"Powerless?"
Kiana stared curiously at the fox she had bound in golden chains. Its strength was impressive—roughly that of a Herrscher at normal state.
But she was stronger.
And that was why she had won.
"I don't think Sakura is anything like what you just called her," Kiana said, shaking her head.
"She's trash! A useless failure who can't do anything—who can't change anything! Weak, worthless, pathetic!"
"What are you talking about?"
Being insulted by a fox, Yae Sakura couldn't hold back. She stepped forward, her expression a mix of confusion and complicated emotion. There was something about this four-tailed fox that felt deeply familiar—an unshakable connection.
"You... what are you?"
The fox's crimson eyes locked onto her. Its grin widened into something cruel. "What am I? Yae Sakura, don't you know? I am your hatred. I am your pain. I am everything you refuse to face!"
Yae Sakura's... hatred?
Kiana glanced back at the stunned Yae Sakura, who had taken a step back in shock.
She had spent so long here trying to get Sakura to remember—without success. But the moment this creature appeared, Sakura's emotions had erupted. Maybe what it said wasn't so far from the truth.
"You... what are you saying? That's impossible! My hatred? How could I possibly—"
Yae Sakura refused to believe it. The idea that this monster had been born from her was absurd.
"What, have you forgotten what you really are? In this eternal hell, you've already twisted beyond recognition. I am the monster born from that corruption!"
"That's not true!"
Yae Sakura denied it instinctively.
She refused to accept that this fox existed because of her.
"Heh. See? She doesn't even have the courage to face the truth. Kiana, why do you help her? Why stand with this failure? She's already lost herself—fallen into eternal damnation!"
"Her memories—they're with you, aren't they?"
Kiana wasn't affected by its words. She calmly walked closer to the restrained creature, her eyes narrowing. "Her hatred... perhaps. You do carry her presence. Her power too. I see now—that's why the Frost Edict Edge couldn't unleash its full potential."
The remaining power of Frost, the oni energy within Yae Sakura, and the influence of the Honkai—together, they had given birth to the being before her.
"Return Sakura's memories to her."
Kiana showed no fear toward the bound fox. As long as it was a Honkai-born creature, it was something she could suppress effortlessly.
"Oh, I could give them back," the fox said with a mocking grin. "But would she dare to take them?"
It turned its crimson gaze toward Yae Sakura's pale face, its smile warping into something dark and knowing.
"Don't try anything funny," Kiana warned, her tone laced with danger.
She had more than enough ways to deal with it.
The fox fell silent for a moment, then chuckled humorlessly. "I'm not that kind of dishonorable fox."
"Yae Sakura, do you dare to take them back?" it asked again—this time without mockery, its tone strangely solemn.
Kiana turned to Sakura. "Sakura, are you ready?"
"...I'm ready."
Though fear gnawed at her heart, Yae Sakura forced herself to stand firm.
"No tricks," Kiana warned again, then slowly loosened the chains just enough for the fox to use a fraction of its power.
But not enough to escape.
The fox exhaled a stream of black mist.
The dark vapor enveloped Yae Sakura instantly. Kiana frowned deeply at the sight.
She shot the fox a sharp glare but didn't interfere, choosing instead to watch closely.
Within the veil of black mist, Yae Sakura's body trembled. Her eyes shut tight as if in agony, her whole form unsteady—as though she were reliving something unbearable.
Kiana's frown deepened with every passing second.
"What did you do to her?"
"Isn't this what you both wanted?"
The fox looked at Kiana and sneered. "If you want to know, why not see for yourself?"
The golden chains tightened again, binding the fox firmly in place. After a brief hesitation, Kiana placed her hand on Yae Sakura's shoulder and closed her eyes, reaching into what Sakura was experiencing.
It was an overwhelming torrent of memories.
Over and over again—endless cycles of pain, despair, and blood.
Her mother's death. The deaths of everyone around her. Her sister's death. And finally, after losing everything, she killed her own father.
Over and over again.
It was like living in hell.
Everything here was fixed in place—unchanging, eternal. And she was trapped inside a world of her own creation, unable to escape. All she could do was rage, despair, and grow numb as she relived it all.
Voices echoed in her ears.
Images flashed by faster than thought. Every time she looked up, she saw Yae Rin's dying face in a thousand different ways.
"Sakura? Sakura!"
It was strange—why was there no memory of herself, no recollection of the outside world? But this wasn't the time to think about that.
In the kaleidoscopic world of pain, Kiana finally found Yae Sakura—curled up, covering her ears, trying to block everything out.
"Yae Sakura!"
Kiana forced her way through the distortion, pushing past countless obstacles until she reached her. She grabbed Sakura's shoulders and shook her.
"Kiana..."
"Wake up! Stay with me!"
Kiana pulled her to her feet, gripping her arms tightly. "Don't let your obsession trap you! Don't fall here!"
"Obsession... I can't do anything, Kiana. Don't you see? I couldn't save Rin. It's right—what it said—I'm useless..."
Even when she saved Rin from their father, Rin would die again from something else. No matter what she did, no matter how hard she tried, she could never protect her sister.
"I wanted to save her... but I couldn't!"
So that was it—it all came back to Rin.
Kiana tightened her grip on Sakura's hands, looking straight into her eyes. "Then I'll help you."
"I'll help you save Rin!"
Her words struck Yae Sakura's heart like a surge of light. The despair and suffocation that had been crushing her suddenly lifted, replaced by the faint spark of hope.
Kiana...
Yes—Kiana was here.
She couldn't do it alone—but with Kiana's help? Kiana was an outsider, not bound by this world's rules. Surely... surely she could rewrite its fate.
Kiana withdrew her hand.
She had returned from Yae Sakura's consciousness. Sakura's face was calm now—as if the storm within her had finally settled.
She truly seemed soothed.
Kiana turned toward the massive fox. After a moment's thought, her expression hardened. She invoked the sacred power of the Saint, purifying the ominous, hateful essence within the creature—then guided it back into Yae Sakura's body.
This was part of her.
A power that had been split from her soul.
If Kiana hadn't regained her memories—hadn't awakened as the Herrscher of Finality—and had to rely only on her human strength to clear this Stigmata World, it would have taken much longer. Winning as the strong was natural—but winning as the weak required tearing through the limits of mind and body alike.
As the fox's essence merged back into Yae Sakura, the black miasma that had filled the air followed, flowing into her body.
The sight was so shocking that Kiana instinctively stepped back. Only then did she realize—everything, all the darkness surrounding them—had existed because of Yae Sakura herself.
That amount of resentment could sustain a dozen evil spirits!
Kiana stared at the scene before her, her anxious eyes occasionally falling on Yae Sakura, who showed no reaction to the outside world.
It wasn't fear that she felt—
It was sheer disbelief.
Kiana didn't even know how to describe it.
But when she recalled what she had seen inside Sakura's mind—those endless visions of Rin dying in countless ways, no matter how hard Sakura tried to save her—she could understand why Yae Sakura had gone mad.
Watching the person you love most die again and again, knowing you have the power yet being unable to change anything... each time thinking you'd overcome it, only for new tragedy to strike.
It was like being hunted by death itself.
If it had been her in Sakura's place...
Kiana admitted she might have gone even more insane. And when she went insane, it wouldn't just be a Stigmata World that she destroyed.
"The most important person..." she murmured.
Her thoughts drifted to Mei.
If she were in Yae Sakura's position—and Mei were in Rin's—then even if Mei were only an illusion, Kiana would still want to tear this world apart.
Then, her mind flashed to Ruan Mei, still conducting research on that nameless planet. She wondered if she'd made any progress.
And then—Robin.
Robin?
Robin!?
Oh no!
Kiana's eyes widened in panic as she suddenly looked upward—realizing, far too late, that she still had a friend waiting for her outside.
Everything with Jyahnar and the discovery of this Stigmata World had been so overwhelming that she had completely forgotten that Robin was still outside waiting for her. She hadn't even checked if time flowed the same here and in the real world—and she'd already been here for days!
If time passed one-to-one...
Robin must be worried sick!
No—she must be terrified that Kiana was dead!
Thinking of her friend anxiously waiting outside, Kiana's heart twisted with guilt and restlessness.
Forgetting and remembering—they felt entirely different.
She wanted to leave and reassure Robin—but she couldn't. Not yet. Not while Yae Sakura, who had just regained all her memories and her darkness, was still here, fragile and alone.
Meanwhile, Yae Sakura's form was changing.
Slowly, she began to resemble the Sakura Kiana knew best. Even the long fox ears—born of the oni power's corruption—had returned.
Kiana steadied her breathing, watching in tense silence, afraid that even the slightest sound might disturb her.
She didn't have to wait long.
After a few moments, Yae Sakura opened her eyes.
To Kiana, it was only a few breaths of time—but to Sakura, it felt like ages had passed. An eternity.
When she finally saw Kiana's worried, gentle eyes, she froze for a long moment.
"Kiana..."
"I'm here," Kiana replied softly. "Sakura, how do you feel? Are you alright? Do you remember?"
Remember? Remember what?
Sakura's gaze was distant. To her, it felt like something from long, long ago—because in this world, she had lived through endless cycles of death and rebirth.
"I remember most of it now," she murmured, her voice low and heavy. "It feels like something from a distant past. When I saw Rin again here, I thought it was a chance granted by the gods—to make things right. So I tried my hardest to save her."
"But I couldn't."
"Rin's death... it feels engraved into the very laws of this world. No matter what I did, she could never survive."
Everything she did was futile.
Everything around her mocked her helplessness.
She couldn't save her sister.
Not even an illusion of her.
As Yae Sakura spoke of the pain that defined her, her body trembled, teeth clenched. From Kiana's perspective, faint black smoke began to seep from her body.
It was a disturbing sight.
"I don't know how many times I tried. I only remember the endings growing darker each time," she whispered. "My pain and regret took form as that monster—it stole most of my strength... and my memories."
"I am a disgraceful coward."
"That's not true at all!"
Kiana reached out, pulling the trembling Yae Sakura close. She held Sakura's hands tightly and looked straight into her eyes with firm resolve.
"Just being able to hold on this long—you've already done amazingly."
That thing—most likely a Honkai creature born from the fusion of Honkai energy and her inner darkness—had pushed her far beyond her limits.
"It's enough, Sakura. Leave everything to me now."
Kiana spoke clearly, each word filled with conviction. "You don't have to drown in your past pain anymore. Because I'm here. Believe in me—I'll save Rin. No... not just Rin, I'll save you too!"
If it was Kiana...
If that person was Kiana...
Then maybe—surely—it could be done.
Surely it could.
Overwhelmed by emotion, Yae Sakura could no longer restrain herself. She suddenly reached forward and embraced Kiana tightly.
Being suddenly pulled into someone's arms, Kiana froze for a moment. The warmth from Sakura's body seeped into her through the soft miko robes, and her face flushed red.
T-this was... a little too close, wasn't it?
A faint scent of cherry blossoms lingered on Sakura's body. Beneath the traditional robes, her form was graceful yet shapely—and only through this close contact could Kiana feel just how warm, how fragile, this embrace truly was.
"Trust me, Sakura," Kiana said gently, her tone softening within the embrace. "I won't let this tragedy repeat itself."
"I believe you."
Yae Sakura's arms tightened around her. It was as though only through that closeness could she truly feel Kiana's presence—truly feel that she was not alone.
Not anymore.
She wasn't alone anymore.
Kiana smiled faintly, her voice regaining its strength. "I can't promise everything—but when it comes to the Honkai, you can always count on me."
She continued, explaining with calm precision, "This is a Stigmata World. Do you remember the Stigmata I provided you all? It recorded your data—your existence—and from that came these Stigmata Crystals."
"This information world is sustained by Honkai energy. Which means I can rewrite its rules."
Her eyes met Sakura's, steady and sure. "So don't worry. As long as I'm here—Rin will not die."
She wanted Sakura to believe her—to believe that she could change things, that she could rewrite Rin's fate and break the cycle that bound her.
Because Rin's repeated deaths weren't truly random tragedies.
They were the result of Sakura's own fear.
Deep inside, Yae Sakura already knew Rin was doomed to die. Even when she saved her, a part of her still feared she would lose her again—and that subconscious fear was what made it real.
This Stigmata World was built from her will, and her will defined its laws.
Ending this cycle was actually simple.
As long as Yae Sakura could truly believe—believe that Rin could be saved, that she would live—then Rin's death would no longer occur.
Kiana understood Sakura's hesitation, her lack of faith. After all, she had failed to save her sister before.
But now, Kiana herself had become the symbol of hope—a living proof of change.
All Sakura had to do... was believe.
If she truly believed Kiana could change everything—then the fate that doomed Rin to die would shatter on its own.
After all... this world was never real to begin with.