(a)

The magic broom flew up, but instead of slamming into Catherine's usual style, as Marisa had done, it climbed upwards and flew directly over her head, flying off into the distance as fast as a bolt of lightning.

Alice hugged Marisa's waist tightly so as not to be thrown off by the unreasonable G-force. The strong wind stuck on her face, blowing her mouth and eyes crooked, her hair floating, and there was no trace of the ladylike image of the past.

"Marisa!" she hissed against the wind, "are you going to run away?"

Soon, very fast, the position of the two of them was about a kilometer away from the Red Devil Pavilion. In this position, not to mention Catherine Pagos, even the outline of the Red Devil Pavilion has been covered by the snow and is no longer visible.

Admittedly, Catherine would never have been able to catch up if she had fled. Escaping was also a viable option for the desperate duo, who wouldn't even lose much face considering the desperate lack of strength.

"!"

However, Marisa only said that.

She won't run away.

The temporary withdrawal is just for a better counteroffensive.

After a while, Marisa felt that it was almost enough, and the broom slammed into the air and braked. The speed of the sudden drop and the strong inertia almost missed Alice's internal organs. Then, the broom turned around and turned in the direction of the Red Devil Pavilion, even though it was snow-white in Alice's eyes, both in front of her and behind her—she was surprised that Marisa could still make out the direction after dangling on the magic broom flying at high speed for so long.

"That's pretty much enough to get here. Marisa muttered as she stared straight ahead.

In her eyes, there was a dark despair, hidden behind the layers of snow. Even from a distance, she could make out the difference.

That is the direction of the "target" she wants to defeat.

"What's enough?" Alice blurted out.

"Distance. Marisa straightened her arm and gestured with her thumb, closing one eye like a gunner, "For acceleration, distance." ”

With that, she pulled out her mini gossip stove from her pocket - it was now in a shutdown with low ammo. She threw the gossip furnace into Alice's hand behind her.

"What is this for?"

Alice caught the gossip furnace steadily, and looked down at the small and delicate magic weapon in her palm, which was a little inexplicable for a while. The air in the air was cold and fresh, with fine ice dust flowing into her lungs. She watched Marisa's back, watched her scarf flutter in the cold wind, watched the warm, wet white air sweep across her cheeks and float behind her.

"Alice," Marisa said without looking back, "how much magic do you still have?"

"Almost, all full. Alice said, "The previous trick only consumed the doll's magic, so my current state is fine, but ......"

"That's enough. Marisa interrupted her, "That mini gossip stove can not only be powered by ammunition, but it can also be directly injected with magic power, you will definitely use it if you are smart, I won't teach it." ”

"Wait a minute, when we get back to the Red Devil Pavilion, you'll have your eyes wide. Once that guy appears in your field of vision, you will directly pour all your magic into this gossip furnace and give her a big shot with all your might, understand?"

"Yes, yes, but ......," Alice said incredulously, "don't you think that this will bring her down?"

"Just do it. ”

"I'll take care of the rest. ”

With these words, Marisa once again unleashed her magic broomstick.

(b)

Catherine stood still, motionless.

She was waiting, waiting for the moment when the black-and-white magic would return.

The breath of the two men was far away, too far that even Catherine could not smell it. But Catherine knew that they had not run away, and that they would soon be back here to give her a new challenge. If I had to say it, this is a very mysterious and inexplicable ...... Sixth sense, that's it.

When a super-creature who has lived for more than 10,000 years has a strong sixth sense, you should trust her judgment completely, even if it is for no reason.

At this moment, she suddenly turned around, looked up at the vast sky, and said a word:

"It's coming. ”

The flow of the air was disturbed, the snowflakes began to stir, and someone was riding a broom, galloping. Even now, she can't see anything, but she will soon be here with her life-threatening blow.

Catherine stood silently, facing the direction of the enemy's attack, poised - she was ready.

Then, as she had expected, Marisa and Alice rode magical broomsticks and burst through the sky and appeared in her field of vision. She saw them, just as they saw her.

"Come on, Alice!"

"Okay!"

Alice raised the mini gossip furnace in her hand, and the colorful beams of light converged together, turning into a huge white pillar of light, which pressed in front of Catherine in an instant...... Then, completely, she blocked it.

"Gorgeous, but, useless. ”

Catherine stretched out a hand in front of her, like an invisible umbrella, and the scorching beam of light diverted and dissipated in front of her like flowing water, not a drop could wet her clothes.

All of this was expected by Marisa.

"Marisa!"

Alice had to admit that the most powerful gossip stove was a magic vacuum cleaner, and it quickly wiped her clean. Seeing that the pillar of light shrank and vanished, and that Catherine was still unharmed, she shouted in a hurry:

"I've run out of magic, what's next?"

"What's next?" Marisa grinned, "Rush, that's enough!"

Accelerate with all your might, never stopping.

Marisa gripped the broom pole with both hands as if she were about to break it, and the green tendons on her arms bulged.

Faster, faster, reach the limit, break the limit!

She conveyed such a strong idea to her broom with these hands. So, like her, at this moment, it gave its all. Bright dust began to emanate from the broom's fluffy tail, and it turned into a comet, dragging the tail of the stardust and slamming it headlong into the ground.

Let me take a good look, Catherine Pagos.

Is it my spear that breaks through your shield, or your shield that crushes my spear?

(c)

The winner is decided.

The stronger side is the shield.

The comet-like broomstick, as it approached the ground, did not accelerate with gravity, but on the contrary, it quickly lost speed and eventually tended to stop. Nearly a step away from Catherine, the tail of the stardust dissipated, and the brilliance faded—it stopped, still in the air.

Catherine wiped out all power from it, even the gravity of its fall. It was like this, turning into an ordinary broom, suspended in the air without going up or down, at Catherine's disposal.

The two riding on the broom have lost all their strength, to the point that they can't even blink an eyelid to do it on their own. With a little more pressure, Catherine could completely destroy and wipe them out. This feeling of being slaughtered by others is really uncomfortable.

Marisa looked at Catherine in the distance, her eyes as clear as rubies. In the midst of this, Marisa saw her conviction of her victory. Although Catherine neither smiled nor spoke, the arrogance and calmness were clearly written in her eyes.

"It's ridiculous......"

Marisa smiled shriveled as she struggled to open her mouth, her throat fluttering and a faint, dying sound.

"Don't you think it's ridiculous to be deceived by the vain things in front of you, to be superstitious about your own limited power, and even to have the illusion of victory when you crash headlong into defeat?"

"Oh, don't get me wrong, I'm talking about you, Miss Cat. ”

"Do you think you've won?"

At this time, an inexplicable uneasiness rose from the bottom of Catherine's heart.

Marisa's smiling face was real, not fake, and her heart rate told Catherine that what she was showing was exactly what she had in mind.

Why, why did she still laugh at this juncture? Dare to speak out and ridicule? Why did she have the courage?

What was it that made her say that? What did I overlook, what did I miss?

The next moment, her hair moved with the cold wind. The Winter Giant's cold breath cooled her brain and froze all the distractions in it.

An invisible hand, in this last moment, pushed Marisa. Before Catherine could clear her mind, the tip of the broom rod had gently touched her forehead.

In this state of losing all power, or even completely weightless, the distance that is not enough for this step, really, only a gust of wind is enough.

That feeling can't be said to be painful, it's like an elder smiling and playing a younger person's brain, and he doesn't have all the strength. But the touch ran through Catherine's body like electricity, causing her eyes to widen and freeze in place, her brain almost blank.

It's been a long time, and this is what it feels like to "fail".

The moment she disempowers, Marisa, Alice, and the broom all fall to the ground.

"Win!"

She heard Marisa scream.