Sky Striker Princess, but the swan song of Valkyrie.

"What exactly is it?"

Chris was somewhat alarmed.

The moment the words emitted a bloody mist, the musicians wanted to retreat, but the room was too narrow for them to escape the terrifying crimson.

"The word 'Death' has appeared all around!"

Xiaoqiege also felt very scared.

She saw three-dimensional text floating around her, just like on the computer screen. All of them were words that seemed to be flowing with blood: "I don't want to die" and "Live on."

It was an indescribable obsession, a terrifying belief magnified infinitely between life and death, a terrifying belief that seemed to penetrate the depths of the soul and be deeply imprinted on its owner's soul.

"Hold hands, don't get separated!"

Hibiki Tachibana reached out her hand and grabbed her companion, and all the musicians made the same choice. The five of them huddled together in fear, waiting for the phenomenon to disappear.

Finally, the phenomenon disappeared, but along with it, the room and the place to stand also disappeared.

"Ah ah ah ah ah--"

In the darkness, holding onto their companions' hands tightly, the group felt as if they were in an unstoppable freefall.

ps yow ball shrimp is Ness? 〆鷗、陆. Good evening.

Chapter Four: Seeking Life and Facing Death

Falling, an endless fall.

Hibiki Tachibana experienced a suffocating feeling of falling, which came from deep within her nerves.

Do not let go.

From the moment she began to fall, she could no longer hear the voices of her companions around her. Hibiki Tachibana's only thought was that she could not let go of her hand.

She thought that this feeling of falling would stop soon, and that she should be prepared to deal with any impact at any time.

Under the cover of darkness, time flowed slowly and imperceptibly.

One minute passed...

[It's so long, how tall is it exactly?]

The fall did not stop, and Tachibana Hibiki continued to wait anxiously for the possible crash, preparing herself for the impact at any moment.

An hour has passed.

Something's not right. How much longer will this fall last?

Hibiki Tachibana had a question in her mind. The sense of impending doom that had been delayed turned into a burden, forcing her to temporarily abandon her preparations for the impact.

But what's worse is that as time goes on, a sense of fear begins to creep into Tachibana Hibiki's heart.

She couldn't help but start thinking about a fact (Liu Yisan Erwajiu).

How long will they fall into this endless darkness? No, is there really an end to this fall? Can they really fall to the bottom?

No, hold on, don't give up!

Fear was barely felt; I couldn't see or hear anything around me, but I could still feel the touch of holding hands, and my companion was still beside me.

Then you can still persevere.

[Hurry up and get there—1]

Torment welled up from within her; Hibiki Tachibana didn't know how long this torment would last.

Has another day passed?

I can no longer feel the passage of time.

All Hibiki Tachibana could feel now was the boundless darkness that was causing her consciousness to begin to harden.

She tried to relax her body as much as possible to prolong her waking hours.

Even so, she was already in a state of distress, and even the smallest action like holding hands felt like she was bearing the heavy burden of a boulder pressing on her chest.

Why, why did it take so long?

Hibiki Tachibana didn't understand why so much time had passed.

Logically, after such a long time, outside support should have noticed them and rescued them.

But no, there was nothing.

In this endless darkness, the only certainty is the relentless descent and the impending doom, a death that hangs like the Sword of Damocles in one's heart, never to come.

My hands are so sore, I have no strength left... No, it's my mind that's lost its strength.

The repetitive, endless torment dazzled the spirit, and the despair of not knowing when it would end seemed to devour everything.

Has a month, or two months, passed yet?

I can no longer feel my own body, nor can I feel the hand I'm holding.

Hibiki Tachibana couldn't even be sure if her companions were still holding on.

I was on the verge of collapse, on the verge of giving up, on the verge of wanting to run away.

It was too painful. Hibiki Tachibana couldn't understand why simply entering Rei's consciousness space would cause her to experience this despairing feeling that was as if her heart was being torn apart, even though there was no pain at all.

How long will this continue? How long will this fall continue?

Can it really end? Is there nothing they can do? Did they not even manage to start? Are they destined to continue falling like this forever?

Has a year passed? Is it a year, or two?

Who am I? What am I supposed to do? Why am I here?

I've forgotten everything; the past, present, and future all seem blurry.

Should we just give up like this? Give up, stop thinking about it. There's no result. Just stop thinking about it and end this painful process.

..........

"what--"

I opened my eyes and was greeted by a dark space with a faint light source.

Looking at the ordinary, dimly lit space, Hibiki Tachibana was moved to tears.

Because she had finally escaped that endless, despairing feeling of falling, which she never wanted to experience again. If she could, she would want to stay on the ground with gravity for the rest of her life.

"Hey... how are you feeling?"

Chris's trembling voice came from the side. Looking over, her lingering fear showed that she had experienced the same feelings as Tachibana Hibiki.

"...Chris-chan, it's so good that you're still alive, no, that you're still alive and normal."

Hibiki Tachibana shared her thoughts in an attempt to escape the seemingly eternal sense of despair as quickly as possible.

"It was really terrifying. That feeling of emptiness, as if everything melted away and nothing mattered, still makes me shudder when I think about it now."

Sitting up, clutching her arm with one hand, Kohinata Mirai felt a surge of intense fear at this unprecedented sensation.

"Hoo—why do I feel Erqi in Zero's consciousness? This... indescribable feeling? Death?"

Xiaoqiege, who was forcibly calming herself down by taking deep breaths, couldn't help but raise a question.

"Phew, the answer is obvious. This is Sister Lingyi's consciousness space. Everything she's experiencing is what she's felt before, which means..."

Having used the pain to stimulate her consciousness and bring herself back to her senses, Tsukuyomi calmly offered her analysis.

"Zero-chan, I understand that feeling of despair... when you're all alone?"

She clutched her chest; otherwise, she couldn't suppress the sorrow in her heart. Hibiki Tachibana couldn't imagine how Rei, all alone, could bear that despair without any companions by her side.

"I'm afraid it's for survival... Traveling through worlds sounds like a simple thing, but if you think about it carefully, you'll realize that without help, how could it be easy?"

"She died, but because of her unwavering will to live, she maintained her consciousness in the endless darkness. In the end, with the help of the Anunnaki, the gods, her soul was reborn." "What we just felt was probably the sensation of her soul traversing the world after her death."

With her eyes closed and then open, Kohinata Mirai, having regained her composure, stood up and expressed her understanding of their speculations about what had happened.

"So much time was spent in darkness..."

If she hadn't experienced it firsthand, Hibiki Tachibana probably wouldn't have been able to understand that such indescribable despair exists in this world.

"Phew, let's keep going. Now is probably the time to truly uncover Lingyi's inner journey."

Chris, having recovered, shook her head, temporarily suppressing the feeling of despair, and refocused her attention on what lay ahead.

Determined to understand everything about her, I cannot give up just because of this obstacle. Whether in pain or joy, I cannot stop moving forward.

Then, the scene that came into view made Chris stop in her tracks.

"Huh—what is this?"

Just as Chris was about to move forward, she saw a huge door at the end of this dark space.

The door looked incredibly sturdy, with countless chains of various shapes hanging densely on it, giving it an aura that absolutely prevented anyone from entering.

"The locked door...does that mean we can't go any further?"

Kohinata Mirai followed, looking at the sturdy door in front of her, wondering what its significance was.

"We can't move forward, but if we don't move forward, we won't be able to understand anything more. Isn't there a key or something to unlock this?"

Looking at the door that was completely sealed from top to bottom, Hibiki Tachibana felt a little troubled.

"They searched the surrounding area but found no special mechanisms or Death."

"Why would such a door appear in the consciousness space?"

Xiaoqiege and Yuedu Diao were also puzzled by this, not understanding how to proceed.

Come here...

Just when everyone was at a loss, a voice seemed to resonate in their ears through their very souls.

"Tune, did you hear that? Death!"

"I heard it. It's a bit scary. This isn't Lingyi's voice."

Xiaoqiege and Yuedu took a step back in fright, feeling a sense of resistance to the strange and unfamiliar voice.

"Go to the door. A strange voice... um, consciousness..."

Hibiki Tachibana was still processing the information when she felt as if her consciousness was being affected by something, and her actions began to go awry without her noticing.

bang——

"Alright, wake up, Tachibana."

The sensation of being struck came from above my head, along with a familiar voice in my ear.

"Ryou-chan?"

Upon hearing the voice beside her, Hibiki Tachibana immediately turned her head, calling out the person's name as she saw that familiar white-gold color.

"Although I don't care if you see my memories, memories aren't always safe. It's better for you to stay away from some dangerous things right now." Platinum hair, emerald green eyes—it was a demeanor never seen before.

Neither the cold-blooded enemy of battle nor the girl in need of rescue with a pained expression, the Zero here wore a normal and relaxed smile that I had never seen before.

"Lingyi, what exactly is this?"

Upon suddenly seeing a familiar person, Kohinata Mirai exclaimed in surprise, wanting to ask her more questions.

However, before she could ask the question, Lingyi stopped her from speaking with her hand.

"Alright, since you've chosen to do this unnecessary thing, then keep watching. After you've finished watching, I believe you'll understand what the right choice is." With a detached smile, the platinum-blonde girl lightly snapped her fingers.

"What kind of death is this?"

"Is it going to crash again?!"

Then, Xiaoqiege and Yuedu Diao discovered that in this dark space, a glowing void appeared beneath their feet.

Before anyone could react, their bodies fell out of the dark space, leaving behind unresolved questions in their hearts.

"Phew, that was close, you almost succeeded."

After seeing the five of them off, Lingyi let out a slight breath, turned her head, and looked at the gate bound by chains with a relaxed expression.

"Aren't you really going to come and see? Inside this door lies your precious memories, containing the power of incredibly strong gods from ancient civilizations."

If you are worried about danger, please rest assured that once the restraint is removed, I will not harm you.

After Lingyi said those words, colorful blue characters appeared in front of the previously peaceful gate.