Sky Striker Princess, but the swan song of Valkyrie.

To Chris's frustration, Zero simply stated the objective facts.

The desperate fighting and sound judgment of the armored warriors, though unable to bridge the gap in strength, did narrow it, thus shifting the balance of the battle from a point of despair where none of the armored warriors could escape to a point where one or two could barely escape with a sliver of hope.

"You... never mind, I can't beat you anyway, saying anything will only humiliate me."

Chris wanted to say something about Zero's words, which were objective but still somewhat infuriating, but after thinking about it, she decided to skip the topic.

"Speaking of which, what are you planning to do next, Zero-chan?"

Hibiki Tachibana moved closer to Rei without any sense of distance and tentatively asked Rei about her next plans.

"The major heretical technical organizations have been eliminated, and now I will move on to my final goal."

"The ultimate goal: world domination?"

Rei gave a brief explanation to Tachibana Hibiki, who was indifferent, while Tachibana asked with a guess.

"...In detail, you should be able to feel it after a while. Well, things here are done. See you in a few days."

Without saying much, Zero simply retrieved the Zero Void Armor, ceased its search attempt, and flew into the air after leaving behind a single sentence.

"See you in a few days?"

Hibiki Tachibana was a little confused by Rei's nonsensical words. Having already been defeated, what chance did they have of meeting Rei again?

Deep in the ocean, in a dark trench where even sunlight cannot reach and no one can find it, within a moving azure sphere enveloped in emerald light, lies the location of Xiaoqiege and Elfnein.

"Alchemy can actually do something like this?! Death!"

Looking around, Xiaoqiege was somewhat curious about this fantastical scene.

"Well, it's a pretty basic application... But the fact that Miss Zero didn't catch up means we've already shaken her off."

With a verdant alchemical array hanging in her hand, constantly producing oxygen, Elfnein stopped and came to this conclusion with some uncertainty.

"...They should have shaken them off by now. Based on my understanding of Zero, if we had caught up with her immediately, she definitely wouldn't have kept us waiting this long. In a way, we've outmaneuvered Zero, haven't we, Death?"

Xiaoqiege made the same deduction, and said it with an optimistic smile.

I suppose so. Escaping from her clutches is a commendable achievement in itself.

In Xiaoqiege's mind, Finni's voice rang out.

"Ugh—sorry, Finney, I haven't gotten used to having another person inside me yet, Death."

Xiaoqiege trembled slightly, a hint of unease creeping into her mind as she recalled the time when Tsukuyomi had pulled her into a corner.

【Cutie, I hope you can run away with Finny.】

At that time, he pulled her aside to a corner and whispered to her about this matter.

"I brought Finney, what does that mean, Death?"

Xiaoqiege also expressed his doubts at the right time.

[Phineas from the prehistoric civilization is our only chance of victory in the battle against Zero, so protecting her is crucial for our success.]

However, Zero, whose target is Finny, will definitely be keeping a close eye on me as Finny's recipient. Therefore, I think that if Finny attaches herself to you, Kiri-chan, it might increase the chances of her escaping.

At that time, Tsukuyomi calmly explained their current situation to Akatsuki, who was still not quite clear about it.

[To read; -Yi Jiu Lin Liu Si"|Six or seven, how to do Death.]

Having understood the situation described by Tsukuyomi, Akatsuki didn't say much, but earnestly inquired about the specific steps with a serious expression.

[Upon waking, using the medicine available in the medical room, a drug was concocted to weaken the connection between the soul and body... If all goes well, Finney can complete the soul transfer at the moment when the connection between the soul and body is at its weakest.]

Upon receiving Xiaoqiege's response, Tsukuyomi Tiao took out the drug for faking death from her clothes without any hesitation and swallowed it.

[Wait, don't scare me to death!]

Before Xiaoqiege could react, Tsukuyomi Tsurugi immediately stopped breathing and collapsed in front of her, and she also felt something strange enter her body.

A short while later, Tsukuyomi woke up under Xiaoqiege's worried gaze.

[That scared me to death! Could you please tell me beforehand that it's Death?]

Xiaoqiege patted his chest, still shaken.

[Phew... If I told you, you'd be even more worried, wouldn't you, Kiri-chan?]

Tsukuyomi, who also felt a little palpitation due to the discomfort caused by suddenly falling into a coma and then waking up, smiled and said so.

Has Finney really entered my body? I don't feel anything special, Death?

After exchanging souls at top speed, Xiaoqiege looked at her body with some confusion.

[It also requires the awakening waveform of artifacts. If you engage in battle while wearing the corresponding equipment, you should be able to trigger it.]

However, I'm still very sorry, Kiri-chan, but doing this will likely put even more pressure on you afterwards.

After answering Xiaoqiege's question, he then expressed his apology for putting such pressure on her.

It's okay, tune, I'm going to be even better. This kind of thing should be my job to do Death!

Xiaoqiege didn't seem to mind, confidently stating that she would handle the task assigned to her.

Although the reasons are slightly different, she also believes that fighting Zero is the right thing to do and must be done seriously.

"Oh, Galie, I think I've heard something interesting. Do you need my help?"

While they were talking, a blue-haired doll with a mouthful of shark teeth smiled and said something.

Subsequently, Tsukuyomi, Akatsuki, Kari, and Elfnein, who had formed a temporary alliance, began their battle against Zero.

[This can't be real, right? How could everyone be defeated so quickly? Zero is just too strong, Death.]

Watching his companions lose their fighting ability one by one, Xiaoqiege gained a new understanding of Lingyi's combat strength.

[We must escape! We can't let all our efforts go to waste! Oh no... Ugh, Lingyi took the Jade Scythe! My head is spinning, I have no strength left... Death...]

Xiaoqiege originally intended to use Symphogear to run a longer distance, but Lingyi was very cautious and did not let her go. The heavy water flow knocked her apart and swept away the pendant, while also making her lose her strength.

"You've done a great job. Now it's up to me, Galie. I'll make sure you escape successfully."

Fortunately, the smirking doll pulled her into the seawater and into the bubble she had created. Inside the bubble, Elfnein was trembling as she held a suitcase.

[So what exactly should we do? Zero is a very strong Death, isn't she?]

Although she was grateful for the other party's assistance, Xiaoqiege was not very confident in the strength of this doll that looked like it could be instantly defeated by Lingyi.

[These are just the villain's secret tricks, things good kids shouldn't know, so, what do you say~]

Without saying much, Garly smiled and said this to the two of them, using the power of alchemy to push them downwards into the deep sea.

And then came the present moment. With no time to look back, Xiaoqiege and Elfnein, who were fleeing relentlessly toward the deep sea, temporarily stopped in a very deep, unexplorable trench.

"Looking back now, I think I accomplished all those deaths entirely through sheer force of will."

Recalling what had happened before, Xiaoqiege now realized the difficulty of what she had done.

"However, Finnie, Elfnein, although you've escaped from Zero, what's your next step? Are you going to that... Dragon Palace Death we discussed before?"

Next, Xiaoqiege began to inquire about the next steps of the two people present... who were probably not even human.

[Although I wanted to see the relics inside the Abyss Dragon Palace, this information has probably already been intercepted by Zero. Going there now would only be walking into a trap.]

"So what exactly are we going to do now, 'Death'?"

Finnie said that they didn't have the conditions to go there right now, and Xiaoqiege, who already knew very little, was completely at a loss.

"Well, actually, there's a place that should be quite safe and could serve as a temporary base. Galie also suggested that I go back to that place once."

At this moment, Elfnein, who had been listening in, held up a red cone-shaped crystal and timidly offered her idea.

A faint, dark purple light provided illumination. In the center of the pitch-black castle hall, a red teleportation array appeared from the center of the castle. The light dissipated, revealing the figures of Xiaoqiege and Elfnein.

"What a luxurious castle! Is this your home, Elfnein?"

Upon first seeing the castle, Xiaoqiege couldn't help but be amazed by this place, which exuded a strong sense of medieval luxury.

"Sort of. This is the city of Tiforne, and its master is Carol. I was given a flawed copy of her, tasked with building this castle. However, Carol should have already been killed by Miss Zero by now..."

Elfnein began to explain the details of the castle to Xiaoqiege, but halfway through the explanation, she couldn't help but think of Carol, who had been burned down by Lingyi, and felt somewhat sad.

"You say someone was killed, but as my clone you're still alive and well, how could the stronger me possibly die first?"

Before Elfnein could continue her grief, a very powerful voice came, and then Elfnein saw someone she knew very well walking towards her.

"Oh, Carol, but I clearly saw it, private Marseille, I thought Carol, you..."

Upon seeing the newcomer, Elfne was momentarily at a loss for words, and began to apologize for her earlier actions.

"So that's how it is. It's a way to prolong life by replacing the body of an artificial human."

Having met her master, Finni's consciousness, which was even more capable of commanding the scene, manifested from Xiaoqiege's body and revealed the reason for Carol's survival.

"With this level of insight, you must be Finney. So let's skip the unnecessary probing and get straight to the point: do you want to cooperate in order to defeat her?"

Without further ado, Carol got straight to the point, stating her purpose.

"Rather than cooperating with alchemists whose ingredients I don't know, I prefer to find heretical techniques from ruins that I know about myself."

The fact that he didn't immediately agree shows that Finney doesn't really trust Carol, who is an alchemist.

"Unfortunately, it's too late. As you can see, she has already started to take action."

Carol, who had anticipated Finney's distrust, used alchemy to create a projection.

In the projection, a huge red and green glow enveloped the somewhat familiar city, while the city's inhabitants ignored the eerie green light and went about their lives as usual.

Chapter Ten: Dreams and Discussions

What exactly is a crisis?

An earthquake causes the earth to crack open, destroying everything in its path; the tremors are powerful enough to destroy any building on land.

Technology is constantly advancing, and people's understanding of earthquakes and rescue efforts are continuously improving. Earthquakes will eventually be defeated.

Floods and torrential rains submerged homes, washing away all the chaos while bringing numerous losses.

Countless water conservancy facilities and human intervention in the ecology mean that floods will one day be swept into history in the course of human civilization.

Hurricanes, howling winds, tearing through the plains, with no one able to escape the immense force that lifts vehicles and people into the air.

Reinforced concrete buildings are no longer susceptible to damage from ordinary hurricanes, and may not even be very effective against a single tornado.

Fire, a tiny spark, can burn everything to ashes. As long as flammable materials exist, fire can never be avoided.

Fire safety has long been deeply ingrained in people's minds in many places. As long as proper rules are followed and no corners are cut, a fire will never be able to start.

In fact, many crises can be overcome one day with the help of human wisdom, provided that people are willing to study and delve into them.

However, there is one crisis that has been an intractable problem since the birth of human civilization, almost impossible to overcome because it has been an integral part of the driving force of human civilization's progress.

It originates from human desires, culminates in acts of cruelty, and leads to the crisis of people killing each other.

As long as selfish desires exist, and as long as people's hearts remain so chaotic, the unpredictable nature of human nature will eventually deliver a fatal blow to you in unexpected places and in completely unexpected ways.

How to do?

Even if you try your best to protect everything you cherish, there will always be those who are ungrateful and impulsive and destroy everything.

Even if one tries one's best to increase one's knowledge and strength, it is still a drop in the ocean compared to the vast and unpredictable billions of people who are constantly growing.

How to deal with it?

There is a very simple way: if there were no humans, then there would be no crises caused by humans. But obviously, this approach would only lead to a greater tragedy.

Therefore, Zero's rationality led her to choose another method.

After defeating SONG and temporarily depriving everyone, both openly and secretly, of the ability to cause her trouble, Lingyi, without the slightest hesitation, chose to activate the project she had been preparing for a long time and had finally completed.

In the desolate mountains, a colossal structure, roughly the size of a small town, emerged slowly from an even larger portal with hexagonal sides and a base of white and green light. This private property, which had been cleared out under the pretext of purchase and development, was a massive piece of land.

The exterior design reveals the shadow of a vast island territory that once existed in the distant seas, but the metal buildings and pipelines, as well as the flying machines entering and exiting the various building entrances, all indicate that its interior has undergone considerable modifications.

This massive floating facility, using gravity levitation technology, hovered above the mountains and forests. Then, four large flying devices of different colors took off from it and landed at the four corners of the object. Red, yellow, blue and green lights rose up, and the colorful light curtains obscured the floating city-like object.

Inside the floating facility, in a hall filled with countless instruments and various unorthodox technological creations, Lingyi was slowly watching the screen that indicated the completion of the entire process.

"Has it finally come to this?"

Lingyi murmured.

She had been working towards this goal for a long time, though she had initially thought it might take more time.

However, the continuous unexpected gains, especially the acquisition of the complete relic Nephilim and the territory of the prehistoric civilization, greatly reduced the time and energy she spent.