Yae Sakura's Thank-You Gift and a Sweet Dream / Trouble After Waking Up

Even though Gwen had not studied in depth the theoretical works left by the ancient Chinese sages, he knew that in the ancient theories, the Five Elements did not simply refer to five kinds of power, but rather were the basis for explaining the world.

When the master of this Hiyori actively caused destruction, bringing the world to the brink of destruction, even though Gwen had never studied this aspect, the power of the five elements in his hands could still evolve on its own, linking with this world and showing all of this to Gwen.

At this moment, in this dream constructed by Hiyori, Gwen, who was recognized by Yae Sakura, who shared the same master, unexpectedly gained the ability to "make the world what I think it is."

In this situation, even if Gwen had not yet mastered the divine essence, he could still forcefully bring forth the Sword God who could cut down anything—

In the sky, magnificent and vast golden-red clouds surged, and in the eye of the storm, a phantom divine sword slowly took shape, pointing directly at the source of the destruction of this world below.

"..."

Above, watching all this silently, Kevin already understood the situation, hesitated for a moment before not intervening directly. Instead, he transferred a portion of his power to Gwen.

"!"

A surge of heat rushed in, and Gwen's eyes sharpened as the illusory divine sword instantly solidified. Under the ferocious yet terrified gaze of Hiyori, he unleashed a strike powerful enough to tear the sky apart—

"Tai Xu - Sword God!"

As Gwen finished speaking, the enormous divine sword that had gathered in the sky slowly descended, though it seemed slow in reality, it was actually fast. By the time Gwen finished speaking, the tip of the sword had already reached the top of Hiyori's head.

Hiyori struggled frantically, trying to dodge and escape, but Yae Sakura within his body held him firmly, preventing him from moving an inch—

"Damn it, get out of the way or you'll die!"

"Hiyori, let's see where you run this time!"

Yae Sakura remained unmoved by Hiyori's words, focusing solely on keeping Hiyori firmly in place.

The hideous and eerie blood mist was utterly powerless against the descending Sword God, completely vaporizing, leaving Hiyori to watch helplessly as the colossal sword, capable of blotting out the sky, fell—

"Ah--"

As the blade pierced his body, Hiyori let out a shrill scream. Layers of blood mist exploded from his body, evaporated and dissipated, and finally vanished along with Yae Sakura's figure beneath the Sword God...

Chapter 222 Yae Sakura's Gift of Gratitude and Sweet Dreams

When Gwen regained his sight, the world was a vast expanse of white; the ruins of the Tenshukaku were nowhere to be seen, nor was there a single person in sight.

"This is..."

Looking at all this, Gwen couldn't help but feel puzzled—

Gwen just now contained the power of the five elements that had begun to support that world. Theoretically, it was an attack launched by that world against Hiyori, breaking its immortality in the dream. Moreover, with the Black Box in Gwen's arms providing location assistance, it should have ended the opponent's life.

Moreover, even if it doesn't work out, there's still Kevin as a foreign aid.

Just as Gwen doubt, a gentle breeze carrying a faint scent of cherry blossoms swept by, and a slightly ethereal figure quietly materialized in front of Gwen.

"Cherry..."

Upon seeing the other's face, Gwen instinctively called out—

The newcomer was none other than Yae Sakura, dressed in a pure white kimono, her cherry-colored hair neatly draped behind her, serene and beautiful.

"Um..."

Hearing Gwen call her name, Yae Sakura felt a little unsteady, yet a faint white light emanated from her, as if she were about to ascend to immortality. She nodded gently, a warm, spring-like smile spreading across her beautiful face.

"Thank you, Gwen..."

Thank you for ending all of this...

"Um..."

Hearing the affirmative words from White Spirit Yae Sakura before him, Gwen secretly breathed a sigh of relief, but his face still held a hint of apology.

"I'm sorry, Sakura, I couldn't save you..."

Although Gwen did not hesitate at all when the Sword God descended, he still felt guilty when he looked at Yae Sakura, whose figure was illusory and whose body was radiating white light, as if she was about to dissipate at any moment.

"It doesn't matter..."

A slender, almost ethereal hand gently grasped Gwen's hand, Yae Sakura's pretty face still wore that gentle smile.

"For me, my life ended in that heavy rain long ago. What followed was nothing more than a walking corpse named Yae Sakura."

Five hundred years ago, Kallen was trapped in Yae Village because of my selfish desires...

And I myself have fallen into this endless nightmare of reincarnation.

Until today, when I met you, I finally found liberation...

Thanks..."

As she spoke, Yae Sakura, who had been quiet and composed, became emotional and gave Gwen a hug.

"Um... you're welcome."

Sensing the girl's feelings from the faint fragrance, Gwen said no more and accepted her gratitude.

"Um..."

Yae Sakura pursed her slightly hot lips, her pretty face flushed slightly, making her look even more vibrant. She took a half step back, putting a little distance between herself and Gwen.

Noticing Gwen's slightly strange gaze, Yae Sakura dared not meet Gwen eyes. She raised her hands, looking at her somewhat ethereal sleeves, and tried to keep her voice calm:

"As you can see, after Hiyori is killed, I, who was already connected to it, will soon dissipate—"

Please don't worry about me. This is what I've been hoping for for five hundred years, and now this long-cherished wish has finally come true..."

"Um..."

Seeing Yae Sakura's relieved expression, Gwen opened his mouth, but after hesitating for a moment, he said nothing, only nodding slightly and smiling.

Sweet dreams, Sakura.

Although his consciousness is still there, Gwen is gradually regaining his connection with his body.

Although there was still some distance between them, Gwen could sense that a formidable power had suddenly appeared within his body.

If Gwen's prediction is correct, then Yae Sakura should have chosen to give him the Stigmata.

In this situation...

Gwen estimated that even if Yae Sakura really disappeared, she would probably reappear in the Stigmata not long afterward.

In that case, Gwen naturally wished Yae Sakura a sweet dream.

"Yes, I appreciate your kind words."

Upon hearing this, Yae Sakura, assuming that Gwen had been persuaded by her, smiled and nodded.

As the two spoke, Yae Sakura's figure had already faded somewhat.

Seemingly sensing her own change, Yae Sakura didn't linger, quickly composed herself, and slowly said:

"Please forgive my selfishness. I have received such a great favor, yet I cannot repay it with even the smallest token of my gratitude. I can only offer this insignificant gift to express my thanks."

Although I am not very knowledgeable and have not been able to fully develop this power, I have been able to persist for five hundred years without its help.

I hope this power can shine brightly in your hands.

"I can feel it. Thank you for the gift. I really like it, Sakura."

Gwen nodded, confirming his suspicions, and said solemnly.

Although he guessed that they would meet again soon, Gwen would not thwart Yae Sakura's wish to rest properly.

"I'm glad you like it..."

Upon receiving Gwen's response, Yae Sakura nodded, her smile becoming even more amiable.

"Oh, right, besides my original power, the Hiyori you defeated was also in that gift—"

"Don't worry, I can sense that Hiyori has completely died from that sword strike and returned to that Black Box, undergoing some kind of transformation."

"Of course I believe Sakura."

Gwen was naturally delighted to have acquired a Divine Keys, specifically the Kusanagi, which specialized in technology. However, his state of mind remained largely unchanged as he calmly observed the increasingly ethereal cherry-haired woman before him.

"..."

Looking at Gwen, whose expression remained calm and composed, Yae Sakura felt a strange and indescribable emotion.

In this pure white space, Gwen silently gazed at Yae Sakura without saying a word, as if he wanted to accompany her to the very end.

As her form became increasingly ethereal, Yae Sakura felt her already light body grow even more empty, as if she were about to be swept away by the wind at any moment. Even the Remembrance that had sustained her for the past five hundred years were slowly fading away, leaving only the person in front of her.

In her final moments, as her consciousness began to fade, Yae Sakura left behind only one unfinished sentence before her figure vanished completely...

"If only it had been earlier..."

"..."

Feeling the increasingly powerful pulling force coming from his body, Yae Sakura, who was curious about what Gwen Sakura wanted to say last, took one last look at the pure white world and closed his eyes.

The next moment, when Gwen opened his eyes again, what came into view was that familiar bright yellow halo.

"You're awake, Gwen!"

A surprised voice rang in his mind, instantly bringing Gwen back to his senses.

The first to notice Gwen was Eden, who was dwelling in the golden Crystal Flower.

Whether it was the layers of protection Gwen had prepared for Eden out of safety considerations that worked, or the sentiment of the girl who gave the gift that made the difference, Eden, with only a fragmented soul and Remembrance, was not dragged into the illusion.

And...

Chapter 223 Trouble After Awakening

"!"

Upon waking, Gwen immediately checked his body and was surprised to find that the energy flow within him had not stopped despite his illusion; on the contrary, it was still flowing continuously, and even...

Is it even more efficient?

Somewhat incredulous, Gwen instinctively checked his own body.

Of course, Gwen didn't forget to respond to Eden—

"Yes, something unexpected happened. I'm sorry to have worried you, Eden..."

As he spoke, Gwen slowly stopped the ceaseless flow of power in his hands, but still maintained the radiance of light. He stretched his body briefly to make sure that he hadn't experienced any disharmony between his body and spirit due to the illusion he had just experienced. Then he turned and walked towards Kiana and Mei to check on their condition... Oh, and there was also a Raven.

Although the person who appeared here may have some ulterior motives, they did contribute to the illusion, and Gwen wouldn't be so heartless as to use them and then discard them.

"Yes, I'm glad you're alright..."

Noticing Gwen's examination of his body, Eden, who had just relaxed, tensed up again.

"Gwen, there's something I feel I need to tell you—"

Previously, because your soul was asleep, the energy in your body seemed to be somewhat out of control, so I tried to help maintain it, and fortunately it went relatively smoothly.

"Um?

Thank you, Eden.

Gwen, still wondering why his energy was still flowing normally even though he had been unconscious for a while, smiled and thanked them, then squatted down to check on Kiana and Mei, who were leaning against each other.

Although the story doesn't seem to explicitly mention Eden's areas of expertise in combat, Gwen isn't surprised that Eden would have such abilities given the effects of the Elysian Realm Mark.

"Waaah!"

However, just as Gwen lowered his head to check on the two of them, Kiana, who had been sleeping peacefully with her eyes closed, suddenly opened her eyes, let out a somewhat frightened cry, and waved her hand to hit Gwen's face.

Snap!

Grabbing Kiana's restless little hand, Gwyn forcefully pressed it against the wall behind Kiana, Gwen—

"Wake up, Kiana!"

"..."

A look of confusion flashed across Kiana's clear blue eyes as she stared blankly at Gwen, her Remembrance in disarray.