The branches of the trees intertwined like a vaulted canopy. Beneath the sun-blocking green shade, the ground was layered with rotting leaves, soft as cotton.
Ayame Yomogawa's brown lace-up boots stepped lightly upon it, the faint crunching sound unusually clear in the quiet forest, weaving together with the distant rustle of wind sweeping through the leaves.
She raised a hand to brush aside the hanging vines, her fingertips gliding across the faintly glowing veins of the leaves—every plant here was abnormally tall, several times thicker than the forest surrounding Kenkin Station.
It was precisely the mark of the two goddesses' dwelling from her memories.
Taking a deep breath of the air scented with fresh blossoms, she steadied herself and called out, "Lord Delta, are you here?"
"Human, are you looking for me?"
An ethereal female voice sounded from behind her, carrying a unique coolness.
Ayame Yomogawa turned around, her breath catching abruptly—the figure from her memories was floating in midair. Deep green hair cascaded down like flowing water, strands flying freely in an invisible current, each filament shimmering as though it contained the vitality of the entire forest.
Her eyes were a dazzling gold, sharp and mysterious, radiating unquestionable authority.
She wore white as the primary tone of her attire, accented with deep blue details. The design was intricate and layered.
Behind her unfolded wing-like structures resembling crystalline leaves, glowing softly, their edges adorned with faint golden patterns. They were light and dreamlike, as though streams of radiance flowed within them.
So beautiful...
Ayame Yomogawa stared in a daze. Even though Delta's appearance had long been etched into her mind, seeing her in person still struck her heart fiercely.
She snapped back to herself, recalling the personality of this goddess from her memories, and quickly bowed, a faint blush coloring her cheeks. "Yes, Lord Delta. My name is Ayame Yomogawa. I come from Kenkin Station."
Delta's gaze settled on her, looking her up and down.
The girl wore her glossy black hair in a high ponytail, adorned with a bright red flower accessory that was lively and eye-catching. On her upper body, she wore a white shirt layered with a pink cardigan, a large white bow tied at the collar, and a deep blue vest beneath. Her rose-red long skirt was cinched with a matching belt at the waist, paired with brown lace-up boots—gentle yet capable.
Under Delta's scrutiny, Ayame Yomogawa's heart pounded wildly, her fingertips curling slightly.
In her memories, she had been one of the goddess' closest attendants, once injected with Honkai energy and granted a Stigmata.
Please let nothing go wrong...
Delta frowned slightly.
She was not surprised that someone had followed the awakened dream memories to find this place, though the speed was a bit fast.
Did she have some ulterior motive?
Delta quietly activated her mind-reading ability, yet heard the other girl speak first. "Lord Delta, are you wondering how I know about you?"
The girl's inner thoughts were straightforward and burning hot—"Lord Delta is so beautiful."
There were also uncontrollably surfacing memory fragments of intimate interactions between Delta and Houraiji Kyuusyou.
In those memories, Ayame Yomogawa had been an early bystander, already powerless and collapsed.
After reviewing the memories, Delta interrupted indifferently, "No, I'm not curious."
From the beginning, she had known the girl came because of awakened dream simulation memories.
"Lord Delta, did you also return from the future?" Ayame Yomogawa asked tentatively.
"No," Delta replied flatly. "I merely read your memories."
Ayame Yomogawa's small mouth parted slightly, leaving her momentarily speechless. The ability to read memories... She suddenly recalled that whenever Lord Delta required an ability, she could continuously evolve to obtain it.
Wait, then wouldn't all those improper thoughts just now have been seen by Lord Delta?
The girl's face flushed crimson in an instant, her gaze growing increasingly evasive.
Yet the more she tried to suppress it, the more the intimate scenes between Delta and Houraiji Kyuusyou in her memories surged uncontrollably to the surface.
"Th-that... Lord Delta, may I continue to serve you?" Ayame Yomogawa asked cautiously, her voice tinged with nervousness.
Delta slowly approached. Her cool fingertips brushed lightly across the girl's cheek, then a slender finger hooked beneath her chin, her tone carrying a hint of playfulness. "You're not bad. It's just that you and my sister know a bit too much—but I don't dislike it."
She paused, her tone turning indifferent. "However, you also know that the vast majority of humans cannot withstand my power."
Hearing this, Ayame Yomogawa let out a breath of relief, her gaze instantly firming. "I will succeed."
Delta said nothing more and gently slipped her fingertip into the girl's mouth.
She was still newly born and did not possess the authority of the Will of Ruler to bestow Herrscher Stigmata. She could only construct an imitation Stigmata using her own Honkai energy as a foundation—this Stigmata connected to her power and served as a bond to establish a kinship relationship. The tongue was a sufficiently concealed location.
A warm current of Honkai energy flowed in through her fingertip. Ayame Yomogawa felt only a growing heat on her tongue.
"It's done," Delta said, withdrawing her hand. For her, parting with this small amount of surplus power was insignificant.
At that moment, Ayame Yomogawa felt the entire world become incomparably clear—she could see a squirrel leaping through the distant forest, hear the sound of a stream several miles away, and within her body surged inexhaustible strength.
So this is the power of a god?
Amazing!
The reason she had been so eager to find Delta was precisely for this power.
Although the threat of the Kabane had already been eliminated by the goddess, the crisis within humanity had only just begun.
Within Kenkin Station, she had discovered that she was not the only one who had awakened dream memories. In a short time, she had found more than a dozen awakened individuals.
And among them, someone had assassinated her father.
What were those who had awakened their memories thinking?
Why assassinate her father?
She had no way of knowing. She only knew that if she continued to remain in Kenkin Station, she would sooner or later fall into danger.
With the Kabane outside now gone, relying solely on her and her samurai subordinates, it was impossible to manage this group of people who possessed memories of the future.