Xingtie: After my death, Liuying will understand love.

Lightning, the River of Oblivion, and Mei will sever that great sun.

Before she became a swordswoman, when she first understood the despair represented by the eternal shadow in the sky, this was the only and necessary goal to achieve.

This is the past she must sever, and it is also the same determination in the hearts of countless Izumo citizens who look up at the same sky.

The Yellow Springs will completely end the fate of nothingness and grant "IX" its true end.

From the moment she left Izumo alone to embark on her journey, perhaps fate truly exists in this world. Yomi survived that final battle for the universe and once again found Mei's name.

Unlike Raiden Oblivion Guardian Mei and Yomi, Mei's wish is simple and stubborn. She only wants to stay by Anmei's side, just like the hundreds of silent Kohaku-ki in Takamagahara in the past. She has long been used to waiting in countless identical days and nights.

But before she can officially become Raiden Mei, she must first fulfill the missions of "Yomi" and "Guardian of the River of Oblivion"... She must sever the path of nothingness.

Anming knew this, the girls in his dream knew this, and everyone on the Starry Sky Train knew this.

For Mei, it was not just a goal from the past, but also the slash she had to personally make to completely separate the karmic debts of the underworld from Mei's future.

Therefore, she will kill a god.

In the name of "existence," they commit acts of "god-killing."

Lightning, the River of Oblivion, Mei will sever the Great Sun.

This is a major event that everyone is aware of, though Mei spoke of it calmly. Because of her calmness, it is a very big and serious matter.

Just as the robin is wholeheartedly devoted to the reconstruction of New Catchpe, Raiden Mei also has a mission that she must complete alone. After the great battle that ended everything, she quietly left the Star Train, and even Sakura did not know her whereabouts.

But everyone knew where she was going and what she was going to do.

In the history of Izumo, there is a very distant past when Izumo was shrouded in the shadow of nothingness. At that time, the entire land was completely shrouded in the shadow of nothingness. Dozens of Amber Ages of rebellion, one after another, ultimately brought not the dawn, but true despair.

The Void will devour Izumo, just like it has devoured countless planets before. It's just that Izumo was a little unlucky and happened to appear near the slumbering 9.

So where exactly is Raiden Mei?

It was a planet long since submerged in the river of history, just like the once prosperous Celestial Empire of Grammer. The planet called Takamagahara also had a glorious past.

A long time has passed since Takamagahara was completely swallowed by the void. Unlike Kachipe, which had a large area of ​​its surface destroyed by the star core, Takamagahara is a true dead star, a veritable land of death.

Mei stood alone in the graveyard of this planet. There was no wind or sound, and even the boundary between light and darkness had been erased, leaving only an emptiness that devoured everything.

In that final battle that severed the Great Sun, Anmei stood at the edge of Takamagahara and swung a sword at "9" that embodied the meaning of his own existence.

Now, Raiden Mei sits alone atop the shattered peak of Takamagahara.

Since this place is the cemetery of Takamagahara, it is quite appropriate to hold this belated funeral.

Mei, the guardian of the River of Lightning, is sharpening her knife.

Her knife wasn't in her hand, but in her heart.

It is naturally a knife to the heart.

This knife should have been honed for much longer, long enough to measure the passage of time in the Amber Period, but unfortunately, she had another, more important thing to do.

Before that, she will settle this matter first.

This strike was not for revenge, nor for redemption.

It's all for the sake of severing ties.

To sever the shadow that has shrouded our homeland for countless ages, to sever the emptiness that erodes meaning and existence itself.

Severance, the final nothingness.

...

...

“Mei told me not to worry,” Liu Ying said gently in front of the pastry shop that was about to open for trial operation under the starry night sky. Her voice was as gentle as the evening breeze, and the warm yellow light outlined the soft contours of her face.

"But you'll still go, right?"

In the past, on summer nights in Grammer, she would always look up at the starry sky like this. Before meeting Anming, she would feel a little happiness because of this starry sky, even as a genetic warrior.

In front of the girl, whose eyes were as clear as fireflies, Anming could never hide his feelings, especially since on that distant night, by the pond where fireflies twinkled, they had made a promise to reveal everything to each other.

Therefore, there are never any thoughts that can be hidden.

Anming nodded and said, "That knife was too hasty." Since it was hasty, it was difficult to achieve perfection, and naturally many unforeseen complications would arise.

But he also firmly believed in Mei's will and strength, which is why he chose to come here first, to wait quietly, or to witness the arrival of a certain moment.

For some reason, Mei has a very high level of trust in Ryuki, and she will even inform Ryuki in advance about things like this.

She is going to sever the void.

Liu Ying showed no surprise or dissuasion, but her gentle smile deepened slightly, and she said softly, her eyes reflecting starlight, "Yes, so... I'll go with you too."

Mei, however, said that this was a past that only she could resolve, a karma that belonged only to the "Yellow Springs".

So Firefly remained silent for a long time, but that silence was not one of hesitation, but rather of understanding and respect. Finally, she nodded gently and agreed to Mei's request.

That day was the last time Hotaru saw Mei. She knew that Mei would go to Takamagahara to face the void, and she also knew the reason why Mei had to do it.

Mei knew better than anyone how gentle Anming was, so gentle that she didn't want her loved ones to be exposed to even the slightest danger. Therefore, only the even gentler Ryuhoshi could keep Anming here.

And Firefly understands Mei's deep feelings, so as the older sister, she should naturally help her younger sister.

Looking at the gentle yet resolute girl before him, An Ming couldn't help but smile with a mixture of helplessness and understanding. He softly called out, "Yingbao..."

"stop."

Before she could finish speaking, Liu Ying's cheeks flushed slightly. She reached out her index finger and gently pressed it against An Ming's lips, tenderly stopping his unfinished words. Her slightly flickering eyes held a gentle insistence.

“I know that if you call me that, I’ll soften,” her voice softened, with a hint of embarrassment, “so it’s better not to say it.”

She could never resist Anming speaking to her in that tone; her heart would pound every time, just like a young girl experiencing her first love and unable to control herself.

"so."

The firefly raised her eyes again, looking earnest and somewhat adorable. "Tonight, you'll stay here." After thinking for a long time, the little firefly finally came up with an even simpler solution.

Under a sky full of stars, the girl, who had long since shed her naivety, tiptoed and gently kissed his lips, telling him with her unchangingly gentle eyes that he could try to believe in them.

Trust Mei.

Please also believe in us, who have always believed in you.

...

...

Stars are a distant and gentle existence.

When Mei was a child, her parents told her that before the great sun that brought eternal despair shrouded the clouds, the night sky of her hometown was filled with countless stars, dazzling and silent... as romantic as the Milky Way pouring down, a scene that even the most beautiful daydreams dared not easily depict.

However, there were no stars in Izumo.

Since Mei could remember, she had never seen a sky full of stars. Back then, even if Izumo looked up and tried to find something, all she could catch with her eyes were scattered, stubborn glimmers of light on the dark sky, like embers forgotten by the world.

Later, Mei left Izumo, and after she became Yomi, she saw the real Star Ocean for the first time.

The universe is truly vast, and the magnificent, boundless starry sky is deeply imprinted in her eyes, never to fade. But alas... in her homeland, she will never be able to see such a beautiful sight.

Hundreds of Amber Ages have passed since that decisive battle that determined the fate of Izumo. That past, which remains as clear as yesterday in Mei's memory, has been calmly referred to by later generations as "history".

The people of Izumo today know about that past, but that's all they know. The haze of emptiness has dissipated, and although the sky above is still a dark, lightless place, apart from a few scholars who study ancient texts, few people actively try to understand the weight and meaning carried by the words "Imperial Decree Knife".

The imperial sword, once a symbol of supreme glory and a vow of protection, has gradually faded into a distant and blurred symbol over time. The imperial sword that accompanied her through the long years has ultimately become a silent relic of its former glory.

Izumo can no longer forge imperial swords.

Mei, the guardian of the River of Lightning, is the last wielder of the Imperial Sword.

She and her knife are like a solitary monument standing on the precipice of time, connecting the vanished past with the unnamed future.

she thinks.

If they were still alive, they would certainly make the same choice.

Many faces appeared in her mind; they were names that were distant yet familiar.

She saw the people smiling at her before she reached the underworld.

Izumo should not be imprisoned by the past.

Mei, the Lightning Lord of the River of Oblivion, is the last surviving member of the old Higurashi. So... let her name remain here, beneath the sky she once protected and ultimately bid farewell to.

There was no grand declaration, nor a tragic farewell.

Mei drew the sword called "Yomi".

Beyond the shattered sky of Takamagahara, a pair of pupils that had never held any meaning slowly emerged.

9 knew that Mei would come here, so He waited for a long time, waiting for her to sharpen the imperial edict sword that would eventually cut through nothingness.

The final imperial edict.

And so, at that moment, all living beings in the universe "saw" that knife—

The magnificent aurora flowing across the sky above Yalilo-VI was pierced by a purple lightning blade intent that proclaimed its existence. All signals in the star field where Luofu was located fell silent, and all broadcast channels echoed with the clear sound of a blade cleaving through the sky.

In the dreamlike sky of Pinocchio, the narrow, long knife mark that had once been cleaved suddenly radiated a sublime light, transforming into a shooting star that soared backwards and plunged into the distant call.

The Eternal Night Mansion, the Immortal Ship, Edo Star... Huang Quan's journey was incredibly long, naturally leaving her mark on countless worlds and planting proof of her existence.

At this moment, all the scattered sword intents felt their master's final call, that will called for existence, which was calling upon the sharpness of the entire universe!

Joy, excitement, madness... Knowing he was about to embark on a covenant to slay a god, Dao Yi cheered like a child breaking free of shackles, leaped for joy like a star rekindled, and surged toward the final imperial edict.

Like stars.

Like a meteor shower that rises from the bottom up and sweeps across the sky.

This blade was honed in my hands for less than a month.

This single strike, however, was tempered by fate for hundreds of Amber Ages.

This single strike pierced through Mei's entire life, through the hundreds of years of waiting Mei had spent guarding the River of Oblivion in Takamagahara, and through the long journey of Yomi carrying the future of all Izumo people.

This is proof of Raiden Mei's existence.

9 remained silent.