As the girl resolutely pulled the trigger, the death she yearned for did not come.
In the next second, the girl, who had just closed her eyes, opened them again to see a person she longed for day and night, but absolutely did not want to see at this moment, appear before her.
"Senior, what are you doing."
Staring at Leo, whom she hadn't seen in so long, Yuna, who had so much to say to him, found her expression suddenly clouded over.
"I, I, I..."
"You what?"
Looking at the gun in Yuna's hand, which he had destroyed remotely, Leo said calmly.
"You were about to do something stupid. Isn't it normal for me to stop you?"
*A miscalculation.*
Staring at the man before her, Yuna felt her heart being torn apart by annoyance and another, conflicting, extreme emotion.
*I never thought that after Senior returned, he wouldn't go to HQ, but would come to me first.*
*Before today, I was always worried about Isla, so I never made the decision.*
*In the end, that became my biggest weakness... didn't it?*
"I... I just want to complete my revenge."
Unwilling to give up, Yuna pulled a small knife from her waist and roared at Leo, her face contorted.
"You were the one who guided me down this path. After you completed your revenge, you're stopping me from fulfilling my wish."
"After you got what you wanted, you're stopping others from getting that same satisfaction—don't you think you're being far too arrogant?"
...
Honestly, hearing Yuna speak these words to him, filled with resentment, Leo truly felt that perhaps he had been wrong back then.
To help Yuna get out of her predicament quickly, he had used PUA and guiding techniques, making revenge the pillar of Yuna's spirit.
But his original intention was that after Yuna completed her revenge, she would gradually, with everyone's help, return to being a normal person.
But later... Leo realized that he had made a terribly miscalculated move.
Leo, having regained his memories, transformed from a coward pretending to be an avenger into a true avenger, inside and out.
In that situation, he couldn't even take care of himself, let alone pull Yuna back from the wrong path in such a short time.
Moreover, Yuna was truly an outstanding person.
Or perhaps, it was because she and everyone around her were *too* outstanding that today's situation occurred.
If things had followed the original story's timeline, there would still be more than three years until the battle of Finality.
But because the Honkai accelerated, there wasn't much time left for Leo to adjust Yuna's mentality.
And in the meantime, although Yuna had dealt with her greatest enemy, Cocolia, she later learned about Otto's past deeds from Bronya during the fight against the Honkai.
With a new enemy, Yuna's desire for revenge naturally grew stronger.
Furthermore, she had always hidden her self-destructive tendencies so well that not even the Herrscher of Sentience, who could peer into consciousness, had discovered her final wish without deeply probing Yuna's mind.
Just as Yuna said, the person she wanted revenge on the most, from beginning to end, was not others, but the Yuna who failed to protect her mother, and the Herrscher of Poison who killed her mother.
Looking at the silent Leo, Yuna didn't immediately plunge the blade into her temple. Instead, she stared at Leo for several seconds, her expression becoming calm.
She knew very well that Leo, who had returned victorious after battling the Cocoon of Finality, was different from an ordinary person like her who had lost her Herrscher Authority.
If she didn't convince Leo to let her go, even if she took out ten knives and stabbed her vital points, Leo would just save her on the spot.
If she couldn't convince Leo, Yuna wouldn't be able to die even if she wanted to.
Therefore...
"Senior, did you know? I'm truly grateful for everything you've done for me and for everyone."
"Because of your efforts, all our lives have moved in a better direction. Even the world, thanks to your hard work, no longer has to suffer the scourge of the Cocoon of Finality."
"But... I'm just really tired."
After letting out a soft breath, Yuna closed her eyes.
"After the battle against the Honkai ended, this world has regained its basic peace."
"Thanks to the efforts of Mr. Kevin and the others, all the countries of the world have chosen to stand down. Even some of the regional wars that would have erupted have completely disappeared because of everyone's hard work."
"The world has become so beautiful. So... for me, who is already tired, to want to complete the revenge I've looked forward to the most... there shouldn't be anything wrong with that, right?"
A light breeze suddenly blew between the two.
Feeling the breeze, Yuna opened her eyes again, looking at Leo calmly.
"Perhaps in your eyes, Senior, I'm just in a momentary slump, but... I've really been looking forward to this day for a long time."
"I wasn't a good daughter. I couldn't put my mother at ease in the past, and in the end, I even caused her death."
"I'm even less of a good mother. Although Isla has my genes, I can't give her enough motherly love. After all—in my own eyes, the person who killed her mother has no right to give motherly love to others."
"In the days and nights of these past few years, I often wake up from my dreams."
"In my dreams, I see my mom when I first had my Herrscher Transformation. She didn't know what was happening, looking at me with worried eyes, and even approached me because she was worried."
"I've actually always known. Mom liked to nag, but she cared about me. In the end..."
At that moment, Yuna suddenly saw a large amount of crimson blood appearing before her eyes.
"...Ha, why say so much."
"I've long since gone mad. I've long since stopped wanting to live."
"We've known each other for a while, Senior. Now that you've heard all this, can you let me fulfill this one last wish?"
"Yuna was always someone who deserved to die. What I'm doing now is just sending someone who deserves to die to hell."
"To me, this is no different from when I sent Cocolia to hell."
...
*She's broken.*
*No, Yuna was probably completely broken from the moment I tricked her onto that wrong path.*
*And now, I'm actually starting to agree with her a little.*
*It's precisely because we are both avengers who hold revenge as our creed that I can identify with Yuna's thoughts to some extent.*
*Even if our hearts also hold other thoughts like [protecting companions], in the end, we will still prioritize completing our revenge, provided we don't cross our bottom line.*
*She has the right to revenge, and right now, I...*
"Yuna."
Taking a deep breath, Leo spoke calmly to Yuna.
"If you're doing this for your mother, then I think you need to understand one thing."
"Your mother, who adored you, would not want you to do something this foolish."
"...Haha."
Hearing Leo's predictable attempt at persuasion, Yuna chuckled softly and retorted.
"Well said, Senior, but then..."
"—When you set out on your path of revenge, did you consider whether your parents would want you to walk that path?"
"Forget it. Don't try to pressure me with such boring platitudes."
"I'm just like you. When it comes to revenge, we were never [avenging our relatives]."
"The reason we must complete our revenge is purely for our own peace of mind."
"I am a selfish woman. Of course I would only try to complete my revenge for my own satisfaction—in your eyes, am I some kind of righteous person?"
...
*Damn it, she's using my own magic against me.*
*And she has a point.*
*Saying you've gone mad? Your logical thinking is still perfectly normal, isn't it?*
"Ah, it seems Senior has nothing left to say. In that case..."
Looking at the silent Leo, a look of pleading suddenly appeared on Yuna's face.
"Can you let me fulfill my wish? I... I've truly waited too long."
"I'm really so tired. Don't be so cruel to me anymore. Just let me die."
*Yes, she has the right to choose her own life.*
*And right now, I can truly see the endless exhaustion in her eyes.*
*Yuna is really tired. In these past few years, Yuna, whose inner thoughts were unknown to everyone, has probably long since been shattered by her self-torment.*
*Perhaps at this time, letting her fulfill her wish is also a good choice...*
*—Like hell I'd agree with that!*
Yuna, thinking she had convinced Leo, turned her back and pressed the knife against the outside of her chest, over her heart.
In Yuna's original plan, she was supposed to die in the most painful, most miserable way possible.
But now, Leo was here. To prevent any further complications or Leo changing his mind, she could only act quickly and use the fastest method to complete her revenge.
However, just as the girl plunged the knife toward her heart with all her strength, the one thing she most feared happened.
"Senior, what on earth are you doing..."
Feeling the knife fly out of her hand, Yuna spun around, exasperated, and roared at Leo.
"I'm really—"
But the moment she turned around, she was pulled into Leo's embrace and her lips were captured.
The struggling girl desperately wanted to break free from Leo's arms.
In this instant, Yuna was truly afraid...
She was afraid that by being this close to Leo, she wouldn't be able to suppress the love she had held back for so long, and would abandon her thoughts of suicide because of that love.
All this time, Yuna, who wanted revenge, had actually long since fallen in love with Leo, who had guided her, assisted her in her revenge, and protected her.
It was just that she, already having self-destructive tendencies, had ultimately chosen revenge over love, which was why she had always suppressed her feelings.
Yet even so, Yuna still found it difficult to suppress her love for Leo.
And because of this love, Yuna, worried that Leo might self-destruct, had proactively played matchmaker for Leo with her various female companions, hoping that more people would form bonds with him, allowing him to let go of the hatred in his heart and live happily with his partners.
However, right now, Leo clearly had no intention of letting Yuna go.
After their lips parted, Yuna, feeling slightly dizzy from lack of oxygen, heard Leo whisper in her ear.
"Just as you said, I was a very selfish person when it came to revenge."
"Back then, I craved revenge, ignoring everything precious around me, forgetting that my family would never want me to step into hell. In my selfishness, I must have hurt the important people around me long ago."
"But, I'm sorry, Yuna. Even now, I still think I'm a selfish person. And a selfish person like me..."
"—How could I possibly allow a girl I love to step into hell just like that?"
"If you want revenge, then continue your revenge. But in my opinion—living well is the true revenge."
"Besides, a momentary revenge might bring you satisfaction, but for you, [the Yuna who seeks death, but just can't die no matter what], that kind of endless revenge... that's what a true avenger should do, isn't it?"
"...Sophistry."
Feeling the emotions in her heart becoming uncontrollable, Yuna lowered her head and whispered to Leo.
"Using sophistry to say these things... do you think... I'll be convinced?"
"Probably not, but..."
Kissing the girl in his arms forcefully once more, Leo whispered to Yuna.
"Let's try this first, Yuna."
"I once twisted your life. And now, I'm asking you to give me a chance."
"—Give me the right to twist your life once more."
"Senior..."
Staring at the man before her, Yuna suddenly hugged Leo tightly, crying out.
"You bastard! Why did you have to say these things to me at this exact moment!!!"
*If you do this... don't I have to follow your script and complete this final revenge?!*
*Mom, I'm sorry. It seems... I'm just a good-for-nothing after all.*
*I, who failed to protect you, after finally making up my mind, was swayed by a man with just a few words and actions, suppressing the plan I've looked forward to for so long.*
*It looks like this unworthy daughter will have to wait a while longer before I can come down and apologize to you.*
*Before that... please wait just a little longer.*
*After I complete this final revenge, I...*
*—will definitely come find you.*