Once the affection level is maxed out, the rivalry begins!

A metallic planet made of industrial waste is collapsing.

One after another, the trains, having lost their source of power, plunged into the sea, creating enormous waves.

Fortunately, this was an anomalous product rather than a real substance, and it quickly disappeared after sinking into the water. Otherwise, even if the Bureau of Spirit Disasters had the most advanced memory-modifying technology, it probably wouldn't be able to give a reasonable explanation for something like a train suddenly sinking in the sea.

Lin Tingwan withdrew her gaze from Yin Chen, recalled her weapon, and looked at Lu Xingyao.

"Do you want to continue fighting? I have important things to do and I don't intend to get entangled with you."

Although she was bothered by the girl in the fox mask's way of referring to the "White Knight"—a designation given by the Bureau of the Cataclysm to the members of the Eternal Serpent she first encountered, not to the recently manifested anomalous avatar—she was quite concerned.

But at most, it suggests that the two may have some kind of academic senior-junior relationship. What if they are senior brothers and sisters in some Hogwarts-type mystical school or extraordinary society?

It's going too far to doubt a friend simply because there are two people around who match the gender and the way they address each other.

...Aren't there a lot of elements that meet the criteria? There's more than one.

—Besides, what reason would Bai Ze have to pretend to be a bodysuit pervert to find someone to oppose her?! She hasn't done anything that would incur his hatred!

Bai Ze isn't some kind of ecchi magical girl anime protagonist whose companion is destined to fall into evil!

Lin Tingwan quickly put her doubts to the back of her mind.

But she didn't want to continue the unfinished struggle. On the one hand, they had just cooperated to resolve the threat of Yin Chen, and it would be despicable for them to suddenly turn against each other now.

On the other hand, she was eager to check on the safety of her childhood friend who had come with her... and perhaps her junior schoolmate.

As for how much of this urgency stemmed from genuine concern for the safety of the two individuals, and how much was an attempt to overturn the terrifying assumption she had just made, even she herself probably didn't know.

"I haven't even seen the fireworks yet, so I have no interest in fighting you anymore."

Lu Xingyao hugged Bai Ze from behind and retorted sarcastically.

In fact, she is full of confidence and looks like a victor.

But in reality, he was almost beaten half to death just now.

Even if the witch who controls prophecy has external objects that can convert magic into combat power, she is still no match for her fellow warriors—her confidence before the battle is just an illusion given to her by her fighting instincts!

The original plan was to change from "we will win" to "I'm sorry I couldn't get Lord Lin Tingwan to use her full strength".

Fortunately, when she realized that Bai Ze was fighting with an anomaly, she immediately suggested that Yin Chen, who posed the greatest threat, should be dealt with first, and the other party agreed.

Ultimately, the God-Slaying Spear, imbued with the power of the two witches, became Bai Ze's opportunity to turn the tide of battle.

—Now that she has exhausted her magic, how much better can the witch of the Spirit Disaster Bureau be?

In other words, this fight was actually a draw!

With her extraordinary wisdom, Lu Xingyao manipulated the War Witch at will!

However, despite their vow to cease hostilities, the two witches failed to find a suitable opportunity to retreat, and for a time they remained locked in a stalemate in the sky.

Even Bai Ze couldn't stand the silent and eerie atmosphere, so he spoke up to remind him:

"Hey, Bureau of Spirit Disasters, someone's fallen into the sea. Aren't you going to go and rescue them?"

He was referring to Rhea, who volunteered to cover their advance.

Poor thing, she was doing her best to hold off the enemy forces, but then Yin Chen suddenly exploded!

Losing her footing, the succubus girl also fell into the sea. Now, you can still see a figure in the waves, dodging the trains that keep falling from the sky, struggling to swim towards the shore.

If you get closer, you can hear a long, drawn-out scream, "Aaaaaah!"

"Rei... Reia?!"

Lin Tingwan immediately rushed down to save people, while Bai Ze and Lu Xingyao also found an opportunity to retreat.

"Do you think she might tell the witch from the Bureau of Spirit Disasters our true identities?"

Lu Xingyao seemed quite happy flying with him, even when she asked about topics she was worried about, her tone was relaxed.

"If she had that thought, she wouldn't have lent you the mask that hinders her understanding."

Bai Ze shifted uncomfortably as he answered.

Because Lu Xingyao was supporting him, he could feel a heavy pressure on his back, like a fruit that would change shape under pressure.

Damn it, he absolutely must learn the ability to fly without cursing himself!

"Senior, don't move!"

However, his slight resistance only resulted in the girl tightening her grip, saying, "Didn't you carry me like this when I was little?"

That was in the illusion created by the [Reincarnation Infection Disease]!

Lu Xingyao chuckled suspiciously for a while before continuing the conversation:

"But isn't she also a member of the Disaster Management Bureau? Why would she choose to help us cover it up? And I've wanted to ask from the beginning, why do you seem to have known her for a long time, senior?"

Bai Ze hasn't told her about his contact with Leia yet—this involves the question of Lin Tingwan's true identity.

To summarize the current situation, he, Leia, and Lu Xingyao all know each other's identities; he and Leia know everyone else's identities; and Lin Tingwan and Lu Xingyao are unaware of each other's identities.

Upon closer reflection, I realized that the interpersonal relationships around me were so chaotic that they could easily form a game of Werewolf.

Hopefully, there won't be a day when it explodes.

Having witnessed the fighting instincts between witches, Bai Ze felt even more strongly that he couldn't let these two young ladies realize that they would be in the same department every day!

At least not until he figures out the mechanism that triggers this conflict!

He was certain that Leia would not reveal the secret, especially not to Lin Tingwan.

After all, in the Bureau of Spirit Disasters' plan, his childhood friend was an important containment measure to anchor the social acceptance of witches;

If Lin Tingwan were told that Bai Ze was actually the "White Knight" who had opposed her several times, her worldview would probably shatter.

That's why she borrowed the mask from Lu Xingyao to conceal her identity.

"I had contact with her after the ghost story incident."

Bai Ze used subtle language to change the subject, "Besides, didn't you call me by my usual name in front of others? When we're operating under the name of the Eternal Serpent organization, stick to your role!"

It's clearly just chuunibyou (middle school syndrome) but it's so unprofessional!

Fortunately, it's unlikely that a single title is enough to confirm that he's using an alias.

"Oh, then I'll call you Master?"

The girl breathed into her ear and said.

"Are you really going to stick to the rules of that illusion to the very end?"

Although Bai Ze thought it was acceptable, being called that reminded him of a primary school version of Lu Xingyao, and the teacher-student role-playing... gave him a strange sense of immorality.

Oh well, I'll only do this when dealing with exceptional events anyway.

Having received tacit approval, Lu Xingyao tightened her hug.

"Master~ Teacher~"

The tone was sweet enough to melt chocolate, yet it was somewhat frightening.