At this time, a somewhat cold voice suddenly came from behind her.
She turned around and found Emerald Sparrow signaling to her.
"What, what's wrong?" she asked, but felt her voice was slightly hoarse.
"Don't be nervous, and don't mind winning or losing,"
Emerald Sparrow spoke quite earnestly, yet in a gentle tone, "Just show your improvement to your heart's content, boldly reveal your shortcomings, let me really see the present you, that's the true purpose of this duel."
After saying this, she saw Lin Xiaolu just staring blankly at her, as if she hadn't listened at all, which left her no choice but to ask helplessly, "Is that okay?"
Only then did Lin Xiaolu slowly nod, "I understand, I'll try my best."
Once again she stepped forward, reaching the center of the arena, and finally made eye contact with Bai Ji.
"To let Emerald Sparrow, truly see the present me..." she murmured to herself, as if truly drawing courage from those words, her expression becoming increasingly resolute.
The brilliance of the Heart's Gem flashed by, and the Magical Girl's outfit adorned her body. Then, she raised her hand, and a softly glowing blue magic power sphere slowly formed in her palm.
"Let's start from here," she said, gazing at Bai Ji with a burning determination.
Bai Ji looked at the magic power sphere in Lin Xiaolu's hand, at first slightly puzzled, probably not understanding why her opponent chose to start the competition with a form that had already lost once. Then, as if a thought struck her, a flicker of realization crossed her otherwise placid face, and she glanced involuntarily towards Asou Haruka outside the arena.
All she received was a thumbs-up from Asou Haruka.
"...I see, then, as you wish." She pursed her lips, falling silent for a while before looking down and responding.
Azure light encircled her, and she silently recited the Transformation Spell, completing her transformation. Then she raised her hand, the magic power sphere in her palm mirroring Lin Xiaolu's from afar.
The two figures paused for a moment, then, as if by agreement, they both thrust their hands forward, throwing the magic power spheres they held into the air.
The green and pale blue magic collided in midair.
Because they were magic power spheres, not Magic Power Beams, the colliding magic didn't immediately disperse but instead entwined, even creating a stalemate.
However, this stalemate was brief.
Because in the blink of an eye, the green magic stemming from Bai Ji suddenly began to tremble.
It was like the roaring of an engine, that magic vibrated at a high frequency in a short period and then pushed forward with a force that almost shattered Lin Xiaolu's magic.
"She can do it too..."
Watching this, Xia Liang below first looked slightly startled, then sighed, "This is going to be tough, Xiaolu."
"What you referred to as 'can also do,' what does that mean?" Emerald Sparrow suddenly asked.
"That thing, the technique that seems to suddenly change the nature of the magic." Xia Liang pointed towards Bai Ji in the arena, "You saw it too, right? That kid's Flow of Magical Power suddenly started vibrating. The opponent I faced before did the same, I don't know why, but with equal magic power, they always managed to tear through mine."
"Did you discern the true nature of that technique?" Instead of commenting on Xia Liang's answer, Emerald Sparrow continued to inquire.
"The true nature? That kind of thing is a bit..."
Squinting with a hint of frustration, Xia Liang said helplessly, "I can't just fight a couple of moves and see through that sort of thing, you're overestimating me, junior."
Emerald Sparrow didn't speak further.
She didn't actually know what this strange technique was, at least not during her active days as a Magical Girl, she had never seen such a use of magic in anyone's hands.
But she didn't say more, she didn't even look at Asou Haruka beside her, even though she knew that this thing has absolutely something to do with her.
She just watched Lin Xiaolu in the arena, because she knew that if there were any answers, the best answer would be with Lin Xiaolu.
The two stalemate magic power spheres also showed new changes at that moment.
The pale blue magic that had been retreating ever since the azure magic started vibrating suddenly stopped its decline. Then, as if a switch had been flipped, it too began to take on an irregular form.
The dispersing pale blue magic was like a melting snowball, collapsing inward from the surface, and then, from one moment, it suddenly ignited.
The magic turned, as if into fire.
This display finally changed the expressions of everyone present.
If for Fangting City's side, Xia Liang and Bai Jingxuan were just astonished by the sudden change shown by Lin Xiaolu; then for Bai'an City's side, whether it was the bashful plants and the wood lilies outside the arena or Bai Ji in the center, their current feelings were "shocked."
"Do you see it now, sisters?" Asou Haruka, who had been mostly silent since the beginning of the duel, finally spoke up, "This is the technique that I, in collaboration with my colleagues at the Investigation Institute over the past decade or so, have refined, and it is also what allowed me to advance to the rank of a cardholder."
"What's it called?" Emerald Sparrow did not show any exaggerated reaction, simply nodding slightly, her gaze still fixed on Lin Xiaolu.
"I usually call it 'Turbidity,' or in plain language, 'Simulated Deviation,'" said Asou Haruka, her gaze also fixed on the flames within Lin Xiaolu's magic, "Simply put, it's a technique that artificially differentiates the underlying tone of the magic power, causing the magic to exhibit special properties."