Marisa was no prodigy; she was merely an ordinary human. She lacked Patchouli's prodigious magical talent, Sakuya's unique abilities, Sanae's divine assistance and human faith, or Reimu's heaven-bestowed invincibility. Although she had the succubus as a renowned mentor, her teacher was elusive, meaning her magical studies relied almost entirely on her independent research.

As a common human, devoid of special powers or external aid, the fact that she could achieve such strength and secure a place in Gensokyo—all of it was earned through countless sacrifices and relentless effort.

No one ever witnessed this diligence; she simply persisted alone, learning and re-learning amidst a sea of failures and sporadic successes. Her magic, however dazzling and potent it appeared, was accumulated drop by agonizing drop of sweat. It was like the grand fireworks display at a banquet: onlookers only appreciated the beauty and spectacle, never comprehending the sheer hardship invested behind that magnificence.

But no matter how hard she tried, she remained just an ordinary magician.

Unlike Marisa, Sanae was a genius. Not only did she possess special aptitudes far exceeding those of ordinary people, but from birth, she inherited the position of the Wind Priestess in her clan, diligently studying the secret arts passed down through generations. Since childhood, her ability to invoke miracles had garnered the faith of the populace, propelling her to the status of an ara-hitogami—a living god—a height ordinary people could never reach.

Her capacity to summon miracles also earned her the favor of the gods. Two mighty deities provided her with meticulous tutoring and guidance. Even with minimal effort, her power grew steadily day by day; adding even a fraction of diligence, her achievements would instantly leave ordinary humans far in the dust.

Because she was a genius, she possessed the gift of miracles, the aid of the gods, and unique advantages unattainable by anyone else. A single insight from a genius could surpass ten years, or even more, of an ordinary person's effort. It might seem unfair, but such was the nature of this world.

Just like at this moment, where two individuals of ostensibly similar power suddenly found the gap widening almost impossibly when the genius slightly shifted her state, her strength soaring to a level nearly equal to that of a deity.

Under the onslaught of earth-shattering attacks and the roar of the tempestuous rain, Marisa, the ordinary human, was completely overwhelmed. She could barely muster any offensive moves, and even defense was agonizingly difficult, forcing her into a desperate struggle merely to evade.

Lin Luo was no longer watching with detached amusement. In fact, the moment Sanae unleashed her heaven-and-earth-rending technique, he had already risen to his feet. At this point, Sanae’s power had approached the Earth Tier, while Marisa remained firmly rooted at the High Spirit Tier. Given such a colossal disparity, Marisa’s peril was self-evident... A corrupted Sanae showed no mercy.

Lin Luo prepared to intervene, to save Marisa if necessary and stop the fight. He possessed more than two mechs; he could certainly use one to bring Sanae back to her senses. Yet, watching the little witch scramble desperately through the sky, he hesitated.

Because of the torrential downpour, Marisa's clothes were soaked through; because of the raging winds, her face was pale. The chilling cold, amplified by her sodden body and the gale, gnawed at her very flesh... Lin Luo saw clearly the figure on the broomstick trembling violently, appearing on the verge of collapse, ready to plummet from the air at any second.

Compounding this, the earth and sky were intermittently hurled at her, threatening to crush her into dust with a single misstep. But even in this state, she refused to surrender. Gritting her teeth, she persevered. The look in her eyes wasn't fear or anxiety, but unyielding defiance and fighting spirit.

Marisa was inherently competitive, driven by a silent devotion to practice solely to catch up to Reimu, who needed little effort to excel. Even after countless defeats, even when she rarely won, she never once gave up. And now, she faced Sanae, who was weaker than Reimu.

This was fundamentally different from the usual Spell Card duels; those were mere games of combat. This was a genuine fight!

From the girl’s pained yet still smiling expression, Lin Luo grasped her message: Genius or ordinary, such labels meant nothing. Through relentless effort, a mortal could, eventually, surpass a genius!

In that moment, Lin Luo finally perceived that beneath Marisa’s carefree exterior lay a will of unshakeable resolve and a courage that refused to admit defeat.

“Then, fight hard, Marisa,” Lin Luo murmured with a slight smile, settling back down.

Boom! Boom! Boom!

In the heavens, the wind howled, the rain poured, the sky thundered, and the earth surged. Pincer-attacked by these four forces, Marisa looked utterly wretched. To avoid the assault of earth and sky, she had to push the broom’s speed to its maximum. To resist the tearing of the gale, she needed a calm mind to feel the wind’s currents, demanding impossibly precise control between following and fighting the airflow. Achieving this was far from simple; it was incredibly arduous, especially as her condition was already critical. The encroaching cold stiffened her body and slowed her thoughts. But still!

“I won’t admit defeat just yet! Right now, nothing matters except this fight!” Dodging the crushing blows from above and below, weaving through the layers of storm, Marisa shouted as she propelled herself toward Sanae. What erupted from her was not cowardice in the face of such terrifying power, but a boiling battle fervor.

“So, if I can just knock you down, all the problems will be solved, right?!”

“Then come and try… to take down the current me.” Sanae’s face was expressionless. She then pointed her gohei staff forward: “Miracle… Star Ritual to Summon the Divine Wind!”

Several light talismans shot from the gohei, snaking around her arm. As they flared with dazzling light, the talismans suddenly burst outward, forming a circle over five meters in diameter. Within this circle, a monstrous vortex began to churn, aimed directly at Marisa.

Since Sanae had ceased using the heaven-and-earth-splitting and wind-and-rain-calling miracle techniques while executing the Star Ritual, the ground and sky returned to normal, granting Marisa a momentary respite. Standing on her broom, she retrieved the Mini Hakurei Reimu from beneath her hat.

“Ah, so that’s your divine wind, huh? Then let me show you my Magic Blast… My ultimate Magic Blast at full power!” Marisa pointed the Hakurei Reimu at Sanae simultaneously, pouring all her remaining magical reserves, every last ounce of her power, into the device.

Though her tone sounded supremely confident, a flicker of gravity touched her eyes. She knew Sanae’s current strength far surpassed her own, and her own remaining power was meager. Even at full throttle, the hope of winning was slim. However!

“It’s only interesting when you manage a comeback from a losing position!” Marisa roared with laughter, then thrust her hands forward. A beam of white light, several times larger than before, shot out like a meteor ripping across the heavens.

“Magic Blast… The Ultimate Spark of the Second Universe!”

“I will absolutely not allow… the Divine Wind!”

At the same instant, Sanae’s attack was launched—a whirlwind compressed by countless rotations, its density far surpassing ordinary wind. The muffled, thunderous sound accompanying its release conveyed the terrifying power it contained.

Both the Magic Blast and the Divine Wind moved too fast for the naked eye to follow. Before contact, air currents formed along their paths. Then, with a deafening boom, the two forces collided, resulting in a momentary stalemate.

The power of the Magic Blast lay in pure destruction; the power of the Divine Wind lay in tearing apart. In terms of instantaneous explosive force, the Magic Blast initially surpassed the Divine Wind, pressing it back. But Marisa’s strength simply couldn't match Sanae's for long. After only a few seconds of suppression, the Divine Wind surged back, tearing the colossal light beam to shreds with a chirr sound, scattering down like a massive firework in the sky.

“Ah, look, such a beautiful firework.”

“Is that the magician again? Is she setting off fireworks?”

Not far away at the Eientei, the fairies were drawn by the sound. Seeing the myriad of lights in the sky, they pointed and chattered merrily, clearly delighted.

Beneath the shower of sparks, Marisa managed a wry smile. “Well, well, I guess I still couldn’t win. This is quite the predicament...”

Before she finished speaking, her body, along with the broom, began to plummet toward the ground. That last Magic Blast had drained her completely; she couldn't even sustain flight now, weakened to the extreme.

“Marisa, I’ve fixed the mech... Ah!” Just as Marisa started to fall, a twin-tailed girl in exploration gear—sun hat and backpack—flew over from nearby. Trailing behind her was a colossal mech, the Gundam that Lin Luo had gifted Sanae. However, the girl, who had been so excited, shrieked upon seeing Marisa falling from the sky.

That voice attracted Marisa’s weak gaze and also captured Sanae’s attention. Seeing her beloved mech undamaged, her eyes lit up, and the black miasma coating her vanished instantly. “Ah, my mech...”

But her words were cut short as her vision swam, and she too fell from the sky.

Swish! Swish!

Just as the two girls were about to make intimate contact with the earth, Lin Luo activated Instant Movement, catching both of them in his arms almost simultaneously before returning safely to the ground.

“Honestly, this whole thing turned into a complete farce,”

Looking at their pale, nearly unconscious faces, Lin Luo shook his head with a bittersweet chuckle.

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