But the show wasn't over yet.
It was like a simple animation.
Jyahnar's character portrait was cut out and placed on the left.
On the right was Elysia's portrait they had seen earlier.
It was a completely different style from Jyahnar's deep, mysterious aura—sweet, like a spring breeze gently brushing against one's face.
As if peach blossoms followed in her wake, vibrant and lovely.
It created a perfect contrast, a natural opposition.
No wonder even in the future, many people still saw them as rivals, born to clash.
Their overall styles were just too different!
They could be friends, but wouldn't they be better suited as fierce rivals?
Even Elysia had to admit that the future Jyahnar in the image seemed almost like a different person from the Jyahnar of now.
The current Jyahnar, though adorably clueless, stubborn, and a bit silly, was actually quite open to advice.
Highly malleable.
Surely she wouldn't really end up like that, right?
Besides, even if she did, Elysia would still definitely become friends with her, and Jyahnar would too, right?
Wouldn't she?
Next.
Elysia's portrait and Jyahnar's portrait seemed to shift upward together.
Occupying the upper half of the screen.
The lower half now showed the young lady's form.
She was mysterious, sacred, like a princess, with a divine halo behind her head.
This portrait had even more details, a greater technical polish, making her appear far more sublime than the initial version they had seen.
White feathers adorned her waist, behind her ears, and across her back.
Did Kiana have features like that before?
Could this be her true form?
--+--
[As everyone knows!]
[Lady Elysia can summon miracles. Whatever she wishes for can become reality.]
[So, during the final moments of the old era, when the Herrscher of Finality descended, what was her role?]
[That's right. She was the insurance. If the young lady couldn't regain her consciousness on her own, Elysia would be the one to call her true self back.]
--+--
In the sky-screen's imagery.
A bond, like a chain, extended from Elysia's side, connecting to Kiana.
Then, Miss Yuzu continued explaining.
Telling everyone.
--+--
[And at the same time.]
[As a companion Honkai beast who heeds no one else's words, not even the will of the Honkai itself, Miss Jyahnar cares only for the young lady's will.]
[Her strength is undoubtedly terrifying. She is of the Finality level! In raw power, she was even stronger than the young lady was at the time.]
[The young lady understood that if she lost control and couldn't regain her will immediately, it would become a war of attrition.]
[Her body would act on its own, carrying out the mission of the Herrscher of Finality.]
[In such a situation, someone was needed to oppose the Herrscher of Finality, to buy time, to minimize casualties and the damage caused during her rampage.]
[That candidate couldn't be the Origin, couldn't be anyone else. Only Lady Jyahnar could do it!]
--+--
Similarly, a chain.
Extended from Jyahnar's portrait on the other side. The animation showed it, like an iron chain lashing a boat, binding Kiana's portrait as well.
It was a very vivid depiction.
--+--
[If the young lady's will was to destroy humanity, then Lady Jyahnar would destroy humanity.]
[If the young lady's will was to stop herself, then Lady Jyahnar would also be willing to answer her, even if it meant becoming her enemy.]
[Thus, we can see!]
[Lady Elysia ensured that the young lady's true self would definitely return.]
[Lady Jyahnar ensured that the young lady would not harm those close to her, that she could hold on until the very end.]
[Some scholars have proposed that if, during the final moment of the Previous Era, either Lady Elysia or Lady Jyahnar had been absent...]
[Whether humanity could have passed that final trial remains unknown.]
[They were already trying to 'skip class'. There was no other way but this one. If there had been, why would they have resorted to such measures?]
--+--
Many people nodded in understanding.
Just looking at the recent major Honkai eruptions showed how true this was.
The intensity was just so damn despairing.
Even Elysia, whose power now nearly matched that of the first Herrscher of Heavenly Punishment, had given up on a direct confrontation, as if finally accepting reality, and started considering roundabout ways to save the day—like using romance to win the other over.
But what about the original future?
If they hadn't done this, if they'd just stubbornly fought the Honkai head-on, what would have been the result? Wasn't it obvious?
No!
They definitely wouldn't have been like that.
Because only the Elysia of their current timeline had come up with this approach.
In the original timeline, one could imagine that the young lady hadn't been exposed early, so her deterrence didn't exist.
The newly born Herrschers wouldn't have feared the young lady.
And naturally, they wouldn't have cared about Elysia either.
Communication might have been possible, but only barely.
In the end, eight or nine times out of ten, it probably would have still come down to a fight.
"We're set!"
"This round, we're finally set!"
"The chance of clearing the final stage is super, super high now!"
"Hooray!"
--+--
[Just think about it.]
[Without Jyahnar, Elysia probably couldn't have focused on calling the young lady back. The success rate would have been much lower.]
[And without Elysia.]
[If the young lady took too long to find herself again.]
[Jyahnar might just have thought about it, turned her guns around, and wiped out humanity first.]
[Don't doubt it. That's totally something she would do.]
[After all... she only cares about the young lady!]
[Wiping out all of humanity would also make the young lady's will return. In her view, it probably made no difference.]
--+--
"So it seems, Jyahnar and I really are the best of partners!" Elysia clapped her hands lightly, pressing them together, her clear, sweet voice uttering these words without a trace of worry. "With the two of us sisters... my dear Kiana is completely safe, right?"
She nodded to herself.
"Mhm, mhm! Elysia will do her best!"
Jyahnar didn't refute her words.
Instead, she tilted her head back slightly, nuzzling Kiana's chin, and said softly,
"I... will help too. Whatever Kiana's will is..."
Kiana smiled faintly, neither confirming nor denying.
And then!
The imagery on the sky-screen changed.
It was a stop-motion animation.
Though there was no sound, no dialogue.
Everyone could still grasp what it depicted.
Unsurprisingly, it was a scene from the moment of Finality.
--+--
[This is one version I've pieced together from various historical records I managed to get my hands on.]
[Treasure it while you can!]
[Some scholars believe this was the true turning point between the Previous Era and the Current Era.]
[Not the event that completely declared the Honkai's end!]
--+--
The parched land was barren, marked by wind-blown sand and craters like those from meteor impacts.
It was only when they saw the vibrant blue planet behind the figures that they realized—
This was the Moon.
The final battlefield had likely been chosen by the young lady herself.
This way, she could minimize the collateral damage, prevent the fight from harming anyone else.
--+--
T/N: While I am an inexperienced Translator, I have a Patreon! While it may seem empty as of now, webnovel will get 3 Chapters Every Day, and advanced chapters will be uploaded on Patreon.
20+ advanced chaps on my patreon.
[email protected]/AspenTL
If you guys wanna check it out.