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The ice lances were neutralized by the flames.

But instead of weakening, the fire surged even more fiercely, as if it hadn’t touched ice at all, but a bucket of oil.

“I wanted to use this move to weaken senior’s mana.

How did it end up making the flames burn even stronger instead?”

Should I use the twin blades?

But unless it was absolutely necessary, Kirishima Shiro really didn’t want to cross swords with her senior.

“I can’t control it anymore…”

Natsume Oto’s eyes were completely stained black.

In the blink of an eye, she flashed in front of Kirishima Shiro, her fist already coiled at her waist.

“Bang!”

One punch shattered Kirishima Shiro’s mana shield, and the momentum carried through into a follow-up kick.

Thrown back by the force, Kirishima Shiro flew through the waterfall and slammed into the rock wall.

“Ugh!”

Senior after going berserk really is stronger.

Good thing I blocked it, but still…

Kirishima Shiro glanced at her sleeve.

When she blocked with her arm just now, black flames had clung to it, greedily gnawing at the fabric, already burning a charred tear through it.

These flames carried a bizarre property of devouring mana!

She made a decisive call and dispelled the combat suit on her arm.

With nothing to cling to, the black flames failed to spread any further.

But how was she supposed to deal with these strange flames next?

Rather than exhausting Natsume Oto’s mana, the chance of her own mana being burned out first was far higher.

Before Kirishima Shiro could think of a countermeasure, Natsume Oto launched another ferocious attack.

Her fist slammed into the flat surface, sending shards of ice spraying everywhere.

Frost mist condensed in front of Kirishima Shiro into a translucent barrier, barely blocking Natsume Oto’s gust-laden strike.

Black flames surged up from Natsume Oto’s hand, gnawing at the barrier’s mana.

A gap cracked open in the shield.

Kirishima Shiro was about to pour more mana into repairing it.

But Natsume Oto suddenly grabbed her and yanked her straight out through the gap, the force nearly crushing her.

Barely withstanding several rounds of lightning-fast assaults, Kirishima Shiro felt her arms go numb with pain.

“You’re too weak.”

In the next instant, an overwhelming force struck.

Natsume Oto’s hand clamped around Kirishima Shiro’s neck like an iron vise.

She lost her balance like a rabbit being lifted by the ears, limbs flailing uselessly for a moment, completely unable to break free from the choking grip.

All she could do was watch herself get slammed hard into the pool.

With a thunderous crash, a towering column of water erupted from the pool.

Falling from above into the water, the violent impact hit Kirishima Shiro like a heavy hammer.

Her vision exploded with stars.

As the world spun, a strong metallic sweetness surged up her throat and spilled from the corner of her lips.

The intense constriction at her neck made breathing nearly impossible.

“Your life is mine!”

The witch’s power churned inside her, black fire spreading from Natsume Oto’s fingers onto the water’s surface.

In an instant, rolling black flames rose from the pool, even the surrounding water vapor sizzling under the heat.

The pool turned into a sea of fire.

“It ended so quickly.

How boring, ku ku.”

Watching this completely one-sided battle, Uru shook his head in disappointment.

Kirishima Shiro chose to hold back.

The out-of-control Natsume Oto wouldn’t.

If she’d just drawn the twin blades, the fight could have lasted much longer.

What a waste—he’d wanted to watch for a bit longer.

He was far more interested in seeing what kind of despair would bloom on Natsume Oto’s face once she regained her senses at the moment Kirishima Shiro died.

Ku ku.

He was really looking forward to it.

At this point, Kirishima Shiro’s consciousness was already beginning to blur.

“As expected, I still can’t beat senior…”

In the end, I’m just too weak.

I can’t do anything.

The flames were about to burn the mana inside Kirishima Shiro completely dry.

Once her mana was gone, she would解除 her transformation.

What followed hardly needed to be said.

What a pity.

I couldn’t wake senior up.

“Why not let me try?”

Was I hallucinating?

Why did it sound like Florna’s voice?

Kirishima Shiro found it a little funny.

To be thinking of Florna at a time like this—she really was hopeless.

She didn’t notice that the scale bracelet on her wrist was glowing brilliantly.

Guided by the scale, her consciousness sank into sleep.

Just as the black flames were about to consume the last trace of mana, Kirishima Shiro’s pupils suddenly shimmered with a golden light.

A vast surge of mana poured into her body, solidifying into tangible frost mist that spread outward.

The instant the black flames collided with the frost-laden mist, a piercing hiss rang out.

The inky tongues of fire froze visibly, their edges rapidly coated in white frost.

Natsume Oto sensed something was wrong and tried to wrench Kirishima Shiro’s neck with force.

But she was stopped by an even greater power.

“As long as I don’t allow it, you won’t take this life.”

Kirishima Shiro—

or rather, Florna, who was occupying this body—

stared straight at Natsume Oto and firmly pinned down her wrist.

In just a few breaths, all the black flames covering the pool were completely frozen.

This sudden change made Uru’s eyes widen.

“What is this!”

Those twisted black flames remained in a burning posture, yet were encased within shells of ice.

And the truly shocking part was yet to come.

The frost mist didn’t stop at freezing the flames.

It crept up along Natsume Oto’s arm.

“No…”

Natsume Oto tried to pull her hand back, but found her limbs already stiff.

She only managed to utter half a syllable.

The shimmering frost mist extinguished the black flames around her inch by inch, replacing them with thick, solid ice.

Snowflakes drifted down, brushing past the rabbit ears atop Florna’s head, the soft fur swaying in the cold wind.

Natsume Oto had been frozen into an ice sculpture, so clear that even her frozen strands of hair were visible.

The veins on Uru’s forehead bulged as he roared.

“This power—there’s no way it belongs to Silver Moon!

Who are you?”

Natsume Oto was someone he had identified as a future strongest witch.

His precious performance numbers!

Everything had clearly been going according to plan.

So how could something like this happen!

Florna didn’t move.

Only her rabbit ears occasionally dipped slightly under the weight of falling snowflakes, then gently bounced back, shaking off fine white flakes.

“Found you.”

Her cherry lips parted.

Just those few words were enough to fill Uru with terror.

She’s looking for me?

Why?

Could she be the boss’s enemy?

When Florna shifted her gaze onto Uru, the suffocating pressure felt like a giant hand gripping his heart.

Someone who could so easily swap consciousness with Kirishima Shiro was very likely an expert in soul-related arts.

Though he had clones to save his life, Uru knew very well that in front of soul-based abilities, those clones were worthless.

Under the crushing pressure, Uru fearfully summoned a floating door in midair.

“Damn it, you just wait!

Ku—ah!”

Even as he fled, Uru didn’t forget to spit out a threat.

Almost immediately, he was smashed into the door by an ice spear and vanished.

“Haa…

Finally scared him off.”

Her body going limp, Florna collapsed onto the ice.

She did intend to find Uru.

But Kirishima Shiro’s current state had already reached its limit and couldn’t support her in restraining him.

Better to drive him away first, so he wouldn’t realize she was already at the end of her rope.

Not a single drop of mana remained in her body, and an overwhelming sense of weakness spread through her limbs.

Freezing Natsume Oto earlier had only been possible because Florna had frantically drawn mana from the surrounding air.

The suffocating pressure Uru felt was also just because the mana in the air had been drained.

Why does it feel so chilly?

Florna lowered her head and looked at the pitifully scant battle outfit on her body.

The tears in the gauzy skirt stretched along her waistline, exposing大片 swathes of snow-white skin.

A battle-damaged magical girl.

Cough cough…

Her heart was racing.

Rubbing her slightly flushed cheeks, Florna felt a little puzzled.

Before, she and Kirishima Shiro had been completely坦诚 with each other and it was fine.

Could it be that she had a thing for damaged clothing?

Droplets of water seeped into the soaked fabric, brushing just right over the pronounced curves, making Florna’s gaze linger a moment longer.

No looking, no looking!

Florna quickly turned her eyes away, not daring to think further in that direction.

Recovering her strength came first.