Chapter 202: Chapter 202: Aimless Journey to the Abandoned Station

Chapter 202: Aimless Journey to the Abandoned Station

“Confirm completion!”

With a single black feather plucked from the Tengu girl’s wing clutched in his hand, Bai Luo chose to end the trial.

Sure, with Heartfire of the Earth and Fairy Glitter, he probably could’ve gone for a full kill.

But the moment he recalled the story of Mikoshi Michinobu and Teruyo, a bold idea took shape.

What if—just maybe—he recreated that final duel?

Would it trigger a secret achievement? Unlock a hidden storyline?

That was why he’d called out “Tengu Sweeper“ instead of the real name of his skill.

In the end, all he needed to do was satisfy the “cut down” condition. The rewards wouldn’t be shabby either way.

And worst case, if he got another useless piece of equipment, he could still fall back on his new class and whatever came from the third trial.

Turns out, his gamble paid off.

[Second Trial Complete (Bonus Conditions Met)]

[Because you flawlessly reenacted Mikoshi Michinobu’s duel with Teruyo, your reward tier has been upgraded.]

[Initial high-grade item replaced with: Random Skill Card.]

[Drawing reward…]

[You received Skill Card – Aimless Journey to the Abandoned Station]

[Reward issued successfully. You have 10 minutes of rest. Please plan your next class selection wisely.]

[Note: Class changes are disabled during active trials.]

As the system’s voice faded, a breeze swept through the mountain forest.

The Tengu girl, still in Bai Luo’s arms, gradually became weightless, and then gently disappeared.

But Bai Luo’s attention was already on the item he’d just received.

A Skill Card?

He blinked in surprise.

Honestly, he had expected some generic weapon drop.

A skill was far more valuable.

This would be his first one, in fact.

Driven by curiosity, he summoned the card’s details:

[Aimless Journey to the Abandoned Station]

[Call upon the power of a certain 17-year-old girl (who shall remain unnamed) to summon a speeding, derelict train.]

[The train barrels forward in a straight line, dealing massive damage and knocking back all units it hits.]

[Note: Both the girl’s name and age are a mystery. Never call her by name, and never speak that nickname aloud—or else the old— er, young lady will smash your face into the keyboard byhgunt67ji8tbg6vrf5]

[Usable: 3 times]

At first, Bai Luo’s face twisted a little.

’Wait, this is her skill?’

He didn’t expect to pull something from Yakumo.

If it had been unlimited-use… hoo boy.

But once he spotted the three-time usage limit, he relaxed.

Of course a skill that busted couldn’t be handed out freely.

Still, it was a nice surprise. Way better than some +elemental damage sword he’d never use.

This card might just be a lifesaver when things get hairy.

Closing the interface, Bai Luo looked up and saw Teruyo hanging upside down from a tree branch, playfully dangling a black feather in front of his face.

Her black wings and pristine white socks made a striking contrast.

“You’re awake, huh?”

Teruyo didn’t seem the least bit guilty about being caught red-handed in a prank.

She simply grinned wide.

That carefree, bright expression instantly reminded Bai Luo of Hu Tao.

Not quite as wild, maybe, but way more lively than someone like Diluc.

Probably somewhere between the two.

“Thanks for humoring me,” she said, swinging back and forth like a kid.

“It’s been forever since I got to fly like that through the trees and really let loose.”

Teruyo stretched lazily, her black wings unfolding with her yawn. Then, with zero hesitation or elegance, she flopped backwards into a bed of dry straw and brittle leaves.

To be honest, the scent of decaying leaves wasn’t exactly pleasant, but compared to the constant reek of gunpowder in the clan, it was… oddly nostalgic.

“If you want to keep flying, you can, you still have ten minutes left,” Bai Luo offered casually, watching her sink into the forest floor like a cat claiming a warm patch of sun.

By now, he already had a decent guess about his next opponent.

He’d fought Mikoshi Michinobu.

He’d “flirted” with his fateful rival.

So next… it could only be one thing.

The Maguu Kenki, the autonomous humanoid swordsman.

Just thinking about it reminded Bai Luo of the Raiden Shogun.

That absolute sovereign seated atop Tenshukaku… was a puppet.

And now, her grumpy little brother-in-metal running amok in Inazuma City… also a puppet.

So then, what about this Maguu Kenki, cursed to wander in a space of severed fate and shattered memory?

Was it… connected to the Raiden Shogun as well?

Could it have been one of her earlier attempts at creating a puppet general? Maybe even a discarded prototype before the creation of Scaramouche or the Shogun herself?

Unfortunately, all records about the Maguu Kenki had been lost to time.

All people knew was that it carried the memories of the founder of a certain sword style, and that founder was none other than the man Bai Luo had just fought: Mikoshi Michinobu.

Which explained why the trial had first summoned Michinobu, then Teruyo.

It was recreating everything the puppet remembered.

“Here. This is for you.”

Minutes passed.

Maybe Teruyo was tired of flying, or maybe this fabricated forest simply wasn’t big enough for her to soar freely. Either way, she dropped from the branches and landed beside Bai Luo again.

What she handed him was the same black feather he had slashed from her wings.

“…Can I bring this out with me?” Bai Luo asked, looking at the feather in his hand.

After all, this was a trial.

Both Teruyo and Michinobu were no more than projections, created from the Maguu Kenki’s memories.

So was this feather just as fake?

“That I don’t know,” she said with a carefree grin. “I just deliver the goods. You keep it.”

She gave no pretense of understanding how things worked.

“Honestly, I’m not even sure if I’m really Teruyo,” she admitted.

“I’m just… a piece of someone else’s memory. A copy of who he remembered me to be.”

And that’s exactly what she was.

The longing for the forest, the frustration with her clan, the defiance against the world, the untainted innocence that refused to be stained by society—all of it had been shaped by Mikoshi Michinobu’s memory.

In his mind, she had always been that girl on the branches—Playful, mischievous, feet swinging in the air, the one who pierced through the clouds and thunder and gave him a new name… and a new life.

Back then, the sacred sakura fell like a blizzard of white petals.

The branch shrine beneath their feet had lost its god, but not yet its form.

And a laugh, pure as springwater, echoed through the mountain forest.

They never stepped foot in that ruined courtyard again.

The forest was where their bond began.

The shrine, where it ended.

And with one sword slash, the bond was severed.

If Mikoshi Michinobu had known that by cutting her down, he wasn’t just ending a fight, but cutting short their fate, would he have hesitated? Would he have held back?

—Maybe that’s why he named his blade “Thin-Edge of Fleeting Bonds.”

A sword for ending what should have lasted longer.

[Rest period has ended. Would you like to Commence the Third Trial?]

“Yes.”

[Trial of the Third Destiny initiated — Survive for 3 minutes under the target’s assault.]

[WARNING! WARNING! WARNING!]

[Death within the trial space will not affect the real world… but it will trigger irreversible consequences.]

[Trial-taker is advised: cherish your life.]

. . . . .

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