The first rays of morning sunlight tore through the unbroken veil of night like sharp swords, fully exposing the Mugen Train's mangled, twisted wreckage in the wilderness. The nauseating smell of blood and the fetid stench unique to demons that had filled the air melted away like ice and snow under the cleansing sunlight.
Takanashi Rokuno sat on a relatively flat sheet of metal among the wreckage, his dark blue haori stained with dust and blood. In his arms, Shinobu Kocho curled up quietly like a kitten that had finally found shelter. The gentle smile she had always used to conceal her ravaged heart had vanished completely, replaced by tear tracks still wet at the corners of her eyes and a pure, utterly unguarded dependence.
Rokuya's arm wrapped firmly around Shinobu's petite shoulders. As he felt her steady, warm breaths, the heart that had pounded wildly in his chest during the battle finally began to settle.
Just then, a familiar synthesized voice that only he could hear thundered out, accompanied by a deep blue screen across his retinas.
[Ding! Host detected to have successfully changed the core character "Shinobu Kocho's" ending of psychological despair!] [Ding! Unreserved love and utmost gratitude from the depths of "Shinobu Kocho's" soul detected!] [System assessment: redemption of the soul transcending life and death.] [Congratulations, host! Invincible Might fully unlocked. Each activation lasts eight minutes, with a 12-hour cooldown. Forced activation during cooldown will consume a corresponding amount of gratitude points based on the remaining cooldown time.] [Congratulations, host! Gratitude points received: 20,000!]
Looking at the enormous number that had instantly shot up on the screen, Rokuya's pupils contracted slightly. Twenty thousand points! This was unquestionably the largest single sum of gratitude points he had received since crossing over to this world. Previously, even