"But people out there fight using entire galaxies as their battlegrounds."
Kiana said this with alarming casualness to Sirin. "They wipe out star systems like it's nothing. My current small goal is just to blow up a planet. Compared to that, it's not much, right?"
Is the outside world really that terrifying?
That thought crossed everyone's minds at once—followed by disbelief.
"When humans fall into corruption, do they become like Kami—or even worse?" Mei asked. She quietly took note of Kiana's talk about destroying a planet, setting it as a distant goal for herself. But what really occupied her mind was the crystal left behind by the Whale of Transfiguration—the indescribable sensation it gave off, as if it could drag one into an endless abyss.
"Of course not."
Sirin shook her head. "I don't know what you've heard, but I'll explain from the start. Demonization lets us wield part of a Kami's power. Take Yae Sakura here—she's absorbed too many curses. Her body's already showing irreversible signs of demonization. But at the same time, she gained the ability to control frost. That didn't come from Frost—it's still unfinished. The power of frost is what she received through demonization. Not too strong, but enough to take on most Kami."
"The deeper the demonization, the more non-human traits appear on the body. Naturally, the stronger the demonization, the greater the power. The most powerful recorded half-Oni reached the same level as the Whale of Transfiguration—but that was after complete corruption."
"And any Kami born from fallen humans is immediately eliminated."
Sirin's tone was flat. "They don't get the chance to grow stronger."
"What about in places you can't see?" Kiana asked.
"Do you know what kind of person becomes the most dangerous monster after corruption?"
Mei calmed down, realizing the obvious answer—those capable of wielding the Edict Edge.
Sirin patted Yae Sakura's shoulder. "Exactly. The one standing beside me."
"Hey… that's a bit harsh, isn't it?"
Kiana winced. "That's basically a curse…"
"It's fine," Yae Sakura said, shaking her head. "Sirin's right. If anyone here's most likely to fall, it's me. But don't worry—if that day comes, I'll do what our seniors did before us. I'll end it myself."
End it herself?
So that's how it is…
It made sense. If she ever reached the point where she couldn't hold herself together, she'd likely choose to end it too—rather than burden everyone else.
But then, what about the Whale of Transfiguration?
Maybe Sirin was right, but the world was full of exceptions. Could the Whale have been one of those rare accidents?
Kiana didn't know. She could only keep that question in her heart. If it wasn't a one-time case, she'd surely encounter another like it someday.
If not, then it wasn't worth worrying about.
"Alright, alright. The mission's done—no need to keep talking about this stuff."
Sirin stretched lazily. She wasn't just resting; even support work was exhausting.
"Let's head back!"
The operation was over, but instead of joining Mei and the others inside, Kiana stayed alone on the deck, letting the sea breeze brush her face.
[Unextinguished Lament (Stigma Material)]
She gazed at the special core in her hand—the first of its kind—taken from the Whale of Transfiguration.
When she touched it underwater, it felt like she was pulled into a devastated battlefield. In that single instant, her body lost all strength, and she fell endlessly into a bottomless abyss.
Amid that void, only a wailing sorrow remained—bright, sharp, and unwilling to fade.
"Stigma material…"
Kiana opened the long-forgotten Stigma system on her device and found the [Custom Stigma] feature.
With a thought, the material was inserted—and the once-gray slots all lit up.
Only one lonely number—'Ten Million'—remained dim, silently mocking her current poverty.
"So stingy! Not even a discount?"
Kiana grumbled, half hoping the cost would drop after inserting the material. But no—the slots were filled, and the price hadn't moved an inch.
Not even half a Honkai Cube less.
"Ten million… and you actually dare ask me for that?"
Staring at the required ten million Honkai Cubes, Kiana felt increasingly that this function was utterly pointless.
If she had ten million, she could buy multiple exclusive stigma sets—or even seven-star equipment if she didn't want stigmas.
Could this so-called custom stigma really be stronger than a character-exclusive one?
She didn't believe it!
What was so expensive about this? Just the chance—the small probability of creating something that might surpass exclusives?
Unwilling to give up, Kiana kept investigating.
After a while, she actually found something interesting. Once she inserted the material, the custom stigma automatically gained a name.
—[Unextinguished Lament].
Yes, the same name as the material.
Yet right after those two words sat a tiny label: "Template."
Behind that word was a twisted icon. When she focused her thoughts on it, the word "Template" disappeared—but nothing else changed.
"Template… could this mean it's a replicable, artificial stigma?"
Like printing copies?
That was the most optimistic interpretation Kiana could come up with. The idea was tempting—but she didn't have the funds to test it.
And even if she somehow earned ten million legitimately, she wasn't about to throw all that hard-earned wealth into a gamble.
"Well… maybe I can get someone else to foot the bill."
A sly idea took root in Kiana's mind, but it wasn't time yet.
She'd wait for the right moment.
The ship eventually brought them back to shore.
The mission ended just like that—without danger, without delay.
After all, the Kami had faced two kinds of enemies: one was a Sentinel whose Edict Edge could swat them like flies, and the other was a walking cheat code who broke the rules of reality itself.
With the task complete and no urgent matters left to handle, they returned to their hotel.
Mei's room wasn't far from Kiana's, so they went up to the 21st floor together.
"It's all over now. Let's rest this afternoon," Mei said, following her down the hall. "I'm free anyway—I can stay with you."
"…You mean, sleep with me?"
Was that too straightforward?
Mei froze for a second at Kiana's bluntness.
"If you don't mind," she replied softly.
"Yay!"
Kiana threw her arms around Mei. "Let's sleep together!"
Her excitement was infectious. Mei, though still slightly flustered, couldn't help smiling, the tension in her heart melting into quiet anticipation.
The hotel rooms were all built the same. As soon as Kiana entered, she dove straight onto the bed, sinking into the soft blankets before rolling over once and patting the space beside her.
"Mei, come on!"