A colossal hand reached to the horizon; each turn scythed through miles of sky.

Twelve cryptic sigils floated in the void, their crawling patterns like ink in water, birthing unknown laws without pause.

A mirror-smooth dial stayed spotless, reflecting nothing but boundless night.

A spring of cold rose from the dial’s deep-blue heart and seeped slow into the void.

A petite girl with cotton-pink hair “slept” within that blue haze of frost.

Her face was angel-sweet yet free of earthly warmth, a flower showing no breath of life.

She was Ailuna,

and this was the heart of the Rainbow Sanctuary’s heart—the Naraku Abyss.

It was also where the Evil Deity, who once tried to end the world, lay sealed.

If the mechanism kept turning, nothing around would change, just as it hadn’t for a thousand years.

But this seal—was nearing its dusk.

Of the twelve sigils, eight already wore a creeping black blight.

The faltering seal couldn’t endure much longer, and before the dark elf lay one final step—vengeance.

She would drive that vengeance straight into the heart of the treacherous World Tree Maiden.

"You made me… wait a thousand years."

Wan Han seemed dead, and the Crimson Paradise withdrew from the Rainbow Sanctuary after battering the seal.

The dark elf looked isolated, but she held the strongest weapon.

Ailuna’s body.

It was only the shell left by the previous World Tree Maiden, yet its life-adaptation was unmatched.

Wan Han saw that too. He meant to use the Maiden’s body to revive the wife he loved for life.

But first, he had to seize the Light Fortress and gain the power to summon a soul. No one thought that inscrutable man would break his spear in the sand, falling halfway to tracing the origin.

"Seems the enemy packs a punch. But…"

The dark elf’s smile turned cold. Her jet-black fingertip grazed the sleeping girl’s cheek…

Life’s warmth scorched her fingertip, yet she didn’t flinch. That fingertip pain wired straight to the heart only made her wilder, savoring this fallen endroad.

As long as things went smooth, given time,

she could use the Maiden’s body to release the Evil Deity.

…

…

"Why does it feel like Little Yue’s smiling way too sinister…?"

Hugging the “borrowed” ship engine, Dixue eyed the blue-haired girl in puzzlement.

"No, no, not at all!"

Yue Liuyi shook her head fast, hiding her thoughts. In a chat with Dawn Goose just now, she’d learned LittleSnow’s weakness.

Now, when LittleSnow teased her, she could turn the tables.

It wasn’t the right time, so she just kept shaking her head, hoping to skate by.

"Mm… Little Yue’s totally thinking something pervy… but I’ll let it slide~"

Setting the engine aside, the silver-haired girl stepped up to Yue Liuyi and patted her head.

The girl before her, Yue Dier, looked a touch tired. A bead of sweat slid from her bangs to her brow. Her silver-white dress clung to skin, and LittleSnow’s faint scent hung about her, giving her the charm of a sporty girl mid-breath.

"Huh? LittleSnow, is the engine that heavy?"

"Nah, just took some work to, you know, borrow it. Such a bunch of dumb loyalists… and I can’t even kill them…"

"Eh!? That’s blatant robbery!"

"Mmph! When it’s a maiden’s business, how is it robbery~ It’s for saving the world, so obviously it’s righteous!"

"Don’t make it sound like a hero barging into someone’s house and looting random chests!"

"Mm… that’s a way to make money too, or else heroes would starve on the road! Saving the world has to stay realistic!"

"Ugh… something feels off, but I can’t argue…"

"Mmm~"

After the banter, Dixue took Yue Liuyi’s small hand and led her into the Skyship’s engine room. It was her first time aboard the Silver Knight, and the dazzlement of gear left her stunned.

The hundred-square-meter room was packed tight with electronics. Hundreds of indicator lights blinked like a field of stars. Buttons and cables wove a terrifyingly dense web.

"LittleSnow, what’s that planet?"

What shocked Yue Liuyi most sat in the room’s center: a blue planet. It wasn’t big, barely a dozen centimeters across, yet it floated like a hologram, touching nothing.

"Huh? A planet? What planet?"

The silver-haired girl lugged the borrowed engine in, not getting what she meant.

"That one, floating in the air."

Yue Liuyi pointed at the blue planet.

"Huh? Pfft—! Hahaha! Little Yue, you’re too adorably dense~ That’s not a planet at all~"

"Th-then what is it! I’ve never seen one, thinking it’s a planet is normal! Ugh… what’s so funny!"

Seeing Yue Liuyi’s pout, the silver-haired girl stopped laughing. Her gaze softened, all fondness for the adorable little thing.

"Okay, okay~ Little Yue, that’s an anti-gravity engine! It’s built mainly from anti-gravity stone. With power fed in, the engine uses magnetic-band tuning and mana resonance to make the ship’s frame anti-grav as well…"

"Oh? So that’s an anti-gravity engine…"

"Mhm, mhm. But to swap in a new anti-gravity engine, I need a bit of Little Yue’s saliva! So—open wide, ah…"

"Okay, ah—wait! Why do you need my saliva!"

Yue Liuyi snapped her mouth shut, sure she was getting toyed with again.

But to her surprise, Dixue explained, dead serious:

"A World Tree Maiden’s saliva has excellent cooling. Dab a little between the engine’s CPU and heat sink, and it handles thermal control."

"Huh? That’s a thing!"

"Yep! Little Yue’s a treasure from head to toe!"

Cradling Yue Liuyi with care, Dixue whispered, "For example, your hair can be woven into tiny dresses. It’s, like, tens of millions per pound."

"Eh? That expensive!?"

"Mm, and Little Yue’s…"

Her eyes dipped to a softer place, and the silver-haired girl blushed on her own.

To hide it, Dixue put on a playful act and said,

"Mhm! So as long as I fertilize regularly, the Little Yue farming industry’s pretty profitable… ah, oops! I let my true thoughts slip~"

"What!!! So LittleSnow doesn’t like me… you got close because you wanted my body?"

"Uh… that’s right!"

Dixue hesitated, then hugged the blue-haired girl tighter. "So when the time’s ripe, I’ll sell Little Yue and trade for more, even younger World Tree Maidens to raise~"

"Huh? L-LittleSnow, you actually…"

"Well, you’re so pervy, and you grew up as a boy. Not fun at all anymore~"

"Uu… uuuu…"

"Whoa! Little Yue, don’t cry!! I’m sorry, I was kidding!!! I like you the most, I’ll never sell you!!"

"Sniff… r-really?"

Yue Liuyi peeked at Dixue through tears. Her own blue eyes rimmed red, making her look adorably pitiful.

"O-of course!"

"Then, LittleSnow… how are you going to make it up to me?"

"Eh? Make it up?"

Watching the flustered Yue Dier, the tear-feigning Yue Liuyi smiled inwardly. Her plan had landed.