After dealing with the problem on Aponia, Rin continued to stare at the woman before her with killing intent.
That she would just let go of her prejudices and bury the hatchet with her 'enemy'—how could that possibly happen!!!!
Even today, fifty thousand years later, Rin still clearly remembered the sickening smiles that bloomed on the faces of those soldiers as they killed her.
They genuinely believed they were killing a Herrscher and fighting back against the Honkai, which is why they wore those expressions.
Rin, betrayed by Fire Moth and screwed over by Aponia, had genuinely wanted to kill her when she made Jizō Mitama strike that blow.
Honestly, the thought 'this woman is useful to Leo Ash, I should consider the bigger picture' might have crossed her mind, but she immediately discarded it.
Over these fifty thousand years, the resentment in Rin's heart had piled up to an unimaginable degree.
And she was genuinely happy to learn that the true culprit who had ruined her hadn't completely 'died'.
In all those fifty thousand years, she had never imagined she would get a chance to take revenge on the enemy who had truly wronged her.
However, when the Jizō Mitama giant she controlled struck Aponia, she could no longer ignore the slight abnormality she had sensed earlier.
After discovering her 'junior' hiding inside Aponia's body, Rin truly felt...
—Fucking annoyed.
She sought the ultimate revenge, which naturally meant she wanted to cut this busty bitch down when Aponia was at her peak.
But now, her junior's presence had just told her that Aponia was already weakened from the start...
A large part of the reason she had silenced her junior without hesitation was that she was furious about having her revenge interrupted.
And now, everyone at the scene, including Leo Ash, was staring at her, which made Rin feel extremely uncomfortable.
Her sister Sakura didn't stop her, but watched her with a worried expression, afraid she would be swallowed by the darkness in her heart once more, her body and mind corrupted by the Honkai.
Elysia, who was on good terms with Aponia, also watched Rin with a complicated expression.
Although she said nothing, Rin knew that she wanted her to spare this damned woman.
As for Leo Ash, he was just watching all this calmly.
Perhaps what Leo Ash said earlier was what he truly felt; he supported Rin in getting her revenge.
As for what others thought... did it matter?
What truly made Rin uncomfortable was the scene, the atmosphere.
The current Aponia was incredibly weak due to 'Corruption's' interference.
And Rin, who had raised the butcher's knife and corrupted the Elysian Realm, was undoubtedly the dominant one.
At this moment, Rin felt as if she was hallucinating that scene from the past.
A person holding a weapon, swinging a devastating blow at a weak, unarmed person...
That was how she died.
And now, Aponia gave Rin the same feeling she'd had back then, when she was about to be killed by the guards—so weak it was pathetic.
Honestly, thinking back, when Rin erupted with astonishing power after being killed and delivered the finishing blow to that civilization, she was, to an extent, also 'bullying' the weak soldiers in that base.
If it were her past self, who had completely fallen to darkness, she definitely wouldn't have felt any psychological burden about bullying the weak.
But things were different now.
No matter how much she tried to deny it, the truth was that the current Rin was emotionally much calmer than before.
After hallucinating the scene of her own death, Rin found she couldn't bring herself to land this blow.
She craved the ultimate revenge, and this soft, even disgusting, form of revenge didn't match her ideal at all.
Killing Aponia like this... my revenge...
Damn it, my revenge isn't supposed to be like this!
"...Leo Ash!"
Rin, whose state of mind was now in complete chaos, immediately glared viciously at Leo Ash when she found she couldn't even maintain the giant 'Jizō Mitama'.
"Did you guess this would happen from the start, which is why you didn't try to stop me?!"
"...No. Just how smart do you all think I am?"
Leo Ash, who had suddenly become the target of her anger, looked at Rin, who had agonized for so long and actually *didn't* cut Aponia down. He spoke to her in a resigned tone mixed with a bit of surprise.
"Why does it feel like everyone thinks I have some super-high IQ and can predict how everything will turn out? Don't overestimate me so much."
"I personally support your revenge. Isn't it your own problem that you didn't cut Aponia down?"
"Tch..."
Although she still had her doubts, Rin had to admit that this one was her own fault.
In the end, she should have just cut her down. Why, at the last second, did she have to see her own shadow in Aponia?
...It's all Leo Ash's fault!
It's all his fault I ended up like this!
If it weren't for him, I wouldn't be thinking about all this useless stuff!
Noticing a hint of resentment in Rin's eyes, Leo Ash felt that something wasn't quite right.
While Aponia not getting killed was a good thing for him, he really hadn't expected that Rin, who hadn't had any deep talks with Theresa, would voluntarily put aside her revenge, even temporarily.
It aligned with his interests, but it was truly an accident.
And because of this accident, he was now being glared at viciously by Rin.
It wasn't enough to make him angry, but the whole situation felt... rather strange.
Seeing that Rin hadn't actually cut Aponia down, Elysia said nothing, merely letting out a long sigh of relief.
Things had avoided the worst-case scenario, so it was best for her to just keep quiet.
It wasn't that Elysia disliked talking; on the contrary, she loved chatting with others.
But now, although Rin had lowered her blade, her emotions were still clearly in a highly unstable state.
Aponia had just barely survived at the hands of this new 'Lord of the Elysian Realm'. If Elysia accidentally said something that provoked Rin and put Aponia in danger again, she would have a real headache.
So now...
Don't laugh.
At least for now, I absolutely mustn't laugh.
If Rin saw me laugh, she might fly into a rage from embarrassment, summon that giant again, and resume her unfinished revenge.
Perhaps in Elysia's eyes, she was hiding those little thoughts in her heart quite well.
But now, as Rin dispersed the materialized Jizō Mitama, the power of Corruption from her body inevitably spread to her surroundings.
Rin was already the 'Lord of the Elysian Realm'. When she spread her power, having no inclination to control it, she more or less corrupted the people and things around her.
For instance, she could now vaguely sense the hidden thoughts in Elysia's mind through the power of Corruption.
No, it wasn't just Elysia. At this moment, Rin could see right through everyone else's thoughts too.
After discovering that almost everyone around her was holding back laughter, Rin suddenly felt that the man who was still struggling looked a lot more agreeable.
At least *he* wasn't about to laugh at me.
"I'm warning you..."
After taking a deep breath, Rin switched back to her previous vicious expression and stared fixedly at Aponia, who had gotten to her feet.
"You don't think this is over, do you?"
"Aponia, you are still my enemy. Sooner or later, I will kill you!!!"
Sensing the killing intent bursting from her, Aponia lowered her head and said nothing in response.
Just now, she had once again seen a future that she theoretically shouldn't have been able to see.
And in that future, she was shocked to see herself in a real-world church, gazing at something.
Rin's killing intent was not fake. Even now, Aponia felt that she would be killed by her sooner or later.
But the future she saw was, without a doubt, also a possibility.
In other words...
As Aponia was thinking, Rin added viciously,
"I just think you're far too weak right now!"
"Just because I was bullied by those bastards back then doesn't mean I want to be a bully! Hey, Leo Ash, get this woman a body she can fight with!"
"Once she has a body that can fight, I'll kill her with my own hands!!!"
"Ah, is that so..."
Leo Ash gave the current Rin a strange look. In his eyes, Rin, who had seemed like a fierce hound, was now gradually reverting to the image of a husky.
Although she still maintained her adult appearance, seeing her yelling and screaming but not actually attacking Aponia, Leo Ash felt her turning into Higyokumaru was basically inevitable.
"Even if you hadn't said it, I was planning to."
With a light snap of his fingers, Leo Ash released all the Flame-Chaser memories from their crucifixes, except for Kalpas.
"Everyone, by now you should know that I truly bear no malice and that I've been telling the truth."
"Rin and I are going to root out the Herrscher of Corruption now. But before we leave, I'd like to make a proposal."
Glancing at Kalpas, who had struggled until he was almost out of strength, Leo Ash said to the group,
"Including Mr. Kalpas, I hope all of you here can persuade your other companions in the Elysian Realm to lend me a hand."
Hearing this sudden request, Su flexed his wrists and asked Leo Ash, puzzled,
"Lend you a hand? Forgive my bluntness, but according to you, aside from the escaped Herrscher of Corruption, the only thing left to deal with in your Era is the Herrscher of Finality."
"And unfortunately..."
Recalling the battle he couldn't participate in all those years ago, Su gave Leo Ash a bitter smile.
"Faced with the absolute power of the Herrscher of Finality, I doubt we memories can be of much help."
"No, you are all top-tier talents, and the world right now is in dire need of more talent."
Looking at Su's bitter expression, Leo Ash said to the group,
"Ever since I dealt with the last Herrscher, the Honkai on Earth has clearly become more active than before."
"Although we've basically taken care of the Herrschers, the countless Honkai Eruptions breaking out all over the world have already exhausted our resistance forces on the outside."
"So—you need tireless fighters?"
The Elysian Realm's Kevin stated Leo Ash's intention decisively.
"Leaving aside the fact that we have no physical bodies in this state, even if we suppress those small-scale Honkai Eruptions, you still have to face *that thing* in the end."
"The Herrscher of Finality. If you don't defeat this powerful enemy, no matter how many people you save, they will almost all be killed by the Herrscher of Finality in the end."
"That's true... However, I believe that saving even one more person before the final battle is always meaningful."
After saying this, Leo Ash looked around at the group.
"Before coming to the Elysian Realm, I already prepared Soulium bodies for all of you, ready to be used at any time."
"These Soulium bodies have been modified. They are perfect vessels that can be animated at any time just by implanting a 'consciousness'. While they may not be as good as your original bodies, they are more than sufficient for you to operate in the outside world."
"Of course, my invitation for your help is not mandatory."
"You all have plenty of time to think about whether I am someone worthy of your trust while I take care of 'Corruption'."
After saying this, Leo Ash stomped his foot and dashed off.
On the other side, Rin saw Leo Ash leave immediately after finishing his speech and turned to look reluctantly at Sakura, who had not tried to stop her from the beginning.
"Sister..."
"Alright, Rin. You're grown up now."
Sakura walked over to Rin, embracing her younger sister, and whispered to her,
"You're an adult. Go and do what you believe is right."
"I believe that you, as you are now, will make the right choice."
"Mn, I understand. In that case..."
"I'll see you later, Sister."
After saying this, Rin immediately and unhesitatingly broke free from her sister's embrace and chased after Leo Ash.
Watching the two of them run off, one after the other, Kalpas finally fell from his crucifix, only to be immediately caught and supported by Kevin and Su.
Kalpas, whom Leo Ash regarded as the most unstable factor, had been tormented by him to the point where he couldn't even speak.
After helping Kalpas to the side, Kevin looked at his companions and posed a question.
"Everyone, in your eyes..."
"—Are this man's words... worthy of our trust?"
......