Although it seemed very close, it took a while to actually get to the place where Asuka and Mai were.

In this mirrored space, it seems to be in the midst of nothingness, but the magic is that the people in it can walk freely with their own will.

"It's such an amazing place." After turning around and walking upwards again, Kirino Makio sighed with emotion, his face somewhat uncomfortable with a sense of disorientation.

No matter up or down, left or right, as long as you want to walk through, an invisible 'staircase' will be generated, and at the same time, people's perception of direction will be diluted, and subconsciously they will ignore the fact that the direction has changed, but over time, they will still feel uncomfortable.

Perhaps it comes from the inner uneasiness of the unknown instinct, and in this kind of space where there is no reference and can be lost at any time, people will always maintain a high level of tension in their hearts, which will cause mental exhaustion.

"Maybe the universe is also like this for human beings?" Suppressing the discomfort in his heart, Kirino Mufu looked at the crystals around him that were moving irregularly at different angles, "Human beings are so small and helpless in the universe..."

If you look closely, you will find that these moving crystals are exactly the same as the diamond-shaped crystals that enclose Asuka and Mai, but perhaps due to the distrust of the people in them, the crystals are hidden by a fog and it is impossible to see who is inside.

"It's the same for all life in the universe." The stars who had only reacted from Kirino Makio's words stopped and turned around and said, "For the universe, we are all small. In the face of many unknowns in the universe, we are all trying to move forward. ”

Since he had long been accustomed to moving in the universe, Zhuxingzhen did not have such a deep understanding of Kirino Mukio's sense of being disoriented as if he was walking through the universe, and if he hadn't mentioned it, this small feeling would have been subconsciously ignored.

“... Is this a consolation? Looking at the stars moving towards their destination again, Kirino smiled, "But in this insignificant planet in the universe, there is your guardian... It's really good. ”

Kirino Makio's voice was very soft, and Zhuxing really didn't care, all he cared about now was the two diamond-shaped crystals in front of him that wrapped his teammates.

After a closer look, Zhu Xingzhen found that this crystal was completely natural, there was no gap at all, and with his eyesight alone, he couldn't see what kind of material it was made of, and he could only barely see that the birds and Mai inside were not in danger of life.

Although, most likely, only temporarily.

"What's next?" Trying to infiltrate the spiritual power into the crystal, nothing happened to be found, and the stars who are not good at the subtle operation of spiritual power really have no choice but to leave the problem to the 'professionals' to solve.

"This crystal is not only responsible for creating a mirror image to get 'reward', but also responsible for protecting the 'customers' inside, and if you forcibly destroy it with brute force, it is difficult to ensure the safety of the people inside..."

Kirino Mukio gently placed his hand on the surface of the crystal, as if trying to obtain information through communication.

"The beings like 'Asmantis' are not actually wary of the outside world, nor do they have any fighting spirit, as long as they communicate in a peaceful way, they can get most of their information."

As if sensing the really puzzled gaze of the stars next to him, Kirino Mufu explained his way of obtaining information without looking back.

When Zhu Xingzhen heard this, he only touched his nose and smiled bitterly, could this be regarded as a warning to him not to use brute force to forcibly break through the mirror image?

After all, he had a similar 'ex-convict' before...

"There are only two ways to liberate the people inside."

Letting go of the hand on the crystal, Kirino Mufu pushed his glasses, and when he looked back, he couldn't help but feel a little strange when he saw the stars with a smile on his inexplicable face, but he didn't pay much attention to it, and continued.

"One is to let the people inside come out voluntarily, and 'Asmantis' will not force the 'customer' to stay."

"What about the other one?" Zhu Xingzhen's face couldn't help but be a little strange when he heard this.

This 'Asmantis' may not be the ultimate goal of captive human beings as nutrients as Asuka thinks, but it is inadvertently driven by the survival instinct of the race...

"The other is more difficult, and it needs outside guidance to forcibly bring out the people inside."

"Bootstrapping?" The stars are really puzzled.

"Yes, it's guidance."

Kirino Mufu smiled mysteriously.

"How's that going?"

Seeing that he seemed to have made up his mind, Zhu Xingzhen didn't waste time guessing anything, and asked straight to the point.

"I can help you get into the crystal, but..."Kirino Mukio paused before continuing, "Since the mirror image in the crystal is constructed according to the wishes of the people in the crystal, it may not be easy to find yourself in a fantasy world without knowing the contents of the mirror..."

"But that's the only way it works, isn't it?"

Shrugging his shoulders, Zhuxing really smiled.

"So who are you going to start with?"

It seemed that he already knew the answer to the true nature of the stars, and the herdsman Kirino did not seem surprised at all, but just glanced at the crystal wrapped in Asuka and Mai, and signaled that the stars really chose.

"Hmm..."

Zhu Xingzhen looked at the two crystals, and after a brief thought, he made a decision.

"Let's bring Mai out first."

For Crystal's continuous absorption of spiritual power, Mai's energy is much more fragile than Asuka's, and it is already an urgent matter to save her first.

Moreover, he also had confidence in Asuka that after going through so many tribulations, he should not be defeated by the illusion so easily.

"Now that you've made a decision, let's get started."

Kirino Mufu didn't express an opinion on the real choice of the stars, as if he was just a passerby.

"That's right... But what should I do? ”

Now the stars really scratched their heads, standing in front of Mai's crystal and didn't know where to start.

"It's simple."

Kirino Mufu smiled, took a step forward and reached out to push Zhu Xingzhen's back hard, and the unsuspecting Zhu Xingzhen was stunned, and he had already pushed it to the crystal.

Before it was Zhuxing's turn to be really puzzled, his whole person disappeared as if he had melted into the crystal...

......

On the other hand.

Asuka, who is trusted by the stars, is still on the meadow, competing with his father, Asuka and the horse, unaware of the passage of time.

And Asuka and Masamu, who saw all this in their eyes, just took Asuka with a familiar smile and received all the pitches from Asuka.

"Worthy of Dad... It's as flawless as ever. ”

Asuka who had done his best to put his hands on his knees and gasped for breath, throwing the ball for a long time, which made his physical strength depleted quickly, but the Asuka and the horse on the opposite side still looked like they were at ease, which made him a little discouraged.

"What, have you already used your all?" Asuka and Ma laughed and said defiantly, "This is not the same as the confident appearance you just had." ”

"What a joke!" Although he knew that this was a deliberate provocation by his father, Asuka still accepted the challenge with enthusiasm, "It's really a fight, only now..."

Just as he was about to utter his mantra, some messy fragments flashed through Asuka's mind.

The giants of light, the members of the SUPER-GUTS, all kinds of monsters, and the mysterious Crystal City...

A series of fragments passed through his mind like electric light, but they only flashed away, and no matter how he recalled, it was difficult to recall what the picture just appeared was...

"Letter, what's wrong?"

As if to see the strange appearance of the bird, the bird and the horse couldn't help but shout, interrupting the bird's musings.

"Huh?"

Asuka, who had been interrupted from his thoughts, came to his senses and scratched his head in confusion.

"Nothing, just... I always felt as if I had forgotten something important. ”

"I'm so tired lately."

Asuka and Ma were noncommittal, but smiled meaningfully.

"Then let's take a break for a while, and I'll tell you a story."

"Eh~ story?"

Sure enough, Asuka quickly put aside his doubts and was attracted by his father's words.

"Explain in advance, I've grown up, don't want to use the fairy tales like when I was a child to pass me away~"

"So, let's talk about mirrors." Asuka and Ma just smiled at Asuka and said, "Do you know what people are most afraid of seeing in the mirror?" ”

"That, that... A supernatural story..."Asuka looked a little helpless, as if he was not interested in this aspect.

"It's yourself." The bird and the horse didn't care, but said lightly.

"Huh?"

"As the only way for people to know themselves clearly, the mirror reflects the most authentic self." Asuka's interest was gradually aroused, and Asuka and Ma continued, "For those around me, my appearance is just a sparse thing in the eyes of others, but for myself, I can only see my true self through the mirror... Weird, right? Therefore, what people are most afraid of is that they see themselves in the mirror are different from what they imagined. ”

"Even if you are facing the mirror, only you can experience the most real self reflected in the mirror, so the more afraid you are of changing in the mirror." Asuka and Horse looked directly at Asuka thoughtfully, "So, what do you see in the mirror, is it your true self?" Letter. ”

"Huh??" Asuka was stunned for a moment, and the fragments of memories in his mind flashed again, making him feel that his heart was messy, and he just forced a smile, "What are you talking about, Dad, I'm not looking in the mirror right now..."

"Is that so?" Asuka and Ma raised their eyebrows slightly, "Then why are you standing here?" How long do you want to stay here? ”

"I—I..."

The words of the bird and the horse hit the bird over and over again, and more and more fragments flashed in the memory, gradually connecting into a piece of the past.

With the connected memories, the last fragment of the memory has also awakened, reminding him of the purpose of his trip.

It also let him know what he didn't want to accept at the moment... Fact.

"Go ahead."

While the bird was still struggling, the voice of his father, the bird and the horse, sounded again, with his familiar ease, familiar care, and familiar face.

"You've been here too long, but that's okay." Asuka and Ma smiled indifferently, "The real battle is just about to begin... Isn't it? ”

"Ahh yes..."

Asuka stared at the baseball in his hand, but never had the courage to raise his head to look at Asuka and the horse again.

After a while, Asuka finally made up his mind and waved his baseball into the sky.

The pitched baseball defied gravity and broke through the sky with the determination of the birds, and finally there was a faint cracking sound in the sky.

As if it was a chain reaction, the subtle cracking sound began to expand, and in the blink of an eye, the whole world was covered with countless cracks, and this supposedly perfect world fell apart...

Asuka turned silently, he didn't want to see his 'father' leave him, even though it was just an illusory mirror image.

"Faith!"

Just as the bird turned to leave, the familiar voice came from behind, and at the same time, there was the familiar sound of breaking the air.

Subconsciously turned around to catch something thrown from the opposite side, and Asuka was stunned to find that what he was catching in his hand was the baseball that he had just decided to throw.

The baseball itself is slightly damaged, but it is especially cherished in the eyes of the birds.

At this moment, the sound of birds and horses sounded again.

"Faith, humanity... Why move forward? ”

Asuka looked up suddenly, only to see that Asuka and the horse were still as familiar to him, with a deep expectation in their eyes.

Looking at the long-awaited voice and face, the same ardent expectation and tall figure as always, Asuka smiled unconsciously.

"Because only by moving forward can human beings continue to create a different future."

The birds and horses smiled and nodded, and then disappeared into the shattered world...

......