9 hours remain until the arrival of Finality.
Before the Libra constellation fissure, two great foxes, nearly identical save for the number of their tails, leaned against each other.
"Rin."
"For my sake… was it worth it?"
Finally, with no one to interrupt them, Sakura was able to give voice to the words she had long buried in her heart.
"It was worth it."
Rin's voice held not a shred of hesitation.
"Besides—"
"Sister, this wasn't just for you."
"With my current knowledge, I am still not equipped to fathom the deepest thoughts of the Monarch, nor what he 'desires' from this battle against Finality."
"But I will not misjudge his stance."
Both sisters were deep thinkers, but Rin's intelligence was as formidable as her sister's combat prowess. One must remember that even before becoming a Fusion Warrior, Sakura possessed the strength to face Kalpas—the man who had shattered the Herrscher of Ice—head-on. In the human domain, she and Kevin were both at the pinnacle; the only difference was that one focused on overwhelming power, while the other was a master of exquisite technique.
"The Monarch will not abandon his kin."
"If humanity becomes a part of the Honkai Beasts, then we too will become objects of his protection."
"This has nothing to do with the Monarch's status as an arbiter."
Rin laid out her judgment for her sister.
"…"
"Rin, I feel like your familiarity with the Monarch…"
Sakura's confused question was cut short by Rin.
"Because he was once our greatest enemy."
"There is a saying in Shenzhou that goes: 'Know the enemy and know yourself, and you can fight a hundred battles without defeat'."
"If we cannot understand our enemy, then we cannot even begin to speak of victory. The intelligence reports you brought back, sister… I have read them over and over again in my spare time."
Rin's conclusion was not baseless. The intelligence regarding the battle to defend the Mu continent, especially the information about the two "teleportations," was the key to her judgment.
"A pity."
"If I were just a little older…"
These few words put Sakura on alert, but Rin's unwavering expression made her quietly dismiss the suspicion that was inappropriate for such a time.
"I absolutely could have joined Fire Moth. If I had, many things could have been salvaged."
"…"
"It's not too late now."
Sakura took up her sister's words, turning her gaze toward the constellation, which now shone slightly brighter than before.
"As long as…"
"We can bring back victory."
---o---
8 hours remain until the arrival of Finality.
"Your gaze is far too scorching."
"…"
"My apologies."
Directly in front of the Leo constellation fissure.
The War Temple, standing atop a firebird, spoke in a slow voice. This firebird, interwoven with red and white, its plumes extending far toward its tail, was none other than Hua, manifesting her Collapsed State in the form of "Garuda."
"…"
Neither of them seemed particularly skilled at conversation.
"She looks very similar, doesn't she?"
"?"
"Your former captain and mentor, the Herrscher of Flame, Himeko."
"You—"
Hua, who had expected the silence to continue, was suddenly startled by the War Temple's words.
He had hit the mark.
Whether it was the blazing aura, hot as a raging fire, or the hair wrapped in a fiery serpent, its color now an indistinguishable blend of orange and crimson, all of it gave Hua the illusion of fighting side-by-side with Captain Himeko once more… Perhaps that was not the right way to put it. To be precise, it was an illusion her heart desperately craved.
And just then, her companion had shattered that fantasy.
"There is no need for shame."
"To long to fight alongside a being one idolizes—such a feeling exists in all creatures. Ever since I obtained this body, I too have often lamented my own insignificance. Otherwise… I could at least face Finality alongside the Monarch, rather than being a dead weight, borrowing the Monarch's power to wear down these 'minions'."
The War Temple's hand clenched into a fist in the empty air.
"…"
After a long while, as their taut nerves relaxed, the two resumed their conversation, both lost in thought.
"What I proxy is the 'Authority of Flame' of the Seventh Herrscher."
"Although it is a very small amount, the Authority derived from the Core does indeed retain a part of the 'Herrscher's' will…"
"Especially the most emotionally intense part: the moment of death."
"I believe."
"This is also why the Monarch paired me with you. Logically speaking, the strength of this opponent is not something you should be able to touch at your current level."
"…"
"Why are you telling me this?"
"No."
The War Temple did not answer Hua's question directly.
"All of the above."
"And what I am about to say, are merely my own private speculations about the Monarch's thoughts… They are bound to contain many errors, but since I call myself his 'Personal Guard', I presume I must have guessed at least a tiny fraction of it correctly."
"Precisely because of this."
"Human, do not fail the great hopes the Monarch has placed in you."
"Great… hopes?"
"That's right."
"A Herrscher's consciousness is an amplification of a certain 'malice' within humanity by the 'Will of Honkai,' or it is composed of pure malice itself."
"A human with a powerful will can temporarily suppress this malice… by amplifying another kind of malice."
"…"
"Have you guessed it?"
"Your captain, Himeko—"
The War Temple gently tapped the right side of his not-yet-fully-closed helmet.
"It was by directing a malice known as 'Slaughter' upon herself that she, in her final moments, suppressed the malice of 'Destruction,' allowing Kevin to pierce her body with his ice lance."
"You should be aware of Elysia's situation."
"Even with the help of the 'Authority of Humanity,' restoring a Herrscher's humanity would require, at the very least, the Monarch's current level of power."
"From the very beginning, Himeko…"
"Never had any possibility of turning back into a human."
"…"
"…"
After a long silence.
"Thank you for your counsel."
"You are welcome. I simply have no desire to walk alongside a warrior who lacks conviction."
"Conviction…"
The War Temple affirmed the weight of those two words:
"Conviction."
"From the moment I awakened…"
For some reason, as he mentioned the word "awakened," the War Temple's cheeks seemed to redden slightly, as if from the intense heat of the flames.
"The meaning of my existence."
"Is to become the sharp blade in the Monarch's hands."
"Although I am still far from this goal, I will one day reach the end of this path."
"And you—"
"Human, living for others should not be a cause for shame."
"If you wish to inherit Himeko's will… then burn this body to its fullest and hold your head high to face the coming enemy."
"I believe in the Monarch."
"Therefore, I must also believe in the Monarch's judgment—"
Amidst the swirling flames, a great orange-red sword revealed its true form.