Kiana's consciousness confronted the illusion of Fu Hua, glaring at her furiously: "Isn't this exactly what you've been doing all along? You've been lurking by my side, watching me, and in the end you handed me over to Otto. Have you forgotten how you betrayed me?"
"How can someone who did something like that suddenly start caring about innocent people?"
"Answer me!"
Her voice carried endless sorrow mixed with sobs.
Faced with her questioning, Fu Hua was completely unable to respond. She opened her mouth, managed only the word "I," and could say nothing more.
Kiana continued her interrogation: "Your mission should be complete by now, right? Now, get out of my sight!"
Fu Hua gently shook her head: "I'm sorry, but I can no longer leave. The eighth Divine Key, Feather of the Void… its zero-rated power has permanently bound your consciousness to mine."
"Go back, Kiana. Return to the academy principal and the others. Right now, only they can protect you."
Hearing this, Kiana immediately panicked: "No… no way…"
Fu Hua continued: "I know how difficult things are for you right now, but this is the only way…"
"Get out! Get out of my head!" Seeing Kiana's emotions completely collapse, Fu Hua fell silent.
With sadness in her eyes, she thought to herself: If things really reach the point of no return, I'll have no choice but to make the worst decision… Let the three of us… perish together. Forgive me, Kiana.
Her figure gradually faded away.
Kiana wandered aimlessly through the streets in the pouring rain, searching for a place where she could escape from everything.
But she understood that this was futile. No one can escape their own past.
The things that happened before we were even born have already decided what kind of person we will become and what kind of actions we will take.
And that… is what people call fate.
Her anger toward Fu Hua was merely a way of venting the long-suppressed powerlessness she felt toward fate.
Because she had always known exactly what was hidden inside her body.
At the age of twelve, "she" woke up for the first time and caused tremendous destruction… From that moment on, Kiana had been running away, always pretending that "she" didn't exist.
She never dared stay in any one place for too long, nor did she dare get too close to anyone. She was terrified that everything would happen again.
Until she met…
Mei, Bronya, Theresa, and… Teacher Himeko.
These encounters allowed her to experience the warmth of a home and gave birth to the desire to stay. But that was just a naive wish.
No matter where she fled, no matter how hard she struggled, the road beneath her feet would always lead to the same destination…
Unknowingly.
Neon lights flickered in fragments around her. The noisy voices of people and the aroma of food disrupted Kiana's thoughts. She began trembling like a frightened small animal.
She realized she couldn't stay here—she had to avoid the crowd…
Just as she was about to flee, she couldn't help but glance back.
This warm night market felt so familiar.
Many days and nights in the past, she had walked similar streets together with Mei and the others.
In the end…
Her feet disobeyed her body's command and, like a moth drawn to flame, kept walking deeper into the darkness.
Her thoughts once again returned to that very first encounter.
The television screen shifted to St. Freya Academy, during the initial entrance training.
It was the first time she met Himeko.
Himeko walked in front of everyone: "Let me introduce myself. I am Murata Himeko. Starting today, I will be your instructor."
"Even though the principal personally arranged your enrollment, don't expect me to go easy on you. Understood?"
"Now, state your names."
Kiana put her hands on her hips and declared: "You must have heard of this young lady's great name already. I am Kiana Kaslana!"
Mei also introduced herself: "Raiden Mei. Teacher Himeko, please take care of me."
Finally, Bronya simply stated her name.
Only then did Himeko continue: "Starting today, you will undergo Valkyrie training and examinations at St. Freya Academy—"
"Ah!" Kiana panicked the moment she heard the word "examination": "Hey, hey, Auntie, someone as battle-hardened as me should be exempt from the test and directly assigned to the Valkyrie corps, right?"
Himeko raised an eyebrow and snorted: "First, you should call me Teacher Himeko! Second, when I rescued you and Mei from the ruins of Nagazora City, you were lying on a stretcher. And that's what you call battle-hardened?"
Kiana immediately became awkward: "Th-that was just a momentary slip-up! The Kaslana family has always carried the mission of fighting Honkai and protecting humanity."
"You should know, I've been exterminating Honkai Beasts with my dad since I was very young."
Himeko didn't hold back: "Oh? Then you should thank yourself for having a good father. He protected his daughter very well."
"Damn it!!" Kiana fumed: "I don't need anyone to protect me!"
Then she deliberately teased: "Sigh, but of course an ordinary person like Auntie Himeko couldn't possibly understand the genius of us Kaslanas~ That's just how it is!"
Mei quickly said: "Kiana, that's really rude to Teacher Himeko!"
Himeko scoffed: "Combat genius? Then let this ordinary person test just how impressive your genius really is."
The outcome of the fight was never in doubt.
This "ordinary person" Himeko effortlessly defeated her.
No flashy moves, no wasted energy—just simple swings and slashes of her greatsword, accurately predicting every foothold Kiana took, relentlessly pursuing her.
This was the strength of an ordinary person—the plain, unremarkable strength forged through swinging a sword a thousand times, ten thousand times!
By the time she realized it, the greatsword was already resting against Kiana's neck.
Himeko lowered her head and looked straight into Kiana's eyes: "Remember this? This is the first lesson I taught you."
Seeing this scene.
Every viewer's mind instantly recalled "The Final Lesson."
A wordless sorrow surged in their hearts. The plot of this episode was like a soft knife, constantly slicing at their chests, making them ache unbearably.
They could only curse the dog director, curse Hessian.
But at this moment, they didn't even want to send barrage messages or chat—they just wanted to keep watching, to see this story that belonged solely to Himeko and Kiana.