In the dead of night, everyone was already asleep. Hiyokumaru stealthily made her way to the hangar and boarded the Hyperion.
The moment Hiyokumaru got on board, Ai-chan immediately detected her and came out.
Ai-chan stood in front of Hiyokumaru with an unfriendly expression, blocking her path.
"It's you again. What are you here for this time... Let me be clear, if you dare to make a move this time, Theresa and the others will receive an alert immediately."
Hiyokumaru looked Ai-chan over carefully and even patted her head. "A stinky cabbage... I'm not here for you this time. Let Ai out!"
"I am Ai! Ai-chan is just a nickname!" Ai-chan retorted with her hands on her hips.
"Uh, but you're just a cabbage... I'm not looking for this Ai."
Then, Hiyokumaru scanned the entire Hyperion and found that Ai-chan wasn't wrong. Her main body was indeed in the central hub of the Hyperion, and she did look like the big Ai...
"Oh, so you're looking for Chrono Navi... I can't help you with that. I didn't even know she existed until she showed up last time. I'll cancel the alert. Try corrupting the Hyperion again. I only know of Chrono Navi's existence, but I can't contact her."
Ai-chan patted her cabbage head, cancelled the alert, and slipped away.
"And she says she's not a cabbage..." Hiyokumaru muttered speechlessly, then used her corrosive power to directly corrupt the Hyperion.
*Dwang—*
A green chakram appeared out of thin air and sent Hiyokumaru flying...
"I told you, didn't I... If you corrupt the Hyperion again, I will appear and teach you a lesson."
Ai elegantly spun around and caught the chakram that had bounced back after hitting Hiyokumaru.
"Who attacks someone the moment they meet..." Hiyokumaru muttered, rubbing the spot where she was hit, her face contorted in pain.
"Don't attack! I'm not here to cause trouble!" Hiyokumaru shouted hastily as she saw Ai about to attack again.
"Oh? Then tell me what you want."
"I came to find you! I want to apologize to you! I'm sorry, I was wrong last time!!" Hiyokumaru shouted, bowing deeply to Ai in apology.
"Hmm... Alright, I accept your apology." Ai put away her chakram and revealed a smile.
"Your condition looks... well then, are you here to say your final farewell?"
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Hiyokumaru appeared silently in Kallen and Yae Sakura's bedroom, quietly watching the sleeping Kallen and Yae Sakura. Finally, she let out a sigh and dissipated once more.
"Sigh... my memories are fading faster and faster. If the diaries were still here, I could have pretended for a while longer, but alas..."
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In the early morning, Yae Sakura woke up feeling that something was wrong. She could no longer sense Hiyokumaru's presence at all.
Yae Sakura hurriedly opened the cabinet beside her. There, where she had placed two swords, Spirit Blade: Sakura Fubuki and Demon Blade: Akazome Sakura, should have been.
But now, only Sakura Fubuki remained in the cabinet... Akazome Sakura had disappeared.
Spirit Blade: Sakura Fubuki and Demon Blade: Akazome Sakura were originally the same sword, but Higokumaru, in order to annoy Yae Sakura, had specifically reforged the Demon Blade: Akazome Sakura.
But now, just like Hiyokumaru, Akazome Sakura had completely vanished.
Yae Sakura quickly woke Kallen up, and they began searching for Hiyokumaru all over St. Freya High School.
Most people had seen Hiyokumaru yesterday, but today she had vanished from the world as if she were a phantom.
Rain began to fall from the sky, with droplets gently landing on Yae Sakura's hand.
She gripped her sword, wanting to slash wildly at something. She wanted to kill something, or perhaps save something...
But in the end, she let go of her sword and walked step by step in the rain.
Her famed swordsmanship was of no use. Even her sense of smell, which could detect souls, was of no use.
Hiyokumaru was gone, just as suddenly as she had appeared in Yae Sakura's world, she had suddenly disappeared again.
Finally, the crestfallen Yae Sakura stood before Kallen with her head bowed.
"Kallen, it seems I still haven't changed anything... I've lost my sister once again."
"Sakura... don't jump to conclusions so easily. We haven't seen Ryn yet, have we? Maybe Ryn took Hiyokumaru and left the island..."
"Right... there's still Ryn..."
Yae Sakura seemed to have grasped at a final straw. Muttering to herself, she vanished from Kallen's sight. Yae Sakura's speed was too fast for Kallen to keep up.
But Kallen had no intention of keeping up. Hiyokumaru was too kind and too close to people, which had made her forget some things too.
Kallen opened the armory and looked at the empty room, sighing.
The black box that had sealed Higokumaru was also gone.
Hiyokumaru and Higokumaru were just a thought apart; there was no difference between them. They... were both the Herrscher of Corruption.
And beside the black box, a Valkyrie battlesuit was placed. Kallen looked at the armor and laughed out loud. Otto claimed he was just a memory construct, but he still gave her the best treatment.
But was she, who had lost her former ideals and passion, worthy of it?
After a long silence, Kallen took off her clothes, took out the battlesuit, and put it on. The S-rank Valkyrie battlesuit—Sixth Serenade.
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Following Cortana's directions, Yae Sakura entered the hidden underground space left by Welt through a secret room in the basement of Ryn's house.
"..."
What had been a normal passageway just moments ago, but as the elevator descended deeper and deeper underground, Yae Sakura's restless heart gradually calmed.
"You guys hollowed out the entire area starting from 500 meters below St. Freya High School... Does Theresa know about this?"
After saying that, Yae Sakura slapped her face. This was a major issue concerning Hiyokumaru, how could she get distracted by something like this!
"Cortana, where's Ryn?! How am I supposed to find him in such a big place! The insulation measures you have here are too good, I can't smell Ryn's scent!"
"Miss Yae Sakura, relax. I know you're anxious, but being anxious won't change anything. I've already notified Ryn, and he's on his way to us now."
As soon as Cortana's voice fell, the elevator arrived. As the elevator doors fully opened, Ryn also arrived at that exact moment.
"Yae Sakura, are you sure Hiyokumaru is gone?" "Ryn, have you seen Hiyokumaru!"
"I haven't. I haven't seen Hiyokumaru since yesterday." "I'm sure. I can't sense her presence anymore."
Ryn and Yae Sakura frantically exchanged their respective information.
After confirming that Ryn hadn't seen Hiyokumaru, Yae Sakura grew even more anxious. She immediately ran up the elevator shaft and swiftly departed.
Ryn, on the other hand, had Cortana take over the global network and start searching for any trace of Hiyokumaru.
Recalling Hiyokumaru's question to him yesterday, Ryn felt a sense of unease.