Ever since the first-year students of St. Freya High School received the letter from the principal, all the students, as if injected with chicken blood, began to prepare for the annual 'Infinite Abyss'. There were even many cases of students accidentally over-training and pulling muscles.
During these three days, everyone worked hard to show their best in this 'war'. For example... Mei extended her daily swordsmanship practice by an hour, and Bronya would summon Project Bunny 19C and walk around whenever she had nothing to do, which was said to increase their bond...
Even Kiana was secretly practicing her half-baked 'Gun Kata' and the mysterious ultimate technique 'Gungnir'.
As for Li Xuan, he also started to study swordsmanship at the last minute with his replica version of the 'Xuanyuan Sword'. It was at this time that he found from an inconspicuous corner of his ring... the most authentic swordsmanship from the Warring States period, from the nameless sword master 'Hokushin Mei'—'Hokushin Itto-ryu'...
Just like that... time slowly passed, and the day of the 'Infinite Abyss' battle finally arrived...
As if to celebrate the start of the 'Abyss' battle today, the weather at St. Freya High School was surprisingly clear. The morning sun shone on everything, and ants scurried quickly under the blades of grass covered in crystal-clear dew...
Perhaps because it had rained a little last night, St. Freya High School was shrouded in a faint white mist in the early morning, making the academy seem like a place from a fairy tale... The thin mist quickly dissipated in the morning sun.
"Chirp chirp~" The sound of birds chirping, carried by the sunlight outside the window, entered Li Xuan's room... The long eyelashes of the sleeping Li Xuan twitched slightly, and he opened his eyes with some confusion...
"Mmm~" A fair, slender arm suddenly stretched out from under Li Xuan's quilt and rested on his neck. A soft touch came from his left arm...
"..." Li Xuan, who had just woken up, stared blankly at the snow-white ceiling of his room, not reacting for a moment... After about a few seconds, he suddenly felt as if he had woken from a dream and sensed something was wrong...
"...!!" Li Xuan turned his head and saw an extremely familiar face. The pretty face, only ten centimeters away, almost made him cry out. It was that familiar figure that he had dreamed of...
Li Xuan somewhat understood. Sakura must have 'grown up', just like Yaoye-hime... It seemed that the familiars hatched from the Familiar Eggs wished from the Gate of Vows were different from ordinary familiars that always maintained a tiny stature...
The familiars hatched from Familiar Eggs possessed a true form... infinitely close to everything human. Apart from having various abilities and a Familiar Core for a heart, there wasn't much difference in other aspects.
The child-form Yae Sakura had fallen into a deep sleep after swallowing the 'Scarlet Sakura's Will' three days ago. After an examination found nothing wrong, Li Xuan decided to place Sakura on the side of his bed against the wall, waiting for her to wake up...
"Sakura?..." Li Xuan's voice trembled slightly as he spoke. Yae Sakura, only ten centimeters away, had a lot of her long pink hair touching his face, bringing a faint, ticklish sensation... At this moment, he felt that he had never been so close to her...
"Hmm?" Seemingly hearing Li Xuan's voice, Yae Sakura's long eyelashes fluttered gently. Then, she opened her pair of azure eyes, and the two of them made eye contact at that moment...
"..." Because she had just woken up, Yae Sakura's eyes were still a bit dazed and confused. After about ten seconds, the expression in her eyes slowly began to appear... The memories engraved in her soul flooded into her mind again... She couldn't help but smile and say softly.
"Li Xuan-kun, we meet again..."
"Yeah, we..." Just as Li Xuan opened his mouth to respond, his eyes suddenly widened... Sakura suddenly moved closer, and his mouth was blocked for the second time... The tip of his nose was filled with the faint, sweet fragrance of cherry blossoms...
...............................
St. Freya High School has a statue of a giant serpent. None of the students know what that statue is for... but what they do know is... the 'Infinite Abyss' tower is not far from the statue.
The 'Infinite Abyss' is actually a building similar to a gymnasium, but of course, it's much larger since it has several floors. The first floor has the largest space, equivalent to the size of a gymnasium. The roof is made of special materials, and there are even seats that can accommodate several thousand people surrounding the central field... Several floors underground of the 'Infinite Abyss' tower are composed of precision instruments...
"I say, Li Xuan, you've been grinning from ear to ear since early this morning. Did something good happen?" Kiana looked at Li Xuan's face, which was smiling as brightly as a chrysanthemum, and couldn't help but ask curiously.
At this time, they were squeezing through the sea of people, waiting for the 'Infinite Abyss' to begin...
"Ahem... Did I?" After a light cough, Li Xuan, who had come back to his senses, put on a serious face and said.
"Hmph, no matter what... I'm claiming the championship of this competition!" Kiana turned her head away and said boastfully with an arrogant look, as if she had already won the championship.
"Yes, yes..." It's good that you have such confidence... Li Xuan replied helplessly.
"..." Bronya silently glanced at a certain white-haired furball, too lazy to say anything. As for Mei, who was beside them, she was looking at the 'Infinite Abyss' building in front of her with a serious expression.
"My dear students, you are the force against the Honkai and the hope of this world..." Suddenly, a soft voice came from above everyone's heads. On the balcony of the tower's second floor, a small figure stood in front of a microphone and spoke loudly.
"The reason for setting up this competition is to train everyone's practical combat abilities, as well as to select outstanding students to form a team for further training..."
"The first prize in this competition is a Divine Throne series weapon, and a request that the academy can fulfill within its capabilities... As for the second and third prizes... they will get a precious spot on a team."
"Details will be announced after the competition... Every student will receive a reward of 10,000 Schicksal Coins for each victory." Theresa, standing on the balcony, waved her small hand, ending the couldn't-be-simpler opening speech.
"It begins now!" she said her last words, her slightly tied-up white hair shining with a silver glow in the sunlight...
The towering gate opened with a rumble....
(End of Chapter)