Under the sunlight, 'Judah's Oath: Spirit Blade Form' shimmered with a bewitching pink light. On the crimson Judah, the original 'Spears of Light' on both sides, under the influence of powerful Honkai energy, had transformed into blades according to 'Theresa's' will, becoming the pink Spirit Blade-Sakurafubuki.
The six spirit blades still flashed with a cold glint under the warm sun.
"Go..." Theresa's right hand touched the three-magatama symbol in the center of 'Judah's Oath' as she murmured.
"Click~ Swish!" The spirit blades on both sides of 'Judah's Oath' let out a crisp ring. Under an invisible force, the six blades shot out from their sheaths on the lance mounts. The cold-gleaming blades, as if they had eyes of their own, automatically aimed at the armless 'Pseudo-Herrscher' Yuno.
"No, no..." Yuno watched in horror as the spirit blades, their hilts connected to chains of light, broke through the air and shot towards her with a piercing whistle.
She took a few terrified steps back, wanting to raise her arms to block... but she no longer had hands. Her green eyes reflected the ever-approaching spirit blades, yet she was powerless...
"Splsh!" The sharp blades pierced into flesh, making a sickening sound. Three spirit blades directly pierced through the 'Pseudo-Herrscher' Yuno's chest and abdomen, while the other three, like a knife cutting through tofu, penetrated her thighs without any resistance. Blood flowed down the blades, leaving a purplish-red trail on the sakura-colored blades.
"..." Yuno stared blankly at the sky, her eyes wide. The Honkai energy gathered in her body was continuously absorbed and released by the spirit blades. Seemingly sensing that its host's life force had been severed, the Honkai energy within Yuno's body slowly dissipated into the air, once again spreading out. The concentration of Honkai energy, which had thinned out, slowly began to rise again.
Her pupils slowly dilated. A white light appeared before her, and she could faintly hear the morning chirping of birds...
...............
"A dream?" Yuno opened her eyes. The first thing she saw was the white ceiling of her room. The sunlight shining in from the window was a little dazzling. She raised her arm to shield her face.
"Time to get up~ Yuno-chan, if you don't get up soon, you'll be late~" The room door was gently pushed open by her mother, who stood by the door in an apron, reminding her.
"Late... late?!" Yuno hurriedly sat up, the cartoon cat print on her pajamas wrinkling. She couldn't be late. Today, it was her turn for cleaning duty in the class.
"If you don't want to be late, you'd better get up soon. We have your favorite miso soup for breakfast today~" Her mother outside the door said softly, wiping her hands on her apron before heading to the living room.
"..." Yuno opened her mouth but didn't say anything. She knew her mother had worked late last night but still made breakfast for her today.
"Okay, Mom~" Yuno suddenly smiled. In the sunlight, the gentle breeze lifted her long hair, coating it in a layer of golden light.
..........
[That's right, it was just a nightmare...]
[Just a nightmare...]
In Nagazora City, after the appearance of the 'Third Herrscher' Raiden Mei, the newly emerged 'Pseudo-Fourth Herrscher' Yuno stood on a small path in 'Senba Academy', the source of everything. Under the sun, she closed her eyes with a faint smile, welcoming death...
"Rustle~" Like the sound of rustling leaves, the body of the 'Pseudo-Herrscher' named Yuno disintegrated in a gentle breeze, turning into fly ash and dissipating into the world.
"Plop..." Blood-colored green vines fell to the ground, turning into nutrients and merging with the earth.
"....." Theresa, with one hand on the 'Judah's Oath: Spirit Blade Form' beside her, silently watched the 'Pseudo-Herrscher' dissipate. The six spirit blades automatically flew back into their sheaths on the sides of 'Judah's Oath: Spirit Blade Form'.
"Sakura?..." Li Xuan hesitated for a moment before gently speaking to Theresa's back. Only Sakura had those fox ears, so Li Xuan asked with a glimmer of hope.
"..." Theresa whirled around to look at Li Xuan, whose left eye had turned back to black while his right eye was still a golden pupil. She was stunned for a moment before an expression of sudden realization appeared on her face.
"Wuwu~~" Theresa bounced and pounced into the unprepared Li Xuan's arms, her head with its fox ears continuously rubbing against him.
"...Alright, alright~" Li Xuan, who had been as cold as a demon king just a moment ago, showed a warm smile and hugged the fluffy Theresa. Her hair brushing against his cheek felt ticklish. The only one who would be so affectionate was Yae Sakura.
"Li, Xuan, kun..." Like a baby learning to speak, Theresa rested her small face on Li Xuan's shoulder and said softly. "You, must, wait... wait for me..."
"Hmm, what?..." Li Xuan didn't quite understand what she was saying.
"Higan...bana Sakura..." Theresa said with difficulty.
"Higanbana Sakura?! What's that?..." Li Xuan looked at the half-lidded Theresa with a bewildered expression.
".....zzZZ" Theresa closed her eyes and fell asleep in Li Xuan's arms. The fox ears on her head suddenly disappeared.
"She fell asleep..." Li Xuan held Theresa's small body in his arms, looking at her sleeping face and said softly. He was finally sure that Sakura wasn't dead; she was still inside this white-haired loli's body.
"Master..." Liv, who had broken free from the vines after the 'Pseudo-Herrscher's' death, anxiously tugged at Li Xuan's clothes.
"Hmm?..." Li Xuan looked at the worried Liv and said with a smile, "I'm fine, it's all over... We should leave this place first..."
"..." Liv was slightly taken aback, her face blushing anxiously. "N-no, that's not it... Master..." Liv waved her small hands.
"Th-that... a plane is flying over..." Liv pointed at the battleship in the distance.
"..." Li Xuan quickly looked in the direction Liv was pointing. Under the sky, a silver flying behemoth, comparable in size to a battleship from his original world, silently appeared beyond the clouds...
It was... the [Hyperion]
.........
"Major Himeko..." Yuudachi, holding a file, said with some unease and hesitation.
"What is it?!... Have you found Theresa yet?!" Murata Himeko asked anxiously, biting her thumbnail.
Due to Theresa's temporary absence, the 'Hyperion' was under Murata Himeko's command for the time being. It had been almost 24 hours since Theresa's disappearance and being uncontactable. Himeko couldn't help but worry, which was why she forcibly deployed the 'Hyperion', which had not yet been fully repaired.
"Uh... we found her..." Yuudachi adjusted the non-prescription glasses on her nose and said embarrassedly. "It's just that there's a bit of a situation..."
"What's wrong?!" Himeko stood up in alarm. "What happened to her? Is she injured or disabled?!..." Himeko gripped Yuudachi's shoulders tightly.
"N-no, that's not it..." The rookie Yuudachi trembled. "It's better if you see for yourself..." Yuudachi took out her communicator, activated the 3D projection, and displayed an image.
"..." Himeko looked at the image that appeared before her with a complicated expression.
In the ruins, a boy with heterochromatic eyes was holding a white-haired loli in a black and white nun's habit...
"Crack..." That was the sound of a certain older single woman, Murata Himeko, gritting her teeth.
'Friends walk together for life...'
'Whoever gets out of singlehood first is a dog!...'
(End of this chapter)