Makoto knew her younger sister very well.
She knew this journey would most likely end in her death, but she had no choice but to go.
She knew her departure would cause Ei terrible pain.
She knew she could not simply entrust Inazuma to Ei like this.
But there was nothing she could do. Everything had happened too suddenly.
Still, she had not left without making preparations.
She had anticipated that Ei would need time to grow, and had devised a plan accordingly.
She believed that one day, her younger sister would become a worthy god!
"I anticipated all of this, so I left a gift especially for you."
Makoto's words were filled with affection for Ei.
"Now, before the last of my consciousness fades, please accept this gift!"
"But the most important step still needs to be taken by your own hand..."
As her words faded, light swirled, and the glowing orb condensed into a seed that settled in Ei's hand.
"The miraculous tree that will shelter all people is, at this moment, an unfamiliar existence no one has ever seen."
"When it takes root and where it sprouts depend entirely on the heart and dreams of the one who brings it into being."
"Give it life, Ei!"
"This is..." Sensing the aura of the seed in her hand, Ei's expression shifted slightly.
The seed in her hand had exactly the same aura as the Sacred Sakura at the Grand Narukami Shrine!
Five hundred years ago, after returning from Khaenri'ah, she had been astonished to discover a massive Sacred Sakura on Mt. Yougou.
Everyone had told her as though it were obvious that the Sacred Sakura had existed since ancient times, unable to understand why she was so surprised.
But she alone knew that the Sacred Sakura had appeared