"You came?"
"I came."
"You shouldn't have come."
"Yet here I am."
"Why did you come?"
"To settle a grudge."
"When will grievances and right and wrong ever end?"
"Once this blade falls, it will all end."
"Why must it be so? Why suffer for it?"
"It must be so. It has to be done."
"Is drawing blades against each other truly the only path left?"
"Is there any other choice?"
"Turn swords into plowshares—would that not be better?"
"That is nothing but your wishful thinking."
"A blade is meant to kill."
"A blade is meant to sever all things."
"So you came to kill me?"
"Kill you? Why would I kill you?"
"If not to kill me, why carry a blade?"
"This blade is not for killing."
"Nor can it cut away everything."
"At least it can sever what should never have been."
"And what is it that should never have been?"
"A fantasy born from nothing—a troublesome thing that never should have existed."
"Whether it should or shouldn't hardly matters. It lies only in your heart."
"Once this blade falls, my heart will return to me."
"And right now, who does your heart belong to?"
"I don't know. That is why I must take it back."
"If this blade falls, the countless entanglements of the mortal world will scatter like smoke. You and I will walk separate roads, passing each other as strangers, no longer friends."
"If this blade cannot fall, then the world's knots will never be untangled. I will draw a prison around myself, shut myself in, and cease to be myself."
"If you are not yourself now, then who are you? Past, present, future—you are only ever you. No matter what you experience, that will never change."
"Right now I have forgotten my original heart, so I am not myself. Future, present, past—I will walk back to where I once stood. Across a thousand mountains and rivers, I will return in the end."
"Is it really fine for you and me to be entangling ourselves in all this nonsense here?"
"Weren't you the one who started talking first?"
"Hey, hey, Miss, you show up in the middle of the night with a knife—of course my mind is going to wander."
"That just means you have a guilty conscience. Otherwise why would you think that way?"
"Ahem, haven't I just been thinking a little too much?"
"If your heart weren't filled with so many distracting thoughts, how would you end up imagining so wildly?"
"Alright, my mistake. So why exactly did you bring a knife?"
"Nothing much. I originally brought this blade for you."
"For me? Is it some kind of treasured sword?"
"Mm. A blade with a legendary origin. I found it at home, so I brought it to you."
"If you're giving me a blade, then give it. Why point it at me?"
"Ah, I just wanted to surprise you."
"That's not a surprise—that's a scare. Miss, I thought you were about to go full yandere on me."
"Yandere? What does that mean?"
"Ahem... it means turning dark and chopping up the person you like with a knife."
"I would never do something like that, okay! And who said I like you!"
"Alright, alright, you don't like me. Boohoo... someone cried her heart out when a certain person died, even signed an unequal contract just to bring that someone back. And now, after only a few days, she denies everything. My heart hurts. Did you fall for someone else while I was gone?"
"Hey, if you're going to act, at least act properly. What is that face supposed to be—trying to cry without any tears? Do you really have the nerve to say that? I'm not Ya, I don't have her boldness. And I'm not Inori or Chu Chu either, able to be so open about it. Maybe I'm a bit better than Xiu'er, but it's still hard to say out loud, okay?"
"So that means you do like me?"
"When did I say that? Where did I ever say I like you? Tell me."
"Alright, alright. A stubborn girl like this is unexpectedly interesting."
"Who are you calling stubborn? Say it clearly or I really will yandere you!"
"Don't, Miss, you must've misheard. I was calling myself stubborn, absolutely not you."
"Tsk, calling yourself interesting... don't you think that's a little narcissistic?"
"What's wrong with being interesting? If I were boring, that would be tragic."
"How is that normal? People who call themselves interesting are usually hopeless perverts."
"Let's be reasonable, Yanran. I may be narcissistic, but I'm not a pervert. Although when I look in the mirror, I sometimes feel like marrying the person inside... but that's just a thought."
"Didn't you just reveal something very strange? Self-attack, self-receive? Marrying yourself? That's weird even in novels, and you say it so casually. You're truly beyond saving."
"Young lady, are you challenging me?"
"What, you think I'm scared?"
"Very good. Woman, you have successfully piqued my interest..."
"Pfft... hahahaha, Chu Lian, I can't do it, I can't— I can't keep acting. Going from wuxia style to modern campus romance to domineering CEO... it's too weird. I can't continue." The girl in a bright yellow long dress clutched her stomach, laughing into a ball.
"Yanran, you're ruining the atmosphere. I know the shift at the end was a bit ridiculous, but playing along would have been basic respect for me. Now that you're laughing like this, the mood's completely gone. How am I supposed to keep acting?" She rubbed her forehead and shook her head. There was nothing to be done. Once her partner broke character, she couldn't continue alone.
She reached out, pulled the girl into her room, and shut the door behind them. Looking at the girl whose fair cheeks were flushed red from laughter, she rolled her eyes and said, "If you really can't keep acting, then just don't act."
"If I don't act, I don't know what to say." After hearing that, the girl gradually stopped laughing, lowered her head slightly, and replied softly.
"Why? Is it because we haven't seen each other recently, so you feel there's distance between us?" Chu Lian was puzzled. Why would she think that?
"I suddenly can't find a topic to talk about. Maybe... I'm afraid." She shook her head. Her smile was gentle and faint. In that moment, her thoughts were laid bare. Whether Chu Lian had returned or not, the worry she felt during her absence was not something so easily erased.
"Silly girl..." Watching Liu Yanran avert her gaze, Chu Lian suddenly felt a pang in her heart. This girl who had rarely spoken much with her carried such delicate sensitivity when it came to her.
Unable to stop herself, she stepped forward and pulled the slightly taller girl into her arms. Ignoring the faint struggle, she whispered by her ear, "You know... when you're like this, my heart really aches for you."
"Is that so? I always felt that if I hadn't died in front of you that time, perhaps we would never have ended up like this."
"Yes..." Holding her, Chu Lian suddenly felt her heart settle. What was she striving for now? Wasn't it for the girls by her side? Without them, what motivation would she have to accomplish so much?
"Hold me..." The blade in the girl's hand slipped from her fingers and fell to the floor. She gently pulled down the zipper at the back of her dress and murmured.
"Yanran, this..." Of course she knew what would happen next. But wasn't this too sudden? She and the girl had not even shared a kiss before—how had it leapt straight to this?
"I know you're confused. Then let me tell you why..." Reaching out, Liu Yanran turned her face toward her and pressed her lips against hers.
"Mm..." Her lips were sealed, a soft, lilac tongue slipping inside and wreaking havoc. She gazed into those bright eyes and slowly closed her own.
The instant her eyes shut, a fierce radiance burst forth from their bodies. And in that moment, Chu Lian's memories crossed countless stretches of time and space, returning to that distant place.
"Xiang Yu, lay down your weapon. Otherwise, this Wu River will be your end tonight. If you are willing to marry me, then whether it is Jiangdong or the whole realm, you shall have your share." The young man in white pointed his sword toward the red-clad woman standing at the ferry crossing and shouted.
"Liu Bang, you think you are worthy of taking me as your wife?" The beauty in red lifted her head, looking at him with disdain, as though his threat did not concern her at all.
"You are the Overlord of Western Chu. I am the future Son of Heaven of the Han. Why are we not well matched?" Liu Bang's hand tightened around his sword, struck where it hurt, yet he still forced himself to argue.
"If a stolen realm counts as your realm, then yes, it is yours." Xiang Yu shook her head. "But even so, you have never truly defeated me. On what grounds would I marry you?"
"If you have lost, then I have won. No matter the process, the outcome stands before us. Whether you accept it or not, it cannot be changed."
"Indeed. In the end, no one can contend against heaven. My life ends here."
Xiang Yu raised her head toward the cloud-choked sky and gave a desolate smile, singing aloud:
My strength could uproot mountains, my spirit towered over the world,
Yet fate turned against me, and my steed would not gallop on.
If my steed will not gallop, what can be done?
Yu Xi, Yu Xi, what can be done?
Her voice was like a cuckoo crying blood, like wind and thunder rolling together. There was regret within it, yet more than that, a self-mocking bitterness.
Yes. Whatever the process, the ending was that she had lost. What was there not to admit? Only that she lost unwillingly.
"Where is Yu Ji?" Lifting the long spear at her side, Xiang Yu pointed its tip at the encircling enemies and laughed.
"My lord, I am here." Draped in a flowing purple brocade robe, even amid thousands upon thousands of soldiers, she remained graceful and composed.
She walked with light steps to Xiang Yu's side and raised her slender hands to gently wipe away the fine mist clinging to her.
Whatever the ending, their composure alone was enough to move countless men to shame.
Before tens of thousands of troops and hundreds of Heaven-rank experts, this pair of lovers seemed utterly unconcerned.
Whether they truly held no regret toward life and death, or merely pretended, was impossible to tell. Either way, it was awe-inspiring.
If such a person could have ruled the realm, it might not have been a bad thing. Unfortunately, Liu Bang was the emperor chosen by all the major forces.
That woman was too strong. So strong that if she became emperor, the realm would inevitably be purged. Their own clans would not survive. So strong that without gathering every powerhouse together, there would be no hope of opposing her.
"Come then. Let me see what you are capable of." She reached to her neck and untied her robe. Beneath it, her tall, elegant figure was clad in armor.
Her gaze was calm, like a statue. Yet the aura she exuded made others tremble.
"Go, my lord. I will wait for you here. No matter how many years pass, nothing will change. If there is a next life, I will stand by your side once more. Even across snow-draped mountains at dusk, I will walk with you." Yu Ji smiled faintly. She did not stop the one she loved from doing what she must. Instead, she stood there and sang loudly:
Overlord, farewell—our love runs deep,
In dreams of another life, we shall meet again.
Why speak of the day we share the same road?
Lian Xi, Yan Xi—when fate first began.
"Hahaha! With Yu Ji's song to stir my spirits, watch how I deal with them all..." Golden boots stepped forward. Amid flashing lightning, she charged fearlessly into the enemy ranks. Even if this time she was no longer invincible. Even if this time she would not return—what of it?
"Farewell... farewell..." The sword upon her back appeared in her hand. Watching that arrogant figure, she began a dance of blades.
"If there is a next life... we will meet again..."
Lightning split the sky. Dark clouds refused to part. A vast curtain of white rain poured down upon heaven and earth, pattering against the woman who still stood with her spear slanted in hand, long hair in disarray.
Countless corpses lay around her, testament to her might—that arrogance which regarded thousands of troops as nothing, that pride that seemed determined to shatter the very heavens remained as before.
Three days. Three full days. No one had imagined the battle would last so long. Of the hundreds of Heaven-rank experts, fewer than a hundred remained after being slaughtered by her hand. Whether those survivors could still restrain Liu Bang, who commanded over a hundred Heaven-rank experts himself, was uncertain. Who would dare step forward again?
Alas, after this round of battle, Xiang Yu's life too had reached its end. The only reason she still stood was to wait for one person.
"My lord, it is over..." Standing at the ferry crossing, watching silently for three days without food, drink, sleep, or rest—so long as she could see the figure of the one she loved still standing, it was enough.
"It is over..." She lifted her head as raindrops struck her face. Yes, it was over. From this day forth, the realm no longer concerned her.
Liu Bang, this is all I can do for you. Let this land flourish once more. If those parasites continued as they had, they would only ruin this splendid world...
What a pity. From the Otherside to here, there were still so many beautiful sights I had yet to see.
And yet, I met the most important person of my life. Even if I die like this, I have no regrets...
The light in her eyes gradually dimmed. Xiang Yu's body could no longer hold on and fell backward.
"My lord, let us go—to a place where no one will disturb us..." Cradling her body, Yu Ji's smile was gentle.
She carried her to the ferry crossing and gazed at the surging river, as though seeing again the figure who once led armies into battle.
"Yu Xi, Yu Xi, what can be done..."
"Yu Xi, Yu Xi, what can be done..."
"Yu Xi, Yu Xi, what can be done..."
Binding Xiang Yu's body to her own with a strip of red silk, she whispered softly. Then she drew her sword and cut her own throat, allowing their bodies to fall into the river and vanish from sight...
"Yu Xi, Yu Xi, what can be done..." Opening her eyes, she found her face wet with tears. A hand reached out to caress her. "Why... why did you recover this part of your memory so early? You shouldn't have... you shouldn't have..."
"Because..." She lifted her head and looked at her. That gentleness seemed to have crossed immeasurable ages of time.