Sky Striker Princess, but the swan song of Valkyrie.

Soon, the seven girls surrounded Lingyi in the center, watching the girl warily as she had caused them trouble to varying degrees.

"Zero-chan, there's no need to fight anymore, is there?"

Looking at the girl suspended in mid-air, Tachibana Hibiki approached her and said slowly, "Under these circumstances, I don't think Rei has any chance of winning."

"Fighting? That's really unnecessary. We've already bought enough time."

However, the words that came out of Lingyi's mouth the next moment caused surprise in the hearts of all the musicians.

"Delaying time...wait, no, when did the territory disappear?!"

While Maria was filled with astonishment, she glanced around and realized that while they were engaged in aerial combat, the spaceship of the ancient civilization had quietly disappeared without her noticing.

"The territory has vanished... wait, the gate to the Babylonian vault just now... could it be...?"

Immediately afterwards, Chris realized the purpose behind why the doors of the Babylonian Treasury were opened so wide.

"Yes, thanks to your cooperation, you focused all your attention on noise and me, which gave me the opportunity to move my territory."

"If we lose a lot of data and equipment on the border, my plans may have to be postponed for a while. I am really grateful."

Lingyi, standing among the seven people, smiled and expressed her heartfelt gratitude to those surrounding her.

After noticing that the seven musicians had activated their XD mode, Lingyi realized that if she were to so carelessly stuff her territory into the Babylonian Treasury, she would undoubtedly be met with their resistance.

Therefore, she pretended to engage them in a direct battle, but secretly took advantage of their distraction from her offensive to send her territory and Nephilim into the Babylonian treasury.

"You bastard, but now you're surrounded. If we catch you... wait, no, you wouldn't happen to be?!"

Chris was about to tell Zero about her current miserable state when she remembered the trick Zero used when they fought against Section 2 in the past.

"It seems you've already noticed, Chris. Hmm, very good. It seems you've made some progress, just as you expected."

Seeing Chris's enlightened yet distressed expression, Zero nodded, confirming Chris's guess.

[So that's how it is. I was wrong. I was misled by the overwhelming momentum of your attack, focusing only on the immediate situation and neglecting the simpler logic.]

[Zero, you don't have that kind of goal that you'd be willing to risk fighting us to protect or achieve, which means... you're not even here.]

After seeing Zero's performance, Finney realized this unacceptable fact and revealed it to everyone's minds through telepathy.

"Hey, no way, you're kidding, right? Then all our efforts just now were for nothing, Death?"

"Completely flawless, cautious fighting style, ha... Zero-chan is undoubtedly the most difficult type of enemy to fight against."

Upon realizing this fact, both Xiaoqiege and Yuedu Diao found it somewhat difficult to accept.

"Goal achieved, so I'll be going now."

With a casual glance sweeping over the surrounding musicians, Lingyi spoke casually, preparing to dispel the attention-grabbing clone she had left behind in this celestial sphere.

"Ryou-chan..."

Just then, Tachibana Hibiki slowly moved closer to Rei.

"Oh, what's wrong? Do you want to vent your anger on this clone or something? Go ahead, this loss is nothing compared to what I've gained."

Rei didn't care much about Tachibana Hibiki's approach; after all, it was just an avatar, and he could do as much as he had in Nafi and territory.

However, Tachibana Hibiki, who had approached, did not do that. Instead, she gently grasped the hands of Zero's clone with her powerful fists.

"I'm sorry, Zero-chan, I'm still too weak. This time, I couldn't help you either, and I couldn't pull you out of that dark mood."

Holding the other's hands, which clearly felt mechanical, Tachibana Hibiki looked sad and apologized gently to Rei in a very sorrowful tone.

For a moment, Lingyi didn't know how to respond. Faced with this bizarre behavior that was completely unexpected, she was slightly stunned and even forgot to disengage from the clone.

"However, I will definitely work harder in the future, and one day I will be strong enough that you can entrust yourself to me with peace of mind."

"I will definitely let you know that to gain peace of mind, there is no need to do such lonely things; holding hands can also achieve that."

Shaking her head to clear the sadness from her mind, Hibiki Tachibana raised her head again and said these words to Rei with a firm tone and a smile.

"I feel the same way. Although I don't know what kind of grief you've been through, don't even think about leaving me behind. I will definitely stick to you no matter what."

After Hibiki Tachibana, Chris also came to Zero's side and placed her hand on Zero's hand that was clasped with Hibiki's.

"If gentleness can't make you feel at ease, Rei, I will also be strong, and together with Hibiki, I will take your hand."

Then, Kohinata Mirai's warm hand, filled with intellectual and gentle concern, was placed on it as well.

"Hmm... I don't understand it either, but helping Zero-chan is a way of sacrificing myself!"

Following the atmosphere and her own heart, Xiaoqiege happily stepped forward and hugged Lingyi's arm.

"Sister Lingyi, I'm sorry about what happened before, but please believe me, I've always liked you. I will do my best so that you can smile with peace of mind."

After escaping from the armored mecha, Tsukuyomi followed closely behind Akatsuki, hugging Zero's other arm and smiling.

“I don’t know much about the pain you’ve been through in the past, but I believe you’re not an evil person because of your act of saving Zou. So, the sword of self-defense will cut through your shadow.”

Standing beside Lingyi, Fengmingyi sheathed his sword and made this promise to her.

"I'm sorry, Lingyi. I've been putting too much responsibility on you. Even though you've helped a lot with Serena's matter, I've been so immature."

"I will not let you fall into that abyss of loneliness. If you need it, my sword will clear away the gloom for you when you can truly settle down."

Upon reaching the other side of Zero, Maria expressed her gratitude to Zero, who was still experiencing system crashes.

Lingyi didn't understand. They were clearly enemies who were supposed to fight just a moment ago, so why were they so inconsiderate of the atmosphere and saying these meaningless things to her?

But Lingyi also understood that she knew each of these seven people to some extent and knew that everything they said came from the bottom of their hearts.

"So, Zero-chan, I will never let you continue to be alone. No matter how much time passes, we will never let you suffer, even if it means we have to be your enemy."

Looking at the silent Rei, Tachibana Hibiki gave a warm smile, and then, while saying this, she completely embraced Rei's clone.

"Incomprehensible. This is just a clone. No matter how much it does, I... can't feel anything."

He slowly informed Tachibana Hibiki of this information, his expression remaining as calm as ever.

"It's okay. It's my job to help you feel again, Rei-chan. I will definitely do my best to pull you out of this mess!"

Hibiki Tachibana, still holding Rei's clothes, confidently expressed her feelings to her.

Without responding to a single word, the silent Lingyi dispelled her clone.

In an instant, the human body that Tachibana Hibiki was embracing began to decompose, scattering into yellow and white floating units, which disappeared one by one into the small portal that had opened.

Chapter Seventy-Five: Epilogue

The Babylonian Treasury, the bridge of the territorial sea, is where Zero is currently located.

This operation was undoubtedly very fruitful, yielding the sacred relic, the energy furnace Nephilim, and the territory of the spaceship of the ancient civilization's god.

With the support of these two heretical technological products, the realization of Zero's envisioned vision became much easier.

However, despite having made this gain, Lingyi was not in a particularly happy state at this moment.

The once calm, emerald-green pupils became dull, and the hands stretched out as if grasping some object that did not exist in the void.

At this moment, Lingyi remained in this posture, standing blankly in front of the control sphere of the territory, like a statue.

I could feel Tachibana's unwavering kindness, I could feel that Chris was still as adorable as ever, and I could feel Mirai's desire to help me.

I understand. It's been a long time since I've tried to cheer myself up, and I'm so glad that Maria is finally able to stand on her own. I'm also touched that Tsubasa, as someone who's supposed to protect me, still trusts me so much.

Warm, intense, and reassuring like amniotic fluid—it would be wonderful to be their companion.

Ah, I want to protect this feeling of peace, I want to protect these kind-hearted people.

Ah, I want to eliminate those who threaten their lives, I want to remove everything that makes them unhappy.

[Ahhh, I don't want to be betrayed, so I have to kill them beforehand; I don't want to be hated, so I have to freeze them in this moment forever...]

"No, this is absolutely wrong!"

Just as a smile was about to appear on her lips, the alarm bells she had set in her mind snapped. Lingyi, regaining her senses, clutched her head and tried her best to suppress the chaotic thoughts swirling in her mind.

"Hahaha!"

A moment later, Lingyi knelt on the ground, her platinum hair hanging down, panting heavily, cold sweat dripping down her cheeks and forming water stains.

"Do those guys even understand? No, they really don't understand, damn it... Ugh, no, no, I can't, I have to control my emotions."

Sweat blurred her vision, Lingyi's emotions fluctuated, and her thoughts became chaotic and illogical.

"My goal is... to achieve what I need... and after everything is prepared, to prioritize eliminating potential threats."

However, relying on past experience, after spending some time, Lingyi eventually managed to calm her turbulent mind, no matter how many times she tried.

So, she stood up calmly, her emerald eyes devoid of any liveliness. Then, Lingyi's gaze moved upwards, looking at the display screen on the bridge controller.

On it, in a black background mixed with colors, countless noises are instinctively moving towards this place, searching for the enemy in their underlying code—humans.

Without saying or thinking much, Zero placed the Flash Blade onto the control sphere of the territory, following the pre-arranged plan.

Immediately, the vast energy supply to the territory was used, and the territory's equipment released a huge specific signal wave. The specific signal wave was received by the noises, and the noises that received it realized who their master was.

"Noise control complete. Next task... perfect the Four Element Armor."

Without joy or sorrow, completely putting emotions aside, after completing one task at Linliusi Temple, Lingyi immediately threw herself into the next task.

As always, mechanically and steadily, I made steady efforts in the direction that best alleviated my inner anxiety and prevented me from going berserk.

While Lingyi was slowly working towards her goal, the Second Division also began the post-battle inventory and preparation, and the first thing they did was to conduct physical examinations on the musicians after the battle.

"Congratulations, there's nothing seriously wrong with your health. You just need to rest and recuperate from now on."

Soon, the test results came out. With the end of the XD mode, neither Hibiki Tachibana, who had been exposed to the Divine Beast Mirror, nor Choka and Toki, who barely managed to participate, had any major problems.

This relieved everyone.

"Now, let me briefly explain the arrangements for FIS going forward."

After the physical examination, the next pressing issue was how to deal with the FIS organization. After discussions between Kazanari Genjuro and Nazutasha, a suitable solution was reached.

"Because the arm has fused with Nephilim, Dr. Will will now need to undergo internal review and supervision at the level of a relic, while Professor Naztasha will be employed by us as an expert on relic."

"Furthermore, following this incident, the Second Section of the Special Disaster Countermeasures Department will be reorganized, allowing the three FIS musicians to be directly incorporated into our organization, thus transforming it into SONG, a UN-affiliated organization."

"Do you have any questions, Professor Naztasha?"

Kazanari Genjuro briefly mentioned the results of their discussion to everyone present—mainly the FIS members.

"No, as previously agreed, we will cooperate with all your actions."

Naztasha shook her head, indicating her agreement.

"Even if I wanted to object, it probably wouldn't make a difference. Although I do have no objections for the time being, I will use my heroic wisdom to provide you with Linker support."

Dr. Will pushed up his glasses. Faced with the current situation, which was beyond his control, he had no intention of doing anything.

"I don't have any either. Rather, it's more like we're the ones causing you trouble by accepting such preferential treatment and then having to restructure to take us in."

Maria politely agreed, while Tsukuyomi and Akatsuki, who were already familiar with the group, had no objections.

"No, don't misunderstand. This is partly because of your contributions to correcting the moon's orbit, and partly because... to fight against Zero, who is identified as the 'Dominator'."

After hesitating for a moment, Kazanari Genjuro finally revealed the information that everyone would have to know sooner or later.

"What do you mean by 'fighting Zero-chan, Master'?"

Upon hearing news related to Zero, Hibiki Tachibana immediately stepped forward to inquire about the details.

"You should know that the power of manipulating people's minds that Zero used before caused panic in most countries around the world."

"Therefore, those of us who performed well in the fight against her were pushed to the forefront by various forces, to be the vanguard in directly dealing with and resolving the 'Dominator'."

Kazanari Genjuro gave a brief overview of the current world situation.

Because the power to directly alter people's hearts was so terrifying, a wave of excitement swept the world surrounding Zero and the power in her hands.

All sorts of mixed organizations and political systems have shown a desire for that power.

On a global scale, this translates to them being reorganized into a special UN-affiliated counter-terrorism organization, boasting the largest number of heretical technology experts and the most experience in combating Zero Cloaks.

"Indeed, the terrifying power that Lingyi has displayed will undoubtedly attract the covetous eyes of many. In that case, if we were to defeat her, wouldn't that be..."

“Those adults with wicked minds will one hundred percent go after Lingyi, driven by their filthy desires.”

After Kazanari Genjuro brought this up, both Kazanari Tsubasa and Chris became aware of the problem.

If they really have even a one in ten thousand chance of defeating Lingyi, they must take on the responsibility of protecting the other from such despicable harm.

"Don't worry, the reorganization is also to solve this problem. We adults will handle these things. I'm telling you this so that you won't have any concerns when you fight."

"However, even so, whether we will ultimately be able to defeat her is still unknown - Yue!@Yi#$ first release."