"Hanami!!"

Tang Qi cried out in despair, his voice heart-wrenching.

With trembling hands, he wanted to stroke her cheek, wanting to channel his spiritual power to stop all of this.

But it was useless.

The moment his spiritual power was inputted, it was completely swallowed up by that bizarre suction force.

"No... No... Why?!"

"Why did it turn out like this?!"

Tang Qi's eyes were bloodshot, and tears instantly blurred his vision.

They were clearly about to escape!

They were clearly only a few kilometers away!

Why did it have to be at this time?!

Maeda Hanami weakly raised her hand.

That hand had already become as thin and withered as firewood, covered in age spots.

She tremblingly reached toward Tang Qi's face, but stopped midway, then changed direction and gently covered Tang Qi's eyes.

"You are not allowed to look..."

Her voice was hoarse and old, like an eighty-year-old crone.

"Don't look at me..."

"The way I look now... must be very ugly..."

Tang Qi's body trembled violently.

Scalding tears slid down his cheeks, dampening that withered palm.

"Not ugly! Not ugly at all!"

"You are the prettiest! You are the prettiest woman in the entire world!"

Choking back his sobs, Tang Qi grabbed her hand and pressed it tightly against his face.

"I'll take you away right now!"

"Great Xia has the best healing types! It has the best priests! They will definitely be able to cure you!"

"Let's go!"

With that, he recklessly carried Maeda Hanami on his back.

Even though her body had already become feather-light, a weightless skeleton.

Gritting his teeth, Tang Qi took steps once again, retreating and running wildly toward the direction of the West City Gate.

Every step was trodden on the tip of a blade.

Every step was trodden on his own heart.

"Hold on! Hanami! You must hold on!"

"We are almost there!"

On his back.

Maeda Hanami gently rested her head on Tang Qi's broad shoulders.

Although her body was very cold and painful.

Yet this man's back was truly very warm.

Just like that cup of hot sake he handed her that day in the izakaya.

"Tang Qi-kun..."

She said intermittently, her voice as light as the wind.

"I might... not be able to accompany you back to Great Xia..."

"Shut up! You are not allowed to talk nonsense!"

Tang Qi shouted loudly, yet his pace beneath his feet grew faster and faster, even going so far as to burn his own Origin power to burst forth with speed.

"You said you would go back with me!"

"You said you would eat your way through all the delicacies of Great Xia!"

"You cannot break your promise!"

The corners of Maeda Hanami's mouth managed to form a gentle smile with difficulty.

At this moment, her appearance was already that of a sixty-year-old grandmother, her skin sagging loosely.

"Yeah..."

"What a pity..."

"Still haven't been able to... accompany you to eat... the Plain Noodles you miss the most..."

"Still haven't been able to... go and see... that beautiful West Lake you always talked about..."

"I'm sorry..."

"The things I promised you... after all... I couldn't do them..."

A clear tear slid down the corner of her wrinkle-filled eyes, dripping into Tang Qi's neck.

Icy and bone-chilling.

Tang Qi's footsteps staggered, almost causing him to fall.

But he quickly steadied his figure again, shaking his head frantically.

"Don't say sorry! The one who should say sorry is me!"

"It's me who didn't protect you well! It's me who is too useless!"

"You'll be fine! I swear! You'll be fine!"

"We will be able to get out of the city immediately! Look! The city gate is right ahead!"

Ahead, the outline of the ruins of the West City Gate was already faintly discernible.

Just hold on for one more minute!

Just one minute!

Maeda Hanami tried hard to open her murky eyes and glanced in that direction.

How wonderful.

Is that... the direction of freedom?

Unfortunately, she could no longer see it.

Her vitality had completely withered away.

Her soul was drifting away bit by bit.

She could sense that the summons coming from Ise Grand Shrine were growing stronger and stronger; that was an irresistible destination.

"Tang Qi-kun..."

"Thank you..."

"It was you who let me know... that actually... I too can be loved..."

"If there is a next life..."

"Remember... to take me to eat... Plain Noodles..."

Maeda Hanami gave a gentle smile.

Even though her looks were completely ruined at this moment, at this very moment, her smile was as sacred as cherry blossoms blooming in the ruins.

No more words were spoken.

Using her last bit of strength, she drew close to Tang Qi's ear.

On that cheek covered in sweat and tears, she gently placed a kiss.

That was the lightest, yet heaviest kiss in her life.

Afterward.

Those withered hands that had been wrapped around Tang Qi's neck slid down silently.

They hung down at her sides, swaying weakly with the rhythm of Tang Qi's running.

The head that had been resting on his shoulder also drooped down heavily.

The world grew quiet at this moment.

Tang Qi's running footsteps suddenly became chaotic.

That hollow feeling as if his heart had been ruthlessly gouged out made him almost unable to breathe.

He seemed to realize something.

With a dull expression, he slowed his pace bit by bit.

Finally, he stopped atop a pile of rubble.

From the West City Gate, there was less than five hundred meters left.

"Hanami?"

He softly called out the other person's name, his voice cautious, as if afraid of waking someone who was sound asleep.

"Hanami?"

"We've arrived."

"Wake up, take a look, this is the West City Gate."

However.

The person on his back no longer gave any response.

Only that feather-light weight, like a piece of cold stone, pressed down on him so hard he could not straighten his back.

Tang Qi slowly squatted down.

Carefully setting down the person on his back.

Taking advantage of the faint firelight in the distance.

He saw clearly what she looked like now.

That was a withered, emaciated corpse curled up together.

It looked just like a dead, withered tree trunk.

Where was there even a shred of the shadow of that gentle, smiling Sakura Country woman who would pour wine for him in the izakaya?

Only the corners of those tightly closed eyes still retained a trace of an undried tear stain.

Tang Qi's hand trembled as he gently caressed her wrinkle-filled face.

Once, and again.

As if wanting to smooth away those wrinkles, as if wanting to turn back time.

"Ah..."

Tang Qi opened his mouth, wanting to say something.

Yet he found that his throat seemed to be blocked by something, capable only of emitting a shattered breath sound.

The next moment.

This iron-like man, this tough guy who had never frowned amidst a hail of bullets.

Embracing the woman's firewood-like corpse, knelt amidst this ruin full of dead people.

Like a child who had lost the entire world.

Wailed bitterly.