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This was an utterly unremarkable place.

Within the forty-square-meter space, aside from the bathroom and a bed, the most prominent feature was a cultivation tank bristling with futuristic technology.

Inside, a yellowish-green liquid reached just below the rim, encasing a human figure.

The young man’s eyes were tightly shut, his chest rising and falling rhythmically. As he breathed, the liquid flowed in and out of his body, each exchange tingeing the fluid with a faint crimson hue, causing the original yellowish-green to gradually fade.

After an indeterminate period, the liquid’s color transformed entirely into a vivid, bloody crimson. At that moment, the sealed environment was released.

As the liquid drained away, and the surface lowered to his chest, the young man’s eyes flickered open.

The fluid in his lungs was expelled by the cultivation tank’s specialized field. Breathing the crisp, fresh air once more brought a peculiar mix of discomfort and profound relief.

“This recovery session took twenty hours.”

The young man offered a wry smile, glancing outside. The sky was already nearing dusk, and he still had a mission to complete.

‘Subsequent conditioning and recuperation are unavoidable,’ he mused. ‘Fortunately, the mission doesn’t need to be completed in the immediate future.’

He stretched his limbs, a faint ache reminding him that his body hadn’t fully recovered. All fractured or displaced bones had been mended, yet the remaining task was to wait for them to fully reattach themselves.

“To use cannons for close combat—it’s astounding she even conceived of such a tactic.”

Kanzaki Tianxing recalled yesterday’s battle, a wave of speechlessness washing over him.

He had detected traces of the Kanzaki family’s spear and sword techniques in her cannon usage. Although she deliberately suppressed these methods, for someone like him, who witnessed them daily, it was impossible not to recognize them.

“Even after crippling her breathing, this was the outcome. What if I hadn’t managed to disable her breathing? Would I have been able to rely solely on…”

He suddenly remembered a phrase the girl had uttered earlier—”Eight Extremities Heaven, Vigorous Sun.”

The young man pressed a hand to his forehead, doubts surfacing about his ability to successfully complete the mission.

‘Someone who has clearly witnessed the various secret traditions of the Kanzaki family, perhaps even studied them… No, definitely studied them. If she then uses that CR-UNIT, the fight will be unwinnable.’

With this thought, the young man opened the cultivation tank and moved to the edge of the bed. He reached down, lifted the bed board, and retrieved a briefcase from underneath.

After opening it, the young man hesitated for a moment, then decisively removed the bracelet indicated by a yellow arrow inside.

He detached the pendant from his necklace and pressed it into the bracelet’s slot. Following a series of electronic tones, he gained authorization to use the device.

“Miss, I apologize.”

Kanzaki Tianxing bowed his hands towards the window.

He had only brought one set of wiring gear this time, but his CR-UNIT was a different matter entirely. While this particular CR-UNIT significantly increased the burden and risk to the brain, God was, after all, fair; what was lost was also gained. The high-pressure load naturally bestowed destructive power far beyond the ordinary, though it was limited to sniping.

Slipping the bracelet onto his wrist, Kanzaki Tianxing departed from the small room.

Deep within the dense forest, a girl with long black hair, tipped with blue, forged a path ahead. Behind her, another girl with short, ear-length black hair followed the trail she created.

However, her constantly shifting eyes indicated that she was deep in thought.

As Yina ascended, her view steadily expanded. Upon reaching the summit, the setting sun illuminated her face, the wind caressed her cheeks, and a warmth spread through her body.

Bathed in the orange-red glow, she stood poised, like an immortal descended to earth, seemingly ready to ride the wind away.

The girl turned, extending a hand towards Yisha. Yisha responded with a faint smile, taking her hand.

“The scenery here is lovely. Shall we come for a picnic next time?”

Yisha looked around, her eyes sparkling with eagerness.

“The wind is strong at night, and children could easily catch a cold,” Yina stated, “Moreover, the terrain is too steep for setting up tents.”

Yina mercilessly extinguished the small flame of enthusiasm in Yisha’s heart.

“On the rooftop are Itsuka Shido and…”

“Yatogami Tohka! At least try to remember the enemy’s name!”

Yina offered a helpless reminder. Still, Yisha preferred to refer to them by their Spirit designations. Even though Tohka now had a name, Yisha could, for the time being, only associate them with their codenames.

“I just can’t seem to remember them, can I? Thanks, Yina.”

After pressing her palms together in a gesture of apology, Yisha gazed into the distance. Suddenly, a reflection appeared in her field of vision.

“Oh, look at that! The AST is getting involved. Who spotted them?”

Yisha sounded somewhat surprised.

Generally, the AST’s Spirit detection devices came in two types: individual and area-based. The former was compact and portable, consuming little magical power, but due to its high technological complexity, it was rarely taken outside AST headquarters except during Spatial Quakes or in special circumstances. The latter was slightly larger, but its magical power consumption was immense. As far as Yisha knew, only three individuals within the entire Tengu City AST could operate such a device.

The AST was now fully armed, clearly having identified a Spirit. Considering it couldn’t have been a casual detection, it could only mean that Itsuka Shido had encountered an AST member during his date—a combatant familiar with the Princess’s appearance, and someone with considerable prestige within the AST. Otherwise, the AST wouldn’t go to such lengths to detect a girl based solely on speculation… Wait, wasn’t merely resembling a Spirit already a significant issue?

Yisha tapped her head, reminding herself to consider all angles.

“Yina, do you think they’ll fight?”

The girl’s gaze shifted between the rooftop and the AST. A moment later, she provided her answer.

“Sixty percent chance.”

“Just like me, then.”

Yisha smiled, about to make a move, but Yina turned and shot her a fierce glare.

“What are you trying to do?”

“Nothing, nothing at all! Just changing my stance; standing is a bit tiring.”

‘It looks like Yina is going to watch me like a hawk,’ she thought. ‘She seems genuinely angry.’

Yisha said awkwardly, then found a tree to lean against and sat down.

However, Yisha knew she was in the wrong. The injuries to her body, sustained from Kanzaki Tianxing’s palm strike yesterday, combined with the extensive use of spiritual power causing a clash between spiritual and magical energies, had led to a relapse of healed wounds, reopened fissures, and an exacerbation of unhealed ones.

It would be no exaggeration to say her life now hung by a thread.

With abysses on both sides and behind her, taking another step forward was akin to dancing on a tightrope, while a step back would mean instant demise, rendering even a trip to the hospital unnecessary.

“Even though the AST has CCC, they know far too little about Spirits. A headshot might be possible, but with it there, even if it came down to a headshot, it could still be intercepted, right?”

“With us here, there’s a thirty percent chance it won’t emerge,” Yina explained. “After all, every other time, it was prepared. This time, it isn’t.”

Yina listened to Yisha’s explanation, understanding that the remaining seventy percent chance meant it would intervene. But if that truly happened…

The wind softly caressed the world, the light grew increasingly dim, and darkness reclaimed the place.

“The sky is darkening rapidly.”

“The twilight hour, the time of meeting demons.”

This period was most prone to inciting disaster and suffering, yet Yina had heard it could also bring forth miracles, though there was no evidence to support such claims.

Boom!!!

Enveloped in magical energy, the armor-piercing round flew unimpeded by wind or humidity, maintaining its trajectory—and then…

!

Yisha’s eyes widened. Her hand clenched at what she saw, causing a portion of the tree she gripped to crumble away.

The girl was transported back to that day, four years ago.

A different place, a different time, different people, yet the same event.

“Yu… Yun…”

An immense sorrow surged through her heart, tears spilling from her eyes. The grief was so profound it felt as though her throat was being constricted, making it nearly impossible to breathe.

“No… don’t…”

The girl’s voice was barely a whisper, trembling incessantly. Her hands, her legs, her entire body shook with fear.

“Don’t!!!”

Before Yina could react, Yisha stomped her foot forcefully. Kicking up a cloud of dust, she then soared like a swallow towards the scene.

“What happened?”

Yina didn’t immediately understand why, but considering Yisha’s emotional state, she knew something significant had occurred.

Without a second thought, Yina followed Yisha, determined to halt her reckless charge.