Sky Striker Princess, but the swan song of Valkyrie.

After clearing away the clouds, a new mystery arose in Tsukuyomi's mind: what had made Rei so unhappy?

[I'm also very curious about this. You know, I was quite surprised when I first saw her. I simply couldn't imagine that she, who almost always had a smile on her face, would become so cold and unfamiliar.]

After presenting her final memories to Tsukuyomi through a dream, Finnie shared her feelings with Tsukuyomi, just as deeply moved.

【Qin, Miss Finni, you didn't know either? I remember Mum saying that you and Rei-nee collaborated for a period of time, back when Miss Finni was still Sakurai Ryoko.】

Tsukuyomi asked the ghost in her heart in this way.

Unfortunately, by the time I met her and established a partnership, she was already in her current state.

Finney replied.

"Is that so...? But it's alright."

Although she didn't get any more information, Tsukuyomi wasn't too disappointed. At least through this dream, she became more determined to help Rei.

"Turn, turn, don't sleep, we're almost at our destination, get ready for battle, Death."

Tsukuyomi's thoughts were interrupted by a disturbance from beside her. Opening her eyes, she saw Akatsuki Kagura looking somewhat worried beside her.

Buzz—Buzz—

The sound of the engine echoed in the space, with a cool iron wall behind them.

Yes, while Tsukuyomi was engrossed in exploring the past in her dreams, Akatsuki Kirika's injuries had fully healed, and at the same time, Zero had already prepared plans for the next battle.

They are now traveling in an aircraft to the designated location where they will prepare for battle.

"Tiao, why do you seem to be sleeping a lot these past few days? Is there something wrong with your health? Should we have Lingyi get Death checked out?"

Xiaoqiege looked at Tsukuyomi, who was just waking up and still had sleepy eyes, with a worried expression.

Since the last battle, from her perspective, Tsukuyomi has been dozing off at various times and in various places. Akatsuki doesn't know why Tsukuyomi has been sleeping for so long lately.

"It's okay, Chess, this is just a period of burnout, it won't happen again, don't worry."

Tsukuyomi turned to look at Akatsuki, who had a worried expression, and shook her head with a smile to indicate that she was fine.

"I'm still a little worried. Speaking of which, do you remember what we're going to do this time?"

Despite what Tsukuyomi said, Akatsuki still asked, with a hint of apprehension, as if confirming something.

“I know, this time it’s to solve Nephilim’s food problem. Sister Zero said that the machine wreckage she left in Cardingil called HAMP also has the property of being edible for Nephilim.”

"As long as Neferi devours that wreckage, it will be enough for Neferi to accumulate enough energy to evolve into its complete state, but this will take time, so we need to hold off any enemy players who might come."

"Does this put Qie Jiang's mind at ease?"

Tsukuyomi repeated to Akatsuki Kirika what Rei had told them earlier, to prove that she was not mentally unstable, just a little sleepy.

"Well, seeing that Diao is still so energetic makes me feel a little more at ease."

Seeing that the other person was still lucid, Xiaoqiege nodded and put away her worries about Tsukuyomi.

"Cut the song, adjust the tune, and cheer up! We absolutely cannot afford to lose the battle ahead."

Maria, after checking the time, spoke to the two people beside her.

“It’s Death!” “Understood.”

Both of them responded to Maria, preparing for battle.

...

At Lydian Conservatory of Music, it was already afternoon. Kohinata Mirai and Tachibana Hibiki were doing their homework in their dormitory. Although the FIS matter was still a concern, they couldn't let it interfere with their studies.

"I can't take it anymore, I can't finish my homework and stuff."

Hibiki Tachibana, her face pressed against the desktop, made this declaration in her listless daily life.

"The number of complaints about homework won't decrease, no matter what."

Seeing her best friend's expression, Kohinata Mirai gave a helpless reminder.

"But isn't it strange? The situation is already so urgent, shouldn't we be focusing on finding where Rei and the others are hiding?"

Tachibana Hibiki pouted and asked this soul-searching question with great concern.

"Hibiki, here you go. Eat this and do your homework. Don't think about those things anymore. Since Rei and the others haven't made any moves, you should take this opportunity to rest."

Just as Tachibana Hibiki was saying this, Kohinata Mirai picked up a sweet from beside her and put it into the other person's mouth.

"Mmm, glug, umm, what Future said makes sense. Okay, hurry up and finish your homework, then go to sleep!"

Persuaded by Kohinata Mirai, Tachibana Hibiki's sudden idea quickly disappeared, and she threw herself back into the struggle with her homework.

However, despite offering words of comfort to Tachibana Hibiki, Kohinata Mirai herself was not as indifferent as she appeared.

[It's a little painful; I can't do anything.]

Kohinata Mirai's expression darkened, and such a thought crossed her mind.

Although she had done her best to help her best friend and made every effort to help Lingyi, the situation did not improve as she had hoped.

Instead of improving, the situation veered further into an abyss she didn't want to explore.

I haven't been able to have a proper conversation with Lingyi yet. I don't know why she's become like this, or what her plans are.

[Besides, Hibiki's body... although I don't understand those relics and such, if things continue like this, Hibiki will probably die too.]

One terrible thing after another happened, and I could only watch helplessly as things unfolded, powerless to change anything.

What should I do? How can I keep the people I care about by my side and prevent them from getting hurt again?

Thoughts like these have been echoing in Kohinata Mirai's heart ever since she reunited with Tachibana Hibiki during the Shooting Moon incident.

Due to confidentiality reasons, Section 2 concealed the fact that Hibiki Tachibana was alive from Kohinata Mirai. During that period, Kohinata Mirai believed that Hibiki Tachibana was already dead.

Although only a few weeks later, Hibiki Tachibana, whose restrictions had been lifted, returned to her side, that experience made her deeply realize that she was powerless and could do nothing when her best friend had to give her life.

[What should I do if something terrible happens again in the future?]

The first time, I watched helplessly as Rei protected me from harm; the second time, I could only watch helplessly as Hibiki risked her life in battle.

[If it happens a third or fourth time, what should I do? Should I just act like nothing happened and do nothing but watch them try their best?]

That kind of thing is just too painful.

Anxiety inevitably grows in Kohinata Mirai's heart.

From the moment she came into contact with the other side of the world, she felt, for some reason, that the important people around her would gradually drift away from her for various reasons.

"Future, what's wrong with you, Future?"

The voice from in front of her interrupted Kohinata Mirai's inner anxiety. Looking up, Kohinata Mirai saw Tachibana Hibiki looking at her with worried eyes.

"It's nothing, I'm just feeling a little unwell, it's nothing serious, don't worry, I can handle it myself."

After suppressing her emotions, Kohinata Mirai revealed a reassuring smile.

She didn't voice her inner pain simply because she knew that talking about it wouldn't help and would only have a negative effect.

"But you'll be crying in the future."

However, Tachibana Hibiki was not fooled by Kohinata Mirai's performance. Looking at the other person's face with concern, she asked seriously and with care.

"Eh?"

Upon hearing Tachibana Hibiki's words, Kohinata Mirai realized that she had been crying on her cheeks without her noticing.

"What's going on with the future? Is there anything I can do to help?"

Hibiki Tachibana stepped forward and inquired about her close friend's situation with concern.

"...Hibiki, are you really willing?"

Faced with Tachibana Hibiki's concern, Kohinata Mirai remained silent for a while. After composing herself, she looked up and asked him this question.

"Of course, the future is my business."

Hibiki Tachibana readily agreed to Mirai Kohinata's request.

"Even if it's just to tell Hibiki to stop fighting?"

Kohinata Mirai asked the question directly, and after she asked it, Tachibana Hibiki's expression changed from firm to hesitant.

"In the future, um, haha, are you worried about me? Don't worry, I won't be in any danger. I'm very strong, so don't worry about me."

Subconsciously, Hibiki Tachibana defended herself in this way, but then she noticed that Mirai Kohinata's expression had become melancholy after hearing her words.

"That's not the issue, Hibiki. I know everything. If you continue fighting like this, your life will become shorter and shorter because of the relic fragments inside you."

"This can't go on. If things continue like this, things will get worse. I don't want to, I absolutely don't want to lose any more important people in my life!!"

Kohinata Mirai excitedly vented her pent-up frustration to Tachibana Hibiki. When she heard the news, she was really worried that Hibiki might stop breathing in front of her.

"future…"

Hibiki Tachibana didn't know how to deal with her best friend's intense emotions.

She knew that the price of her fight was the shortening of her own life, but she couldn't stop fighting, couldn't watch others in trouble without helping them, and couldn't stop on the path of helping others.

Buzzing—buzzing—

A vibration from the phone broke the awkward silence, and Tachibana Hibiki immediately answered the communicator in her arms. The notification came through as usual.

"Is there another new mission, Xiang?"

Silently watching Tachibana Hibiki finish her phone call, Kohinata Mi, Yueyi Erqi Liu Jiu I Shaanxi Dam li

"Ahaha, sorry, Mirai. Master said he found traces of Rei-chan and the others, so, sorry, let's talk about this later. I'll be going now!"

Not daring to look at Kohinata Mirai's expression, Tachibana Hibiki turned around, got up, and rushed out the door.

Watching Tachibana Hibiki's departing figure, Kohinata Mirai fell silent.

She knew Tachibana Hibiki's personality well, and knew that she was the kind of person who would sacrifice her own interests to help others.

Therefore, she has always been very clear that inquiries like today are futile, no matter how hard she tries, it will be the same, it is beyond her control.

"But there are still things I can do."

Kohinata Mirai muttered to herself that after she first understood her own feelings and learned about Tachibana Hibiki's physical condition, she had a plan.

To achieve this plan, she is willing to give up everything, including her own life, just so that she will no longer be able to watch helplessly as those around her go through fire and water.

Thinking of this, Kohinata Mirai shifted her gaze to the phone in her hand, opened an app, and soon a radar-like window popped up.

"call…"

Watching the moving light spots on the window, Kohinata Mirai took a deep breath to ease her inner tension, and then followed Tachibana Hibiki out of the dormitory room.

The ruins of Kadingil, or rather, the remains of the tactical weapon HAMP.

Following the Moon Shooting Incident, this place became a base for the study of relics. The government deployed many researchers here to conduct research on the technology used in HAMP.

And today is the day these researchers lose their jobs.

Buzz-

A massive black aircraft materialized, followed by flashes of green light. Noise appeared at the research site, causing panic among the personnel present.

"Okay, the site has been cleaned up. I need to monitor Nefertari's feeding status as soon as possible, since I don't know if there will be any problems after it eats these remains."

"As for the War Maidens who may arrive, Dr. Will, Maria, Tiao, and Qiege, each of you should use the relics to delay their advance."

With the help of noise, everyone on site was cleared, and Zero immediately assigned tasks to his own members, thus beginning the battle of attack and defense.

P.S. Good evening.

Chapter Twenty-Nine: Cluster Battle

The night sky was dotted with stars, and motorcycles sped along the highway beneath it. Their blue silhouettes cut through the darkness like swords, aiming at their targets and rushing off at top speed.

"Tsubasa, be extra vigilant when we get near the ruins of Kadingil. The enemy has displayed an unprecedented scale of force this time, releasing an unprecedented amount of noise. This means that this operation is probably quite important to them." Kazanari Genjuro's reminder and analysis came through the earpiece.

According to accounts from those who escaped from there, this time the target of the opposing group was the massive mech that Zero had no chance to take from the Kardingil ruins before.

To achieve this goal, the other side released a considerable amount of noise to drive away most of the irrelevant personnel and set up their position.

Undoubtedly, this will be a tough battle, but Fengmingyi is not afraid.

"Understood, Commander. I will be more careful. This time I will definitely catch them by the skin of their teeth and not let them escape like before."

Kazami answered with focused concentration. By this time, she could see in the distance the various noises scattered on the street, ready to meet the attack. So she temporarily ended the communication with the Second Division headquarters.

"These grunts are nothing to fear!"