Sky Striker Princess, but the swan song of Valkyrie.

Serena's voice brought Maria a moment of relief, but soon a heavy emotion overwhelmed that relief.

What should I do...?

I've made up my mind to break free from Lingyi and become independent, but I'm still as weak and insignificant as before.

Even with Selena's equipment, Symphogear ultimately failed to win the battle; on the contrary, he suffered a humiliating defeat.

What should I do...?

A host of terrible thoughts churned within Maria's mind.

That complete defeat, that absolute crushing of strength, made Maria realize that she was still as weak and vulnerable as before.

Even when she saw Serena awaken again and go through her daily routine, she actually had the thought that it wouldn't be bad to just live like this.

Even though her companions hadn't given up the fight, and even though the song and tune were still working hard, she still had this weak feeling.

All of this caused Maria immense torment. She doubted whether she should continue fighting, since she was no match for Serena and had no chance of winning.

"Sister Maria, Sister Maria!"

Just as Maria was lost in her own world, Serena's call from the side brought Maria back to her senses. She then realized that the traffic light in front of her had turned red at some point, and hurriedly stepped on the brakes.

"I'm sorry, I was distracted and made you worry, Serena."

Feeling somewhat guilty, Maria apologized to Serena, but her heart sank even further.

"No, I'm fine. Is something bothering you, Sister Maria?"

Serena shook her head, not caring about such a trivial matter. Compared to this, she was more concerned about her sister's obviously abnormal state.

"I……"

Faced with Serena's gentle inquiry, Maria was somewhat at a loss for words.

I don't know how to tell my younger sister, as the older sister, about my still weak heart and weak fighting spirit after all this time.

"If it's complicated, then Maria can explain it to me properly when we get home."

Seeing Maria's hesitation, Serena thought for a moment and considerately gave Maria some time.

"Um……"

Maria remained silent, continuing to focus on driving the vehicle while inwardly agonizing over how to tell Serena what was on her mind.

The car gradually drove across the road, and soon the two arrived at their residence.

"So, is there something you don't understand, or something you're worried about, Sister Maria?"

Immediately afterwards, Serena's questioning gaze fell upon Maria after Maria parked the car.

"Hoo... Ha, Serena, I'm troubled by my own weakness..."

Under Serena's gentle questioning, Maria could no longer escape her inner turmoil and began to tell her sister about her inner struggles.

Chapter Twenty-Eight: Discovery

Is that so?

After listening to Maria's inner turmoil, Serena roughly understood her sister's thoughts.

Serena didn't know much about Zero. Before Zero became deeply involved in FIS management, she had fallen into a deep sleep because of Nafili.

However, based on what she had gleaned from the previous fragments of information, Serena understood that now was the most correct and the most important thing she should tell her sister.

"However, I think you don't need to change, Maria. Just accept your current weakness and do things your own way."

“Everyone has their strengths and weaknesses. Sister Maria, for example, I’m not good at fighting. I don’t think there’s anything wrong with Sister Maria’s gentleness.”

"To remain as Maria is now, and to do so with a clear conscience, I believe that is the greatest strength."

Serena nodded, encouraging her sister in this way.

"A clear conscience... I don't quite understand, but I will try my best. At least, I will do what you said, Serena, to have a clear conscience, even if I still have weaknesses."

After Serena's words of comfort, Maria gained some insight, and some thoughts began to ferment in her heart.

...........

The pendulum of time continues to swing, and another month has passed. The hot and humid summer has gradually replaced the slightly dry spring, and the vitality of all things has become more and more active as the temperature rises.

At this moment, in the mountains and among the trees, the emerald green leaves gradually unfurled, greedily plundering energy from the sunlight. And amidst this dense thicket, five men and women, whose expressions were not pleasant, emerged.

"Ugh, I can't take it anymore! Why do we have to suffer in this godforsaken place?!"

Of the four, the woman with the best figure, Cagliostro, seemed unable to bear the hot and humid environment and uttered this complaint.

“I don’t want to either, but if I want to avoid that guy’s surveillance, I have to take this path.”

The gloomy gothic lolita, who was crushing insects flying around in front of her with one hand and fanning herself with her hat with the other, looked rather grim.

"All of this is for the revolution."

Saint-Germain, dressed as a woman in men's clothing with a few leaves and branches hanging from her head, made this declaration with a firm gaze.

The people here are on their way to perform a ritual that will allow them to turn their current situation around. If they succeed in performing the ritual, they will be able to obtain divine power that will be enough to reverse the course of the battle.

However, this is contingent on them being able to reach the location required for the ritual, which is the location of the Divine Gate in the neon city.

Normally, this would not have been difficult; the Bavarian Light Society could easily provide them with transportation to get there.

However, in a world where all of humanity is dominated, they not only cannot rely on convenient means of transportation, but also have to avoid all areas where crowds might appear.

As a result, the group has suffered a great deal of hardship over the past few months, including the dry and barren desert, the bitterly cold and oxygen-deficient plateau, and the rainforest they are currently exploring, which is rife with poisonous insects and miasma. It can be said that they venture into places where it is difficult for people to survive.

Thus, they finally saw hope of reaching their destination without being noticed by Lingyi.

Next, all they need to do is wade across another equally desolate sea to end this arduous journey, reach the Gate of God, forge divine power, and sound the horn of counterattack.

The sound of rushing water could be heard, as if a river was flowing nearby. The calls of various birds and insects could be heard from time to time. The rainforest may not have much else, but it is particularly rich in rivers and various creatures.

"Waaah, Tsitie is so tired, Adam, can you carry me on your back?!"

"No, Tsutsumi, I'm already very tired."

"You're lying. Adam is obviously carefree and wicked, but I like Adam just the way he is."

As the three high-ranking officials patiently advanced, behind them, the director of the Bavarian Light Society, led by the three of them, still walked with an automaton named Tsutsumi, moving with elegant steps.

"That guy, he really has it easy. He told us to clear the way first, and then he walked through the area that had already been cleared. Is this the airs of a bureau chief?"

Glancing at the guy behind her, Prellati gripped her frog-shaped wallet tightly and said indignantly.

"It doesn't matter, we're not on the same side as him anyway, we're just following Saint-Germain."

Although Cagliostro was also unhappy, he kept his dislike to himself in order not to put Saint-Germain in a difficult position.

"Ha, after we achieve Saint-Germain's goal, we absolutely must not follow this eyesore leader anymore. He's super, super annoying."

Prellati muttered his own thoughts, following closely behind his companion as they continued driving.

If it weren't for Saint-Germain's recognition of his abilities, she wouldn't want to work with this frivolous and annoying guy.

"Hang in there a little longer, Prellati, Cariostro, just a few more kilometers and we'll reach the sea."

Saint-Germain was aware of what his two followers were thinking, so he did his best to comfort them.

"Don't worry, Saint-Germain has the patience to endure this much. They've already put up with it for months, so a little more won't make a difference."

Putting away the hat he was using to fan himself, and listening to Saint-Germain's words of comfort, Prerati, for what seemed like the umpteenth time, suppressed his inner dissatisfaction.

"Speaking of which, there's the sound of water around us. Should we take this opportunity to wash up? Otherwise, we'll be all sticky and uncomfortable when we cross the sea later."

On the other side, listening to the sound of flowing water coming from the surrounding valleys, Cagliostro made this suggestion.

Although they can endure many discomforts after gaining a complete body, they will not refuse to use external things to improve their mental state if possible.

"I agree, Saint-Germain, what do you think?"

After Cariostro made this suggestion, Prellati followed suit.

With her hedonistic tendencies, she also needed some water to improve her mood; otherwise, feeling irritable, she might not be able to resist attacking the two lazy guys behind her.

"Indeed, we'll need to replenish a lot of fresh water for the upcoming sea crossing. Let's replenish it here in advance, Director, you have no questions, right?"

After considering the upcoming itinerary, Saint-Germain agreed with the two men's views. Then, she turned her questioning gaze to Adam, the director of the Society of Light, behind her.

"Indeed, I need to give my lovely Tsutsumi a proper cleaning."

"Adam likes it the most."

Adam didn't care much about this; as long as it didn't affect his acquisition of divine power, he wouldn't interfere too much.

Moreover, washing his body also makes him feel comfortable. Although the current situation is not very optimistic, he will not give up on maintaining an elegant demeanor.

Thus, a consensus was reached. The group of people, whose clothes were almost completely stripped down to rags and who looked like wild men, slowly walked towards the direction where the waves were crashing.

Soon, it didn't take long to reach a bend in a calm, flowing river. It was a river in a valley, and because it was deserted, many fish could be seen swimming in the water.

"Lucky!"

Cariostro clasped his hands together in admiration, remarking that such a calm river meant their water-fetching operations would be much more convenient and portable.

"Hey you guys, don't scare the fish away!"

However, these quiet, untouched rivers in the wild often harbor another kind of creature that waits patiently by the riverbank for half a day, possessing a tenacity second only to a sniper on a mission.

Looking at the middle-aged man on the riverbank, with all the necessary fishing equipment, wearing a sun hat, dark skin, sitting under a parasol, and staring at them with puzzled eyes that gleamed with a faint green light, everyone present understood what was about to happen.

They have been discovered.

"Beware!"

In a matter of seconds, Saint-Germain's mind went from calm to extremely urgent. While issuing orders, he also began to refine his memory and prepare for the upcoming battle.

"What? What are you doing?"

The people fishing looked at the group's actions with some strangeness, wondering why they were being looked at as if they were some kind of monster.

But then, he felt his consciousness falter, and some great will descended upon his body. The next moment…

"You rats have been looking for me for ages!"

Before the person arrived, the voice preceded them. A white portal appeared out of thin air, and the voice that the Bavarian Light Society and others least wanted to hear entered their ears.

Dozens of floating units flew out from it, and surrounded by the floating units, a girl with long, white-gold hair and black stockings that reached her knees appeared from the void.

"Ugh, I was so close! Why did they have to find me at this crucial moment?!"

Looking at the girl blocking their way, Cagliostro stomped her foot. The extreme sadness brought on by her failed attempt led her to vent in this way.

"Prellati, Cariostro, prepare for attack!"

Saint-Germain had no time to grieve over the failed plan; what they had to do immediately was prepare for the impending fierce offensive.

"Don't panic so much. Anyway, no matter how much you struggle, you can't beat me. Flash Blade activation? Use Flash."

He casually used a portal to send the fishing man, who had served as his eyes and had done a great service, to a safe area. As he said this, he held the black and red blade and issued a command. Immediately, basic white armor enveloped Zero's body.

"Tch, we'll only know if we lose after the fight. Right now, you're just an avatar. As long as we destroy this avatar, we'll be fine!"

As she spoke these words, which seemed to be meant to bolster her courage, Prerati had already conjured her most effective offensive fire elemental magic array in her hand, a blazing fireball.

"Is that so? Never mind, it's just a matter of putting in some effort. X-003 Armored Armor? Blazing Blade Technique? Reigniting Flames."

She never intended to persuade them to surrender with words. The crimson heavy armor was delivered to this desolate rainforest through the spiritual veins. Without any hesitation, facing the remnants of the Light Society that she had spent a lot of effort to find, Lingyi directly activated her most powerful ultimate move.

Intense heat suddenly appeared out of nowhere, melting valleys and evaporating rivers. The impact and high temperature of the most powerful polar special attack mode's rekindled flames directly and temporarily transformed this area, which was once a rainforest valley, into a lava lake that can only be seen in volcanic areas.

Under such a fierce attack, Saint-Germain, Preirati, and Cagliostro had no chance to resist. After constructing a fragile defense with water, they were scorched by the high temperature into three charred lumps that barely showed any signs of life.

"Wait a minute. These three aren't capable of causing trouble for now. So, next up is the head of the Bavarian Light Society. Hmm, trying to escape?"

After dealing with the three troublesome individuals in front of her, Lingyi immediately shifted her attention to another person who was no longer there. She then discovered that while she and the three higher-ups were wasting time, the bureau chief had already fled in another direction and had begun preparing for spatial teleportation.

"X-004 Armor? Swift Sky, Flash Blade Technique? Storm Deflection, that's it."

The crimson heavy armor burst open, and dark green light armor covered the body, transforming into the fastest long-range attack form. The Flash Blade also changed from an orange-red longsword into a huge black-green electromagnetic cannon.

The next moment, without saying a word, he aimed at the target, pulled the trigger, and the final battle began. The cannon fire, which pierced through everything and overcame all obstacles, pierced Adam's left chest and heart, annihilating his right hand along with the teleportation gem.

"Damn it, damn it, damn it!"

However, to Lingyi's surprise, even though she had pierced his heart, Adam, who had fallen to the ground, not only did not stop moving, but also stared at her with resentful eyes with great energy.

"X-002 Zero Void Armor, analysis, hmm, this structure, I see, the director of the Bavarian Light Society is actually a puppet."

Flying to Adam, whose chest had a large hole, Zero Armor transformed into Zero Space Armor, a specialist in electronic warfare and data analysis. Zero Armor quickly analyzed why Adam had not died.