. But even if your attacks are similar, differences in technique and execution lead to vastly different results.”

“Rather than explain, I’ll show you.”

With that, Rosetta opened her palm toward the void.

Rose petals swirled down from the sky like homing birds, gathering in her hand and reforming into a crimson magic wand.

“To be honest, I’m not your type of magical girl. But teaching you the basics? That much, I can manage.”