Kiana hesitated, at a loss for words.
Do you even hear yourself right now?
Trust who?
Trust the Honkai?
Trust the very thing that had destroyed countless worlds?
Her expression twisted in disbelief. She wanted to argue with Sakura—but no words came to mind.
"I know it's dangerous."
"And?"
"But you and it... are inseparable now, aren't you?"
Sakura's tone was calm but piercing, her gaze unflinching.
Having died and continued her existence as a Stigmata consciousness, she could sense Kiana's condition even more clearly than before. And what she saw made her uneasy.
Kiana couldn't refute it.
Her fate was already tied to the Honkai—locked together for life.
Once entangled with it, even in the next life she would probably never escape. The connection would continue, endlessly.
All because she had pressed that activation button.
But if she hadn't used that power then, she would have died alongside Sakura and the others.
She hadn't been given a choice.
If the system—the Honkai itself—truly possessed consciousness, then it must have chosen Izumo as her point of arrival deliberately.
Because the only way to live... was to accept it.
"These are things you'll have to figure out yourself," Sakura said softly. "My experiences are my own. Our circumstances differ, and I don't want to mislead you into making a decision you'll regret."
She paused briefly, her eyes gentle yet firm. "Think carefully, Kiana. Truly think about why you wield this power—what you want to do with the Honkai's strength."
"...I understand."
Her fate and the Honkai's were already intertwined. No matter what, she couldn't escape it.
This was her choice.
After exchanging farewells, Kiana left the shrine with a heavy heart. Sakura didn't stop her—she only watched, worry written across her face.
This trial was something Kiana had to overcome on her own. Otherwise, the same thing would keep happening—until...
"Power is like this," Sakura whispered to herself. "If you can't truly master it, then you're destined to become its puppet."
She sighed quietly. "I hope you find your answer, Kiana."
...
Returning from the Stigmata World, Kiana opened her eyes to the battlefield once more. The stench in the air made her stomach twist.
Her mind, at least, was steady again.
But Sakura's words still echoed in her ears. She had to think—why did she use this power?
Why?
For survival? To save Izumo? For...
Countless thoughts ran through her mind, yet none felt like the real answer. Just as Sakura had said—she needed a reason. A reason to wield the Honkai without guilt or hesitation.
But she couldn't find one.
Because...
"The Honkai is nothing but calamity."
Her golden eyes grew cold as she pushed herself up. Around her, corpses that had fallen long ago began to stir once more, twisting grotesquely as they rose to their feet.
The Honkai's power was reshaping them, defiling the bodies of the dead.
"Damn it. I was so caught up in the fight earlier—I should've finished them all off."
She cursed her earlier self, the one driven purely by impulse and bloodlust. Now she had to deal with the consequences—the Honkai's infection spreading through the Borisin corpses once blessed by Abundance.
She'd have to kill them again.
Frost condensed into a blade in her hand—but soon, her expression darkened. She let go, and the weapon dissolved into mist.
The Frost Blade, imbued with Nihility's power, still belonged to the Honkai.
She resisted it, yet she couldn't live without it. The irony made her laugh bitterly.
She shook her head, murmuring to herself, "Then let's see what it's like... fighting without the Honkai."
Of course, she knew full well that completely suppressing the Honkai was impossible. Her very body was a creation of the Honkai—it was inseparable from her existence.
At least the passive effects couldn't be turned off.
Even without channeling its power, her physical strength remained superhuman. Even stripped of her equipment and the active flow of Honkai energy, her raw power was overwhelming.
The Honkai creatures around her usually treated her as an ally—they wouldn't attack her unprovoked. But in this untransformed state, if she struck first, they would fight back rather than wait to die.
Even with her body's instinctive strength—the kind that could once crush hordes of foes with a single blow—now, using all her might, Kiana could only smash one Honkai-infected Borisin into the ground.
Tough hide, sharp claws, relentless endurance.
Without overwhelming power, the true difficulty of facing the Borisin became painfully clear.
"Weak punches. Is this what it means... to crave strength?"
Pressing the infected Borisin into the pit, Kiana swung her fists again and again, but none of her blows could deliver a fatal strike.
Without the Honkai's power, I'm weak—fragile, ordinary—just one of countless insignificant people.
And yet, these creatures—all of them—exist only because of the Honkai. Because of the calamity it brings...
She lifted her head. Across the battlefield—once silenced by her own hand—countless figures were rising once more.
A legion of the dead, moving again.
Holding down the writhing, corrupted Borisin, Kiana's mind spun with thoughts. She understood everything Sakura had said—but still, she couldn't convince herself.
Something was missing.
What was it?
A goal...
Had she come to this universe merely to spread disaster? To become a being of destruction—hated by all?
Her focus wavered for a split second. The Borisin beneath her suddenly surged with power, throwing her off. It howled, lunging forward on all fours, claws gleaming with lethal sharpness.
In midair, Kiana twisted, dodging just in time and kicking it away with a thunderous impact.
She couldn't figure it out.
And she couldn't just pretend nothing had happened, couldn't go on lying to herself.
So until she understood—
She would stop using the Honkai's power. She would experience, with her own body, what this universe truly had to offer.
Landing steadily, she faced the hostile creatures that now swarmed toward her. From the debris beside her, she picked up a broken blade—its edge dull, its surface cracked.
...
A day later.
"It's done."
The last traces of organized resistance had been wiped out. This war was, for all intents and purposes, over.
What remained now were cleanup and prisoner collection—tasks that no longer required General Feixiao's personal involvement.
Compressing several days of battle into a single day's effort, she had once again broken her own record.
"Time to go find that friend and have a proper chat."
Throughout the day, Feixiao had never forgotten about her.
That girl should still be around, right?
She hadn't even learned the stranger's name or rank—she had simply planned to ask once the fighting was done.
To avoid delay, Feixiao, after eradicating the last stronghold of resistance, transformed into a streak of light and soared toward the place where she had first met Kiana.
The other Verdant Knights of the Yaoqing had no objections. On the battlefield, even if they wanted to say something, none could keep up with Feixiao's speed.
The same dramatic entrance.
Fresh off a decisive victory, Feixiao's mood was good—until she landed and took in the sight before her.
Around her were twisted, Borisin-like creatures. And the person she'd come searching for was far more battered than she had been a day before.
Bloodstained, wounded, breathing heavily.
As Feixiao arrived, she saw the white-haired girl locked in combat, wielding only a shattered blade against a horde of Borisin attackers.
Feixiao didn't understand why Kiana wasn't using her power from before—but she didn't hesitate.
Joining the fight in an instant, she tore through the encroaching horde, erasing anything that stood in her way.
Like a storm unleashed, Feixiao obliterated the enemies surrounding them, landing beside Kiana as the last of the Borisin were sent flying.
"Didn't think there'd still be Borisin stragglers here," she said, her tone light but her eyes sharp as she surveyed the scene.
"Not Borisin."
Seeing Feixiao again, Kiana suppressed the edge that naturally rose whenever she was in combat. The battle was clearly nearing its end.
"Not?"
Feixiao raised an eyebrow and looked more closely at the creatures before them. Alright—on closer inspection, they did look slightly different from the Borisin she'd fought earlier.
They seemed... mindless.
Pure weapons, perhaps?
She didn't yet connect them to the corpses from before. In her mind, the Borisin must have developed some new form of biological weapon.
But rather than voice her growing unease, she said lightly, "Well, whatever they are, it's about time this ended."
The moment the words left her lips, her figure vanished, leaving only faint afterimages. In mere breaths, every standing creature had been flattened to the ground. Unable to restrain her strength, she'd even left the terrain looking like it had been plowed over.
Clapping her hands as she returned, Feixiao's confident grin shone as brightly as the wind that swirled around her. "The war here's pretty much over. If you're free, how about coming to the Xianzhou for a visit?"
To the Xianzhou? The Yaoqing, specifically?
Kiana hesitated—then shook her head slightly.
"They're not dead."
Feixiao blinked as Kiana spoke. Turning her gaze to the craters she'd left, she watched as the same enemies began climbing back out, their twisted forms slowly regenerating.
Perhaps it was because they had once been Denizens of Abundance before being transformed into Honkai creatures.
These things were absurdly durable, and their regeneration speed was monstrous. Without the Honkai's power to aid her, Kiana found fighting them incredibly difficult.
If she couldn't kill them in one blow, they simply wouldn't die.
In simpler terms—her attacks dealt less damage than they could heal.
"Not dead yet?"
Feixiao frowned. Sure enough, she could see it herself now. Their resilience and recovery had already surpassed the Borisin she knew.
What had the Abominations created this time?
A heaviness settled in her chest, but she raised her hand regardless. Countless azure wind blades descended in a sweeping storm. The power of the Path of the Hunt manifested—a glimpse of its vast potential.
When the gale subsided, nothing remained but overturned earth. The battlefield was clean—almost too clean.
Where were the bodies?
The strange sight made her wary, but anything related to the Borisin would have to be discussed later with the others.
"For now, that takes care of it."
So that was the Hunt's power...
It almost resembled the arrow storms in Simulated Universe when walking the Path of the Hunt.
"Thanks."
With the enemies gone, Kiana finally relaxed. And with that release of tension came the rush of exhaustion and pain—her face paled noticeably.
"You're injured?" Feixiao asked in surprise. "Those things shouldn't be able to hurt you."
She still vividly remembered Kiana's earlier blows—powerful enough to split planets. The thought of such a powerhouse getting wounded by these creatures seemed impossible.
"I'd lose control."
Kiana's voice was brief and steady. "So I'm not using that power for now."
Losing control again? If that was the risk, then yes—she had to be careful.
Feixiao's expression softened in understanding. "Then come to the Xianzhou with me. I'll have a healer take a look at you. Oh—and I still don't know your name. Would you tell me?"
"Thanks, but I'll pass."
Kiana shook her head, declining the offer. She figured Feixiao's kindness came from gratitude—after all, she had charged through the battlefield and helped turn the tide.
But she hadn't intended to help anyone.
If not for the Abominations ambushing her, she would have left long ago.
"You can call me Kiana."
"No need to be shy! Didn't we agree we'd spar once the war was over?"
Seeing her refusal, Feixiao pressed on with a grin. "You've done Yaoqing a huge favor. I can't speak for the other Xianzhou ships, but here on the Yaoqing, that makes you a friend of ours."
"I only fought because I couldn't stomach it—not because I meant to help you."
Kiana shook her head again, then added quietly, "Besides... I'm a Self-Annihilator."
"Self-Annihilator?"
Feixiao stared at the white-haired girl before her, surprised. Kiana looked even more worn than she did—her clothes torn from days of sleepless combat, her hands wrapped in bandages stained with blood, some her own and some from her enemies.
"Yes," Kiana said simply. "I'm a Self-Annihilator."
"So you're an Emanator of the Black Sun?"
"Black Sun? You mean Nihility?" Kiana shook her head. "No, I'm not its Emanator. Nihility doesn't watch over anyone. I only came into contact with its power by accident."
Feixiao hadn't expected her new acquaintance to be one who walked the Path of Nihility.
She had heard of Nihility, though she dealt far more often with the followers of Abundance.
"Wouldn't have guessed."
Feixiao gave a low whistle, then returned to the earlier topic. "There's a saying on the Xianzhou—judge actions, not intentions. Whatever your reason, you helped us. That's what matters."
Kiana blinked, giving her a strange look. "You're really... a general of the Xianzhou Alliance?"
The white-haired fox before her was beautiful and fierce, confident and straightforward—a woman who radiated strength. But as a general, shouldn't she be more... cautious? Shouldn't she be thinking of the Alliance's safety first?
"What? You don't believe me?"
Feixiao tilted her head, amused. It was the first time anyone had doubted her identity. Did she not look like a general?
"...I'm a Self-Annihilator," Kiana said quietly. "You saw it before—I can't even control myself."
"So what?"
Feixiao finally understood that Kiana wasn't doubting her authority—she was warning her. As a general, Feixiao shouldn't bring someone dangerous aboard.
"You look fine to me," Feixiao said casually. "And even if it's Nihility, it doesn't cause trouble for no reason, right?"
When Kiana opened her mouth to object again, Feixiao simply clapped her on the shoulder with a grin. "Come on, stop turning me down. At least let us thank you properly. You can't just walk around injured like that. Even if you won't visit as a guest, at least let a healer treat those wounds."
"...You're not afraid?"
Feixiao laughed. "We've already fought, haven't we? Your blade told me enough—you're not a bad person."
"And besides, we did agree to spar again."
Her repeated invitations weren't out of courtesy—they came from something else entirely: the itch in her hands. During their earlier exchange, she'd been forced to hold back, too focused on the ongoing battle to truly enjoy the fight.
But thinking back on it now—the weight behind Kiana's strikes, the sheer raw force of them—it made her fingers twitch in anticipation.
That power... was exhilarating.
A duel with someone like Kiana wouldn't just be satisfying—it would be the perfect training.