Sky Striker Princess, but the swan song of Valkyrie.

Slumped on the sofa, Lingyi murmured these thoughts listlessly.

"Yawn—it's because you're working too hard, Lingyi."

Seeing Lingyi's limp appearance, Finni didn't care. In fact, it would be strange if she only complained of being tired now.

"Even those who have been supporting you are feeling tired. I don't know how you, Lingyi, have managed to keep going."

With a somewhat weak tone, Finnie couldn't help but ask Zero.

Since she woke the other person up, he has been working non-stop to sort out all the events that have happened.

Not only did they restart most of the equipment at the base, but they also created a multitude of new devices using operating systems that Finni couldn't understand.

Finney genuinely hoped that the other person could get some rest, otherwise she was really worried that the other person might break down their body under such high-intensity work.

"What can I do? Because of the Chaos Curse, humans are fighting each other every moment, and monsters are constantly emerging. If I move even slightly slower, I don't know how many people will die."

"Ah, that's why I hate war. No matter what, this kind of waste of resources and manpower is just too heartbreaking."

Lingyi said matter-of-factly, while involuntarily uttering such a sentiment.

"Even so, Zero, you should pay more attention to your health. You are the only one who can bring humanity back together in this world."

Phineas patted his face to clear his head a little, and then offered the other person some concerned and respectful advice.

"Well, you don't need to worry about that, Finney. I know how to manage my body. Look, I'm just resting now."

As she sat up from the soft sofa, Lingyi raised her hand and smiled at Finney, gesturing in this way.

"That's true."

Finney lowered her head and acknowledged the fact that Lingyi had her reasons for managing her body.

However, she was still somewhat worried because the ideal she had been dreaming of had been realized too easily, which made her feel unreal and uneasy.

"Don't look so gloomy! Come on, Finnie, try some of my ice cream. Eating ice cream in the Arctic is a really fun experience!"

Just as Finney was pondering, a cool sensation, accompanied by the aroma of milk and sweetness, filled her mouth.

Upon closer inspection, she saw that Lingyi had appeared in front of her at some point and was sticking a stick filled with ice cream into her mouth.

"It's so sweet, and it's delicious."

Finney instinctively took the food from the other person's hand and made this comment.

Since the beginning of the Chaos Curse, human production and daily life activities with the help of Anunnaki have been completely disrupted, and she has not eaten such refined food for a long time.

"Sugar is a great source of energy for the body, and eating some sweets can effectively relieve unhappiness when you're feeling down, Amu-"

Lingyi shared her opinion, and at the same time, an ice cream appeared in her hand and she put it in her mouth.

"So don't worry anymore, Finney. With me here, there's nothing I can't do. I'm very strong."

With an ice cream in her mouth, Lingyi confidently cheered on Finnie.

…Okay, maybe I am being a bit of an alarmist.

Seeing Lingyi smiling as she spoke, Finnie's inexplicable anxiety did indeed ease a lot.

Thinking back, everything had been moving in a positive direction ever since she met Lingyi. Even though she encountered many difficulties along the way, they were all soon resolved by Lingyi using various amazing technologies.

Although the other party kept saying that she was not a god, in Finney's eyes, the other party's behavior was comparable to that of the gods she knew.

"Hehe, don't worry, I'll definitely be able to get in touch with Brother Enki for you. We'll give him a good beating then."

Lingyi covered her mouth, grinned mischievously, and casually uttered some information that Finnie cared about.

"Enki... Yu, Zero, do you know that person?!"

Realizing this fact, Finnie's tone became slightly flustered, like a young girl in love. Oh, compared to Zero, who was said to have lived for quite some time, she was indeed a young girl.

"How could we not know him? He had asked everyone for advice on how to handle the situation before. The scene was quite hilarious, and everyone made fun of him about it for years."

Lingyi easily told Finnie about it.

"Zero, do you mean Lord Enki knows about my affairs...? My affairs haven't caused that person any trouble?"

Upon hearing this information, Finney's mind became even more confused, and he became somewhat at a loss for words.

"There will definitely be some trouble... but don't worry, everyone is a very nice person, no, God. At most, they just made fun of him, and the overall atmosphere was not negative."

Lingyi smiled and said to Finney.

"Eh"

Upon receiving this information, Finney's face flushed slightly, to the point that Watt could almost see the invention of the steam engine.

"Well, actually, part of the reason I met you, Finney, was because I wanted to see what kind of person you were. Hey, Finney, Finney, are you listening?"

Just as Lingyi was about to continue sharing some gossip she had gotten from Sister Shenming with Finni, she suddenly realized that the other person seemed to have lost the ability to think.

"Ah, sorry, Lingyi, I just... I accidentally spaced out."

After Lingyi called her name several times, Finnie seemed to wake up from a dream, clutching her chest and apologizing to Lingyi for calling her name so many times.

"It's okay, I don't care. I'm just more looking forward to seeing Eun-ki's expression then."

In response, Lingyi waved her hand and smiled, indicating that she was indeed very interested in the gossip and jokes about the god that Finni believed in.

"Well... hahaha, that's certainly something to look forward to, to meet that lord or something."

During her conversation with Lingyi, Finney was able to shake off the gloom that had been hanging over her heart, and a genuine smile appeared on her face.

"Alright, you've finished your rest. Let's get back to work and finish setting up the nodes as soon as possible."

After a brief chat, Lingyi stood up, seemingly preparing to continue working.

"So fast? Aren't you going to rest a little longer?"

Finnie was slightly surprised by Zero's performance; from her perspective, Zero didn't seem to have had much time to rest.

"It's okay, this is my normal work schedule, unlike yours, Finney. I have more energy."

"Moreover, the sooner I finish this work, the sooner I can help Finney and myself find those missing Anunnaki."

"Looking very energetic," Zero said to Finney.

"That's true."

Seeing that Lingyi said this, Finnie stopped worrying about it.

Although Zero keeps emphasizing that she is human, Finney doesn't feel that she is the same kind of person as Zero, who is suspected to have a long lifespan and be able to do things like a god.

"More importantly, Finnie, do you need a rest? There's not much work left, I can handle it all by myself. But Finnie, you look very tired."

Instead of accepting Finney's suggestion to rest, Lingyi began to persuade Finney to take a break first.

"Let me go and rest, but..."

Lingyi's suggestion was hard for Finni to accept. The other person had done so much more and hadn't rested yet. The other person was still helping her. How could she be the first to rest?

"It's okay, don't compare yourself to me. Finnie, you don't have any special devices, so it's normal that you can't compare to me. It's better not to ruin your health."

"You know, Finnie, you love a god. If you don't take good care of your health, you might cause him to regret it for the rest of his life."

Lingyi smiled nonchalantly and persuaded Finnie in this way.

"Is that so? Okay then."

After being persuaded by Lingyi, Finney thought about it carefully and, realizing that there wasn't much she could do, agreed with Lingyi's point of view.

"Well then, I'll go rest now. If you need anything, Lingyi, please feel free to call me anytime..."

Finnie planned to say goodbye to Lingyi, but found that Lingyi had already immersed herself in work that she couldn't understand.

After a moment of silence, Finnie stopped bothering Lingyi and went to the lounge that Lingyi had left for her, intending to replenish the energy she had lost over the past few days.

Even though I've been through so much, it still feels unreal. Can my long-cherished wish really be fulfilled like this?

Back in the bedroom, sitting on the edge of the bed, staring blankly at the snow-white ceiling, I couldn't help but think about it in a daze.

[Forget it, I'll trust Lingyi. Right now, I have nothing else to do but trust her. She's strong enough that she doesn't need my concern.]

But then, Finney dismissed her unnecessary worries, turned off the lights in the room, and let her consciousness drift into a deep sleep.

Perhaps because she had wasted several days' worth of energy, Finney slept very soundly after her body relaxed. However, afterwards, she wished that her sleep quality had been worse, so that she might have been able to understand what had happened back then.

Clang—Boom—Thump—

The violent shaking and noise woke Finnie from her sleep. When she woke up, she felt as if the environment around her was in the midst of a major earthquake.

"What's wrong? What happened, Zero?"

Upon waking up, faced with this unknown disaster, Finney instinctively sought out the entity she relied on, wanting to understand what had happened.

However, when she tried to open the bedroom door, she found that it was completely locked, and Finney was trapped inside the room and unable to get out.

No, no, don't!

Finney had a terrible premonition; this incomprehensible disaster reminded her of the time when their unified language was taken away.

That was the deepest pain of her life: having her unified language taken away without her knowledge, and losing her way of communicating with the gods.

"Open it for me!!!"

With these thoughts in mind, Finney began to circulate the power within her body. In the years since the unified language was taken away, she had not been completely stagnant; she had mastered some techniques for self-defense.

Using these techniques, she began to bombard the door in front of her, but her strength was too weak, and even with all her might, the door showed no sign of opening.

"Haaaaaaahh ...

Panicked, Finney tried with all her might to open the door, but no matter what she did, the door remained tightly shut, while the tremors and bombardment outside continued.

"Huff—huff—it's happening again."

Exhausted, Finney slumped to the ground, once again acutely aware of his own weakness, and succumbed to self-pity.

After an unknown amount of time, as Finney deeply reflected on her own weakness and powerlessness, she sensed that the tremors outside had disappeared. At the same time, she also noticed that the once sturdy door seemed to be loosening.

bang——

This time, Finnie didn't have to exert much effort; a gentle tap was enough to open the door that had just blocked her way.

After opening the door, she immediately wanted to ask Lingyi what had happened, but she quickly stopped, not because she changed her mind, but because she was shocked by the scene outside.

The building, which had been cleaned up by Lingyi, was now a complete and irreparable ruin. Judging from the shape of the ruins, it seemed that a considerable battle had taken place here.

"Silver, why is there so much silver?"

What attracted Finnie's attention the most was the silver scattered all around the area.

The once vibrant mechanical buildings have long since disappeared, replaced by lifeless, purely physical silver structures.

"Lingyi, if we can find Lingyi."

Amidst the chaos, Finney once again thought of someone who could know the answers, so she began searching for Zero's whereabouts, and soon, she found Zero's appearance.

Then, upon seeing her in her tattered state, he couldn't help but stop breathing.

That once confident and tireless expression now appears as weak as if a gust of wind could blow it away. The fiery red armor that she once flaunted is now covered with the same silver marks as those on the machinery.

What Finney found most incomprehensible was Zero's downward thrust of a dark red blade. That blade was piercing a charred corpse, its shape unrecognizable due to the intense heat; only its shape suggested it was a woman's body.

"Huff, huff, Finney, sorry, cough"

Noticing Finney's arrival, Zero seemed to want to say something, but in the end, she couldn't say anything.

"Zero Clothes! 1"

Finney wanted to approach the other party to ask questions, but before she could, a loud engine roared, and the device that Zero used for flight, which she had seen before, was attached to the other party's back.

Then, without any explanation, the platinum-gold girl, dragging her seemingly unwell body, soared into the sky and vanished without a trace.

P.S. Good morning.

Chapter Twenty-Eight: Thoughts and Actions

In the underground base, Tsukuyomi opened her eyes, staring blankly at the ceiling.

[Is that the old Zero-chan? She looks... like she's very happy.]

Recalling the dream that started beautifully but ended tragically, setting aside the parts she didn't understand, what Tsukuyomi could clearly sense was that Rei could clearly feel ease and joy in the dream.

[Sister Lingyi, she's definitely not happy right now.]

If previous interactions had revealed some clues but hadn't yet convinced Tsukuyomi, this dream experience would allow her to be completely certain of the truth.

However, even knowing all this, there are still many things we don't know. What exactly happened to the once cheerful Lingyi that turned her into the person she is now?