Chapter 137: Sister, Brother-in-law Saved Me
Within this layer of the samsara, the suppression on Rovel's power had vanished. He was now at his absolute peak.
This was also his first true battle since fusing with the 'Taiyi' factor. In this moment, both his speed and strength had soared far beyond his own imagination.
His figure flickered through the space like a phantom, a ghostly afterimage trailing in his wake. When the colossal Oni Warrior summoned its Three Sacred Treasures—the sword, the mirror, and the magatama—Rovel simply blurred forward. With a series of contemptuously swift strikes, he slashed the divine artifacts to pieces before they could even activate.
As Rovel swung his blade one final time, the Oni Warrior's massive body convulsed and collapsed, its form slowly dissipating into particles of light. From the fading remains, a katana clattered to the ground. The Jizo Mitama fell into Rovel's waiting hand.
He glanced around, a flicker of caution in his eyes, confirming that the white-haired phantom thief was nowhere to be seen. He remembered the original game's plot for the Sakura-colored Samsara: at the very end, Kallen Kaslana, disguised as a thief, was supposed to swoop in and steal the Jizo Mitama. And then… well, then there was no 'then'. The developers had retconned the story, and the Jizo Mitama simply vanished from the narrative, never to be seen again.
'A damn shame,' Rovel thought with a gamer's lament. He had his own theories, of course. He suspected the World Serpent had gotten their hands on it. How else would the Sakura of the main story have known about its existence?
But such conjectures were meaningless now. The Jizo Mitama was here, resting solidly in his grasp. For a long time to come, he wouldn't need to even think about changing weapons. He examined the blade, noting that the ominous black aura that had once clung to it was gone. It seemed the purification was complete.
It was time to leave.
Rovel turned to face Yae Sakura, Yae Rin, and the diminutive Higokumaru.
Sensing his imminent departure, Yae Sakura stepped forward and wrapped her arms around him in a gentle, warm embrace. Nearby, Yae Rin and Higokumaru theatrically covered their eyes with their hands, though the gaps between their fingers were so wide they might as well have not bothered.
"Husband," Yae Sakura murmured against his chest, her voice earnest and full of emotion. "I will wait for your return, always."
"Mhm…" Rovel nodded, returning the embrace.
"…Big Sis, the Jizo Mitama can project a consciousness, you know!" Higokumaru's high-pitched voice cut through the tender moment, unable to bear the sappy farewell. "You can go out and see Brother-in-law whenever you want!"
"Is… is that so?" Yae Sakura's cheeks instantly flushed a deep crimson, a wave of embarrassment washing over her.
Just then, a cool, synthesized voice echoed directly in Rovel's mind. "A reminder: Dr. Mobius is back. And Sakura has come over as well."
It was Klein.
A cold sweat immediately beaded on Rovel's brow. The warm, fuzzy feeling of the farewell evaporated, replaced by a primal sense of panic.
"Sorry, Sakura," he said hastily, pulling back from the embrace. "I have to go. If I don't, your husband might not live to see tomorrow's sun."
Without another word, he leaned in, captured Yae Sakura's enticing red lips in a hurried but passionate kiss, and then vanished, leaving the Stigma Space behind.
[Special Dungeon: Sakura-colored Samsara completed.]
[Yae Sakura's affection has reached 100%. Obtained Legendary Title: Fox-Eared Steering Wheel.]
[Fox-Eared Steering Wheel: A 'steering wheel' only you can use.]
[Yae Sakura's Stigma has undergone a transformation. Spirit Blade Form perfectly mastered. Stigma attributes doubled. Spirit Blade Form effect bonus is now permanent. PS: Can control the appearance of fox ears and change hair color to pink.]
[Spirit Blade Form: Toxin immunity, restores 200 HP per second, Constitution +600, Strength +400, Agility +800. Stigma power can be attached to weapons!]
[Name: Fang Ruobai]
[Level: 30]
[EXP: 0/350,000]
[Race: Taiyi]
[HP: 20,500/20,500]
[Honkai Energy Infection Progress: 0%]
[Constitution: 2,050]
[Strength: 1,850]
[Agility: 2,250]
[Intelligence: 1,930] (Note: The 38 free attribute points gained before the Taiyi fusion were multiplied to 380. All 380 points have been allocated to Intelligence.)
[Honkai Resistance: 3,000 HW]
[Stigma Slot 1: Yae Sakura]
[Stigma Slot 2: Empty]
[Equipment: Elysia's Crystal Flower (Special Accessory)]
Rovel's eyes snapped open. He found himself sitting upright on the lab cot just as the door slid open, revealing Mobius and Sakura entering the room.
Seeing him bolt upright, Mobius tilted her head, her serpentine eyes narrowing in confusion. Why did she get the distinct feeling that Rovel had just done something he wasn't supposed to?
"Dr. Mobius, you're back," Rovel said, a little too quickly. He swung his legs over the side of the cot and stood up. "I'll go make you a cup of coffee."
"No need," Mobius replied, her tone cutting straight to the point. "What are your thoughts on the matter of the Jizo Mitama?"
On the way over, she had already learned from Sakura that Rovel seemed to have something to tell her about the mysterious blade.
"So that blade is called Jizo Mitama?" Sakura murmured to herself, her gaze distant.
"Actually, Sakura, you've already guessed it, haven't you?" Rovel said, his eyes meeting the Flame-Chaser's.
Sakura took a deep, steadying breath, her voice barely a whisper as she voiced the suspicion that had been haunting her. "…Does it have to do with my sister?"
A heavy silence descended upon the laboratory. Mobius remained impassive. Rovel didn't speak. In the corner, Klein continued to bury her head in her work, the frantic tapping of her keyboard the only sound in the room.
Seeing their shared silence, Sakura knew. Her guess was completely, horrifyingly correct. That familiar, resonant aura she felt from the blade… it was her sister. It was Rin.
Rin had been turned into a Divine Key. Which meant… Rin had become a Herrscher.
Her synchronized memories from the Previous Era stopped just before the Eleventh Herrscher. Could it be that Rin was the Twelfth?
"Sakura," Rovel's voice was low and serious, cutting through her spiraling thoughts. "If the culprit indirectly responsible for your sister's death was one of the Thirteen Flame-Chasers, what would you do?"
Sakura's pupils constricted into pinpricks. Her hand shot to her waist, fingers instinctively wrapping around the hilt of her blade, Frozen Naraka.
The very air in the lab seemed to freeze over. The quiet became absolute, the silence so deep that even the sound of Klein's typing seemed to have vanished. Time stretched, each second crawling by as Mobius and Rovel waited for Sakura's answer. They both knew what Rin meant to her. She was her only family, the one person she would have sacrificed her own life to protect without a moment's hesitation.
If there was anything in this world that could make Sakura, the stoic and peerless assassin, lose her composure, it was her sister.
Finally, Sakura's hand fell away from her sword. "I'm sorry," she said, her voice strained but level. "I cannot answer that question without knowing the full picture."
At the last moment, her legendary discipline had prevailed over her heart. Of course, it was also possible she was playing a different game—using this measured response to compel Rovel to reveal the true culprit.
"Thank you for your answer," Rovel said with a nod. "Then, this is my response."
He materialized the Jizo Mitama, its dark blade gleaming under the lab lights. But he didn't hand it to Sakura. Instead, he called out into the air.
"Come out, Higokumaru."
In the next second, a flash of pink light coalesced on the blade's surface. A miniature, fox-eared girl, as delicate and perfect as if carved from jade, appeared before them all.
"Big… Big Sis?" Higokumaru whispered, her eyes wide as they fixed on Sakura. "No… she's not Big Sis… But such a familiar… such a familiar feeling."
The moment she saw Sakura, tears began to stream from her large, innocent eyes.
"Rin…" Sakura breathed, her own voice choked with emotion. She spoke the name as if afraid it was a dream, that any sound louder than a whisper might shatter the illusion. She didn't dare move, fearing any sudden motion would scare away the tiny figure before her.
"She is your sister," Rovel said softly, his words directed at Higokumaru. "Your sister from fifty thousand years ago, Sakura."
"Sister… Sister!" Higokumaru cried out, the name a sob of pure joy and sorrow. She flew from the blade and into Sakura's arms, her tiny body trembling as tears fell in large, fat drops.
"Rin… Sister is here…" Sakura's own tears had finally broken through their dam, streaming down her face as she hugged the small form to her chest.
Fifty thousand years. She had never imagined, not even in her wildest dreams, that they would be reunited in such a way.
Watching the scene unfold, Mobius's eyes remained devoid of emotion. To her, this Flame-Chaser Sakura was not the real Sakura, but merely a construct of memory. This Higokumaru was not the real Rin, but just a vessel preserving Rin's lingering thoughts. They were simply containers for each other's longing, reunited by some improbable miracle.
It wasn't something that could move her. Even if the two had truly been the originals, she wouldn't have felt much.
Because Mobius found it all rather uninteresting.
"Sister," Higokumaru chirped from within Sakura's embrace, her tears already subsiding. "Brother-in-law saved me."
"Brother… in-law?"
Mobius's emerald eyes, which had been observing the scene with clinical detachment, instantly became hollow.
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