Everyone present had once faced Kevin, the strongest of the Previous Era.
The last time Kevin was sliced in half by Leo Ash was indeed a pathetic sight, but that didn't make them underestimate him.
Kevin being easily defeated by Leo Ash wasn't because Kevin was too weak, but because a full-power Leo Ash was too strong.
Moreover, the group, now self-aware, knew very well that if Leo Ash didn't participate, they probably couldn't take Kevin down even if they all attacked together, let alone one-on-one.
Now, Siegfried was saying that Kevin would join the battle to take down Otto, and everyone...
—Of course, they weren't about to immediately cheer 'Hooray!' and accept this information.
Yuna, recalling the information in her mind, looked at Leo Ash with an uneasy expression.
"If I remember correctly, Wendy once told us that Kevin was 'rescued' by Otto, right?"
"Otto did Kevin a huge favor, more or less. Will he... really be on our side?"
"Oh, I don't think we need to worry about that."
Seeing his comrades waiting for his opinion, Leo Ash nodded slightly.
"At least on this matter, I think Kevin can be trusted."
"That man isn't a fool. A month has passed; he should have realized by now how much of a threat Otto is to this world."
"Our paths may differ, but Kevin Kaslana is, without a doubt, an enemy of the Honkai."
"So Kevin is joining the fray as well... Well, so be it."
After muttering to himself, Welt said to Siegfried.
"You all wait here, don't move. I'll be right back."
Watching Welt leave The Ark using the Quantum Teleportation System, Siegfried sighed softly, then turned to look at Durandal, who had been staring at him with a complicated expression from the start.
The father and daughter, at the moment their eyes met, confirmed that the other was definitely their family.
And seeing her father, whom she had been so worried about, return safely, Durandal, who had thought of so many things to say to him, suddenly found that she couldn't say a word.
Ignoring everyone else's gazes, the father and daughter, separated for years, suddenly embraced.
"Dad... I'm so glad you're okay."
"I should be the one saying that. Kiana, all these years... I've let you down."
Though they had no idea what was happening, Mei, Yuna, and Wendy all tacitly took a step back, leaving the scene to the two who were on the verge of tears.
Fu Hua, who knew part of the story, looked at them and was reminded of a friend from her past.
Cecilia, if she were still alive...
[I'm telling you, old-timer, you might not believe this, but I've discovered something.]
Huh? What is it?
[I just took a peek into Durandal's mind and found out—]
Senti, how many times have I told you? Peeking into a comrade's mind is not a good thing to do.
[Oh, please, 'comrade'? She was one step away from pushing Leo Ash onto the bed—never mind that.]
[Anyway, when I was peeking into her consciousness, I found out that Cecilia... seems to be alive?]
???
Wait, what do you mean???
[Literally what I said. She met Cecilia. Oh, and it was in Abyssal City.]
Cecilia, is still alive?
Before a trace of joy could surface in Fu Hua's heart, the group felt a spatial fluctuation.
Kiana, who had just left with Su, had naturally returned to The Ark after handing over ownership of the Thousand Worlds.
Then, she saw Durandal and Siegfried embracing and subconsciously cried out.
"Da—"
Realizing she wasn't Siegfried's real daughter, Kiana's face suddenly darkened. She clamped her mouth shut and chose to take a step back.
The real Kiana is hugging Mr. Siegfried, so now...
—There's probably no place for me here.
Although she knew that escaping now would solve nothing, when faced with a scene she absolutely did not want to face, Kiana felt that perhaps leaving was a good choice.
But just as she was about to activate her powers, she suddenly felt a sense of powerlessness wash over her body.
Instantly understanding the situation, Kiana looked at Leo Ash in a panic.
"Senior, why—"
"Alright, stop looking at me."
Leo Ash walked over to Kiana and pushed her towards the two Kaslanas who had clearly noticed her.
"What's the point of running? You'll have to face this sooner or later anyway."
"I believe that as a competent warrior, you can handle these things before the battle, so..."
"—Don't disappoint me, Kiana."
After being pushed in front of Siegfried and Durandal by Leo Ash, Kiana...
—Of course, she couldn't accept Leo Ash's words so easily.
The thought that she was the monster who had slaughtered tens of millions and was even indirectly responsible for Cecilia's death made Kiana, unable to forgive herself, feel that she had no right to face the two people whose lives she had ruined.
"Sigh, Kiana, you ah..."
Seeing that his second daughter was clearly not in a good mental state, Siegfried sighed helplessly.
"How has it been four years, and your figure is still so disappointing."
"Your old dad here is really a little let down."
According to their usual way of interacting, after Siegfried made such a harassment-like joke, Kiana would usually punch him in the face in a fit of anger.
But seeing that Kiana had no reaction at all, Siegfried knew that things were a bit serious.
However, at that moment, Welt arrived with another person.
And the woman Welt brought with him, upon seeing the scene, immediately locked her gaze on Kiana, Bianka, and Siegfried.
"Another new gues..."
Siegfried, who was about to make a flippant remark to distract his daughter, was completely stunned when he saw the woman before him.
Then, he violently slapped himself twice across the face and sucked in a sharp breath.
It hurts.
So I'm not dreaming.
At the same time, Cecilia looked at her long-lost husband, her biological daughter from whom she had been separated for a week, and Sirin, who had her daughter's appearance but was someone she considered a daughter, and the emotions in her heart erupted.
"Siegfried!"
"Cecilia!"
Seeing the husband and wife, who were supposed to be separated by death, embracing once more, Leo Ash gave his companions a look and took the initiative to leave the room using the Quantum Teleportation System.
The panicked Kiana looked back at Leo Ash and saw him give her a thumbs-up before he left.
She desperately wanted to escape.
But even after Leo Ash and the others had left, Kiana discovered with sorrow that her powers were still unusable.
Logically, a power like the Field of Binding, as Kiana understood it, should be an ability that spreads out from the user.
But in the hands of a tryhard genius like Leo Ash, he had somehow turned the Field of Binding into a bizarre power that could be [released at any time, released in a small, designated area, have its intensity adjusted, and even cling to an enemy after the user has left].
Now, even more unwilling to face all this, Kiana suddenly saw Bianka walking towards her.
"Don't, don't come any closer!"
Watching the girl she didn't want to face slowly approach her, Kiana, on the verge of a breakdown, tried to back away.
But just as she moved, Bianka, whose physical abilities hadn't been weakened at all, got behind her first and pushed her towards Siegfried and Cecilia, who were still embracing.
"Dad, Mom, I think we have other things to do before you start crying."
So, the real Kiana won't forgive a 'thief' like me so easily, huh?
Seeing the seriousness on his eldest daughter's face and the near-breakdown expression on his second daughter's, Siegfried, reining in his emotions, let go of his beloved wife and looked at Kiana helplessly.
"Alright, from the looks of you, you must know about the past, right?"
"Yes, I know... My name is Sirin, not Kiana Kaslana."
"I also know that I'm not a warrior of the Kaslana clan, but a demon who slaughters humans."
Even though she knew she shouldn't be saying these things, at this moment, Kiana realized something.
Even knowing the past, her past experiences still made her see Siegfried as her closest family.
In front of her family, Kiana could no longer hold back her inner feelings and cried out to Siegfried.
"I'm not your daughter at all, I'm just a damn Herrscher!"
Objectively speaking, there was nothing wrong with what Kiana was saying.
But looking at the girl who was clearly having an emotional breakdown, the three people present only felt heartache.
Bianka, who saw Kiana as a younger sister and took the initiative to save her.
Siegfried, who had a mutually redemptive relationship with Kiana.
And Cecilia, who had known the truth of the Babylon Tower fourteen years ago and had long considered Sirin her daughter.
Perhaps the three of them knew very well that Sirin's past actions were indeed unforgivable.
But now that Sirin had already died once, facing this family member with severe self-destructive tendencies, how could they possibly agree with her and let her continue talking like this.
But, even if we forcefully change the subject, it's still difficult.
Siegfried, whose brain felt like it was about to explode, could only resort to the rhetoric he and Welt had discussed in their spare time to try and resolve his daughter's negative emotions.
Sigh, I'm not good at this at all.
Leo is great and all, but of all times to be gone...
I understand he doesn't want to disturb our family reunion, but if you were here right now...
[Hey, Mr. Siegfried, if you hear this voice, talk to me in your head. Don't show any surprise.]
???
Seriously? Speak of Leo and he shall appear?
And what's with this voice? How did it just pop up in my head?
[I'm using Master Fu Hua's... that is, the Herrscher of Sentience's consciousness manipulation power to temporarily link our minds.]
[I know you probably can't handle Kiana, so now listen to me. Here's how to get her mindset sorted out.]
So you already know what to do?
[Of course. I just think that these words would be more effective coming from you, her father.]
...I'm speechless.
You really don't miss a thing.
[Now then...]
After hearing the first thing Leo Ash said, Siegfried immediately got his brain working at high speed and put on a solemn and heartfelt expression.
"Alright now, crying isn't the Kaslana way."
"Kiana—"
As soon as he said that name, Siegfried wanted to slap himself.
Now that his eldest daughter wasn't dead, when he called for 'Kiana', Bianka would also subconsciously look at him.
Wow, what was I thinking back then, giving both my daughters the same name.
"It's alright, Dad. I think my current name is just fine."
Only my eldest daughter is this understanding, otherwise there would have been big trouble.
"Kiana, it's actually normal for you to have these thoughts right now, and well..."
After a moment of hesitation, Siegfried relayed what Leo Ash had said.
"Objectively speaking, you have indeed committed an unforgivable sin."
"No matter how we argue, no matter how pitiful Sirin was, the sins she committed in the past won't be written off just because she died, right?"
???
???
Hearing Siegfried actually go along with Kiana's line of thought, Cecilia and Bianka both thought, 'This is bad.'
It's over, we forgot Dad/Siegfried is a bad talker and can't speak well.
You're just adding fuel to the fire! (╯‵□′)╯︵┻━┻
"But, it is precisely because you carry this sin that you must live on even more strongly."
After hearing the rest of what Leo Ash had said, a relieved Siegfried patted Kiana heavily on the right shoulder and said to her.
"Death doesn't wipe the slate clean. If you choose self-destruction, people will only think you're running away."
"Since you know you bear a sin, you should strive to live on, use your power to atone, and continue to fight for humanity."
"In the days to come, your dad will be with you, your mom will be with you, your sister, Leo, and your friends, even that daughter of yours of unknown origin will be with you."
"If you just up and leave, you'll only be a coward who ran away. And after you run, your sin remains unpaid, and you bring endless pain to your family and friends."
"Dad doesn't want you to self-destruct as a coward, but hopes that even while bearing your sin, you will still choose to move forward on the right path."
After Siegfried finished speaking, Cecilia, who didn't quite understand the situation, could only wonder how her husband's eloquence had suddenly become so good.
But Bianka, who had spent over two years with Leo Ash, felt she had already discovered the truth after noticing the slight pauses in Siegfried's speech.
Dad... he's not usually this eloquent.
Could it be...
"Dad, thank you. I... I think I've come to terms with it."
Wiping the tears from the corners of her eyes with the back of her hand, Kiana suddenly said with great dissatisfaction.
"But, I'm a little angry now."
"Senior taught you how to say all that just now, didn't he?"
"What kind of father needs someone else to help them coax their own daughter!"
?
??
???
The smile that had just blossomed on Siegfried's face suddenly froze.
No, wait, were my tells that obvious?
Or is it...
—After spending a few months with Leo, my daughter suddenly got this much smarter?
..