Chapter 29: Crisis
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At the moment her identity as "Cornflower" was revealed, Emerald Sparrow pressed her lips together slightly without responding to the provocation.
She didn't express any intention to admit or deny, nor did she seem to want to continue the conversation. Instead, she slightly adjusted her posture, keeping a watchful stance as she faced the magical girl before her.
More than these trivial matters, it was the opponent's recently demonstrated strength that made her more vigilant. The reason was simple: the attack was too fast, too secretive.
There was almost no leakage of magic power; if not for Emerald Sparrow's quick reaction, even a probing attack like that could have put an ordinary magical girl at a considerable disadvantage.
Since the opponent had chosen to attack, it essentially put their hostility out in the open, making deceits and verbal tricks meaningless. What remained was a comparison of raw strength.