Chapter 168: Kallen Walks the Same Path as Otto! Going Mad for Love? (1W2)
Kasumi and the Ferryman investigated anomalies along their way—"Summer Freezing," "Clear Sky Thunder," "Mirages"... Eventually, after defeating the puppet sealed in the third Fire Mark, she obtained the original curse mark of the Hell Way.
In the following plot of Chapter 2, Preta Way, she visited a shrine where she encountered a girl with the same fox ears as herself: Theresa. Theresa yearned for the brave Miko from five hundred years ago and thus established this shrine. Within the shrine lived a spirit named "Higokumaru," a fellow who loved eating fried tofu. Upon seeing Kasumi in a Miko outfit, the word "Big Sister" immediately blurted out.
[Isn't this our talkative Higokumaru from Sakura Samsara? What's up, little bro!]
[Higokumaru is just Hellmaru, right? So it's the Demon Fox sealed five hundred years ago?]
[Are Kasumi and Yae Sakura really two different people? When she wears the Miko outfit, she looks exactly like Yae Sakura.]
Following this, a mysterious masked woman in Phantom Thief attire, Sixth Serenade, appeared. She warned Kasumi that Higokumaru's true identity was the Demon Fox that once ravaged the world. Of course, as for who this "Sixth Serenade" was... even if the plot didn't say it outright, the flashy thief outfit made it clear to the viewers. Who else could it be but the woman who talks trash and goes grocery shopping with everyone?
Eventually, Kasumi was pulled by a mysterious black hole into the strange Samsara World. ["The Samsara World is a turbid world abandoned by reality."]This was Theresa's explanation, though Kasumi remained unaware of the secrets hidden behind this wondrous world. She fought Hellmaru here, successfully recovered the original mark of the Preta Way, and even obtained Hellmaru's power. Hellmaru renamed itself Reigokumaru, capable of manifesting to help Kasumi in battle.
However, after recovering the mark, Kasumi felt a growing doubt regarding the remaining marks and the so-called Six Ways of Outer Paths. She felt as if someone were pulling the strings from behind, though she didn't yet understand what it all represented.
In the third act, Human Way, Kasumi infiltrated the Nightless Heaven to investigate the mark of the Human Way. From Reigokumaru, she learned of the events that transpired five hundred years ago. Back then, it was originally a deity overseeing the harvest, a spiritual beast enshrined by the Yae Shrine for generations. But one day, Yae Sakura brought back a wounded foreigner. It sensed something impure leaking from the black box the foreigner carried and asked Yae Sakura to leave the box at the shrine for purification.
But it had underestimated the contents of the box. Before it knew it, it had been eroded by the leakage and could no longer maintain its sense of self. To this day, it could not see through the true form of that impurity and had little memory of being sealed; it only remembered that at the moment its physical body was destroyed, it saw Yae Sakura also enveloped by the madness released from the box...
As the story reached this point, Otto looked at Kallen beside him with surprise: "The black box? Isn't that the object Kallen took when she left Schicksal?" Kallen wore a look of guilt: "It was the black box I brought that eroded Hellmaru, turning it into an evil deity, and later even eroded Sakura's body..." Yae Sakura frowned: "Don't you find this black box looks familiar?" As a veteran player, Otto recognized its true identity at a glance: "The Herrscher of Corruption!"
Aside from Otto, many viewers in Theresa's stream realized what kind of thing was imprisoned in that box! Was that not the Twelfth Herrscher mentioned in Chapter 12, in the world bubble of Kevin's memories? An ultimate virus with self-awareness... Back then, MEI had only sealed the Herrscher into the black box but failed to destroy it completely!
[So, the thing sealed in this box is the Herrscher of Corruption!]
[I thought it was just the Honkai Will at first, but it turns out there's a terrifying Herrscher in there!]
[Is it luck or misfortune? When the Herrscher caused chaos back then, technology wasn't advanced... otherwise, we might have seen a repeat of nuking human cities.]
[The true form of the Herrscher of Corruption is Rin, the sister of the MANTIS Sakura. Those sisters suffered such a tragic end because of the Honkai... and to think this box eventually found its way to Yae Sakura...]
[Sakura and Yae Sakura, Rin and Rin (凛/铃)... the fates of these two pairs of sisters are equally tragic. Was the box reaching Yae Sakura's hands destiny?]
[Destiny? It's clearly the Old Thief's twisted hobby! Dammit, I didn't think much of it during Sakura Samsara, but now knowing it was Rin in that box... My god, Su Mu, you are too cruel!]
[Looking at the bright side, at least in Sakura Samsara, Higokumaru let go of its hatred and lived with Yae Sakura in the Stigma space, even projecting its power as Jizo Mitama into St. Freya to help the people... that's a good ending, right?]
[My assessment is: just a mercy from the Old Thief.]
[Clearly there's more to Yae Sakura's story to dig into, otherwise the Old Thief wouldn't have released Sanka Saga!]
Regarding the accusations from players, Su Mu expressed that he was innocent. There was nothing he could do; the box reaching Yae Sakura was just the Honkai 3rd writer's sense of humor—a sudden blade when you least expect it. But in this world, he was the one taking the blame. Sigh, I guess this veteran has to bear the burden!
In the subsequent conversation between Kasumi and Reigokumaru, the latter mentioned the Ferryman, saying his soul was so heavy it felt as if multiple identical existences resided in one body. In his previous life, Su Mu hadn't understood this line at first, but when the Ferryman's identity was revealed, it was an epiphany. Obviously—the Ferryman represented the Captain, the numerous players behind the screen. How could that weight not be heavy?
However, he didn't spoil it. He looked forward to the players' expressions when they found out the Ferryman was themselves.
The plot then caught up to the beginning of the prologue. After contacting the Ferryman, Kasumi infiltrated Higanbana's mansion in the Nightless Heaven, fell into a trap, inhaled gas, and became immobilized. Unable to escape, Kasumi chose to pry info from Higanbana. When asked how she knew Kasumi would infiltrate that night, Higanbana's answer startled her.
It wasn't that she knew; she had allowed Kasumi to infiltrate. Higanbana wanted to drive a wedge between Kasumi and her collaborator, the Ferryman, but their bond of trust surprised her. However, she then revealed that not long ago, Raiden Mei had made a deal with her. The truth of Raiden Ryoma's experiment wasn't a loss of control over the Hell Way mark, but because someone had mounted a second mark onto the mechanical puppet. At that time, the puppet had actually developed its own self-awareness.
Based on Higanbana's words, Kasumi deduced that Raiden Mei's goal in trading with Rita was to collect rare parts to build a new body for the puppet she encountered in the Hell Way space. After gaining useful intel, Kasumi successfully escaped with the Ferryman's help. Her escape surprised Higanbana. After Kasumi left, the Sixth Serenade—Kallen Kaslana—appeared before Higanbana.
From their conversation, the audience discovered that Higanbana knew Kallen and even addressed her as [Lord]. Clearly, there were hidden reasons for Rita to be Higanbana, the underground queen. Kasumi was able to leave because the Ferryman found where the Human Way mark was stored and used its power to force Kasumi's immobilized body to fight and flee. This wasn't the first time such a thing happened; the last items lost were the six original scrolls of the Six Ways of Outer Paths.
["But is it really okay to give them away like this?"]
["Of course. After all, putting these into [Kasumi's] hands was one of my original tasks."]
The dialogue between Rita and Kallen made the audience realize Rita was far more than an underground queen. Delivering these items to Kasumi was her mission... so was Rita also a mole planted here by Schicksal? This left the viewers even more confused, feeling like a grand chess game was being played with Kasumi as the protagonist...
When Kasumi woke up, the Ferryman had already moved her to a safe location. Needing a place to heal, she followed the Ferryman's guidance back to Theresa's shrine. Upon waking again, she found someone else besides Theresa. she was addressed as Master Fu, a physician.
[Pfft! Fu Hua as a doctor?]
[For real? How does she heal? Physical therapy?]
[Hahaha!! Wait, no, there are too many memes here. I don't know where to start吐槽 (roasting)!]
At the same time, in Senti's stream: Watching the Old Timer as a doctor, Senti burst into laughter. "Holy crap! Old Timer! You're a doctor? Do you actually know medicine? Is your treatment just using 'Ki-Impact' on people? If a kid doesn't get better, they're probably faking, so a good beating will fix them, right!!"
Facing her sister's merciless mockery, Fu Hua gave her a dry glare. "Hey! Old Timer, I'm telling you, this is a livestream! Don't get physical! Don't you know domestic violence causes indelible trauma to a child's soul? For my healthy growth, you can't use corporal punishment anymore!"
Looking at Senti's nonsense, Fu Hua was speechless: "A child? How old are you? Have you no shame!"
[LMAO, new brothers might not know, the streamer was a menace when she was little! she literally took down the Patriarch's plaque, sat on it, and shouted she was the new Patriarch, then her sister hung her from a tree and whipped her until her butt was flowery!]
[God! Streamer was that much of a brat?]
[Streamer, it's a miracle your sister didn't whip you to death! It's a miracle you're alive!]
[But why do I feel like they aren't sisters, but mother and daughter?]
[Wait, for real?]
In the fourth chapter, Asura Way, while Kasumi healed at the shrine, she found a breakthrough for the Asura Way—if she could find the wanted Raiden Mei, she might find clues. Since Fu Hua treated many patients, her clinic was a hub for info. Kasumi helped out to gather intel on Mei. Soon, Kasumi met a woman named Himeko, who traveled between towns transporting goods. she seemed close to Fu Hua and revealed her current cargo was parts for mechanical puppets.
In their dialogue, Himeko mentioned Fu Hua's secret art for treating patients: [Ki-Impact Arts]. Kasumi soon experienced what that meant... Fu Hua changed into training gear and had Kasumi attack her with everything she had. Fu Hua observed Kasumi's energy flow during the fight and struck specific acupuncture points to improve her physical state. Though Kasumi felt like her body was falling apart, she felt an unprecedented lightness afterward!
[Wait? It's REALLY Ki-Impact Arts??]
[Ah? Everyone was joking, but you're serious?]
[God, talking all that mystical stuff just to cover up the fact that you beat Kasumi up?]
[Fu Hua's kick nearly tore the seams of Kasumi's Miko outfit!!]
Senti's stream was in stitches. They never expected Master Fu to actually use Ki-Impact to "heal" patients; this was pure official meme-ing, wasn't it??
After the treatment, Kasumi learned of Fu Hua's past. Fu Hua was originally from Shenzhou but ended up here for various reasons and established her dojo with Raiden Mei's help. she accepted mechanical puppets from Mei for her disciples' training. But when the disciples became arrogant bullies using their skills, Fu Hua suspected the puppets and discarded them, closing her dojo and becoming a doctor. Himeko was originally a black-market dealer from the Nightless Heaven but had long retired, though some still used her to move difficult goods.
Kasumi was concerned about the puppet parts Himeko was carrying, but since she was still injured, she had to wait. At nightfall, Sixth Serenade visited her, proposing they work together to track Himeko and find Raiden Mei through the puppet parts. Soon, with Sixth Serenade's help, Kasumi found Raiden Mei, only to discover... Himeko had been with Mei from the start. she had intentionally leaked info at the clinic to lead Kasumi there.
Kasumi learned from Himeko and Mei the truth of Raiden Ryoma's accident—the puppet went berserk because someone added the Asura Way mark to it. The Hell Way's power is to serve souls, and mass-produced puppets shared this power. Those puppets' true forms were actually dying humans; Ryoma had replaced their body parts with mechanical ones. However, human souls vanish when body tissue is replaced beyond a certain threshold.
If one mark wasn't enough to drive them, then add another. By a stroke of luck, Raiden Mei found the Asura Way mark. The Asura Way mark feeds on human obsession, turning it into power. she sent a puppet to Fu Hua's dojo containing the soul of a martial artist who had been crushed by Fu Hua; through daily clashes with her, its obsession grew. This obsession even affected the hearts of the students. After Fu Hua discarded it, Mei secretly recovered it. Later, when the two marks were combined, the puppet went berserk, leading to Ryoma's imprisonment.
[Pfft!!]
[LMAO, Raiden Mei is such a 'filial' daughter?]
[So Ryoma was sent to jail because of Mei's schemes?]
[What kind of 'father-daughter' bond is this?]
The reveal of why Ryoma was in jail had the players losing it. Knowing he was essentially screwed over by his own daughter was too much. Mei's actions were "filial" indeed, but they led to her puppet surpassing Ryoma's previous works, becoming a true Asura! The puppet gained its own consciousness and named itself Vulcan, meaning the gatekeeper of hell.
Kasumi engaged the berserk Vulcan and entered the Samsara World once more. Fu Hua arrived and learned the full story from Sixth Serenade. Raiden Mei's research had achieved a massive breakthrough—the memories belonging to the old body were preserved through the Asura power and moved to the new body, which is why the puppet remembered Fu Hua's dojo. Inside the puppet was a human soul, meaning the soul transfer experiment was a success.
However, after emerging from the Samsara World, Raiden Mei entered the mysterious black hole leading back there and vanished. Kasumi and Sixth Serenade analyzed that unconventional methods were needed to enter the Samsara World. Combining previous events, the opening of this world always occurred before recovering a mark. Thus, the Samsara World was tied to the marks. Kasumi had entered three times: once for the three souls of the puppets, once for Hellmaru's spirit rampage, and the third after defeating Vulcan, whose dispersing soul reopened the gate. The common thread was "souls"—this was the key to opening the Samsara World.
Sixth Serenade then revealed info on the Hungry Ghost Way. It was said to devour chosen souls, using them as fuel to grow its power! Kasumi deduced that the Hungry Ghost mark was hidden in the Samsara World and likely tied to soul transfer technology.
["Soul transfer? The forbidden experiment Raiden Mei mentioned was done under the orders of 'That Woman'? Sixth Serenade, is this what you've been investigating? Is the item you stole also a soul of some kind..."]Facing Kasumi's doubt, Sixth Serenade replied: ["Correct. I stole the soul of City Lord Kallen, turning her into a wandering ghost in the daylight."]
["—Just kidding."]
Kasumi couldn't tell how much of the woman's words were true. In that moment, it felt as if an emotion was intentionally leaked from behind the mask. When asked why she was so interested in Kasumi's mission, Sixth Serenade figured ["Well, since I'm already here"], and so "naturally" prepared to follow Kasumi into the Samsara World.
['Since I'm already here'? she clearly just can't bear to leave that face, can she?]
[LMAO, why else? It's for love!]
[But Kasumi isn't Yae Sakura, right? If Kallen is still clinging to her, is this what they call... 'Substitute Literature'?]
[Heh! Who says substitutes can't satisfy you?]
[God, we're doing substitute tropes now? Su Mu's plot is so punchy this time! I'm getting excited, brothers!]
[Now Lord Otto is losing even harder? He thought he had a chance with Yae Sakura gone, but now Kasumi shows up as a double? Otto has it so hard!!]
The players were vocal about how explosive this new plot was. If Kasumi really wasn't Yae Sakura... then this was a full-blown "Body Double" trope. Even though Otto wasn't mentioned much, his presence was felt everywhere in the players' comments. What? Feel bad for bullying Otto? No way! Crank up the pressure!!
In the game, Kasumi used Reigokumaru's power to take Sixth Serenade into the Samsara World. This world was larger and more unsettling than before. It seemed to inherit parts of the real world but was filled with distortions. It was like a warehouse where real-world structures were placed like goods, or as if reality had been dismantled and stored here.
Here, Kasumi and Sixth Serenade caught up with Raiden Mei and learned that the one who ordered Ryoma's soul transfer experiments was none other than City Lord Kallen! Raiden Mei prepared for a final gamble, merging with the Hungry Ghost Way in the Samsara World. Just as Kallen could merge with the Deva Way to achieve immortality, Mei believed she would gain special power by merging with the Hungry Ghost Way!
Later, Kasumi and Sixth Serenade realized that the Hungry Ghost Way didn't just exist in the Samsara World; it was the Samsara World. It was devouring things that shouldn't exist in the world, and according to its count, if even reality shouldn't exist, it would eventually suck reality into the black hole too. With their combined strength, Mei was defeated, lost consciousness, and the mark was recovered.
Kasumi's mission was nearing its end, though many mysteries remained. But at that moment, Kasumi heard a faint cracking sound. Sixth Serenade held her hand to her mask as tiny fragments began to peel off.
["No, don't look at me... Kasumi..."]
["Sixth Serenade?"]
[Along with the fragments, the expression she had hidden behind the mask was revealed.]
["I didn't expect that I too would be affected by the [Hungry Ghost Way]..."]
[Sixth Serenade slowly let go of her hand. This time, her mask could no longer stay fixed on her face.]
[Those shallow blue eyes looked at Kasumi, veiled in a layer of mist.]
In that CG, Kallen held her mask with one hand, her exquisite face hiding infinite sadness and pain. Her eyes gazed at Kasumi, gentle yet full of regret... This CG of Kallen's beauty left both Otto and Yae Sakura stunned.
"So beautiful..." Otto couldn't help but give Su Mu a mental thumbs-up. To draw Kallen this beautifully, you did a good job, kid! ...Then he remembered that Kasumi, that "fox spirit," was the one seeing this beauty, and he felt indignant!
"But Kallen looks so sad..." Otto soon noticed the depth of her sorrow, which nearly broke his heart.
[Sixth Serenade raised her hand again, pressing the mask to her face as if trying to embed it there forever.]
["But which 'me' does the deity want to peel away?"]
["The City Lord [Yuncen], the ordinary person named Kallen, or the Phantom Thief [Sixth Serenade]..."]
["But respected deity, this time it will not let you be too late."]
["Beneath the peeling mask, this mask of City Lord [Yuncen] will still stop everything..."]
["I once thought that the disguise of [Sixth Serenade] was still the 'me' of the past... that person named Kallen."]
["But now I finally understand. the mask of [Sixth Serenade] can be shattered..."]
["But the mask of City Lord [Yuncen] beneath it can no longer be taken off..."]
Kasumi felt that the Sixth Serenade and Yuncen before her were two completely different people; their auras were too far apart. But Sixth Serenade told her they were undoubtedly the same person. she told Kasumi to stop her investigation and that she would stop Kasumi here—this wasn't a decision from Sixth Serenade or Yuncen, but from "Kallen."
["Did you approach me from the start intending to wait for me to collect most of the marks and then take them all at once?"]
["No, you are wrong. My goal was always only this [Hungry Ghost Way] mark. Choosing to approach you was only to pry the information you held... perhaps, with a little bit of selfishness mixed in."]
["Selfishness?"]
["Even knowing you are not her, deep down I hoped for a day when I could fight by her side once more."]
["Her? You mean the legendary Miko? Soul transfer experiments... I see. Is this why you touched the taboo? But if so, why did you post bounty notices for yourself throughout the city?"]
["Because [Yuncen] noticed my intention to track the [Hungry Ghost Way]. Your ninja intuition was correct; [Yuncen] is indeed me, but I am not [Yuncen]."]
Kallen told Yae Sakura that [Yuncen] was sleeping in this body, and when she woke up, she would no longer be herself.
[Wait? What? Stygian Nymph?]
['Please, Other Me', is it?]
[So Kallen has also become... a split personality?]
['Kasumi, sorry, I didn't want to attack you! Sorry, I have a split personality!!']
[LMAO, netizens are the kings of bad memes!]
[Just say if you're playing or not! Playing or not!]
[Haha! So red! So round!]
Kallen's words made the netizens think of Seele and Black Seele's Stygian Nymph. But Kallen's situation seemed different; she herself didn't know why she had become like this. In that battle five hundred years ago, Kallen lost the love of her life. she had originally intended to follow her, returning to Europe to face judgment by the Schicksal Church.
[Wait, 'Love of her life'??]
[Real love of her life! Lord Otto has truly lost! This event is a total win for the Fox!]
[Lord Otto, forgot the first half, forgot the second half, anyway, you must stay strong!!]
[Didn't Lord Otto win once in the Priest line? Maybe next time it's his turn for a big win!]
[Win win win, lose it all eventually?]
[Wait, why do I feel this scene is a bit... comedic? Kallen is talking about her love in front of Kasumi, who looks exactly like Yae Sakura. Is this 'Late Wife's Memoir'??]
As the chat scrolled by, Theresa clicked her tongue and looked at Su Mu: "Wow... I can only imagine how incredible Grandpa's expression must be playing this part." she sighed. "I think I know why Grandpa didn't see you last time; he was probably afraid he wouldn't be able to resist stabbing you to death (No Mercy)."
Su Mu raised his hands in surrender: "I'm wronged! I actually have a split personality too. All the plots slandering Overseer Otto were done by my other personality!"
Bianca widened her eyes: "I-Is that true? Su Mu, do you need to see a psychologist or something?"
Theresa said dryly: "Bianca, don't believe everything this guy says! He's clearly talking nonsense!" she shook her head. "Forget it, Grandpa shouldn't lower himself to bickering with you."
As it turned out, Theresa was right. Although Otto was slightly annoyed by the "Love of her life" line, thinking that the Yae Sakura of this world had died five hundred years ago gave him a bit of schadenfreude.
"A 'Late Wife's Memoir'? Ms. Yae is too pitiful. she finally gets a chance to show her face in a new event, only to find she only lives in Kallen's memories. How tragic." "Is that so? But I am Kallen's 'love of her life'." "And yet your screen time was stolen by a fox spirit that looks exactly like you..." "But I am Kallen's 'love of her life'." "...." "I am—" "Do you have anything to say besides repeating that line?!"
Otto really didn't need to bicker with Su Mu, because bickering with Yae Sakura was enough to give him a headache.
["But when I snapped out of it, I had already repelled the hounds sent by Schicksal and decided to rebuild and protect this land in her place."]
["Perhaps it was instinct, and my truest inner thought."]
["So I stayed. I stayed in this Far East land."]
["I merged the [Deva Way] mark into my own body, both to protect Yae Town forever and to punish myself."]
Kallen's story didn't move Kasumi's expression. If it were just what Kallen said, she might have felt some sentiment. But Kallen had touched the taboo that should never be touched: soul transfer. At some point, Kallen noticed the possibility of soul transfer, but realizing it required massive experimentation. Even knowing she shouldn't, once the fire of desire was lit, it couldn't be extinguished. After struggling for a century, Kallen heard a voice. It said to Kallen: "You don't need to do anything, just watch from the side."
That voice was none other than Kallen herself. In that dreamscape, Kallen began ordering subordinates to find dying patients or death-row prisoners for human soul transfer experiments. Eventually, reality told Kallen it wasn't a dream; it was all actually happening. From the moment she heard the voice, Kallen lost control of her body during the day, and even her activity time at night was shrinking. This body held another Kallen, one named [Yuncen], who didn't hesitate to dirty her hands for love.
And now standing before Kasumi was Kallen's weakness and cowardice, and her minuscule conscience.
["I once had a childhood friend who touched inhuman experiments just to keep me from the battlefield against the Honkai."]
["At that time, I denounced his stupidity and madness and abandoned my mission to flee to this remote Far East. But looking back now, perhaps the stupid one was me."]
["I do not regret my decision then, but I can somewhat understand his state of mind now."]
["How mad can a human become for love? To cast away reason and conscience, even discarding the self that resisted the taboo."]
["Such a person as I, what right do I have to criticize his obsession and ruthlessness?"]
Kallen's words made Theresa let out a long sigh. "I didn't expect that for Auntie Yae, Grandmother Kallen would walk the same path as Grandpa..."
The mood in Theresa's stream turned heavy. Because they knew how mad Otto was in the main story and how determined Kallen had been in opposing him, the viewers' hearts were in turmoil. The ally of justice, Schicksal's strongest S-rank, the Saint Kallen... the hero who protected the weak and punished evil had also touched the taboo. To resurrect her lover, she had walked a path of no return. How was this different from Otto's methods in the main story? Even a hero like Kallen could fall into darkness for love...
[Sigh...]
[I really didn't expect Kallen to walk the same path as Otto.]
[This is too ironic. Kallen was so against Otto touching the forbidden, she even defected... but in the end, she went mad for her own love...]
[I guess this is... the dragon slayer eventually becoming the dragon.]
[Sigh...]
At the same time, in Otto's office, after learning what his in-game counterpart had done: Kallen's expression was unspeakably sad. "I used to criticize Otto for being cold-blooded, but looking at this... I'm actually the same kind of person. For the one I love, I touch the taboo and hold other lives in no regard..."
Yae Sakura placed a hand on Kallen's shoulder: "Kallen..."
Kallen shook her head gently: "I've been thinking since just now—if I saw Sakura and Otto die before my eyes, would I make the same choice as this Kallen? I thought I could firmly answer 'never,' but I find myself resisting that answer." "Now, I can somewhat understand why the Otto of that world fell into darkness... humans are emotional animals after all, and once the fire of desire is lit, it cannot be put out." "Ultimately, the 'Saint Kallen' in the game... it's only because Otto was always there protecting me that I could live in the light. Because I never experienced the despair Otto did, I could break away so decisively. But when I faced the same situation as Otto, I ended up walking the same path..."
Otto's hand also rested on Kallen's shoulder. He spoke in a gentle tone: "Relax. Aren't Yae Sakura and I still alive? That won't happen. As long as I'm here, I won't let things reach that point."
With their comfort, Kallen's mood improved, and she took both their hands. Having witnessed so many tragedies, she understood that the current happiness was something to be cherished. "Mhm, I believe you. So from now on, you can't leave me, okay?"
Looking at Kallen's sincere gaze, Yae Sakura glanced at Otto. "Hmph, Mr. Otto, don't go dying from overwork or Kallen will be very sad."
Otto smiled. "Instead of worrying about me, worry about yourself, Ms. Yae. Rushing deadlines isn't a good habit; depending on the situation, you might go before me." "You bastard, don't you dare die easily." "That's my line, isn't it? I have no interest in competing with a dead person." "Hehe." "Haha."
The scene in the office was fully observed by Amber and Eleanor outside the door. Eleanor looked suspicious: "I don't know what happened, but why do I feel like Brother Otto and Ms. Yae's relationship has improved? I just don't get it." Amber wore a look of someone who had seen through it all: "This is probably what they call... mutual respect between rivals?" Eleanor: "???" Still don't get it.
To achieve her goal, Kallen merged the Preta Way into her own body. Kasumi followed the black hole left by the merging and instantly moved to the depths of the City Lord's mansion. However, seeing Kallen's appearance, Kasumi was shocked. Kallen's figure appeared phantom-like, constantly switching between the images of the Phantom Thief, the City Lord, and a Nun that Kasumi had never seen before.
This was the result of merging with the Preta Way. The Preta Way is a spirit that devours all; as the host, what was being devoured from Kallen was time and space. Her existence was an anomaly of distorted space-time, and standing before Kasumi was a collection of countless "Kallens" along the extension of the "past." Without the power of the Deva Way, Kallen would have been devoured long ago, and even such an unstable image would not have appeared.
Kasumi expressed confusion. Kallen didn't need to do this; if she handed the marks to Kasumi, the scrolls would return the marks to their original forms. But Kallen told her that if she did, the seal on the Herrscher of Corruption would vanish completely, and it would ravage the world again.
However, Kasumi noticed Kallen was hiding something and pressed her.
["If the 'you' standing here truly is a collection of countless Kallens along the extension of the 'past', then among them must be the Kallen who touched the taboo for her love, and the 'you' who eventually accepted that self."]
["If it were purely out of a sense of responsibility to 'protect the people', you would simply risk your life to defeat the unsealed Herrscher once more."]
["But you act as if you are afraid of something other than the Herrscher's unsealing, even to the point of making your own existence unstable."]
["What else are you hiding?!"]
Facing Kasumi's questioning, Kallen let out a sigh of resignation.
["I didn't expect you to see through me to this extent.... I really can't win against you, can I..."]
["But sometimes, knowing nothing is a form of happiness. Don't you think so?"]
[Faced with Kallen's question, Kasumi replied expressionlessly.]
["Happiness? That is a luxury for those with a place to belong. I possess no such thing."]
[Looking at Kasumi, Kallen finally yielded.]
["...In that case, I shall show you the final secret hidden within the mansion."]
As Kallen's words fell, countless sliding doors painted with ukiyo-e were opened one by one. The secret at the deepest heart of the mansion manifested before Kasumi. Under a cherry blossom tree, sealed by shimenawa and barriers, was a pink-haired girl with fox ears. she wore a Miko outfit, with vines from the tree wrapped around her body. The girl looked as if she were asleep, slumbering amidst the falling blossoms. Beside her was an ancient and ornate katana—a blade players recognized immediately: Jizo Mitama.
It should have been a beautiful ukiyo-e scroll, the sleeping girl's exquisite face framed by falling petals. However... for Kasumi, this final secret hidden in the mansion was a shock that left her pale.
["Wha—"]
["W-Why...."]
[Seeing the girl who looked exactly like herself, Kasumi's mind went blank.]
["Why.... does she have the same face as me?!"]
END OF CHAPTER
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