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Several days later.
After completing most of his research and confirming a reasonable chance of success, Arden informed Miyabi of his plan to revive Mrs. Hoshimi as a betrothal gift.
At first, Miyabi was stunned and assumed he was joking.
It was only after Arden and Yixuan explained the "Taizan Fukun no Matsuri Ritual" together that she realized he was serious.
Although Miyabi had already let go of her past obsession, the possibility of her mother's resurrection inevitably rekindled hope within her heart.
"Arden… Sister Yixuan… you won't be in danger, will you?"
"Don't worry. We've already considered that. That's why we must make absolutely thorough preparations."
Hollow Zero. The former residence of the Hoshimi family.
It had long since become a field of ruins.
Yunkui Summit dispatched a large number of disciples to clear the surrounding Ethereals before erecting a massive ritual altar.
Once everything was prepared, the auspicious day for the Taizan Fukun no Matsuri arrived.
Arden, dressed in Daoist robes, stood upon the altar casting the spell, looking every bit like a mystic praying for rain.
"I respectfully beseech the Lord of Mount Tai to restore life to Hoshimi—"
Yixuan acted as his support, while Miyabi, now dressed in an apricot-yellow Daoist robe, also stood upon the altar.
It had to be said—the Daoist robe "skin" suited her quite well.
Her role at this moment was that of a medium.
To restore Mrs. Hoshimi to life required the most important thing from her lifetime—something that could serve as the link between past and present, between the world of the living and the dead.
And there was no better medium than Hoshimi Miyabi herself.
Surely Mrs. Hoshimi would wish to see her daughter grown up… and perhaps her future son-in-law as well.
Memories of lingering attachments to life were recalled and magnified endlessly.
Kneeling upon her prayer cushion, Miyabi glanced at Arden, who seemed to be performing some grand ritual dance, and then touched the pouch hanging at her waist.
Inside were the items meant to save her mother.
If Arden's spell succeeded, the next steps of the rescue would require her own hands.
There were two methods of restoration under the Taizan Fukun no Matsuri.
The first was to directly retrieve the soul from the underworld and reconstruct the body anew.
However, whether the world of New Eridu even possessed an underworld was uncertain. So, Arden had chosen the second method.
Return to the past—and change the future.
In a trance, Miyabi felt herself drifting back through time, as though she were witnessing once more the mother who had been consumed by Ether crystals while protecting her escape from the Hollow.
The scene before her gradually overlapped with her memories. Her eyes reddened, and tears streamed down.
"Go. Mend the regrets of the past with your own hands."
Arden's voice sounded distant, yet it filled her with reassurance.
"Mm."
Miyabi answered firmly.
Her vision blurred. When the surroundings came back into focus, she had already crossed time and space.
She looked around and found herself standing within a courtyard engulfed in flames.
The familiar training yard stood before her; its archery targets reduced to charred wreckage. A section of the wall had completely collapsed.
"Help!"
"Run!"
"Where are Madam and the young miss?!"
The chaotic cries outside unsettled her.
Puff—!
Suddenly, Ethereals emerged from behind the burning, fallen wall.
"!!"
The moment Miyabi saw them, she instinctively drew the Sword of Red Heaven from her back.
Almost reflexively, she turned toward the residence on one side of the courtyard. Amid the raging flames stood two figures—one tall, one small—leaning against each other.
They seemed to be sharing a final farewell. The taller one held the child's hand while pressing a sharp blade against her own chest.
"Stop!"
The most agonizing scene from her memory replayed before her eyes. Her pupils shrank to pinpoints.
I have to stop this!
In the next instant, she moved like a flash, appearing beside the gentle fox-eared lady who bore 70-80% resemblance to herself, and seized her arm tightly.
The cursed blade Tailless, poised to claim another life, was restrained as well.
Drip… drip…!
Tears fell uncontrollably as Miyabi gazed at the woman before her. The woman gazed back, surprise evident on a face already marred by Ether crystal growth.
"You are…?"
Mrs. Hoshimi stared at the fox-eared girl clad in Daoist robes.
Though they had never met, she felt an inexplicable familiarity—almost as if, before the little "Hoshimi Miyabi" beside her, she had already seen a grown daughter.
"I'm sorry!"
In countless sleepless nights, Miyabi had dreamed of this moment—possessing the strength to cut down every Ethereal, yet still losing the chance to save her mother.
But now, the opportunity stood before her.
There was no time to explain something as absurd as "your grown daughter returning from the future." Time was short. Even without Tailless, her mother would fully Etherize within minutes. At that point, there would be no saving her.
That was why, back then, Mrs. Hoshimi had driven Tailless through her own chest—to prevent her own transformation and to pay the blade's price so it would protect Miyabi's escape.
"Could it be…"
"There's no time. You'll understand later."
Mrs. Hoshimi tried to speak, but Miyabi firmly cut her off.
She opened the pouch at her waist and retrieved a syringe, pills, and talismans.
Before her mother could react, Miyabi injected the anti-corrosion medicine into her neck.
Mrs. Hoshimi lost consciousness in the next second.
Supporting her mother's body, Miyabi fed her the pills and affixed the talismans.
After completing the sequence, she saw the signs of corrosion begin to recede from her mother's body. Only then did she release a deep breath.
"Big sister… did you save Mama?"
The younger "Hoshimi Miyabi," only five or six years old, could still tell that this fox-eared big sister had saved her mother.
Looking at her younger self, Miyabi's emotions became complicated.
"Um… little one, come with me."
She forced a gentle smile.
"Mm."
The child nodded at her future self, clutching the cursed blade tightly as she followed her out of the sea of flames.
Roar—!
The moment the Ethereals spotted living humans, they charged toward the two Miyabis.
"Hmph."
Miyabi snorted softly and laid her unconscious mother on the ground. "Red Heaven—draw!"
Clang—!
Crimson sword light swept across the battlefield, cutting down a swath of Ethereals.
But it wasn't enough.
Seeing more Ethereals rushing forward, she frowned.
"Go!"
She hurled the Sword of Red Heaven into the air, allowing it to defend autonomously. Then she secured her mother to her back and finally looked down at the small Miyabi clinging to her leg.
"The blade… let me borrow it."
The cursed blade Tailless responded to her call, its edge sliding free from the sheath.
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