The two teams split off into separate directions, much to Kiana's dismay. She puffed her cheeks in protest when she saw Kouga heading with Himeko instead of joining her and Mei."Ugh, why does Himeko get to go with Kouga? That's so unfair!" she grumbled under her breath.Mei only sighed. "Kiana, focus. We have a mission to finish."Bronya added dryly, "Emotional instability detected. Subject Kiana should concentrate before tripping another security trap.""Wha— I'm not unstable!" Kiana protested, stomping ahead with a pout.
After several minutes of walking through the dimly lit tunnels, Team 1 — consisting of Kiana, Mei, and Bronya — finally found what appeared to be the stele Fu Hua mentioned. The slab of ancient stone stood tall against the wall, its surface covered with strange pictographs.
Mei immediately contacted Himeko. "Major Himeko, we've located one of the steles. I'll send its position and a photo right away.""Good work," Himeko's voice crackled through the comms. "Kouga and I are still searching on our end."
As Mei was taking photos, Kiana tilted her head curiously at the carvings. "Hey, look! The stele has funny little pictures on it — a square, an equal sign, a fish, an axe… maybe it's an ancient math problem!"Bronya deadpanned, "Subject Kiana's intelligence level has dropped below measurable levels.""Hey!" Kiana puffed up again. "It was just a joke!"
The picture was sent to Himeko, who then forwarded it to Fu Hua."Fu Hua," she said, "I'm sending you the stele image now. Can you make sense of it?"
"Understood," Fu Hua replied. After a moment of silence as she studied the markings, her calm voice returned."This inscription tells a story. It reads:'One year ago, Jixuanyuan entered the Nine Realms alone with her blade to seal Chiyou. I searched for her body afterward, but could not locate the Nine Realms in the vast ocean. I was about to give up, but the Jingwei bird kept searching. Eventually, it found this place. Jingwei led the way but passed away from sheer exhaustion.'"
Kiana's eyes grew misty. "Hik-hik… that story reminds me of my Sora back home…"Kouga blinked. "Sora?" he asked over the comms, his tone curious.But before Kiana could explain, Mei's voice grew darker, a faint aura of irritation radiating from her side of the channel. "Sora? Who exactly is this Sora?"Bronya took a quick step back. "Bronya detects jealousy."
Kiana waved her hands frantically. "Kyaa! It's not what you think! Sora was my cat! White fur, golden tail — super adorable!"Himeko coughed pointedly through the comm. "All right, enough cat talk, boy and girls. Fu Hua, is there anything else on that stele?"
Fu Hua's tone returned to business. "That's all for this one. The last sentence does mention Jingwei leading the way."Himeko nodded. "Got it. Then our next objective is to locate the other stele. Everyone, keep searching."
After several more minutes of exploring, Kouga's voice came through the communicator."Himeko, over here! I found another stele!"
Himeko jogged over to him, brushing some dust off the ancient surface. "This must be the last one." She took a quick photo and sent it to Fu Hua."Here's the image, Fu Hua. Take a look."
A moment later, Fu Hua responded. "I've received it. The text says:'I managed to reach this place, but could not find her body — not even her sword. The only thing I could do for my wife was to erect these steles to tell her story, and build a statue of Jingwei to keep her from spending eternity alone.'"
Silence hung heavy for a moment. Himeko lowered her gaze. "…So that's everything?""Yes," Fu Hua confirmed softly.
Himeko clenched her fists. "If the body's gone, then the stigma is lost too. Damn it! This was a wild goose chase!" She slammed her fist lightly against the stone, frustration evident in her voice.
From the other side of the comm, Kiana's voice came through, uncharacteristically gentle. "I've never seen Himeko so upset…" she whispered. Then her eyes lit up with sudden realization. "Wait! That statue—it mentioned Jingwei, right? Maybe we can still find it! Let's go investigate!"
Himeko looked up at the communicator. "Statue?""Yeah!" Kiana said eagerly. "The stele said Jingwei led the way. Maybe the statue marks something — a clue, or a path forward!"
For the first time in a while, Himeko's expression softened, her spirit rekindled by Kiana's determination.Kouga glanced at her with a faint smile beneath his mask. Kiana really has a way of lifting people up when it counts, he thought.
With renewed energy, both teams regrouped and began searching deeper into the cavern, hoping they would lead them to the mysterious statue of Jingwei.
After a long search, both teams finally met again at the heart of the cavern — standing before an enormous stone statue of a bird spreading its wings.
Kiana's eyes widened in awe. "Whoa! This statue is huge!"
Himeko crossed her arms, examining the craftsmanship. "Excellent masonry... but it's just a stone sculpture."
Kiana tilted her head, thinking. "Hmm, the stele said 'Jingwei leads the path forward.' Maybe there's something hidden in the direction the statue's pointing!"
Himeko followed her gaze. "The bird's looking straight at that stone wall. Perhaps there's something behind it." She hefted her claymore. "I'll check it out."
She walked up to the wall, running her hand along the cold surface. "Seems like a pretty ordinary stone wall to me—"
Before she could finish, a chilling female voice echoed through the cavern, low and venomous:"Filthy humans... you've found me at last."
Everyone froze.
Himeko spun around, blade ready. "Who said that? Show yourself!"
The wall before her began to glow — faintly at first, then with a violent, blinding radiance.
Mei gasped. "The stone wall... it's shining!"Bronya's visor flickered with data. "Honkai energy spike detected! The wall is reacting to Major Himeko's Honkai signature!""Kiana, warn her!" Mei shouted."Himeko! Get away from the wall—!" Kiana cried out.
But it was too late. The light flared and the wall rippled like water, pulling Himeko inside.Her startled voice echoed as she vanished: "What the—!"
The glow faded. Silence followed.
Mei took a step forward, her face pale. "Major Himeko was... sucked into the wall."Kiana clenched her fists. "If that wall reacts to Honkai, it'll probably pull us in too…"She turned toward Kouga. "But what about you? You don't have Honkai energy, do you?"
Kouga's eyes narrowed behind his mask. In a flash of blue light, he transformed into Kamen Rider Ghost — his armor shimmering like a spirit aflame in the dim cave.
"I'll go with you," he said firmly. "But to keep us together, I'll possess one of you — that way I can cross without being rejected by the wall."
Kiana stepped forward without hesitation. "Then possess me! We're going after Himeko!"
Kouga nodded. "Understood."
In an instant, his form dissolved into a bright spectral orb that drifted into Kiana's chest. Her eyes flashed gold for a moment before returning to blue, her voice carrying a faint echo as she spoke.
"Alright," she said, determination blazing in her tone. "Let's go get Himeko."
The wall pulsed once more — and as Kiana, Mei, and Bronya leapt forward, they were engulfed by the same light.In an instant, all three vanished into the glowing stone, leaving the silent cavern behind.