Chu Lian tried kicking several times in succession, only to realize that her attacks weren't causing any real damage at all. Even when she sent the creature flying a dozen meters away—crashing into the ground and leaving a crater—it rose again unharmed. Its endurance surpassed even that of aberrant-type mutations with higher stats.
"More troublesome than the aberrant variants… I really hate dealing with these unkillable monsters." Killing it outright wasn't impossible—whether by unleashing her full-powered spiritual energy blast, Kurosaki Satsuki's Shun, or Inori's consecutive shots imbued with Deathblow, they could destroy it in an instant.
But doing so would expose too many things. She didn't want certain people learning those secrets yet. As long as she kept them hidden, even if others suspected, they couldn't be sure—and uncertainty meant room to maneuver.
When she noticed the surrounding zombies, now focused entirely on her and Miss Sakurako's Café, Chu Lian knew she could no longer hesitate.
Compared to White Chu Lian's compassion and gentleness, Dark Chu Lian only truly cared about one person—Chu Lian herself. Yet in this moment, even she couldn't ignore those behind her. The people in that café were the ones Chu Lian wished to protect. If she retreated now, even if Chu Lian later lost all memory of her existence, she would still instinctively carry that guilt.
The last time she had chosen retreat, it had led to terrible consequences—ones she dared not repeat. So when the zombies began closing in on the café, Dark Chu Lian finally became serious.
She couldn't use Dark Snow Princess's transformation, nor could she draw the Void Greatsword. Without revealing her trump cards—or exposing Kurosaki Satsuki and Inori—it would be incredibly difficult to eliminate the horde.
But no matter how hard it would be, she had to try. That was her responsibility. Since she was the one standing in Chu Lian's place, she would see it through to the end.
Yet as that resolve strengthened within her, her legs suddenly gave way. Her body collapsed mid-dash, rolling several times across the ground before being caught in Inori's arms.
"Lian—what's wrong?" Inori asked anxiously. Though she knew this was Dark Chu Lian, not the original, her worry couldn't be contained.
"Heh… looks like I really overestimated myself this time," Dark Chu Lian said softly, a bitter smile curving her lips. "My spiritual power is almost depleted. If I don't return now, I'll vanish completely."
"I exist because of her—to bear all her darkness and pain. I can disappear… but not before she's strong enough to endure those memories herself. So for a long while, I won't be able to come out again. Please… take care of her for me, all right?" Her tone was uncharacteristically gentle. Hearing this, Inori nodded solemnly.
They both understood. Even without any promise, Inori would protect Chu Lian. But in that moment, the words themselves carried comfort.
Dark Chu Lian didn't speak again. Forcing herself upright, she turned to face the encroaching horde now within three meters of her and Inori. A mocking smile curved her lips. "Looks like some things can't stay hidden after all… then let's end it."
She raised her right hand toward the sky. A circle of black runes formed before her palm, pulsing ominously as a black sphere of spiritual energy condensed and shot upward.
Then, with a flick of her wrist, she hurled Inori toward the café entrance—using what little strength she had left.
If Inori had resisted, Dark Chu Lian never would have been able to throw her so easily. But understanding her intention, Inori didn't struggle—she let it happen.
"Ephemeral Illusion…" Dark Chu Lian whispered calmly, even as the zombies' claws reached for her body. The moment the final syllable left her lips, the black sphere in the sky exploded.
Concentric rings of arcane sigils descended, blanketing the area. The world froze in an intricate interplay of black and white light.
"Then… I'll leave it to you," she murmured with a sigh, as if speaking to someone unseen. And with that, she closed her eyes.
"Sleep now. I'll handle the rest." When she opened her eyes again, the violet hue had vanished—replaced not by Chu Lian's usual black, but by a radiant silver-white she had never shown before.
"Big brother… no, now it should be big sister. Lian'er has come back to see you. Though, you probably don't remember me anymore, do you?" Her soft, lilting voice carried both affection and melancholy. The two strands of hair that had once been black now shimmered with silver light, fluttering gently in the wind.
As she walked slowly through the strange frozen space, each of her steps released countless streaks of bright white light that cut through the zombies' bodies like blades.
"The memories of my past life are beginning to awaken," she murmured softly. "But the power of the Western Chu Overlord is too immense—Lian'er can't fully digest it yet. If not for Dark Sis's help this time, it would've taken a very long, long time for me to awaken again."
Her words, spoken with gentle warmth, carried revelations that shook the truth itself.
Back in Xi'an, beneath the First Emperor's mausoleum, Ying Zheng's mention of the Western Chu Overlord hadn't referred to the current Chu Lian—but to the one she had been before entering this world.
For reasons unknown, the soul that had once willingly yielded her body to her "big brother" had not dissipated after losing her physical form. Instead, it slumbered deep within this body, waiting for the moment to awaken.
Now, under the influence of Dark Chu Lian's will, she had finally stirred—emerging to take control after the black persona had fallen dormant.
In contrast to Dark Chu Lian's violence and murderous aura, this one—the White Chu Lian—was the embodiment of purity and tranquility.
One black, one white—two souls residing within Chu Lian's spiritual sea, each waiting for her unconscious call to awaken. They were Chu Lian… and yet, not.
Chu Lian herself was both complete and incomplete. Because Dark Chu Lian bore all her pain and despair, she had never truly felt suffering or hopelessness. And because of White Chu Lian's influence, her heart was calm, radiant, and always kind.
Dark Chu Lian lacked White Chu Lian's purity and the original's balance, but possessed unparalleled battle instinct and power.
White Chu Lian lacked Dark Chu Lian's ferocity and the original's emotional equilibrium, but her spiritual strength and harmony with nature far surpassed them both.
Perhaps it was fate—or the error of destiny itself—that had caused something impossible to occur: the formation of a second consciousness so complete that it became an independent soul. A spirit that should have perished instead slept within her mind, healing and recovering its past-life memories—reborn as a free, conscious being.
The three were one, yet not one—separate but eternally intertwined. Their bond was as intricate as it was inevitable, bound by destiny itself.
Time held no meaning in the frozen space. When White Chu Lian finally finished her silent walk around the area, the suspended dimension dissolved. The ring of zombies surrounding her could no longer move—their bodies crumbled into piles of glittering crystal dust, disintegrating under the overwhelming surge of energy.
Only the zombified body of Renzan Momoki remained intact, lying motionless on the ground. And amid the silence, the only one left standing was the silver-haired maid.
Within the Ephemeral Illusion, everything that happened was invisible to the outside world. To the onlookers, it had all transpired in an instant—they saw Dark Chu Lian launch a black spiritual orb into the sky, and the next moment, White Chu Lian stood alone while every zombie lay dead.
This power was beyond comprehension. Those with sharp minds knew that something extraordinary had occurred during that unseen moment—but no matter how hard they tried to recall, they couldn't remember what they had witnessed.
Turning back toward the others, White Chu Lian smiled gently, lifting her skirt in a graceful curtsy. "It's done. Everything's over now. Let's finish what we came here for—I still need to help Satsuki reclaim what belongs to her."
However, after all that had happened, could the Maid Festival really continue? Nearly everyone had fled. Only the few lifelong maids trained under Sakurako Kujou remained. Of the dozens of contestants who had entered, only Chu Lian herself was left standing.
Setting aside the chaos that would soon need cleaning up, there was still the question of the Maid Festival itself. How could a single maid handle everything that remained? Especially when Sakurako Kujou knew full well that after such an incident, no customers would be coming through those doors anytime soon.
The best—and fairest—outcome was clear: there would be no winner for this year's Maid Festival.
White Chu Lian wasn't foolish; she quickly realized as much herself. After a brief glance at the café, she let out a soft laugh. "Looks like I was overthinking it. There won't be any winner this time, it seems. The prize is gone… what a shame. Sorry, Satsuki-chan."
Kurosaki Satsuki shook her head gently. "It's not your fault. You've done more than enough for me already. Thank you…" Her final words were so faint they might have gone unheard by anyone without heightened hearing.
"What a pity…" White Chu Lian murmured as she walked toward them, her voice light and wistful. "Big sister, it seems the outcome didn't meet expectations after all. All that effort for nothing…"
As she approached Inori and the others, her hair and eyes slowly darkened once again—returning to their familiar black hue. The transformation complete, Chu Lian blinked, unaware of what had just happened. As with the memories of Dark Chu Lian, she retained nothing of White Chu Lian's existence. In her mind, everything that had transpired was simply something she had done.
Several people present had noticed her change. Those aware of her second personality, Dark Chu Lian, suspected that this might be another variation of that same phenomenon. Some wanted to ask, but when no one else spoke up, they chose to remain silent—unwittingly allowing Chu Lian to miss yet another chance to uncover the truth about herself.
Sakurako Kujou, knowing the true significance of the prize to Chu Lian's group, hesitated for a moment before saying softly, "If you're willing to help me with something, then I'll give this artifact to you as a gift."
At that exact moment, the familiar system prompt appeared before Chu Lian's eyes.
After scanning the notification, she smiled faintly, taking Inori and Cai Ya by the hand. "Let's go inside—we can talk about it there."
The others hesitated briefly but followed after her. The moment the café door closed and the curtains were drawn, the outside world—and everything that had happened beyond those walls—ceased to matter to them.
Whether it was Renzan Momoki's corpse, deliberately left behind by White Chu Lian and herself, or the piles of glittering bone dust, or even the mysterious instant in which time itself had vanished—all of it was now left for others to deal with… and to wonder about.