Sky Striker Princess, but the swan song of Valkyrie.

"Lingyi, she's over there, in the third room on the left after this corner. If you're looking for her, go there and you'll find her."

Understanding Kohinata Mirai's purpose, Chris didn't say much, but silently pointed out the direction to Zero's location.

"Thank you... but how did Chris know all this so clearly?"

Knowing where Zero was, Kohinata Mirai breathed a sigh of relief, then asked curiously.

"I know, no matter what, I can never forget something like this."

Sighing, Chris, still struggling with her thoughts, paced back and forth, her expression a complex mix of nostalgia, pain, and a touch of shyness.

“Chris…”

Seeing her like this, Kohinata Mirai realized the reason for Chris's behavior.

"Anyway, if you want to find her, go find her now. I need to think about some things here..."

Ignoring Kohinata Mirai who had come over, Chris returned to her initial state of sitting on the ground, conflicted.

"Ok."

Kohinata Mirai said no more and followed Chris's guidance, passing through the corridor and arriving at an empty room.

Then, she saw Lingyi's figure at a table and chairs in the room.

The formal attire neatly and tightly wrapped around the platinum blonde girl who sat upright, and even though her face was obscured by the screen, an indescribable sense of simplicity and orderliness could still be seen.

My gaze shifted to the desktop, where the paper, pen, and books were perfectly aligned. On the other side, the center of the desktop, without the slightest deviation, was occupied by the precisely aligned computer screen and keyboard.

When one looks under the table, it is quickly discovered that the various cables on the table have been neatly arranged into a symmetrical and parallel pattern.

"call"

Looking at the room's layout, Kohinata Mirai felt a little suffocated.

She felt as if she were in a place where everything was under her complete control, where every object was subject to strict regulations and no room for deviation.

Here, even walking and breathing seemed to be governed by a set of inescapable rules, and this overwhelming atmosphere made her feel as if her spirit was being subjected to extremely heavy pressure.

"We have to get there."

Despite the unbearable urge to escape, Kohinata Mirai, knowing that this wouldn't improve their progress, reluctantly took a step into the space.

"Lingyi, what are you doing here?"

Enduring the cramped and uncomfortable feeling, Kohinata Mirai approached Rei and asked her what she wanted to know.

"...As before, we collect and analyze information. After all, the more you know, the easier it is to do anything."

Noticing Kohinata Mirai's arrival, Rei stopped what she was doing and casually told her what she was doing.

"The same as before?"

The brief words allowed Kohinata Mirai to immediately understand what Rei was doing.

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

Upon realizing this, Kohinata Mirai was speechless for a moment.

Is this correct? Indeed, when you come to an unfamiliar environment, observe your surroundings and then guide your behavior accordingly, and act with this as your goal, there is nothing inherently wrong with it.

But although the purpose was not wrong, Lingyi's actions were already quite abnormal.

You should know that when things were fraught with danger, her mind was already stretched to its limit and she was in an abnormal state. Logically, she should have been able to relax after things calmed down.

However, the girl in front of me remained the same as before, using that same high-pressure approach to guide her own actions, and continued to inflict wounds.

It was as if her spirit had never escaped from that war-torn, perilous, and terrifying hell.

Is this good? Of course not.

A spring stretched to its limit will gradually suffer irreversible damage, and a mind pushed to its limit will eventually break down under the unbearable pressure.

We should stop them, we should advise them.

With that thought in mind, Kohinata Mirai subconsciously reached out her hand.

Then, the moment she touched the girl's body, she felt a familiar sensation that she had experienced before.

Napa—

The shattered kaleidoscope blinded Kohinata Mirai's entire vision, and before she could react, it shattered completely.

When the fragments disappeared, Kohinata Mirai realized that the surrounding scene was no longer the orphanage room, but a completely empty, frozen lake.

"Could this be...?"

Kohinata Mirai realized where she had arrived.

That was a place similar to the ruins of the city where they fell some time ago, a manifestation of Lingyi's state of mind.

Clearly, what Kohinata Mirai just touched was a node of memory. Only by breaking through this node can the torrent of memories flow forward.

"How did we suddenly end up here, Death?"

"We were just looking for Sister Lingyi, why all of a sudden?"

Soon, Xiaoqiege and Yuedu Diao appeared in the vicinity. They had just been searching for Lingyi's figure when they were suddenly pulled in.

"Ahem, does this mean I'll have to fight Zero again in the future...? If that's the case, then I'll..."

Somewhat weakened, Tachibana Hibiki noticed Kohinata Mirai and dragged her barely able-bodied body over, instinctively preparing for battle.

"Xiang, don't be reckless..."

Kohinata Mirai quickly stopped her.

Having cared for Tachibana Hibiki for so long, she knew very well that Tachibana Hibiki was already at her limit to be able to move normally, and it was really impossible for her to fight again.

"...So, at this time, is that so? So her situation was this bad back then?"

Chris walked over along the ice, muttering words of enlightenment to herself.

In a short time, the group had gathered together.

"So, we must now defeat Zero in this space before we can proceed to the next step... Where is Zero currently dying?"

After everyone gathered, Xiaoqiege, who knew the process, began to observe the surrounding environment. Unlike the burning city before, this environment was not any place they were familiar with.

"I don't know. Although the visibility was good, I didn't see Lingyi."

Tsukuyomi shook her head. She had been observing this space since she arrived, but she had not been able to find Zero's figure as she had hoped.

As far as the eye could see, there was an endless expanse of ice. Apart from the cold and flat ice, there was nothing else visible from the horizon to the front of the eyes.

"Should we ask Master and the others if they're there, Elfnein-chan... Hmm, no response?"

Having no ideas for the moment, Tachibana Hibiki tried to contact outside support as usual.

However, this time, there was no response, just as when they traveled through the river of memories, without any news.

"I'm afraid it's related to the nature of this place. Unlike the open world we had before, this place is probably a space that tends to be self-enclosed."

Seeing that Tachibana Hibiki's attempt had failed, Kohinata Mirai made this deduction.

"But the nature of the situation shouldn't change. The key is to find Lingyi and defeat her here... Should we split up and search the surrounding area?"

Despite the changed circumstances, Chris maintained this viewpoint and proposed.

"Hmm, let's split up and search. If we find it, let's inform each other and discuss how to fight... or, if things get bad, we can start fighting."

Kohinata Mirai agreed with this idea; in the face of unknown circumstances, it was necessary to gather as much information as possible first.

The others also agreed with this idea and decided to split up and explore the situation in different directions.

However, despite saying that, Kohinata Mirai herself was unable to act.

It's impossible to leave Tachibana Hibiki, who is currently completely incapable of fighting, alone. Someone needs to protect her safety, and the choice is Kohinata Mirai.

CC ..

Although Hibiki Tachibana was still trying to stay awake, the oppressive atmosphere seemed to make her feel even more uncomfortable, and she soon fell asleep on the ice.

Why did this happen? Everything was progressing in a positive direction, so why did this have to happen at this crucial moment?

While looking after her companions, Kohinata Mirai, who had a moment of leisure, began to ponder the reason for the scene before her.

I remember Elfnein saying something last time...

What they face is a shell of mixed memories and emotions, a high-density emotional and spiritual entity.

Then a question arises: what emotion of Lingyi caused this space to be created?

Chapter Twenty: Collision

A question flashed through my mind, and then I began to think about it.

This is a spiritual space, and everything that is expressed originates from Lingyi's spirit. They are all manifestations of her spirit, so the search for clues must start from her spirit and emotions.

So, what exactly are the emotions that Lingyi possesses now?

[It's impossible to tell. Even after recalling her entire life during this period, I still can't understand the emotions represented by her face, which shows neither smile nor sadness. Those emotions are all buried deep inside her.]

Thinking back on the time she spent with him, Kohinata Mirai recalled the period of time they had spent together, but she couldn't find even the slightest trace of affection in it.

So, what I'm trying to do is to probe into Zero's current state of mind in order to complete the mission. But... it's impossible to do that in this inner space.

Kohinata Mirai pondered and struggled with her thoughts, feeling as if she had made a mistake about something.

To understand Lingyi's inner thoughts, one must explore clues in the outer memory space, but before that, they have been sent to this inner space and cannot explore from the outside.

If that's the case, doesn't it mean they're completely stuck and unable to move forward?

The thought of this possibility filled Kohinata Mirai with worry.

[No, that's impossible... When Hibiki was triggered before, it was obvious that she fell into this space after coming into contact with Zero's emotions.]

[Alfnein also said that a deeper understanding might lower the threshold for breakthroughs; if that's the case, there's no reason to fall into this predicament while stuck.]

But soon, Kohinata Mirai stopped herself from spiraling into pessimism and used reflection to refute her earlier guess.

Therefore, it must be that I encountered some fact or emotion that caused us to fall to this point, but all I saw was Lingyi burying all her emotions deep inside...

No, wait, perhaps it's not about burying emotions inside!?

While thinking, Kohinata Mirai came up with a possibility.

If they fell into this place, it must be because someone came into contact with some kind of emotion. If the completion of this contact was oneself, then what one sees may be the truth.

It's not that emotions are buried deep inside, but rather that there are never any emotions at all...

Kohinata Mirai reached this conclusion.

At the very moment she reached this conclusion, she felt a chill that spread from the depths of her bones, almost freezing her thoughts.

"It seems that it was the right decision."

Kohinata Mirai felt no fear in the face of this unexpected situation; rather, she felt genuine joy.

The reason for her joy was that she had seen something that resonated with her.

Beneath her feet, on the same smooth ice surface as where she stood, was reflected the image of a platinum-blonde girl, not herself, standing silently in dark blue armor.

"I understand, I comprehend what the pain in your heart is right now."

Raising her arm and grasping the crimson pendant on her chest, Kohinata Mirai knew her mission at that moment.

Understanding can lower the threshold for separating memories from emotions, shorten the distance between minds, and make it easier to understand each other.

Therefore, this battle can only be fought by myself.

[Rei shen shoujing rei zizzl]

An ethereal chant was sung, and purple armor was worn on Kohinata Mirai's body.

At the same time, with her actions, this monotonous and empty world also took a turn for the better.

The vast, cold ice field that I had first seen had become a reflection beneath my feet, and what stood before me was a world of ice and water, rippling with faint light.

"Water...underwater, gurgling, I'm drowning! Death!"

"Calm down, Chess, this isn't reality, you won't drown."

"Achoo! It's so cold. What happened? Why did the space become like this?"

"Look over there, she's fighting Death in the future!"

"What did she do in the future?"