Sky Striker Princess, but the swan song of Valkyrie.

"Tragic, painful, heartbreaking, but even so, we can't look away... Zero-chan, what exactly does she want us to realize..."

Hibiki Tachibana remained silent as she followed the staggering Rei's steps. Beside her, her sorrowful heart couldn't help but ponder Rei's thoughts.

At this moment, Lingyi had already rummaged through the ruins and found rags and sewage.

Using the flames from the explosion as a fire source and the abandoned shelves as containers to boil, he managed to obtain a barely clean cloth to wrap his wounds, using rudimentary hearsay knowledge to prolong his life as much as possible.

[Not during the day, there will be drones. At night, under the cover of darkness, go... Ugh, it still hurts... Go find someone, anyone, as long as someone helps, maybe there's a chance to survive.]

Words of thought kept popping up from her body. After barely bandaging her wounds to slow the bleeding, Lingyi watched the dim light in the sky and tried to minimize her physical exertion.

P.S. Good afternoon.

P.S. Beehives have sprouted around the house these past couple of days; I'm trying to use water to elbow them.

P.S. I've already elbowed one, and another one has grown back. Oh well, I'll elbow it off when it gets a bit bigger.

Chapter Seven Immersion

"Hmm, this is bad. I think I'm starting to have a low-grade fever, and there's no fever reducer here... It's okay, believe in yourself, you can survive, I can do it."

Covering her forehead, the platinum-blonde girl encouraged herself and, after making ample preparations, got into the car, started the engine tentatively, and prepared to move forward.

"Wow, that's amazing... Even in this situation, Zero-chan has absolutely no intention of giving up."

However, at this moment, compared to feeling sad for her plight at the beginning, Tachibana Hibiki is now more surprised.

Although she had long been aware of her opponent's strength through numerous battles, her understanding of that strength was largely based on his complete relic and the endless array of armored weapons.

Now, she realized that compared to the powerful forces of the Qilong Liuliu, Lingyi's spiritual power might be the even stronger one.

At least she believes she can't do it.

Having narrowly escaped death, he barely survived, only to fall into the center of the battlefield and be attacked by a self-destructing drone before he could even react, sustaining severe injuries.

She couldn't remain calm and analyze the situation after experiencing all of this.

In just half a day, they scavenged usable war wreckage from the ruins and used it to make a simple electric bicycle and enough protein and water to last a day. At the same time, through various observations and analyses, they obtained the direction of inhabited towns and settlements.

"The only thing we don't need to worry about is her ability."

Chris was initially surprised by Zero's slightly absurd yet reasonable actions, but she eventually got used to it.

Talent has never been something she lacks, a fact that has been clearly recognized in the past.

It can be said that as long as the situation is not so bad that it is almost 0%, Lingyi can recover and start from 1% to turn the situation around little by little.

That's why it's so interesting to know what kind of situation could have led her to become like that. Chris is extremely concerned about this.

"Hmm... However, judging from her current state, Sister Lingyi seems to have no memories of those ancient civilizations and completely believes that she has just arrived in this world."

"This is very concerning, and there is another point that is equally concerning: large-scale wars are rare now, and most regions are peaceful most of the time."

"Why did Zero, after suffering amnesia, appear in this world in the center of a battlefield, and then suffer such an accident..."

Compared to Chris, Tsukuyomi is more concerned with other things.

"Is Sister Zero unlucky? Death?"

Hearing Tsukuyomi's question, Akatsuki crossed her arms and thought for a moment before speaking uncertainly.

"Luck... But can something with such an extremely low probability of happening really be completely explained by good luck alone...?"

The black-haired girl was deep in thought, her head bowed.

Although there are times when there are situations where a low-probability event occurs with a high probability, rational analysis can reveal that these are merely illusions caused by statistical bias.

If a low-probability event occurs, there must be some underlying factor driving it, causing it to become a high-probability event.

It's just that this factor hasn't been recognized yet.

Buzz

The engine started, and the crudely modified electric bicycle began its journey, propelling Lingyi's body.

Before the musicians could figure out how to bridge the gap between walking and traveling, they found themselves moving, or more accurately, the surrounding scenery was receding as they moved.

Soon, not long after, the ruins of the war had become a small dot in the rear, difficult to see.

"It seems that the only place we can move around is around Lingyi. We can't go anywhere outside of Lingyi's cognitive range."

Kohinata Mirai realized this.

"That's right... and if it's a memory that even Rei-chan herself has, it seems... um, it would be very blurry... I feel dizzy, a little nauseous, um..."

As Tachibana Hibiki said this, she felt her head spinning from the scene around her, which was sometimes fast and sometimes slow.

Fortunately, blurred memories also mean that time flies. Soon, with the arrival of the next memory point, the surrounding scene became clear again, just like before.

The new scene is in front of a low-rise building in the town, marked with a red cross. Around the hospital, a large number of people wearing the stamps are coming and going, and the area is very busy.

Is this the place...? Is this the hospital the person who asked me about earlier...?

Hospitals, places for treating diseases, are also what clothing retailers need most right now.

[Once we get here, there's a chance... cough cough, achoo—it's uncomfortable. If only I had read more about how to treat or care for external injuries before.]

[But there's no way around it. I only know a little about mechanics and electrical engineering because they're useful when making toys. Who knows what kind of scenario I'd need to apply this knowledge to treating blast injuries?]

Lingyi muttered to herself.

At this point, she was having difficulty breathing and also had a high fever due to the worsening infection of her wounds. It was a miracle that she was able to maintain consciousness.

However, could it be considered good luck? Despite preparing for the worst-case scenario and having weapons ready, even though there's war here, they've managed to maintain basic order.

Recalling the situation when she asked for directions earlier, Lingyi took out the military knife she had taken from the corpses on the battlefield, and a sense of relief welled up in her heart.

Hopefully, the hospitals here will be lucky enough. If not, I'll just have to... treat myself, take my own medication, and have surgery myself.

Although this kind of thing is torture even if you can endure it, if things really develop that way, be prepared for the worst.

While praying silently, Lingyi tried to stay alert and slowly attempted to get off the vehicle.

However, the moment her feet touched the ground, a wave of weakness washed over her, and she involuntarily collapsed to the ground, kicking up a cloud of dust.

[Trouble... Although the emergency treatment has ensured I still have some mobility, I can't control the infection and fever. Breathing... is it still too much to handle?]

No, no, I can't collapse here. If I collapse here, I might never wake up again.

These anxious thoughts emanating from Lingyi showed that she was trying her best to stay upright.

However, the weakness caused by the high temperature, as well as the pain, numbness, and itching caused by the worsening of her wounds, all appeared at the same time, making it increasingly difficult for her to maintain her movements.

[Hey, what's wrong...? Her body is burning hot, her eyes are red and swollen, her leg... it's a serious injury! Someone, this child's condition is bad, take her to the emergency room!]

And, amidst the gradually darkening surroundings, came gentle yet urgent shouts.

"Great."

Subconsciously, Tachibana Hibiki's heart-wrenching feeling eased.

There was no way for her to travel through time and space to help Lingyi at this moment.

All she could do was watch the situation unfold, watch the other person lying on the ground, and watch the surrounding space gradually darken as she lost consciousness.

Praying that the other person's suffering will end soon.

Fortunately, although it was extremely difficult at the beginning, Lingyi eventually survived.

"Um? "

Suddenly, Tachibana Hibiki felt a little doubtful.

As darkness descended, the voices of his companions also vanished.

"Future, sauce, song-cutting sauce, Chris sauce?"

So, subconsciously, Tachibana Hibiki tried to explore her surroundings, but there was nothing there.

Furthermore, a new change occurred, and a strange sense of detachment and immersion arose throughout my body.

The next moment, I opened my eyes and the unfamiliar ceiling, the smell of disinfectant, and the simple but clean bed came into my senses one after another.

"Where am I? Oh, my voice, and my body... what is this?"

Before she could react to what was happening, Tachibana Hibiki noticed that she had shrunk to the size of her childhood self.

Not only that, he was wearing a simple hospital gown, lying in bed with his body bandaged and one hand prosthetic.

"A sound?"

Just as Tachibana Hibiki was wondering, a voice called out, and then she saw Hinata Mirai, who had also turned into a child, on another bed opposite her, with bandages wrapped around her body.

"What on earth is going on?!"

"Such a small death."

"Calm down, Chess, let's try to contact the outside world first."

Immediately afterwards, the voices of their companions came from all around. Looking around, they saw that their companions' bodies had also turned into small children.

"What exactly is this...?"

Hibiki Tachibana seemed to sense something, and turned her head to look at the other side of herself.

There, little Lingyi was lying on the bed, her eyes already open, looking around in confusion. One eye was wrapped in bandages, and her other hand was receiving an IV drip.

"Ryou-chan?"

Hibiki Tachibana exclaimed in surprise.

Then, under her gaze, Lingyi's eyes showed a slight confusion, but then returned to normal as if frozen in time, as if she hadn't heard her words.

"It seems that we have become characters in the story, and once we do something that is too out of place in the story, we will be ignored."

A moment later, Kohinata Mirai realized this.

They seem to have become replacements for certain roles in Rei's memories. If they act in a way that doesn't fit the role, like calling out Rei's name just now, they will be seen as outsiders in the story and excluded.

Yes, just as Ms. Kohinata deduced.

Elfnein's voice echoed in their minds.

"Elfnein!"

Hibiki Tachibana was somewhat pleasantly surprised, since as long as she could still make contact with the outside world, she would feel more at ease.

【Yes, I'm sorry, something really troublesome just happened on our end, and we weren't able to contact you immediately.】

[Just now, when Miss Zero was seriously injured by the explosion, and again when she was about to lose consciousness, her weapon, the Flash Blade, went berserk twice.]

Elfne apologized and explained the situation to the people inside.

It seems that whenever Zero appears in a certain situation in her memory, Skyblade will respond accordingly, and it seems that the more pain she suffers, the stronger the response will be.

[Such strength! But I can't let you get past me. Drink up, mmm—1]

Fortunately, neither of these responses was particularly strong, and Feng Mingyi alone managed to keep them at bay without any unexpected incidents.

"I think I heard Miss Yi's voice. Is everything alright outside?"

Upon hearing Elfnein's words and hearing the seemingly loud commotion that appeared to come from nowhere, Tachibana Hibiki inquired with some concern.

There are no problems at the moment, so don't worry. While you fight, we will do our best to prevent external factors from interfering with your operations. Our support is your cause.

Elfnein, who was outside, glanced at Kazanari Tsubasa, who was struggling to suppress the black and red blade with her broadsword, and gave a simple answer to Tachibana Hibiki's question.

Oh, there's one more thing...

He then paused for a moment, as if confirming something.

[Okay, everyone, please be careful in the following actions. Do not get injured or killed in this state.]

[During the exploration, your consciousness, which was previously clearly distinct, is beginning to intertwine with Miss Zero's consciousness.]

This is why you've begun to merge with the characters in the story.

[If you die under these circumstances, the impact of Miss Zero's consciousness will cause a violent tremor in your own consciousness.]

Even in a less severe situation, this could result in a vegetative state where the person is unlikely to regain consciousness.

Elfnein gave a stern warning to the musicians present.

"Is that so? Then what should we do now..."

Hibiki Tachibana asked cautiously.

In short, please act as reasonably as possible while ensuring your own safety. With so many people's consciousnesses intertwined, who knows what other dangers might arise.