The former pressure, resistance, and killing intent were all gone. All the core gems now returned lightly to Kiana's hands.
The moment she touched the core gems, countless fragments of consciousness surged into her mind like a tidal wave, instantly engulfing her entire awareness.
Chaos. Chaos. Chaos…
Words could not form sentences, thoughts could not connect into lines.
She clenched her teeth, using every last ounce of strength to force herself to stay conscious.
She didn't know how much time passed. When she opened her eyes again, what greeted her was an endless expanse of pure white.
She blinked, and the scene before her gradually became clear—
This was the endpoint she had been searching for.
St. Freya Academy in pure white, with only a single vivid streak of flame-red painted at its very center.
The white world enveloped Kiana. The surrounding scenery felt both somewhat unfamiliar and somewhat familiar.
Kiana knew why she was here.
The moment that figure appeared with her back turned, Kiana's eyes could no longer look away.
"…"
Reason reminded her that this was a world created from the memories within the core.
But even so, she still longed for one more chance to see her again.
Even if it was only for a farewell.
Kiana took a step forward.
Slowly approaching that flame-red figure. As she drew closer, the figure also turned around.
The encounter she had longed for countless times in her dreams was happening once again.
Himeko turned her head, wearing the same gentle smile as always:
"Long time no see, Kiana."
Tears instantly welled up and spilled over.
Kiana could no longer hold back. She cried out:
"Himeko… Teacher…"
The words caught in her throat as she struggled to speak.
The figure before her was so familiar — as if it were still yesterday, as if she had never left.
Himeko seemed a little at a loss: "I… did I appear too suddenly?"
Kiana shook her head vigorously.
Himeko said: "That's good. You've really changed a lot."
Kiana, choking on her tears, replied: "Teacher Himeko… you haven't changed at all."
Himeko said: "Really? Then I'm actually quite happy."
Kiana bit her lip tightly: "…"
"..."
After a long, long silence, she finally gathered the courage to ask:
"This is just a lingering shadow of consciousness, right…?"
Himeko answered: "…Probably. At least, time here doesn't flow."
Kiana: "…"
She instinctively didn't want to accept this.
Himeko continued: "But we can still talk like this. I'm sorry… I couldn't stay by your side."
"No, it's okay…" Kiana quickly said. "Being able to see Teacher Himeko again makes me really happy. At least… I can finally say a proper goodbye to you like this."
Himeko smiled warmly, looking at her with affection: "Really? I'm sure I'm not the only one who thinks you've changed a lot."
Kiana nodded hard: "Yeah, everyone says so."
Himeko asked: "So, you ultimately defeated the Herrscher of the Void, right?"
"Yes. And that's thanks to everyone's help." Kiana's tears gradually stopped. Right now she looked more like an obedient student reporting her progress to her teacher — even though… she had never really been an obedient student.
Himeko nodded in satisfaction: "Mm. I always believed you could do it. Let's not talk about that for now. Kiana, do you want to take a look around St. Freya?"
"…Of course I do." Kiana answered without even thinking: "After the war with Schicksal, we left the academy. If there's a chance, I'd really like to go back once."
Himeko said: "Then how about we go right now?"
"…!"
In her shock, Himeko spoke softly: "Kiana, let's enjoy a little time that doesn't flow, just for a while."
The scenery around them quickly changed — it was now St. Freya Academy.
"This is from my memory. After being a teacher here for so many years, I remember every single corner of St. Freya clearly." Himeko stretched lazily as she walked into the academy grounds. "I really miss it — this campus full of youth."
Kiana also smiled: "Yeah. I remember how back then I always wanted to grow up quickly. But I never thought growing up would be such a painful thing."
Himeko asked: "Then if you could do it all over again, would you change your choice?"
Kiana looked at the familiar scenery around her and thought for a moment: "Probably not. Otherwise… it wouldn't be me anymore, right?"
Himeko pointed ahead: "Kiana, look — we've reached our dormitory. That window is my room."
Kiana looked over as well.
She was very familiar with everything at St. Freya Academy. That seemingly ordinary dormitory building carried far too many of her memories.
"Ah, I know. At night, Teacher Himeko's light was always on."
"Now that I think about it, that must have been really tough on all of you."
Himeko laughed: "It wasn't that bad. Sometimes I was just drunk and forgot to turn it off."
The two walked past the dormitory and continued deeper inside.
Himeko spotted something interesting: "Look — that little cluster of bushes. Whenever you skipped class, you always hid there. I was always curious — why did you always choose that spot? It was so easy to find you."
Kiana laughed: "Haha… because the sunlight there is the best."
Then Himeko looked toward the wall not far away: "Remember that wall, Kiana?"
Kiana nodded: "Yeah. I used to climb over it all the time to sneak out."
Himeko said: "Theresa had such headaches over it. She probably raised the wall three times, but you could still get over it."
Kiana chuckled: "No wonder it felt harder each time!"
Himeko continued: "But after that, she stopped raising it."
"Why?" Kiana asked, puzzled.
"Because she was afraid you'd get hurt if you fell."
The moment those words were spoken, both of them fell silent.
Kiana knew that Himeko and Theresa had realized very early on that she wasn't the real Kiana — yet they still cared for her, still loved her like this.
Unknowingly, the two arrived at the training ground.
When Himeko saw Kiana staring at it, she teased: "This should be the one class you rarely fell asleep in, right?"
Kiana scratched her head in embarrassment: "Well… back then I only liked combat training like this. Though in double spars, I never once beat the Class Monitor or the others."
"And now?" Himeko asked.
Kiana replied: "That's hard to say."
Himeko looked around and sighed: "It feels like you guys were just having class here yesterday. Tell me about everyone — how are they doing now?"
Kiana nodded and began recounting everything that had happened after the war with Schicksal.
"I see… so many things happened."
Himeko slowly digested Kiana's words. Some facts were still a little hard for her to believe.
"So Bronya actually became the Herrscher of Reason… She really did have the potential to inherit Anti-Entropy's leadership. She may not talk much, but when it comes to observation and learning ability, the rest of you probably can't compare to her."
"And Fu Hua… she really has quite the background."
"I was honestly shocked at first. But now that I think about it, that's probably why her eyes always seemed so different from people her age."
Kiana said: "The Class Monitor had a lot of her own knots to untie, but I think most of them are resolved now."
Himeko nodded: "Mm… I used to worry about her a lot. She always downplayed the hardest things and carried them quietly on her shoulders."
"I still remember — back then, to save me, she was the one who gave me the neutralizing serum. And then I ended up failing to live up to her kindness… I owe her an apology."
Kiana nodded: "Yeah. I'll tell her."
Himeko continued: "As for Mei… I don't think you need to worry too much. She's a kind child, and that will never change."
Kiana nodded: "Mm. I know. Of course I believe in Mei. I understand… how she feels."
"It's just… I still can't help missing her."
"Sigh… Being back here really brings back so many memories."
"Actually, I've always known… I'm the one who received the most help from everyone."
"Mei, Bronya, the Class Monitor, Principal Theresa, and Teacher Himeko."
"I know… it's all thanks to you that we've come this far, and that we can keep walking forward with conviction in the future."
"But… I still worry sometimes."
Himeko looked at her gently: "Worry about what?"
Kiana answered: "I worry that I didn't do well enough. If I had understood certain things earlier, everyone wouldn't have had to worry so much about me, and Mei wouldn't have gone to World Serpent."
"Sometimes… I feel like I've let everyone down…"
Himeko patted her head: "Kiana, let me tell you a story."
Kiana looked at her in surprise: "Eh… are we having class now?"
"What, you don't want to hear it?"
Kiana smiled: "No, I do. I want to hear it."
Himeko began: "More than ten years ago, when I had just started university — about the same age as you and your friends — my father was working at a Schicksal research institute. I don't actually know exactly what he was researching."
"Even though his work kept him very busy, he was a good father. He would praise me when I did well in school, make time to come back and eat with me, buy me birthday cakes…"
"But one day, suddenly, he left me. He left this world."
"I couldn't accept my father's death. I simply couldn't believe that such a familiar face could disappear so simply from my life."
"In the end… I joined Schicksal and became a Valkyrie by accepting artificial Stigmata."
"Everything I did back then was driven by my obsession as a daughter — to uncover the truth about my father's death that had been deliberately hidden."
"But in the Valkyrie forces, I met Captain Ragna."
"…" That name was all too familiar to Kiana. Not long ago, the Herrscher of the Void had told her about this.
Himeko continued: "She told me that Valkyries are people who bring light to the world. We shouldn't let obsession and hatred fill our hearts."
"She guided me to release the pain I had buried deep inside, and helped me find a direction for my life as a Valkyrie — a direction toward tomorrow."
"She was the first to encourage me: Go turn this imperfect world into the one you want to see."
"But… compared to the time you spent together, the time I fought side by side with her was actually very short."
Kiana spoke up: "It was the disaster in 2010…"
"Kiana." Himeko looked at her seriously: "The Herrscher of the Void always blames those disasters and their consequences on you. That's wrong. She cannot see people's own choices. She cannot tolerate those tiny glimmers of beauty."
"— The next part of the story is what I really want to tell you."
"After Captain Ragna sacrificed herself, I went through her belongings. Among the clothes, books, snacks — all the little traces of her daily life — there was also a letter tucked at the bottom of a drawer: To my dear comrades—"
"— If someone finds this letter, it probably means I'm already dead. All my personal possessions can be handled according to organizational regulations. There shouldn't be any issues with the compensation payment."
"'So next… let me share a story with you in this letter.'"
"'A few years ago, when I had just become an A-rank Valkyrie, I was often sent to handle post-disaster cleanup in affected areas.'"
"'But honestly, back then I felt that doing that kind of work was a complete waste of my talents.'"
"'Compared to rescuing those weak, short-sighted civilians, eliminating the enemy was the true duty of a Valkyrie.'"
"'I used to think that way. So one day, I mustered the courage to question the Archbishop who came to inspect: Sending Valkyries to comfort people and clean up after disasters — can that really eradicate Honkai?'"
"'The Archbishop looked at me and answered decisively — No.'"
"'I was stunned. I had thought my impulsiveness would definitely earn me a lecture or even punishment.'"
"'But the next words that Archbishop said completely changed how I viewed my profession.'"
"'He said — But Schicksal has always passed down its beliefs in this way.'"
"'Comrades, this is also the sentence I want to pass on to you.'"
"'The work we do while holding to our beliefs — no matter whether the result is what we hoped for — is never meaningless.'"
"'We protect beautiful things. We protect things that will become beautiful. We protect the things we believe are important.'"
"'They may seem small, may seem futile, but only because right now they are still just seeds.'"
"'These seeds that nurture beauty will one day bloom into fields of flowers across the mountains.'"
"'So do not grieve for me, comrades.'"
"'Though I have withered, I have become soil and fertilizer that nurtures hope.'"
"'And the flowers of hope in the future will also one day find the things they want to protect.'"
"That was Captain Ragna's final teaching. Honestly, at the time, I didn't fully understand what she was trying to tell us."
"But deep down, there was a voice telling me: I should go to St. Freya."
"And then — the day I put on the True Red Armor — I suddenly remembered her words. It felt like fate turning full circle. In that moment, I finally understood everything she had written in that letter."
When Himeko appeared, the audience was undoubtedly filled with excitement. But as the two gradually talked, their moods slowly grew heavier.
Everyone just wanted to quietly watch Himeko until the very end.
But…
After this part of the plot appeared,
The audience could no longer stay calm.
Messages flooded the chat group.
"What? What? What? 'Fight for all the beauty in the world' was passed down from that damn Otto?!"
"What the hell? Captain Ragna must be hallucinating! That Archbishop definitely wasn't that dog Otto!"
"I really can't understand Otto anymore… What is he thinking? Does he have two personalities?"
"I refuse to believe it. How could that damn Otto say something so human? And pass down this kind of belief? It has to be fake!"
"Unbelievable. Otto is way too complicated. Is he a good guy or a bad guy?"
"He's a complete scumbag. He just said something human to maintain his rule."
"Yeah, yeah, definitely. That dog Otto is just maintaining control."
"It must have been a different Archbishop back then. I refuse to believe it was Otto."
"Heh, you think this will reduce my hatred for Otto? Impossible! Otto must die!"
"…"
The audience's disbelief lasted only a moment before they were once again pulled back into the drama.
Himeko looked at Kiana again: "Kiana, I read the report from that mission—"
"No one knows exactly what happened during that disaster, but the out-of-control Herrscher was suppressed, and Siegfried, who had liberated the Judgment of Shamash, survived."
"Someone who was there must have made the choice they believed was right."
"I think Captain saw something in you — something she wanted to protect, something I once saw as well."
"The Captain did. I did. Everyone did."
"We believed you could do it. That you could save more people. That you could make the world a better place."
"And you did, Kiana."
"Everything you did in Arc City, everything you did on Mount Taixu, and everything you're doing now to deal with the Herrscher of Domination…"
"You saved many people, and those people will go on to help even more."
"This is humanity's legacy — the ever-burning flame."