"What is it you want to say?"
"What Kiana said just now is also what I wish to warn you about," Acheron replied calmly. "But I know what kind of person you are, so there are a few more things I need to tell you."
"The name you want—I can give it to you."
"My name may not carry the same weight as Ruan Mei's title of genius, but protecting a small Belobog is hardly a problem."
As long as one possessed basic sense,
Few would dare provoke an existence suspected to be an Emanator of Nihility.
"You?"
Acheron lifted her eyes to meet Cocolia's.
In that instant, it was as though all color drained from heaven and earth, leaving only black and white.
Her expression was utterly indifferent.
"I do not know whether she will ever have use for this world again," she said quietly. "But as long as something benefits her, I am willing to do it."
"The ownership of this world—I claim it."
"I am not her. So put away your little calculations. I trust you understand that to gain something, you must offer something in return."
Acheron still remembered why Kiana had come to this world in the first place. That trial had already passed. After a long slumber, Kiana had awakened successfully.
But who was to say this world would never be useful again?
Acheron had not intended to involve herself. Yet Cocolia had practically delivered the opportunity to her doorstep. Even after being rejected, she persisted.
In that case,
There was no reason for Acheron to remain polite.
Even if refused outright, with Cocolia's temperament, she would surely stir up further trouble. Better to agree first—and make her wary.
"I will not force you to do anything, nor interfere in the workings of your world. But remember what was said today."
"If you intend to break your oath—"
"Then think carefully about how you will face the wrath of an Emanator of Nihility."
Acheron did not truly consider herself Nihility's Emanator. Nihility gazed upon no one. She had walked this path on her own, and the power she wielded was not without cost.
But when speaking to others,
Subtlety would not suffice.
If Cocolia misunderstood, dismissed her words, and made some catastrophic decision on impulse, what then?
Acheron turned and departed.
She had said all that needed saying. As she left, color and sensation returned to Cocolia, who felt the cold sweat on her brow.
She had not fully recovered from Nihility's lingering influence. Her face was pale—yet there was not a trace of regret in her eyes.
"An Emanator of Nihility..."
So Acheron was truly an Emanator.
After leaving Qlipoth Fort, Kiana did not remain within Belobog's walls. Instead, she opened a rift and stepped outside the city.
She needed to be alone.
She thought Cocolia was insane. Knowing nothing, yet daring to entrust the fate of an entire world to her.
Following her?
Did she even understand what Honkai was?
Did she know what kind of person Kiana truly was?
Even without her, Belobog would have been fine. It would continue to exist. After all, it was merely one of the game's maps.
Belobog was not Izumo.
Kiana tried to convince herself of that—but the more she thought, the more irritated she became. She clenched her teeth and raked her fingers through her hair, trying to dispel the chaotic thoughts.
When Cocolia spoke those words, she could not help recalling what Sirin had once said in jest.
Then came the suffocating weight in her chest.
She thought of Izumo—the world she had failed to save.
She thought of the dead.
Those who had known her. Those who had not.
Those who had perished because of Kami, because of Nihility, because of Honkai.
She remembered the people who had shown her kindness when she first arrived in Izumo. The ones who had offered her help. The children who had called her big sister.
They were all dead.
All of them had died in the Final Eruption.
The last time she had been trusted like that—when she had believed that as long as the ending was good, the process did not matter—when she had made a decision for an entire world, gambling on a future reborn from death—
She had destroyed everything with her own hands.
That failure had left a deep mark upon her.
Especially when Sirin and the other survivors had called her a "savior."
The disgust she felt toward herself had reached its peak.
Mei was the first person she truly cared about after arriving in this world.
But before Mei,
There had been ordinary people.
They had given her shelter.
Given her work.
Allowed her to survive despite having no official identity.
And she had failed to save them.
After recovering her memories, she scarcely dared to recall what had happened in Izumo. Those sacrifices were not numbers—they were lives, drenched in blood.
Everyone around her was sensitive to emotion. So she forced herself to forget, burying her guilt deep within her heart.
"What kind of savior am I?"
She laughed at herself.
Humans were greedy and never satisfied. At first, she had thought things could not grow worse—that saving even one more person would be a gain.
But later?
Kiana closed her eyes, refusing to think further.
She did not want to bear the trust of an entire world again.
She was not a savior.
She could not save everyone.
She might even bring a harsher future and crueler fate upon a world.
Lowering her hand from her disheveled hair, Kiana looked toward Belobog standing firm amid the wind and snow.
"This is already good enough."
After a moment's thought, she opened her inventory and casually changed into a different outfit.
A sense of ease rose from the depths of her soul.
Only a flicker stirred in her eyes before calm returned.
It seemed the feeling she had upon awakening had been correct.
As her strength increased, remaining in her ordinary state felt like a restraint—as though forcing herself into clothes that did not fit.
Perhaps the system had not rewarded her with the set "Soulbound Lovebirds" for no reason, only to let it gather dust in her inventory.
She wondered whether Mei and Cocolia had finished talking.
What else did Mei wish to say to her?
After steadying herself, Kiana let out a soft sigh and prepared to return to the city to wait for Acheron.
Her expression changed slightly.
She turned around—and there was suddenly someone behind her.
In the empty snowfield, the sudden appearance of another person was deeply unsettling.
"Jyahnar? What are you doing here?"
"I sensed you might need my help."
"...You're surprisingly perceptive." Kiana gave an awkward laugh and turned her head slightly. "It's been a long time since I felt this down—and you still noticed."
Then she seemed to realize something and looked up at her suspiciously.
"I deliberately severed our connection. How could you still sense my condition?"
Knowing her location was one thing—she was still in Belobog, after all. It would not take Jyahnar long to find her.
But how had Jyahnar sensed her emotional state despite her intentional blockade?
Was that even normal?
This was obviously not normal.
"Because I am your companion Honkai Beast," Jyahnar replied calmly, those ocean-like eyes reflecting only her alone, as if she were her entire world.
"I was born for you."
Kiana fell silent.
In just a few sentences, had Jyahnar just completed a confession?
Jyahnar stepped forward, took Kiana's hand, and said with utter sincerity, "That is the meaning of my existence."
Kiana looked into those eyes that held nothing but her, seeing the sincerity and trust within them.
It was trust from the depths of the heart.
No matter what she chose to do—whether right or wrong—she would support her without hesitation.
"Haha..."
She let out a dry laugh and gently pulled her hand from Jyahnar's grasp. As someone already in a relationship, it was better to keep a bit of distance from others.
If someone saw them,
No matter how much she tried to explain, she would never clear her name.
Jyahnar's expression visibly dimmed. She looked at her pitifully, like someone gazing at the ultimate heartless betrayer.
"Where did you learn that?" Kiana asked stiffly, forcing her expression to remain composed.
"From some humans," Jyahnar replied, confused. "Did I do it wrong?"
Kiana pressed a hand to her forehead. "You don't need to copy everything. Don't learn the strange stuff."
"Strange?" Jyahnar murmured. "But I truly want to stay with you forever."
Kiana did not dare meet her eyes again. She forced her gaze toward the distant city walls and said, "If I tell you to protect humanity, you'll carry out my orders, right?"
"I would do anything for you."
The same meaning, phrased differently, somehow carried a completely different weight.
Kiana had no choice but to keep her face carefully composed.
"Stay here and help the people of this world through the coming crisis. Then... return to Izumo, or go to the Ark. Help me guard those two places."
"You don't need me?"
"Of course I need your help. But staying by my side won't help me. You know very well how strong I am." Kiana tried her best to keep her tone businesslike.
"I understand."
Kiana quietly let out a breath of relief.
"Then why were you sad just now?" Jyahnar suddenly asked. "Because of Raiden Mei?"
"...Why bring up Mei?"
"Why isn't she here?" Jyahnar tilted her head. "You were unhappy, and she just happened to be absent. Isn't it related to her?"
"It has nothing to do with Mei!"
"Then why?"
Kiana fell silent.
She stood in the snowfield, her companion Honkai Beast at her side, Belobog's walls rising before her.
"You... integrated all the Stigmata. You've seen the memories inside them, haven't you?"
"Those memories?" Jyahnar's confusion deepened. "But those things have already happened. Were you reminiscing?"
"Reminiscing? Haha... something like that." Kiana blinked, then laughed softly. "Don't worry. Like you said, I just suddenly remembered the past and felt a little nostalgic."
She had no intention of saying more.
It would serve no purpose.
Only by accomplishing what she had always wanted to do might she truly let go.
After speaking, Kiana frowned slightly and glanced to the side.
"Tch. Uninvited guests."
"Let me handle it."
As Jyahnar spoke, a black-red, viscous shadow-like power extended outward like an extra limb. In the blink of an eye, it annihilated the enemies drawn by the noise of their conversation.
"It's really not peaceful outside the city," Kiana sighed.
She placed a hand on Jyahnar's shoulder. "Forget it. Boring. Let's head back to the Underworld."
Like enemies that respawned on a timer,
They could never be completely eradicated.
Pulling Jyahnar along, Kiana used Phase Shuttle and returned to the Underworld, appearing before Building Eleven.
The moment they arrived, they ran into Acheron, who had just returned from the Overworld.
Acheron looked slightly surprised at Kiana's changed outfit—and at Jyahnar beside her.
"You two?"
"I went for a walk on the snowfield," Kiana said with a smile, withdrawing her hand from Jyahnar's shoulder. "Jyahnar was worried and came to find me."
"Why didn't you stay with Kiana?" Jyahnar asked, clearly displeased as she looked at Acheron.
"I wanted to be alone. It wasn't that Mei didn't follow me," Kiana said quickly, pulling Acheron along. "Alright, Jyahnar. Go take care of your own things."
"..."
Take care of what, exactly?
She still hadn't fully adjusted to having a human form. Sleeping felt strange. And the tasks Kiana had given her were not things that could be completed overnight.
She was bored.
Kiana dragged Acheron inside and shut the door behind them. Then she turned and wrapped her arms around Acheron, burying her face against her chest.
"Are you unhappy?" Acheron asked gently, stroking her hair with quiet patience.
"I've burned out. I need to recharge with Mei-energy to survive!" Kiana mumbled nonsense as she hugged her tighter.
Acheron stiffened slightly. A faint blush rose to her cheeks as she asked softly, "Do you... want it?"
"Of course not!" Kiana's face exploded red. She lifted her head from Acheron's embrace. "Do you think I'm that shameless? Why would you even think that way?!"
How long had it even been since the last ridiculous incident?
The memory alone made her face burn hotter, her heartbeat quickening.
After that episode,
She had behaved much more properly.
Watching Kiana pout with her flushed cheeks, Acheron felt as though something gently scratched at her heart.
"I am," Acheron murmured softly, as if coaxing her.
Her voice, spoken so close, made Kiana's entire body feel weak.
Her face reddened further. She lightly slapped Acheron's shoulder and stepped back from her embrace. "Be serious. Don't keep thinking about that kind of thing."
"What did you say to Cocolia earlier?"
"That woman..." Acheron's expression shifted instantly back to composure. "Her true goal was a name—a protector for Belobog. I agreed to her request."
Kiana's eyes widened. "You agreed?"
"Don't worry. In my name," Acheron said. "She wants security for Belobog. Whether that name is yours or mine makes little difference."
"I see." Kiana's expression eased as she exhaled in relief. "In the end, she just doesn't believe the IPC will keep its promises and offer them a fair solution."
"More or less," Acheron replied.
She gently stroked Kiana's soft white hair and did not elaborate further on her conversation with Cocolia. Instead, she asked,
"Why did you change into this outfit?"
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