Nagazora City - Singularity
As the two of them condensed their cores near the singularity, they could feel power gradually returning to their bodies.
However, because two Herrschers were condensing their cores near a single singularity, the Honkai Energy supply was insufficient, preventing them from completing the process at maximum speed.
Of course, the Herrscher of the Void, who held the cores of The Gem of Serenity and The Gem of Conquest, was likely still struggling to maintain control over the cores that were about to slip away from her.
But the more they focused on condensing their cores, the clearer it became to them—their cores belonged to them, after all. No matter how much that Herrscher struggled, it would be of little use.
Stolen goods are still stolen goods. The Herrscher of the Void was not, in the end, the Herrscher of Thunder or the Herrscher of Death.
Even if she had briefly possessed these two cores, it didn't mean she had become their true master.
Now, if the Herrscher of the Void wanted to ensure the cores remained within her body, she had only one path left.
As long as she killed Mei and Yuna before they finished condensing their cores, interrupting their actions, then with no hosts for the 'Herrscher of Thunder' and 'Herrscher of Death' existing in the world, the two cores she had stolen would naturally become hers completely.
As for what the Herrscher of the Void would do now...
—The Imaginary Portal that had appeared before them already gave them the answer.
"You two maggots really have some nerve."
Looking at the singularity that had opened due to their actions, Sirin didn't understand the principle behind their actions, but she had no interest in figuring it out, nor did she need to.
Right now, she was certain of one thing...
"All I have to do is kill you, and everything will be over."
As Sirin spoke these words, she had already snapped her fingers lightly.
Seeing the vast number of Lances of the Void appear behind Sirin, Mei and Yuna glanced at each other and simultaneously chose to retreat.
They continued the process of condensing their cores, but with interference, their speed was naturally far slower than before.
The Lances of the Void created by the Herrscher of the Void now were not only numerous, but they were also imbued with the 'Fog of Decay' and 'conquering lightning'.
The Fog of Decay could wither anything it touched, while the conquering lightning could disintegrate all matter.
Knowing full well how troublesome their own Authorities were, the two of them felt an incredibly terrifying sense of pressure when facing the three-core Sirin, even though they had mentally prepared themselves.
This pressure was, of course, not on the level of Kevin and Leo Ash during their deathmatch in Jiuyou twenty days ago, but the problem was that even if she wasn't as strong as those two, the current Herrscher of the Void was still far more powerful than them.
*If we make one wrong move, we might die after the first attack.*
*But, as long as we can withstand the first wave, Headmaster Theresa will arrive with reinforcements.*
*So...*
"Hmph, you two seem to be expecting something, but it's a pity—today, no one can save you."
Seeing their defiant eyes, Sirin said viciously.
"The only person who can threaten me now is Theresa, but Theresa—even if she comes, can she hit me with that damn field?"
"I've learned my lesson. I won't let her get close to me again. So today..."
"—All of you, just die!"
As she said this, Sirin hurled the Lances of the Void, already imbued with the powers of the Herrschers of Thunder and Death, toward the two of them.
However, the moment the Lances of the Void were launched, Sirin suddenly heard 'His' voice.
"What, God? Why would you say such a thing at a time like this?"
After hearing God's command, Sirin chose not to obey this time.
After all, if she didn't kill the woman named Raiden Mei here, her familiar, Benares, would revert to that emotionless Honkai Beast.
Compared to the dragon Benares, Sirin needed the companionship of her familiar, Bella, more.
Driven by the loneliness in her heart, Sirin made a decision she would come to regret deeply.
*Run my ass. It won't even take a minute to kill these two.*
*In one minute, even if someone comes, I can use my Authority to retreat in time!*
Just as this thought appeared in Sirin's mind, she suddenly felt her body become incredibly heavy.
The Herrscher of the Void, who should have been weightless, was now falling from mid-air.
Sirin had experienced this feeling of powerlessness once before, fourteen years ago.
That time, after underestimating her defeated foe, Theresa Apocalypse, Sirin was ambushed by Theresa's Divine Grace Field and reverted to the helpless girl who was at the mercy of others.
And this time...
*No!*
*I should have already taken precautions!*
*It takes time for Theresa to unleash the Key of Binding. Even if she suddenly arrived here by some strange means, it's impossible for her to unleash that field without any warning!*
On the other side, Yuna and Mei, who had been preparing for a deadly fight, now stared with wide, incredulous eyes.
Before them, the Lances of the Void that had been hurled at them were instantly annihilated under the cover of a crimson field.
But for the two of them—was the nullification of the enemy's attack even something to be concerned about right now?!
The figure slowly descending from the sky, the one that haunted everyone's thoughts, was what they cared about most at this moment.
"Leo... Ash!"
Seeing the boy she loved suddenly appear on the battlefield, Raiden Mei almost rushed forward in a single bound.
But before she could act, a large tree suddenly sprouted from the ground, blocking her path.
"Yuna, you—"
"Mei, calm down."
With her hands on the ground, Yuna looked at Mei, whose eyes were filled with five parts confusion, four parts bewilderment, and one part anger. She pointed at the Honkai Energy tree she had created.
"Don't forget, Senior is an apostle chosen by Him, just like us."
"And the Authority he possesses is the most domineering of all, the[Field of Binding]."
Listening to Yuna's explanation, Mei looked at the large tree and immediately noticed that after appearing, it was completely annihilated just like those Lances of the Void.
The only reason the tree hadn't been instantly 'erased' was because they were still some distance from the Field of Binding.
"According to Schicksal's database, once the Field of Binding is released, it not only has absolute suppressive power over Honkai Energy but can also interfere with the transmission of other energies."
"The moment an ordinary soldier enters the field, they will suffer immediate brain death from its power. While we are certainly stronger than ordinary soldiers now, but..."
Walking to Mei's side, Yuna pointed at the falling 'Kiana' and continued helplessly.
"The Herrscher of the Void, who has three cores, was deprived of most of her power in an instant. If the two of us were to rush into the field recklessly, we would only become a burden dragging Senior down."
"...You're right."
Taking a deep breath, Mei said to Yuna with a wry smile.
"You... are much calmer than I am."
"Alright, no need to beat yourself up. Everyone thinks differently. You were more worried about Senior, so of course you'd forget these minor details at a time like this."
Yuna gently patted Mei's shoulder and said with a cheerful smile.
"The biggest problem has been solved now. Instead of wasting time here, I think we should hurry up and condense our cores."
"The three-core Herrscher of the Void has been suppressed, but who knows how long Senior's field can hold her."
"But if we can re-condense our cores back into our bodies, the Herrscher of the Void will revert to a single-core Herrscher. She'll be completely overpowered by Senior—that is the best way to assist him in battle."
Listening to Yuna's analysis, Mei, who had already begun to condense her core, felt that her own analytical skills were indeed inferior to the other girl's.
The moment she saw Leo Ash, she hadn't thought about how she might be a liability in combat; she only wanted to desperately get closer to him, to see his face clearly.
The thought that she had almost dragged Leo Ash down made Mei feel...
*Sigh, I'm still too naive.*
[Rather than you being naive, I'd say this Poison Ivy is the weird one.]
At that moment, the Herrscher of Thunder, having heard Yuna's analysis, spoke to Mei in her mind with a strange tone.
[Poison Ivy... she doesn't seem to care about Leo Ash's safety at all.]
*What are you talking about? Yuna just calmly analyzed the situation. That doesn't mean she doesn't care about him.*
[Is that so? Perhaps you're right.]
[But her feelings for Leo Ash are far more complicated than we imagined... Heh, which isn't a bad thing for you.]
[If someone with a mind as sharp as hers joined the war between you and the white-haired fool, the two of you together wouldn't stand a chance against her.]
[She clearly has those kinds of feelings for Leo Ash too, yet she's willing to help you out... Heh, if you succeed, she'll definitely be the one to thank.]
*Hey, why are you still thinking about this stuff at a critical time like this?*
*Is this really the time to be thinking about love?*
[Oh, well said.]
[But who was it just now who saw her not-yet-boyfriend and almost pounced on him? If Poison Ivy hadn't stopped you, you'd be flat on the ground right now, caught in the Field of Binding.]
*That, that, that... that was an accident.*
[Right, right, an accident, an accident.]
[Well, since that was an accident, let me mention another accident.]
*Huh?*
[Leo Ash is walking towards that white-haired fool. If he manages to take her down now, great. But if the white-haired fool escapes using some other method, then...]
Before the Herrscher of Thunder could finish her sentence, the two of them on the scene saw the golden-eyed 'Kiana' glare resentfully at Leo Ash before actually disappearing from sight.
[Sh-she disappeared???]
*You—you jinx!*
Seeing her dear friend, who was so close to being saved, vanish before her very eyes, Mei, who had just relaxed a little, instantly grew tense again.
*This is bad. We have no idea where Kiana was sent.*
*And Leo Ash...*
Mei, who initially thought Leo Ash wouldn't know where Kiana went either, suddenly remembered something.
Her excitement from Leo Ash's return had made her a little scatterbrained.
But now that she had calmed down a bit, her analytical abilities returned.
She could place in the top three in exams at St. Freya High School; she was certainly no idiot.
After thinking back on past events for just a moment, Mei felt she had been worrying for nothing.
Back when Leo Ash was an agent, he knew how to make arrangements in advance to strengthen Mei's heart while also sending the endangered Kiana to a safe location.
In the eyes of Mei and others, even if Leo Ash wasn't some super-genius who foresaw every possibility, he at least had a good head on his shoulders.
Leo Ash definitely knew that the Herrscher of the Void, holding the Key of the Void, could disappear from an enemy's sight at any moment.
So...
Seeing Leo Ash turn back to look at them with an expression that said 'Don't worry, I've got this,' Mei was completely at ease.
The moment Leo Ash made that gesture, his figure also vanished from the spot.
About five seconds later, Theresa and Rita arrived in the area via the Quantum Teleportation System, and Theresa immediately looked at Mei and Yuna with excitement.
"Mei, Yuna, we just saw it on the surveillance system. That figure—it was Leo Ash, right?"
"Yes, Lord Bishop, Ms. Rita."
Looking at the extremely excited Theresa and the unusually calm Rita, Yuna replied to them.
"Senior Leo Ash has returned."
*But, that's strange.*
*Ms. Rita and Senior Leo Ash are close family. Why does Ms. Rita not seem very happy that he's back?*
Noticing Yuna's slightly puzzled gaze, Rita, realizing she had lost her composure, smiled at Yuna and took the initiative to ask.
"Is something wrong, Miss Yuna?"
"...No, it's nothing."
*I must be overthinking it. Ms. Rita and Senior have a good relationship.*
*She was just momentarily unable to process the surprise, that must be why she acted so strangely.*
Rita, feeling she had likely fooled her, was filled with joy at Leo's return, but at the same time, a sense of worry arose in her heart.
Very few people knew about the plan targeting the Herrscher of the Void.
Besides Mei and Yuna, who served as bait to lure the Herrscher of the Void, Theresa and Rita, who were ready to strike at any moment, were also aware of the plan.
But besides them, two other people knew about this plan.
The first was Theresa's good friend, Murata Himeko. Rita didn't think her senior was a problem.
But the second person's allegiance—didn't even need to be questioned.
The second person was the former Schicksal Bishop Otto Apocalypse's secretary, Amber.
Although Amber was now also serving as Theresa's secretary and handling Schicksal's affairs, Rita was certain that Amber was secretly maintaining contact with Otto.
It had been a month since Otto's neck was snapped by Fu Hua during the fifth Honkai Eruption.
At first, his lack of contact with Schicksal HQ could be explained by him having other plans elsewhere.
But a month had passed. This showed that in Otto's eyes, the duties of the Schicksal Bishop were a joke.
For a leader who seemed unwilling to fight the Honkai and who, in fact, failed to contact headquarters when Schicksal needed a commander the most, Rita's resentment grew daily, as did her suspicion of Otto.
And with her growing suspicion of Otto, she naturally didn't want Amber, who was Otto's lapdog, to have access to too much information.
But now, no matter how dissatisfied Rita was, she couldn't find a reason to obstruct Amber's actions.
Amber was, after all, the secretary Otto had trusted for so many years. Even if Rita now suggested being wary of Amber...
—Would Theresa listen?
And it wasn't just Theresa. To their other Schicksal colleagues who had never guessed Otto's true intentions, Otto's current situation wasn't even one of lingering authority, but more like he had 'just left headquarters for a few days on business.'
The old man who had led Schicksal for five hundred years had, even without trying, gained enough influence and authority through the long passage of time.
Now that Rita's most cherished little brother had returned, who knew what kind of extreme actions Otto, who seemed unwilling to fight the Honkai seriously, would take against her avenging adoptive brother.
*My head hurts.*
*If it were anyone else, it would be fine, but the one causing trouble is the Bishop.*
*If I don't find a way to deal with the threat posed by the Bishop, then Leo, who has to fight both the Honkai and the Bishop...*
*—When the time comes, he will surely face even more dangers.*
......
Meanwhile, on a certain small island.
On a small island, Benares, who had just watched Sirin depart, saw the Thousand Worlds that Sirin had left behind suddenly erupt with a burst of energy a minute later.
As the energy wave subsided, Sirin, who had been so confident a minute ago, now collapsed weakly onto the ground, gasping for breath.
Normally, Benares might have seen a furious expression on Sirin's face after a defeat.
But at this moment, having just escaped the battlefield in Nagazora City using the Key of the Void, although a trace of resentment remained in Sirin's eyes, her expression was more one of relief after surviving a close call.
"Your Majesty!"
Helping the dust-covered Sirin up from the ground, Benares asked with great concern.
"Are, are you alright?"
"...Hah, of course I'm fine."
*This is bad. I can't let Bella know that I flew over, said a few harsh words, and almost got killed by that Binding guy.*
Back in Nagazora City, the moment she felt her body go limp, Sirin understood why God had told her it was best not to go to that place.
Those two women were bait from the very beginning!
They were bait meant to lure her to Nagazora City, bait dangled with their very lives!
In the instant her power was completely stripped away, Sirin barely managed to support herself and, using the faint connection she maintained with the Key of the Void, expended the last of her remaining strength to activate its teleportation ability.
Before Leo Ash could reach her, she used her final bit of power to escape from that terrifying hell.
However, even after escaping, Sirin still couldn't feel at ease.
Previously, Leo Ash had relied on Schicksal's professional transport pilots to get to his destinations.
Because of this, Sirin believed that even if Schicksal wanted to ambush her, they couldn't possibly arrive on the scene immediately without mastering the Quantum Teleportation System.
But, but...
—Why could Leo Ash use the Quantum Teleportation System that only World Serpent and Anti-Entropy should have!
*Have Schicksal and Anti-Entropy joined forces again?*
*That precious teleportation ability, the people from Anti-Entropy just gave it away?*
*That Reason guy must have something wrong with his head!*
But now, no matter how much Sirin cursed that traitor who had screwed her over several times fourteen years ago and was still screwing her over now, she had to face a reality.
Once the enemy found her coordinates, Leo Ash could still come for her.
Although she could continue to retreat using the Key of the Void, but...
*Bella can't wait.*
*If I go back now, Leo Ash will definitely be waiting there to ambush me.*
*But if I don't go back, Bella...*
"Your Majesty, I will be fine."
Noticing the strange expression on Sirin's face, Benares gave her a determined look.
"Everything I am was given to me by you, Your Majesty. Even if I lose this consciousness again, I will continue to protect you."
Unfortunately, the dragon lady, who didn't understand the human heart, had no idea that her words of comfort had instead become a catalyst for Sirin's will to fight.
Deeply moved by her friend's reassurance, Sirin now began to ponder how to kill Raiden Mei and keep The Gem of Conquest within her body.
But, not long after she began to think...
"What, what is this?!"
An energy she hadn't detected before suddenly erupted from within Sirin's body.
With the burst of energy, Sirin's body was instantly covered in wounds from the hidden blast.
Although she immediately used The Gem of Serenity to heal her injuries, by the time she had successfully recovered...
"I~ fou~nd~ you~."
As those terrifying words reached Sirin's ears, the crimson field that filled her with dread enveloped the area where she and Benares were.
Leo Ash, who had teleported to the area, raised his hand and fired an energy blast, destroying the locomotive of the Thousand Worlds, before covering it with a Phantasmagoria.
Sirin, whose body was now covered by the Field of Binding and whose Divine Key was covered by the Phantasmagoria, discovered with even greater horror that her connection to the Divine Key had been forcibly severed.
The reason Sirin had been able to escape before was because the Key of the Void had a long-range teleportation ability and was left in a position where its operation wouldn't be interfered with.
But now, with her power stripped away by the Field of Binding and her Divine Key's operation interfered with, Sirin looked at the boy walking towards her step by step and, with a vicious look, drew the Fafnir Burstflame from her waist.
"Don't come any closer!"
"If you take another step, I'll blow this brat's head off!"
"Oh, is that really necessary?"
Seeing Sirin's panicked state, Leo Ash gave a helpless smile and took a step forward playfully.
"You are the mother of my daughter, after all. I won't do anything to you."
"Trust me, mother of my child."
"You think I'd believe your bullshit?!"
Seeing the maiden with the Pantheon weapon still pressed to her temple, Leo Ash felt that...
This didn't seem to be a big problem.
After speaking with Su today, Leo Ash had suppressed the 'mental defense' ability of the Stone of Annihilation fragment and had Su help him forget that plan.
Afterward, to prevent himself from remembering the plan through deduction, which would in turn let the God of Honkai know about it, Leo Ash had even hit himself in the head with a Phantasmagoria, once again throwing his mind into a brief state of chaos.
But after that, having sorted out some other information and given some instructions to Durandal, Leo Ash didn't start slacking off.
He didn't know the plan he was about to launch, but Su did.
After preparing the access rights for the Quantum Teleportation System for Leo Ash, Su immediately granted him access.
And after that, Leo Ash, now possessing the 'teleportation ability', finally had the means to hunt down the Herrscher of the Void.
After Sirin was forced to Nagazora City by the overt scheme, Su immediately removed Leo Ash's mental suggestion, allowing him to regain the memories he had forcibly forgotten.
Upon regaining these memories, Leo Ash rushed to the scene, intending to use the Field of Binding to suppress Sirin and eliminate this incredibly troublesome enemy.
However, considering how highly Prometheus No. 17 had thought of Sirin fourteen years ago, Leo Ash was cautious.
Fourteen years ago, Sirin's unique talent for 'not collapsing even when implanted with other Herrscher cores' had caught No. 17's attention. Not only was she given four cores, but No. 17 even intervened personally to protect her, blocking the Taixu Sword God who could have killed her.
And fourteen years later—who knew if No. 17 would still protect Sirin at the first opportunity.
To avoid messing up, while covering the area with the Field of Binding, Leo Ash also secretly fine-tuned its range, allowing a stream of mana and a stream of Dimensional Energy to quietly attach to Sirin's body.
The reason for the inexplicable energy explosion on Sirin's body was, of course, due to the energy Leo Ash had secretly attached to her.
As for why Leo Ash could pinpoint Sirin's location so quickly and accurately.
A secondary reason was that these two special types of energy on Sirin were unique to Leo Ash.
When his unique energy erupted elsewhere, Leo Ash could naturally sense the general location.
But the main reason he could find her so quickly was because of the special ability of the Sphere [The Wavering Scales] he possessed, which he gained after advancing the Sphere to its second stage.
In this stage, besides the common basic abilities of the twelve Spheres, The Wavering Scales gained the ability to transmit its powerful will to see through the essence of things to others, guiding them onto the right path.
This ability could be used on others, and of course, on the Sphere Holder himself.
And this ability, in the original game, had the effect of slightly increasing hit rate and evasion.
But in reality, this ability could guide Leo Ash towards the 'correct path'.
After knowing the general location through the energy explosion, Leo Ash, guided by the Sphere, found Sirin's location in the shortest possible time.
However, in the eyes of Sirin, who was completely unaware of these intricacies, the situation wasn't 'Leo Ash painstakingly laid a plan and managed to catch her', but rather...
—This man had calculated where she would be from the very beginning, effortlessly overpowering her in both intellect and strength from start to finish.
Faced with such an enemy, the incredibly proud Queen of the Honkai could only resort to a method she would normally despise—'threatening the enemy with the host's body'—to try and force him back.
But Leo Ash, facing Sirin directly, had no intention of retreating.
Watching Leo Ash get closer and closer, Sirin, holding the Fafnir Burstflame, roared in greater panic.
"Stay back! Do you really think I won't take her down with me?!"
"Ah, that's not it. I believe you absolutely have that level of determination, but..."
As he closed in on Sirin, Leo Ash maintained his playful attitude and asked her in return.
"Did you, by any chance, forget something?"
"The Fafnir Burstflame in your hand is a Pantheon weapon that generates powerful explosive particles through Honkai fission. In other words, inside a Field of Binding where Honkai Energy can't be used, it's a piece of scrap metal that can't be fired, less useful than a small handgun."
"If you really want to kill yourself..."
After pretending to fumble behind his back, Leo Ash took out the Glock G19 he hadn't used in a long time and threw it at Sirin's feet.
"Use this. This one can probably actually fire."
"You—are you insulting me?!"
Seeing the firearm her enemy had thrown at her feet, Sirin, now furious and embarrassed, charged at him without a second word.
*No one can use Honkai Energy inside the Field of Binding, so I should have the advantage in physical strength!*
*I haven't lost yet, I haven't—*
Before Sirin could make another move, Leo Ash accurately grabbed her by the head and slammed it into the ground.
"Also, I think you need to get one thing straight. I believe my cute junior would be more than happy to give her life to get rid of you, an enemy of humanity."
"Scram back into Kiana's body, and I might spare you for now for her sake. Otherwise..."
"—Don't think I'll go easy on you just because of Kiana, Herrscher."
"You bastard!"
Seeing Leo Ash treat her master so brutally, Benares dragged its pained body, aching from the Field of Binding, and tried to charge at him.
But unfortunately, within this field, even a Judgment-class Honkai Beast could barely exert any strength.
Facing the dragon that was on the verge of losing consciousness, an energy fluctuation appeared at Leo Ash's fingertip.
Sirin no longer had time to wonder why Leo Ash could use energy to fight within the Field of Binding.
"Bella! Run!"
She only hoped that her one and only friend could escape from the clutches of this demon.
But unfortunately, against an enemy like this, Leo Ash was not going to miss.
As the beam cannon shot from Leo Ash's finger, Benares's heart was easily pierced.
"A touching display of master-servant loyalty. It's just a pity..."
Watching Sirin struggle even more fiercely, Leo Ash wiped the smile from his face and said to her with utter indifference.
"My mercy doesn't extend to destructive maniacs who are preparing to destroy the world."
"Herrscher of the Void, Sirin, I'll give you one last chance."
"Either scram back into Kiana's body, or let me end your life right now."
"I won't give you much time. Are you going to scram or not? If not..."
At this moment, Leo Ash lifted Sirin from the ground, grabbed her by the neck, and said to her with cold indifference.
"—I will snap your neck right now."
"Ha, haha, hahahaha..."
After watching Benares revert to the almost emotionless dragon, gazing at her dying familiar, Sirin, held by the neck by Leo Ash, showed no sign of weakness.
"I completely... understand now."
"You knew from the very beginning that I was dormant inside this little girl."
"I remember now. I remember everything."
"Back when I went to find the Herrscher of Thunder, you were very reluctant to let me go. And based on the information I later obtained through this girl's memories, that damn Siegfried was there, wasn't he?"
"From the very beginning, you knew she was a Herrscher Host, with a Herrscher Personality that hated humanity inside her. That's why you helped Siegfried, to prevent him and this girl from meeting."
"And now it seems, the senior she admires was a big liar from the very beginning."
At this moment, knowing she could no longer turn the tables, Sirin gave Leo Ash a mocking smile.
"Heh, this fits my impression of Schicksal—you hypocritical people should just keep deceiving others forever."
"Are you done?"
Facing Sirin's mockery, Leo Ash asked with indifference.
"Any other last words?"
"...This time, I'll admit defeat."
After saying something that slightly surprised Leo Ash, Sirin gave him a malicious smile.
"But, you'd better remember one thing—as long as this girl despairs after realizing that everything around her is a lie, I will eventually regain control of this body."
"If you're not going to kill me, then—sooner or later, I will find a chance to avenge Bella!"
"Oh, then I'll look forward to that day."
Having said her harsh words, Sirin actually relinquished control of the body and fell into a deep slumber.
At the same time, Kiana, who had been aware of everything happening outside and had fallen deeper into despair, had no choice but to take over her body to face a situation she didn't want to face.
Looking at the boy who had released her, reunited with the person she loved, Kiana showed a miserable smile.
"Senior..."
"What that Herrscher said... it was all true, wasn't it?"
"From the very beginning, you knew I was a Herrscher."
"Because I'm a Herrscher, you came looking for me in the shopping district right away when you found out I was skipping class, worried I'd cause trouble."
"Because I'm a Herrscher, you didn't want Dad to provoke me, so you forced me to leave the place where the Third Eruption began."
"Because I'm a Herrscher, you've been protecting me all this time, not wanting to provoke the Herrscher Personality inside me and give birth to a Herrscher full of malice towards humanity."
"You've worked so hard for all this, so..."
At this moment, Kiana, having stood up, approached Leo Ash and said through her tears.
"Why not just kill me, the demon who once killed tens of millions of people?"
"I am a demon who slaughtered tens of millions, the greatest enemy of humanity. Someone like me..."
"—doesn't deserve to live in the first place."
"Ah, perhaps so."
Looking at the girl with a face full of misery, Leo Ash said calmly.
"I did know you were a Herrscher from the beginning, and the reasons for some of my actions are more or less as you guessed."
"And in my opinion, even if Sirin's past is pitiable and she did die once fourteen years ago, she is still an unforgivable sinner laden with guilt."
"After her revival, her sins do not disappear just because her good and evil sides were separated. From this perspective, you are indeed a person who bears great sin."
"...Yes, you're absolutely right, Senior."
At this moment, Kiana stopped her tears and said to Leo Ash.
"I am a demon who deserves to die, so... I'm ready."
"Mm, that's good. Then, you should be prepared."
At this moment, Kiana closed her eyes.
In her view, the boy who was filled with hatred for the Honkai would surely become the most just judge and take the life of a sinner like her.
*This is for the best.*
*I'm not Kiana Kaslana. I, who stole that girl's name and identity, and even caused her death and the deaths of many innocent people, have no right to exist in this world.*
*Isla... someone like me has no right to be her mother, either.*
With these thoughts, Kiana felt her entire body suddenly become incredibly relaxed.
But in the next moment, the pain Kiana was waiting for did not come.
When she opened her eyes, she was stunned to find that Leo Ash had suddenly pulled her into his embrace.
In Leo Ash's arms, Kiana couldn't help but feel a sense of peaceful reassurance.
But what followed was a sense of self-loathing that corroded her heart.
"Alright, stop struggling. It's easy to want to die, but death is not atonement."
Holding the struggling girl tightly, Leo Ash whispered in Kiana's ear.
"To get my revenge on the Honkai, I need enough 'comrades'. Do you think someone like me would let you die so easily?"
"Kiana, you made mistakes in the past and did kill countless innocent people. But precisely because of that, you cannot die."
"For atonement, you must carry this sin and fight for humanity until you die."
Kiana looked up slightly, meeting Leo Ash's eyes with a blank expression.
And facing the bewildered girl, Leo Ash pressed his lips firmly against hers.
A few seconds later, as they separated, Leo Ash said to the blushing girl before him.
"Perhaps the guilt in your heart will gradually crush you, but if your guilt is truly that strong, then—stop thinking, and become mine."
"Leave everything to me. I will make you forget these troubles."
"Until you have atoned for your sins..."
"—I will not let you die."
......