Sky Striker Princess, but the swan song of Valkyrie.

"So, you've been forcing yourself to stay awake until now, you idiot... Oh well, I can't do anything with you. It's getting late, I'm going to sleep now. Tachibana, you should go to sleep too, if you're not going to.

After putting away her laptop, Rei felt somewhat helpless about Tachibana Hibiki's behavior.

However, it was almost bedtime, and Lingyi, who was used to this way of getting along, didn't say much and simply lay down on the bed.

This is her life: when she's awake, she's either exercising or studying, and after exhausting her energy, she goes to bed on time to sleep.

"Ooh, yawn... Ah, I can't sleep."

Seeing Rei fall asleep, Tachibana Hibiki also prepared to try to fall asleep.

However, perhaps because she expended too little energy when daydreaming, she became more energetic now that she was no longer hypnotized by those tedious words.

"But we can't disturb Rei-chan..."

Unable to sleep and unable to disturb Rei's rest, Tachibana Hibiki felt slightly uncomfortable.

Therefore, there was only one thing left for Tachibana Hibiki to do.

He lay on his side on her bed, remaining conscious, quietly watching the girl with her unique charm as her breathing became even.

.............

Hibiki Tachibana still couldn't quite understand why Rei, who was full of warmth and faith, would turn into that icy and constantly manic persona.

She couldn't imagine what kind of blow she had suffered that could have turned her, who was so strong in both mind and ability, into that sad and lonely person who kept everyone at arm's length.

As time passed, it seemed that the sun gradually sank below the horizon, and the dim, weak sunlight that could still shine through the window was gradually replaced by darkness.

In the quiet darkness, Tachibana Hibiki's originally clear consciousness gradually began to drift into slumber, and the girl's face in front of her gradually became blurred.

Until it was illuminated by a cluster of firelight.

The tremor was immense, so powerful it seemed to threaten to destroy the building, accompanied by a deafening explosion like a massive landslide.

"What?! What happened?!"

Subconsciously, Tachibana stood up, her attention quickly drawn to the window frame filled with red and yellow light, and she looked outside.

Then, I saw it, just like the scenes that were often seen in this place, happening in the surrounding area.

Boom—

Another thunderous sound rang out, followed by increasingly loud bursts of smoke and flames.

If she were in a stable country, or in the reality she lived in, Hibiki Tachibana might have thought it was fireworks or thunder somewhere.

It might even become a topic of conversation with friends the next day, serving as a diversion from special situations in daily life.

However, in this space and at this point in time, such a massive and awe-inspiring commotion could only represent one event.

die--

In just a moment, screams and panic spread. It was no small-scale bombing that was taking place all around the small town, bringing a roar to the long night and a deathly silence to life.

...........

In the real world, about fifteen minutes have passed since the last contact was made.

"How long have Tachibana Kyuu and the others been inside?"

While still dressed and having regained some of her composure, Fengmingyi expressed concern for the others who were infiltrating the interior.

"Don't worry too much. As it stands, Ms. Tachibana and the others are in a stable state and haven't experienced the drastic fluctuations that occurred before. They should have entered a relatively calm memory flow."

"This gentle flow of memories, because the memories are very stable, will not pose a great danger to the infiltrator."

Elfnein explained briefly, calming the somewhat anxious Kazami.

“That’s right, Yi. We’re monitoring this area. We’ll handle and notify you promptly if there are any problems. Yi, just focus on keeping an eye on the blade.”

Kazanari Genjuro expressed this to Kazanari Tsubasa.

During those fifteen minutes, the previously frenzied black and red blades seemed to have exhausted their strength and calmed down a little, which allowed SONG's combat personnel to catch their breath.

Maintaining constant suppression is also a very energy-consuming task.

"I see. Knowing the boundaries between vigilance and relaxation is also part of spiritual practice."

Under advice, Fengmingyi tried his best to shift his attention away from his worries and turned his gaze back to Shandao, who was lying quietly on the ground.

Then she saw a barrage of red light lashing towards her face.

stab—

"Miss Yi, be careful, there's a violent turbulence in the mental space. Under these circumstances, that flash blade might..."

Just as things were changing rapidly, while the Windwing withstood the immense pressure of the crimson blades bearing down on it, Elfnein also noticed the changes in the electric field microscope.

"No problem, I can handle this level perfectly well."

Feng Mingyi wasn't too worried. It was just a blade that wasn't being held by its master. With her extensive experience, she couldn't possibly be unable to suppress such a rootless creature.

"Yi, watch out below!"

However, Maria's reminder, along with her chilling sixth sense, alerted her almost simultaneously.

"What? ! "

Almost immediately, Kazanari realized the source of the warning: a strange girl with gray hair and red eyes, wielding the flash blade she was fighting.

.............

At the same time, while a dramatic change was taking place in the outside world, the musicians inside were also suffering.

They were just going to sleep as usual when they were suddenly awakened by a loud noise.

Soon after, before they had fully regained consciousness, they realized that their surroundings had undergone a tremendous change.

The buildings and people that once symbolized daily life are gone, replaced by a city of ruins devastated under the cover of night.

"Zero-chan's mental space has changed, but what exactly happened?"

Because the change happened in an instant, Tachibana Hibiki didn't even have time to react before she was thrown into this space.

Looking around, she realized that apart from her companions, there were no other living beings here, as if they had fallen into another instance of the mental space.

[Ugh...bang bang bang...made contact—devouring% sizzle—everyone, can you hear me? What's going on?]

Just as Tachibana Hibiki was wondering, Elfnein's voice, accompanied by the sounds of a noisy battle, echoed in her ears.

"Yes, I can hear you. Here's what happened..."

Without hesitation, Kohinata Mirai, who had calmed down first, briefly explained the current situation to Elfnein.

[A peaceful memory, this experience combined with the information... we understand now, you are probably at a very important memory node for Miss Zero.]

Because it is important, this memory node is imbued with intense emotions, ultimately giving birth to the virtual space you see here.

After learning about the situation, Elfnein quickly reached a conclusion with SONG's intensive support.

"How can we continue like before? This place is just a bunch of empty ruins, we can't see anything at all."

"I need to get out of here as soon as possible; I have a bad feeling about this place."

Xiaoqiege and Yuedu Diao felt a little uneasy about their surroundings.

[Hmm... In short, what you're currently in is an outer shell made up of mixed memories and emotions. Only by breaking through this shell and finding the core memory can the memory continue.]

In short, this space likely contains fragments of Zero's memories. Finding and touching these memories will allow you to progress and continue the journey.

Elfne quickly relayed the information to the musicians present, concisely explaining the procedure.

"Hey, look over there. I think we probably don't need to look anymore."

Just as Elfnein finished speaking, Chris's uneasy voice rang out, drawing the attention of everyone present.

"Zero-chan, what's with that pose?"

Then, following Chris's directions, the group saw it.

Clad in the same tan armor they had all seen before, with four mechanical arms drooping on the ground, and a blonde girl with emerald eyes standing blankly in front of them.

Chapter Fourteen: The Emotions Conveyed

"So, we can just go and contact Zero-chan directly now... Kwan, Chris-chan, what's wrong?"

Hibiki Tachibana subconsciously thought this, and then took a few steps forward, but was stopped by Chris the next moment.

"BAKA, if only it were that simple, Rei. The way she's adopting that fighting stance, it seems like a fight is inevitable."

Chris grabbed the back of the collar and gave a warning, explaining her analysis, which made Tachibana Hibiki let out a slight groan.

【Hmm... Indeed, we can also observe that what's in front of you, Ms. Tachibana, is an extremely high density of emotional entities. If you touch it recklessly, there's a very high chance you'll be devoured by those emotions and spirits, ultimately unable to maintain your mental stability, and your brain signals will be completely overwhelmed.】

Elfnein's analysis arrived at the opportune moment, proving that Chris's analysis was correct.

"Does that mean we still have to fight Zero-chan? How do we do that? Is it possible to wear clothes in this mental space?"

Having understood the situation, Tachibana Hibiki immediately inquired about the specific methods.

[The analysis here is complete. Boku, Ms. Finney, and everyone from SONG have jointly constructed a combat support system. With the help of this system, Ms. Tachibana and the others can temporarily manifest the combat forms they have used in the mental space.]

However, it should be noted that due to the extreme complexity of Miss Zero's mental space, many unforeseen circumstances arose, so this system was hastily created on a temporary basis.

Not only will the duration and operating efficiency be extremely low, but after use, one will experience mental weakness and pain, making it impossible to use it a second time for a short period of time.

Furthermore, based on the analysis of records obtained from Miss Chris, Miss Future, and other Second Section members, Miss Zero... has likely experienced a great deal of events, and this situation of emotions locking up memories is probably not an isolated incident.

Therefore, if a battle is to occur, we must accomplish it with the least possible effort, in order to leave room for possible recurring situations later.

[The suggestion here is that each battle should ideally involve only one person, and no more than two. If possible, it's best to choose someone who has the deepest impression of Zero's current state. This might lower the barrier to separating memories from emotions and breaking through the barriers.]

Elfne briefly shared the results of their brainstorming session with everyone in the space. At the same time, everyone noticed that red pendants had appeared around the necks of their skirts.

"Ah, I think I understand. In that case, the allocation of manpower becomes a problem. We must choose the most economical method..."

After hearing about the support from the outside world and looking at the red pendant in her hand, Chris understood the current situation and felt it was somewhat troublesome.

If the combat power deployed is too weak, it will lead to defeat due to the inability to win. If the combat power used is too strong, there may not be enough combat power available later.

After a moment of silence, Tachibana Hibiki was the first to step forward.

"Then let me do it."

"That's what Tachibana Hibiki said."

"Do you... want to go first? But, considering your combat strength, wouldn't it be better to stay a little later?"

Although Hibiki Tachibana said that, Chris hesitated.

"Let me do it. I've been watching from the very beginning until now. Didn't Elfnein-chan say that we should choose the one we understand the most?"

"Moreover, with my experience fighting in the mental space, your future battles will be easier."

As Tachibana Hibiki said this, she grasped the red pendant in her hand.

"Keep going, it'll ring!"

Seeing what she did, Kohinata silently offered her encouragement.

"In that case, we will also do our best to analyze Death while Hibiki is fighting!"

"Yes, Che-chan and I will also do our best in the future."

Xiaoqiege and Yuedu Diao had no objections.

Thus, a consensus was reached, and Tachibana Hibiki was chosen as the person to make the first contact with Rei in this state.

"call"

She exhaled, trying to relieve her tension even though the mental space theoretically didn't require breathing.

She kept watching, even when she didn't know what the point was, she kept watching and didn't waste a single second.

Therefore, at the same moment when the flames engulfed everything, she guessed what had happened and felt the pain as if it were her own.

Gripping the pendant tightly, power gradually surged from the body within the spiritual space.

The song in my heart resonated at this moment.

[Balwisyall Nescell gungnirtron]

The orange and white armor, the faintly glowing clothing on Tachibana Hibiki's body, evoked a familiar power that surged from the depths of her heart.

"Zero-chan".

Once dressed, Tachibana Hibiki did not launch an attack first, but instead tried to communicate with the girl in front of her, who was wearing khaki armor.