Her illusion exposed, Higokumaru was momentarily surprised. She used a great fire blast to repel the group and said dismissively:
"So what if you know? Even if I reveal it, what can you do to me?"
"You'll find out what we can do soon enough." In mid-air, Yae Sakura sheathed her sword and slowly closed her eyes. After a brief moment of concentration, she opened them again, but it was only an afterimage. Yae Sakura herself was gone.
"Scarlet Hell."
Ryn and Fu Hua attacked in unison. Ryn used a pseudo-black hole to swallow Higokumaru, infinitely stretching the time near the black hole and thus slowing Higokumaru's movements to a crawl. Fu Hua used Fenghuang Down to suppress Higokumaru, flooding her mind with junk data to disrupt her thoughts.
The dust settled, and it was all over in a flash. A streak of sakura-colored light flashed by, and Yae Sakura reappeared, holding a crimson tachi.
This was Higokumaru's true form... the Twelfth Divine Key that projected Higokumaru—Jizo Mitama.
"...?"
Higokumaru, only now realizing what had happened, looked at Yae Sakura with a mix of disbelief and a hint of happiness.
"As expected of my big sister... Not only do you look so much like her, your techniques are so similar..."
The coordinated attack from Ryn, Fu Hua, and Yae Sakura made Higokumaru re-experience the "blade that freezes time" that Sakura had unleashed upon her fifty thousand years ago.
But without Jizo Mitama, Higokumaru's existence couldn't last much longer. Yae Sakura's attack only accelerated her dissipation. In the end, Higokumaru gave a self-deprecating smile.
"You defeated me so quickly, it's quite a surprise! I had prepared so much more, but it seems I won't be needing it. Still... does this count as getting my just deserts?"
Higokumaru shed her ferocious aura, sat down, and looked at everyone calmly, beginning to speak:
"I once committed an unforgivable sin. I utterly destroyed human civilization. But I do not regret it, for it was Ling's will, the bloody tears of vengeance. It was the cause sown by humanity, which ultimately bore me as its fruit."
"They buried me along with my sister Sakura in Nagazora City fifty thousand years ago. That was our home...
A thousand years ago, I devoured a fox and briefly escaped my seal. In those days, the people of the world worshipped me as a god and held regular rituals for me...
But back then, Azure Empyrea still roamed the world. I was defeated by Azure Empyrea and Beichen Mei working together, and sealed once more...
The god vanished, but the sacrificial rituals continued. And this was the cause I planted, and the fruit it bore was...
Yae Sakura...
Five hundred years ago, I met you, who suffered the same pain of losing a loved one. You had no power to resist, to take revenge... so I gave you power, and just as I expected, you decisively slaughtered the people of Yae Village..."
Yae Sakura's fox ears perked up. After taking a few deep breaths, she spoke to Higokumaru in the gentlest tone she could manage:
"Higokumaru, that's all in the past. I've let it go... We can both choose a new life now!"
Higokumaru shook her head and gently touched her forehead to Yae Sakura's.
"Please, let me finish, okay...? I don't have much time left..."
"Back then, I was gratified and delighted by your decisiveness, but looking at your blood-splattered face... you gradually overlapped with my sister in my mind...
That was the first time I regretted my actions. At that moment, I thought to myself, hatred... seems to only breed greater hatred in the end.
Fortunately, Theresa later enlightened me. She gave me a chance, letting me choose to become Hiyokumaru and re-experience the grace she spoke of, letting me live a new life at St. Freya High School.
Although Kallen and Kiana often bullied me, Ryn treated me like a mascot, and my big sister forced me to eat Kallen's cooking... everyone still cared for me deeply. They would comfort me when I cried and join in my mischief when I was unhappy... You gave me the family I yearned for, a new life, a chance to let go of my hatred.
But... Dr. MEI and the others took that chance away from me.
They locked my consciousness in a black box, causing my resentment to grow endlessly. Dr. MEI and her people nurtured my hatred; they created these tragedies. Whether it was Higokumaru or Ling, it was all their doing...
They said they were merciful, that they left me a chance, but it was a punishment more vicious than a slaughter...
When I let go of my hatred and chose to embrace life again... the black box would devour everything about me, forging me into the new Divine Key, Jizo Mitama.
Did you know? After I joined St. Freya High School, my memories and power were constantly being devoured by Jizo Mitama.
To prevent everyone from noticing something was wrong, to continue living like that... I wrote everything down in a diary. Every morning, I would memorize the contents of the diary, pretending that nothing had happened...
But Jizo Mitama's consumption grew faster and faster. And after the diary was burned, I could no longer maintain that life.
After bidding farewell to everyone one by one, I made a deal with someone. I was truly surprised she agreed to my request, to indulge me in my foolishness...
It was then that I realized I was indeed the luckiest, happiest child..."
"I'm afraid of dying, but I'm even more afraid of being forgotten by everyone... Please forgive my selfishness, for causing such a commotion. This farce was a funeral I planned for myself.
I always thought I was Hiyokumaru, was Ling, but in truth, I am only Higokumaru... I was born from the resentment of Ling's revenge, and so it is fitting that I die in this farce of revenge.
However... perhaps it was the kindness of Ling or Hiyokumaru, but in the end, I couldn't bring myself to be lethal... The casualties in the real world weren't severe, were they? I always waited for them to take cover before attacking, only destroying buildings without harming people...
But that's as far as it goes. A destroyed civilization, the suffering of the people—I don't care, nor do I want to care.
After all... I am merely a spirit of vengeance..."
"Causing such a stir, you will surely remember me for a lifetime, won't you? Finally, goodbye, my beloved ones."
Higokumaru gave everyone one last smile, then roared to the heavens, announcing her departure from the data world.
Yae Sakura instinctively reached out to hold her back, but the moment before she could touch her, Higokumaru shattered and disappeared completely.
Tears streamed down Yae Sakura's cheeks. She collapsed to the ground, clutching Jizo Mitama, her fox ears drooping to her sides.
"I never cared about any of that... I just wanted you, my little sister..."
Fu Hua turned away, putting on her disguise glasses. She didn't dare look at Yae Sakura now, because she looked too much like Sakura...
Bronya silently floated over to Fu Hua, offering her a pack of tissues.
"Do you need a tissue?"
"No, thank you..."
Seeing Bronya ruining the mood, Oath of Judah came over and carried away the emotionally stunted, sadness-impaired girl, then tossed the tissues in Bronya's hand to Ryn.
He could not forgive the disaster Higokumaru had caused, but in this moment, he felt pity for her.
As Higokumaru had said, whether it was Ryn or Yae Sakura, or even the entire world, they would remember Higokumaru for a lifetime.