Sky Striker Princess, but the swan song of Valkyrie.

She doesn't want to fight if she can achieve her goal peacefully.

However, what responded to her was a girl who was slumped on the ground in dejection, and a quick punch from the drooping armor behind her as she roused herself.

bang——

Their fists and feet clashed, kicking up dust.

Then, at the moment the fists collided, a memory and a reflection of emotion spread in all directions.

Why, why, why? We were so close, we were just a few days away from preparing to leave, why...?

"This is... Rei-chan's..."

Hibiki Tachibana witnessed that scene of shock and confusion.

The platinum-blonde girl stood at the window, watching the continuous bursts of fire outside.

In particular, the flames that exploded directly on that small building, only a few stories high and marked with a red cross.

Her pupils dilated slightly, and her face showed an expression of disbelief.

During their previous conversations, Lingyi had told her that, theoretically, they would not encounter any danger.

Because their approach is mature enough.

Not only did they communicate with multiple parties before each operation to reduce misunderstandings caused by information gaps, they also made every effort to avoid participating in the war the country was suffering from, maintaining their neutrality to the greatest extent possible.

They are constantly monitoring the escalation of the situation and the status of all parties involved, and are prepared to evacuate the remaining people at any time before a crisis occurs.

No matter how you look at it, logically speaking, the probability of something going wrong should be minimized.

But it happened anyway.

"call"

The memory was transmitted to the nerves, and Hibiki Tachibana was able to empathize with this confusion.

One can sense the bewilderment of the situation, where even though everything has been done to the best of its ability, the aftershocks of war will still relentlessly spread.

"……continue."

Still in the midst of battle, Hibiki Tachibana could understand and empathize, but she couldn't get too caught up in it, as the next attack was coming.

At this moment, Zero had already entered battle mode. Although her main body gave off a rather listless feeling, the four mechanical arms on her back had already become active, reaching out to grab Tachibana Hibiki.

As I dodged, a mechanical arm slammed into the ground where I had just stood, followed by another mechanical fist that came crashing down. At the same time, mechanical claws on my lower limbs were poised to join the fray.

In the blink of an eye, within that short distance, Tachibana Hibiki and Rei engaged in several battles in succession.

"Hmm—it's the same as before, an impenetrable offensive, phew..."

Leaping backward onto the surrounding ruins, Hibiki Tachibana tried to create distance, but the tan-colored gauntlet followed closely, shattering the ruins where she stood.

"In that case..."

As the ruins shattered, Tachibana Hibiki leaped into the air and landed behind Rei. With a powerful stride and a twist of her waist, she delivered a heavy punch with all her might to Rei's back.

bang——

Huh?

Dust flew up, but the punch did not touch its body. Instead, it was blocked by the armored arm with its joints reversed. The attack only shattered the connection of the arm.

Wait a minute, it would be really dangerous to go outside now!

However, some areas that haven't collapsed yet might still be salvageable; we can't just give up...

Following H玥漪尹O（一7）（^七）死巫9'飼咎玐, another memory spreads out during the confrontation.

This time, Hibiki Tachibana saw that in the dark shelter, Rei seemed to be trying to persuade someone, but she was unable to stop that person from leaving.

The situation took a sharp turn for the worse; everything happened too suddenly. The air raid sirens didn't sound, and the government failed to provide timely warnings. In the midst of the chaos, everyone could only act on instinct rather than reason.

What made Lingyi feel bad at the time was that not everyone's instinct was to survive.

"Ha—ha, this feeling is..."

Using the force of their intersection to create distance, Tachibana Hibiki eased the intense palpitations rising in her heart.

It was a complex emotion that wavered between survival and salvation, the most agonizing thought that Lingyi had possessed since she came into this world.

When a crisis strikes, do you choose to preserve your own life as much as possible, or reach out to save others who may be saved?

She was acutely aware of the fear of death, and the instinct for survival was deeply ingrained in her soul.

But she also understood the nobility of saving lives, and the experience of being saved from the despair of bleeding, infection, and fever in the wasteland left a deep impression on her.

This contradiction, this vulnerability, this tangled emotion left her with mixed feelings at this moment.

"Another attack is coming..."

The emotional torrent from their encounter subsided temporarily. After regaining her composure, Hibiki Tachibana noticed that Rei had once again assumed an attack stance not far away. After a quick preparation, she charged towards her.

"Wait, what's this?"

Just as she was about to continue dealing with the attack, she noticed a peculiar feeling on the chest of the woman in front of her. The general pattern was a bright spot that appeared in her field of vision.

Hibiki Tachibana quickly understood. It was during the battle that, as her synchronization rate with Zero increased, she became more able to perceive the opponent's core.

"So, this is what battles feel like: maintaining the fighting posture while understanding Zero-chan's current situation, and finally, when the time comes..."

I have a general understanding of how the battle will unfold, and I also have a slight idea of ​​how to ultimately end this battle.

With her eyes clear, Tachibana Hibiki met the girl's attack head-on.

In a short while, more clashes and bombardments unfolded in the burning city. As the two fought, the already dilapidated buildings became even more ruined, and the impact of their punches shattered many of the city's ruins.

In this ongoing battle, Hibiki Tachibana gradually experienced more longing and felt more and more terrible emotions.

Why didn't they come back? The bombing was clearly over. Could it be...? No, if that's the case, then it's terrible.

In the brief yet long wait after the bombing ended, as time passed, the unease stirred within them due to the silence outside the shelter.

I'm sorry, young lady, it's getting increasingly dangerous here. Although I really want to help them, we have to leave now and there's nothing more we can do.

【I see……】

They watched the burning ruins and rubble after the bombing and tried to do something to save them, but were met with helpless indifference and rejection.

For the reasons stated above, I will assume the presidency of this country today...

[What a joke! You abandoned the front lines for something like this, without even giving us a heads-up! Despicable, despicable, despicable!]

He learned from the radio that the reason the war had spread here was because someone had diverted troops from the front lines to stage a coup, and this pain spread through his heart.

[Clearly, I had already made up my mind that if I could settle down and if I had the chance, I would try my best to repay the kindness of being saved. But if I die, then I won't be able to do anything for you...]

And then there was the unfathomable despair that filled his heart after all other options had been exhausted, as he looked at the area crushed by the ruins and all hope of survival had vanished.

"Ha...this is what Zero-chan is thinking—"

A fist struck Zero's chest, and as the bright spot shattered, Hibiki Tachibana felt the utter despair emanating from the other side.

war.

Without any reason or justification, simply driven by their own complex desires, they casually and indiscriminately take away lives.

Even the most resilient and unassuming flower cannot survive in the scorched earth of war.

But at least, at least their beliefs will continue, at least their last wish... Can I do it? No, I must!

boom--

Finally, after the last trace of emotion was fully released, the foundation that constituted this space collapsed.

So, after the nausea, like being in a washing machine, subsided, the performers quickly realized upon opening their eyes that they had returned to the space where Zero continued to project her memories.

Chapter Fifteen: Ruthless

The real world.

"Phew, phew, he even has such a posture..."

"It seems that my previous statement that staying in reality would be easier was completely wrong."

Both Kazunari and Maria, dressed in their costumes, were slightly out of breath.

At this moment, around them, apart from the laboratory that had been protected to the best of its ability and was still relatively intact, the rest of the place was completely ruined, as if it had just been hit by a hurricane.

The reason, however, came from the enemy in front of her.

She was a girl with a cold expression, gray hair, and red eyes, wearing a black military uniform and wielding a flashing sword that changed from black with red patterns to red with white patterns.

After Zero Clothes encountered a problem, it materialized energy from the Flash Blade and launched a merciless attack on them.

Originally, when facing an opponent who was merely a Flash Blade user, although it was difficult, the two of them were not incapable of handling it.

However, when the surging energy took on a human form, not only did its overall output level increase by a notch, but the originally brutal energy release also transformed into a more concentrated and powerful energy slash.

The overall combat strength of the entity has been greatly enhanced.

As a result, the two of them, along with the entire SONG, had to exert considerable effort to ensure that this simple line of defense would not collapse.

.........

Despite their obstruction, the red pupils merely gazed at them silently, revealing no emotion.

She gazed at her master, who stood behind the two, blocked from reaching them.

She never had many ideas.

As a weapon, everything about her is defined by her designer, and her actions will only follow the logic that her designer originally buried in her.

Therefore, her only hope was to be held, to experience the joy defined by instinct, and to obey her master's commands.

It was like this when it was first born, it was like this when it separated along the way, it will be like this now, and it will always be like this from now on.

And now, she felt it, through that connection that had never been broken since they separated and then held hands again, that her master was now powerless and in great need of her strength.

So she went to her side, no matter what stood in her way.

........

With this thought in mind, the girl in black with red eyes gripped her own body with both hands, and activated the red blade of her flashing sword.

She doesn't possess the skill to wield so many complex war weapons like her master, nor does she have the ability to apply flexible and varied combat techniques in different scenarios like her master.

She only knows one skill.

Gather the infinite energy accumulated within your own body, and then unleash it.

Then, crimson light gathered on the red blade in his hand, and the energy fluctuations permeated the surrounding debris.

"Here we go again, Maria!"

"Ah, I understand!"

With no other options, Kazanari called upon Maria, preparing to once again use the power of Ame no Habakiri and the Silver Bowl to construct a defensive line.

..........

However, at that moment, in front of Kazanari Tsubasa, who was preparing to expand the blade in her hand, and Maria, who had three short swords in her hand, the girl dressed in black stopped her movements and showed a confused expression on her face.

This situation made the two of them feel a little strange.

"Miss Tsubasa, Miss Maria, good news! Miss Zero's emotions have stabilized again. This means she'll probably..."

But then a voice from behind Elfnein told them the reason.

It seemed that, due to the actions of the inner musicians, the storm in the sea of ​​consciousness had temporarily subsided, and even the humanoid form of the flashing blade in front of them was no longer irritable.

"Is this guy a barometer of Lingyi's mood? She's harmless when she's fine, but she becomes so irritable when she's in a bad mood."

Seeing that the other party had stopped accumulating terrifying energy on the blade, Maria breathed a slight sigh of relief, and then couldn't help but make this comment.

"So, does that mean she won't be attacking for the time being?"

Hearing Elfnein's explanation and the girl's behavior, Kazanari Tsubasa breathed a sigh of relief and stopped being so tense.

"Hmm, it seems so. Judging from the timing, just after Miss Zero calmed down, this... Miss Flashblade also stopped her attack. I'm afraid there's some kind of connection."

Elfnein shared their analysis, which reassured the two of them, allowing them to focus on recovering their physical condition.

"In any case, at least we don't have to fight anymore, at least not for now."

With a sigh of relief, Fengmingyi relaxed his body and sheathed his blade.

..........