Shun followed the guidance of the Abyss Flower and arrived at those small hills downstream.
Unfortunately, this was not the site of Yae Shrine. Unlike buildings at the foot of the mountain that would be quickly cleared away by the pace of urbanization, buildings on the mountain could often remain abandoned for hundreds of years.
The scale of Yae Shrine shown in the game was not small. Those dozens of torii gates would still look quite spectacular if placed in reality. However, the place the Abyss Flower pointed Shun toward…
Mm, there were basically no traces of human activity on the mountain. This could basically be ruled out as the location of Yae Shrine.
Should he go a bit further up the mountain? At this moment, the Abyss Flower once again conveyed its intention to Shun. Since he had already come this far, Shun obediently continued walking up the mountain.
Upon reaching the summit, he found a very small clearing. Looking down from the mountain, he could just see Senba Academy.
Theresa had not followed him. After all, she still had to wait for the plane, and Shun had said he would handle it alone, so he had left Theresa at the airport in Nagazora City.
Shun felt a very strong emotion coming from the Abyss Flower… But if it was merely a Divine Key, no matter how intelligent, it shouldn't be able to do something like this.
At this time, the Abyss Flower seemed to have new movement again. Without Shun actively urging it, it activated the authority of "Withering." Black mist gradually formed a human-shaped outline in the air.
"See… Seele?" Although it was very abstract, Shun still recognized her identity from the features of the human outline.
Although the hair was much longer than the current Seele's, those familiar brows and posture were exactly the Seele he knew.
The human-shaped outline gently opened its arms toward Shun and moved to embrace him, but the insubstantial black mist could not truly hug him.
Even so, it was enough. After doing all this, the figure, with every line like a phantom in a dream, gently swayed and finally disappeared completely. The entire process was dreamlike, making one wonder whether what they had just seen was only an illusion.
The Abyss Flower seemed to have become different… but Shun couldn't say exactly where it was different.
Shun's hand continued to touch the hard shell of the Abyss Flower. He still felt the innate closeness, but that deep sense of infatuation and dependence could no longer be felt.
Shun's thirst for the truth in his heart increased a little more. However… Seele? Shun realized that he seemed to have never seen the other Seele.
The questions had increased again. But it didn't matter—he could ask Seele later. Shun shook his head, as if trying to forget the scene from earlier.
But that human-shaped outline that looked exactly like Seele had already imprinted itself in his mind and could no longer be forgotten.
Shun tried to activate the Abyss Flower, turning it back into its original lance form. It succeeded very easily.
Sure enough… Shun had the answer in his heart. He then changed the Abyss Flower back into its arm-guard form.
Although there had been such an interlude in between, after ruling out one target, Shun still found the location of Yae Shrine.
First were the stone slab path up the mountain and the spectacular group of torii gates. Although five hundred years had passed and they had become broken walls and ruins.
It was only because Shun often raced cars in Yae Village in the game that he remembered the environment here clearly.
Mm, he missed the days when he had nothing to do and would just wander around Yae Village. Even though the open world back then was still very crudely made.
But Shun would often spend an entire afternoon strolling in Yae Village. One could say he could walk these paths with his eyes closed.
I remember it's like this next… Shun walked along the already badly broken stone slab path all the way to the mountain top, and then saw a large clearing and a luxuriant cherry blossom tree.
This should be the location of Yae Shrine five hundred years ago. Although the main structures were wooden, there were actually some stone structures as well. Shun recognized this place.
"Under this cherry blossom tree is where Kallen sealed Yae Sakura… and the Black Box as well."
Shun took out Judah, which Theresa had lent him, from the Cosmic Juggernaut and asked Judah:
"Bro, do you still remember this place?"
Judah nodded in a very human-like manner. It seemed that as a highly intelligent Divine Key, it wouldn't forget things.
"Then, do you still remember how your former master, Kallen, sealed that pink-haired woman named Yae Sakura here five hundred years ago?"
Judah nodded to indicate it understood Shun's meaning, then silently pulled out a Fight the Landlord card from its body.
The meaning was probably… Don't worry, we're all bros. I'll handle it, you can rest assured. Just play more cards with me later. Theresa is too much of a hassle—it feels like babysitting when playing with her.
Of course, the part about Theresa was something Shun made up, but he was still somewhat surprised that Judah liked playing cards so much.
Sigh! Is this the charm of our Fight the Landlord? Our game is thriving.
"No need to say more, Judah. Just help me with the work in peace. When I have time later, I'll find you to play cards and rescue you from the fate of being a nursery rhyme player."
After painting a big picture for Judah, Shun let Judah act on its own. At the same time, he thought in his heart, "As expected of Schicksal's S-rank Valkyrie Judah."
At least the current Theresa relied too much on Judah. She clearly had great potential, yet she had turned herself into a Judah launcher.
Mm, was the gold content of my Theresa being casually acknowledged by Kevin after eating something and recognized as someone who could face the Finality?
Shun felt that after going back, he should occasionally feed Theresa some Honkai beasts. It was just that he didn't have the cooking skills of Master Thousand.
Otherwise, he should at least make some charcoal-grilled Honkai beasts for Theresa to boost her combat power a bit.
Without Shun's command, Judah automatically deployed. Thirteen illusory light spears shot out from Judah's body and sank into the ground beneath the cherry blossom tree.
"That's it?" Shun watched this scene, still a little incredulous. But Judah immediately conveyed a meaning:
"What else?"
But this wasn't cool or flashy at all. Shun had originally thought that reinforcing Yae Sakura's seal with Judah would involve something like golden gears or the Lance of Longinus. In the end, this was it?
Forget it. After all, it was only reinforcing the seal. Maybe five hundred years ago when Kallen sealed Yae Sakura, the commotion was huge?
Well, since the matter was over, they could leave first. Although the Black Box under this tree was a time bomb, there was currently no risk of it breaking the seal, so they could leave it alone for now. When his wings were fully grown later,
He, Shun, would call a few Herrschers of Human and companions with combat power on the level of the Flame-Chasers (excluding the cat and Griseo) to surround this place.
He refused to believe that her flying fish balls had the power of immortality. As long as she wanted to leave, the road would be under her feet.