The location of the Tenshukaku was very obvious. Without much effort, Inaba Tsukiyo and the others arrived at the base of the Tenshukaku.
However, the main gate of the Tenshukaku was tightly shut, as if no one had entered for a very long time; the gate was locked.
"Is no one living here? Why does the atmosphere here feel different from other places?"
Theresa asked with some curiosity. Although Yae Village had many difficult people, the Tenshukaku didn't look like a simple place. Or rather… it was indeed worthy of being a place where a divine key was hidden.
"The Tenshukaku… even when I became the miko of the shrine, I didn't know what was inside the Tenshukaku. Or rather, I've never been to the Tenshukaku at all."
Yae Sakura recalled that when she lived in Yae Village, she never had the opportunity to go to the Tenshukaku, and this place was not somewhere ordinary people should come.
According to the explanation Yae Sakura heard from her father, a powerful entity was sealed inside the Tenshukaku. Even she, as a miko, couldn't enter, let alone anyone else.
This made everyone even more curious about what was hidden inside. But the Tenshukaku's main gate was tightly locked. How were they supposed to get in?
"Clang!"
Suddenly, everyone heard the sound of a weapon being drawn, followed by the sound of a heavy object falling to the ground.
Turning around, they saw that the gate had been directly cut open by Inaba Tsukiyo. Inaba Tsukiyo stood in front of the Tenshukaku, making a motion to sheathe her sword.
"What are you doing? Didn't you say we needed to retrieve the divine key and let Sakura's will return to the real world?"
Facing everyone's gazes, Inaba Tsukiyo merely tilted her head, holding mikazuki munechika, and asked in confusion.
Theresa snapped back to reality, looking at Inaba Tsukiyo with some bewilderment. What kind of person had she invited back to St. Freya Academy?
Higanbana couldn't help but gulp. Although she greatly respected Inaba Tsukiyo, the power Inaba Tsukiyo displayed was truly terrifying.
She still remembered when Yae Sakura met Inaba Tsukiyo in Changkong City; those azure blue pupils had directly severed the connection between her and Yae Sakura.
At that time, if Inaba Tsukiyo hadn't wanted to harm Yae Sakura, she would probably have died.
"What's wrong, Higanbana? You're sweating a lot, are you alright?"
Yae Sakura noticed the cold sweat continuously dripping from Higanbana's forehead and asked with some concern.
"Ah… Ah haha~ I'm fine, Big Sister. I'm perfectly well. It's just, I wanted to ask, Big Sister, compared to the strength of God… uh, Sister Tsukiyo, who is stronger?"
She had originally intended to address her as 'Lord God,' but recalling Inaba Tsukiyo's warning to her, Higanbana changed her words and asked.
(fuhai: She's over fifty thousand years old, why does she always like to call others 'sister'?)
"Hmm? Of course, it's Tsukiyo. Did you forget our battle outside? At that time, when I was controlled by you, I used one hundred percent of my power, but in the end, I still lost."
"Uh… I'm sorry, Big Sister. I wasn't…"
"Alright, alright. I didn't mean to blame you, I just mentioned it casually. Let's hurry and catch up; they've already gone in."
Inaba Tsukiyo and Theresa had already entered the Tenshukaku. Yae Sakura gently patted Higanbana's little head and followed the two inside.
"Hehehe~ This feeling… isn't bad."
Higanbana touched the spot where Yae Sakura had patted her. Although it was just a small touch, she really liked the feeling.
Sealed in the Honkai Box for tens of thousands of years, living in a box with nothing and no concept of time, had continuously increased the hatred in Higanbana's heart.
However, when she let go of that hatred and began to accept the warmth given by others again, she also discovered that this world was not as dark as she had initially imagined.
"Wait for me, Big Sister!"
Higanbana quickly followed. At this time, Inaba Tsukiyo, who had already entered the Tenshukaku, was observing the internal environment with Theresa.
This was a very typical Japanese-style residence. Whether it was the tatami mats or the wooden floors, everything had a strong Japanese aesthetic.
As a European, Theresa looked around with some surprise. The fresh scent of the wooden floors, as well as the patterns on the walls and sliding doors, made Theresa greatly admire the architectural design.
'Should I spend some money to build a Japanese-style residence when I go back?'
Theresa couldn't help but think this. Even if she didn't have money, she could ask Otto for some.
Although she didn't really want to contact Otto, in an absolutely helpless situation, she could only ask Otto for a little funding.
Inaba Tsukiyo looked at Theresa beside her. At this moment, Theresa didn't have the strength of an S-Rank Valkyrie she displayed outside.
She was just like an ordinary girl, needing protection from others, only able to cling close to her.
Feeling the touch on her neck, Inaba Tsukiyo found a necklace. This was the necklace Kallen had given her in a certain Stigmata Space before.
She herself couldn't use this power. If Theresa needed it, she should be able to unleash the power Kallen had bestowed.
"This is?"
"This is a necklace Kallen gave me when I met her in another Stigmata Space. I think… you should be able to use it."
Inaba Tsukiyo briefly explained and handed the necklace to Theresa.
Theresa took the necklace from Inaba Tsukiyo. Before she could even look at it, the necklace began to glow.
"The horn of the finale has long sounded, yet I linger, unwilling to depart. To ensure you are no longer alone, my soul, my warmth, shall all transform into the gown that guards you—Pledge of Judah."
Kallen's voice echoed in Theresa's mind, and the light emanating from the cross shone upon Theresa.
Under this light, the clothes on Theresa's body began to change.
It was a pure white dress, somewhat like a wedding gown, but not quite like a formal dress.
Wearing this new outfit, Theresa could feel her power returning, and at the same time, the oath of judah appeared before her.
"This is… Pledge of Judah? It really is…"
Theresa looked left and right at the clothes on her body, and also at the oath of judah in front of her, and said.
Yae Sakura and Higanbana, who had rushed over, also noticed the change in Theresa. Yae Sakura was fine, but Higanbana was completely unnerved after seeing the oath of judah.
Although she was no longer in her fox demon state, the oath of judah gave her a very bad feeling. If Inaba Tsukiyo hadn't been nearby, she probably would have breathed fire already.
"Hehe~ This way, I won't be a burden to you. Now, I can also fight."
Theresa effortlessly lifted the 152-kilogram oath of judah and said with a chuckle.
As an S-Rank Valkyrie, always hiding behind others was something she had long grown tired of.
Now with new clothes and Judah on her, as long as an enemy appeared, Theresa would let them know how many ways Judah could be used.
"Huh?"
The moment Theresa lifted Judah, Inaba Tsukiyo suddenly noticed something and looked at the oath of judah behind Theresa.
For some unknown reason, Inaba Tsukiyo felt as if the oath of judah had undergone some change.
As her gaze focused, the oath of judah in front of her gradually transformed into a girl who bore an eighty percent resemblance to Kallen.
Facing Inaba Tsukiyo's gaze, the girl half-knelt on the ground and said with a devout tone.
"In the name of the Oath, I offer my body as a shield, to guard the path of my Lord, to eliminate the enemies of my Lord, to walk the battlefield without fear, to remain by his side until the end, to turn to dust without regret."
Inaba Tsukiyo could feel the other party's loyalty and will from her devout words.
What was the identity of this girl who resembled Kallen? Inaba Tsukiyo was very puzzled, but she had seen this on the oath of judah, so could it be... "Hey, hey (#`O′)! Tsukiyo-chan! Did you hear me? Tsukiyo-chan!"
Theresa's shout woke Inaba Tsukiyo from her thoughts. Turning around, Inaba Tsukiyo found Theresa next to her, pouting and looking at her with dissatisfaction.
"What's wrong, Theresa? Did something happen?"
"Nothing happened! You just suddenly stopped talking, and no matter how much I called you, you didn't answer. What were you thinking about so intently?"
"...No, nothing. It might just be my imagination. Let's hurry up and move forward. The sooner we resolve this, the sooner we can go back."
Shaking her head, Inaba Tsukiyo decided not to explore the question. After all, this was just the Stigmata Space, and the oath of judah was still outside.
Even if the oath of judah truly held some mystery, it was outside, so she could always find it if she discovered anything.
And so, the three embarked on the path to the top floor. Just as they expected, guards tried to stop them on their way up.
These were relatively high-level Death Soldiers and Honkai Beasts, and they blocked Inaba Tsukiyo's path.
However, after Theresa regained her strength, these Honkai Beasts were clearly no match for her. Inaba Tsukiyo didn't even need to intervene; Theresa beat them soundly.
Perhaps to vent the frustration of her previous defeat by the early Honkai Beasts, Theresa attacked mercilessly, not even considering whether her attacks would damage the floor, continuously striking with heavy blows.
This time, Theresa did not use the spears or chains within the oath of judah for her attacks. She simply lifted the cross and furiously smashed it onto the heads of these Honkai Beasts.
As she smashed, she let out a chilling laugh, which made Higanbana, who had once been thoroughly disciplined by Kallen, shiver involuntarily.
This person really is related to Kallen.
Although unlike Kallen, she didn't use dual pistols, when it came to smashing people with a cross, Theresa was truly just like Kallen, with no change whatsoever.
Under Theresa's excellent performance, the group quickly arrived outside the divine key storage on the top floor.
However, Higanbana looked at the divine key stored inside with some nervousness.
She had a premonition that if the divine key contained her previous powers, she might lose herself again upon touching it.
At that time... she would probably be beaten up again.
'I don't want that!'
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